Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Diaries ❯ Eye of the Storm ( Chapter 17 )

Total Darkness. It surrounded him completely as he flew through the skies. Growling as a flash of lightning forced his eyes to adjust back and forth quickly, he landed with a loud slam, making small dents in the street from his metal boots.

"Blast, this is taking forever..." Black War Humon grumbled. His duel voices seemed to almost come out of nowhere in the nothingness surrounding him.

Walking to the corner of the intersection he landed in, the assimilated teen grabbed the street sign and bent it down. As another flash of lightning lit the area up, a smile crossed his face.

"Alright. Twelve Mile at last." Leaving the sign bent over, he glanced around, looking at the businesses and such around him.

"Well, I'm not going to find anything standing here." Black War Humon crouched down for a moment, before pushing himself back into the air. Floating for a moment, he surveyed the area from his new vantage point. If Emily went shopping at the S-Mart across the street, there was no sign of Devidramon or any other digimon battling here.

'Don't worry, Emily... I'll find you soon enough...' Picking a direction, Erin took off, intent in his search.

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Dark Diaries

Entry 17 "Eye of the Storm"

Written by Rocker Starlight

Permission from Lord Archive

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Emily Tatum was not having one of her better days. It had been fine at first, having a small shopping trip with her parents for some new clothes. Unfortunetly, the untimely blackout and appearance of a pack of Devidramon had quickly ruined that. Tsukaimon had come out of her hiding spot and evolved to Airdramon to try and protect the innocents around. The numbers had been against her, and it soon turned into Emily carrying an injured and unconscious Tsukaimon, running for her life.

'Lucky for me Devidramon aren't too smart...' Emily thought. After running through some buildings to try and loose her attackers, she had ducked into a narrow alley, hiding behind a large dumpster between a 7-Twentyfour and Little Pizza Pizza.

Using a wide piece of cardboard for an umbrella, Emily looked down at her partner. Aside from the nasty bruises, it didn't look like she was too badly injured. Unfortunetly, it was probably enough to keep her at the Child level for the time being. Even if she was resting now, she knew Tsukaimon would need some food or just time before she would have the energy to evolve again.

"I hope everyone is ok..." The young Irish girl whispered. She wondered how the Digimental hunt had gone. With her family plans, she had told Greg to go with Sue and Hilary to see if they would have any luck. If they hadn't come back before the blackout though, she knew it was possible they were stuck in the Digital World for the time being, since no computers would have any power.

Max was another problem. He hadn't gone either, saying he had plans as well today. But although he had the Digimental of Hope, Emily was certain he couldn't handle the Devidramon all on his own, if they attacked in a pack as they had with her. That left Erin, who had dissappeared shortly after the bowling outing. Although Sue said they would see if Metal Mamemon knew anything about it, that didn't help for the moment.

Hearing a rumbling coming from a distance away, Emily pushed the thoughts aside swiftly. She clutched Tsukaimon closer to her chest, gritting her teeth to try and keep them from chattering. Despite wearing a jacket and jeans for the weather, the rain had drenched her during her escape. At the least, she had kept Tsukaimon from getting too wet, by keeping her body over her.

'Damn it...' The young Digi-Destined cursed mentally, as the noise slowly came closer. 'I can't die here... I can't!'

Curling herself around her partner, Emily sat quietly, listening as the loud footsteps came closer. Her heart almost stopped as she heard a soft rumble come from the end of the alley behind her. Praying to any god that would listen, digital or otherwise, she continued to hope the dark dragon would simply continue on its way.

"Crimson Nail!"

Emily screamed as the claws smashed the dumpster behind her. As the cardboard fell away, her green eyes looked back in fear, finding four glowing red eyes floating in the darkness of the alley's mouth. She quickly got to her feet, covering Tsukaimon partly in her jacket, clutching her partner tighter to her chest.

"Red Eye!" Emily cried out again, feeling the beam of energy nick her right thigh as she tried to back away from the dark digimon. Although it wasn't a horrible injury, her chances of running had disappeared with the attack.

The Digi-Destined still tried, taking a step before the pain in her leg forced her to loose her balance. Landing on her btt, she stared into the crimson eyes that watched her. The lightning flashed, showing the creature's body, too wide to enter, yet it's teeth were bared in an almost evil looking smile.

Unable to continue watching, Emily shut her eyes tightly, holding Tsukaimon in a death grip. "God... Baihumon... Jijimon... Anyone! Please, help us!" She cried out loudly, praying for a miracle as she waited for the Devidramon's next move.

"Leave her alone!" The familier duel voices rang out like a crack of thunder to the young girl, opening her teary eyes as she watched the red eyes moving, as if the digimon had been struck in the side. She could only continue staring as another lightnign flash revealed Black War Humon's form standing in the alley mouth, facing three Devidramon standing before him.

"Oh, did I ruin your fun?" Black War Humon taunted the dragons, at they started to growl at him. "Well I guess you didn't know playtime was over!"

Pushing herself to her feet, Emily could just barely make out the moving shapes, as Erin lunged forward and slammed the middle Devidramon into the adjacent building. The larger shape disappeared after a few strikes of his gauntlets.

Reaching close to the alley's mouth, Emily watched as the moonlight started to sift through the clouds, making it easier for her to see. Erin stood in the middle of the street, flanked by the last two Devidramon. She looked around, unable to find the one that had injured her, before she watched the standoff continue.

"Crimson Nail!" One of the Devidramon moved firs, slashing with the blood red claws towards the assimilated teen. He dodged easily, slamming the side of his gauntlet against the claw and pushing it into the ground, as he stabbed the other into the attacker's face. As the dark dragon dissipated into data, Black War Humon turned to face the last one.

"What's the matter? Are you scared without your friends to back you up?" The armored teen taunted, as he floated high enough to be equal height with the Devidramon.

The dark dragon took a step back, glancing around for a moment, before it stared at a car that was parked next to it. "Red Eye!" The beam of energy struck the vehicle, causing an explosion that made Emily shield her eyes.

"Hey!" Emily looked back, blinking the flash out of her eyes as she watched Black War Humon yell. During the explosion, the Devidramon had turned and taken flight, trying to escape the fight, which surprised the girl slightly. Erin, however, didn't seem to feel the fight was done yet.

"You think you can run, after the destruction you've caused?! Then run from this! Terra Destroyer!" Black War Humon released the giant ball of energy, striking and deleting the last Devidramon.

Emily watched in silence, leaning against a wall as Black War Humon finally landed. He stared into the sky for a couple minutes, before he turned towards the young girl and walked over. "Are you alright?"

Taking a deep sigh of relief, Emily gave the teen a soft smile. "I am now... Thanks for the timely rescue."

Black War Humon shifted slightly, shrugging at the thanks. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're both ok."

"Well, Tsukaimon's a little under the weather. Those Devidramon really took it to her. That's why we were hiding. She passed out from her injuries."

Nodding, Erin looked up for a moment, as if remembering the falling rain. "Do you know someplace close by we can go? We need to get you two out of the rain. Besides, we should call Sue and let the others know you're alright."

Emily nodded, taking a limping step before Erin lifted her into his arms. She smiled gratefully, as she pointed down the street. "I'll give directions. Meanwhile, maybe you can fill me in on what's going on."

Smiling, Black War Humon took to the air, starting to explain what had happed over the last couple days as he flew.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"Alright Sue. I'll let him know. Bye." Emily hung the phone up, as she sat on her bed.

Erin looked over, as he finished tucking the now dry Tsukaimon into a small bundle of blankets on the foot of the bed. "So, did they have any luck?"

Emily nodded, smiling as she looked at her sleeping partner. "Yea. They found Max all right. With Mecha Norimon batting a Devidramon around with a tree trunk..." The pair laughed for a minute, before she continued. "But Sue said only two Devidramon attacked him. He was able to split them up and take them out one before the others found him playing with the second. So they're on their way here now, instead of the building. When they get here, we'll figure out our next step."

Erin gave a small nod. "Alright. We should bandage you leg up though, first."

Emily winced, having finally been able to try and ignore the pain in her leg by staying off it, until she was reminded. She looked down at the ruined jeans, a large hole showing the injury. She was at least thankful that it looked more like a burn then the cut she had felt hit her leg. "It'll be fine. We really should try and get some food together before the others arrive though."

Shaking his head, Erin crossed his arms over his chest. "No way. Until we get a doctor to look at it, we are taking care of it. I'll go find some bandages, you take those off so I can dress it, alright?"

Emily felt a slight flush in her cheeks, as the older teen spoke. Knowing argueing wouldn't get her anywhere, she nodded, watching as he walked out of the room to find the things he needed.

"When did he get so assertive? I wouldn't have expected it." Emily said softly, thankful her dresser of clothes were so close as she pulled the jean drawer open and pulled a clean pair out.

"Well, I might as well change completely. These clothes need some major washing now anyway..." She pouted, as she shrugged the jacket off. She looked at the mud covering it, sighing before she dropped it onto the floor. She wrinkled her nose, candlelight filling the room, as she noticed how much mud had gotten on her shirt too. "Wish I had time for a bath..."

Shrugging the dirty shirt off, Emily opened another drawer, searching until she found a nice black shirt. Lying it on her jeans, she started to undo her bra, not worried about wearing one for the moment.

"Alright, I found so..." Erin paused as he stepped in, Emily quickly clutching her loose undergarment to her chest as her cheeks darkened in embarressment. He stammered a moment, before swiftly stepping out and closing the door tightly this time.

"First the Digi-port, now this... Christ, may as well strip for him..." Emily muttered softly. She wasn't angry at the older teen, after all he didn't have any way of knowing she had planned to change fully. It was all just extremely embarressing! Dropping her bra, she quickly tugged on her T-shirt, pulling damp hair over her face a little to try and cover the deep shade of red covering her face right now.

She slipped the pants off, although not without a few choice curses from the pain involved, before she kicked the ruined jeans away. Realizing she couldn't let Erin bandage her leg with her sitting in her underwear, she quickly grabbed a pair of shorts from another drawer, slipping the snug clothing on. "Alright, Erin. Your clear."

Cracking the door slightly, a crimson eye peeked in for a moment, before the nervous boy stepped into the room. Giving an inward sigh, Emily was glad to see she wasn't the only one embarressed about this. As he stepped closer, he started setting things on the bed, from Ace bandages to some wash clothes and Neosporin.

"Alright, let me see your leg." Emily felt her blush rising again as she stretched her right leg out. Not wincing was quite the challenge, but she managed it as he pushed the short's leg up a little and looked over the wound.

"It doesn't look too bad. I think Witchmon might be able to help with it some, if I can get ahold of her soon." Reaching over, Erin took the washcloth, holding it close before he paused. "Now this might sting, alright?"

Gritting her teeth, Emily nodded. However, remembering the small sting from a band-aid being put on her finger was nothing compared to the washcloth as he pressed the cold piece of fabric to her cut. Digging her fingers into the bedding, she kept herself from making anything more then a small noise as he gently tried to clean the wound.

Lying the dirty washcloth down, Erin picked up a sterile pad, pulling it out of the paper wrapping and squeezed some neosporin onto it. Grabbing another washcloth, he dabbed softly, getting some of the dampness from around the cut, before pressing the pad against it firmly, getting a choked noise if pain from the girl.

Opening her eyes, she noticed Erin was watching her face with a concerned look. "Don't worry... Just hurry and wrap it, so I can relax again, alright?" She forced the words out, wishing he would be faster about it as her nails dug more into the sheets.

Nodding, Erin grabbed the bandage, firmly wrapping it around her thigh. Using the strip of velcro on the end to secure it, he took two metal grips, making sure the end remained fastened. He patted the inside of her thigh absently, since it was opposite the injury. "There, all done!"

Giving a deep sigh, emily finally released her hold on the bedding. She flexed her jaw a moment, slightly sore from gritting her teeth, before she looked down and blushes as she noticed the hand on her inner thigh. "Umm... You can move you hand now, Erin..."

Erin blinked, looking down at his hand before he jumped and fell back on his rear. He waved his hands in frotn of him, trying to stammer out something that sounded like an apology, while his tongue seemed to have knotted itself nicely.

Emily giggled as she watched, pulling the sheet over her lap, as she composed herself again. "Don't worry, I know you didn't mean it Erin."

Erin visibly relaxed from the words, leaning back a little. Standing up, he brushed his hair back a little, trying to get the strands out of his eyes. "I'll, um... I'll go make something for you and Tsukaimon to eat." Standing, the teen walked out of the room quickly.

Emily gave a gentle laugh, watching him run out. She didn't think of Erin as unattractive or anything, but Mimi had already told her that two other girls already had vouched for him. There for, he was off limits for anything more then good friends.

Yawning softly, Emily shifted around carefully, curling up with her partner closely. "I'm glad I have you with me, Tsukaimon... At least someone knows what I'm feeling like..." Shutting her eyes, the young Irish girl drifted to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"EmilyEmilyEmily!" Sue squealed as she gently shook the sleeping girl.

Emily blinked as she looked up, seeing that bright smile that bright smile that Sue often had. she looked around, noticing that Tsukaimon had left the room at some point. "Wh... where is...?"

"Tsukaimon's eating with the other digimon." Sue chirped, as she sat down on the bed. "She was starving when we got here, but she wouldn't leave your side until I promised to stay up here with you."

Nodding slightly, the Irish girl started to sit up, wincing from her injury. Just as she started to move to stand up, Sue gave a push on her shoulder, keeping her on the bed.

"Oh no you don't. I was told to keep you in bed for now. Erin told us about your leg already." Leaning away, Sue picked up a tray of food, a couple different sandwiches and a glass milk and orange juice sitting next to them.

Hearing her stomach grumble, Emily took one of the sandwiches and started eating. As Sue started into some of her own food, the unofficial leader of the Detroit team began to wonder why she couldn't hear anything from the others. She lived in a two bedroom apartment with her parents, so it shouldn't be possible for friends to be able to be so quiet that she couldn't hear them.

"Sue? What is everyone doing out there, anyway?" She asked, taking another bite.

Sue swallowed a big bite of her sandwich, not seeming to realize her eyes were shifting around a little before she answered. "They, ummm... They're playing.... playing strip poker!" She smied again as she finally answered.

Emily would have sweatdropped if she could. "So Erin, Hilary, Greg and Max are playing strip poker...?"

"Yep!"

Giving an exasperated sigh, Emily set her sandwich down. "Sue, you're a horrible liar. Now tell me what they are doing, or I'm going to go find out for myself."

Making a soft noise, Sue bolted off the bed, immediately putting herself in front of Emily so she couldn't try and stand. "Uh uh! I was told to keep you in bed!"

Putting on her sternest face, Emily crossed her arms and looked up at Sue. "What don't they want me to know?"

Squirming under the gaze, Sue puttered otu a cuple hald-started thoughts, before giving a sigh of defeat. "Erin took Max to try and finish Devidramon hunting... Hilary took Greg and went to try and check up on our families, although she practically had to drag him to make him leave..." Blushing faintly, Sue cut herself off before she said too much.

Groaning, Emily rubbed her head. Erin and Max she could almost understand, considering Max would just rush into most anything, and Erin would probably back him up. Being reminded about Greg's crush wasn't exactly icing on the cake or anything, but at least he and his sister were doing something a little more productive then hunting digimon who might not be around anymore.

"So, Tsukaimon and Floramon are in the living room I take it?" Emily asked, deciding to try and not worry. After all, she couldn't do much now, not until everyone was back anyway.

"And Gomamon." Sue added, plopping back down on the bed. She fidgeted, glancing around nervously. "Emily, you're not upset we went ahead before you woke up, are you?"

Smiling gently, Emily leaned over and hugged the blonde girl around her shoulders. "Nah... We don't have a leader, we act as a team, remember?" I just wish Max and Erin hadn't run off after something we aren't certain is still around."

Sue giggled softly. "You know Max. He wants to be a super hero! Besides, Searchmon said that she could still detect something, or at least they had a general direction to look in."

Blinking, Emily nodded to her friend. Honestly, she had forgotten about Erin mentioning Hilary's new Digimental and Searchmon's readings.

"Hey Sue? Do you think you could help me into the bathroom? After today's adventure, I think I could use a nice bath, since it seems no one is going to let me help out." Emily smiled softly. While she would continue worry over everyone, since she couldn't be out there to make sure everyone was ok, she knew Sue wasn't going to let her and Tsukaimon go help.

"Sure! We can put you in a bubble bath, and I can do your hair!" Sue grinned as she helped the red head up, not noticing the slightly worried look on Emily's face as they started to walk.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Floating along, Black War Humon and Mecha Norimon made their way down another random street. It had been a couple hours since he pair had left and they still had to find the remaining Devidramon that Searchmon had detected. The only thing they had been thankful for so far, was that the rain had stopped, even if the clouds hadn't cleared up yet.

"Mecha Norimon?" Max sat in the cockpit of the digimon, looking out into the areas bring lit up from the light on his partner's chest. "Nothing found yet?"

"Negative. No digital life-forms have been detected."

Black War Humon sighed. He couldn't see how Max could be so impatient to get into a fight. It made him a little uneasy, feeling a part of himself that felt the same way, constantly hoping that a whole pack of Devidramon would just appear in front of him.

"Digital life-forms detected! One mile ahead, three signals."

Max grinned as Mecha Norimon finally found something. "Alright! Lets go, black War Humon! I wanna get some more batting practice in!"

Watching the machine digimon rush off ahead of him, the hybrid followed, keeping his eyes open as they flew over the street. A flash of movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. Stopping, as Mecha Norimon continued racing ahead, Erin looked around, trying to find whatever it had been that he had noticed. "Must have been my imagination..." Shrugging it off, he quickly caught up again.

"Shadow Wing!" Black War Humon and Mecha Norimon both stopped as a large beam of energy, almost bird shaped, arched up into the sky and then down, slamming into a pair of Devidramon, making them burst into data.

Looking for the attack's source, a large creature stood in the center of the street, arms crossed over its chest. Two huge, feathered wings extended from its back, and it seemed to be cover in so many redish-brown feathers that it almost looked like fur. Humanoid in shape, the head was different, wearing a large mask with Indian like designs on it and a beak for a mouth, with two braids of hair coming from underneath the mask. It watched them closely, as if trying to guess how they would act, looking down at them easily from it's height.

"Max!"

"Black War Humon!"

The trio looked up to a roof near the imposing creature, floating closer. "Witchmon? Is that you?" The hybrid asked, a bit surprised.

"In the data!" Witchmon smirked, dressed in her normal red dress and hat, striking a small pose.

"Wait a... Bobby? Bobby Raven?" Max asked, blinking for a moment as they landed.

"Well, I hope I'm not Bobby Drake. That would be more messed up then how things normally are, you know?" Bobby grinned, brushing a bit of his unruly blonde hair out of his face.

"Wait, you're the Digi-Destined who went to Mt. Morris then, right?" Erin watched as Bobby nodded. "Shouldn't you be there then?"

Witchmon slipped next to Black War Humon, patting his shoulder plate softly. "Calm down. We made sure to get everyone in a safe place and checked it out, before we came. Ever since the lights went out though, there has been something nasty in this darkness... Hadn't you guys noticed the clouds are still here, even if it isn't storming?"

Erin and Max looked up at the dark sky. "Well, yea. We just thought it was a pause in the rain or something." Erin said softly, although not sounding as sure now.

"Nope. Something caused this blackout, and I'm betting it's the same cause of this storm. I can feel something manipulating it, but it's powerful enough to keep itself hidden from me." Witchmon frowned as she looked around.

"How observant of you!"

Everyone turned at the new voice, although Erin was already growling before he saw the speaker. Standing on the next building over, red pitchfork in hand, was Phelesmon. The deep red on parts of his body kept him from completely blending into the shadows, as he grinned at the small group.

"So, how have you all been? Good? Oh, I'm glad to hear it." The demon laughed.

"Can it! What do you want this time, Phelesmon?" Black War Humon yelled, barely resisting the urge the lunge for the digimon as he had the last time they met.

"Want? Oh, wants are such fickle things. I mean, you can want one thing, and the sometime later, you want something else, am I right? But I digress..." Leaping into the air, Phelesmon jumped onto the building with them, watching as everyone prepared for some sort of attack. "You DO have something I want. The power source. You know of it, yes? No? Well, it doesn't matter, your going to give it to me anyway."

"Like hell! What makes you think we would give you anything, you ugly SOB?!" Max yelled, as Mecha Norimon's arms raised off the ground.

"Oh, it's simple. If you don't want me to plunge this city into a permanent darkness, you will do what I want. I mean, this would be an ideal place for my Devidramon pets feed when they have been good little digimon." Phelesmon smirked, not seeming the least bit worried.

"Yea, well things may be a little different then planned! Garudamon, hit him hard!" Bobby called out to his partner.

"Eagle Claw!" Garudamon's fist began to glow, before slamming into the roof where Phelesmon had been standing, making a small crater.

"Well, he was all talk, right Garudamon?" Bobby laughed. Looking at his partner, the blonde Digi-Destined stopped laughing when he realized Garudamon's fist was still imbedded in the building. "Hey buddy, you can relax now. I think he's dead."

"Mecha Norimon? Hey come on, you can move now." Max said, shifting the controls around, although his digimon seemed paralyzed as well.

Black War Humon frowned. Looking at Mecha Norimon, he noticed a small sheet of red paper with some Japanese kanji written on it, sitting on the machine digimon's chest. Reaching to pull it off, he pulled back with a small cry as a jolt of energy surprised him.

"Shit..." Witchmon cursed. Grabbing her broom, she quickly flew up to Garudamon's head, finding another paper there as well. "We've got trouble!" She yelled, moving her hand over the parchment slowly, just far enough away to avoid being struck by it.

Erin looked over his shoulders at the witch digimon. "Oh yea? So, besides demon ass showing up, now whats wrong?"

Landing quickly, Witchmon looked around them, as if trying to find something. "Well, not only is jackass not dead... But he's got help. Those wards are only used by two digimon that I know of, Taomon and Doumon."

Bobby groaned slightly. "So we have two more possible Perfects besides Phelesmon to deal with?"

Witchmon shook her head. "One. Taomon and Doumon don't normally get along. We had a couple in Witchelny, and they always seemed to be butting heads."

"Right as rain!" Phelesmon's voice cackled, echoing around them. "Doumon was quite happy to take a job to eliminate a traitor of Witchelny that sided with humans!"

Witchmon blinked, looking rather shocked. "W... What are you talking about?!"

Laughter filled the air as the storm began to settle in again, heavy rain poring down. Erin looked over at Witchmon, who seemed to be in a state of shock. "Witchmon... What did he mean?"

"I... I don't know..." She spoke softly, not seeming to notice the yelling Max was doing, still stuck inside Mecha Norimon. "Do they think I'm a...a traitor?! D...does Lord Mystimon think I am?"

Watching Bobby zap himself, trying to remove the paper from Mecha Norimon, Erin turned towards Witchmon, taking ahold of her shoulder and shaking her gently. "Witchmon, come on! You know this Doumon, right?" At her nod, Erin continued. "Alright, can you find her?"

"I don't know. There were always rumors about her taking assassination jobs on digimon sometimes, but... I always thought it was just stories being spread around. Even taomon always said she didn't believe Doumon was a killer..."

"Well you need to try. Otherwise, Detroit may become the Water City, at the rate this rain is coming down."

Looking up into the assimilated teen's eyes, Witchmon's face changed from one of confusion to determination. "Alright. If I remember right, Doumon does have the ability to do things on the scale of weather manipulation, but it she has to focus. That means she's rooted somewhere right now."

"And those are her Spell Prohibition Papers. The only way to remove them is to be more powerful then her, delete her, or get her out of range of them. So she can to be close, to keep those two pinned." Witchmon looked around again, slower this time, until she noticed a nearby church with a steeple holding the cross extending above it. "There! I can feel a faint energy from there!"

Erin watched Witchmon jump onto her broom and fly off quickly. "Bobby, can you watch them?" At the boy's nod, Black War Humon followed along, taking to the air behind his friend.

Landing on the church's roof, the pair looked into the steeple carefully. A figure sat in the shadows, barely visible save the pant legs. The figure appeared to be sitting cross legged, although floating above the ground.

"Doumon! What are you doing here?"

"Well, Witchmon... It appears Phelesmon spoke the truth, when he said he would deliver you to me." The figure stood up, placing its feet on the ground. Its voice sounded female, although as it stepped from the shadows, it was a little hard to tell. The costume almost looked like something Japanese, white sleeves reaching past the digimon's arms, with a white tunic covering its torso and a yin and yang symbol on the chest. Doumon's face head was very fox like, purple fur coated it, and its face was almost flat instead of a normal muzzle. A tall hat stood on its head, making it look kind of like a priest, as it stepped onto the roof.

"Spoke the... You really are working for that demon?!" Witchmon spit the words out, as if she had trouble believing them.

"Witchelny has never turned away anyone who wishes assistance. And when Phelesmon said it was to retrieve something and the payment was you, I jumped on the job."

Black War Humon growled, moving to step forward, before Witchmon's hand reached out and stopped him, moving herself closer instead. "I'm not a traitor! Witchelny is my home, why would I betray it?!"

"You consort with humans and creatures such as that half-breed behind you, and have the gall to say something like that?!" Doumon sniffed at Black War Humon, crossing her arms as she gave him an arrogant look.

"Since when does being around humans or hybrids mean anything? You just said yourself, Witchelny is open to anyone. I don't recall anyone saying they were suddenly looked down upon." Witchmon stated, standing between the hybrid and Perfect.

"So, then you admit to having dealings with these... inferior creatures? These 'things' that would partner with digimon, and think that means they matter? Obviously Taomon must be delusional to think you would become her successor. I'll see you never even see Perfection!" Doumon's feet spread, as one of her hands came out of the sleeve, reaching into the opposite one.

"Watch it!" Erin yelled, pushing himself into the air above Witchmon and firing himself at Doumon. Pulling back one arm and leading with the other, planning to knock the digimon's lights out, Erin eyes went wide as Doumon moved with surprising speed, side stepping the first claw.

"Spell Prohibition Paper!" Erin merely saw a flash of light as Doumon's hand swiftly pulled out and slammed another of those papers against his helmet, stopping him in mid-air.

Crashing into the roof, Erin looked stunned as he tried to move his sluggish body. "Wha... did you.. do to... me?" He hissed the words out, forcing them past the invisible force trying to make his body remain stiff.

"Erin!" Witchmon ran over, kneeling down next to the hybrid warrior. She glared at Doumon, once she was certain he wasn't harmed.

"Interesting. The make-up of his power seems to be in flux. Oh well, it doesn't matter. This little hybrid is no longer a threat, even with the spell only partially working. Now, as for you..."

"Back off, bitch..." Witchmon growled, holding her broom in her hands as she placed herself in front of Black War Humon. "I can't believe D'arcmon calls you sister! She must be delusional!"

"You shall not speak of Lady D'arcmon that way!" Doumon's hand came out of her sleeve again, the open palm aimed at Witchmon. "Demon Gate Escape!" A symbol on the palm of the digimon's hand lit up, firing a beam of force at the Adult. Witchmon blocked with her broom, struggling against it, before it won out and slammed her into the next building's wall.

"Why not simply give in, Witchmon? I can make it a painless deletion for you." Doumon spoke softly as she walked to the edge of the roof, looking at the Adult embedded in the wall across from her.

"And give you... that satisfaction...? I think I would rather mate a Dagomon before that..." Witchmon glared at the Perfection.

"I am curious about something, Child." She sneered at Witchmon. "Why would you abandon us for these insects? Did they trick you with promises of power or the such?"

Smirking, Witchmon stared right into the Perfect digimon's eyes as she spoke. "They are my friends... And they have helped me start to realize what true power for someone is."

Doumon snorted as she presented her palm to Witchmon again. "Then, as your last words in this existence, enlighten me. Explain this 'true power' to me, so I can enjoy the laughter of my peers at home when I tell them as well."

Witchmon gave a deep grin. "It's the strength of will one gets from their friends. Being able to keep going, since they'll be waiting for you, and knowing that no matter what, they are always there for you."

Doumon opened her mouth, the symbol on her hand beginning to glow, but it died quickly as only a choked noise came from her as her body jerked. She looked down, finding one of Black War Humon's gauntlets impaling her.

"H... How...?" Doumon got out, turning her head back to stare at the strugging hybrid. Aside from his right arm threw her, his body seemed to be sagging, as if weighted down. His legs were spread wide to keep his balance, and his other arm was simpling hanging.

"And when she says always, she means it." Black War Humon gave a dark grin, his head still hanging partially as he pulled his claws free with a jerk. "Even when it means 'this little hybrid...!" Erin drew his arm back and across his body as he spoke, slicing his claws threw Doumon's body with a yell, cutting her in half for a moment before she shattered into specks of data.

*~*~*~*~*~*

"So, Doumon was the problem?" Emily asked, as everyone sat in her bedroom. The girls shared the bed for a seat. Witchmon spoke softly with Sue, while everyone else was discussing the battle. Bobby and Piyomon had already left for Mt. Morris, to make sure everything was alright, leaving Witchmon behind for the moment to discuss things.

"Not completely... It seems Phelesmon brought her here. Even if Doumon was the one effecting the storm and causing the power outage, Phelesmon was still the primary cause for starting it." Erin grimaced, rubbing his arms as he continued trying to force the stiffness, left behind from Doumon's spell, out of his body.

"Well, Witchelny needs to know about this." Witchmon spoke up, as she and Sue rejoined the conversation. "Everyone always dismissed that Doumon took assassin jobs, so finding out that, and that someone is trying to manipulate the leadership of Witchelny possibly, is a vote for concern."

"Alright. Then we take this to Witchelny!" Emily smiled, getting a cheer of agreement from Sue and Max.

"I'm afraid not," Witchmon said. Silencing the protests with a wave of her hand, she continued. "I don't recall Doumon ever being racist against humans before, so hearing her talk like she was... Well, it was surprising to say the least. If others in Witchelny believe the same, taking a small team of Digi-Destined could end up with us fighting the might of Witchelny as a whole."

Erin raised his hand. "Well, I'm going at least. Even if they have a problem with humans or hybrids. If Phelesmon is there, I'm in. I'm not about to let that demon continue doing things like this."

Witchmon wrinkled her nose a little as she listened. "Alright. But you need to listen to me when we get there, all right? I'm not gonna try and fight my way home, because you flipped someone off."

Erin laughed at the comment. "You got it."

Sue pouted slightly as she listened. "But can't we help, Witchie? There must be something we can do."

This time Witchmon laughed, grabbing her broom as she stood. "Keep this knucklehead out of trouble." She said, pointing her broom as a blinking Erin. "I don't feel like having to dig him out of something when I get back from the orphanage."

Sue and Emily laughed, both nodding. Erin palmed his face, while Greg sniffed slightly from the corner.

Hilary stood, looking up to Witchmon. "If the power is restored by the time you return, I can give you the coordinates so that you can have Bobby open a gate, and then use that to get to Erin, if you like." At the Adult's nod, Hilary walked out of the room.

"Well, I'll see you all soon. Nice meeting ya." Witchmon waved to everyone, blowing a kiss to Erin and laughing at the blush. "From Jill. See ya." She smirked, walking after the girl quickly.

"Alright." Emily looked over the rest of the people in her room. "Tonight, we get home and try to deal with lacking power and worried families. Starting tomorrow, we start collect provisions for Erin's trip. Sue, ask your mom if you can visit me, and we'll go tell Metal Mamemon what's been going on, so he can watch around Gear too." The Detroit team nodded, accepting the plan. "Ok, now get your butts out of my room and home, people!"

After everyone had filed out, Erin tilted his head at Emily as she sighed. "Where is your family, anyway?"

"Honestly?" Probably pulling the mall apart piece by piece looking for me... Papa is a stubborn one, and a little over protective. He's probably mugging every person he can find, to try and find me."

Erin nodded. "Well, I could fly you back, if you want. I can keep you company until they find you. Sound good?"

Emily smiled softly. "Sounds good. Give me a minute to chang, so they don't wonder why I am wearing something completely different."

Laughing, Erin nodded, walking out of the room to give the Irish girl her privacy.

*************

ToyAgu ~ Wow!

Rocker ~ What?

ToyAgu ~ That was sweet!

Flora ~ You only say that because you helped inspire it a little. Anyway, with the storm cleared and the cause gone, what will our heroes do next? Witchmon's considered a traitor to her old home, Erin wants to finish his beef with Phelesmon, and ToyAgy is having a ball! Find out what they do, next time, on Dark Diaries!"