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*A.S.D.A(All Standard Disclaimers Apply).

Perfect Flaws

by Nefertanya Dragongurl Ahhotep

Part 6

Chapter 21-Who Is The Mole?

"Ouch! Tentomon, watch it back there!"

"Sorry!"

"Aurgh! I can't see a thing in here!"

"Well, what are you looking at me for? I'm no firefly!"

Izzy sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Even if you were, there wouldn't be enough room for you to pass by me to lead. Hang on a sec..." He began to fumble through his pack.

"Prodigious!" he cried as his search yielded a small think stick.

"Congratulations. You've found Mimi's lost mascara." the bug digimon replied dryly.

"It's not make-up, Tentomon.!" the genius snapped back. "It's a flashlight, see?" he gave the barrel a small twist, and sure enough, a thin beam burst out of one end. As the teen waved it around, it was evident the beam wasn't strong enough nor wide enough to illuminate very much at one time, but nonetheless, it was *light*.

"Looks like this travels down quite a distance. Probably there are branches running off in every direction. Let's see what my laptop can do...." he rapidly typed in numbers and phrases. Suddenly the screen shifted and created an odd maze. "Excellent. Now all we have to do is follow it....here!" He pointed to one corner.

"Why there?"

"It leads to a large space. In a castle like this, it usually means a Great Hall. We can spy and not be seen!"

"Oh, okay."

"Well, let's start crawling."

The duo padded their way silently down the cold steel tunnel, the mini flashlight gripped tightly between Izzy's teeth. His knees and the palms of his hands were getting numb and sore from the chill and the occasional raised rivet. Every so often, he'd suddenly pause to check their bearings. Unfortunately for Tentomon, these sudden stops were random and quite often unannounced.

"Will you *please* give me some warning when you're going to do that?!" he buzzed in frustration after slamming into Izzy's rear once again.

"Sorry." the red-haired genius pretzeled himself to look back at his friend in the narrow pathway. "The duct appears to get a little wider a few feet ahead. We'll take a break then."

"Oh goody! I'm hungry."

"And you'll have to stay that way. I didn't bring any provisions."

"Whaaaa????" he sweatdropped.

"Sorry."

Tentomon's antennae drooped miserably. He grumbled under his breath as he resumed shuffling behind his charge and the thin beam of light. As they reached the designated rest stop, a new obstacle presented itself: the tunnel they occupied suddenly branched of in three different directions.

"Hm, now which way? Let's see...." Clasping the penlight in his teeth, he pulled open his laptop and began typing furiously. "Okay....Uh-huh.....No, that's not right....Ah! Here we go!" He quickly snapped it shut and replaced it into its carrier.

"This way." he replied with a wave and shuffled up the leftmost tunnel. They traveled slowly, shuffling along for what seemed like eternity in the claustrophobic silence. Eventually, the light flickered and died, forcing the duo to pause every few seconds to check Izzy's map to ensure they were going in the right direction. Izzy quickly grew tired of having to constantly reach for his laptop, so he opted to push it in front of him.

*PAD PAD PAD SCRAPE PAD PAD CLICK* The continuous rhythm became a source of comfort for the adventures. When they were forced to abandon it to check their position, the silence pressed in on them like a wet wool blanket, and they eagerly tried to restart the pattern as quickly as possible.

"Izzy?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you think no one thought of TK or Patamon or Gatomon? Don't get me wrong, but they *are* smaller than either of us."

"Well, Kari's hurt, so she's out, and Tai probably thought Gatomon would be too worried if she wasn't there to protect her. Although I do admit that her cat vision would come in very handy right about now." he growled as he banged his head against a low-lying sheet of metal.

"Hmm. I guess that makes sense." the wine-colored digimon pondered as they paused once more. "But TK and Patamon weren't hurt?"

"No. But I strongly suspect that Matt wasn't to keen on sending his little brother up here. That(and the fact I *was* better qualified) was most likely why he nominated me before TK could offer."

"But TK can take care of himself."

"And Matt knows that. But like Tai, he still needs to feel like he's got to protect his younger sibling." He smiled. "As much as those two like to pretend they're completely different, they really are cut from the same cloth."

"Humans are cut from cloth?!?"

Izzy rolled his eyes. "It's just an expression, Tentomon!"

"Oh. So where *do* humans come from then?"

Izzy sweatdropped and he hemmed and hawed, grateful the darkness hid his flushed expression. "I'll explain later. *Much* later." he added under his breath.

"*Anyways*, we are the best qualified for the job. Without a suitable map like the one my computer created, someone could be lost in these ducts forever! Besides," he smiled as he reached out to ruffle his partner's antennae, "It's been ages since you and I went on an adventure together!"

"Hmph." the bug sniffed. "I'd rather be adventuring through your mom's latest dinner recipe."

Izzy rolled his eyes again with a groan. He sometimes wondered how *he'd* gotten the pessimistic digimon so much unlike him. But then again, they were a lot alike as well. Tentomon liked electric things(particularly when food resulted from they're workings) and could actually beat his score on Minesweeper and Doom!

No, it was never easy for him to stay mad at the guy. He was probably the most supportive when he felt down, the proudest of his gift of natural curiosity. His love for Izzy had made him realize his own gifts were best shared with the people around him. That same love received was well returned, a gift that had allowed Tentomon to reach his Ultimate level of MegaKabuterimon and destroy the evil Vademon.

So they had different personalities. They only served to complement and strengthen the other.

"Uh, Izzy?"

"Huh?"

"Are you sure we're supposed to be going this way?"

"Sure I'm sure, buddy. It was on the map wh-oof!" His progress was abruptly halted by a strong, immutable object.

"OW! What the..?" He reached out a gloved hand to grope the darkness.

"A dead end?? But how? That's not on the map!" Izzy began to type with a furious passion. He quickly realized with horror that while he was lost in thought, he'd gotten them lost as well. They were in a completely different tunnel than the one they should've been in, taking them *way* off course!

*Ok, don't panic, don't panic!* he thought as his mind raced for a solution. The duct was too narrow to switch places, Tentomon would have to lead. But could he even turn around? He experimentally tried to shift around, and succeeded in ending up on his back.

"Izzy! This is no time for a nap!" scolded Tentomon.

"Don't get cute. I was trying to turn around. Obviously, this place is too narrow for me to do so. How about you?"

Tentomon began to turn, only getting about halfway around before getting jammed.

"Ahh!! Izzy! I'm stuck! Help!!" he shrieked, flailing his pinchers wildly.

"Shh!! Calm down!" Izzy hissed as he somehow managed to grab hold of a pincher. "The whole palace will find us!" He yanked as hard as he could, and with a *pop*, the bug was back in his original position.

"Phew! That was close."

"Mm. Well, neither of us can turn around, so we'll have to go backwards till we're back on track. Ready?"

"Now maybe I can stop slamming into you when we have to stop!"

"Ha ha. C'mon, ready? On my count. One-" he stepped back with one leg, and Tentomon responded with the complementing foot.

"Two-" Now they used the other leg, and so began a choreographed retreat.

"One....Two...One....Two...One....Twooooooooo!!!!!!"

The rhythm slipped away as did the floor. The red-haired teen slid at high velocities through the total darkness. Numb from the surprise descent, all his incredible brain could allow was one continuous scream. His hands and feet tried to gain purchase, but the chute's smoother than glass surface refused such a notion.

There was a flash, and then a sudden flare as Izzy's wild ride came to an abrupt halt as he landed on something *very* hard. He groaned as he shifted to rub his sore behind.

"Don't. Move."

Izzy flashed open his eyes to see a sharp pointy object aimed menacingly at his throat.

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Chapter 22- Top O' The Mornin' To Ye!

It had been a good life, Izzy mused. Other than the trauma of finding out he was adopted, things had been rather...prodigious. He had helped save not one but two worlds, had learned how invaluable his curiosity truly was, and friendship depended on the trust and love you held in your own heart as well as that of others'.

His only real regret was that he was letting Mimi down.

"IZZY!!" an echoing voice called from above him.

Tentomon!

A glimmer of hope worked its way through his heart. Maybe he didn't have to cash in his chips just yet! The cry had also startled his assailant, causing the point of the object to waver and dip. Izzy took advantage of this by scrambling backwards and on his feet, mindful to watch the weapon.

"Izzy, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but get ready to digivolve!"

"No problem. I'mwahahahhhh!!!" Izzy turned to stare at his digimon partner, whose antennae were sticking straight up in shock.

"Serenamon!" he cried happily and barreled past Izzy.

"Tentomon!?!" Izzy shrieked in disbelief as his partner ditched him and glomped on to the girl in front of him.

Girl?

Now that the shock and threat of imminent bodily harm had been lifted, Izzy got his first real good look at his attacker. A female humanoid, a scant head taller than him from the looks of it. She appeared to be somewhere around his age, though if she really was a digimon, she could be far older. Her clothes were relatively medieval looking- an emerald green peasant skirt that reached mid-calf, with a black border around the hem that had gold embroidery on it. A white blouse with puffy sleeves was covered by a black bodice that had more embroidery on it. After a few moments, he realized that the embroidery was in a kind of celtic knot pattern.

Her long hair was so pale it could've passed for white, and her skin was as smooth and as pale as a moonbeam. Pale blue eyes were filled with confusion and surprise and a little bit of alarm as they beheld the spectacle her body was a part of.

"I'm so glad to see you again!" The bug buzzed blissfully as he nuzzled under her neck, oblivious to her apprehension. "It's been too long!"

After a few moments, it finally dawned on him that the object of his affections was stiffer than a Javamon's board in the middle of winter(a/n: never heard of Javamon? silly ppl! go read Flora + Fauna!). Tentomon pulled back in confusion and stared sadly at the young girl.

"Serenamon? Don't you recognize me? I admit I've change a bit since we last were together, but still..." he trailed off hurtfully, his antennae drooping in self-pity.

The pale girl stared thoughtfully at the depressed digimon. Slightly encouraged, the shell-backed creature began to recite various places Izzy had never heard of before. That is, he wouldn't had he been listening. His mind was still trying to get over the shock of first falling, then his hard landing, and the fact that his digital partner had just ditched him *for a girl*.

Although she was a rather cute girl.

Ack! He shook himself and forced his mind to work properly. Mistakes could be made if one didn't have all the facts, and he knew nothing about this strange digi-girl's intentions.

"...Meadow, Glimmering Pond,..." Tentomon was still dropping hints, although by this point, a more desperate edge was in his voice.

"Glimmering Pond ye say?" the pale female abruptly asked, an intense look on her face.

"Yes!" the bug squealed happily, "It would have been a bit over four years ago-"

"Motimon?" she approached cautiously.

"YES!! You remember! I knew you would! How could you forget a cutie-bug like me?" He glomped on to her again, happiness radiating off him in an almost palpable form.

"A-hem! Sorry to interrupt this tender Kodak moment, but would you like to clue me in sometime before we all die of old age?" Izzy asked crossly. He wasn't mad really, just frustrated by his curiosity toward the stranger that had yet to say two words to him. The statement produced the desired results-Tentomon pulled away and stared at his human partner like he'd never seen him before now.

"Oh, Izzy!" he sweatdropped, one claw behind his head, "I'd forgotten all about you!"

"I'd noticed." was the terse reply.

"I'm sorry. This is Serenamon. I first met her when I was Pabumon. She kinda looked after me until fate decided it was time to find you. She's an Ultimate level celestial digimon. You know, her physio-electrical attack might be of interest to you..."

"Physio-electrical...?"

"Aye!" Serenamon spoke proudly. "My LunaBeam Crush uses a type o' voltage that counteracts another digimon's natural electrical balance. And me Bella Donna Spores can wreak havoc on its natural magnetic fields. I'd offer t' show ya, but I'm certainly not going t'use on me little Motimon here."

She spoke, Izzy noted, with a soft celtic accent. An Irish digimon? Well, that certainly explained the outfit.

"Electrical balance? You mean like an aura? Interesting concept. I wasn't even aware digimon had such things, although as living creatures made of data I suppose I should've guessed."

He noticed she was staring at him oddly, as if expecting something. Suddenly, a little light clicked on and he realized what it was.

"Oh! Please excuse my manners! My name is Koushiro Izumi, digidestined."

"Serenamon, celestial digimon." she replied with a smile as she took his outstretched hand.

*Her hand is so smooth and warm* He thought as they shook hands. *Why did I tell her my full name? I've always introduced myself as Izzy before-even to the computer club president!*

"And I'm Tentomon now."

The odd inflection in the bug digimon's voice brought Izzy out of his head, and he quickly realized that he was still firmly holding her hand. He blushed furiously and, sweatdropping, apologized as he left go. She returned his blush as she mumbled an amused acceptance.

"So...Koushiro Izumi. What brings ye two laddies t'be crawling around th' pipes, scaring a sweet lass like m'self half out of her wits?"

The boys chuckled. "Actually, Serenamon, we've been traveling quite a long time in search of a missing friend of ours. We were led to believe she'd been brought to this particular castle. Will you help us?"

"Why, of course I will! Why, I know every nook and cranny of this castle like the back of me hand! Now, what poor soul are we looking for?"

Izzy smiled carefully. Serenamon seemed trustworthy, but who knows what had happened since Tentomon had seen her last? Was this the spy of whoever had ordered the gorillamon to attack them?

"We're looking for a young Palmon close to Tentomon's age range(whatever that might be). She's about three and a half feet tall(a/n-anyone got a real height on her, I'll gladly switch this), pink flower on her head, emerald green eyes, real sweet personality. She was captured a few days ago when we were attacked by a gang of gorillamon led by a creature called Wasabimon."

Izzy stopped abruptly as the pale-skinned girl went suddenly three shades paler. "What is it?"

"Did...did ye say a-a Palmon? A Palmon captured by a..."

"A wasabimon. Why? Why is that so important?" A sense of dread began to form in the pit of his stomach. Maybe Wasabimon wasn't a lackey like they'd all thought!

"I'm-I'm afraid..."

"What? What?!"

"I cannae help ye find the one you seek."

"What? Why not?!" Tentomon wailed. Serenamon gazed sadly at the ground and replied sorrowfully,

"Because...she's no longer here to find."

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Chapter 23: SHE'S WHAT?!?

"No...longer...here....?"

The two boys stared blankly at the digigirl in front of them, who was refusing to make any eye contact.

"Serenamon...please tell me...It can't be true...Palmon's....been deleted?!" Tentomon begged softly, tears in his over-sized eyes.

Serenamon lifted and quickly shook her head, eyes wide. "No, no, she's not deleted, Tentomon!"

"But you said-"

"She's still here, but *she's* not here for ye to find. Follow me, and I'll try to explain a bit more. Koushiro-" she cast pleading eyes in his direction, "-You've just got to trust me. I know you've only know me for a short while, but I speak the truth! If ye wish to regain your friend, we must act quickly! Please! I know what I'm saying sounds dubious at best, but I know you'll understand my reluctance once you see her!"

Izzy, still doubtful, collapsed under her pitiful gaze. "Okay, let's go."

She smiled brightly, and he was hard pressed not to join her. "We must be careful. This castle may appear empty, but there are eyes and ears everywhere. Follow close and say as little as possible. Whisper when you must."

They quickly crept through the hallways, ducking behind various edifices and columns at her silent commands. In spite of himself, Izzy was growing captivated by Serenamon's quick grace. She slipped through the winding passages like an earthbound angel. Or maybe a cat.

A cat.

Gatomon. At the thought of her, the teen genius was reminded of Mimi and ultimately the reason why he was skulking about a potentially deadly castle with a female who may or may not be on his side.

"So do you mind explaining where you fit into all of this?" he hissed as they waited out to very chatty Gazimon maids.

"Izzy!"

Serenamon chuckled softly. "It's all right, Tentomon. Koushiro has every right to ask such things." she paused several seconds more, carefully watching their unwanted company. Izzy was about to scream for her to get on with it when she began to speak.

"D'ye know whose castle this is?"

He blinked, confused by the apparently new train of thought, and shook his head. "Uh, no."

"This is the home and hearth of the digimon lord known as MarquisDemon. He is a very handsome, very proper digimon. But he is also very dangerous."

"Is he a Dark Master we never knew about?" Tentomon buzzed worriedly.

"A Dark...? Oh! No, no. He's not one o' those filthy has beens. He's dangerous because he's so...normal."

The maids had walked away by this point, so the pale girl took off again, forcing the boys to scramble after her, their curiosity burning. But the fire could not be quenched until they could pause again. Finally-

"What do you mean-dangerous because he's normal?"

"I mean, unlike the Dark Masters, who desired power in any form and cared nothing but for themselves, MarquisDemon has a gentle side. He cares about his troops, sees that his castle is running smoothly. But sometimes temptation becomes too great, and corrupts his motive."

"Ah, I see."

"Well I don't!" Tentomon whined.

"It's like this, old buddy. Let's say someone came up to you and offered you to reach your Mega level, or even higher, without a crest."

"As you would say, 'Prodigious'!"

Serenamon let out a sharp bark of laughter, attracting the attention of some passing Floramon.

"What was that?"

"I don't know. But it came from over there."

The Floramon drew closer. The spiky-haired boy searched frantically for a distraction. His eyes lit o0n a small chunk of plaster that had fallen off one of the bas-relief sculptures. Quickly he kicked it as hard as he could, launching it into a suit of armor in the opposite direction, where it landed with a loud Ping! It worked.

"Hey, there it is again!"

"Yeah, but it's coming from over there now."

The pair walked towards the armor, absorbed enough that the didn't notice the buzz of Tentomon's wings as he flew past with his friends. When it seemed safe again, Izzy continued with his explanation.

"Ok, you've got the option to go Mega. You'd take it?"

"Of course!"

"What if you could never return to your rookie stage ever again?"

"Weelll....I guess so. Yeah."

"Even if it meant I had to be killed in the process?"

"WHAT?!? What kind of bargain is that?!" the bug shrieked indignantly. Thankfully, no one overheard the echoing cry. "Your my friend! The only reason I'd be going Mega, or digivolving at *all* for that matter, is to protect you! Well, and the crest, and the digital world-but still, you're a big part of it!"

The heart of the teen genius welled up with emotion. "Aw, whatta pal. C'mere big guy!" He glomped onto the low-flying insect, who flushed furiously and tried to squirm away. "See, that's what we mean, Tentomon. A Dark Master, Myotismon, or Devimon wouldn't have thought twice about knocking me off if meant they could get more power."

"Oh." Tentomon croaked in Izzy's grip.

" 'Course, one never knows exactly what one will choose when faced with such temptations. MarquisDemon has a good intentions, but not always the will to carry through. Rather tragic figure, don't ye think?"

Her pale eyes grew dark and she came to an abrupt halt. "Och, listen to me defending the mon when he still holds a piece of my soul!"

Digital monsters had souls? An interesting concept. Izzy wondered why he'd never thought about it before.

"Your soul?"

"Aye. It's what keeps me from just leaving this castle. His guarantee he'll always have a clean bathroom." She spat hatefully. She took a deep breath, released it, and then turned to calmly face the two digidestined. "Now, which way ye be wantin' to go? If we go left," she pointed down one hallway, "we'll be going further into the castle. If we go right," she pointed down the other way. "We'll be heading for the front door, which, as you may have noticed, is sealed away from outside view. Cuts down on encyclopedia salesmon."

"Yeah, we noticed." the bug confirmed. "So which way now, Izzy?"

"I'm sorry. I've been meaning t'ask- Iz-zee?" Serenamon questioned.

"Um yeah...That's my nickname. All my friends call me by it. Uh, you can too, you know." he replied with a warm smile.

"Ye don't like to be called Koushiro?" she queried, slightly worried.

"Oh no, that's not it! It's just, well...everyone's just always called me Izzy."

Serenamon grimaced. "Well, I dinnae like it. Ye have a name, and by that ye shall be called. Now, which way shall I take ye, *Koushiro*?"

"..."

The spiky-haired teen was a bit befuddled by the girl's odd behavior. But then, she *was* a digimon. Some quirks always seemed to come with that job. So he focused his attention to the task at hand. The plan had been to find a way to get the whole team inside. They should head towards the door. On the other hand, Serenamon had said Palmon was there, and yet not, and that the castle's lord stole souls. Had he taken hers? Or perhaps she meant that she was at another level? It would be more advantageous to go find her now, with only the three of them. But this guy had an army-if they were caught they'd be easily overwhelmed.

"We go right. I believe our quest will be most successful with the addition of our friends."

Both digimon agreed and the set off quickly. "So..." the blue eyed female inquired, "You're a digidestined?"

"Mm-hmm." Izzy agreed happily, and began to share the wild adventures he and his friends had endured. Tentomon interrupted often to embellish his role or otherwise 'correct' Izzy's retellings. Needless to say, the distraction helped pass the time quickly, and they were soon at the massive portal.

Izzy stared in awe at the complex system of pulleys that were scattered around them in clusters like metal shrubbery. "Whoa."

"This has to be done in a certain way. Otherwise, we may set off an alarm or any number o' traps. Now Tentomon, when I tell ye, pull down on that lever up there."

Tentomon flew quickly over to a set of 3 levers. "This one?"

"NO! the one to your left! No, your other left!"

"Oh, okay!"

"Koushiro, when Tentomon pulls that switch, *immediately* begin to turn this crank *counter-clockwise*. If you don't, well..." she hitched up her long green skirt to revel a long dark scar marring the smooth pale surface of her upper calf and lower thigh. "...Not nice things happen."

Izzy nodded and grunted a reply, pretending to be thoroughly engrossed in the crank's workings so she wouldn't catch his blush.

Satisfied, the lass walked over to a large rusty wheel. She stretched to accommodated the large wheel, and, with a grimace, slowly began to turn it. With a great moan of protest, it obeyed and creakingly began the sequence. Giant gears began clacking so loudly Izzy couldn't understand why the entire castle had yet to come running.

"Pull it!" Serenamon shouted, barely audible over the din. The bug, expecting the lever to be as rusty and hard to maneuver as the wheel, over compensated and was rewarded for his extra effort by nearly being squished between the teeth of several gears. Izzy barely noticed his friend's predicament, however-he was too busy turning the crank as fast as he could. Light piddled, then poured throughout the room as the massive door came apart from its center in four parts.

Finally, the crank would go no further, and the gears grew silent. Izzy was extremely grateful-his arms felt like used rubber bands by this point.

"Hurry now! Shoo, shoo! The doors only stay open for five minutes!"

"What about you?" worried Tentomon.

"I cannae leave. Not while that bastard has me soul! Join your friends. Explain the situation, and meet back her at sundown. We'll work together and free your friend from temptation." She quickly hugged the sad bug and pushed the duo into the sunlight as far as she could go. Izzy paused a second longer and turned to her.

"Thanks for all your help, Serenamon. And no hard feelings about trying to kill me before."

"Kill you?!" she laughed. "Who's the one who came crashing down on me?"

She blew him a kiss and ran back inside, leaping in between the narrowing entrance like a Siamese. The boy genius stared after her in surprise, he hadn't anticipated the display of affection. A pang of concern bit his heart. What would happen to Tentomon if Serenamon turned out to be just stringing them all along?

"Izzy? Hey, Izzy, over here!"

"Huh?" Tai was streaking towards him, the others not far behind. A mix of relief and worry was etched in each face.

"Are you okay?"

"We're fine!" buzzed Tentomon. "We met an old friend of mine who's given us a lot of help, and even knows where Palmon is-well, sort of."

For Tentomon's sake, Izzy thought, she'd better be on the level.

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Chapter 24: A Fate Worse Than Death?
a/n- I'm trying something a little different. ** indicates once again that it's Gabu's pov, while :: means we're in Gomavision.

"Where is she? It's almost sundown."

"She'll be here! She promised! Well, practically anyway."

**Apprehension fills the air as we're forced to wait outside the wall where Izzy and Tentomon emerged from but four hours ago. Inside this oppressive structure lies the object of my, er, our desire. Supposedly anyway. The female digimon that Tentomon claims as an old friend said she was there, but that she wasn't. Izzy believes she means that Palmon may have been forced to a different level.

I'll kill him.**

:: Celestial digimon. Very rare humanoid virus-type digimon with incredible assaults that specifically work on a digimon's personal energies. They're also known to be hot-tempered and treacherous. And yet Tentomon speaks of her as if she was a sainted angel. Well, I guess even Ogremon had a good side... ::

**Izzy said the girl couldn't leave the castle because it's owner claimed part of her soul. A soul-stealing digimon. Shards, what a horrible creature. I'd always thought they were the stuff of tales told by the clan elders to keep babies and in-trainings in line. I never really believed in such things. Did Palmon? Did she know what was coming? Has he taken her sweet soul to use for his own dark purposes? If he did, I'll kill him!"

No....

I'll beat the daylights out of him, *then* I'll kill him!**

A sudden *crack!* caught all of their attention, and they turned to the smooth black wall. It was slowly separating again, the four corners retracting from each other like magnets faced the wrong way. As the weak light from the departing sun illuminated the interior, a pale figure came into view.

"Koushiro! Tentomon!" she called urgently. "Quickly, quickly!"

The two boys understood immediately and began to shoo the others inside.

"C'mon, c'mon! That door stays open for only four more minutes!"

"Koushiro?" Joe asked with a smirk, causing Izzy to blush slightly.

"Move!" he cried gruffly, and pushed the taller boy harder than he should've, causing him to trip up and fall into Mimi.

"Oh! Sorry Mimi! Are you okay?" Joe asked as he carefully checked for any signs of damage.

"I'm okay Joe. Really!" she giggled, enjoying the attention.

"Come on Mimi. Let me give you a hand getting over." He gallantly held out his hand so that she could use him as balance when she stepped over the ledge, which by now was a foot high and continuously rising. Before she could accept his chivalry, Matt, already inside, grabbed her hand.

"I got her Joe."

Surprised by his sudden appearance, he allowed Matt to whisk an equally surprised Mimi away.

"Huh." he blinked. "Well."

"Joe!"

Once again the blue-haired boy went flailing forward as something slammed hard into his lower leg. Gomamon glared up at him with a stern pout.

"Will you hurry up Joe? The doors are gonna close real soon." True to their design, the giant gears had continued to reverse their processes and the foot high ledge Mimi had stepped over was now nearing three. Acting quickly, Joe grabbed the small sea lion around the middle and, clutching him to his chest, made a mad dash to the entrance, and vaulted over the edge. Unfortunately, his luck did not keep up with him, and his foot nicked the edge, catching Joe by surprise. As a result, he landed-right on top of poor Gomamon.

"Sorry, bud."

Oooh...."

"Are we all in?" Tai asked as TK and Kari helped the two fallen friends. A quick head count reveled the presence of sixteen heads. "Good. Now let's go find Palmon!"

"I *told* ye!" the pale newcomer wailed. "You won't find her!"

The wild haired brunette whirled angrily to Izzy. "*You* said she was here! What are we doing risking our necks for your girlfriend if she's not?!"

"I *SAID*, " Izzy snarled back, blushing furiously, "She's here, but apparently not as the Palmon we know!"

"Well what the hell is *that* supposed to mean?"

"I'll show ye." Serenamon strode past purposefully, her cheeks also stained crimson by Tai's comment, and began walking quickly.

:: Man! For someone on two legs she sure moves quick! Or maybe I'm just slower because I'm still sore, seeing as *someone* decided to be a show-off and play 'Pin-the-Gomamon-to-the-floor'! I need some serious transportation here! ::

"Joe, lemme up!" I plead as I try to grab his pant leg.

"What? Aw, c'mon! I carried you all day! You should be the most energetic creature in this castle!"

"And I probably would be, if you hadn't decided to go all macho and try and pole-vault that ledge!" I'm still trying to get a grip on him, but all I've managed to do is succeed in continually make him trip up.

"Augh! All right, all right! You win!" he cries as he scoops me up.

See? Persistence always pays off in the end! ::

** Strange how excited you can get when you're about to face something you dread. I remember the last time I felt this way. Back when we were battling Myotismon, and Izzy deciphered that prophecy. It was so strange, knowing that your truest friend could possibly get deleted, yet also knowing you could do something you nor the bulk of your kind have never done before.

And now I have this feeling about finding Palmon. Sure I want to find her. I want to hug her and tell her how sorry I am that she got taken and make everything like it was, but will she really let me? We were barely on speaking terms when she disappeared. And what did this MarquisDemon do to her? Will she recognize any of us? Will she be furious we kept looking? Has he gotten her pure soul? Could we get it back? Have we lost her forever?

Shards, I hope not. A future with no possibility of ever seeing that slightly crooked, yet perfect smile of hers would be bleak indeed. A lifetime without peering into the trusting depths of her emerald eyes? Unendurable. Never being able to-" **

"Gabumon! Where the hell you think you're going?!" Matt hissed angrily as he yanked his digital partner in the nick of time, preventing him for running into the next room and blowing their cover to the three Gazimon maids inside.

"Anyone else notice that all the digimon in the castle we've seen are female?" noted Gatomon.

"Really? How can you tell?" Tai asked, earning a slap upside the head by Sora while Agumon stared at him in utter disbelief, a slight blush crossing the bridge of his snout.

"Marquis Demon keeps only females inside the castle on a permanent basis. He seems to be under the impression that they are...easier to control than the males." She snarled on the last part, and her fist clenched so tightly she snapped off a piece of the façade she was leaning on.

The team sweatdropped, suddenly unsure of what to say or do in the face of such brute strength in someone so unlikely. They needn't have worried, however, for as quickly as the temper flared, it crumbled away like the stone in her hand.

"We're almost to the courtyard. That's usually where he keeps her around this time o'day. We're most fortunate that he was called away on some type o' last minute business. We won't have t' fight him yet."

:: Oh, greaat, like *that* doesn't sound suspicious! 'Called away on business.' She really means 'cleverly disguised so he can get the drop on us', I'll bet. I flex my claws gently on Joe's shoulders, and feel the same tension in them. My Joe's always been a pessimist, though he tries harder now not to be. I bet he's probably imagining scenarios that are far worse than my own! ::

** I know it's my imagination, but we're so close I swear I can smell her! I wonder if she think I was being awfully forward if I gave her a big hug? If I hold out until Pink finishes bawling over her, and act real casual about it, I bet she'd never notice the fact I'd be dancing on air!

I can see the gates! A few moments more, and soon... **

Serenamon, her anxiety palpable, forced them to pause. "Be cautious! I dinnae know what guards he's left behind. And please, remember that whatever you see, deep down her heart is that of the friend you love."

:: Rather ominous words, dontcha think? ::

** Why is she looking at me like that?! How could she know? **

"Gabumon! Agumon! C'mere for a sec."

:: I watch from my perch on Joe's shoulders as Tai and Matt fall to the end of the line with their partners and begin whispering seriously. Being the strongest of us digimon, they'll probably be expected to use extra caution if this 'Serenamon' proves to be a liar. Lotsa luck keeping Gabumon focused. Ten digi-dollars says he'll outrun Mimi as soon as his l'il Palmie comes into view!

"We're here." Serenamon says softly, and swings open the gates.

The courtyard is a Palmon paradise! Beautiful flowers bloom everywhere, even in the cracks of the fountain, which burbles peacefully in the center. The stars are beginning to twinkle overhead, and a cool night breeze tickles our nose with the scents of lilies and roses. ::

"If I've guessed correctly, she should be just around the bend in this path. Now, before we go any further, I-Mimi!! No! Wait!"

Serenamon's words landed on deaf ears as the headstrong fashionplate tore down the path, far too eager to see her beloved friend again to be concerned about such petty things like warnings. As her quarry came into view, her eyes widened in stunned horror. The celestial digimon threw a hand over her mouth just in time to muffle the stream of screams that poured from her melodious throat.

The digidestined, minus their leaders, came running as soon as they realized something was terribly wrong. One by one, they caught up with their hysterical friend. And one by one, curious and concerned faces were replaced by stunned, surprised and disbelief.

** Agumon saw the others running before the rest of us, and shouted us over. We were making sure the perimeter held no nasty surprises. Palmon probably loves this place-it's as beautiful as she.

As Matt and I near the place where the others are gathered, a sickening feeling crawls into the pit of my stomach. Everyone has this weird stunned look on their face, and Pink is screaming her head off.

"What's going on?" I ask, but get no reply. Agumon and Tai have seen what I have not, and now where equally stupefied faces.

"Oh my God in Heaven...." Matt gasps huskily. What's going on?!

I carefully push my way in between them. I've got to know what's so terrible. It has something to do with Palmon-Mimi wouldn't be screaming like that for any other reason. I finally get a clear view of the problem....

What?!

"No....It's not possible....." Gomamon whispers.

"How...?" someone, possibly Izzy, asks.

I can barely breath. I feel, but don't quite acknowledge, the tear that slips out of my eye. I've never felt like this, like someone has kicked me in my most vulnerable spots all at the same time.

"She's....She's......She's....."

"Human." Serenamon grimaced.

Go On!

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