Demon's Trade

by reminiscent-afterthought

Six children faced Demon. In another world, another six faced Lucemon. Fate or some higher power melted two separate worlds, battles and tales into one.

A/N: Written for the Inter-Season Crossover Competition with Digimon ZeroTwo and Digimon Frontier as the seasons, and for the Diversity Writing Challenge, i4 – oneshot (9,999 – 19,999 words). More notes at the bottom. Enjoy!

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Demons' Trade

The gate to the Dark Ocean cracked open like a sleepy eye: blurred but slowly becoming focused and distinct. And the more focused it became, the more cold. The others stared at Ken but Ken found himself staring straight into those depths, into that chilling gaze promising darkness beyond.

But the waves couldn't reach his ears. Not yet. They were filled with other noises – voices: his friends urging him to stay strong, grounding him even as the ocean reached out to drag him back into its depths.

'Stay strong…'

'You can do it…'

'We believe in you…'

How could the sound of waves win beneath that chorus? If only his sight could be obscured as well. But it couldn't. He couldn't pull his eyes away: the gate had caught that much of him and he couldn't take it back.

Or perhaps he just wouldn't. Perhaps there was a part of him who didn't want to let go of the Gate, and of the ocean of black that lay beyond it. There was something there. Something important, something he wanted to see and reach – but the rest of him recoiled.

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There was a flicker in the black. The Human World, probably. The threat that Lucemon now intended to follow through with.

They, the Legendary Warriors in pursuit, sped up, but nothing changed. There was no deformity in the perfect darkness to become a blur as they shot past: nothing to orient them in the never-ending space, nothing to tell them they were closing in on their target, or, indeed, just floundering in space. The flicker came and went and its size grew, yes, but who could say it was their approach or Lucemon simply widening the tear? They couldn't, and they could only hope it was the former of the two.

As it was, there was only the five of them; already one of their number had been lost and they needed every scrap of hope that remained. They clung to them, clung to the assumption that they were getting closer, close enough – that they would reach Lucemon before he passed through the barrier to their world, before it was too late.

But the flicker grew, became more permanent. They could make out the grey of the buildings, the blue of the sky… And they were teasing, whispering, that it was almost too late: that they wouldn't make it there in time no matter how they tried.

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The inferno was starting to leak out. They tried to push, but they had little to brace themselves against, to push against. They had only Ken who could open the Gate. Ken shaking like a thin willow branch in the wind – a wind that may wrench him out of the soil from his roots and toss him, cut and adrift, into the breeze. And they were the leaves trying to hang on, the leaves that added almost inconsequential weight but mattered in other ways.

But trees and leaves were some of the easiest things aside from air to burn. Pain and regret were the easiest of those emotions to ignite. And the oxygen in the air meant that Demon's flame had an unquenchable fuel. It was, then, a battle between the Demon Lord's strength, Ken's strength and Imperialdramon's strength.

And the fire was leaking through. The hole was a small flickering thing in the otherwise black sky, struggling to grow. Maybe it was growing, but if it was it was far too slow. Ken was shaking but standing upright. He was battling his demons and struggling to best them, to get past them and Imperialdramon, likewise, shook with the effort of maintaining the shield keeping them all alive.

The others…they could only watch, hope, and speak words of encouragement that might be as worthless as leaves falling from a willow branch – or just as meaningful.

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Lucemon let lose a guttural howl as he drew close to his destination. The Human World was so close he could almost taste it: a sort of fire on his tongue that made his stomach come alive and twist and churn. The Digital World was nothing but ruins now and he needed a new place, and so he would take the world of those who had thought to best him. Though he didn't need to win that world. He'd already shown he deserved it and the Digital World stripped to its bones was the proof.

He was simply laying claim to what he deserved, relishing the moment where he would seize his victory – and in front of the feeble remnants of opposition.

He could sense them, drawing closer but too slow. The barrier was in front of him now and the first claws pierced it before they were within his sight. Too late for them, but they would watch. Watch as he stripped the Human World as bare as the Digital one and then created a new world unlike the both of them. A perfect world. A perfectly balanced world.

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Demon threw more fire at the shield. He had time and strength on his side moreso than the children and he doubted the feeble little light on the ground was going to become a jail, let alone in time, but it angered him all the same. They were ants, those Chosen Children and their Digimon. Ants who should have been crushed far before he himself laid eyes on them – and yet there were still there: an eyesore, annoyingly persistent.

But the fire would get them in the end. It was already leaking through and it would have leaked through the shield even if he didn't actively feed it. The world itself fed it enough that he could have just left the lit match and went about other business – but that was not his nature. Careful planning was not his nature. Perfection was not his nature. His plans consisted of the most direct route to the goal – in this case, power. Power first, and then revenge. And the Chosen stood in his way, so he would destroy them. The world was in the way as well so that would also go. They were hand in hand by this point anyhow. Once the shield fell the fire would consume the land beneath him in moments.

It was simply a matter of time.

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Lucemon had punched a hole through the barrier, and the Human World was on the other side. Kouichi could feel something pulling – something so soft, so indiscrete, that if there'd been anything else, he'd have missed it in lieu of the more prominent thing. But he had no form binding him now. He was simply adrift, intangible. He could only tell what Lucemon was doing because his data was there, the form he'd worn for months in the Digital World. It didn't pull him though, and he was grateful for that. To be a part of Lucemon, the monster he's shown himself to be under that pretty façade – if he'd still had a form in that moment he'd have shuddered in a mix of disgust and terror.

But he did not, so he simply absorbed the stimuli as though in a dream. He felt something tear, something open up – and then he felt that faint pull. From his body, perhaps. In the Human World. Or perhaps it was a less discrete tie than that, a tie of fate. His mother then? His father? His home?

Whatever it was, it felt so terribly distant from him. Barely there.

He wondered if he opened his eyes he would see it.

He couldn't. But he saw something else instead. A light. Flickering. Growing…or approaching.

Was it Kouji? Was it the others, coming to stop Lucemon, to fight him one more time? Was it the fusion, the new form they'd obtained, named after the Shinto god of seas and storms?

Or was that just wistful thinking on his part, and the light was just…death?

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Imperialdramon's shield was failing. Ken realised that hazily, amidst the heat. He was running out of time, but the Gate refused to open any more. A Flymon perhaps would make it through, but not Demon. And not when he'd have to be forced.

Was that it, then? They'd failed – and on his account, because he'd failed to make the Gate open wide enough, failed to carry their hope. He felt his body slumping at the imminent defeat – but they were still there, holding him up, encouraging him, urging him on –

He felt a burst of anger: a short burst that left a nasty taste of copper in his mouth. It was easy for them to talk, unable to help – but then the anger whittled off with a sense of self-disgust. How could he even think of being ungrateful to them? If they weren't there, he'd have given up long before…

And that was it. Daisuke was talking now. Soft, soothing, and yet cutting through layers of fat that had insulated the bitter, guilty, part of him. Daisuke whose heart was beating in syncytium with his own. Not saying he had to open that Gate. None of them were saying that. If Imperialdramon's shield failed they'd be roasted alive but they were urging him to forgive himself, to open up a different sort of door, in his heart. Maybe that was the only way – except he knew it wasn't. He'd opened the Gate with other emotions: with sadness, with anger.

His friends were… He didn't even have a word for them. Amazing, more than he deserved – they didn't do them justice. Even here, even when he was the only one that could save them, with this plan, they weren't trying to help themselves. They were trying to help him. It wasn't the same thing. Not at all.

The sparkle in the sky grew a little. His heart burst open as he stared up at it – and it grew wide.

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Lucemon's claws widened the barrier even as the first barrage of long-distance attacks hit. They barely hurt but they irritated him, like a fly buzzing by his flanks. Even if they attacked from a closer proximity he would easily overpower them. They had only the strength of Adults and he was an Ultimate Digimon.

But still they irritated. A human squashed a fly for no better reason. He withdrew one claw from the hole and swung it backwards. The momentum let the other claw widen the hole as the active one sent a gust of power back.

Weak power, but still it caused shrieks of alarm and pain. That was the difference in their powers.

Then he turned back to the hole. It was wide enough. And he'd obtain his victory through destruction and that would be the end of the annoying flies and the unpalatable backdrop.

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The air changed. Demon's hands faltered and that was all it took. The Digimon sensed their chance, between the suddenly wide open Gate in the sky and their enemy's wavering attack. They fired, and Imperialdramon withdrew one arm from the shield and fired as well.

It was enough to force him into the sky, but not enough to hurt.

Just enough to make him angry. To want to destroy.

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Somehow they moved together. Somehow they collided. In two separate worlds, the Chosen watched as the Demon Lord they faced was swallowed by the sky – and then they were swallowed as well.

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Nothingness had changed, taken form. Lucemon's swipe had knocked them back but not unconscious. And yet, when they opened their eyes, the scene had changed.

Their enemy had changed as well. They stood on a white-sand beach, grey waves lapping at their feet and staring at a cloaked figure in the air attempting to burn a hole through space.

'Demon,' said Bokomon. They hadn't been following, and yet they'd wound up joining the humans in this scene, whatever or wherever it was. And his book had come as well. A book he gripped so tightly his knuckles seemed whiter than was natural, however that was possible, though his voice was laboriously low. 'Another of the seven Demon Lords.'

'Seven?' Takuya whispered. He was shaking. Not only had he been in the front and the most badly hit, but he'd been in the core of Susanoomon too. The only one to equal that was Kouji, looking around the ocean and the sky but saying nothing.

Bokomon continued to read from his book, from the pages that had gone blank before but were now filled with information again. 'Seven Demon Lords rose up long ago, in seven different worlds. In each of the worlds, they were opposed and defeated, though not destroyed. In each of the worlds, they were imprisoned for eternity, but when other troubles in some of those worlds arose, the barriers that imprisoned them were weakened and so they escaped.' He turned the page, then continued. 'By some coincidence, the two worlds both had Gates torn into its fabrics and they were brought together. The result was a warp in space – ' He broke off there. The rest was blank.

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The world had gone blank. It was dark – but a different sort of darkness, the sort that hid almost nothing in the scene. They'd been standing in front of an apartment complex but that had gone. They were floating now, like a hot air balloon. The others were still hanging on to him and the Digimon were poised as though firing at the sky. They were just barely visible amidst the darkness.

Except there was no longer a sky. Though above them, almost out of sight, there was something. A misshapen beast, clawing and biting.

'Where – are we?' Iori was the one to voice the question. Daisuke was however the first to withdraw from their formation and look around; he'd been the last, after all, to put his hands around Ken's own.

One by one they separated, and looked around. Ken looked at the digivice in his hands first, once they were free. The screen showed five blinking dots clustered in the centre: his friends. And there was another dot at the edge. Was it one of the older Chosen, powerless without their partner?

He opened his mouth, but Hikari's voice interrupted him. 'This isn't the Dark Ocean.'

And when she said that, he realised she was right. He couldn't feel the despair that had been pulling at him. Just a spread-out cold.

And the sounds of the black above them being torn.

'Then…' This time it was Miyako. 'Where are we?'

And in the silence, Ken added: '…and…who else is there?'

The other five looked at him, then at the digivice in his hands – and the softly blinking dot at the edge.

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'What does it mean?' Junpei asked. He looked up. 'That's – we've traded Lucemon for something just as powerful?'

He didn't know how he felt about that. Cheated, somehow. And maybe relieved as well. This Demon didn't come with baggage. Lucemon did. Maybe –

'I don't want a trade.' Kouji spoke, finally. Growled, rather. 'Lucemon killed Kouichi. He killed him!'

Izumi tried to cover his mouth as his voice rose, but he brushed her off. Her eyes flickered up. Theirs all did: the Child forms of the Three Angels, Neemon, Bokomon, and the four humans. Everyone except Kouji. He was more focused on his clenched fists. On the raw pain, the raw anger, gurgling inside of him. His nails bit into his palms and he let them. Better that than lashing out at his friends. They were hurting too.

But it wasn't fair. How was he supposed to fight someone else? It wasn't the same. The hurt was from Lucemon. The grief, the desire to make him pay and make it not for nothing – it was for nothing if they didn't finish him, finish Lucemon.

'He doesn't hear us…'

Kouji looked up, finally. Demon's cloak billowed and the smell of ash reached them all above the salty water air. Demon's palms were up. Burning a hole. But he couldn't see a hole.

'I can see through him!' Neemon exclaimed suddenly.

And the others realised they could see the backdrop of black clouds as well.

And they could see their world wasn't through a hole in the sky. And nor was the black expanse of the Dark Area they'd been in before.

Takuya laughed suddenly. A barking laugh. 'Cheated twice over.' And he kicked at the sand.

Kouji let his fists relax. Cheated twice over. That summed it up pretty nicely.

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Somehow, they were trapped. There was a barrier in front of them and behind. One wanted to go back. The other wanted to go forward.

One tried to burn a hole through the sky to return. The other tried to tear the sky to enter.

The warped space clung to them for a little bit longer.

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It turned out to be a digivice floating in space, with no human holding on to it. It was a different model than theirs: larger, longer – a little heavier too, like it was carrying something more. Daisuke was the one to grab it and he shook it next to his ear, then shrugged. 'Not like I know how these things work.'

The sounds of scratching continued, mixed with chewing. Perhaps there was something to be heard, swallowed by the background noise. But it was a good distraction anyway, as they waited, and searched, and thought.

Takeru held out his hand and Daisuke surrender the device. 'Not like the original ones either,' the Child of Hope said. 'Of course, they were much smaller anyhow.'

He stared at the buttons, before pressing one. It didn't respond, but the screen had been flickering since they'd found it so it certainly wasn't dead. And it came up on Ken's D-3 – all of theirs, actually, though they didn't feel the need to check the others. What they wanted to know was whose digivice it was, and why it wasn't with the human it belonged with.

'I don't think they're near, whoever they are,' Takeru spoke again, after a moment of silent speculation. Silphymon turned his masked gaze to him as though guessing his line of thought. 'Hikari –'

'The digivice didn't react to me until it was in my hand,' Hikari pointed out. 'And Onii-chan's didn't react to me at all.'

But she took the device from Takeru and looked at it anyway, as though it might surrender its secrets to her.

It didn't, but she thought she heard something else – a whispering laugh in the darkness, just quiet enough for her to think she'd been imagining it.

Or maybe it was the same being making those awful tearing noises. 'It's horrible.' It wasn't the Dark Ocean but those sounds were nightmarish anyway. 'What is it?'

The Digimon squinted up. Apparently they could make out nothing because Silphymon shot into the sky, and Shakkoumon let lose a sizzling beam of light in the dark. Perhaps it marked their position for enemies – but better that than waiting and listening.

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The light was suddenly dull. Kouichi tried to squint, but it was as though his body was far away and numb and it felt altogether very strange. And the light stayed dull. If he were back in the Human World he'd think it was the shower curtain or a fogged up window separating the light from him, but he wasn't. He definitely wasn't. The twine connecting him to that world was still fragile, barely there.

It was something else. If only he could make out where he was, where the others were – he could hear the scratching and clawing and tearing he assumed must be Lucemon – trying to get to the Human World still. Not there yet, thankfully. If the others catch up –

But something felt wrong with that. The sounds were different. The feelings under claw was different and it made his fingers heat up a little, like he was scratching through wool to get to a fire. But that was Lucemon, not him. He was just trying to reach an understanding. To find where he was. Where everyone was. What he was supposed to do.

If the light had grown dull – maybe it wasn't death calling after all. And such an absurd thought shouldn't make him laugh, but it did. It was like a bit of fool's hope.

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'So we just sit here and watch.' And with that, Takuya slumped onto the sand, and the others followed.

The land was empty and so was the sea. The only other living thing they saw was Demon in the sky. Perhaps the inhabitants had fled. Or it was a manifestation of the Dark Area. Bokomon was looking between them, Demon, and his book, but he'd found nothing of interest or use.

Or perhaps it was all interesting. Just nothing of use.

'Did you find anything?' Tomoki asked. Part of it was curiosity. Part of it was just the need for something – to frame them, to distract them. There was something grating about the world. Something exhausting. Something frightening underlining it all.

'There is a lot of history,' Bokomon replied. 'I think it's the story of the Chosen in this world –' He broke off, having turned the page and found it black.

'Just like before the Dark Continent.' Junpei shivered. Though the Dark Continent had wound up not being so scary, the black pages still felt like ominous signs. Especially here, because if they really were in another world, their Digimon companions didn't have the advantage of some background knowledge.

'Not like the Dark Continent.' Lopmon hugged his ears closer. 'Not as a whole. But like –'

Plotmon touched her nose gently to his ears. 'Like Lucemon's influence, sneaking into your heart and refusing to let go,' she finished for him.

'Then…this is the Dark Area after all?' Izumi asked. It still felt different, somehow.

And the Three Angels shook their heads. 'Maybe the equivalent in this world, but it's not the Dark Area we know.'

And the book gave nothing more.

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'It's a Digimon,' Silphymon reported. 'Shaped somewhat like Imperialdramon, clawing and biting at the sky. I don't know what Digimon it is though.'

'Koushirou's Digimon analyser would come in handy,' Takeru muttered, squinting up. It was a useless action though; he could see nothing of use.

'It doesn't matter,' Silphymon shrugged. 'The Digimon's not actually there.'

The new generation blinked at him, but Takeru and Hikari remembered the time after Vamdemon's defeat when they'd been visible but untouchable. And the Digital World had been in the sky then. And there was the time Taichi had returned as well: that warp after Etemon.

'A warp,' Hikari said. 'Space somehow warped.'

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He could hear voices. Words, tossed around without context. Then some that made sense. 'Space…warped.' Kouji and the others were far away. That light – maybe it was Kouji after all. Dull because he was far. Dull because he'd been warped away, now in some other world.

And Lucemon was still there. Lucemon – and those voices. Who were they? Humans? Had they been warped to the Dark Area? Lucemon would crush them so easily!

'Lucemon!' It was an empty shout.

And what was he supposed to do? What could he do? He was just floating – not even that, because his body and soul were in disconnect. It was like he was observing a dream. It was like he wasn't there.

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'Lucemon?' Hikari repeated. She'd definitely heard a voice that time. But it seemed the others had heard nothing.

She looked around. There was the digivice in her hands, and her friends clustered about her. Nothing more. But the clawing and tearing were coming from somewhere above so the speaker could be somewhere else as well. 'Who's there?' Her voice was higher than usual. Afraid.

Ken looked at her, having said the same thing earlier herself. But the others just looked confused. 'Didn't you hear?' Hikari asked. 'Someone said "Lucemon". And I think they were laughing earlier.'

'Laughing?' Miyako repeated incredulously. 'I think you were probably hearing things with that. And who's Lucemon?'

'Lucemon is another of the Demon Lords,' Shakkoumon explained. 'It's an old legend, that there were seven of them, each imprisoned in a separate world.'

'They were too powerful to destroy,' said Silphymon. 'Each as powerful as Demon. Some perhaps more.'

'As powerful as Demon?' Iori repeated, shivering. 'We barely managed him.'

Did we? Ken wondered. They hadn't seen Demon go through the Gate. Had it been for nothing?

He shook his head. His heart felt lighter now. It wasn't worth the cost – but it wasn't for nothing. And just like his friends had been able to do nothing but hope and think positively, they could only do the same now. 'We did manage him.' I hope.

'Yeah.' Daisuke's voice was enthused. 'We did. And if the guy decides to not be transparent anytime soon, we'll manage him too, right guys?'

Hikari didn't reply. She'd drifted a little away from the others, searching for that voice.

'Hikari!'

'I'm here,' she replied distractedly, before returning to the thoughts on hand. 'Are you hear? Can you hear me?'

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The warp was slipping. The two worlds struggled to pull themselves apart again and the two Demon Lords tried to cut through the barriers of those worlds. But it was more complex than that. There were more than two worlds involved and there was a Gate open and a hole…

And more holes began to form, as the warp slipped. Fire spilt into a black nothingness. Claws pierced into ocean sky. The wounded Human Worlds slipped away and it was either luck or some higher power that spared them.

But then it was the two Demon Lords set to crash into each other when the worlds straightened out, so perhaps it wasn't a mercy after all.

For if each group of Chosen hadn't been able to defeat their Demon Lord on their home soil, how would they deal with two in a place they didn't know?

But there was no-one to think that. Wrath and pride consumed their sin and the darkness and confusion and echoes of fear to the wayward Chosen.

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'Can…hear me?'

It was a female voice. But who was she calling? Kouichi could see a cluster of faint lights now but they were all together. And the one he'd seen at first was still so far. Was she calling his brother? His friends? Or Lucemon? No, he could sense fear, when he focused on the Demon Lord. Not Lucemon's fear but Lucemon drank the fear of the Chosen –

They were Chosen? But there'd only been the six of them…

He tried to shake his head. Like when he'd tried to move before, the sensation was odd, and dissatisfying.

Maybe he should try and talk to them. Maybe they'd hear him. Or see him.

'Excuse me…' His voice trailed off awkwardly. It was weird, talking to thin air.

But he wasn't, because he heard the next question clearly. 'Who are you? And where?'

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'Are you hearing voices again, Hikari?' Takeru was unnerved, and it showed in the tone. And Hikari, just making a distracted sort of nod, did nothing to placate him. 'I told you guys,' he explain to the others as they clustered again. 'Back with Homeostasis.'

'I don't think its Homeostasis,' Ken said. He didn't know why he kept on staring at the strange digivice they'd found, but he did. And it was flashing. They all saw when he pointed it out: flashing, reacting to something.

The owner of the digivice? But why could only Hikari talk to them?

Hikari turned to them at that thought. 'I think he said his name's Kouichi.' Her face was screwed up in concentration. 'I can't hear very well. Can you guys?'

They exchanged looks. 'We can't hear at all,' Takeru said. 'But since you can, can you ask…err, him…where we are?'

Hikari repeated the question, then answered: 'Dark Area…I think. I mean, he thinks – I think.'

Miyako giggled. She was the only one to but it was quite amusing, the way Hikari had unintentionally phrased her answer. The sort of amusement that showed off when there was something darker in the background – and there was. The Dark Area wasn't any part of their Digital World and it didn't feel like the Dark Ocean either, so were they in a different world? And the digivice belonged to one of the local Chosen? Maybe the Lucemon tearing at the sky was the enemy they'd been facing. Miyako's giggles quickly died at the implication.

'Did we wind up in another world, facing that world's Demon Lord?'

And where was the rest of this world's Chosen? And Demon?

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The water became more transparent, or their seats had become numb because they could no longer feel it. And they realised they could no longer feel the macabre, stifling force from it as well.

But that also meant that things in the sky had changed. The black clouds had parted to show something. A different sort of blackness. And something else, catching light from somewhere in that strange world that had no visible sun nor moon nor stars and yet still was more than simple dark.

'Claws,' Izumi gasped finally, horrified. 'They're claws.'

'Lucemon,' Kouji muttered, and with a stab of guilt realised he felt relieved. But there was an ugly feeling inside him that wouldn't die that easily. And it didn't really matter, did it? Lucemon had to be defeated. He had the data of the Digital World within him: its only chance for rebirth. He had Kouichi's data as well. And he was trying to claw his way into the Human World. Into their homes, with their families. Thank goodness he was still clawing. Thank goodness they could see those claws and know. They were all good and fine reasons to feel relieved. They were all good and fine reasons to want blood. Noble, even.

But he wouldn't deny part of him simply wanted to punch and kick and scream. Like how Lucemon had punched and kicked at them and knocked them down. And he'd felt Takuya's desire to do the same, when they were Susanoomon together.

Neither of them had acted on it then, though.

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The two worlds met. Claws clashed with fire, reached through and touched the hands making them. Wrath and pride met. And perhaps they recognised a kinship in each other as well. Or perhaps it was mere coincidence that led their hearts to beat in syncytium.

Their touch let loose a powerful burst of energy, similar to how the tears in space had done so. Space warped again, but this time it was a different sort of warp. The Chosen weren't swept off their feet and thrown into other worlds. They didn't move at all. Nor did the two Demon Lords, in a sense.

They only combined.

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Their understanding had come too late. Or, rather, they'd had little time to process the idea before things changed again. There was a burst of fire above them – Demon's, they thought, panicked. But that was a smaller concern for the fire lit up the sky…and Lucemon, the tips of his claws invisible.

Or they had pierced the sky and were now on the other side. A side where Demon's fire was spilling from. The Digimon readied themselves to attack again, but there was something strange. The air around them seemed to melt but it wasn't hot, it wasn't like when they'd been shielded from Demon's flame.

And then Lucemon seemed to melt with the sky. And become something…else. They saw four arms, thrashing widely and, somehow, noisily, in the dark. At the end of each of them were trifurcate claws, gleaming red.

'That's creepy,' Miyako whispered. 'Is that Lucemon?'

'No.' And Silphymon seemed to frown underneath his mask. 'I don't know what that is, but it wasn't what was tearing at the sky a moment ago.'

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The cloak was the first thing to go. It revealed a tall figure with horns, fleshy thighs and long, red claws. And then that was swallowed up as well and the sky above them rippled, as if adjusting to something. And the figure that began to emerge out of that was something different to what had gone in. Four long legs: purple and black, with three red claws on their ends. But where was the head? And the body?

Tomoki looked higher and saw it. His whimper and shaking finger pointing saw the rest to it as well. Or half the body, rather. The other half seemed stuck in the sky, jagged ends of black gripping what looked like the body or the head. It was hard to tell, because the four appendages congressed there and there was a row of teeth that gleamed far more faintly than the claws.

That wasn't Lucemon. That wasn't Demon either. Bokomon hid behind the others and flipped through the pages of his book. It offered no explanation.

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Kouichi didn't understand what had happened. One moment he was trying to converse with someone he could barely hear and who could hardly hear him in return, and the next his ears were ringing and his body was burning with – hatred? And then cold splashed over him. Then heat again and Kouichi shut his eyes and tried to focus on something other than Lucemon because the constant change in temperature would otherwise make him sick. And though he doubted he could actually vomit in his current state, whatever that was, he doubted the reflex would be pleasant.

He managed to spread his senses though. Realised he could feel more appendages than he should. Not arms or legs but something that functioned as both. Lucemon then. Had he found another form? But there was still something off. That fire. That wrath, clashing with the cold pride. Lucemon hated them, yes, but his mind had been filled with besting them, not destroying them. That hate came from somewhere else but was now meshed with Lucemon.

Maybe it had come with those other Chosen.

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'It's…still invisible, right?' Takeru swallowed, then shook himself and started over. 'I mean, we should really know if it's going to attack us at any second or not –'

'We'll check it out,' said Silyphmon, shooting into the sky again.

He didn't get very far before one of the claws raked through the air to strike him in the wings, and Imperialdramon was quick to stop him from crashing into the ground. 'Thank you.'

'You're welcome,' Imperialdramon replied. 'And I guess that answers your question as well.' He paused, then added. 'What's the plan?'

'I wish Koushiro's Digimon analyser was here,' Takeru repeated to himself. 'Strategize, I guess.'

'Or maybe we should give him a hand.'

The others stared at Daisuke. 'What?' he defended himself. 'He looks stuck.'

And they realised that, indeed, the odd looking Digimon did look stuck.

'And he could be nice,' Daisuke added. 'And stuck.'

'No.' To their surprise, it was Hikari who said that. 'It's Demon. And Lucemon.' She wasn't quite sure how she knew. She didn't really hear that voice say it. She just felt it. That familiar, vengeful, heat. And a biting cold the other recognised as Lucemon's. With that, there was only one explanation. 'They've fused together.'

'Jogressed?' Iori gasped. Then how can we – He bit down on that thought. They'd thought they wouldn't be able to push Demon back and they'd done it. Even if it somehow had led to…this. If Hikari was right. But if she said that, she had to be sure of it. There was no way she'd let an innocent Digimon be hurt. He trusted her with that. He trusted all of them with that. Even Ken, now, though he hadn't before. 'I trust you.'

'Huh?' They all looked at him.

'If Hikari-san says that's an enemy, then that's good enough for me,' he clarified. The others nodded. Daisuke too.

'Wistful thinking.' He shrugged to himself. 'But why is he stuck and wriggling like that?'

They couldn't answer – and when the Digimon shrieked, they were too busy huddling behind Imperialdramon's shield to think of an answer.

.

The Digimon in the sky shrieked, its four legs jerking in the air. The sound waves hit the ocean and the shore they stood on, and they split up, diving for cover. There was none to be found though, and the waves knock them off their feet and hammered them with sand and sea water.

It was enough to startle them into action. They each took their strongest individual forms because to do otherwise would leave the other four defenceless and it was bad enough the five Digimon had nowhere safe to hide. 'Don't worry about us,' Patamon said though. 'We'll just make ourselves a shield again.'

And that was a relief, spreading out along the shoreline to prepare for distance attacks while those five were safe.

But when they fired together, the blasts sizzled out before they even reached the flailing appendages.

'Darn it,' Aldamon muttered. 'We don't have enough firepower to attack from this distance.'

Bolgmon shifted into his human spirit form: more versatile, and with wings. 'Then we get closer,' he said. 'We'll carry Kouji and Tomoki,' he added to Aldamon

'I can manage on the water,' Garrmon growled. Tomoki however shifted into his human form as well.

'Heads up boys,' Shutumon chirped, sending a gust of wind to counter the blast coming for them. It did little, but because the attack was diffuse it was enough to only push them back and Aldamon's tail caught her from slamming into the Cliffside. 'Thanks.'

'No problem.' Takuya immediately shifted his gaze. 'Ready to get close?'

They nodded and set off, Garrmon skimming atop the water and the others flying. They remembered this: flying to stop Lucemon. They hadn't reached him. They'd wound up here instead. Maybe they didn't care if it happened again – because then they'd be facing Lucemon, the enemy they did want to face.

But they were also afraid. Because these forms of theirs had been no match for Lucemon.

.

Imperialdramon's shield shook with the effort of holding it. Silphymon and Shakkoumon exchanged glances before leaving its safety to attack. But the children could see it did little to help. While they were far the attacks did not even reach and when they got closer, the energy whittled it down to a mere tickle their enemy did not acknowledge.

They stayed a safe distance from the flailing arms, but it was clear that wasn't an option if they wanted to truly attack.

But getting an attack through those appendages was going to take a great deal of strategy or luck. Or both.

And maybe an extra dose of luck, hoping it didn't come unstuck and with even more bodily weapons.

.

Kouji's plan to zip across the water and attack like that was no good; his attacks barely grazed the appendages and did no visible damage at all. Tomoki, on the other hand, had grabbed on to one leg and slide evolved into his beast spirit form once more. It was a precarious position because the other three legs immediately tried to beat him off, but he ignored them and set about trying to freeze that one. Aldamon, Shutumon and Blitzmon attempted to keep the other three legs occupied but whatever current those legs were kicking up was enough to make the chore difficiult.

'Let me up!,' he shouted, and a moment later, Aldamon was there forelegs grasping his shoulders. He let go of the evolution and chose another one: double spirit instead, that was stronger, and came with a larger sword. MagnaGarurumon would be better still, with more firepower, but that meant leaving the others defenceless –

And a bitter taste entered his mouth again when he realised it wasn't possible anyway. Junpei was Blitzmon; he had his spirits with him. Which meant Kouichi's spirits were in his D-scanner, and where was the D-scanner? Not with them. With Lucemon, maybe. Or just floating around in the Dark Area. But not with them.

Aldamon carried him into the air and he grabbed another leg and stuck his sword into it, like Blizzarmon with his axe. The appendage – it was easier to call it a leg since it didn't seem capable of grabbing anything – jerked in the air and almost caught Shutumon's wings, but Blitzmon sent an electrified punch at it and Shutumon resumed struggling to the body.

Weighed down and occupied as the appendages were, she managed this time to get past and readied herself for an attack. The row of teeth didn't give way to anything looking particularly vulnerable so she made a note to not slam right into them. They would hurt and it wasn't worth the risk. Not right then at least. If her winds caused it to howl on the other hand, then it was fair game.

She looked at the other parts of the body she could make out. There honestly wasn't much. The sky seemed to grip him tight round the middle –

Then she blinked. It wasn't as tight as it looked, because she could make out patches of a different coloured darkness. She snuck a peek while keeping an eye on the struggling body. It didn't seem to realise she was in its blind spot and she wanted to keep it that way. Bumping into it would give the game away. Meanwhile, holes opened and closed as the body shifted. She blinked through one and started.

Digimon on the other side. And humans. Human kids. In what might be the Dark Area.

.

Kouji's light was a little stronger now. Kouichi tried calling his brother's name, but got not reply. It was like there was a hole in the veil now, covered with cello tape. A little less strong but still blocked, still keeping him out.

'Kouji!' he cried again.

Kouji didn't hear, but he heard someone else repeat the name. That female voice. And then there were other people latching on to it.

And he felt the hole grow a little wider, letting some of the light through.

.

The Digimon struggling to slip through the splaying limbs and attack the body was not something Hikari, or the others, could tear their eyes from easily. But she could hear the voice calling a name – a name she didn't recognise. 'Kouji.' She repeated it softly. It must be a friend of the other voice she could hear. Or…a brother.

She knew that one was right, somehow. Maybe it was because she had a brother of her own and could compare herself calling him, as opposed to Takeru or Miyako or the others were dear comrades and friends.

And she couldn't do much, crouched behind a shield, but she could add her voice to the din. Even if she did feel a little foolish at first – but still, she cupped her hands and screamed that name as loud as she could.

And it didn't seem to affect the fight, which was good. What it did do though, to her surprise, was let a little light through. Like a ring around the enemy Digimon's body – or maybe that was all his thrashing coming in to play. The timing was coincidental, anyhow.

The others stared at her, before joining in. They assumed she had a reason for calling that name, that that name meant something, to someone. But they may as well try and find a lost person through their voices, for they were powerless otherwise.

And the Digimon were still searching for an opening, still biding their time.

.

It looked like Shutumon had spotted something, but she didn't say. It seemed she meant to keep her cover for a little longer, look for something better. Kouji hoped she'd find something soon – or land a good hit that'd stop these legs from twitching so they could drop the decoy act. It was dizzying, and dissatisfying. But also calming, somehow. He couldn't possibly fight like this and that way he didn't have to worry about morals or revenge or anything else. And with his brain rattling around like it was, he didn't need to think much about Kouichi either.

But the fighting was mostly grunts of pain and effort on their part, and the strange "Ogu" sound their enemy made. Because of that, the sound of something more prominent easily pierced through. His name, being repeated over and over from somewhere.

It wasn't his friends. They were right next to him. It wasn't their Digimon friends either. They sounded human. They were human.

He didn't understand it, but Shutumon who'd caught a glimpse of them did. Or at least, she understood a little more. She knew it was those children shouting, the children who'd somehow wound up in the graveyard of their Digital World. And maybe Demon was the enemy they'd faced. Maybe they were the Chosen of this world, the world the Legendary Warriors had somehow strayed into. What she didn't know was how they'd know Kouji's name, if they'd left the world entirely void of life –

And then a possibility occurred to her, outlandish but actually possible. 'Kouichi!' Because he hadn't had a true digi-code, Bokomon said. Maybe that meant he was still there, in the world they'd left.

But she'd left her cover like that, and the teeth parted into a howl that shoved her back and Aldamon and Beowolfmon each threw out a hand and caught her.

.

They all heard the reply and stopped their calling. The cry of 'Kouichi' before a scream – a female scream. 'Izumi,' Hikari said, after that, biting her lip. The scream hadn't sounded good. Not fatal, but not good as well. 'They're on the other side of that…Digimon.'

The others exchanged glances. Daisuke grinned. 'That was weird,' he commented, 'sort of like a soccer match, getting swept up in things. But now we know stuff.'

'There are Digimon on the other side,' Silphymon called down. 'Or at least one. It flies.'

Hikari cupped her ears, repeating the names as she heard them. 'Izumi. Junpei. Takur – oh, Takuya. Are they your friends? Right, friends? What's going on? Oh…umm…' She looked at the others. 'How do I explain?' she mouthed.

'Try "there's a four-legged wriggly thing in the roof we're trying to fight"?' Daisuke suggested.

Takeru snorted, but waved a hand. 'Yes, try that.'

Imperialdramon snorted as well, then lowered his shield a bit. 'I think the attack's wearing off,' he said. 'If it was an attack.'

Silphymon and Shakkoumon took their chance to attack in that moment, and the four legs shuddered, then resumed kicking. Imperialdramon cursed and raised the shield again. The children crowded closer.

'Anyone have any ideas?' Iori asked, peering carefully at the Digimon. 'Because I don't think those attacks did all that much.'

And he was right. There was a faint scorch but that was it.

Hikari whispered the question, then listened again. The others stared at her. Would the boy only she seemed to hear be able to help them? 'D-scanner? This digivice. Oh, you can't see it. Uhh…it's black and grey and about the size of my palm… yes? Susan? Isn't that – Oh, Susanoomon.' Ken was the only one to recognise the name but he gasped at it. 'Uh…no harm, I guess.'

'Explanation for those of us who didn't follow that?' Miyako cocked her head.

Hikari blushed again. 'I think he said this digivice is called a D-scanner, and it's got something inside of it that joins with other somethings that the other Chosen have and becomes a Digimon called Susanoomon. So maybe if we could get this digivice over to the other side, they'll be able to use it to make Susanoomon.'

'That will tip the balance on their side,' Iori nodded, 'if the other Chosen are on the other side. Silphymon only saw a Digimon.'

'But we heard a female scream,' Takeru pointed out. 'And didn't Hikari say that was an "Izumi"? That's a Japanese name.'

'And we'll lose nothing,' Miyako added. 'It's not the like the digivice is responding to us. 'Though if the nasty guy up there catches it – ' She glanced up. Silphymon was trying to find a hole again, and as the lithest of the three, he stood the best chance in doing so. 'Think Silphymon can get it up there?'

.

What were they?

Suddenly, they'd changed. Wrath mixed with pride. The desire to destroy mixed with the desire to create. For the moment, they fumbled for a balance.

Something scratched outside. They flicked at the annoyance. At least in that they could be in agreeance. The annoyance came back. Many places. Perhaps many annoyances.

They growled to show their own annoyance and tried to bat them away.

.

Shutumon struggled through a gap in the flailing limbs. Her shout of surprise had unfortunately earned her a gust of something strong, but it had no secondary effects she could feel. Basically, she'd socked it in the stomach and could keep going – which suited her just fine because that was the sort of pain that, so long as nothing was broken, she could rely on adrenaline to squash. And who knew? Maybe adrenaline was strong enough to squash the feeling of broken ribs as well. Just so long as the lungs and heart underneath were in one piece, because it'd be a job to buzz around attempting to find a sensitive spot while gasping loudly for air.

It was difficult though, because every inch of skin save the teeth was covered with the same thick purple skin. Or skin that looked purple and thick, anyhow. Her attacks weren't the greatest in such a narrow range – Aldamon's blasters or Beowolfmon's swords would work better in that aspect – but she could drive her point home when it mattered.

But when Beowolfmon's sword and Blizzarmon's axe were barely hanging on, she had to wonder if she'd make a dent at all.

Chip away then, her brain suggested. Chip away and she'd eventually cause damage. If she didn't get blown into the ocean first.

But something had re-energised her. She wasn't sure if she'd honestly heard Kouichi's voice or not but it was a lot better thinking he might be alive, or could be reborn. It was a lot better being able to think that the miracles of the Digital World applied to the humans within it as well. That Lucemon hadn't succeeded, hadn't actually –

There was suddenly an eye in the gap in the sky. A weak point! Except it was gone too quickly, blocked by something black. She didn't recognise it at first, but when it was pushed in a little more, she noted the metallic finish. Kouichi's digivice. It simply had to be. She grabbed the other end and pulled. It scraped the skin of the monster they fought and he roared and thrashed with a renewed vigour, making inarticulate noise. 'Ogu, Ogu,' it seemed to sound like. She had no idea what Ogu meant.

She pulled the digivice out with a triumphant shout – and it quickly turned into a cry of pain as the four appendages her friends had been fighting wound about her. They were like spider's legs, and she the fly. She thrashed and tried to summon a gale but she'd been caught unawares. There were two deep cuts in two legs, and the other two were burnt. The handiwork of her friends, but she heard a splash over the echo of her scream and she knew they'd fallen.

But she had Kouichi's digivice in her hands and it beeped happily. It wanted something. Wanted to do something.

When she saw the light burst from underneath her, she understood. And grinned even as the legs tightened around her, too low to block off her air but enough to crush her ribs if it got tighter.

.

The beast roared and Silphymon was suddenly thrown down, but he was empty handed so that meant the device had gotten to the other side. Or gotten somewhere. Either way, it was out of their hands. They could only watch those appendages seize and then trash with even more energy than before, hammering Shakkoumon until he fell back as well, and then sending gales of energy into the shield.

Imperialdramon groaned and fell to one knee. The shield stayed strong, but the weight of the blows was even heavier than before. The device had managed to incite it in a way their gnat-like attacking had not and Silphymon and Shakkoumon suddenly found themselves unable to get close.

'Swap over!' Silphymon cried. 'We'll defend the kids. Imperialdramon, you attack!'

And they did just that, the two Perfect-level hybrids bodily shielding the children as Imperialdramon fired with his lasers. The rapid-fire kept the attack from getting too close, but it stopped the shockwaves from getting to the grounded humans and Digimon as well. They were at another sort of standstill. And Imperialdramon Fighter Mode might have three times the attack power of his normal Ultimate state but his ability to keep attacking was poorer as a result. It took more energy than keeping up a shield, and the enemy showed no signs of tiring.

The only comfort was there were invisible allies on the other side, fighting as well.

.

The Digimon had succeeded in shaking them off and they fell. Blizzarmon felt Aldamon's claws dig into his shoulder and Blitzmon grabbed Beowolfmon's arm but still they fell with a splash into the dark waters of the ocean.

And despair swam up like a wave and engulfed them.

Their hearts cried. Their minds fell back to that moment of utter loss, when death had snapped its jaws and they'd been able to do nothing to help. They couldn't call it a miracle that the jaws had missed them because they had taken a dear friend instead. And Lucemon had been there, victorious and whole.

Their enemy in the sky was still the half of the whole they'd fought from the start.

But then there was a light, twinkling above them, getting stronger, swallowing them and batting the despairing waters away. A light that illuminated all of them – and Izumi, above. They'd forgotten, in that moment: about each other, about her – and they'd even forgotten the hope and trust Kouichi had placed with them with his final breath.

But the light reminded them. Takuya reached out his free hand and found Junpei's, while Kouji found Tomoki. The four boys held hands in the cocoon of light underwater, and their spirits called to each other.

Their evolutions slipped away, but that was fine. Takuya and Kouji recognised the feeling, and the other two felt the peace, the power, flowing through the hands they clasped. And those feelings went upwards as well, because Izumi would not be forgotten.

And the device clutched in her hands as she shrunk and fell through the appendages holding her would not be forgotten either.

Six devices. Ten spirits. Five humans. They all merged. Became one.

And Susanoomon rammed into the enemy, smacking his ZERO-ARMS: Orachi into the other's belly. The appendages splayed and the hole it was stuck in widened a little more, but there was little physical damage and a swiping claw met the next blow.

'Tough.' And it was all their voices, all their thoughts, melded together. 'So we'll attack with something stronger. Susanoomon extended his ZERO-ARMS again, this time calling upon the divine blade and swinging it.

It cut through the air, until it hit the Digimon between its teeth and stayed there.

Susanoomon gritted his teeth and pushed.

The Digimon fell back a little, before eight legs came to beat at the blade.

Susanoomon's blade had cut through the barrier between the two worlds.

.

They'd crossed the point of being annoying. Now they hurt and that hurt was enough to synchronise their thoughts. Susanoomon. Imperialdramon. The Chosen – it was the Chosen doing this.

That was another thing they shared. Their hatred for the Chosen. And both of them wanted to crush them. It didn't matter if they were different Chosen – the ones they bore a grudge against were amongst them.

But their methods of attacking were different. Pride wished to rain down with kicks and punches – a satisfying physical assault. Wrath wanted them to burn, be crushed by a less physical sort of power.

Pride would let neither yield. Wrath would let neither stop and wait.

So they both attacked. In their own way.

.

It was an odd onslaught, but one that left Kouichi feeling dizzy. First there was the odd mix of pride and wrath. Then something aching, like a little more of him had floated away like a cotton ball. And then the light he was so sure was his brother and possibly his friends as well had all but blinked out, before returning so strongly that he'd, if he'd been in the Human World, be sprawled on the concrete or in the dirt.

But the light felt stronger now. They were closer. Or stronger. Or both.

And he could hear Lucemon's cry of pain as well. A faint cry, but still it was enough for him to know the tides had turned.

.

A wave of dizziness was the last Hikari felt from the boy only she could hear, but after that there was enough on the battlefield to steal her attention away. And his perhaps. And even Imperialdramon, who took advantage of his enemy's attack slipping to force his own through.

The appendages curled in on themselves as though curling in pain before the teeth came to chomp down on the next attack.

'Where'd the legs go?' Takeru asked. They should have been hard to miss, but suddenly he couldn't see them anymore. But then he realised where they'd gone. The joints jutted out of the hole it was stuck in. Somehow, it'd wriggled around and sent all its legs to one side, and the head and body to the other.

And now they could see the teeth were in fact from the body. It resembled Apocalymon in that manner: small upper body which could be called the command centre or the head, and a larger main body from where all the attacking tools came from.

Imperialdramon realigned his canon to blast the head. The row of teeth on the body shrieked and diverted the majority of the blast with its sound waves. Some of both their attacks escaped. Flares from the laser licked at the skin around the teeth and left a bit of soot that was quick to blow away. Rouge sound waves hit the hands and the tail and forced Imperialdramon a few paces back.

.

Susanoomon was shoved back with the onslaught, just as strong as Lucemon's Paradise Lost, except the claws were sharp and puncturing as well.

But Susanoomon was stronger now. He was five human souls, not two, and those five had left their despair in the ocean before forming him. The attack pushed them back but they were ready to push forward again. However many times it took. They parried the blows with the ZERO-ARMS, meanwhile lengthening the blade, attempting to cut the body again. But the sword wasn't strong enough. And when it hacked off an appendage, it only reformed without the scar Blizzarmon's axe had given it.

But the scar hadn't hindered their enemy much at all. The one marred by Beowolfmon's blade was still there and it was indistinguishable from the rest. Susanoomon would last. He could take the blows, parry some, return some. He could hack of legs – but they would just regrow. How long could he last? How long before, exhausted, he fell into the ocean? They weren't unwounded and yet, their enemy showed no signs of weakening at all.

.

From behind rocks on the shoreline, the Three Angels and Bokomon and Neemon watched. It was almost an even struggle, but not quite. Susanoomon would be the first to fall. That much was obvious, whether it was because of the grip the sky had around the enemy or some other power that kept it going. But the rain of blows did not falter. Not like Susanoomon who had to stop, adjust his grip and collect himself, and then return.

'Can't we help?' Patamon asked anxiously.

The others felt the same, but they were at Child level now. No match for an Ultimate. No match for Lucemon, or whatever had come to replace him. And they could see no thread from Susanoomon – nothing that transcended their current form. And the prophecies only spoke of a God descending. Susanoomon may well be that God. Did that mean there was no further digivolution? No way to gain more power?

There had to be something.

Meanwhile, the two Digimon in the sky fought, and the hole in the sky grew wider.

And then, suddenly, there was a thread. A thin one, disappearing through the hole. The Angels looked at each other, then at the sky. On the other side of the sky, there was something. An opportunity. A glimmer of hope.

Bokomon stared down at his book. More writing appeared. About a type of digivolution called Jogress. And about a thing called "modes", that acted like upgrades when there was no further digivolution state to achieve. Like how Lucemon had absorbed data and changed mode and become stronger. Maybe that meant a source of power for Susanoomon to slip into a higher mode was through the sky.

The Angels adjusted their orb. They would fly, and convey the idea, and abandon their vigil from the shore.

.

A greyness was starting to spill into the Dark Area. It was unnoticeable at first, so faint, but soon they realised it was because the hole had spread like a web. Either it was all the thrashing from the Digimon stuck in it, or someone on the other side was causing those fissures.

What would happen if the sky collapsed? The thought crossed their minds, but they also wondered if they'd have an edge if it did, if the two worlds' combatants combined. Because Silphymon and Shakkoumon's attacks didn't seem to faze the enemy, focused as it was on Imperialdramon, and Imperialdramon alone could do little than hold a stalemate and hope he wouldn't be the first to fall to his knees and drop the rope.

Silphymon ducked behind Shakkoumon and looked up. The angel Digimon could defend from stray shockwaves on his own for a moment and Silphymon wondered if he could get a closer peek at the other side. Maybe an idea. Or some hope. 'I'm going,' he said finally, coming to a decision.

He flew up like an arrow into the sky and, this time, the head twisted to look and the shockwaves chased. Imperialdramon fired his own lasers to circumvent them and Silphymon added his own attack.

He escaped into a fissure without being hit and stared at the Digimon in red and blue and gold – and, like they'd assumed, eight legs creating a barrage against the other.

.

The attacks seemed to suddenly slip. Susanoomon looked and saw there was suddenly another Digimon in the sky. A bird-man sort Digimon who sent an afterimage much like Master of Darkness to sever one of the legs.

It grew back, and the Digimon cursed. The voice was masculine but there was a hint of something female in it. And something feline.

The bird-man swooped down to hover next to them. 'I am Silphymon,' he introduced. 'My Chosen are on the other side of this sky.'

Susanoomon swung his ZERO-ARMS to block the next attack. 'Susanoomon,' he returned. 'We are the ten legendary warriors and the humans chosen to wield them.'

The introduction surprised Silphymon. 'Human and Digimon?'

But the enemy kicked and clawed and they scattered to parry them.

Susanoomon found it a little easier with six or seven legs to contend with instead of eight. And then there was suddenly five, but he shouted in alarm when he realised why. The Digimon they'd left by the rocks had floated up with their shied and was now occupying one of the legs.

Perhaps sensing the weakest link, the other legs converged around the orb. But Susanoomon and Silphymon were there, hacking away.

'Push!' the five Child Digimon screamed. 'Push him through the hole!'

Neither of them had the brute force necessary to do that with though. But Susanoomon had the brainpower of five humans within him. And they thought.

'If all the legs are gone, we might be able to push,' Takuya said thoughtfully.

'We couldn't possibly cut all eight off at once,' Junpei returned. 'Could we immobilise them somehow?'

'In the sky?' Izumi asked sceptically. 'Unless we have an attack that can, I'd say no –'

'That's it!' Kouji cried. 'Eight Thunder Gods!'

'Exactly eight.' Despite the tiredness, Tomoki grinned at the name. 'That could work. We'll need good timing then.'

He felt a hand clasp him on the back. Or several; he wasn't really sure. 'Then we'll leave the timing up to you.'

And Susanoomon called to Silphymon to give him an opening, and summoned the thunder from the sky. Silphymon's attack cut off a distal limb and it grew back and the eight legs converged as though it realised its most powerful enemy on this side of the sky had retreated a bit.

But it had retreated with a cause and the enemy only learnt that too late. 'Eight Thunder Gods!' Susanoomon cried. And the bolts of thunder struck each of the eight limbs and held them, leaving ZERO-ARMS free to beat the other back.

He struggled. The lightning bonds wouldn't hold for very long when used in such a way, and as it was the monster was struggling in them. Silphymon sent attack after attack to push as well. The body went further in. The joints disappeared. 'Pull!' Silphymon screamed to the other side. 'Imperialdramon!'

And then something was helping them from the other side, and they all fell through the tear in space into the Dark Area.

.

Imperialdramon heard Silphymon's cry just as one of the appendages popped free. It seemed like a shockingly laugable suggestion – but Silphymon sounded like he had an idea and they were short of those at the moment.

So be put his laser away and grabs the arm with both hands and pulls. The Digimon roars and the sound waves batter him. He uses his legs to kick and break them; he needs his wings to pull. And he pulls. And he feels pushing from the other end until, finally, they're all through and the eight legs wriggle out of their lightning bonds and the Digimon straightened out.

The Digimon backed away. There were five – he recognised Patamon, Plotmon and Lopmon amongst them – Child level Digimon in an orb. And then there was Silphymon and another Digimon: humanoid in armour of red and blue and gold. 'Susanoomon,' he said, before briefly looking around. 'We're back.'

.

That had hurt. But they were also free now. Still meshed together. Still confused. But they could move. They were no longer stuck between two worlds, facing two different enemies. Now all the enemies had collected together.

Burn them.

Plummet them.

Either way, they would destroy them.

The pain just made them want destruction all that much more. And they could forget the thought of creating in that pain, the thought of the perfect world. Pain fed the lust for destruction, for victory.

.

Perhaps in retrospect they should have felt suspicious of an unfamiliar Digimon – or six of them. But the smaller ones took the humans into their shield and Susanoomon joined in on the fight. And then there was Hikari who repeated the name. And the nod he had given them before joining the fight again. And the fact that SIlphymon must have seen him on the other side as well, fighting. That was an ally and they needed all the allies they could get.

Imperialdramon's laser and Susanoomon's blade crashed into the body together. Silphymon and Shakkoumon fired at the legs – too many for the two of them, but it was only a brief distraction so they managed. And this time the roar was of pain as well as anger. But there was still no visible wound: no hole or cut. Or if there had been, it had healed too quickly to catch.

And they were tired. Each of the four fighting Digimon was drained. And even when they ignored the legs and attacked the body together – each with their strong attack – the enemy was blasted back but not defeated.

Silphymon's Jogress broke at that moment, and Shakkoumon's broke in the retaliation attack. The five Chid Digimon backed their shield and the humans it protected away. They didn't want to test it against that Digimon again.

'Aquilamon!' Miyako cried. 'Bring Tailmon!'

He did, and Angemon picked up Armadimon, who'd further devolved for ease of transport, as well. The two flyers held their Adult states before the bubble, and then they regressed. The humans caught their partners, exhausted and showing the signs of battle.

'We did our best,' Tailmon wheezed. 'The fight was just too long and the enemy too powerful.'

'There's still Imperialdramon and that Susanoomon.' Takeru looked up. They'd blasted off the legs again. And the legs regrew. 'They'll find a way.'

.

Bokomon was frantically rereading the pages. It was suggesting an evolution, but what was it? There was the Jogress – that was Silphymon and Shakkoumon and Imperialdramon. And the mode was Imperialdramon as well.

He turned the page, and there was suddenly new writing. 'When two Demon Lords meet, they merge. The resulting entity is one that has both sins and if all seven are used to create it, it becomes an invincible beast.'

The humans stared at him. 'What – what is that book?' Iori asked.

'The record of the Digital World.' Bokomon gripped it tight. 'And lately, it seems to be self-updating as well. It told us about Demon, and before that, Apocalymon, Piemon, Vamdemon –'

'The history of our world,' Takeru breathed. That little book held that much information? And that little Digimon had read it all searching for a useful hint.

'And about Jogress and modes.' Bokomon caressed the pages. 'This one says the Digimon we're fighting is a fusion of Demon Lords called Ogudomon. A cross between two incredibly powerful Ultimate level Digimon.'

They gulped. That explained the power difference at least. Imperialdramon may be more powerful on the record than one Ultimate, but not a fusion between two. 'And Susanoomon?' Ken asked. 'Can you tell us more about him?'

'Susanoomon is the collection of the spirits of the ten Legendary Warriors,' Bokomon said proudly. 'The Legendary Warriors are the spirits of the Ancient Warriors – the ones who originally sealed Lucemon away, just like the Royal Knights were the ones to seal away Demon in your world.'

The six humans exchanged glances. They'd never heard of Royal Knights. 'We don't know much about Demon,' Takeru said apologetically.

Bokomon showed them a picture. They recognised two faces. Imperialdramon and Omegamon. 'These are the Royal Knights,' he said. He flipped to another page. 'And these are the Ancient Warriors.'

There were two that seemed to resemble Greymon and Garurumon, but none of the faces were familiar.

'Perhaps the Imperialdarmon up there is an inherited of the power of the original Imperialdramon,' Bokomon continued. 'The Legendary Warrior spirits are spirits that contain the power of the Ancient Warriors, and the Chosen of this world are the ones who inherited that power.'

'The Chosen…inherited?' Miyako repeated, brow furrowed. Her eyes flickered up. Imperialdramon and Susanoomon were still fighting, still holding on, still trying different things. The Digimon was starting to wear down as well. Two Digimon beyond the Ultimate level was providing a challenge – but they still needed an edge.

And one of those Digimon was made up of spirits that humans inherited. That meant… 'That Digimon's made up of kids?'

The five nodded. 'Takuya-han, Kouji-han. Izumi-han, Junpei-han and Tomoki-han.'

Hikari smiled a little. 'Those same names… I guess the digivice got to them after all.'

The Digimon started at that. 'Kouichi-han's?'

Hikari nodded. The five native Digimon crowded her and Tailmon stared after them. 'Have you seen him? Is Kouichi-san okay?' Their voices melted into each other, carrying the same want, the same worry. Bokomon's kansai dialect was crowded by the other four.

'I haven't,' Hikari said. It was sad to have to say, but it was the truth. 'Just…heard a voice.'

They drooped. There was something there the six humans and their partners hadn't grasped. That reason why Susanoomon was made up of five humans when there was one more Chosen. That reason why the digivice had been floating adrift in this world, without the boy. Why only Hikari could hear his voice, and barely at that. The answer was there, in reach, but none of them wanted to ask it, to say it. And they didn't need to either. It was a different fight, now.

'Cheer up.' It was the other Patamon who said that, not Takeru's partner. 'It's sad when everyone is sad. And Kouichi-san won't like it either.'

Hikari knelt down and patted the Patamon. The one called Neemon scrambled under her other hand and she smiled a little at his antics before petting him too.

'Cheer…' Miyako murmured, before giving a shriek as Daisue shouted behind her. 'Imperialdramon!'

He was falling, and Susanoomon was following.

And then they were all shouting. All the encouragement they could. All the hope they dared. And just like before, they didn't shout for their lives. And whether that was due to their status as Chosen or their faith in the Digimon was anyone's guess.

.

The shouts rose Imperialdramon, and he straightened before he fell too far out of sight. Susanoomon pulled out of a dive beside him. Both their armours were cracked. Imperialdramon was unsure if he could muster up another Giga Death and Susanoomon's ZERO-ARMS looked like another clean hit would break it through.

They needed something more. Their enemy was battered as well but it had the advantage. Its eight legs regrew and though its moves were clumsy, there was and fire in the body that kept them going. Demon's wrath. Perhaps Lucemon had taken some of that wrath as well. Or it could be pride, the want to be the one standing in the end, despite the cost. The thing that made one who'd lost still stand, still face their opponent –

But for the both of them, it was only to protect: their humans, their friends, their worlds.

And even if Susanoomon had thought before of revenge, that was gone. Maybe the ocean had snatched along with the despair. Or maybe it was the volley before: punching, kicking, parrying those blows. Maybe that exhaustion had made it impossible to want. Or maybe it was when Kouichi's digivice had come into Izumi's hands. That desire had been tied to that person, that item, after all.

But now it was only to fight to defeat their enemy before it destroyed anything else. Because the power that they held back now was stronger than what they'd fought against as Lucemon. And Lucemon had destroyed an entire world.

And it was stronger than Demon too. Imperialdramon could attest to that, having held that shield against the fire but he'd still been able to fire with the cannon on his right arm. Against this monster, he'd needed both arms and more besides.

It dropped from the sky, the eight legs punching and kicking at air until it reached them.

'Once…more…' Susanoomon groaned. He lifted the ZERO-ARMS.

Imperialdramon filled his cannon. There was little in raw energy to put into it, even with the others cheering him on. He'd simply fought too long, too much. But there was still something else: his determination, his hope.

Their hearts beat together in that moment, caught in their final attack stage. Imperialdramon could suddenly feel Susanoomon – feel the humans within, holding hands, struggling to stay strong. There was something tying them together, something that had gotten stronger since they'd begun this fight. Susanoomon who gleamed with a light Imperialdramon lacked. Human light, perhaps. There were humans making up Susanoomon after all. He closed his eyes, and suddenly the desire to join that Digimon was overwhelming.

'Take my cannon,' he said.

Susanoomon looked at him and then accepted the right arm – and they both glowed. Susanoomon felt the armour knit itself back together, felt the exhaustion siphon off. 'Imperialdramon?' he asked, almost in wonder.

Imperialdramon's form framed the ZERO-ARMS – and the two melted and changed into one. The ZERO-ARMS no longer bear a resemblance to Agnimon's feet and MagnaGarurumon's weapons, but rather Imperialdramon's right arm. The armour too had changed; had taken on a touch of green to balance the red, and a touch of silver to line the gold. They had combined. Susanoomon was still Susanoomon but he had gotten stronger, and Imperialdramon was a part of Susanoomon as well.

.

'The knight offers his sword and becomes the God's right hand,' said Plotmon, staring at the scene. For the spectators, her words were a kind summary. Daisuke and Ken who'd seen their partner disappear relaxed – he wasn't gone, they realised. He'd just fused with Susanoomon.

When Bokomon tore his eyes away from the scene and back to his book, he found a picture and explanation waiting for him. 'Susanoomon Imperial Mode,' he read.

That was the thread the Three Angels had seen, the way the book had hinted towards.

'Imperial Mode,' the children repeated. Now there were two Digimon in the sky. And a final chance.

.

Now it was one on one. Perhaps it was always meant to be that way. Perhaps not.

Ogudomon snarled and descended upon the other in an inexhaustible flurry. Susanoomon felt the blows. How could he not feel that relentless anger? But he knew he – they – could never be like that. There were too many good things to stay angry forever. And too many sad things to try and hold their heads up forever.

But there was a peace inside him, now that the exhaustion had been driven away and a new weapon lay in hand. A peace that wouldn't let him bow to that wrath, that pride, now that there was a power in his reach to circumvent it.

And this time, it was Ogudomon who tired, whose appendages slowed in strength, in speed. Their ferocity would perhaps never fall but that was just their nature. A sad nature, Susanoomon now thought. To be bound by that one sin forever. And reason seemed to have fled as well. The reasons that gave humans and Digimon choices, that gave them the tools to escape moulds, to change destiny.

This Digimon had lost that. Wrath and pride and that body were all that was left.

Susanoomon aimed the cannon, summoned the thunder from the heavens to infuse it, and fired.

And the body dissolved like a flour bag burst open, and the data fled.

Some of it went through the hole in the sky. It belonged to the other world, perhaps. The rest went behind them, to the skeleton of the Digital World left behind by Lucemon. Susanoomon turned and felt his armour slip as the Digital World slowly became whole again. And he didn't fight it. His job was done, and it was time for the humans who'd made his existence possible to return to themselves.

.

After all that, the endgame came and went in a flash. The data spread, some through the hole, the rest of it filling up, creating a ball. 'The Digital World!' Neemon cheered. 'It's coming back.'

The Three Angels let go of their shield and Daisuke and Ken immediately swept up their partners. The others followed more slowly. Susanoomon was gone, and in his place were five humans: Takuya, Kouji, Izumi, Junpei and Tomoki. Bokomon and Neemon jumped on them, and the Three Angels followed.

'I'm almost jealous,' Takeru commented, turning away to give them their privacy. 'We're already all together.'

'We can always crush you with a hug anyway,' Daisuke grinned. 'I'd say we all deserve it. Especially you two.' And he hugged a squeaking Chibimon tighter.

'We won,' Ken said quietly, before repeating it with a smile of his own. 'We really won.'

'We really did,' Minomon replied, snuggling into Ken's shirt. 'Can we sleep in tomorrow, Ken-chan?'

'Me too,' chorused the rest of the Digimon.

And their partners. 'As soon as we get home,' they replied.

Though they realised then they had no idea about how to get home.

.

All of them were there. They were safe and the Digital World was remaking itself. The only problem was that, when they pulled away from each other, Kouichi was nowhere to be found.

'He didn't c-come back.' Kouji's voice shook and tears rimmed his eyes, threatening to fall.

Plotmon gently touched his foot. 'Don't cry,' she softly said. 'There is hope yet.'

They stared at her. 'Return to your world,' she explained. 'The spirit and the body are still connected. If you call for him, it might be enough. And there is nothing left for you to do here. Return.'

'Ofanimon's powers are of life,' Lopmon said quietly. 'I would put my faith in her words in such matters.'

Patamon nodded as well. 'The time has come to say goodbye.'

Bokomon cried at the thought but he could not bring himself to beg of them to stay. There was something more important than stories at stake. 'Come back,' he said instead. 'I'll have a draft of your story ready to show you then. Even if the book self-updates again.'

They smiled and pet him and the other Child Digimon in farewell. 'How do we get back?' Takuya asked.

'Through here.' Plotmon howled, and half the massive hole in the sky became a door to the Human World. To their world. 'We don't have the time for a long farewell.'

And it was because of the hope that awaited on the other side that they could take the hasty one without regrets. And they prayed for the children. Prayed for their happiness.

.

When Patamon, not Takeru's Patamon, came over to them, the other five children were gone. The six left blinked and looked around. 'We sent them back,' Patamon explained. 'We're sorry about the haste, but that is the best chance they have.'

'Of what?' Daisuke asked curiously.

Lopmon came to stand beside Patamon. They could hear Plotmon's voice somewhere further away, but they couldn't make out the words. 'It is a long story,' he said. 'And though time is not crucial to you in the same manner, it is still best you make haste as well. The tears in space –' They all looked up. They'd shrunk a little, or perhaps they just imagined it. 'Ogudomon's data is sealing them up, it seems. You had best get back to your own world before then. We may not have the ability to open doors to anywhere but this world's Human World.'

That was a frightening thought: to succeed in destroying Demon and the monster he'd become only to become trapped in a place away from home. Takeru and Ken were the ones who could understand that best, though Ken's memories still slept within the spore. But he was more content with that. And equally frightened at the thought of being unable to return home again. 'How do we return?' he asked.

'To the ocean on the other side, simply go through the hole,' said Patamon. 'Except the part Plotmon has opened to the childrens' home.' That bit was obvious: it reflected tall buildings and trees, both familiar and not. 'And…I don't know after that.'

'To get to the Human World from the Dark Ocean…' Ken felt his digivice in his pocket. 'I opened the gate from the Human World. I can open the gate back as well.'

Daisuke's free hand clasped his shoulder. 'Then let's go.' He nodded at the five Digimon staying behind – or four. Plotmon was still a distance from them. 'You lot'll be okay?'

They nodded.

'Well… Bye then.'

It had been a short meeting, but comrades in battle weren't easily brushed aside, and they didn't think they'd forget.

Hikari was the last to pass through, because she'd heard a somewhat familiar voice again. She couldn't see anyone aside from the five Digimon, but she could guess. She felt sad at the guess.

'It'll be okay.' Plotmon smiled at her. Tailmon gripped her hands in a comforting motion. 'Just hope and pray.'

And Hikari, stepping through to the Dark Ocean, did just that.

.

There had been a shrill cry in Kouichi's mind and he tried to block his ears, though he'd felt he only turned in space by that action. But then there was a silence and he felt Lucemon just…fall apart. He was floating, spreading out –

And then his body was tingling, and he heard his name being called – clear this time. And a slightly different voice. One he'd heard before. 'Plotmon?' He opened his eyes. It was Plotmon. And the light had dimmed to a bearable amount. Enough so he could see the Child form of Ofanimon clearly.

'Can you hear me?' Plotmon looked up at him. Then she smiled. 'I'm relieved. We were all sad. And worried.'

Kouichi looked around. There was Patamon and Lopmon, and children he didn't recognise. And Bokomon and Neemon. And the Digital World, whole as he'd never seen it. But no Kouji. Nor the others. 'Where…is everyone?' And he heard his voice echo strangely. It floated, just like the rest of him, tied by a thin thread.

No. He touched it gently. It sprang under his fingertips. The thread had gotten a little thicker.

'They went back to the Human World,' said Plotmon. 'And it's time for you to go back too.'

'Can I?' Kouichi wondered. Could he really? He wasn't dead per say; he still existed. But he was bodiless. Adrift. Only Plotmon now and that female voice from before could hear him. Maybe it was the girl who stood by the hole. One side of the hole was an ocean. The other side was the Human World they'd seen when Lucemon tore through the sky.

'Is there a thread leading you through there?' Plotmon nodded her head towards the small part of the Human World he could see.

'There is.' There really was. The golden twine vanished into the gate.

'That is your connection to that world. Just follow it. And believe.'

Kouichi reached out and tried to pull himself along the twine, because afloat as he was, he could move no way else. Plotmon said something else, but not to him. And the girl watching them vanished. Kouichi though was absorbed in the twine. It slipped from his hands. It held him where he was like an anchor but it refused to carry him. Still, he tried. He believed. The link was there. His family, and his friends, were there. He could go back.

Plotmon's face fell as she watched. 'Is it working?' Lopmon asked, coming to stand with her. Patamon came too, and Bokomon and Neemon. It was only the six of them now.

Plotmon said nothing. If she shook her head, it meant admitting defeat.

.

They emerged in the elevator that had taken them to the Trailmon and as soon as it opened, they ran. The stairs Takuya remembered were blocked by workers and they struggled for a moment before Tomoki asked one for help.

It turned out he knew where they'd taken Kouichi and he pointed them to the first aid centre and they ran there. There were two paramedics, a bunch of equipment, and Kouichi, flat on the bed and still.

And the paramedics were unplugging one of the machines. They started when the five children dashed past and started to speak, but thought better of it. They noticed the resemblance Kouji bore, and the worry on all of their faces. Family, and friends. Who were they to stand in their way when it wouldn't hurt?

But the children were thinking differently. They were calling his name. Calling, begging him to return. Talking about spending more time together, going places, meeting people, being happy. It could have been a happy scene, but it wasn't. It wasn't because the machine they'd just taken off spoke of no heartbeat at all.

.

They emerged on the shores of the Dark Ocean, Hikari the last of them.

'Is everything okay?' Takeru asked.

She nodded. 'I think so,' she began to say, and then shook her head and smiled. 'I hope so.'

They turned to look at the sky. It was still littered with cuts and a large hole, but the cuts were slowly mending. 'If we leave, I imagine they'll heal on their own,' said Miyako thoughtfully. 'And if they don't, it doesn't look like either this place or the Dark Area were directly connected to the digital or Human Worlds. It might not matter if they don't.'

'They also might,' Iori pointed out. 'It's not a risk we should take, to just leave it alone. We can ask Koushiro-san. Or Gennai-san.'

'We can get home, get some food and a nap, and then think about these things.' Daisuke yawned. 'Ken?'

Ken pointed his digivice to the sky. It didn't feel as heavy as the last time he'd made that action, and he smiled. The food and nap really did sound wonderful. And there was no Demon Lord in the sky to spoil it either. 'Digi-Gate, open!'

And it opened wide without preamble, inviting them through.

.

The twine suddenly began to grow, become more rope like and he could grasp it easily now. It felt warm. It felt like there were people calling him. No, they were calling him. He could hear them, faintly. All their voices. Kouji, Takuya, Izumi, Junpei, Tomoki… He could hear them all.

Plotmon beamed. 'Go ahead,' she said. 'Quickly; you don't want to lose that.'

'Thank you,' Kouichi whispered, grasping it with both hands now. Hands that felt and moved like hands. Maybe his body was that close after all, now that Lucemon was gone and this rope was there to guide him.

'I did nothing,' said Plotmon. 'It was the children.'

'You've all done plenty.' And she understood he wasn't talking about now, but before: his entire time in the Digital World. 'Thank you.'

And he pulled himself along the rope, all the way back to the Human World.

.

They emerged on ash covered ground, but to their relief that was the only damage that had been done. The sky was dark, but it was a night-time dark and the streets were deserted except for a lone yellow car. Kido Shun was asleep at the wheel, but he awoke when Daisuke tapped on the window.

'You're okay!' he cried. 'You lot disappeared a few hours ago!'

'Where are the kids?' Ken asked. The van was gone too. And Oikawa and his two flunkies of course. They'd been gone before the battle with Demon had even started.

'The police took them home.' Shun rubbed his eyes and unlocked the doors. 'Hop in. I better take you lot home too. I didn't tell the police, just in case you ducked into the Digital World or something.'

'Or something,' Miyako agreed. 'It's a little complicated, and if you don't mind, we'll fall asleep in your backseat.'

'You might have some trouble all fitting.'

But they fit. Even if they did ignore the law to do it. They were too tired and relieved to really care, and Shun was extra careful when driving, knowing that some of those seatbelts were holding two humans and two Digimon instead of just one being.

.

Kouichi's eyes opened, and Kouji broke into sobs and embraced him. 'Oi!' Takuya cried. 'Let us in too.'

Kouji gave a watery laugh and helped his brother up, and they all came near. 'You made it!'

'I made it,' Kouichi agreed, smiling. The time of nonexistence was slipping away from him, but he remembered their warmth, and he remembered their adventures in the Digital World as well. 'What did I miss?'

Kouji just mumbled something into his hair. Takuya shrugged. 'Can we tell you tomorrow?' he asked. 'It's a long story and we all need a nap.'

'Especially you,' one of the paramedics, still looking rather shocked but attempting to collect himself, said. 'We thought you were gone for a moment there.'

'I might have been.' And it felt true, though he didn't want to believe it. Nor did he have to. He was alive now, no matter what he'd thought before. 'If it weren't for my friends.'

The paramedic mumbled something about miracles and set about checking his vitals.

The story could wait until tomorrow. Everything could wait until tomorrow because the danger was gone and they were all alive, and all together.

Owari

.

.

Post A/N: A few explanatory and other things.

Timeline: from the perspective of ZeroTwo, this takes place during the fight with Demon and can more or less (aside from the time passing issue) slot back into the events of ZeroTwo. In Frontier, this takes place after Susanoomon destroys Lucemon Chaos Mode and takes the place of the fights with Lucemon's alternate forms. As a result, the legendary warriors don't obtain their own physical forms this time around – I figured it wasn't worth prolonging the story for that.

Ogudomon: is a real Digimon, and can be made from the fusion of any two or more Demon Lords. Part of its lore is that it can't be defeated by Digimon with malice in their hearts, hence why the peace bit is important. It also, surprisingly, doesn't have any attacks that sound catastrophic. It punches and picks and shrieks and goes on a rampage and that's about it, which made me think it works well as a mesh that didn't go terribly well together. Compare to the Chosen Digimons' Jogress forms.

Susanoomon Imperial Mode: this one I made up. I tossed with the idea of giving Imperialdramon the alternate mode since he already has two, but decided against it in the end since Susanoomon is technically the one with the higher rank and it made more sense for Imperialdramon to become the weapon. As for Paladin mode, Imperialdramon and Omegamon are both Royal Knights so perhaps if Omegamon had been fresh instead of Imperialdramon, it might have gone the other way. A remi's head-canon and creative licence at work there.

Kouichi: essentially a spirit for this. The golden twine/rope is his connection back to his body. If that broke, then he'd be dead with no way to return but it didn't so he was able to follow it back. When it was slippery, that was him in a coma. When Kouji and co called for him, they made it strong enough for Kouichi to grab and pull himself along. The idea came from the theory/idea that people are half-dead while they sleep, and the only difference between sleep and death on a metaphysical plane is the string that connects the soul/spirt to the body.

Why Plotmon and Hikari were the only ones who could see Kouichi: Plotmon could because Ofanimon is the Angel of life and love, so she of all people can see the above sort of threads. It's also how she was able to return Kouichi's memories to him. As for Hikari…we've seen her hear Homeostasis so it's not too farfetched and someone had to have the job.