Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Chosen Warriors ❯ Chapter IV: The Seven Stars of Qinglongmon ( Chapter 4 )

After our final battle with Belial Vamdemon, the children that had been infected with the Dark Seeds received digimon partners and became official Chosen Children. All of them adjusted pretty well, except for Kawada Noriko.

I have to say that out of all of the Dark Seed children, Noriko was always our unofficial favorite. It could be that she was the first one we tried to save, or maybe because Oniichan and the other older children had to go back to the summer camp to try and get back into the Digital World in the hope that Oikawa could help her. Taichi used to say that she reminded him of me, pretty flattering, I guess.

However, Noriko always suffered from low self-esteem, which is why she sought out the Dark Seed to begin with, and, unfortunately, after the Seed lost its power over her, her self-esteem was even lower then before. She constantly blamed herself for what happened to us when we fought Oikawa and Belial Vamdemon. After the Digital Hunters were able to copy the Scroll of Qinglongmon, Noriko blamed herself, and she felt like she could never measure up to the rest of us. I could sympathize with how she felt, but there is a time for feeling sorry for yourself and a time for overcoming your problems and fighting onward. This is a lesson that Noriko will soon learn for herself.

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The ChosenWarriors

Chapter 4:

The Seven Stars of Qinglongmon

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Hikari stared at the Digital Hunter base in the Sleeping Valley below. "They still haven't come out yet."

Takeru stood by her and nodded. "I know." He sighed, "I just hope they're all right."

"They're not," Hikari said, "They're prisoners of people that wouldn't think twice about killing us. If they're still alive, they're probably in the worst possible pain imaginable."

Takeru shivered, then shook his head. "No, they'll be okay, we have to just hope. That's the best we can do for right now."

Hikari nodded. "I know, I know."

"Listen to me," the blond boy said, grabbing her shoulders, "I know what you're thinking, but it's not your fault, understand?"

She nodded. "Y..yeah."

"All right," he sighed, "Come on."

They walked back to their small campsite and saw Taichi sitting up with his back leaning against one of the tree stumps around the camp fire. Noriko was kneeling beside him wrapping an ice bag around his left knee. "Oniichan," Hikari smiled, "Are you feeling better?"

The older boy nodded slightly. "A little. It doesn't hurt so much when I breathe anymore," he grinned as best he could, "Besides, Noriko's doing a great job as a nurse here."

The short-haired girl bowed slightly. "Thank you."

Takeru started fishing through a backpack. "Let's see what we've got for dinner." He pulled out a small package wrapped in leaves. He opened it and smiled. "Luckily we've still got enough food left. Those Koromon might be small, be they sure know how to cook."

"They've got really big appetites, that's why," Hikari smiled. She sat down beside her brother and looked over Noriko's shoulders as she tended to his injuries. "He really hurt you, huh?"

"It was the Digital Hunters leader," Taichi frowned, "Lord Sentry, I think that's what I heard the others call him."

Hikari sighed as she gently rubbed her older brother's shoulder, "You did the best you could."

He nodded. "I know." He looked down to the bottom of the Sleeping Valley, to the location of the Digital Hunters base, "I just hope the others are okay."

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Inside of the Digital Hunter complex, Lord Sentry sat at a large conference table, staring at a group of his commanding Digital Hunters. "Go on."

Nimrod nodded. "Right. We've got Ishida, Takenouchi, Ichijoji and Motomiya. According to that scroll that Artemis copied from Yagami's sister, the so-called, 'Priestess of Qinglongmon," if she wants to, heh, make her wish, she'll need every one of her warriors. She and her brother are gonna have to come here to rescue their friends."

"I agree," Lord Sentry said, "But, we can't just let them sit around." He turned to a woman with short blond hair, "Recorder, I want every bit of information you can get from them: powers, altered DNA, whatever."

The woman nodded. "Yes sir."

The Digital Hunter commander stood up. "I am heading back to the Server Desert Base. Keep me informed."

"Yes sir!" Nimrod and Recorder shouted.

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Yamato tried to ignore the sharp pain in his shoulder from Nimrod's grip. If he tried to fight back now, it would only make things worse. They stopped in front of a doorway and the Digital Hunter tossed him inside. Yamato fell onto his face, but was back on his feet in seconds. He spun around to glare at Nimrod. The Digital Hunter laughed. "Sorry."

"You jack-ass," the blond warrior growled, "Just wait."

"Ha!" Nimrod chuckled.

"At least tell me what the hell you're gonna do to me!"

"Fine," he responded, "Our chief scientist wants to know about your powers."

"Why? Haven't you dissected enough Chosen Children to figure out our powers?"

Nimrod grinned. "If you're referring to the perverted devices you call, 'digivices,' we've already figured out how they work. And we've all ready cut up enough Chosen Children to figure out how the digital energy flows through your body."

"You sick son of a…" Yamato started.

Nimrod continued. "But, we haven't run into any Chosen Children yet that can change into characters from t.v. shows. We need to figure out how."

Yamato smiled. "I'll save you the trouble, it's a mystical power."

"You'll be defiant to the last, huh? Well, enjoy your 'treatment." He slammed the door shut.

Yamato turned away and looked around. He was in a room that was made completely of a shinny metal, except for one wall that had a glass window. He was trying to figure out what was on the other side when the lights suddenly activated. He could clearly see a group of older men and woman standing around a control room filled with computer equipment. One of the older women stood in the center and stared directly at him.

"Good morning, Mr. Ishida," she said, "Did you sleep well?"

Yamato glared at her.

"I'll take that as a no," she nodded, "Well, we're going to do a few tests on you, okay?"

Yamato crossed his arms. "What if I refuse?"

"You don't have a choice," she responded.

The blond warrior was about to question when his head suddenly felt very heavy. He fell onto his back. He could hear that woman's voice over the speakers. "You're experiencing the affects of a powerful, airborne sedative. Don't worry, it's only temporary, you'll be fine. We need you unconscious to do our experiments. Just close your eyes and sleep."

Yamato tried to fight the sedative as hard as he could, but it was no use. He felt his eyes start to close. He did not have any idea how long he was unconscious, but he woke up with Sora's face above his head.

"Yamato!" she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck, "You're awake!"

He suddenly felt a sharp pain run through his entire body. "Oh man!" he moaned, "What the hell happened?"

"Probably what's about to happened to the rest of us," she smiled weakly.

He lightly rubbed his forehead. "W..where am I?" he asked, trying to sit up. Sora knelt down and helped him into a sitting position.

"Back at the cell," he heard Daisuke answer his question. He looked past Sora and saw that he was indeed back in their prison cell, along with the rest of the captured Qinglongmon Warriors. The goggle-wearer slammed his fist into the wall. "We've got to get out of here."

"How?" Ken asked, from where he was leaning back against the metal wall.

"I don't think we should worry," Sora said, "I mean, Taichi, Takeru and Noriko are still free. They'll find a way to rescue us."

Yamato sighed. "We can't just sit around and wait for them to come."

"It's only been one night," his girlfriend protested.

"No, Yamato's right," Daisuke commented, "We need to get out of here, if not to free ourselves, then to warn Taichi about Michael's team."

The others frowned and looked at the ground. "Sorry," he said.

"We're going to have to deal with it sometime," Ken said.

"But not now," Sora said, "Let's get out of here first, then once we're with Hikari, Taichi, Takeru and Noriko, then we'll deal with it together."

"All right," Daisuke nodded, "Let's try to get out of here."

"How?" Yamato questioned, "We can still change into our armor, but once we get outside, we'll have to fight our way through over a dozen Digital Hunters."

"So why don't we just do it right now?" Daisuke asked, "I mean, we can probably do it, right?"

He ran over to the door of their cell, despite Ken's protests. As soon as Daisuke touched the sliding door, a fierce bolt of electricity shot through his body, sending him flying backwards.

"Daisuke!" Yamato and Sora shouted.

"I tried to tell you," Ken said, "I already tried that."

The door to the cell opened and Nimrod and two other Digital Hunters stepped inside. He pointed at Daisuke. "You're next."

Ken and Sora jumped up, but Daisuke stepped in front of them. "Forget it, I'm coming." He silently stepped out of the room and the door slammed shut.

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As Daisuke was lead down the hall, a group of young adults watched in the safety of the air vents. There were eight of them: seven warriors, and one priestess. They were the Chosen Warriors of Baihumon, but when they still had digimon partners, they were known as the New York team.

"There goes Daisuke," Wallace said, watching as the Digital Hunters led the Qinglongmon warrior past the grate they were looking through.

"We can't just let them do this, right?" Mimi asked, "I mean, they are our friends."

"I know," Michael nodded, "But they're looking for that key that's somewhere under this base, right? And we need that key too, or…" He looked over his shoulder at the young Hispanic girl in the center of their group, "….or you won't be able to summon Baihumon."

"I know," she nodded, "And I won't be able to make my wish."

"But they're not our enemies, right?" Sam asked.

"We're on different sides," Tatum said, shrugging her shoulders, "They want one thing, and we want the other."

The others stared at her. "Well, it's true, isn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it is," Steve sighed, "I guess we have to face the facts, if we want to summon Baihumon, then we can't let them summon Qinglongmon."

"How can you say that?" Mimi gasped, "Sora and the others are still my friends! I won't fight them."

Michael placed his hand over her mouth. "Keep it down, or they're going to find us. Now, come on, we've got to find that key."

"Hey Michael," Sam whispered, "Didn't Daisuke say something about the Key being underneath the temple?"

"Yeah?"

"I wonder where those Digital Hunters are going with those shovels."

Michael nodded. "Let's find out."

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Takeru and Noriko were cleaning up their small campsite when Hikari suddenly gasped. "What's wrong?" Taichi asked, jumping over to her.

She shivered. "D..Daisuke, I..I can feel it! He's..he's being tortured." She started gasping for air, "They're…hurting him!"

"Hikari…?" Takeru questioned.

"We need to save them," the priestess of Qinglongmon said, jumping to her feet, "Right now!"

"Hikari!" Taichi shouted, running up and grabbing her shoulders, "Hikari!"

"I've got to save them," she said, "I've got to save them!"

Taichi pulled on his younger sister's shoulders and spun her around to face him. "Hikari! You can't go running into there, you're the most important person here! We need you to summon Qinglongmon."

"What about Daisuke?" Hikari shouted, "What about Sora, Yamato and Ken? I need everyone in order to summon Qinglongmon! We need all of them! And they're prisoners, they're being tortured, because they're following me! Because I need that stupid key! I need to save them!"

Taichi blinked a few times. He had never seen his sister with so much raw emotion before. He lightly squeezed her shoulders and knelt down slightly to stare her in the eyes. "Hikari, we will get them back, but you can't go alone, understand."

She nodded slowly. "But…"

Taichi interrupted her and did not allow her to finish. "I'm feeling back up to speed now." He smiled, "So let's get our friends back."

Hikari grinned. "Let's go."

Taichi mentioned to Takeru, "We'll take the lead, Noriko and Hikari, stay close, got it?"

They nodded. "Right."

He turned around and stared down at the Digital Hunter complex, seated in the center of the green valley. "Now, how do we get inside?"

Takeru placed his binoculars over his eyes and focused down on the complex. "There aren't that many soldiers guarding the outside, four, maybe five. I wonder where everyone is."

"Who cares," Taichi grinned, "I've got a plan."

Down below, the group of soldier Digital Hunters stood outside the main entrance, staring at the barren, grass colored field. There had not been any disturbances of any kind since the Chosen Warriors invaded yesterday. They needed to be alert in case the still-freed Chosen Warriors attacked, but so far, nothing.

The group of soldiers suddenly heard a loud explosion echo through the walls of the valley. They spun their heads around, trying to locate the source of the explosions. They turned to the southern side of the valley and saw the mountain side began to crumble. "Avalanche!" they shouted. The southern side of the valley was far enough away that a crumble of the wall would not damage the complex in any way. However, if a major avalanche occurred, the entire complex could be destroyed. They ran towards the crumbling wall in order to investigate, leave the entrance unguarded. Taichi, evolved to Goku, dropped from the sky, carrying Noriko, Hikari and Takeru. Once the three Chosen Warriors and their Priestess were safely on the ground, they rushed through the open doors and disappeared inside the complex.

Once inside, Taichi turned to the others. "All right. We've got to find Yamato and the others and get that key. I've got a vague idea of where it is, let's go!"

The group nodded and disappeared into the maze of tunnels. After searching for more than an hour, they finally arrived at the room that had a giant hole in the center, surrounded by drilling equipment and a large pile of dirt and debris. "This is it!" Taichi smiled, "This is where Yamato and I think the Key is!"

He ran towards the hole, but stopped in shock. The opening had been completely sealed with cement. "No! No!" he shouted, "They must have already got the Key! Damn it!"

"So, what now?" Noriko asked.

"We've got to search this place," Takeru replied, "And hope that the Key of Qinglongmon is still somewhere here."

"We'd better go," Hikari said, touching her older brother's shoulder, "Come on, Taichi."

He stood up and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

They started to run through the tunnels once again, eventually finding their way to a long hallway with a series of mirrors on the wall. They only cautiously peeked inside as they continued down the tunnel. When they reached the end they quickly turned the corner, but Hikari noticed that they were missing someone. She stopped and saw that her friend was peeking inside one of the windows. "Noriko!" she hissed, "Come on!"

"They're talking about us!" she whispered back, "About our powers!"

"What's she talking about?" Taichi demanded.

"I don't know," Takeru said, quickly walking to join Noriko, "What's going on?"

"Shh!" she demanded, "Listen."

They kept their heads beneath the viewing glass, but listened to the conversation talking place on the other side.

Recorder stood in front of the video screen with Lord Sentry's face. "…..believe that I have all the information that I need. I will need to study it before I can give a definite conclusion."

"Yes, I understand."

"However, I noticed that during testing, a strange symbol appeared on the Chosen Children's bodies." she continued, "From what I heard from Nimrod and Artemis, Yagami's Chosen Children refer to themselves as 'The Celestial Warriors of Qinglongmon.' After researching the myths surrounding Qing Long, or Seiryuu, the dragon in the east, I discovered that there were seven unique constellations that made up Qing Long. I checked the star symbols that appeared on the Chosen's bodies with these star symbols. Motomiya had the symbol of 'Suboshi,' horn or angel, Ishida had 'Ashitare,' or tail, Takenouchi had 'Soi,' or tassel, and Ichijoji had the symbol of 'Toma,' or root. This leaves, 'Nakago,' heart, 'Miboshi,' basket, and "Amiboshi,' neck or throat."

"Quite a lot to take in," Lord Sentry nodded.

"Yes, I know," Recorder said, "However, it does make sense in some cases. For example, Motomiya's symbol, 'Suboshi,' is the horn. A horn is sharp, and Motomiya uses a sword."

"Very interesting," Lord Sentry nodded, "What is the status of this 'Key?'"

Recorder sighed and stare at the ground. "We…lost it."

"You lost it?" the Digital Hunter commander shouted.

"I apologize," she pleaded, "It was stolen from us by another group of Chosen Children."

"I want them found, understand?"

"Yes sir."

Outside of the room, Taichi mentioned to the end of the hall. They ran to the intersection and jumped into the next tunnel.

"Another group of Chosen Children?" Hikari asked, "Who else would be here?"

"I've got a feeling the same ones that cut the power to this place yesterday," Taichi said, "I just hope their on our side."

"Why wouldn't they be?" Noriko asked, "If they're Chosen Children, then they can't be on the side of the Digital Hunters, can they?"

The Qinglongmon Warriors rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a group of teenagers that they never expected to see. "Maria?" Hikari gasped, "Is that you?"

The young American girl nodded. "Hikari, Priestess of Qinglongmon, I'm glad to see you."

Hikari sensed something was wrong. "Why did you call me that? It's so…formal for you."

Maria continued. "Because I am the Priestess of Baihumon, and these are my Seven Celestial Warriors."

"A Priestess of Baihumon?" Taichi gasped, "There's a priestess for the other digital gods, too?"

"Yeah," Wallace said, "And we've got our own wish to make."

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked. She turned and looked Maria directly in the eye, "You want to summon Baihumon? But what are you going to wish for."

"For the Digital World to be sealed forever," she answered, "So that humans wouldn't be able to enter it ever again."

"But, you can't do that," Hikari protested. She started to run forward, when Taichi put his arm out to block her. Her older brother stared at the opposing group of teenagers.

"Why don't you give us the key?" he asked, "We need it."

"We need it too!" Michael shouted. He held up the Key of Qinglongmon, a simple blue key with the shape of a dragon engraved onto the end. It was hanging at the end of a large string, which Michael used to hang the key around his neck. He turned to Wallace. "Get them out of here, and protect Maria."

"What about you?" Mimi asked.

"I'll hold them off. Just go.

Taichi whispered over his shoulder to Takeru. "Find the others and get out of here. I'll get that Key."

Takeru grabbed Hikari's shoulders and lead her and Noriko away. Soon, Michael and Taichi were alone in the tunnel. The two warriors stared at one another.

"Just give me that key and you won't get hurt," Taichi said, "Hikari needs it."

"So does Maria," Michael said, "You're not gonna take it from me."

Taichi nodded. "All right, you asked for it. Armor energize!" His body was instantly covered with his orange armor. The armor began to crack and exploded, revealing Taichi wearing Goku's familiar costume. "Scared yet?"

Michael grinned slightly. "Armor energize!" His body was covered by a very dark blue armor, which cracked and exploded in a manner similar to Taichi's armor. When the light faded, Michael stood wearing a black jumpsuit, with white boots and gloves.

Taichi gasped. "V..vegetta?"

Michael nodded. "So, are you scared yet?"

"You just took me by surprise, that's all," Taichi explained, "I'm going to seriously kick your ass if you don't give me that key!"

Michael spread his arms open. "Come and get me!"

The two opposing warriors charged towards each other and leapt into battle. Taichi reached Michael first and swung his fist. His opponent dropped his head quickly and the Qinglongmon Warrior's fist swung harmlessly in the air. Michael quickly slammed both of his fists into Taichi's stomach. He fell over backwards, clutching his stomach. The Baihumon Warrior took a deep breath, and jumped higher into the air, then kick Taichi in the face with both of his feet. To finish off his combination attack, he executed a roundhouse attack, sending Taichi slamming into a wall. He grinned, then charged forward.

Taichi shook his head and ducked at the last moment. Michael's fist smashed into the wall, creating a large dent. The Qinglongmon Warrior leapt into the air and twisted his feet around, kicking the Baihumon Warrior in the stomach. Taichi swung his fists around and began pounding Michael, until the blond young man was able to block one of the brown young man's attacks and break free.

Taichi placed his fists together and fired a blast of energy. "Kamehameha!"

Michael reacted instantly by firing his own energy attack. "Gallic Gun Fire!"

The two blasts smashed into each other, sending smaller beams of white energy in all directions.

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"What the hell is going on in here?" Nimrod shouted, running into the complex's control room, as alarms rang and the floors shook.

Recorder's hands were dancing across the keyboard. "It appears that Yagami and another Chosen Warrior….Michael Goodwin of New York City, are fighting each other three floors below, near the Dark Ring factory."

"Why are they fighting each other?"

"Maria Gonzalez is the new Priestess of Baihumon, and she needs the same items that Hikair Yagami needs in order to summon Qinglongmon. Their wishes are different."

Nimrod stared at her. "How do you know all of this?"

"It's my job," she said, "Here, I've got visual."

The Digital Hunter looked up at the screen and saw an image of what appeared to him to be Vegeta and Goku reenacting one of their famous battles. The two Chosen Warriors were fiercely battling one another. Their energy blasts were ricocheting off of one another, tearing through walls and fragile equipment. One blast tore a massive hole in the wall, revealing the Dark Ring factory. Another blast hit a large vat of flammable chemicals, which ignited and caused several small explosions.

"They're going to blow the entire place up!" he shouted.

Tracker glanced at him over her shoulder. "What should we do?"

"Get the hell out of here!" he cried.

"I need my research," Recorder protested.

"Then you stay here and get killed. I'm leaving!" He ran through the tunnels as more alarms began to blast.

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Taichi shot forward and slammed his fist into Michael's stomach. The Baihumon Warrior lurched over; a shiny object fluttered out of his shirt, but still around his neck. "The Key!" he gasped. He tried to grab it, but Michael jumped back. The blond warrior began pounding Taichi's face with his fists. He pulled one of his fists back, which began to glow with bright energy. He slammed Taichi's face, sending him dropping into the floor.

Michael dropped to his feet and, before Taichi could react, Michael grabbed hold of his leg and swung him into the metal wall. Do to Michael's enhanced strength; Taichi was torn right through the wall, ripping through wires and sensitive equipment, before emerging on the other side. This caused the small explosions ripping through the base to increased in intensity. The two warriors ignored it and continued battling.

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Ken opened his eyes when he heard the blasting sound of loud beeps. "What the heck is going on?"

"The alarms are going off!" Daisuke cried, "And this whole place is shaking!"

"Earthquake?" Sora asked.

"Who cares?" Yamato exclaimed, "We've got to get out of here." He ran over to the door and gently placed his hand over it. It crackled with electricity. "Damn. What can we do about this?"

"We need to blow out the circuit," Ken said, "But with what?" He started glancing around until he focused on the metal benches that were resting on the floor. "Help me lift this up."

Meanwhile, Takeru, Hikari and Noriko had finally found the prison section, and were now running down the hall, glancing at the doors, trying to discover where their friends were being held. When they saw that only one of the doors had a red light lit over it, they decided that that must be the cell their friends were trapped in.

Takeru looked around the door. "I don't see any way to open it. Hmm." He went to touch it, just as the prisoners inside threw the metal table into the other side of the door. The lights in the hall blew out and the alarms ceased. The force of the shock sent Takeru flying into the opposite wall.

"Takeru!" Hikari screamed.

"Are you all right?" Noriko gasped.

The blond boy weakly raised his head. "I can't feel anything….I think I'm gonna be sick…"

"Thank God you were wearing your armor," Noriko said, "That probably saved your life."

When the smoke cleared, Hikari and Noriko peeked inside and saw Daisuke and Ken lying on the ground, with Yamato and Sora barely standing. "What happened?" Hikari shouted.

"We had to break the electric shield," Sora explained, "We tried to overload it, but it backfired and hit us." She fell forward, but used her hands to keep her face from smashing into the floor.

Hikari ran over to her, while Noriko ran over to Yamato, but they pushed them away. "I'm..I'm fine."

"Yeah," Yamato nodded, "Just..just give me a minute."

"We don't have a minute!" Noriko gasped, "Taichi-san is fighting Michael!"

Yamato paled. "Oh no! Did they get the Key?"

"Yeah! How did you…?"

"We'll explain later," Sora said, "Let's go help Taichi." She stood up, but her legs started to wobble.

"I don't think you can help, no offense," Noriko smiled slightly. The entire complex shook as a violent explosion blasted through the halls, "Besides, I think we need to get out of here before this place explodes."

"But Taichi…?" Hikari protested.

"He can take care of himself," Yamato said, "We'll take Daisuke and Ken, you two carry Takeru."

The two girls nodded and lifted the unconscious blond boy onto their backs, while Yamato and Sora carried the two other unconscious boys on their backs. "Now how do we get out of here?" Yamato asked.

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As the explosions continued to destroy the Digital Hunter Complex, Taichi and Michael continued their fearsome battle. Their battle had now moved into the air, and they were exchanging spectacular physical attacks. After enough pounding and kicking, Michael opened both of his palms and a purple energy began to flow.

"Gallic Gun Fire!" he shouted, once again firing Vegeta's attack. Taichi had no choice but to counteract with his Kamehameha wave. The two attacks once again smashed into each other, trying to destroy the other. Both warriors screamed and tried to overpower each other's beam, but the beams only grew in intensity, with no winner.

"I can't lose this," Taichi whispered to himself, "I need that key! I need to win, right now!"

His Kamehameha beam suddenly grew in intensity and tore through Michael's beam, slamming the blond warrior directly in the face. Taichi shot around like a rocket and cracked his fist across Michael's nose, then shot his knee in his stomach. Michael gasped for breath, then started to fall to the ground. Taichi caught him and ripped the Key of Qinglongmon off of his neck.

Another explosion ripped through the complex. Taichi swung his head around, but saw that every hallway entrance was covered in flames. He glanced to the ceiling, which was still relatively unharmed. He took a deep breath and shot towards the sky.

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The explosions continued to rattle the walls of the Digital Hunter complex, sending pillars of black smoke into the air. Small fires had ignited and were racing around the outside of the building. The Warriors of Baihumon made it to the main entrance, cautiously glancing over their shoulders to see the Warriors of Qinglongmon running right behind them, well, running as best they could being weighed down by their unconscious members.

"M..Maria!" Hikari shouted, "Maria, wait, I need to talk to you!"

"Mimi!" Sora shouted, "Wait, don't run, please!"

Once the rest of the New York team was safely outside, Tatum stopped and turned to stare at the Odabia team.

"What are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I need to give Maria time to get away," the braided-haired girl said, lightly closing her fist, "Besides, Mimi trusts people a little too easily. I don't think Takenouchi should talk to her."

Sam nodded. "If you think that's best."

"Go with the others," Tatum said, "I'll give you enough time."

Sam nodded again. "Good luck." He ran off.

Tatum took a deep breath and changed into her silver armor. "Evolve to.." Cracks began to form and it shattered apart. She was now wearing a white and purple dress, with a purple and white cloth in her hair. She carried an Ocarina in her hands. "…Child Zelda!"

She focused on the Qinglongmon Warriors, who were running straight for her. She placed the ocarina on her lips and began playing a haunting melody. Waves of white energy began to flow from her instrument, covering the hall and preventing the Qinglongmon Warriors from moving any further.

"What's happening?" Hikari asked, "I..I can't move any further."

Noriko narrowed her eyes as she stared at the ocarina-playing Tatum. "It's her, her sound waves are stopping us."

Sora turned to Yamato. "Can you evolve?"

He shook his head, "I can barely keep my eyes open."

"Me too," the redhead said.

Noriko listened to the exchange. She knew that Daisuke, Takeru and Ken could not help, and neither could Yamato and Sora. She would have to do it. She shifted the blond boy onto her Priestess's shoulder. She took a deep breath tried to step through the sound waves, but could not. She pressed further and further, but only moved inches.

"Please," she whispered to herself, "Please, I know I'm not very strong, I'm…I'm probably just a drain on the rest of the team. But…I need to do this! Their counting on me! Please, Qinglongmon, I need to be stronger!"

Her armor suddenly began to crack and shattered. She was now dressed in a simple white dress, a handkerchief around her neck, and long reddish hair.

"She evolved!" Sora gasped, "Who is she?"

"Malon," Yamato answered, "From The Legend of Zelda."

Noriko smiled to herself as she stared at Tatum, who was still playing her Ocarina. The former Dark Seed child took a deep breath, and began singing a quick and up-beat song to counteract Tatum's haunting melody. Blue sound waves began to flow from Noriko's mouth, where it began to fighting the white waves from Tatum's instrument.

The two warriors clashed in a battle of sound. Tatum's musical attack grew louder and more powerful, but Noriko met her, note for note. The two opposing sound waves clashed into each other until the blue sound waves from Noriko tore through Tatum's white notes and flung her backwards.

"I..I beat her!" Noriko grinned, "I did it! I beat her!"

Another explosion tore through the complex. "We've got to get out of here," Noriko said.

Hikari stared into the darkness at the end of the tunnel. "Oniichan.."

Another explosion shook the ground. Noriko grabbed Hikari. "Come on, we've got to go."

The Priestess of Qinglongmon nodded and followed her warrior across the green valley. When they arrived at the base of the mountain surrounding the Sleeping Valley, they were greeted with the sight of the Baihumon Warriors.

The two groups stared at each other for a long while, unsure of what to do, until Wallace finally said, "Where's Michael?"

"Where Taichi is!" Noriko shouted, mentioning to the Digital Hunter complex, which was almost completely on fire," If you had just given us that stupid key…"

Yamato, Sora and Hikari were in shock. The quite Noriko had never been so vocal before.

"You shut up!" Wallace shouted, "Look what you did to Tatum!"

"She attacked us!" Noriko protested.

"And you left one of your own inside there!" Wallace continued shouting, "Along with Michael!"

The two groups heard a rustling of wind and looked to the sky to see Taichi flying over head. He landed on the ground and put the injured Michael on the ground. "What happened to him?!" Mimi shouted, kneeling down beside him, "Michael…?"

"He'll be all right," Taichi said.

"How can you be so cold?" Mimi shrieked, "You don't even care!"

Taichi tried to think of something to say, but all he was able to come up with was: "You started this. We needed that Key, but you guys thought you could just steal it! You want to be our enemies, fine!" He turned to Hikari and Noriko, "Let's get out of here."

The Qinglongmon Warriors lifted their unconscious members and continued up the mountain path. Sora and Mimi stared at one another until the red head passed over the mountain top.

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

Noriko was able to overcome her personal problems, and while I'm truly happy for her, I can't help but think about the New York team. Maria wants to summon Baihumon, and her wishes…they're not the same as mine. If she wants to summon Baihumon, then….then I hate to think it, but she's our enemy. No…no, I won't believe that. Maybe if I could just talk to her, then I could find out why she's doing this. I don't want to fight my friends, I just hope we won't have to.