This was one of the first Digimon fanfics I had written. I edited it heavily, of course. But it's an old idea of mine. Post 01 if anyone's curious.

Don't own Digimon and all that goodness.

Note: flashbacks and thoughts italicized.

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The Life I Love
Chapter 1: The Fight

Sora sat on the branch of a tree as she thought of their mission. Gennai called them back because of a rumor; a rumor they wanted to be careful of. There were stories of a digimon of darkness who turns allies into enemies. So he sent them to find out if the stories were true, before any dangers could arise. Sora was worried because the others were taking the job too easily. She would have, too. That is, if she didn't have that horrible nightmare. The night before, she saw someone killed. Her instinct told her that this wasn't something that could be easily written off as a coincidence. She hoped it wouldn't be one of the young kids, or any of the others, especially Tai. She genuinely cared for Tai too much to lose him. She could even go so far as to reason that she loved him.

"Hey Sora. You're missing all the fun," Tai climbed on the branch and sat next to her. "What's wrong?"

"It's this mission," she explained. "I'm afraid someone's going to get hurt."

"Hey," he boasted. "We can pull this off. Who can be tougher than the Dark Masters?"

"That's my point. We're not going to take this seriously and it's going to get someone killed."

"If it makes you feel any better," Tai said, "I won't goof around." He softly touched her cheek and looked into her eyes and looked into her eyes. "I won't let anything happen to you or anyone else, trust me."

Sora smiled warmly. She knew he was being honest and that honesty is what made her keep her faith with the headstrong boy. She knew that one day he would grow up and learn responsibility. For now, she would bask in Tai's naïve nature.

Below them, they heard someone reciting the dreaded K-I-S-S chant. TK and Kari stood directly below them shouting out the lyrics at the top of their lungs. Tai and Sora jumped down from their perch and pursued their harassers, all four laughing. Tai closed in on Kari and pulled her down with him.

"You're going to get the tickling of a life-time!" Tai shouted in victory.

"NO! Help!" Kari cried out through all-out laughs.

TK lured Sora toward the others in hopes to escape her playful wrath. Before he could run to his brother's sanctuary, TK tripped and collapsed to the ground in a hysterical heap and Sora was immediately on him.

"I'll show you kissing!" Sora giggled diabolically. She pulled TK to her and planted a great, big smooch on his red cheek.

"What do you think you're doing!" Matt shouted and grabbed Sora's arm. Obviously, he wasn't getting the joke.

"We were just playing," Sora explained sternly.

"That was not playing," Matt growled.

"Hey!" Tai shouted as he appeared from the shrubs. "Don't yell at her like that!"

"What? Protecting your girlfriend?" Matt sneered defensively.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Tai snapped in his own defense.

"Yeah right! And Mimi likes Izzy," Matt crossed his arms, grinning sarcastically.

"Mimi likes Izzy!" the Digimon taunted.

"She does not!" Joe shouted!

"Joe likes Mimi!" the Digimon added.

"He does not!" Gomamon said in defense of his partner.

"Gomamon likes Joe!"

"No one likes Joe!" Matt yelled to halt their jeers.

"Thanks a lot," Joe muttered and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah, well I've seen you kiss her," Matt smirked, pointing an accusing finger at Tai.

"Dude! You made us!" Tai shrieked.

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"The game is spin the bottle and the bottle landed on Sora!" Mimi shouted victoriously. "You know the rules, Tai!"

Both Tai and Sora, both blushing madly, stared at the bottle that lay in their presence. That cursed, cursed bottle.

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"Stupid bottle," Tai grumbled, remembering the incident.

"I feel bad for Sora," Matt smirked. "Having to kiss you and all…"

Tai growled angrily. He reared his hand back and threw a shocking warning slap across the blonde's face. Everyone gasped in surprise. Tai glared at the boy. He knew Matt was trying to urk him. For what reason, he did not know. But now he was picking on both him and Sora.

"Uh oh," Joe muttered.

Matt recovered and was now enraged. He returned Tai's warning with a full out punch to the mouth. Tai stumbled backward and held his mouth. The palms of his white gloves were smeared with red blood from his lip. Tai rushed Matt and sent several left hooks into his face, drawing blood and staining his gloves more.

"Joe! Stop them!" Mimi whined, tugging frantically on his arm.

"Hey! You hate fighting so stay out of this!" Joe shouted. Tears welled in Mimi's eyes, but she wasn't about to take it.

"Oh yeah?" she shrieked. She violently grabbed Joe by the shirt collar and administered a fiery glare, leaving Joe with a considerable amount of alarm.

The Digimon tried desperately to calm their partners, but their loyalty to their partners only intensified the rivalries.

Trying to stop Tai and Matt from killing each other only made it worse. The other children were now drawn into their own petty fights. There was a series of one on one fights, the exception being Kari and Sora: the only two Digidestined with enough sense to realize the consequences of their actions. Their Digimon stood beside them in equal distress.

"What do we do, Sora?" Kari whimpered.

"I… I don't know," Sora stuttered. She knew this dangerous. Before they left on their mission, Gennai had warned them not to close their hearts... Or you will be vulnerable to darkness. Sora's fearful thoughts were interrupted by her partner's weary voice.

"It's getting cold," Biyomon shivered suddenly.

"And dark," Gatomon added cautiously.

A cold wind blew and an unsettling darkness settled among them. The darkness engulfed the warring group, consuming them completely. The fighting Digimon suddenly digivolved to their Champion forms. There was a presence in the air that was slowly taking form as a strange blotch, its true identity shrouded by its dark form.

"That must be the Digimon of Darkness," Sora growled.

"Let's digivolve!" Gatomom declared.

"Right!" Biyomon followed suit.

They were enveloped by the shining light of the digivices and became Angewomon and Birdramon.

"Celestial Arrow!" Angewomon called.

"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon screeched.

The energies sailed at full force and impacted, but only to be fizzled out.

"You're kidding!" the Digimon of Darkness roared. Its arm extended and trapped Angewomon and Birdramon in its mysterious substance of a body.

"Angewomon! Birdramon!" Sora and Kari cried.

"I have to get through to Tai," Sora gasped. She knew that if maybe Tai could be freed, then the others would follow. She ran past Mimi trying to strangle Joe to where Tai stood watching Greymon spar against Garurumon.

"Tai! You have to stop this! You're only making it worse! Please stop yelling! Look at me!" Sora shouted desperately.

"Come on, Greymon! Bite his head off!" Tai continued his twisted encouragement.

"Don't give up, Garurumon!" Matt snarled.

Tears flooded Sora's eyes. Now she was totally desperate.

"Please, Tai! I don't want you to get hurt! I love you!"

Tai froze. He slowly turned and looked at her, his anger replaced with a dumb struck expression. Sora smiled happily. She almost had him back. The Digimon of Darkness suddenly made a bone-chilling proclamation.

"The Crest of Light must die!"

Gennai had explained to them that Kari's light was the only thing that could protect them from darkness and ultimately destroy. If she didn't survive, no one would.

"Dark Laser!"

"No! Kari!" Sora screamed.

As quickly as the attack was called out, Sora had tackled Kari, and with a bright flash and searing pain, Sora took the deadly blow. Kari picked herself up, unsure of what had just happened. She saw Sora laying a few feet away, completely lifeless.

"NOOO!" she screamed in anguish. She began to glow in the white light of her crest. The dark energy around the kids disappeared, as well as their anger. The creature's darkness weakened and its power declined. The Digimon were free and together, they attacked.

"Nova Blast! Howling Blaster! Harpoon Torpedo! Needle Spray! Meteor Wing! Electro Shocker! Celestial Arrow! Hand of Fate!"

In a great flurry of energy, the creature was destroyed, never again to instigate destruction.

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I leave you with a cliff hanger! OOoooooh. End Chapter 1. Let me know if you want more, 'cause I'm gonna give you more anyway.