warning for implied violence and warfare.

Chapter One – The Sleeping Prince (Akari I)

The sounds all around her are her guide, next to the thumping of her heart in her chest.

"Above."

The voice made her raise her blade up on its side, the edges starting to crack in need of a whetstone. Lucky for her, the voice was true and the clang did not hit lower and crash into her nose. "Thanks, Knightmon."

"Aye, my lady."

Hinomoto Akari brushed her red hair back out of her face and pretended those words didn't make her eye twitch. It was just a smarter way to handle things, in the end. They were just being loyal and dutiful. Like soldiers were supposed to be. Except these needed to think. She had to pray they still were.

This wasn't a video game, especially not now. This was a war, and there were territories to conquer. And she had no powers to guide her, only instincts and wits.

Someone thumped beside her, Tsurugi Zenjirou with a blade made of stars. His buzzcut had long since been torn down in clumps, matted with dirt. She didn't bother to wrinkle her nose, she didn't have time. "Okay?" she asked instead.

"Somehow," He tightened his grip on the blade. "Blue Flare's really trying hard."

She scowled. "Oh I'll give that bastard something to try about." Akari put two fingers to her lips and whistled, before leaping up and out, scarlet Xros Loader flickering in the light of energy bullets. "Ready Shoutmon?"

"Hah, always." The raspy growl was somehow full of enviable cheer. Just thinking about it made her stomach clench with wonder and relief and pain. The weight of it all made her knees tremble for an instant too short to exploit. She sent her Xros Loader to the air and red light burst out in a dazzling streak of flame and sound.

This time, Akari managed to smile. Then she took up the hatchet at her shoulder and raced into the fray. The Gaozmon were easy to kill, once you broke their teeth. But she wasn't interested in them.

Her prey was human.

Her chest throbbed.

…

The strange war they fought in had no corpses, only streaks of human blood and results of rampage. And thankful civilians, always them.

Akari smiled at them, mouth a line. Small babies crowded around her ankles. Shoutmon soaked up it all, beaming and bragging as he set up new walls and set warm fires. This was his element. He was right at home. He was able to ignore the empty houses too shattered to repair with no one to fill them. Or, not ignore it, bu accept it. Then again, he had been born in a war zone, quite literally. This was probably old hand for someone like him.

No wonder he wanted to change it.

"Xros Heart is incredible!" squealed a little raccoon head, striped tail wagging. Zenjirou patted its head, sympathetic and craving someone's look, someone's hope. He was probably going to siphon it into himself, the bleeding heart. She bit her lip. She couldn't risk that.

"Let's retreat and rest for now everyone," she said, clapping her hands to get their attention. "Tomorrow, we'll make the gate back to Bastemon's castle and you guys can get some rest. The rest of us will search for the Code Crown."

There was a lot of cheering and waving at this. Honestly, she'd rather be behind someone else. But that was impossible. So she smiled a lot and waited for them to go. Then her shoulders slumped with exhausted relief. Shoutmon clapped her on the leg and beamed.

"C'mon," he said. "Lilymon and Mushmon have gotta have some grub ready by now."

Akari's teeth clenched around the retort. She nodded. She did need to eat. She needed to keep her strength up. He would tease her if she didn't. He would ask where he would be if she wasn't eating. But he wasn't here to ask that, so she could barely think to choke down food.

She managed it, however, and like always, took a resting spot away from the main camp. She liked the noise, but if they were attacked, it was better for her to be out of the periphery. Shoutmon always made his way to her eventually, whether she wanted it or not. He said it was because he liked her well enough. She thought he didn't want to lose another general. It was probably somewhere among the idea of both.

For now though, she laid back on the thin futon she had been given, smiling to herself. Another victory. She was getting better. Maybe it wasn't thinking like him, but did she need to to win this war? To fix things? It was hard to say.

She stared out into the sky, watching the many stars and moons. As she watched, she glimpsed the scarlet red tail, bright even over all of these Zones. It watched over them, it followed them, or it seemed like it did. As she watched it, Akari felt the now-familiar pain, carved into her chest. It twined down and down and she heard the voice that had left it over her skin, clear as day-

Can you kill yourself for him too?

At the time, Akari had told that person yes. Now?

Now she was not so sure.

Was her brother worth the cunning she was getting? Was her best friend worth this feeling of change and progress?

Akari peeled off her sweat drenched shirt and looked at the rose on her chest. Its small bud poked out towards her collarbone. There was no change this time either, she noted. A heavy exhale of relief burst from her mouth and nose.

The crazed old knight had marked them both as revenge for their interference, as insurance. But it had all gone wrong. Either she could die and get rid of his Queen on the chessboard, or their King would sleep on and eventually, possibly die. The choice should be so simple.

It was anything but.

A/N: Now this was meant to be for Femslash February, but things kind of happened so we got delayed a little... or a lot. Anyway, let's have fun with this! Please drop a review!

Challenges: Chapter Set Boot Camp prompt 28, AU Diversity Boot Camp soulmate!AU), Pairing Diversity Boot Camp - Roses, season rewrite boot camp - vanish, Novella Masterclass (Xros Wars) 7, soulmates challenge, Digimon Femslash Week Day 2 Fears, Diversity Writing Challenge J35, and Small Multichap Competition