Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Light in Dark ❯ Three ( Chapter 4 )

Author's Note and Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure 02, or any of the characters depicted. However, the storyline is completely mine and I do not want to see it replicated without my expressed permission. The characters, as they exist within my storyline, are also mine.

Review Response: This is where I respond to the reviews left by the readers.

Oh wait, I haven't gotten any more!

;_; I pout for this.

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light IN dark

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Chapter Three

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Daisuke's head hit the ground instead of his feet, while Veemon landed gracefully beside him. The Chosen Child climbed to his feet and tried to wipe away the smudge of black earth clunging to his forehead.

"Every time!" he declared with a slight edge to his voice. Veemon muffled a chuckle, though unsuccessfully, and Daisuke heard. With a glare, he added: "Think that's funny, do ya?"

Veemon gulped and shook his head. That baleful tone reminded Veemon of Ryo, who often used his voice to threaten. Trust faltered: Would Daisuke punish him like his former partner did? Veemon closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable discipline, and then it commenced. Daisuke's arm circled Veemon's neck and placed him into a tight headlock; knuckles came down, less fierce than expected, and ground into Veemon's leathery scalp.

"NOOGIE ATTACK!"

Veemon's eyes opened: Daisuke was grinning down at him. They laughed together, Daisuke at the situation and Veemon because Daisuke's knuckles were only ticklish. As their laughter calmed to weak giggles, a sudden and vicious roar in the distance caused them to jump and separate. They realized simultaneously that this was no time to be having fun when there were angry, possibly hungry Digimon running about in the Digital World; and besides, they had a job to do.

"Which way, Veemon?" Daisuke asked as he stared at the endless horizon.

"I don't know."

"Then we go…" Daisuke closed his eyes and spun around, finger pointing outward. When he became almost too dizzy to stand, he stopped; Veemon laughed as he stumbled around, attempting to stay upright. His eyes opened and he nodded in the direction his finger indicated. "That way!"

Without waiting for protest, he started walking.

Fire signals flickered in the distance, orange flame giving way to purple, but Daisuke's focus was too concerned with finding the Digimon Czar. If the Czar dared to show his face, Daisuke would be all over it like a starving mosquito on unprotected flesh.

The roar from before came back, though it was closer now. Veemon decisively looked toward its source and squinted. It was closer, yes-too close for his comfort. He cautioned Daisuke that they shouldn't travel out in the open any longer.

"Don't be stupid, Veemon. It's not like we can't whatever the Czar throws at us. Besides, if we hide, we won't be able to see if that Ken is around here or not. That's the real reason we came, remember?" Daisuke nodded like a wise old sage and conveniently forgot his stress on confronting the Czar instead. Veemon grumbled something quietly, but his complaints were trampled underfoot as Daisuke strode past unheedingly.

"OI! KEN!" Daisuke cupped his hands around his mouth and started calling for his new target.

No response came; he called again with the same results. He scratched his head, trying to figure out why he wasn't getting an answer, and finally paid attention to the horizon for any signal fires: as hoped for, there were purple flames nearby he should have noticed before but didn't because he was Daisuke. They danced madly in the wind, taunting him, but he grinned.

"He's around here somewhere… KEEEN!"

Veemon pulled at Daisuke's arm and advised against continuing his current actions. They would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention if Daisuke kept screaming like that. Daisuke just grinned, oblivious to the warning, and started calling again; his mind was clear of doubts because he believed they could beat up any attacking whatever-mon.

Without warning a slew of dead trees fell away and broke into digitized dust; a dark fog-like cloud of it creepy towards Daisuke and Veemon. The roar split the air again, but now it was on top of them; or rather, it was charging at them. A monochromatic Digimon-appropriately named Monochromon-burst into view, driving the dust clouds away, and galloped toward Daisuke with one long, deadly horn lowered and its dark red eyes flashing. Daisuke was temporarily too surprised to move.

"Daisuke!" Veemon yelled and dived; he shoved Daisuke out of the way and also managed to avoid being run down.

Monochromon charged past them, unable to stop his forward momentum so soon, and halted only when he plowed into the rock of the nearest mesa. He screamed in both rage and pain, shook loose of the rocks falling down around him, and turned to face them again. One leg kicked up the ground as he prepared to charge again.

"That damn thing gettin' the jump on on us! We'll show him who's boss! I oughtta go kick his ass myself!" Daisuke spat angrily as he stood up again. Veemon rose in front of him, ready to attack. "Good save there, Veemon. Now let's show him how it's done-Digimental, UP!"

"Veemon, armor evolve!" In a whorl of bright orange fire and pulsing red lights, the clawed and masked and horned higher evolution of Daisuke's partner Digimon stood ready to fight: "Flamedramon!"

Monochromon launched at Flamdramon, head lowered and horn ready to take him out. Flamedramon rushed toward his opponent; they met halfway when Flamedramon used Monochroman's long snout as a springboard to flip into the air. He pivoted and brought his arms forward-"FIRE ROCKET!"-and sent a ruin of fire balls at Monochromon.

Flames encircled Monochromon, but when they dispersed, he remained standing. Daisuke shouted something in dismay-something unpremeditated about Monochromon cheating. Flamedramon fell from the sky, positioned so that his claws sunk into and ripped through the unprotected and yet vital chinks in Monochromon's neck armor; thereafter Monochroman split into fragments that were only at the whim of the wind.

"YEAH! One down, losta more to go!" Daisuke cried in victory.

"Idiot," said a voice from behind him, though Daisuke already knew who it belonged to.

He grinned and turned to face the person he had been trying to find: Ken stood atop a low rose with his arms folded over his chest. He glared ahead, past Daisuke, at the wheeling remains of data as they blew away. He didn't feel sorry for it at all, but …

"Oi, Ken, there you are. I've been looking all over for you."

Daisuke walked toward him with a proud smirk on his face. Ken turned his eyes away and hated that mocking, toothy grin. That Motomiya was obviously trying to show him up-show that he was superior here. Ken tried valiantly to ignore the buzzing sound of insects in his ears.

"You found me. Now get lost." Ken turned quickly and went back towards the forest he had emerged from to watch the battle.

"Hey! Wait a second!" Daisuke followed with a pace only slightly faster than Ken's. It was enough to catch up with him and also to be ahead by a small, insignificant amount. "I'm coming with you. You said that if I could pick up that egg and free Veemon, I could help you. I did it, so now we get to kick the Czar's ass-together!"

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"Just what are you doing, anyway?"\ Curiosity.

"None of your fucking business." His headaches were coming back again. He tried to ignore them; he tried to bury himself in his work. He typed furiously on a mostly invisible keyboard while watching one monitor's sequence of ones and zeros, and another's video feed of Ichijouji Ken and his new companion.

"Hey-my body, my business." Joking.

"I have no time for your comedy routines. And truth be told, you're not very funny. Now be quiet, little humorless clown." The Czar smiled at his own wit's brilliance, believing he had successfully defeated his unseen counterpart. Ryo remained quiet for a minute, but then returned.

"Aww, come on, Czar-y." Baby-talk. "Don't be like that. If you keep up that attitude, I might have to bend you over my knee and give the baby a spanking."

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"Well, technically, you ARE a baby." Laughter. "You've only been around for… what... a year? Aww... did I strike a nerve?" More.

"I'll find a way one day to quiet you for good. Maybe the death of your friend Ken would do it? Hmm? What do you think about that, smart guy? Where are your witty remarks now, huh? Oh, I could do numerous things to him. Let's see: I might just start with dipping his feet in salt, and having a goat lick them raw, and then repeating that said procedure with different parts of his body. Wouldn't that be fun? I'd get a real kick out of it."

Nothing. No response.

"I thought that might quiet you. Now let me work." The Czar had won this battle-perhaps the war. He had found the one weapon he could use against his alter-ego, which would end his annoyances. The Czar felt happy and light, as though he had found the cure for cancer and was keeping it secret from the needy.

"You couldn't bring yourself to do it before." Rebellious.

The Czar's typing stopped immediately. "I... still felt the personal attachment that you had with him. You weren't completely dominated then. It was a different time. Now you are mine, and he could be mine any time I want."

"Then why do you shake whenever you see this new boy?" Accusing.

"I don't like surprises. He's a surprise."

"YOU PRACTICALLY LOVED KEN. Don't give me that bullshit. I'm a mind reader, remember?" Taunting. "That's the only thing I can do now: sit back and watch because I'm a prisoner in my own head. But you got one thing wrong: you never dominated me. You won't ever. If anything happens to Ken, I'll never shut up. You'll never be rid of me. I'll annoy you from the moment we wake up to the moment you kill us. Hear me? HEAR ME?!" Fury.

"... I didn't love him."

"Yes, you did. You loved-no, love-him. Like… like the devil loves to take something beautifully innocent and twist it into something hideously ugly."

The Czar smirked. "I am good, aren't I? Look at him now."

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"Fine, alright. Listen: if you are going to be with me, then you have to follow MY lead. Follow MY orders. If you don't like that, you can take a hike. Got it?" Ken growled dangerously. He had already tried several times to lose Daisuke, or to persuade him not to continue on this journey; but neither one had deterred hard-headed Motomiya.

"Yeah, yeah; sure, sure. Let's go!" Daisuke bounded ahead with seemingly limitless energy. He paused for a second to look back at Ken, and then he grinned an infernal grin that drove Ken half-mad. Veemon and Wormmon traveled a distance from the other two, though they kept careful watch. "So where we going?"

"To a free village," Ken replied.

Buzzing insects droned on inside Ken's skull: he thought playfully of unleashing a horde of the damn things on Daisuke. That would shut him up, at least. But then another thought came to mind: what if he did that and Daisuke defeated them like before? The boy had power, Ken knew, but he didn't know why it was invested in him. It was a vexing mystery.

"How come?"

The droning worsened; Ken fought back the sounds and the rising urge to use his cursed gifts. "Do you understand the concept of 'need to know' versus 'want to know', Motomiya? You don't need to know, so you won't. Now quit asking questions and follow behind me like a good little soldier boy."

Daisuke frowned; it was a bizarre ever-so-slight tilt downward from his otherwise constant grin. They walked side-by-side for a little while, Ken keeping to himself and Daisuke scanning the unchanging scenery around them. Their surroundings were drab and uninteresting here. He had heard stories from Hikari and Takeru about the Digital World when it had been pretty; it was impossible to imagine what it could have looked like before.

Whistling an impulsive tune to himself, he quickened his pace unconsciously and moved a few inches in front of Ken, enough to be the new apparent leader of this mission to wherever. Ken picked up on this and in turn moved faster to stay ahead. They competed like this, a constantly swaying victory meant to determine who was leading whom, while Veemon and Wormmon struggled to keep up.

Their destination arose soon thereafter: broken and burnt defensive walls, much like those at Primary Village, only attributed to the hollowed semblance the village had to a charred skeleton. Everything was shaded by bland browns and grays, while above them the pale blue sky was devoid of the Czar's strange aerial bases. The ruddy huts made of only scraps huddled together. Thankfully the wind was still, Daisuke thought: otherwise those buildings might be destroyed by a sudden gust.

Daisuke was afraid to breathe on them. "Is this it?"

"Yes-now be quiet and don't do anything stupid," Ken responded harshly. He drew his ornate dagger from somewhere behind his back. Wormmon moved ahead as an advance scout; Veemon stayed beside Daisuke, unsure of what he was supposed to do.

"All right. OI! Hey! Anybody home?" Daisuke shouted with both hands cupped around his mouth to strengthen his voice. He barely noticed Ken's twitching eyebrow.

Clearly, Daisuke expected to be welcomed as a hero; he expected confetti to rain down from the sky; he expected to be lifted up onto the citizenry's shoulders and later have a section of town named in his honor.

But that wasn't the case: a single, slender Digimon-a Renamon-appeared in the center of town, although it was only a clearing where no homes had been built. It had yellow fur and piercing blue eyes that turned immediately toward Ken and glared, since it didn't seem to notice Daisuke. When it spoke, the hatred in its voice was nearly tangible: "What do you want, Terror Shinigami?"

"Information, cannon fodder-the works," Ken said.

"I'm afraid we cannot accommodate you this time, Terror Shinigami." Those eyes closed briefly in something longer than a blink. "And... I wish you the best of luck, because soon you'll be burning in the afterlife."

Then they came: the rest of the town exploded out of their ramshackle homes, roaring and running right for Ken. He reacted as though having expected this and dodged the incoming attacks effortlessly. Wormmon counterattacked with his webs; however, since these webs hardened after exposure to air, they acted more like projectiles than nets. Nearby Veemon rewarded any impromptu opponents with a head-butt.

Daisuke yelled something, but his voice was drowned out by sounds of the other Digimon. He dodged a stray ice attack here-a fire ball there-but he was largely ignored. Ken was their target.

"Veemon, help Ken!" Daisuke yelled again, trying to get through the near-solid wall of combative Digimon. Veemon called back that he was unable to see Ichijouji, must less anything else.

Suddenly the chaotic action came to an end, and Daisuke became aware of his pounding heartbeat. The wall of Digimon parted and slumped to the ground in hurried bowing, because Ken had found the Renamon amidst the struggle and now his blade pressed against its vulnerable throat.

"Good boy. Now you will give me the information I want, and you'll order every Rookie level Digimon you have to join me," Ken snarled. "Or I'll slit your throat right here and that'll be the end of you. This dagger doesn't allow Digimon to be reborn-I programmed it myself. Do you want to see an example?"

The Renamon nobly did not reply.

"Ken, no! What the hell are you doing?" Daisuke cried in disbelief.

"Be quiet, Motomiya."

"Let him go!"

Ken had heard that command before from so many different creatures, though in so many similar scenarios. They pleaded with him, begged for peace and for mercy; nonetheless, their voices went disregarded. Why was Daisuke's demand so different? The words came together and froze into a solid lump of ice in Ken's stomach. His heartbeat drummed louder than the incessant buzzing within his head. What did it matter that those words came from him, the nuisance, someone despised?

". . . What?" Ken sounded confused, as though he were fighting to wake from the stickiness of a dream. The question came at him: was Daisuke turning against him-siding with the creature whose very life now depended on his notoriously lacking mercy? Ken stared at Daisuke, and saw the tense, controlled fury there.

"I said let him go!"

"Motomiya, I'm doing what I have to," Ken said, shaking himself mentally.

"What you're doing is no better than what the Czar is doing! Let him go, Ken. He doesn't want to help us and you have no right to try and make him! Please, Ken-there's a better way." Daisuke was pleading with him? Ken couldn't believe it. Didn't that boy know that this way was the only way to defeat the Czar?

No-no, it's not, said half of the conflict. When one side finally won out over the other, Ken relaxed his hand and pulled the blade away from the Renamon's neck. He shook his head speechlessly, because as much as he hated to admit it, Daisuke was right. When did things first come to this level where he was willing to kill innocents in order to achieve his goals?

He didn't realize, however, that the Renamon wasn't going to be so forgiving. It pivoted and kicked Ken in the stomach, and with that momentum it leapt into the overjoyed crowd. Those that had been quiet and submissive during Ken's threats came to life again: they jumped upon the temporarily stunned Terror Shinigami and buried him, muffling his screams.

"KEN!" Daisuke yelled as he dove onto the mound.

He scratched, clawed, and bit at the Digimon; Wormmon joined him, and together they desperately tried fighting toward Ken. Flamedramon replaced Veemon and aided in throwing Digimon after Digimon from the pile-up. The stubborn ones were deleted. At last Daisuke touched Ken's wrist and pulled him away from the few attackers left, though they were preoccupied with Flamedramon.

"Oi, Ken, wake up." He supported the boy's head with his arm and waited for a response, but once ferocious-yet-cold-yet-gentle eyes remained hidden behind pale eyelids. Daisuke shouted at him to wake up, but not even that abrasive voice caused Ken to stir.

As a last-ditch effort, Daisuke brought up his hand and slapped it across Ken's cheek.

"LIVE!"

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Ichijouji Osamu woke up. He rolled over onto his back and threw off his blankets. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eyes. The new day had come, again. It seemed that he had only just gone to sleep-he knew insomnia and intellectually superiority come hand in hand. He dropped down from his top bunk, defying the poorly made ladder he had to use when he was younger.

He yawned and stretched out his arms-one still encased in a purple cast dotted with signatures and get-well messages-then scratched the top of his head. He wondered why Ken hadn't come to wake him up. A voice in the back of his head told him that his younger brother was probably just being a lazy bum. He glanced towards his brother's bed: it was empty; in fact, it had been untouched since yesterday.

"Ken?" he asked, despite knowing there would be no answer. Osamu started replaying the events in his head. They had gone to school. The day had been boring. When it ended, Osamu and Ken left with his friends. Then Osamu went out with them again, to get some coffee-wait. Wait. That was it. Ken must have left sometime after he left again. But to where?

He shook his head. There was nothing he could do right then; he would have to wait until after school to find Ken.

As he went into the hall toward the bathroom, he thought about his brother. He didn't blame Ken for his broken arm, though it had technically been his fault. In all honesty, he blamed himself for not seeing his brother's attack coming. He told his parents that a large van had clipped him on the curb while he was walking home from school; his friends were duped by the same story. They bought it and Ken's involvement was never mentioned in the first place.

After washing, Osamu returned to his room and changed from pajamas into his Tamachi uniform. He carefully buttoned up the neck and made sure the creases were perfect. One last glance was given to Ken's bed as he left and worry folded his brow.

"Oh, Osamu? Did you make sure Ken was awake?" his mother called while he slipped on his shoes at the front door.

"Ken went to school early. He said he had some tutoring sessions to go," Osamu said easily, lying through his teeth.

Lies were almost second nature to him. He didn't even bother making up logical reasons for why things happened the way they did inside his carefully untangled webs. His parents always believed him anyway: if he told them that gravity had reversed, they would jump out of a window just to try it out.

"Where the hell are you, Ken?" he muttered.

Walking to school without his brother's company was boring, and he felt lonely without wanting to. He stepped through the school gates, head held high as the whispering begun just like any other morning. He was always a little curious as to what they were saying, but he decided that-in the end-it didn't even matter, so he never pursued the matter any further than mere speculation. Undoubtedly there were envious of his genius, anyway. He grinned.

"Osamu!"

His friends greeted him together, though the first to call out had been a boy with wild, spiked brown hair sitting atop a picnic table near the school's entrance. Osamu waved back, oblivious to the way the boy's green eyes narrowed sharply when they noticed the absence of Osamu's brother.

"Hey, Kyodai. Have you seen Ken?" Osamu asked, but then glared and added: "Oh, come on-button your coat. You're disrespecting the school. You should be honored to go here."

Kyodai had selective hearing when it came to Osamu's sermons.

"What's he look like? Your bother's keeper?" a girl answered instead. She was sitting very straight and professionally on a bench beside the picnic table. Osamu always thought she looked very much like a rock star with her long silver-highlighted blonde hair and independently messy bangs. Osamu almost rose to the gibe before he realized her blue eyes were warm with friendly laughter.

"Quiet, Akemi. I'm too tired for your 'witty' remarks."

Two others sat with them. The first was a boy with blonde hair-the tips were dyed black-who stared off into space, paying no immediate attention to Osamu's arrival. His name was Hoshi and he was lost inside his own thoughts; usually he was quiet until the opportunity arose to insult Kyodai, and needless to say, opportunities like that came often. Those consequent quarrels always humored Osamu.

Then there was a girl named Naoko. She had long, purple-colored hair and eyes that matched. Right now she was buried in a novel and oblivious as well. Like Hoshi, she was quiet, but only because of her introversion; nonetheless, she always tried to be polite and considerate of other people's feelings: she was the most human of the group, if you will.

"Hey, Akemi-Tendou's missing too. Maybe it's a conspiracy?" Kyodai grinned at her.

"Hm… I think you might be on to something. We might have to stuff Osamu away in some locker. For his protection, of course. I would hate for anything to happen to our resident genius," Akemi said, smiling at Kyodai and then Osamu. Kyodai laughed with her.

Osamu, frustrated without an answer to Ken's disappearing act, shook his head and told them that they were insane. He bid them goodbye and walked into the school; if he got to his first class with enough time to spare, he could get a little extra asleep in. And, perhaps, if he made up a convincing story, his teacher would let him doze for even longer during class. After all, his first class was Physics-who needs that?

When Osamu was clearly inside the school and out of earshot, Kyodai spoke again: "Looks like we've lost him again. I wonder if the Czar got 'im for once, or something?" To dismiss that grim possibility, he shook his head. "So… who gets to be the bearer of bad news and tell the boss?"

"I would rather not," Naoko said immediately.

"Not me," Hoshi said.

"You know that he loves to shoot the messenger-so I'm out," Akemi said.

"Hey, guys! Sorry that I'm late. My alarm clock had a bullet lodged in it," another boy-Tendou-called as he strode up to the picnic table. He had long black hair and black eyes. Tendou stopped short when he noticed their devious grins and stars. "Eh? … What? Why are you all staring at me like that? Whatever it is, I'm not doing it!"

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Ring.

The bell let out its call to freedom. Sheer chaos erupted as students spilled from the school, crying and shoving out into the evening, aware only subconsciously that they would have to return tomorrow. Right now everyone was happy that they were one day closer to vacation. Takeru and Hikari strayed behind the stampede, and at the front of the school they waited for Miyako and Iori.

"Daisuke wasn't in school today," Takeru said first.

"Yeah, that's not like him. No matter how much he complains about having to go to school, he still doesn't miss a day. This is weird," Hikari added.

"Do you think he went into the Digital World alone?"

"I don't know… he might have."

"I wouldn't put is past him. When Iori and Miyako get here, we'll go looking for him," Takeru said. "And a coke says he's staring at shiny objects when we find him."

Hikari laughed.

"Hey, Hikari!" Miyako's high-pitched voice pierced the residual clamor generated by the crowd rioting toward the front gates. She went down the steps two at a time with Iori behind her valiantly pushing through other students.

Hikari waved at both of them and smiled when Iori bowed his head a number of times, apologizing for their half-second tardiness.

"So are we going to the Digi-" Miyako caught herself after noticing the looks on Hikaru and Takeru's faces. They weren't supposed to talk about Digimon, the Digital World, or Digi-anything while there were other people around. "-you-know-where today?"

"Yeah. Daisuke is missing, so we're going to see if that's where he disappeared to," Takeru said as the surrogate leader in Daisuke's absence.

"All right! What are we waiting for? Let's go-go-go!" Miyako yelled energetically as she sped back into the school toward the computer room.

Everyone else shook their heads in dismay and then traveled there less hurriedly. Along the way Takeru explained to Iori about the Digital World-what he should expect when he got there. Iori nodded politely after each sentence.

Miyako was already typing furiously away at a computer terminal when they arrived. She grinned and pointed a single finger into the air, crying "Bingo!" when she discovered the all-important Gateway program. When they were all ready, they each pointed their digivices at the screen.

They landed in a confusion of arms and legs; nonetheless, it didn't take them long to disentangle themselves. Miyako was the first back on her feet. She took a good look around at the Digital World: barren rocks and tall, pyramidal buildings were the only features here. Above her was a familiar blue sky, but the strange and bulbous bases floating up there provided ugly opposition.

"What are those?" she asked, pointing at one of the ugly bases.

"I dunno. Millenniumon wasn't very forthcoming with answers. He thought of our being here as more of a game," Takeru said and dusted off his hat before helping Hikari up too.

"This doesn't look like a very pleasant place," Iori said warily.

"It didn't always look like this," Hikaru murmured. "Takeru and I were here when we were younger… trees were everywhere-more trees than you could count! Everything was so green and pretty, and the flowers were always in bloom. Everywhere you looked there were happy Digimon. I don't understand how someone could make things like this."

"Let's go. We have to find Daisuke before something with large teeth finds us," Takeru said as he draped an arm around Hikari's shoulders comfortingly. "I think we should try to check out that pyramid over there first. I have a good feeling that Daisuke will be there."

"What makes you think that?" Miyako wondered.

"It's shiny." Takeru indicated the top of the pyramid: two bright motes of red and yellow light blinked on and off.

They all started in that direction, slowly and cautiously as first; however, as they got closer, their speed picked up a little to get further from the open areas. Takeru and Hikari went mainly in silence, listening to Miyako and Iori (though it was mostly Miyako) talk in subdued tones.

Takeru couldn't help but wonder where Patamon was. None of the former Chosen Children had been contacted by their partners except for Taichi-and Agumon barely had any idea where the others were. Impulsive déjà vu washed over him: he thought about the Chosen Children he had traveled with originally, and how they couldn't be here with him right now. Koushirou had been out of town at a computer seminar; Jyou was still too busy with school; Mimi vacationed in America; Sora was stuck in a tennis camp. Taichi kept everyone updated through e-mail. Surprisingly enough, Yamato put his band activities on old and spent most of his time with Taichi, though they were unsure what to do.

Was Patamon okay? He didn't know, and that made him unhappy. Like Hikari had reflected, he too wondered about the one responsible for doing this to the Digital World. He glanced over at Hikari whose concern materialized on her face. Undoubtedly she was thinking about Tailmon.

"Hang on. Do you see what I see?" Miyako whispered, causing everyone to come to a halt in front of the hill they were about to crest. ("See what? I can't see anything Miyako," Iori complained in the background, standing on his tiptoes.)

Miyako motioned down; everyone lowered onto their knees and inched up to the top of the hill.

"There are two Digimon guarding the entrance to the pyramid," Takeru said. "Knightmon, it looks like-but there's something wrong with their face."

Marching back and forth in front of the gigantic entrance were too heavily armored Digimon wielding thick bastard swords. Black and shiny objects were attached to their helmets, right in between their eyes; these objects looked like beetles with dark wings spread wide. Silver wires ran from beneath each and were attached to various places on the Knightmons' heads.

"Great. Guess we don't get to find out what's inside that place." Miyako pouted and fiddled with her glasses.

"Not necessarily," Takeru said. "I'll go get their attention, so you can Iori can go inside and find Daisuke. Those guards have to be protecting something-it might be him."

"Maybe we could all try to sneak past them?" Hikari suggested. "I don't want us to split up."

"No, that's too risky."

"Maybe I should be the decoy?" Iori offered. "I am the smallest here; I could probably hide better than any of you."

"No way! I'm not letting you out of my sight, Iori. From four to six PM, you are my responsibility. Your mom would have my head if something happened," Miyako protested vehemently.

"I'm going," Takeru decided and stood.

"Be careful!"

"I'll be fine, Hikari," he said, grinning. "Kick Daisuke for me, will ya?"

Takeru launched himself over the hill and ran down it at full speed. The Knightmon kept their patrolling patterns in front of the door, completely unaware of his presence. Takeru came up in front of them and started screaming and waving his arms wildly, but they paid no attention.

"HEY, UGLY! CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!"

One Knightmon turned laboriously and noticed Takeru: its eyes flashed red and suddenly it was after him, nearly overcoming his position before he could react. But after long-legged Takeru began running again, the encumbered Digimon was left a safe distance behind him. The other guard, however, remained at the door, and kept on marching despite its partner's leave.

Miyako sighed. "There's still one left! And we're all out of stupid boys to act as a decoy."

Without warning, Hikari stood and clamored over the hill too. She followed Takeru's path to the remaining Knightmon and repeated the process of yelling and flailing to get it riled. When she succeeded, she took off in the same direction that Takeru had with the Knightmon tailing her.

Miyako slapped her forehead, but then exclaimed: "Come on, now's our chance!" She grabbed Iori's wrist and they charged down the hill and dashed into the temple without even checking for any more guards. There was a third Knightmon sitting at the end of the foyer; they dived behind one of several concrete pillars.

She waited and listened: the Knightmon was snoring and she had to muffle her laughter. The third guard was asleep! One finger to her lips told Iori to be quiet. They tiptoed over to the Knightmon and around it, then started up the large spiral staircase that he had been guarding.

They saw no sign of Daisuke when they reached the top of the stairs and move out onto the upper floor, but the red and yellow pulsing lights caught their attention. The closer they approached the dimmer the lights became until there were only two strange egg-like items. One was metallic, had two wings sticking out from each side, and an upside-down heart motif was stenciled in the center. The other was yellow and a strange symbol bearing purple two circles adorned it; from its top a small horn stuck out. Both were situated on a wooden pedestal.

"Miyako?" Iori whispered.

"Yeah, I feel it too."

She walked up to the metal egg and wrapped her hands around it; with one little tug it lifted into the air, though she had expected it to be heavy. Before she could think about it for too long, a stream of red light shot out of the hole it had been covering, and a creature came together in a swirl of bright sparkles. It was a bird: it dropped down before her and she stumbled away in surprise. Her first reaction was to throw the egg at it.

"What the hell is that?" she cried.

"Madam, I am Hawkmon," he said, bowing gracefully and catching the egg at the same time. "And if you are the one who pulled this egg from its place, then you are the one I am destined to be partnered with. I am at your service."

Iori looked at both of them, and then turned to pull the yellow egg from its place. Another light came from another hole, but instead of a bird, an armadillo rolled out of the light and landed without much finesse at Iori's feet. It unfolded and looked up at the boy. "Hiya! My name's Armadimon. You don't smell so bad, so I guess you're my new friend. Pleased to meet ya!"

"Hello. I'm Iori," Iori said, bowing politely. He squatted down to look Armadimon in the eye and held up the egg. "What were you doing underneath this?"

"Oh, the Digimental?" Armadimon poked it and laughed. "That's a long story. But to make it short: see, the Digimon Czar recruited me and my buddy Hawkmon to be part of his army. Heck, we were even supposed to be partners with that guy! He kept talking about unlocking our potential or some other mumbojumbo. Well… he never did, and it made him mad. He's very scary when he's mad, you know. I never did like the way he smelt, so one day, me and Hawkmon just had enough with him. But before we could leave he put us under those Digimentals."

"I see," Iori said quietly.

"Tough break, huh?" Miyako added.

"Miyako…"

"Indeed," Hawkmon chirped. "But we are free again, and we offer you our services for the coming war."

"War? We're not in any war!" Miyako said, alarmed.

"Of course you are. You must be. You must be here to defeat the Digimon Czar, and the only way to do that is through war. However, you have my promise, my Miyako, that no harm shall come to you while I am still breathing. We will give that Digimon Czar such a fight-he will regret the day he was born!"

# # # #

He kept running-even though he was sure he had lost his pursuer-because he was doubling back along a more time-costly route toward the pyramid. The Knightmon had been no match for his speed; he couldn't help but grin proudly.

Something caught his eye on the way: a flash of pink followed by heavy, thundering footsteps. He stopped altogether when he turned his head and saw the pink belonged to a person, to Hikari, and the footsteps to a Knightmon-he sprinted after them.

"Hikari! What are you doing?" he called as he caught up with them.

"Only… one…went after… you! I had… to get the other... away!" Hikari panted.

She looked over her shoulder; the Knightmon was still coming at them. Then, ironically, over the next rise there was an inopportune, wide rock monolith forming one side of another structure. A dead end. They were trapped. They slowed and stopped. The guard stopped too, just a dozen yards away from them.

"Don't worry, Hikari. Everything'll be okay. Just watch." Takeru took Hikari's hands. She looked at him with a faint, forced smile-she didn't really believe him…

This was it? This was the end? she wondered. The story of Takaishi Takeru and Yagami Hikari ends in a valley somewhere in the Digital World; they'll be beaten by an overly powerful Digimon. He silently wished for Patamon, or even Daisuke, to show up and save them from this mess.

The Knightmon raised its sword over its head; Takeru swore he heard it chuckling darkly. It took one step toward its victims, who in turn pressed their backs against the rock wall and shut their eyes. This had happened before with the Yamnamon. Takeru felt so useless: he couldn't even protect himself, much less the Digital World!

"It's not over yet!" a voice cried. "LIGHTNING PAW!"

The Knightmon only had time to look up for a second before a clawed fist slammed into its forehead, shattering the apparently fragile winged beetle attached there. For a moment the guarded teetered, and then fell backward; the kitty responsible for its defeat stood tall. She was wrapped in tan clothes and had a hood covering her head; she blew on her claws before turning to face Hikari and Takeru.

Hikari's face lit up. "Tailmon!"

She immediately dropped Takeru's hands and rushed over to her partner; she snatched Tailmon up and hugged her tightly, afraid that if she let go, she'd discover that Tailmon was only an illusion. Tailmon hugged back and solidified her reality.

"Hi, Hikari. Looks like you've been busy picking up the boys again." She gestured to the unmoving Knightmon. "It's not dead… see… remember that beetle on its face? That was what the Czar used to control it; it's a really fragile device and easy to break. But…"

That's when they heard it: the sharp clicking of a thousand mechanical wings.

"There is always a swarm ready to come down from those nests in the sky and replace the beetles that have been destroyed. Come on-quickly! We have to get out of sight." Tailmon bounded to a small formation of rocks near the structure. "LIGHTNING PAW!"

The rocks shattered and revealed an entrance: she motioned Hikari and Takeru to get inside. They hastily did so while Tailmon stayed a moment to cave in the hole with another well-placed attack. It was dark, but they continued to move deeper and deeper, only able to feel where they were going until they found a room lit by torches.

Takeru sat on the floor and rested his back against one wall; Hikari slid down next to him, trying to catch her breath again. Tailmon stood in front of them at the opposing wall where she scratched out one marks next to a slew of them.

"One more for me," Tailmon purred. When she turned, she saw their puzzled expressions and grinned. "Oh, Gomamon and I have a bet going on who can destroy the most beetles. … He's winning right now."

"So you know where the others are?" Takeru asked, sounding hopeful.

"Eh… yes. Most of them," she said hesitantly.

"Do you know where Patamon is?"

"Yes…" She wished that he would not press the matter any further. The thought of what had become of Patamon always disturbed her, especially when she had been there and still unable to prevent his fate. She hadn't been able to get to him in time-no one had been able to. But no one felt as guilty about it as she did.

"So where is he?"

"… Takeru," she sighed, closing her eyes. "He was captured by the Czar a few days ago. Patamon, Gomamon, Gabumon, and I were on a routine reconnaissance mission. Millenniumon told us that you were coming, so we thought that we should get as much information as we could for you…"

"Go on," Takeru said firmly. His mouth was as dry as cotton.

"… And the Czar's army ambushed us. We barely escaped with our hides attached. The last I saw of Patamon in the struggle-he-he was being dragged away by a Gazimon."

# # # #

Ichijouji Ken woke up. His head was throbbing and his eyes refused at first. He didn't know where he was. The last thing he remembered was the fight at the village, and-Motomiya! Where was he? Did he have him to thank for being saved from the Digimon? That seemed impossible.

Ken forced his eyes open and looked around. He was lying on the ground with his dirty Tamachi jacket and another shirt serving as a pillow. There was a pile of ashes next to him that could have once been a fire. But far as he could tell, he was alone. He didn't even see Wormmon nearby.

Had they all abandoned him? He rested his head against the makeshift pillow again and looked up at the sky where it was full of aerial bases this time. No, Wormmon would never leave his side! So he must be around somewhere… though his eyes showed him otherwise, and his ears could not detect even the pitter-patter of claws on the ground.

Ken thought back to Renamon's village. Motomiya had tried to stop him from slitting its throat; when he lowered his weapon, the villagers turned against him and attacked. After that there was only a hazy fog of images, most involving running through a decaying forest. Shouts and explosions. Searing heat brushed his face. And then darkness.

He always thought of himself as being alone; but he wasn't really. Wormmon was always there by his side, someone who was there for him when no one else wanted to be. Wormmon would always… would always… Ken's eyes started to fill; tears threatened to spill out onto his cheeks. He fought them back though he did not know why-it was pointless. He was alone. No one could see him cry.

"Oi, Wormmon! I think he's finally awake!"

A voice came from the trees to his left-and it was a familiar one. Ken wiped at his eyes and turned his head in that direction; a blurry, bobble-headed image of Daisuke came into view, and Ken squinted until things came into proper focus. He was grinning and being followed by Wormmon and Flamedramon.

"Motomiya…" Ken spoke tentatively, like a pensive child.

"Good morning-er…evening, Ken. I dunno what time it is, but at least you're awake again," Daisuke said and sat next to him. Flamedramon dropped a stack of wood onto the pile of ashes while Wormmon strategically placed dry leaves on and about it. "Sorry for disappearing on ya like that. The fire went down, so we found one a burnt-out signal fire to get this stuff to make another one."

"Where am I?" Ken asked.

"No idea, but we're pretty far from that village. They beat you up pretty good, but you're gonna be fine." Daisuke grinned. "I'm looking after ya now. You can trust me."

Ken shook his head. "We have to... get to one of the television sets and get back to the real world." When he tried to sit up, he was halted by Daisuke's hand when it planted firmly on his chest. He stared at the fingers touching him, and then traced them from wrist to arm to face: dark rings circled Daisuke's eyes, and he looked rather sickly…

"Come on, Ken, I don't have the energy to wrestle with you right now. Just lie right there and I'll take care of everything."

"When was the last time you slept, Motomiya?" Ken asked frostily.

"Eh… I dunno. Last night, I think."

"How much?"

"I can't count time in my sleep," Daisuke retorted.

"How much?"

"I don't know."

"How much?!"

"Quit asking me!" Daisuke shouted at him, irritated by these repeated questions.

Ken's eyes widened as he realized that Daisuke had not slept at all. That boy had stayed up all day and night to watch over him; no one had ever cared about his well-being this way, no one except Wormmon (and he trusted Wormmon)-Motomiya had no right to do that! They had just met, after all: how was he supposed to trust Motomiya so soon? Especially with something as important as protecting him while he slept?

"Get some sleep."

"I will when we get home," Daisuke said.

He removed his hand from Ken's chest and moved to the opposite side of the wood. Flamedramon tried carefully to light pieces of kindle on fire without causing the entire set-up to explode into a shower of splinters and ash.

"No, you'll do it right now! I don't want anyone to lose sleep over me. I'm not going to be in your debt, Motomiya. Now lie down and go to sleep."

"Quit being stupid, Ken. I'm not going to bed right now. Got other things to do."

"Like what?" Ken demanded.

"Carrying you to the nearest TV set and getting you home."

Ken's eyes narrowed into a glare. "No one is carrying me anywhere. I'll walk on my own under my own power."

"You didn't seem to mind me carrying you last night."

"I was unconscious!"

"Oh yeah… well, I could just wait for you to pass out again."

Daisuke's damned grin had come back; it spoke to Ken, telling him that he was fighting a battle he couldn't win. Ken lied flat on his back again, sighed, and watched as Flamedramon got the fire going again. Daisuke prodded its base with an extra stick half-heartedly.

"What are you going to tell your parents?" Ken asked slowly.

"Nothing. They probably haven't even noticed that I'm gone."

"How could they not notice? I'm sure they welcome the silence that comes when you're gone," Ken said, smirking-though that simper faded when the most unexpected answer returned to him: silence. Deafening silence. Daisuke truly frowned now as he studied the fire, and Ken felt his insides clench. "… I'm sorry, Motom-Daisuke."

"Hey! You used my name," Daisuke said as he brightened again; his grin came back.

Ken derived some comfort from that rebound, though somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that it was just a mask that Daisuke was wearing. Maybe there was more to this kid than he first thought? Maybe he wasn't the simpleton with a hero complex as he first appeared to be?

"Osamu-my brother-is probably worried about me. He'll let me hear all about it when I get home."

"At least you know he cares, right?" Daisuke said.

"Cares? No… he's just worrying because he'll get in trouble if I disappear."

Ken spat off to the side as though a sudden bad taste had come into his mouth. Daisuke sat impassively for a few moments; again, the silence almost frightened Ken. He just didn't like silences like that. It lingered only a while, though, and was punctuated by the wood pile's crackling.

At last, Daisuke replied: "That sucks."

"What do you know?!" Ken yelled. He glared at Daisuke and felt irrationally betrayed: he had told Daisuke something private, something intimate, and the only reply he could get was that 'it sucked'? The buzzing inside his head, previously put at bay, came back at full force. He turned his head away from Daisuke and the lightning split the sky only a mile away.

"… I know that you're not alone," said Daisuke.

"Nor are you, Chosen Child." A new voice joined them, and its owner stepped out of the shadows that had previously hidden him so well-even Flamedramon was taken by surprise. The newcomer smirked, eyes hidden beneath tinted blue glasses; Daisuke's own chocolate browns were reflected in the Czar's lenses. Flamedramon leapt in front of Daisuke and Ken protectively, but the Czar waved him away. "Call off your guard dog. I come only to talk."

"Yeah? And I come only to kick your ass!" Daisuke jumped up from his seated position.

"How... childish," the Czar chuckled. "It really pains me to see how low you've sunken, Ken, in choosing your new company. And you, Veemon... or Flamedramon, whichever you prefer, how could you replace me with that fool?"

Flamedramon replied with a growl.

"What do you want, Czar?" Ken grated.

"Ah, must I always want something? Maybe I just came by to say hello, to check up on you and see how you're doing. I mean, I can't just leave you in the hands of this barbarian without some kind of chaperon."

"I'll show you 'barbarian'! Flamedramon, roast him!" Daisuke took a step forward and pointed his finger at the Digimon Czar; however, Flamedramon didn't move a muscle. The Czar only smiled at this, and then shook his head. Daisuke was shocked with his partner's failure to follow his command: the Czar was dangerous and needed to be dealt with! He instead pushed past the Digimon irritably. "I'll take you on myself, then!"

"Daisuke, stop," Ken said; and Daisuke did. He grumbled and growled to himself, but he didn't move any further towards the Czar; he only glared and kept his hands tightly clenched by his sides. Ken spoke again: "Say whatever the hell you want to say, Czar, and then get the fuck out of here before I turn him lose on you."

"How touching," the Czar said and shook his head. "You know, Ken, I think I will accommodate you this time, seeing as you are injured and thus don't pose much of a threat to me. Oh wait-you didn't even when you were in perfect health. Aww. I can only imagine the frustration."

He laughed coldly. Ken didn't reply.

"Ken, I'll offer this to you one last time: join me."

The Czar extended his hand to the injured Chosen. Ken only stared at the impatiently twitching fingers. How many times had the Czar held out this offer, and how many times had he refused? Far too many… But this time, it seemed... different. There was true, sincere plea in his voice, as though he were wishing for someone to end his suffering.

"What makes you think I'll give you the answer you want this time, Czar?" Ken scoffed.

Daisuke quietly watched the exchange. His face, however, displayed an entirely different reaction: bands of red anger and green envy (for what he was not too sure) twisted and combined on his skin to create a warped version of Christmas coloration.

"You couldn't possibly consider really joining with these... morons! I'll even offer you this: join me, Ken, and I will undo what I've done to the Digital World. Everything will be free again, and the world will have its damned happy colors back. As disgusting as they were to look at, I will restore them for you. All you have to do is kill that boy and his friends. Think of it, Ken-everything you want would be granted." The Czar was practically begging. Oh, the humility of it; he dared not let Ken join the others. Only the shadow inside his head knew of true intentions.

Ken was quiet-too quiet for too long. Daisuke felt a shiver go down his spine. Would Ken really accept? Daisuke didn't want to think about the possibility of having to fight him. In fact, he didn't even know if he would be able to.

"No deal. You wouldn't ever let Ryo go, and that's something else I wish for. Get lost."

"How can you say that?! How can you flatly refuse an offer as good as that one? Isn't the freedom of this world worth the life of one boy? … Of course I wouldn't give Ryo up," the Czar screamed, "I need him to survive! You-of all people-should appreciate the will to survive!"

"I'll free this world from you, and I'll free Ryo too." Ken looked away from the Czar; his eyes found Daisuke. There was a smile lurking in them; perhaps it no more than a trick of the light, but it was there. Daisuke blinked, clueless. "I'm sure I'll succeed now."

The Czar sneered. "Don't grow too attached to your new-found friends, Ichijouji. They're not going to last much longer. That blonde and brunette almost died again today. Oh, I give them a few more visits at most. But you," he pointed at Daisuke, "will die first. And then this little game will be back between me and Ken. No more outside influence."

"Don't grow too attached to your new-found friends, Ichijouji. They're not going to last much longer. That blonde and brunette almost died again today. Oh, I give them a few more visits at most. But you," he pointed at Daisuke, "will die first. And then this little game will be back between me and Ken. No more outside influence."

"Ha, tough luck!" Daisuke said, his triumphant grin back. "We're gonna take everything you've done to the Digital World and fix it and make it right again! And then we'll come after you. You're a monster. You're going down!"

"We shall see." Then the Czar was gone, melting back into the shadows from whence he came.

"… Daisuke, give me your digivice." Ken said quietly once the enemy was gone.

"What? Why?" Daisuke said, confused.

"So you can't ever come back. I have to protect you, from him."

# # # #

# # # #

light IN dark

# # # #

Chapter Four Preview

# # # #

(A/N: This is a new section I'm adding. Enjoy. "--" indicates different speakers, or different scenes. However, you get to figure out whom is speaking. Some will, of course, be obvious.)

"The Czar's reality is crumbling. Soon, it will be my time."

--

"Patamon! Patamon, I'm coming!"

--

"Takeru! Wait for us! Daisuke! Takeru is running off on his own, can they handle things?"

"Follow him!"

--
"I'm surprised. Though, I'm sure you didn't know it, but you only came all this way to die. Goodbye."

"NO! NO MORE KILLING!"

--

"We've lost."

"So many... there was so many of them..."

"This is all your fault!"

--

"I'm not... I'm not... I'M NOT EITHER ONE OF THEM!"

--

"Daisuke, I'm sorry. I was... wrong. You're not like him. You're better. That's why he fears you."

--

"Things are looking dim, eh Czar? I think you're starting to loose control. Gone a little nutso. What do you think?"

"Shut up! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"

--

"This is it."

Edited by: M.C. Zarrella.