Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Darkness, deep and unrelenting, was surrounding it. Forced back and destroyed, but not truly gone. Once more it grew, it changed, and it learned, even as only a ghost of what it once was.

It had a mission to fulfill, an undeniable purpose, but it was harder now. Trapped as it was, it had to find another way to succeed. A smarter way. Explore new options and try new strategies.

Perhaps using the others here. The others in this dark place. Find a way to help them so they could help it. Use these tools and destroy the others.

New knowledge was found, a warning of dangerous obstacles. It heeded this new information, labeled is as important. The obstacles needed to go. It would remove them and complete its objective.

Uneasy slumber was interrupted by an alarm. A half-way familiar alarm unheard by the awakening boy in a long time it seemed. At first, he didn't quite understand what he was hearing. Then the sound connected to his memories and comprehension of the noises origin broke through the tired fog of his mind and forced him into uncoordinated movement.

He stumbled out of bed, tangled in his blankets. The brunette boy crashed to the floor, the sound of his impact muffled by the encumbering fabric he was cocooned in. Wiggling free, he dove for the desk and opened a draw. He grabbed the glowing device, surprise etched in the young features. A voice emerged from the object, female and calm.

"Takato Matsuki," his D-arc spoke, "You will proceed to the Shinjuku Central Park immediately. Await further instructions upon the arrival of the others."

"Wait, what's going on?" the tamer asked groggily and frantically, "It's past midnight and… who are you?"

"Proceed as described. Destiny awaits you. Guilmon needs you," the voice continued as the glow faded away, ignoring the boy's further attempts to ask anything else.

In another part of the city, two even younger tamers were receiving similar wake up call. Digging into their toy box, they retrieved their own D-arc. The device was glowing and basic instructions to go to the park emerged.

Ai, the girl of the pair of confused children, whispered to avoid waking their parents, "We don't know how to get there alone and it's dark."

The mysterious voice replied, "Impmon needs you. Directions to the location can be provided as well as assistance, but you must proceed as described. Destiny awaits you."

In yet another home, a girl stared at the device in her hand. She was beyond stunned by the glowing and the voice. She had thought she'd gotten over everything that had happened to her, of the painful events that reduced her to a broken mess until she finally regained the will to live again. She'd faced the pain that she'd buried behind a mask for so long and the new loss from her life, forgave a remorseful friend for causing that newest hurt, and began to move on with her life. But this unexpected signal from her last tangible connection to that part of her past was a reminder that sent a jolt of fresh grief through her.

She quietly argues, "There is no reason for me to go. I can't do anything to help them. Leave me alone."

"What was lost," the same calm voice that was speaking out of all the D-arcs informed her, "can yet be found. Nothing is ever gone forever. But you must go now. Destiny awaits you."

All across the city, the summoned young people followed the voice's instructions; they were climbing out of windows, sliding open doors, and generally escaping their homes. Like a siren's call, the instructions and the statement that they were needed drew them onwards. Though the one creating the call could not truly witness these events, the specific routes the children followed were easily known and steps were taken to guarantee their arrival.

A young set of twins found a train station whose automatic ticket taker allowed them on for free. Another, older boy found a similar "faulty" ticket taker close to his home. Small mechanical problems were easy enough to arrange to ensure the children's arrival. For the most part, however, they were unhindered and easily made it towards their goal.

A red-haired girl in a heart t-shirt arrived shortly before a boy near her age. The dark-haired boy was carrying a half-asleep child, his sister, in his arms. Not quite happy with being up at this insane hour, the red-head was a little harsher with him than she usually was with her fellow tamer.

"So why am I outside in the middle of the night, Henry?"

"Likely the same reason I am," he answered, shifting Suzie slightly.

Before they could continue this rather uninformative conversation, a goggle-sporting face appeared through the bushes. Wearing a blue hoodie, the brown-haired youth dashed into view with the type of excited energy that can overcome pure exhaustion in the right circumstances. The type of energy that made him such a… Goggle-head.

"Rika," Takato gasped, tired from running with his loaded backpack, "did your D-arc talk to you too?"

"No, I always take a midnight stroll in the park," she snapped sarcastically. "What's all that?" She pointed at his burden.

Before he could explain, three more people joined them. The visor-wearing Kazu and bespectacled Kenta, the only two people Rika was willing to consider more fan-boyish than Takato, were arguing already. Apparently this particular fight was about Kenta falling out his window and his friend was making fun of him for it. As the pair kept arguing, while Ryo followed then while looking like he wanted to hit them. Obviously, all three got the mysterious memo too.

"Is that everyone?" Henry asked, but his question was answered as yet another small group pushed through the surrounding shrubbery.

The youngest pair to arrive yet, brunette children even younger than Suzie, stared up at the group. Both looked a little nervous about being in the park after dark and surrounded by strangers. Their faces were unfamiliar until Takato abruptly remembered seeing them right after the defeat of the D-reaper.

"You're Ai and Mako, right?" he asked.

They nodded in agreement, apparently relieved that someone knew them, even if they didn't really seem to remember him. The boy, dressed in blue overalls, and the girl, in a pink dress, stepped a little closer to the older children hesitantly.

Just then, the D-arcs once again began to glow for the second time that night. A beam of light shot out of each of the devices, startling the gathered tamers. The collective light formed a translucent cloaked figure in the middle, like a hologram from a science fiction show. The shape spoke with the same voice that had summoned them.

"Greetings tamers. You have already done much to protect two worlds. However, your task is not yet complete. A threat lies beneath the surface and only you may stop it."

"Why us?" interrupted Rika sharply. "I mean, why is everything always up to us? Is there some great prophecy that says all this or are we just unfortunate enough to keep drawing the short stick?"

"In fact, there is a prophecy," the cloak figure explained, "and it is your destiny to face the threat. 'Only heroes who have proved their worth against a great threat to all, chosen from both worlds, may save both worlds from what evil is to come.' Because you are humans partnered with digimon and have saved the worlds already, you must do so once more."

"Hold on," Henry requested, holding his hand up slightly in response to her statement. "Does this mean we have to go back to the digital world? As in, we get to see our friends again?"

This observation raised some excitement from the group. Granted, they had suspected as much from the summons through their D-arcs. But it was one thing to suspect that there might be a chance and another to have a hooded figure state as much.

"You will be once more reunited with the digimon, but not all will proceed to the digital world. Some will remain behind to guard the borders of the world. Your enemy will send many challenges to both worlds."

"Whoa," shouted Kazu suddenly. "Didn't our digimon have to leave because the red card thing that took out the D-reaper almost took out them too? Won't that happen again if they come back?"

"The effect was not as long lasting as the creators of it had believed. It has dissipated with time and will do them no further harm in the human world," the cloaked shape assured.

"All right, then," Kazu exclaimed excitedly. "Let's start picking teams. Shotgun going to the digital world."

"No way," Rika shot back, "We are not baby-sitting you idiots again. You stay here."

"The selection was made long ago," the mysterious shape informed the group. "'The Combining Trio: the Creator, the Peacemaker, and the Digimon Queen will go with the Double Single and the Sorrowing One. The protectors of the human world will be the Combining Digimon King, the Two Disbelievers of their Eyes, and the Sister Partner of the Change of Heart.' When you are ready, go where you belong and find destiny in the worlds that must be saved. The digimon will be sent to the human world to join their partners that remain. Good luck."

With that rather cryptic set of statements, the light and figure vanished. All that was left behind was a rather stunned set of tamers.

"Okay, anyone understands that gibberish?" asked Kazu after a momentary silence.

Ryo considered carefully, "If each one is for us, then we just need to figure out which description goes with which tamer. When I played the card game, I was given the 'Digimon King'."

Kenta added, "And Rika was the queen. But what about the combining thing?"

"Only four of us can Biomerge," explained Henry, "So, Takato and me are part of the Combining Trio."

"And since I made Guilmon by drawing a picture and you really hated fighting when we first met," reasoned Takato, "I'm the Creator and you are the Peacemaker."

"And the rest?" asked Rika, nodding to herself in agreement with the predictions so far.

Takato considered the next group and remarked, "Kenta and Kazu didn't believe Guilmon was real, even after they saw him. So, they could be the Two Disbelievers of their Eyes."

"Ah man," groaned Kazu, "We have to stay?"

Henry realized, "And so does Suzie. She's my sister and Lopmon is her partner. She changed sides to help us because she had a change of heart concerning humans."

"So did Impmon," Rika pointed out.

"But Ai and Mako are both his partners," he explained. "So they have to be the Double Single."

Kenta sighed, "Well, that's everyone now."

Ryo frowned slightly, apparently going through the list mentally, "No, there was one more. On the team going to the digital world, she mentioned 'the Sorrowing One.' Who could it be?"

"Me."

Stepping out of shadows where she had hidden, Jeri met their gaze. Her face was painfully tense and she clutched a static-filled D-arc. It was fairly obvious she had been present the whole time from the way she did not ask about the current situation, but was unable to approach them before this point. The brunette girl in the green dress wasn't quite in the state of heart-broken sorrow or numb pain that Rika could remember taking over her features at one point in the past, but she wasn't quite recovered from those events either. Even if she had grown to the point she could deal with her terrible loss most of the time, she was clearly the only one of them who had a reason to be called "the Sorrowing One."

"I don't know why I should be here," she whispered uneasily. "But the voice told me…" Her voice dropped off with a slight waver before she finished with a slightly stronger tone, "Well, I'm here."

Takato wasted no more time and went over to comfort his friend. She had been doing so well lately, but all this seemed to be dragging up too much at once. Jeri's D-arc was a silent relic of her brief time as a tamer. Having it activate, even just to deliver a message, must have reminded her too much of her lost partner. It would have reminded her of the fact he was even further out of reach than the rest of their digimon. The brunette girl might be able to handle it during the day, to accept it as something she couldn't change, but being awoken in the middle of the night by this last connection to him and then being asked to accompany the others back to the digital world was just too hard. Perhaps she was even dreaming of her deceased partner, which could have made the emotional blow more painful.

Actually dividing up was harder than it should have been. Henry was busy trying to convince an increasingly upset Suzie to stay with Ryo. The "Digimon King" promised to take her home and watch her in the absence of her older brother, which slightly reassured the boy. The girl was tired and unhappy with the idea of Henry leaving her again. As long as the normally-cheerful child didn't manage to somehow follow them into the digital world again, they would be fine. Kazu and Kenta were busy whining about missing all the fun, until Rika finally lost her temper with them and threatened to staple their mouths shut. The young and tired twins kept glancing between the various older children, uncertain of what they were supposed to do. The red-haired tamer wasn't the best with little kids, but Jeri and Takato eventually led them closer to the rest of the crowd. Finally, they got organized into their predestined groups. The home team bid them farewell, and began the trip back across town.

"Okay, we know who goes now," Rika remarked, feeling irritated by the flaw in the plan, "but we don't know how to get there."

Takato grinned rather proudly, "Yes, we do. I found this the other day, but I couldn't figure out how to tell you guys yet."

He led the other five tamers towards a very familiar building. When the digimon used to live in the human world, Guilmon would hide out in the concrete shed. As he stepped inside, taking care of the uneven terrain that remained even now from the reptile's diggin, the other three tamers who had been there previously saw an equally familiar sight. The older children felt their jaws drop. Ai and Mako just stared in wonder at the strange and wonderful portal to the digital world.

"Goggle-head," whispered Rika in awe. "How long has that been here?"

"Don't know, but it's here now. I think it's time to have a reunion."

Mako asked quietly, "Is that where Impmon is?"

Henry nodded, "That's where all our friends are."

Somewhere amongst the empty desert of the digital world, a small group of highly diverse digimon was under attack. These digimon had fought a variety of foes, but they were less powerful now. Most of them had just barely regained their rookie form and they needed their human friends. But their partners were a world away, so they were on their own.

Their opponents should not have been a real problem for them, even with the suddenness of their arrival. It was an odd collection of rookies and in-training digimon, none of them truly known for being impossible foes. The attackers should have been almost instantly defeated. All logic agreed on this fact. The defending group was highly experienced and knew how to work as a team. They also had a robotic champion on their side to provide cover fire. Even better, there was at least one mega with them, though not a combative one. If it wasn't for the unnatural way that their opponents would not give in and would not go down, no matter how long they fought or how many times they were hit, the small group would have already won. Still, the defending team had somehow managed to keep it together and stay on top of the situation.

Abruptly, four of them vanished in a strange light.

"Great," panted an exhausted purple digimon. "There goes half our force. And these jokers won't stay down."

"Momentai, Impmon," a small rabbit-like creature told him, "They can't be worse than the D-reaper. We can find the others when we win." He then targeted one of the attackers, a Kunemon and sent a whirlwind towards the insect. "Terrier Tornado!"

A yellow biped fox, keeping an eye on Impmon as she moved through the chaotic battlefield, released one of her own assaults in the form of numerous glittering shards on to a Salamon. "Diamond Storm!"

Her target took a tumble, but got right back up again without even a grunt of pain. No matter what they did or how much they hit the enemy with their best shots, they had almost no effect. They just kept attacking the small group of digimon. Even low-leveled creatures' strikes could cause damage if they hit their targets enough times. And these attackers were deceptively strong with their attacks, causing more damage with each shot than a rookie or in-training should have managed. The yellow-furred rookie had never seen anything like it.

As the Salamon climbed upright, Impmon tackled her while tossing fireballs left and right. It was concerning for her to watch him like this. Just as he had when attacking the D-reaper, he struck unrelentingly at his target and didn't seem to spare much thought for his own safety. Guilt still gnawed at the rookie. Even when Jeri forgave him, he couldn't forgive himself. He couldn't seem to truly believe that he should even try and protect himself. So far, he was the worst off of them from this assault. None of the attacking rookies or in-training was particularly powerful, but their numbers and unceasing attacks had done plenty of damage to the entire group. If MarineAngemon hadn't disappeared already, she would have tried to get the mega to fire one of his healing bubbles at the stubborn purple virus.

"Pyro Sphere!" a red dinosaur launched off his own fireball into the fray. When his current target, a Tsunemon, was momentarily knocked away, he tilted his head and sniffed loudly. Guilmon had a great sense of smell, the best out of their entire group, and his nose was apparently telling him something important. In a rather hopeful tone, the reptilian rookie remarked, "Takatomon?"

The other three digimon's heads snapped towards him at the familiar name. They saw Guilmon staring upward intently and so they followed his gaze. Falling towards them out of the sky were six figures. It seemed impossible, but there were only a limited number of explanations for what they were seeing. One of the falling shapes, the one closest to the ground already, held the red virus' attention the most and Renamon could guess the identity.

"Hey, Guilmon," called Takato loudly. "I promised I'd be back. Ready for some action?" She couldn't see the gesture at this distance, but she knew what the boy was doing. "Digi-Modify! Digivolution Activate!"

Two other voices, equally familiar as the boy's was, echoed his words. A power flowed into the fox, revitalizing the tired digimon and making her stronger. It was a power that she'd missed. But, as wonderful as it was to have that strength available to her again, she was happy because she truly missed the source of that power: Rika, her partner.

"Guilmon digivolve to… Growlmon!"

"Renamon digivolve to… Kyubimon!"

"Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon!"

The space between the two worlds had been as weird as before, not truly having an "up" or "down" until the direction had been decided by Jeri once again. Once gravity began to work again, the tamers had dropped towards the desert level and, surprisingly, the digimon they were searching for. Takato couldn't help calling out to the reptilian rookie and the falling children activated their D-arcs in mid-air.

After the six humans crashed into the dirt roughly and took the opportunity to catch their breath, they finally got a better look at their now-digivolved partners' opponents. The mixture of aggressive beings looked like regular low-leveled digimon, but their eyes looked dead and empty. Even when they attacked, they were emotionless and only spoke while launching an attack. No grunts of pain, confident taunts, or verbal communication to coordinate their strikes. Not that they had the best strategies, but they still struck together in unison and somehow the collection of rookies and in-training digimon had not only survived, but even damaged their partners. There was only one champion other than the trio of digivolved digimon on the battlefield. Or at least, Takato thought it was a champion. Essentially, it looked like a Kiwimon with a third eye, this one blood-red, in the middle of its head.

"Our master says to pull back for now," the wingless bird announced suddenly. "We shall destroy them and prevent the prophecy at a later time."

Unlike those he apparently commanded, his features were animated and alive. The extra eye especially stared in hatred at the tamers and their digimon. At his signal, the attackers retreated. They disappeared into the dust and occasional boulder of the hostile landscape.

"What was that prophecy stuff about," wondered Gargomon curiously, but turned back to more immediate concerns. "Hey Henry, miss us much?"

"Takato," shouted Growlmon excitedly, running towards his currently-smaller human friend. "I smell bread!"

Takato laughed at his enthusiastic partner's miniature stampede, "I figured when my D-arc started acting up, I'd be seeing you soon. I brought you as much bread as I could fit in the bag with everything else. So you should have enough for… five minutes."

"Hey, it's the Goggle-head brigade," a pained voice muttered, drawing the boy's attention away from his red champion to another familiar face.

Impmon looked awful. His appearance was rather reminiscent of his fight with Indramon or even against the D-reaper: pounded to a pulp. The others had the benefit of a power boost from digivolution to help them with the pounding that even these low-leveled digimon had apparently caused to the group. He was still exhausted and battered from the fight.

"Glad you could join us in the land of the crazed psychos," he continued rather sarcastically. "Now, anyone know where the rest of the guys vanished? Because they…"

He fell abruptly silent as Jeri stumbled out of a crater and into view. The loud mouth digimon couldn't seem to say a word at the sight of her. Guilt was still clear upon his face. Takato didn't have to be a genius to guess what was going through the purple rookie's head. He did so much to hurt that girl and, even with all he did to help her, it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to give her back all she had lost, but that was beyond his abilities.

Two voices shrieked the viral being's name suddenly. Two twin forces tackled Impmon, knocking him to the ground hard. He didn't seem to mind the rather painful-looking impact once the rookie saw who he was dealing with. Ai and Mako were hugging him tightly as they babbled.

"Slow down, munchkins," he instructed the two. "You are speaking gibberish. Even Dino-boy is easier to understand."

Ai, able to slow down first, explained, "Mako and me missed you so much. We remember when you went away last time and thought this time was forever. We love you and we don't want you to be gone again."

Mako, finally calming down enough to be understood, continued where she left off, "And then a lady in our D-arc thing woke us up and said we'd get to see you if we go somewhere. We did and now you're here. Please don't go away again."

Once, he would have yelled about the mushy stuff and tried to maintain his reputation as a tough guy. Right now, he looked too tired and sore to care what the others thought. The fact the rookie could forget about his reputation even briefly demonstrated to Takato that the small virus had come a long way.

Apparently, he felt that his frantic partners needed some form of reassurance. Struggling to sit upright, Impmon pushed the two far enough back to look them in the face. His emerald eyes locked on both of the young tamers firmly.

"Now, look you two. I am not going to be like Bunny-boy over there and never leave your sight." Terriermon glared, but for once in his life was silent. "It would cramp my style. However, no matter what happens or where I go, I'll always come back. I promise." He gave a smirk, "I'm sort of fond of you two now."

That brought a relieved giggle from the pair and a teasing "awww…" from a certain rabbit digimon. The expression on his face suggested that Impmon wanted to toss a fireball at him for that, but couldn't seem summon up the energy to try. In fact, he appeared to be having trouble getting to his feet. A hand gently pulled him upright and held him in place until he was steady. When the rookie looked, his eyes widened in surprise to find out it was Jeri who was helping him.

"Come on," suggested Henry reasonably, "We can get some shelter by those rocks over there. We're tired and you digimon are not much better. We can all rest over there and fill each other in."

Chapter Text

The threat was identified. Those humans and digimon. If they live, it would be even more fully defeated than before. And more greatly weakened than it already was. It would be unable to fulfill its mission.

The knowledge, the prophecy, says all are needed to stop it. If it destroys one or more, it would logically not be stopped. Its tools failed in its first attack, even with surprise on its side. It would have to try again.

The humans outnumber the digimon. Humans were more vulnerable and easier targets. Especially with not enough digimon to protect them. It ordered its tools to target the logical choice.

While the boulders were not as effective as a cave, they provided some shelter from the wind. And that was what they needed: shelter. They needed a chance to recuperate and reunite properly.

Takato, Rika, and Henry were explaining about the voice, the D-arcs glowing, and the digital portal to their partners. They, in turn, described the sudden attack by the odd digimon to the humans. Impmon, bruised and battered, was dozing off to one side. Or at least trying to drowse. Even hurt and tired, he couldn't quite fall asleep yet and was vaguely paying attention to everything around him. He knew that Jeri was sitting a short distance away, staring at the empty screen of her D-arc. She was looking rather thoughtful and distant, until a young voice distracted her.

"Where's your digimon?" Ai pointed towards Jeri's D-arc. "Don't those mean you have a digimon?"

Jeri looked at the two siblings as the purple rookie stiffened slightly. The question was innocent enough, but it clearly brought up painful memories for both of them that would never completely heal. And there were other problems to consider. If she talked about that entire incident, it could potentially scare the children away from him. She forgave him, but could they? He knew that he couldn't forgive himself yet and it scared him to think of how it might affect the twins' view of him. Still, they needed some sort of answer; Jeri had to say something to them.

"I used to," she explained to them, "But he is gone now."

Mako dug further, asking the older girl, "Where'd he go? Did he run away?"

"No, it's kind of a long story," she answered slowly.

Unnoticed, Impmon raised his head slightly. As Jeri began her explanation, he listened carefully. He knew he deserved whatever blame the girl gave him and he was resigned to not say a word in protest or defense. He also wanted to know what she would say, how she would portray him in the story. She told him that she'd forgiven him, something he was thankful for. But, even if she somehow forgave him truly for his actions, how would she explain those events to someone with no knowledge of his betrayal? Would her words reveal that she hadn't quite forgiven him completely? The rookie wanted to know, even if it would hurt to hear her true thoughts.

Jeri started carefully, "My partner's name was Leomon. He came with us the last time we were here. He helped protect me from danger and gave me courage. One day, a digimon who felt alone and weak was promised a gift if he would do something terrible."

Impmon cringed at the memory of his agreement with Chatsuramon. The stupid mutt tricked him by using Ai and Mako and his memories of them against him. How could he be so brainless? Even that dumb dino, Guilmon, would have been smart enough to see he was being used. He barely even recognized himself as that monster he became after accepting that deal. Was his pride, jealousy, and hunger for power truly that potent that he couldn't stop trying to kill all of them until he was almost destroyed himself? Chatsuramon played his insecurities to gain an agreement and that allowed the manipulative ultimate to unleash a violent beast upon the world.

The girl, her voice laced with past pain as she recalled the events, continued, "In return for the power to digivolve, he would have to…kill the humans and their digimon partners. He agreed."

"Why?" interrupted Mako, "Why did they want him to do that?"

"They hated humans and any digimon that were their friends. The digimon wanted power and thought he hated humans too."

"How could he 'think' he hated humans," asked a confused Ai. "You either hate something or you don't. Like we hate green beans."

"He was just mad, confused, and upset," Jeri explained. "I know he is actually good."

"What happened?" the young boy prompted.

Jeri took a deep breath, "The digimon attacked us. Leomon tried to talk some sense into him, but…" She stopped, a tear rolling down her face. A certain purple digimon felt a crushing weight of guilt increase at the sight of the girl still suffering from his actions. "Leomon was killed."

Ai and Mako gave the older girl a hug and told her they were sorry. Jeri returned the hug, but her gaze slid towards the purple rookie. From her expression, she could see he was awake and knew he was listening. And, if he had to guess from the silence, the others had finished the update and were listening to her explaining the facts to the twins. Jeri opened and closed her hand uncomfortably, a little like how she would manipulate her puppet. She appeared like she was ill at ease being the center of attention, but she didn't stop her story there.

"A while afterwards, though," she continued, trying to be fair but truthful, "the digimon felt awful about what he had done. He tried to make things right and went back to his friends he had left. He tried to save me when I was in danger. I forgave him for his mistakes. Could you do that?"

Ai and Mako were startled at the older girl's question, but they considered it carefully. The boy scratched his head, a small confused frown across his face. His sister blinked a few times and bit her bottom lip.

Finally, Ai replied, "If he was really sorry and tried to make things right, of course we could forgive him." Mako nodded in agreement as his sister asked the obvious question, "Who was the digimon?"

Jeri shook her head slightly, "It doesn't matter. I'll tell you some other time. Why don't you try to get some rest? It's still the middle of the night back home."

The twins tried to protest they were fine through barely concealed yawns. She chuckled as she forced them horizontal. Impmon gave a sigh of relief. Ai and Mako still didn't know yet. He was off the hook for a little longer. Someday, they would have to be told and he wasn't looking forward to that at all. They would hate him, no matter what they might say now.

Once, he wouldn't care what any human thought of him. At least, he wouldn't admit it even under torture. His firm declarations about his distaste for the entire species and how he had no interest in being a partner to anyone was the outward appearance that he displayed towards anyone he encountered. Now, he was turning soft and mushy as the rest of the Pineapple-head brigade and cuddling up to the stupid humans.

He grinned slightly at the cute brown-haired kids. They were kind of sweet when they were sleeping. Not to mention the fact they stopped fighting all the time, just for him. It wasn't really that bad to have partners.

He once was like any other Kiwimon. There was absolutely nothing to distinguish him from the rest of his kind. He wasn't stronger, faster, or smarter than could be considered normal. He wasn't anything out of the ordinary at all and he was satisfied with that.

Until he lost that one fight and everything ended. Literally. There was nothing left for him. He was less than nothing.

When he was offered a chance to regain some of what he lost, he took it. He agreed to serve as his master's eyes and ears. He was given control of the troops.

The master needed some of his tools to think for themselves, but most were mindless drones. Shells of what they once were. Without the ability to think, to plan, to react on their own, they were practically useless. The master needed him to direct their actions. He accepted this role.

His master wanted the death of as many mentioned in the prophecy possible, so Kiwimon would do it. He could choose who to kill and how to do it. His master did not care as long as it was done. Kiwimon studied the group carefully.

There were four digimon present, one still too hurt to pose any threat to him. Six humans lay scattered around, sleeping near their individual partners. The two youngest humans, the weakest, lay next to the girl without a partner. The three clustered humans were the best target. They were more vulnerable and easier to destroy than any of the more protected members of the group. And, since they were together, he could take out several with one attack. He aimed carefully.

Something was not right. Every instinct screamed danger while his limbs screamed in throbbing soreness. There was something truly wrong nearby.

Impmon blearily opened his green eyes. Nothing appeared to be wrong. Everyone was exactly as it should be. But surviving alone in the human world for so long made him listen to what his paranoid gut feelings were telling him. There were very few things that made it onto the list of what could sneak up on him; Renamon was the list. Someone or something was there and whoever it was, whatever it was, wasn't good. As he tried to pull himself upright, his suspicions came to fruition.

A brownish form shot between two boulders, crying loudly, "Pummel Peck!"

Time seemed to slow as Impmon watched the attack, a small bird-head-shaped something that was launched by the figure. The Kiwimon from earlier, with the creepy eye, had returned. His shouts had awakened the other digimon and tamers, but they were too far from his target to interfere in time. Or rather targets. Ai, Mako, and Jeri were directly in the digimon's line of fire. The older girl pushed the smaller pair behind her quickly, placing herself as a human shield between the threat and the twins. Jeri, unprotected and vulnerable because of his past actions, was trying to protect his partners.

Impmon couldn't let this happen. The twins were his responsibility to protect. It was part of being a partner, of being a friend. And, from the way he felt, it seemed Jeri was his responsibility as well. But he knew that fact even back when he tried to save her from the D-reaper. She became his responsibility when he killed her partner. He failed then, but he couldn't fail her again.

The assailants' path would take him right by the already-hurt digimon. It was painful to move, covered in bruises from the previous battle, but it was nothing compared to what was to come. Impmon only had time to call himself three kinds of crazy and stupid before he thrust his poor body between the danger and those who needed his protection.

The shout of an attack woke the group instantly, far more effectively than his mother could ever hope to match. Without a hint of drowsiness this time, the goggle-wearing tamer quickly took in the situation.

A digimon was headed straight for Jeri and the twins, attacking them. Takato, Rika, and Henry shouted warnings while their digimon prepared their own attack, but they already knew it was too late. There was no way to reach the three threatened humans before they got seriously hurt or possibly killed.

They couldn't, but Impmon could. Somehow, he got himself in the path of Kiwimon before the aggressive being could touch the helpless tamers. The results were as expected, all things considered. The supercharged, strange, champion digimon knocked the weakened and hurt rookie flying with the impact. Impmon was tossed into Jeri, causing her to domino into the young pair behind her. But Kiwimon's attack was used up before it reached the vulnerable humans. Before the digimon could try again, the rest of the group retaliated.

"Pyro Sphere!"

"Terrier Tornado!"

"Diamond Storm!"

The deadly digimon leapt upwards and back, dodging the assault and landing on one of the boulders that were supposed to keep them safe. Angry at the sneak attack, Takato ran to the base of the rock and glared at the wingless bird.

"Can't fight fair?" he shouted up, "Have to strike at children in their sleep? What kind of digimon are you?"

Kiwimon studied those below him before answering, "My master told me to destroy the logical choice. Humans without sufficient protection are the most logical target. But, because even the loss of one member of the prophecy will suffice, I believe my master will still be pleased."

The digimon turned and dashed out of sight, disappearing back into the desert again. It was rather talented at that trick. The standing trio of tamers only had a second to ponder that ominous statement before a shout of horror came from Jeri behind them. Takato spun around towards the brunette, trying to determine what was wrong.

She had sat back up after being knocked over by Impmon, her eyes now locked on a shocking sight. The goggle-wearing youth realized she had gotten off far easier than the rookie had. The attack from Kiwimon had made contact with his chest, near his signature red bandana. Mirroring the blow he had given Leomon as Beelzemon, this final strike seemed to be the last straw. Before their very eyes, he was dissolving into data. The sparkling fragments were floating away in a steady, unstoppable stream.

"Impmon, what's wrong?" asked a terrified Mako.

Takato didn't blame the young child for his distress. First, a strange digimon tried to hurt the boy, then his friend did get hurt, and now something strange was happening. Impmon was slowly disappearing and the young boy didn't know why.

"Impmon," a stunned Renamon whispered, voicing the pure shock shared by the rest of the group.

The three older children and their partners had seen this before, both with friends and enemies alike, and knew there was no help for him. Jeri's distant and pained expression suggested she was experiencing flashbacks of Leomon as she held the dying digimon in her lap where he had landed. Ai and Mako were confused and scared, not knowing what was happening.

The only one who seemed calm was Impmon himself, giving a regretful chuckle, "Well, there's irony for you." This only upset Jeri more, so he tried to comfort her, "Hey, come on now. It's not all…" He trailed off, unable to think of a good spin on the fact he was disappearing. "Okay, it is bad. But it's not like I'm worth all the water works. I did some really bad stuff and if I could fix, I would. But I can't."

By this point, most of his lower body was gone. Ai and Mako were pleading for him to tell them what was wrong. He turned his sad green eyes towards them. It didn't seem fair to Takato. He didn't know much about the twins, but they seemed like a great bunch of kids if you gave them a chance. Just when he finally starts acting like their partner, this happens to Impmon. It was clear that they didn't know what was happening and he didn't know if anyone really wanted to tell them. Still, the rookie obviously wanted to and needed to say his good-byes, even if the young pair didn't realize how final the good-bye was going to be.

"Ai, Mako," he tried to sound reassuring, "Listen, I'm… going away for a while. You two need to be good and listen to the older kids." He looked at the other tamers in a nearly pleading manner, "You guys will take care of them, please?"

Takato slowly nodded, his throat tightening painfully as he watched the loss of friend, "We'll keep them safe, Impmon."

The small purple digimon seemed to relax at his words and closed his eyes, the final traces fading from existence. The scattered data that once made up the sarcastic, troublemaking rookie floated upwards and away from the grieving group.

Or most of it did. A small portion of the total data instead drifted towards Jeri, who was still staring at where Impmon once lay. That data contracted together before her eyes. A momentary glow of warm light surrounded the collection of data, before vanishing to reveal a digi-egg. Jeri's eyes brightened, displaying an obvious rush of emotion at the sight before her, and she numbly pulled out her D-arc. The screen was no longer an empty and static-filled reminder of her loss. It was reactivated.

The digi-egg was Leomon.

Ai and Mako's D-arc was now the one filled with static, to their confusion. They didn't seem to understand the implications of the empty screen. The twins were simply too young comprehend the full extent of what just occurred, but everyone else could understand what they just witnessed. Apparently, Impmon did get to give her back what he took. With his death, Leomon's data was released from him. Even with the return of the lion digimon in the form of a digi-egg, a deep regret engulfed all there. Several members began to cry; even Rika had a few tears on her face.

When Mako started to sob, however, Ai yelled at him, "Stop it. Don't cry, Mako. Impmon hates crying. Besides, there is no reason to."

Mako turned to his sister in surprise. The older kids were equally stunned at her lack of sorrow for the loss of her partner. She almost seemed mad at them for being upset. She held the D-arc tightly and glared stubbornly.

Ai's next words both explained her strange attitude towards Impmon's disappearance and demonstrated the true faith she had in him. "Impmon promised. He promised he would always come back. He told us, no matter what, he would always come back. So he will be back."

Jeri, cradling the digi-egg in her arms, gaped at the stubborn girl. Takato wasn't much better, his efforts to close his mouth after the young child's declaration failing utterly. Her resolve seemed to spread to her brother; he not only stopped crying, but actually gained a look of pure determination. Rika began to open her mouth, likely to enlighten the twins to the facts of life and death, but Jeri shook her head slightly. The goggle-wearing tamer understood her actions. She had experienced the loss of a partner and knew the pain that accompanied the knowledge that you would never see him again. Why burden them with that sorrow before they had to?

The breezes of the digital world tossed random pieces of data around. It sent larger pieces tumbling across the ground like tumbleweeds and blew smaller fragments like dust in the wind.

A cloaked figure stared for a moment at the rather exotic sight. Only in the digital world, and only on this empty level, was it possible to observe this particular scene. Other levels possessed too many obstacles and power-hungry digimon for this rather pretty sight to happen.

Stretching out an enormous-sleeve-covered arm, a bright light shot out of where the being's hand would be if it could be seen. The beam of light struck the floating data, and pulled the pieces towards the mysterious form below. Using the other hidden hand, the figure grasped the small collection of data. Though no face was visible, the concealed eyes were studying its catch. The shape then left, having business elsewhere.

Chapter Text

Janyu Wong was awakened by his youngest daughter's squeals. That girl had way too much energy in the morning. He loved his daughter, but she had far too much energy to keep up with most of the time.

Any moment now, he knew that Henry would go into her room and tell her to quiet down because people were still trying to sleep. As her excited babble continued, he rolled out of bed with a groan. Suzie needed to settle down or else the neighbors will start to complain even if her brother didn't.

Walking down the hall, the drowsy parent wondered vaguely why his son wasn't complaining yet. Henry's room was far closer to Suzie's than the one Janyu shared with his wife. Her door was closed, but it did little to soften the noise.

As he opened the door, his gentle reprimand died. The small girl was practically bouncing in happiness, still wearing her nightgown. Her state of hyperness this early wasn't too unusual. She was young, energetic, and a morning person. She tended to be the first to greet the day, especially if she had a particular game in mind that she wanted to play. The more surprising sight was the stuffed animal in her arms.

Or rather, what looked like a stuffed animal. It was a small, brown and pink, rabbit-like being, struggling to get free of Suzie's vice-like grip. It was also extremely familiar, both from various sources of pop culture media and from his encounter with her in the past. Both the girl and rabbit-like entity froze, staring at the room's newcomer. Janyu couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

The smaller figure, still held tightly in Suzie's grasp, addressed him politely, "Hello, Mr. Wong. It's a pleasure to see you again."

Remembering the digimon's name, he answered awkwardly, "Hello, Lopmon. Nice to see you again as well." After she smiled slightly, he continued, "I thought you weren't able to be in the real world anymore."

His confusion was understandable in his opinion. He helped to design the program that caused it; a fact that had earned him his son's hatred for a time. As far as he knew, there should not be any way for the digimon to be in the real world without being destroyed.

Suzie piped up helpfully, "The lady in the D-awc said that was all gone now and our fwiends can come back. And that means Lopmon came home."

He frowned in puzzlement at his daughter's words about a lady and the D-arcs, but was willing to concede to the fact that negative effects to the digimon had passed. Lopmon's current presence was the only proof he needed for that particular conclusion. Knowing his son would be able to better explain what ever Suzie meant, he proceeded to Henry's room, his daughter following after.

"Henry," he called, fully expecting Henry to be waiting inside, perhaps reunited with Terriermon as well. "I think we need to…"

He stopped because, while there was a boy and a digimon in the room, they were not his son or a certain rabbit digimon. A brown-haired youth stumbled upright from the bed as the man entered. A purplish dinosaur-like digimon followed suit, looking mildly sheepish. The pair seemed surprised at his entrance, as if he was the stranger in the household instead of them. Trying to recall the final days of the D-reaper, Janyu could almost remember the boy. It still didn't explain why he was in his son's room.

"Good morning, Mr. Wong," the tamer greeted uneasily. "Sorry, but while the weird voice managed to get me free tickets and transportation to get here in time, she didn't get me a hotel room. After I walked Suzie back home, she said I could sleep in Henry's room since he was gone. Oh, in case you don't remember us, I'm Ryo and this is my partner, Monodramon."

The former Monster Maker gaped at the boy, not knowing where to start. The morning was quickly turning very strange and increasingly complicated.

When he was finally able to speak, he asked, "Where is Henry?"

Ryo looked down uncomfortably, "I think you should call the other tamer's families. And that Yamaki guy. We need to talk. Oh, and ask Yamaki to check the police reports for a pair of very young twins, a boy named Mako and a girl Ai, who went missing last night. I don't think their parents ever knew they had a partner. I'll explain everything all at once to everybody. It would be easier that way."

The Hypnos building that the various tamers, digimon, government officials, and parents had gathered in had been greatly remodeled and rebuilt after the D-reaper attack, like most of the surrounding buildings. The out-of-control monster blob had caused so much destruction to this part of the city, but the damage was less obvious now. Time (and effective construction workers) could heal all wounds. It seemed to give the tamers and digimon an odd feeling to be standing where an ocean of pink goo and red wires once lay. Honestly, it still seemed incredible to the man who actually worked there.

Yamaki was flipping his lighter as he waited impatiently for the final members to join them. For the most part, the group was sitting in silence other than the constant click of the blond man's actions. The meeting room was packed with far too many concerned and confused parent, but only about half of the tamers and digimon he'd expected when first informed that they had returned. He wanted answers, but they were waiting for a specific pair who was likely the most in the dark about events.

Eventually, Riley lead in a man and woman. The couple's faces were tear-stained and confused. Quickly, Mr. and Mrs. Matsuki crossed the room, gripped the distraught pairs' hands, and guided them to two chairs. Yamaki could see where their son's strong sense of empathy must have originated.

Riley, addressing her boss, explained, "This is Mr. and Mrs. Terada. Their twin children vanished last night, sometime after they went to bed. The children, Ai and Mako, were about the age and appearance that Ryo described. Also, this is not the first time they went missing. A few months ago, they disappeared for about a day, without any real explanation. It was the day the D-reaper was destroyed."

Yamaki nodded slowly, "I think it's safe to assume they are who we were looking for. However, if they have a photo of the children, Ryo might be able to identify the twins for certain."

Mrs. Terada pulled out her purse, "I don't know what's going on. My children are missing and you people said you might know something." She stared at the gathered individuals, the strangeness of the members sinking in through the worry. Guardramon and Monodramon drew her attention especially. MarineAngemon was too small to notice and Lopmon looked like a toy, so they didn't appear to bother the grieving mother yet. "Please, do you know where they are and what do they have to do with anything?"

She handed a snapshot of the two kids at the park to Yamaki, who passed it to a boy sitting next to one of the odd creatures in the room.

"That's them. Ai and Mako," Ryo determined at a glance. He looked at the various upset parents who were curious and worried about their assorted children's whereabouts. Other parents were wondering about the reappearance of the digimon. The Wongs' fell into both categories, with a missing Henry and Lopmon's return. The brunette youth took a deep breath, "First off, I want to assure everyone that…"

A joyful cry interrupted him before he could go very far with his explanation. An open window became essentially an open door as a white figure floated in. Big eyes and even bigger ears seemed to make up the majority of the creature. He was not as familiar to the blond man as some of the digimon, but it was easy enough to determine his identity.

"Yay, all my friend's are back too! Playtime!" laughed Calumon, one of the most energetic digimon ever seen. He used his large ears to float his way across the room to a landing spot. The one he chose, much to the amusement of the tamers in the room, was Yamaki's head. "Hi everyone! Where's Jeri and the others? Are they playing hide-and-seek?"

Before anyone could answer the happy-go-lucky digimon or Yamaki could voice his opinion of what would happen to digimon who used him as a perch, a light shot out of the four D-arcs in the room. Within moments, a holographic cloaked figure formed as the lights met. The shape waited a moment as humans and digimon exclaimed surprise at the sudden appearance.

"Greetings tamers, digimon, parents, and friends," she calmly began. Kazu snickered, likely at her calling Yamaki a "friend." The strange form ignored the boy's reaction. "I know you are concerned about recent event. Many familiar faces have returned to the human world, while others have left for the digital one. Do not blame them for their actions. A prophecy bound them to this fate long ago. Some were chosen to guard the borders from evil." The shape indicated the tamers and digimon in the room. "Others will face it."

Mr. Terada, silent until now, asked the mysterious figure, "Our children, Ai and Mako, where are they? Why are they gone? Please, we just want them back."

She answered the twin's parents as calmly as everything she said, "They were destined to enter the digital world and help save both worlds. They are not alone. They had a digimon called Impmon and thus they must fulfill their role as tamers."

"And Jeri?" her father whispered. "She doesn't have a digimon anymore, does she? Why is she gone too?"

"What was lost can yet be found. Nothing is ever gone forever. She will find much on her journey. As will they all." The shape vanished, leaving stunned humans and digimon behind.

Kenta, MarineAngemon peering out of his pocket, wondered quietly, "Did she just hint Leomon is coming back? But how? Beelzemon destroyed him."

"I thought he was one of the digimon who helped fight the D-reaper," commented Yamaki. Then, he yelled at Calumon in annoyance, "Get off my head."

"Well, yeah he did," explain Kazu rather vaguely. "But before that, he tried to squash us like bugs."

Ryo, who seemed to be considering something else the cloaked figure had said, remarked softly, "They 'had' a digimon named Impmon…"

In the darkness, it listened to its tools report. A digimon destroyed. The lower form of Beelzemon.

It knew about him. It knew about Beelzemon, about Jeri, about Leomon, and the rest of them. They were from before. Before it was here.

A digi-egg had formed. Not Beelzemon's. Leomon's. Beelzemon destroyed Leomon. But now, he was back. He was back because the lower form of Beelzemon was gone.

Perhaps the prophecy could continue. Not enough information. Must be sure. Destroy more, improve chance of prophecy failure. Jeri would be a good choice, but the other two small humans were also logical. Does not matter which. All would be deleted in time.

It contacted its tools.

Morning arrived in the same manner it always did in the digital world. One moment, there was nothing but pure darkness. The next, bright light shone down on the group. The instantaneous conversion was a little difficult for humans to get used to, especially for those that had a difficult time awakening in the morning anyway. It was even harder for those still striving to reach unconsciousness in the first place.

Tamers and digimon alike were tired as the change in lighting began to force them to climb to their feet. No one was particularly eager to greet the start of a new day, even if they might have normally been. Between the voice waking the humans at midnight, the Kiwimon sneak attack, and the painful sight of Impmon dying, no one had slept well.

The team was silent and withdrawn. Even the joys of being reunited with their partners could not counteract the loss of one of their friends. Just as it had been when Leomon died, the shock to the entire group at the event was too difficult to ignore. Not only was it an unpleasant reminder of how fragile and dangerous their lives were once they became involved with each other, there was the more straight-forward horror of the hole that the loss would leave within their group dynamics.

No one could accept the fact the annoying purple digimon they had known for so long would never toss fireballs at couples in the park, never try and con Guilmon out of his bread, and never call them "pineapple-head," "digi-slaves," or "toots" in his smart-alecky Brooklyn accent. Even before he became an official member of their team, Impmon had been around. He'd always been around, just like Takato, Henry, Rika, and their partners had always been around. It just seemed to wrong to accept that any of their friends could be gone, especially after they'd just been reunited.

Ai and Mako were most resistant, refusing to even consider he might not be back. Henry could understand that. His sister, who was older than the pair, would never accept the idea that Lopmon could be gone for good. At their age, it was difficult to understand the finality of the concept, especially in regards to someone important. And Jeri wouldn't let anyone tell the twins otherwise.

Henry sighed, "Now what do we do? We're supposed to save both worlds, but beyond that we don't know anything. Where do we go and what do we do?"

"Momentai, Henry," Terriermon told him, climbing up on his shoulder. "There's a prophecy. We have to succeed, so relax. Destiny awaits, so we'll find it one way or another."

"Yeah," snapped Rika angrily, "and did that prophecy say what would happen to Impmon? Because if it did, I quit."

"Quiet," shushed Takato hurriedly. "The little kids will hear."

He glanced at the twins, who were still napping lightly. The younger pair were more exhausted than the older ones and the arrival of morning did little to disturb them. Loud voices, however, might have a stronger effect. Mako's expression had turned upset for a moment, but then relaxed back into uneasy rest.

"So what?" Rika whispered furiously, waving her hand at the sleeping figures. "They'll figure out he's dead eventually and we should just tell them."

Renamon took a gentle grip on her upset trainer's shoulder, "Rika, please calm down. We're all upset, but you need to remain calm. It's not their fault, so stop striking out at your friends."

Takato looked at Rika, his expression harder than usual, "Can you honestly face those two children over there, which last night were so happy to see their friend again and were so afraid he would run away again? Can you face them, honestly, and tell them not only will they never see him again, but he was killed right before their eyes trying to protect them? If you think you can, go ahead."

Said children began to stir gently, finally awakening from the bright light's glare. They looked at the older children and the gathered trio of digimon. All of them were in a circle, obviously having a discussion without them. Henry half-expected them to complain about being left out. However, at that age, the twins were used to not being told everything. It was a frustrating fact of life for the youngest members of a family, but the pair seemed to accept that.

For a moment, Rika looked at them with a mildly uneasy expression and opened her mouth, but closed it once more without a sound. She shook her head and turned away again. Ai, after staring at her for a second curiously, turned her attention to the spiky haired boy with goggles.

"Takato," she muttered, rubbing her eyes. "What's going on?"

The boy scratched his head absentmindedly, "Well, we're trying to decide on our next move."

Mako, stretching, wondered, "Do you think the lady in the D-arc left us a message?"

Henry, not quite believing she would leave an actual message, still pulled out his D-arc. After all, it never hurt to check. As soon as he pulled it out, a map with an arrow appeared. A few moments of turning his device around proved that it was directed towards the group in anyway. Since it wasn't pointing towards any of them, the D-arc must be locked on another target. Likely whatever their goal in this world was supposed to be.

"Told you so," a smug Terriermon commented. "Destiny awaits."

Across the landscape, a mysterious figure searched. The desired items was rather easy to spot, especially on the empty and open desert level.

Old data rolled across the landscape, like tumbleweeds. Old data was useful, if one knew how to use it properly. In essence, it was like stem cells in organic life forms: blank building blocks full of potential to become anything, if it receives the right stimulation. Some digimon had used old data to create nourishment and gain strength.

The figure had another use in mind. These lifeless pieces of data, gently tumbling across the ground, had far more applications than to simply increase power. They could be used to repair.

Following the direction of Henry's D-arc, the tamers and digimon were headed towards more and more of the freestanding boulders. While most of the desert level seemed barren and empty, there were still a few features to break up the monotony. And the sections of rock poking out of the sand were at least more interesting than an eternally-flat surface.

The three digimon tamers currently with partners were at the front of the group. Terriermon was perched on Henry's shoulder, riding comfortably while the boy walked. Renamon was back and to one side of the group; Guilmon was parallel to the fox digimon on the other side. The twins walked between the two digimon with Jeri close behind. After Guilmon ate all the bread, she'd transferred the digi-egg into Takato's backpack and now carried it on her back, completing the group.

They had taken this arrangement so a dangerous enemy would have trouble getting to the more fragile humans without coming into range of one of the three digimon. After what had happened the night before, they were taking no chances. They would not risk losing anyone else.

Still, the youngest tamers were having trouble keeping up. With short legs and far less endurance, the twins were swiftly growing tired. Eventually Jeri, who could see their struggle the easiest, called the others to allow a break.

Sitting down on one of the increasingly common rocks, Jeri slid the backpack to the ground. With the weight not longer on her back, she rubbed her shoulders a little. Who knew that one digi-egg could be so heavy?

Ai and Mako simply flopped down where they stood. The poor things were exhausted. They rather reminded her of her half-brother, Masahiko. She doubted that her sibling would be doing this well at walking long distances. After a little while, Mako sat up and pointed at the bag.

"That big egg," he asked, "is it Leomon?"

Jeri nodded with a slight grin to herself. After so long, she would see her friend again. She would have her partner back. She still remembered the tall and strong champion that once stood by her side. She remembered how much she cared for the biped feline. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that she was getting a second chance. The grin disappeared once more, however, as she remembered the cost.

As if reading the older girl's mind, Ai commented slowly, "The egg showed up when Impmon disappeared. Does that mean… he was the digimon from the story?"

The girl stiffened at Ai's question. She was surprised at the child's cleverness. Just because the pair was young did not mean they were dumb. Apparently, Ai could draw the lines between events fairly well and come to the correct conclusion.

Twin pairs of eyes watched Jeri, waiting for her to deny or confirm this. She felt a little uncomfortable dealing with this situation. She'd already shared as all the information she wanted to with them. She'd provided the basic facts of past events, but they wanted an answer that could change how they viewed a lot of things. As much as she wanted to lie and protect their memory of their partner, she couldn't.

"Yes," she slowly whispered.

Ai and Mako exchanged glances. She didn't know if the pair of young siblings had one of those twin link things, but they seemed to come to a conclusion about something. They turned back towards the older girl.

"We already guessed," Mako responded. "He was gone a really long time when the pink blob thing was in the city. He was trying to save you, like you said. We figured it out when you told us the story."

Ai continued, "And we forgave him. He made a mistake and tried to fix it. We made a mistake too, always fighting over him and being mean, and he still forgave us. When he gets back, we'll tell him."

Jeri stared silently, unable to answer the stubborn ex-tamers. She still couldn't tell of the truth their friend's demise, even after telling the truth of his past. Some things are just too hard.

Across the barren landscape, a lone figure gently finished her work. It was a delicate process, but she currently possessed the knowledge necessary.

The old data that had rolled across the flat wasteland like tumbleweeds was now combined with the tiny fragments of data she had collected floating in the breeze. The floating data, lost but now found, would give purpose and direction to the old blank data. Following the newly given blueprint, the entire shape slowly began to shift. The original data she had found was not enough to restore a digimon to even a digi-egg, let alone a full digimon. But with the old data adopting the chosen pattern, there was plenty.

What concerned the cloaked figure now were his memories. While data for digimon was comparable to DNA in humans, it also gave access to the personality and even memories of a digimon. Not that there was a guarantee of that the mind would be the same, but there was always a chance. Only by destroying the very data, or scattering it so far that there was no hope of reuniting enough, could a digimon be completely and permanently lost. Even when absorbed by another digimon, there was hope if enough data still existed somewhere, as was the case for Leomon.

However, he might still have forgotten his life. She was cheating by recreating his entire body almost entirely out of blank old data, with only a few remnants of his original data, to make up for how little of him remained. It might not be enough to guarantee his mind would still be the same. He may begin a completely new life now, with no recollection of his old one. Only time would tell.

After a lengthy amount of time, his body stabilized into a familiar form. His green eyes slowly opened.

Chapter Text

Knowing exactly what was at stake and how much he was risking if he failed, Kiwimon lead his drone troops to an ideal location for the next attack. The digimon and their tamers were proceeding towards their position slowly. It was only a matter of time before they arrived.

Their current position was perfect for what he had in mind. The boulders scattered across the landscape had given way to the start of a canyon. The specific point Kiwimon selected was where one side was already a smooth cliff face about ten feet high while the other was still a steep hill side. That side could be climbed, but only slowly and with great difficulty. The space between the two sides offered enough room for a few larger digimon to fight, but not so much room that the smaller beings would be able to easily escape from harm. When the prophesized group reached them, they would only be able go forward or back.

The champion glanced back at the drone creatures he was leading. His earlier group of small digimon was gone. Instead, Kiwimon's current troops consisted of three ultimates: Phantomon, Infermon, and SkullGreymon. Hiding the large skeletal creature would be a challenge, but the cliff edge would make it difficult for those within to see very far. As long as he kept them back, he might be able to keep his forces concealed until it was time to strike.

When the tamers and digimon reached this place, they would suffer. And the master would be satisfied.

Ryo was trying to make sense of things. Everything that had occurred in since the night before was rather overwhelming and difficult to sort out.

He'd called his father to tell him where he was and that he would be staying with the Wong family for now. His father wasn't happy with it, but he finally accepted his son's decision after they spoke for a little while. After all, he spent so much time alone in the digital world with only a rather aggressive ultimate for companionship, how could his parent complain about him remaining in the human one, even if at someone else's home?

All the parents at the earlier meeting tried to find at least some comfort in the fact that their missing children were together and had digimon who would protect them. Their success at that varied from person to person. The general trend that Ryo had seen so far was that, the better the adult knew the digimon partner of their child, the more likely they were to believe tamer might be safe.

The Teradas, who were the most out of their depths than any other person involved, were carefully brought up to speed on digimon, the digital world, and Ai and Mako's connection to it. To say it was overwhelming for the pair would be an understatement. Takato's parents and Rika's grandmother had done a great job in comforting them, expressing their own faith in the digimon they knew personally. Ryo was just thankful Terriermon wasn't there to make some joke about how an Ogremon would probably eat them, though he would have to keep an eye on Kazu in case he tried such a thing.

The tamer sighed and rubbed his temples tiredly. That was the problem. Kazu and Kenta were just as old as the others, but they practically needed a baby-sitter at times. And Suzie was young and would need guidance of some type. Ryo knew from his past that, while young children could be surprising competent when involved digimon, they still wanted and needed a sense of authority. Young kids need someone to look up to and follow.

Normally, Takato, Rika, and Henry tended to keep an eye on everyone. Even if Takato lead the group into trouble with his actions occasionally, he would always lead them back out again. Henry maintained a balance of common sense and maturity with the tamers, preventing Takato's ideas from becoming too farfetched. And of course, Rika bullied everyone into following, which was likely the only reason the "Two Disbelievers of Their Eyes" hadn't gotten killed by stupidity yet.

Now, those three were gone. Who would lead now? Who would keep their group moving in the right direction?

Suzie was too young, and Kazu acted too young. From what he understood, Kenta had some sense, if he was separated from his partner in crime, Kazu. None of them were ideal for the role. The only one left was… him.

Ryo groaned inwardly. He was hoping to avoid this. Granted, the Digimon King had some experience leading with a group, but that was in the past. It was part of the past he'd rather forget. He hoped the others came back soon, because he did not want to be leader long.

Henry's D-arc had leaded them to what was slowly becoming a canyon. The holographic map indicated they needed to proceed through it, but it was making the tamers nervous. They wouldn't be able to escape from the moving data streams or anything else if they proceeded. They could vividly remember the trouble the pink lights caused last time they were wandering around in the digital world. Still, this was the way they were supposed to go and last time they didn't even have a direction. They weren't about to risk straying too far out of the way since they actually had a viable lead to follow. At least the cliff on one side gave the wandering group some shade.

Takato stared up at the cliff on their right side, his imagination already contemplating. It was already almost twice as high as he was tall and made of some kind of sandstone. The grainy surface was pitted and shaped by the wind. He might be able to climb it, if he had to. That would be fun little experiment to try during the next break. Guilmon would think it was cool, even if no one else did.

It was a good thing he was looking upwards while his mind was in the metaphorical clouds, because he was the one who spotted the danger first. He almost didn't realize what it was he was seeing at first. But when he did, it terrified him.

"Watch out!" he yelled, shoving those closest to him back.

"Spider Shooter!" a voice from above announced as the ground in front of them exploded.

The attacker was a skinny red and grey digimon that looked like a spider with spikes and clawed toes. The fan-boy tamer recognized the creature from the digimon movie as one of the stages of the being that attacked the internet: Infermon.

Crashing down into the canyon ahead of them was another familiar ultimate from the show. A skeletal giant reptile with a rocket launcher on his back barred their path. Takato remembered how the character Tai once caused his partner to become such a creature, turning Agumon into a mindless monster. The SkullGreymon stared blankly at the group at his feet. Apparently he, and likely Infermon, was just as emotionless as the digimon who attacked with Kiwimon earlier.

Sadly, those two were not all that faced them. As the group turned to see if there was any escape, they saw a floating figure with a red cape and a scythe. His green eyes were just as dead as the rest. Phantomon had served as Myotismon's lackey on TV, and apparently he would not be good in reality either.

Rika grinned slightly, "We'll take the dork in the bedsheets."

"Renamon Biomerge digivolve to… Sakuyamon!"

"Terriermon Biomerge digivolve to… MegaGargomon!"

"Guilmon Biomerge digivolve to…Gallantmon!"

Though the largest of the tamers' group was forced to float above the canyon due to space, the other two newly-digivolved digimon had plenty of room. Three megas now faced the three ultimates, which should have been fairly predictable in outcome. Especially since the last opponent they had faced in their current forms had been the D-reaper itself and thus the trio were highly experienced. Unfortunately, if their opponents were anything like the strange digimon from earlier, they were still in for a hard fight.

Each mega squared off against an enemy: Gallantmon and Infermon, MegaGargomon and SkullGreymon, who climbed easily back out of the canyon in order to face the gigantic robotic canine, and finally, Sakuyamon against Phantomon. No words were needed in order to organize this. The biomerged megas simply knew who they should deal with.

The fast moving spider leapt at the knight. Gallantmon brought up his shield to block the attack and smacked the ultimate away. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see two giant digimon grabbed each other, locked in close combat as they grappled against their foe. He knew Henry would be able to get an advantage over the skeleton that way if he was careful.

"Spider Shooter!" announced, Infermon, quickly recovering from the viral knight's deflection and opening his mouth.

The biomerged being dove to the left, bring his lance up. On the far side, he could spot Sakuyamon. The fox-lady swung her staff at the ghostly ultimate. He easily dodged and swung his blade downwards towards her face. Without hesitation, she fell backwards to avoid the swipe while bring her foot up to kick Phantomon in the face.

Aiming towards his own enemy, Gallantmon shouted, "Lightning Joust!"

Jeri, with the terrified twins beside her, swept her surroundings for somewhere safe. They were in the middle of a fight and completely vulnerable. Leomon was still a digi-egg, so she couldn't help the others. So her main focus was on getting away from the combat, along with the two young kids with her. Someone had to make sure the young pair stayed safe.

Explosions and gunfire echoed across the canyon. She pulled Ai and Mako pulled closer to her protectively. She could feel them shiver slightly, reminding her of Masahiko during a thunderstorm. The brown-haired girl knew that the longer they stayed in place, the greater the chances of something going wrong. As if to prove her correct, a rather powerful strike from the biomerged data type connected with Phantomon, knocking him right beside the trio of humans. Luckily, the emotionless creature did not turn his head towards the exposed humans.

The ghostly digimon rose back up and charged Sakuyamon, unharmed and unrelenting, unleashing a cry of "Shadow Scythe!"

Jeri didn't see for certain if the attack reached its target or not. She'd spotted the only relatively-safe location within reach. In the cliff, a tiny dark area suggested the presence of a shallow cave. Hopefully it would give them some shelter from the battle raging around them.

Jeri bent down and pulled the twins close so they could hear her words. The noise surrounding them might make it difficult, but she raised her voice as best she could.

"Listen, do you see the cave over there? On three, run as fast as you can and get inside," she commanded.

Her eyes glanced around, waiting for the best time to make a break. Her gaze was yanked towards the giant green mega momentarily. She could see several of his various panels opening, which could only mean one thing.

MegaGargomon fired a hard assault on his opponent, shouting "Mega Barrage!" As the monster was knocked back, Terriermon's voice laughed, "Take that, Bonehead." Then, a little nervously, he added, "Uh-oh..."

The skeletal opponent was already preparing his own, large explosive weapon and retaliated against the biomerged vaccine.

"Dark Shot!"

Upon impact, the girl knew that now was the perfect moment. All three of their enemies were completely distracted and tangled up with the megas enough she was willing to risk running across the battlefield.

"One, two," Jeri counted, watching the combatants, "three!"

They took off. Her heart was pounding from both the effort and fear that a stray shot might come their way. The older girl pulled forward, glancing back to keep an eye that the twins were keeping up with her. Ai and Mako held hands as they ran after the older girl.

Speed was all they had on their side and none of them were particularly fast in comparison to many digimon. Their only chance was that small shelter. She could see for certain now it was a cave. The brown-haired girl just needed to avoid danger for a little longer.

As she nearly reached her goal, Jeri realized the twins weren't with her anymore.

The young pair of siblings was doing their best to keep up. They had never been in a situation like this one and it was scary. But Jeri had a plan, so they trusted the older girl. If she said to run for the cave, they would run as fast as they could.

Suddenly, Ai stumbled to the ground, pulling her brother down with her. Jeri didn't see her fall, so she had kept going. And in that moment, they were left alone.

The two young children were frozen with fear. Giant creatures fought over their heads. They had seen things like this happen on television, but not in real life and not this close. The shouts and attacks happening all around them made the pair cringe. The twins looked towards the cave, their eyes pleading for the older girl to help. They could see her, preparing to run towards them. Then, another barrage of gunfire exploded in front of Jeri, forcing her back and cutting her off from the terrified twins.

A shadow fell across the pair of huddling children. The young girl looked up, seeing a familiar brown figure with a long, silver beak. It was the same figure that she saw right before Impmon disappeared. The digimon, Kiwimon, glared down at the young kids.

Ai did her best to glare back bravely, though she was shaking beside he brother, "Y-y-you stay away. Impmon w-w-will stop you."

"Foolish humans, how wrong you are," the threatening digimon informed them. "He can do nothing,"

Ai glanced around, hoping to spot someone coming to help. The Biomerged megas, seeing the danger to the children, struggled to get to them. The ultimates prevented them, grabbing their opponents tightly. Even if SkullGreymon was not quite as large as the green canine, he was able to slow the mega down. Phantomon went as far as to whack Sakuyamon into the cliff wall to prevent a rescue. No one was coming.

Kiwimon continued, "I destroyed him at master's orders. And I will now do the same to you."

"No!" shouted Gallantmon, trying to knock Infermon aside vainly. "You can't."

The avian champion didn't seem concerned about the knight's attempts. In fact, he didn't seem concerned about any type of interference. Ai watched as Kiwimon leapt high into the air, preparing his attack.

"Impmon," screamed the frightened twins in unison, seeking the protection of their absent partner. "Please help us."

As he came down towards the two children, Kiwimon announced, "High Jumping Kic…!"

Another voice interrupted with his own attack. The voice was filled with anger and protectiveness. It was a voice that Ai and Mako had hoped to hear, giving them a sense of safety and relief.

"Badda Boom!"

A fireball struck the champion, knocking him sideways and off his collision course with Ai and Mako. The sheer shock of the situation caused Kiwimon to simply stare after he crash landed, giving the trapped pair a chance to scramble a short distance away from the avian digimon.

The young girl glanced around at the eerily silent area. The three ultimates under his command stopped attacking when the leader lost his concentration, standing still like rather creepy statues. The Biomerged trio and Jeri were apparently too stunned to react. Her brother was simply smiling, just as Ai was. They turned towards the origin of the fireball.

She could see it, but she couldn't quite believe it. Sliding down the steep hill was a small digimon, one that shouldn't be there and yet he was. She always knew and felt connected to the rookie, so she couldn't deny his identity. But neither she nor Rika would want to doubt what they saw anyway.

His green eyes were focused on the young twins and the champion who had attempted to hurt to them. A red gloved hand held another fireball at the ready. His face, once the terror of the park, was twisted into an expression of fury. The purple digimon came to rest at the canyon floor.

"If you… touch…them, I'll turn you into a bucket of fried chicken," he threatened Kiwimon.

Ai, willing to accept this unexpected return without question, cheered loudly, "Get him Impmon."

Mako added his enthusiasm to his sister's, the twin pair of tamers completely unconcerned with the impossibility of their partner's presence. Neither he nor Ai ever accepted his demise, so it was unsurprising that they were dealing with the arrival quite well. Meanwhile, the champion tried to vocalize his surprise.

"But… I… You can't be…," he stuttered.

Then, his expression turned to terror. His eyes, including the strange red one, seemed to widen in horror. It appeared to the digimon half of Sakuyamon that it seemed as if the avian creature was seeing something no one else could. Kiwimon's gaze was focused on some unknown entity that he apparently feared and none present could detect.

The champion pleaded, "Master, I did as you commanded. I destr…" He cringed back abruptly as the others in the canyon stared in confusion. In more desperate tones, he begged, "It is not my fault he was returned, Master. Impmon was… I know that, Master, and I'll do better. I'll destroy them all for you, just don't…" His voice trailed off, his expression somehow becoming even more afraid. Then, Kiwimon screamed, "No!"

The red eye on his head contracted as he shrieked. The strange eye vanished and a second later, the digimon abruptly dissolved into data. After he disappeared, the three ultimates calmly dissolved themselves. Within moments, there was no trace of any of the attackers.

"What happened to him?" Sakuyamon whispered, both halves horrified by the digimon's fear and sudden death. "He just… How?"

"I don't know," replied Gallantmon slowly. "He was so afraid. And he was talking to someone. Someone we couldn't hear and called him 'Master.'"

Jeri, obviously focused more immediate things than the creepy display they'd just witnessed, ran over to where the twins remained. The girl gave them a quick look over, likely trying to prove to herself that they were unharmed. The pair didn't seem to be hurt, but they did seem extremely excited. And it was very easy to guess what currently held the young tamers' interest. Another figure, almost certainly even more concerned about the twins' well-being than Jeri, jogged over to them and Ai and Mako practically tackled him.

"Impmon," laughed Mako. "You're back!"

"Of course, Shrimp," he teased gently. "I made a promise, didn't I?"

The trio of megas separated back into their humans and digimon components once more. They slowly approached their previously-deceased friend, most of them at least semi-uncertain. He looked, acted, and sounded like the old Impmon. But they saw him die; they saw him dissolve into data just as Kiwimon and his troops had done just moments before. Renamon knew that he was certainly the purple rookie; she always recognized him and she could always find him. Even so, it was a little difficult to accept and the others didn't have that unwavering certainty of his identity that she possessed.

Impmon, spotting their uneasy stares, responded with his usual style.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," he smirked. Then after giving them a second to comprehend his words, he turned his usual mischievous gaze towards one particular tamer. "Takato, remind me to never let you baby-sit again. I come back and everything has gone crazy. Everyone knows there are some things you never do with children: feed them too many sweets, stay up to late, or let them nearly get attacked by oversized turkeys. Honestly Goggle-head, you should know better."

"Impmon…I…," Takato began, trying to voice his confused thoughts. "You… you were… How did you…"

"I get it!" shouted Terriermon suddenly. "Impmon is back because he's a zombie. He'll eat our brains!"

Rika glared at the rabbit digimon, who hid behind Henry's head in response. "He's not a zombie. Honestly, that sounds like something Kazu would think up."

"Okay, if you're so smart, then how come Impmon is not still floating around?"

"Hey," snapped a slightly irritated Impmon. "I am here, you know. Stop talking like I'm not." He was still tangled in the overjoyed twins' group hug, which seemed to reduce the effectiveness of the glare he was trying to use against them. "Ever think of asking me?"

Guilmon, simply taking the purple digimon's advice, bluntly inquired, "Okay, Impmon. Why aren't you dead anymore?"

"What?" asked Ai quietly.

"Nice going, Pineapple-head," Impmon grumbled softly, barely audible to the keen-eared fox. "Of course the brainless nitwit would blab." In a louder voice, he told his upset tamers "Don't worry about it, munchkins. I'm fine."

"Guilmon," groaned Takato. "You're getting as bad as Terriermon."

Renamon, feeling that someone needed to deal with the obvious question before the conversation became too sidetracked or the purple rookie attempted to avoid the subject completely, asked, "What happened to you?"

Impmon didn't immediately answer, but he eventually stated softly, "It was very odd…"

His green eyes slowly opened. His whole body was sore; not sore like he had been pounded, which was a sensation that he was familiar enough with to instantly recongnize, but rather as if he was too stiff to move after a large amount of work. From what he could see, he was outdoors, lying on the ground. Why was he here anyway? He tried to remember how he got there, but realized something frightening.

He couldn't remember anything. Not even his name.

"Hello, Impmon," a calm voice greeted unexpectedly.

He sat up suddenly in surprise, and he instantly wished he hadn't. Everything hurt, from both the abrupt movement and the change in position. And he felt so tired again, so achingly tired that he didn't know if he'd be able to retain his sitting position or if he'd slip back into unawareness.

A cloaked figure, the source of the voice, swiftly bent down to him, placing her hand behind his back to support him. His head swam for a moment, threatening to send him back into the previous darkness. She waited patiently until his body stopped rebelling so strongly and he could remain upright on his own.

"Relax," she gently soothed. "You have not fully recovered yet. Unfortunately, time is short." She removed her hand, quietly instructing, "Now, you must think carefully. Do you remember who you were? And who you are?"

"I…," he slowly started when he was hit by a blinding headache.

Images and voices flashed through his mind. Only some of these fragments remained long enough for him to properly identify, but they all were familiar.

…Two small humans in a brightly colored room. A girl told him, "Mako's been a bad boy." A fight between the children commenced…

… He raced across rooftops in a city. Alone and answering to no one. He needed something though…

… A yellow fox digimon watched him as he pounded the ground, screaming, "I want to digivolve." His frustration was so powerful, he would do anything…

… An older girl cried. He was larger and stronger than before; he was full of a desire for more. He wanted more, more power and more carnage. Yet, deep down he knew he was the cause of the girl's pain. He didn't care. A lion digimon dissolved away…

… The two young children, twins, looked at him. The boy handed him a toy gun. "It's my favorite. So you can blast the bad guys."

"They'll never know what hit them," he grinned at the boy.

The young girl leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek, "We love you, Impmon." He felt embarrassed and, at the same time, happy…

… He was larger again, and this time flying. The older girl was in a sphere. He reached out his hand, begging her to take it. He wanted to save her, wanted to make things right. She whispered, "You're not Leomon." The sphere closed once more…

… The twins listened as he reassured them, "However, no matter what happens or where I go, I'll always come back. I promise." He promised them. He promised Ai and Mako…

The headache faded and everything seemed to settle into place. He took a deep breath, trying to relax after the flood of memories. He could remember it all, good and bad. Lots of bad. Impmon knew who he was.

He also knew he had died. He could remember dissolving into data, just like so many digimon he'd seen in the past. And now he was here with a mystery figure and his friends were nowhere in sight. He should be at least somewhat suspicious of the stranger, but he had the odd feeling that he should at least give her the benefit of the doubt and trust that she was here to help. So far, she seemed semi-trustworthy and he wasn't dead anymore, both of which felt like good reasons not to automatically consider the oddly-dressed entity an enemy.

"Hey, toots," he asked. "Where is everybody and what's with the Ghost-of-Christmas-Yet-to-Come get-up? Is it Halloween already or are you just a freak?"

Because of the cloak, he couldn't see her expression, but she sounded like she was smiling as she remarked, "Well, I see your personality is intact as well as your memories. You are lucky. I wasn't sure they would be."

"So, I'm guessing you're the reason I'm not still floating in pieces. Thanks," he muttered awkwardly, not certain what to say in this type of situation.

The figured pulled him to his feet and he managed to keep his balance. He felt better now, less sore and tired. Considering that he'd been dead previously, the rookie thought that things weren't too bad. Anything was better than being dead, really.

"Impmon, you still have much to accomplish. It would be best if you could rest for now, but circumstances prevent it," the cloaked figure stated, ruining his moment of reflection. She pointed her arm off into the distance. "Go in that direction until you reach a canyon. Don't stop before then. The rest of your group will be there, engaged in battle. If you do not arrive in time, your tamers will pay the price. They will be killed."

He felt a cold sense of pure dread. Ai and Mako? He didn't bother doubting the validity of her statement; he couldn't risk it. Impmon also didn't bother with anymore questions.

He started running in the direction she had pointed, ignoring the remaining stiffness. He wasn't where he last remembered (where he had died, he reminded himself), so he didn't know which way the others may have gone. All he had to go on was the mystery person's advice and he was following it until he either found his goal or he found some other clue of where the twins were. He ran, just as he used to run when he would dash all across the city at night.

He didn't even notice how much time passed between when he began his impromptu marathon and when he first caught a glimpse of his goal, but he recognized it immediately. Ahead of him he could make out the edge of a cliff and there was some distant figures on the far side, one white and one green. Apparently, he was coming up to the canyon's side.

As he drew near, he could tell that his side of the canyon was not a sharp, cliff like the opposite side and he could also hear the sounds of battle. The figures he'd earlier spotted on the other side of the canyon were now recognizable as MegaGargomon and some giant skeletal creature that was trying to pin him in place. He guessed she had been speaking the truth about the fight his friends would be in. The fact she had been right about that fact suggested she was also right about the danger to Ai and Mako. The thought pushed him to run faster, the rookie terrified it was already too late.

Gallantmon's voice rose out of the canyon, "No! You can't!"

As Impmon reached the edge finally, he saw the stupid Kiwimon from before. The avian digimon that tried to take a shot at the twins and Jeri earlier was here. Even worse, he stood near his cringing tamers. As the champion leapt upwards, the twins screamed.

"Impmon, please help us!"

The angry purple digimon obliged. As Kiwimon prepared an attack on the helpless humans, Impmon used his own.

"Badda Boom!"

"And that's where I showed up," he finished, leaving his audience in silence as they contemplated his story.

"So the lady from the D-arcs is a real person," Henry stated finally. "Though whether they're a human or digimon is still unknown. And she seems to be on our side."As he considered the possibilities, the dark-haired tamer shook his head in amazement, "It's been a long day with everything that has happened so far."

Impmon chuckled slightly, "Bet mine was longer."

Ai and Mako gave him another tight hug, their faces lit up with matching smiles. They seemed so relieved that he was back; their unwavering faith in him had proven justified. Henry couldn't help feeling happy for them.

Chapter Text

The four tamers still present in the human world returned to the Hypnos building for the second time that day. None of them had expected to be summoned again, but the oldest boy wasn't overly surprised. If he knew anything, it was that the day's events would continue to remain busy.

The collection of children shuffled through the front door, still looking rather out of place surrounded by the adults in professional suits as they walked in with their partners. Most of the tamers barely noticed the reactions of those around them.

Suzie was cuddling Lopmon, as if the young girl was afraid that her friend would vanish back into digital world if she let go, and asking why they had to talk to the boring man again. Kazu and Kenta were arguing over one of their many card game battles, perfect content with the familiar debates that were clearly never going to be settled, while their partners watched with bemusement. Ryo herded them quickly into the lobby where the lady from earlier, Riley, stood holding a bag of muffins with Takato's family bakery's name across the bag. The eldest tamer smiled slightly as Monodramon sniffed at the delicious smell. Even if he wasn't as obsessed with his stomach as Guilmon, he wouldn't turn down free food.

"I thought you might like a snack," she told them. "Yamaki will be a moment."

She left the bag in Ryo's hands as he was nearly torn apart by the ravenous digimon and children. He was forced to use his leg to fend them off as he dug through the container and handed out the treats. When everyone had a muffin, he was able to breathe freely again. Who knew a hungry MarineAngemon could be so forceful?

For several moments, the only sounds were the satisfied munching from the hungry kids and their partners. Ryo had a feeling that the janitors would be very busy with all the crumbs they would end up dropping. When the woman returned to the group, she was already smiling slightly, but the smile expanded upon seeing the satisfied expression on all of their faces.

Shaking her head slightly as Lopmon offered part of her muffin, she announced, "He's ready to see you."

The room Riley led them to be less formal-looking than the large meeting room from that morning. It was certainly smaller and felt cozier, even if there was still a hint of professionalism to it. If Ryo's guess was correct, it would seem that this was Yamaki's personal office in normal circumstances.

Now, however, it was Calumon's playground. The energetic digimon was jumping off furniture, climbing on the computer, and bouncing on the various surfaces. The small white shape moved from spot to spot with energy that normal people could only hope to achieve with the help of immense amounts of sugar and caffeine. From the pained expression on Yamaki's face and how he held his head, this activity had been going on for some time. Ryo might not have met the man until the problems with the D-reaper, but he'd heard enough about the earlier days of Hypnos to know how he used to behave. Once, he would have destroyed the tiny digital being without hesitation simply because of what Calumon was. Now he was tolerating, even if only barely, the rambunctious antics of the happy digimon. Amazing how much a man could change.

With a small smirk on her face, Riley set a couple of muffins salvaged from the earlier food onslaught on the desk. The reaction from the small creature was exactly what could be expected. Calumon shrieked with glee, grabbing a muffin almost as large as his head.

Yamaki groaned slightly, "Stop feeding him. He'll never go away."

His employee didn't even dignify that statement with an answer. If anything, she looked a little smug about her actions. Ryo wondered if that was her intention.

Turning his attention away from the hyper being on his desk and Riley, he addressed the four children and their partners, "I have taken the liberty of reactivating some of our old programs. Nothing aggressive, like Juggernaut" he quickly assured. "Just a few scanners to help you keep track of Bioemergences. It would probably the best to give you the most warning possible."

He pulled out four cell phones from a drawer and spread them across his desk's surface. Suzie, who for once was trying to snuggle Calumon instead of Lopmon, squealed as she was handed her new cell phone. Ryo studied the object curiously, trying to spot any obvious difference between these devices and the type that so many people across the planet owned.

"These are programmed with my number and each other's, meaning you can contact the other tamers or Hypnos itself. This way, everyone can be more organized with our defense of against whatever is to come. Officially, Hypnos has complete control and will be handling everything." Yamaki sighed heavily, "In actuality, I've learned my lesson. You children are better equipped to handle Bioemergences and other dangers. For all I know, our efforts might have actually weakened the borders between the two worlds, allowing more digimon and eventually the D-reaper to cross over. I will not make the same mistake twice. We will assist you in any way possible, but final judgment will be up to you."

It really hit him. Ryo realized how fully Yamaki was changed by the D-reaper incident, by having all of his previous assumptions about the creatures shattered. The boy might not have seen the full transformation, but he knew enough from the tamer's stories. The man had been forced to stand aside as human children and digimon fought his battles, to let those he tried to previously hinder fight the threat instead. In addition, while his Juggernaut program was part of the final program used to take out the pink blob, the perfected version was designed by the very people who created digimon in the first place. He'd been severely humbled by the experience. The man was shown that his view of the world was not the correct one and now he could accept it. Not only would he now admit he was wrong about digimon in the past, he could also admit that some individuals were better at dealing with the dangerous ones than him and his people. The fact he was giving four children greater authority than his own was intimidating. Even more so when Ryo realized it was his authority since he was slowly becoming the unofficial leader of their small group.

For a moment, the government agent looked as if he would add something else. Anything he might have been considered, however, was quickly forgotten as Calumon pulled free of Suzie's tight hug, giving a shout of excitement and floated back to land on Yamaki's head. The small digimon quickly pulled the dark sunglasses off the human's face and held them up to study.

"Wow! Everything looks like night time. Why do you like the dark so much? It makes it hard to see," the small creature remarked quickly.

The digimon seemed to be rather happy with the object as he pressed them to his face, even if he also was pointing out that they made it difficult to view his surroundings. Calumon proved his point about them being hard to see with when, wearing the sunglasses, he fell off his perch on the blond man's head.

Ryo grinned slightly, the white digimon's antics usually having that effect on people, and then replied in a more serious tone, "Thank you, Mr. Yamaki. We appreciate all you have done and will accept any help you might give us."

He could feel himself tapping into his inner-Henry with his polite and mature tone. While Ryo might be older than the other tamers, the dark-haired boy always seemed to be more suited for this type of situation. If he was going to lead, he might as well learn from the examples of others. Learning by example was a smart idea, after all. He just needed to avoid copying them to closely, or else he would end up threatening to clobber Kazu and Kenta as Rika would.

He started gathering up Suzie and the Duo of Disaster, along with the various digimon partners, to go home. Herding the group was quickly becoming a habit, even if he'd only been doing such a thing for a short time. Before leaving, Ryo took pity on the poor besieged Yamaki and snatched up Calumon off the floor. The stress man rewarded the boy with a smile of relief. Who knew how long that the white digimon had been bouncing off the walls in that small room?

Ryo led them out of the Hypnos building where they began to leave for their own residences. Kazu and Kenta quickly returned to their earlier discussion, not even apparently missing a beat. MarineAngemon and Guardromon exchanged a look, but followed their partners as they continued their frenzied conversation. Even Calumon floated off to wherever he went when he wasn't bugging government officials.

Alone with only him and their partners, Suzie began to tug on Ryo's arm hopefully.

"Wyo? Can we go fow ice cweam?" she asked sweetly, "Henwy said we would get some today, but he isn't…" she trailed off.

Ryo, recognizing that he not only needed to fulfill the role of leader during the absence of several tamers but also her big brother, nodded to her. This response immediately sparked off another squeal of happiness from the girl.

The Kiwimon tool failed. No reason to keep giving him power. Investing in a doomed strategy, in a faulty tool, is foolish. Can't remove all power invested, so only goes back to data. Other tools controlled by Kiwimon also destroyed.

It has other tools. Some it brought when it arrived in this darkness. Others already here. Waiting. Ready to use. The tools merely required physical forms.

Don't have enough power to restore itself to physical form and enter either human or digital world. Not yet. Do have enough for tools. Need new tools.

Choose three tools with personality and mind intact. More competent tools. They will lead new troops.

One will go to human world. Harder to reach from here than digital, but not much. He will use mindless drones to target those there. It once was in the human world. Did much to try and fulfill mission. Failed and was destroyed. Ended up here in the darkness.

Two other tools will enter digital world. Need new strategy. Digimon hard to permanently destroy. Not impossible, but hard. Humans easier, but will be defended. Guarded by the digimon partners.

Need secret weapon. Both humans and digimon strongly influenced by emotions. Loyalty. Friendship. Completely illogical, but can be used against them. It knew this well. It chose its tools to use this weakness. They will be destroyed.

Four ice creams are expensive, but it was definitely worth it. Suzie was eating her strawberry scoop happily, licking away at the snack enthusiastically, while Monodramon got brain freeze from his chocolate almost immediately. Lopmon seemed to be enjoying her treat calmly at least. Ryo was mostly laughing at his partner.

It was rather nice. Henry probably missed spending time like this. No doubt their day in the digital world wasn't as relaxing and light-hearted. Ryo knew he missed quiet and calm moments during his own experiences away from the human world. Regardless of which digital or human world, he rarely got the chance to enjoy an opportunity to relax at something completely normal like eating ice cream.

It couldn't last. If life had taught him anything, it was that a disaster of some type was always on the horizon and ready to strike. The two D-arcs beeped abruptly moments before Ryo's new cell phone rang. He answered, already knowing what he would hear.

Riley informed him, "A Bioemergence is in progress, three blocks west of you. You and Suzie are the closest."

"You can track us?" a surprised Ryo asked into the speaker.

"Through the cell phone," she acknowledged, "so we know which tamers are closest and can respond first. It makes more sense to call those near the location rather than those farther away. Should I contact the others?"

He sighed tiredly. Here he was, making decisions for the group and trying to figure out the best course of action. He'd led before, but that had been different. There was a simple goal and he didn't need to worry about so many variables. Granted, he'd ended up being used as a weapon against a deadly threat, so it was more that he was a puppet rather than a true leader in those cases. Even if a few friends followed him.

But this felt so much more complicated. Did he need to worry about Hypnos always knowing their location? Could they use that knowledge against the tamers? After all, they weren't always friends and allies. Would asking for backup be smarter or would it be simpler to handle the situation alone? Both choices had pros and cons to them, but which one would be the better choice? What about Suzie? She was his responsibility until her brother got home. Would dragging her along be a bad idea? He would hate to place another young child into a deadly scenario, but he couldn't leave her behind easily either. Being a leader was just too much sometimes. And this was still day one.

"No, Monodramon and I should be able to handle anything that shows up. Justimon can take on most digimon easy," he told the woman on the line finally. "Thanks though. Bye."

He hung up and looked down at his partner. While curious and fun-loving as a rookie, in his ultimate form of Cyberdramon, he was a real killing machine. That shift in personality was just part of the cost for their past actions. Their old adventures, their old foe, could still find ways to make them pay. Furthermore, they could Biomerge to the mega level, unlike the others. They were the best choice.

Suzie was watching him, her face plastered in pink ice cream. She knew something was going on, but she didn't know what yet. Whenever the D-arcs acted funny, something happened. Even if she hadn't been a tamer that long before her partner and all the other digimon vanished back into the digital world, she knew that much. And when Ryo talked on the phone, his face was so serious. Henry's face would do that sometimes and then he would go out with Terriermon.

Of course, Ryo's reaction and the D-arcs weren't the only hints that something was going on. Both digimon with them were very attentive too, as if they heard something she couldn't. Lopmon's large ears were perked up a little and both she and Monodramon were staring off into the distance.

"Wyo, what's wrong?" she asked the older boy.

He ruffled her hair slightly, "We have some bad digimon showing up and we need to take care of it. You can come with us so we can keep an eye on you, but the two of us should be enough," he stated, indicating himself and the purple digimon beside him.

As soon as she nodded, they took off at a slight jog in the direction of the setting sun. The sky was being painted red and orange by the fading light. Streetlights were starting to flicker on and store signs began to glow with neon colors. Suzie should logically be on her way home and start getting ready for bed, but that wasn't going to happen at the moment. He couldn't let her go alone and they did need to deal with the arriving digimon.

Neither Suzie nor Ryo had nearly as much the experience as the others did Bioemergences, but they could remember Rika, Takato, and Henry's descriptions. The signature cloud of fog was in place, enveloping the area in an opaque mist. He pulled out a pair of sunglasses and set them in front of his face. He turned to Suzie, still slightly sticky and gripping Lopmon in her arms, and looked the small girl straight in the eye.

"Suzie, you and Lopmon stay here," he sternly commanded. "I don't know what's in there and Henry would kill me if I drag you in to danger. So stay here and be careful."

"But Ryo…," Lopmon began to protest, but the boy and his partner were already running into the digital field.

Left in the growing darkness, Suzie began to whimper slightly. There was no one else near the strange fog and it swallowed up most of the sounds of those within it. There was no way of knowing what was happening inside. She hugged her brown rabbit digimon against her small frame. A few tears rolled down the young girl's face. Suzie wanted to go home. She wanted Henry and Terriermon back. She just wanted everything to be the way it was supposed to be, with her big brother to protect her and keep her safe.

"Foolish child, cringing back from all around her and not even a hint of the bravery you are truly capable of," a calm voice announced abruptly. "You sit crying while others do the fighting for you."

A familiar shadowy figure stepped out of the deeper darkness. The cloaked form from the night before and in the meeting that morning now stood before Suzie and Lopmon. Even with her features still concealed by the fabric and shadows, she could tell the stranger was staring at them. The small girl wiped her eyes a little as she looked up at the taller figure.

"I… I want… Henwy," she sniffled. "I want… I want Henwy back!"

"Stop it, Suzie," the voice snapped, startling the child and digimon. "You have a responsibility. You have to grow up. Perhaps not completely, but you must mature enough that you don't cry over everything. You must begin to develop your own strength. One that you know you are able to accomplish and wield."

"B…b…but, I want…" she stammered between tears.

"I know you want your brother," the cloaked figure answered in a more soothing voice. "But he isn't here right now. No amount of crying will change this. It will not help anyone. And if tears will not aid you, then you must find other methods to deal with adversity. Do you remember the D-reaper?"

Suzie nodded, starting to hiccup but no longer actively crying, "Y…yes. It was… big and Henwy… and Tewwiermon fought it."

"Yes, and in the end, you helped Lopmon to fight as well," the calm voice reminded the child. "You will need to remember that. You need to grow up and help. You are a big girl now. Sometimes that means doing things that are hard or scary or even sad." The figure paused a moment, as if thinking or remembering something. "When Henry does return, do you want him to be proud of you and all you have done in his absence?"

Lopmon could see the stranger's strategy had been effective. The harsh greeting, while something that set the former Deva's teeth on edge, served to get her message's importance across quickly to the girl and the gentle words immediately afterwards reassured the child. She had been right in what she had told Suzie: she had to start growing up. Perhaps not completely since she was still a child and would be for some time, but she needed to learn to stand on her own two feet

"Okay," Suzie whispered, hugging her friend tightly. "We'll help Wyo. But how?"

Apparently anticipating the question, the cloaked shape quickly dropped an item in the child's hand. The rabbit digimon leaned forward a little in her partner's one-armed grip in order to better see. It was a digimon card, but blue. One with a yellow symbol in the middle. Without another word or a hint of explanation, the figure left as mysteriously as she'd arrived.

Lopmon looked at her young partner, "Suzie, I want to help them, but you need to stay safe too. If we start joining in on fights, will you be careful?"

Memories of how she first met the child, wandering the digital world alone and completely vulnerable to even the weakest digimon's attacks, flickered through the rookie's mind. She would protect Suzie with her life, but that didn't mean that the girl couldn't try to be cautious as well. She needed her partner to be alert and prepared.

"Yes," the girl answered "But you got to be caweful too."

"Pummel Whack!" a monotone voice announced.

A white club swung through the air, connecting to Justimon's head. Even with the metal helmet, the humanoid mega could feel the impact. The blow itself was fairly painful, if not even close to fatal. But it was mostly frustration that he was experiencing at the moment.

There was no way that Justimon should be getting beaten by the champion level Ogremon, but somehow he was. The Biomerged mega was knocked back once more by the club swinging digimon. The green creature, humanoid with white hair on top of his head and fangs that jutted out of his mouth, was strangely silent and emotionless. The only time the digimon spoke was when he used an attack. His eyes were blank and lifeless, staring vacantly forward without truly seeming to focus on anything.

Justimon dodged another strike, his head still ringing from the last one. No matter what attack he used on Ogremon, it seemed to have no effect. A direct hit should have destroyed the champion, but he simply shrugged every strike off without even a hint of pain. On the other hand, Justimon was being pounded. Each attack was stronger than what would be expected from a digimon at this level, though still not at the mega range, and the hits certainly were adding up.

The mega was preparing himself for Ogremon's next attack when another member joined the fight. Antylamon broke through the fog. The giant brown rabbit who was taller than some buildings hit the enemy digimon, knocking the green figure head over heels with her pure body mass.

As Justimon turned, he could see a smaller figure running after the humongous former Deva. Suzie was wearing a pair of plastic, pink sunglasses that looked like something from a birthday goodie bag. The girl that was scared and clingy before was now following her partner into battle. Oh sure, she still looked afraid and likely wished her brother was there with her, but she was still there. The arrival of back-up, even if his first intention was to prevent the younger tamer from getting hurt by keeping her out of the way, was a welcome sight.

Ready to take on Ogremon together, Antylamon and Justimon stood side by side and braced themselves for his retaliation. The super-charged champion stared blankly back at them, giving no indication that the addition of a second combatant affected him. He held his bone club in front of him, his pose clearly indicating that he was ready for further combat.

Ogremon then tilted his head slightly. Without any other attacks from either party, he abruptly dissolved away into data and the fog dispersed. Left without an enemy and with several unanswered questions, the Biomerged mega and the ultimate digmon reverted to their rookie forms.

Knowing that he would have to address this issue eventually, Ryo walked over to Suzie with a slightly concerned expression on his face. The girl was already picking up Lopmon, looking rather proud of herself.

"Suzie, didn't I tell you to wait?" he asked.

"The D-awc lady said I needed to help you," she explained, "She said to gwow up and be wesponsible."

Lopmon nodded supportively, "She also gave Suzie a blue card."

Ryo paused briefly as he considered the implications of that statement, "She was real and not just a hologram like before?"

"Nope," Suzie answered, shaking her head. "And she yelled at me a little. She was mad we weren't helping you."

"Well," Monodramon chipped in, "thanks for helping, no matter what Ryo says. We were getting smashed by the green creep. Then the giant rabbit hops in and he vanishes."

Ryo shook his head and wondered, "Why? Why did it suddenly… self-destruct? We couldn't hurt him and then he suddenly goes poof? It doesn't add up."

"I don't know," whispered Lopmon. "It is too strange. You couldn't even affect him alone as a mega, as far as I could tell. Even with my backup I don't see how we could have overpowered him enough to warrant his instant surrender like that. Especially that quickly after my arrival."

Suzie gave a heavy yawn, rubbing her eyes with her tiny fist. Taking the hint, Ryo picked up the young girl as he transferred Lopmon from her grip to Monodramon's. The poor kid was simply worn out and sticky. Her face was covered in dried tears and dried on strawberry ice cream. Between everything that happened today and the previous night, it wasn't surprising that she would be tired.

"Come on," he whispered to the drowsy child. "It's late. Let's get you home, cleaned up, and ready for bed."

As the tamers and their partners left the area, none suspected the fight with Ogremon was a distraction. While Hypnos had easily detected the arrival of the larger and more powerful champion, they missed the simultaneous appearance of DemiDevimon in the same digital field. The small bat-like digimon was the one commanding the mindless drone against Justimon. He was the who decided when the pawn, given to him by his master, had served his purpose and could be destroyed. Now there was no reason for his targets to even suspect he was here.

This DemiDevimon, his ordinary appearance marred by a red eye in the middle of his forehead where the image of a skull would normally be, had a mission. Observe the targets for his master, serving as its eyes and ears in the real world, both figuratively and literally. The red eye served as a connection to his master. He and his master could communicate through it, sharing information and knowledge, as he went about his mission. It also gave DemiDevimon power: the power to control minions, to be stronger and less vulnerable than he would be on his own, and the power to even be alive at that moment. Kiwimon failed and so lost those privileges from the master. DemiDevimon would not make that mistake. He would not fail.

Chapter Text

Lurking quietly above the canyon, perched on a small rock outcropping, were two digimon. Neither truly knew the other before they were selected for this mission, though they might have heard stories of their kind, but that didn't matter. They were chosen for their unique skills by their master. Their presence in this place, their very existence, was because of their specific abilities and how their master wished for them to be used.

Down below in the canyon itself, hidden in a shallow cave, were their targets. Or rather, target. The plan involved dealing with only one of the prophesied group. Rather than a frontal assault, which had proven to be less than effective against this collection of individuals, they were to use far more subtle methods on a single and specific member.

Night had long since fallen across the digital world and the relative silence made it easy to listen to what might be occurring below in the cave where the group hid from view. Their soft breathing gave evidence that they were fast asleep, completely helpless. They hadn't even traveled far from where they last faced the failure Kiwimon and his forces. Foolish digimon and their tamers. They were making it far too easy for the master to target them.

Of the two digimon waiting in the darkness for the perfect moment, he was the smaller one. He was vaguely genie-like, ending with a smoky tail where his hind legs should be while he floated above the ground. His body was mostly grayish-purple and brown fur. A metal helm covered the top of his head, including a short snout. Tiny tusks peered out on either side of his mouth. His elephant-like front limbs bore a small gold ring around one, a Holy Ring. There were moments where he wondered if he deserved such a thing anymore.

The larger digimon turned to her companion. From what he'd observed, she preferred to stay in the shadows and out of sight until the time was right and she had the advantage. His knowledge of who she was, other than rather unnerving, was probably incomplete. But he'd heard stories from before he encountered the master. Stories that made his shiver when he thought about them.

While he had been destroyed and brought into the darkness at the same time as the master, she had entered it long before that point. She'd existed in that dark place for a long time, long enough for her past to become those stories that he disliked so much. She had caused plenty of pain and suffering on her own power until enough digimon united to defeat her. She was perhaps not as infamous as the master was at the height of his power, but she was still bad enough. And she wasn't even the slightest bit sorry for her past actions, terrorizing whole sections of the digital world. In fact, she practically leapt at the chance to return to her former life and do so again. Even if she now took orders from the master, she didn't even seem to care. Such is the price to cause destruction.

His own past was far less interesting. He was once just another poor victim of the master's past attacks and now he'd do anything to regain even some of what he had lost. Even working for the one who destroyed him in the first place. Perhaps he was no better than the psycho who stood beside him.

She grinned evilly in the darkness, "Tapirmon, are you ready for your role in this? Remember, if you do well, the master has promised your freedom." Pausing a moment to peer over the edge of the cliff, she added, "Just be sure to leave the subconscious hint of where to go when he awakens. Don't want him wandering off, do we?"

The genie-like animal digimon inclined his head at the taller digimon, "I can handle the dreams. The master said this target is especially loaded with strong negative emotions: fear, doubt, guilt, and even self-hatred. It has observed him before and it could see them quite clearly, even with our master's limited grasp on the depths of emotion. A nightmare of sufficient strength and direction will be easy to obtain and turn to our needs. All I have to do is tap into his deepest fears and give them overwhelming power."

She nodded at his explanation, "Very well, I will leave you to your specialty. And I will stick… to mine."

She chuckled at the last part, causing him to shiver at the thought of what she could do. The stories of her suggested that she may not be the strongest direct fighter, but her more subtle strategies were often more painful of all involved.

Tapirmon slowly drifted downwards, his two normal blue eyes scanning for danger while the red eye in the middle of his forehead, glared into the night. Caution was key in this situation. He couldn't fight his way through these digimon and tamers. But sneaking in might just be possible. He carefully approached the cave entrance and peered inside.

A few embers still glowed where one of the digimon must have started a fire for the group to huddle around. The remaining orange light from the coals helped him spot the shapes of the digimon and humans within, though his kind was known for seeing in the dark. For a species that worked with dreams, being able to navigate at night was a necessity.

While they might have been eagerly crouched around the previously warm fire, the group now slept scattered around the shallow cave in pairs. Tapirmon easily spotted the various individuals and started dismissing the incorrect ones.

The easiest to spot were those closest to the glowing embers. A brown-haired boy wearing goggles was drooling lightly while lying across a snoring red dinosaur. On the other side, another boy had a white and green rabbit that was muttering nonsense as he slept across his partner's chest.

Leaning against the cave walls near the entrance was a pair of sleeping figures, the ones he would have to be the most careful of when he entered. One was a human with a blue heart on her chest and the other was a tall yellow fox. Both were asleep, but the digimon's ears flickered restlessly. She was probably a light-sleeper and was positioned so close to the entrance because she would be the first to stir if there was trouble. They might not have anyone truly on watch, but she was still serving that purpose. Tapirmon would have to beware of her both while entering and exiting. But because he floated in midair, there were no footsteps to awaken her and if he kept his voice low, she should remain asleep.

Farther in the cave, another girl was curled around a backpack protectively. Her hair color was similar to the first boy she spotted, but she didn't seem to drool like the goggle-wearing boy did. Unlike the other, she didn't have a digimon lying near her. Perhaps that was why she was kept so far from the entrance. She lacked the protection the rest possessed.

Finally, he found two young humans lying on either side of the remaining digimon. While one was a girl and the other a boy, they looked eerily alike. Tapirmon didn't find the similiarity particularly odd; most humans looked alike to him. They all have the same shape with only a little variation in height, hair color, and small details of the face. Digimon were far more diverse, ranging from little cotton balls to giant dragons to humanoid creatures to machines. It was easy to see which made more sense. The fact that he had difficulty at distinguishing humans from one another made it much better that his target was the digimon instead.

Tapirmon carefully floated over the resting trio, all three of his eyes on the purple digimon. Even unconscious, it looked utterly exhausted to the point where it wouldn't be surprising if the sleeping rookie literally fell asleep on his feet earlier. He doubted that it would wake up even if an explosion went off above his head. He was an expert in states of tiredness and sleep and the purple digimon definitely wouldn't wake easily. That would be ideal to ensure his work would be complete.

Pausing briefly, he wondered if what he was about to do was worth it. Was his reward worth working for the one who destroyed him in the first place? Was a new chance at life worth aiding the master like this? In the end, Tapirmon decided that he would have to go on and follow the commands. He leaned close to his target.

"Waking Dream," he whispered as silently as possible, concentrating on his special power over the minds of his victims.

Impmon was in the park at night. It had always been one of his favorite places. He could prank or torment humans anywhere in the city, but the park was always somewhere he could rely on to both be a location to find perfect targets and to be safe he decided on a little solitude. When the other tamers and digimon began to spend more time there, it was perfect for him to observe them at a distance without giving them any crazy ideas like he wanted to join them. Looking back, he did want to join them even then. He just couldn't admit such a thing. Still, the park was a place of primarily good memories and it offered prime hunting grounds whenever he felt like messing with someone.

The rookie watched the paths from his spot in a tree. It was the perfect location since he could easy spot people from a long distance, but they couldn't see him in return. A particularly sweet-looking couple was approaching his perch, completely unaware of their observer. You could tell they were truly in love by the look in their eyes. He might not be a big fan of mushy stuff, but he could recognize it when he saw it. He readied his fireball, preparing to scare the two humans out of their skins with his joke.

Then everything changed as suddenly as a lightning strike. The park was gone. The human couple out on a date vanished. Everything shifted into a new scene.

He was Beelzemon now and he was in the digital world. There was no mistaking the human world as it hung in the sky above. His arm was moving. He wasn't really trying to make it move on purpose. It was like he was just observing his own body move on its own accord. Like a puppet on a string. His hand made contact and sank into something soft, his claws easily going through the obstacle.

He stared in horror as he realized what he was doing and what he was witnessing. Leomon. This was when he killed Leomon. At the time he did it, he had felt nothing except pleasure at absorbing the champion's data. It was his darkest point, all of his potential and his rather shaky friendship with the group was sold for power. He hungered for more and more power, to be strong on his own, to the point where nothing else mattered. He didn't care about the cost. He simply wanted to increase his strength by any means necessary, to fill the ravenous desire for more even when he was practically bursting with data already. The death of someone's partner was merely an opportunity to gain more power and to never be weak again. His mind at the time he committed these actions was filled with nothing but fury, aggression, and a desire for more.

This time, he was sickened at his past brutality and ashamed of those actions. He hated that he'd agreed to become that monster, to lose himself completely in the hunt for power. All his fears of being too weak, of needing the help of humans that he was uncertain he could depend on, turned him into someone that would kill anyone he encountered without even a hint of hesitation. There's a difference against fight someone who can defend themselves and would possibly kill you in return and simply killing someone who didn't stand a chance in a fight or would have preferred not to fight in the first place. And he crossed that line a long time ago and became a monster as a result.

He looked at Jeri, kneeling heart-broken at her partner's side as he dissolved away into data and Leomon's killer absorbed it. Her eyes rose, locking onto Beelzemon's own. There was so much pain in her expression that it might have been more humane to attack her instead of the champion.

His surroundings shifted again, taking away the digital landscape and replacing it with something equally foreign to humanity. A sea of pink ooze spread out below him. Tired and hurt, he was a different Beelzemon than before. One capable of flight and guilt for what he'd done to those around him. He was outside a broken sphere, reaching inside and begging Jeri to let him save her. The events outside this orb didn't matter at that moment. Friends and enemies were forgotten. All that mattered was convincing the girl in front of him to take his hand before it was too late, to give him a chance to make things right again.

As always, she looked at her would-be rescuer with fear and sorrow.

Just like every other time he saw this same scene, she whispered, "You're not Leomon."

But this time it was worse. It didn't end with the sphere closing and hundreds of sharp rectangles from the D-reaper lodging into his back. It didn't end with him falling, dissolving away even as he called out to the girl he desperately tried to save. Instead, something in the trapped child changed and she shifted from being frightened to being angry.

Jeri stared at him, her voice becoming accusatory and cruel as she spoke, "You're not Leomon because you killed him. You killed him and you would've killed us all. You wanted to. You even tried to do it. You wanted to reduce us all to data and broken bodies. You still could decide to. It would be so easy for you to change your mind."

"No," he whispered, shaking at her cold words.

Even in her deepest anger and depression, she had never behaved like this. Even after everything that happened to her, Jeri never sounded so harsh and unforgiving.

"One of these days," she stated, "when the power that mangy mutt and the Digimon Sovereign gave you is no longer enough for you, you'll turn on us. You'll turn on us because that's the kind of person you are. You'll always chose power. Who will you destroy next? Terriermon, because he insults you and you wouldn't mind getting rid of him? Guilmon, because he's all too trusting and friendly for his own good? How about Renamon? I'm sure she has plenty of power for you. Or perhaps your hunger for power won't be the trigger. Maybe you'll just want bloodshed and you'll kill all humans just to demonstrate how strong you are. After all, you spent so much time telling everyone how sick we make you. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised if you decide to get rid of us. Maybe next time Ai and Mako fight over you, you'll silence them permanently."

"Jeri, stop it," he begged. "I'm sorry about Leomon and I'll never be able to forgive myself, but I'll never be that monster again. I wouldn't hurt you guys. I'm not that guy anymore. I swear I won't turn against you."

She started laughing. It was a cruel and spiteful sound, one that shouldn't have come from the sweet and kind Jeri they all knew. The laughter continued, mocking his attempts to deny that he would ever harm his friends again. Trying to escape the noise, Beelzemon turned and flew away from the sphere containing the girl he'd been trying to rescue. But regardless of how fast he flew, the sound remained in his ears.

Tapirmon pushed harder into his victim's mind, seeking greater torment and doubt in the deepest and darkest nightmares Impmon could ever imagine. The most dangerous and painful things often come from your own mind. Tapirmon sought them out. The nightmares, the fears, the doubts, and the horrors that was so utterly terrible, that the rookie had to forget them before he even properly dreamt them. They were just too painful to even consider that the mind would protect itself by burying such ideas deep into the subconscious where they would never have to be seen.

Perfect.

He was back in the park, just like he was before. He was a rookie, perched in a tree and just about to freak out a few humans just for fun. The couple was just below him, their faces hidden in the shadows momentarily. Everything felt perfect. His fireball was ready and he aimed directly in front of them for maximum scream factor.

"Badda Boom!"

Then it went horribly wrong. Suddenly, the two humans were too short to be the ones he saw before and the flame wasn't going where he threw it. His aim was always reliable, but the fireball wasn't cooperating this time and the trajectory went way off course.

Instead of harmlessly hitting the sidewalk, it struck the pair directly. They began screaming as fire raced across their clothes, igniting far more easily and swiftly than his flames generally would. By the flickering light of the fire burning across them, Impmon could recognize the frightened faces of his tamers he'd just set aflame.

Once again, everything dissolved away to reveal a new scene. Now, he wasn't in the park or Impmon, though he still seemed to be in the human world. It wasn't night anymore; it was closer to late afternoon or early evening since the sky seemed to be streaked with oranges and reds while the shadows were beginning to swallow everything around the edge. This was further in the city, buildings surrounding him while he stood in the middle of the street. Strangely, no cars were in view. He was Beelzemon, but in his normal mode rather than the more powerful version with wings and a cannon. And the scene before him was utterly horrifying.

Bodies, hundreds of them, surrounded him. Lifeless shapes that slumped across the road and sidewalk on all sides, in small piles or alone on the pavement while blood formed puddles everywhere like after a rainstorm. Some were broken and bruised, as if smacked against something solid until the force left the figure useless and empty. Others sported gunshot wounds, painful-looking wounds that tore through them. A few had gaping holes, like someone had jammed something large into their chest and ripped out chunks. He was careful not to look at his own fist, fearing what he might see.

Most of the victims were unsurprisingly humans, though a few digimon were still dissolving away into data as he watched. He knew every digimon who was swiftly disappearing and there were plenty of human faces he knew that were staring at him with their lifeless gaze. The various tamers, who were crumpled nearest their vanishing partners and at least spent their final moments together. Their parents and families, some who were close to their children and others that were behind them in what was probably an effort by the tamers to protect them. The creepy Hypnos guy with the sunglasses who apparently wasn't that bad since he helped them get home, now lying in a pool of blood with a few bullet holes through his chest. The nice man who helped him find Ai and Mako, his days of assisting lost digimon find their way ended by something snapping his neck. Random people from the park that he'd seen in the days he wandered the area, each one lying scattered before him with various causes of death.

He was shaking. With fear or fury, he didn't know. This was so wrong. What could have done this? What could take out all these people, the tamers, and the digimon? He wanted to know what could cause so much suffering and death, to know who he would have to hunt down and destroy for all this pain, yet he dreaded the answer deep down.

Then he saw the worst part yet. Sprawled on top of another lifeless body, lay Ai and Mako. His wonderful partners were among the carnage. He took a step towards them, half hoping that he was wrong. That they weren't dead. That he was looking at some other small pair of children. There had to be some other explanation than the twins were truly among the dead bodies scattered around him. But drawing nearer only proved the identity of the tiny corpses in front of him.

Ai looked nearly snapped in two at the waist, the sweet little girl broken and tossed away like one of her dolls. Mako, the brave little boy who gave up his favorite toy gun because he wanted to keep his partner safe, had a bullet wound that appeared to go straight through his heart. But as heartbreaking as it was to see their lifeless bodies dumped across these other corpses like useless trash, it was the faces that were the worst. Unlike many of the frozen expressions of those lying in the street, they didn't look scared. His tamers didn't die frightened by whatever attacked them and ended their lives, unlike so many of the dead figures around him. They merely looked surprised.

Beelzemon fell to his knees beside his poor partners. They were just children. He didn't understand how young they really were back when he first met them. All he knew was that they fought over him and he couldn't stand it. But they were just children, barely more than those tiny infants that human mothers push in strollers. They didn't understand how much their actions hurt him at the time. He understood that now, even if he didn't used to comprehend why they acted like they did and always put him in the middle of their arguments. And they were doing better. They were treating him like a friend instead of a toy.

They were just children, defenseless children who wouldn't hurt someone on purpose. They were growing up, getting more mature and they just wanted him back in their lives. And he was happy to have them back. They were just children. Why would someone take them away from him like this? Why? Why would they do hurt Ai and Mako? They didn't do anything wrong. Not really. He couldn't lose them. He couldn't lose his partners. Not his tamers. They were his. They couldn't be gone.

He reached out a hand towards them, shaking as he tried to touch them. To hold his partners. To prove that they weren't really gone. That they would wake up and smile at him as soon as he touched them. To feel that there was still life somewhere in the broken and bloody figures that meant the world to him. Regardless of what he might have hoped would happen if he managed to touch them, something caught his eye before he could reach them.

All the way up his arm, nearly his elbow, a thick and sticky red liquid coated him and provided all the evidence of his actions that he needed to see. Sharp claws and guns could do quite a lot of damage to digimon. They could do even more trauma to the more vulnerable and fragile humans who lived here. Organic creatures also left a lot more mess than digital ones when they die. He saw that once in the street where a cat was hit by a truck. And he could certainly see that now, all the limp figures piled around like discarded trash.

There was no one else to blame for this. There was no other force that caused all this destruction and death. There was no enemy for him to track down and destroy for this. No stranger destroyed his friends and all these other innocent lives. There was only one person who bore the responsibility for this. He'd gone on this killing spree, destroying all who stood before him. Even Ai and Mako.

"No," he whispered, unable to accept what he saw. "Please, I can't have… I wouldn't… I've changed. I… I wouldn't hurt them… would I? Please, I don't want… No."

He kept on, denying and begging for all of this destruction to go away. For everyone to be all right and for the twins to be fine. His splattered hand reached out again shakily, touching Mako's cheek. His clawed hand left a smear of blood on his cold face. It took Beelzemon a moment to realize that he was crying as he pulled the lifeless boy into his lap. Next, he carefully dragged Ai closer to him, taking care not separate the two halves of her with the movement. He knew that if a Digi-Gnome should arrive at this terrible place, he had no greater wish than for his partners to wake up. He just wanted everything back.

He almost missed the soft footsteps in the mass graveyard. It was the only sound besides his quiet begging for everything to return to how it was. When he did notice the approaching footsteps, he jerked around while still cradling the twins' forms protectively.

Jeri, of all people, was standing among the mangled corpses with surprising calm and control. Her legs were splattered with blood from her walk across the pavement to the point where her shoes were nearly black with it. She seemed to be surveying the carnage, her demeanor similar to how someone would study a particularly interesting flock of birds. As she turned her gaze towards him, her expression hardened.

"I told you this would happen. You became a monster once. Why was it so hard to accept it would happen again?" she remarked sharply, her voice slicing at him so painfully that he full expected to suffer real cuts. Still, nothing could hurt him more than the lifeless forms of the twins he was holding on to. The brunette girl continued, "All or this could've been avoided if you stayed away. But no, you had to go back to your tamers after all this time. You had to be selfish and remain with everyone, to pretend that you're something more than a monster. You stayed with them and everyone paid the price. If you were alone, the only one you would've been able to hurt would be yourself."

"Go away. Please," he pleaded. "Just go away and leave me alone."

Jeri laughed manically, giving every impression that her sanity had eroded away by her walk among the dead. The laughter wasn't like anything he'd ever heard before. Earlier, her laughter was cruel and spiteful. Now she sounded like the carnage and destruction of every person she knew was hysterically funny. She wasn't angry. This was a sign that she'd gone completely crazy and no longer cared about anything.

"Why? I'm the only one left to kill. Why not get it over with? Go ahead, Beelzemon. You killed my partner, my family, my friends, all the other digimon, and even people I barely knew. I think I even saw my teacher back there. Why don't you just finish the job? Just end it right now."

"Leave me alone, Jeri. Please. I never meant this to happen. I wouldn't hurt any of you."

She smiled at him in a rather demented and broken fashion, "The evidence says otherwise. Once a heartless monster, always a heartless monster."

Suddenly, without his control, his arms slowly set Mako and Ai down. Then, his hand brought one of his guns up and took aim at the girl. Even as he tried to stop it, his finger pulled the trigger.

Impmon shot up breathing hard, barely stopping himself from screaming. For a second, he thought he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, but he barely paid it any attention. The horrified purple digimon glanced around, trying to make sure that it wasn't real. Everyone still slept easily, exactly where he last saw them before his exhaustion forced him into unconsciousness. He didn't get a chance to really spend much time with the group upon his return since he'd still been recovering from his recent demise, but he'd paid enough attention to know where each person was curled up for the night. All of them, dead in his dream, were sleeping soundly in reality.

Assured of the tamers and digimon's safety, he turned his eyes down to the twins. The image of their broken bodies lying lifelessly in the street was still haunting him. The rookie was half-afraid to look just in case, but he needed to know regardless. What he saw calmed him mildly. Ai and Mako still rested on either side of him, alive and unharmed. No sign of any wound or injury could be spotted as he watched them breath quietly in their sleep. It wasn't real. What he saw wasn't real. He hadn't hurt them. …Yet.

He shuddered slightly at the memory of all the destruction he had just seen, all the death delivered by his own hands to those around him. From those he barely knew to his friends to even his tamers, no one had been spared. True, it was only a dream and one that he wished he could completely forget, but something told him it wasn't as crazy as his usual dreams. Something continued to press that he should pay attention to what he saw and that it could easily come to pass. He'd become a ruthless monster in the past, trading innocent lives for power when offered the choice. Who's to say he wouldn't do so again? He could become the heartless killer who would murder all those humans and digimon in cold blood. He could become the same monster who broke Jeri's heart again. The one who would slaughter everyone just like in the dream. In fact, somehow he wouldn't be surprised if that happened. There was just this certainty that hung over that dream, making it even worse than it could have been.

Ai stirred gently in response to his involuntary shudder. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and peered over at him

"Impmon…?"

The purple digimon forced false cheerfulness into his quiet voice, "Hey munchkin, it's kind of late for you to be up."

"You're up," she pointed out sleepily. "You okay?"

"Of course," he assured her before the certainty of the dream began to prey on his mind.

Somehow, he could feel that what he'd seen would happen. He couldn't explain it, but he just knew. The rookie could feel it deep down that he was going to cause nothing but pain and suffering to those around him. As much as he didn't want to, he carefully reflected on his dream. Specifically, he focused on what Jeri had said before he… before the end of the dream. As long as he was around those he cared about, he was putting them in danger. There was only one course of action that would guarantee their safety from him. It would be hard for him, but it was the only way.

Quietly, he informed the girl, "Listen, I'm going to head out for a while."

"You just got back," she complained softly. "We don't want you to leave again."

"Come on, I came back last time," he reminded. "Trust me; it's important for me to go. I wouldn't leave you two otherwise. Just be good and listen to the older kids and digimon while I'm gone."

"Okay, Impmon," her eyes were beginning to close once more.

He watched the twins for a few moments, knowing that it could very well be the last time he saw her or her brother. Last time he walked away from his tamers, he still came by to look at them occasionally. Even when he didn't want a partner, he couldn't let them go completely. This time, he would have to do it for their own good and he would have to resist the urge to return to them if there was still the slightest chance they might be harmed. He waited patiently and she was soon back asleep.

He gently climbed to his feet, making sure not to awaken Mako or he would have to have the same conversation with him. The boy gave a slight moan of protest when the digimon he was leaning against moved, but the child didn't stir more than that.

Used to moving around in the darkness of the park at night and some of the shadier sections of the city, Impmon experienced no challenge as he negotiated around the rest of his friends. He carefully stepped across or beside the various resting figures, not even causing a peep from them. He almost believed he had gotten away with it without disturbing anyone, but then he heard a voice as he reached the outside.

"And where are you going?"

Even without looking, he knew who was awake. It figured that she would hear him. If there was one person in either world who always knew when he was up to something, it was her. That rookie was far too perceptive and always seemed to figure out what was going through his head before he realized what he was thinking himself.

He turned to face Renamon. She was standing in the entrance of the cave, staring at him with those blue eyes that just seemed to see everything. Right now, they were probably taking in the fact that he was still tired and any obvious distress from the dream he might be exhibiting. If she thought for a moment that he might be trying to do something stupid, she would inform him of that fact and possibly drag him back into the cave. Of course, this was the same digimon who would let him get pummeled by a giant purple pony if she felt that the fight was something that he needed to do himself and he wouldn't appreciate her help. So there was honestly no way of knowing what was going on behind that intimidating-looking gaze at times. But then again, who in the worlds actually knew what chicks were thinking? All he really knew was that hiding what he was up to would be hard to accomplish, but he had to try.

"I'm feeling a little stir-crazy, I guess," he lied carefully. "Thought I'd go for a walk, maybe scout ahead a bit. You know, Fox-face, clear my head?"

He tried not to fidget under her steady gaze. He knew that Renamon would always see through whatever smokescreen he used. That was just who she was. She was observant and far too perceptive. Impmon knew she could tell something was wrong and that he didn't want to talk about it. All he could hope for is she wouldn't guess how wrong. If she didn't realize what he was planning to do, he might be able to get away with it. She kept watching, until he decided to add one last thing before he left.

"And since I know I can't rely on Goggle-head for anything, could you keep an eye on Ai and Mako until I get back?"

Something was bothering him. Even if she wasn't as in tune with the purple rookie as she was, she would be able to sense that much. But she could also tell he wished to keep his concerns a secret for the moment. There were times were her partner, Rika, would also wish to keep her problems to herself, though she became more open the longer they were together.

Part of her wished that Impmon would tell her what was on his mind, but Renamon also understood why he might not want to. But if she thought he truly needed her help at this moment, she wasn't afraid to push the issue. So she studied him closely as he made his excuses, searching for a hint either suggesting that his problems were more serious than she thought or that he just needed a little time to himself.

While she still felt concerned, the fact he was insulting Takato reassured her somewhat. As long as he could still manage a snide comment about someone, Impmon couldn't be too badly off. She nodded as he slowly walked further into the canyon and away from his friends. She waited a few moments, wondering what was troubling her friend so much and wishing that he would at least share his problems. But in the end, she decided that she could do no more until he decided to let them help and Renamon returned to the cave.

After he was out of sight of the watchful fox, Impmon started to consider where he should go. His mind was racing, the images and horror from the dream driving him to get away from them. He needed to pick a direction that he wouldn't be followed by anyone and that would ensure their safety.

Either forward or back along the canyon was too easy to find him, offering the easiest path to follow and nowhere to remain out of sight. The hill side wasn't as easy to traverse, but it was still a direction the group might choose to try and locate him. After all, that was the direction he came down earlier. The cliff side, however, was perfect. No one would go that way if they had any other option. It was climbable, but it was certainly more challenging. Even better, it was away from where the tamers and their partners had been heading. So there would be almost no chance they would just accidentally come across him. Somehow, that direction felt right.

The purple digimon scaled the wall-like surface, finding hand and foothold easily. It wasn't quite as simple as climbing the trees in the park or wandering around the rooftops of the city like he used to in the human world, but it wasn't that much different in concept. As he reached the top, he pulled himself up and glanced around. The landscape was dark with the occasional boulder. No signs of life. Perfect.

He kept moving, putting more distance between the twins and himself. It was his driving motivation. Their safety was the most important thing on his mind. He would keep them out of danger, no matter what. And he had to keep moving. He needed to get as far away as possible. That way, they would be safe from…

He stopped. The fear and horror of the nightmare was beginning to fade. And with it, the overwhelming desire to run from the twins. As bad as it was, as real as it had seemed, it was still a dream. As much as it repulsed him, it wasn't real. And with a calmer mind, he was able to start picking out the problems with his impulse to leave. He wouldn't really do all that, even after what he had done to Leomon, would he? He wasn't like that anymore. He wouldn't hurt the tamers, the other digimon, and especially not Ai and Mako.

Earlier, he had been sure he would go on the killing spree. He'd been certain that everything he'd dreamt would come to pass. It felt undeniable and inescapable. Now, it wasn't as definite as before. The facts were at war with his nightmare, making it seem less likely with each passing moment. Maybe…

"Poor, little digimon, have you figured it out yet?" a female voice laughed at him, causing Impmon to freeze up in surprise.

He quickly summoned up a small flame on his fingertip, scanning the area for the speaker by the flickering light and preparing to hurl the fireball if necessary. Initially, he still appeared to be alone. Then, one of the "boulders" moved, revealing its true identity.

The shape was mostly black with grey arms and face. Her lips, however, were blood red and certainly attracted the eye. From her head to her waist, she appeared to be a lady with smooth black hair. Granted, her fingers were pointier than normal and yellow eyes stared at him from an attractive face, but she looked pretty humanoid. A deep widow's peak nearly reached the tell-tale red eye that Impmon remembered from a certain bird-brained champion from the day before. Still, she looked similar to many humans and humanoid digimon. Below her waist, however, was where she swiftly changed into something more arachnid in appearance. Spider legs clicked over the ground. Everything about her screamed beautiful, but deadly. And the slight grin on her face somehow ensured that you paid closer attention to the "deadly" aspect. She was a predator, pure and simple.

Impmon glared back at the strange digimon, "Sorry, toots. You picked the wrong digimon."

He instantly extinguished the flame floating on his fingertip. His power as a rookie wasn't going to work in this case. Even if it brought back memories of the nightmare, he was going to need something with a little more punch to handle the situation.

Utilizing his ability to digivolve on his own, he shouted, "Impmon digivolve to… Beelzemon!"

Feeling a little more confident now that he in a stronger form, the fallen angel/biker gang member digimon grinned at his opponent smugly. He was a mega. He survived the D-reaper. He could take on this overgrown bug.

"Mind Lock!" she calmly announced.

As soon as she had the words out of her mouth, it felt like his mind was cut off from the rest of him. His body would no longer respond, no matter how much he tried to move. He couldn't speak. All he could do was watch as she smiled at him. With mounting dread, Beelzemon realized he'd horribly underestimated his opponent.

"How rude of me," she falsely chided herself. "Let me introduce myself. My name is Manipumon, and don't bother trying anything. I have… a way with digimon. I can take over and control anyone I choose. I can have them do my bidding, regardless of whether or not they want to. You know how a lady doesn't like getting her own hands dirty."

"Let me go, you ugly hag," he thought furiously, even while his mouth refused to cooperate.

"Temper, temper. You may not be able to speak, but I can hear your thoughts. I'm in your mind after all, little pawn of mine. How else could I do this?"

Beelzemon felt himself sink into a kneeling position. He could feel his body betraying him and obeying Manipumon's unspoken commands. He struggled against her mental control, trying to scream at her, shoot her, anything. But his efforts were completely wasted and didn't even seem to slow things down. His body held the position she wanted, leaving him trapped in his own head to witness it. He was helpless, bound by the will of the control freak spider-woman. He'd been forced to bow before her and couldn't even come close to stopping it.

"I can't take all the credit for this," she informed him.

She gestured towards another dark shape. Against his will, Beelzemon's head turned to watch as the figure drew near enough for him to recognize the shape. A Tapirmon hovering near them, glancing at them both with just a hint of unease. Once more, he saw a third red eye in the middle of the newcomer's forehead.

"My friend here gave you a little visit while you were asleep," Manipumon continued. "Rather ironic isn't it? Tapirmon only gave you a few nightmares for his own freedom..."

Beelzemon's arm rose suddenly and fired a single shot into Tapirmon's strange red eye. The rookie burst into data before he could scream or cry out.

"When he should know better than anyone that the master sees no point in allowing tools with no further use to exist. Don't worry. You will remain useful for a while," she finished, turning towards the furious puppet. "Funny isn't it, my little pawn? You run away so you don't become a murderous monster, and you will now be one for real. Won't it be fun?"

Chapter Text

Daylight abruptly arrived, but that wasn't what woke the sleeping digimon. Takato was yelling. Guilmon blearily opened his yellow eyes. He wished he had some bread. Not because he was particularly hungry, but because he liked to eat. He already ate all the bread, however. He raised his red snout off the smooth cave floor. Takato was talking to Renamon. He wasn't mad at her, even if he was shouting. He looked confused, a feeling his partner could relate to.

"Takato, what's wrong?" he innocently asked.

"He's gone. Again," the normally happy boy whined, "Why can't he stick for two minutes? We were too tired and surprised yesterday; we didn't even get the chance to tell him everything that happened while he was gone. And now he's wandered off again."

"What goggle-boy here is trying to say," Rika explained, rolling her eyes at the boy's frustrated rant, "is that Impmon ran off last night on his own. Ai and Renamon both saw him leave and say he looked upset."

"Really," Takato continued dramatically, "every time we come to the digital world, we get scattered to the four winds. Next time I make up a card for the D-arc, I'm making one that works like a tracking device."

Henry reasonably suggested, "You know he likes to wander around alone, especially after all that time by himself in the human world. After yesterday, maybe he just needed some solitude."

"Momentai," a certain rabbit digimon added, "Knowing him, he'll go pick a fight with someone bigger than him, get beat up, and come crawling back."

"Terriermon, you're not helping," warned Henry.

"He knows which way we are going," Renamon pointed out. "If he doesn't show up soon, Rika and I can go find him."

Terriermon mumbled, "In a repeat of your race to the Ark from last time." This earned him a glare from several group members.

"He'll be back," a confident Ai declared. "He promised he would always come back." This time, no one doubted her.

The canyon was becoming more interesting. It was widening and the sides were becoming higher. Both sides were sheer cliffs of a reddish orange color. The middle of the canyon now bared random spire-like rock formations or natural bridges overhead. As the canyon continued to broaden, the odder rock formations increased in frequency.

The most interesting one yet was a series of stair step type outcroppings from either wall. The so-called stairs were tall and wide, as if made for a giant. But apparently they were just another of the natural features of the digital world.

Manipumon grinned at her chosen battleground. Her master had lent her the use of two troops to soften up the victims first. A pair of real thugs: Gorillamon and Apemon. She enjoyed having more pawns under her control. It reminded her how she used to command armies of little pawns against their own friends and allies. Those were the days. Sadly the two monkey-boys didn't struggle vainly against her commands. They followed each one without complaint. Where was the fun in that? At least he could hear one mind yell at her.

"I'm going to pluck all eight of your legs off, one by one," Beelzemon silently screamed, unable to move or speak without her say so. "Then I'll…"

She gently chided, "My, my, aren't we a little grumpy? I'll bet it's from all this waiting around. Don't you worry your silly little head about it, my pawn. Soon you will be having all kinds of fun. And soon, all your friends will be dead. Isn't that nice?"

"I'll kill you, you hideous insect. Your face makes me so sick, I want to puke. I've seen smarter dogs. After all, you follow your master's orders like one. Funny, wet dogs smell better than you too. I've had better intelligent conversation with that pineapple-head. Kazu makes more sense than you. Someday, someone will squash you with an oversized newspaper, you cheap Arukenimon knockoff. I bet you are lonely, because no one with any brain cells would have anything to do with such a freak," Beelzemon ranted, falling back into the only option to express his hatred left to him: insults. He was a bit out of practice, but he fell right back into the stride. "Why so pale and grey? Too fat and lazy to get outside? How about the red thing on your forehead? Is that an eye or a zit?"

Manipumon laughed at his mental words, "Please, after all the pawns I've had, do you think anything you say is something I've never heard before and will bother me? I've listened to hundreds of digimon curse my name. It's music to my ears. I'm sure you will be more creative after today."

She stared off into the distance, a look of amusement painted on her delicate features. A tiny hint of raised dust in the distance suggested the approaching group's progress.

"After all," sighed Manipumon sweetly, "murder has always expanded the vocabularies of my past pawns."

The canyon had changed in appearance, but the hologram compass remained the same. What was also the same was Impmon's continued absence. Henry's earlier confidence had evaporated with each passing step. Ai and Mako's cheerful belief still burned bright, but they had the innocence of youth concerning their friend's invulnerability. Even after his earlier demise. The twins were currently balanced on Kyubimon's back with Rika on one side and Jeri on the other. They walked beside the digimon to make sure the kids would be alright. With the young pair riding instead of on foot, the group was making more progress.

There was no real warning this time. No shape spotted moments before the attack. Instead, two hunched-over forms leapt down the stair-like rock formations. One was yellow with spiky fur. Strapped to his back was a long bone. The other was white furred with a cannon for a right arm. Both were simian in appearance, but one was scarily familiar. He wasn't from the television show, but from Henry's past.

Takato checked his D-arc, "Apemon. With his Mega Bone Stick, he's one digimon you don't want to monkey around with."

"And the other is Gorillamon," whispered Henry.

"I thought we already creamed this guy," complained Terriermon. "Why won't he go away?"

Kyubimon studied their latest opponents as the twins slid off her back, "Look at their expressions. I think they are like the others."

"So we can't expect a great deal of conversation from these guys," noted Rika. "Wonder if there is another smart one like Kiwimon."

There was no more time for discussion because Apemon reached back, grasped his club, and swung it towards the closest digimon, Guilmon, with a monotonic, "Mega Bone Stick!"

Kyubimon released her own attack, "Fox Tail Infernal!"

The flame momentarily slowed the yellow primate digimon, allowing his target to get out of range of the weapon. Guilmon gave off a hostile growl at him before Takato took matters into his own hands.

"Digi-Modify! Digivolution Activate!"

"Guilmon digivolve to… Growlmon!"

Henry stared at the creature from his past. Twice now he had encountered the same Gorillamon. Once was in a video game, right before he met Terriermon. The second time was in the real world when they fought him once more as Gargomon. Was it the same digimon again? The boy couldn't be sure. It looked like a regular digimon, but it felt wrong. It felt as if the personality, the memories, and the very soul of the digimon was wiped away to leave an empty shell. If digimon have soul, which Henry strongly believed they did, this one had lost his. Even if this was the same Gorillamon as before, it was no longer him. All the emotionless digimon that had attacked them felt this way: hollow. Only Kiwimon, with his strange blood-red eye, had seemed like an alive and real digimon. The rest were simply… puppets.

Puppets… The idea nagged at Henry's mind, but he had greater concerns. He looked at his partner and nodded. Terriermon leapt off his shoulder.

"Digi-Modify! Digivolution Activate!" the boy shouted.

"Terriermon digivolve to… Gargomon!"

The rabbit, now wearing pants and armed with weaponry, faced his familiar opponent. Gorillamon raised his right arm, which did not possess a hand. Instead, Gargomon found himself facing down the barrel of a dangerous-looking piece of artillery. He had forgotten about that.

Gorillamon blankly announced, "Energy Cannon!"

Leaping to one side, the combat bunny returned with, "Gargo Laser!"

The humans had formed a clump in the middle as Kyubimon and Growlmon took on Apemon on one side and Gargomon and Gorillamon faced off on the other. The tamers dug through their assorted collection of cards for ideas, but they were having little luck so far. Their digimon were having even less. Even at three to two odds in their favor and against digimon of equal level, the strange digimon never seemed to be harmed or tired out. It was as if they kept receiving an inflow of power and strength.

Gorillamon suddenly fired his cannon, not at Gargomon, but at Growlmon. The red dinosaur had been maneuvered into position by Apemon. The blast hit dead on, causing Growlmon to de-digivolve. Guilmon sat up with a slight groan.

"These guys are even better at the teamwork thing than the last group," snarled Rika.

"Guilmon," called a concerned Takato. After seeing his friend was relatively unharmed, he declared, "Time to get serious."

"Guilmon Biomerge digivolve to… Gallantmon!"

The mega raised his shield at the enemy pair, "Shield of the Just!"

The powerful attack, that should have destroyed the champions, merely knocked them tumbling. They traveled a great distance, but they simply climbed back to their feet. They looked no worse than they did before the battle began.

"Puppets," whispered Henry suddenly, "They are just puppets. We can't stop them, but what about the puppet-master? Those two are controlled by someone. Take out the puppet-master, take out the puppets."

The pair of simian digimon halted their advance. A pair of hands started clapping. The group below looked up towards the sound. A strange digimon was up on the cliffs, applauding as if it was all some kind of drama performed on a stage.

Jeri, remembering her own D-arc was once again active, pulled it out. A picture of the creature appeared before her as well as a name.

"Manipumon, a virus type digimon. Uses her Mind Lock to get others to do her dirty work," she read. "Why is it so cryptic?"

Manipumon, her voice filled with mocking, "What a smart boy we are, figuring out those two drones are someone's pawns. The master gives command to his troops to only a few trusted members. Sadly, Kiwimon lost that right." She displayed a comically-exaggerated frown before returning to her earlier point. "I have always been good at giving orders, and they are always followed. Maybe I shouldn't tell you this," she glanced around as if she was about to reveal an important secret, and continued in a staged whispered, "But I'm supposed to kill you."

"Alright then, bug-brain," Rika taunted, "then come down here so we can squash you."

The arachnid-lady digimon gasped, "But brawling with lowly humans and their pets is so indignified. On no, a real lady," she stressed this word as she looked at Rika, "learns to influence others. You convince them to do what is needed. You guide others into the proper course of action. Let the men fight the wars while we run them."

Jeri, beginning to somewhat understand, asked, "You can't attack, can you? You're just a puppet-master, a manipulator."

The digimon laughed, but did not deny the girl's accusation. "We're going to play a little game. If you can destroy the combatant of mine, I'll let you go. Just like that. Otherwise, I will have him kill all of you until none are left. And don't worry," she waved a hand at the primate pair, who promptly dissolved away, "my choice of fighter is much more creative."

Suddenly, behind Manipumon a familiar figure approached. Jeri instantly recognized it as Beelzemon. She could also tell the spider-like digimon couldn't see him yet. Takato spotted him and proceeded to distract the enemy from their friend's presence. Jeri bent down to Ai and Mako.

"Don't worry; the guy behind her is Beelzemon. It's just Impmon turned bigger, like how the other can change," she explained quietly.

Meanwhile, Takato asked Manipumon, "So it's me and all my friends against yours?"

An evil grin spread across her face, "Precisely. A fair shot, I believe. I'll even use a regular digimon instead of one of the master's nearly invincible drones. Otherwise, where's the challenge in watching you suffer?"

The tamers and digimon were waiting for their ally to start his apparent surprise attack on Manipumon. They didn't know he was trying to warn them it was a trap and to assault the oversized tarantula already. She did and was enjoying his silent struggles. It was nearly impossible to pull free from her control. Only the strongest of will might succeed for a short time, but she would quickly regain command. All Beelzemon could do was watch as his friends accepted the offer.

"Oh goody," she squealed with nasty delight. "I wanted to take this one for a test drive. He wasn't happy about it, but no one can argue with my orders once I decide you are my pawn. No one can resist me. I suggest you start with the yellow one. The one who's partner has the big mouth."

He wanted to fight it. He wanted to stop it. He struggled against the grip she had on his mind, but it was useless. Beelzemon raised his arm and opened fire.

Chapter Text

The action was so unexpected and so out of character for him, Beelzemon's shot hit Kyubimon before she could react or get out of the way. The champion was reduced to a shaking rookie. Everyone else was crying out in horror and shock. Ai and Mako were too stunned for words. If Beelzemon was really Impmon, why was he hurting his friends?

"My pawn may be familiar to you," Manipumon cruelly commented as Rika ran to her hurt partner. "Of course he is not nearly as talkative now. Or rather, he can't talk now. He'd love to, I'm sure, but he yelling at me to stop might get tiresome as I have him kill you."

"What have you done to him?" Jeri screamed as Beelzemon turned towards Gallantmon.

The manipulative digimon grinned at the girl, "Why, I've only taken away control from one digimon and gave it to another: me. You act like I've made him as mindless and emotionless as those monkeys from earlier. Quite the contrary. He has his mind, his memories, and his charming personality. He can feel emotions and pain. The only difference is I decide what he does while he screams inside his own mind. So the deal is either you destroy him or he destroys you. Either way, my master will be happy and I get to cause suffering. It's a win-win scenario."

Then something strange happened. While flying, Beelzemon drew his two guns and pointed them at Gallantmon. As he fired, Manipumon, and not him, shouted the attack, "Double Impact!" Gallantmon's shield blocked the shots. The green-eyed digimon didn't react as far as the knight could see.

Manipumon chuckled as she listened to the pleas of her pawn, "Gallantmon, come on. You almost killed me before. Do it now so I don't kill you guys. Please, she'll make me destroy you all. Demonstrate some of that power you used against the D-reaper. Don't be a complete wimp."

Rika glared up at the psycho spider. "How can we win without hurting him?" she growled.

"Puppet-master," stated Henry. "Take her out and that should turn Beelzemon back to normal."

"Alright," Rika nodded, "Then we'll distract them."

"Renamon Biomerge digivolve to… Sakuyamon!"

The two Biomerged megas faced off against their friend. They had fought him before and even wanted to kill him. But that was when he was a blood-thirsty killer instead of an ally being forced to attack against his will. They didn't want to hurt him, but they had to keep him from hurting anyone.

Manipumon, from her perch, cheerfully called, "Darkness Claw!" Her furious pawn shot towards the fox lady, trying to slash through her. She blocked him as best she could with her staff. Sakuyamon looked into his green eyes. They looked emotionless, but below the surface, she could almost see his inner struggle.

Henry looked at his partner. Gargomon took aim. Beelzemon was busy with the others. The twins were hammering Jeri with questions. Manipumon was giggling to herself as her pawn fired a few more shots at Gallantmon. Perfect. They could take her out and no one else would have to get hurt.

"Stop it," Beelzemon screamed at his uncooperative limbs, "Whose body are you anyway?" His soundless words could only be heard by his currently least favorite person. Her only response was to make him shoot at pineapple-head again. "Quit it, you oversized tarantula. Play your sick games with someone else. Besides, how do you know your master will keep you alive after this? You'll outlive your usefulness someday, too."

A flash of movement caught his eye. He couldn't stop and look at it because Manipumon controlled everything, but he recognized bunny-boy. Henry may annoy him with his goodie-goodie act, but he was smart. He was going to have Gargomon take out the creepy bug-lady. Good plan. Until he remembered the bug-lady was in his mind, and she now knew what he knew. Oh…

Beelzemon suddenly flew away from the megas. He heard a cry of "Gargo Laser!" Manipumon may have been the target, but she wouldn't let the attack strike her pretty face. Instead, the gunfire struck her poor pawn. Several sharp pains erupted along his body. He couldn't flinch or shout out in pain, but he saw Manipumon flinch slightly. She felt it. Not nearly as much, but her presence in his mind apparently had some negative effects for her. Just not enough for it to be helpful.

"No," Gargomon shouted as his shots hit the wrong digimon, but he was only a champion. Beelzemon would be alright. Unfortunately, Manipumon knew the rabbit digimon was a threat now. "Oh man, this isn't good."

Beelzemon raised his weapon and his puppet-master calmly cried out, "Double Impact!" Shots rang out, striking the champion back. Another de-digivolution occurred, leaving a trembling Terriermon bouncing across the ground. A horrified Henry dashed after his knocked out partner. Gallantmon slammed into the mega before he could continue his assault on the poor rabbit. The controlled digimon was so grateful as the shield bashed him back.

"Nice timing, pineapple-head," he thought with a sigh of relief. "Two more minutes and you'd be scrapping Terriermon and Henry off the walls. Now, someone start stopping me properly. Because at this rate, I'm going to end up killing one of you."

Ai was furious. The big mean spider-lady was doing something to Beelzemon, according to Jeri. That was why he was acting bad and hurting people. He didn't want to. He needed her and Mako's help. They were his partners.

Mako was asking Jeri what they should do, but she wouldn't answer. She just stared as the battle before her. The older girl kept flashing back to the last time her friends fought Beelzemon. He couldn't stop himself from attacking now, and she couldn't stop the memories. She pulled the straps of the backpack tighter.

She flinched as Sakuyamon was struck by another of their possessed friend's attacks. The yellow digimon wouldn't strike back because she didn't want to harm him. But the stalemate couldn't continue forever. Either they would have to risk hurting someone who could not help what he was doing or be destroyed themselves. How could they make a decision like that? Jeri hated that arachnid digimon at that moment. She would hurt others for fun and never risk herself. She was a cruel coward who just trapped digimon and stole their freedom.

Manipumon practically giggled out, "Darkness Claw!" The attack hit home, causing Sakuyamon to cry out in pain. The twins were yelling, telling their partner not to listen to the big meanie. He back handed the yellow digimon away, just in time to unload a few more rounds at Gallantmon. The white knight didn't bring his shield up fast enough this time and received some damage. Manipumon grinned as the Biomerged digimon struggled to their feet.

"Poor babies," she taunted, "Did you fall down? Let me help you up!"

Beelzemon grabbed Sakuyamon's shoulder painfully tight and flung her into Gallantmon, knocking both down in the process. She then had him point his guns at the pair.

"Double Impact!" she purred, and then laughed as her victims screamed out.

Jeri stared in horror as the two battered megas became four limp forms. Takato, Rika, Guilmon, and Renamon lay unmoving. Manipumon loved expressions like the green dress girl's: stunned, dread, and hopelessness.

Henry, holding his own unconscious friend, screamed, "No! Wake up!"

The oversized spider, pondered who to destroy first. Four were completely helpless and alone on one side, though the older girl was running towards them. On the other side were the boy and the rabbit digimon. They couldn't fight, but he might try to run away. And she wanted to see them all die. He would go first, she decided.

She had forgotten about the two smallest humans.

Beelzemon was not moving for the moment, but he was still shouting inside his head. He was running out of his more common insults and had to be more creative. Not all were directed at Manipumon anymore. He was the biggest idiot on the face of the planet. He let a manufactured nightmare gets to him and look what happened. It was dumber than when he made a deal with Chatsuramon. He didn't want to turn into the creature from his dream and now here he was thrashing everyone. Takato and Rika weren't moving. He hoped they were all right. Pineapple-head and fox-face weren't dissolving away, but if they didn't wake up soon, it was only a matter of time before he did destroy them.

He spotted Jeri running towards the four. Beelzemon felt awful. She really liked goggle-head, especially after he rescued her from the D-reaper as her knight in shining armour. Now he was hurting another friend of hers. And eventually she would be killed too. He couldn't stop it. He had tried so hard to break free, but it was useless. That evil Manipumon kept a firm grip on his mind. He could feel her presence directing his actions. And he hated it.

Flying above the canyon floor, Beelzemon could feel her turning him towards Henry and bunny-boy. While he always wanted to shut Terriermon up, he didn't want to kill him. Before he could hurt them, he saw something even scarier than facing the D-reaper alone. Ai and Mako stood stubbornly below, between him and any other targets. They held each other's hands, and firmly remained in position.

Ai, glaring not at her partner but at his killer captor, shouted, "Let our friend go! He is not a toy! You can't play with him like a doll!"

"Stop making him hurt everyone!" Mako added angrily. "He isn't a bad guy!"

"Oh really, little ones," Manipumon smiled patronizingly as Beelzemon begged his partners to run away in vain silence. "You think he is an innocent creature? He's killed before. He murdered one of the children's precious partners once. Leomon, wasn't it?" she asked her enraged pawn.

Beelzemon wanted to rip the spider-lady apart. Not only was she using him to destroy everyone, but now she was toying with them. Now the twins would hate him. They knew he was the monster from Jeri's story.

The children shocked both him and his puppet-master when Ai shot back, "We know and we don't care. He's a good guy and we love him. He would never hurt anyone now. Let him go!"

"Really, wouldn't hurt anyone?" Manipumon repeated, sending a feeling of cold dread through Beelzemon as he realized what she had in mind. "Let's test that theory, shall we?"

He felt both arms rise with her command. He struggled as hard as he could, pushing against her grip on his will. Both guns were aimed at the twins. At this range, even above the ground targets, he couldn't miss. Yet, Ai and Mako stood firm, staring back into his green eyes. They trusted him, completely and utterly. They seemed to realize Manipumon controlled him, but they believed he would never hurt them. He wanted to scream at them to get out of there, to run for safety, or to at least try to escape. He wanted to apologize to them for everything: for running away so long ago, for not telling them about his past, and for letting himself be tricked into leaving again. And for becoming a monster that he feared, a murderous creature.

He felt his fingers tighten. It was his nightmare all over again. He was going to be left with their lifeless bodies, killed by his own hand. He remembered the sight of their bloody and dead forms, lying limply on the ground. He couldn't live through that, not for real. He couldn't let it happen. Please, not them. He couldn't let it happen to them.

"Double Impact!" Manipumon announced as other voices cried out in horror.

Jeri reached Takato and the others. They were pounded and bruised, but still alive. She shook the boy's arm.

"Takato, wake up," she whispered. She heard voices in the background, but ignored them for the moment. He was moaning slightly. "Come on, you guys. You have to be alright."

The goggle-wearing boy struggled to sit up. He rubbed his head, groaning. Rika even seemed to be trying to awaken from the bashing. The digimon were climbing to their feet, but they were too exhausted to fight. Jeri started trying to help the humans, but Henry's voice broke through to her awareness.

"Stop!"

She whirled around. Beelzemon was still airborne, but his new targets were his own partners. The twins held their ground before his raised guns. Manipumon was going to have him kill Ai and Mako in cold blood. The cruel creature was already speaking the attack. Jeri cried out in protest at her actions. Rika, Takato, and their digimon added their weakened voices as the gunshots echoed off the canyon walls.

Jeri shut her eyes, not wanting to see the twins. But no screams of pain followed. She slowly opened her eyes. Ai and Mako stood exactly in the same place. At their feet were two bulletholes buried into the dirt. Beelzemon's arms were shaking with effort. He was breathing hard and his face was etched with fury. Manipumon looked completely shocked.

"Get… out… of… my… head!" he gasped slowly.

He did it. He regained some control, barely in time too. Now he could feel her pushing back, trying to take back over. Manipumon's mind was digging deeper and deeper into his. He pushed back, and began to move his right arm. The gun was slowly turning to the right, towards Manipumon. She was still in his mind and wasn't going to let him have that much power.

"Really," she snarled, her calm façade dropped as she struggled to regain complete control. "You may have slipped out of some of my power, but I still have enough to keep that pointed away from me. Once I reach deep enough into your mind, you will pay for your disobedience, my pawn."

Beelzemon pushed harder, forcing his right arm farther to the right. The presence in his mind was becoming more pronounced. His arm stopped as her mental pressure increased. Perfect for his stupid, insane, and very painful plan. He hoped it would work.

"Close… your… eyes… munchkins," he grunted towards the twins. They didn't need to see this.

Taking a deep breath, he stopped trying to move his arm. In fact, he made it go completely limp. Manipumon's pressure on it continued. The result was his gun swinging quickly to the left. He finished the momentum, by pushing in the same direction. In a matter of seconds, the gun was pointed at his true target, too late for spider-lady to change anything. He pulled the trigger, shooting his left shoulder.

He shouted in pain, but it was worth it because Manipumon screamed. She was gripping her left arm. She dug too deep into his mind, trying to gain a grip once more on his will, that she was too connected. The pain he felt she now felt. The shock and agony startled the digimon so completely, that she was forced completely out of his head. He was free of the stupid arachnid.

"Okay," he snarled painfully, "Now let's try a fair fight, you ugly freak."

She glared at him. Both of them were holding their shoulder, but she was searching her surroundings as well. She wished she had kept the two simian digimon now. She could have used some other pawns. She had been overconfident, both with the drones and with trying to regain control. She knew the risk of diving too deeply into another's mind. Well, that Beelzemon couldn't kill her. Her master's power made her nearly invulnerable.

"Fine," she snapped, "But first, I think I will find a new toy to play with. Maybe one of your pet humans." Her eyes fell on the small twins. They wouldn't be useful for fighting, but she could use them as a shield to escape.

"No, you won't," he growled and raised his un-shot arm. He began firing. Right at her blood-red eye. She then remembered she had him kill Tapirmon. He knew how to stop her. She screamed in fury as she dissolved away. "You will leave us alone."

Beelzemon slumped down, reaching the ground. Flying was rough with a hurt shoulder. Ai and Mako ran over. The others were limping more slowly towards him. The twins gave him a tight hug. He relaxed, turning back to his rookie form. They were safe and the crazed psycho was dead.

"Impmon," asked Mako, "Is she gone?"

"Course, munchkin. No one stands a chance against me," he boasted.

Henry was the next person to reach them, "How did you destroy her? All the rest of the weird digimon are nearly impossible to hurt."

"Creepy eye," he answered. "Somehow it's the bull's-eye for the morons."

The boy gave the digimon a strange look, "It looked like you shot yourself. Did you do that or did she?"

Impmon laughed, "Yeah that was me. Dumbest thing ever, but it worked."

As the rest of them reached Impmon and the others, Terriermon moaned, "What did I miss?"

Chapter Text

No. Failure. New strategy unsuccessful. Tools weakness revealed to targets in digital world. Ones in human world still unaware. Still can destroy them. Beelzemon, Jeri, and others will require more effort and time. Will create perfect weapon.

Until then, it would send its tools in human world a drone. Remove targets in human world. Prevent prophecy.

It would never have used complicated plans in the past. It would scout, gather information, but would be direct. No using targets against each other. New awareness responsible. One of the presences in darkness now part of it. It still in control, but presence absorbed gave it new ideas. New strategies.

It was learning. In the darkness, it was becoming greater. Soon it would achieve its mission. All would be destroyed.

"How?" Yamaki wondered, "How does he keep getting in?" He watched a small white bundle of energy bounce around the office. "I bet Riley does it. She sneaks him in and bribes him with muffins. She loves to see me miserable, doesn't she?"

"Yay," Calumon squealed, "Playtime! Tag, you're it!" The digimon tapped the exasperated human on the shoulder as he floated by.

The man groaned and put his head down on his desk. "I'm not it. I'm not playing tag. Why are you here? I'm sure the tamers would love to see you and would play."

"But I wanna play with you," whined the digimon in a dejected tone.

"You should play with him, Yamaki," a semi-familiar voice told him. He spun around. Standing by his window was a cloaked figure. Her voice was identical to the similar looking hologram from the day before, but this time she was physical present in the room. "You need to reconnect with your inner child. You are already losing your adult arrogance. But you must also rediscover the simple joys and wonders that the young find everywhere and forget as they age."

"How did you get in here?" Yamaki asked. "How did you get past security?"

The hooded figure ignored the questions, "You have a role to fulfill. One needed to save both worlds. Five D-arcs to battle in the digital world are already active, but only four in the human world to defend. Five are needed here as well." She set an object down on his desk. It looked like the one of the children's D-arcs, but the colored ring around the screen was as white as the rest and the screen was blank. As if turned off. "Another tamer is required."

Yamaki stared in a moment of pure shock as the friendly white creature giggled about a new friend and floated over to the mysterious figures arms. She held the happy being a moment before transferring Calumon back the grown man. Finally, the human found his voice.

"But… Didn't those Monster Makers say only children can become tamers? Something to do with their imagination and openness to new ideas? You must be mistaken."

"That is why you must reconnect with your inner child. Until then, the D-arc will remain powerless and inactive. Besides, you will not be like the other tamer, just as Calumon is not like other digimon."

"Hold on," the increasingly stressed out and confused Yamaki interrupted. "Even if I believed for a moment you were right about me becoming partners with a digimon, why would I have Calumon? Why is he so special? Besides, I'm the last person any digimon would trust."

"I know exactly who you are. You and Hypnos captured and tortured digital beings in hopes of destroying all digital lifeforms. All your actions accomplished were damage to the barrier between the worlds and pain. But you also did much to redeem yourself. You no longer view digimon as mindless monsters without true life. You recognize them as fellow beings, different than you but just as deserving of the right to live. Still, you would not be like the other tamers." She raised her concealed arm, pointing at where a curious Calumon rested in Yamaki's gasp. "He is not like the other digimon. He has no real attacks nor does he digivolve. What he is and what he once was is what makes him special."

The government official set the creature on his desk and began flipping his lighter in a familiar fashion. "Then what is he, if not like the others? How is he important enough you feel he warrants a partner, even an adult one with little good background with his kind?"

"Calumon was the Crystal Matrix. He was a catalyst, the very light of digivolution. That power was hidden in the form of a digimon to prevent the D-reaper from gaining that power. While he is no longer a vessel and all digimon can access it equally, he still is closer to the power than others. If he wished, he could digivolve any digimon he chose. But only if he could tap into his true potential."

Connecting the dots, Yamaki finished, "And because all the tamers' digimon are stronger and more efficient than the wild ones, you believe Calumon could be more efficient with a partner. So instead of a fighting team, you wish to make us the support for the others."

"It is your destiny, Yamaki," she solemly informed him. "Though the tamers can usually help their digimon to gain power themselves, on occasion they have been prevented from this. Once, Rika's D-arc was frozen by IceDevimon and she could not assist Renamon. You will be a safeguard against this as well as your presence is needed to protect both worlds."

"Wait," he interrupted once more, "I still don't see why me. Shibumi or one of those others would be better. And why should we listen to anything you say? I don't even know who or what you are. Are you human or a digimon? Why are you here, now, warning us about something we have little evidence of? One Bioemergence does not mean the end of the world. Who are you?" He was practically shouting by the end. Calumon covered his ears at the loud noise.

The cloaked figure barely moved, "I am one who maintains the balance. I ensure what must occur does. I guard reality from shifting too far. Time and space mean little to me. I've seen the past and future both in my duties. I have existed before the digital world truly existed and have seen many possible futures where it has been destroyed." She turned her hooded face and Yamaki knew in at least one of those timelines, he had destroyed it. "I have seen the D-reaper destroy both worlds and all who inhabit them, just as I've seen human and digimon living side by side in harmony. I am one chosen to protect both worlds by allowing prophecies to be fulfilled. And you, Mitsuo Yamaki, are part of this prophecy. Destiny awaits you, as well as your partner Calumon. Do not fail."

She then drew herself more upright in her cloak and continued, "And take heed, 'Not all is as it seems. When the enemy is strange and silent, look into the eye of he who speaks. The blood glare is where the true threat lies. And only there can you prevent defeat.'" As she turned to the window, she held up an arm. Out of the hidden recesses of her long sleeve, a bright beam of light emerged. The glow formed a translucent shape. Yamaki recognized the light and colors as a portal to the digital world, but this one was flatter and more regularly shaped. It was as if the mysterious figure simply opened a door. "Don't forget to reconnect with your inner child, Yamaki. Calumon should be good at that" she told him as she entered the portal, sounding like she was teasing the man.

The portal she created vanished silently. Obviously that was the same way she had entered. Calumon stared at the spot for a moment. Then shouting with glee, he leapt off the desk to land on his new tamer's head.

"Want to play in the park?"

"I win again," shouted Kazu in excitement, laying down his final card.

Kenta moaned as Guardramon congratulated his triumphant partner. MarineAngemon floated over to comfort his friend. Thought the digimon used an extremely limited volcabulary, Kenta always knew what the little guy meant. The boy adjusted his glasses and looked up at the victorious fellow "Disbeliever."

"Okay, we get it," Kenta sighed, "No need to rub it in so much. Besides, shouldn't we be trying to find out what we're supposed to be doing about the prophecy instead of playing?"

Kazu struck a pose, "Dude, we're the chosen ones. Like out of an epic movie or something. We don't have to plan it cause of destiny and fate and junk like that says we save the world. Besides, 'playing' like this develops my mad skills that I'll use to save the day."

Kenta, having listened to this and similar forms of bragging all the last two days, pointed out, "All of us are saving the day, not just you. Besides, didn't Ryo and Suzie already get started? A little girl has defended against more evil so far than you. Anyway, you should still figure out how to help Guardramon. He hasn't digivolved beyond this level since you met him."

"Yeah, but your digimon is a pipsqueak!" shot back Kazu, getting defensive.

"But he is also a mega," Kenta replied, getting a little angry with his friend. "You're missing the point…"

"No, I get the point. You don't think me and Guardramon are as good as the rest of you," Kenta shouted losing his temper. "Just because Ryo and Suzie's partners can digivolve and yours is a mega, you think I'm dead weight! Trust me; we can take on whatever the prophecy throws at us." The boy stormed off, a confused Guardramon trailing behind him.

Kenta stared after his friend. Kazu had a temper sometimes and loved to be the best. That was why he got so excited about winning card games. Apparently the whole digivolving thing had been building for a while. Kazu had been happy not being the last person to gain a partner, but now everyone's digimon was more powerful. Not only that, but he had been left behind he felt and the others who had also remained in the real world were already surpassing him. Including Suzie. Kenta realized he had just pushed every one of his friend's buttons.

MarineAngemon quietly patted his shoulder, his small pink face filled with concern. Kenta gave the tiny digimon a weak grin. Given enough time, Kazu would calm down. Before you knew it, he would be back to boasting and defeating all comers at cards.

"Playtime," an excited Calumon announced as they entered the park. "Hide-and-seek! Tag! Fun!"

Yamaki cringed at the shouts near his ear. Ever since he told Riley that something had come up and he had to go out for a while, the white digimon had clung to his head as if glued; only leaving to float around him before returning to his favorite perch. The creature had enough energy for three children, all loaded with sugar. Yamaki had seen parents with just that sort of situation. They looked wrung out and frazzled. Yamaki felt that way.

"Okay, Calumon," he told his new almost-partner. Apparently the D-arc and their partnership wouldn't be truly activated until he "reconnected with his inner child." Whatever that meant. "Here we are. Now what?"

"Hide-and-seek!" Calumon shrieked happily. "You count."

The human adult gave an inward groan. The digital creature looked determined for him to join in. Half-heartedly, Yamaki closed his eyes. Calumon tugged on his hand.

"No, silly," he giggled. "Cover your eyes."

Obeying the order, Yamaki lifted his hands to his face. Slowly, he counted to ten. He felt the digimon leave his immediate surroundings. As he reached the last number, he opened his eyes. At first, all he saw were multiple trees. The area they were in was very isolated. Then, one branch moved and quiet chuckles came from the green foliage. Yamaki felt himself give an involuntary grin. Calumon had a lot to learn about hiding. If he had been hunting Calumon like he did other digimon in the old days, the little guy would already be back at Hypnos for experiments. Which was kind of a scary thought to have about the happy digimon.

The government official gave the appearance of searching, slowly and gradually approaching his target. With his back half-turned to the tree, he suddenly shot an arm into the leafy mass. A squeal rewarded his attack. He pulled out a laughing Calumon, his ears stretched out to their fullest length.

"Again, again," begged the digimon, "I'll count this time."

"Alright," Yamaki agreed slowly, enjoying himself despite his initial reservations.

The energetic being floated to the ground and covered his face. The human glanced around. He didn't want to do the half-hearted attempt at playing as he originally intended. Calumon was having to much fun at this. The grown man decided to actually try and conceal himself well. None of the trees were thick enough to hide behind properly. The few bushes were too short and with too few leaves to offer shelter. Yamaki, unable to think of any other location, chose the only option left to him.

Calumon finished counting and looked around. He couldn't see his new friend anywhere. Through a combination of running and floating, the digimon checked behind trees and bushes. No matter what, he couldn't find Yamaki. Finally, believing he had been abandoned, the tiny digimon sat down and his ears contracted in sadness.

"Calumon," a voice gently called from above him. He leaned back to look and landed on his back. Perched in the tree, all past attempts at maturity fallen away under the friendly creature's happy presence, was Yamaki. "What are you doing down there?"

"Yay, I found you," he laughed, ears huge once more. "Again, again."

"Okay, but I'm counting," Yamaki smiled slightly as he clambered down, not noticing the D-arc in his pocket activating. "It's not as easy climbing trees as it used to be."

Kazu walked down the street, his metallic digimon following behind. The boy, wearing his favorite hat and shirt, glared at the sidewalk. He always loved digimon, just like most of his friends. His shirt proved his obsession. On it was the symbol of the crest of reliablility from the television show. He had wanted the one with the crest of courage, but someone grabbed the last one before him. It always seemed like they beat him to whatever he wanted. But with digimon card games and jokes, however, he almost always won. For him, digimon was a way to be better than someone. Until the games became real, as did the digimon. Now, everyone was ahead of him. Even Kenta, who always lost in cards, and Suzie, who was just a little kid.

Kazu kicked a rock as hard as he could. He ignored the various looks the pedestrians gave him and Guardramon. They need to get used to the fact digimon were real and were around again. You would think after the whole D-reaper thing, they would be more grateful for the digimon's presence. After all, they were going to save the world. Maybe he should call a press-conference or something. Let the city and the planet know they were in good hands. The awesome Kazu and Guardramon would protect them. Who needed the others?

As he continued making his wild plans, neither Kazu or his concerned partner noticed they were being followed at a distance. A red eye studied their every move, calculating the odds. Awaiting further orders from his master, DemiDevimon believed he had already selected the weakest link in the human world tamers. Between what he had seen and heard, this Kazu was the most vulnerable and least likely to call for back-up in a fight it seemed. The bat grinned as he flew overhead. The master would be pleased.

Guardramon at times was completely baffled by his partner. Actually, most of the time he was. This time he was even more so. He knew Kazu and Kenta were friends who enjoyed a healthy amount of competition, but he had never seen his ally strike out like that. Guardramon had eventually realized he had was terribly old-fashion by Kazu's standard, but he had thought some concepts were timeless. Like friendship, honor, and loyalty. For a while, it seemed Kazu believed the same things, but now… He didn't know what to make of his partner's behavior.

"Kazu, I'm confused I'm afraid," he admitted as he continued to walk behind the still angry youth, who was now muttering about the media. "What did Kenta do to anger you so?"

The boy momentarily stopped at his digimon's words. He sighed, his shoulder sagging as his rage drained away. Kazu turned to the robot.

"I don't know, Guardramon," the tamer moaned. "I mean, he was trying to be helpful. He's right about us needing to be prepared. It's just," he looked straight in his partner's eyes. "I feel like I failed you."

Now the digimon was completely lost. Kazu had seemed utterly furious before, as if he would never speak to his friend again. The boy was no longer upset at Kenta, but apparently himself instead.

"How do you believe you have failed me?" the digimon asked, unsure of what would be the answer.

Kazu rubbed the back of his head and then tugged his hat into a better position, "Well, before we met, you were Andromon. You were this awesome guardian in the digital world. Now, look at you. Kenta was right. You haven't digivolved since then and you're stuck with a second-rate tamer. Everyone else is saving the world it seems, but we're playing second-fiddle. I'm holding you back, buddy."

Guardramon understood now what the problem truly was. His partner never had been mad at Kenta actually. He was mad at himself. The fact his robotic partner had not digivolved made him believe that, in his role as a tamer, he had fallen short.

"Kazu, I am honored to serve as your partner. You are a greater tamer and ally than I could have asked for. As well as a true friend. Do not concern yourself in comparing our strength to others'. We are warriors with our own path to follow. Our time will come."

As was usual whenever Guardramon delivered an empowering speech, Kazu looked both confused and embarrassed. This time, his partner also looked slightly relieved. No matter what the boy may claim, the message made it through.

Sadly, the moment couldn't last long. Around the pair, a white mist quickly rose. At the same time, Kazu's D-arc started beeping and his new phone began ringing loudly. They were in a digital field. Kazu picked up his phone. A woman's voice was on the line.

"Kazu, a Bioemergence…" Riley began.

"Yeah, I kind of guessed that since I'm standing inside it," the boy interrupted as he pulled on sunglasses. "This is going to be so sweet. Me and Guardramon are going to pound the guy."

Kazu, I'm connecting to Ryo. He's close by and could be there in…" Riley tried again.

The boy adopted a bragging tone, "Don't worry about it. I can handle it alone. After all, we're chosen ones too. We're warriors on our own path!" Apparently he took his digimon's words to heart to a greater extent than expected.

"Kazu," Guardramon tried to reason, "I don't think it is prudent to deny the need for our allies' support."

"We'll be fine," the tamer assured both his digimon and the woman on the cell phone before he hung up. "Really, what's the worst that could happen?"

A glowing figure with blue eyes appeared in the fog, approaching the pair. Flames danced across his body, the searing heat contrasting with the cool emotionless eyes. Kazu, digimon fanatic that he was, recognized Birdramon's first opponent from the show. The boy and his partner stared back at the champion Meramon.

"Okay, obviously the literal definition of a hot-head is the worst that could happen," Kazu joked.

Chapter Text

"Higher, Wyo," ordered Suzie, holding tight to her swing.

A day at the park had sounded so relaxing at first, until Ryo realized how much work it took when traveling with children. Not to mention keeping an eye on his own curious digimon. As an ultimate, he was all business and seriousness. As a rookie, he loved to have fun like any other kid. It was a little disquieting to see his partner, who used to attack in the most violent manner he could imagine, sliding down a slide shouting "whee!" Lopmon at least helped keep a mature handle on things. The former Deva kept a watch on Monodramon while the boy complied with the young girl's wishes.

"Suzie, I'm going to have to rest," Ryo begged, "But if I keep pushing everyday like this, I'll get as big as Ogremon."

The girl giggled as her swing slowed and gradually stopped. She still missed Henry, but seemed to find the boy and digimon left in his place a suitable replacement. Suzie was already talking about having Monodramon play "Pwincess Pwetty-pants" later, whatever that was.

As she jumped off the swing, the girl tilted her head. Seeing her partner's actions, Lopmon lifted her larger ears to listen.

"Ryo, I hear Calumon nearby," announced the rabbit digimon, "And Yamaki is with him."

"Poor man," Ryo sighed. "We had better go rescue him from the little guy."

Lopmon shook her head slightly, "I'm not sure, but I don't think he wants to be from Calumon." She the group to a nearby bush. "Look," she whispered.

The boy, girl, and digimon peered through the branches. On the other side, a familiar white digimon floated around the clearing, giggling. Even stranger, the dark suit-wearing government official was following the digital creature at a slight jog. The usually serious and stressed man was actually smiling.

"Calumon," Yamaki grinned upwards, "I can't play tag with you if I can't reach you. Come down here."

"Can't catch me, can't catch me," he chanted, still out of reach. The digimon floated down, landing near the bush hiding the quiet watchers. "Nyah, nyah, nyah. Slowpoke."

"Gotcha," squealed Suzie, diving out of hiding to grab Calumon. She laughed as the white digimon screamed in surprise. Ryo and the two digimon in the bushes cringed as their cover was completely blown by the child's desire to play. "I win! Hi, Mr. Yamaki! Can I Pway too?"

Trying to recover a shred of his dignity, the man stopped and straightened his suit. Refusing to look at Ryo, Monodramon, or Lopmon, he carefully addressed the young girl in a perfectly serious voice.

"Maybe you and Calumon could play. I'm afraid I am done for now," Yamaki admitted. "Besides, I think Ryo and I should speak a moment.'

"Okay," smiled Suzie. "Come on, Calumon."

Suddenly, three digimon heads snapped in the same direction. Three distinct beeping sounds erupted, surprising Ryo. He knew two of them would be his and Suzie's D-arcs, but what was the third? As he and the younger tamer dug out their devices, Yamaki reached into his pocket. What he pulled out was even more impossible than the earlier sight of his game with Calumon.

Clutching a white D-arc, Yamaki studied the screen carefully. "Well, not only does this explain why you children always seemed so efficient at finding Bioemerges, but it seems that I officially rediscovered my inner child," he muttered. Glancing at the stunned expressions, he explained, "This wasn't my idea. Your prophecy person showed up. It was all her doing."

"Including tag?" asked Monodramon.

Cringing slightly, the man sighed, "She informed me the… partnership would not be truly activated unless I connected with my inner child. Calumon insisted on playing a game. It was merely to fulfill my duty in assisting anyway I can."

"Sure," Ryo agreed. "By the way, you have a few leaves in your hair."

Before he could think of an appropriate reply, Yamaki's phone rang. Answering it, he was greeted by a concerned Riley.

"Sir, a Bioemergence just occurred. Kazu is already there, but claims he needs no back-up. Do you think we should contact Ryo and Suzie in the park anyway or listen to the boy?"

"Riley," he told her as five sets of eyes watched his conversation with curiosity, "I'm with them right now. I'll personally inform them of the situations so we can take appropriate action."

"Very good, sir," she agreed. After a second, she seemed to fully understand his words. "Sir, did you say 'we'?"

Yamaki hung up. Addressing the young boy with him, he explained, "Kazu is already at the Bioemergence and claims he can handle it alone."

"Is he crazy?" shouted Ryo, sounding a lot like the Nonaka girl, Rika, as he vented his emotions. "The last digimon, Ogremon, was a champion and as a mega, I couldn't win. If this one is anything like it, he doesn't stand a chance. If it doesn't kill that block-head, I definitely will."

"You've been spending too much time around Rika," his partner informed him. "I swear, add a ponytail and you could have been her just then."

Ryo, realized it was true, just groaned, "Come on, we've got to go save him from his own stupidity."

"Us too, Wyo," Suzie added softly. "We need to help cause the lady said." Her expression held fear for a moment and Yamaki thought she was about to cry, but her face hardened as she grasped her partner. "Henwy would help. And I'm big now. Wight, Wyo?"

"Alright Suzie, you can come if you are careful," he decided. Turning, Ryo studied his troops he was preparing to lead into battle. A little girl, a fuzzy bunny, a purple reptile-like being, and possibly the grown man and floating powder-puff. Not the most intimidating force in the universe, but still a powerful team. He hoped. Leadership was still not fun on day two. "We need to be cautious if this thing is at all like Ogremon. Are you coming, Yamaki?" he asked to confirm his suspicions.

"Yes," the man told him. "but I will concede leadership to you and your experience in these matters."

Great, not only would he be leading children and digimon, but now an adult. Honesty, why did he have to be left as the boss? Ryo knew why and one of the reasons that he was the only one who could be leader was because of stupid ideas, like fighting unknown opponents alone, was Kazu's specialty. All they could hope was that he would be all right until they arrived.

Meramon, the fire digimon who seemed to be a man created from pure flame, was a champion. Guardramon, the metallic robot with an archaic speech-pattern and thought process, was also a champion. Logically, they should be well-matched. If one was following the basic rules that Kazu had memorized with the card game, television show, and past experience.

Practice was disproving these rules. The flickering orange light and heat filled the fog-enclosed arena. Footprints were left in the softened tar as the digimon approached Guardramon. Kazu had dug through his impressive array of cards for help. Speed was of little assistance since Meramon was moving slowly anyway. Power was even worse because the fire digimon absorbing the blows like they were nothing.

"Guardian Barrage!" his partner cried, unleashing an assault of artillery. The flames barely flickered with the impact. "Back, foul fiend, from whence you came!"

"Yeah," added Kazu in a more modern style, "Buzz off, you bag of hot air! Before we blow you out like a candle!" He could almost hear Rika calling him a brainless loser for trying to antagonize something he couldn't handle. But his words had less effect than the attacks. "You can't stop our awesomeness!"

Meramon, who had yet to launch a single attack of his own, only responded by stopping his slow advance towards them. The blue coldness in his empty eyes contrasted sharply with the fiery nature of his body. Raising his right arm slowly, his open hand pointed straight at Guardramon. An emotionless voice called the attack.

"Fireball!"

The searing heat and flames struck the robotic digimon, knocking him across the blacktop road with a series of clangs and crashes. Kazu flinched in sympathy for his friend. Made of metal or not, that had to hurt. Kazu tried to think of something, anything, he could do to help. After that speech about honor and warriors and paths, he couldn't let Guardramon down. His eye fell on a fire hydrant.

"Hey, moron!" shouted his common sense, which sounded a lot like Rika, "The guy's too hot to beat easily. Cool him off first and give your digimon some protection. And next time, take the help when offered, you mindless bozo!"

Deciding his subconscious was both mean and scary, Kazu proceeded to follow its advice. Running so that the hydrant was between him and the pyro digimon, he started yelling and waving his arms.

"Come and get me, creep! Over here!"

Meramon turned to face the human, his blank eyes staring straight through him. Continuing to use his slow, zombie-like walk, the strange digimon approached the targets. Each step sank into the road as the tar was softened from the heat. Guardramon looked at his human friend.

"I really must question the intelligence of your actions," he informed his partner in concern.

Kazu simply grinned, "Trust me, I have a brilliant plan. Get ready to fire."

"But my attacks are not…" the digimon began.

"Not at him," the boy interrupted. "The hot-head needs to cool off. Get it?"

As was often the case, it took a few moments for the robotic digimon to decipher the boy's meaning. While not as cryptic as slang, the double-meaning of the words slowed his understanding. After a few seconds, Guardramon realized his partner's plan. He took careful aim at the hydrant.

Kazu selected a more defensive card. As soon as Meramon was soaked, he would use it. Hopefully, this would protect his friend from the water-logged fire digimon long enough to either find a way to beat him or for Ryo to show up. After all, the D-arcs would sound the alarm even if Riley didn't call. The "Digimon King" would be on his way and it was obvious that help would be useful. Kazu would share the glory of the fight if he had to. As long as he got credit for the fire hydrant idea.

"Ready?" the human asked as Meramon drew near the target. "Fire all missiles!"

The hydrant exploded in a cloud of water and steam as it struck both the fiery digimon and Kazu, who hadn't thought to move out of the way.

His inner voice of reason snapped in a perfect imitation of the anti-social tamer, "You complete block-head! Don't you ever think things through? You should have gotten out of the way," her angry voice shouted as a wall of water knocked him down and his D-arc out of his hand.

Following the D-arc's compass, the three humans and their digimon raced out of the park. Ignoring the occasional look either for the digital creatures or the man running in a suit with them, they zeroed in on the thick cloud. Ryo and Suzie pulled out their sunglasses. Yamaki was already wearing his. Two digimon took a serious expression. Calumon looked curiously at the fog and somehow realized now was not the time to play games.

Ryo, trying to imagine the kind of pep talk Takato would give, announced, "Look, we don't know what's in there. But we know Kazu and Guardramon are. Possibly they are in danger and it could be dangerous to us too. I can't make you go, but they are one of us. They need our help and I'm going to help them. If you don't come, I understand. But if you do, be careful." Not quite like Takato, but it worked. "Alright. Good luck."

Moving into the digital field, they moved more slowly. They had to be prepared and to watch out for whatever was in the fog with them. Suzie held Lopmon close, her lower lip trembling slightly. Calumon clung to Yamaki's head and for once, the man felt no urge to push him off. Sweat was rolling down their faces, and not just from nerves. The air was uncomfortably warm.

An explosion ahead of them, followed by the rushing sound of water, startled the group into a run. As they neared the location of the noise, a cloud of hot steam swept over them. Any real visibility vanished. The group didn't stop anyway. They stumbled over the uneven ground, not even considering why the road would have so many evenly spaced pot holes.

Kazu, blinded by steam and water, was on the ground crawling, trying to find his D-arc. His friend needed his help and the boy didn't plan to let him down. He would not hold back Guardramon. The only way he could help would be with his stupid D-arc. He tried to ignore his common sense voice nagging, but Rika always did have a way of getting one's attention.

"Stupid, you're forgetting something important again," her voice nearly sounded worried in his subconscious.

A second later he realized what he forgot, too late it seemed. A hand grabbed his right wrist, as fast as a striking snake, and lifted him bodily off the ground. The searing agony that radiated from the grip's location as well as the now slightly-muted glow identified his captor as Meramon. Kazu's wrist was in his fiery clutches and that was why his mind was going white with pain. He was screaming as something smashed into Meramon.

Kazu could hardly think as the flaming hand released him. He landed on the ground only to have another hand pull him away from the orange glow. The entire event had only lasted a few moments, but the sheer pain had prolonged the experience. It took a second for him to realize the one pulling him away was the government guy Yamaki and his true rescuer was Guardramon.

Guardramon wasn't bothering to use attacks anymore. He was simply taking advantage of his metallic body being less affected by the heat radiated by Meramon and smashing away. Antylamon, being more careful, was doing her best to strike the enemy with minimal contact to herself. Justimon was attempting a similar strategy. Meramon's earlier act of sluggish movement was discredited by his current speed and agility, even if he was still emotionless.

Guardramon was furious. Kazu could tell, through the haze of pain caused by his scorched arm. Usually his friend was fairly easy going, but he took ideas like friendship and honor seriously.

"Attacking a defenseless opponent?" he shouted, "As they would say, 'you are so toast, you punk!' Guardian Barrage!"

At such close range, the damage to Meramon should have been extensive. But, as the smoke and steam cleared, he emerged unchanged. Even worse, he seemed recovered from the earlier soaking and was brightly glowing again. Kazu tried to get up, but Yamaki held him in place.

"I have to get my D-arc," he explained, feeling a little light-headed as his arm throbbed.

"You are staying here with me and Suzie," the man declared, indicating the small girl cheering her partner on. "Those burns look serious and you need to get to a hospital. Until then, you stay with us and away from the fight."

"But…" the boy tried to argue, but was interrupted as Meramon knocked the other champion flying.

Calumon, who Kazu know realized was on Yamaki's head, looked concerned. As the robotic digimon struggled upright, the white digimon floated down to where Kazu sat, soaking wet and shivering. Glancing between the boy and Guardramon, he seemed to understand that they needed help. His ears shrank down in concern.

"Yamaki," he asked slowly, "Can we help? Like the nice lady said."

The man pulled out a small, white device that Kazu could hardly believe an adult, let alone Yamaki, would have. Grasping the D-arc carefully, the government official looked at his tiny partner.

"We can try," he answered as his D-arc began glowing, as well as the symbol on Calumon's head.

"Guardramon digivolve to… Andromon!"

Kazu grinned palely. When he first met his future partner in the digital world, he had been the awesome ultimate he now saw. Taller and more powerful than he was before, Andromon faced the champion once more.

"That…is so cool," the boy confided in the man beside him. "The strange creep doesn't stand a chance now."

"How is he strange?" asked Yamaki. "Is it different than other digimon?"

"Well, he is a lot quieter," Kazu admitted, wincing strongly as he tried to shift to a more comfortable position and accidentally brushed his arm against something. "You haven't been to many battles like this, but usually they are yelling insults and threats. This one is only announcing attacks. And his eyes are kind of creepy. Government agents have more personality than this guy." After remembering who he was talking to, he added, "No offense."

The man seemed to have more on his mind than a boy's unintended insult. "'Not all is as it seems. When the enemy is strange and silent, look into the eye of he who speaks. The blood glare is where the true threat lies. And only there can you prevent defeat.' He isn't the only one here." Yamaki glanced around. "Someone else here is the real threat. We have to find him."

"Dude," Kazu complained, "You are as cryptic as mystery woman and her riddles. You think another digimon is here? Okay then, we need to alert one of the others cause I don't think the cream puff on your head is going to cover it." His words were getting slower as the agony from Meramon's touch sapped his strength. Who knew getting burned tired you out so much?

Said "cream puff" suddenly leapt off Yamaki's head. He floated gently across the battle field, barely noticing the combatants. As he reached the remains of a still spouting hydrant, Calumon picked up a small object. He held up, with a shout of triumph, Kazu's D-arc.

"Lightning Blade!"

The furious android digimon unleashed a powerful assault upon Meramon. How dare that cowardly digimon harm a defenseless human? How dare he hurt his friend Kazu? The boy may be difficult to understand at times, enjoyed being the center of attention at all times, and may make fun of his friends and allies, but he was a worthy partner and a true friend when it comes down to it. And this heinous foe would have killed him if possible. Andromon would not allow this.

The giant rabbit digimon cried out her own attack upon the creature, "Bunny Blades!"

Both digimon's attacks struck Meramon dead on, knocking him back and forth across the soft tar. However, he stood up and fired his retaliation in a monotone voice.

"Roaring Flame!"

All three digimon leapt out of the way, but the heat was nearly unbearable for Antylamon and Justimon, even indirectly. Suzie shouted in fear for her partner, but luckily was even more afraid of Meramon to run to her digimon like she wanted. Andromon was less affected by the warmth from the flames and was still willing to battle the opponent.

"Stand and fight, you cruel creature of darkness," he ordered.

"Andromon," called a tense voice. Kazu, holding his D-arc in his left hand awkwardly, was yelling towards his partner. "Yamaki thinks there should be another digimon around here. Let the others distract the hot-head. Think you can find him, buddy?"

The android digimon nodded an affirmative to his human partner. Kazu, using his left hand clumsily and trying to avoid looking at his scorched right, pulled out a card. This one, when used in card games, allowed a player to by-pass various defense cards and strike automatically the target digimon. Hopefully, it would have the desired effect for real digimon.

Sliding the card through the D-arc with one hand was hard, but the boy managed with a pained shout of "Seek and Destroy!"

Andromon followed with a call of "Gatling Attack!"

The randomly fired shots bent in mid-air, turning in their flight path. They swung away from where Meramon still fought the others. They move upwards towards a street light that was still partially hidden in fog. A shout of surprise rang out as the attack reached the mist enshrouded area. Knocked down and out of hiding was a small creature. Dark wings struggled to prevent their owner from crashing into the ground. As soon as the bat-like being had been struck, Meramon halted. The fire digimon seemed even less animated and aware than before.

"A DemiDevimon?" asked Kazu tiredly. "That dorky loser minion from the show? I could swat that guy myself."

Yamaki was studying the small flying fiend with a look similar to that he once gave all digimon. One of disgust and hatred. The red eye on his forehead especially drew his attention.

"'The blood glare'," he whispered grimly. Then louder, he insulted the digimon, "You piece of digital trash, you're controlling the other digimon!"

Returning the human's glare, DemiDevimon snarled, "What's it to you, human?" which confirmed to Yamaki that this creature was who the mysterious person had warned him about. "All of you will be dead soon enough. My master asks for it and I make it happen."

"He's a henchman," laughed Kazu airily, grimacing slightly as once again he accidentally brushed his arm. He wasn't even touching his wrist. Apparently his burn extended beyond the contact point. The boy maintained his resolve not to look at the damage yet. He could freak out later. The throbbing was distracting enough without knowing the extent of the burns. "He's a lackey following orders from some evil villain. As if this wasn't enough like a Saturday morning cartoon."

"He's the real danger here," Yamaki warned.

"That pipsqueak? Worse than toasty?" the burned tamer asked, "If you say so."

Three digimon aimed at the small bat. DemiDevimon, recognizing the threat, paled. He was too stunned by the sudden threat to move Meramon to intercept them. He wasn't too stunned to begin aerial maneuvers for defense though.

"Lightning Blade!"

"Bunny Blades!"

"Justice Burst!"

"Watch it!" shouted the small evil digimon as he panicked and dodged blows. "Don't shoot the messenger."

"I think you are more than the messenger," Justimon argued. "You control Meramon and you controlled Ogremon last night, didn't you? That's why they seem so lifeless. They're nothing but…"

"Puppets? Drones? Pretty much," DemiDevimon admitted with a malicious grin. "I control them and the master provides power. They're tougher than average to the point of invulnerability."

"But not you. You are vulnerable," pointed out Yamaki, fully understanding the cloak figure's words.

The dark digital creature blanched under the human's words and expression, "Well…" Realizing the extent of his danger, DemiDevimon started winging his way to the safety outside the cloud while silently ordering the destruction of Meramon. "I'll be back later and finish you off for the master."

By the time the fog faded, neither of the two strange digimon were visible. One had vanished into data and the other had simply fled. All that remained was two rookie digimon, a worried champion, a white powder-puff, and four humans of a wide variety of ages. The center of attention was Kazu. Specifically, Kazu's right arm.

The boy finally forced himself to look at the injury. He felt himself grow paler than he already was. From fingertip to elbow, his arm was bright red. It looked like the worst sunburn ever and throbbed dully. That was simply a result of the radiant heat coming off the flames. The area Meramon had actually touched was worse. A handprint was neatly formed on his wrist. It was raw-looking with several blisters raised. Instead of a throb, a continuous searing pain etched out the shape. Staring too long at the handprint made Kazu feel slightly queasy in addition to the pain.

"I think I'm medium-rare," he tried to joke.

"Kazu, I'm…" began Guardramon, having returned to his more familiar form.

"Don't worry, big guy," Kazu reassured his concerned friend. "It's not your fault I'm not the best tamer. After all, Takato and the others don't seem to forget to watch out."

"Come on," Ryo pointed out, "That card you picked out was perfect for flushing out DemiDevimon."

"And your hydrant idea did cool Meramon off for a while," added Guardramon.

"Great, instead of medium-rare, I could have been well-done," muttered Kazu, hissing slightly as Yamaki pulled him gently to his feet.

"I doubt you could have survived if that digimon had touched you at full heat or at least your arm wouldn't. Either way, we need to get you to a hospital," Yamaki added.

"Sure. Whatever you say," the boy agreed. He then gave his partner an odd look. "Either I'm hallucinating or Yamaki is Calumon's partner now and you used slang earlier, Guardramon."

The robot digimon looked slightly embarrassed, "Yes, well… I was very upset with his lack of chivalrous behavior and I've heard you speak thus to Kenta in the heat of your duels."

Kazu laughed slightly as his friend fumbled around for an explanation on the way to the hospital.

Chapter Text

"Okay, let me get this straight," Impmon eyed the others suspiciously, "Not only are you telling me Ai and Mako know about… well, everything, but they've know all along?"

Ai, giving her purple friend a hug, confirmed, "Yes, we figured it out. We love you and know you are very sorry."

Mako, not willing to be left out, added, "And Jeri got a surprise while you were gone. Before the bad bird digimon tried to get us that last time."

Their partner, trying to wiggle loose, groaned, "Really, this is great and all, munchkins. But I can listen better if I'm not squashed. Okay, what is her big surprise?"

"This," the older girl whispered, pulling a digi-egg out of the backpack as well as her now-active D-arc.

Impmon stared in stunned silence for a time. Who would have thought it? Some good had come from him getting destroyed by the moronic Kiwimon. Finally, Jeri would gain back what he had stolen from her.

Regaining his voice and trying to break the awkwardness he felt, he asked sarcastically, "What else did I miss? Terriermon taking a vow of silence?" This earned him an evil look from the rabbit digimon.

Mrs. Olkowski stared at the colorful room. Toys were scattered around, just as her children had left it. A teddy bear with a repaired arm lay across a pillow, as if its owner had simply stepped out of the room momentarily. Bright, cheerful pictures decorated the walls like a collage. Some of the drawings featured fantastic creatures she had once believed were the products of her children's elaborate imaginations. But after what she had seen and heard the day before, she was no longer so sure.

Digimon. She had heard about them before from the television show, cards, and video games. Her head hadn't been in the sand all this time, but it never really caught her attention. Then the strange event with the destruction of part of the city, with the pink mass, new attention was shone on the word "digimon." Rumors involving computer programs, viruses, and digimon tamers flew fast, but varied in detail. Mrs. Olkowski had filed these away as panic and hype. Even when her own children had vanished for the day, she didn't make the connection.

She closed her eyes, recalling that chaotic time. The army was trying to stop… the thing in the city. The people had been evacuated away from the epicenter. Everyone was afraid and families were separated at points as some members tried to find lodging at a safer distance Her own family had already settled into a stable house. Everything seemed to be going well. Ai and Mako, who once would fight and argue if they were near each other for five minutes, were acting so nice towards one another. It had actually started a little before the attack, but a while after they got the puppy. It was as if one day they decided to call a cease-fire for the greater good. Mrs. Olkowski had thought nothing short of a miracle could have stopped the twins from arguing. Life was looking up, despite the mayhem in the city.

Then, one morning, her children were gone. They had seemed distracted before then, but their mother had thought nothing of it. When she had found their beds abandoned that day, she had felt panic rise, just as she had with this more recent vanishing. She and her husband had searched all over, pushing through crowds of celebrating people. The strange mass that had attacked the city was gone. When it seemed all hope of locating them was lost, they had neared the park. Standing there, crying a little, were Ai and Mako. Mrs. Olkowski had hugged them so tight and told them to never scare their parents like that again. But no matter what she or her husband asked or threatened, neither of her children would tell why they were here and why they had left the house. They just kept glancing back, looking sad.

And now they were gone again. They were telling her that her children, her poor babies, were in another world. A world filled with monsters. Even worse, it seemed that they had been involved with those creatures before and she had never known. They were tamers…

Mrs. Olkowski carefully pulled down one of their pictures. A pair of brown-haired grinning faces stared back. Their crayon drawing had them in the park, but not alone. A purple shape with a tail, red gloves, and what looked like a red bandana. From what everyone had told her, this must be Impmon. She wished she could have met him. She wished she could have spoken to him and gotten to know him. What was he like? Would he take care of them? There were so many things that could happen to them. Would they be alright?

Her husband came in to the room. Seeing his distraught wife, he gave her a hug and held her close. She softly started crying into his shoulder. Her babies were gone and she didn't know if she would ever see them again. The other families had tried to assure her that the digimon would always protect their partners, but she didn't know that for sure. They had met their children's digimon before they left for the digital world in the past, but she didn't know anything about her twin's. Mr. Wong had actually met him, but would only say he was "free-spirited." Would Impmon really protect Ai and Mako?

The young dog wandered into the room, sniffing around for the missing children. This would be the second night they would not be tucked into bed after a day of playing. The puppy began to whine quietly.

DemiDevimon fluttered across the sky in the fading light. Stupid blond man. Stupid robot and his stupid tamer. He could have used Meramon to destroy them all. The master would have been pleased and everything would have been great. But no. They figured out he was there and controlling the drone. So now the bat was fleeing for his life.

Okay, they knew he was vulnerable to them. However, they didn't know how to destroy him. Yet. DemiDevimon shuddered. He would have to hide for a while. When things cooled down, he would ask his master what to do. It had been in the human world and had experience with the tamers. Granted, the kids and digimon won last time. But it could still offer advice.

It wasn't the same as it had been at that time either. It had learned much since then. The master was powerful and deadly. It would be unstoppable when it returned properly. And DemiDevimon would be its right hand bat.

"Guys, if you don't stop apologizing right now," Kazu warned, "I'll have no choice but to… to mummify you!"

The boy pointed to his bandaged arm. The wrappings were lighter than a mummy's, but it still served his purpose. He glared at Guardramon and Kenta. Yamaki was currently trying to pull some strings and convince the hospital staff that instead of confining the youth to the hospital room for observations, they should release the boy and simply have regular check-ups. Both the government official and various health care givers were stubbornly holding onto their position and were also trying to prevent Calumon from floating around. The energetic digimon kept trying to cheer up all the patients with "boo-boos" and "ouchies." Nurses and doctors reached out, trying to stop the hyper being. Yamaki, shaking his head at the never ending ways Calumon could find to pester people, helped prevent the digital creature from bouncing on the more sensitive equipment.

"But if I didn't…" began Kenta.

"If only I had…" Guardramon tried at the same time.

"Look," Kazu interrupted the two of them, "It's not either of your fault I got hurt. I don't blame you, Kenta. I ran off mad at you, yes. But that isn't why I got attacked. And Guardramon. If I was dumb enough to get that close to the hot head, there wasn't much you could do about it." He was feeling better now with the painkillers he had received at the hospital. It made him feel kind of silly, but at least his arm didn't hurt nearly as much. "Hehe, hot-head. Funny."

Yamaki finally caught his rambunctious partner. Inner child or not, that little guy's energy could still pester him. But not nearly as much as others not used to his behavior.

"If you must keep Mr. Shioda here, I'm afraid Calumon may choose to remain as well," Yamaki warned. "He does like to visit people. But if you allow the boy to leave, he can come in daily for check-ups and Calumon will not be present in the hospital. It is your decision."

The thought of Calumon for however long Kazu had to be watched seemed to do it. Yamaki knew how overwhelming the digimon's personality could be. The doctor gave a slow nod as the arrival of the boy's family was announced. As the doctor went to meet with the child's guardians, Kazu started questioning the government official.

"So, you are Calumon's partner? That is like the worst pair-up ever. How long until you strangle the little fellow?"

"Hi," called Calumon, climbing on Yamaki's head, "Guess what? We played hide-and-seek and tag today!"

"Hide-and-seek?" the boy laughed, "Tag? Yamaki?"

Within the digital world, across the vast wasteland, lay structure of impressive design. It looked like a combination of a temple, a ruin, and a shrine to the past. Sand colored columns marked the entrance. The entire building was built into a cliff. Strange carvings and symbols marked the walls. Some looked human, others appeared like digimon, and some were too alien to be either. Some learned individual who may stumble across this place may believe it was a lost historic treasure that described the history of the digital and human world. They may think it was built as part of an ancient culture's attempt to record the events of both worlds.

They would be wrong. No ancient culture created this structure. It was not completely lost to all. And it wasn't the history of the human and digital world printed upon the walls. It was the histories of both worlds for several realities

A cloaked figure walked across the dusty floor. She returned here when she was between her various duties of a specific prophecy. She had seen this same location in peak condition, freshly built as well as nearly destroyed by time, turned to crumbling stones by the ages. Now, it was simply an abandoned-looking ruin. This is as close to a real home as she had. She traveled through time and space to fulfill her duties, but she could always return here.

She approached her model of the digital world. It changed to remain accurate to whatever reality she was in. She could use it to plan out routes, predict the movement of data streams, and so on. She studied a specific area of the model. It had taken so long to make this device, but it had been worth the effort. And she had help…

She shook her hooded head, returning to business. The canyon path the prophesied members were following should bring them to the building tomorrow. She would prepare them for their role. They would learn who their enemy was. She would tell them some of what was to occur. But not all. No, she wouldn't tell them all.

Her memories were faded and jumbled. Part of balancing reality meant she couldn't know too much. Each prophecy was hidden from her until it was time and she forgot almost everything to do with it as soon as she moved on to the next. She didn't know how long she had been fulfilling her duty. Months, years, or maybe even decades and centuries. Some things she could remember, but much was lost. At this time, her clearest knowledge was the current prophecy and what she had to do. She knew what was to come. And some she would not reveal to the tamers and digimon.

Destiny and fate, so similar and close together. Both were part of what she did and who she was. You can't escape from either one. No matter if it was good or bad. Destiny awaits, but destiny is not always pleasant. Destiny can mean suffering and loss. She had learned this and they would have to as well. Destiny and fate: intertwined and connected. Both good and bad, order and chaos, forever balanced for the good of all.

Alone in her ruins, she stared down at the model. She no longer saw the tiny landforms and shifting beams of light from the data streams. She saw a face, one from her steadier memories that she maintained through all her changes of time and various realities. He looked back at her from her past. Destiny and fate: intertwined and connected forever. She knew that you can't escape from prophecies. Balancing reality is always the most important. More important than any individual. They would learn this, just as she had. But not yet.

Another failure. Tool in human world nearly destroyed by targets. Still could use tool later. True weakness of tool not known. Still, reserve energy for new, powerful tool. Logical option would be to bide time. Wait until ready. Do not send human world tool new drones yet. Prepare other tool first. More efficient tool for targets in digital world.

If targets in human world were deemed too important to be left intact, it would simply use tool already present. Will give more power. But not yet. Patience. Will succeed in mission and destroy all that hinder its purpose. It will escape the darkness and once more enter both the digital and human world as it must to fulfill its prime objective.

Must have perfect tool first. Construct out of all other tools in the darkness. Wipe mind and memories away. Not simply restoring the lost digimon to their previous shape. Combine all of them into a new form. No longer use other tools' minds to order new drone. Will use its own mind instead. It will directly command perfect drone. Hard. Will take much work to accomplish. Much time. But will be more effective. Destroy them itself. And the prophecy will fail.

Chapter Text

Battered and bruised as most of the group was, they couldn't stay where they were. Even if that creep Manipumon was dead, that was no reason to believe it was safe to remain in that canyon any longer than they had to. Following the twisting length of the cliff walls, humans and digimon stumbled their way their way towards their indicated goal. As they rounded the final bend, the canyon suddenly opened onto another empty plain.

"Yes," grinned Takato slightly.

"Great to be out of there," Terriermon agreed, "What was that, Ambush Canyon? Really, it was ridiculous how many times we got attacked in there."

"And I end up having to save the day both times," Impmon grumbled, trying to ignore the fact he was part of the second ambush.

"Because Impmon is terrific," his supportive tamer, Mako, cheered.

Rika rolled her eyes at that declaration, "Careful or else he'll get an even bigger head.

"If that is even possible," snickered Terriermon, perched on Henry's shoulder. A small flame landed on his ear in response. "Ow! What? Can't take a joke?"

"Sure I can, Helicopter-head," Impmon grinned, "Do you know any good ones?"

Ai and Mako began giggling as their partner continued his argument with Terriermon. The older children groaned as the pair of digimon proceeded with their insults. Things seemed to be getting back to normal. Guilmon tilted his head as the discussion became more heated.

"And don't tell me that is the best you can come up with," Impmon added after another of Terriermon's attempts, "because I can think of better comebacks in my sleep."

"When do you sleep? Last time I checked, you run off in the middle of the night and get caught by mind-control spiders," Terriermon shot back.

"Terriermon," Henry started to warn his tactless partner that he had gone too far, but it was already too late.

"Sure, drag that up," Impmon snarled. "I can take you anytime. Just me and you, Bunny-boy! No help from the partners. Give me two minutes and I'll blast you across the digital world myself! It'll save the crazy red-eyes the trouble."

"Calm down, you two," Jeri begged. "Fighting like this won't solve anything."

"It'll shut him up for once," grumbled Impmon angrily, but stopped. He could always kill the rabbit in his sleep.

Renamon, who would normally be paying attention to the rest of the group in case she had to stop the short-tempered purple digimon from doing something rash, was distracted. That should have been the first warning. Anything that distracted her had to be serious. The next warning was her eyes widening in panic. The others, paying attention to Impmon and Terriermon, missed both warnings. The next one broke through to them though.

"We should be running," she whispered, grabbing Rika's shoulder.

"What?" asked Takato as he turned to see what had the fox's attention.

Racing across the flat wasteland, right towards them, was a bright beam of light. It looked like a tractor beam from a sci-fi movie. That wasn't far off. It was a data stream. Those mobile hazard could suck you up and drop you off anywhere in the digital world. You could easily find yourself on a completely different level. Last time, the group had been scattered everywhere by them. And now, another one was headed straight for them.

"Run!" the boy shouted in agreement.

This was easier said than done. Half of them were still recovering from earlier, Jeri was carrying in a heavy digi-egg, and the twins were already tired. Still, they had to make their best effort. Guilmon and Renamon grabbed their human partners by the hand as they fled. Henry held Terriermon as he dashed away from the approaching data stream. Jeri ran hard, the backpack banging against her back with each step. Impmon grasped a young tamer in each hand and dragged them as fast as he could.

The group spread out as the faster runners pulled ahead. All they had to do was get out of the beam's path and they would be safe. Just a little further. They could make it.

Too tired and too small, Ai and Mako were slowing down. Impmon could run all night, and had done so across rooftops in the past, but he couldn't leave them alone. He kept pulling, trying to hurry up his partners.

"Stupid data stream," he muttered, glancing back at the nearing problem. He was tired and sore too, but he should have been able to get away from it. If he had the energy, he could have turned into Beelzemon and flew the kids out of the way. "Stupid Manipumon."

It was nearly inevitable that a data stream would separate the group. It was only luck that it hadn't happened sooner. The glowing light passed over the trailing three: first Mako, then Ai, and finally Impmon. As they vanished for parts unknown, day became night in the digital world. The darkness fell upon the remaining humans and digimon, breathing hard from running as the data stream left them behind on the empty plain.

A shockingly cold and wet sensation engulfed Impmon as he was deposited who-knows-where in the digital world. He had a strange feeling of weightlessness until he realized he was in water. He swam up to the surface. The sky was dark, as was the water he had landed in. However, he could make out the shore and trees surrounding the liquid. A wave hit him, knocking the purple tumbling into the shallower water. Coughing, he pulled himself to his feet. He heard other coughing, far above him. He raised his head.

A large, serpentine, green digimon rose out of the depths of the lake. His yellow head tilted towards the smaller digimon. Apparently the creature surfacing was the cause of the wave. The aquatic digimon moved his tail into view. Wrapped in a red, leaf-like structure on the end was a soaked and coughing Ai and Mako.

"Let them go," Impmon shouted, "or I'll turn you into sushi!"

The digimon tilted his head more as he stared down at the protective partner, "I am Seadramon, inhabitant of this lake, and I was preparing to retire for the evening when three small beings landed practically on top of me. These two seemed to be having difficulties, so I decided to assist them." Seadramon gently deposited the upset children upon the shore. Impmon splashed through the last few feet of water between him and the twins. " You should not assume all you meet are your enemy, small one."

As he reached his drenched partners, they grabbed him in a tight hug. The dark, the cold, the wet, and being lost were just too much for the tiny humans. They hung onto Impmon, shivering and crying quietly. But they were alright. The giant sea snake hadn't hurt them; he had rescued them.

"Thanks," the purple digimon mumbled. He never was the best at this sort of thing, but he knew this moment warranted something.

"It was no trouble," the long creature smiled. "Just be careful in the future. Not all in the forest will help you. I said not to think of all as your enemy, but there are those who will cause harm to strangers. Especially humans." He indicated the tearful pair with his tail. "Some digimon do not look kindly upon their kind and may attack."

Impmon grimaced as he recalled he had been like that, "I know. Like Zhuquiaomon."

"Yes, he is a bit anti-human, but not as great as before. There are plenty more out there though. So take care of them." The aquatic being slid back into the dark water with only a ripple to mark his passage.

Dripping, Impmon stared out into the night. Alone with the frightened twins, he knew that the others were far away. Whether they were caught by a data stream as well didn't matter because either way there was nearly no way to reunite the two groups except by pure luck. So it would be all up to him.

"Don't worry munchkins. Everything will be alright. Let's get you warm and dry."

Gone. Impmon, Ai, and Mako were gone. Sucked up by a data stream for parts unknown. Just as before, these randomly-moving lights served to separate friends across the digital world.

"Figures," groaned Rika, "We can't be here too long before something goes wrong. Even without Kazu here to do something stupid."

"There is nothing we can do for them now," Renamon reasoned. She was concerned for the trio's safety. Still, no amount of shouting, complaining, or panicking would return them and she was never one to behave thus. "In the morning, we will try and determine how to find them."

"How? There is no way to predict where they were transported," asked Takato. "I mean it. I'm designing a tracking device card, first chance I get."

Henry reasoned rationally, "Humans aren't that common a sight. Any digimon who sees them will remember. We'll just have to ask around."

"Well, so far we've only run into digimon who want to kill us," Terriermon pointed out. "And we have a date with destiny. Maybe whoever or whatever is waiting for us may have an idea of how to find Ai and Mako. And Impmon too, if we have to have him back."

"The funny cloak lady you talked about might be able to find them, Takato," Guilmon innocently suggested, supporting Terriermon's position of continuing in the same direction.

His goggle-wearing partner gave a grin to the red reptilian digimon for the advice, "She did seem to know quite a bunch. Anything possible and I have nothing better to offer."

"Surprise, surprise," muttered Rika, "but neither do I, Goggles."

"Fine," Henry sighed, "We keep following the compass and hope we find Impmon and the twins in the process. First thing in the morning."

A few branches, a tossed fire ball, and suddenly things didn't seem so bad. The sniffling children huddled near the flickering fire. Impmon was wringing out his dripping bandana. They had moved away from the lake shore until they were under the leafy canopy of the trees. Obviously they landed in the forest level. And unfortunately, they landed in one of the only large bodies of water in the area.

"Impmon," Ai whimpered, "What happened? Where are we now? And where is everybody else?"

Forcing himself to sound confident and worry-free, he explained, "That weird light that hit us just sent us on a slight detour, that's all. The others are still back where we left them near the canyon. Don't worry about it though. I'm here and no one stands a chance against me."

Mako grinned faintly, "Cause you're the best, Impmon."

Their partner, feeling bolder, added, "And besides, those guys were cramping my style. I bet when we find them, they'll be so happy to see us. They're going to miss having my awesomeness around."

"But what about all the bad digimon?" the young girl wondered softly.

For her and her brother, the darkness surrounded them with hidden monsters. Boogey-men and even worse dangers could lurk just out of sight. The shapeless creations of young imaginations could only be banished by the glow of a night-light or the presence of a grown-up. For them, the older kids were close enough to count. But they were gone now.

Even worse, the twins were learning not all monsters were limited to under beds and closets. Some could attack without warning, like the spider-woman Manipumon, the monkeys Apemon and Gorrilamon, or even the weird bird Kiwimon. That Kiwimon was especially scary. But Impmon kept his promise to come back and stopped the bad digimon.

Ai was worried though as she thought back to when Impmon disappeared. Everyone had been really sad. And then they had been really surprised when he came back, even though he promised to. Not to mention something Guilmon had said. He had asked why Impmon wasn't "dead" anymore. That was right after Kiwimon disappeared the same way Impmon had. And Gorrilamon, Apemon, and Manipumon did the same way. Even Impmon had told them the bad guys were gone for good.

The brown-haired child did not like where this was going, so she stopped thinking about it. Impmon was alright after all. If she had to, she could talk it over with Mako later.

"Don't you be afraid, munchkins," he assured them. "The other digimon will protect the dork squad and I'll protect you two. I won't let anything happen to you."

"Promise?" Mako yawned as the warmth of the fire made him drowsy.

"I promise I'll protect you two. So with me on the job, what could happen?" the purple digimon asked.

The spitting flames were soothing to watch and listen to. His partners, tired out from the travel, fight with Manipumon, running from the data stream, and nearly drowning, they were already out cold. Impmon wasn't asleep. He was kind of tired. After all, his last nap had been interrupted by Tapirmon's little horror show and he finished the day with mind-control, shooting himself, and free swimming lessons. But he couldn't sleep. Not wouldn't. Though he would not sleep tonight so he could keep watch. But he honestly couldn't sleep.

That stupid, manufactured nightmare was still in his head. Even knowing it was fake and was planted in his head didn't stop it from trying to appear everytime he closed his eyes. All the death and destruction did not make for the most relaxing sleep. He had almost nodded off twice, but shot back to awareness whenever he saw the still, life-less bodies of his tamers. It wasn't real and it never would be, but he still couldn't forget.

Impmon glanced over at the sleeping shapes of the twins. He would have to be extra careful. He was on his own if they were attacked. While he preferred his independence and solitude, he was slowly becoming more reliant on the others. Well, not reliant. More like he was more comfortable with the fact he couldn't handle everything alone. But no reason to tell Ai and Mako that. To them, he was the unstoppable hero that could protect them at all times all on his own.

But in the last few days, he had been killed, revived, tricked, and mind-controlled. His ego was taking a serious bruising. Even with his personal cheering section. He could admit that he would love some back-up. However, there was only him.

Impmon sat by the fire, staring into the night and guarding his two favorite people.

Darkness engulfed the digital world. Only where someone cared enough to create a light did the shadows retreat. The ruins where she waited were one such place where the night was pushed back. Her appearance hidden in cloth, she looked upwards. The human world seemed so far. But she could cross between the two worlds anytime she chose.

But why should she? There was nothing there for her anymore than there was in the digital world. She had no friends to visit in either world. It did not pay to get close to people. None could truly understand all she had seen and done. They couldn't relate. And the only one who might… Well, doesn't matter. Just memories, all she had. Even though her memories were frayed and mostly lost, some still remained.

Two shapes, shrouded in dark cloaks, sat upon a hillside as the sky turned red and orange with the setting sun. The human world did have some sights the digital one lacked and sunsets were one of them. They had a duty to fulfill, but they had some free time until they had to act. So they were relaxing in each other's company. No matter their differing outward appearances, they had a great deal in common with each other and little with others. There were very few who they could discuss the complexities of balancing realities, prophecies, and the strange effects they had on memories.

"How long do you think we've been doing this, Dee?" asked the smaller shape.

She shook her head at the use of the stupid nickname, "No way to know for sure. We may have done ten prophecies or a thousand. I just can't remember any of them clearly. I know we've helped fulfill some, but that's about it."

He sighed, "And I can't remember anything before we started this whole business. You?"

"Nothing. Maybe we didn't even exist before then," she wondered, sinking into one of their favorite topics to argue. "Maybe they created us just to fulfill prophecies."

"No way, Dee. Had to be chosen. Isn't that how all these prophecies work? We were probably minding our own business when we suddenly get selected because we fit most of the qualifications they were looking for."

"Okay smart guy, then who are 'they'? I know you are dying to explain your newest theory."

He stood up, still hidden by the cloth, and shouted, "Aliens. They're messing around with both worlds just for kicks."

She laughed, "Okay, that was officially worse than your 'future us' idea. And that one had so many chances for paradoxes. And what about…"

"Stop, stop, I get it. Then what's yours again?"

"I think the future thing is right at least, but it's probably something else. Not human or digimon. Maybe both or something else entirely. They are so powerful and concerned with maintaining both worlds, but can't or won't take direct action. So they pick the perfect vessels to accomplish what is needed. They may have even created us so we would be perfect for the task. They use prophecies to communicate their intentions to us. That way, they don't take direct action or even force precise results."

Her companion laughed, "And you think my ideas are crazy."

"You dork," she laughed back as she hit his arm cheerfully.

He was the only one who called her "Dee." Used to be annoying, but now she missed it. But she had a duty. She would fulfill it, just as she always did. In the morning, the prophesied group would arrive and she would do as she must. Just as she always did. Just as she always would.

Chapter Text

Some things are not the best things to wake up to. Bright lights are one. Loud noises are another. A new one to add to the list was to have your heavy dinosaur partner rolling in his sleep so that said weight was now crushing you. That is what returned Takato to consciousness. Even if by some miracle he could have ignored the bulk on his back, the effect it was having on his ability to breathe was more problematic.

"Guilmon," Takato gasped, trying to roll the red digimon off, "Can't breathe. Off, please."

"But Takatomon," the sleepy digimon mumbled, "It's still dark. I'm tired."

Still trying to escape, the boy was nearly blinded as day arrived abruptly. Terriermon and Guilmon both let out a moan of protest as the light hit their eyes. Happily for a partially squashed tamer, everyone began to rise. Takato got up as quickly as Guilmon would let him. Air never felt so good.

"Problems?" asked Rika with a smirk.

Quick to deny any difficulties regarding his partner, the goggle-wearing boy shook his head. The girl retained her smug look as the rest of the group climbed to their feet. Behind them, they could still make out the canyon. In front of them, a vast wasteland continued as far as the eyes could see. Or almost. A shimmer, like a mirage you get on a hot day, concealed a small area directly in front of them. Henry pulled out his D-arc and, as he expected, it pointed directly at the mirage.

"Of course," Henry sighed, "We have to go somewhere we can't see."

"Momentai," reassured Terriermon, climbing up to his usual shoulder.

"I know, I know. Momentai. Destiny awaits," the boy groaned, "But we're being lead around blindly and keep getting attacked by weird digimon. And our group is divided. It's a little frustrating, Terriermon."

"It'll work out, Henry," Takato grinned, "If we could take on the D-reaper, we should be able to handle whatever else is thrown our way."

"You are way too perky and optimistic sometimes," Rika informed him.

The tamer replied, "Someone has to look on the bright side."

"And it sure won't be Miss Sunshine over there," the rabbit digimon muttered a little too loudly.

Even without Impmon around there to set his ears on fire, Terriermon was reminded that sometimes it pays to watch your mouth. Rika grabbed hold of one of his floppy ears and jerked him off Henry's shoulder. Ignoring the shouts of protest from the boy and cries of pain from the digimon, she held him off the ground by his ear. Thus, reminding them all why they once feared for her temper, she addressed the captive creature.

"I know we are short one annoying digimon in our group, but that is no reason to be even more annoying than usual to make up for it. It's way too early for this." When she finished, Rika released her grip and allowed him to fall to the ground with a thud. "Now, if we can get moving, I'd like to get to where ever we are going quickly and if that weird lady is there… Well, we have a lot to discuss about her yanking us around and not telling us anything."

Leaving the boys in her wake, Rika stomped off in the direction of the shimmer. Jeri, pulling the backpack on, fell alongside the yellow fox. As they followed after the grouchy tamer leading the way, Jeri had to ask.

"She really has something against the strange D-arc person, doesn't she?"

Renamon nodded as she fell into step just behind her partner, "Rika has always wanted to have control of her own life. She does not like to be forced by others into any action. All this talk of prophecies and destiny makes her feel she does not truly chose her own path. This doubt does little to encourage he good nature towards that person. Nor does it increase her tolerance of Terriermon."

Jeri could have sworn that for a moment, the serious faced digimon had a smile as she remarked on Rika's outburst at the rabbit digimon. Even if Renamon didn't actually grin and it was her imagination, Jeri did smile as the boys of the group finally ran to catch up. Guilmon was especially sweet as he tried to question Takato about what was going on.

"I don't know, buddy," he admitted. "Rika just kind of blew up. Girls, especially Rika, can be like that sometimes. Guys and girls don't always understand each other."

Jeri gave a small grin to the fox digimon and even Rika gained a smug look at the boys' confusion. Even in another world, who know how far from home, separated from their friends, and hounded by mysterious enemies, some things never change. And guys not understanding girls were one of them. That constant was a nice anchor in all the shifting situations they were encountering.

Unnoticed by any of those traveling across the wasteland, something in the backpack gently stirred.

The bright light of the day's arrival filtered down through the green leaves. Impmon pulled himself to his feet stiffly, still tired. Every time he nearly nodded off in the night, he would once again be treated to the private horror show of death and destruction. He wished that Tapirmon was still alive so he could make him pay for that stupid nightmare. Ai and Mako blinked at the light and groaned.

"Come on, time to get moving," their digimon informed them, yawning slightly, "We have to find the dork squad."

"Could the D-arc tell us where they are?" asked Mako, pulling out their's. The compass spun, neither stopping nor slowing in any direction. "Guess not."

"Likely they are on a different level," explained Impmon, "Besides, those things are locked on where ever we are supposed to be heading towards, not goggle-head and the rest. We'll just have to find them the old-fashion way: by looking."

As their partner lead the way deeper into the forest, someone observed them from afar. Powerful and dangerous, he studied the trio carefully. The small purple rookie could provide some data, but the humans were even more intriguing. Perhaps they would be fun to torment for a while. The forest was his home and he would do as he saw fit.

The shimmer of the mirage had indeed hidden something from them, but none of them expected what they found. Rising up out of the wasteland briefly before sinking below the surface once more was a rock cropping. Carved into the small cliff was a building that reminded them of the Egyptian structures that filled various history books. Twin columns marked the entrance to the place as well as elaborate carvings and symbols that marked the walls. Like the Egyptian counterparts, this ruin seemed empty and forgotten.

"I think this is it," whispered Takato.

Rika hissed back, "Considering this is the first thing we've found out here, you'd have to be right. And why are you whispering?"

"I don't know," he admitted, "but you're whispering too."

"If I see one mummy comes staggering out of there..." grumbled Terriermon.

Something did come out, but not a member of the living dead. Still wrapped in a cloak and features hidden by shadow, the now familiar mysterious figure stepped out of the ruins.

"Greetings tamers and digimon," she called in a calm voice, "You have come a long way and overcome many obstacles to reach this point. But your journey is not yet complete. It is time, however, for you…"

"Save the cryptic gibberish for someone who cares," interrupted Rika, "You've been pulling us along like dogs on a leash without telling us anything useful. So far, we've been attacked four separate times and now three of our group are gone to the wind. I'll give you five seconds to tell us, in plain words, what is going on?"

"Come in to the shade," the figure sighed, "It seems we have much to discuss."

The cloaked shape lead them inside the dark ruins. As their eyes adjusted to the light, it was clear that the area had been there for ages. Dust coated the ground thickly as they stopped through the cool stone halls. Torches flickered along the walls, illuminating more and more hieroglyphs similar to those outside. Some looked familiar. A few they could identify as particular types of digimon. Even creepier was the similarities between some of these carvings and the television show. One displayed a stylized image of an Agumon and a spiky haired human. Another held the picture of several humans facing a huge monsterous shape in a city. For a moment, Henry thought it might be the digidestined against Myotismon, but he realized with a shock that upon a closer look it was them against the D-reaper.

The dark hallway opened up into a slightly brighter room. A couple of benches and a pair of padded chairs was all that occupied the space save a table with an old-fashion lamp. The hooded form indicated they have a seat, but halted Jeri.

"First thing," she informed the girl, "is for a reunion that is long overdue."

The cloaked shape gently tugged the backpack off Jeri. Opening it with a cloth enshrouded sleeve, she pulled out a small red being. The tiny creature blinked at those surrounding him. His shape was familiar from the show, but unexpected.

"That's Punimon," commented a shocked Takato, "But doesn't he turn into Gabumon?"

"Goggles, are you really that dense?" asked Rika. "Digimon can digivolve to different forms."

The hooded head nodded, "Just like no two digimon of the same type has to become the same thing, the same individual digimon can reach various forms that are of the same level. Just as Guilmon can become Megidramon or Gallantmon. But I think you would be happier in a more familiar form, small one," she informed the baby digimon.

She pointed an arm at the tiny being. A beam of light shot out of her sleeve, striking the digimon. Punimon began to glow and change. When the light dimmed, a tall lion-looking creature stood before them. Jeri's eyes began to flood with tears.

"Leomon…" she whispered.

"Hello Jeri," his deep voice answered softly.

And that was all it took. The girl ran to her once-dead partner and embraced him in a tight hug. Her shoulder shook as she silently cried. The rest of the humans and digimon felt they should give them a little privacy for their reunion. Jeri deserved some time with her lost friend.

The dark cloak figure, after staring at the pair for a moment, leads them to another room. All this room held was a table with a series of floating shapes. It looked like several circles holding various colored and shaped objects. Takato drew close to the table.

"Is that… the digital world," he asked.

The figure confirmed, "Yes, a model. Now, you said three were missing. I can see that those members are the Double Single and their partner."

"Hold it," ordered Rika, "Obviously you have some kind of power with the whole pop out of our D-arc, returning Impmon from the dead, and your returning Punimon to Leomon just now. And as grateful as we are for those last two, you still have some explaining to do. What is going on? What's with the stupid prophecy? And who or what are you?" The girl kept becoming more and more angry, which made the boys nervous. Rika had quite the temper at times. Renamon simply watched calmly, observing both the stranger and her partner with a cool eye. "I am done being yanked around by some freak in a cloak with a little odd phrase that sounds mysterious. I am not doing anything else unless I get some straight answers."

"Very well, I suppose some answers are needed," she sighed, her arms rising to her hood. Pulling down the piece of cloth, her face was finally revealed. Dark blue eyes stared out of a calm face. Smooth dark brown hair fell to her shoulders. The mysterious figure was apparently human. Even more surprising, she looked no older than the tamers now facing her with a stunned expression. "I am Destiny. I maintain the balance of reality. And I carry the knowledge of the prophecies."

Someone was watching them. The purple rookie could feel it. Gently, he took the twin's hands in his own as they walked, not wanting to alarm them yet. For all he knew, it could be someone harmless, but his instincts said otherwise. He fought another yawn, his eyelids drooping slightly. He should try to take a nap later. If he could. But first he would have to deal with their follower.

"Thank you, thank you very much," a very odd voice told them from behind. "Thank you for volunteering to be smashed into data."

Leaping down from a tree in front of them was a silver digimon with a long tail. Dark sunglasses were perched on his face and his shiny hair was done in an Elvis Presley style. Even his speech sounded like it was from a golden oldie. His bulging muscles denied the harmlessness his odd behavior implied. Overall, he looked like a metallic monkey with rock-and-roll ambitions.

"Scram chimp," Impmon growled, "We're just traveling through. Go back to eating bananas like a good primate before I have to cream you."

"Now settle down there, small fry. This here is my forest and I rule this area as king," the digimon bragged. "So all of you must say, 'yes, King MetalEtemon,' and let me destroy you."

"Are you crazy or just as stupid as you look?" the rookie sneered, "You aren't the king, are you? And what makes you think we'll just lie down and die?"

"I am the king: the king of rock and roll," MetalEtemon retaliated, "And I will destroy you myself. Then, I'll play a few games with your pet humans. Or are you their pet?"

The mega didn't realize it yet, but he hit a nerve with that last comment. Pet, dig-slave, and other insults had been his main staple he used against the tamers' digimon. He had never wanted to be mindlessly obediently and he had felt that having nothing to do with humans was the only way to prevent it. Back when he hated humans. Or thought he did. But he knew better now. He didn't have to be Ai and Mako's toy or inferior. He could be their partner, their equal, and their friend. And this bozo couldn't see it. Did he come off as this shallow and ignorant when he called Guilmon, Renamon, and Terriermon that, or was those traits just part of MetalEtemon's charm?

"Really, are you that dense? First, you are not going to kill me. Second, if you think you are going to touch my friends, you are dead wrong," Impmon informed the silver digimon, counting off on his fingers. "And third, I'm about to rock your world."

Digivolving takes a great deal of energy and this rookie was tired. It took more effort than usual to change, but he could feel his form shifting. He grew larger and his black wings spread behind him. Beelzemon now stood between the other mega and his twin tamers. Drawing his pair of guns, he pointed them at MetalEtemon.

The biker gang member/fallen angel digimon grinned evilly, "Still think you can take me?"

"I'm all shook up," the metallic monkey commented sarcastically, "But let's try anyway. Metal Punch!"

"Wait, so when you said 'Destiny awaits,' you meant yourself?" asked a confused Terriermon.

Destiny nodded solemnly, "Indeed, I meant both the concept of destiny and the person was waiting for you. My duty is to ensure prophecies occur as they should so that all that must happen does."

"So, you do more than simply recite the prophecies," Henry reasoned, "You make them work."

"A prophecy is not a statement of what will happen. It only tells what will happen if the right requirements and certain circumstances are reached. I ensure they are reached. I do this for prophecies of a various times and realities. This way, a balance between good and evil, order and chaos is maintained. I am responsible for the balance of both worlds, no matter which reality and what time it is. And my current duty is for this reality and this time, and it involves you."

"Fine, nice to know we're your current assignment," Rika snapped, still aggravated by the whole destiny concept. "But I still have a few questions. You're human. So how are you doing all this weird stuff?"

The dark haired girl held up her arm, allowing her sleeve to slide down. In her hand was a D-arc. It was different from the tamers' in a variety of ways. The colors were not extremely remarkable: mostly a deep shade of lavender with the ring around the screen a green. The material was very odd. While the tamers' D-arcs looked plastic more than anything else, hers was more crystalline. The entire device seemed to be made from a single translucent crystal. A warm glow radiated lightly from within without illuminating the area strongly. The entire thing was smooth and fluid in appearance. Strangely, not a single button was on the D-arc.

"A normal D-arc has more potential than you could ever imagine," Destiny explained. "Mine is special. Unique. Because of that, it can perform functions far beyond your own. That is how I perform such feats."

"If you have a D-arc," asked Guilmon curiously, "does that mean you have a digimon too?"

"Destiny and fate: intertwined and connected," she whispered softly, her eyes distant and sad for a heartbeat. Returning to her earlier calm appearance, she apparently changed topics, "Have you ever wondered, what else? What else could your partners become? You have seen Guilmon has at least two possible mega forms: the monstrous Megidramon he becomes when hate and anger is the catalyst of change and the noble Gallantmon who is formed when pure friendship allows you to combine. What could Renamon and Terriermon become when they reach the mega level without Biomerging?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" asked Takato, cringing at the memory of what he had changed his friend into once. "That doesn't answer anything."

Too tired still, Beelzemon was losing. MetalEtemon may not be as invincible as the red-eye freaks, but he was still a mega. And no doubt his rest was undisturbed at night. The flying digimon may have gotten off some great shots, but he had barely had the energy to digivolve in the first place.

"Double Impact!" he screamed, firing at the silver digimon.

The shots, though striking their target, did less damage than earlier. He just didn't have enough energy for this.

"How about a little less conversation and a little more action," suggested MetalEtemon. "Metal Punch!"

The blow, so much more power behind it than what Beelzemon was able to manage at the moment, knocked him flying. He landed as a rookie near his tamers. The mega grinned down at them.

"Now don't you go anywhere, you hear?" he told them from his current position in a tree. He had been using the height of the branches to counteract the ability of his opponent to fly. "I'll be down in just a second to destroy you."

"Over my dead body," snarled Impmon, staggering to his feet.

The mega pointed out, "That was the idea."

"My partner Biomerged with me to create Fatemon," Destiny stated calmly, continuing as if she did not hear anyone. "Poetic, isn't it? Destiny and Fate? That mega form was extremely powerful."

"So what was the rookie stage?" asked Rika, getting sidetracked from the whole prophecy idea by her growing curiosity.

"Ever wonder," the dark haired girl repeated, "what else? Your friend Impmon can reach the mega stage all by himself because of a deal with Chatsuramon that gave him power and corrupted his heart. Beelzemon was born of rage and hate. His more recent form, Blast mode, has lost much of that corruption. But haven't you ever asked yourself what else? A shape created by friendship instead of darkness within." She looked at the stunned tamers and digimon as they considered what she was saying. "What if Impmon Biomerged?"

"Leave him alone," Ai shouted beside her partner.

"We weren't bothering you," added Mako. He held the D-arc tightly in his hand. Ai grabbed hold of it as well. "So go away."

Impmon, knowing he was the only one to protect his tamers, growled, "You will never hurt them. I won't let you."

As MetalEtemon began to laugh at them, a strange feeling flooded the rookie. It reminded him vaguely of when he digivolved to Beelzemon, but it felt purer and even more strengthening. A large amount of energy filled him. It was as if someone switched on the juice and he was completely charged. His shape shifted and grew. The entire thing seemed so similar to becoming Beelzemon, but the shape was somehow different this time. Whatever was happening, it had to be good.

Then he heard it.

"What happened?"

"Impmon?"

Ai and Mako's voices. Not coming from any outside source, but from within him. This was going to be interesting.

Chapter Text

"Whoa, back up," Terriermon raised his hand in a gesture of stop, "Are you implying Impmon can turn into something else? As if his head wasn't big enough already. When he finds this out, he'll hold it over us for months."

"Okay, look," Rika ordered the dark-haired girl, "you keep switching subjects on us. Guilmon asks about your partner, but you talk about various forms digimon can take. Then you mention that Fatemon is the Biomerged shape of your digimon. But you start spouting nonsense about corruption, Impmon, and him Biomerging. Can you answer something instead of creating more confusion?"

"It's connected," Destiny explained, her features holding her nearly permanent expression of calm and serenity. "If not directly so. Prophecies and such knowledge are never clear-cut and precise. It can't be or else it is too limiting. Hints and clues are all that is allowed. This way, no one solution is the only one possible to succeed. Various actions can have the same results of fulfilling a prophecy. In this way, what I have told you so far can be used in answering you variety of questions. See what you can understand."

The tamers and digimon were surprised at the girl's instructions, but proceeded to consider her words. Even if the different topics she had described varied greatly, she claimed they were connected to many questions. All they had to do was make the connections. Henry looked at Destiny carefully.

"May we ask questions?"

"You may, but I can not promise to answer them directly. Too much knowledge is a dangerous thing. Even I may now know all at once, but only what is required of me for my current duty."

The boy nodded, adding her words to what he had already learned. "You mentioned you Biomerged with your partner to create Fatemon. And you mentioned Impmon had the potential to Biomerge." Henry paused, not sure if this was the correct way to gain the information he sought, but seeing no other. "Is one of his possible mega forms… Fatemon?"

A smile met his words, "That is the right question."

MetalEtemon was no longer facing a rookie and two small children. Instead a single entity stood in their place. In basic outline and shape, it strongly resembled his earlier appearance of Beelzemon. He was tall and thin, possessing three green eyes of an emerald shade and huge black wings that stretched out behind him. Long, pointed fingers and long, thin arms were more similar features. But what covered those fingers started the differences. Light silver, metal gauntlets were on his impossibly thin hands. Replacing his biker's helmet was a medieval helm of a similar material to the gauntlets. It covered his face to the same extent as the helmet while still allowing his eyes to see. Instead of his leather jacket, a breastplate, such as a man-at-arms would wear, protected his chest. His guns were gone. Strapped to his side was a long sword with a jewel mounted into the hilt that was as black as his midnight wings. In between his new armor and weaponry, black leather still appeared. To finish the image, his red bandana was tied to his arm, just as it was when he was Beelzemon.

But he wasn't Beelzemon. He looked like him, medieval style, but this was a new form. And the tired rookie's strength was augmented by the addition of twin four year olds. He had energy to spare now. If he could use it properly.

Deep within his mind, a sphere held the conciousness of both Ai and Mako. Neither knew what was happening and their partner only had a slightly better idea. But from what he understood of the whole Biomerging process, controlling the body would be a team effort.

As his tamers called out to him, he answered as simply as he could. "It's alright. We just did the weird combining thing the older kids do with their digimon all the time. Now, this is going to be tricky. In order to make this work, we have to think alike. Can you do that?" he asked, not completely believing it would be possible for three minds to work together well enough to control one body.

"Sure Impmon," Ai told him, "but what are we?"

Somehow, by the same instinct that told a digimon how to use their attack for the first time, he found the answer, "Fatemon. Our name is Fatemon."

"So if Fatemon is Impmon's Biomerged form," began Takato, "Does that mean… your partner… is another Impmon?"

"Oh man," groaned Terriermon, "Not another one. Does yours go around in the same creepy get-up as you?"

"Terriermon," Henry warned his partner, upset with how rude he was being.

Destiny, her calm face appearing slightly strained, whispered, "They were his idea."

"So how exactly did you get us this spare time?" Destiny asked suspiciously as she stitched.

"I was sort of vague on my directions," her partner admitted mischievously. His eyes danced as he thought of all the trouble he had caused. "Poor guy ended up heading the long way."

The girl laughed, "You're terrible."

"Hey, there was no time constraint on this prophecy, only…" Her memory faded as the conversation dealt directly with a past prophecy. She fought her way back to the event. "… and he'll get there eventually. Are you done sewing yet?"

Holding up the dark fabric, she answered, "Almost, Fate. I just had to add a wire to the hood to keep its shape. Your head isn't designed for cloaks and hoods after all."

Rolling his eyes, the digimon commented, "You know I hate it when you call me that. It sounds so pompous and formal. It makes me sound like some old guy up on a mountain dispensing wisdom to any dorks dumb enough to climb up. I'm not super creepy mumbo-jumbo mystic dude."

"This coming from the one who said we should wear cloaks? Besides I hate you calling me 'Dee.' When you stop calling me that, maybe I'll stop calling you 'Fate.' Until then, you're stuck with the entire mysterious being package: cloaks, weird name, cool powers, and everything. You don't get out of the dorky parts."

The purple rookie sneered, "You're just jealous I'll look good in a cloak and you'll look like some loser who plays role playing games in their basement."

"And at least my head doesn't make the hood sag weird ways," she shot back, tossing him the piece of clothing. "Try it on."

Hr partner pulled on the dark fabric. When he pulled up the hood, all his features were hidden by shadow and the wire that she had sewn in made his head appear smooth. He looked mysterious and wise all right. He actually looked like someone who would go delivering prophecies. Of course, she couldn't tell him that.

"You look like a midget monk," she teased.

"Hey, who you calling a midget?" he asked, glaring up at the human. She raised an eyebrow and he admitted, "Okay, I'm shorter than you right now, but as Fatemon I'm way taller than you. So there."

"But you need to combine with me to become Fatemon. So you're the same height as me then," she argued.

"Whatever," the digimon grinned. "The point is, I look good in this. It just feels odd to be wearing something that isn't a part of me."

"It's not like your gloves or bandana," she explained, "It's not made from your data. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to sew it for you. But you are right," she admitted, "It looks very… fitting."

"Thanks Dee," he smiled evilly, watching her shake her head, frustrated at the continued use of her nickname.

"You're welcome," she replied, with a hint of mischief of her own, "Fate."

She shook her head slightly, banishing the memory. "But that is beside the point. I am here to prepare you for what you are to face. Your new enemy is not as new as you would believe, though you may not recognize it in its new form."

Renamon's eyes narrowed, "An old enemy returned anew. Who uses mindless drones…" Her eyes widened in recognition. "Not… but it was destroyed."

"Who?" asked a confused Takato.

"I know," whispered Jeri, stepping into the room with Leomon. Her eyes were still wet from their reunion and her hand was held gently in her resurrected partner's. Though she should still be happy about her digimon's returned, she now had a haunted expression on her pale face. "It's back. I should have known I could never escape it." The look she gave them was so hopeless. "The D-reaper."

Apparently, he had greatly underestimated his tamers. He had never considered how twins always seemed to have an unnatural understanding of each other's minds. Ai and Mako synchronized with each other perfectly. After a moment, their digimon was able to connect with them as well.

"I don't care what you look like," MetalEtemon shouted, "I'll still win. Metal Punch!"

As the metallic monkey leapt at the new mega, Fatemon spread his dark wings and shot upwards. The twins cheered, enjoying the new sensation of flight. As the silver digimon glanced at his missed target, Fatemon held out both hands. In one, a ball of pure white light gathered. In the other, a sphere of equal size formed, made of pure darkness. Grasping both sphere, Fatemon gave a familiar evil grin.

"Balanced Reality!" he announced, throwing the two shapes at his fellow mega.

MetalEtemon responded with a cry of shock and pain as the attack connected. The two spheres had exploded on contact, radiating a bright glow and a deep darkness. The rock star ape was knocked out of his perch. Falling to the ground with a crash, the digimon let out a groan. As he climbed slowly to his feet, he studied his changed opponent. Fatemon did not look like a fallen angel or a member of a biker gang. But neither did he look like a white knight in shining armor. He may have armor, but he wasn't the image of nobility. What he looked like was both an avenger and a guardian. He was a warrior. And he was after a certain MetalEtemon.

"Come on," the shiny metal digimon growled, "I'm not done yet. One new trick isn't going to stop the king."

Fatemon rolled his eyes, "You are not a king. You're just a sad little organ-grinder monkey who desperately needs to get in touch with reality."

"And a big meanie," added Ai.

Reaching to his side, Fatemon drew his sword. Raising the weapon above his head, the armored mega looked down at his attacker.

"Blade of Destiny!" he shouted, swinging the sword downwards as it began to glow along its length.

The weapon hit MetalEtemon dead on. He was sent tumbling back into the forest out of sight. The twins began cheering more, but their partner fixed his green eyes on his surroundings. The other mega wasn't gone yet.

"No way," Terriermon yelled, "We destroyed it. I went all Spinning Top of Doom on that thing and Henry's dad said it was toast. How can it be back?"

"Your actions did not directly destroy it;" Destiny reminded them calmly, "Mr. Wong merely said the D-reaper would be devolved to a program no more complex than a simple calculator. At that level of complexity, it was easily destroyed by any being that encountered it. But remember," the dark-haired girl gave the various tamers and digimon a steady look, "as simple and straightforward as the D-reaper may have seen, it did have a limited amount of self-awareness. Did you never wonder what happens to the awareness of digimon who are not trapped within another, like Leomon, nor becomes a digi-egg to return?"

The silence that followed these questions was all the answer she needed. Takato raised his hand awkwardly, as if he was in class.

"I just thought they turned into digi-eggs. I guess I never considered what happened if they couldn't or didn't."

"You know the trash file on a computer? How, even if you delete a file, you can still find it there if you know how? If a digimon's data is too scattered or, even rarer, their very data is destroyed, and their awareness, memories, and personality end up in a dark tiny space. It's like a private, unconnected level of the digital world that is nearly inaccessible. That is where the D-reaper now resides. But it is no longer devolved and is trying to fulfill its programming. It sought out the others in the dark dimension, absorbing them as it used to with living digimon and humans. But it found one with knowledge of the prophecy, because some prophecies are known by more than just me, and realized you are threats to its mission still. As it gained strength, it found a way to return physical bodies to those in the dark dimension and open passages to both the human and digital worlds."

"So the different digimon that came after us," Henry reasoned, "were those who were dead. But the D-reaper revived them as its tools and sent them after us."

"With most of them mindless," Rika continued, "but it gives a few control and their own personalities, like Kiwimon and Manipumon. That creepy spider said she ordered them around for her 'master.' So the D-reaper has those losers boss around the drones while it gives orders to the losers. But why doesn't the D-reaper just cross over directly instead of sending the troops of the undead."

Destiny sighed, "The amount of energy that would be needed for it too cross is vast. It is more efficient and logical to make use of drones that require less energy to send across, as long as they can accomplish the goal of destroying you. Eventually, it will try to regain a physical form for itself and return to its mission of deleting anything that has evolved beyond its parameters. Specifically, digimon and humans."

"Wait a second," Takato wondered slowly, "The D-reaper was really logical and all. And it does understand about emotions somewhat." He didn't look at Jeri as he said this, but they could remember how it had fed off her negative emotions. She still felt somewhat guilty about being used like that, but she had been getting over it. Hopefully, the return of Leomon would keep her from regaining that guilt. "But it would never have thought of using one of our friends against us like how it had Manipumon use Beelzemon. If this is the D-reaper, then why is it using such… subtle strategies?"

"Remember how I spoke of it absorbing other's consciousness in the darkness? Some were… strong enough to influence the D-reaper. One especially began to affect it. His hatred and anger was the perfect fuel for the D-reaper and it was smart enough to see new strategies. While it is still mostly the D-reaper's thoughts and decisions, the dark personality can influence it," the mysterious dark-haired girl explained. "And that personality has a deep hatred for you buried within, so likely they would have tried to destroy you ever without the prophecy."

"But who would hate us that much? Who do we know with that much rage, anger, and general evil intent towards us?" the goggle-wearing boy asked. "I mean, we stopped a lot of digimon and turned them into data, but how will we know which one ended up being completely destroyed?"

Destiny looked at the confused boy calmly, "Who have you faced that had just pure malice and blood-thirstiness? He destroyed and caused pain for no reason but to seek power. Consider, of all the opponents, who was the most corrupted digimon you ever encountered and caused you the most suffering." Her eyes turned towards one of them, trying to give a hint.

Renamon, whose blue eyes followed the girl's gaze, whispered, "No. How can that be? It's impossible for it to be him."

"Who?" questioned the curious Guilmon.

"It isn't all of him," Destiny reassured, "Just the dark, deep fury and violence used to corrupt him when the power he sought was given to him." She shook her head sadly, though her expression remained serene. "If only the fool knew what would come of twisting that poor digimon's heart and mind. He lost that darkness when he gave up that power to the Chrysalimon who attacked him. But they in turn were destroyed in the chaos of all the destruction caused by the D-reaper. So that tiny piece of his awareness found its way into the darkness along with the D-reaper."

Terriermon gave a grunt of frustration, "Can you just come out and say it? Who are you talking about?"

"Metal Punch!"

The attack came not from the front or from behind, but rather his side. The metallic monkey hit Fatemon's shoulder hard, causing his grip on the sword to release and the twins to shout in pain and surprise. They weren't as used to combat and the fact MetalEtemon had just hurt them, regardless of the fact it was not an unbearable blow and the other tamers had suffered worse in battle, infuriated their partner. But now he was weapon-less.

Or was he? As he flapped his wings to gain altitude, he felt something he hadn't since his fight against the D-reaper. He didn't know if it was because of his recent death and revival or because of him combining with Mako, but he could recognize it.

"Hey Mako," the digimon asked, "Do you remember your favorite toy gun you gave me? To shoot the bad guys, you said."

"Yes," the boy acknowledged, "Why?"

As the young child thought of the gift, the sensation increased. His entire right arm tingled. Fatemon gave a soft chuckle as the silver mega stared. The shape from his elbow to fingertips shifted to a different form. What resulted was a black, dangerous-looking weapon that seemed at odds with the armor of Fatemon. But it did seem appropriate for Beelzemon Blast mode and his black leather get-up.

"Hey MetalEtemon," called Fatemon, "Let's see if we can make you into a flying monkey. Corona Destroyer!"

"No!" the musical mega screamed as the weapon's blast hit him full on, dissolving the digital creature to data. Fatemon looked at his huge gun smugly.

"MetalEtemon has left the building," he muttered.

"I already gave you that answer," Destiny informed the rabbit digimon, "Remember? A being born of rage and hate. Because of a deal for power."

Henry, who had been carefully considering everything that had been said or implied, felt the pieces fall into place. His gave drifted towards Jeri, just as Destiny's and Renamon's had. She and Leomon was the perfect example of the suffering he had caused.

The girl, still holding onto her leonine partner's hand, whispered the name none felt they could.

"Beelzemon."

Chapter Text

"Okay, let's recap the insanity of our lives so far," Rika growled irritably. "We get dragged out of bed by her." She pointed at Destiny. "We're dragged all over the digital world blindly as we're attacked by mindless drones ordered around by red-eye freaks who are ordered around by what turns out to be an undead version of the D-reaper combined with the crazed bloodthirstiness of Beelzemon from when he tried to kill us, which apparently was separated from the usual annoying pest we know. So now the new, improved psycho D-reaper is reaching out from beyond the digital grave to take us out both because of a stupid prophecy and because that piece of Beelzemon's personality still has a vendetta against us. Add to the mix a couple of resurrections, a cryptic cloak-wearing prophetess, and three of our friends missing. Did I miss anything?"

"You forgot about Impmon apparently being able to Biomerge," Terriermon pointed out nervously. Rika's expression did not promise much patience. "But yeah, that's most of the craziness."

"Anything else you need to tell us?" the girl questioned Destiny, agitation a clear warning that any more bad news could be met with violence.

The dark-haired girl nodded, "I could inform you of what has transpired in the human world. Unless you prefer to receive no more information that may possibly complicate your lives further." For a second, she seemed to have a small grin of wicked humor. But it vanished as quickly as it appeared, replaced by her look of peaceful indifference. "It is your decision."

Henry, taking a step forward, inquired, "Do you know anything about my sister, Suzie? Is she alright?"

"Your sister is growing up," she informed him, "She is beginning to become more independent and accepting responsibility." The boy stared in shock at her words. "She has not completely changed yet, but she hopes you will be proud on your return. Other changes have occurred in your absence. There is a new tamer in the human world."

"Anyone we know?" questioned Takato.

They knew she had a smirk now. It was rather funny to see that exact expression on a human face, because it was identical to the one Impmon always used. But it did seem she had an Impmon for a partner, so some things appeared to rub off in time.

Destiny informed the group, "I believe you are quite familiar with both members of the partnership. The digimon half consists of Calumon. His human partner… is Mr. Yamaki."

A stunned silence broke out in hysterical laughter. Even reserve Renamon and Leomon, who did not know the man the best, gave a few chuckles. No one in their right mind would have ever imagined those two together. Even ignoring the fact Yamaki was an adult; he just did not possess the right personality to deal with the tiny white digimon. Destiny once again schooled he face into calmness.

"Sadly, not all news is good," she told them, sobering the mood instantly. "Though none of the prophesied group in the human world has been killed, one was hurt in their most recent battle. One of the drones sent there was Meramon and it succeeded in badly burning Kazu's arm."

"Will he be alright?" a concerned Takato asked. Kazu and Kenta had been his friends even before this whole tamer business began.

"He will be fine. The burns will heal in time. And Meramon has already departed the human world, so he can cause no more harm."

"If Meramon was the drone," wondered Jeri, "then the puppet-master of it…"

"Still remains in the human world," Destiny confirmed, "for now. But it is laying low for the time being."

Terriermon let out a dramatic groan, "Can't anything go right? What is it with the bad guys getting all the breaks? Doesn't having a prophecy mean the good guys will win and everything is supposed to go our way?"

Something about the rabbits complaining about prophecies broke through the calm of the dark-haired prophetess. The air of serenity was shattered as the girl glared at him. Her dark blue eyes stared without blinking, filled with a deep sense of anger and maybe even hurt. The digimon shivered. The gaze felt like she could stare all the way into his soul. It was kind of creepy, but other than the all too knowing eyes, the strength of her emotions rather humanized her. Her earlier calm and knowledge had made her too distant. But considering her anger was apparently aimed at him, maybe some distance would be best.

"Why is it that everyone assumes that anything to do with prophecies is going to be easy and pleasant?" she snapped, the harshness of her voice startling her listeners. "You think that having something foretold means it will be good for everyone and happy endings without any effort. So of course, I must have the easiest and best job of all, with all that 'knowledge' of prophecies and such. Please. Life is never that simple and easy. Prophecies have no guarantees and what they predict is not always good."

Terriermon was visibly cringing. Rika's rants, while scary in their own way, were quick and easy to follow. Destiny's was confusing. He couldn't tell who or what she was mad at anymore. At first she seemed angry with him, but now…

"And all that 'knowledge' is a joke," she laughed harshly, her eyes going downward. "All I know is what I need to for a specific prophecy. After I'm done with one, the prophecy, the extra knowledge to do with it, and a big chunk of my memories are sucked out of my head. I can't even tell the passage of time because I can't even remember enough. But I keep at it. I make sure everything is in balance. I make sure all of the prophecy happens as is should: the good and the bad." Her voice came low, barely above a whisper. "And I deal with the consequences. The good… and the bad."

Silence filled the moment, no one daring to speak. The dark-haired girl finally looked up at the uneasy expressions. After a deep breath, she quickly regained her calm façade. But they could still see a torrent of frustration and obvious suffering below the surface she tried to hide.

"Forgive my outburst. Night is not far off. What if I show you to some rooms you may have for the evening? In the morning, I can assist you in rejoining the rest of your group. While I would not be able to take you to their location, I can narrow your search. But it would be best to begin in the morning."

"…Okay," Takato slowly answered, unsure how to answer the girl. She seemed just as relaxed as before, but she still was hiding he true source of her anger and hurt. "That would be great."

All the energy the twins had contributed returned to them as Fatemon became Impmon, Ai, and Mako once more. This left the purple digimon as tired as before. He gave a yawn as his two tamers chattered about how big and tough they had been, how their digimon was the best ever, and if the other tamers would be impressed.

Ai, an odd look on her face, slowly asked unexpectedly, "Impmon, when they disappear like that… Does that mean MetalEtemon is dead and won't come back?"

"Course," he yawned again, "We toasted him. That monkey won't bug us again."

Mako stopped gloating over the victory to consider the implications of what their partner just told them, "You mean, when digimon disappear like that…"

Impmon realized suddenly how much he really needed to sleep if he was letting things like that slip. They had seen him get killed, but the twins hadn't understood at the time. However, they were bright kids and it was only a matter of time before they made the connection between his disappearing act and the other losers vanishing. Normally, Impmon would have been able to work this out ahead of Ai and Mako and avoid giving the young tamers more to worry about, but this time he had messed up. Now they had a reason to believe he wasn't invincible.

"Hey, don't worry about it," he tried to distract the pair from that train of thought. "The fact is the bad guys are gone and we're alright. Now, do you two think…" he struggled to keep talking as he gave another deep yawn, "… the whole Biomerging thing was cool or do you rather watch me pound guys as Beelzemon?"

This sparked them off into another round of cheering and complimenting the awesomeness of their partner, the more serious topic apparently forgotten in favor of short battle re-enactments. Impmon kept herding the excited twins onward while keeping an eye out for more threats. The young tamers were too enthusiastic and enchanted by the idea that they could turn into a digimon with Impmon to care they were lost and separated from the older kids. As long as he could keep the pair from worrying, the better in their digimon's opinion.

But his distraction wasn't as successful as he had hoped. Ai kept her thoughts and suspicions in the back of her mind. Mako too was beginning to understand. Impmon was tough, strong, and would always be there for them, as far as they were concerned. He would never let anything bad happen to his friends. However, the girl wondered carefully if something could happen to Impmon, something really bad. It looked like when he had disappeared, he was almost gone forever. It was a terrifying thought that she could only face because he was back again. What if it happened again? What if a big, bad digimon tried to hurt him again and he vanished, for good? She tried to ignore this thought, but it kept floating around the back of her mind.

Eventually, with the young tamers just beginning to complain about how their feet were hurting, Impmon lead them into a slight clearing. A tall, log wall formed a circle around the clearing. On top of the wall a pair of heads, yellow with a red flower-petal-like hat or helmet on top, were just visible. Seeing as how a wall like this could offer protection and remembering Seadramon's words of not mistrusting everyone, Impmon decided to use his excellent people skills to gain these strangers' trust and hospitality.

Or he could always use plan B and insult them. Less effective perhaps, but far more fun.

"Hello," he called up, "Is there anything on the other side of his thing or are you weeds defending a random field? Cause this miserable excuse for defense is sadly the most civilized thing I've seen all day. Do you fight off attackers or just toss flowers at them until they go all mushy and lovey-dovey?"

His display of tact earned a giggle from the twins and the plant-like digimon's attention. Now, at least seven heads were peering down at him. Surprisingly, none of them looked particularly annoyed or angry with him. They just looked shocked.

"How did you get here on your own?" a sweet voice asked him. "The surrounding forest near here is dangerous. Not far away lives a cruel brute called MetalEtemon…"

"Not anymore," Mako piped up, his young face excited to relate the events of the day. "Impmon is so awesome and got really tall. We helped too. And we wacked the big meanie with a sword and then blasted him with a gun. So now MetalEtemon is gone."

He digimon stared at the trio in bewilderment. Impmon was sorely tempted to make another snide remark just to get a reaction, but he didn't have to. The flowery digimon began cheering spontaneously and a gate opened before the travelers.

One of the digimon came out to them and happily greeted, "Welcome to the Floramon Village. Do you know how long we've hidden from the dangerous digimon that surround us? A vast section of the forest was too dangerous for us because of him. Of course, he is not the only threat, but he was a large one. Thank you, oh great hero, for defeating MetalEtemon."

"Great, terrific, happy to help. Now could you stop all that racket!" shouted Impmon, getting a headache from all the shouting. As the celebration slowly quieted, he inquired, "Look, we're searching for a group of morons. Seen any humans with digimon running around?" Pointing at Ai and Mako, he explained, "They would look a little like these two, only bigger. And more annoyingly. Most of the time."

Shaking her head, the Floramon closest to him gently took his red gloved hand in her own purple flower one. "We have seen no one in much time. Even our sister village of Palmons have not made contact with us in weeks. The way is too dangerous. Even without MetalEtemon, it is a hazardous path. We have not seen your friends. But come now. We have much to celebrate this day." She then proceeded to drag the purple digimon inside the wooden walls to the village as Ai and Mako followed.

Soon. The new tool, the perfect tool, will be complete. It considered an ideal shape. Use the best of all tools combined into creation. Heads, arms, and faces. Using multiple tools into one large tool logical. Using best features also logical. Best features will make the best tool.

Eyes. Eyes are important. Prophecised group knows that weakness. How to overcome that? Disguise. Decoy. Like it had with Jeri to enter the human world in the past.

A soft whisper, one of the absorbed tools, spoke to it. "Destroy all humans and their digimon." Yes. It will. All programs that evolve beyond set parameters must be deleted. Humans and digimon. They soft voice suggested one specific target. "Traitor," he hissed. It did not care about traitors. Just a word. But the voice's target was logical. As soon as the tool was complete, it would send it after the target, just as suggested. Just as the strange awareness suggested.

She stared out across the wasteland, ashamed. She shouldn't have lost control like that. Why did she let Terriermon's words get to her? Destiny shook her head slightly. She knew why. She was getting too close, despite her efforts to remain aloof. It was just too similar. Especially what happened to their friend, Impmon.

Destiny had known that early in their journey a digimon would be lost for a time, just as she had known a return of one long gone would come to pass. When she compared the prophecy with the tamers' and digimon's history and backgrounds, she had discovered that she would have to let another Impmon die. That was the only way to return Leomon, but it had hurt her to think about it.

Happily, the prophecy also required him to return as well. Destiny had been so surprised by how much it hurt to see that face. So much like her own partner's. When he opened his eyes, she had felt her heart break as the illusion of her friend Fate was shattered. Impmon, their Impmon, held not a hint of recognition for her. But why should he? That was their first meeting.

And his eyes were so different than Fate's. While both held the same mischiviousness, the same fun-loving nature, and even that nearly hidden at times protectiveness, he possessed a slight look of guilt her partner never had. Impmon was haunted by his past while Fate could never remember his. Another, more obvious difference was while Impmon had emerald green eyes, her digimon's was more of a softer, sea green shade.

But the similarities were still great. He was so much like Fate. Between that and the long awaited reunion of Jeri and Leomon, her mind was occupied with very distracting thoughts. No wonder she lost her cool with that rabbit. Everything reminded her of… her friend. She missed him and wished she could see him again. And these people receive back not one, but two members they thought they would never see again and all Terriermon can do is complain.

Destiny sighed, watching the sky quickly darkened. Above, she could still see the human world suspended like a moon. How simple it would be to just another human there, oblivious to all that was happening in a different world, let alone other times and dimensions. Still, she couldn't change who and what she was.

Closing her eyes, she pulled her hood back into place. She was Destiny. She was the balancer of realities and fulfiller of prophecies. She would always fulfill her duty. Even this one. Regardless of how it made her feel. There was no point in becoming close to them. She wouldn't remember them really anyway. All she had to do was make sure everything worked out. Even if it meant another would soon die. It was their destiny and she would accept this.

Chapter Text

For a bunch of weeds trapped in their village, they could sure throw a feast. Most of the food seemed to be in the fruit and vegetable group, but these Floramon apparently like baking too. Impmon and his tamers stuffed their faces with warm bread and muffins. No one ever felt hungry in the digital world, but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy food when they had the chance.

As night fell, the "great hero" began forcing his bleary-eyed friends away from the food and festivities and towards the beds the flowery digimon had offered them. Ai and Mako tried to resist slightly, mostly on principle.

"But Impmon, I'm not finished yet," Mako quietly whined.

"It's late and you've been walking and helping me crush digimon all day. You two need to sleep. Besides, you keep eating like this and you'll be no better than that pineapple-head, Guilmon," Impmon reasoned. "Now, get in bed." He let out a small groan. "I sound like I'm your mother. Just shut your eyes before I gag on all my… maternal instinct."

The pair of tired children climbed under their blankets and immediately were out cold. Chuckling lightly at the cute picture they made, their partner climbed into his own bed. Maybe tonight he could get some rest.

Destiny's seclusion was interrupted by two sets of footsteps. One was small and light while the second was heavier but still smooth. Hidden in her cloak, she turned to greet her company.

"Jeri. Leomon. I thought you would be inside resting," she calmly acknowledged their presence. She waited as the two partners sat down beside her. "What brings you out here?"

"Curiosity," the girl admitted, smoothing her green dress. "About your reaction earlier and some of your secrets."

"Secrets?"

Leomon, in his smooth deep voice, informed the hooded shape, "We know you have not revealed everything to us. Nor do we expect you to. But we are wondering about a few facts."

Tilting her enshrouded head, Destiny agreed, "I have not unveiled all yet, but I did tell you much. What specific secrets are you seeking now?"

"Your partner," answered Renamon, appearing beside them. Rika calmly walked out of the ruin and leaned against the side. She tried to look bored, but her eyes flickered at the prophetess in an animated fashion. "We've not seen him and you have avoided the subject oddly. What are you concealing?"

"It doesn't concern you," she whispered softly. Jeri looked at the girl curiously. No one could see her face in the shadowed hood, but that didn't stop Jeri from trying. Something seemed so familiar to her. Not her exactly, but something about her... voice? Her tone? Her body language? Something was reminding her of Jeri's own past. "It has little to do with this prophecy. You should concern yourself with more important matters."

"But we want to know," added Takato as he, Henry, Guilmon, and Terriermon joined the discussion. Destiny's solitude was truly gone. "I mean, is it just one big coincidence that you have an Impmon and so does Ai and Mako? And you've been so evasive about him. Is he off somewhere, working on another part of the prophecy?"

"It doesn't matter. You shouldn't bother trying to get to know anything about me anyway. When this is over, you'll never see me again and I'll barely remember you at all."

Jeri suddenly understood. Everything fell into place with a crash and how familiar it seemed suddenly made sense to her. She stood up and gave the cloaked figure a hug. The various tamers and digimon were completely stunned by her actions. Jeri was a caring person but the act was so random. The girl pulled down Destiny's hood to reveal a tear-stained face. How she had been answering the questions without giving away that she crying was a mystery.

"He's gone, isn't he?" Jeri whispered to the dark-haired girl. "That's why you've been avoiding the topic. Your partner is…"

Destiny nodded, "For some time now. The stupid jerk… Just had to be a hero."

She had never really talked about it. What would have been the point? She didn't want to be close to anyone else. There wasn't any real reason to try and connect with those she wouldn't remember. But Jeri knew the pain the girl was feeling. And the others looked so sympathetic. Even Terriermon had his mouth shut for once. It just seemed so right to talk to them. Destiny couldn't explain it, but she wanted to tell them about Fate. She closed her deep blue eyes for a moment and then began to describe her hazy memory of that day…

She couldn't remember why. Why was it necessary? She knew another would have died. Another would have been sacrificed for the greater good. She couldn't remember who, where, or when. There had been a prophecy. A vague one, she thought, that had mentioned a death. Both she and Fate had thought it meant… someone else. Someone… she couldn't remember. But that was the gift and curse of prophecies. They were vague so that reality could be balanced multiple ways. The vaguer, the more possible answers were available.

The death was because of… something. Something important. A past crime? Maybe redemption? It was hard to focus because it was so close to the prophecy. But she had to remember what she could. She couldn't forget him.

He chose this. Neither felt… whoever it was… deserved to suffer this fate. So Fate changed it. He could and did fit the prophecy. She didn't realize what her friend had in mind until it was too late. He chose to let these prophesied… some ones… be happy, together, and safe for a little longer. He chose to be the death and for her to be left alone.

So hard to focus, but she had to remember what she could. No matter how buried in a forgetful fog of her mind. No matter how much it hurts.

"Why, you stupid dork?" she cried, "You've seen prophecies lead to death before. Why swoop in and save the day now?"

Fate, her only friend and companion, was vanishing before her eyes. He grinned, his usual mischievous expression more sober and serious, "Come on, you saw them. They are so happy together. And they barely have had any time together yet. It's not right to separate them yet. The prophecy is fulfilled, whether it's…" someone she couldn't remember… "or me."

"Forget the stinking prophecy," she screamed in frustration. "All this prophecy nonsense has gotten us is isolation, messed-up memories, and headaches to deal with. Why can't we just live our own lives and let them handle things themselves. I should just quit all this. What's the point?!"

"You don't mean that," he whispered, nearly gone. "You care what happens and you always have to make a difference. I'm the one who would have quit, just to be my annoying self. You always felt the responsibility and duty. It was only a matter of time before I did too." He gave a grin, "Look like I saved the day. Guess that's how all those losers we boss around feel. You're my best friend, Destiny."

"You too, Impmon," she whispered back, tears rolling down her face as he disappeared for good. All alone, she stared at the now vacated spot. Forever alone. That was her future. "Please come back," she begged softly, her voice barely a croak, "Don't leave me alone."

Did, whoever her friend saved, know? Did they know what they had been spared? Did they and their friends realize what loss and heartache they had barely avoided suffering? Did they know others were taking their place? She couldn't remember and she didn't know. All she knew was another prophecy was fulfilled and reality was balanced. And she was alone. No Fate.

She felt it. A new prophecy was entering her mind. The old knowledge was brushed aside thing by them as she was given a new task. She would forget any directly related to the finished prophecy. But her friend's death, if not all the details, would remain. But she didn't want to do this anymore. She wanted to tell them she was done; that she wasn't going to do this anymore. She would just watch as both worlds did whatever they wished and reality spun out of control. No more. There was nothing they could do to make her. She had nothing left to lose. Forget responsibility and duty.

The new prophecy filled her head. This one was different than the rest. It was… for her. She concentrated on it. As she gained the new knowledge, she recited it aloud to make sure of her understanding.

"What once was lost, can yet be found. Nothing is ever gone forever. Destiny and Fate: intertwined and connected. When the task is done and duty fulfilled, and everything is balanced, a reward shall be given. Friends reunite and pain shall be eased. And allies shall be free."

She had spent so much time interpreting prophecies for others; she could easily translate the most likely meaning. If she continued to do her duty and maintain the balance, when she finished someday all that they asked, she would see Fate again. She would get to have her friend back, but only if she fulfilled her responsibility. She bowed her head.

"Very well," she agreed, her face still red from crying, "I will complete my task. I am ready for the next one."

She felt them shift her through time. Though she could travel between the two worlds without assistance, time and realities were handled by them. They would bring her to where they needed her to be.

And prophecy after prophecy was completed. How many, she never knew. They flew in to her head quickly and then vanished when fulfilled. But one remained with her. Her own. It gave her hope and so she continued. Calm and mysterious on the outside, lonely on the inside. But how do you connect with people you will forget? With people who may be dead of old age during the next prophecy, or not yet born, or never even existed in the different reality. It was pointless to try and make friends with them. And she no longer had someone who understood this. All she had was her duty. Her duty and a tiny glimmer of hope.

Silence meet her narration. Various eyes of a rainbow of shades stared at the girl. The mysterious aura that had made her seem so distant had evaporated. The dark mysterious cloak figure had been transformed into just a lonely girl, isolated from everyone because of her duty.

But unlike Jeri, who had slipped into a depression and hopelessness, and sought to escape the pain by rejecting her emotions, Destiny had to cling to the painful memories desperately so she wouldn't lose all she had left of the partner. She didn't try to give up her feelings, but she did try to control them. Hence, her calm mask she maintained at all times.

She may have been alone for an indeterminable amount of time, but she had finally let someone in. Destiny was allowing herself to connect to the tamers and digimon there. And she felt better.

The D-reaper was all over the city. Impmon was surprised to find himself sitting in the weird bubble Jeri had been trapped in. Outside, he could see himself as Beelzemon pounding the surface in frustration. If Impmon was any judge, it was after his failed attempt to convince Jeri to take his hand (who was strangely missing from her sphere prison). Wondering what in the world was going on, Impmon leaned on the surface to look out.

His friends shouted warning to his Beelzemon version to watch out. As was the case when it really happened, the weird D-reaper things that had been chasing Gallantmon around struck the black mega in the back. Impmon flinched in memory of that horrible pain. He'd almost got killed then. As he watched himself fall downwards, losing data as he went, a harsh voice spoke out behind him.

"Pathetic. Truly pathetic, isn't it? Trailing after humans like one of those digi-slaves."

Impmon spun around. Behind him sat… him. Only creepy. This one was black as coal. His eyes were ruby red and cruel. His gloves and bandana were still red, but a darker red like dried blood. Finally, instead of a fanged evil smiley face on his stomach, there was nothing.

The purple Impmon sneered, "Who are you supposed to be? One of my many devoted fans?"

The black digimon answered back in a heartless voice, "I'm you, stupid. I'm the part of you that you're trying to forget about. You tried to get rid of me when you apparently felt bad about killing one little digimon. All of a sudden, you're dragging your sorry self back to those brats and bashing yourself against this D-reaper joker to save a human!" As the dark rookie said this, he gestured at the sphere they were sitting in.

Impmon glared his emerald eyes at his scary doppelganger, "Back off. Ai and Mako aren't brats and I had to save Jeri. I don't know who you are, but go away. I don't need a weird Impmon wannabe bugging me."

"I'm your dark side, your better side. And you can't escape from me." His eyes were evil and bloodthirsty. With a horrible shock, Impmon realized that the creep's gaze was identical to himself as Beelzemon when he went on his crazed rampage. "Someday, you'll tire of this charade of being a good little digi-slave. And we'll fulfill our destiny together. Data will fly from digimon and blood will paint the city streets."

The scene shifted. Impmon stood in the desolate city like from his earlier dream. Broken bodies and destruction greeted him. A broken window held his reflection, but as he looked more closely, he saw it was his red-eyed version. The evil clone's grin was cruel and revealed that his fangs were longer than Impmon's own. The dark reflection seemed to be surveying the chaos with an air of pride.

"This is more like it. Show these stupid humans and digimon what true power is. See, this is what you could have been doing instead of baby-sitting those ungrateful brats."

"It's not real. It's another variation of the late Tapirmon's manufactured nightmare," Impmon growled. "None of this is actually happening. So, buzz off. Even if I can't get any real rest, I don't have to listen to a figment of my imagination."

"This may not be real yet, but you know that it is possible. You may not believe that the goodie-goodie you are trying to pretend to be wouldn't do this, but you know a darkness, a lust for power, is part of who you are," the black digimon taunted him cruelly. "Don't deny it. Why else would you have made that deal with Chatsuramon in the first place? This nightmare might be a fantasy, but it's based on fact. Face it, buddy. You want that power and may decide to take it back someday. That's why you can't forget the dream. Because you know it's not necessarily a lie."

The conversation was interrupted by a pair of panicked voices. Impmon jerked his gaze away from the window. Slipping and sliding across the chaos and destruction were the twins. Their clothes were torn and their faces were smoke-streaked, but it was them. And they were running towards him. Safe.

"Stupid, bratty tamers," his dark reflection laughed sharply. Impmon glanced back at the red-eyed image. He didn't like the hateful look the black Impmon was giving Ai and Mako. "They're part of the reason you are so pathetic now. Just another digi-slave."

The reflection changed, growing taller and but still familiar-looking. The red eye digimon digivolved into the same Beelzemon that took on the tamers: no wings, no giant gun from Mako, and no mercy. Impmon felt himself digivolve at the same time as his evil reflection. And, even worse, he could feel his arms moving outside of his control. He was drawing his guns.

"Bye, brats!" cackled the dark, red-eyed Beelzemon.

Impmon shot up, breathing hard. Stupid nightmare. First chance he got, he would find whoever sent that idiotic Tapirmon after him and make him pay. This was getting ridiculous. And now he had an evil, scary version of him doing narration.

"I think I liked it better when it was Jeri," he muttered grumpily. "At least her being mad at me made sense. Talking to myself is just too crazy."

He climbed out of bed, planning to go stare at the night sky if he still couldn't sleep. But as Impmon stepped out of the room, the Floramon who had greeted him at the gate appeared. She gestured for him to follow her. Having nothing better to do, he allowed himself to be lead to another room. A single candle illuminated the cozy space. A pair of teacups and a lightly steaming kettle rested on a wooden table with a couple of stools filled the room. Floramon indicated he should sit.

As she started to pouring the herb-scented warm liquid, she commented, "You seem troubled. I could see you were tired upon arrival and during the feast. And when you awoke, your eyes looked haunted."

"It's none of your business, you over-sized daisy," he muttered as he was handed a cup.

"Perhaps," she admitted, "But I can see that what you fear is what sleep brings."

"I'm not afraid of anything," he protested, but the flower digimon continued in her sweet voice.

"Your dreams are troubling you, Impmon. You can't deny that fact. But dreams are the mind's way of dealing with what we fear or worry about. That way, you can begin to face them."

The purple digimon sighed slowly, "And what if what I fear… is myself? What I was and what I could become again?"

Floramon's blue eyes studied him, perhaps wondering what was in his past, but her answer was extremely sympathetic. "Everyone has their demons to face and for some, the demons are within. But you know your personal demons and that is the first step. Someday soon, you'll have to fight them. After you confront your fears, there is nothing left to seek you in your dreams."

As he sipped the warm liquid, Impmon could feel himself relax. The cupful tasted like something between a soup and an herbal tea. Whatever Floramon had made, it was delicious and soothing. Those plants really know how to make good food and give pretty good advice.

"You sound a lot like a certain foxy digimon I know. Did you and Renamon go to some kind of seminar on annoying ways to say smart stuff?"

Chapter Text

At dawn, the tamers and digimon gathered in Destiny's "map room." As the blue-eyed prophetess studied the model, she seemed to have recovered from the night's revelations. Her face was once more calm, but a relaxed calm. She wasn't putting on a façade but was actually at ease. After a while, they had even exchanged stories with one another of the various things they had seen and done. The girl's favorite was Henry telling her about Terriermon and Suzie playing "Pwincess Pwetty-pants." The rabbit was not nearly as amused.

"Are you sure you had just exited the canyon and they were caught as night fell?" she confirmed, somehow manipulating the model. After a moment, it changed. A beam appeared directly at where the mouth of the miniature canyon was. "That data stream should have taken them… there," she declared pointing at a spot on the green section. "In the forest level."

"Great," Takato grinned. "So we can find them now."

Leomon, who had been brought up to date on all that had transpired in his absence by Jeri and the others, pointed out, "I doubt he is still there. He never seemed like the most patient digimon." His tone was neutral, concealing what his true feelings towards his killer might be. "Even if we know exactly where he and the two children arrived, we will still have to search for them."

"But at least we've narrowed that search," Henry reasoned, "and as I said before, someone would remember seeing Ai and Mako for sure."

Rika, sounding rather negative, suggested grimly, "Unless another D-reaper crony went after them. They've been gone for a while now."

"The D-reaper is working on something," explained Destiny suddenly. Her words gained everyone's attention. "'A thousand screams as souls are twisted in the darkness. The evil and the heartless create a monster of their own design. The blood gaze will stare at the helpless and good. The form will be misshapen and of many who were lost. And the creation will be unleashed to…' Well, basically the D-reaper is making something new to use and it's not ready yet. So, it can't have sent anything after them."

Terriermon shivered, "Do you have to do the creepy prophecy recital bit? Any other scary news, like we have to slay a dragon or that I have an evil clone?"

"You mean you're not the evil clone?" asked Destiny innocently, enjoying herself. "Could have fooled me." As the rabbit glared, she explained the plan. "I can get you to where the data stream took them, but then you're on your own. I have to handle a few things in the human world. When I get done, I'll find you and then I'll tell you what needs to be done with the D-reaper."

"You can't explain now?" Takato explained hopefully.

The dark-haired girl shook her head, "I have to wait for multiple reasons. One, not all of you are here so it would have to be explained again anyway. Two, not everything would make sense yet. And three, it's tradition to do it this way. You find out more as you go along, not everything at once. It works out better that way."

Renamon's icy blue eyes studied Destiny's dark blue ones. The digimon was seeking a trace of what she suspected was still being hidden. The girl had revealed much of her own past, as far as she could remember, but the fox had noticed she was excellent at avoiding answers at times. Unless they all ganged up on her and figured it out on their own as Jeri had with Fate, she could hide behind cryptic statements. She was not one with much experience opening up to people, so Destiny's evasiveness might be natural. But Renamon wondered if the prophecy itself may say something that the human girl couldn't or wouldn't reveal.

Raising her glowing D-arc, Destiny focused her gaze at an empty space in front of her. The air shimmered slightly. Odd flashes of color appeared and the area rippled like a heat wave. Before the tamers' and digimon's eyes, a portal similar to the one that had been in Guilmon's shelter was formed. A smooth oval just floated there.

"Takato, can you do that?" his partner inquired curiously.

The boy shook his head stunned, "I don't think so. But that's kind of cool."

"This portal will lead to where the data stream took them," Destiny confirmed, pulling her hood up once more. "And this is where we part for now."

While some of them eyed the portal suspiciously, Guilmon jumped through quickly with a shout of excitement. Takato ran after him, yelling at him to wait. The rest followed more slowly with Rika muttering about the insanity of "Goggle-head." Renamon gave the prophetess a final glance before she too stepped through.

Destiny watched the portal close behind them sadly. She was really beginning to like them. She knew better, but it was nice to have something close to a friend again. If only she didn't have to face the fact of what was to come.

As she prepared to open a portal to the human world, she whispered sadly the end of the excerpt she had started earlier, "'And the creation will be unleashed to destroy those who were foretold to come. And though the monster will fall to the might of those who combat the evil, its death will not be the only one. A hero will be lost to the darkness and the others will follow.' I'm sorry, but the prophecy will be fulfilled."

The rest of the night had passed mostly in silence. Impmon had spent another night without rest, but Floramon had remained with him to help keep him awake. She seemed to just be one of those people who just had to help others. Normally, he would have rejected it out of habit and a desire to appear tough, but he was too tired to care and she did make good tea. The purple digimon blinked blindly as the arriving day demonstrated that the room had a window.

"What do you plan to do," Floramon asked him as he rose from his stool stiffly, "in order to find your friends?"

"Get out of the creepy forest first off," he answered. "Beyond that, I'll improvise."

The plant digimon sighed worriedly, "The safest way would be to take the trail through the forest to our sister village, but even that way is dangerous now. High level digimon roam the area and some stalk prey even along the path. Poisonous creatures that prefer for their victims to suffer before they absorb their data lurk there. We've seen the lucky ones stumble back, feverish and barely conscious. We have medicines, grown in out gardens, as do the Palmons, but they must be fresh to work so we cannot send it as a precaution."

"Then I'll make sure to crush them before they crush us," he reasoned. "And keep any freaky digimon away from Ai and Mako." He fought back a yawn. "But thanks for the warning, dandelion."

Unfazed by his show of confidence, she urged Impmon, "If they should succeed in attacking you or the humans and you get away, you must hurry towards one of the villages. That venom is very powerful and we've seen many suffer its effects. The trees hide many dangers."

"Okay, got it. Forest equals bad. And…" the purple rookie muttered, but was interrupted by the arrival of his partners bearing muffins. Apparently, someone had already woke up and feed the twins for him. "One of those had better be mine. Toss it here."

Mako complied with a grin. As Impon devoured the baked good, the boy asked, "Are we going to find the others today?'

"Hope to, munchkin. Can you imagine how much they have needed us? Those goofs can't do anything by themselves."

Floramon shook her head as the tired digimon boasted and his human friends supported him. All the warnings in the digital world would only fall on deaf ears. The best she could hope for was that they would be lucky enough not to encounter the dangers that lurked in the darkness or would be strong enough to survive them.

Apparently, Impmon and the twins' arrival had not been the driest. Eight figures landed with a splash through Destiny's portal. Shouts of surprise filled the air for several minutes until a wave knocked the tamers and digimon to shore. As they struggled to their feet, a loud voice addressed them.

"Now, I know my home is very nice and inviting-looking," a serpentine digimon informed them as his yellow head towered above the stunned group, "but that is no reason for everyone to keep treating it like a swimming pool. Honestly, you are the second group I've had to fish out in the last few days. And it's more humans too, it seems."

Henry, after he and his friends assured themselves the new digimon didn't plan to attack, questioned Seadramon, "So, you've seen other humans lately? Did you see where they went?'

"Yes, two small humans and a very loud-mouth purple digimon landed the other night nearly on top of me."

Terriermon snickered, "Loud-mouth. That's Impmon alright."

The aquatic digimon continued, "He threatened to turn me into sushi. He's high strung, that one. Very suspicious that anyone he meets is an enemy. But, he seemed like a good guy overall. Last I saw, him and the two humans left my lake and went in that direction." He pointed his red leaf-like tail into the forest that bordered the water. The dark green leaves shaded the ground and gave the area a peaceful feel. "I hope you find your friends."

"Thanks," nodded Takato. "And sorry for landing in your lake."

"These things happen," he chuckled lightly. "Good luck."

The digimon and their tamers watched as the green length slid below the surface and vanished from sight. Guilmon and the rest shook off as much water as possible while the humans rung out their shirts and hair. No one was happy about the unintended soaking, but no one was complaining much either. At least they were on the right track for once. Impmon, Ai, and Mako had gone this way.

Now all they had to do was catch up with them.

A pink shape fluttered around the room, pulling out various articles as Kenta tried to get ready. His tiny partner handed him his glasses, socks, and his deck of cards. The boy was running way behind. He was supposed to have met Kazu in the park fifteen minutes ago.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner, MarineAngemon?" the bespectacled child asked as he tried to pull his sock on while hopping on one foot. "We're so late."

"Pii," the miniature mega answered apologetically.

Kenta, somehow understanding what his partner was telling him, replied, "I know you're not an alarm clock, little guy. But you know Kazu has no patience. If we leave him alone too long, he'll start getting creative in ways to entertain himself. And he needs us. None of his plans work without help."

The two boys were best as a pair. Any of Kazu's jokes or ideas was most effective when they included Kenta. In some ways, they were like a team themselves. And while they were in some ways more independent of each other since they gained digimon partners, they were still best together. Wherever Kazu lead, the black-haired glasses-wearing boy would follow.

"I'm afraid you will have to wait a few moments more," a calm voice informed him, causing the tamer to shout in surprise and lose his balance. As he fell with a crash, she added, "And you may be in for a busier day than you first believed."

As Kenta rubbed his head, he looked up to see MarineAngemon scolding the cloaked figure who had appeared in his room. As always, her every feature was concealed and her voice was calm and serene. But, as was the case when she appeared to Suzie and Yamaki, she was actually present and not a hologram. And it was kind of amusing to see the small, pink creature complaining about her scaring his friend.

"I'm sorry, small one," the figure apologized to MarineAngemon, "but I come to deliver a message and a warning to your partner. Before this day is through, he will face a foe he cannot escape or hide from any longer: that of his own limitations." She directed her shadow-hidden face towards the tamer's surprised features. "And those limitations are one's you set yourself, Kenta. You decided that you would play Kazu's sidekick in comedy, though you have more brains than that. You decided to always be second-string team material. You choose to always be a follower. These limitations are ones you chose for yourself. You chose to suppress your potential in order to fit in with your friend, Kazu."

Kenta stared in shock as the stranger's words sunk in. True, he was smart. But he didn't really use it. He just never felt the real point. And he did end up playing more of a supportive role when they fought the D-reaper. However, he did have a tiny digimon and it wouldn't be fair to send the little guy against the creep at the heart of the chaos. No amount of reasoning or excuses could completely dismiss her words, sadly.

"But would not your friend still be your friend if you fulfilled you potential?" she continued. "If Kazu was truly your friend, he would want you to be yourself and to always do your best. Or do you not believe he is your friend?"

Slightly angered at the accusation that Kazu wasn't really his friend, Kenta loyally defended, "Kazu is a lot of things. A joker, spontaneous, sometimes rude, bull-headed, and maybe even stupid sometimes with his ideas, but he is truly a good friend when it comes down to it. And he'll always be my friend. Even if I did act smart or came up with ideas for once, he would still be Kazu."

She pulled down her hood to reveal a grin and a very pretty human face with deep blue eyes that Kenta felt himself stare at idiotically, "I know that and I'm glad you do as well. So you have no excuse to remain in the background. The time for you to take charge is quickly approaching." Kenta realized she had tricked him into admitting he was holding himself back because of his friend and that Kazu wouldn't want him to do that anyway. Pretty and smart. Kenta knew he was falling for the girl and he didn't know anything about her. "Now you must listen and listen well. 'The blood glare is where the true threat lies. And only there can you prevent defeat. Duos shall become singles and their power will increase. Some shall discover that the best way forward is to go back, while others will learn the true meaning of leadership.' Good luck, Kenta."

The dark-haired stranger opened a portal directly in front of her, causing the boy's jaw to drop. She stepped through and both she and the portal vanished. Kenta shook his head amazed. Ever since digimon started popping up, life was too weird. But it was definitely more interesting.

"Come on, MarineAngemon," he told his pink mega. "We are so late now."

More trees and more walking. Terrific. And possible evil digimon running around. Even better. Impmon yawned for the tenth time in five minutes. If it was possible to make sleep depravity anymore fun, this was definitely the way. Traveling in a forest supposedly over-run with psychos with a pair of four year olds.

"I need a new travel agent," he muttered, his eyes drooping as he walked.

Ai and Mako were bright and alert, ready for a new day of searching. They stayed near their partner, but they were practically bouncing with energy. The purple digimon was wondering if he could die of exhaustion or if he would eventually start de-digivolving all to a baby stage. Neither were promising prospect, but at least it would be some relief to this complete lack of energy. More likely, he would just pass out after a while. Maybe he wouldn't have dreams then and actually get some rest. He yawned again. Hopefully, he could at least get his partners somewhere safe before he dropped.

His mind, clouded by exhaustion and thoughts, was too distracted to see it in time. A strange pattern in the ground lay across the path. Impmon and the twins stepped across the pattern before they saw what it was. The shape sprung up around them, ensnaring the three and closing fast like a net. Or a web.

Struggling against the restraints, Impmon felt them slam against the ground as the trap bounced up and down from their momentum. Stupid sticky net or web or whatever. His head hit hard and then all he knew was darkness.

Chapter Text

"… And she pulled down her hood and she was human. She was a girl around our age with really pretty blue eyes," Kenta described breathlessly, having run the whole way from his house. "Then she said all this cool prophecy stuff and vanished."

Kazu, his arm still lightly bandaged, asked, "Okay, so when you say she was a girl, do you mean a cute girl? Like how pretty are we talking?"

Ryo, rolling his eyes, interrupted the pair, "Don't you think that we may have bigger concerns than your chances of getting a date?"

"Says the guy who spent half the time we knew him flirting with Rika," the baseball-cap wearing boy muttered.

As Kenta had stumbled down the stairs, he quickly started dialing his new cell phone. By the time he crashed out the door, he had contacted Ryo about the weird visitor. And he had called Yamaki, who was still on his way. So Kenta's narration had been heard by not only Kazu and Guardramon, but also Ryo, Monodramon, Suzie, and Lopmon.

Ryo gave Kazu an icy glare Rika would have been proud of, "I would think the fact she was delivering another piece of the prophecy would be more important. Can you remember what she said?"

"Umm… Something about 'blood glare,' 'duos,' and something backwards and forwards. I'm not sure," the bespectacled boy admitted.

Closing his eyes in an attempt not to shout in frustration, their unofficial leader asked, "So she gives us a big hint and you can't remember most of it? Are you sure you can't tell us anymore?"

He adjusted his glasses and looked at Ryo carefully, "I do know she gave me some advice just for me."

Kazu poked his friend with his uninjured hand, "So spill it. What did your 'crush' tell you, buddy?"

"Be myself. She told me to be myself."

Out of the darkness of unconsciousness, Impmon felt his mind begin to resurface. His head pounded from where he hit it. But at least he wasn't suffering another twisted dream. For once, in a long time, his rest, however involuntary it was, had been undisturbed.

As he slowly opened his emerald eyes, he abruptly wished he was in another nightmare. He was dangling about six feet off the ground, his entire body encased in white, sticky ropes. Only his head was free as he was held captive. Even worse, two similar cocoons were suspended beside him and held his partners. For a horrific moment, Ai and Mako's stillness and silence gave the awful illusion that they were… Well, he was extremely relieved as he saw the pair breathing lightly.

"Ai. Mako," he called to the tamers, keeping his voice soft as he cast his gaze for whatever had wrapped them up like this. "Munchkins, wake up. You need to wake up. Are you alright?"

After a moment, the brown-haired girl's eyes fluttered open, "Impmon… What…?"

"It's going to be fine," he assured her, not knowing if this was true. There was no way he could manage to digivolve to Beelzemon right now. And even if the twins were both awake, they couldn't really use their D-arc while tied up, so Fatemon wasn't an option either. That left their rescue up to an exhausted purple rookie. So the chances seemed slim already and he didn't even know what he was facing yet. Still, he couldn't tell his young partners this. No, he had to keep them calm. "It's going to be fine. We'll get out of this."

Mako began to stir as well. Now both brown-haired tamers looked at Impmon with trust and silent plea for their rescue. Their purple digimon couldn't let them down. He struggled against the bindings. Whatever was used to tie them up was tough. He couldn't even pull an arm loose. Which meant if he couldn't pull free, he would have to use plan B.

"Badda Boom!" he shouted, a fireball forming on his fingertip. The strange rope-like things that were wrapped around him quickly burned along their length. The restraints snapped, dropping the digimon to the ground with only a slight bruising and a mild burn or two. Impmon grimaced as he pulled himself upright. "Why is plan B always so much less fun than plan A? Still, better than shooting myself again. Time for the munchkins," he grumbled.

"Dear sisters, our guest is trying to leave early," a harsh, grating voice announced from above.

"How rude," a similar voice replied cruelly, "to leave before dinner. I think we should teach him some manners, my sisters."

Knowing that whoever was speaking could not be good news, the rookie had no choice to like skywards anyway. Climbing down on the same white threads that had trapped him and his partners was a trio of black shapes with wild red hair and a yellow horned head. Nine eyes stared down from each of the creatures. On the oncoming digimon's back was a skull and crossbone. And to finish the unpleasantness off, each one had eight limbs.

"Great, more spiders. And these are even uglier," muttered Impmon.

One of the arachnid digimon turned towards another, "Our guest seems to be even ruder than I thought. We will have to deal with him most severely."

"And his companions?" asked one of the others.

"They can hang around while we enjoy the small digimon's fate," she answered.

One of the creatures then turned her attention back to an increasingly angry rookie, "We are the Dokugumon sisters. Any who we find wandering our forest, we bring them back to display our great… hospitality. And our guests reward us with a gift of their data."

"Impmon…" Ai whimpered, staring at the giant spiders.

"Don't worry," he told his tamers, much to the amusement of the three champions. "I just have to play exterminator and we'll get out of here." Looking back at the crawling shapes, the purple digimon snidely commented, "I thought that bozo, MetalEtemon, was the crazed king around here. That was what he was claiming before he was destroyed."

The central Dokugumon clicked her dangerous fangs as she and her sisters reached the ground, "We divided the forest among all of us predators. We claim the territory between the two villages. That idiot monkey selected the area closer to the lake. Likely so he could see his reflection when he sang. Now come here, little rookie. We have much to discuss concerning your behavior. And you will be destroyed and your data will be ours."

The spider on the left reached up a limb and stroked the bottom of Mako's cocoon, causing the boy to let out a fearful squeak. "Wonder if these two tiny bundles have any data for us too?" she chuckled.

"Badda Boom!" snarled Impmon, hurling the flame straight into the face of the arachnid touching his partner. She screamed in surprise and mild pain. All three champions glared at the purple digimon; a total of twenty-seven green insectoid eyes met his two emerald ones. "Alright Miss not-so-itsy-bitsy, step away from the human kids. Because I'm going to be your main concern for awhile. Now you trio of creepy-crawlies are not the scariest thing with multiple legs I've seen, but you are the most disgusting ones."

As expected, his attack on one of the sisters and his insults gained the full wrath and attention of the Dokugumon. They stepped towards the rookie and away from the tamers. The central spider sister took the lead.

"Your death will be slow and painful, rookie, for attacking my sister," she informed him, fangs exposed in a hideous parody of a grin.

"If I was related to that thing," retorted Impmon, "I wouldn't brag about it."

They responded by releasing a sychonized attack, shouting, "Poison Thread!"

Three of the rope-like things similar to what had tied him up, which he now knew to be webbing, shot towards him with expert aim. Moving with more speed than his tired body wanted to, the purple rookie shot himself sideways to avoid it. He wasn't looking forward to this fight. One rookie versus three champions was really one-sided. Of course he didn't have to win. He just had to survive and get Ai and Mako free.

"Badda Boom!" shouted Impmon, tossing fire from both hands this time. But his targets were not the enemy digimon this time, but the pair of cords that held his partners' cocoons suspended. The threads snapped, dropping their loads to the ground with a thump and a shout from the human children. The height wasn't too serious, but they could get some bruises from the fall. Still, their bindings were looser now and the twins began to wiggle free. "Get out of here munchkins!"

As the Dokugumon tried to turn towards where the pair of tamers fought against their restraints, a few more fireballs were thrown in the insectoid faces. More aggravating and slightly painful rather than actually dangerous, it still was annoying enough to keep the spiders after the rookie rather than the helpless children. One clicked her fangs angrily as she closed the distance between her and her purple prey.

She opened her incisors with a cry of "Poison Thread!"

"Badda Boom!" he retaliated, setting alight her attacking web as it flew towards him. Another arachnid moved towards him quickly, practically running on her multiple legs, and hissing venomously at her opponent. "Wow. How scary," he grinned sarcastically. "I'm shaking, bug-breath. Badda Boom!" Another fireball was launched at the champion's face.

Unfortunately, the third Dokugumon had escaped his notice until she was nearly on top of him. Mako, pulling loose finally, saw the danger to his friend.

"Impmon, look out!" he screamed as he pulled his sister free of her cocoon.

"Venom Blast!" the creature announced right behind Impmon.

The area struck by her attack, mostly his back and shoulders, erupted in a series of small stinging scratches. Like thin threads had whipped against him sharply. He let out an involuntary hiss of pain. Okay, he could survive this. Then the scratches began burning.

"Badda Boom!" growled the purple rookie, spinning to face the attacker. She was so close, that the flames hit her directly inside her snarling mouth. Screaming in pain and frustration, she stumbled backwards. And watching a giant spider stumble was a rather strange sight. Directing his attention to his partners, he shouted, "Run!"

The twins obeyed, fleeing the battlefield and the terrifying arachnids. As they passed the closest trees, Ai glanced back worriedly. Impmon ran after them, tossing fireballs as he went. Seeing the tamers slow down, he waved at them to keep moving. As the three left the angry Dokugumon behind, he could swear the spiders were laughing cruelly at them.

Soon. Very soon. The perfect tool was nearly complete.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Terriermon asked for the thousandth time, causing Rika to roll her eyes in annoyance.

Sniffing loudly, Guilmon announced, "I can smell them. They were here awhile ago, but Impmon was here."

"And no one argues with his nose," added Takato.

The tamers and digimon were traveling at a brisk pace, trying to catch up with their missing companions. Jeri was already perched on Leomon's shoulder, just as she used to when they were last in the digital world together. The girl practically clung to her partner, as if she was afraid he would vanish once she lost sight of him. But her desire to remain with the leonine digimon did ensure at least one human wasn't slowing down the group.

The other three humans were not so lucky. Takato and Rika had considered having their respective partners to digivolve to champion for transportation purposes, but had not yet acted. Henry had no such option. Gargomon wasn't really designed to ride on. So if at some point they chose to start riding their digimon in order to pick up the pace, he and Terriermon would be stuck hitching a ride with someone else.

As the idea began to gain strength and support among the tamers, the group came to a clearing containing a walled village. The reason they could tell there was a village inside was because the doors were open. Several flower-like digimon were moving in and out, apparently gathering supplies like firewood from the nearby forest. Strangely, the digimon only neared one area of the tree line; the section the tamers and their partners had just exited.

Henry, pulling out his D-arc, read the description on the digimon before them. "Floramon. A data type digimon. Uses Rain of Pollen and Stamen Rope for attacks. They don't sound too threatening."

One of the vegetative creatures suddenly noticed them. She ran over towards them with an odd expression. Her blue eyes paid the most attention to the humans of the group, which wasn't surprising considering the rarity of them in this world. What was shocking was the first words out of her mouth.

"Are you the 'group of morons' that they were looking for?"

"… Excuse me?" asked Takato, unsure what to make of that greeting.

"I'm sorry, but that is what Impmon referred to you as when he first arrived," she apologized. "But other than him and the two small humans, you are the only newcomers we've seen in a while, let alone humans and digimon together."

"So they're here?" Jeri questioned from her place on Leomon's shoulder.

Floramon shook her head slightly, "No. After they destroyed the menace, MetalEtemon, they remained only for the night. At daybreak, he lead them along the trail towards our sister village. I hope they are alright…"

"You fear something," Renamon observed, her icy blue eye noting the digimon's concern. "You're afraid for them and their safety. Why? You just claimed he defeated a mega and yet you fear for them."

"Your friends do not know the dangers of this forest as we do. MetalEtemon used brute strength, but others that prowl the trees use stealth, tricks, and slower methods to destroy," she explained. "They enjoy the slower deaths they bring. And your friend Impmon is not ready for this fight or any other."

Rika narrowed her eyes at the flowery digimon, "What do you mean? Is he alright? Can you just come out and say what you mean? I've had enough of people dancing around the answers already."

Floramon looked at each of the concerned faces carefully, "Something troubles your friend deeply. When he arrived, you could see he was tired, but he could not rest. While the two children slept easily, he tossed and turned for less than half an hour before awakening once more. He is exhausted and traveling in dangerous territory. He is in more danger than you can believe and yes, I fear for their safety."

"Impmon's having bad dreams?" asked Guilmon innocently. "What about?"

"Your friend is not one to confide in others," she admitted. "When I asked him, he told me it was none of my business and called me an 'over-sized daisy.' But when I mentioned that dreams are used to face what we fear, he mentioned it was his past and repeating it was what was haunting him."

"I can understand why he may be ashamed of his past," Leomon acknowledged and no one could argue with that statement. How many times had Impmon risked his life simply to make up for what he had done to the lion digimon and the pain he had caused Jeri? Even when everyone else forgave him, the rookie never seemed to forgive himself. "But why does he fear repeating it?"

Jeri suddenly snapped, "Manipumon! That vile monster." Her normally gentle expression held such venom, that those listening took a step back in surprise. "I'll bet it's that spider's fault. She said or did something to him, I know it."

"Jeri, calm down," begged Takato.

"No. That creature took away control and treated other digimon as her personal play-things. She used him to hurt people, just like the D-reaper used me to hurt you guys," she continued. "Or like how Chatsuramon used him before, only she was even worse. Can you imagine what it was like not to be able to stop something you are causing?"

"Jeri," her partner soothed, "What happened with the D-reaper is not your fault. It would have found a way to enter the human world eventually anyway. I'm just sorry I was not there to protect you."

"But that's just it, Leomon," she whispered. "For a moment, I had believed it was you trying to rescue me when I was trapped within it. But when I saw Beelzemon instead, reaching out his hand and begging me to let him save me… I couldn't. I still saw him as the same monster he once was. And he got hurt because both he and I were used by others." She looked at her friends and a rather confused Floramon. "I'm afraid of being used again and I don't think I could stand it if I was. Impmon doesn't want to become a killing monster again and that… foul Manipumon nearly made him one when she made him aim at Ai and Mako."

After an awkward silence, Henry tried to change topics by asking, "What exactly is in the forest that is so dangerous?"

"Venomous digimon who target those who enter and enjoy their suffering. If they encounter your friends, I fear they may be in life-threatening danger," informed Floramon solemnly.

Panting, the trio slowed down finally. The Dokugumon, and the path, had been left far behind them. Ai and Mako were shaking and whimpering slightly still, but were too out of breath from running to cry. Impmon was just completely drained of energy and his back practically felt like it was on fire. Whatever that last attack the spider had used on him was, it hurt.

"Don't worry. They're gone," he assured them, gasping for breath. "You guys are okay?"

Ai nodded her head jerkily. His poor tamers still looked frightened, but unharmed. The girl and boy both had dirt all over their faces and clothes. The girl even had a cobweb in her brown hair. But the twins were safe now.

"It's okay, munchkins," he continued. "I promised I'd protect you no matter what, didn't I? And I did. So everything's great."

"Are you okay, Impmon?" asked Mako hesitantly. "That spider hit you with something. Did she hurt you?"

"That creep? Barely scratched me," he answered, ignoring the pain of those scratches. "I'll be fine."

"Where are we now?" his other partner wondered, her bottom lip trembling as she glanced around the shadowy forest for other crawling creatures. "Are we lost?"

Impmon gave her a confident grin, trying to dissolve their fears and doubts. They were lost, yes. And they had no way of knowing where the others were, yes. But that had been the case yesterday. Now they were no worse off than before really, except he was even more weary and hurt. Still, they would manage something. Maybe they could find the path again or one of the villages.

"We're just taking the scenic route. So don't worry about it," explained the purple rookie carefully. "We'll find the others before you know it."

He took a tamer in each hand, the tired digimon lead the trusting twins deeper into the forest. He tried to ignore his draining energy; he just kept putting it off as just a lack of sleep. Even as his steps slowed and he began to stumble, he didn't admit something was wrong with him. As his strength kept evaporating, he continued to deny any problem. By the time his partners noticed his trouble, he was barely aware of their presence. He was slowly sinking into a fog in his own mind.

Chapter Text

A red, reptilian nose sniffed loudly as its owner moved at a quick jog down the path. Following in the digimon's wake were his friends. Guilmon was on the trail of the missing trio and he intended to find them. Takato was right behind his partner, panting with the effort to keep up.

"Can we slow down a little?" called Terriermon, bouncing as he clung to the shoulder of a running Henry.

Rika snapped angrily at him, "You're not even running. Besides, you heard Floramon. Big dangerous digimon running around and a tired Impmon does not equal good things for him or the twins."

The girl's partner was traveling through the trees, her yellow fur nearly a blur as she went from branch to branch. From her elevated perspective, she could keep a watch on their progress, look out for danger or their friends, and find solitude for her thoughts.

Renamon was deeply concerned for Impmon. She knew how that stubborn purple rookie was always one to fight, physically or verbally, even when he had no chance. Hence his ill-conceived fight against Indramon to prove his power. And then he rejoined his young partners and put his stubbornness to guarding them. Having to protect two humans (or three, she thought to herself, remembering his obsession to save Jeri from the D-reaper) had forced his persistence and mischievousness into a generally better direction than what it had in his past. But Renamon had already seen him die once because of his guilt over past crimes and his new-found sense of responsibility. She knew that if he was caught by higher-level digimon in the condition Floramon had described, he would still be protecting the twins and insulting his opponent as he was destroyed once more. And the fox digimon didn't think she could stand to see her friend vanish again. None of them could.

Renamon also considered the girl, Destiny, and her possible secrets she still hid. She knew the whole prophecy, from beginning to end, and yet only revealed tiny passages to them. Possibly, the human was only sharing parts concerning each group and telling the sections about the human world only to Ryo and the others. But the yellow rookie didn't think that was all there was to it.

The girl had lost her partner long ago, but how long she didn't know. But the young prophetess was promised the return of her friend if she completed all the prophecies. Renamon could understand that lonely child's desire to be reunited with her digimon. In fact, she rather liked Destiny. She could not forget, however, that the girl's first loyalty would be to her duty. As much as the prophetess may wish to have the friendship of the tamers and their digimon, the yellow fox remembered that the girl would likely not even recall them later. How much loyalty can you truly have for someone you may never see again, let alone remember ever meeting? So, it was possible that Destiny may know something bad would happen in the future and would not warn them because the prophecy required it to happen. Even if this ended up being true, could the rookie really blame her? Who's to say that, for Rika, she would not do something similar? All Renamon could do was remain on guard and stay alert.

A flash of movement caught her attention and pulled her out of her thoughts. The shape was ahead and half-way concealed by foliage, but she could recognize what it was. Renamon paused on a tree branch, her icy blue eyes locked on what lay ahead. It wasn't Impmon, but it was a familiar type of digimon she had fought before. It was the first digimon she had fought as Kyubimon. The creature was hiding in the trees above the path and hadn't noticed the yellow rookie yet.

Renamon dropped down in front of the group, halting their progress. "Wait," she instructed. Focusing on the path, she could make out a slight pattern and disturbed dirt close to where the concealed digimon was perched. It was a trap. And they could have walked right into it. Aiming for the clump of leaves hiding the potential ambusher, the fox digimon shouted, "Diamond Storm!"

The crystalline attack struck the shape, causing a scream of shock, frustration, and pain. The multi-legged being dropped slightly before catching herself, but now the rest of the digimon and tamers could see it.

Rika narrowed her eyes angrily and growled, "Dokugumon."

Two more identical champion spiders crawled into view, asking their "sister" if she was alright. The humans and their partners stared at the oversized arachnid and the children remembered this particular type of digimon from the television show. Rika also remembered them because she and Renamon had fought against Dokugumon in the past. She knew the virus digimon were dangerous and wasn't going to take any chances. She pulled out her blue D-arc.

"Renamon digivolve to… Kyubimon!"

Sliding a well-chosen card, the Digimon Queen announced, "Digi-modify! Power Activate!"

The larger, stronger yellow fox locked her gaze on the center Dokugumon. "Fox-tail Infernal!"

The blue flames flew at the creatures, causing them to shriek and hiss. Their fangs clicked furiously as the smoke cleared. One stepped forward, her multiple green eyes glaring.

"More unexpected guests tossing fire," the spider snarled. "My sisters and I have had enough of that. We'll deal with you and then we have an appointment to keep."

"You're one of the digimon Floramon warned us about," Takato commented. "You and the other two with you. The ones that like to attack travelers and enjoy others' pain. What do you mean by 'more unexpected guests' and an 'appointment'?"

"Wouldn't you like to know, boy," she hissed back.

"Alright then. I guess you'll be dealing with a little more fire," answered Takato, pulling out his D-arc.

"Guilmon digivolve to… Growlmon!"

"Digi-modify! Hyper Wings Activate!" shouted the goggle-wearing youth, giving his partner the advantage of flight for this battle.

The two newly-changed champion digimon selected a Dokugumon each as their opponent. As Henry prepared to draw out his own D-arc, he was quickly reminded that there was already a champion ready. Jeri slid down to the ground as her recently-resurrected partner stepped towards the final Dokugumon. While the three arachnids launched their synchronized attacks, the tamer's digimon used their own, more varied, attacks.

Three harsh cries of "Poison Thread!" rang out from the fanged mouths.

"Fox-tail Infernal!" shouted Kyubimon, blue flames glowing on her tails' tips.

"Pyro Blaster!" the larger red dinosaur roared.

Pulling back his arm, Leomon added his own voice to the other. "Fist of the Beast King!"

Their unique attacks burned up the cords of webbing that Dokugumon had shot at them and continued on. One of the black arachnids leapt up to the safety of the trees. The other two were caught by the blast and vanished in flames, screams, and an explosion of dissolving data. The remaining spider snarled down at the tamers and digimon.

"My sisters! You killed my sisters! How dare you?! I hope you suffer, foul creatures. I hope you die a slow and agonizing death like that stupid rookie will."

"Rookie?" gasped Kyubimon, "Which rookie?"

"Doesn't matter," she hissed, looking evilly at Henry and Terriermon. Suddenly she shouted, "Venom Blast!"

Her attack would have been devastating for the boy and little better for the small rabbit digimon, but they weren't there when it hit. Kyubimon, familiar with the capabilities of the arachnid and seeing where the spider's attention lay, dashed over to the pair. She knocked them away and kept moving herself. The poisonous spray hit the empty space uselessly. Dokugumon didn't get a second try. Growlmon, using his addition of wings, soared up to where she clung to a branch.

"Dragon Slash!" he growled, slashing the tree limb she held onto. The dinosaur grabbed the multi-legged being as she fell and slammed her into the ground, pinning her in place. "Which rookie?" he asked, repeating Kyubimon's earlier question.

She chuckled callously, "Poor thing, too concerned with others' safety and not enough with his own. Wandering around, tired and alone with two small humans." She laughed harshly as she watched them stiffen at her description. "Oh, he and those children escaped. But not unharmed. No, not unharmed. Amazing what a little bit of venom can do to a digimon. Our appointment? We were going to find that purple fire-throwing rookie so when the poison finally kills him, we could absorb his data and enjoy torturing his tiny human pets. But now my sisters are gone." Dokugumon continued her cruel laugh as she was held down by a horrified Growlmon.

"You… monster," whispered Jeri.

"How could you?" Takato asked, stunned by what the spider was saying.

"Please. That is what we do," she informed them. "We capture, we poison, we watch the suffering, and finally take their data. I'm just sorry he ran away and I couldn't see him grow weaker and weaker." She continued her vile laughing. "I don't care anymore really. Without my sisters, I can't keep this great hunting ground going on my own. You took away my sisters, but it seems I'm taking away your friend as well."

Kyubimon stared hatefully at the monster before her. "Let her up, Growlmon," she whispered, her voice neutral. As soon as the red champion moved, the yellow fox quietly told Dokugumon, "You are a monster. You and your two sisters prey on the helpless. And you did so in as cruel a fashion as possible. You didn't want power. You just wanted to cause suffering. Both worlds, human and digital, are better off without you." The icy gaze held no sympathy. "But I won't make you suffer. Rika?"

The girl, who once viewed digimon as nothing but a bunch of zeroes and ones, now recognized them as living creatures and not just a way to be the best. But all gathered there agreed that the venomous arachnid was a real fiend and would continue her preying if not stopped. Just like the various digimon that they had stopped in the human world who would have hurt or killed innocent humans. Even Henry, the closest thing the group had to a pacifist, had finally agreed that in order to protect, they had to sometimes destroy. Rika pulled out another power boosting card. Her partner was right. Everyone was better off without Dokugumon.

"Digi-modify! Power Activate!"

"Dragon Wheel!"

No one spoke as the maniacal laughter continued even as she dissolved away. Her final words proved her simple desire for others' pain.

"I hope you see your friend die. I hope you get to watch his death, fox! Don't worry, sisters. They'll suffer. They'll suffer a lot."

After that monster vanished, Takato shook his head. Somehow, it almost didn't seem right to destroy her when she was out-numbered and trapped, but she was dangerous and she even seemed slightly crazy with the loss of her sisters. Is it possible to pity someone that loved causing that much pain? He wasn't sure, but he was still glad the arachnid was gone. Besides, they had more things to worry about.

"Growlmon, can you find them?" the boy asked worriedly as he scrambled on the large digimon. Henry, Rika, and Terriermon climbed on Kyubimon and Jeri once more balanced on Leomon's shoulder. Speed was essential it seemed. "Can you follow the trail still?"

The red champion answered by taking a deep sniff and taking off at a run. He was leaving the path, but no one would argue with his sense of smell. If he said Impmon and the twins went this way, then they did. All they could do was follow and hope it wasn't too late.

Burning. The stupid scratches stung like crazy. And he couldn't focus. Everything was muffled and blurry. Somewhere, he could almost make out voices. He couldn't hear the words, but Impmon could almost recognize the speakers. Ai and Mako…

Through the shadowy fog that seemed to be covering his eyes, he saw tree trunks passing by. Was he still walking? He was too utterly exhausted. He couldn't be moving. But the purple rookie felt his legs still taking steps. But how was he even upright?

His limp arms felt detached from his body, just as his mind felt detatched from his body. However, he could almost feel something holding him. All his weight it seemed was held along his arms.

If he just could focus. Above all else, he could feel the painful scratches and his lessening strength. Impmon no longer tried to convince himself he was just tired. Something about that last attack Dokugumon used was the reason for all this. Floramon had mentioned something about "poisonous creatures" and both villages having medicine. Could he get…?

He didn't know where he was or where he was going. How could he get to the village? Right now, he would be lucky to make it back to the path.

Ai… Mako… He needed to get them somewhere safe… Focus. He had to stay focused. He had to protect them…

In the darkening shadows of his mind, Impmon realized the stupidity of that. He couldn't really see or hear anything properly. He couldn't even stand without whatever was holding him upright. He wouldn't be able to even throw a single flame, no matter how small. How could he protect them? His tamers were helpless. And he couldn't change that. He probably wouldn't even see the danger coming. But he couldn't let anything happen…

His whole back burned with pain. In fact, everything was too hot. And he was so tired… Too tired… Can't focus on anything anymore. Everything was foggy and dark. Ai…? Mako…? So tired…

Ai and her brother were terrified, but not for themselves. Impmon, their partner and friend, had been hurt getting them away from the giant spiders. Now, something was really wrong with him. He had been getting slower and wobbly until he was almost not moving at all. They tried to talk to him, to ask what was wrong, but he didn't seem to hear them. She and Mako were now helping him walk. They had pulled his arms across their shoulders so that he stayed standing. The purple rookie was the perfect height for this treatment from the four year olds. As they kept moving, he took a step too.

The brown-haired tamers didn't know if they were still moving towards the path, but they had to get him somewhere. He was sick. Impmon was very sick. Ai could see his green eyes were glazed over unfocused. His arms, his whole body, was way too hot. And his back was still covered in scratches. Their digimon needed help.

"Ai," her brother whispered, "What are we going to do?"

The girl bit her bottom lip worriedly, "I don't know. He has a fever and won't wake up or fall asleep all the way. He needs a doctor or medicine."

"But where are we going to find a doctor?"

Ai admitted, "I don't know, but we have to find one. We're his partners. He takes care of us, so we have to take care of him. He has to get better. He has to."

"And if he doesn't?"

"He will! We can't let him disappear like all the bad digimon," she told him, nearly on the brink of tears. The idea of Impmon might go away forever was horrible, but it seemed all too possible now. "We'll take care of him."

After walking in silence for a few more minutes, the young twins began to hear running water. Neither one of them remembered passing water before, so they were definitely going the wrong way to get back to the path now. But the water gave the girl an idea.

"Remember when we were really sick? Mommy put a wet washcloth on our foreheads and we felt better?" Ai asked. "Do you think we should do that for Impmon?"

"But we don't have a washcloth?" complained Mako, who never the less helped his sister set their semi-concious partner down so that he was nearly lying down, his head resting against a tree trunk. For a second, the purple rookie's eyes flickered open and almost seemed to see his tamers before closing restlessly once more.

The young tamer gently reached around her digimon's neck and untied his bandana. She carefully drew the piece of cloth away and began to fold it up like a washcloth. She didn't realize it, but this was one of the few times that bandana had left him, one of those occasions being right after his attack on Leomon.

"Come on," she whispered. "We'll use this. Maybe this will help him feel better."

The pair of children moved towards the sound of water, finding the small stream that wound through the forest level. As Ai leaned towards the water surface, she paused.

"Mako. Listen," commanded the girl.

The boy stopped what he was doing. Quickly approaching was a series of crashing footsteps. Whatever was coming sounded big and there were several of them. Looking quickly, he was a flash of something tall, brown and with long blond hair. And it was headed towards where they left Impmon.

"No…" gasped the girl softly. "They'll get him. We… we have to help."

Her brother pointed out, "But they'll get us instead," but he was picking up some rocks out of the stream bed.

"He needs us," she answered, following his example.

Three champions, one rookie, and four humans make a lot of noise as they crash through the undergrowth. Growlmon especially made a racket since he had the most mass currently. He was also in front still, his nose bent low. Leomon pulled up beside the red digimon, keeping pace easily so the girl on his shoulder could address Takato.

"Do you think we'll find them?"

The boy gave his classmate a reassuring grin, "Of course we will. Growlmon is like a giant bloodhound that shoots fireballs. If he can't find them, no one can."

That particular "giant bloodhound" suddenly announced, "They're really close now."

As Rika started asking, "Where…?" another noise interrupted them.

"No! Leave him alone!" a young high-pitched cry shouted.

Leomon found himself under assault. Small rocks bounced off him as a pair of short shapes ran out. As surprising as that was, he was more surprised as Jeri slid down and started yelling.

"Ai?! Mako?! Stop that. This is Leomon, my partner."

The leonine digimon could see now that his miniature attackers were a couple of very young human children. Both had brown-hair, were covered in dirt, and tear-streaked faces. At first, they looked terrified yet determined, but as they saw the green-dressed child, their expressions melted into relief.

The boy cautiously asked, "…Jeri?" When he was her and the rest of the older children, he and his sister ran over to her. "You're here."

"Don't worry. You're safe now," Henry reasoned as he and Terriermon climbed off the yellow fox.

"Impmon…" Ai sobbed, clinging to Jeri tightly. "There were spiders… and… and he's hurt. And really sick and we thought that… that mean digimon were coming to get him."

"We'll take care of it," the older girl reassured them, growing even more concerned by the clearly upset twins. "Where is he?"

Mako pulled her around one of the nearby trees. The purple digimon had been even closer than they had thought. Only a single tree trunk had hid him from view. The condition he was in was shocking. No wonder his young partners were so frightened.

Rika walked over to the poor rookie, her expression anxious, "…Impmon. What did they do to you?"

Surprisingly, his feverish green eyes focused for half a second on the girl and her equally concerned partner. Somehow he had fought through his venom-induced haze to realize that he was back with the other tamers. Even in his exhausted and painful state, he managed to respond in his usual style.

"Hey toots," his voice croaked softly. "Really hate spiders now… Ai? Mako?"

"They're safe," answered Kyubimon quickly as he drifted back into his feverish fog.

"He needs help now," Henry stated worriedly. "Can we get him back to Floramon's village? They must have some way to deal with Dokugumon's venom since they've been dealing with the arachnids for so long."

Rika gently lifted Impmon, flinching as she saw the cruel-looking scratches all across his back, "We'll get him there. Kyubimon and I'll get him there fast and come back to get you."

The twin tamers wanted to go with their partner, but Jeri reasoned that the fox would get him there faster with fewer passengers. So the four year olds watched as the yellow digimon sped away, carrying their friend,

"Don't worry," Jeri whispered, hugging the young pair tightly. "He'll be alright. They'll take care of him. It's going to be alright."

Rika held tight to her partner with one hand and the limp overly-warm form of Impmn with the other. The girl couldn't believe how bad the rookie was. Both she and her fox digimon really liked the sarcastic digimon for the longest time and now he was burning up with fever in a alarming way.

"Hold on," she told him, "Just hold on."

The girl dug through her pocket, holding onto the running digimon with her legs. Finding what she needed, she grasped the card and D-arc as best she could from her awkward perch on her yellow champion's back.

"Digi-modify! Speed Activate!"

Suddenly Kyubimon became a blur on the landscape, dodging trees as she ran. Rika grabbed tighter for balance.

"Just hold on a little longer."

Chapter Text

Stupid budget meeting. These things last forever and never accomplish anything useful. And then he gets a call about one of the tamers learning more of the prophecy and he's stuck in a room as various men and women explained in complicated terms why they should receive more funding and everything else was a waste of money. Yamaki had never liked these meetings because it was always an excuse for higher up members to ask why there had not been more results from him with all the money that was dumped into the Hypnos program. One woman in a pin-striped suit and perfect red hair had even claimed that the entire Hypnos program was a waste since the destruction of the D-reaper had "resulted in the real world being unable to support the manifestation of these digital anomalies." The blond man had been rather surprised as he realized that her attitude towards digimon was how he once saw them. But it did give him the perfect excuse to shorten the meeting and make her look foolish.

"I'm sorry you feel that way, Ms…?" Yamaki began, pulling off his sunglasses.

"Suzuki. Ms. Suzuki. And it's a fact that in the months since the D-reaper event, your systems have not registered a single attempt to enter the real world by one of your 'wild ones', is it not?" she asked.

The adult tamer grinned slightly, "That was true until less than a week ago." He walked to the window and opened it as if he wanted some fresh air. This was a little childish, but Ms. Suzuki was too confident and self-assured by her high position. It was time for her to learn that what seemed simple and logical on paper, like labeling digimon as simple "digital anamolies" and his company as a waste of money, was much more complicated and involved in reality. He wanted to take her down a peg or two. "I think it would do you some good to see something."

As he expected, the opening served as the perfect invitation. A white, happy shape flew through the window. Calumon landed on the table, his eyes and ears huge as he inspected the stunned humans.

"What is that… thing?" demanded Ms. Suzuki, pointing a manicured finger at the tiny creature.

"Hi!" the digimon addressed the well-dressed adults. "Lots of new friends! Do you want to play? Marco Polo! Hide-and-Seek! Tag! Let's play."

Yamaki tried to keep his expression serious as various members slowly edged away from the bouncing bundle of energy. "This is a digimon. Specifically, his name is Calumon. He is one of the less dangerous ones, but some would kill you if given the opportunity." This warning about dangerous digimon would have been more effective if the little creature hadn't been inspecting Ms. Suzuki's financial charts and commenting on the pretty colors, but the man was enjoying himself anyway. "And they have returned."

"Give me those, you piece of digital trash," she snarled, snatching her paperwork.

Rather than being discouraged, the creampuff of a being decided the woman needed to be cheered up. "Why are you grumpy, lady? You need muffins!" he declared with a squeal. "Riley gets yummy muffins from Takato's house. He isn't home right now, but there are still muffins and snacks. Yummy!"

One of the other women snickered as Ms. Suzuki glared. The red-haired woman turned to Yamaki angrily.

"Your job is to stop things like that. Shouldn't you be doing something? Or are you completely incompetent?"

Calumon, seeing his partner being yelled at, took it upon himself to help. The white digimon jumped at the red-headed Ms. Suzuki. He took hold of her styled hair as she screamed.

"Don't be a meanie," he told her. "He's really nice and fun."

No one at this point was paying attention to what the tiny digital being was saying anymore. Ms. Suzuki was freaking out, trying to pry the creature off her head. Of the rest of the members of the meeting, half were attempting to help her and half were laughing at her expense. A few eyed him in fear, but most saw Calumon as annoying or possibly cute.

By the time she pried him off, Ms. Suzuki's perfect professional hairstyle was a wreck. Her face was reminiscent of a tomato and matched the color of her hair. The small digimon floated over to his tamer and landed safely in his arms.

"She's really grumpy," whispered the white creature. "I don't think she would be fun to play with."

Yamaki grinned at the chaos the meeting had dissolved into. Obviously it was over now. Again, this was likely one of the most childish things he'd ever done, but it had been worth it to see that pompous Ms. Suzuki looked like an idiot.

"She is grumpy, Calumon," he agreed. "But I think we can leave now. I need to call that boy back."

"Yay!" cheered the digimon. "No more grumpy lady."

Floramon had been preparing a warm herbal tea for all the workers. Thanks to the destruction of MetalEtemon, part of the forest's resources was now available to them and the whole village had been helping. Even with their extensive gardens, some plants could only be found outside their walls. Now, every digimon present were worn out. Thus, she was inside working on tea when another Floramon ran in.

"Someone is coming and fast. We saw a flash of yellow running towards the village."

As she left the kettle over the fire and headed towards the wall, Floramon tried to figure out who or what it could be. None of the local digimon that prowled the trees were yellow that she could remember.

A female voice shouted, carrying over the wooden fortification, "Open the door, Floramon!"

The flowery digimon widened her blue eyes. Though she had only heard the voice once, it had not been that long ago. The call belonged to a pony-tailed human. One of the humans that had arrived earlier that day searching for Impmon.

"Open it," Floramon ordered.

As the tall wooden doors creaked open, a yellow fox dashed through as soon as the gap was large enough. The panting digimon slid to a stop, bearing two shapes on her back. One was the girl who had yelled. The other was…

"Impmon…" gasped the plant-like creature. "What happened to him?"

The girl climbed off her champion's back, holding the limp rookie, "He ran into a trio of psychotic Dokugumon. Can you help him?"

Looking from the victim to the human, Floramon answered cautiously, "We should be able to." She gestured at a few of the nearby digimon. "Get him inside. Fast."

Nearly ready… Must send perfect tool to chosen target quickly.

The voice whispered. He knows where. He always knows where. It will use the information the voice has. Will send the new tool there.

And it will control the tool directly. The perfect tool will destroy the target and all others of the prophecy. And then it will complete its mission. Its programming. Destroy what evolves too far. It will succeed and destroy all humans and digimon.

Nearly ready…

Rika watched as the flowery digimon carried various herbs into where they had transported Impmon. Renamon stood next to the girl, having de-digivolved after her sprint to the village. Both were really worried but were determined not to show it. Instead of pacing outside the doorway like one of the boys would have, they leaned against the wall with their eyes glued to where Floramon smeared sweet-smelling goo on the purple rookie's back. After a moment, the partners could almost see a visible improvement. Rather than the uneasy feverish state he had been in since they found him, he seemed to have relaxed into a more natural sleep.

The plant-like creature turned to the waiting pair, "He should be alright now. Those Dokugumon are so cruel, but you got him here in time. I can't believe how those arachnids can cause this much suffering though."

"They won't anymore," Rika commented, feeling relieved by Floramon's news. "They're gone."

"… They're gone? You destroyed them?" she asked, staring in shock at the girl and the fox digimon. "First MetalEtemon and now the Dokugumon sisters? You… you tamers and your digimon are truly heroic…"

"Yeah, yeah," dismissed Rika. "But Impmon is going to be fine you said, right?"

The flowery digimon nodded, "All he needs now is rest and time."

"Ai and Mako will be glad to hear that," Renamon remarked. "Rika, we should go and let the others know. The twins were so worried when we left them."

"We'll take care of him until you return," promised Floramon.

"I just hope goggle-head didn't do anything stupid while we were gone," the girl muttered.

Ryo's cell phone began ringing shortly after Kenta's very vague recollection of the piece of the prophecy. As the boy answered it, he had to pull the phone away from his ear immediately because of the speakers' volume.

"Neat! Hi Ryo! I can't see you but we're talking now."

"Calumon, give that back."

"Aww… I want to talk. This is so funny. What do all the buttons do?"

"Don't you dare push them! Get back over here!"

"Yamaki's too slow! I get to play with the phone and you can't stop me."

"You can't be honestly trying to play 'Keep Away'. Listen. Give me the cell phone or else I'll take you back to see Ms. Suzuki."

"… The grumpy lady?" There was a sound of something clattering, like the other phone had been dropped to the ground. "Okay…"

Ryo had put the phone on speaker early on in the conversation between Yamaki and Calumon, so he was getting to enjoy not only the odd exchange over the phone but also the hilarious expressions of those gathered. Kazu was struggling not to laugh out loud, his face turning red with the effort. Lopmon just shook her head disapprovingly.

Yamaki's voice came out of the speaker nearly breathlessly, "Sorry about that. And about not joining you there. There was a budget meeting and someone suggested that perhaps Hypnos' funding could be better spent elsewhere." Somehow he sounded oddly smug. "I think I changed her mind."

"She was grumpy and mean," shouted Calumon in the background.

Ryo grinned slightly, wondering what exactly had happened, and answered, "We understand. Don't worry about it."

"I would still like to know what was discussed," Yamaki informed them. "Could you please update me on the on-going situation?"

"Well…" he began, but Kazu interrupted with his own summary.

"The weird D-arc person showed up in Kenta's house, looking all cloak-and-dagger. She spouted some prophecy gibberish that my friend here can't remember because he was too busy drooling over her because it turns out she's a human girl with 'really pretty blue eyes'. And she gave him some fortune cookie advice about being himself. That's about it."

The cell phone was silent as Yamaki obviously digested the boy's rant. Ryo rolled his eyes skyward, wondering when the others would return. Rika would have smacked Kazu's head for his stupid phrasing. But sadly his description was valid.

"Essentially, that's about it," the group's unofficial leader sighed.

"… I see," Yamaki answered carefully. "Perhaps I should join you so that the situation can be explained in more detail as well as the sections of the prophecy he can recall."

Ryo considered this, "So we can put the pieces of the prophecy together. Maybe we can figure out what we're supposed to do."

"And the more of the prophecy we know," added Kenta unexpectedly, "the more sense it will likely make. Thus, by putting what we know together, we might be able to make sense of the gibberish more easily. What is confusing separated may become clear together."

"Whoa," commented Kazu, staring at his friend oddly. "That… was… kind of cool. Way to go, buddy. I now elect you as our substitute Henry and put you in charge of saying smart stuff."

The glasses-wearing boy grinned slightly. Ryo shook his head as he watched the two tamers interact. They weren't acting dumb for once (or at least not too dumb), which was a change.

"We'll be waiting, Yamaki," he announced into the speaker before hanging up.

Ready! It sent the perfect tool immediately to destroy. Now it will stop the prophecy.

Growlmon had finally changed back to Guilmon, so most of the kids were back to walking. Jeri had generously offered to walk so that the tired twins could ride on Leomon's broad shoulders. Now the lion digimon was walking beside his partner with a four year old balanced on either side of his head.

"You're Leomon," Ai suddenly commented, coming out of her concerned silence. "You used to be a big egg. And Jeri was carrying it around in a backpack."

The champion turned his head so he could see the child. He wasn't sure what to say or even if she wanted an answer. What do you say to the partner of your killer? That situation doesn't come up very often. But her brother continued the conversation smoothly from the other shoulder.

"She really missed you. We saw how happy she was when she got your egg."

Both young tamers' expressions darkened as they remembered that day with their new understanding of their partner's disappearance. Now they truly understood how close they came to…

The girl softly whispered, "I hope Impmon is okay."

"Then it seems we've arrived in time to relieve your concerns," announced Renamon, materializing practically on top of them.

"They're taking care of him at the village," Rika informed them, stepping into view. "And Floramon said he'll be fine. And I see no one has gotten us into another problem while we were gone, so good work."

"You act like every time any of us are out of your sight, something blows up," complained Terriermon.

In the distance, a muffled explosion sounded in the distance. The tamers and digimon shot a look towards the noise. Smoke rose above the tree line in a thickening cloud. Terriermon blinked, surprised at the odd timing.

"Not my fault! I promise," he quickly claimed.

Jeri, Rika, and Renamon felt a surge of dread at the sight. They could make out a glow now with the smoke, like flickering flames.

"Guys…" Rika slowly whispered. "I think that's the village."

He began to wake up properly, feeling better than he had in a while. The burning pain in his back had eased. The haze of his mind had lifted and left him aware of his surroundings. Sure, he was still deathly tired, but it wasn't getting worse anymore. And he could tell he was back at the Floramon village.

Impmon was lying on a soft bed, smelling like the tea he had drunk the night before. All he wanted to do was keep half-way drowsing. He could almost remember seeing Rika and Renamon earlier. Everything had been so foggy, but they had said the twins were safe. So there was no reason not to try and fall asleep. But something told him to stay awake a little longer.

Suddenly, something exploded. Noise assaulted his ears and the ground shook. He struggled to his feet as flowery digimon started screaming in horror. Crashes announced that something was being destroyed. Likely their defensive wall or maybe the nearly buildings. Whatever was out there didn't sound good at all.

Floramon burst in through the doorway, her blue eyes panicked, "You need to get out of here. A… a monster just appeared in the village. It's horrible."

"Great," he muttered grimly. "I need a challenge."

"No, you're still too weak. You have to go. We can try to distract it for a time so that some digimon can be evacuated."

The green-eyed rookie shook his head, "All the weird digimon we've run into are connected to that dumb prophecy. All we have to do is find the loud-mouth creep running the show this time."

He stumbled to the doorway while Floramon tried to talk sense into the digimon. When he caught sight of what lay outside, he felt his jaw drop in shock.

"You have got to be kidding me," Impmon muttered. "Well, I think I know who to blame for Manipumon now, but this is too weird. And too tough without help. Lots of help."

Dark-red wires twisted around a familiar pink goo to form a trunk-like torso. It was huge and ended in a smooth pink goo head with only the vaguest facial features. A thin line of a mouth and two beady red eyes glared down emotionlessly at the scurrying villagers. But it got even stranger. Randomly attached to the thick torso were parts of digimon. Heads, faces, arms, and weapons sprouted all along the red-wire surface with no order to their placement. Two arms, larger and more proportional to the monstrosity and made of the same twisted wire, stuck out on the left side. Three of similar sizes were attached to the right. Other arms of smaller size and a variety of textures lay scattered around and resembled limbs from digimon like Kuwagamon, Snimon, Togemon, and even MarineDevimon. Even worse were the emotionless faces of Pumpkinmon, Triceramon, Gotsumon, and others. And every single eye was blood-red.

The thin mouth opened slowly, "Behold Polydromon. The perfect tool. The members of the prophecy will be destroyed. Then all humans and digimon. All shall be deleted."

The voice, or rather voices, were scarily familiar. One was monotone and sounded exactly like Jeri. The second, a deeper voice that echoed behind the child-like one, was creepily cruel. Impmon knew it well. It was Beelzemon's.

"You have got to be kidding me," the rookie repeated. "D-reaper… and me? Can this be another nightmare, please?"

Chapter Text

"Master," called DemiDevimon softly. The tiny bat could tell his master was distracted through his connection, but four of the humans and four of the digimon were gathered together in one place. A perfect target, isolated and secluded, he couldn't pass up an opportunity like this. All he needed was a few drones and he would gain the master's eternal gratitude. But to get the new drones he had to ask his master for them first. "If you want me to destroy them, now would be the time. Just say the word and I'll sic the monster of the month on them."

After a moment, the rookie received an answer. "Destroying the other prophesied members in the digital world. No spare tools." DemiDevimon didn't know which of his master's dual voices were creepier: the main one that resembled a sweet girl deprived of all feelings or the darker male one that was dripping with anger and hatred. But it was better to align one's self with powerful beings rather than to worry about how scary they seem. "Can't send any to you."

The dark flying digimon felt his hopes sink. From his hiding place, he could see the tamers and their partners while he was concealed by tree branches and leaves. How would he remain important to his master if he didn't have anything to work with? DemiDevimon needed to be important. He wanted to have an indispensible role once the master took over. And in order to do that, he had to remove these human and digimon from the picture.

"However," the master continued, the red eye on the bat's face widening, "Can provide more power to the tool already there. Much more power. Enough to destroy the targets."

His yellow eyes glittered in anticipation. While the small virus type would rather be the boss of a couple of drones, he would not say no to more power. He was already nearly invincible. What more could he receive?

"Great! Bring on the power boost," he grinned evilly. "I'll take out those guys for you. I won't fail you like the others. Kiwimon and Manipumon were losers."

"Wait. Busy in the digital world," explained his master, "But soon you will destroy them."

DemiDevimon took flight. When the time came, he would need the perfect battleground. The digimon and their human partners would come to him anyway. Why not make them fight on his terms?

As the digital creature glided through the sky, he didn't consider an important fact. His master, the D-reaper, intended to destroy all humans and digimon that had evolved too far. This by definition meant all of them. So why would it help digimon to gain power and keep them around?

Because once the D-reaper regained a true physical form, all its tools would no longer be needed and would be easy to dispose of. They would be destroyed simply by cutting off their power supply, so why not use them until then?

How could she keep doing this? Just stand by while horrible events unfold? Destiny shook her head, trying to dispel the doubts. Prophecies had to be fulfilled or else everything would fall apart.

If death was the price, then so be it. But she had to ensure that events turn out right. She could have warned them. But all that would have done was increased the suffering. She had seen cases like this before. How often a single or a few lives lost prevented hundreds, thousands, or even millions from dying? Destiny knew this and understood. It didn't make what was to come any easier.

She liked them: the humans and digimon. That was part of the trouble. Those who survived would hate and blame her. They would ask why she didn't stop it from happening. If she could prevent what was to come, she would. But she was as powerless to save their friends as she had been to save her own.

Destiny silently asked them for forgiveness as she prepared to stand aside and allow fate to take its course. The breeze stirred her cloak gently as she stood beneath the trees. She would watch. Watch as a prophecy is fulfilled. Watch as someone die. It was her duty and she would always do it. But she hated it.

Polydromon, the creepy mixture of multiple digimon and an apparently revived-somewhat D-reaper, took a large pink-goo-and-red-wire hand and smashed down on the closest hut. The defending wall was already reduced to splinters. One of the smaller heads, for some reason located on one of the left elbows, was an orange reptile's face. The miniature face opened its mouth and spat a fireball at another hut. The flames flickered up through the wood and caused the fleeing digimon to continue their screaming.

Floramon tugged at the tired rookie's arm, "You can't win. You can't even fight. Listen, we're sneaking the in-trainings and sick digimon out the back. Head towards the lake. That area is safe now."

"Come on," Impmon argued, glancing at the giant monstrosity uneasily. "There is no way I'm going to be smuggled out like I'm helpless."

Her blue eyes focused on his green eyes sternly. She gave every impression she was about to smack him on the head. Yikes… If digimon had mothers, Floramon would make a very intimidating one that no child would ever argue with.

"Are you going to be that selfish?" she asked. "What will you accomplish? You'll get killed and then what? Is your pride or whatever worth leaving Ai, Mako, and the rest of your friends alone?"

The purple rookie blinked. When the over-grown weed phrased it like that… the twins would need him. If he acted as stupid as he had with Indramon and challenged Polydromon himself, he would end up splattered and his partners would be left to deal with it. And this time, they would not be nearly as ignorant of the truth.

"Fine," growled Impmon, "But you aren't allowed to do something stupid either. That thing is not a normal digimon. It's a lot worse."

The flowery digimon nodded and pointed towards the back of the village from the main gate. The purple rookie stumbled in the indicated direction. Polydromon was continuing its destructive rampage, ripping open roofs and crushing buildings. The villagers scurried below the swinging arms. Suddenly, Floramon shouted angrily.

"No! Not our garden!"

Impmon spun around to see her glaring up at the mix-and-match creep. And yes, she seemed to be defending several rows of plants. After all that talk about not acting suicidal and now there she was throwing away for a couple scraggly weeds. How stupid can you be?

"Stamen Rope!" she shouted, but her attack didn't even faze the giant. In fact, it barely noticed. She tried again with a cry of "Rain of Pollen!"

The thick cloud did nothing to Polydromon physically, but it caught the creature's attention. The multitude of red eyes turned down towards her. Floramon stood her ground, defending the source of her village's medicine and food. The creature reached down towards her.

"Stupidity: party of two," Impmon grumbled, aiming at the descending hand. "Badda Boom!"

The fireball, smaller than his standard couple-scaring size flames, didn't even singe the monster, but Polydromon was glaring at the purple rookie now. The smaller digimon returned the look.

"Impmon: the lower form of Beelzemon," the Jeri-sounding voice identified. "The digimon that destroyed Leomon."

"Old news," he snarled, "Moving on to the next mistake. I've already heard that one from you. Try to keep with the times and pick a more recent fault."

The creature obliged with the deeper voice laced with cruelty, "Digi-pet. Slave to the humans. Giving up all that power because of a little guilt. Traitor."

"Again, old news. Your buddy Tapirmon's twisted dream was worse than your sad attempts. Get some new material, moron."

Both voices spoke this time, "Must destroy all members of the prophecy. Once all of you are gone, all humans and digimon will be destroyed as well."

"You are insane," snapped Impmon. "The others splattered your D-reaper goo last time. Why would you win this time? And what's with the double voice thing? Isn't it bad enough for a huge creep like you to talk like a little girl?"

The second left arm shot out and grabbed the purple digimon roughly. Polydromon raised the struggling shape so that its main beady eyes were focused on his emerald gaze. The monster stared emotionlessly at the rookie.

It opened its thin mouth slowly, "All must be destroyed."

The grip around him began to tighten cruelly, leaving Impmon gasping and futilely struggling. And then the cavalry arrived.

"Hurry up," Jeri called, surprisingly leaving the others behind. As soon as they had realized that the village, Floramon, and Impmon were in danger, the whole group took off. Now Jeri was leading the pack. "Can you go any faster?"

"Renamon and I've already done this sprint today," pointed out Rika. "Sorry if we can't keep up as well."

Actually, they weren't that far behind. Concern was giving the tamers and digimon speed. But the screams and crashes that grew in volume as they neared, they wondered if it was already too late.

As they burst into the clearing, all of them were stunned by the monstrosity looming over the wreckage that had been the village earlier that day. The pink goo and twisting red wires brought back memories of their battle in the city to save Jeri. But hands and faces of hundreds of digimon reached out through the grotesque shape. There was no logic to the placement. Randomly an arm or a head appeared on the creature. And hundreds of blood-red eyes stared from the various faces.

"It's like Kimeramon, only worse," gasped Takato, referring to the Frankenstein-like creation by the Digimon Emperor on the television show.

Ai and Mako slid down off Leomon's shoulders, their eyes huge and terrified. Jeri was nearly shaking as she saw the creature. It looked so much like the being that had used her to hurt so many. The same creature that had tried to destroy everything by using her emotions as fuel had twisted all these poor digimon into this horror. The girl felt mesmerized by the creature's similarity to the D-reaper.

"Put him down!" an angry voice shouted suddenly.

Floramon stood near the monster, being pulled away by another pair of vegetative digimon. They seemed to be determined to get her away just as much as she seemed to be determined to remain. Her gaze reached upwards towards the creature.

"Impmon!" cried Ai horrified.

Everyone looked where the child pointed. The purple rookie was held in the tightening grip of the giant. Unlike earlier, his eyes were alert and clear. He definitely was aware of his surroundings and wasn't happy about it.

Three tamers exchanged glances. Henry, Rika, and Takato pulled out their D-arcs, holding tightly.

"Jeri," instructed Henry, "You and Leomon help the Floramon villagers get out of here. We'll deal with the D-reaper look-alike. Ai and Mako. Stay back and safe."

As the others followed his directions, the trio of humans and their partners glared up to where Impmon was being squeezed painfully. The giant beast holding him stared down at them.

"Rika, Henry, Takato, Renamon, Terriermon, Guilmon," the creature identified, its voice young, female, and monotone while at the same time deep, male and cruel. Its next words were slower, as if considering the implications of the next two's presence. "Jeri… Leomon? Beelzemon destroyed Leomon? Illogical! His presence is illogical."

A choked out gasp from the slowly suffocating digimon answered, "We're pretty illogical. Get over it, jell-o jerk."

"That's it," snapped Rika. "Time to take out this bozo."

"Polydromon is the perfect tool," the giant claimed. "All will be destroyed," it announced as it tightened its grip further, causing Impmon to release a strangled scream of pain and his friends to take action.

"Guilmon Biomerge digivolve to… Gallantmon!"

"Terriermon Biomerge digivolve to… MegaGargomon!"

"Renamon Biomerge digivolve to… Sakuyamon!"

The three megas charged towards the creature, the boys aiming for the right arms to distract while Sakuyamon flew straight for the captive rookie. Polydromon smacked her flying with its free left arm. The fox-lady tumbled through the air and crashed into a tree.

The deeper voice, Beelzemon's voice they realized, chuckled evilly, "I always wanted to crush you pathetic digi-slaves for your stupidity. Now I will. But some are even worse traitors than you."

"Lightning Joust!" shouted the knight digimon, aiming for the main red-eyes of the creature. As the smoke cleared, Polydromon looked unchanged.

The green robotic dog cried out, "Gargo Missile!" He fired at the same eyes, hoping that it would work like it did with Manipumon. But his attack was as ineffective as Gallantmon's. "What?"

"Decoy," the Jeri-voice explained. "Weakness of tools hidden. Real red eye, real connection, concealed in plain sight."

"Amethyst Wind!" announced the yellow mega, her attack striking multiple faces on Polydromon to no effect.

The darker voice of the monster continued his earlier taunts, "Weak pets to humans. All of you. None of you would leave behind your leashes and bindings to the pathetic human race. But you," his crimson gaze turned to the weakening struggles of Impmon. "You left the trappings behind and gained real power with a clever deal. And you give it up and go crawling back to those stinking brats and begging that cry-baby child for forgiveness. All because she didn't want you to get hurt after your victory against Leomon and you felt guilty then. You should have used her naïve weakness and killed them later."

Gallantmon tried to get near the purple rookie, but he was forced to dodge the other left hand. MegaGargomon tried to use his similar size to Polydromon to free the digimon. Even with the four large free arms, the monster could have possibly been challenged to keep its own. But its red eyes, all of them, narrowed towards the giant mega.

"Binding Snare!" the dual voices announced.

The twisted red wire unwound from the creature's torso and snagged the dog robot, pulling him away from Polydromon and tangling the mega's limbs.

"Not… brats or… cry-baby," Impmon half-gasped and half-hissed in pain, addressing his captor. "Stupid… freaky D-reaper… wannabe. Talks… like Jeri… and me. But… dumber… and uglier... and a... loser."

Jeri saw the scores of fleeing digimon weaving through the rubble of the village. The place was a complete loss. What wasn't crushed was in flames. Floramon, the one that had greeted them so nicely that morning, was still trying to keep her position near the monstrous creation of the D-reaper. Every time Jeri thought about the D-reaper, the girl felt a deep sense of guilt. Was this how Impmon felt when he thought about her or Leomon? She focused her thought back to the present.

When they reached the flowery digimon, Leomon laid a gentle hand on the stubborn Floramon's shoulder. "You can't stay here. You and your village must evacuate."

"But what about our homes? Our garden? Your friend?" she asked, gesturing up to Impmon as the megas battled overhead.

The tamer looked at the vegetative creature kindly, "You can always rebuild. Buildings can be repaired and plants re-grown, but your lives are harder to recover. We'll save Impmon. You must lead your people to safety."

Slowly, the digital being nodded. She allowed the other Floramons who had been attempting to lead her into the forest to do so. As she and the last of the villagers vanished into the shadows of the tree line, Floramon spared a final glance at the burning remains of their home.

Jeri looked up to her partner's face. His expression was grim as he glared at Polydromon. He was a champion and didn't stand a chance fighting it. But he felt should be. This monster was created by the D-reaper. The D-reaper who had captured the girl. Leomon wished he could have protected her from that. But he couldn't and now she felt as guilty as if she had caused that chaos. He had seen this since she learned of its return.

"Jeri, they should be safe now," the leonine digimon reasoned. "Should we not go back to guard the younger children?"

She nodded suddenly, trying to ignore the explosions, shouts, and other sounds overhead that were beyond her control. "Before the twins do something stupid. Those kids are likely to try and help if we aren't there to stop them."

Beneath the looming branches of the various trees that bordered the clearing, two small brown-haired shapes huddled. The terrified twins shivered as the older kids and their partners attacked the giant grasping their best friend. Impmon was in danger and they didn't know what to do. Should they go out towards the pink and red creature? Or should they stay here like Henry told they?

"Greeting Double Single," a calm female voice announced as a cloaked figure approached them. The stranger looked and sounded like the one from the D-arc as she stepped out of the shadows towards the nervous children. "I come to bring you important information of what is to come. But you must not repeat what I tell you to the others or even mentioned this conversation at all."

"Who are you, D-arc lady," whispered Ai.

As the figured pulled down her hood to reveal dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, and a human face, she answered carefully, "My name is Destiny and no matter what happens, I'm your friend and not your enemy. Many things are about to occur and everything will seem to be going wrong. But you must remember a few important things," Shouts of battle and the monster's taunts rang out, nearly distracting the twins from her instructions. "First, Impmon has made you two promises: to always return to you and to always protect you. He would never let you down if he can help it."

"How do you know?" Mako asked suddenly, "Do you know him?"

Her eyes darkened, looking sad as she continued, "Let's say I knew someone like him. A lot like him. Second," she reached into Ai's dress pocket, pulling out a certain piece of red cloth the child still had with her. The older girl tied it to the young tamer's head to hold the increasingly messy hair back. When she finished, Ai looked like she was wearing a red neckerchief like an old woman would. But she seemed unconcerned by her appearance and Destiny assured, "no matter how hopeless life may seem or how great the evil appears, you must understand, 'though you may tread in the shadows of death and the heartless seeks your destruction, in the darkness is the light. One who is lost to the darkness will still live while dead, and that life will enough to face the personal demons that haunt his dreams.' Understand me?"

The pair of tamers shook their heads as the older girl grinned sadly. She patted their heads gently and turned away. As she stepped back into the shadows of the forest, she called back a reminder.

"Do not forget: you have not seen me. And as deep as the darkness that surrounds you might be, the light shall shine equally as bright."

Before the confused children could question her, another strangled gasp from Impmon reminded them of the situation. They spun around to where the megas fought to free him. Ai and Mako stared horrified as the monstrosity continued to slowly tighten his grip while batting away the other digimon like flies. Destiny was already gone.

Chapter Text

He had experienced a relatively peaceful slipping into death from dissolving into data, as well as being completely locked inside his own mind and the burning and foggy clouding of poison-induced fever. While none of these were fun, his latest experience was slowly taking the cake on the whole "least favorite experience ever" contest.

Impmon felt the unmerciful pressure around his body. The creep, Polydromon, apparently decided to gradually tighten its grip cruelly while it fought the others. His chest, his whole body, was too compressed already. He was struggling for breath as he was squashed. And all through the crushing agony, the lack of air, and everything else, the stupid multi-faced jell-o mold was doing a monologue! Really, did it have to be taunting him and explaining all his past "mistakes" in life while Impmon couldn't even whisper a proper come-back? He barely was able to defend Ai, Mako, and Jeri from the jerk.

The edge of his vision was going dark quickly. Right now, it was as if he was seeing the world through a long tunnel. Occasionally, he would see Gallantmon or Sakuyamon flash into sight, trying to reach him or fire another attack at Polydromon before another arm slung them away. Mostly, all he could see was emotionless main face of his captor.

"You're weak and pathetic, Impmon," the Beelzemon-sounding voice snapped at his helpless victim. "You'll always be that way so as long as you continue this foolish goody-goody act you've recently taken up. Of course you could beg for your life and swear loyalty to me. Maybe I'll even give you power if you serve well. You'd make an interesting tool. Obviously there is a cost for my generosity."

The gasping rookie knew exactly what the D-reaper wanted. What do all crazed freaks want when they offer power? For him to play traitor and wipe out the others. That was pathetic. First, he couldn't do that right now anyway. Second, even if goo-boy gave him the strength to try, he wouldn't make the same idiotic mistake again.

"…Bite me!" he croaked, trying to glare through the blackness that continued to swallow everything. His words were barely audible, but he tried to deliver them with as much attitude as possible. Suddenly, Polydromon turned Impmon towards the forest. His emerald eyes tried to focus. "…Never…will…" he tried to continue, but ran out of air.

The creepy mega-copycat voice hissed, "You will die, traitor. And those who caused you to stray from the path to power will follow. Starting with them."

Two blurry shapes moved against the blurry green and brown that was all that the rookie could see of the forest. Ai and Mako. As he realized this, he tried to struggle free once more. But his movements were tiny and he couldn't keep it up for more than a few seconds. His chest ached from the pressure and his inability to inhale. Why is it that the twins always get threatened when he is least able to protect them?

He had to protect them. He had to show this moron who was boss. He couldn't move, talk, fight, or even insult, but he had to do something, anything, to save his tamers. His head pounded and stars exploded across his darkened vision. He needed to breathe! And he needed to stop Polydromon.

"Good-bye, Impmon," both of the monster's voices taunted.

The pressure, already unbearable, increased dramatically fast. And then stopped all together. Something was wrong… The purple digimon felt so distant from everything. Far away was a tingling sensation he half-way remembered from before, only this time it spread more quickly. Something was falling apart. He couldn't hear or see. The whole world just seemed to fade away, but it no longer hurt and he wasn't tired anymore. Yet, an important thought pushed through even as his mind drifted away.

Must protect them. …protect them… protect… pro…

The screams of shock from above her head filled the girl with dread. Jeri couldn't help it. She had to look, even fearing what she knew must have happened. Her stomach dropped as she saw Polydromon's empty hand. Data shot away from the fist as the monster crushed the poor rookie out of existence.

"Impmon!" a heartbroken cry rang out from near the tree line. The youngest tamers, the ones who had seemed to believe their dear partner was invincible, stood there with tears rolling down their faces as they looked at the giant creature laughing cruelly. Ai, something now covering her hair, pointed towards the mix-and-match being. "Why?!" she asked him, clearly understanding this time what was occurring and what her friend's disappearance meant.

Polydromon's emotionless gaze somehow seemed to promise disaster. The older girl knew that she and Leomon needed to get to the twins immediately. The champion seemed to sense this as well and broke into a run.

Gallantmon and Sakuyamon suddenly found themselves in a strong grip, two of the monster's hands holding each mega. MegaGargomon was still fighting the tight red wires binding him. The more dangerous opponents now occupied, it could focus on the destruction of the maximum number of prophesied members.

The two young children couldn't move, frozen with fear, as Polydromon began to grin. The D-reaper wasn't one to really demonstrate emotions. Beelzemon was a different story. That part of the evil creation definitely had no problem showing his feelings of hate, anger, and savagery. If he was grinning, it meant he was planning something horrible.

The two voices shouted in a nearly echoing manner, "Blood Glare of Despair!"

The thousands of crimson eyes glowed abruptly. The sight was creepy, but what came next was worst. Red lights burst forth from the various emotionless eyes and flew towards Ai and Mako with deadly accuracy. Jeri and Leomon were trying to get to them, but even the sprinting leonine digimon would not get there in time.

Human and digimon screamed in frustrated horror as the light reached Impmon's young partners.

"Some gone," his master abruptly announced, "Prophecy will now fail. But to be sure, here is more power. Destroy all."

"Sure thing. You're the boss," agreed DemiDevimon, not caring that he had just been told that it had just killed someone. The small bat didn't worry about anyone else as long as he got what he wanted. He had chosen his battlefield-to-be as a semi-abandoned factory. The building itself was closed, but there was some traffic outside. Shouldn't be hard to get a nice panic going. Once the tamers arrived, he could use the large shadowy space to his advantage. The high roof and various machinery meant places to hide and dodge. Perfect for the dark rookie to win. Especially once he got his power boost from the master. "Super-charge me!"

DemiDevimon's red third eye widened on the digimon's head. His tiny flying body filled with unbelievable strength. He thought he was already strong from the D-reaper's power, but this felt incredible. He felt his small form shift and change. He grew and darkened further until his body was jet black. He gained long, thin arms and his overall shape became more humanoid. His two normal yellow eyes morphed into glowing red ones. As he studied his new, stronger body, he laughed maniacally.

"Well now," Devimon mused, "Let's see if we can gain the attention of the locals." He smashed open one of the walls, causing the humans outside to shout in surprise and fear. All they could see inside the hole was a trio of red eyes peering out of the darkness. The number of people, which had already been limited, drastically reduced as they fled from his dark presence. "Now, the tamers and their digimon should be on their way."

When the light began to fade, the trapped megas, Leomon, and Jeri expected to see two tiny lifeless shapes, if even that much was left. Leomon had been so close when Polydromon's attack struck, that he had hoped to be able to save them. They were just innocent children, younger and less experienced in the digital world than the others, and they deserved something better than for a monster to extinguish their short lives so callously. The golden-mane digimon blinked as the red glow vanished.

Where Ai and Mako had stood, a purple half-dome-like wall covered the area. The shield was fairly small and translucent. The leonine creature could make out two cowering figures. Or was it three? Somehow, he and Jeri were still running and came around to the open end of the purple defense.

Inside, the twins were crying, shaking, and terrified, but unharmed. The shield that had materialized to cover them had protected them from the deadly-looking light. Flickering into and out of focus, like a bad hologram, was a shadowy figure that knelt by the pair. The shape turned its head upwards to reveal emerald eyes that seemed to be distracted and unfocused. Leomon and Jeri recognized with a shock that the barely present figure as Impmon.

Polydromon, seeing its earlier attempt had failed, slammed its free hand into a wall. Jeri, Leomon, and the twins flinched, but they were under the shield and remained undamaged. The purple wall cracked slightly and the shadowy shape flickered nearly out of view before stabilizing in form again somewhat. He looked at the champion in a pleading manner. The two of them had never gotten the chance to discuss the past. While Leomon had been killed by this digimon, Impmon had apparently been trying to make up for all the harm he had created. From what he'd been told, the purple rookie had placed his life on the line multiple times to protect not only his own tamers, but also Jeri. The twins were trying to talk to the see-through, flickering image of their partner, begging him to say it would be alright. Another giant fist slammed into the translucent shield and huge cracks formed across the surface. The figure blurred, flickered harshly, and became kind of static-filled.

"I'm sorry," Impmon apologized, his voice sounding as if he was speaking from a long ways off. "I have no right, but… protect them… please?"

The leonine creature knew how much it must have cost him to ask. The monster who tried to kill all the tamers was gone, leaving this poor rookie with the guilt. There was no way the champion could hold a grudge after all that.

He nodded, agreeing to protect the scared children, just as Polydromon rammed its hand a final time. The wall, and the shadowy shape of Impmon, shattered like glass. The explosion caused by the shield's destruction knocked the four down. Unlike before, there was no dissolved data floating away. The whole thing just… broke into nothing.

"One deleted completely," Polydromon's dual voices announced.

Jeri, pushing the twins back towards the trees, screamed, "You monster! How dare you?!"

The male voice of the creature remarked, "Please don't act like you care. You may have been too weak to let him be destroyed in the past, but you and Leomon should enjoy his death. Until you join him in oblivion. Jeri, you are one of those responsible for that idiot giving up all that power and you'll pay."

"I forgave him a long time ago," she answered, her voice cold as she addressed the giant creature.

"I," added her partner, "have also forgiven his past. But I do not believe either one of us have forgiven you. You will pay for your crimes."

Jeri's yellow D-arc, once so empty and lifeless, glowed suddenly. A light surrounded both the girl and the digimon.

"Leomon Biomerge digivolve to… Regulumon!"

Gallantmon struggled in Polydromon's arms. He was held in its right hands and Sakuyamon was in its left, leaving one right arm free as well as hundreds of smaller arms. The knight was forced to watch as a deadly-looking red light engulfed the twins. They screamed as the young pair vanished in the blinding glare. First the cobbled-together creature had crushed the poor rookie and now it was…

The mega gasped as the purple shield covered the young tamers was revealed. He could see Jeri and Leomon close the distance and peered beneath the smooth surface. From their expressions, they found the twins alive. Gallantmon, still attempting to regain his freedom, glanced over to Sakuyamon.

"Where did that come from?" Takato asked from the bubble of consciousness within.

Renamon's voice cautiously observed, "I don't know why, but… it feels like… It feels like Impmon."

No one could argue with the fact that she had an unbelievable bond with him, always being able to find or recognize the hot-tempered rookie no matter what, but what she was telling them now was hard to accept. Before another word could be said, Polydromon swung his free right fist into the translucent wall. Small fissures riddled the surface, but held.

"Well, if it is him," Rika reasoned, floating inside Sakuyamon, "then how did he go from dead to shield?"

MegaGargomon, cocooned in red wires as effectively as if prey in a spiderweb, listened and watched as he too tried to escape. As usual, Henry had a theory forming from what information he had.

"He dissolved into data and everything in the digital world is made of data." The Frankenstein monster of a creature punched the purple wall again. The mega winced at the sight, but the shield still held firm, if cracked greater than before. "I suppose it's possible that he somehow reconfigured his scattered data into a defense for Ai and Mako out of pure stubborn willpower."

"Figures that only Impmon would be that stubborn," Terriermon's voice muttered, but he sounded a little impressed and worried. "But shouldn't we be figuring out how to get loose, because right now we're like a trio of oversized piñatas waiting to be broken open."

Polydromon, apparently intent on finishing off not only the wall form of Impmon but the twins as well, gave a final blow. The purple shield shattered with a sound of breaking glass. Leomon, Jeri, and two small shapes, one with something red and cloth-like covering her head, was revealed.

"One deleted completely," the dual voices announced; the simplicity of its message cutting deeply into the trapped megas.

Gallantmon heard Jeri shouting at the pink and red monster, not really hearing what the girl was saying. Just the idea that all of them, human and digimon, could be sharing that fate soon enough kept buzzing through his mind. Polydromon's voice, Beelzemon's, answered her sharply. Really, the D-reaper and Beelzemon had caused the girl the most pain and they were now united against the tamers. And at the moment, he couldn't do anything about it.

A warm, comforting glow surrounded Jeri and her partner. The knight digimon stared in amazement.

"Leomon Biomerge digivolved… Regulumon!"

In place of the girl and the champion, a large shape stepped forward. He was larger and more muscular than Leomon, but there was a similar body structure. His fur was a slightly darner brown and his mane was white blond. He wore black pants and black leather belt around his left wrist and white one around his right. A blade, longer than the one wielded by Leomon, rested in a sheath. A red leather strap with a blue sphere imbeded in it ran across his left shoulder. The digimon stared at Polydromon with piercing yellow eyes. Shaking his mostly whitish mane, Regulumon growled at the D-reaper's tool with both Leomon's deep voice and Jeri's own.

"We have not forgiven you for all the harm you have caused. We will not. But we will stop you."

And Jeri added angrily, "I will not be helpless or used again," as the leonine mega leapt.

It was still in the darkness. But through the connection to the perfect tool, it watched the digital world. It observed the capture and deletion of one of the targets.

"Traitor," the voice hissed darkly. "Impmon, the traitor, is dead."

If the D-reaper could feel concern, it would worry that the voice was becoming louder and stronger. It couldn't ignore him. The voice, Beelzemon, was part of it and it had to listen.

"Destroy all of them," he continued. "Ai, Mako, Leomon, Jeri, and the rest. Make them suffer."

Another presence appeared in the darkness, not yet part of the D-reaper. This happened when a new digimon was destroyed completely, but it was busy. The new arrival could wait until later to be absorbed. The presence was left alone in the darkness for now.

Chapter Text

The tamers and their digimon, who had been awaiting the arrival of Yamaki and Calumon, were suddenly called into action. While Riley didn't call with news of a Bioemergence, she did inform the group about panic and reports of strange occurrences at a nearby shut-down factory. Exploding walls, evil laughs, and glowing eyes sounded like a digimon. And since there was no digital field and the instruments at Hypnos weren't going off, then it must be one that was already in the human world. Specifically, it had to be DemiDevimon.

"That little creep is causing all this trouble?" pointed Kazu, trying to keep up with Ryo and Monodramon as the group raced down the street. How that boy could set such a pace while carrying Suzie on his back was a mystery. Must be from all his time running around the digital world. Or he might exercise on occasion. Either way, the digimon king was moving fast. "How could the tiny guy scare anyone?"

"For people not used to seeing digimon," reasoned Ryo, barely sounding winded, "any digimon could be intimidating."

Kenta, silently wondering why he keeps having to run everywhere today, gasped, "But can he make walls explode? We might be dealing with something else."

"But anything else would have to Bioemerge and Hypnos would be going crazy with alarms," Ryo pointed out. "DemiDevimon is already flying around."

"Bad mean bat. He's scawy," muttered Suzie, hanging tightly to the boy.

"Right. But there is no reason to let our guard down. None of these digimon have been normal so far," their unofficial leader explained.

The group made quite a sight, running down the street. Up front, a brown-haired youth carried a small girl on his back with a purple reptile-like being besided him, while a boy with a baseball cap struggled to follow them. Right behind was a metal robot using a jetpack to fly and a brown rabbit clinging to his shoulder. Bringing up the rear was a bespectacled boy with dark hair and a tiny pink creature riding comfortably in his pocket. Needless to say, everyone got out of their way and watched them pass.

"You can say that again," Kazu agreed, breathing hard. "Meramon had no personality and was way too strong. And DemiDevimon was his boss. That's just messed up. Who puts that joker in charge at anything?"

Lopmon, on her perch on Guardramon, pondered, "I don't know. He seems willing to do his master's bidding. Sometimes that is enough: obedience."

"While obedience is a noble trait, loyalty is a higher virtue," declared the machine digimon. "That foul fiend may obey his master, but is he truly loyal?"

"Likely the flying rat is getting something out of the deal," Kazu panted. "And whatever he gets, it can't be good."

Going from a from a small, human girl to a giant, muscular bipedal lion is rather odd, but the body Jeri found herself in had its own set of instincts. Rather than turning into the more common mega, SaberLeomon, she'd seen in the cards, she and Leomon turned… well, into a what seemed like a tougher version of her partner. But, floating in a yellow sphere of consciousness, she felt stronger and faster than ever before. And angrier. She had blamed herself for the whole D-reaper event once. She had even thought Leomon's death was her fault. But now she blamed the D-reaper itself and the darkness that had twisted Beelzemon into a monster. And now she had the power to do something about it.

"Come on, Leomon," she whispered. "It's time for us to stand up and fight."

No one expected the blinding speed of Regulumon's pounce. Certainly the Frankenstein monstrosity of a creature did not foresee the mega's capability. The feline was a streak of brown and white fur.

"Regulus Cutter!' he called as the digimon slashed at the wires around MegaGargomon with his blade.

Between the leonine's attack and the robot's struggles, the green mega pulled free from his entrapment. But by this point, Regulumon was already gone ahead to his new target. He was bounding through the remains of the village, slashing at Polydromon's various faces as he worked his way around to the others. MegaGargomon targeted the left arms as the feline reached the ones holding Gallantmon.

"Gargo Missile!"

"Beast-King Wave!" roared Regulumon, unleashing a blast of energy.

The attacks may not have actually hurt the manufactured monster, but the clearing smoke revealed that they had still succeeded. Gallantmon and Sakuyamon flew away from it to a safe distance.

"Okay, now that we're free," Rika's voice wondered, "how do we beat this blob?"

"Hit the right target," explained Terriermon. "One of these eyes has to be it."

"But which one?" asked Guilmon reasonably.

Polydromon announced, "Blood Glare of Despair!"

The deadly-looking lights caused the digimonto take evasive measures. A few beams struck the remnants of the village and left blackened ash. Gallantmon deflected one of the crimson rays of light with his shield, leaving a sooty streak across its surface.

"Amethyst Wind!" cried Sakuyamon.

"Mega Barrage!" MegaGargomon shouted.

Their strikes spread across the giant pink and red shape. As they half-way expected, the creature emerged unharmed.

"Will destroy you all," Polydromon stated, the deep voice of Beelzemon melding with the emotionless one of Jeri. "All must be destroyed. You cannot win."

"We disagree," whispered Regulumon. He had spotted something promising on the rescue attempt of the other megas. Any of the red eyes could be the target, but one face of the creature seemed more likely with what they knew. "We strongly disagree. D-reaper, Beelzemon, or whatever you prefer to be called, we shall stop you as soon as we finish with your puppet, Polydromon."

"Illogical," stated the creature in Jeri's lifeless voice. The sound of her voice being used like this caused the girl to grimace from her location within the brown and white mega. "You have been unable to damage the perfect tool yet. How could you win?"

"Because," the tamer's words came out strong and confident, contrasting with those spoken by her verbal copy-cat, "I know who and what you are. Maybe better than anyone else. The D-reaper is straight forward, but Beelzemon isn't. He is cocky and full of pride, however."

Regulumon's eyes were locked on a particular point on Polydromon. Jeri had realized that only one face could be the right one. On the torso, high up where the chest would be on the twisted creature, were dozens of faces. But only one was animated. Only one face on the whole creature seemed truly alive. Where a heart would rest on a human being, Beelzemon's face, complete with three red eyes, gazed out on the world.

"Binding Snare!" the dual voices cried out, sending red wires shooting at the mega. The leonine digimon leapt out of the way nimbly. Beelzemon's tone turned dark and taunting while the child sounding one remained neutral. "How long, Jeri? How long until you lose another friend? How much suffering can you stand until your heart breaks and you beg for the pain to stop? Like before, Jeri."

Jeri, inside the shape of Regulumon, felt a moment of doubt. She had been hurt before by loss. Even now, she felt horrible about Impmon's fate. And she had already bowed to that pain and let it engulf her when she lost Leomon. Could she be brave enough to face and endure loss rather than try to escape her feelings like before?

"Jeri," Leomon's strong voice addressed only her, "do not listen to that monster. He is only trying to frighten you."

"But he's right. Any of you could… And I might… Can I really keep strong as everyone…?" she asked, barely able to speak her fears.

"All of us face that risk and that loss. I can't promise no one else will be hurt," her partner informed her. "But I do promise you are strong enough. Do you remember what I told you once, Jeri? About yourself?"

"I have the heart of a lion," she whispered.

"I hurt you once, girl," sneered Beelzemon's voice venomously, unaware of the pair's exchange. "You know I can again."

"Leave her alone!" shouted Gallantmon.

Regulumon growled, "No. We won't let you cause more pain. We'll defend our friends and guard against those like you. And we will not succumb to fears and doubts that others may try to plant."

Polydromon did not answer, but he wasn't waiting for one. The large feline was racing towards it. Seeing the brown and white digimon's charge, the megas decided to distract the target.

"Spirit Strike!" shouted Sakuyamon.

"Lightning Joust!" Gallantmon cried, holding his weapon high.

MegaGargomon announced, 'Mega Barrage!"

Regulumon, his attention on the single animated face of Polydromon, dodged arms and wires effortlessly. When he drew near enough, he leapt towards Beelzemon's face.

"Regulus Cutter!" he roared.

That single attack striking the correct red eye did what nothing else would. The pink and red form lost stability, collapsing in on its self as it dissolved. Large amounts of data flew away from the creature. In a few moments, nothing remained of the monster except for the damage and pain it had caused.

"Yay! Outside! No more boring meeting or mean lady!" cheered the small white fluffball sitting on Yamaki's head.

"All that funding and research," he muttered, "All that time searching for the perfect weapon against digimon, and it turns out the best way to get rid of anyoneis you. Calumon, you could drive anyone insane."

"We're going to see our friends?" asked the curious creature.

"Correct. They should be in the park still," the man answered.

Yamaki's phone began to ring urgently in his pocket. As he pulled out the device, he felt a sense of unexpected apprehension. He didn't know why, but he could tell that something bad was coming. Something was wrong. Riley's voice greeted him, but she sounded fairly calm.

"There is a disturbance being reported that could be digimon in origin. But there was no Bioemergence at the site. Ryo deduced it was a digimon already in our world, like DemiDevimon."

"Quite possible. So I take it they're already on their way to the area," he sighed, knowing he would have to walk to the new location or find an alternate mode of transportation that would allow Calumon.

"Yes, they left straight from the park as soon as I called," she confirmed.

"What is the location?"

"A factory. It's been shut down for years though," informed Riley, the sounds of computer keys typing coming over the speakers.

As she relayed the address and directions, Calumon leaned over towards the cell phone. He was trying to listen, his ears expanded to their full length. His sweet face was filled with curiosity. As Yamaki hung up, the digimon tapped on the man's head.

"Where are we going?"

"We're going," he explained carefully, "to catch the train."

"Are trains hard to catch? Do we need a net?"

"No, but you do have to play a new game while on board," the tamer informed the small digital being. "It's called the Quiet Game."

He was in darkness. How or why, he didn't know. But darkness engulfed and surrounded him without end.

"Well, this stinks," he muttered. "What happened?"

"Don't you remember?" a voice in his head whispered. "You died. Rather impressively, I might add."

"Who asked you? So if I'm dead, why am I here? Figured I'd get stuck as an egg or something," he wondered.

"You are beyond mere death. You sacrificed your very data and that leaves you… here."

"And it's such a lovely location," he rolled his eyes. "Must be a prime vacation spot. Glad I could beat the rush. And should I be asking who you are?"

The disembodied voice sounded amused and answered, "I am who I am. I currently don't even exist, but neither do you really. I've been with you for a while, just not as my own entity. My presence is not normally perceptible or even truly there most of the time. Only in this dark dimension of lost souls, where normal rules of life, death, existence, or anything do not apply, can I even make myself known. Usually, I'm not even a whisper in your mind."

"You sound like a fortune cookie," he grumbled. "Talk normal or leave me alone."

"Sorry, need to break that habit. Let's stick with I'm part of you, but I don't say much usually and I'm mostly ignorant of what you do. I just sometimes pick up a few things. Especially when you are near death. That seems to happen a lot for you, doesn't it?"

"Talking to your self is generally a bad sign. But, as long as you don't give me nightmares, try to convince me I'm evil, or bother me too much, I guess I'm stuck with you."

He felt so odd here, like he wasn't all there. Something was missing. Maybe it was just this place. His eyes scanned the dark horizon for signs of life. (Ironic since he was apparently in the land of the dead according to his mysterious voice… How weird is that idea?) Finally, he saw an eerily familiar pink blob in the distance. It almost seemed to have an inner glow. But every instinct screamed to stay away.

"You need to go there," the voice informed him.

"Obviously, you're not my common sense or survival instinct deciding to kick in finally," he muttered. "You do know what that looks like, don't you?"

"Yes, and it is. But, somehow, I know you have to go there. I don't know why."

"So, my mystery voice is getting mysterious instruction that says I have to go to the jell-o mold of death in the dark and creepy land of the deceased. Why does this plan sound dumber than Kazu?"

"What are you scared of: dying? Get moving."

He growled, "I'm not scared. Just not insane either. The D-reaper is practically a giant delete button of doom."

"Just go already, Impmon."

The building, the whole street really, was completely devoid of human life. Or would be, if four tamer weren't currently arriving with their partners. The silence was too complete and unnatural. The sense of unease had slowed the group from a flat run to a cautious walk. Suzie tightened her grip on Ryo's neck.

"Wyo," she whispered timidly. "Where is evewybody?"

The older boy tried to sound confident as he explained, "They're just hiding. Digimon make some people nervous. All we have to do is find and get rid of him."

Lopmon added, "Don't worry, Suzie. We'll protect you."

A deep, menacing laugh began to echo through the area. The hole in the building's wall seemed even more foreboding than before. Out of the deep shadows, a trio of ruby eyes glared out at them.

"That's… not DemiDevimon," gasped Kazu.

"No, not anymore," he chuckled cruelly inside the old factory. "I'm beyond that now. You may call me Devimon now. Or you can call me your destruction, if you prefer. You won't be around for long either way."

"Devimon?" whispered Kenta terrified. "We're dead. We are so dead. If he's a super digimon like the others, we're toast."

"Pii," MarineAngemon murmured.

"Come inside," the dark champion beckoned. "Come inside and face your doom."

Chapter Text

It was a bad idea. Stepping inside a dark building occupied by an evil digimon that is likely more powerful than he had any right to be would definitely qualify as a bad idea. But none of them could leave Devimon to his own devices. They had to go and face him. On the other hand, there was no reason not to be prepared.

Through the jagged opening stepped Justimon and Andromon. Lopmon waited until she was inside to digivolve to Antylamon, silently thankful for the factory's high ceilings. Whatever they used to build here, they apparently needed a lot of space. Still, the former Deva was bent over to fit and would be limited in the coming fight. Kazu, Suzie, Kenta, and MarineAngemon followed after them. The tiny pink mega floated over to join the other digimon, trying to look fierce despite its cute form.

"This is your attack force?" laughed the large virus type. "A tin soldier with a scarf, a wind-up toy, an over-sized bunny, a pink creature the size of a baby digimon, and children?"

"Give us a few minutes," Kazu shouted, trying to make a joke. "We'll add an old guy and a creampuff."

"Kazu," questioned Kenta, "Do you really think now is the best time for that?"

Devimon grinned evilly, "To start off, let's get some more room. Razor Wind!"

His attack tore at the roof, causing whole sections to collapse or weaken. The digimon were forced to take action to protect the humans from the falling debris. MarineAngemon created a number of heart-shaped bubbles that kept Kazu, Kenta, and Suzie from harm. Antylamon and Andromon broke up the larger falling pieces. Justimon took direct action.

"Justice Burst!" he cried, aiming at the black creature's chest.

"Death Claw!" the virus type announced, shedding the mega's strike like water.

The Biomerged digimon fell towards the ground in pain. CyberDramon was growling in frustration while Ryo gasped. Devimon's attacks were way to strong. That blow felt as if delivered by another mega. Justimon struggled to regain his footing.

"Bunny Blades!"

"Lightning Blade!"

The two ultimates, seeing no more of the ceiling was coming down, had decided to unite their attacks. Though both hit their targets, he did not display any sign of pain. Instead, he back handed the pair. While his blow should not have moved the pair, somehow he had more force behind his swing than he should have. Both rabbit and robot were knocked flying.

"Andromon! No way!" screamed Kazu in surprise.

"No," cried Suzie, her face twisting as she struggled with her fear.

"Pii! Pii pii," MarineAngemon announced, flying straight at the dark champion.

"What a tiny little plaything," mocked Devimon, his ruby eyes studying the pink shape. "Such a pity. Death Claw!"

"Pii pii!" shouted the mega and only his partner recognized it to mean "Kahuna Wave!"

Heart-shaped bubbles met the deadly attack. Most of the force was absorbed by the pink creature's defense, but it wasn't enough. The tiny digimon was nearly knocked out of the air. He caught himself, however, before he struck the ground. MarineAngemon stubbornly regained altitude.

"MarineAngemon!" his concerned partner called.

"Justice Kick!" announced the Biomerged digimon, his foot making contact with the back of the champion's head.

"Pii pii!"

More cheerful bubbles struck the dark being. The blood red eyes glowed evilly at them. Devimon shot out a long clawed hand and grabbed a hold of Justimon. He slung the mega away, hitting Andromon and Antylamon with the silvery form. The black creature grinned cruelly as the tamers called out to their partners.

"Pathetic," he commented. "Death Claw!"

He struck the miniature mega, the pink shape wavering as it flew through the air. As Kenta dove towards his falling partner, he caught something other than the familiar MarineAngemon.

The digimon in his arms had the same bright blue eyes, but he was slightly larger. The shape was grey with small flippers. He had frizzy red hair on top of his head and had a very aquatic form. It was also vaguely familiar.

"Bukamon, training stage of Gomamon," the boy muttered to himself. "Guess you're more Marine than Ange, aren't you?"

The slightly-larger-than-before digimon nodded.

"I tire of this," yawned Devimon. "Evil Sign!"

Dark symbols appeared in the air. Realizing the danger to the tamers, the ultimates flung themselves at their partners while Justimon dove for Kenta and Bukamon. They barely reached the humans as the attack struck.

They had expected her arrival. As the four megas regained their usual forms, they knew she would arrive. As Ai and Mako came out from the cover of the forest, faces covered in mud, tears, and heart-ache, the older children and their digimon knew she would be there shortly. As Jeri hugged the frightened and lonely twins, they awaited Destiny.

Out of the shadows, the all too familiar cloaked shape stepped into the clearing. The eyes that observed her approach held little sympathy.

"You!" hissed Rika venomously, her eyes narrowed at the hooded figure. "You knew this would happen. You knew this would and you didn't tell us!"

The girl, her face hidden in shadows, didn't bother to deny the truth. "Yes, I knew. And I did warn you that they were creating a monster. Polydromon."

"But you didn't say Impmon would…" Rika snarled.

"You couldn't, could you?" interrupted Henry, his voice heavy and resigned. "You couldn't tell us or things would change. The prophecy wouldn't work." He shook his head in frustration, "Just like my father and Doodlebug. You leave us in the dark so that we can't protest the consequences until it's too late."

"The prophecy must be fulfilled," Destiny whispered, her voice once more adopting the calm monotone. "This is the only way and any other path would lead to more death. More death and the destruction of both worlds."

"If you had warned us," tried Rika, "Renamon and I could have stayed in the village and…"

"… and there would have been three deaths," the fox digimon realized sadly, "instead of one."

The prophetess nodded, "This path leads to the least pain and suffering."

Takato pointed at Ai and Mako, "That looks like suffering to me." His voice was soft, but his eyes looked haunted. "They just lost their friend for the second time in a week."

"It could be worse," she answered. "Many realities exist. Some far different than this. Others are eerily similar. I've seen them. In a few of the worst, all of you are dead. Each one of you killed, along with every other human and digimon." She turned towards Henry, "Suzie was the last tamer to go. You were third."

Jeri shivered involuntary, still holding onto the youngest pair. Mako was a mess and Ai's dress was filthy. The child's braids, no doubt coming undone, were hidden beneath a piece of red cloth covering her head. Both refused to look at the newcomer and held fast to the older girl as she listened to Destiny.

"I don't care about other realities," Rika snapped, frustrated with everything. "I'm done with your stupid prophecy. I'm not going to be a pawn. You can't play cosmic chess with us, sacrificing us so you can win."

"Do you honestly believe I control the game, Rika? I'm just another chess piece. I follow their rules, help them make the moves they tell me, and hope that not too many pieces are captured," the girl replied. "I've played this game too many times. And I hate it more than you can imagine. But I'm here for a reason. And that reason is to help win."

"As much fun as the chess metaphor is," Terriermon grumbled, "can you get to the point?"

"The D-reaper is still in the dark dimension. And the only way to save both worlds is to face it. So, you will have take the fight there."

"So, you're a part of me that only notices stuff when I'm about to bite the dust? And you can't normally do or say anything about it? That's useful," Impmon snidely commented.

"Sorry, what do you expect?" the voice shot back. "For me to hand over a bonus life for earning so many points?"

"It would be nice. So, how much do you remember?"

Walking across a dark, flat, empty landscape was unbelievably boring. Lacking anything better to do, the deceased rookie began questioning the mystery voice to pass the time.

"Well, the most continuous memory is your recent run-in with Dokugumon all the way to where Polydromon squashed you like a bug. Gets a little fuzzy where you are getting over the poison, but before the crushing. You know, where you almost stopped dying. But I can almost remember it. And let's not forget your forty-five seconds of 'turn very data into a shield and end up deader than dead' idea. Great plan, by the way."

"It worked," Impmon muttered.

"Then there was the time with the flightless wonder, Kiwimon. And then… something."

The purple digimon stopped, "What? That's all you remember?"

The voice sounded surprised, "I can almost remember another one, but it's hard… Falling…?"

"Probably when the D-reaper nearly creamed me. Same D-reaper, I might add, that you insist on visiting. But those are all the death or near-death experiences you remember? Come on! What about after Gallantmon almost skewered me and I gave up on everything afterwards. Not to mention that Indramon definitely came way too close for comfort."

"I don't know. That's all I remember and know. In fact, except for some weird random knowledge, like you have to go this way and the fact this is the dark dimension, I don't think there is much more to me."

"So, you are essentially ignorant of everything? Explains why you're idiotic enough to say 'go towards the D-reaper.' You're just stupid and crazy."

"Says the guy listening to voices."

"Oh, shut up!"

As Devimon's attack faded, Justimon struggled to lift his head. The power behind the blow was unbelievable. He had only kept his mega form through sheer force of will it seemed. He gave a quick look around to see how everyone weathered the attack.

Kenta and his tiny partner were huddled underneath the mega and seemed alright. Kazu was a little farther off. His hat was nearly white with rubble and dust. Guardromon was half-pinned under another piece of the roof that had fallen and thus held his partner in place as well. But both seemed to have survived the attack as least. Suzie had finally broken down to tears. Lopmon, bruised and tired, tried to comfort the seven year old, but only was having a little effect.

Ryo, deep within the mega, felt horrible. He was supposed to watch out for these guys. He was in charge. He was responsible to protect the group… and he was failing. The others had de-digivolved from the attack and they were no closer to a solution. They couldn't beat Devimon. He may be the leader of the group, but he was leading them to their deaths.

How did Takato, Rika, and Henry do it? How did they keep going with a plan, a clever idea, or a lucky break when everything seemed to be coming apart? Ryo could handle when it was only himself and CyberDramon that were at risk. But the others turned to him for guidance and leadership. Only he didn't have any to offer. How could he make a decision, give an order to someone else, which would possibly lead to their deaths?

He had never asked for the responsibility. He never wanted to lead them into battle. But no one else would. Is that what being a leader is? Making the hard decisions and worrying in battle if the choices were right? To take the responsibility that no one else would? Or was it something more? Something more basic and pure?

Justimon stared at Devimon. The ruby eyes were interested in something. As he followed the champion's gaze, he spotted the dark creature's target. Suzie.

"You plan to send us after the D-reaper? In the land of the dead digimon?" screeched the rabbit digimon.

"Yes. It is the only way to stop it. There are two things you must do there," Destiny explained, still hidden by her hood. "One, you will need to trap or destroy the D-reaper. Cut off its access to the rest of the dimension. If it can't capture others and expand, it can't gain power."

"And how do we do that?" asked Jeri, still holding the twins.

The girl continued, as if she did not hear the question, "Two, you must destroy the dark piece of Beelzemon that dwells there. He is dangerous and clever. And he is vengeful. Those are a bad combination of traits. So, beware."

"We'll all just go mega and pound him," Terriermon suggested.

"Normal rules do not apply in the dark dimension. It is an area for the lost souls of the digital world. You do not belong there and will be severely limited. Only those who have lost their true bodies can digivolve there. No other can change to higher levels. You can de-digivolve though."

"Alright, we digivolve before we go," suggested Takato.

Destiny sighed, "That would be wise. But only up to ultimate. Biomerging requires a digimon to have data, so the dead cannot do it. However, you must enter in your separate forms."

"Why?" Guilmon asked.

"Because, ultimately, everyone dies alone. And to enter death, you must be yourself truly. Otherwise, part of you may be lost in the shadows forever."

"So not only can't we digivolve there unless we're dead, but we can't Biomerge to enter," repeated Henry.

"Who makes up this crazy system?" Rika growled.

"Has anyone else realized who else should be there?" wondered Jeri suddenly. "Besides the D-reaper?"

The yellow fox's eyes widened abruptly. Realization hit the others more slowly, but eventually all the older children and digimon figured it out.

"Impmon should be there," Renamon noted, "with two entities that wish for his destruction. The D-reaper: because of the prophecy. And part of Beelzemon: because he feels betrayed."

"Which is why you must hurry," explained prophetess.

The young girl looked up into the trio of crimson glowing eyes. She held her brown and pink rabbit tightly. Suzie was crying, but that was understandable. Devimon grinned at the child maliciously. Justimon could see the evil intent in his eyes.

What does being a leader mean? To be the one to make the hard choices and worrying whether they were right? Or was it something more basic and simple to explain?

Being leader wasn't just a job. It was a duty and responsibility to the others. He might make decisions for the group, but he was more than that. He was a symbol. He gave them hope. Ryo realized that the very presence of a leader inspires confidence. But being a leader also meant protecting those who follow. Being leader means that the safety of the others comes first.

"Well," Ryo muttered to his partner mentally, "Guess this is why no one wants to be a leader. Ready to be a hero for them?"

CyberDramon growled affirmatively. Devimon stretched out a clawed hand at the tiny girl and her partner. The small rookie tried to place herself in front of Suzie, but it seemed to be a pointless effort.

"Death Claw!" cackled the champion evilly.

His aim may have been for the small pair, but what his strike connection with a certain mega. Justimon absorbed the full force of the blow, protecting the child that Ryo had begun to view as an adopted sister. The impossibly strong attack racked his whole body with pain. And then he felt a strange tingling sensation.

Kenta stared in horror. He and Bukamon were still huddled among the broken concrete and rebar from the ceiling's collapse. Justimon had guarded them from Devimon's earlier attack. And then saved Suzie and Lopmon. But that wasn't the end of it.

The silvery shape floated above the pair, red scarf dangling behind him. But something was wrong. His form flickered in a disturbing manner. He turned his head towards the glasses-wearing boy.

"Sorry guys," the mega muttered resignedly. "I think I'm done as your leader. Good luck and stay safe."

Kenta watched in stunned silence as data dissolved away from the heroic figure. As much as he had hoped to, he didn't see the forms of Ryo and his partner left behind. As Justimon vanished, the human and digimon who made him were lost to them. And hope was gone as well.

Chapter Text

With a raised hand, Destiny opened a new portal in the air. This one was composed of darker, more muted colors. But in shape and size, it was identical to the portal she had opened so the tamers and digimon could pursue their lost trio. She stood by, indicating they should enter.

"Are you coming with us?" Leomon asked.

The cloaked figure shook her head, "I am needed in the human world."

"So how do we get back then?" questioned the green and white rabbit, now in a metallic ultimate form.

"After you succeed in your mission, I will return you from the dark dimension to the digital world," the prophetess reassured them.

"Alright then," shouted Rapidmon. "Let's get the show on the road then."

Destiny watched as they stepped through. Three ultimates stepped through the opening, the portal expanding to accommodate the larger digimon. Rika, Henry, and Takato went next, crossing the threshold like it was routine. Leomon, intent on guarding his partner and the young twins in the dark dimension, lead the remainder of the group.

As the portal closed silently, Destiny slid the hood from her face. Some flickering memory tried to make its self known. It had started when she had spoken privately with Ai and Mako. She knew them. She had seen them before. In fact, she felt a strong connection to them. They felt like… friends. Like friends from her past…

She shook her head sharply, trying to dispel the lingering familiarity. Her memories were always faulty and scattered. Even if she had met the twins before, they had not known her now. And likely she would not be able to recall how she knew them anyway, so focusing on the lost memory was a waste of time and energy.

Destiny prepared a new portal to take her to the human world. The dark haired girl knew that Ryo and his partner were already gone. Another thing the tamers and their digimon would blame her for, she knew. But some things were beyond her ability to change or stop. Fate, Impmon, Ryo, and Cyberdramon: all of them died because she was bound to her duty and the prophecy.

"I can't stop what must happen," she reminded herself, "but I can help those in need that won't disrupt the prophecy."

She crossed the border between the two worlds, vanishing through the portal.

Who knew that a simple train ride can result in so much chaos? Calumon managed to pretend to be a stuffed animal for about two minutes. While Yamaki had earned a few odd looks for being a grown man holding a "toy," things had been going smoothly. Until the cheerful digimon decided to meet all the "new friends" sharing the train compartment. The tamer then spent the rest of the trip alternating between attempting to grab the floating white creature and reassuring the other passengers that they were not going crazy. The children on board loved it. One girl kept commenting on how adorable the digimon was.

Most of the people got off the train at the next stop. The girl, unfortunately, did not.

Yamaki was so glad to escape the public transportation when they finally reached the correct part of the city. As they drew nearer and nearer the location, the number of people drastically reduced. He even began to hear the occasional explosion from the battle that must be taking place.

As the badly damaged factory came into sight, a figure suddenly appeared in his path. A dark cloak concealed her shape, but the hood was withdrawn to reveal a young girl with dark hair and unbelievable deep blue eyes. The familiar cloak and the other tamers' description of her eyes identified her as the mysterious figure that had been appearing to them.

"Beware, what you will find inside will haunt your nights," she warned, skipping the pleasantries.

The man was forced to halt by the girl blocking his path, "I am not frightened by…

"Not the digimon's appearance," she interrupted. "You will feel guilt over things beyond your control to stop. You will feel that, since you are the adult, it is your fault and you should have stopped it. Do not feel that. It was too late before I appeared."

"What's wrong?" asked Calumon, seeing the girl's regret and Yamaki's growing apprehension.

"Not all will be returning home from this fight," she answered simply.

Kenta tried to find an appropriate reaction. Ryo… Cyberdramon… gone. Devimon had… killed them. It seemed too impossible to be true. Suzie's eyes were huge as she stared at where Justimon had been just a few moments before. She didn't seem to be crying anymore, but only because she was too shocked.

"…Wyo?" she whimpered.

"Dead, child," laughed the dark champion. "Dead. Just as you all will be."

He was right. They were beaten. Kenta felt, deep down, that they never stood a chance in the first place. Other than Ryo, none of them could Biomerge and their only other mega was now at the training stage. Their main, heavy-hitter fighters were in the digital world. All that were left were a bunch of second-string…

Second-string team. Side-kick. Follower. All of these phrases were how the D-arc person had described the role he had created for himself. She had told him to stop limiting himself like that. That he needed to be himself. She had said the time was coming for him to take charge.

"Guess now is that time," he muttered. "Hope I don't get laughed at as I'm splattered."

Kazu, struggling to get out of from under the trapped shape of his apologizing partner, looked up as a trio of ruby eyes glittered with cruel mirth. The boy, having seen the virus type already kill some of his friends, still felt the urge to make a wise-crack. Unfortunately, when he opened his mouth, his comments seemed to have left him as he stared at his probable death in the face.

Another seemed to still have his voice, however quaky.

"Devimon, we won't let you win."

The dark champion turned his attention to the source of resistance. A dusty figure, his dark hair coated in grey powder and flecks of rubble, stood atop a broken slab of concrete. His glasses were miraculously unbroken. In his arms, he held a grey creature topped with bright orange lock of hair. The boy's expression was one of determination.

Kenta continued, "We won't let you keep hurting people. Me and Bukamon will not stand by as you pick us off. Chances are you'll reduce us to a smear on the ground, but that doesn't mean that we won't try anyway. Because that's what we do. We do the right thing even if it seems impossible."

As Devimon laughed at the youth's pitiful speech, the digimon didn't see the effect the words were having. The loss of their friends had been so painful and disheartening. But somehow, the dark-haired boy seemed to radiate optimism.

Kenta took a step forward, glaring at the champion. He caught sight of the hole they had entered through earlier. Two… no three shapes framed the hole. The boy easily recognized Yamaki, Calumon, and the enshrouded figure who had spoken to him earlier that day. The trio's expression held signs of shock, confusion, and, in the case of the girl, regret. But the tamer had bigger things on his mind.

"Tell me, child," the dark creature asked. "You are a helpless human. Your digimon is a tiny in-training stage. How do you plan to stop me alone?"

"He's not alone, batboy," Kazu's voice rang out. Somehow, he and Guardromon had finally wiggled free. The boy shook his cap, trying to reduce the coating of dust on it, and replaced it on his head. He helped Suzie and Lopmon to their feet as he continued to speak. "Kenta's my buddy and even if he can't win a card battle to save his life, I'll stand beside him against anyone. Even murderous freaks like you."

Suzie, still looking upset, muttered, "I want Henwy back. I want Wyo back." Suddenly, her face hardened. "And I want you gone. I want you gone away because you awe scawy and mean. And I don't like you. Me and Lopmon and my fwiends will make you go away."

The child's statement seemed to amuse the dark creature even more than Kenta's. He threw back his head and laughed at the absuridity. All that the tamers seemed to have was an in-training, a rookie, and a champion. Even though he had expected them to crumble at the loss of their teammates, including the boy that Devimon had observed fulfilling the role of leader, he was still confident that he would easily win.

Yamaki stood at the crumbling opening, trying to make sense of what was before him and what he was hearing. A tall, black, intimidating monster loomed over the tamers and their digimon. But not all of them. A brown-haired youth, Ryo, was missing along with his purple reptilian partner. As the children spoke, and he studied their expressions, the girl's earlier words became obvious. The man realized horribly that the two were gone. Permanently. How would he be able to tell his parents?

The girl beside him, her tone soft, addressed the grown tamer, "It is not your fault. Their fates were already sealed. But that does not make it any easier, does it? Still, their deaths will not be in vain."

Yamaki and Calumon stared in shock at the girl, the digimon's ears contracting as he sensed his partner's troubled thoughts. Her gaze was steady and unwavering. Slowly, she sighed in resignation. Her next words sounded memorized and likely more of the prophecy.

"'The blood glare is where the true threat lies. And only there can you prevent defeat. Duos shall become singles and their power will increase. Some will discover the best way forward is to go back…'" She seemed to be staring at the small grey shape in one of the children's arms. "'… while others will learn the true meaning of leadership.' I am truly sorry that this has come to pass and I take no pleasure in the loss, but I learned long ago that some things are beyond anyone's ability to stop or change. You have to keep going or hope is lost."

"You just told me a boy just died," whispered Yamaki slowly. "A child is dead and you don't seem disturbed at all."

"I know. And you and the rest may hate me later, but for now Devimon still stands. Kazu, Kenta, and Suzie followed Ryo. But now they must stand on their own." Her voice had become a monotone as she spoke. "Do you choose to return to Hypnos and to tinker with deadly programs for a solution? Or will you and Calumon stand beside them as tamers, regardless of the danger? Choose your path, Yamaki."

Without any visible hesitation, the man removed his sunglasses from his face. A white figure clung to his blond hair patiently. As he reached into his pocket, a slight grin formed.

"I always did say this is not a job for children," he commented as he pulled out his white D-arc.

The dark haired girl nodded slightly to herself. Abruptly, a light shone from his D-arc and the red symbol on the digimon's head began to glow.

"You are a true tamer, Yamaki," the child informed him. "And you have provided the others with the rest of the help needed."

As soon as these words left her mouth, the three humans and three digimon standing before Devimon were engulfed in blinding light.

The landscape was dark and barren. And unfortunately, they were standing near the only other thing in sight: the D-reaper. Its pink form seemed to be radiating an eerie pinkish glow, giving the sky immediately overhead a dark, stormy, purple tinge. The over-sized crazed program seemed to ooze evil. But it also had a faintly translucent quality to it. It was as if it was a ghost of itself, but it still seemed mostly solid.

"So this is the D-reaper," muttered Leomon, studying the mass.

"Yep, the goop of doom," Rapidmon commented dryly.

"Do we have a plan?" asked Takato.

Henry nodded, "Rapidmon, WarGrowlmon, and Taomon combine their attacks together while Leomon keeps us from being absorbed by the D-reaper. That way, they can concentrate on the fight instead of protecting us."

"Interesting plan, boy," a cruel male voice sneered, "but pointless. You can't beat me."

Out of the pink mass stepped a dark figure. He slid through the D-reaper as if he was a part of it. Ruby eyes glittered from under a smooth helmet. He also had the same slightly translucent quality as the blob. His gaze flitted from the various members of the group.

"Beelzemon," Taomon easily identified.

"The smart part of him anyway," he admitted. He turned his attention to the leonine digimon standing protectively near Jeri and the twins. "Didn't I already kill you? It's kind of disappointing to find all that hard work gone to waste."

"Talisman of Light!" shouted the yellow digimon, writing a symbol in midair.

"Naughty, naughty, fox-face," he laughted, leaping backwards. "I was still talking."

Rapidmon pointed out, "You never stop talking. Rapid Fire!"

As he had with Taomon's attack, the slightly see-through digimon side-stepped the attack. But this time, he also drew a pair of guns from their holsters.

"Double Impact!"

The green shape cried out in pain as the shots made contact. Even if he looked like a ghost, Beelzemon was apparently as solid as the rest of them.

"Atomic Blaster!" announced WarGrowlmon.

"Darkness Claw!" called the leather covered creature, slashing through the red ultimate's attack.

As the group stared in amazement at his feat, the red-eyed being sneered at the small figures near Leomon.

"Ai. Mako. Aren't you going to come over and say 'hi' to your partner? I'm sure we have plenty to talk about," he asked with false innocence, reaching out a clawed hand towards the distant pair beckoningly.

"You're not our partner," the girl whispered.

Taomon cried, "Leave them alone. Thousand Spells!"

"Darkness Claw!" His sharp fingers slashed the red pieces of paper to shreds.

Taking advantage of his opponent's distraction, WarGrowlmon growled, "Atomic Blaster!"

Snarling as the blast hit his back, Beelzemon spun towards the red, metal-covered dinosaur. "Double Impact!" With a moment of relative peace, he remarked to the youngest tamers, "Of course I'm your partner, twerps. At least, I'm part of that loser."

"Not anymore," exclaimed Mako just as the metallic rabbit flew towards Beelzemon.

"Rapid Fi…" he tried to shout, but the dark creature grabbed a hold and flung the green digimon into WarGrowlmon.

"Double Impact!" he cried, firing at the pair of ultimates.

As the light slowly faded, three new figures were revealed. Each one was a digimon and unique. None of the humans were in view, but that was to be expected as Kenta, Kazu, and Suzie now found themselves in a mental bubble within the new megas.

Suzie and Lopmon were now a tall shape with large hands. Pale shades of pink along with white gave the digimon a cuddly appearance. A large, clown-like collar encircled her neck and large wing-shaped ears stretched from a sweet face to maintain the similarity of the creature to a rabbit. The name Cherubimon appeared in their mind.

Guardromon and Kazu were replaced by a being made of dark grey metal that seemed similar to a more complete Andromon. His oversized hands ended in pointed fingers while his shoulders were topped with a red, metal cap on the left and a blue one on the right. Beneath his helmet, a hint of blue face demonstrated the digimon was not purely a machine. This pair could hear the name HiAndromon clearly.

The final two, Kenta and Bukamon, now had formed a huge shape. Anyone who saw the creature would immediately comment on his similarity to a prehistoric aquatic dinosaur or the Loch Ness monster. He was white with blue stripes along his back and sides. Down the serpentine neck and along the spine was orange hair. Even if he had four flippers and looked out of place on land, he somehow floated off the ground. His name, as far as the boy can tell, was Plesiomon.

Kazu's voice rang out from his location within the Biomerged mega, "Dudes, we have just crossed the line into extreme awesomeness. Okay, what's the plan, oh fearless leader?"

Kenta was shocked to realize his friend was addressing him. "Wha… When did I become leader?"

"When you made the cool, heroic sounding speech," he answered.

Devimon was growling darkly as he studied his changed opponents. His crimson eyes narrowed. He no longer appeared amused. Even if he was practically invincible, the prospect of three megas was not a positive one.

"Alright," decided Kenta firmly. "We strike together."

"Atomic Ray!" shouted the metallic digimon.

"Lightning Spear!" the vaccine type rabbit announced.

Opening his mouth, the aquatic creature cried, "Shaking Pulse!"

Chapter Text

He was marching up to the D-reaper alone. Because a weird voice told him to, but it didn't know why it told him to. He had lost all sense apparently. He just couldn't get past that point in his thinking.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered angrily to himself.

Abrupt sounds of gunfire snapped his attention to an area not directly at the pink blob, but somewhere close by. He could make out by the odd glow that the evil program emitted a number of figures. Apparently there was a battle of some kind going on. And anytime you had creepy evilness in the vicinity and a fight, chances are it involved the tamers.

"I take it that's why you wanted me to come here," Impmon grumbled.

The voice slowly answered, "I guess… I just know you need to go there."

"And you don't know why."

"No… Wait, yes I do. They are alive. Your friends are alive and don't belong here. They are limited in what they can do. You aren't. You can digivolve in this place."

"So, once again I have to come in and save their sorry skins. Some things never change. D-reaper is too much for them to handle, so I have to fly in and blast away."

"Not just D-reaper… something worse."

Impmon remembered the voices that Polydromon had used with a shudder and guessed who was fighting the others.

"Darkness Claw!"

The red-eyed demon-looking creature slashed at the yellow ultimate with murder in his eyes. Taomon hissed in pain. The dark mega was strong and cruel. If they could face him at an equal level, perhaps they would be more effective. But the ruthless being was more powerful. Rika, Takato, and Henry could only stare in horror. As the battle had raged, they had tried every card combination they could imagine. Now they just watched, hoping for a miracle. Leomon growled softly under his breath, standing near the humans in case Beelzemon decided to strike at them. Jeri grasped the twins' hands so tightly, her knuckles were nearly white. Ai and Mako were wide-eyed and upset at the doppelganger of their partner and his bloodthirsty rampage.

"Tri-beam!" called a tired Rapidmon.

Taomon felt a strong grip pulling her long, flowing sleeve sharply. Beelzemon forced her down to ground level and used her to absorb the blast. She screamed in pain and felt her body shrink back down to the rookie level.

"Sorry Toots, we could have been such a cute couple if you had only ditched the worthless human," he hissed into her ear before tossing Renamon to the ground.

"No!" Rika shouted.

"Hey Bunny-boy," grinned the dark mega. "Your aim really needs work. Like this. Double Impact!"

Twin shots rang out as he fired, but his target wasn't Rapidmon. WarGrowlmon roared in shock and pain as he was hit. Takato, fearing for his friend, cried out in wordless horror. Reduced to a smaller shape, Guilmon slowly shook his head tiredly as he tried to climb to his feet.

"And that's how you hit a target," he remarked coolly, studying his guns carefully.

The green ultimate began stammering, "N…now, can we talk about this? I'm sure we… we can work this out."

"Let me think about that… No, we can't. Darkness Claw!"

Henry added his voice of shock to the others as Terriermon fell to the ground. The three digimon were now stuck in their rookie forms and Beelzemon was still standing. The crazed biker digimon seemed to be studying the struggling figures with mild interest.

"Who to kill… Who to kill…," he muttered to himself. He looked at the twins cruelly. "You two want to pick? Your right as the brats that the stupid Impmon decided to cozy up to, after all. Aren't you pathetic tamers supposed t tell the disgusting digi-pets who to sic?"

"And aren't you supposed to be me?" a darkly threatening voice asked. "Because last time I checked, that was how it worked."

Standing behind the bemused Beelzemon was an annoyed Impmon. Just as the dark mega and the D-reaper, there was a slightly translucent quality to his appearance. He was as dead as the other two it seemed. But something else seemed different about him and the change nagged at his friends' minds.

"Impmon!" Ai's relieved voice cheered.

"Ah, the loser has arrived," the dark mega sneered. "Death suits you. Come to gawk as the rest of the dorks join you in oblivion? Or maybe you are actually considering taking on your better half?"

"Depends on whether you are referring to yourself in that statement, because you are definitely no better than a sickly Numemon," Impmon snapped. "I don't care if you're real or just some new sick joke of a nightmare, but I do know that you're a waste of space."

As the pair exchanged insults, the concerned tamers raced towards their pounded partners. Guilmon muttered something about "three Takatomons," but overall seemed to be alright. Jeri held Ai and Mako near her as their deceased friend argued with himself.

Beelzemon chuckled, "Digi-slave and pet. At least I don't take orders from those nasty, selfish, bratty, useless things!" He pointed at the twins accusingly.

"First, those two are a pair of terrific kids if you give them half a chance," the purple rookie growled. "Second, you are being bossed around by the blob that ate everyone. So you aren't allowed to say anything, creep."

"So what's the plan? You swoop in, save the day, and go back to being a good little pet? Only problem is, you're dead."

"Actually, the plan is digivolve, beat the snot out of you, take care of goopy over there, and then take a nap. And maybe snag a snack too. So let's get started with the snot-beating part."

"Please," Beelzemon rolled his ruby eyes sarcastically. "You may be able to digivolve here, unlike the others, but then what? I am you. I know all your abilities. And if you think you can win in that 'Blast mode,' the D-reaper has informed me of your skills in that form."

"Well, if you think…" Impmon started to respond, but was interrupted.

"And you can't look to those brats for help, either. You're dead, your data is gone, and their cards and gizmos can't affect you. For all your moronic new pro-human attitude and nonsense, you're on your own."

"No. Stop being mean to him," stated Mako firmly, pulling loose from Jeri. He looked frightened of the crazed creature, but his voice remained firm. "He's good and you're bad. We won't let you hurt Impmon. We'll help him somehow."

"My, what a nauseatingly sweet, little, seriously-misguided brat," commented Beelzemon. "I can't wait to kill the idiot child."

"Over my dead body," growled Impmon savagely.

"Too late for that. You're already dead and gone."

"…Not all the way," Ai whispered, her young features shining with understanding as she deciphered part of what Destiny had told her. "Impmon isn't truly gone. And we won't let you try to make him disappear forever."

The young girl yanked her hand loose from Jeri' and took hold of her brother's sweaty hand. With her free hand, Ai reached towards her head. As she pulled the red cloth off, the tamers, their digimon, and the pair of ghostly virus digimon realized with a shock that it was a bandana. A certain bandana that was missing from Impmon's neck.

"We love him," she continued. "And we will help him. He's our friend."

Mako took a hold of their purple D-arc, "And you can't stop him, meanie. Impmon is the best."

As he touched the device to the cloth in his sister's grip, a bright warm and comforting light surrounded the twins and their dead partner.

"Impmon Biomerge digivolve to… Fatemon!"

Devimon stumbled backwards, crashing against already heavily damaged machinery. His ruby eyes glared at the aquatic being who had just struck him. Even with the large amount of power at his disposal and his near invincibility to harm, he was growing angrier at their attempts to harm him.

"Death Claw!" he growled, striking at Plesiomon harshly.

HiAndromon called out, "Copy Paste!" Then, using the dark champion's own attack against him, he announced, "Death Claw!"

Devimon gave a grunt of discomfort as the robot slashed at his chest. They didn't seem to have any idea yet how to stop him, but they were already proving to be more trouble than expected. The black virus type intended to simply leave the fight. He had destroyed some of the prophesied members. His master should be happy he accomplished that and he could always kill them later when he had the advantage once more.

"While this has been most entertaining, I think that it is time for me to say 'farewell' for now," he informed them, spreading his dark monstrous wings for flight.

"Stop them, Cherubimon," ordered Plesiomon, Kazu's voice echoing with a softer one that was saying "pii."

"Holy Hug!" she cried, wrapping her long arms around the champion tightly. The virus hissed in pain and disgust at the vaccine's contact. Lopmon's voice addressed him, "You will not leave."

Suzie's sweet voice whispered accusingly, "You made Wyo go away. Bad guys need to be stopped. Henwy and Tewwiermon do that. Me too now."

"Razor Wind!" he shouted.

Cherubimon cried out in pain, releasing the champion.

HiAndromon called, "Atomic Ray!"

Growling angrily, Devimon flinched at the blast to his shoulder. The metallic digimon stepped forward.

"You came here, attacking the weak and defenseless using Meramon to do so," Guardromon accused. "You fight without honor and flee if the battle is too close to fair. You will pay for your crimes and the lives you have stolen."

Kazu added, "And you will get so creamed along the way."

"We'll see," Devimon responded, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Death Claw!"

Jeri stared in awe at the new figure. She stood near Leomon as the other tamers helped their partners away from the impeding battle. All of their eyes were locked on Impmon's transformation.

"How... how… how did they…?" Takato tried to ask.

"He's dead, so he can digivolve here," reasoned Henry cautiously.

Rika asked, "But he… Biomerged. If he's dead, he doesn't have any data to Biomerge with."

"His bandana. Ai had his bandana with her," explained Renamon tiredly, still sore from the fight. "Everything about us is made of data, including clothing and weapons. So his bandana is just as much a part of him as his body."

"He's dead, but not completely gone," Henry muttered. "He has a loophole."

Jeri couldn't take gaze away from the two dark figures. One was black-hearted; his blood-red eyes the same as the ones that once stole her partner away. His hunger for power was as insatiable as his desire for chaos. The other was… different. Raven-black wings lifted him above the monster. A long sword glinted in the eerie light cast by the D-reaper. His emerald eyes shone with pure stubbornness.

"Get him, Fatemon," she whispered.

How in the digital world did he get this lucky? Granted, he was dead and about to fight evil him before trying to figure our how to take out the D-reaper, but he was a mega again. He was a mega with wings and an awesome sword. How can you beat that?

"Double Impact!"

Oh yeah. Guns. Only downside of being Fatemon rather than Beelzemon was the lack of shooting. He deflected his crazy version's attack with his blade.

"We missed you so much, Impmon," his young tamer whispered, her voice addressed him from the sphere of consciousness she shared with her brother.

"We thought you were gone forever this time," Mako added. "And then… a scary you kept hurting everyone and trying to talk to us. He said he was you, but he's… he doesn't feel like you."

Impmon mentally growled at the idea of that creep talking to his tamers. "He's not me. Not anymore and never again."

"What are you?" Beelzemon asked. "I am your mega form. I am you. I know all about you!"

Fatemon grinned evilly, "I've picked up a new trick or two. Blade of Destiny!"

The sword glowed brightly along its length as he swung it downwardly at the furious mega. The crimson-eyed ghostly digimon was knocked back, landing close to the pink glob. Beside the glowing shape, his mildly translucent nature was more obvious. And Fatemon's see-through quality was remarkably gone, apparently lost with the Biomergence.

"So, you found a new source of power, weakling," Beelzemon chuckled as he climbed to his feet. "Turn the brats into a battery. Maybe you aren't completely stupid, even if you are counting on those spineless humans to do it."

"Say one more word about my partners and I'll rip your tongue out," warned Impmon.

"Our partners, you mean," he corrected. "I will always be a part of you, as much as it disgusts me, you loser. I'm the darkness in your heart that you can't escape. I'm the desire for the power that you deserve and more. Your hunger for destruction cannot be quenched. I'm the part of you that will do anything to get what you want. You may be stupid enough to think that you can be satisfied as a digi-slave, but I know you better than that. And I'm not afraid to take the power I want."

"Blah, blah, blah. Yak, yak, yak," Fatemon mocked, his digimon component pushing away the moment of doubt. "I've had enough with you and every creepy moron trying to sell the same 'you'll turn evil again' pitch to me. If you are done, I'd like to destroy you now."

"Think I'll be that easy to get rid of?" he asked, plunging his clawed hand into the pink mass of the D-reaper. The blob contracted for a moment before shooting out tendrils to encase the dark digimon. The tamers and digimon had only a moment to wonder what he was doing before the D-reaper pulled away from him once more. Beelzemon stared evilly at them, his appearance greatly altered. "Let's see you try, you inferior digi-slave."

Impmon, feeling his partners' terror at the dark creature, whispered, "Yeesh, that's ugly…"

Devimon. What did the girl tell him about him? Kenta knew that something she had said was connected to the overly powerful, black champion with the three blood-red eyes… Blood… Blood glare. Something about his blood glare and threat. If only he could remember.

As Plesiomon, he announced, "Shaking Pulse!" He released a sonic blast, knocking the creature back. "Why won't you just stay down? Come on. Three megas and we can't stop you?"

"I am gifted by my master with more strength than you could possibly imagine," he answered.

"So, you're still a lackey? Know how sad that is?" questioned Kazu.

Devimon swung his arm towards HiAndromon, snarling, "Death Claw!"

"Lightning Spear!" cried Cherubimon.

The dark champion hissed angrily, his three red eyes narrowing… Eyes! Three red eyes! How could he have been so stupid? Other than his power, the extra eye was the only real difference between this Devimon and the other, normal ones that actually act like a champion. Kenta would have slammed his head on a wall if he wasn't floating inside a rosy bubble of thought.

"Hydro Impact Crusher!" screamed Plesiomon, summoning up a wave of water. He rode the wave until he and the water tackled Devimon with a heavy blow. As the water drained away, the aquatic digimon held the dark creature pinned. "You killed Ryo and Cyberdramon. You made Meramon hurt Kazu. You would have destroyed us all." His voice was strong and commanding, sounding nothing like the boy that shrank in fear the first time he met a real digimon. "Sad Water Blast!"

He spewed water from his mouth at extremely high pressure, straight at Devimon's third eye. The cruel champion shouted in fury and fear. To his opponents grateful surprise, the nearly invincible creature shattered and dissolved away into data.

"Wow," gasped Kazu. Then, as he studied his current metallic body, commented, "With all this water you sloshed around, I'm going to rust. Anyone know how to turn back?"

Plesiomon shook his serpentine head, but the three Biomerged digimon suddenly changed into six wet figures. Suzie started shivering as she stepped across the puddles left by the aquatic attacks, holding a damp Lopmon close. Kazu looked at his bandaged arm, now soaked and coated in wet dust. He shook his head in resignation. Guardromon complained quietly about the moisture. Kenta picked up Bukamon, who was enjoying all the water.

"Did we win?" the bespectacled boy asked.

"It's not over," the cloaked girl informed them as she stepped easily across the broken landscape, Yamaki and Calumon following. "Not for your friends, at least."

Chapter Text

His previously thin arms now bulged with unnatural muscles of a sickly pink. Scattered thin red wires attached along their length sparingly. His leather jacket looked shredded and hung on his form limply. Strange wings, identical to those sported once by the D-reaper Jeri, burst from his back in a painful-looking way. More wires were visible beneath the remains of his jacket, crisscrossing his chest. His helmet was gone. Blond hair hung in front of his face limply, partially coated in what looked like blood. What could be seen of his face was also flecked with the red substance. His crimson eyes burned cruelly through his dripping hair.

"The unbelievable power of the D-reaper is mine!" Beelzemon crowed with evil delight, staring at his twisted body with unmasked awe.

"If that's what it does to you, you can keep it," Terriermon whispered. "That's so… wrong. Ugly and wrong."

"Something the matter, Helicopter-ears?" the red-eyed demon asked, looking at the rookie in Henry's arms. "Jealous of my good looks?"

"I think he's just trying not to throw up," Fatemon commented. "Because you look like road kill that decided to marry vomit and you are its baby."

"Ew…" Mako complained at the description.

Beelzemon studied the flying figure with a lazy fashion. His misshapen arm reached down to his side and drew a gun from its holster. The weapon was black with amorphous pink globs along the barrel. It looked like the gun was a shell that the D-reaper was trying to break out of at various points.

"Chaotic Blast!" he shouted, firing his mutated weapon.

The energy released was a dark pink and spread out as it left the barrel. Fatemon had to gain altitude quickly to avoid the attack. Inside, two young tamers shook in fear of the creature. Impmon was growing more agitated. In the last few days, so much had happened to him that was just downright wrong. And this loser was a big part of it. Now, the creep was scaring his tamers and acting like a crazed killer. This was all the excuse Impmon needed to pound his evil doppelganger.

"Balanced Reality!"announced Fatemon, holding a sphere of light and a sphere of darkness before hurling them at the hideous figure below him.

"Nice try," he yawned, opening his unnatural wings and taking to the air. The Biomerged digimon's attack missed Beelzemon. "But I am still your better half after all."

"Nuh-uh," Ai's sweet voice defended, only the slight shakiness in her words betrayed her fear. "Impmon is way better than you."

"Illogical," the dark monster replied. His absorption of the D-reaper's power was starting to affect his voice. Jeri's monotone words had emerged from his mouth, apparently to his surprise. The next words were in his more usual voice. "…I mean, he's the weaker, stupider, traitorous half. He had power and gave it up. He tried to give me up. And now he is relying on pathetic humans while I am more powerful than anyone. Unending Darkness!"

Beelzemon began to glow with a shadowy dark energy. Before anyone could react, the darkness flew to engulf Fatemon. Within his shape, whispers tried to plant doubts in their hearts.

"You've seen him die twice now, Ai. He'll fail again and vanish. Impmon will be gone and the monsters will get you. There will be no one to save you," one hissed in the girl's ear.

"Even if you somehow win, how long will it last? Someday, you'll fight with your sister and he'll run away again. Neither of you deserve to be tamers. It would be better to just give up now. Give up and stop pretending you are worth fighting for," another ordered the boy.

"Murderer. You are an evil monster that brings suffering to everyone. You broke those children's hearts when you left them. Then you killed Leomon and plunged Jeri into depression. You keep causing more and more pain. You will paint the streets with the blood of those closest to you. Jeri, Ai, Mako, and the rest. You will kill them all. You are just as cruel as that Beelzemon in front of you. He is you. You are just as horrific and evil as him. Admit it! Your heart is wrapped in darkness," a final voice snapped at Impmon, the words lashing at him painfully.

The same words that had been shouted at him in his nightmares were being repeated, but the voice sounded so positive. He could feel himself accepting the words as truth. He could almost see the darkness within himself. Everything said was true. Impmon just stopped trying to deny he was evil and did not deserve to exist.

To those outside, it looked as if Fatemon had gone limp on contact with the shadowy substance. He sank to the ground and then his knees, the dark shadow encasing him and his face blank. His green gaze was unseeing and lifeless. Jeri started screaming towards him.

"Get up! Please, get up!"

"What's wrong with him?" asked Takato. "What did that attack do?"

"It's like… he's just gone," gasped Jeri, making the connection abruptly to her own experience with the D-reaper. "Like his will and… everything is just gone from him."

Beelzemon landed beside the limp form that kneeled on the dark and empty landscape. The heartless monster sneered at him. He aimed his gun at the helmed head.

"Diamond Storm!" shouted Renamon, crystalline shards striking at the ghostly mutated mega.

"Terrier Tornado!" Terriermon added.

"Pyro Sphere!" the red dinosaur called, firing a fireball at Beelzemon's face.

The leonine digimon roared, "Fist of the Beast King!"

The three rookies' and single champion's attacks stood no chance of actually hurting the D-reaper boosted creature, but he turned away from the unresponsive Fatemon. Beelzemon's ruby eyes glittered with cruel humor.

Impmon just kept sinking under guilt and doubt. Utter blackness coated him. Evil, cruel, chaotic brutality was all there was to him. How could he have ever hoped to escape this fact? How could he have ever hoped for any kind of forgiveness or redemption for what he had once done?

"No, he promised. He promised he'd always protect us," a young female voice cried from far off. "Don't disappear."

"But he promised to always come back. We'll be good. Please don't go," a boy begged. "Impmon!"

Ai and Mako were scared. They were calling for him, needed him. Their partner felt an undeniable desire to protect them. How could he be true evil if his strongest desire was to help rather than hurt? The hateful whispers fell silent as their words proved false. The darkness within him was burned away under his stubborn desire to help his tamers. His friends, those he had betrayed him and forgave him anyway, and his tamers, who loved him without hesitation no matter what he may do, were the light that shone through the darkness within him. As corny as it sounded, it was the only way to describe it. As long as he remembered that, whatever darkness and malevolence may dwell within him could be kept at bay.

"Ai. Mako. Don't listen!" he called to them. "They're lies. Nothing but stupid lies."

Their young voices hesitantly answered, "Impmon? Is that you?"

"That big, fat loser is a liar. And I'm going to kill him for this," he growled.

Just as Beelzemon stepped towards the lower level digimon, Fatemon suddenly flashed his sword and sliced through the shadows surrounding him. His emerald eyes glared at the twisted figure before him.

"I am sick and tired of having my head messed with," hissed Impmon's voice. "And now you try to do that to the twins? You are so dead. Blade of Destiny!"

The weapon cut along the mega's chest, severing some of the red wires. Beelzemon snarled in pain and stumbled backwards. Fatemon brought the sword around in an uppercut to drive him further back. The dark mega took flight to avoid the green-eyed digimon.

"You shall be deleted," the D-reaper's voice announced from Beelzemon. "I mean…"

"Losing control? Is the D-reaper getting too much for you to handle?" taunted Fatemon.

Beelzemon growled, "No… I just need more power."

"You can't even handle what you already have," he pointed out. "Was I ever really that idiotic?"

"Chaotic Blast!" the ghostly dark mega screamed angrily.

Fatemon shot into the air, his raven-black wings flapping as he dodged the attack. He reached out a gauntlet-covered hand and grabbed a dangling wire. He pulled hard, dragging Beelzemon down to his level. The monster's unnatural wings couldn't keep him airborne with the added pressure. Fatemon's arm was the only thing keeping him aloft.

"You're giving up who you are for power, losing yourself to the D-reaper because of it," Fatemon whispered, not sure where the words were coming from. It wasn't from Ai, Mako, or Impmon really, but they were coming from somewhere. Impmon took the cue though, knowing what to say. "I gave up power to regain who I wanted to be. That's the difference between us. The choices we make."

"When did you become so… philosophical?" he hissed.

Fatemon shrugged, "Guess it happened when I died. Isn't death supposed to make you all reflective and junk? Mostly, it just made me really ticked off."

With that, he flung the twisted digimon to the ground. Before Beelzemon could get up, Fatemon took aim at his wings.

"Balanced Reality!" announced the green-eyed being, tossing both orbs at the creature's back.

The D-reaper-infected digimon screamed in pain as the wings crumbled. He staggered to his feet, red eyes insane with hate. He reached for his mutated gun, but hesitated a moment. His eyes started to glaze over.

"Tool is failing in mission," the Jeri-sounding voice of the D-reaper spoke with Beelzemon's mouth. "Ineffective strategy. Must take direct control."

"No way," Beelzemon growled in his own voice. "You aren't the boss of me. You're here to give me power and I get to kill this traitor permanently. Him, the brats, the cry-baby weakling, and the rest are mine to kill. I will take their power and you can't say a word otherwise. Got that, blobby?"

"Illogical reasoning. You are a useful tool, but no more," the female voice informed them through the dark mega. "If control of the tool is lost, subject must be terminated or reconfigured to a more effective form."

Fatemon studied the arguing pair carefully, "You should have realized that power almost always has a cost. Guess you was too hungry for power and revenge to care, weren't you? Man, you are short-sighted. Can I start saying 'I told you so' yet?"

Beelzemon took a step, heading for the D-reaper mass. Apparently, he or it (hard to tell which was controlling the twisted shape anymore) intended to reunite with the pink blob for more power. Or to simply be reabsorbed. Either way, the Biomerged digimon did not intend to let him get away.

"Blade of Destiny!" he cried, plunging the glowing length of the weapon through his evil half.

The mutated creature did not even have time to scream before his translucent body came undone. He did not dissolve into data because he had no data left. He wasn't even a digimon of his own until the soulless program feed his hunger for power and chaos. All he really had been was an echo of darkness that had become separated from Impmon and given strength through what remained of the D-reaper. Mostly, Fatemon felt a strong sense of oddness as he stabbed his crazed doppelganger. Beelzemon just vanished, fading out of view like mist.

As soon as he lost his opponent, the Biomerged mega felt utterly exhausted. Carefully, he landed on the ground. As the other digimon and tamers approached, Ai's drowsy voice spoke up.

"Impmon… I'm sleepy," she mumbled.

"No wonder. We've been busy, munchkins," he answered tiredly. "And I think you two have been providing the power. I've only got about a bandana's worth of data, so likely it's all you guys. So, way to go."

With that, the tall winged form shrank down to two small shapes and one tiny one.

"Great, so what do we do?" asked Kazu understandably.

Destiny calmly replied, "One enemy they must battle and destroy. The other, the one who gave birth to all the horrors that have plagued all of you recently, can only be contained. It must be cut off from both the digital world and the human world."

"After all of this, it can't be destroyed?" demanded Yamaki.

"Not easily nor safely," she answered. "Attempting to directly battle it would only cost many more lives. Have you not lost enough?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as the group remembered Ryo and Monodramon. Kenta did feel the need to ask an obvious question.

"Are you sure, whatever it is, won't break out in a month or two and try and kill us again?"

"Positive. What you are about to help create will be unbreakable and inescapable."

Yamaki was more suspicious, "How can you be sure?"

"I am. Trust me." Her powerful gaze left no doubt of her conviction.

Kazu gave a slight sigh, "Okay, if Devimon wasn't the main bad guy, I'm guessing whoever the other tamers are dealing with and we have to help trap is the real boss. So who is it?"

"An old enemy that you tried to destroy in the past," Destiny explained, knowing the reaction she would receive when she revealed its identity. "The D-reaper is the one who sent enemies to harm you."

"The D-reaper?! I thought Henry's dad and the other tech geeks cooked up that program to kill it," Kazu complained. "How is it fair that it's back and trying to kill us?"

Yamaki rubbed his forehead, "Can we focus for a moment? If we accept the fact that it is the D-reaper once more, should we not be more concerned with how to stop it than how it returned?"

Destiny nodded, "The others can explain later if you wish, but the time has come to imprison the D-reaper. Look at your D-arcs."

The four tamers held the devices in front of their faces. As they looked at the tiny screens, a beam of light appropriate for each tamer shot out: pink for Suzie, rose for Kenta, brown for Kazu, and white for Yamaki. Calumon cheered as the lights leapt up into the sky and vanished. A moment later, a lavender light with a flicker of dark green within followed. Destiny quickly tucked her own D-arc away into her cloak. Her main reason to be in the human world at this time was because five D-arcs were needed in this world. Without Ryo, she had to fulfill this role.

As she stepped away, Kenta called, "Wait, what just happened? Did it help? Who are you? Please, give us some answers."

She paused, looking at the boy with her deep blue eyes. His face reddened slightly under her gaze. Bukamon looked curiously at his partner.

"That was the help your friends needed. Most of your answers you seek can be found with them," she informed him. "And I am Destiny."

With that final word, she stepped across to another world.

The D-reaper's pink form still cast an odd glow on the area, but that was not what currently had the tamer's and digimon's attention. Two drowsy twins stood on what had been earlier a battle field. While Mako still held their D-arc, Ai no longer grasped a red bandana. Instead, a tiny purple shape with a pair of little triangular ears sticking out. Beady black eyes blinked tiredly as Ai hugged him close. And surprisingly, he looked as solid and alive as the girl holding him.

"Kiimon," read Henry from his D-arc. "Impmon's baby stage. Guess he only had enough power and data to turn into this."

Terriermon leaned forward from Henry's shoulder to study the small creature, "You know… he's kind of cute like this."

A second later, the rabbit digimon was screaming. Kiimon had a firm grip on his long ear, revealing the existence of small sharp fangs in his mouth. Even without the ability to hurl fireballs or even arms and legs, he could still attack the white and green rookie.

"Get him off! Get him off!" shouted Terriermon, trying to pry the baby digimon biting his ear.

"He doesn't like being called 'cute'" Mako explained, taking a hold of his small partner.

"If we're done torturing the rabbit," sighed Rika, "can we try to figure out how to handle the D-reaper? Destiny said we had to kill one of our enemies, which Fatemon just did. The D-reaper, she said, has to be trapped. And as glad as I am to see Kiimon is alive apparently, that means we have very little firepower and no way to digivolve while in the land of the creeps. So, do any of you have an idea?"

As Takato opened his mouth, five colorful beams of light appeared overhead and flew towards the pink mass. Out of the present tamers' D-arcs, more light shot: red from Takato's, blue from Rika's, green from Henry's, yellow from Jeri's, and purple from the twin's. The ten lights struck the D-reaper's surface, producing a high pitched inhuman scream. The lights coated the entire thing, forming a rainbow-colored bubble. Inside, they could see the D-reaper running tendrils along the smooth surface, but it couldn't seem to find a crack or crevice to squeeze out. The blob then struck its new surface, trying to shatter the light wall. Nothing came of its efforts.

"…I think it's trapped now," the rabbit digimon put forth meekly.

Takato grinned slightly, "That was so cool. It was like something out of the show."

"Did we just… win?" asked Jeri.

As if in answer, a portal opened in midair. Not waiting for an invitation, the tamers and digimon stepped through and left the dark dimension behind.

Chapter Text

He was tiny. He had no body, no arms, and no legs. He was nothing but a head. How bad is that? Still, he was too tired to really complain. Kiimon just sat in Mako's arms, grinning smugly as Terriermon rubbed his sore ear.

After the weird light show, an even stranger… something appeared in front of them. Instead of reacting with surprise to the oddity, the tamers and their partners approached it. He blinked his eyes as Mako and Ai followed the older kids through it, carrying him with them. The change in scenery was instantaneous. One moment they are in the shadowy dark dimension and the next they're back in the remanents of what looked like Floramon's village. Kiimon gave a slight squeak of protest at the sudden brightness.

Standing in the clearing was a cloaked figure that could be the same one he had met after his first death, but now you could see her face now. She was human; dark hair and deep blue eyes decorated her features. While anyone could wear a hooded cloak, she felt oddly familiar and he was willing to assume she was the same person who saved him the first time from death.

"Welcome back," she greeted, her voice confirming his suspicions on her identity of the mysterious, cryptic-talking figure. "You have succeeded in your efforts and both worlds are safe. Congratulations to you all."

"… Thanks, I guess," Takato grinned goofily. "But I'm not sure what we did near the end."

"There's a shock," thought Kiimon sarcastically, but actually just yawned. All he really wanted to do was fall asleep. No one was trying to kill him or the twins. Several digimon that hadn't just fought a creepy mega combined with D-reaper were nearby and could handle anything that might come up. There was no reason he shouldn't just take a nap except he was curious as to what was going on.

"'Five lights that shine with the bonds of friendship between human and digimon shall seal the human world away from the heartless one and five more will block its access to the digital one. Ten lights, born of friendship, shall trap the beast and guard both worlds against its return.' The lights from your D-arcs are part of your bond with your partners and it was used to trap the D-reaper," she explained. "I told you they have more power than you know."

She turned to look at the small purple shape resting comfortably in Mako's arms. Blue eyes met black and the digimon felt an odd sense of déjà vu.

"Hello again," she grinned lightly. "You seem to have trouble staying alive, don't you? Last time I saw you, you also had just risen from the grave." The girl pulled something from her cloak and it shot a bright light. Mako dropped his burden as Kiimon quickly shifted to Impmon. He stumbled a moment as he realized he had limbs again. "Keep in mind you aren't a cat. You don't automatically get nine lives and someday you'll run out of luck."

"Good thing I have charm and brains to fall back on," he smirked, producing a snort from the rabbit digimon. "But I think you have some explaining to do. Who are you? Why did I just get finished with a battle-royal with a crazed version of me? Why was gooey in the dark, creepy land of emptiness with that psycho? And why am I the only one who seems to not have a clue why everyone wants us dead?"

"Her name is Destiny," explained Renamon, a ghost of a smile haunting her features after his rant. "She has been helping us to fulfill the prophecy that led to the destruction of… Beelzemon and imprisonment of the D-reaper. Apparently her duty is to ensure prophecies occur."

Impmon studied the girl, "Well, great to meet you, Dee, but I think you still have a lot to catch me upon."

He noticed she stiffened slightly at the nickname, but he dismissed it as unimportant. He simply listened as she, and occasionally Henry, Rika, Renamon, and Terriermon when they had clarification or other remarks to offer, repeated the explanation Destiny had given the other tamers and digimon before. From the others' reactions, she was leaving something out in her narrative, but she did answer his earlier questions.

"So evil, crazed part of me teamed up with killer jell-o, both of whom were dead and stuck together in that dark dimension place, and all of this is because they heard an odd prophecy that said we could stop it. And you are queen of the prophecies, delivering your wisdom to all," he sighed. "Want to add anything about a sword stuck in a big rock or anything? Because it can't get much weirder."

"No sword," she smiled. "But that is about all that is missing. You did succeed in this prophecy, all of you. And all the digimon the D-reaper used as tools, including the innumerable victims used to create Polydromon will return as digi-eggs. In order to exist outside the dark dimension, it had to give them data and so they now have a chance at a new life. You have earned a rest now."

Impmon yawned, "Good. I feel like sleeping for a week. So do we have to wait for the tech geeks to build a new Ark or are we stuck here?"

In answer, she raised her sleeve covered arm and created a portal. The purple rookie blinked in surprise.

"That's still kind of cool," admitted Takato.

Rika shook her head ruefully, "You are easily impressed, Goggles."

They began to step through the colorful warp in the air one by one. As Impmon stared at the cloaked girl, trying to figure out why he felt like he knew her, she was giving him an equally odd look. Like she was trying to find something that she knew wasn't there. He started as a pair of hands touched his shoulders. He looked up to see Renamon and Jeri. Leomon stood nearby as Ai and Mako began yawning.

"Come on," Jeri suggested. "Let's go home."

He grinned slightly, "Sure. Someone has to remind the people how to scream properly when a fireball is tossed in their direction. Alright, munchkins, we have to terrorize the human world now."

With that, the remaining members of the prophecy left through the portal, leaving Destiny alone.

After all the chaos and nearly-complete demolishment of the factory, it had been too much hope that the parents wouldn't notice. By the time Yamaki and the rest had made it back to the Hypnos building, Riley was up to her eyeballs in frantic adults. Even those whose children were not even present in the human world had arrived to batter the man with questions. The only ones missing was the family of Ryo.

"Suzie, are you alright?" asked a slightly panicked Janyu Wong, bending down to examine his daughter. She was unnaturally quiet, holding Lopmon and looking around in a state of shock. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

The seven-year old looked at her father numbly, "Wyo… Wyo's gone. The scawy digimon attacked him and now he's gone. I want him back. And I want Henwy and Tewwiermon!"

The last part came out as a high-pitched, emotional cry, as if the girl was on the verge of tears. At that point, an odd distortion appeared in the room, as if summoned by the upset child. Yamaki recognized it as a portal to the digital world. A moment later, a red dinosaur poked his nose out.

"Hi!" he greeted cheerfully. "Is there any bread?"

Mr. and Mrs. Matsuki beamed as the innocent partner of their son approached them. Their smiles spread as a head sporting goggles appeared next.

Takato blinked in surprise, "Mom? Dad? Hey, I'm not… grounded or anything, am I?"

Before they could answer, Henry and Terriermon stepped through. The boy and his green and white rabbit digimon barely had enough time for their surroundings to register before a young, upset girl tackled the pair.

"Henwy! Tewwiermon! You're back!" Suzie screeched, her voice piercing her listeners' ears. "I missed you so much, and fought bad guys, and twied to be bwave, and…"

Rika's entrance was more subtle; the girl slipped through the portal and stepped out of the way. A few moments later, a tall yellow fox joined her and they both calmly walked over to where her grandmother and, surprisingly for the girl at least it seemed, mother waited for them.

A moment later, a girl in a green dress and a tall lion-like figure arrived. Several parents took a reflexive step back. Leomon's size was unsettling and unfamiliar. At least two faces brightened as the pair.

"Jeri! You're safe," her father sighed.

"Yay! Jeri's back," shouted Calumon, leaping towards her.

The tamer laughed as she caught the white creature, "There you are, Calumon. I heard you've been paired up with Yamaki."

"Yep, he's fun sometimes and I like him," he nodded.

Three more shapes appeared behind the girl and lion. The short, brown-haired children's appearance produced an extremely strong reaction.

"Ai! Mako!" Mrs. Olkowski cried.

Her voice prompted the twins into action. They quickly placed themselves in front of a purple figure, as if guarding him from their parents. Both of their young expressions were stubborn.

"We were bad and left without telling you where we were," admitted Mako. "But the D-arc lady, Destiny, told us to."

"We kept secrets," Ai continued, keeping herself between her family and Impmon, "and we'll get in trouble now. But leave Impmon alone. He's our friend and… and we'll… we won't watch TV for a week or… or…"

"No dessert forever," added the boy, both of them clearly afraid of how their parents would react to the digimon. "But nothing that happened is his fault. Please don't get mad at him because we disappeared."

Impmon rolled his eyes, "Munchkins, as much as I appreciate the defense, I don't think your parents can do anything worse than what I've already faced just this week. I'll be fine."

"But its Mommy and Daddy," pointed out Ai, as if this explained everything.

Mrs. Olkowski took matters into her own hands. She took a hold of both her drowsy-eyed children's shoulders and gently moved them out of the way. She gave the tired-looking digimon an examining look. Then the last of the parents to meet their kids' partner gave a faint smile.

"So, you're the reason these two have been getting along," she commented, apparently accepting his appearance fairly well. "Thank you for that."

"… Sure thing, toots," he finally answered, smirking slightly as her eyes narrowed at the nickname. "Nice to meet you and all that. And, yeah, these two have been trying to not kill each other as much lately. Which is a good change of pace to being stuck in the middle of a screaming match between the munchkins. I'm guessing one of the dork squad members or the guy in the suit with the previously negative attitude filled you in on the whole digimon deal, right?"

Mr. Olkowski nodded, "Yes, they explained." He looked down to his young children. "Though I would have preferred if you had told us."

"Sorry," muttered his daughter before giving a yawn. "We just thought you'd get mad or something. And Impmon was gone for a long time too. But he's back now and we missed him a lot."

Their father picked up the pair of young tamers, one per arm, and they fell asleep nearly immediately in his arms. The rookie could feel a stupid grin trying to form on his face at the sight, but he fought the urge. Mrs. Olkowski knelt down to near eye level with the purple digimon and gave him a serious look.

"I… I understand that my children are a part of something I can't really be involved in or even truly comprehend at times," she admitted. "And they have… responsibilities now that will place them in danger, won't it? I can't stop them either, can I? The others, Yamaki and the other parents, said that… They said you are supposed to…" She sighed looking at the ground. She then raised her eyes and met the green gaze of the slightly confused digimon. "If you let anything ever happen to Ai or Mako, I'll…"

"Toots, trust me," he interrupted, sounding serious and completely un-sarcastically. "If anything did happen to those two, chances are I would already be dead. If not, I couldn't… I'd let you do whatever you're thinking of. I won't let them get hurt. Period."

Yamaki's attention was pulled away from the exchange by another voice. He raised a question he was dreading having to answer and the later phone call he would have to make. The answer would cause tears, more questions, and concern from the parents. It would shatter the joy that the tamers' and their partners' return had brought. And this question was raised by the new arrivals in an innocent fashion.

"Hey, why is everyone except Ryo and Monodramon here?" wondered Takato. "Where are they?"

They would be finding out now. They would be learning the truth. All of them would realize she had known and hadn't said a word. They would hate her. But she wouldn't remember. She wouldn't remember how she had wanted to call them her friends. She wouldn't remember the look of anger and pain she had seen the first time they realized she would hide facts from them that would hurt. She wouldn't remember wondering why, of all the possible nicknames that existed, Impmon called her "Dee" when he met her.

Destiny was walking through the forest, ignoring the fact she was supposed to be gone already. She was supposed to have moved on to the next prophecy, but she had to do something first. Not because it was prophesied. Because it was right.

They kept tugging at her mentally, trying to move her on to the next mission. She shook her hooded head strongly. It had taken her half an hour to find it and now she just needed to find someone. They could afford to wait.

She came upon a lake of crystal clear water. A tall serpentine head rose from the surface, observing the floral digimon on the banks. The girl was seeking one in particular.

One of the plant digimon approached the cloaked figure, "Who are you, stranger?"

"Floramon, you do not know me, but I know of you. Your village was destroyed by a monster. Do not bother to return there. Rebuild here. Seadramon will happily accept the company if you ask and you will be safer here. But I come to request a favor," the prophetess admitted.

"We… we were already discussing building here. He offered," the rookie informed her, indicating the champion. "What is it you want?"

Destiny pulled out the object she had been searching for. "Take this, guard it, and care for those it brings."

Floramon took the digi-egg the girl offered, "Those?"

"Twins," she explained. "Two souls were bound together in a single form when they were lost. While different in appearance, they are closer than any. The digi-egg holds the data for a certain digimon… and his human partner who was not in human shape upon his death. The human's name is Ryo Akiyama. Take care of them."

The digimon nodded in agreement. Destiny then allowed herself to vanish though time, space, and realities. Her memories were peeled away, stealing the identities and thoughts of the digimon and tamers she had met. Scattered images and words were all that would remain. The next prophecy was waiting for her. And the next. And the next. On and on. Only a few remnants of her time in this prophecy would remain. And her hope to see Fate again.

Until then, the girl would remain alone, with not even many memories to comfort her in her unending duty to balance reality.

They had been back in the human world for about a week now. Things were starting to get, not normal, but at least stable. The death of Ryo and Monodramon had hit the older tamers and their partners especially hard. The adults had freaked out and began shouting so loudly at the news; Impmon had to fight the urge to start throwing fireballs to get rid of them. Over all, it hadn't been pretty.

While he had been planning to head for the park, neither the twins nor their parents would hear it. The tired rookie had found himself being practically dragged all the way from the Hypnos building to their living room. While Ai and Mako were rushed off for a bath, the purple digimon had decided to park himself on the couch until he could figure out whether to try and get something to eat or to just go ahead and sneak out the window. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow and didn't wake up for fourteen hours. And not a single nightmare bothered him.

The twins had been extremely watchful of him since their return. Whenever he tried to leave the house, they either begged him to stay or they tried to go with him. As annoying as that could be, Impmon could see why his tamers were so afraid for him to be out of their sight. But over the week, he could already tell they were calming down about it. Every time he returned when he said he would, Ai and Mako became more and more relaxed. While he was still not used to answering to anyone, he was beginning to enjoy a constant, reliable source of food on a regular basis. So it worked out. And besides, there was still the night.

First night out of the house, he ran into Renamon practically five minutes later. She seemed oddly thoughtful and mentioned how Rika was dealing with everything. Apparently, the girl was cursing both Ryo for "being stupid enough to get himself killed by a stuck-up champion" and Destiny for "not saying a word about it, the deceitful witch." Then the yellow fox explained what the prophetess had left out. Impmon was surprised to learn the dark-haired girl had once had a partner, let alone another Impmon. No wonder she had kept giving him such a weird look. Finally, Renamon had asked him how he was adapting to a more domestic lifestyle. He responded by sticking his tongue out at the tall rookie.

Mrs. Olkowski had asked him multiple times not to call her "toots" and he kept doing it. She was actually fun to annoy up to a certain point. After that, he had to start running. When he "accidentally" set fire to the curtains, she had chased him down and dragged him to the bathroom. Soap did not taste good in any way and the fierce housewife had decided dunking him in water and washing his mouth out with soap was the appropriate response to misbehavior in digimon. Impmon was planning to invite Terriermon over soon.

Today, she had asked him to be on his best behavior. A new family had moved to the neighborhood and had a daughter around the twins' age. Mrs. Olkowski felt it would be a nice gesture for the kids to have a play date together and she didn't want to have a certain trouble-making rookie to scare the girl. So he was perched on the roof, debating whether or not to push his luck and interrupt them.

The door slid open suddenly as three young shapes ran out to the yard. Two brown-haired children, looking alike even from above, ran over to the dog house. The third had darker hair, not quite black though, stepped out in a calmer fashion. She was wearing a lavender dress similar in style to Ai's. The new girl seemed oddly familiar…

When she looked up, Impmon lost his balance in surprise. He tumbled off the roof and landed with a crash. Moaning slightly at his new headache, the purple digimon slowly sat up.

"Are you okay, Impmon?" asked Ai concernedly.

"I'm terrific," he grumbled, rubbing his head.

"This is our friend, Impmon," Mako explained to the newcomer. "Don't be scared. He's really nice and cool and stuff."

The rookie looked at the girl whose appearance had startled him so much. She looked to be four years old and her dark hair hung to her shoulders. Unlike Ai, she wore her hair loose rather than in pigtails. But her eyes were of the darkest shade of an intense blue. The color was familiar, even if he had only seen them once that he could remember.

"Hi, Impmon," she greeted cheerfully, her young features as innocent as any other child. "My name's Destiny. Nice to meet you."