Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Chosen Warriors ❯ Chapter II: The Love of Friendship ( Chapter 2 )

Can you remember your first love? Can you remember the first time you saw this person, and your heart just melted? The longing you felt in your heart, night after night? The agony that you felt just waiting to see that person again? Well, that's how Sora and Matt felt when they saw each other that Christmas Eve. They had known each other for the past three years, but they still fell in love, and now, two years later, they're never more in love. I have to confess, that when I see them together, I wish that it was me and the one that keeps me awake at night.

Of course, my brother did have a crush on Sora since sometime during their first adventure, but he was too afraid to say anything. It was because of this that I was very uncomfortable around both Sora and Matt. Did my loyalty lie with my brother, or my friends? I'm ashamed to say that Sora and I did have quite a few fights, but we're friends again. Mostly because, even though I know that Oniichan isn't completely over her, he was always friends with both of them.

Sora and Matt represent that a Chosen can have a normal relationship. Many of our parents were afraid that being exposed to fighting at such a young age would have repercussions on our lives. I'm glad to see that they were wrong.

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Chosen Warriors:

Chapter II:

The Love of Friendship

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The Chosen Warriors continued their trek across the forest-covered mountains in the eastern region of the Digital World. They had been traveling non-stop since their escape from the temple of Qinglongmon early in the morning. They were quickly running low on their reserves.

Takeru yawned loudly. The others stared at him and he blushed. "Sorry."

"Hey, Taichi," Yamato said, "Takeru's right. We're all really tired, can't we take a break?"

Taichi stopped and the others instantly ceased their movements as well. He hesitated for a few second before turning around with a smile on his face. "I'll do you one better. Let's stop here for the night."

"Works for me!" Daisuke grinned, "Break out the food, I'm starving!"

Ken smiled slightly as he gently placed his backpack down. "Sorry," he said, "All I have is what the Koromons gave us. We should probably get a fire going before it gets really dark."

"I'll go looking," Yamato said, "Coming Sora?"

"Sure," she said, following him into the forest.

"Hey guys!" Taichi shouted, "This isn't a pleasure trip!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Yamato shouted back as he disappeared into the forest.

The remaining Chosen Children instantly began to set up camp. Taichi, Takeru, Hikari and even Daisuke had all ready done this dozens of times before, so they began to make a camp site. Ken was not too sure, so he started rationing the food. Noriko stood off to the side, unsure of what to do. Ken saw this and smiled at her. "Do you want to give me a hand?"

"Um, sure," she said, slowly walking over to him.

"You don't have to be so nervous around us," he said.

"I..I know," she said, meekly, "It's just, I feel so small compared to the rest of you, especially against Taichi and Daisuke. They're so…they're like giants or something. I mean, they're so powerful and heroic. I just don't feel like I'll be able to live up to their reputation."

Ken smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure that you'll prove yourself every bit a hero like they are."

"Don't sell yourself short," Takeru smiled, walking over, "I mean, think of how far you've come since the Digimon Kaiser."

Ken sighed. "I shouldn't have ever been the Kaiser to begin with. I didn't do anything special."

"No, you're better then you think," Hikari smiled, "Right, Taichi?"

"Yeah, sure," her brother said, dragging a log to complete a large circle. He looked to the trees surrounding them, "Where are Yamato and Sora? This isn't the time for them to be having fun."

Inside of the forest, Yamato and Sora were collecting wood, just as they said, however, at this moment; they had decided to take a small break. Sora's back was pressed up against a tree, with her lips locked on Yamato's mouth. They broke apart and grinned at each other. "We should really get back," Yamato said.

The redhead wrapped her arms around his neck. "In a few minutes," she said, she reached and kissed him, "Who knows when we'll be able to do this again? We're running for our lives, it could be forever before we're even able to get married."

"Sora," Yamato said, "Are you sure you want to worry about that? We're only sixteen."

"I don't care," she said, "I love you too much."

"And I love you too, but…I don't know if marriage is the right thing to be talking about right now."

Sora sighed and pulled away from him. "You're right, you're right. We can't worry about that right now. We'd better be more concerned with whether we actually live until we're older enough, huh?"

Yamato nodded. He reached down and lifted up the firewood. "Come on, the others are waiting."

Sora nodded, and whipped her forehead with the long sleeve of her school sweater. "Man, it's almost night time, and it's so hot. Where are we, anyway?"

Yamato shrugged. "I don't know. Judging from where Qinglongmon's temple was, and how far we probably walked in the last two days, somewhere close to the equator. "

Sora pulled off her green sweater, leaving her in her white school blouse. She wrapped the sweater around her waist. "Aren't you hot with that jacket on?"

Yamato looked at his school uniform. "Not really. I guess I'm quite comfortable."

"Lucky you," she sneered, "I really want to change clothes. This skirt isn't exactly the best thing to be running in."

Yamato grinned. "What, you looked pretty good from behind."

"Hey!" she snapped, her face turning red.

'''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''

Lord Sentry stared up at the wall of Qinglongmon's temple and recited the text that was written there: 'Read and know this, Priestess of Qinglongmon, to make your wishes come true, seek out the Digital Codex and gather the Celestial Warriors of Qinglongmon in the temple of Huanglongmon and read from the holy book. Your greatest desires will be realized.' So, that's what they're going to try and do, huh? Summon the God of the Center and ask him to grant their wishes."

"Seems stupid if ya ask me," a female voice said.

Lord Sentry turned around to stare at a young blond woman dressed in a pair of tight jeans, a tight white tank top and she carried two holsters around her waist. "And why do you think so, Tracker?"

"Because," she said, stepping forward, "Ya don' get what'cha want jus' by askin' for it. My mother use ta say that only fools make wishes."

"Well put," Lord Sentry said, "Still, I do believe in wishing, and I am far from being, as you put it, 'poor folk.'" He smiled slightly, "Maybe I am a fool."

"Sir," she said, "I didn' mean…"

"No, it's all right," he said, "Maybe I am foolish for thinking this would be an easy fight."

"Well," Nimrod said, "I don't believe in wishing."

"Why?" Tracker asked.

"All of my prey wished that I wouldn't catch them, but…" He grinned devilishly.

"Lord Sentry," Recorder said, walking up to him with Artemis, "According to our studies, it looks like there were objects hidden within the alter itself. Seven small circles and one large rectangular indentation seem to suggest that something was held there."

"Seven, you say?" Lord Sentry asked, "Seven armored warriors. That can't be a coincidence. I bet they got their power from here."

Recorder nodded. "Yes sir. Also, I believe that there could have been a scroll or small book in the rectangular indentation. Perhaps if we could read that, we'd know more about the Chosen Warriors?"

Lord Sentry nodded. "Very well. Nimrod, I want you to take Tracker and Artemis to locate the Chosen Warriors. I want to know what that scroll says, most likely the Priestess would have it. The one named Hikari."

He grinned. "You got it!"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Hikari smiled as she looked at her friends seated around the campfire. "Well, this is nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Takeru nodded, placing his tin plate onto the ground, "A nice quiet meal in a star-filled sky. Without having to fight some psycho for once."

"Yeah," Sora said, taking a deep breath, "It's so peaceful, too bad it's not going to last."

"Hey, Hikari," Ken asked, "Does that scroll tell us where the first temple with the key is?"

"Probably," she said. She reached into the jacket that she was wearing; it was actually Daisuke's pilot fighter jacket that he wore when he entered the Digital World. When she entered the Digital World, her clothes always transformed into her sleeveless pink and white shirt and yellow shorts, not exactly the warmest outfit. She had been feeling cold, so Daisuke offered her his jacket. She did not refuse it.

She reached inside the pocket and pulled out the scroll, which she then unrolled. "Let's see," she said, "There are two temples in each area of the Digital World; one temple that contains the scroll of the Digital God, as well as another temple that contains the key to unlock the Temple of the Center, where the God of Gods, Huanglongmon resides. The Key temple in Qinglongmon's area of the Digital World is located under the green of the Sleeping Valley.' And there's a map."

"Let me see," Ken said, taking the scroll

"Sleeping Valley?" Sora asked, "Where the heck is that?"

"I don't know," Ken said, "I'm sorry to say, I've never heard of it and that this map is on such a small scale that we need to actually be in the valley before it'll be of any use."

Yamato nodded. "Well, it has to be in Qinglongmon's section, right? I'm sure if we just search around, we'll find it eventually."

"This area is pretty big, you know," Takeru said, "And plus it's covered in mountains and valleys, how are we going to find the right one, especially if it's underground?"

"Ask around?" Noriko asked.

"She's right," Hikari said, "We'll have to try and find the nearest village, and ask if they know anything about it."

"I guess we're going to have to do it that way," Daisuke sighed, "I can think of a hundred ways I'd rather do it."

Taichi nodded. "We'll start tomorrow. For right now, we'd better get some sleep." He stood up, "I'll take first watch, then we'll rotate every two hours, starting with Daisuke, okay?"

"Aw, how come I've got to go first?" he asked.

"Because I said so," the older boy answered, "Get some sleep."

Daisuke grumbled as he lay on the ground. Hikari smiled and laid beside him. "Go night, Daisuke."

He returned the smile. "Good night, Hikari." He closed his eyes, but she continued to stare at his face for a few more seconds before closing her own eyes and drifting to sleep.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

On Earth, the repercussions from the United Nations 'Solution to the Chosen Children Problem," were still flowing across the planet. Japan, Russia, India, Europe, all of the Chosen Children living there had been apprehended and 'relocated' to the Digital Hunters holding centers around the world. So far, the main group of the New York chosen had escaped capture, but, like most of the others, their partners were deleted first, leaving them technically vulnerable.

Michael held his breath as he pressed himself up against the outside of the building in the dark alley. He waited until he saw the middle-aged man walk pass. He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the young woman adjacent to him that was also pressed up against the outside of the building. "That was close, Mimi. Who knows whether he was a Digital Hunter or not."

"I know," she said, reaching down to lift up a paper bag over filled with items, "We've got to get back."

Michael reached down and lifted up his own paper bag, "Let's go."

The two teenagers ran deeper into the alley until they arrived at a large window resting at ground level on the brick building. They bent down and slowly moved the window aside so they could sneak inside. Once they were through, they slide the window back in place. The two teenagers looked into the basement of the storage building, which had been converted into a make-shift home. There was a small stove, a television set, and a table. A few sleeping bags were lying across the ground. In the back was a closed door. "Guys!" Michael called, "It's us, we're back."

A group of teenagers quickly moved from their hiding places and into the light. "Did you get those videos?" Steve asked.

Mimi sighed. "Steve, we don't have money for that."

He sighed. "Yeah, I know, I know."

"You did get the pizza, right?" Lou asked, looking through the bags.

"Of course," the pink-haired teen giggled slightly.

"Forget the pizza," Wallace said, "What about the bagels?"

"You and your bagels," Michael smiled, "Eh, who am I to talk. Let me taste one."

"No you don't!" Tatum said, "I'm going to make dinner soon." She looked around. "Where's Maria?"

"Sleeping," Sam said, mentioning to the locked door.

"She wasn't feeling well?" Mimi asked.

Sam shrugged. "I don't know, she just said she was tired."

"Maybe I should check on her," the pink-haired teen said, walking towards the door. Michael stopped her.

"Why don't you just let her sleep?"

Mimi hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah, I guess." She smiled, "Well, Tatum, let me help you with dinner."

"Did you run into any Digital Hunters up there?" Steve asked.

"I don't think so," Michael said, "But I don't know."

"This whole thing stinks," Lou sighed, "I bet we wouldn't be having this trouble if the world never knew about Chosen Children and Digimon."

"Yeah," Sam said, "But what can we do about it now?"

"There are still a lot of Chosen that are still safe from the Digital Hunters," Wallace said, "If we could just find a way to help them…"

"I bet if we took all the Chosen Children into the Digital World and sealed it off except for us, the Digital Hunters wouldn't be able to follow us," Steve said.

"Yeah, but how?" Mimi asked, "My friends in Japan and I tried them by giving up our crests, but it didn't work."

"Well, there has to be a way," Michael said, "We just have to find it."

Behind the door was a smaller bedroom completed with a real bed. This was reserved for their youngest member, Maria. She was sleeping soundly when a male voice woke her.

"Maria…"

She opened her eyes and looked around the darkened room. "W..who's there?"

"Maria…"

"M..Michael?" she shivered, "W..wallace? Lou? Steve?"

"Maria…"

"Who are you?" she gasped.

"I am Baihumon the God of the Western section of the Digital World. I need your help."

"M..my help?" she asked. "W..why?"

"I promise you have nothing to fear from me. Bring yourself and seven of your friends to my temple in the Digital World and I will explain everything. I believe that you and I have the same desires."

"What?"

"Please come to the Digital World, I will explain everything. I need your help."

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

The next morning, the Qinglongmon warriors were continuing their journey across the mountainous region. They had traveled for two hours before Taichi spotted a village nestled in the nooks of the mountains. They grinned to one another and ran down the path until they entered the perimeter. The small balls of fire that were hovering in the air stopped and stared at the strangers. "What are they?" Noriko whispered.

"Demimeramons," Ken whispered in reply.

"Hey guys!" Daisuke grinned, stepping forward. The Demimeramons screeched in a small voice and flew away to hide behind the tall buildings.

"Nice job," Takeru sighed. He slowly walked into the city. "Don't worry," he said in a calm voice, "We won't hurt you. We just want to talk."

The Demimeramons cautiously floated forward.

Takeru nodded with a smile on his face. "That's right, it's okay. We just want to talk to someone who's in charge."

The small fiery digimons nodded and floated away. The Qinglongmon warriors looked at each other. "Should we follow?" Takeru asked.

"Wait," Hikari said, "It looks like someone else is coming."

A group of digimon resembling candles walked towards them. They stared at the humans curiously. "Hi," Taichi nodded, "We're the Chosen Children, well, we were…" Anyway, we were wondering if anyone knows anything about the Sleeping Valley?"

The Candlemon looked at one another, then the leader nodded. "Come with me." He lead the Qinglongmon Warriors through the village until they reached what appeared to be a village gathering area or square. Standing in the center was two familiar digimon: a Meramon, and one other.

"Wizardmon?" Hikari gasped, "W..wizardmon?" She started to walk towards the digimon, but Takeru spied the confused expression on the digimon's face and placed his hand on the brown-haired girl's shoulder.

"Hikari…Hikari, that's…that's not Wizardmon, not the one that…I'm sorry."

She stopped and saw the expression on Wizardmon's face. She nodded to herself and bowed. "I'm..I'm sorry."

The Wizardmon smiled warmly. "It's no problem. I know that identical digimon can be confusing."

Meramon growled. "What can we do for you?"

"We're looking for the Sleeping Valley," Taichi said, "Do you know where it is?"

"Maybe, but why are you looking for it?" the fire digimon asked.

"We need the key to the Temple of the Center," Hikari said, "I'm the Priestess of Qinglongmon."

"So you're here to save this world, huh?" Meramon asked, "That is why you're here, right? To wish for peace in the Digital World?"

Hikari nodded. "I hope so. Can you direct us to the Sleeping Valley?"

Wizardmon nodded. "Of course, but you must be tired and hungry. Come, breakfast is about to be served."

"Thanks," Daisuke grinned, "I'm starving."

The Qinglongmon Warriors soon found themselves seated at another elegant table, filled with more food. The ex-Chosen had not eaten except for a small dinner the night before, so they quickly and graciously ate the meal that was prepared for them. Yamato and Sora, of course, were seated together, smiling and grinning at one another. "You know," Yamato whispered to her, "You look really beautiful."

"No I don't," she said, "I'm filthy. I haven't had a shower in nearly two days."

"You look fine," he smiled.

The two teenagers lightly kissed each other. On the other side of the table, Hikari watched this and sighed. Sitting next to her was Takeru, who smiled slightly. "What's the matter?"

"Oh, nothing," she said, forcing a smile.

"Hikari," he said, in a tone that suggested he was not going to let her lie.

"All right," she said, "I…I…um…heh, I guess I'm just a little jealous."

"Jealous?" he asked, shocked.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"So you mean that there's someone…"

"Well, maybe," she smiled slightly.

"Who?" he asked.

She blushed and shook her head. "No, I..I'm sorry. I can't…"

Takeru grinned and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hikari, I've known you for a long time, so I know that whoever you have feelings for, is going to be a very lucky man."

Hikari grinned. "Thanks, Takeru, you're a great friend."

The blond boy chuckled slightly. "You're not going to tell who it is, are you?"

She blushed again and smiled. She turned away. "Guess not," Takeru said, as he went back to eating.

Taichi finished his meal then looked at Meramon and Wizardmon. "I'm sorry, but you said that you knew where the Sleeping Valley was?" The other Qinglongmon Warriors stared at their leader, but did not interrupt.

"Yes, of course," Wizardmon said, "The Sleeping Valley is located approximately three miles from here. You will know which valley it is by the trio of large red trees in the center."

Taichi nodded. "Thanks." He turned to the others, "We'd better get going."

"Can't we finish first?" Daisuke asked.

The doors to the room suddenly swung open and the leader of the Candlemon ran inside. "What's wrong?" Meramon asked.

"Invaders!" he shouted, "Metal Humans!"

"Metal Humans?" Yamato asked.

"The Digital Hunters?" Sora gasped.

"Let's go," Taichi said, jumping up, "Hikari stays here."

"But Taichi…" she protested.

"He's right," Daisuke said, "But maybe someone should stay with her."

Taichi nodded. "Noriko, stay with her."

The short haired girl looked to Hikari, then nodded. "Uh, okay."

"Let's go," Taichi said. The Qinlongmon Warriors followed the Candlemon outside with Meramon and Wizardmon. They arrived back at the town square and saw two Digital Hunters standing in the center of a group of scared DemiMeramons and Candlemons.

"Chosen Children!" Nimrod grinned, "Hiding behind a bunch of pathetic digital freaks?"

"You little son of a…" Daisuke shouted, but Taichi cut him off.

"What are you doing here?" the older goggle-boy demanded.

Nimrod chuckled. "What do you think? Jeeze, Yagami, I guess you never were the smartest tool in the shed, huh?"

Taichi clenched his fists in anger. "Digi-armor energize!" The Qinglongmon Warriors were covered in their armors and they stood at attention, staring at the two Hunters. "Are you ready?"

Nimrod laughed again. "I think you're going to have other things to worry about. I'm sure Ichijoij is going to remember this!" He held up a familiar dark object. Ken's heart sank.

"A Dark Ring? But…but how…?"

"That's a secret," Tracker said, "But don't worry about that ring being by lonesome. We have plenty."

"What do you mean?" Ken asked. Tracker mentioned to the sky as an army of Dark Rings descended to the ground. They clasped themselves around the Candlemon, Meramon and Wizardmon.

"Oh no!" Sora gasped.

The eyes of each one of the Dark Ring wearing digimon glowed a dark red and stared at the armored Qinglongmon warriors. They charged forward and leapt at the former Chosen Children. The humans tried to run, but the Dark Ring possessed Candlemon were everywhere.

"We have to fight them," Taichi shouted.

"We can't!" Takeru protested, "They're not in control of themselves!"

"I know!" Taichi shouted back, "Aim for the Dark-ah!" He would have finished his sentence, but could not, as he was hit in the chest by a fireball from Meramon.

"Come on!" he growled, "Let's see what you've got!"

Wizardmon landed next to the fire digimon and pointed his staff at Daisuke. "And you must deal with me."

Daisuke looked over his shoulder, but saw that the others were busy fighting the Dark Ring wearing Candlemons. He looked to Taichi and sighed. "I guess we've got no choice, huh?"

"Just try not to hurt them too badly," Taichi said. He nodded. "Evolve!"

"Kamiya evolve to Goku!"

"Motomiya evolve to Serge!"

Taichi jumped into the air to avoid another Fireball attack from Meramon. He zeroed in on the Dark Ring around the fire digimon's arm. He placed his two palms together and quickly shouted, "Kamehameha!" The beam of white energy shot towards the ring, but Meramon jumped out of the way; the energy wave destroyed a section of a building's wall.

"Damn it!" Taichi swore.

Daisuke used his new-found sword skills to attempt to destroy the Dark Ring around Wizardmon's arm, but he was too worried about harming the possessed digimon to do any real damage. "This is going to take a while," he muttered.

Hikari certainly thought the same. She and Noriko were watching the battles via the windows from the safety of the main building in the village. The Priestess of Qinglongmon watched with a mixture of anxiety and fear.

"This is even worse than watching Gatomon fight," she said, "At least then I felt like I was doing something. I don't have anything."

"You're the Priestess," Noriko smiled slightly, "You're the most important one here."

She shook her head. "No I'm not. I'm just like…" She was cut off when Noriko grabbed her and pulled her to the ground seconds before the window shattered.

"Are you okay?" the short haired girl asked.

Hikari nodded. "Y..yeah, I think so. But what happened?"

Noriko jumped in front of the Priestess. "She did."

"A Digital Hunter!" Hikari gasped, flinching back.

The short haired girl stared at the Digital Hunter. "What do you want?"

Artemis mentioned to Hikari. "I would like to see the scroll that you have?"

The two girls glanced at each other. "What scroll?" the brown-haired girl asked.

The Digital Hunter chuckled. "Don't try that with me." She reached behind her back and pulled out her crossbow. "Hand it over, now!"

"Get back, Hikari!" Noriko shouted, "Evolve!" She quickly transformed into her black armor and attempted to attack Artemis, but she grabbed the younger girl's arm and swung her around. The Qinglongmon warrior tried to elbow her in the stomach, but she was much faster and used her other hand to grab Noriko's other arm. Artemis brought the raised heel of her boot into Noriko's back and pushed as hard as she could, releasing her grip on the Qinglongmon Warrior's arm. Noriko stumbled forward and crashed into Hikari. They both fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Noriko cried, jumping back to her feet, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," the brown-haired girl said, "But where did she go?"

Noriko looked all around the room before spotting the Digital Hunter running at them from behind. She grabbed Hikari and yanked her into her arms. "Don't move, Kawada!" she warned. Noriko stopped short and stared at Artemis reached inside of Hikari's pocket and pulled out the scroll. While still holding Hikari firmly by keeping the Priestess in a head lock, she unrolled the paper and used her free hand to pull out a small, miniature camera. She demonstrated a lightning fast ability by clicking the small camera more then a dozen times before she pulled the camera back into its holding place.

"Thank you," Artemis said. She threw Hikari into Noriko again, but jumped back through the window before the two girls were back on their feet.

"The scroll!" Hikari gasped, grabbing the long piece of paper. She breathed a sigh of relief. "She didn't take it."

"She did take pictures of it," Noriko mentioned, "Now the Digital Hunters know about you and about Qinglongmon's temple!"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

Outside, Taichi and Daisuke continued fighting against Meramon and Wizardmon, while the other four Qinglongmon Warriors tried their best to hold their own against the possessed Candlemons, without hurting them.

"We can't keep this up forever," Yamato said, dodging a fire attack from a group of Canlcemons.

"I know," Ken said, "But what I can't figure out is, how their rings are being controlled."

"What do you mean?" Sora asked.

"There isn't a Control Spire anywhere near here," the former Digimon Emperor replied, "So someone has to have a device similar to our Digivices in order to make them work."

Takeru spun around to where Tracker and Nimrod were standing, grinning and laughing at them. "And I bet I know who has it." He charged forward, intending to head-butt into Nimrod, but Tracker whipped out one of her rifles and fired. Takeru was hit in the chest by a powerful blast of energy that brought him to the ground.

"Takeru!" Yamato shouted. He went to run to his brother's side, but Ken was already there.

"Don't worry," he called, "I'll take care of him. You guys take out those Hunters!"

Yamato stared at Tracker and Nimrod. "But there are two of them."

"Planning on taking both of them on?" Sora asked, running up beside him.

"Sora, you should go help Ken."

"Forget it!" she said, "This is my fight too!"

Yamato stared at her, then grinned underneath his blue armor. "Sure."

Sora nodded from underneath her own red armor. She reached out her hand, which Yamato took. "Well do it together."

He nodded. "Right, together!"

Their holding hands glowed brightly and the light spread across their bodies in an odd manner. It soon became obvious, however, that the light was coming from underneath the armor, and it was appearing through cracks. The armor shattered revealing Yamato and Sora unharmed, but like Taichi and Daisuke, wearing something completely different.

It appeared that Yamato's armor had actually grown underneath and changed color. It now looked like green samurai armor, complete with a matching sword. Sora, on the other hand, was now wearing a white school shirt and a very short orange skirt. The two teenagers stared at one another in disbelief.

"Yamato..?" Sora questioned.

He nodded. "Yeah, I think I'm Seiji of Samurai Troopers!" He swung his sword in front of him, "Pretty cool, huh?"

Sora stared at him in disgust. "Yeah, real cool. I think I'm Sailor Venus."

Yamato chuckled slightly. "You could be worse"

The redhead glared at him and mentioned to the Digital Hunters. "Let's just take care of these guys, okay?"

Yamato nodded. "Sure, I'll take that guy."

Nimrod laughed. "Ha! Come and get me!" He held up his hands and blades shot out of his wrists. He ran forward and slashed one of his blades at Yamato's stomach, but like Daisuke, he demonstrated new found sword skills and was able to block the attack.

Sora stared at her boyfriend. She shrugged and stared at Tracker. "Fine."

"Ya really think ya scare me?" the female Digital Hunter asked. She pointed both of her guns at Sora and fired a bullet of blue energy. The redhead Sailor Scout automatically pointed a finger at her and fired her own attack. "Crescent Beam!" The two energy attacks smashed into one another, creating an explosion, sending both young women onto their backs.

Nimrod swung his swords into Yamato, but the Qinglongmon Warrior blocked the attack again. "Wow!" Yamato gasped, "I can't believe I'm actually doing this!"

"Now you're mocking me?!" Nimrod screamed, "I'm going to kill you!" He lunged at Yamato, and managed to break off a section of his shoulder armor. The Digital Hunter swung his other sword around and if Yamato had not been wearing a green helmet, he might have suffered a fatal injury. He stumbled backwards, but was able to keep himself from falling over by propping himself up with his sword.

"No one makes a fool out of me!" Nimrod screamed. He kicked Yamato in the face and then kicked him the stomach. He completed his attack but executing a roundhouse, smacking his foot against Yamato's face, throwing him onto his back. The Digital Hunter jumped into the air, intending to bring his swords into Yamato's chest, but the Qinglongmon Warrior rolled out of the way. He jumped onto his feet and stared at Nimrod. His sword was covered by crackling electricity and he swung it in front of him, sending a giant ball of lightning into Nimrod. The Digital Hunter screamed in pain and was flung backwards.

"Nimrod!" Tracker shouted, watching as her partner was flung through the sky.

"Crescent Beam!" Sora shouted, firing her Sailor Venus attack at the female Digital Hunter. She lost her balance and fell over; a square black device falling out of her pocket. The black object gained momentum as it rolled downhill. Tracker gasped, "No!"

Sora guessed by Tracker's reaction that the device was extremely important. "The Dark Ring device!" she shouted, "Yamato, the Dark Ring device!"

"I've got it!" he shouted. He jumped into the air and slammed his sword down, slicing the black device in half. It exploded with a flash of light and circuitry. Instantly, the Dark Rings dropped from the possessed digimon.

Wizardmon fiercely shook his head after the Dark Ring fell from his arm. "W..what happened?"

"Wizardmon, you're okay?" Daisuke asked, "I mean, really okay?"

"What happened?" Meramon growled.

"You were taken over by a Dark Ring," Taichi said, "But I think you're okay now."

"Who did this?" the fire digimon demanded.

"They did!" Yamato shouted, pointing his sword at Nimrod and Tracker.

The two Digital Hunters stared at each other, then at the group of Candlemon, Meramon, and Wizardmon, lead by the Qinglongmon Warriors. Artemis jumped down in front of Nimrod and Tracker.

"Artemis!" Tracker gasped.

"I've got what we came for," she said.

"Then let's get the heck outta here!" the other female Digital Hunter shouted.

"No!" Nimrod shouted, "We do NOT run!"

Tracker mentioned to the group of digimon and warriors heading towards them. "We're leaving."

The male Digital Hunter growled. "Fine!"

Artemis grabbed her crossbow and placed a green tipped arrow on top and fired. The projectile smashed into the ground before the Qinglongmon Warriors. It exploded into a large cloud of smoke. When it cleared, the Digital Hunters were gone.

After the Qinglongmon Warriors returned to their normal selves they and the inhabitants of the village joined together to discuss what had occurred.

"It's all my fault," Noriko bowed before Taichi and Daisuke, "I'm so sorry."

"You did what you could," Daisuke said, "Right Taichi?"

The older nodded quickly, "Uh, yeah. We still have the scroll, so there wasn't any real harm done. You did your best."

"But I should have stopped her," Noriko sighed, "I can understand if you tell me to leave."

"Why we would do that?" Hikari asked, "Thank you, Noriko, for helping me."

The short-haired girl mumbled a 'Your welcome,' but everyone could see that she was still depressed.

"I don't want to make her feel any worse," Ken said, "But if that Digital Hunter photographed the scroll, then they're going to know all about our plans."

"We're just going to have to keep going," Taichi shrugged, "There's not much else we can do about it."

"Yeah," Takeru said, "Let's head to the Sleeping Valley, and find that first key." He gently placed his hand on Noriko's shoulder. "Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Hikari bowed before Meramon and Wizardmon ."Thank you for your hospitality."

"Thank you for helping us," Wizardmon smiled, "I wish you luck in your search."

"And if you ever need help," Meramon grinned, "Just give us a call."

"We will," the Priestess of Qinglongmon said, "Good bye."

The Warriors of Qinglongmon left the village and continued on a path through the mountains. Hikari turned to Sora. "So, what did it feel like? I mean, to be Sailor Venus?"

She shrugged. "I don't know how to describe it, it just felt…different, I guess."

"I'm sort of jealous," Hikari blushed, "When I was younger, I use to pretend that I was Sailor Moon."

"Well," Takeru said, "I thought that Yamato looked so cool using his sword."

"Of course," the older blond grinned, "I'm a natural."

Ken looked over to Noriko, who was still depressed. He lightly hugged her, "I wonder who we'll turn into?"

"If you're lucky Noriko," Sora said, "It won't be someone who wears such a short skirt."

"Hey," Yamato said, "I thought you looked pretty good in that."

The redhead stared at him, then smiled. "You did look pretty cool. Ha."

The two teenagers reached out and held one another's hands and they traveled through the mountains.

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''

I was jealous of Sora in more ways then just her new ability to become a Sailor Scout. I always did look up to her, because she is a strong person, someone who was not afraid to play soccer, to get really dirty and competitive with the boys. I know that I am not as strong as she is, I keep too much of my own feelings inside. I'm also jealous of her and Yamato's love. Someone, I wish I can experience those feelings with the person I'm dreaming of.

With Yamato and Sora's ability to evolve, we're heading towards the Sleeping Valley to search for the Key of Qinglongmon. Even as bad as things are right now, I cannot help but think about this strange feeling I have, a foreboding sense of dread, dread, and something else, something I just cannot ignore, maybe betrayal? Like people that we know, our friends are about going to turn against us. I truly hope not.