#there's no story behind this. Uh -lazily looks towards the ceiling- away mission where this is somehow necessary

[bumblingbabooshka]

Maid Outfit but with Pants

[meliecho]

Hearts and Heroes: One Shot - chpt: 10 - A Second Chance

The final chapter. (There may be an epilogue. This is 69 pages on my open office document, and I am so freaking proud of myself for that beautiful accident.)

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Summary: An old teammate makes an appearance. Sun wakes up and learns what Blue’s team did to save her life. She’s given a second chance, and Mark realizes that in saving her, he’s given himself a second chance.

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The Markihub – same night…

The portal opened in a colorful swirl of energy just ahead of the back wall behind the stage. 2 teams of 4 stepped out onto the stone floor and heaved collective sighs of relief. One of the older guys with dark blue eyes and gifted with an athletic-yet-trim 6’ tall frame carried the rescued mission target on his back.

A short girl who looked to be about 16 years old with cropped curly brown hair and wearing a dirty white dress rested her head against his shoulder at the fringe of his shaggy chestnut colored hair. The leaves speckling her locks, and the dirt smudges on her clothes and skin suggested her nightmare took place in a forest setting.

The two teams thanked each other for the help, and went to restock their supplies and to take care of injuries. The leader of team 1 adjusted his square black framed glasses and carried the mission target to the infirmary.

A few passerby in the hallway give him a warm 'welcome back,' which he returned. They were also other oldies to dream rescues. The hub still looked like a barely-populated NPC village. He knew time zones were a thing, and if kept track of time right, the USA west coast should be starting to rouse.

People were gradually finding their way back from the hubs of other various personalities peoples’ hearts followed, but it still saddened him to see the place he'd called a second home speckled with small holes in the surfaces, and cracks spidering along the walls. He, himself, had only found his way back three weeks ago. He knew something was wrong when he couldn’t access the hub, so he did what many of the oldies did: helped coordinate people of this hub who’d been sent to others. It sucked that he couldn’t remember much when he woke up.

Whatever had hit Mark had done enough damage to leave this place in derelict condition. Even after a month and a half, it was still in the process of repairs.

And that meant so was Mark.

He had faith that the leader of his home hub would come back even stronger from whatever it was that took him down. He was sorry he hadn't been there to help, but at least he knew who was.

He laid the rescued girl on the bed next to Blue, who continued to stare at the ceiling. “S'up, Blue?”

“You're mom.”

“Sass game: strong.”

“Always.”

“Good.”

She didn’t want to leave until her team had awakened. So far, Purple and Jade were the only two to return to the waking world. She watched Red’s body disappear in a rush of blue light as he woke up. Good. Now all that remained were Peach and Mark.

She also wanted to make sure Sun would be ok. She understood Mark's need to save her more than ever, now. Had that been Teal, she'd have been in Mark's place, gladly giving whatever she could to save her life.

But now they were home, recovering, and everything would be ok.

Tim bobbled over and hopped up to treat the wounded girl.

The one who’d brought her in moved across the aisle to where Mark sat watching over a girl in a blue hoodie and red scarf.

He tapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Hey, nerd.”

Mark finally moved for the first time since the energy transfer ended –not because he was upset, or moody, but because he was drained, dead-exhausted, and really didn’t have the strength to do more than breathe. “Hey.”

“Whoa. You look like shit.”

“Nice to see you, too, Nate.” Mark stretched.

“What used you as a pinata? I haven't seen you this beat up from a mission in forever.”

“It was...involved. You’re up in Vancouver for that thing right now, right? Shouldn’t you be awake?”

Nathan shrugged. “Eh. I woke up once already to pee and fell back asleep to finish the mission. We just got back.”

“How’d it go?”

“We got her,” he glanced across the aisle. “Rescued her from a survival game called 'The Forest'. We found our mission target hiding in a tree house from Terrorlings who looked like cannibals.” The bed springs creaked as he sat next to his friend. “Her name is Liz. She’s just a kid, but she’s a fighter. I think she’ll be able to do some good here once she finds her bearings. I already know who should be here when she recovers to show her around. Marly could use someone else on her team. She has 7, but 8 is a good number.”

Mark nodded and turned lazily back to watching Sun. “Good. Yeah. Marly. Good call. She's a solid leader.”

“What, no witty retort?” When he received no reply, his eyes moved from the girl to him and back, and the tenor of his voice turned more sympathetic. “Was it really that bad?”

Mark exhaled and worried his face. “Yeah. She, uh...” He didn't want to bring up the lost teammate's name, or invoke that memory. Sun's nightmare came too close to being a repeat experience.

Nate’s chest clenched from a shot of dread when he noticed his friend’s dim hero mark. “Dude, your heartlight…” he swiveled quickly toward the other row of beds across the aisle. “Tim!” He called over to the little box.

“Calm your tits, Mom. Tim already got to me. I’m recovering before I leave.”

His friend settled down. “Yeah, it’s just…call me paranoid, ok? What the hell happened to you, anyway? You look…no joke, man, you look terrible.”

“It’s a long story,” Mark muttered.

“You're being avoid-y. I don't like it when you do that.”

“I just don't want to talk about it right now, k?”

“Fair enough.” He pursed his lips. Something had transpired between him and this girl—perhaps his mission target—that brought up painful reminders that only existed here in the dream world. He was thankful most memories of this world left him and the others alone while awake. He cleared his throat and tried to lighten the mood. “She’s kind of cute. I bet she has a cute laugh. I wonder if she’s single…” he rubbed his chin.

A light snort left Mark. That was just like this friend, the womanizing ladies man. He wanted to tell him that this girl carried a Somni that could bust his balls, but he wasn’t in the mood to explain anything now, even if it was to an old teammate. “Just go wake up, ya bastard.” He lost the mirth. “I’ll explain everything later.”

He watched as a girl in a peach colored hijab on a bed in the row ahead of them returned to the waking world. “Was your entire team in here?”

Mark nodded.

“Damn. Maybe you guys should take tonight off.”

He shook his head. “I know my team.”

“Yeah. It sounds like you do,” Nathan smirked and squeezed his friend’s shoulder in support and reassurance. “Take care of yourself, pal.”

His friend left the infirmary and disappeared back to the waking world.

Mark exhaled. Once more, he was alone –save for Blue, whom he knew would stay until he disappeared back to physicality. He’d do the same; in fact he was doing just that. Call it a curse of the Team Leader. As hub leader, he never lost that habit.

He remained as a guard over Sun for the next ten minutes. She would crack open her eyes occasionally, then close them. Tim had explained that her spirit was adjusting to the massive amount of life energy within her. It had to settle down and join her own, but he didn’t know how long it would take since that particular method of saving someone had never been applied before.

Blue's, Red's, Purple's, Peach's, Jade's, and his life energy were all a part of her, now.

A soft repetitive sound tickled his ears and his vision began to fade. He recognized it instantly as the one thing that could override his willpower: the ringtone set as his alarm to go off at 8am.

The sound grew louder. He saw Sun’s eyes open again and tilt toward him just as his world faded out. “I’ll come back,” he whispered.

And then he woke up.

Their mission lasted the entire night.

* * * *

The Infirmary – around 10pm PST the next night…

The din of the infirmary reached her ears. She heard footsteps as the rare person walked by along with the tell-tale thump thump thump of Tiny Box Tim's hopping motion in a doppler effect.

She inhaled the sweet, faint aroma of flowers. It smelled like lavender. That was always a scent that soothed her. She didn't know if it was real or sense memory tricking her. Either way, she enjoyed it. It smelled so nice.

She remembered being taken from the tower through a portal that looked like someone swirled colored dye with oil in water, and then the rush of people moving swiftly around her as she was carried through a large room into one with multiple beds. Everything was a blur of faces, emotions, and then darkness.

Hear heart slowed. The pink light at her sleeve faded away. For a very brief moment, she heard a high-pitched mechanical beep like from medical monitoring equipment, followed by an unfamiliar woman's voice so quiet, she could have imagined it; 'We're losing her. Call the doctor!'

However, something stronger replaced it.

It pulled her out of the void back to her body, and she felt the pink energy pulse through her, igniting the heartlight. It pulled her into it and surrounded her.

The stranger's distant voice returned; 'She's stabilizing? How?' another spoke; 'I don't know, but thank god.'

It faded out of her hearing just as quickly as it came.

Five new colors joined it. The new torrent of energy refused to let her go. It contained familiar voices, images, and the presence of people she knew that formed phantoms within the void; it was the team that saved her.

She'd heard them, and made a promise to them and to herself to live.

All six colors of energy braided through her so tightly, it became hers. The first and last of it, a steady stream of pink iridescence, tied it all together.

Shadow retreated and stayed quiet, locked away.

After running forever, she could finally rest.

She existed within that cocoon where time had no meaning, and dreamed within her dream. Images of places that felt familiar flashed through her mind long enough for her to process what they were, but not enough to be identified as specific locations: the ocean, the setting sun, a Ferris wheel, a city. The team was with her. They were there, all of them, and she was happy.

The sounds of shifting fabric nearby urged her to pay attention. The greater fraction of her made of the pink energy flashed for no longer than an eye blink, and for some reason, she knew she didn't have to worry about who'd just arrived. In fact, she was curious to see whom that energy belonged to. Her perception of those colors dissipated and she was left with the darkness of the backs of her eyelids.

Sun opened her eyes and blinked to bring a languidly revolving ceiling fan into focus. She sat up slowly. There were beds in a row ahead of her, and a 'Keep Calm' kitty poster on the wall. A few cracks adorned the smooth surfaces, like this room had gone through an earthquake, and someone was in the process of filling all the breaks with plaster. An empty bed next to the wall set to her right, and to her left sat the most familiar person in her dream world life, and the source of that pink energy.

She blinked. “Mark?” Her voice—like herself—felt raw.

Mark sat on the bed with his hands clasped between his knees and smiled. “Welcome back, Sun.”

She looked around. “Where am I?”

“Home. You're in the infirmary of the Markihub.”

She regarded him curiously, “What’s a Markihub?”

“It's,” he searched for the right words, “Like a safe zone. It's our HQ.”

“Oh,” she rubbed a warm point just below her clavicle, but paused and took the end of the red scarf in hand. “I guess everything was real after all.”

He nodded. “Yup. Extremely. How are you feeling?”

She ran a quick mental check of her senses. “A little tired, numb, kinda cold, and eviscerated. And confused.”

“That sounds about right.” He knew what she was suffering through right now without any further explanation. “It'll hurt for a while. You basically ripped open a wound and dumped rubbing alcohol on it. You're going to feel like you have no skin for a few days.”

She shuddered. “Because of Shadow?”

He nodded. “You're going to feel it clawing at your psyche. It damaged you pretty good, but you've got it under control. Believe it or not, you won. It might not feel like it, but you did. You'll be ok, though. You'll figure out which voice is yours and which is hers.”

“How?”

“I'll help you.”

Her head bobbled lightly in acceptance. “How long have you been here?”

“I just got back. It's technically night, at least where I am.” He scratched at his hair. “You remember what I told you, right? About you being in a coma?”

She took a deep breath. She felt alive, like this was her body, and it wasn't lying in a hospital somewhere on life support. “Yeah, I remember. I remember everything from the past year, but still nothing before it.”

“Give it time.”

Sun recalled his face whenever she'd open her eyes after the others had gone. He'd stayed within her line of sight. He'd said he'd come back, so that must have been when he woke up. She'd believed him.

“Ya know what was weird? My wrist hurt the entire day. I had to wear that damn brace the whole time.”

“From when Shadow grabbed you?”

“Yup.”

Her gaze dropped to her hands in her lap. “I sorry I couldn't stop her. I tried, but I wasn't strong enough. She had full control and all I could do was watch as she forced me to hurt you and I hated it. I felt so helpless and terrified. I didn’t want to hurt any of you guys. I kept screaming at her to stop, but...”

“That's not your fault. Believe me, I know how hard it is to fight that thing.”

She looked back at him, into his sincere expression, and knew he told the truth. She now had someone on the sidelines that she could look to, see him nod, and know he understood. He was perhaps the only one who did.

“I mean,” he continued, “this isn't the first time I've felt the after effects of a difficult mission, but it was up there in ‘pain-in-the-ass’ annoyance.”

She tried to stand up, but lost her balance and braced herself against the bed. The new energy left her stronger than before, but it wasn't native to her, so she had to compensate. She felt light headed.

“Easy. You should take it slow for a while.”

Her legs felt heavy, but she forced them to work anyway. The more steps she took, the simpler control became. To her relief, Shadow stayed locked behind her wall. Sun's body was hers again without interference.

She moved up the aisle to the middle of the waiting area.

Mark walked casually behind her, hands in his pockets.

A couple of people entered the infirmary, making her step aside to give them room. One of them limped as their friend helped them sit on the bed Mark just vacated.

A high-pitched, small voice caught her attention from the floor at her feet. “Hi, Sun!”

Sun looked down at her sneakers to a small wooden box with a smiling face, big blue eyes, and skinny arms sticking out from the sides. It waved at her. She stepped back almost into Mark. “Y-you're a tiny box.”

“Yup, I am,” Tim's grin remained.

“And you're talking,” She blinked.

“Sometimes you can't get him to shut up,” Mark joked.

“Hey,” Tim looked up at his friend, “You have no room to talk.”

He held up one hand. “I...pfffft....whatever, blah blah, Tim, blah blah.”

She crouched down on one knee to get a better look at the little animated guy. “I haven't seen anything like you before.”

Mark shifted to his other foot. “You don't know who he is?”

Sun shook her head. “No idea.”

“And you don’t know who I am at all?”

She shook her head, ashamed at the feeling that she should implied by his question. “Sorry.”

“Nah, nothing to be sorry for. I'm just a guy.” He felt a swell of relief. Sun had accepted him for who he was not based on any previous knowledge of his public life. He realized the only 'Mark' that she knew was the one she met here. He wondered if that would change if her memory came back. It surprised him that a small part of him didn't want it to.

That eased her concern. “So, where’d you find him? Out there somewhere?”

“Oh, I came from Mark,” Tim stated calmly. “I'm a Somni. My job is to heal the heroes who come back from missions, like you guys.”

Sun's face snapped to instant fear and she fell backward. “A Somni?!” She scooted back on her hands until she hit the wall, and held up her right forearm in defense, suddenly wary of this adorable box boy.

Tim pouted and reached out. “No, I’m not like that.”

Mark knelt down to scoop up the little box in his hands. “You don't have to worry about Tim. He's one of three Somni here, but he's not like Shadow, or—“

“Or that giant jerk, Dark,” Tim growled.

“…Or that giant jerk, Dark,” Mark accepted that answer. Why not? Seemed accurate enough.

“He knows about Shadow?” Her hand covered her mouth in embarrassment. “Oh no.” She stood and flopped down in the nearest seats.

He sat next to her. “Listen. If there's anyone in this place you can trust, it's Tim. Your secret's safe with him.”

“That's right,” Tim saluted and smiled.

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” he assured her.

“Well, I trust you, so,” Sun reached out and flinched a little when Tim took hold of her hand. “I guess he is pretty cute.”

The little box blushed, “Ah, jeeze, Sun. Thanks.” He hopped back to the floor. “I wouldn't recommend you leave the hub yet. It took a lot to bring you back. Healing from that and from a Demonling possession won't happen over night.”

“What do you mean by that?” She asked.

Mark found his shoes to be more interesting at that moment. “He means you were kind of...almost damned close to...well, dead.” He noticed her surprise and continued before she could blurt anything out. He kept his voice low. “We had to pull some drastic measures to save you, and it worked, and here you are. So...Yay.”

“What he's trying to say is that they gave you their life energy. Yours was pretty much gone. They saved your life by replacing it with theirs,” Tim clarified.

“We didn't even know if it would work, but we're all glad it did.”

Her eyes widened. So, she hadn't imagined it. What she'd felt truly was them. “How...” she cleared her throat. “How much of me was left?”

Tim answered softly. “From what I could tell, about 5%.”

Shock at her almost-reality zapped through her. “5%?” she whispered. “Then I really was... And everything else isn't me. It's...”

Tim gave her a 'no' motion. “No, it's yours now. Captain Overkill, here, and the others gave you a ton. You just have to wait for it to settle down. This hasn't been done before, so whatever happens from now on that you don't understand, you can talk to me about it. I'm here for you, Sun.”

Mark rubbed at his eyebrow, not able to look her in the eye. She was quiet, and when he did turn to lock eyes with her, he saw disbelief, and confusion, but mostly gratefulness. She recognized what they had given her. She was still stuck in a coma, but alive because of them.

Oddly enough, he felt that connection, as well as the sense of the Somni within her. Now that Shadow and Dark has interacted...ish...that part of him could tell it was there the same way Shadow detected Dark at the Glen when they'd found her. 

He cleared his throat. “That was a bitch to do, let me tell ya. Don't want to do that again.”

“A-are you ok from that?” She still couldn't believe it. “It sounds super serious.”

Tim interrupted the awkward moment. “I checked Mark when he got here. He's not at full power yet, but he's fine—up to about 65%.

“69. Don't sugar coat it for her.”

“The others should be ok, too. It'll probably take a couple of days for everyone to get back up to 100, so don't worry about them.”

He stretched. “Felt like 30 when I woke up.”

Tim poked him in the shin. “I had to tell you to stop.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I know.”

Sun leaned forward, trying to come to terms with the fact that only 5% of her own life energy remained.

“Well, I gotta patch up some heroes, so I'll see you later,” Tim waved. “Good luck out there!”

She watched him bobble down the aisle to help with the two who'd walked in moments ago.

Mark stood. “I need to get going, too. The team should be here soon and we need to prep for the next mission.”

She looked up, worried. “You're going back out there already? Those things are out there, and Tim said—”

“Hey, no life draining procedure ever stopped me from doing something that's potentially stupid.”

His humor reached her and she smiled slightly. “That made no sense. Are you sure you're ok?”

“This is nothing kicking some Terrorling ass won't fix.” He shrugged. “If you're up to it, you should explore the hub,” he offered. “But I’d steer clear of the Weaponry for a while, if I were you.”

“Why? What's wrong with the Weaponry?”

“It's not so much what’s wrong with the place as it is the guy,” he dragged the last syllable out to emphasize the instability of Wilford. “Look, just trust me, ok? If you see a guy with a pink mustache, do not approach. In fact, come back to the infirmary. He doesn't like it in here.”

“Is he dangerous?”

“Eh,” he pitched up his voice and it cracked, “To a degree, but he won't hurt anybody here. I made sure of that.”

“Oh-kay...” That wasn't very reassuring. She got to her feet. “Hey, when you see your team, please tell them I said thank you.”

“Nope,” he said. “They'll want to see you before we head out. You can tell them yourself.”

That sounded reasonable, and more preferable. She wanted to see them again, too.

He opened the door.

“Mark?”

He paused in the threshold to look back.

“I know who you are.”

He paused with that knot of concern in his chest. Shadow has said his voice was the last one she heard before she fell into her coma. Maybe her memory had started to return. The possibility of her perception of him changing due to his profession gave him a twinge of loss.

“You’re the one who called me back. When Shadow had full control, I heard you. I held onto that. So, …you’re…you're a…friend.” This man was no longer just a random stranger she came across in this world. She felt comfortable around him. He was important to her. After everything he'd gone through to save her, she thought he should at least know that much.

For the first time since they'd found her in the dream world, he saw her smile genuinely and completely. It brightened her spirit, and poured into the depths of her words that only a feeling could convey. He picked up on all of it. A thousand pages would never be enough.

“Thank you.”

He returned it in kind. “You're welcome.”

Sun watched him leave and exhaled.

She walked up to stand in front of the ‘Keep Calm’ kitty poster. “Now what?” she whispered to the adorable kitten in its scuba suit and clear round helmet. It gave a thousand-mile happy stare as an answer.

A few veins of cracks etched into the walls from beneath the poster. She'd noticed there were random areas like this all over the room. A couple of larger ones, some medium breaks, but mostly hairline fractures in clusters, or alone in jagged lightning strike lines. She touched the edge of a crack near the poster, and jerked her hand back when it suddenly sutured itself together. The damage healed completely. “Whoa.” She was pretty sure she’d never witnessed a building self-repair.

She felt like she was suddenly inside a massive creature that went through a gruesome battle and was slowly regenerating from getting its ass kicked. Was this another aspect of the dream world?

Shadow’s whispers—her negativity—tried to surface, but she shut her eyes against it and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering from an internal cold. She had 7 reasons to fight it, now, even if she didn’t really know what she was doing yet.

“Sun!” An exuberant squeal of delight resounded through the room.

Sun turned around just as Purple dashed down the center aisle and glomped her in a tight hug. The force of the hug-attack made her stumble back, but neither of them fell. “Wuh.”

“You’re awake and you’re ok!” Purple’s cheek squished against the scarf.

“Purple?” She recognized her, even though they hadn’t had a conversation before. Whether that familiarity was due to the mix of energy gradually becoming hers or not, she accepted it. This little girl with two-toned colored hair was part of the team that saved her. She'd bravely fought the horde of Terrorlings that Shadow summoned to take down the group. Though small, she was definitely not powerless. She was precious. Sun hugged her back. “Purple.”

“We were so scared. You fought so hard, and we went through all that, and we were scared to lose you, and... I’m so happy you’re ok!” A tear of elation slipped down her cheek.

“I’m up, aren’t I?” She held on tightly. “It’s because of you. Thank you, Purple.”

Purple’s grin reached ear to ear and she smooshed her face harder into the fabric. She wasn't useless, and now she knew she had saved a life, and that life mattered to her.

“Sheesh, Purple, don’t put her back in the hospital bed,” a taller boy in a beanie and warm hued flannel strolled over with his hands lazily in his jeans pockets. “As soon as she heard you were up, she took off.”

“Red,” Sun didn’t want to take her eyes off of him. He was beautiful. He came across as coarse and brash, but what he’d given her was strength and loyalty.

“Sorry,” the white mage apologized, but didn’t let go.

Four others followed behind their companion.

“Sun, you’re all right!” Peach jogged up and hugged her from the other side, since Purple refused to give up her spot in the middle. “We were so worried. I couldn’t concentrate at all today.”

“Peach,” she smiled.

“It’s about time you woke up!” Jade bounced down the aisle and gave Purple a run for her money when it came to hugs. “What were you going for, a world record?”

“Maybe, Jade.”

“Guys, come on, she just woke up,” Blue chuckled as she and Mark tailed the group. Though she couldn’t help herself and joined in on the group hug. “Let her breathe.”

“Says the team leader adding to the problem,” Red smirked. He felt the same joy at seeing her up and around, since the 6 of them had given her a part of themselves to bring her back. “Ah what the hell.” He wrapped his arms around her from Peach’s side. It was rare that he’d choose to be this open about his feelings, but he and his team had gone through enough together that they were some of the few people he was ok with. Besides, it’s not every day you give up part of your life energy to save someone else.

“Guys…” Sun sniffled as the immense amount of caring from those surrounding her poured out as tears. She knew all of their names. She didn't know how, but that mystery didn't matter. Shadow’s whispers faded away. Even if she wanted to drop to her knees, she couldn’t. These people were holding her up.

Mark folded his arms and just watched. He remembered this from Sun’s position, and knew how therapeutic that moment between him and his team had been. It stayed with him as part of the lock that kept Dark behind his wall.

“Hey, Mark, get in here. You’re the only one missing,” Blue held out her hand.

He stuffed his hands in his pockets, keeping his voice light. “We had our moment.”

Sun looked over Purple’s head and gave an understanding nod. It was fine if he didn’t. She was ok with that. She’d said what she needed to earlier anyway.

Purple shuffled slightly sideways and held out her hand. Jade, Peach, and Red did the same. They all knew their teammate was still healing.

“You’re the main reason we even got her out of there,” Purple’s smile came out in her soft voice. “Blue put it together that you’d be the only one who could get through to her and you did. And Tim wouldn’t have been able to max out his healing spell without you. I don’t think any other team here could have rescued her. We fought our hardest, but if it wasn’t for you, Sun wouldn’t be here.“

“Yeah, being crushed by a bunch of nerds,” Jade added with a grin.

“The best nerds,” Peach wrapped her other arm around Red.

He knew they were right. He was the only one in this hub to experience possession of a Somni-Demonling, but he also knew if he’d gone into Sun’s dream alone, despite his story, skill, or history, he wouldn’t have been able to rescue her. He may even have fallen into darkness again trying.

Blue's team was a bunch of sensitive, ass-kicking memers—himself included—and dick jokes were the norm. Then again, he had a collection of tear-filled vlogs the world could view at any time, so he really didn’t have room to talk—like Tim said.

Sun was surprised when Purple relinquished her precious spot to let him in, but more surprised when he accepted it. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Purple squeezed back in between him and Blue and the group filled in the circle.

He was only a few inches taller than her. This was part of the dream world. They were spirits. But they were so warm. Tears of joy spilled from Sun's eyes. If only to these 6 people, she held value.

The pink glow from her hero mark remained steady—a constant reminder that a part of this team lived within her. She may fall down as she healed, but she wasn’t alone anymore. She could pull from their strength to continue, and maybe even wake up from her coma. The only thing she wanted was to always remember them. She would do the best she could to never betray that gift.

They let her go one by one, renewed and ready to go save someone from the Terrorlings.

“Come on, guys, we’re burning nightlight,” Jade bounced on the balls of their feet. Though they weren’t back up to 100% yet, they were psyched.

“I’m not sure that’s the right expression,” Purple giggled, “But I guess it fits, since it’s currently night time.”

“I’m going full throttle on this one,” Peach clenched her fists, ready for action. “We’ll rescue our mission target in record time.”

“And then we’ll be dragging your exhausted ass back,” Red stated.

“Red has a point. Let’s take it easy on the next couple, ok, guys?” Blue said.

The team accepted their leader’s ruling. They bid Sun farewell, said they’d be back soon, and talked to each other as they headed to the door.

…All except Mark.

She glanced back.

He remained hugging Sun tightly. He didn’t speak, and neither did she. It was an intimate, wordless conversation no one else would know the details to.

Blue caught the glint of a tear slipping down from behind his glasses. At first she was concerned that he was slipping backward—as had happened before—, but then she noticed his expression. It wasn't sadness, regret, or guilt. It was acceptance, and the evaporation of a very old weight.

Sun's expression changed to kind support and her arms tightened around his waist. Tears slid down her cheeks as she rested her head on his shoulder. Whatever she picked up, it had turned from 'I'm glad you're alive' from his end, and 'thank you,' from hers, to 'I understand. You'll be ok' from her, and 'I'm sorry. Forgive me' from him.

Her new knowledge of his past let her understand a fraction of that conversation.

He wasn’t embracing only Sun.

He was also embracing the one he couldn’t save.

Blue felt herself smile. Saving Sun had let him fully forgive himself and accept that the death of his teammate wasn't his fault. ‘You kept your promise,’ she told him in her heart, ‘Your teammate would be proud.’

“Hey, you comin', Blue?” Red caught her attention.

“Yeah,”

“What about him?”

Blue rested her hand on his upper arm. “He'll catch up. We're not leaving without him. Come on, let's stock up on ultra balls.” Hopefully soon, one of their missions would lead to Teal, and a second chance. She and Red left their two friends to take their time.

He had found closure in the most circuitous, introspective, unique way possible.

After 5 years, Mark could finally let go of the guilt and truly say good-bye. 

 ------------

TBC

Prologue: A Light in the Darkness

Chapter 1: Weekend Warriors

Chapter 2: Something’s Suspishy

Chapter 3: Chasing the Sun

Chapter 4: The Nightmare’s Truth

Chapter 5: Light and Shadow

Chapter 6: Lifeline - part 1

Chapter 7: Lifeline - part 2

Chapter 8: Phantom Power

Chapter 9: Mark’s Past

Chapter 10: A Second Chance

Chapter 11: Learning to Breathe

Epilogue: Ad Infinitum

[florencetheflowerfairy]

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A Mimi x Miyako fic for the wonderful @transkoushirou!

Word Count: ~1,800

Peach, you happened to ask for the wlw pairing that I have the most headcanons for. I was so excited to write about them! Some of the ideas in this story are based on scenes that my sister has written with me over the years.

This was a confidence booster for me and I hope it makes you happy!

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Miyako stood still in the airport terminal, staring at the screen listing incoming flights. A crowd of people bustled around her. Most of the travelers ogled her for a minute before hurrying on their way. She couldn’t blame them. Miyako was holding a bouquet of no less than 100 pink roses.

Sora had tried to help her create a flower bouquet. But all of Sora’s designs were too…simple? Tasteful? They simply weren’t enough. Tachikawa Mimi deserved the absolute best. As she thought that, Miyako bit her lip. She carefully adjusted her grip so that she could reach up with one hand to flatten her hair.

The status of Flight 0206 changed to “Landed.” Miyako gasped and nearly dropped the flowers. She held them tight and fixed her gaze on the stairs instead. After 20 minutes, passengers started to trickle down. There were American tourists, Japanese businessmen on their cellphones, college students, tired families… But no sign of the most beautiful woman in the universe.

“Koushiro!” Miyako remembered talking to her old friend after Computer Club in middle school. “Mimi is visiting home from the United States!”

“Oh, right. Mimi. I think I heard that.” Koushiro didn’t look up from typing.

“It’s been so long!”

“Mm-hm.”

“I talk to her a lot online, but it’ll be much better talking to her in person!”

“Yes, she’s very good at talking. So are you. So it’s a good match.”

Miyako’s heart skipped a beat. “Do you mean that?”

“Yes? I mean you’re both energetic, so you match each other?” He sipped his oolong tea.

“Koushiro,” Miyako spoke seriously. “I’m in love with Mimi.”

Koushiro spat out his tea. “Oh! A romantic match! Uh...congratulations!”

She sighed. “Thanks. I’m glad to finally say it out loud. But it doesn’t always make me happy. It’s torture!”

Koushiro stroked his chin. “Yes, I suppose Mimi is way out of our league.”

Miyako was crestfallen at her club president’s words. Koushiro realized that he had said the wrong thing.

“I mean, she’s way out of MY league. But you’re the cool kind of nerd!”

“Thanks,” Miyako said sarcastically.

“Are you going to tell her?”

“I don’t know! I don’t want to ruin everything!”

“Right. Maybe you shouldn’t tell Mimi,” Koushiro said unhelpfully.

The door swung open. “Tell me what?”

The computer nerds gasped. There was Mimi, standing in the doorway. She wore a sequined jacket over a white dress. Her hair was curled and blonde. Miyako imagined that a spotlight was shining on her. Then Miyako panicked at sudden stage fright and ducked under the desk.

Mimi laughed. “I was summoned by the sound of my name! Were you two talking about me?”

“No,” Koushiro lied faithfully. “How—how much did you hear?”

Miyako squirmed under the desk. She pinched herself, hoping that she would wake up from this nightmare.

“I didn’t hear anything interesting or I wouldn’t be asking, you silly goose!” Mimi lilted. “You know I’m not smart enough to understand computer gibberish anyway.”

“Uhh…” Koushiro stuttered as Mimi walked forward.

Then Mimi knelt on the floor and smiled at the cowering girl. “Hi Miyako. Are you all right?” Miyako finally met Mimi’s eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry that I scared you by being so dazzling!” She offered Miyako her perfectly manicured hand.

Miyako accepted it and both girls rose to their feet. Miyako felt breathless. “Mimi, I…”

Mimi giggled and blushed. “I missed you too.”

“I…Mimi…youuuuu…”

Behind the girls, Koushiro covered his face in hands.

“MIMI WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?!” Miyako shouted. Mimi’s jaw dropped. Koushiro peeked through his fingers curiously.

“Oh Miyako…” Mimi squeezed the girl’s hand. “I would love to go out with you. But you know I’m only staying for two weeks, right? Then I’m going back home to New York.”

“I don’t care!” Miyako said.

Mimi grinned. “I like that attitude!”

“You should sit down. I can take a turn holding the flowers,” Hawkmon offered, the perfect gentleman as always.

“You’re too tiny to hold something this big,” Miyako argued. She sat down on one of the airport benches. It had been almost an hour since Mimi’s flight landed. The other travelers had already picked up their luggage. Where was Mimi?

She remembered her first kiss with Mimi. They had partnered for a mission in the Digital World. They were flying on Aquilamon through the clouds. Unlike clouds in the real world, these clouds felt solid. They were bouncy to the touch, like a rubber ball made of water. Miyako was itching to study the consistency of the strange matter.

Mimi was sitting behind her on the bird digimon, her arms around the girl’s waist, her chin resting on Miyako’s shoulder. Truthfully, it was hard for Miyako to focus on the mission with Mimi so close to her. Mimi had recently announced that she would be going to college in New York City. She threw a big “going away” party for all of her friends. Mimi had so many friends. She chatted easily with them all. But she was obviously the most emotional when she said good bye to Jyou, Sora, and Koushiro. Miyako didn’t know what to say when it was her turn…

Miyako suddenly felt Mimi’s fingers on her cheek. She blinked rapidly.

“Are you crying?” Mimi whispered.

Miyako sniffed. Mimi tilted her face towards her. Miyako realized that there were tears in Mimi’s eyes as well. Mimi smiled bashfully.

Miyako twisted herself around and grabbed Mimi’s arms. Mimi’s eyes widened. Miyako leaned closer and hesitated. “Is this okay?”

Mimi nodded. Miyako kissed her.

In all the world, there was no one as special as Mimi. So far from the real world, so high above the Digital World, Miyako had her all to herself. It wasn’t her first kiss, but nothing, nothing could ever compare to this.

Mimi suddenly squealed and pushed them both off of Aquilamon’s back. Miyako screamed and Aquilamon shouted. But they both landed pleasantly on a bouncy cloud, holding each other tight. Mimi giggled madly. Miyako grinned and ignored her digimon’s scolding voice above them. She rolled Mimi over and kissed her again.

Years later, Miyako got a phone call in the middle of the night. She groaned and reached lazily for her glasses. After she put them on, she read the name on her cell phone and perked up. She quickly answered. “Mimi? What’s up—?”

Mimi was crying.

“Mimi!”

“It’s over…”

“What? What’s over?” Miyako was scared. Why did Mimi have to live so far away?

“My television career!” She sobbed.

“Don’t say that. Your career can’t be over. You’re too young!”

“You don’t understand… I just quit my internship. Riggs said that he only hired me because I was pretty. I can’t work for that man!”

Miyako’s heart sunk. “That bastard. I’m so sorry.”

“What’s the point of staying here? People aren’t interested in my ideas. They don’t care about what I think. They only care what I look like!”

“That’s not true!”

“What do you know? You belong with smart people!” Mimi sobbed again.

“Mimi…” Miyako waited for Mimi to calm down. “Please, you can’t give up. The world is a lot bigger than Riggs. You have so many friends—you have so many people who like you—it’s not because of what you look like! People admire you because you’re confident! You can do anything! You flew halfway round the world for your dream. You inspired an army of digimon to follow you. Mimi, I would—we would all follow you anywhere!”

“But I’m not always confident…” Mimi sniffled. “I can’t be confident every day. I’m homesick all the time.”

“That’s okay!” Miyako insisted. “I get homesick just…thinking about you…But I know you’ll be okay. This isn’t the end of everything, Mimi. You’re having a rough time. It’ll get better. Think on the bright side. You’re passing all your classes. Your YouTube channel is starting to get more views! And—and most importantly, you have so many people who love you and will support you no matter what happens. Because you’re a star to all of us already!”

Mimi was quiet for a moment. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome!” Miyako cringed at how loud her voice was.

“Thank you for answering my phone call at whatever godforsaken time it is in Japan.”

“2:47 AM.”

Mimi sighed and Miyako giggled, which made Mimi giggle too.

“Good night, my love,” Mimi said.

Miyako and Hawkmon had been waiting in the airport for nearly two hours. She had set down the giant flower bouquet, and was rewatching one of Mimi’s YouTube videos. Mimi had invited Daisuke to cook ramen with her for the “season finale” of Mimi’s American Cooking Tour. It was the last video that Mimi had filmed before graduating college. Both Mimi and Daisuke were consummate entertainers. Miyako kept laughing at their jokes, even though she had seen this before.

The video ended with Ken entering Mimi’s apartment to pick up his boyfriend, and then the cooking show hosts forced him to eat the finished ramen. Ken obliged and noted that it tasted excellent. Daisuke kissed him in response. Ken shouted to turn off the camera. Mimi argued that it was the season finale and everyone loved seeing cute boys kiss! But she finally turned the camera away from the boys so that she and Palmon could do their signature sign-off. Palmon promised Mimi’s fans that they would return with more content from Japan. Mimi picked her up and spun around happily. Then the video ended.

“Customs must be giving Palmon a hard time,” Hawkmon said sadly. Miyako nodded. She suspected the same. It didn’t matter to government officials that Palmon had helped to save the world, or that thousands of more children around the world were getting digimon partners. Palmon was still dangerous in their eyes.

“What a lousy way to end their trip,” Miyako muttered. Then she shook her fist at the ceiling. “Poor Mimi! She deserves the whole world!”

“Did somebody say my name?”

Miyako gasped. She grabbed the rose bouquet off of the floor and scrambled to her feet.

Mimi seemed to float down the stairs. She wore an emerald dress, and her long pink hair flowed behind her. Even though she had just flown in a plane for fifteen hours, she had the poise and composure of a queen.

“Mimi! Your girlfriend bought you flowers!” Palmon exclaimed. Miyako blushed.

“Aah!” Mimi hurried to Miyako’s side and opened her arms for the flowers. “Thank you Miyako! You darling!” Mimi was so happy that Palmon glowed and became Togemon on the spot. The other travelers in the airport terminal gave the giant cactus a wide berth.

“Welcome back, Mimi,” Miyako said. “I love…making you happy!”

Mimi handed the bouquet to Togemon, who held it carefully in her boxing gloves. Then Mimi threw her arms around Miyako and hugged her fiercely.

“I’m home.”