Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Legacy ❯ Warriors: Chapter 4 ( Chapter 13 )

December 21, 2015

Warriors:

Chapter 4

A bright light suddenly exploded from the Tamer and the Digimon, shooting up to the sky. When it faded, a new figure stood in their place, like a knight from long ago, wearing shiny white armor, a shield in one arm and a javelin in the other. His red cape billowed behind him by a wind that the others did not feel.

"Guilmon bio-merge to Gallantmon!"

Sakuyamon roared with anger. "No! No!"

"Sakuyamon," the figure said in a mixture of Takato and Guilmon's voices,"You've rejected every friendship offered you. Instead, you betrayed us and almost killed a noble soul, I will never forgive what you have done."

Sakuyamon chuckled,"Who said anything about forgiveness?!"

Takato and Guilmon pointed their javelin at the fox woman. "So be it! Justice will be served!"

The two megas shot at each other. Gallantmon swung his lance at Sakuyamon's head, but she swung her staff up and easily blocked it. She was more agile then the giant knight, so she was easily able to twist around and slam her foot into Gallantmon's face. The intense pain of Sakuyamon's heels across his metal face caused him to stumble backwards.

"I'm too much for you, aren't I?" Sakuyamon chuckled.

Gallantmon pointed his lance at the fox woman. "I am not going to stop. Justice must be served!"

The two megas shot into each other, in an explosion of light and force.

Over on the sidelines, the other Tamers were in complete awe-struck. "What happened to Takato?" Miki asked.

"He's bonded with Guilmon!" Ryo gasped,"Just like Rika and Renamon!"

Henry took out his D-Arc and held it towards the new mega. "Gallantmon. This is Guilmon's true mega form!"

"It's incredible!" Kazu gasped. He turned to Guardromon. "Hey, can we do that?"

His partner stammered an answer. "Well, I, um, that is...well, I..I don't know."

Kasumi and the twins were dressing Tai's wounds when they stopped for a moment to stare at the battle occurring a few feet in front of them. "I don't believe it," Ai said,"We can join with our digimon?"

Tai slowly opened his eyes and stared at Gallantmon. "Way to go, kid," he said weakly,"I knew you could do it...Arg!"

Kasumi twirled around and glared at him. "Dad, I told you not to talk!" She took off her jacket and bunched it up under Tai's head like a pillow. Mako gave her his small jacket, which she then tied around her father's stomach to stop the bleeding. "Don't worry, Dad, you'll be okay."

Sakuyamon swung her staff at the knight, but Guilmon and Takato's fused form blocked with his shield. He swung his lance around to pierce the fox woman's side. He was able to hurt her, but it was not enough to bring her to her knees. She twisted around and executed a roundhouse, connected her heel with Gallantmon's head.

The knight swung his lance to slice Sakuyamon in half, but she quickly shot her staff up. The two warriors became engaged in a power struggle. Neither fighter would give up, and they would use every once of their strength to make the other fall.

"You'll never win!" Sakuyamon shouted,"I am the strongest being in all of the Digital World!"

"I will not give up!" Gallantmon said,"Justice must be served!"

Sakuyamon slowly raised her palm towards the knight. "Spirit Strike!" Gallantmon was thrown backwards where he crashed into the ground. Rika and Renamon's fused form launched into the air, and shot to the ground, her staff pointed right at Gallantmon's head, but the mega knight quickly thrust his lance at her. "Lightning Joust!" Sakuyamon was hit in the stomach, and was flung backward. She twisted around in the sky before slamming into the ground.

Jeri was standing on the other side of the battlefield, watching through horrified eyes. She had an extreme feeling of depression inside of her stomach that threatened to encompass her. "Takato, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault! You wouldn't have fought Rika if she hadn't of threatened me. You're fighting her now because of me. We wouldn't even be in the Digital World right now if Hakkado didn't use me to keep Mr. Kamiya from fighting him. Oh Takato, this is all my fault, everything is all my fault!"

Gallantmon began to pound Sakuyamon with his shield, but the fox woman created a magic beam that made him stumble backwards. She started to mercilessly attack him. Slashing and pounding with her staff.

Back on the sidelines, Henry, Kazu, Ryo, the twins, Alice and their digimon were watching the battle with such intensity that they were not even aware that Miki, Kasumi and Snow Agumon were busy taking care of Tai's wounds. If they were paying attention, they may have noticed that Hakkado and his two Dark Tamers had returned.

They quietly snuck around the rocks and quickly made their way over to the fallen Master Digidestined. The Dark Master Digidestined grabbed his Light counterpart, while Barker and Lambert quickly grabbed Miki and Kasumi, firmly placing their hands over the girls' mouths. Snow Agumon was about to shout out, but Skull Satanmon silently smashed his palm over the white dinosaur's head, knocking her unconscious. The Dark Tamers and the Dark Master Digidestined silently made their way back over to the rocks where they disappeared.

Gallantmon shot his elbow into Sakuyamon's face, but she jabbed her staff into his stomach. He countered by bashing his shield into her face. He dropped his lance to the ground, then grabbed Sakuyamon by her hair, and jumped into the sky. He twisted her around, then firmly placed his knee into her back. When she slammed into the ground, she was injured, not only from the ground, but from Gallantmon's weight as well. Takato and Guilmon's fused form jumped backwards to a safe distance.

Sakuyamon slowly got to her feet, using her staff as a crutch. "I'm..getting very tired of you," she panted,"I'm going...going to tear you apart!"

Gallantmon chuckled. "From where I'm standing, it looks like you can hardly stand!" He pointed his shield at the fox woman. "Take this! Shield of the Just!"

A massive blast of energy exploded from his shield and slammed into Sakuyamon, throwing her backwards. "I can't believe this!" she shouted,"This stinks!" She finally crashed into a large red boulder and fell to the ground. She slowly got to her feet, but found that Gallantmon was right in front of her. He had picked up his lance and was now pointing it directly at her face.

"This is the end, Sakuyamon," he said, raising the lance into the air,"Justice will be served!" He slashed his down.

"Don't do it, Takato!" Jeri shouted.

Gallantmon's lance missed Sakuyamon totally and it slammed into the ground beside her. The knight turned to stare at the brunette. "What do you mean?" he gasped,"Jeri, she betrayed us all! She almost killed Mr. Kamiya! She deserves this!"

"No she doesn't," Jeri said, almost sobbing,"Don't..don't kill her, please, don't...don't become like her..."

Sakuyamon slowly rose to her feet and stared at her. "I..I don't understand. After everything that I've done, you..you don't want me to be hurt?"

Jeri sniffed. "You made a mistake, that's all. Everyone deserves a chance to change their mistakes."

Sakuyamon stared at her for a long time. "I thought that strength and power was all that mattered. That a person, a digimon's, worth was measured with how strong they are, but...but now I know, people are measured by how big their hearts are. Jeri, despite all the power I have, you'll always be stronger then me."

She suddenly moaned, and her entire body was covered in a bright yellow light. When it faded, Rika and Renamon were both lying on the ground, unconscious. Gallantmon soon followed them, returning to Takato and Guilmon.

The goggle wearing Tamer walked over to Jeri,"I...I'm sorry for scaring you.."

Jeri looked to him with tears in her eyes,"I'm the one who should be apologizing. You wouldn't have fought her if it weren't for me. I'm so useless, why do you even still try to be my friend?"

Takato tried to think of an explanation, but he was cut off when the other Tamers ran over to them. "Guys!" Henry shouted,"We've got a problem!"

"What?" Takato asked, then noticed that Snow Agumon, Agumon and Gatomon were by themselves.. "Where are Kasumi, and Mr. Kamiya?"

The small white digimon panted. "Hakkado took them, with Miki and Kasumi!"

"What?" Takato shouted,"Where?"

Alice spoke. "I assume that he took them to where the D-Reaper is sealed."

Takato nodded. "Well, we've just got to go after them."

Kazu crossed his arms, then mentioned to the unconscious Rika and Renamon. "What about them?" he asked, disgust in his voice.

Takato looked at them, then at Jeri. "We'll just have to bring them."

"What?" Kazu snapped,"What if they attack us when we're asleep or something?"

"They're coming," Takato said,"And you're carrying Rika. Guardromon can take Renamon."

Kazu was about to protest, but thought better of it. He grumbled to himself as he lifted her up. "Let's just find Mr. Kamiya."

Lopmon shivered. "I think we've got a bigger problem right now."

"What?" Henry asked.

"He's coming."

"Who?" Ai asked.

"The Sovereign."

"Here?!" Kazu gasped,"Zhuqioamon's coming here?"

"Correct!" a voice boomed from the sky,"I am here! Hah ha ha!"

The Tamers spun around and saw the phoenix guardian flying towards them. "Prepare to meet your end, human scum! Phoenix Fire!"

"Get down!" Henry shouted. Everyone fell to their stomachs with their hands covering the backs of their heads. They dove just at the right second as Zhuqioamon's attack missed, but exploded on the ground directly in front of them. The force sent them tumbling backwards and into one of the many boulders that were now surrounding the area.

"Oh man, that hurt!" Mako moaned.

Zhuqioamon shot over their heads and turned around. "He's coming back!" Takato shouted,"We've got to run!" He grabbed Jeri's arm and started pulling her. The others soon followed, but when the goggle-wearing Tamer looked over his shoulder, he noticed that Rika and Renamon were still lying on the ground. "Kazu!" he shouted,"Get Rika!"

The visor-wearing Tamer mumbled an obscenity, then grabbed the orange haired girl while Guardromon grabbed the fox digimon. They soon joined the others as they ran from the in-coming attack. "You think you can run from me?" Zhuqioamon laughed,"Sonic Zephyr!"

A supreme blast of wind attacked the Tamers from behind and sent them shooting forward like a slingshot. As they were tumbling around in the air, they noticed they were heading straight for a mound of jagged red rocks. "We're dead!" Kazu shouted,"Dead, dead, dead!"

"You're not helping!" Alice shouted.

Ryo nodded slightly at Cyberdramon. The dragon pointed his palms at the rocks. "Desolation Claw!" His attack obliterated the rocks into a pile of tiny pebbles and the group crashed into them. They were injured, but not as badly as they would have if they slammed into the shards.

"This is getting annoying!" Takato sighed, rubbing his arm.

The Sovereign chuckled as he hovered over them. "Prepare to meet your makers! Blazing Helix!"

The Tamers knew that there was nowhere to run, so they braced themselves for the impact. It never came, however, as a blue bolt appeared out of nowhere and deflected Zhuqioamon's attack.

"Where did that come from?" Ai asked.

Mako brought his sister's attention to a giant glowing cloud in the sky. "There!" Everyone watched as the cloud slowly turned into a massive, nearly transparent dragon.

"Azulongmon!" Zhuqioamon shouted,"What are you doing here?"

"Azulongmon?" Takato gasped,"Isn't that the one that Mr. Kamiya said he had some kind of deal with?"

"Hopefully he's here to help us!" Ryo shouted.

The dragon Sovereign stared at Zhuqioamon. "Cease your attack."

"What?! Why?"

"This is neither the time nor the place, Zhuqioamon!" he boomed,"We have a far greater threat! The D-Reaper is about to be awakened!"

"I know!" Zhuqioamon shouted back,"But once I destroyed these humans, that threat will be over!" He started flying towards them, but Azulongmon cut him off.

"Open your eyes, Zhuqioamon!" he shouted,"These are not the humans that seek to awaken the True Enemy! We've got to work together to stop the true evil humans!"

"All humans are evil!" Zhuqioamon responded,"Even if these are not the humans that seek to awaken the True Enemy, then there will be a few less humans to bother us after I destroy them!"

"Stop!"

"If you're so sure that they're not the evil ones, where are the ones that seek to awaken the True Enemy, huh?"

Azulongmon hesitated,"I...that is..."

"Ha!" the phoenix Sovereign laughed,"You think you're omniscient, don't you? That we should all bow down before Azulongmon and his wisdom; that you're right and I'm wrong! But you don't have any more idea of what to do than I! No, I had enough foresight to transform the Catalyst into a digimon to hide it from the humans! And these humans brought it right back!"

"Zhuqioamon, they did not know that it was the Catalyst. They were brought here against their will by the true evil human."

Back on the ground, the Tamers were using this pause in the battle to move themselves away from immediate danger. As they were running, Henry overheard the conversation between the two Sovereigns. "There's that term again, 'Catalyst,' are they really talking about Calamon?"

"Yes," Lopmon said,"When the evil humans arrived in this world and it was discovered they were searching for the D-Reaper, the Sovereign changed the Catalyst into a digimon."

"But what does the Catalyst do?"

"Why, it allows digimon to digivolve."

Takato nodded. "That's why Guilmon and the others were able to digivolve, because of Calamon!"

Above them, Zhuqioamon hesitated. "No! I will not be distracted from my mission! These humans must be destroyed!"

"No!" Takato shouted,"You're wrong! We just want to save this world! Why can't you understand?!"

"Please, Zhuqioamon," Azulongmon said.

The Phoenix Sovereign stared at Azulongmon, then at the Tamers. "Oh, all right."

Azulongmon smiled slightly, then turned to the Tamers. "Greetings, humans. I am Azulongmon, the Sovereign of the East. Please, accept my apologies as to your treatment since you've arrived in our world."

Terriermon jumped onto Henry's head,"Well, you know, I'm not going to.."

"Terriermon, be quiet!" his partner shouted.

Azulongmon chuckled, then turned serious. "We must hurry and find the area where the D-Reaper is sealed before the evil humans do. But, tell me, where is Master Kamiya?"

Snow Agumon looked to the ground."He was taken by Hakkado, along with Kasumi and Miki."

"We've got to go," Zhuqioamon said,"Before it's too late, but we don't have any idea where the D-Reaper is sealed."

Alice nervously spoke up. "A..actually, I might have an idea."

Azulongmon's eyes glowed slightly, and the next thing the Tamers knew, they were inside of the dragon. "Tell me where to go," he said.

The blond girl just nodded. "S..sure."

Takato found Jeri sitting by herself. "Jeri, listen, none of this is your fault. It was just meant to happen."

The brunette just sniffled. "No, it is. I'm sorry I'm so weak. If I was stronger, none of this would have happened."

Takato tried to think of something to say, but glanced at his watch. "Jeri, I'm sorry."

Back on Earth, Tokyo was well aware that it was almost Christmas Day. Certainly, the Monster Makers and the command crew of Hypnos were aware as they decorated their small work areas. There was not too much celebrations, however, they knew that there was a group of children that were depending on them to bring them back.

Yamaki glanced around as he walked through the work area of the Monster Makers. "I don't want to disrupt your holiday celebrations, but how is the Ark coming along?"

"We're almost there," Babel said,"It should be ready within a few hours." He smiled slightly,"We'll get those kids home in time for Christmas."

Yamaki nodded."Good."

Across the city, the Matsuki's were busy decorating their Christmas tree. Mrs. Matsuki had placed a few wrapped boxes under the green plant for Takato. Her husband was busy in the bakery kitchen, creating a breadbasket filled with red bread in an odd shape. It was going to be a surprise for Guilmon, as a thank you for protecting their son. Takato's mother wanted her family to be together again on this special day, even if their newest addition was a digimon.

In the Digital World, the Dark Master Digidestined of Tokyo was standing in front of large blue mountain, more specifically, in front of a section of the mountain that contained a circle of five smaller stone. He turned around to face his prisoners: Tai, Kasumi, Miki and Calamon, all four being held by the Dark Tamers. "This is it, you know," he said,"This is where the D-Reaper is." He grinned. "This is where an ultimate age of darkness begins!"

"Don't do it!" Kasumi shouted,"Please, you'll destroy both worlds!"

He chuckled. "That is not my plan! I will control both worlds, with the D-Reaper as my ultimate weapon!"

"No!" Miki shouted,"You can't do this! I won't let you!"

"Oh really?" Hakkado chuckled,"And what are you going to do about it?"

Miki stared at him. "Just watch me!" Her body started to grow and change until it became the body of an adult woman. "I am Artemis, Digital Hunter!"

Kasumi's eyes were open wide, and Tai's would have been, had he been conscious. "You're Artemis?!"

The Digital Hunter nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry, but I couldn't tell you."

The Kamiya daughter was trying to think of something to say, but did not have time as Artemis charged at Hakkado. "I'll stop you! I won't let you free D-Reaper!"

Hakkado just continued to grin as Black Wargreymon suddenly appeared from behind him and batted the huntress to the ground. He slammed his foot into her stomach, which sent her flying backwards and she landed next to Kasumi. She shivered for a second, then turned back into Miki. "Too strong," she panted,"He's just...too strong..."

Hakkado laughed. "If you're through, I believe I have an ultimate weapon to awaken." He turned around and faced the ring of stones. "Now, the first gate!" He mentioned to his two Dark Tamers, who walked over with their D-Arcs pointed at the circle.

"This first door will unlock with the energies of the five corporate computer executives..."

"That you murdered, you mean!" Kasumi sneered as Miki slowly rose to her feet.

Hakkado just shrugged. "To each her own." He watched as Barker and Lambert held their D-Arcs to the stone gate. Five streams of energy flowed out and into the five stones. The side of the mountain gave a small shake, then slowly slid apart, revealing a second door. This one was a massive block in the shape of a strange shellfish type creature.

"What is that?" Miki asked.

Lambert turned to her. "That is a Zudomon, well, a stone statue of one anyway."

Hakkado grabbed Calamon from the ground and pointed him to the statue. "Now, the Catalyst will provide us with the key! Open the door!"

The small digimon started shivering. "I..I..I.."

"Do it, Calamon," Kasumi said.

"But, I don't know how!"

"Oh really?" Hakkado sneered,"Maybe this will refresh your memory!" He threw Calamon towards the stone door with such force that the small digimon was going to be splattered across the door. However, as he screamed out in fear, the small triangle on his head glowed brightly. The stone statue of the Zudomon shrunk down into a much smaller figure, leaving a massive hole where the statue once stood.

The Dark Master Digidestined turned to the two human girls. "Now the Zudomon has digivolved into a Marine Angemon, leaving a perfect door for us to walk through."

"We're not going anywhere with you!" Kasumi protested.

Hakkado snapped his fingers, and his two Dark Tamers grabbed Kasumi and Miki, keeping them from moving. Hakkado, however, grabbed the unconscious Tai and brought him over to the third door, one that was split down the center, the left side white, and the right side dark. Each side had a palm print engraved onto it.

"Now, the key to unlock this final door! The handprints of two Digidestined Masters!" He grabbed Tai's palm and pressed it against the light side of the door, then placed his own on the dark side. The door shuttered, then slowly opened. Inside was a dark tunnel. The Dark Master Digidestined turned to the two girls,"Now, my ultimate prize!" He threw Tai to the ground, then walked inside. Barker and Lambert flung the two girls to the ground, then followed.

"Dad!" Kasumi shouted out, on instinct alone for she knew that he could not hear her. She quickly checked her father's wounds, and sighed with relief when she saw that his bandages were still in place. "Hang on, please," she said,"If anyone can fight death, it's you, Dad. Just hang on, please."

Miki gently lifted Calamon. "Are you all right?"

The small digimon coughed slightly,"Yeah, I..I'l be okay." His eyes floated over the blue-haired girl's head and to the sky. He saw Zhuqioamon and Azulongmon flying towards them. A giant blue ball emerged from the blue dragon and shot towards the ground. "Look out!" he shouted.

The blue ball landed on the ground between the two girls and popped a second later, revealing the other Tamers. "I'm glad you guys are here," Kasumi sighed.

Takato's eyes drifted to his fallen teacher. His eyes flashed with anger,"Where's Hakkado?"

Kasumi pointed to the cave. "He went in there, with D-Reaper!"

"D-Reaper!" Zhuqioamon shouted,"This is the day we have always feared!"

His fellow Sovereign nodded. "Yes, we must prepare ourselves for the battle against our greatest enemy."

The combined forces soon heard the familiar sounds of footsteps. They turned around and saw that the remaining Devas had joined them. They all bowed in front of Zhuqioamon and Azulongmon. "Mighty Sovereigns," Indramon said,"We are here to serve you."

Chatsuramon spoke next. "Is this the day we have feared?"

"Yes," the phoenix answered,"Since the Dark Master Digidestined arrived five years ago, we have long prepared for this battle. It may be some time before we rest again, my loyal servants."

The group stared at the dark cavern. "Do we go in?" Henry asked.

As to answer him, the cavern shot out a bright flash of light, followed shortly by the Dark Master Digidestined Hakkado, his two Tamers, Barker and Lambert, and their digimon. This group of darkness slammed into the ground, their bodies covered with blood.

The Tamers stared in horror. Guilmon was hardly able to talk. "It...it killed them! Just like that!"

Kazu started shaking. "I'm not afraid, I'm not afraid....oh, who am I kidding?! I'm terrified!"

Alice fell to the ground. "I...I don't want to die!" She was surprised when Lopmon jumped in front of her.

"Don't worry. You don't have a digimon, so I'll protect you."

Takato glared at the cave, then over his shoulder to where Jeri and the unconscious Rika and Renamon were lying. He turned his gaze to the side where Kasumi and Snow Agumon were standing in front of Tai. "Kasumi, bring your father and Agumon and Gatomon behind that boulder over there." He turned to the brunette,"Jeri, I want you to hide behind there. If the D-Reaper gets past us, run, got it?"

Jeri kept staring at the ground, but did as she was told and hid behind the boulder. Takato brought Rika behind there, while Guilmon did the same to Renamon. Then the Tamer and his partner ran back to the stand in the front line. They were just in time to fell the ground shake below them.

"It's coming!" Zhuqioamon roared,"I can feel the chaos it brings!"

"Guys," Henry said,"Did any of us stop to think how we're actually going to beat this guy?"

"We'll try our best as usual!" Terriermon cheered,"But, maybe we should digivolve."

The Tamers all nodded at each other. They each grabbed a card at random, which turned totally blue in the moonlight. "Digi-modify! Matrix Digivolution Activate!"

MATRIX DIGIVOLUTION

"Guilmon matrix digivolve to..Wargrowlmon!"

"Terriermon matrix digivolve to...Rapidmon!"

"Snow Agumon digivolve to..Veedramon!"

"Impmon digivolve to..Ice Devimon!"

The trio of digivolved digimon stared grimly at the dark cavern. For a long moment, nothing happened, but soon the combined forces could make out a figure emerging from the darkness. The Tamers and their digimon had had an image in their mind of what a world destroyer would look like, but the true D-Reaper was almost completely opposite. It was distinctly human in form, not a massive bodybuilder physique, but a smaller, thinner form, covered in red skin. Its face was that of a young man, and so the group surmised that it must be male.

The digimon all prepared themselves to attack, but the D-Reaper simply raised his hand. A wave of force exploded from his palm, throwing the semi-circle of Tamers and digimon onto their backs.

"It's too powerful!" Zhuqioamon shouted.

"No!" Azulongmon replied,"Legends say the D-Reaper has the power to destroy the Digital World with a wave of his hands! He should have been able to kill all of us, but we're still very much alive. He must have weakened from his captivity! We've got to try all together. Everyone, attack, now!"

Wargrowlmon: "Radiation Blade Attack!"

Rapidmon:"Rapid Fire!"

Guardromon:"Guardian Barrage!"

Cyberdramon:"Desolation Claw!"

Ice Devimon: "Avalanche!"

Migiramon: "Blazing Arrowheads!"

Makuramon: "Primal Orb!"

Chatsuramon. "Howl of the Heavens!"

Indramon: "Horn of Desolation!"

Zhuqioamon: "Blazing Helix!"

Azulongmon: "Aurora Force!"

The combined attacks all joined together and created a beam of intense light. This arrow of hope pierced through the D-Reaper's body, causing him to explode apart, sending small balls of red across the area.

The group was too busy shielding themselves, or they would have noticed one lone piece land behind the protective boulder, more specifically, at Jeri's feet. She reached down and lifted it up in the palm of her hand.

"You are weak, but you wish to be strong."

The brunette's eyes opened wide. "D-did you just...talk to me?"

"Yes, you are weak because you are not a Tamer. You wish to have a digimon for a partner, do you not?"

Jeri just nodded."Y..yes."

"I can give you something even better then a digimon. I can give you power beyond anything you think of. Accept me, and I will never let anyone use you again!"

Jeri just stared at the small red ball. "I...I..."

Back on the battlefield, the Tamers and the digimon suddenly became aware that the D-Reaper was gone. They had seemingly won.

Azulongmon chuckled slightly. "I would say they did pretty well, wouldn't you, Zhuqioamon?"

The phoenix turned to the dragon. "They did all right..for humans," he quickly added..

Kazu breathed a sigh of relief. "That was easy."

"Yeah," Henry said, rubbing his chin,"A little too easy."

"Something wrong?" Takato asked, a smile on his face,"We just beat the greatest being in the Digital World! This is a time to celebrate."

Henry stared at him, then smiled. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Takato was about to respond, when he noticed that his pants pocket was glowing. He pulled out the Hypnos communication device. "Hey, there's a new message from Mr. Yamaki."

"What does it say?" the other boy asked.

A smile slowly broke over the goggle-wearing Tamer's face. "They're sending a ship to take us home!" He turned to the others,"Guys! We're going home!"

Kazu looked at his watch. "Wow, just in time for morning."

Takato read from Yamaki's e-mail."They're sending the ship to the center of the desert regions in forty minutes.. wait, how do we get there?"

Azulongmon answered him by sending a large blue ball to the ground. "Enter here and it will take you to the area. It is my gift to you."

The ground suddenly started to shake again and fissure tore the rocky floor apart. Gysers of red water shot into the sky. "What's going on?" Ryo asked.

"The Chaos!" Zhuqioamon gasped,"It's the D-Reaper!"

"The D-Reaper?" Kazu gasped,"Oh man! I thought we beat it!"

The phoenix Sovereign shuttered. "It is just as the legends say, every part of the D-Reaper is alive. If even a small piece of it survives, it lives."

"We've got to fight it!" Takato shouted.

"No!" Zhuqioamon shouted,"This is not your fight."

"What?" Henry asked,"It's not our fight? But...humans are the ones that unleashed it."

Azulongmon shook his head. "I agree with Zhuqioamon, the D-Reaper is a digital creation, one that should have been destroyed when it first appeared in this world, instead of sealed away. Our ancestors created this problem, and we will finish it. Quickly, escape while you can."

"Let's get my father!" Kasumi shouted, running behind the rock. Kazu, Takato, Henry and their digimon followed. Kazu was about to grab Rika, when the Digimon Queen slowly sat up.

"Oh, you're awake," he said, disgust dripping from every word.

The redheaded girl stared at the ground. "You should just leave me here."

Kazu was about to agree, but Takato caught a glimpse of Jeri. "Rika, all of our parents are going to be waiting for us. Don't you want to see your mother again?"

She stared at the ground. "Y..yeah, I..I want to go home."

Takato mentioned to Kazu and Henry to carry Tai, while he turned to Jeri. "Come on, we're going home."

Zhuqioamon waited until the group was together again before speaking. "You digimon that chosen human partners, I still detest you and feel that your actions are an abomination. However, I will respect your choice. Lopmon, I want you to go with the humans, maybe my hate comes from ignorance. Maybe through Lopmon, you can teach me."

The small chocolate dog/bunny bowed. "Your wisdom is beyond words, my Sovereign."

Azulongmon spoke next. "Calamon, you are still the Catalyst of Digivolution, but you are now a living being, and you have the choice. You can return as our Catalyst, or you can remain with the humans as a Digimon if you wish."

Calamon nodded. "You don't even need to ask! I'm staying with my friends."

The earthquakes started to increase in intensity. "You had better leave," Azulongmon said,"Go before it is too late. I thank you for all that you have done, but this battle is ours."

The Tamers climbed into the bubble and it shot across the Digital World. It soon landed in the center of the desert, next to an oddly shaped craft. Strangely, the wind had picked up and the ground was shaking. "The D-Reaper is attacking every part of the Digital World!" Alice exclaimed.

"Hey, that ship sort of looks like our D-Arcs," Mako pointed out.

"Never mind that now," Takato said,"Everyone inside, hurry up."

Kazu and Henry gently placed Tai inside, soon followed by the rest of the group. When Cyberdramon stepped inside, he shrunk down to a smaller, gray dinosaur type creature. "M..Monodramon!" Ryo gasped,"Wow, it's been a while."

The ship started to move up the tracks of light in front of it. Takato leaned back against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. He glanced at Jeri, then his smile faded. He was going to say something, when he heard Kasumi talking to her father.

"Just hang on Dad, we're almost there."

Back on Earth, Yamaki and Wong were inside of the Hypnos control room, staring at a small image of the ship climbing up the glowing tracks. The older man smiled. "Don't worry Henry, you'll be back home soon."

The Hypnos commander found himself smiling. "I'll have you back soon, Miki."

The glowing image of the arc suddenly ceased its movement. "It stopped!" Wong gasped.

"What happened?" Yamaki demanded.

"I..I don't know."

The Hypnos commander growled, then shot his head to the two women in the elevated chairs above them. "Get Babel, now!"

Inside of the Monster Maker's computer lab, the man in question was quickly checking his calculations on his computer screen. "Come on, baby, talk to me."

Yamaki's face suddenly appeared on the computer monitor. "Babel, what's going on?"

"I don't know. Everything was going fine, until the ship suddenly stopped. This shouldn't have happened."

"The Ark core system," Yamaki said,"You used the same program as the Digimon, right? It is possible that the Arc has become self-aware?"

Babel shook his head. "It was a very basic program, it was the only way I could get the Ark to move, but it shouldn't have caused it to develop artificial intelligence. There's got to be a glitch somewhere."

In the Digital World, the ark suddenly shook violently. "What was that?" Alice gasped.

"Turbulence?" Henry asked.

"No!" Kazu shouted,"Look at the end of the ship. It's..It's disappearing!" Sure enough, the back of the ship was slowly dissolving into nothingness.

"The D-Reaper!" Terrierimon gasped,"It's not gonna let us leave!"

"No!" Takato said,"We'll make it, the ship's still moving and..." Just as he spoke those words, the ark came to a halt.

"Damn it!" he shouted.

"Takato!" Kasumi called,"Dad's wound is bleeding again! I..I don't think he's going to make it!"

Guilmon turned to his partner."Maybe we should ask the ark to move."

Takato was not sure what to do, but he then saw the tears in the girl's eyes. His face became determined, and he turned to face the glowing console of the ship. "Ark, listen to me, please. We've got to get back home, all of our parents are waiting for us. It's going to be Christmas Day soon, they're all expecting us. And...and Mr. Kamiya, he's hurt, really bad. He means so much to all of us, please, arc, we've got to get back home!"

The large ball on the console glowed for a second, then two wires emerged from it and connected to Takato's COM device. Words started to appear on the screen. "I WILL TRY."

The goggle-wearing Tamer smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"Hey," Kasumi gasped,"We're moving again."

Back in the Monster Maker's computer lab, Daisy and Curly gasped. "Hey, it's moving again," the Indian woman said.

The blond woman nodded. "Yes, but its trajectory has been altered. The point of bio-emergence is now in the middle of Shinjuku Park. Someone's got to inform the parents."

Curly nodded. "I'll inform them."

The Tamers were all hugging each other tightly as the Ark shot through the digital sky. Kazu held on tightly as he spoke. "Ark, if you get us out of this, I swear, every weakened, I will wash you, vacuum your insides, detail you. Anything, just get us home!"

"That's not helping!" Kasumi shouted.

In the center of Shinjuku Park, a large fraction of the Hypnos crew was waiting with the parents and family members of the Tamers. Yamaki and Wong were in the center of the crowd, staring at the large lake in the pond. The water suddenly shot into the sky, forming a geyser in an area that should never have been able to form one. Wong turned to Yamaki. "That is..normal, right?"

"That depends on your definition."

The geyser suddenly died down as a large ship broke through the water. It shot forth an intense white light that blinded the people. The crowd just stared as they made out a group of figures walking towards them. The Tamers had returned.

Takato was first, followed closely by Guilmon. Henry and Kazu were behind him, carrying Tai between the both of them. Guardromon came next, carrying Agumon and Gatomon in his arms, while Terriermon rested on his metal shoulders. Kasumi and Snow Agumon were right behind the metal digimon. Next came Jeri, Alice, with Calamon on her shoulder and Lopmon in her arms. Ai, Mako and Impmon were next. Ryo, Monodramon and Miki followed afterwards, with Rika and Renamon in the rear.

The Tamers stared at their family and friends for a few seconds, before they could not take it anymore. They charged forward and they met with an embrace of hugs and kisses.

Mrs. Matsuki had tears following down her face as she hugged her son. "Don't you ever do that again! I was so worried."

Mr. Matsuki tried to pry his wife away from their son before she suffocated him. "Now, dear, he didn't have a choice."

Henry was greeted by his mother and father. Like Takato's mother, Mrs. Wong could not be pulled away from her son. Mr. Wong just smiled. "Son, I'm very proud of you."

Miki hugged her father tightly as Yamaki lightly rubbed her daughter's head. He smiled at Ryo and Monodramon as they bowed before him. "I'm glad that you're safe," Yamaki said.

Ryo was about to respond, when he looked over the Hypnos commander's shoulder to where Tai was being strapped to a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. Miss Asage, Kasumi and Snow Agumon jumped inside afterwards. Yamaki noticed that Ryo was looking over his shoulder, so he turned around just in time to watch the ambulance drive off.

"Is there anything you can do?" Ryo asked.

Yamaki turned back around and smiled slightly. "Hypnos will be footing the hospital bill. I figure, it's the least I can do."

"Commander," Riley said, running up to him,"I've finally located Jeri Kanto's parents, they're staying with relatives out of town."

"When will they be here?" he asked.

Riley sighed as she looked to the ground. "That's the thing, they won't. Her father said that she got into this on her own, and she can get out of it on her own." The brown haired woman turned to where Jeri was sitting on the park bench, wrapped in a blanket. "I could take her, but, not to be with anyone she knows, especially so close to Christmas..."

"I'll take her!" Takato suddenly spoke up,"I'll do it."

"Are you sure?" Yamaki asked,"You just got back."

"Takato," Mrs. Matsuki said,"I think that you really should come home.." Her husband placed his hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Let him go. It's okay."

"Dear, are you sure?"

Mr. Matsuki nodded. "Yeah, it's a guy thing, you probably wouldn't understand."

Mrs. Matuki just stared at her husband, then nodded. "I think I understand. All right, Takato, go ahead."

Yamaki nodded. "Okay, I'll arrange for a private cab, this way your partner won't attract any unwanted attention."

Sure enough, an hour later, Takato found himself in a private cab, alone with Jeri, Guilmon, and Calamon-who had insisted on coming with them. The two digimon had finished their small lunchboxes, and were now fast asleep. He smiled slightly as Guilmon snored, but it faded when he noticed Jeri's depressed look as she stared at her lunchbox. "Jeri, you didn't eat anything."

When she didn't answer, Takato sighed. "Jeri, you were always so cheerful, so happy, but.." He sighed again,"...then Hakkado kidnapped you, then Rika used you to make me fight. I know you think that everything that happened was all your fault, but it's not! Jeri, I don't care that you're not strong, I would have done anything to protect you, and..." He stopped himself, and stared at the floor.

"What I mean is...well, I..I like you Jeri..a lot, and well, I always hoped that, you know, you might, kinda like me, the way that..I...like...you.." He suddenly shot up to stare at her, his face beat red. "I mean...it's not like you're always on my mind, 'cause you are! I.." He sighed once more, then rose to his feet and walked down the isle.

"You're so sad now, I just wish I could make you happy again. It's like..something's missing inside of you. And..and it's my fault. If I had just fought Rika at the beginning, she wouldn't have used you like that, and..you'd be smiling right now! Laughing like you always did." He was surprise to find that he was crying,"Jeri, I just wish you would smile!"

About an hour later, Takato, and the two digimon were supporting Jeri as they walked out of the train station. They found a taxicab waiting outside with a man standing beside it. "Look Jeri," Takato pointed,"There's your dad."

When they reached the street, Takato bowed."Hello, Mr. Kanto."

He did not reply as he grabbed Jeri by the arm and yanked her over. He shoved her into the taxicab and slammed the door after he got inside. As the cab sped away, Takato and Guilmon were aware that Calamon was not with them. They looked back to the taxicab, and saw that the small digimon was hiding inside the yellow car. The goggle-wearing Tamer smiled slightly. "Good Calamon, stay with her."

He sighed slightly, the turned to Guilmon,"Come on, let's go home." He smiled,"It's a new day."

Inside of a hospital room in downtown Tokyo, Kasumi and Miss Asage were standing watching over the sleeping Tai. The doctors were able to use a series of metal clippings to close the Master Digidestined's wounds. He would heal completely in a few days, something that both young women were thankful of.

As the older woman slept, Kasumi took a moment to look out the hospital window onto the city. It had begun to snow slightly, but that was not what caught her attention. It appeared that some of the snow was floating to the sky! Upon closer examinations, she discovered that it was not white, but red. And it was not floating to the sky, but move like slowly bubbling upwards.

"No," she said,"The D-Reaper! It's..it's here!"

to be continued...

The Book of Warriors is over! The Book of Apocalypse now begins! I'm planning four, maybe five or six more chapters, then this story is over.

I think I'm going to start to write some revised versions of my earlier, more popular stories, so I thought I'd start with my personal favorite, Resurrection War. If you're interested, it should be up sometime this weak, but school's starting again, so I really don't know. I can't believe it's my final year of college! I'm really worried about getting a job, but my mother keeps telling me not to worry about that yet. What if I made a mistake with my major, though? As is evident from this site, everyone's a writer, what if I'm not good enough? Jeeze, I've got to take Mom's advice and relax.

Later.