WARNING:

This particular chapter has gore, light mentions of death, and other such things. This is a darker series of Digimon. If you don't like that kind of thing, don't read it, or don't complain that you have.

So here we are with chapter one. I've been planning this story for some time and trying to get it actually posted on the website, but I wanted to make sure I had the full story (for all four books planned out) before I posted it. Also, if you guys hadn't been able to tell yet, my favorite Digimon is Beelzemon, which is why he's so heavily involved in this story.

Anyway, I don't promise this will be 100% error free, and don't expect it to really follow any of the anime or canon like that, because well, I created this AU specifically for this story. I won't be changing too much if I can absolutely help it, but well, I'm sure you're all aware how well that often goes with fan fiction.

Now, to start off this chapter, I'll give my "immortal words" from someone who commented about this chapter: So in the immortal words of my little sister (whom one of the characters is based off of): "Well it's about time."

And with that, let's start the chapter!

Chapter One: Awoken! Demons Appear!

To say that one person is evil and another good is only a matter of perspective. No matter which way in the spectrum you look, you could find yourself looking at the other and thinking that was where evil lay. It is an unfortunate but true reflection of the nature of all of us. The same could be said for the creatures that inhabit the world opposite of ours. It was created by us, but not exactly for us. It was inspired by the imaginations of thousands of children, and came to be like the worlds that we had all seen on the television one day.

They say that the Digimon came to be because of humans, that they needed us, but sometimes I think we're the ones who needed them. True, some of this would have never happened if they hadn't existed, but it was only a matter of time before our technology could truly catch up with the imaginations of the world that have always existed and always dreamed. And not just the good dreams, the bad and neutral ones as well, all making up one world as complex as our own, and filled with creatures that exist within the realms of their own rules.

However, these are living creatures, and they have just as much power to decide their own destinies as we do. I should know, considering who I tend to hang around with. The Seven Demon Lords were powerful and malefic beings, fallen angels and other such crooked creatures that spawned a war. After losing to the Royal Knights, they were sealed away, only to escape again. After countless battles the Seven Demon Lords were finally destroyed, and a new generation of the same creatures rose up to take their place.

Only these creatures weren't the same. The second generation Demon Lords weren't evil like the first, taking a rather neutral stance towards the world outside their kingdom and ruling to keep peace over the land of darkness. Their subjects chose to accept them and live in the peace their rulers sought to hold over them. However, peace never does seem to reign in the Digital World for long, another fact I learned quite quickly.

The other Digimon feared them and thought they were as bad as the first, fear that only grew more when their enemy began to make it seem true. These Seven Demon Lords were driven out, forced to dedigivolve or turn back into their digieggs. With them out of the way, an evil force began moving through their kingdom, silently working towards a far more sinister goal. It framed the Demon Lords for a crime they had never committed and masking the true intent.

That's where our story begins, and where I come in. That's where my perfectly average life got completely turned upside down and where I found someone who's very important to me. I didn't know it at the time, or who he was. But I will certainly never forget it.

Ailah found herself surrounded by darkness, not the silent and thoughtful darkness of someone who had just closed their eyes to go to sleep, but a suffocating, stifling darkness. Through it, she could hear screaming, the voices of people screaming and pleading for mercy and finding none. She looked around through the blackness, feeling terrified, wanting to scream but hearing nothing leaving her lips. If only she could see! She hated waiting.

Then she could see, and she wished she couldn't anymore. This time when she screamed, she definitely heard the noise, but it was impossible to distinguish it between her own voice and the thousands that were already rising to the sky. It was night, and the stars were hidden behind the haze of smoke and dust from the still smoldering fires. Corpses of humans and digimon littered the streets of the familiar town, choking her breath in her throat.

She had to breathe. She had to be dreaming. Digimon turned into particles when they died, not corpses. That's right! She had to be dreaming. None of this was real! Ailah told herself that, but she couldn't look away from the faces of the people she knew, and the digimon that her world already couldn't live without. There were so many people with partners now, though it wasn't unusual to see someone without one, someone like Ailah. Even the people she didn't know, she found she was trembling as she stared at them. What kind of creature would do something like this?

The thick air and scent of blood was pungent, and it made her gag. She turned away, hoping to escape those glassy and accusing eyes, but she couldn't. They were everywhere. She looked up and spotted the smoldering wreckage that had once been her house, screaming again as she spotted her own mangled body hanging out the window. She scrambled backwards, tripping down into the pile of corpses, their fingers seeming to reach up and grab her.

She leaped up, pushing them away and trembling badly as she looked up towards the skyline, anywhere to not see them. As she did though, she caught the sight of something else looming in the darkness, a shadowy figure that was just out of the light enough she couldn't be sure the colors or even the true size and shape of the thing. One thing she did know though, was that it was huge. It started laughing, sending icy tendrils creeping down through her lungs and through her body until she was just numb with the fear she felt as she stared at it.

What is that thing? She thought, her brain hardly able to form that simple sentence anymore.

Someone, or something, grabbed her, covering her eyes with its hands. She thought it was male, considering it was several feet taller than her and appeared to he rather well muscled. He also appeared to be at least like a human, considering it had hands. The creature also had claws though, which weren't bared against her and were instead just covering her eyes. She heard wings rustling behind her, and she felt herself stuck somewhere between confusion and fear at the strangely familiar touch. He began to talk to her, quietly in her ear. His voice was definitely male, and it was gruff with a slight Brooklyn accent in it.

"This is just a dream," the stranger purred to her in a strangely comforting way. "Don't listen to them. Its just a dream."

She forced herself to slowly accept what the stranger was telling her, taking in a deep breath and forgetting the screams and cries of agony, and most of all, that horrible laughter that was echoing out across her dream. When she did, it all vanished, leaving only silence and her strange savior who had still yet to move. Unsure what to do, or if she should look to see who or what this thing really was, she took a shaking breath.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"No," another voice asked, an older, definitely female voice. "the question is, who are you?"

"I'm," Ailah said, confusion entering her voice. "I'm just me."

"You are certainly more than you appear," the old woman said. "You called out to me in your dreams, certainly nothing a normal human could do. Or perhaps I called out to you. You can never be sure, not when the Digignomes are granting wishes. Sometimes they grant the wishes in our hearts that even we don't know yet. So tell me child, do you wish to hear what I have to say?"

Ailah paused a moment, unsure what to say. She couldn't see this creature and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to. That dream still freaked her out, and she was still dreaming? Who was this man, or this woman, if they even were human at all? She knew all about the Digignomes. They had been created at the same time as the digital world, strange creatures that granted the wishes of humans and Digimon alike, the strange beings that had probably made the partnership between humans and Digimon more than just stories in the first place. She slowly nodded to the old creature, who made a deep humming noise in the back of her throat. For a long time, nothing seemed to happen until Ailah heard the old creature take a deep breath and begin speaking.

Seven hidden angels face a gathering storm
though shrouded they remain for now.
When the seven Lords of Sin fall the
world will turn its back on them.
When the sins turn then to virtue
an ancient enemy will be revealed.
Amid those rising tides none can stand,
least not while the seven demons sleep.
The seven angels will then appear,
from the ashes will rise a forgotten kingdom.
A war for both worlds will begin as the
virtuous sins unlock the forbidden gates.
A terrible foe will then be released,
and the demons, though their origins are dark,
will become the angels to fight for the light.

"Seven...Angels?" Ailah asked, utterly confused. "What does that mean?"

"That is something for you to discover, child," the old creature said. "I can keep you no longer. You must awaken. But remember, you are not as alone as you may believe. The wish makers can grant many requests, including those you don't realize you have yet."

Before Ailah could ask anything else, her eyes opened and she found herself in her bedroom. Ailah sighed deeply as she sat up, looking around and taking in the familiar sights. Nothing was blasted open. The night was quiet and completely massacre free. But it didn't make her feel any less uneasy. What had that been? What had she just seen? Slowly, Ailah stood and made her way over to the closet, where a mirror hand been left hanging on the outside of the door. The rims of it were decorated with stickers and painted over in some places, making it look way more girly than it had been before. Though of course, Ailah would never tell Victoria that because well, the older girl had been her only friend for a long time, seeing how everyone else thought she was weird. She didn't dress or act like other girls her age, which made her an easy target.

She stared intently at her reflection, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. She was the same girl with shoulder length brown hair and bright blue eyes that almost always seemed to change colors according to what she was wearing, or sometimes apparently according to her mood. Right now, they seemed to be an almost stormy gray color. She had pale skin, like she'd never been outside a day in her life, and she was thin and well built for a fifteen year old. Not that anyone ever really saw it.

She was content to dress up like a tomboy. While most girls her age were focused on boys and makeup, she like to write stories and tended to have her nose in a book or her the newest sheet of notebook paper for her to write it down on when she was away from her computer at home. Besides, it was easier to keep up with a so called "hard copy" when she was on the go. Because of that though, no one really ever seemed to hang out with her except for Victoria.

That was, until Gabumon had showed up. He was a sweet little digimon and rather shy at times, but he liked Ailah well enough and had always seemed to be willing to hang out with her. When people found out though Victoria had been shipped out of the normal school system and straight into the Digital Academy, where students with Digimon Partners lived their lives with whole different career choices and such because of their partners. There were plenty of people without digimon Partners, like Ailah, but it didn't make her any less lonely.

Still, for once Ailah was pretty glad to see herself looking completely normal as she stared in the mirror. So that had all just been a dream...right? If it was a dream, it had certainly been a very realistic one, and one that sure didn't want to have again anytime soon. She let out a sigh. The dream was still bothering her a lot. She needed some fresh air.

Ailah quickly grabbed a pair of jeans, a red t-shirt and some socks and changed out of her pajamas, tossing them into the dirty clothes hamper. She grabbed a light jacket and threw it on as she tied her shoes and went down the stairs. She didn't bother being quiet since she didn't have any younger siblings and her parents had been off out of town for some meeting thing they had together. It was great they got to work together and all, but they often left Ailah home alone. After locking the door behind her she made her way down the street, letting out a soft sigh in the crisp night air. She wished sometimes she didn't have such an active imagination.

The worst part about it though, was that Ailah wasn't entirely sure that it WAS her imagination. What if something of that had been true? She couldn't quite remember all of it, but she definitely knew that she had heard that prophecy. It still made no sense to her and continued to ring in her head. Then there was that stranger who had saved her from the images in her head. Had he been a digimon? He certainly didn't seem like any human she'd ever met. But if he was a digimon, why did she feel like she knew him, and why would he appear at all.

She heard talking down the street ahead of her, and quickly remembered that even if no one was home, the town had a curfew for people who were under the age of eighteen. She was only fifteen, and so she quickly ducked into an alleyway, carefully hiding out of sight and hoping the clouds above threatening rain would keep any digimon from smelling her from where she was. Soon two figures appeared in the street ahead of her, a Digimon Ranger and his partner, an Agumon.

The Ranger was only around eighteen or nineteen at most, and obviously patrolling for any danger or kids like her who were out of bed. He had long black hair that was pulled into a braid behind his back, and he had piercing sapphire eyes. The dark blue uniform, covered in white stripes and belt full of all sorts of strange gadgets instantly marked him as a Digimon Ranger and not some random kid passing down the street. His partner was a tall orange dinosaur like creature with green eyes, and red armbands that formed an x over his wrists and claws. The two continued to talk as they made their way past, and they seemed highly unnerved about something. Though she knew that the digimon should have scented her, and that if that Ranger had been paying enough attention that he would have also noticed her if he had cared to look, they continued past her. The subject of their conversation quickly grabbed her attention.

"I'm telling you Chris," Agumon said to his distracted partner. "its not natural. All these recent Biomerges...every time another Digimon comes through they either cause issues or find a human partner as soon as possible. Its like they're scared of something. I haven't been home in years, so I wouldn't know."

"We have been getting reports of unease in the Digital World," Chris sighed. "Unfortunately we don't have a clue about what's going on. But with so many new Digimon Tamers in the world, its almost like they're trying to prepare for a war. Too bad all of them who come through don't seem to really know what's going on."

"Something really strong came through this time," Agumon added, obviously unnerved by this. "Why do you think we haven't seen anything yet?"

"Who knows?" Chris asked, shrugging as they finally passed out of view from where Ailah was sitting and fell silent as they continued to walk.

Ailah didn't move for a long time, not until she was completely sure that they were gone. She was interested in what they had to say, but didn't really want to see if they were too distracted to get her in trouble for being out so late. She was already in boiling water for the last couple of weeks since Victoria had been moved to Digital Academy and her grades had suffered. She didn't need to have a citation written up as well. Ailah didn't know why, she just knew that she felt like she needed to be out here right now.

Once she was completely sure they were gone, she ventured back out into the street and rubbed her arms. The light jacket provided some protection, but the safety orange material did nothing to stop the wind when it blew against her and raised bumps on her flesh. It was biting and bitter, warning that winter was coming and was going to be more dreadful than ever. She continued on her way, her mind beginning to wander back towards the conversation she had overheard earlier. She couldn't deny it was true. Even Gabumon had seemed to be afraid when she met him. He said he didn't know anything other than rumors, but she could tell he had been hiding something.

If what those two had said was true, then there was definitely something going on, and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out what. Digimon were much stronger than humans after all, and even their baby forms could do a lot of damage to a human who was stuck alone if they decided to attack. So if the Digimon were scared of whatever was going on, there was a good reason for humans to be too. Even so, they didn't say anything. Maybe they weren't trying to cause a panic by telling them? Maybe they thought they could handle it or didn't want the humans involved? That would be what she would probably do in that situation at least.

She continued on her way, not sure where she was going or why, but as her mind continued to think up possible reasons and expectations, she let her feet wander where they wanted. She knew this part of town fairly well, so she wouldn't have an issue getting home. The streets were strangely deserted, all the windows pulled shut and closed so that those living behind them wouldn't have to look out at something. Once she realized this, she began to wonder if she should go home. After all, if something powerful had Biomerged near here, she didn't exactly want to meet the creature. Ailah paused, starting to turn around, but stopping herself.

Why? There was no logical reason why she should, but something inside her seemed to be whispering to her to stay. She needed to be here, though she had no idea why. She closed her eyes and let out a defeated sigh, her breath turning to mist in front of her face in the frigid air. She wished she could know what was going on. Everything around here was happening so quickly and she didn't know where to turn. Maybe she was just overreacting to the dream she had just had. She always was one to get overly anxious when things happened. Ailah was often bullied, not that she seemed to outwardly care much, though she was often quiet. Her lack of friends didn't help the matter, and she didn't really know how to talk to people. Even so, the dream bothered her more than a nightmare normally would.

A giggle overhead made Ailah jump and look up in surprise. She relaxed nearly immediately when she saw the glowing white creature. It had big black eyes and a wide mouth, large hands and tiny legs with a thin body. It circled her in the air, grabbing at her hair and clothes, giggling more as it continued to circle her. This was a digignome, a wish granter. They were said to grant wishes to people who wanted them and only seemed to live to make people happy. She wasn't entirely sure why it seemed interested in her of all people.

The digignome suddenly grabbed her wrist in its hands, cooing and tugging her after it. Ailah hesitated only a moment before she smiled again and stepped after the creature so that it would take her to where it was trying to lead her. It took her off the main street down an alleyway that at least had most of the trash tucked into the dumpsters where they belonged. The narrow strip between two buildings brought them out towards the park, where she quickly noticed that several of the trees had been stripped of their leaves. Was this where that thing had Biomerged?

She only continued to follow the giggling being because of what it was. Digignomes were playful but kind and often kept people safe. She wasn't entirely sure where it wanted to take her, but as they drew closer she could see that police lined the area and the crater where something had crashed into the ground. The whole that had been caused was huge, and Ailah gulped deeply when she saw it. Whatever had caused it had to be pretty big. The Digignome didn't tug her towards it anymore, but towards a children's playground in the park.

The Ranger from earlier and his partner were here, looking over everything. The rest of the Rangers and Police weren't near here however, more focused on the apparent blast site that had been caused when the creature had Biomerged. They looked up quickly when they heard her coming, but they didn't ask why she was out when they saw the Digignome dragging her towards them. They both frowned, knowing that the beings were very persistent but obviously not happy with it having (at least as far as they knew) dragging her out here when something like that this was happening. The creature ignored them though and dragged her right towards an overturned flowerpot near the wall. There hadn't been anything in it in a while, and the city hadn't picked it up. A crack ran along the side of it, but the Digignome just giggled and pointed at it.

Ailah blinked at it, but then knelt down in front of it and peered inside in the darkness. She could hear Chris and Agumon step closer, obviously interested in what she would find, considering the creature who had dragged her all the way out here. Her eyes narrowed as she peered inside, hearing labored breathing from within. A child? The shape within was certainly no larger than a toddler, but then she realized she was looking at dark purple fur.

A digimon then? She reached inside carefully, her fingertips brushing over the soft fur. She could feel the various wounds on the creature's body. Digimon didn't really bleed like they did, but you could tell when one of them was injured. Slowly she inched her head into the space, her shoulders covering the mouth of the large flowerpot so the two behind her (who had stepped forward and were now chattered at angrily by the Digignome) couldn't see in. As she did, she could finally get a glimpse of the creature she was seeing.

The dark purple fur made it nearly impossible to see him in the darkness. His feet had three ivory claws, but he wore a dark red bandana and gloves to match over his three claws. His face was startlingly white, and his nose was black, but you couldn't see that since his back had been turned to the front of the flowerpot. A yellow smiley face sat on his stomach, with a single fang on it. His ears rose above his head upwards but pointed down at the end, almost like a dog's might, and he had a tiny tail. It gave him an eerie but cute appearance. His eyes opened for a moment, a striking emerald green, but they were unfocused and pained, and he obviously didn't really see her.

Ailah carefully reached forward, lifting the digimon as carefully as she could and cradling him against her chest. She didn't know why, but she felt like she had to protect him now. She couldn't let something happen to him now. He was already obviously hurt, enough that he had crawled into this pot to hide from whatever had done this to it. Maybe he had been hurt in the Biomerge? He couldn't be any older than a rookie, so she doubted he was the "powerful being" that had come from the digital world. As she moved him though, she paused as she saw something tumble out of his claws and onto the bottom of the flower pot.

She slowly and carefully put the creature down and then picked up the object. It was yellow, and seemed to glow just slightly in the light. It was a choker as far as she could tell, the pendant hung on a dark place leather strap and through a metal ring that almost made it look like a dog tag. The pendant was a dark black color, but the symbol in the middle was what glowed yellow. It looked like a seal of some kind, a circle with another circle inside of it. She thought she could just make out the sign for a female in it, and the words "level 6", but other than the larger symbol in the middle she couldn't spot anything else.

The symbol in the middle felt oddly familiar to her, though she couldn't have placed where if she had tried. It appeared to be a rectangle, though just before completing the leg on the bottom both sides of the rectangle curved upwards at a ninety degree angle. Part of a second, smaller rectangle laid in the middle of this one, crossing over the two smaller legs that were inside the first and only had the bottom and two side legs in it. This formed the strange symbol that she could tell just by looking at it had much more significance than just some necklace he had been hanging onto.

Ailah quickly picked up the creature, stuffing the choker into her pocket and making sure it would stay. Then she carefully backed her way up with the now unconscious digimon in her arms, turning to face the Ranger and his partner, as well as the now cooing again Digignome. The two stared in surprise at the little digimon that Ailah was now cradling carefully to her chest. Now that he was somewhat in the light, it was obvious that he was hurt.

"He's hurt pretty bad," Agumon commented. "Looks like he got caught up in this. He doesn't have a partner though."

"Poor guy," Chris sighed. He didn't ask how Agumon knew he didn't have a partner. Digimon could just tell by looking at each other. "He needs help. Come with me. We'll get him somewhere he can rest-."

Chris was cut off by the Digignome, who seemed to be chastising him now. Chris and Agumon could only blink at the creature, almost surprised. It was obvious that the being was telling them off for having considered it, and then it flew back to Ailah. Something glowed between its hands, and then floated down onto the digimon curled up in the girl's arms. She sucked in a breath in surprise when she saw it. It was a white thing, about the size of her palm, with a dark purple strap and a purple ring in the middle over the small square screen. A slot in the side would be used for sliding power up cards to help the digimon Partner.

"He didn't have a partner," Agumon mused aloud, pointing at the item, known as a D-Ark, which was now also in Ailah's arms.

Ailah couldn't help but stare at the foreign object. She knew what it was of course, the same strange device that many people with a digimon partner had, but it didn't mean that it made it any easier to simply accept for her. Of course, since digimon were largely based off of a popular anime series and card game (the same that were used for power ups for real digimon) there were other kinds of digivices out there, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Still, she'd never imagined that she'd get one. Did the digignome grant her wish to be able to see Victoria more often again? Or maybe it was a wish this digimon made. No one could deny though that she had a digivice now, and apparently her new partner, curled up in her arms. Chris sighed and pulled out his own D-Ark, which had a red strap and red ring. The image of the rookie curled up in his arms appeared, with the creature smiling mischievously and balancing a ball of fire on the tip of its finger.

"Name: Impmon," he read aloud. "Type: Evil. Attribute: Virus. Level: Rookie. Impmon is an Evil Digimon whose name and design are derived from the mythological imp. It has an appearance like a demon's child. It loves pranks, so it enjoys seeing the embarrassed appearances of its opponents. Also, it is said that when Impmon appears, electrical appliances temporarily go crazy, so an electronic image going out of order or ceasing to function might be because Impmon was pulling a prank. Although it is a Digimon that loves mischief and malice, it never toadies up to the strong, but stands up to them with a strong attitude. However, the truth is that it has a lonely side. Attacks: Bada-Boom and Summon."

"Kind of a strange partner to have," Agumon pointed out suspiciously, eying the creature. That was true of course, seeing how no one ever seemed to have "evil" (though each creature of course was an individual just like humans) Digimon Partners. Virus type Digimon were rare to have as partners. Even so, Aliah held the creature closer and turned away from Agumon slightly. Chris seemed to sigh more deeply.

"Can't argue with the Digignomes, buddy," he pointed out to his partner, who seemed to reluctantly admit the point. "Anyway, this little guy's had enough. You should at least get him home and let him rest. Digimon do heal rather fast, but you should try and make him comfortable. This little guy" he motioned over his shoulder to the giggling Digignome that was circling the group. "isn't going to let us help him, but you're his partner. Do you have any cards?"

"U-Uh," Ailah finally managed to find her voice. "Yeah. I used to play the card game a lot." Chris just nodded to her, not surprised. Almost everybody played the game.

"If you've got any heal cards, use them," he instructed. "They won't help much, but its something. I'm Chris Nite by the way, and this is my partner Agumon."

"Nice to meet you," Agumon mumbled distractedly.

"I'm Ailah," she said. "Ailah Hollingsworth. And...well I guess you already met my...partner?" The word still seemed odd on her tongue, as if she was still dreaming and hadn't managed to wake up yet. This was officially too much to take in. The nightmare had been bad enough, and now this? If everything happened for a reason, she was officially lost. The Digignome just giggle unhelpfully again.

"Agumon and I will walk you home," Chris offered suddenly. "Its not safe out tonight."

"T-Thanks," she mumbled quietly.

"Well come on then," Agumon called, trying to look cheerful but obviously still not trusting Impmon. "Lead on. We'll get you home safe and sound."

Ailah paused a moment, glancing the still form of her new Partner. She knew they were right though, and he needed help even if she didn't really know him yet. She nodded and turned, leading them back down the same path they had taken to get here originally. The Digignome went giggling away again into the night, having fulfilled its apparent mission here. The whole way back, Ailah was uncomfortably aware of the fact that Agumon continued to glare at her, or rather, the small form that was in her arms. Ailah had never been so glad to see that same, familiar house that was far too close to the neighbor's town house for her liking before.

"Why are the lights off?" Chris asked.

"My parents are sleeping," she lied quickly, though they seemed to believe her because they just shrugged and raised their hands to her in farewell.

"See you later then," Chris said. "and stay inside tonight. Its too dangerous."

Ailah muttered that she would and quickly ran to the front door, unlocking it and disappearing inside before they could ask her anything else. She wouldn't have known what to tell them, and she was glad to get inside. It was much warmer in here, and even Impmon's fur was cool to the touch. She carefully locked the door back and carried him back upstairs. She laid him carefully on the bed as she created a small little nest of pillows and blankets in the corner of the room where he could rest more comfortably during the night. After depositing him there, she took off her jacket and tossed it on the bed, making her way back over to the closet.

She quickly dug through the bottom of it, finding a tin box where she kept all of her cards for the game, quite a collection if she thought so herself. She quickly pushed the card reader out of the way as she opened it. She didn't exactly need it now that she had an actual D-Ark, and it wouldn't do much good. She rummaged through it until she found a Hyper Heal card, then quickly grabbed the D-Ark from where it had tumbled through the floor. She positioned the card and the Digivice, pausing a moment as she held it there.

Was she really doing this? The Digignome had given her this D-Ark, but how could she really be sure that he was supposed to be her Partner? Virus type Digimon were rarely partners to humans, and she'd never heard of one that had been "evil" before now. She shook the thoughts off. She had to protect him. She just sensed that somewhere deep inside herself. If that wasn't proof enough that he was her partner, then nothing else would be. She slashed the card through it, quickly muttering the words she needed to in order to activate it.

"Digimodify," she said. "Hyper Heal Activate."

Immediately the screen on the D-Ark glowed, and a similar light surrounded the unconscious Impmon. Many of his wounds seemed to disappear, proving yet farther that this creature was now her Partner. The D-Arks would only work for the Digimon that they belonged to, and only in the hands of the human partnered with them. Ailah sighed and made a mental note to make a deck of her best cards to start carrying on her belt for him. Impmon groaned as his wounds began to heal and finally stirred, quickly gaining Ailah's interest.

She knew she was staring at him sheepishly as those emerald green eyes opened, blinking in the unfamiliar but still dark room. His eyes landed on the human girl, and a scowl soon reached his features as he saw her sitting there. He hadn't noticed the D-Ark yet, but he did seem to notice that he didn't look (or probably feel) as bad. The tiny stub that was his tail twitched just a little bit as he looked up at her.

"Where am I?" he asked in a child like voice with a Brooklyn Accent that quickly tugged at her memories.

"My house," she explained, putting the D-Ark down and putting the card back in the box. "I found you out in the park. Are you...feeling okay?"

"Look toots," the digimon growled, seeming agitated. "You DON'T want me around. I'm nothing but bad news. So you're going to show me the way out of here or I'm jumping through that window." He pointed out the window behind her bed. She sighed.

"You can't leave," she attempted to explain.

"And why not?" he growled. "Listen kid, I'm nothing but trouble. You're only going to get hurt if I stick around. I NEED to go."

"But you can't," Ailah said again.

"Why NOT?"

Ailah held up the digivice that was still in her hands. His emerald eyes went wide as he saw them, just staring at the D-Ark that he had finally seemed to notice. Or maybe he had noticed it before, but hadn't thought it meant it was his. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then quickly shut it, obviously having nothing to say. His eyes slowly moved up to meet her own, staring at her with wide eyes. It was obvious that Impmon was looking for some way to prove to himself that he wasn't her partner, but her eyes said it all. One gloved hand smacked into his face in what was clearly a facepalm. Ailah almost laughed, until she heard what he said.

"You've got to be kiddin' me," he groaned. "Me? Why me? With everything I've done, what makes me even able to…? The Sovereigns have to be laughing at me somewhere..."

Ailah was even more confused than before. He seemed rather childish at times, though again, he was in his Child/Rookie Form. Yet at the same time, he seemed to be much older than that and almost seemed to be so much more serious. Then there was his voice. She was almost sure she'd heard it somewhere before, but she also felt like she'd known this digimon for a long time. Maybe it was just a partners thing. She'd never really asked Victoria how she'd felt when she'd met her Digimon Partner, but then again, she really didn't know many people who actually had Digimon partners. Suddenly she wondered if she'd done something wrong.

"I-I'm sorry," she said quietly. Impmon looked up in surprise at her, and his eyes seemed to soften a little bit.

"H-Hey toots," he said. "it's not your fault. Really. I'm not mad or anythin'." He sighed. "You healed me right? Thanks… the name's Impmon." Ailah looked up at the creature for a long moment.

"Ailah," she said quietly.

He offered her a mischievous and fanged smile as she looked up at him, offering her a tiny claw. After pausing a moment, she stood and made her way back over, offering her own hand. They shook hands, and he seemed to watch for her reaction. He obviously realized something and started looking around wildly for whatever he was missing. Ailah stared in surprise, wondering why he looked so absolutely defeated and terrified in that instant.

"Are you missing something?" she asked. Realization dawned on her, and she ran over to her jacket and pulled out the pendant. "Oh wait, is this it?"

Nearly as soon as Impmon saw it, she saw him relax. All the tension and fear left his shoulders, and she could see some relief and hope sparking in his eyes. She had no idea why it was that important to him, but she could tell that it certainly was very important. It was probably the same thing that made her pick it up in the first place. More than just seeing it and realizing it belonged to him, she knew that it was extremely important and if she didn't quickly give it back that something would happen. She knew it was more than it seemed.

"Thanks," he muttered quietly.

"No problem," she said, handing it back to him and sitting down again with a sigh. "A Digignome just led me out to meet you, though I ran into an Agumon and his Partner, a Digimon Ranger named Chris. You were really hurt when we found you, and then the Digignome gave me that D-Ark. So I took you back here and healed you up."

"Sorry about earlier," he said, seeming to smile at her gently this time. "Thanks for finding this. Its...its really important to me." He put the choker on under his bandana, which effectively hid it from view. She shook her head.

"Sure," she muttered, feeling extremely awkward. "I guess...I'll go to bed again now. Good night, Impmon."

Ailah quickly got into bed, tossing her shoes into the corner of the room. She was aware that Impmon was staring at her back the whole time as she curled up, hoping to get some sleep before tomorrow started and she had to go to school again. It didn't seem like Impmon was comfortable with the thought of having a Partner, and she wasn't sure what to do. The dream was still bothering her greatly, and her rather mysterious partner wasn't helping anything.

She at last gave up and closed her eyes, hoping to at least get some sleep before all of this was over. There wasn't much else she could to but hope no more nightmares would plague her tonight.

A small black shape darted through the once dark passages and hallways that made up this tunnel system. It used to connect to a city, but it had been abandoned for months because of the threat their silent enemies posed. The whole digital world seemed strangely silent today, not that this particular Digimon cared at the moment. She couldn't help but sigh in relief when she reached the dark caves, glad that she had made it back safely. As soon as she had though, she frowned and found herself more worried than before. She'd gone out there in the hopes of finding the last of their number, but she hadn't found anything. This did little to comfort her.

She appeared to be a small black cat, with amber colored eyes and purple stripes. She wore gloves, which had three claws on it, and she stood mostly on her two back legs. Her large ears had purple tufts on them with three spikes, and the same tuft appeared at the end of her tail. Her eyes were narrowed and her ears were laid back as her tail flicked, showing her obvious agitation. She couldn't help it though. She hated to feel helpless, and she hadn't felt so completely powerless in a very long time.

She sighed though and made her way into the room where they had been spending most of their time, the few servants they had left who even knew they were alive rushing to get out of her way and bowing slightly to her. She didn't respond to them either way and continued until she found what she was looking for, a room full of digieggs. Four of them remained, each on a small stone slab with a symbol under them, the crests missing. One of these crests, she already carried with her, a green crest that seemed to glow and be filled with power. Another, an red one, was held by another. The rest were orange, blue, teal and purple. Each of the eggs were supposed to have one of these strange crests under them. These had all been lost, but another they were completely unsure of the fate of, the yellow one. Its owner too was missing, not even a digiegg here.

"Did you find him?" came a soft and gentle voice from behind her.

She turned to look, seeing a familiar creature. He appeared to look like a human child, but he was also a digimon. He was pale and had sort blonde hair. Two white wings adorned the sides of his head, and six more white wings sprouted from his back. His eyes were a bright and icy blue, seeming to stand out even more against his skin, and purple markings covered part of his face, chest, left arm and left leg. Golden holy rings sat on his wrists and ankles. Even in this weakened form, she knew him instantly. She sighed and shook her head, and all of his wings seemed to fall in a slight defeat. They only did so for a moment though, and soon they raised again. A determined look met his features.

"I refuse to believe that Beelzemon died," he said, sounding sure. "We'll find him BlackGatomon. I'm sure we will." The cat's ears flicked as he said this.

"How can you even be sure?" BlackGatomon asked. "He could be anywhere, Lucemon, if he is alive that is."

"We have to hope he lives," Lucemon replied. "He's strong, but that just seems to be in his nature. As far as we know, they haven't gotten his crest yet, which is a blessing at least."

"Why do they even need them?" she hissed, her tail wiping back and forth. "We're the only ones that can use them! It doesn't make sense."

"It doesn't matter," Lucemon growled in reply. "They're powerful, and they want them for something. We have to keep them away from them as long as possible. Which is why it's even more important that we find Beelzemon!"

BlackGatomon sighed, but knew Lucemon was right. They were crippled without all seven, and most of them had been defeated so badly that they'd been forced into Digieggs. They could have easily taken those attacking them, but they refused to be like the first generation and become mindless murderers. They'd all been working far too long for peace for that, even if they all thought they were evil. However it seemed that they were even more defeated than they had thought. The whole world thought they were dead, and only BlackGatomon and Lucemon Child Mode had managed to hatch yet. There was no telling what had happened to Beelzemon or where he was, and the others were all Digieggs. It was a bitter defeat. Still, they both knew their crests were powerful, and they were only sure of two that had truly escaped their enemy. Whatever they were planning on using those for, they doubted it was good.

"We'll find him," she assured him, purring gently though she didn't believe it herself. This seemed to relax her companion though, which was a blessing in itself. "But for now we need to try and gather our strength. There are far too many enemies around for us to go rushing off now, and there's no telling if anyone had seen me come back in."

"Fine," Lucemon growled reluctantly. "I'll wait. But I won't wait forever."

The prideful Digimon turned and quickly left, flying out of the room quickly and leaving the cat behind. Her ears fell as she again felt the hopelessness of the situation and then turned to look back at the eggs. She didn't have any clue how long they'd have to wait before there was any hope of them hatching, and she'd never been one for praying. But right now she was hoping for a miracle.

There we go. The end of chapter one. Remember that this book is part of a four book series that I'll be putting out, along with another trilogy that will probably be coming out at around the same time. I have no idea how much I'll update or how often, but I do have everything planned out and I hope that you'll at least enjoy this story.

If you have enjoyed it so far, feel free to leave a review below to tell me what you think of it. This is an AU, and I'll try to stay true to "canon" as much as possible, but I'm not making any promises.

This will be the last we see of Lucemon Child Mode and BlackGatomon for quite a while, and the rest won't appear for an even longer time than that. Anyway, that's all from me for now.