The Digi-destined are reunited and have resumed their roles as the Digital World's Saviors once again. But things have taken a twist, since Gennai claims he knows nothing of the mysterious email 'he' sent, nor of the reason behind the traumatic ordeals they gone through, not even of Selkie!

The destined's only answers may lie in a forgotten legend of an ancient power desired by an ancient evil....

And now they've been confronted with the knowledge that time is still off here, and File Island has crashed into Server. Can the 2 new arrivals lend a helpful paw?
A.S.D.A

Secret Shames

by Nefertanya dragongurl Ahhotep

~If I ran away, I'd never have the strengthTo go very farHow would they hear the beating of my heart~
~Madonna, Live To Tell


"Greetings!" the slightly larger called out. "This is the Land of the Forest Clan. How can we assist you?"

The two newcomer gabumon were slightly smaller, but well-muscled. The stripes on their fur were a deep forest green. But their greeting was honest and chipper, and the Destined relaxed considerably.

Too bad no one noticed Gabumon slowly slink into the background...

"We're searching for the truth behind an old legend and some stranger who's stolen the identity of a friend of ours."

The smaller male nodded sagely. "That is a great concern. We have not heard of anyone doing that, but perhaps we *have* heard of good food and drink?"

"-And warm bedding for the night?" the other finished with a pleased smile.

"Sounds good to us!" Gomamon cheered.

"Yeah, and maybe you'll meet some friends, Gabumon!" TK added.

"A gabumon travels with you?" The pair thrust out their noses, bodies tensed.

*Dammit, TK!! Dammit, dammit, dammit!* Gabumon mentally swore as the pair cautiously loped forward. About two-three feet away, the larger stopped, rearing back on his hind legs to expose the green and yellow marking that covered his stomach proudly.

"Greetings from the Forest Clan, brother! From what clan do you hail?"

"Greetings..." Gabumon whimpered shyly as he pressed his larger form tighter to the ground.

The pair looked at each other in confusion. Then the taller squinted dangerously. "I *asked* you what clan you hailed from!"

...

"You will not answer?!"

Again, all Gabumon did was avoid their glares and press his nose into the dirt.

The two newcomers now glared at him in contempt. The taller leaned forward, making a sound through clenched teeth that was like a growl crossed with a hiss.

Gabumon inched away on his belly, wary of what his counterpart might try. So intent was his focus on the one, he left himself vulnerable to the other, and the smallest used the element of surprise(and his horn) to flip the digimon of friendship on his backside.

Quickly, Gabumon rolled back over, but not quickly enough for the pair to miss his marking. The damage was done.

"A *SUN HOUSE*!! Here?!"

"Well, he's not staying long, that's for sure!"

"A Sun House..." Gatomon choked. The destined were all so dumbfounded by the sudden change of events they all just stared blankly at the tragedy before them.

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Trouble. Gabumon had backed himself against a tree, and the pair was advancing steadily. Gabumon imagined he could see the ice-fire building in their craw, and a solitary tear slipped down his cheek in fear.

"Ow!" one screamed in pain as a rock glanced off his shoulder.

"Leave him alone!' Matt screeched as he tensed to throw another stone. "He didn't do anything to you!"

"He didn't have to!" the green-striped digimon snarled. "He's a Sun House-that's enough!"

With that, the two gabumon sprang upon the third, and Gabumon yelped as sharp teeth connected with soft flesh.

"Razor! Sawgrass! Stop!"

Another hunter green striped gabumon leapt into the fray, but this one was a good deal *larger* than any of them and looked far stronger.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded.

"Scarstripe, you don't understand! He's a *Sun House*!"

The one christened Scarstripe looked sharply over to the quivering digimon, then glanced idly over to the humans accompanying him. "A Sun House...?"

"The big jerk didn't show any common courtesy!"

"Yeah! We had to flip him over! And a good thing we did, too!" The two advanced again, spoiling for a fight.

"I said, Back Off!" Scarstripe roared, leaping expertly in between the two parties.

"But Scarstripe-!"

"Sawgrass, didn't it ever occur to you to pay attention to your elders' teachings?"

Sawgrass, the larger of the two, shifted meekly. "Well, yeah, but what-"

"Well then if you *had*, you'd have remembered the tales of a single gabumon that was chosen to be a champion of this world and fight alongside a human!" He eyed Gabumon's bleeding paw contemptuously. "But obviously you two decided to act first and think later."

"But it couldn't possibly be a *Sun* House!" wailed Razor.

"It could, and evidently is." Scarstripe loped up to the injured digimon and stared pointedly. "But you *are* trespassing, boy."

Bleeding, humiliated, and scared, Gabumon cast his eyes downward and answered the only way he knew how. "I-I'm sorry, sir."

Scarstripe blinked at him with an odd expression before bursting out laughing. "Since when is a Sun child sorry for anything?" he mused aloud. "Come on, boy." Gently but firmly, he began to nudge Gabumon forward.

"Scarstripe, you aren't leading him to the village?"

"Yes."

"But..."

The giant snapped his head around to Sawgrass and Razor. "Thanks to you, he's injured, and it's not our way to leave an injured *innocent* alone!"

"Gabumon, are you okay?"

Gabumon's head shot up at Palmon's shaky voice. He had forgotten all his friends were there. Now, their faces full of confusion and concern, he realized they'd all seen his cowardice-and they all knew his darkest secret.

"I'm fine, Palmon." he lied, voice full of his shame. What did his love matter, if she'd have no part of him?

Scarstripe urged him forward, and he limped through the trees without daring to look back.

He didn't want them to see his tears.





So what's the big deal? Can a Sun House gabumon really be all that bad? Looks like only Gatomon knows the truth. But will the truth drive an incurable wedge between Matt and Gabumon? Or worse, *Palmon* and Gabumon?

On to Tragedy

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