Note: I do not own the rights to Digimon Adventure, Digimon Frontier, or Heathens by Twenty One Pilots. This is my first story ever to publish, so please enjoy!

Chapter 1

All my friends are heathens, take it slow...

Duskmon led his team quietly through the mountain pass. Lady Ophanimon had received reports of renegades scoping out her territory. It was Duskmon's job to find the threat and end it.

"How much further do you think?" Agunimon whispered. Duskmon's many eyes trained on him. He remembered a time when Agunimon was bright red with blonde hair. Now his coloring was dull, his hair was black, and his eyes were red.

"Not much further," Kazemon replied. She too was a duller purple with tattered wings that barely resembled her once shimmering fairy ones. "I can sense them on the wind. They're just up ahead."

"Get into position," Duskmon ordered. Kazemon flew off with a black colored Beetlemon. Kumamon, resembling a Five Nights of Freddy character more than a cuddly snow bear, took off to be the diversion. Agunimon followed Duskmon into the shadows, sneaking up on their unsuspecting enemy.

"I never got the chance to ask, why didn't Koji come with us?" Agunimon whispered under his breath.

While the two eyes on Duskmon's face remained focused on where they were heading, the many eyes on his body turned their gazes behind him to Agunimon.

"He's too sick today," Duskmon answered softly. Agunimon nodded and returned his focus to their mission, but Duskmon found his mind wandering elsewhere.

Ever since they had been recalled to the Digital World to serve Ophanimon once again, Koji had become increasingly ill. Lady Ophanimon blamed the Taint. The same power that made Duskmon and the others unstoppable made Koji weak and fragile. Unfortunately, the Taint could not empower the Light like it could the Darkness, only infect it and, thus, weaken its power. Yet, both Lady Ophanimon and Koji refused to send him back home. Koji was too stubborn and prideful to abandon his friends and twin brother, while Ophanimon insisted that no one could leave until their task was complete.

"Over here losers! Can't catch me!" Kumamon's voice snapped Duskmon from his musings. He unsheathed his blades and charged. It was time to go to work.

The pounding in Koji's head had eased slightly, enough that it was now a nuisance rather than a pain. He sighed and rubbed his aching temples, praying his brother would be back soon. As luck would have it, only Koichi's presence could stop the pains and nausea that haunted his every waking moment. Even Tainted, his darkness was soothing.

"Come here, Koji," Lady Ophanimon ordered softly. Koji rose from his chair and made his way slowly to the lady's throne, careful to keep his gaze down at his feet. Once he stood before her, Lady Ophanimon gently pushed his head up with her fingertips. "Look at me, Koji."

Koji slowly lifted his eyes from his shirt to her face. He tried not to shudder as he met her gaze. Ophanimon was different. She was no longer the glorious holy angel from their first adventure. Her eyes were red and cruel now. Her skin was as white as death with strange triangular symbols running down her exposed abdomen. Her armor, while still green, had a bull's face and ram's face on her shoulders, and a lion's face on her tiara. Her blonde hair, once flowing, barely brushed her jaw. Yellow spikes adorned her armor. Instead of angel's wings, she sported four gold demonic wings. Her Eden's Javelin has been replaced with the Flame Hellscythe.

"Can you sense Duskmon?" Ophanimon asked softly. Koji closed his eyes and focused on his brother, easily finding him and their friends.

"Yes," he breathed, unable to stop his voice from trembling.

"Show me," she commanded. Pain ripped through Koji's skull as images of his comrades were pried from his head.

Kumamon yelling at the group of renegade Digimon, taunting them into following him. Duskmon, killing two of them with his deadly swords before they could even process what was happening. Agunimon gleefully engaging a Tyrannomon with his fire attacks. Kazemon and Beetlemon swooping in and catching a Togemon off guard from above. Kumamon blasting the remaining Digimon back with his Blizzard Blaster while Duskmon finished them off. Agunimon complaining that Duskmon didn't leave enough for him. Duskmon chastising him and telling the others to report back to Lady Ophanimon...

Koji screamed and fell to the ground as the images stopped and Ophanimon released him. He could taste the blood running from his nose as the white hot pain flared and spread from his head down his spine. He felt Ophanimon pick up his limp form and carry him out of her throne room. His eyes grew heavier and heavier until he saw and felt no more.

Koichi entered his bed chamber quietly and locked the door behind him. The other castle inhabitants had learned real quick not to mess with his room when his door was locked. He slowly approached the king sized bed where his twin brother was fast asleep. Koichi studied Koji's face and frowned. He was paler than the previous day and a bit of dried blood was visible around his nose. He walked into the bathroom and ran a cloth under warm water. When he returned to the bedroom, he saw Koji blinking his eyes awake.

"Hey, little brother," Koichi teased sitting on the edge of the bed. He gently wiped the dried blood away.

"Hey," Koji answered, his voice thick with pain. He tried to take the cloth but Koichi swatted his hand away.

"What happened to you?" Koichi asked, his piercing gaze fixated on his twin.

"Nothing," Koji answered with downcast eyes. "Lady Ophanimon wanted to watch."

Koichi's eyes narrowed, but he said nothing. Instead, he returned to the bathroom to discard the cloth into the hamper and start a bath. Koji followed him. Koichi knew his presence would help stop Koji's headache. No one, not even Lady Ophanimon, knew why, but Koichi suspected that their twin bond was much deeper than anyone else realized.

After the bath, the twins laid together in the bed, Koji's head tucked snugly under Koichi's chin. His head must've felt better because he was already starting to doze off.

But Koichi couldn't sleep. Everyone had changed since the Taint. Especially the twins. Koichi couldn't imagine breathing without Koji. He felt fiercely protective of his brother, a feeling he had never had before. Sure there was that one time during their first adventure when IceDevimon had hurt Koji and Koichi had felt a surge of brotherly protection. But now, Koji was his whole reason for existing. He was his other half. His light to counter act the dark. He would do anything to keep his brother safe and to claim his brother for himself.

Koichi felt Koji tremble against him. He held him closer, stroking his long curtain of hair between his fingertips. Yes, he would do anything to keep his brother. Even if it meant plunging the entire world into darkness.