Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ Polar Opposites ❯ Opposing Forces! Light and Darkness Clash ( Chapter 3 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Tailmon, 2nd Guardian of Love 
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Post-apocalyptic / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.11.2002 | Pages: 6 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 281 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Digimon Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Drama / Post-apocalyptic / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.11.2002 | Pages: 6 | Words: 5.2K | Visits: 281 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I'm not making any money off of this...So it must not be mine.
Opposing Forces! Light and Darkness Clash
The small girl with wavy black hair was so focused on not losing sight of LadyDevimon, that she didn't notice someone had come up behind her until a male voice spoke.
"Hey, kid. What're you doing out here all by yourself?"
"Nothing," Noriko said quietly, turning to gaze up at the person who had spoken.
She looked up at a teenage boy of about fifteen, with tattered jeans and a shirt stained with something that looked very much like blood.
"What've you got around your neck?" he asked. "It looks expensive. Can I see it?"
Noriko took a step backward, clutching the Crest that hung around her neck in one small fist.
She knew she wouldn't be able to stop him from taking it. She was tougher then other five-year-olds, but it would still be several years before she would be able to fight side by side with BlackTailmon. And she certainly didn't have any special attacks like her friend did.
She looked upward, searching for any sign of LadyDevimon. There was nothing.
The older boy grabbed a handful of her long hair as she hesitated. Noriko twisted, pulled, and tore free, racing across the deserted street and up an alley.
The boy was left with nothing but a clump of black, silky strands of hair in his fist...and a necklace with a strange symbol engraved on it.
***
She could hear the pounding of the older boy's shoes as he chased her.
Noriko was in much better shape than he was, having spent the majority of her life in the Digital World; but her legs still weren't long enough to outrun someone older and taller then she was.
Eventually, she had to stop, falling to her knees as she did. Her sweat-soaked hair fell around her shoulders, hiding her face.
"'Riko?"
The little girl smiled as she looked up. "BlackTailmon!"
The Virus helped her to her feet, letting her human lean against her. "Are you all right, 'Riko?"
"He's after me..." Noriko whispered, still breathing hard.
"What are you talking about?" BlackTailmon asked, her expression changing to a frown of worry.
"He tried to take my Crest," Noriko answered. Her hand went to her throat and her dark blue eyes widened. "It's gone! He took it, BlackTailmon!"
A few moments later, the older boy came running into the alley...and found himself face to face with a very angry demon beast.
He stopped in his tracks, as BlackTailmon's expression went from concerned and worried to vicious and furious.
"What do you think you're doing?" she snarled, her voice low. "How dare you steal our Crest and hurt my partner? How DARE you?"
The older boy could only stare in disbelief at the black cat who stood on two legs and spoke in the voice of a human woman. "Uh..." he stammered, completely at a loss for words.
Noriko turned her gaze toward him. "You chased me. You stole our Crest."
"I never took anything!" he protested, his face paling.
"Yes, you did," BlackTailmon hissed. "Give it back. NOW."
He shook his head in disbelief. "What am I doing here, talking to a cat? And why should I listen to it?"
"I warned you," BlackTailmon said simply.
In a flash of black fur, she had leaped up onto the boy's shoulder. With a single swipe of her sharp claws, she tore his eyes out. Then she was back at Noriko's side, licking the blood from her red-stained claws.
BlackTailmon replaced the Crest around her human's neck and took her hand. "Come on, 'Riko, let's catch up to the others. Are you all right, by the way?"
"I'm okay," Noriko said. "Thanks, BlackTailmon."
***
Taichi, Koushiro, and their partners caught up with the strangers not long after.
The two groups stood a short distance away from each other. The Chosen watched the boy, girl, and the two Viruses in a mix of confusion and curiosity. The four strangers stared back coldly, glaring at the people they had attacked.
Finally, Koushiro spoke up. "Who are you, and why are you helping those Virus digimon?"
The blond-haired girl smiled mockingly. "For the so-called Avatar of Knowledge, you don't understand very much, do you?"
Koushiro did a double-take. "How...how do you know who I am?"
The younger girl's gaze turned hard. "I know you because I was told about you. You're my opposite, my rival, and it's my destiny to destroy you."
Taichi's jaw dropped open. "He doesn't even know your name! What've you got against him? And who told you to attack us, anyways?"
"Oh, you'll find out," the black-haired boy replied. "You don't need to know yet. All you need to know right now is that we're the Dark Chosen Children."
"We were chosen to destroy you and everything you stand for," the blond girl continued. "And we hate you."
"You're INSANE!" Tentomon called out in shock.
The black-haired boy shrugged. "Think what you want. We'll see you back in the Digital World!"
The Chosen stood frozen as the strangers ran off. Once they were able to shake off their shock, they turned and began heading in the other direction.
"All right," Taichi said slowly, as they hurried down the street. "I think we all know what we need to do next. We've got to find our other friends and get to the Digital World A.S.A.P."
***
Meanwhile, Hikari, Takeru, Ken, and their digimon had already returned to the Yagami apartment.
After greeting Mrs. Yagami, they gathered in Hikari's bedroom, and sat down, getting comfortable; except for Hikari, who disappeared into the bathroom.
"What should we do now?" Patamon asked, looking around at her friends.
"We CAN'T do anything," Tailmon said, "until we understand how bad the problem is, WHAT the problem is, and what CAUSED the problem in the first place."
Wormmon nodded in agreement. "She's right. I think it'd be a good idea if we tried to call some of the others."
"But they won't be home," she reminded him. "They're probably fighting their own battles."
"Well, I want to at least find out where Daisuke is," Takeru said. "Especially with Devimon out there somewhere."
Hikari entered the room and sat down on the floor, next to Ken and Tailmon. The feline digimon turned her gaze to her partner. "Are you feeling better, Hikari?"
Takeru's attention turned toward his female cousin. "Is something wrong, Hikari?"
The brown-haired girl mutely shook her head, looking down at her lap.
Tailmon scowled and answered for her friend. "She's been sick for about a week and a half now. I think she has the flu. But she won't listen to me when I tell her she should go to see a doctor."
"I'll be okay," Hikari said, not looking up. "It'll go away on its own."
"Well, if you say so, Hikari," Takeru replied, slightly confused.
"I agree with Tailmon," Ken said. "You SHOULD see a doctor if you've been sick this long."
Their discussion was stopped short when Taichi's voice could be heard in the entry hall, talking to their mother.
"Taichi, we're in Hikari's room!" Tailmon called, raising her voice.
Taichi and Agumon, followed by Koushiro and Tentomon, came rushing into her room, which was getting rather crowded at this point.
Taichi allowed himself a small sigh of relief as he saw that four of his friends had already arrived. "Great, Hikari brought you guys back. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down."
The earlier arrivals exchanged puzzled glances. "Did you find out something?" Takeru asked.
"Not much," Taichi replied. "Guys, I don't really know how to say this...but we found two other kids who called themselves Chosen."
"Really?" Patamon asked. "Did you bring them back with you?"
"Well...no," Koushiro answered. "You see...they weren't exactly the most friendly people we've ever met. In fact, they seemed to have some sort of grudge against us. They called themselves the Dark Chosen Children."
Immediately upon hearing this, Hikari's eyes dilated and her skin paled. "That little girl..." she whispered.
Tailmon scowled. "That explains THAT, then."
"...Explains what?" Taichi asked, turning toward her.
"While I was fighting LadyDevimon, Hikari found a little girl who was also watching the battle. She tried to get her to a safe place, but something happened that surprised her. I didn't understand it until now, but Hikari and I sensed something strange about them both."
"Oh, yeah, that's right. She couldn't have been more then five," Takeru said. "I was wondering why she went off with LadyDevimon after the battle ended." His face suddenly faded to chalk-white, even paler then Hikari's. "What if...what if Devimon had a human with him, too?"
"This day has gone to complete HELL," Tailmon growled. "It seems like half our old enemies are back, and with what appear to be human partners as well. Shit. SHIT."
"I guess all we can do is wait for the rest of our friends to get here," Koushiro said, running a hand through his hair.
***
In pairs of two, and occasionally larger groups, the rest of the Chosen team arrived at the Yagami apartment. They quickly ran out of space in Hikari's room; so they filed out to the living room, and sat down on the two couches.
Taichi and Koushiro quickly filled the new arrivals in on what they had seen and heard. They were met with various reactions; disbelief, anger, shock, and fear.
After about two hours of discussing various plans of action, the group came to an inevitable agreement; they would have to follow the strangers to the Digital World and try to find out what was going on.
Mrs. Yagami came into the living room, carrying a kettle of freshly-brewed green tea. "Would anyone like some tea?"
Several of the Chosen accepted; Mrs. Yagami's tea was well- known among them for its calming effects.
"Mom, I need to ask you something," Hikari said, as her mother handed Sora a cup. "Did you see the news bulletin about the attacks on the city?"
Mrs. Yagami nodded. "Yes, I did. Not all of it, but enough to understand that you're going to have to go back to the other world, aren't you?"
"Yes," Hikari replied.
Her mother set the tea-kettle down and seated herself in a chair. "Can any of you explain to me what you're going to have to do there?"
"Well, since you know about all the fights in the city, that makes explaining all this easier," Koushiro replied. "Those fights are between us and a group of what we originally thought were just digimon who had somehow found a Gateway and come through into Tokyo, but we don't think so anymore. Taichi and I ran into two children, a boy and a girl, who called themselves the Dark Chosen Children; and we think that all the digimon who attacked the city had a human with them. Hikari and Tailmon noticed a girl watching the battle they were fighting, but didn't think much about it until we told them about the two children we had run into."
"We have no idea where they came from or why they want to fight with us so badly. All we know right now is that they don't care who gets hurt in the fights, and are actually willing to kill a lot of innocent people just to get under our skin," Takeru said, continuing where Koushiro had left off.
Mrs. Yagami rose abruptly from her seat. "How long should I expect you to be gone?"
"Anywhere from a few minutes to a few months," Tailmon said. "It all depends if time in the Digital World passes faster or not. When we left in 1999, we had fixed that problem, but we don't have any idea what's going on now, or how bad it could be."
***
Within the next several hours, the Chosen returned to their homes, packed one duffel bag each, and said goodbye to their families, not knowing how long it would be before they saw them again.
By 6:00 p.m., they had all arrived back at Hikarigaoka, where the Gateway that had given the Virus digimon access to Earth had opened. There was nothing to do now, but go through it.
They couldn't help but feel uneasy at the thought of what waited for them on the other side. They had fought Ultimate digimon and won, but they had not imagined that they would ever have to fight other humans.
"Come on, guys," Taichi finally said. "We can't just wait around here forever. We've got to go through that Gate."
Miyako groaned. "Being bounced around between dimensions wasn't fun when I was a kid, and I don't think it's gonna be fun NOW."
***
The Chosen tumbled into a heap on the ground as they arrived. They quickly untangled themselves and stood up.
Several of them felt their stomachs twist from the journey through the void between the worlds. Hikari's face had turned an interesting shade of green, while Miyako was trying not to be sick on her shoes.
"Yeah," she muttered, clutching her stomach. "Definitely not fun."
"Makes you feel like clothes in a washing machine, huh, Miyako?" Daisuke grinned. He ducked as the lavender-haired girl scowled and took a swipe at his head.
Meanwhile, Tailmon was looking around in growing confusion. "There's something terribly wrong here," she finally said. "Just listen."
"...To what?" Jyou asked.
"Exactly my point," she replied. "You can't hear ANYTHING."
Even Daisuke and Miyako stopped arguing and just listened.
"Hey, she's right," V-mon said.
"Everyone, I think you should see this," Piyomon said, more then a little fear in her voice.
The Chosen had arrived on the top of a high cliff. Now, they walked as close to the edge as it was safe, and peered over the landscape.
They saw nothing but a vast expanse of desert. Somehow, they knew immediately that this wasn't the Server Desert, where they had fought Etemon. This was more like a wasteland.
"This...this was caused by something," Sora realized with horror.
"Or someONE," Takeru muttered. "The Dark Chosen."
"What can we do about this?" Jyou asked, turning to look at his friends for any suggestions they might have.
"I don't know," Hikari said, sinking to the ground and hugging her knees.
The majority of the Chosen continued gazing out over the wasteland desert, completely at a loss. They just stood there, wondering what they could possibly do.
"Well," Yamato said at last, "we can't just sit around doing nothing. There's got to be something we can do, if we just work together."
"We need to find some way of dealing with this-this whatever it is." Taichi gestured at the vast desert spread out below them. "Any suggestions? Right now, I'm open to ideas from just about anyone."
"Well, we have some."
Standing off to the side were an old man and woman. The man held a bone club wand and was covered in white fur, including his eyes. The woman wore a long green robe and was holding a broom in one hand. Her grey hair was pulled back into a bun at the top of her head.
"Hey, Jijimon, Babamon!" Daisuke exclaimed. "Man, is it ever good to see you!"
"Ve didn't come here just to talk about old times," Babamon said. "Ve have important business..."
"As you already know," Jijimon continued.
"Hey, do you guys have any idea what's going on?" Miyako asked. "We've got no idea what's wrong. Or how to fix it!"
"We know," Jijimon replied. "The Dark Chosen Children, who I'm sure you have already met, have taken it upon themselves to rip open a hole between the two universes, with no consideration for what damage might be done in the process."
"Zat's not all," Babamon reminded her husband. "Zay endanger ze safety of both worlds by zer mere presence here."
"They've done a fine job of undoing everything you worked so hard for," Jijimon said. "This world is nearly under their complete control; because there is almost no one left to stop them. They've made sure of that."
Tears spilled from Hikari's eyes. "Everyone...all our friends are dead? Andromon? Ogremon? The Numemon? Piccolomon? Leomon? Ryo and Monodramon?"
"You mean they've done all this damage in just a few days?" Armadimon asked.
"Time has again started to pass at a different rate here zen in your vorld. Six years have gone by since ze Dark Chosen Children were brought to zis vorld," Babamon told them.
"Six YEARS?" Piyomon choked out. "In under a WEEK?"
"How is that possible?" Iori asked. "When we fought the Dark Masters, things never got as bad as all this."
"Ze power of ze Dark Crests," Babamon explained. "You see, ze Dark Chosen Children not only have digivices, but Crests as vell. Each of zese Crests represents a trait that is ze direct opposite of each of yours."
"Then...that means all those digimon can evolve..." Mimi whispered, horrified.
Jijimon nodded. "Yes."
"I...I don't feel so good," Takeru said to no one in particular. "Devimon..."
Babamon stepped to Hikari's side. "When ze trouble began, you felt it, didn't you, dear?"
"Yes..." the teenage girl replied uncertainly.
"Ze Light you carry inside has ze power to drive back ze Darkness, yes, but it also has ze power to give life. You can help zis vorld begin to heal."
"The rest of you will need to go out into the larger world and locate any of your old allies who might still be alive. It will be dangerous; we have no way of knowing where the Dark Chosen are hiding. They could be anywhere. You'll all have to be careful, and watch out for each other," Jijimon told the rest of the group.
Meanwhile, Babamon was still standing beside Hikari, who was still sitting down on the dusty ground. She closed her eyes, and after a moment, felt her spirit expand outward to encompass the entire Digital World.
Her friends watched in wonder as a soft, white light begin to shine around her narrow frame. They had seen this happen to her before, but it was still awe-inspiring whenever they saw it.
Soon after Hikari began her mental exploration of the planet, she encountered the mind of another living being. She shrank back in horror, immediately realizing that this person was no friend.
The light flowed from her body in an aura of raw power now, and the Chosen were forced to cover their eyes with their hands.
"It...it HURTS," Hikari groaned. "She's out there...I can feel her."
Ken crouched beside her, taking her hand. "Who, Hikari?"
The girl turned her gaze toward him, and his eyes widened. *That...that's not Hikari...That's the Light itself.*
"The one who carries the Darkness within her heart," she replied in a voice that wasn't her own.
"Are the rest of you ready?" Jijimon asked the rest of the Chosen.
"We're ready. Right, gang?" Taichi asked, and received nineteen determined nods. "Okay, then. Let's all spread out in different directions, and see if we can find any of our old allies."
He turned to each of his friends in turn, giving them directions. "Yamato, Gabumon, Jyou, and Gomamon-you go toward the west. Iori and Armadimon-you search the desert. Sora, Piyomon, Miyako, and Hawkmon-you keep an eye out from the air. Takeru, Patamon, Daisuke, and V-mon-you go into the grasslands. Koushiro, Tentomon, Agumon and I will go off to the east. Ken and Wormmon-"
"I'm going to stay here with Hikari," the blue-haired boy said determinedly.
"And Tailmon," Wormmon added with a nod.
"But-" Taichi started to protest, but Koushiro grabbed his arm.
"Come on, Taichi. Let them stay. It'll be all right."
***
Daisuke, Takeru, and their partners trudged wearily through the tall, dry grass.
They had been walking for several hours now, and had yet to come across a single person besides themselves.
And it was hot. The sky was completely free of clouds, leaving the sun's heat to beat down on their bodies.
Paildramon was the worst off; sweat poured down the skin concealed beneath his armor. Even so, he remained silent as he walked directly behind Daisuke and Takeru, keeping them in the shadow of his body.
"You know what, Takeru?" Daisuke muttered. "I think Taichi sent us to the most boring part of this entire world on purpose."
"Oh, really?" the voice of a woman inquired from above. "Then why don't I make things a little more interesting? Darkness Wave!"
Paildramon and Unimon dodged the beam of black energy that LadyDevimon sent down from high in the air.
After the dark energy dissipated, they rejoined each other, hovering side by side as they prepared their own attacks.
"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon raised the guns in his hands and fired. Bolts of bluish-silver energy coursed from the barrels towards the demon digimon.
"Holy Shot!" Unimon opened her jaws wide as a sphere of bluish-white energy formed inside her mouth. She spat the sphere of power towards her opponent.
LadyDevimon simply laughed as she rose higher into the air, hovering above the beams of power as they faded away beneath her.
Takeru's gaze was drawn from the battle as he noticed a small girl with long wavy black hair standing not far away. She was about nine years old, and wore a black dress that hung from her body in little more then tattered rags.
"You're one of THEM, aren't you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in anger.
The younger girl didn't reply. In fact, she didn't appear to have heard him at all. Her attention was entirely focused on the aerial battle.
His anger building, Takeru stalked over to her and grabbed her arm. "Just what kind of a game do you think you're playing?" he demanded, shaking her roughly.
The girl cried out as the older boy's grip tightened harshly.
LadyDevimon heard her partner's exclamation and turned her gaze toward the ground for a moment. She saw Noriko struggling with the Avatar of Hope, trying to pull away from him. The Virus scowled angrily, then folded her wings, dropping down to her human's defense.
Takeru gasped as he suddenly felt LadyDevimon's hand wrap around his throat. Daisuke saw this and started toward them, his fists clenched.
"Stay back," the woman hissed, extending her red claws in his direction. Her attention then turned back to Takeru. "Take your hands off her," she snarled.
The demon digimon's voice sent chills down his spine, and he found himself obeying. He didn't like to admit it, but he was more then a little afraid of her. She had killed a human before, and he was sure she would do it again.
Takeru released his grip on the little girl's arm. Immediately Noriko slid away from him, crouching down among the grasses.
As he did so, LadyDevimon also released him, pushing him to the ground as she moved away.
Daisuke extended a hand to his friend, helping him to his feet. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "She didn't hurt you or anything, did she?"
Takeru shook his head, thanking him as they watched the battle pick up again.
Paildramon and Unimon now had the opportunity they had been waiting for. They hadn't been able to attack the Perfect Virus while she had been clutching Takeru's throat, but they had a clear shot now.
"Desperado Blaster!"
"Holy Shot!"
The two Perfect Vaccines watched as their combined attacks slammed into LadyDevimon's back.
The Viral woman screamed in pain as the beams of energy struck her, sending her falling to her knees. The enemy digimon's attacks had taken her by surprise, and the combined force of their holy power was almost too much for even her. She growled in frustration as she felt the last of her borrowed energy fading away.
"LadyDevimon!" Noriko called, running over to her digimon's side, as a dark purple light surrounded her body and she shrunk.
The purple glow faded away to reveal an Adult digimon who resembled nothing more then a Tailmon with pitch-black fur and golden eyes. She snarled savagely at the other humans and digimon, glaring fiercely at them as she clicked her claws together in an obvious warning.
Paildramon grabbed the black-haired girl from behind, keeping a strong grip on her arms as she struggled. He grunted as BlackTailmon's claws raked across the exposed skin of his left arm, but kept his hold on her partner.
"You're coming back with us," Takeru told the younger girl, ice in his voice. He then turned to the feline Virus. "And if you want to stay with her so badly, then I guess you can follow us...but at a distance."
BlackTailmon scowled, her gold eyes blazing with anger, but reluctantly agreed. She would not leave Noriko for anything.
***
Takeru and Daisuke rode on Unimon's back as they returned to the location where they had first entered into the Digital World. Paildramon flew behind them, still holding the young dark-haired girl in his grasp. Several yards behind the group of four, a small black figure crept across the sun-baked earth.
As they set down on the top of the cliff where they had left Ken, Wormmon, Tailmon, and Hikari, they noticed with excitement that various native plants and trees had sprung up in the general area, courtesy of Hikari's power.
Unimon dropped to the ground in exhaustion; the effort of carrying two teenage boys on her back across the grasslands in the searing heat for several hours was a bit much, even for a Holy Perfect digimon.
*But then again,* she thought wryly, *I haven't been in this form for six years. Maybe it's not so surprising after all.*
Tailmon called a greeting to them as Daisuke and Takeru walked the rest of the distance to where their friends were waiting. Takeru carried Patamon, while V-mon and Daisuke had hold of the little girl's arms.
Takeru turned to the demon beast still trailing behind them. "Don't come any closer," he told her coldly. "I don't want you anywhere near your friend." He had long ago pocketed the Crest and digivice the girl had been carrying, but he wasn't about to take any chances, either.
BlackTailmon's eyes flashed with rage as she settled herself at a distance, but in a place where she could still keep an eye on her human.
Her gaze moved slowly across each present Chosen, and stopped on Ken, who was holding a sleeping Hikari in his arms. "Well, if it isn't Ichijouji Ken," she purred. "You must miss your brother very much. Do you visit his grave and leave flowers like a good little boy? Do you have dreams about how he died? My claws at his throat, slashing, the blood flowing-"
Ken's face had gone chalk-white, and he was shivering. Wormmon pressed up against his side, offering comfort.
"You be quiet," Takeru snapped. "How DARE you boast about how you killed another person like that? You're lucky we let you come with us; we could have just defeated you back in the grasslands. We're doing you a favor by letting you stay with your partner, so just shut up."
Hikari moaned and began to slowly wake up. The effort she had put into trying to heal even this small part of the Digital World had drained her of much of her energy.
And then her eyes met the gaze of the black-haired girl.
The world seemed to stop for them; both Hikari and Noriko were completely oblivious to everything around them, save for each other. They remained where they were, not moving, not saying a word to each other...just staring at each other.
Hikari and Noriko were struck hard with the effects of the power of each other's Crests, and both of them fell back with the pain that suddenly filled their minds and bodies. Screams of utter agony were torn from their throats, and both girls squeezed their eyes shut, clutching their heads as they did so.
"HIKARI!" Tailmon and Ken shouted together.
"'RIKO!" BlackTailmon shouted. She sprang up, only to have her path blocked by Takeru, thrusting a tree branch at her to drive her back.
"Don't come any closer," the blond-haired boy warned, shaking the branch at her.
The feline Virus hissed in annoyance, then jumped forward, slicing the makeshift weapon apart with her diamond-sharp claws.
Takeru could only stare at the pieces of the branch that lay at his feet. He turned to make a grab at the demon cat, but she was already at her human's side.
"Holy SHIT!" Daisuke yelled in shock, causing his friends to turn around to look at him.
And now the rest of the Chosen saw what he had; the energies that were beginning to radiate from both girls' bodies.
Both Hikari and Noriko screamed in fresh pain as auras of Light and Dark energy began glowing from their bodies. Neither of them could hold back their individual Crest powers any longer; faced with the presence of her rival, neither girl's body could possibly contain it all.
Beautiful white light shone from Hikari's body, and grasping black shadows seethed from Noriko's. Hikari fell to her knees, while Noriko staggered backward. Both girls continued screaming with the agony their uncontrolled power caused them.
Ken, Tailmon, and BlackTailmon found it impossible to approach, as badly as they wanted to; the auras surrounding Hikari and Noriko's bodies were beginning to clash together in shockwaves of raw, uncontrolled power.
The other Chosen were not able to even look at the involuntary battle any longer; each time the opposing energies connected, an explosion of power flared out.
All of them could hear Hikari and Noriko speaking together and saying the same things.
"Make it stop...make her stop...please...someone save me...it hurts...it hurts...I can't control it...can't stop her...please...make her stop..."
"Zat's ENOUGH!" Babamon's voice called from behind the Chosen. She stepped from a stand of trees revived with Hikari's power, and raised her broom in the direction of the two girls. "Empress Haze!"
The holy power surrounded both girls, and the two auras radiating from their bodies faded out. Hikari and Noriko were able to open their eyes and stand up, their pain now gone.
***
On the far side of the wasteland, a boy who resembled Noriko scowled in anger. "Damn it. My stupid brat of a little sister got herself captured."
The red-haired girl standing beside him smirked. "Aw, is big bad Kosaku worried about his little sister?"
"Just shut the hell up, Joruri. I could have always sent you off to fight the Holy Guardians instead."
"Oh, come on, Kosaku. You know you wouldn't. You like me way too much."
Opposing Forces! Light and Darkness Clash
The small girl with wavy black hair was so focused on not losing sight of LadyDevimon, that she didn't notice someone had come up behind her until a male voice spoke.
"Hey, kid. What're you doing out here all by yourself?"
"Nothing," Noriko said quietly, turning to gaze up at the person who had spoken.
She looked up at a teenage boy of about fifteen, with tattered jeans and a shirt stained with something that looked very much like blood.
"What've you got around your neck?" he asked. "It looks expensive. Can I see it?"
Noriko took a step backward, clutching the Crest that hung around her neck in one small fist.
She knew she wouldn't be able to stop him from taking it. She was tougher then other five-year-olds, but it would still be several years before she would be able to fight side by side with BlackTailmon. And she certainly didn't have any special attacks like her friend did.
She looked upward, searching for any sign of LadyDevimon. There was nothing.
The older boy grabbed a handful of her long hair as she hesitated. Noriko twisted, pulled, and tore free, racing across the deserted street and up an alley.
The boy was left with nothing but a clump of black, silky strands of hair in his fist...and a necklace with a strange symbol engraved on it.
***
She could hear the pounding of the older boy's shoes as he chased her.
Noriko was in much better shape than he was, having spent the majority of her life in the Digital World; but her legs still weren't long enough to outrun someone older and taller then she was.
Eventually, she had to stop, falling to her knees as she did. Her sweat-soaked hair fell around her shoulders, hiding her face.
"'Riko?"
The little girl smiled as she looked up. "BlackTailmon!"
The Virus helped her to her feet, letting her human lean against her. "Are you all right, 'Riko?"
"He's after me..." Noriko whispered, still breathing hard.
"What are you talking about?" BlackTailmon asked, her expression changing to a frown of worry.
"He tried to take my Crest," Noriko answered. Her hand went to her throat and her dark blue eyes widened. "It's gone! He took it, BlackTailmon!"
A few moments later, the older boy came running into the alley...and found himself face to face with a very angry demon beast.
He stopped in his tracks, as BlackTailmon's expression went from concerned and worried to vicious and furious.
"What do you think you're doing?" she snarled, her voice low. "How dare you steal our Crest and hurt my partner? How DARE you?"
The older boy could only stare in disbelief at the black cat who stood on two legs and spoke in the voice of a human woman. "Uh..." he stammered, completely at a loss for words.
Noriko turned her gaze toward him. "You chased me. You stole our Crest."
"I never took anything!" he protested, his face paling.
"Yes, you did," BlackTailmon hissed. "Give it back. NOW."
He shook his head in disbelief. "What am I doing here, talking to a cat? And why should I listen to it?"
"I warned you," BlackTailmon said simply.
In a flash of black fur, she had leaped up onto the boy's shoulder. With a single swipe of her sharp claws, she tore his eyes out. Then she was back at Noriko's side, licking the blood from her red-stained claws.
BlackTailmon replaced the Crest around her human's neck and took her hand. "Come on, 'Riko, let's catch up to the others. Are you all right, by the way?"
"I'm okay," Noriko said. "Thanks, BlackTailmon."
***
Taichi, Koushiro, and their partners caught up with the strangers not long after.
The two groups stood a short distance away from each other. The Chosen watched the boy, girl, and the two Viruses in a mix of confusion and curiosity. The four strangers stared back coldly, glaring at the people they had attacked.
Finally, Koushiro spoke up. "Who are you, and why are you helping those Virus digimon?"
The blond-haired girl smiled mockingly. "For the so-called Avatar of Knowledge, you don't understand very much, do you?"
Koushiro did a double-take. "How...how do you know who I am?"
The younger girl's gaze turned hard. "I know you because I was told about you. You're my opposite, my rival, and it's my destiny to destroy you."
Taichi's jaw dropped open. "He doesn't even know your name! What've you got against him? And who told you to attack us, anyways?"
"Oh, you'll find out," the black-haired boy replied. "You don't need to know yet. All you need to know right now is that we're the Dark Chosen Children."
"We were chosen to destroy you and everything you stand for," the blond girl continued. "And we hate you."
"You're INSANE!" Tentomon called out in shock.
The black-haired boy shrugged. "Think what you want. We'll see you back in the Digital World!"
The Chosen stood frozen as the strangers ran off. Once they were able to shake off their shock, they turned and began heading in the other direction.
"All right," Taichi said slowly, as they hurried down the street. "I think we all know what we need to do next. We've got to find our other friends and get to the Digital World A.S.A.P."
***
Meanwhile, Hikari, Takeru, Ken, and their digimon had already returned to the Yagami apartment.
After greeting Mrs. Yagami, they gathered in Hikari's bedroom, and sat down, getting comfortable; except for Hikari, who disappeared into the bathroom.
"What should we do now?" Patamon asked, looking around at her friends.
"We CAN'T do anything," Tailmon said, "until we understand how bad the problem is, WHAT the problem is, and what CAUSED the problem in the first place."
Wormmon nodded in agreement. "She's right. I think it'd be a good idea if we tried to call some of the others."
"But they won't be home," she reminded him. "They're probably fighting their own battles."
"Well, I want to at least find out where Daisuke is," Takeru said. "Especially with Devimon out there somewhere."
Hikari entered the room and sat down on the floor, next to Ken and Tailmon. The feline digimon turned her gaze to her partner. "Are you feeling better, Hikari?"
Takeru's attention turned toward his female cousin. "Is something wrong, Hikari?"
The brown-haired girl mutely shook her head, looking down at her lap.
Tailmon scowled and answered for her friend. "She's been sick for about a week and a half now. I think she has the flu. But she won't listen to me when I tell her she should go to see a doctor."
"I'll be okay," Hikari said, not looking up. "It'll go away on its own."
"Well, if you say so, Hikari," Takeru replied, slightly confused.
"I agree with Tailmon," Ken said. "You SHOULD see a doctor if you've been sick this long."
Their discussion was stopped short when Taichi's voice could be heard in the entry hall, talking to their mother.
"Taichi, we're in Hikari's room!" Tailmon called, raising her voice.
Taichi and Agumon, followed by Koushiro and Tentomon, came rushing into her room, which was getting rather crowded at this point.
Taichi allowed himself a small sigh of relief as he saw that four of his friends had already arrived. "Great, Hikari brought you guys back. Saves me the trouble of hunting you down."
The earlier arrivals exchanged puzzled glances. "Did you find out something?" Takeru asked.
"Not much," Taichi replied. "Guys, I don't really know how to say this...but we found two other kids who called themselves Chosen."
"Really?" Patamon asked. "Did you bring them back with you?"
"Well...no," Koushiro answered. "You see...they weren't exactly the most friendly people we've ever met. In fact, they seemed to have some sort of grudge against us. They called themselves the Dark Chosen Children."
Immediately upon hearing this, Hikari's eyes dilated and her skin paled. "That little girl..." she whispered.
Tailmon scowled. "That explains THAT, then."
"...Explains what?" Taichi asked, turning toward her.
"While I was fighting LadyDevimon, Hikari found a little girl who was also watching the battle. She tried to get her to a safe place, but something happened that surprised her. I didn't understand it until now, but Hikari and I sensed something strange about them both."
"Oh, yeah, that's right. She couldn't have been more then five," Takeru said. "I was wondering why she went off with LadyDevimon after the battle ended." His face suddenly faded to chalk-white, even paler then Hikari's. "What if...what if Devimon had a human with him, too?"
"This day has gone to complete HELL," Tailmon growled. "It seems like half our old enemies are back, and with what appear to be human partners as well. Shit. SHIT."
"I guess all we can do is wait for the rest of our friends to get here," Koushiro said, running a hand through his hair.
***
In pairs of two, and occasionally larger groups, the rest of the Chosen team arrived at the Yagami apartment. They quickly ran out of space in Hikari's room; so they filed out to the living room, and sat down on the two couches.
Taichi and Koushiro quickly filled the new arrivals in on what they had seen and heard. They were met with various reactions; disbelief, anger, shock, and fear.
After about two hours of discussing various plans of action, the group came to an inevitable agreement; they would have to follow the strangers to the Digital World and try to find out what was going on.
Mrs. Yagami came into the living room, carrying a kettle of freshly-brewed green tea. "Would anyone like some tea?"
Several of the Chosen accepted; Mrs. Yagami's tea was well- known among them for its calming effects.
"Mom, I need to ask you something," Hikari said, as her mother handed Sora a cup. "Did you see the news bulletin about the attacks on the city?"
Mrs. Yagami nodded. "Yes, I did. Not all of it, but enough to understand that you're going to have to go back to the other world, aren't you?"
"Yes," Hikari replied.
Her mother set the tea-kettle down and seated herself in a chair. "Can any of you explain to me what you're going to have to do there?"
"Well, since you know about all the fights in the city, that makes explaining all this easier," Koushiro replied. "Those fights are between us and a group of what we originally thought were just digimon who had somehow found a Gateway and come through into Tokyo, but we don't think so anymore. Taichi and I ran into two children, a boy and a girl, who called themselves the Dark Chosen Children; and we think that all the digimon who attacked the city had a human with them. Hikari and Tailmon noticed a girl watching the battle they were fighting, but didn't think much about it until we told them about the two children we had run into."
"We have no idea where they came from or why they want to fight with us so badly. All we know right now is that they don't care who gets hurt in the fights, and are actually willing to kill a lot of innocent people just to get under our skin," Takeru said, continuing where Koushiro had left off.
Mrs. Yagami rose abruptly from her seat. "How long should I expect you to be gone?"
"Anywhere from a few minutes to a few months," Tailmon said. "It all depends if time in the Digital World passes faster or not. When we left in 1999, we had fixed that problem, but we don't have any idea what's going on now, or how bad it could be."
***
Within the next several hours, the Chosen returned to their homes, packed one duffel bag each, and said goodbye to their families, not knowing how long it would be before they saw them again.
By 6:00 p.m., they had all arrived back at Hikarigaoka, where the Gateway that had given the Virus digimon access to Earth had opened. There was nothing to do now, but go through it.
They couldn't help but feel uneasy at the thought of what waited for them on the other side. They had fought Ultimate digimon and won, but they had not imagined that they would ever have to fight other humans.
"Come on, guys," Taichi finally said. "We can't just wait around here forever. We've got to go through that Gate."
Miyako groaned. "Being bounced around between dimensions wasn't fun when I was a kid, and I don't think it's gonna be fun NOW."
***
The Chosen tumbled into a heap on the ground as they arrived. They quickly untangled themselves and stood up.
Several of them felt their stomachs twist from the journey through the void between the worlds. Hikari's face had turned an interesting shade of green, while Miyako was trying not to be sick on her shoes.
"Yeah," she muttered, clutching her stomach. "Definitely not fun."
"Makes you feel like clothes in a washing machine, huh, Miyako?" Daisuke grinned. He ducked as the lavender-haired girl scowled and took a swipe at his head.
Meanwhile, Tailmon was looking around in growing confusion. "There's something terribly wrong here," she finally said. "Just listen."
"...To what?" Jyou asked.
"Exactly my point," she replied. "You can't hear ANYTHING."
Even Daisuke and Miyako stopped arguing and just listened.
"Hey, she's right," V-mon said.
"Everyone, I think you should see this," Piyomon said, more then a little fear in her voice.
The Chosen had arrived on the top of a high cliff. Now, they walked as close to the edge as it was safe, and peered over the landscape.
They saw nothing but a vast expanse of desert. Somehow, they knew immediately that this wasn't the Server Desert, where they had fought Etemon. This was more like a wasteland.
"This...this was caused by something," Sora realized with horror.
"Or someONE," Takeru muttered. "The Dark Chosen."
"What can we do about this?" Jyou asked, turning to look at his friends for any suggestions they might have.
"I don't know," Hikari said, sinking to the ground and hugging her knees.
The majority of the Chosen continued gazing out over the wasteland desert, completely at a loss. They just stood there, wondering what they could possibly do.
"Well," Yamato said at last, "we can't just sit around doing nothing. There's got to be something we can do, if we just work together."
"We need to find some way of dealing with this-this whatever it is." Taichi gestured at the vast desert spread out below them. "Any suggestions? Right now, I'm open to ideas from just about anyone."
"Well, we have some."
Standing off to the side were an old man and woman. The man held a bone club wand and was covered in white fur, including his eyes. The woman wore a long green robe and was holding a broom in one hand. Her grey hair was pulled back into a bun at the top of her head.
"Hey, Jijimon, Babamon!" Daisuke exclaimed. "Man, is it ever good to see you!"
"Ve didn't come here just to talk about old times," Babamon said. "Ve have important business..."
"As you already know," Jijimon continued.
"Hey, do you guys have any idea what's going on?" Miyako asked. "We've got no idea what's wrong. Or how to fix it!"
"We know," Jijimon replied. "The Dark Chosen Children, who I'm sure you have already met, have taken it upon themselves to rip open a hole between the two universes, with no consideration for what damage might be done in the process."
"Zat's not all," Babamon reminded her husband. "Zay endanger ze safety of both worlds by zer mere presence here."
"They've done a fine job of undoing everything you worked so hard for," Jijimon said. "This world is nearly under their complete control; because there is almost no one left to stop them. They've made sure of that."
Tears spilled from Hikari's eyes. "Everyone...all our friends are dead? Andromon? Ogremon? The Numemon? Piccolomon? Leomon? Ryo and Monodramon?"
"You mean they've done all this damage in just a few days?" Armadimon asked.
"Time has again started to pass at a different rate here zen in your vorld. Six years have gone by since ze Dark Chosen Children were brought to zis vorld," Babamon told them.
"Six YEARS?" Piyomon choked out. "In under a WEEK?"
"How is that possible?" Iori asked. "When we fought the Dark Masters, things never got as bad as all this."
"Ze power of ze Dark Crests," Babamon explained. "You see, ze Dark Chosen Children not only have digivices, but Crests as vell. Each of zese Crests represents a trait that is ze direct opposite of each of yours."
"Then...that means all those digimon can evolve..." Mimi whispered, horrified.
Jijimon nodded. "Yes."
"I...I don't feel so good," Takeru said to no one in particular. "Devimon..."
Babamon stepped to Hikari's side. "When ze trouble began, you felt it, didn't you, dear?"
"Yes..." the teenage girl replied uncertainly.
"Ze Light you carry inside has ze power to drive back ze Darkness, yes, but it also has ze power to give life. You can help zis vorld begin to heal."
"The rest of you will need to go out into the larger world and locate any of your old allies who might still be alive. It will be dangerous; we have no way of knowing where the Dark Chosen are hiding. They could be anywhere. You'll all have to be careful, and watch out for each other," Jijimon told the rest of the group.
Meanwhile, Babamon was still standing beside Hikari, who was still sitting down on the dusty ground. She closed her eyes, and after a moment, felt her spirit expand outward to encompass the entire Digital World.
Her friends watched in wonder as a soft, white light begin to shine around her narrow frame. They had seen this happen to her before, but it was still awe-inspiring whenever they saw it.
Soon after Hikari began her mental exploration of the planet, she encountered the mind of another living being. She shrank back in horror, immediately realizing that this person was no friend.
The light flowed from her body in an aura of raw power now, and the Chosen were forced to cover their eyes with their hands.
"It...it HURTS," Hikari groaned. "She's out there...I can feel her."
Ken crouched beside her, taking her hand. "Who, Hikari?"
The girl turned her gaze toward him, and his eyes widened. *That...that's not Hikari...That's the Light itself.*
"The one who carries the Darkness within her heart," she replied in a voice that wasn't her own.
"Are the rest of you ready?" Jijimon asked the rest of the Chosen.
"We're ready. Right, gang?" Taichi asked, and received nineteen determined nods. "Okay, then. Let's all spread out in different directions, and see if we can find any of our old allies."
He turned to each of his friends in turn, giving them directions. "Yamato, Gabumon, Jyou, and Gomamon-you go toward the west. Iori and Armadimon-you search the desert. Sora, Piyomon, Miyako, and Hawkmon-you keep an eye out from the air. Takeru, Patamon, Daisuke, and V-mon-you go into the grasslands. Koushiro, Tentomon, Agumon and I will go off to the east. Ken and Wormmon-"
"I'm going to stay here with Hikari," the blue-haired boy said determinedly.
"And Tailmon," Wormmon added with a nod.
"But-" Taichi started to protest, but Koushiro grabbed his arm.
"Come on, Taichi. Let them stay. It'll be all right."
***
Daisuke, Takeru, and their partners trudged wearily through the tall, dry grass.
They had been walking for several hours now, and had yet to come across a single person besides themselves.
And it was hot. The sky was completely free of clouds, leaving the sun's heat to beat down on their bodies.
Paildramon was the worst off; sweat poured down the skin concealed beneath his armor. Even so, he remained silent as he walked directly behind Daisuke and Takeru, keeping them in the shadow of his body.
"You know what, Takeru?" Daisuke muttered. "I think Taichi sent us to the most boring part of this entire world on purpose."
"Oh, really?" the voice of a woman inquired from above. "Then why don't I make things a little more interesting? Darkness Wave!"
Paildramon and Unimon dodged the beam of black energy that LadyDevimon sent down from high in the air.
After the dark energy dissipated, they rejoined each other, hovering side by side as they prepared their own attacks.
"Desperado Blaster!" Paildramon raised the guns in his hands and fired. Bolts of bluish-silver energy coursed from the barrels towards the demon digimon.
"Holy Shot!" Unimon opened her jaws wide as a sphere of bluish-white energy formed inside her mouth. She spat the sphere of power towards her opponent.
LadyDevimon simply laughed as she rose higher into the air, hovering above the beams of power as they faded away beneath her.
Takeru's gaze was drawn from the battle as he noticed a small girl with long wavy black hair standing not far away. She was about nine years old, and wore a black dress that hung from her body in little more then tattered rags.
"You're one of THEM, aren't you?" he asked, his eyes narrowing in anger.
The younger girl didn't reply. In fact, she didn't appear to have heard him at all. Her attention was entirely focused on the aerial battle.
His anger building, Takeru stalked over to her and grabbed her arm. "Just what kind of a game do you think you're playing?" he demanded, shaking her roughly.
The girl cried out as the older boy's grip tightened harshly.
LadyDevimon heard her partner's exclamation and turned her gaze toward the ground for a moment. She saw Noriko struggling with the Avatar of Hope, trying to pull away from him. The Virus scowled angrily, then folded her wings, dropping down to her human's defense.
Takeru gasped as he suddenly felt LadyDevimon's hand wrap around his throat. Daisuke saw this and started toward them, his fists clenched.
"Stay back," the woman hissed, extending her red claws in his direction. Her attention then turned back to Takeru. "Take your hands off her," she snarled.
The demon digimon's voice sent chills down his spine, and he found himself obeying. He didn't like to admit it, but he was more then a little afraid of her. She had killed a human before, and he was sure she would do it again.
Takeru released his grip on the little girl's arm. Immediately Noriko slid away from him, crouching down among the grasses.
As he did so, LadyDevimon also released him, pushing him to the ground as she moved away.
Daisuke extended a hand to his friend, helping him to his feet. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked. "She didn't hurt you or anything, did she?"
Takeru shook his head, thanking him as they watched the battle pick up again.
Paildramon and Unimon now had the opportunity they had been waiting for. They hadn't been able to attack the Perfect Virus while she had been clutching Takeru's throat, but they had a clear shot now.
"Desperado Blaster!"
"Holy Shot!"
The two Perfect Vaccines watched as their combined attacks slammed into LadyDevimon's back.
The Viral woman screamed in pain as the beams of energy struck her, sending her falling to her knees. The enemy digimon's attacks had taken her by surprise, and the combined force of their holy power was almost too much for even her. She growled in frustration as she felt the last of her borrowed energy fading away.
"LadyDevimon!" Noriko called, running over to her digimon's side, as a dark purple light surrounded her body and she shrunk.
The purple glow faded away to reveal an Adult digimon who resembled nothing more then a Tailmon with pitch-black fur and golden eyes. She snarled savagely at the other humans and digimon, glaring fiercely at them as she clicked her claws together in an obvious warning.
Paildramon grabbed the black-haired girl from behind, keeping a strong grip on her arms as she struggled. He grunted as BlackTailmon's claws raked across the exposed skin of his left arm, but kept his hold on her partner.
"You're coming back with us," Takeru told the younger girl, ice in his voice. He then turned to the feline Virus. "And if you want to stay with her so badly, then I guess you can follow us...but at a distance."
BlackTailmon scowled, her gold eyes blazing with anger, but reluctantly agreed. She would not leave Noriko for anything.
***
Takeru and Daisuke rode on Unimon's back as they returned to the location where they had first entered into the Digital World. Paildramon flew behind them, still holding the young dark-haired girl in his grasp. Several yards behind the group of four, a small black figure crept across the sun-baked earth.
As they set down on the top of the cliff where they had left Ken, Wormmon, Tailmon, and Hikari, they noticed with excitement that various native plants and trees had sprung up in the general area, courtesy of Hikari's power.
Unimon dropped to the ground in exhaustion; the effort of carrying two teenage boys on her back across the grasslands in the searing heat for several hours was a bit much, even for a Holy Perfect digimon.
*But then again,* she thought wryly, *I haven't been in this form for six years. Maybe it's not so surprising after all.*
Tailmon called a greeting to them as Daisuke and Takeru walked the rest of the distance to where their friends were waiting. Takeru carried Patamon, while V-mon and Daisuke had hold of the little girl's arms.
Takeru turned to the demon beast still trailing behind them. "Don't come any closer," he told her coldly. "I don't want you anywhere near your friend." He had long ago pocketed the Crest and digivice the girl had been carrying, but he wasn't about to take any chances, either.
BlackTailmon's eyes flashed with rage as she settled herself at a distance, but in a place where she could still keep an eye on her human.
Her gaze moved slowly across each present Chosen, and stopped on Ken, who was holding a sleeping Hikari in his arms. "Well, if it isn't Ichijouji Ken," she purred. "You must miss your brother very much. Do you visit his grave and leave flowers like a good little boy? Do you have dreams about how he died? My claws at his throat, slashing, the blood flowing-"
Ken's face had gone chalk-white, and he was shivering. Wormmon pressed up against his side, offering comfort.
"You be quiet," Takeru snapped. "How DARE you boast about how you killed another person like that? You're lucky we let you come with us; we could have just defeated you back in the grasslands. We're doing you a favor by letting you stay with your partner, so just shut up."
Hikari moaned and began to slowly wake up. The effort she had put into trying to heal even this small part of the Digital World had drained her of much of her energy.
And then her eyes met the gaze of the black-haired girl.
The world seemed to stop for them; both Hikari and Noriko were completely oblivious to everything around them, save for each other. They remained where they were, not moving, not saying a word to each other...just staring at each other.
Hikari and Noriko were struck hard with the effects of the power of each other's Crests, and both of them fell back with the pain that suddenly filled their minds and bodies. Screams of utter agony were torn from their throats, and both girls squeezed their eyes shut, clutching their heads as they did so.
"HIKARI!" Tailmon and Ken shouted together.
"'RIKO!" BlackTailmon shouted. She sprang up, only to have her path blocked by Takeru, thrusting a tree branch at her to drive her back.
"Don't come any closer," the blond-haired boy warned, shaking the branch at her.
The feline Virus hissed in annoyance, then jumped forward, slicing the makeshift weapon apart with her diamond-sharp claws.
Takeru could only stare at the pieces of the branch that lay at his feet. He turned to make a grab at the demon cat, but she was already at her human's side.
"Holy SHIT!" Daisuke yelled in shock, causing his friends to turn around to look at him.
And now the rest of the Chosen saw what he had; the energies that were beginning to radiate from both girls' bodies.
Both Hikari and Noriko screamed in fresh pain as auras of Light and Dark energy began glowing from their bodies. Neither of them could hold back their individual Crest powers any longer; faced with the presence of her rival, neither girl's body could possibly contain it all.
Beautiful white light shone from Hikari's body, and grasping black shadows seethed from Noriko's. Hikari fell to her knees, while Noriko staggered backward. Both girls continued screaming with the agony their uncontrolled power caused them.
Ken, Tailmon, and BlackTailmon found it impossible to approach, as badly as they wanted to; the auras surrounding Hikari and Noriko's bodies were beginning to clash together in shockwaves of raw, uncontrolled power.
The other Chosen were not able to even look at the involuntary battle any longer; each time the opposing energies connected, an explosion of power flared out.
All of them could hear Hikari and Noriko speaking together and saying the same things.
"Make it stop...make her stop...please...someone save me...it hurts...it hurts...I can't control it...can't stop her...please...make her stop..."
"Zat's ENOUGH!" Babamon's voice called from behind the Chosen. She stepped from a stand of trees revived with Hikari's power, and raised her broom in the direction of the two girls. "Empress Haze!"
The holy power surrounded both girls, and the two auras radiating from their bodies faded out. Hikari and Noriko were able to open their eyes and stand up, their pain now gone.
***
On the far side of the wasteland, a boy who resembled Noriko scowled in anger. "Damn it. My stupid brat of a little sister got herself captured."
The red-haired girl standing beside him smirked. "Aw, is big bad Kosaku worried about his little sister?"
"Just shut the hell up, Joruri. I could have always sent you off to fight the Holy Guardians instead."
"Oh, come on, Kosaku. You know you wouldn't. You like me way too much."