Hey everyone I know I shouldn't be starting another story so soon but I'm motivated enough to finish this story. I had to write this one because I've had this idea for it for sometime but was too lazy to start it. It'll probably be about twenty or so chapters so I'll have to see on how well it does and how many reviews I get so whatever you do don't forget to review! I've always wanted to do a story like this so I hope its good enough! Rating might go up later I don't know so we'll have to see because it depends on what you want. So here it is… the beginning to Playing with Fire!

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon (otherwise things would be so different)

Prologue:

In the year 2079, the world was at war. All the major super powers picked up their weapons and piled up their armaments to take place in the most explosive war in the history of planet earth. The casualties were worse than World War I and II put together. Such immense hatred had never been seen before as everyone just butchered and massacred everyone who wasn't "one of them." There was no mercy and neither of the sides that partook in the war was willing to back down and attempt to make peace. Years of fighting passed by, the cause of this bitter war almost forgotten. Major cities that were once bustling metropolitans were now empty and everyone had fled to the countryside, scared that if too many people were in one place they would all die. The suffering was terrible and the population of the human race deflated at a terrifying rate. Soon people just lost the will to live and let them selves go, hoping that they would move onto a better place. Nobody that lived on earth could say that they recognized it, it had changed so much. Innocent blood was being spilt everywhere and soldiers with no choice in what they had to do continue the killing, no one was safe from the anger and bitterness.

In the last few years of the war, the resentment and red-hot hatred that the people of various countries felt towards their corrupt governors united them all. They weren't a very large majority however because there were many who believed that the war was right and the causes were good. They controlled the troubled masses with a swift and firm hand that dealt out punishment quickly to anyone who dared to speak out. So the people lived in fear, anger and oppression, their voices stifled by the never-changing smog of war. A small group of people soon formed an alliance, an underground movement to usurp the tyrants that held the fate of their countries in his or her hands. The movement was multi-ethnic mostly grouping in mainly neutral countries under the noses of the ruling governments there though there were many in the main countries that were responsible for the years of torture and oppression. The rebels had heard of the movement from "friends" and "relatives" who still lived across their borders. Neutral countries held a lot of refugees because many "foreigners" had been kicked out of the countries that they had come to call home. The refugees, angry bitter and homeless, had eagerly signed up for the rebellion because they had virtually no hope of reaching any other country.

The rebellion was very successful, nobody knew how they did it but many world leaders turned up dead found in shallow graves or face up in polluted rivers with their throats slit.

The taste of success didn't last for very long because no matter how many power hungry tyrants they killed, there was always another one to take the place of the last one. The rebels were getting desperate, they needed to stop the war or it would be too late. The face of the earth was already utterly unrecognizable from the beauty it used to hold, the world was beyond repair but there was a small ray of hope that people would stop dying. So came their last resort, the most unlikely thing to do and they would be cursed for ages to come but they were desperate. The risks were high but they had to work fast or the consequences would be even worse. Meanwhile the governments were getting restless, the war was going on for longer than they expected and they had almost exhausted their resources. Their people were starving; there was a famine and a water shortage, plagues were spreading so they too decided to play their most desperate card. The decision would be costly and millions would die but this was their one chance that the war would stop and they were going to take it.

Of course many countries had nuclear weapons at the time but only one group of allies decided to use them. Everyone else didn't want a nuclear war because that would destroy everything and it would continue to affect people for generations. Everyone feared its awesome power and the death and destruction that it left in its wake. Many would die but the selfish and proud rulers went ahead with the plan fearing that they had no other choice; they had truly believed that this would end the war. But it didn't, the other sides were furious and so were the rebels so they retaliated. The war went into a nuclear phase and it didn't stop it just got worse, causing countless deaths and devastation that shocked the watching world. It was certain that no one was safe and everyone was doomed, many people thought that it was the end of the world as we know it.

Meanwhile something ancient and evil stirred in the deep depths of the earth, they had been sleeping for thousands of years, locked away and waiting for something to wake them up so they could once again wreak havoc upon the creatures that locked them away in the first place, the creatures they detested. They had been sleeping in the beginning and the middle of the war but the first nuclear attack had woken them up. They pounded on their cages and yelled to the outside so they could be free, but their cries went unheard. The rebel's anger had reached its maximum so they pushed their plan into action.

They had found an ancient and dark book that held many secrets. At first many had been skeptical about the use of the book but in the end decided to try it out, what did they have to lose? The book spoke of terrible creatures that had once stalked the earth with a most terrible and awesome power. They were evil beyond anything that the rebels and the world would have ever seen and could decimate an entire country with a snap of their fingers. It spoke of how they were trapped underground, forced there by a final resistance from the humans that they had kept around for food, entertainment and as slaves for centuries. It spoke of how they took all the magic of the earth with them leaving behind only a little that the world had seen in the hands of only a few magical people. It spoke of how they were bidding their time for vengeance on the human race but would obey any human who freed them and if their masters wished it, go back to the place from where the came from. It also spoke of seemingly how to control them… so with their minds made up, the rebels began the summoning.

They called these creatures forth from their dark prisons, blindly reaching forth for the only hope that the war would end. With such power on the rebel's side they could make any demands that they wanted and everyone would have no choice but to listen. The rebels uttered the final incantation that would cause what bound the creatures to deteriorate. They were free… the rebel leaders, the ones who had summoned them, were in a circle in an old air raid bunker. The age-old creatures rose from the ground, they were human-like but were perfect, not a single human flaw, like a sculptor had carved their features perfectly. It was a trap, the demons were waiting for anyone foolish enough to wake them up and with wicked grins they killed every human present in the room before breathing their long-awaited breaths of Earth's air. They swooped out of the bunker, ready to create hell on earth. The war ended and the next nightmare began.

Chapter 1

"Hikari!" called a beautiful girl with short carrot coloured hair, "Hikari! Where the hell are you?" she stomped past a small number of doors lined up in a dark, narrow hallway. The only light the dim corridor offered was a small flickering tube light that gave the surroundings a depressing atmosphere. Sora Takenouchi wore baggy army-print pants held up on her slim waist by a chunky black belt. She had a snug orange halter top on that showed off her tanned stomach and her belly piercing. Her orange hair was uncombed and reached her shoulders. She stalked past a closet with her black combat boots and swung the door open with a creak. She grabbed an enormous black sweatshirt that fell down to her knees and tugged it on before rolling the sleeves up her arms. She narrowed her ruby eyes at the door next to the closet. She gave herself a quick once over, making sure she looked as unattractive as possible but frowned at her reflection. Her beautiful tanned skin, slim yet slightly curvy build and her perfect features made her a prime target for demons. With her lithe and curvy frame covered by the huge sweatshirt, she relaxed slightly. She stomped to the door next to the closet, tugged it open and yelled, "Hikari!"

A crumpled form covered by a pile of raggedy blankets let out a small groan and looked out, a cute tanned face peeked out. Sora tugged the blankets off Hikari Yagami causing her to shiver and grope for the blankets to cover her exposed figure. "Sora stop that!" shrieked Hikari leaping up from the bed wearing a blue camisole and baggy white shorts, "It's so cold and I was sleeping! Couldn't you have woken Mimi up first?"

"You know how much trouble it takes to wake that wretched girl up so I need all the help I can get! We have to work earlier today morning so I thought we could be up earlier and relax for a bit before going to work so hurry up and get dressed," ordered Sora.

"Yes mom," teased Hikari. She reached out to open her closet but Sora caught her wrist and gave her a deep frown. She pointed at the window, the blinds were up. "Why were you sleeping with the blinds up? Please do not tell me that you got dressed for bed with the blinds up too!" asked Sora angrily before hurrying to the window and tugging the blinds down.

"I forgot, geez Sora can't you cut me some slack for once?" asked Hikari rolling her eyes.

"No I can't! Hikari you know what will happen if even a single demon sees you! You're too pretty to be this careless, we can't lose you! You know what they'll do to you if they catch you," said Sora raising her voice slightly.

"Now you're taking the paranoid thing too far Sora," laughed a gorgeous girl who was leaning against the door frame. She flashed the girls a dazzling grin with her perfect teeth. Her long chestnut brown hair cascaded down her back, curling softly at the end. She had multiple piercings in each ear that slightly spoiled her angelic appearance. Her cinnamon eyes twinkled with mirth as she casually crossed the room, rubbing one hand up and down her porcelain skin. Hikari laughed at Mimi Tachikawa's comment and began to pull her clothes out of her closet.

"Cover yourself up right this instant Mimi! They could be watching and they would be upon you like vultures if they saw you like this! Why don't you two ever listen to me?" hissed Sora gesturing wildly at Mimi's lacy pink top and her slim blue jeans that hugged her every curve. Mimi just rolled her eyes and replied insolently to the older girl, "Why would they be watching us if they have their perfect demon girlfriends?"

She stomped angrily down the corridor and returned a few seconds later covered by a huge army surplus trench coat. "How come you're up so early Mimi?" called Hikari as she rummaged about collecting the things she needed for the bathroom. She grinned at Mimi and her chocolate brown eyes held warmth and comfort and her small eyebrow piercing also showed that she was no angel either.

"You both were yelling so loudly that you woke me up and I just felt like getting an early start today," said Mimi sulkily.

Hikari smirked and headed out of her bedroom and down the hallway to the common bathroom they shared, there was another one but that was near the kitchen. Mimi fell back onto the bed and scowled at the dirty ceiling. Hikari and Sora had painted the room yellow in an attempt to make the atmosphere more cheerful but had failed miserably; nothing could be made to seem remotely cheerful in this horrible place. Sora joined Mimi on the bed before squishing a cockroach that was scuttling across the floor. Mimi sighed deeply and glared at her depressing and unhealthy surroundings, she hated it here in this horrible disgusting city. Almost everything was filthy and polluted and humans suffered, they were slaves to the demons that ruled the city and very often many human girls just disappeared. Mimi was just happy she had Sora and Hikari with her.

"What's wrong hun?" asked Sora softly.

"I hate it here!" sniffed Mimi.

"I know, I hate it here too but we have to stick it out, you know I've been saving up for tickets out of here. I think we should be able to leave as soon as Taichi gets back," said Sora forcing a smile onto her face.

"He's been gone a long time hasn't he? Do you think he'll be okay?" whispered Mimi.

"Yes he has but I'm sure he's okay. You know how he is, he always has to jump head first into every situation and he just has to be doing something dangerous. His stupid ways always get him into trouble but fortunately being stupid and pig headed isn't all that he is, he always manages to get out of trouble too so he'll be okay," said Sora, this time her smile turning real.

"Why'd they have to be here? I mean can't they leave us alone? I hate this, this constant fear and paranoia! I can't even dress normally without having to wear this horrible trench coat, smudge eye-liner all over my face and not comb my hair for days! I didn't even get the proper childhood I thought I'd get when the war got over, you know like the ones they always show on T.V where the girl gets amazing clothes, a cute boyfriend and lives happily ever after! The only parties I ever got to go for were at those stupid clubs where everyone gets drunk and tries to hit on you! And half the time demons crash those so we have to spend the rest of the night hiding under tables and behind the bar. Those stupid jackass demons! They already have their stupid perfect demon girlfriends so why do they have to make our lives living hell!" wailed Mimi close to tears.

"Oh Mimi, don't worry we'll leave this place as soon as possible and we'll never come back okay? And I promise there will be no eyeliner and trench coats! So cheer up okay belle? We have to leave in an hour so we can chill for a bit but we have to leave on time this time because this is our last chance so no dawdling like you usually do got it?" said soothingly pulling Mimi into a hug. They lay back on the bad in silence just thinking waiting for Hikari to come out of the bathroom. She entered the room wearing a red and white stripped tank top and baggy black pants. She flopped down on the bed hitting Mimi with droplets form her wet short dark brown hair. She tugged on a gigantic black zip up hoody that like Sora's sweatshirt fell to her knees. Mimi thwacked her with a pillow to which Hikari couldn't help but hit her back; no one turns down a pillow fight challenge. Soon Sora had joined in and loud squeals and laughter erupt from the three friends.

After the pillow fight the girls slumped down onto the bed, grinned at each other and curled up comfortably, each grabbing their own thing to do. Mimi grabbed an old magazine from under Hikari's bed, ignoring the other things under her bed that she just didn't want to know what they were. She began to thumb trough the magazine that Hikari had bought from a second hand bookstore, wrinkling her nose at the stained and yellowing pages. Hikari began to paint her nails while Sora took her nap. Mimi and Hikari chatted and laughed until Mimi finished flipping through the magazine. She glanced up at Hikari's round Mickey Mouse clock that her parents had given her when she was young. She had always had it with her and brought it along to every new apartment that they had been forced to move into. The arms of the clock kept getting stuck but all the girls loved it. It was like symbol of hope and a slightly happier past and it made Mimi smile every time she looked at that goofy mouse's face. She grinned at the clock but her short-lived happiness turned to panic as she leapt up from Hikari's bed, knocking over Hikari's nail polish. The bottle cracked and caused the nail polish to leak out forming a bright red pool on the ground.

"Great, another one bites the dust," joked Hikari.

She picked up the empty bottle, pulled up the blinds and leaned out of the window to chuck the empty bottle into the trash heap that was just below her window. "Just what I needed, now I have stains of all the colours of the rainbow," she muttered.

"Stop fooling around!" cried Mimi as she tugged on Hikari's arm before roughly shaking Sora awake, "hurry up, we're going to be late for work!"

"Oh my god!" yelled Sora jolting awake, "hurry up, we can't afford to be late again!" she sprinted out the door and disappeared down the corridor. Hikari and Mimi cracked up before hearing Sora's angry yelling. They ran out of the room stopping at the hall closet so Mimi could grab a pair of all-stars and Hikari could grab her black sketchers. They ran to the end of the corridor, ignoring the spider that was spinning a web in one corner of the wall. Hikari pulled the door open and stepped into their living-dining-kitchen area. Sora was in the part of the room that was assigned to the kitchen and was rummaging in the almost empty cupboards and spraying everything that resembled a bug with a can of bug-spray.

"You know, I think we can die if we eat anything that's been sprayed with that," drawled Mimi lazily from the faded yellow couch that sat in the middle of the room causing Sora to glare at her from over the dusty kitchen counter. "We need to go on a cleaning and bug-eradicating campaign tomorrow because I don't feel like doing it today," called Sora causing Mimi to make a face.

Sora tossed Hikari who was sitting on a matching arm chair with one leg dangling on an arm and Mimi two granola bars that they was pretty sure had almost reached it's expiry date and added, "we also need to go grocery shopping and get a replacement for the bulb in the hallway."

They both groaned at Sora but they loved her for her motherly ways; they truly didn't know how they would survive without her. They knew they could always count on her and trust her and she would always give them a shoulder to cry on and one to lean on. She had found this apartment and all their previous ones for them, without her they would probably be living on the streets. She was everything to them, a sister, a mother and a best friend.

She grabbed a granola bar for herself and pulled them up from their places on the furniture. They all squished their faces together in front of a small round mirror and passed around a bottle of eyeliner that they used to smudge onto their faces. Even though their baggy clothes hid their shapely forms, their hair was in complete messes and their faces were smudged with make up almost anyone could tell that they were still beautiful. Even though Hikari and Mimi teased Sora about being paranoid they knew she was right. If any demon saw them and liked them then they would be taken away, used and then killed. Girls didn't survive long in this city especially ones like them so they took these measures that Sora's mother had thought her so they managed to last so long without being noticed.

Mimi turned the collar of her trench coat up and knotted a scarf around her neck. She tucked her long hair into a cap and slipped on a pair of sunglasses; her hair was the only thing she refused to change, she couldn't even think of cutting it short. Finally satisfied with herself she went to wait at the door for Hikari to zip up her hoody and pull the gigantic floppy hood low over her face and pull on her pair of shades. Sora pulled on a ski cap, tucked all her hair in and she too put on a pair of shades. They opened the multiple locks on the door and slammed it shut. Sora fumbled with the keys for a bit trying to find the right one so they could leave. She finally locked the door and after checking that the door was properly locked she bounded down the stairs with the other two following closely behind. They absolutely refused to take the graffiti and urine filled elevators.

They ignored the rude signs that were scrawled over the once white walls that now held a brilliant variety of stains so they played their favourite games: How long has that stain been there and what is that stain made of? They burst out of the lobby of their apartment building and onto the cracked pavement outside. They munched their granola bars and chatted as they dodged the deep cracks and homeless people that were curled in whatever they had with them whether it was cloth, newspaper or plastic sheets. There were slums everywhere and this city might have been a nice place once upon a time but it definitely wasn't one now. Their surroundings were bleak with ugly gray buildings everywhere and many of these buildings had been reduced to rubble. Angry words were scribbled everywhere, mainly cursing demons. Hikari frowned at the smog filled sky and the dreary weather, the sun rarely shined here. She loved sunny days and the countless other days like this made any small amount of happiness she had evapourate in a second. She put on a cheerful façade for the other two because she knew that they needed it.

No one gave the girls a second glance, there were many people dressed like them and no one wanted to attract attention here. They glanced up at the gigantic Victorian palace that stood out in the modern, drab and desolate surroundings. The demons that lived in this city resided there, living in comfort while the rest of the world suffered. Sora saw how the other two were hungrily gazing at the palace, at the luxurious decor and the comfort and food it promised so she decided to get them to converse.

"How did you two sleep last night," asked Sora slightly lamely.

"I had a dreamless sleep," answered Hikari snapping her gaze away from the palace and focusing it on Sora.

"Me too, I've been having a lot of nights like these lately," said Sora, "What about you Mimi?"

Mimi just looked at them strangely and didn't answer for a bit, she just picked a spare piece of rubble forward. "Mimi?" asked Sora gently putting a soft hand on her shoulder "are you okay sweetie?"

Mimi snapped out of her daze and said almost uncertainly, "yeah I had a dreamless sleep too."

Hikari and Sora watched her curiously, "Mimi are you sure you're okay?" asked Hikari carefully.

Mimi jerked away slightly, "Of course I'm okay!"

"Whatever you say hun," said Sora soothingly.

Mimi nodded but was slightly aloof for the rest of the walk, she didn't join in on any of the conversation or didn't give a single sign that she was even there. They reached a run down super market and entered the sticker-plastered doors. The store was devoid of any vandalism because their meticulous manager always cleaned everything up carefully, making this super market one of the choice ones. They walked to the back of the supermarket to the employee's changing rooms and removed their hats and sunglass and stuffed them in a locker. They didn't clean the makeup off their faces in case any demons walked in here looking for trouble like they had on an occasion before. The manager understood and didn't complain about their appearances and neither did the customers. They traded their gigantic over coats and huddled into shapeless, slightly faded navy blue coats that were their standard uniforms here. They walked out into the market and picked up a note at the register and stated their jobs for their shifts for today.

"You girls are late again today," came a soft voice form behind them causing them to jump in fright. They turned to face a tall lanky blue-haired man with a pair of glasses covering his deep blue eyes. He was handsome but in a bookish way, her pale skin contrasting with his navy blue uniform. He was Jyou Kido, the manager of this supermarket and the girls close friend, he was Sora's childhood friend and had a small soft spot for Mimi. His kind features were twisted into an annoyed frown.

"Jesus! Jyou you scared us! Why'd you have to be all creepy like that?" whined Mimi.

"You know I said that this was you last chance, there are so many people that would like this job so why should I still let you keep it if you wont even turn up on time?" asked Jyou calmly ignoring Mimi's comment.

"Pease Jyou, we're really sorry, please just give us one more chance! This won't happen again, I promise. Just please don't fire us, we won't be able to survive without job, we really need the money! Please don't fire us please!" begged Sora.

"Please Jyou," begged Mimi batting her eyelashes a bit.

"Come one Jyou please don't fire us," added Hikari, "this really wont happen again!"

Jyou sighed, he didn't want to admit but he had a soft spot for the three girls and they were too close to fire. "Okay fine, just one more chance and this is the last one got that? No more chances so do your work properly and don't let me catch you slacking off or I'll have another excuse to fire you three," said Jyou with a small smile.

They worked for the rest of the day and then pulled on their cover ups to go home. They reached home, giggling about completely random things, carrying their groceries and the other much needed house items. They ate their dinner of greasy fast food because no one really felt like cooking that night and went to Sora's room to watch their favourite shows on the tiny T.V in her room. They then split up to get ready for bed and soon were all asleep except for Mimi. She lay awake contemplating on whether she should have told Sora and Hikari the truth about her dreams today. She let it go and couldn't stay awake for much longer; she was too exhausted so she let herself fall asleep, knowing and fearing the fact that someone waiting for her as soon as she closed her eyes.

Mimi was walking through a black hall with polished brown doors on either side that was always locked. She reached the end of the hall and tugged open the door at the end and there he was. A pair of azure blue eyes greeted her, the rest of his face hidden behind a blue mask but his maniacal grin was ever present. His grin turned to his infamous smirk as he took a step towards her. She backed away and called out shakily, "Who the hell are you and why do you keep turning up in my dreams? Can't you just leave me alone?"

The man delicately his arms up hers and pulled her towards him. He wrapped his arms around her torso and held her close protectively, like she was his and no one else can touch her. She began to trace circles on her back, she tried to pull away but she was too strong. He blew hot air into her ear and grazed his lips on her cheek. She gave a strangled gulp and struggled to pull away with all her might but was unsuccessful.

"Now, now pet don't be bad, just let's have some fun," he whispered seductively.

"No! Get away from me!" she screamed trying to shove him away but suddenly his lips crashed down onto hers.

A/N: so here it is! What did you think? I accept all reviews so just push the purple button! Remember to tell me what I've done wrong with it also! Who was the guy in Mimi's dream? (I think I we all know!) And what happened to Taichi? Next chapter I'll tell you all how Hikari, Sora and Mimi meet and possibly where Taichi is! Don't forget to review or I won't update and pull this story out SO REVIEW!