Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Nights We Felt Alive ❯ Castles In The Sky ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Author's Note: Sorry for taking so long to get this chapter out. My recent obsession with Ruki from Tamers has made it hard for me to focus on my 02 stuff. This chapter's just… weird. It should, however, be more romantic. At least I hope so heheh. I have a ton of writing based classes this semester (how can comparative anatomy be essay based? O_o), I start working in a Breast Cancer Research lab this semester (no, I don't get to do personal examinations… yet ^_^), and I just found out I'm already a Sophomore, so I don't know when the next chapter will done, soon I hope!

The Nights We Felt Alive

By DaisukeFire

Chapter San: Castles in the Sky

…The sun is gone,

Terrible dark defeat,

Night is king,

Immortal,

He searches for his Queen

To rule at his side,

Desperation embraces all…

Atlantis. Or so it would seem…

A pitch-black liquid enveloped the enormous glass room. Currents of muck and filth brushed against the windows. Pale light is emitted from a small, yellow bubble in the center of the room. The light is thin and stretched and it yearns to escape its tomb. Spear, swords and axes of rusted metal hang from the glass walls of the room. Battle armor lies in heaps along the walls. The cold bodies of countless tiny dragons litter the floors.

Hundreds of voices cry out in worship. Dim, lidless eyes fill the room. The ghostly creatures are sprawled on hands and knees, and they continually praise the two seated on the thrones. One throne is massive, nearly reaching half the height of the room. In this thrown sits the King, the Master, and the Lord of the sea and soon the entire world of darkness. His magnificent, bat-like wings stretch the length of the room. They are the color of blood. He has no limbs; only purple tentacles weaved together in four massive bundles. In his right hand he holds a silver triton. Razor sharp teeth jet from his mouth, which hangs open like a dog's. His head is an enormous, swelling bulge. Two ruby malicious eyes protrude from his face. He is pale, and almost appears to be rotting. He is a more than a king. He is a god.

In the throne at his side rests his queen. She is no monster or god, but a mere human. The chocolate curls of her hair hang to her shoulders. Her body is covered in a scaly dress of black. Bright jewels and gold ornaments hang from her neck and adorn her forehead. Her lips are twisted in a thin smile of cruelty and hate. She was once the bearer of light, but is now a lover of the darkness. Those who bow in worship beneath them are her subjects, her slaves. This is her kingdom, for all eternity. She is the Queen of Darkness.

On the opposite side of the room two massive doors of forged steel burst open. Through the doors is light of great intensity. Standing in the doorway are three silhouettes. They move forward and the pale light of the room reveals their bodies. The center of the three is a boy with golden hair and azure eyes blazing like fire. To his right is a battle angel of hope wearing heavy armor. To his left is a beautiful angel of light. All three have their eyes bent on the Queen, whose heart begins to thump in furious blasts. The King is motionless, seeming to laugh and mock the three. The ghostly creatures turn to face their enemies.

A loud echo shakes the room as the King declares his order: "Kill them."

The boy's lips form a smirk of determination and power. Without a word, the two angels spring forth into the heart of battle. The angel of hope strikes down his foes with a magenta energy sword. The angel of light uses her bow of light to pick off her enemies from a distance. A tidal wave of broken data flows through the room as the ghostly creatures are quickly and easily destroyed.

The Queen's face of ice melted and she became overcome with urgency. She tried to say something to stop the fighting, but found she could not move her lips. It was as if they had been glued together.

She tried to gasp as the Dark Lord rose from her side and laughed. The laugh shook the room and knocked the boy to the ground. Then the King pulled his triton to his side. With incredible force he swung it into the battle. The two angels as well as many of the ghostly creatures exploded into nothingness as they were hit by the triton's single blow.

The Queen felt a searing pain in her chest as the deaths of the two angels overcame her, and she dropped to her knees. The ghostly creatures that had not been slain fled from the battle, leaving only the boy, who rose labouredly to his feet. He looked at the Queen who stared back in disbelief. The passion of the boy's anger and loss flowed from his eyes and the salty tears hit the ground, echoing.

The King stood over him and raised his triton above the boy, spiked tips pointing down. The Queen tried to run to the boy, but she found her left leg chained to the thrown with a heavy iron chain. She tried to cry out to the boy to run, to just abandon her. He looked at her defiantly and mouthed, "I will not leave you." Then the Dark King brought his triton down on the boy, and the Queen clenched her eyes shut as hard as she could. Her lips became unglued and her scream echoed throughout the room, shattering all the glass and the sea of black viscosity poured in and engulfed both her and the King.

Darkness…

Kari's eyes burst open and she shot up into a sitting position. Her hair was soaked with sweat and the night was dead silent. She looked at the settings around her, forcing herself to believe what she had just experienced was only a dream. Gatomon was lying asleep at her side. TK and Patamon were a few feet away, both seemingly asleep. The mat of leaves on which she sat had been thrown apart by her body's restlessness during the nightmare. She looked up into the black sky, hoping to find some stars for comfort. There were none. Kari had never felt so alone.

She lied back down and closed her eyes, hoping that she would fall asleep again. But the memory of the terror she felt during the dream was still to fresh in her mind, and she couldn't stop thinking about what that it meant. She got up and looked down at Gatomon. She didn't want to wake up the others, who were probably exhausted, so she began to walk toward the direction she heard the river coming from.

When she reached the river, she sat down in the soft sand and watched the water flow. She wondered how long it would be before sunrise, and then remembered that there was no such thing as sunrise in this world.

There were some small pebbles lying in the sand around her, so she began to toss them in the water. She tried skipping them, but none of the stones was flat enough to have any real success. Keeping herself concentrated on throwing the pebbles helped to make the fear and despair she had felt during the dream dwindle into nothing but a dark memory. But as that disappeared, the thoughts of her life at home began to swim back. She scolded herself for being so weak that she had brought TK into all of this. The two of them could be at home right now watching a movie or just talking. Because of her, though, they were now going to have to fight the Undersea Master, and probably Daemon too. Neither Patamon nor Gatomon could Digivolve to their Mega forms, whatever those were, and even when the Digidestined had fought Daemon with Imperialdramon, they had only been able to seal him here. They had not even come close to destroying him. How could she and TK do it without the others?

"You couldn't sleep?" said TK's soft voice as the boy sat down in the sand next to her.

She looked at him and smiled weakly, "No, I had a nightmare."

"I couldn't sleep either," he smiled back. "Besides, it's been a long time since we've seen each other. We have a lot of catching up to do. What was your nightmare about?"

"I don't really want to talk about it, it was just too scary."

TK took one of the pebbles and tossed it into the water. "Well you're awake now and you're safe for the moment. I know you probably don't want to talk about it, but how did you get here in the first place?"

Kari looked at him with a wry smile, "I don't really like living in Nagoya. I miss everyone."

"You're lonely and that's it?"

"Well there's some other little stuff that I don't really want to talk about, but that's the main reason."

TK's gentle smile turned into a frown, "Kari, you can't keep all your problems bottled up inside you. How can I or anyone else help you when you won't tell us what the problem is?"

"I don't need help," Kari replied angrily.

"Obviously you do, or else you wouldn't be here."

"Why don't you just keep out of my problems?" Kari shouted.

"Fine, Kari," TK shook his head. "If you don't want to talk about it then I'm not going to try and make you. Patamon and I could have gone back, but we stayed because we thought you needed our help. But here I am offering it to you and now you say you don't want it."

Kari's eyes shimmered on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry TK. I'm glad you're here with me. It's just that my life seems to have gotten so out of control lately. I don't know what to do anymore." She moved to TK and wrapped her arms around him, putting her head on his shoulder and letting the tears she had held back flow onto his shirt.

TK patted her back, "I didn't mean to yell at you Kari. I just want to help is all."

Kari pulled away and rubbed her hands in her eyes, "Why can't things be the way they used to? My life never seems to go the way I want it to."

"Well Kari, we are Digidestined, and I'm not sure how big a role destiny plays in our lives. Maybe you were just destined to move away, maybe we were destined to be stuck here in order to help the Nocturnes. I don't know, I don't think that destiny rules us, but I do know that just because you move away, doesn't mean that I would ever stop being your friend, and it's the same with the others. We all miss you, and wish you were still close to us."

Kari sniffled, "Thanks TK."

"Now what else was bothering you?"

Kari hesitated, "I've had a lot of trouble making friends at my new school. In fact I haven't even make one. I just don't fit in with everyone else; I'm too different. And just when I thought that was going to change, the person I thought liked me turned out just to be using me."

"What? Why would anyone want to use you?"

"I don't really want to get into details, but just when I thought things were going to change, they went back to just as bad before."

"Well whoever tried to use you made a huge mistake. Kari, you are one of the most wonderful and caring people I have ever met. You always put your friends before yourself, and you're always there for them. And I'm here for you now."

Kari smiled, "Thank you TK, that makes me feel a lot better. But I still don't know whether I can face life again on Monday."

"Don't worry about Monday. For now lets just concentrate one helping the Nocturnes. It's going to be tough, but together we can beat both Dragomon and Daemon."

Kari's reply was soft, "Yeah."

…There are some things in life,

In which you have no say,

Rather than mope in the sorrows of your life,

Look at the good the grows,

And if the garden is barren,

Water it and wait…

"So, do you really think this is going to work?" TK asked Ater while the group lay hidden among some trees scanning the beach and ocean.

"It should," the one winged Nocturne replied.

"So Dragomon's city rises from the sea and floats around in the air for a day or two?" Patamon questioned, doubt braded in his voice.

"Yeah, no one really knows why though. Every few days all of the Scuba's are called back to the city and then it rises out of the sea and stays in the air for a couple of days. The time when it is in the sky is about the only time that we can feel safe down here.

It rose just a few days ago, so sometime today we should see it come out of the water. Then you can fly up there on your Digimon."

"Then we start phase two?" asked Gatomon.

"Right," TK interrupted. "You and Patamon will pretend to be Kari's slaves. And I will pretend to be her body guard."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kari asked. "The last time we were here they didn't seem to like you very much. What if they don't let you in the castle?"

TK replied, "Well if they think that you are going to be their queen, then they'll probably expect you to have a few slaves of your own. They don't really seem to know that much about us, so that gives us an advantage."

"So I guess all we can do right now is wait," Gatomon said, seeming a little worried.

"Yeah," Ater replied.

"I don't know whether we should go through with this plan," Kari said quietly. "It seems like we're relying too much on luck. What if the Scubas don't believe that you are really my servants? I don't want any of you to get hurt."

TK placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Kari, we'll all be fine."

"I hope so…" Kari whispered, the shadows of her dream still haunting her. The dream had to be some kind of vision. Was it telling her not to let TK, Patamon or Gatomon go with her? Kari looked around at her friends as she pondered this. The two Digimon were lying on the ground staring at the sky, and TK and Ater were watching the ocean to make sure they didn't miss the rising of the underwater city.

The memory of helplessly watching them die in the dream sent a chill through her body. It felt so real, and it left her with so many questions. Why had she been at the Undersea Master's side in the first place, and why had she felt happy? Until her friends had come to save her that is.

Kari felt she had to be alone for a while. She needed time to think. She turned to TK and put on an embarrassed face, "Uh TK…"

TK turned and looked at her, "Yes Kari?"

"Well, I kinda have to go to the bathroom, so I'm going to leave for a little bit."

TK paused for a moment, "Ok, just don't go too far, incase the city rises. If something's wrong, just yell for us and we'll come running."

"Ok. I'll be right back." She smiled at TK, who returned the smile happily.

She turned from the group and began walking back into the forest. Kari felt a little bad about having lied to the others, but it was a white lie, it wouldn't hurt anyone. She just wanted a little time to think.

While she walked, a question popped into her head. TK had been persistent in asking her why she was stuck here. The truth was, she didn't really know. The shock of being used and all the problems in Nagoya were becoming faded scares here. But there was something deeper that was causing her soul so much trouble. She couldn't quite put her finger on it.

She began to compare her troubles in Nagoya to the troubles she had previously faced in her life. Why was it that she had never been very good at making friends? When she was younger, she had Tai, and truthfully he was all she needed. But when she got a little older and started spending less time with Tai, she hadn't been able to find any people who understood her. She had felt the same hurt then as she did now. Then she went to the Digital World, and became good friends with all the Digidestined. It seemed like all her problems with making friends would be over forever. She had never really desired any other friends than the Digidestined, and the only good friend she had made that wasn't a Digidestined was Davis, and even he became a Digidestined later on. What were all of these connections? Once she had lost all of these friends, and Tai had gone to college, she was left with nothing but the shattered remains of a once enjoyable life. What was she missing?

Just as the answer was about to strike her, she realized that she hadn't been paying attention to her wondering. She looked at her surroundings, trying to find a familiar landmark. None.

"TK," she called out, hoping to gain a bearing on what direction he might be in. There was no answer. She had been so deep in thought that she had lost track of time. How long had she been away from the group? It didn't seem like much more than five minutes, but she wasn't sure.

She tried to remember which direction she had come from, but all the paths under the trees looked the same. She looked at the ground, hoping she would be able to see any of her footprints that could lead her back to the others. Unfortunately, the ground had too much growing in it, and there were no traces of her footprints.

Kari growled in annoyance. She had gotten herself lost already. Wait! Kari smacked her head. Of course! Why hadn't she thought of this sooner? Gatomon and the others were near the beach, which was near the Dark Ocean. All she had to do was follow the sound of the crashing waves to get back to the others.

Pricking her ears, she heard the soft moan of waves torturing the beach, and then she began to walk in that direction. With every step she took the sound of the waves grew louder. She cried out to the others, but there was still no answer. They might not have been paying attention. Maybe she had been gone for less time than she thought.

The density of the trees began to thin and she ran out onto the beach, almost tripping in the sand. Then she turned around and scanned the tree line for her friends. They were nowhere in site. She was about to panic, but realized that if she just kept along the beach, heading in the direction she was sure the other were in, she was bound to stumble across them eventually. There was nothing to worry about.

While Kari walked, the tree line began to rise onto a hill of eroded earth. She looked further down the beach. The outlines of a city crept into her vision. That must have been the Nocturne's home. Then she remembered. She had been here before, in this same very area. Looking at the tree line, she saw a cave in the eroded earth. That must have been the cave where she had met the Scubas for the first time.

Kari was hesitant to go in it again, the last experience hadn't exactly been an enjoyable one. But her mind contradicted her with the thought that all the Scubas would be gathering to the underwater city, and the chances of there being some in there regardless were very unlikely.

The cave was dark, just like the first time. Yet this time there were no creepy voices asking her for help. She went slowly because she couldn't see where her feet were stepping, and the last thing she needed was a twisted ankle on a rock. The presence of the cave brought back unpleasant and fearful memories.

Something crunched under her right foot, and she bent down to inspect it. It felt glassy and she picked it cautiously up to examine it in the light. It was a piece of a black spiral, the ones that Ken had put on the Scumamon a few years ago. She tossed it to the ground and it shattered. She was looking deeper into the cave when a voice made her yelp in surprise.

"I never got a chance to thank your saving my servants from the Digimon Emperor the last time you were here," it said. The voice was smooth and pleasant on her ears. It also intrigued her, because it echoed. Not because they were in a cave, it seemed, but because that was the nature of the voice. The voice seemed almost unworldly.

Kari could feel her hairs stand on end, and a cold chill sweep over her body. She let out a gulp, and turned around. She had expected to see some hideous looking Digimon, but her jaw dropped at what she saw.

Standing at the entrance of the cave was a young man with long blonde hair swaying in the breeze. His bright blue eyes seemed to glow through the darkness and they put Kari strangely at ease. He was wearing blue robe with a white tassel at the waist. From his back sprouted two white, feathery wings. He smiled.

"Y-you're the Undersea Master…" Kari choked. She had imagined him being hideous and cruel, but this creature looked benevolent and actually… beautiful.

"Please, call me Dragomon."

Dragomon took a few slow steps toward Kari, who stepped back and said, "I don't want to be your queen."

"Please, Child of Light, do not be afraid, I will not hurt you." He bent down and picked up a dark spiral. "At times my servants can be a little frightening, and I'm sorry they made my request seem like a demand."

"They said they wanted me to be their queen, so they could overthrow you."

Dragomon laughed pleasantly, "Some of those you freed were rebels. The rest of my servants are loyal. It is actually I who wish for you to be my queen."

"I see," said Kari suspiciously.

"But, Child of Light, the offer still stands. I have been searching for a long time for a queen fit to rule by my side. You are the one I have chosen, will you rule by my side?"

"No," said Kari firmly.

"I see you are afraid of me, and that you think my soul is dark. Tell me, what is your name?"

"I'm not going to tell you that."

"Well my dear, I'm sure that you've heard many rumors about me that make you dislike and even hate me. Let me assure you though, I am not as cruel and heartless as those rumors portray me. I care deeply about my people as well for the other peoples of this world."

"What about the Nocturnes? One of them told me that you have exterminated all the other creatures that defied you. That doesn't seem very caring to me."

Dragomon hung his head, "I admit, I have exterminated a few groups of creature, yet I did so unwillingly. What am I to do when they attack my people? I would rather eliminate a threat than have it looming in the shadows to strike me when I least expect."

"You did it to… protect your people?"

"Yes."

Kari looked at the angelic looking man with a little doubt. Ater had made her believe that Dragomon was a terrible monster, but now that she'd actually met him, he seemed kind and compassionate. Yet she wasn't about to believe his story just yet, she was always cautious. "Why would the Nocturne's lie to us?"

"The Nocturnes and my servants have been quarrelling for a very long time, long before I adopted my servants. The Nocturnes would do anything to get at them."

Kari shrugged. That did make sense; the Scubas and the Nocturnes did seem to hate each other for more reasons than the Scubas serving Dragomon. Maybe the Nocturnes were jealous? "How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know that everything you've told me isn't just one big lie?"

Dragomon was now standing just a few feet away from her, "You don't. Tell me, Child of Light, do you have a name that you would rather be called?"

"My name is… Kari."

"What a beautiful name. Kari, do you know why you have become stranded here in this realm?"

Kari hesitated, how did he know that I was stuck here? "I-I'm not sure."

"I know why, Kari. Do you want me to tell you?"

"How could you possibly know something about me that I don't?"

"I am not what you call a `Digimon' Kari, I am much more. I know things about you that you think are secret. But this I can tell just by looking into your eyes. You are here because in your home world you've lost a sense of belonging. You feel incomplete, like you are not a part of something."

Kari gasped. What Dragomon was saying was the answer. She wasn't a part of a group anymore. True, she was still a Digidestined, but what good is a Digidestined without the rest of the team? She lacked being a part of something. Kari remained silent.

"Am I right, Kari?"

"Yes…" Kari said as she looked into Dragomon's eyes. As she looked into his eyes, she felt an overwhelming feeling of trust pump into her body. His eyes were so gorgeous and comforting. It was almost as if there was some sort of magic in them that drew her to him. Dragomon must have been misunderstood, not evil.

Dragomon continued to stare into her eyes and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "I too can relate to your sense of incompleteness. I have been searching for eons for a queen, one to share eternity with. Kari, come with me and be my queen. You will become one of us. You will belong. Together, we shall rule this world in peace forever."

Kari shook her head for an instant; braking the stare. "I can't."

Dragomon grasped her shoulders tighter and pulled her gaze back to his. "At least, Kari, please come and visit my city. If you do not like what you see, then you may leave. It will break my heart, but I could never force you to be with me. Will you come?"

Kari nodded her head, "Yes. Yes, I will go with you."

"Good," Dragomon's smile curled maliciously, but Kari didn't see it, her eyes were locked with his as if in a trance.

The angelic creature lifted the girl in his arms and walked out of the cave. As they left the cave Kari looked at her surroundings. She blinked a few times and decided that it wasn't her imagination. Everything had changed. Rather than the bleak, colorless world she had observed before, everything now was bursting with color. The youthful green of the trees, the calm cobalt ocean misting as it crashed against shore, and the sky, it was more beautiful and clear than she had ever realized it could be.

"Everything looks so different. Why is there so much color?" Kari mumbled.

"Your eyes have been opened. This world is only bleak to those whose eyes have not been opened." Dragomon turned her and pointed into the sky at a large, floating castle in the distance. " That is where I live, and if you become my queen, it too will become your home." The castle was too far away for Kari to make out details, but she imagined that it was as white, beautiful and as stunning as the castles she had read about in fairy tales.

Kari let out a cry of surprise as Dragomon lifted into the air with his wings. A trail of angel feathers floated behind as he beat his wings. Kari sighed happily. It was as if she had stumbled into some romantic fantasy, and Dragomon, her knight and maybe king soon, was what had been missing all her life. All thoughts of her friends on the ground disappeared as if they were nothing more than bright flowers in some bleak nightmare she never wanted to think of again…

…Are you searching for a knight,

To sweep you off your feet,

Leap into the air and take flight?

Sometimes a knight is too good to be true,

So you may have to settle for a peasant,

With the heart of a knight, loving you…

"Kari!" TK yelled as hard as he could. He had been searching the woods for her for nearly an hour. A mass of guilt weighed his heart nearly too the ground. How could he have been so stupid by letting her go off on her own? Daemon or Dragomon had probably gotten to her.

He had been so intent on watching for the rising city that he didn't even realize she hadn't returned until the city itself rose and he turned to tell her, finding her missing. He sighed and called out for her again, and as he expected there was no answer. He turned and began heading back to the spot they had been waiting in. Ater had remained there, so TK hoped that Kari might have returned and found him.

While he weaved his way through the trees, his thoughts returned to seeing the city rise from the sea. It had looked more ugly than he had expected. Though he had been too far away to see every detail, just seeing it in the distance had sickened him. It was black and dripping with slime, and he could smell it from where he watched. It smelled like something rotting. He thought of how it was comparable to someone sticking his or her hand in sewer muck and bringing a handful of it out of the water. The very thought that they were going to have to infiltrate that place made his stomach churn.

When he reached the edge of the forest, he saw Ater staring toward the floating city with his mouth open. TK was about to ask him what was wrong, but instead he looked into the sky to see for himself. His jaw dropped as well. It was some kind of enormous and deformed squid flying through the air with dragon's wings. But that was not what had made his heart stop. In some of the many tentacles of the creature was Kari. TK couldn't tell if she was screaming for help or unconscious, but he was sure that she was being carried against her will.

Shaking the disbelief from his head, he jumped over a fallen tree and ran out onto the beach. "Kari!" he cried. But the creature that had captured Kari was too far away for his voice to reach, and all he could do was helplessly watch as the creature fly into the city.

He turned back and faced Ater, "What was that creature?"

Ater was shivering violently, "That was Him. That was Dragomon. He rarely leaves his city, but I've seen him once before."

TK was becoming hysterical, "We have to do something! Who knows what they're going to do to her up there. Patamon!"

"What's all the yelling about?" Patamon asked as he burst out of the forest. "What's the matter?"

TK ran up to his partner, "Hurry, go get Gatomon. Tell her that Dragomon has Kari and we have to hurry."

Patamon's eyes bent with determination, "Right!" He flew back into the forest in search of Gatomon.

Ater ducked as a spray of sand enveloped his body. TK was angrily kicking the dirt and yelling, "This is all my fault. How could I have been so stupid?" Ater rushed to his friend and began hopping, trying to get TK's attention.

"This isn't your fault, TK. We can't dwell on what we could have done to keep her from getting captured. All we can do is go after her, and try to bring her back."

Tears began to stream from TK's eyes and he stopped thrashing, "You're right. But I won't be able to live with myself if they hurt her."

"I don't think you need to worry about that. Dragomon wants her for his queen for some reason. I doubt he would go to all the trouble of capturing her and then hurting her."

"Let's go! We have to save Kari!" Gatomon yelled as she ran onto the beach, Patamon flying close behind her.

"Right!" TK wiped his eyes and pulled the Digivice from his side. He raised it and yelled, "Digiarmor Energize!" Patamon glowed and quickly turned into Pegasusmon. TK jumped onto his partner's back. Gatomon leapt on behind him. TK looked down at Ater, "We'll be back soon."

"I hope we will," Ater said as he jumped into TK's arms. "I'm coming with you."

TK was about to shake his head and tell the Nocturne that it was too dangerous for him, the gleam in the little dragon's eyes told him that Ater knew the dangers, but also that he was determined to save the girl who had saved his people so many times. TK nodded, and was about to tell Pegasusmon to go, but a voice on the beach interrupted him.

"Do you really think you can defeat Dragomon alone?" The voice was cold and familiar. Memories of it sent a chill down TK's spine, and he looked to his side, his vision confirming what his ears had heard. Standing in the sand was a figure in a red cloak, with bat-like wings protruding from his back and large horns protruding from his head. Menacing eyes stared from the blackness of his hood.

With all of his pent up frustration, TK felt like he could have knocked this Digimon out solid with just one punch. But that was how he felt, and not what would happen. "Daemon, I really don't have time to fight you at the moment," TK growled.

"You Digidestined trapped me here, and don't think I've forgiven you. But right now we have a common enemy, Dragomon. Together we can defeat him."

"Why would I want to help you defeat Dragomon? You're just as bad as he is?" TK laughed.

"If you help me, I may spare your lives for the time being, and let you go back to your home. Or, if you like, I can just kill all of you right here right now."

TK wanted to spit in the viral Digimon's face, but Daemon was right. Alone he couldn't beat Dragomon, and Daemon could easily defeat all of them right now. He shook his head; it was a lose-lose situation. Die now, or die later. He chose later. "Fine, Daemon, but I'm not going to take my eyes off you for even a second."

"Even if I were to make a move, what could you possibly do about it?" the Digimon laughed. TK glared at him, and then asked Patamon to head to the city of Dragomon.

…I'm facing many dangers to save you,

But it's nothing,

That any true friend wouldn't do…

Dragomon approached the city and landed gracefully. He looked down at Kari, who was asleep in his arms. One of the Scubas approached Dragomon and bowed. Dragomon's pleasant smile faded into a dark frown. "General, lower the city and begin mobilizing the armies, we move tonight. If any of her friends follow, kill them."

"Yes master," the Scuba replied and then shouted some orders to other Scubas, who began rushing in all directions to fulfill the orders of their master.

Dragomon passed through a gate in a large glass dome that surrounded the city. The vibration of his strides caused Kari to blink and yawn. She looked up at the Undersea Master happily. He looked down at her gently and said, "We are here, my Queen."

Kari raised her head and looked at the city that no human had ever entered. She was surprised at how beautiful her surroundings were. Tall white buildings and fountains with clear water decorated the landscape. She was surprised to see ordinary people scurrying to and fro. Most were dressed in cloaks. Others were dressed more elegantly, wearing robes similar to Dragomon's. Many of them bowed as Dragomon approached, and they praised Kari as their queen. Looking into Dragomon's deep blue eyes, she asked, "Where are the Scubas?"

He smiled, "These people that you see around us are what you call `Scubas'. They only have the gray, ghostly form that you recognize them in when your eyes have not been opened."

"Oh. They seem busy, what's going on?"

"They are overjoyed to have a queen now, Kari. They are preparing a massive celebration in your honor."

Kari blushed and smiled, "No one's ever done that for me… I don't know what to say."

"You need say nothing, my Queen."

"Please don't call me your queen, I haven't decided if I will be your queen yet."

Dragomon smiled, "I am sorry, I am only hoping that you will chose to be my queen. My people and I have been waiting for you to come for a very long time. We need you, Kari."

Kari blushed again. These people actually needed her. This was all like some sort of romantic fantasy, and part of her soul screamed at her for trusting Dragomon. But how could someone so beautiful as him, and a place so magnificent as this, be evil? How did she know that the Nocturnes weren't really the bad ones? After all, they had attacked her, and they had wanted to kill her or hold her hostage. What if they were just trying to use her as some pawn to overthrow Dragomon for their own benefit?

She looked up at the pleasant face of the Undersea Master. She had heard the myths of great undersea kings, and the man carrying her was exactly how she had always imagined them being, except with fins rather than wings. She snuggled closer to Dragomon's body and sighed, feeling tired but content. She had made the right choice; Dragomon was a hero, not a villain. She had almost made her mind. Hardly anything could stop her from becoming Dragomon's Queen. She chuckled; all those girls at her school could only dream of something like this, and it was actually happening to her.

Dragomon entered a very large tower of what looked like the central part of the castle. Kari gawked as they entered a large foyer. Red carpet and trimmings decorated the room. Gorgeous paintings littered the walls and hundreds of candles gave the room a pleasant glow. Dragomon continued up a massive flight of stairs that seemed to go on forever. Kari struggled a little. She didn't want to make Dragomon carry her up all of these stairs; he would be exhausted when they got to the top. But he looked at her with a smile that told her not to even think about it. "I am not a Digimon or even a human, Kari. I am a god. My strength and endurance go beyond anything you can imagine."

"That's what the Nocturne's said…"

After he had reached the top of the stairs, Dragomon continued down a long corridor. He finally stopped at a large door that was made of finely carved wood. Pushing the massive doors open he entered the room and set her down on a soft bed. He took a few steps back and clapped his hands. Five females, Kari didn't think that `Scuba' described these creatures at all anymore, entered the room from a side door and bowed before Dragomon.

"Kari, these will be your quarters while you are here with us. I hope that they are suitable for you."

Kari looked around the fully furnished room and tried to hold back her amazement, "Yes, these will be fine."

Dragomon smiled, "Good. I want you to have the very best because that is what you deserve. These will be your personal servants. They will bath you and help get you ready for tonight's celebration. If you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to ask. There is nothing too great that I cannot offer it to you."

"Thank you."

"Now I have some other business that I must attend to. I will see you again at tonight's celebration."

"Right," Kari smiled.

Dragomon bowed and strode out of the room, closing the massive doors behind him. Kari looked over at the servants who were bowing before her. A feeling of awkwardness overcame her. No one should be bowing to her; she wasn't that special. She cleared her throat and said, "Uh, you may stop bowing now."

The servants rose, and Kari noticed that tears streamed down one of the servant's cheeks. Kari jumped up from the bed and rushed to the servant. She was just a teenage girl, not much younger than Kari, with long brown hair, brown eyes, and a brown dress. Kari felt concerned. If this girl didn't want to be her servant, there was no way she was going to force her.

Kari took the girl's hand asked soothingly, "What's your name?"

Sniffling, the girl answered, "My name is Adella, my Queen."

Kari smiled gently, "You don't need to call me that. What's wrong Adella?"

"It is nothing, my Queen."

"Please tell me, I promise I won't get mad at you."

"Well, my Queen, it is just that I am so happy that you've come. I have always dreamed of the day you would come to us. Now so many things will change. Our Kingdom will become the greatest that any world has ever seen."

"Why is it that I mean so much to you? How will my choosing to be your queen make this Kingdom so great?"

"The King has been depressed for a very long time. We have yearned that you would come soon, because you will complete him. With you at his side, the evils of all worlds will not be able stand up against him. It is the King's dream to bring peace to all worlds. He has done wondrous things with this world. Only a few groups of evil things are all that are left here. But with your help, he will be able to extend his reign of peace to all worlds in existence."

Kari nodded, slightly confused for a moment. How was she the key to Dragomon extending peace to many different worlds? Then she remembered her D3. With that she could access a few different worlds, but that only worked with her and Gatomon. Maybe Dragomon was not at his full strength without her. Maybe she was the key to exposing the full strength of his powers. She really was needed, for something good. If this was all true, which Kari was sure it was, then this proved that Dragomon wasn't evil. If he really had been evil, why would he bother wasting his time with her? She had nothing that would be of great importance to him.

Kari pulled the servant girl toward her, and hugged her. "Thank you, Adella. You have really cleared things up for me."

Adella wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled, "Shall we get you ready for the celebration, my Queen?"

Kari laughed, "I have no idea what to where."

Adella took her arm and led her across the room. "We shall take care of that, my Queen."

"Thank you."

…All of us like to fantasize and dream,

Of escaping our troubles,

But at times doing so makes us miss out,

On the important things in life,

The things that are real,

The people that are real,

The emotions that we feel,

Those are the things that make the spirit fly,

Not Castles in the Sky…

TK squinted his eyes to protect them from the harsh wind. He looked to his side, checking to make sure that Daemon hadn't abandoned them. His lips moved into a frown. He hated working with an enemy, but it was his only choice if he wanted get Kari back.

His heart hurt for a moment as he thought of what terrible things that hideous creature might be doing to her at this very moment. The pang in his heart turned to nausea in his stomach. She was probably being tortured or she might have been turned into a slave… if she was still alive that was.

He chuckled a little ironically as his thoughts switched back to how this weekend was supposed to have gone. He had hoped to spend a few good days just hanging out with Kari and catching up, reminiscing about the good old days, and maybe even take a tour of her new city. But now here he was, chasing after her for the second time that weekend. How long had they been gone anyhow? He hadn't been sleeping at his regular schedule, and there was nothing to separate day from night here, so for all he knew they had been gone the entire weekend so far. How was he going to explain all of this to his parents, and Kari's if he couldn't bring her back? He shuddered at the thought.

TK looked up into the bleak sky, purposely looking in a direction away from the hideous castle in the sky. There were no stars, only darkness. He had always believed that night was just as beautiful as day, but this adventure was making him loath the fact that his own world split its days between light and darkness.

He decided that he should look back toward Dragomon's city to see how close they were when he heard Pegasusmon, Gatamon and Ater yelp in surprise. Feeling Pegasusmon tilt to the side, TK grabbed on to his partner as hard as he could. He felt a hot blast smack his face as something enormous passed by him. When Pegasusmon regained his normal, upright position, TK looked back to see a black ball crash into the ocean below.

"What the heck was that?!" TK cried.

"Look," Gatomon said pointing to the floating city.

TK looked and his jaw dropped as he saw more black balls of energy shooting from the city and heading in their direction. Pegasusmon easily dodged most of them, but TK noticed that Daemon didn't even try to dodge them. He smashed his hands into each one that came close to him, blasting them apart. When the barrage of energy balls subsided, Daemon looked over to TK and chuckled cockily.

TK was about to shout at Daemon that he shouldn't underestimate Dragomon's power, but instead he saw a battalion of Scubas emerge from the city and fly towards them. He growled. It must be convenient to be able to change your shape so you can fly. He would have to ask Izzy how they could shape-shift.

"If only Kari was here," Gatomon hissed, "then I could digivolve and take care of these guys!"

"Well we're going to get her, so you might get your wish soon. For now we just have to rely on Pegasusmon!"

"That's right!" Pegasusmon laughed. "Eqqus beam!" The horse Digimon fired a beam of light at one of the approaching Scubas. The beam hit it, and sent it spiraling into the water below.

"All right!" TK cried. But the victory was short lived as the next beam of light missed its target and the Scuba came crashing toward them at full speed. TK clenched his eyes shut, preparing for the impact. But instead he heard a blast and the Scuba cry. He opened his eyes to see the Scuba, covered in fire, crash into the ocean. He looked over at Daemon who returned the gaze with icy eyes. "Thanks," TK yelled unhappily.

"I wonder if you're going to even be any help to me against Dragomon," Daemon growled.

"Who knows," TK replied, "Maybe Kari and I will be strong enough to beat both of you. What do you think about that?"

"You're hurting your chances of me letting you go when I defeat Dragomon. I wouldn't keep pushing it Digidestined."

TK didn't have time to reply because more of the Scubas had reached them, and Pegasusmon was having a difficult time knocking them out of the air. Daemon had to help them often, sending a fireball into a Scuba that had dodged Pegasusmon's attacks. During the battle, which seemed to be lasting for hours, TK realized that the city was lowering toward the ocean.

He yelled to Daemon, "The city's lowering back into the ocean, we have to hurry!"

Daemon nodded and stopped fighting for a moment. He stood hovering in the air, gathering his strength. Then he put his hands together and yelled, "Evil Inferno!" Multiple streams of fire began shooting from his hands. Each of the streams seemed to have a homing device, following each of the Scubas and lighting them on fire. When the streams of fire had cleared from the sky, the path to the city was empty. TK felt his stomach drop to his feet, Dragomon seemed more powerful than ever.

The group made their way to the city as fast as they could. The bottom of the city was already touching the dark waters. No more Scuba's attacked from the air, but TK was certain that there would be some guarding entrance to the city.

He was wrong. When they landed at the edge of the putrid city, there were no Scubas waiting for them. But there was, however, a large glass-like dome surrounding the city that they would need to penetrate somehow. If seeing the city from a distance had grossed out TK, he was now on the verge of hurling. The towers of the city were greasy gray and covered in some sort of black slime. There were no plants present at all, not even seaweed. TK was almost rendered unconscious from the stench of the city. He couldn't imagine what caused it to smell so wretched.

TK put his hands onto the greasy dome and pushed to get a feel of its strength. It certainly felt like glass to him, but it seemed a lot stronger. He turned to Pegasusmon, "Try and see if you can break it."

Pegasusmon lifted into the air and shouted, "Star Shower!" as stars shot from his wings and pounded against the dome. TK observed where Pegasusmon had hit. "Not even a scratch," he sighed.

"Fools," Daemon hissed. "I'll do it." The mega Digimon disappeared into a shadow on the ground and reappeared on the opposite side of the dome. Then he pulled back his hands and hit the dome with a blast of fire. The glass cracked and shattered forming a large hole where Daemon had hit. TK shrugged. Daemon was turning out to be a lot more help than he had expected. But how long would it last?

The group entered the city through the hole, and as they were walking away from the dome they heard the sound of waves crashing into the dome. TK looked back, expecting to see water flowing in through the hole, but there was no hole. Somehow the dome had repaired itself in just a matter of seconds. TK was surprised, but glad. Who knows what they would have done if the city had been flooding as well as sinking?

TK approached Daemon's side. "Being such a powerful Mega Digimon, you wouldn't happen to know where they might be keeping Kari, would you?"

"She's probably dead, boy."

TK frowned, "I refuse to believe that. Until I actually see her body, I'll keep hoping and believing that she's alright."

"In any case, I'm not looking for your little friend. I'm going to put Dragomon in his place. You can go off on your own and hope you don't run into too many of Dragomon's slaves, or you can come with me and hope that Kari is with Dragomon."

Gatomon jumped onto TK's shoulder, "Let's ditch this guy and go find Kari. If we go with him, he or Dragomon will just destroy us easily. But if we can find Kari, at least we can have a chance of defeating them."

TK nodded and turned to Pegasusmon and Ater, "What do you think?"

"I think Gatomon's right, finding Kari is the most important thing right now," Pegasusmon answered, Ater nodded in agreement. "Let me Digivolve to Angemon, and then we'll be ready for any of those Scubas."

"Well," TK said, "I knew you guys would back me up. Not like I want to keep him company anymore."

Daemon turned back to them, "We had a deal."

"Yeah," TK frowned. "Listen, we'll go find Kari and then meet up with you to fight Dragomon."

"Fine. But if you do not show up for the battle against Dragomon, I will hunt you down once I defeat him."

"Whatever," TK growled, "I won't break a promise." Then he began running away from Daemon, Gatomon and Pegasusmon trotting at his heels. He yelled back to them, "Here's the plan. First we find Kari; then we show up to the battle between Daemon and Dragomon. One of those two is bound to destroy the other, and my bet is that Daemon will win. Then we only have to fight one, and we have a lot better chance of winning. If Daemon starts to lose, we'll jump in and help him. Then kick his butt. But first we have to find Kari!"

"Right!" the other cried.

…Inside the sinking city,

A maiden lies imprisoned,

Not by bars or brick,

But by the foolishness of her own heart,

Make her see the truth…

The bath was warm and soapy. Kari hadn't felt this good in a long time. She was being pampered like a queen, which she might actually become. But she had also been accepted into a group that wanted and needed her presence. She couldn't fathom ever going back to Nagoya. Not after leaving this at least.

Kari rose from the large porcelain tub and wrapped herself in a towel. She entered her room and Adella was there waiting. She bowed as Kari approached. Kari smiled and told her once again that she didn't need to do that for her. Adella rose and smiled, pointing to a lacey dress of pure whiteness lying on the bed. Kari's jaw dropped, she had never seen a dress so fabulous before. She held it up and studied it. It had short, puffy sleeves and looked like the fabric would reach down to her feet. The neck was low cut and there were flowers and hearts embroidered into the lace.

Adella helped Kari put on the dress and then she combed and styled her hair into long tendrils of curls. Then she hung all sorts of jewelry around Kari's neck and on her forehead. When the dressing was completed, Kari looked at herself in a mirror and her heart stopped. Was that image really the unhappy girl from Nagoya who had no friends? All those other girls at her school, as well as Kazu and his friend, would eat their hearts out if they saw her like this. She smiled triumphantly.

"Are you ready to attend the celebration now, my Queen?"

"Yes, Adella. Will you please escort me?"

"Yes, my Queen."

Adella took Kari's hand and led her out of the room and down a long corridor. After what felt like walking forever to Kari, the two entered a ballroom Kari guessed was the size of a stadium. The room was packed with people. Men, women, children. Kari was amazed that there was not an ugly one among them. It seemed like all the people of Dragomon were beautiful.

"Do you mind if I excuse myself, my Queen? I would like to prepare your room for when you retire." Adella asked.

Kari frowned, "I had hoped you would stay and keep me company. I don't know anyone here and I'm afraid I won't fit in."

"You will be fine, my Queen. That is just one purpose of this celebration, to give you a chance to meet the people of the kingdom." The servant smiled.

"I guess you're right," Kari sighed. "I really do need to get better at meeting other people."

"Thank you, my Queen." Adella curtsied and exited the ballroom.

Kari gazed around the room, hoping to catch sight of Dragomon. There was a large fountain in the center of the room, and a large group of important looking people gathered in a cluster. Since it was the biggest cluster that Kari was able to see, she decided that that must be where Dragomon was socializing.

She wondered toward the fountain, trying her best not to bump into people. During the walk, the same strange, inescapable feeling of loneliness overcame her. Here she was, in a massive ballroom with practically the entire population of Dragomon's kingdom present, and she felt the same despair that she might have felt if she were in the middle of the arctic wastelands.

Remembering all that these people were doing for her, Kari shook the lonely thoughts out of her head. They had taken her in and made her a member of their community. They had overlooked all of her faults, and embraced everything about her that made her good. She would gladly make this her home.

"Ah, my Lady, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you," one of the people in a highly decorated, military style uniform said as he approached her.

"Uh, hello," Kari managed to choke out.

"I am General Odo, the commander of all Lord Dragomon's armies."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, General Odo." Kari wanted to seem polite, and to act like a queen, but this man put a strange feeling in her heart. Despite his pleasant looking appearance, his eyes seemed to be hiding something. They were deep, dark and beady, with a hint of malice carefully stirred in. Kari wasn't sure she could trust this man.

"I must thank you," the General continued, "now that you have come our King has never been so joyous. He is already making plans for the development of this world as well as future plans for other worlds."

"What kind of plans?"

"Oh look! There is the King now." Dragomon entered the room from one of the side doors and began heading toward the fountain. Kari shook her head and scolded herself; of course Dragomon wasn't at the fountain. Dragomon's servants kneeled and bowed as he came near, he politely excused them and told them to enjoy the celebration. "Come my Queen, we must greet him."

"Right…" she looked suspiciously at the General for the way he had dodged her question. But she did not have enough time to continue her thoughts about him. Dragomon smiled and beat his angelic wings when he saw her. Kari couldn't help but smile at his actions.

"Kari, I am very glad to see you. You look absolutely stunning in that dress! You will be a magnificent queen."

Kari blushed and smiled, "Thank you, Dragomon."

"Come with me to the stage, Kari. I want to show you to my people. I am sure that word of your coming has already spread." Kari nodded and took his hand. It was soft and warm and Kari felt like she could have held onto that hand for all eternity if the need be.

Dragomon gently pulled her along with him until they reached a large stage at the head of the room. A massive orchestra played gentle dance music as they climbed the steps. When the orchestra saw that the King had taken the stage, they slowly faded their music out of the air and patiently awaited his words.

The crowd quickly hushed and stared in their direction. Kari was amazed at how many people were in the ballroom. It was like standing before an ocean of people, all of them gazing at her with curiosity and respect. She began to feel nervous, and a pang in her stomach urged her to escape the eyes of everyone. But those feelings were quickly dashed when Dragomon placed his hand caringly on her shoulder. She smiled and stared into his wondrous cobalt eyes.

Dragomon raised his arms and spoke so loudly that Kari was sure his voice could be heard on the other side of the room without any aid. "My people, finally, after years of waiting, our Queen has come to us!" The crowd burst into chaotic applause. After a few seconds, Dragomon quieted the crowd and continued, "I am sure that all of your are truly overjoyed, but none of your joy is equivalent to mine. Since I first set my eyes on the Child of Light, I have desired her. At times I thought it foolish to love a woman that I would most likely never meet again. But she did return, and I have asked her to at least visit our Kingdom and see it before she chooses to be our queen or not."

Dragomon turned to Kari, still speaking so the crowd could hear him. "Kari, love is something that either explodes into bloom in an instant, or it remains dormant for a very long time and slowly grows over time. Kari, my love for you is a massive explosion, and I have no control over it. I need you, and I want to be with you for all of eternity." The crowd burst into applause once more. Dragomon laughed and let the crowd work it out of their system for a few seconds, and then quieted them once again. "Everything I have, my Kingdom, my people and my world will be yours Kari, if you chose to be with me. I know that we have only just met, but I know that I love you, and I can tell you feel something for me Kari. Please choose to stay with us, and with me. Together we shall bring peace to many worlds and the fruit of our labors shall be many fold." He leaned in toward Kari, his voice now only loud enough for her to hear, "Will you be my Queen Kari? Will you marry me?"

Kari blinked and then her lips stretched into a wide grin. "Yes!" she whispered.

The crowd, though they could not actually hear her answer, sensed it and burst out into an applause so loud that the room shook lightly. Kari's heart felt so uplifted that she felt like she had wings of her own. Two tiny tears trickled from her eyes and down her cheeks. Dragomon wiped them from her face and smiled at her; then he reached his arms around her. Kari closed her eyes embraced the King in a long and satisfying kiss. Kari could hardly believe it; her first kiss was with a King! Dragomon looked at her and smiled, then he leaned back in and Kari kissed him again…

…Is it love or infatuation,

Truth or lies,

Sight or blindness?

Love has many competitors,

All wearing pleasant faces,

Hiding monsters behind them,

Trapping the unwary,

And causing more pain than joy…

Author's Note: Please review and let me know your thoughts. I hope this was satisfactory. Once again, I'd like to thank Silver for Beta reading, he puts a method to my madness heheh.