Rewind

by siriAshtpen

It was everything Hikari Yagami could ever wish for. No outbreak of war, those she held important alive and safe, and the humans and Digimon getting along. It would have stayed that way if not for the arrival of three mysterious visitors claiming to know her from the past. Three-part-shot. AU.

Chapter One

Catalyst

"It's been a while, Kari-chan." Short reddish-brown hair flaring in its subtle elegance above the shoulders and crimson colored eyes, the Chosen Child of Love, Sora Ishida nee Takenouchi, now twenty-three, greeted the Child of Light as the younger Yagami walked in her shop in a white long sleeved top and navy denim jumper dress ensemble.

"Yes, it's been quite a while." The younger girl couldn't help but agree. "I apologize for not dropping by often." Hikari Yagami, now twenty and a university student double majoring in Primary Education and Child Psychology, has recently decided to grow out her hair, forsaking the small hair clip that kept her bangs from obscuring her eyes aside, and now her soft brown locks flowed delicately past her thin shoulders, the tendrils curling at the ends, framing her small face. She has also grown taller although not as tall as Sora who was a good three centimeters above her, and was classically more endowed with an ample chest, a petite frame, a small waist and long curving pair of legs, conforming the cute young girl into a beautiful charming lady.

Sora sniffle a soft chuckle behind the sleeves of her violet lilies-patterned kimono before waving a dismissive hand, "Oh please…if anything you always drop by compared to the others."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Hikari teased to which the older woman grinned, equally joining up with the mood, "Good."

Out of all the original Chosen Children, only Sora and Hikari had frequent contact with each other, lest Taichi for Hikari and Yamato for Sora. Be it just the flowers that made them bond more or the fact that Hikari had more sentimental memories in Odaiba that she finds herself constantly coming home despite the pressuring demands of her double major in Tokyo, it doesn't really matter.

After graduating high school, the rest of their friends had split.

The original Chosen Child of Courage, Taichi Yagami went to a university out of Odaiba that offered him a soccer scholarship but instead of applying to their sports department chose an international relation course. He also received a formal invitation for the Japan professional team.

On the other hand, the original Chosen Child of Knowledge, Koshiro Izumi was offered an academic scholarship in Kyoto University and after a year in college had become a novice apprentice for Japan Biomolecular Engineering Research Facility. He, together with Sora's father Haruhiko Takenouchi and Jyou's eldest brother, Shuu Kido also had started their academic research laboratory about the Digital World sometime after that.

As for Jyou, the original Chosen Child of Reliability successfully passed his chosen medical university and had been busier in the said medical profession since then that he hardly had time to rewind and relax but still kept in touch through emails. He also started internship training in the hospital where his older brother, Shin Kido was currently a resident doctor turning fellow there.

The original Chosen Child of Friendship, Yamato Ishida had officially disbanded his middle school/highschool band and went to college choosing an Aeronautics course while working part time as a composer for a recording studio.

Meanwhile, Mimi Tachikawa, the original Chosen Child of Purity, went back to America and entered culinary school to pursue her dream of becoming a chef.

And finally the Chosen Child of Hope, Takeru Takaishi, who had pursued the career as a writer, was taking numerous literature and creative writing electives as well as being elected as the chief editorial of their college newspaper in Tokyo University.

For the new Chosen Children, the successor of both the Crest of Courage and Friendship as well as the temporary bearer of the Crest of Miracles, Daisuke Motomiya went into a distant college near Kyoto, taking an entrepreneur course, and playing for their college soccer team, refusing the numerous scouts that had taken interest in him after watching his top game during his second year in high school.

As for Miyako Inoue, the successor of both the Crest of Love and Purity, went to Kyoto University and chose computer programming and engineering, which was also her forte and calling.

The Chosen Child of Kindness, Ken Ichijouji, also went to Kyoto University pursuing criminology despite the many offers sent to him by different universities and course programs after acing the national examinations and his own entrance exam in his chosen university. He also turned down the offer to play soccer for his university team but comes to help his bestfriend, Daisuke's soccer team practice during his free time.

And being the youngest yet, Iori Hida, the successor of both the Crest of Knowledge and Reliability, after passing his Tokyo University entrance exam the senior year of his highschool had decided to become a lawyer, having inspired by the early passing of his father to become a hero in his own little way and serve the country at the same time.

The last formal gathering they've been together was almost a year ago, with the announcement of Mimi's success in hosting her first culinary show and finally after years of roundabout and running into circles was in a relationship with Koshiro, Takeru running student council president and winning spectacularly- as Hikari would lightly teased him, and Miyako and Ken's engagement party.

Their memories of becoming Chosen Children seemed surreal after reflecting everything that happened to them through the years. Their success, uncertainties, problems, hardships and adventure of that unforgettable summer was so far behind and now they were adults themselves.

"Hello to you too, Luminamon." Sora greeted as soon as her eyes fell on the hovering pink and white fairy Digimon beside Hikari.

"Hello Sora-san!" Luminamon gleefully chirped back. The golden ring above her head glowed in the surge of happiness, causing the two Chosen to chuckle at her bubbling enthusiasm.

"Will it be the usual this year too?" Sora asked.

Ever since the invasion of Vandemon in the Human World in search for the eight Chosen Child, their good friend, Wizarmon's selfless act to protect the last of the original Chosen even at the expense of his life has weighted greatly in Hikari's heart. She can never forget the loss of an important friend who died before her very eyes and was unable to do anything to prevent it. The memory of his cruel death was etched forever in her heart even up until this day. Every year on the same date, she would go visit the place where the noble Digimon last stood before fading into tiny bits of data and bring him flowers. It grew as a tradition and was hard to break overtime.

Hikari smiled, nodding her head, "Yes please."

"Alright. Let me get them ready." And she disappeared to the back room, retrieving the freshly soaked dark pink roses in the cans while handpicking the most beautiful ones and discarding the rest. She came back with an armful of beautiful blooming roses.

Picking up her nipper and a cutting tool which Hikari doesn't have a name for, the older Chosen started working expertly, her motions swift yet graceful as she recreated another one of her infamous flower arrangements, one which her mother would be so proud of ever since Sora had taken their family's art seriously years ago.

Even after graduating college a year ago and venturing the career as a Fashion Designer, Sora still continues to learn the art of flower arrangement, having personally agreed that flower arranging played a huge role in her life and wouldn't want her skills to get rusty even after deterring her attention to her chosen career.

In light with that, knowing of Hikari's unbreakable tradition every year, she volunteered to make flower arrangements for the younger girl in a huge discounted price. Flowers after all don't come off as cheap and she knew Hikari needed all the savings she can get for university funding, seeing at how costly her chosen university and programs are. Being accepted in Tokyo University was in itself an incredible feat.

Hikari watched the older girl work in fascination.

Growing up as adults, the Chosen Children, the old and the new, has little to no opportunities to gather together like they used to before when they were still kids. Bombarded with the demands and high expectations of the adult society, they faced many new challenges ahead as college students and professionals. And possibly married life and kids for the next few years.

Speaking of which, a lot of her friends are now inclining towards marriage, having settled on their chosen paths. In fact, her best friend, Miyako will be married to her long-time boyfriend and now fiancé, Ken, three days from now, both graduating fresh from college last year. Hikari was genuinely happy for the both of them, agreeing that there's no better two souls meant for each other than the two of them.

"Ne Kari…these are really pretty. Can we include them in the bouquet too?" Luminamon's voice pulled her out of her trance and she turned to the fairy Digimon, finding a stalk of fuchsia-colored peony on its hand. She smiled in endearment, unable to resist that vivacious personality. Luminamon has been her partner Digimon for as long as she can remember but it was strange how she have this constant feeling of forgetting something very important. That something was amiss. "Yes of course, Luminamon." The fairy Digimon squealed in delight, earning yet another soft laughter from the two.

'I shouldn't think of it too much', she shook her head mentally, dismissing whatever uncertainty she had to the back of her head. After all, the fate of the two worlds had been long undisrupted. There are no more battles and wars to fight anymore. The world is safe and peaceful just like what they were fighting for all these years. Whatever she was feeling was probably just nerves.

"Alright. It's done." Sora declared, pulling Hikari back from her internal musing. She looked down at the pretty bouquet in Sora's extended arms and marveled at the beauty of it. As expected of someone who has heaps of experience in flower arrangement. She took the bouquet in her arms, "It's so beautiful. Thank you so much, Sora-san. I couldn't ask for any better."

"You flatter me too much, Kari-chan. But you're always welcome for favors like these." Sora sincerely told her, squeezing her hand a bit to let her know that she was here no matter what and she can rely on her. After all, Hikari was a very important friend and comrade. She was like a little sister to Sora, and she has grown to her, caring and loving the younger girl.

Hikari's expression faintly softens and squeezes back, "I guess, see you in three days. We'll be at the wedding." We—meaning her and her husband, Yamato Ishida. Everyone was going. No one would dare miss such a very important event.

Hikari nodded and relayed her farewells to the older woman before she and Luminamon left, heading off to the directions of the same place they always go and visit to every year.

Meanwhile following behind them were figures lurking in the shadows, completely concealing their presence for either Hikari or Luminamon to notice. They set into motion as the two deserted the place, not once missing the fresh trail the Child of Light and her Digimon left behind.

"Ne, Kari." Luminamon spoke up in a start, catching her human partner's attention. They were walking side by side down the road with the fairy Digimon hovering beside Hikari.

No one considered Digimon as a strange sight to see anymore. In fact, majority of the society has accepted their existence in Earth, and all these valor movements were all due to the rigorous efforts of Kari's older brother, Taichi and fellow Chosen, Koshiro.

Digimon, under the registry of the Global Digital Security [1] can freely roam in the physical world provided that they will never harm anyone- human or Digimon alike- or wreak havoc that will disturb peace and order. If this pact was to be violated however, precautionary measures are duly enforced by the said international security. Illegal materializing and manipulation of Digimon are also criminal acts with due judiciary actions enforced by the law if caught.

Hikari and her fellow Chosen from around the world formed an internal organization that will act as mediators of the two worlds. Their creed was to ensure that both humans and Digimon live in harmony while maintaining the balance between the two worlds. There were no massive abnormalities and incidences ever reported for years. Usually they amount to small scales enough for certain number of groups to act and handle the cases on their own.

"What is it, Luminamon?" Hikari asked, sparing a glance towards her partner Digimon, who kept her head hung low, suddenly finding the ground engrossing. There was a beat of silence before Luminamon lifted her head. The usual brilliance and glee in the rabbit-like Digimon's eyes weren't there and were instead replaced by a cast of shadow; her expression crestfallen. With slight reluctance, she opened her mouth, "We will always be together right?"

"Of course, we will always be together, Luminamon." She assured her but it seemed like the fairy Digimon wasn't even half-convinced. The expression made Hikari frown. "Why do you think that we will be apart? Is something—?"

"NO!" Luminamon suddenly shouted, only to choke back a little, petrified that she just raised her voice against Hikari. "No… it's not like that." She trailed in a soft hush voice, chomping her lower lip to fight back a sob from escaping.

Hikari slowed to a stop and when she did, Luminamon also idly stopped an arm's length away from her. The diminutive fairy Digimon didn't dare look at her human partner, afraid that she might hate her now. She wasn't one to gnaw on pessimistic thoughts, however the thought that Hikari would hate her, she couldn't bare stomaching the repulsive idea.

Just then, an arm draped around her shoulders and pulled her into something soft and warm. The smell of roses assaulted her senses, lulling her to calm down. A little second later, Luminamon realized that she was being enveloped into Hikari's arms, a gentle hand patting her back, rubbing soothing circles into her back. "I won't go anywhere. I promise we will be together always. And forever. I promise." Hikari softly murmured next to Luminamon's ears, sealing that promise for beyond eternity.

Luminamon nodded from the crook of Hikari's neck, burying her head to that warmth. It was odd how just a few words from her made all of her qualms and insecurities seemed so pointless now. She couldn't even remember what was clouding her mind before. They will always be together. Forever.

"Forever." Luminamon sealed the end of the promise with a brilliant smile. Hikari nodded, smiling. She was happy Luminamon returned back to her normal cheerful self.

"But why did you ask about it, Luminamon?" She asked her partner once they started walking again. She was curious what brought the question in. The current world was not in danger so there's no feasible reason why they should separate. She paused, a stray thought crossing her mind. Was there something about to happen that's why Luminamon was acting uneasy? But if so, the CRADLE [2] should have picked up the distress and they should have been informed about it already. 'No it can't be.' Hikari mentally shook her head at the possibility. She was overthinking things. Probably. But why does she have this pit feeling of dread telling her that she wasn't that far from the exact answer. Like this was only a premonition of a calm before a proverbial storm.

"Nothing really." Luminamon retreated shyly, hiding her face behind her long ears. Hikari didn't know what to believe in. Luminamon's assurance or the ominous feeling she felt. However, she decided not to dwell on these bugging feelings. To mask her uncertainty, the corners of her mouth turned upwards, smiling, "Alright." And dropped it.

Reaching the front of Fuji TV Station, Hikari looked up, eyes lingering long on the very bridge where her own adventure as a Chosen all began.

Closing her eyes for a second, she let the gentle breeze land soft kisses on her face, the wind carrying her hair and making it flutter behind her. The cool air of spring sent shivers down her exposed nape but she hadn't minded the cold. She had always liked this kind of weather compared to Tai's favorite season of summer, although basking under the sun was not so bad once in a while. She opened her eyes again, a faint smile touching her lips and they went inside the building.

Ever since they've been frequently going here, the security stopped questioning their intentions of visiting the authorized premise and even recognizing them when this particular day of the year comes. They were regarded as a regular visitor apart from the crews who worked for the television station.

Entering the main hallway, they took the elevator to the top floor. Once the double doors opened, they both exited the elevator compartment, walking past the observation deck out to the bridge until they came into a stop at the exact spot where Hikari always leaves the flowers every year.

Twelve years.

It has been twelve years since then, she gushed, sitting on her heels and putting down the bouquet before joining her hands together in a gesture of a prayer. Luminamon did the same too after landing down the ground next to Hikari and started paying her respects too.

People say that a human tends to forget the events that happened when they were still a child. But it wasn't the same case to her. She was eight that time and she can clearly remember everything like it just happened yesterday. The others had forgotten about it, even her brother and her childhood bestfriend, Takeru, started forgetting about it until she brought it up.

However she was different.

This particular event has made a huge impact in her life. If not for Wizarmon, she wouldn't be here, alive and breathing. She owed him her life. In exchange for his life, she lived and she will live for as long as she can to honor the life given to her.

Just then, a strong gust of wind blew, making her hair stray to her face and causing her to open her eyes to search for the cause of the sudden wind. What she saw though made her eyes wide.

What suspiciously looked like pieces of data forming a silhouette of her deceased friend, Wizarmon, weary and clothes tattered and torn, just like the last few seconds before he muttered his last breath -the moment was perfectly embedded into her memory, appeared in front of her.

"Wizar…mon?" Hikari asked, debating whether what she was seeing right now wasn't just a figment of her imagination. Was this an illusion or just her eyes playing tricks on her? She looked again, staring and watching at the same time. But it looked so real. So vivid. Her heart started racing, swelling in a pool of different emotions. Sad. Grief. Happiness. Joy.

The silhouette of the mage Digimon lifted its face, enabling Hikari to see a glimpse on what expression he has. Once their eyes made contact, he slowly opened his lips, uttering a name that made her blood froze.

"Ta…i..l…mo…n…"

'Tailmon?' She slowly repeated in her mind.

She couldn't brush the feeling that she finds that name hauntingly familiar. 'No', she amended. She knew that name. She was supposed to know it. That name….that name…it belongs to…

"Kari! KA-RI!" Luminamon's voice drew her out of her thoughts and she slowly turned to the fairy Digimon, feeling a sheen of cold sweat crawling down her spine, the sensation giving her a foreboding eerie feel that made her involuntarily shiver. Her gaze was unfocused at first before it slowly discerned the worried expression in Luminamon's face. "Are you alright, Kari?" The small fairy Digimon asked, brows furrowing.

'Alright?' Hikari echoed at the back of her mind. She slowly turned back to the bouquet in front of her. Wizarmon's silhouette was not there anymore, she realized. It was as if it was never there in the first place.

Although he doesn't have a hollow body to materialize his digital data with, the remains of his broken data formed a visible outer shell, the image floated in the air, and he was saying something. He was conveying something to her.

It was a name… a name… 'Wait', she stopped, realizing that something amiss in her thoughts, 'What was it again? Ta—? –mon? A digimon?'

Just then, there was a flash of vision running before her eyes. A white feline turning slightly towards her but she couldn't make out any of its face or features since everything was basked into a bright white light. Squinting her eyes a little bit, she saw a twitch. The feline swished its tail revealing a glowing holy ring. 'A holy-type Digimon.' She breathes. The only holy-type Digimon she had been relatively acquainted to were Takeru's partner Digimon, Patamon, and Wallace's twin Digimon partner, Lopmon.

The mysterious feline slowly parted its lips, uttering something but she couldn't hear any of it. She tried drawing closer, narrowing the distance between them so that she can hear it, however, almost as immediately after she tried moving forward towards the mysterious being, she felt an immense amount of sharp pain emanating from her temples.

She collapsed on her knees, clutching her head with both of her hands and started grimacing in pain. 'Just what is happe—?' She fought back a hiss, blinking the tears that was threatening to fall. The searing pain was killing her head in a sickly twisted way, incapacitating her of thinking straight, only wallowing the immense pain.

"Kari? Kari what's wrong?" Luminamon panicked, her concerns were all over at how Hikari's face had gotten so pale and she hovered closed to her human partner's side, perching on her lap.

No response.

"Kari! KARIIII!" She adamantly repeated, however her efforts had been futile. Her voice hasn't reached Hikari.

"FIRE BREATH"

Luminamon whipped her head towards the source of the voice, surprised at the rushing ball of giant flame heading towards them, with plausible ill intent of burning them both alive. She didn't even sensed any foreign presence within the vicinity except for her and Hikari. How could she have missed and let a Digimon slipped past her surveillance so easily?

She quickly looked back to her human partner. Still no signs of recovery from the brunette.

Normally she would have swiftly move away to avoid being immolated alive but with Hikari not responding to her calls and having made no move since she went in that state, Luminamon found herself unable to move away nor leave her human partner to be smoldered alive. She only watched in silent horror as the flame burst into an incredible speed towards them, the intensity of heat melting the steel iron bars that supported the bridge where they were and leaving a trail of smoked ash in its wake.

Why was she so powerless? So weak. Even if she was Hikari's partner, she cannot protect her partner with this small helpless body of hers. She was so useless. Are they here just to await their deaths?

In the heat of the awaiting annihilation, Hikari seemingly drawn back to reality, blinked through glassy, unfocused eyes. Although the pain never quite went away, it marginally muted down enough for her to slightly recover and think straight for a minute. The sight she met though was a ball of raging flame heading towards them. She instantly froze.

"WATCH OUT!" A voice, distinctively low and rich, yet unfamiliar to her ears pierced through the tense air- His voice successfully snapping Luminamon back from her internal self-pities.

Hikari wished it was that easy and that her body would cooperate just this instance. The last time she became this vulnerable, unable to act up and defend herself, her weakness had cost her a life. She didn't want to end it like what had happened with Wizarmon. She had enough witnessing countless of meaningless deaths. If it would save Luminamon, she'll gladly throw herself in. She didn't want to regret never doing something that can be prevented again!

She was beginning to feel the nerves beneath her fingertips responding, her sense of touch returning, and she slowly reached for Luminamon's small figure. Mustering the last of her strength, she forcibly pushed her away from her, intentionally ignoring the fairy Digimon's little squeak of both surprise and protest at the touch.

She cracked a smile at Luminamon's stubbornness and couldn't helped but reflect on her own stubbornness (and lack of self-concern- as her brother, Takeru and Miyako would readily agree) that caused her a number of troubles in the past. If she somehow managed to miraculously survive this, she could like to see everyone again. Surely she'll be greeted by a good amount of scolding from her brother and a death-crushing hug from Miyako. Gently closing her eyes, she patiently waited for her death.

'Don't you dare give up, Hikari!' At the mention of her name, her eyes swiftly flew open, widening exponentially in shock, 'Who was that?' She asked to no one- the question falling silent down her throat.

It was a low matured feminine voice, almost coming off as a growl, and strangely enough, it felt like she knows that voice. Shaking her head, dismissing the tingling sensation budding in her chest as just whispers of the wind, her head quickly shot up, coming into a realization that there was a more important thing she must be concerned with. Falling upon the mystery of the ball of fire that was supposed to immolate her, she swore she should have been hit by now but why….?

The first thing she saw was yellow, then red. She only came into a realization that there was someone standing in front of her who wasn't there before.

The mysterious tall figure emerged from the shadows, jumping in front of her and stopping the massive ball of fire with its hands, countering it with the same element of fire, only his was stronger and more powerful that both elements forcibly cancelled each other.

She reflexively closes her eyes once more, her free hand blocking whatever remains of the explosion left. Once she felt the sight was safe, she slowly lifted the heavy lids of her crimson eyes and waited for the smoke to slowly dissipate and reveal a RedTyrannomon and a mysterious humanoid armored Digimon Hikari never saw before. Or what she thinks she never saw before.

Her crimson eyes slowly drown on the sight of her mysterious savior, too surprised to say anything.

The Digimon was facing his back on her and from the only accessible view, her mind registered the sight of its long untamed golden hair- the red and golden armor it wore glistening under the rays of the sun. Hikari saw the tongues of the flame licking off its armor, the ferocious element unnaturally tamed to its host.

A fire-type Digimon.

Her knowledge on the different kinds of Digimon swiftly kicked in, in hopes of recognizing their mysterious savior but nothing from the catalogues of her memories could give her the name of the unknown Digimon.

"Get light. Strangers not intrude." Hikari heard the fiendish Tyrannomon bellowed behind its clenched sharp teeth, its breath rising through the air in thin visible wisps. She suddenly felt an ominous chill down her spine. Somehow it felt that it was pertaining to her- but how she knew it? She don't know. After all, nothing of the mysteries surrounding her were ever given answers. Even after contemplating it for days, absolutely nothing and no one can give her the answers she had been searching for all these years. Soon, she had given up, accepting that they will never be answered. But just then, this appeared…giving light to what she was seeking.

"Not a chance you bastard!" Her mysterious savior furiously snapped back, charging at the Tyrannomon with his fists emitting two huge red flames and with a kick on his foot as a pivot to accelerate the force of impact, his fist collided with the jaw of the red dinosaur Digimon, squarely punching the said Digimon enough to make its huge body flew off a few meters back from the intensity, knocking down the next building and groveling the cement into dust due to its weight.

She had been so immersed watching her mysterious savior that she failed to notice the presence of two more mysterious figures joining in the fray. She only noticed their presence when they stepped in the battle against one-to-three.

The first one was a humanoid Digimon clad in dark purple and grey armor, its helmet conspicuously resembling a wolf and the scarf around its neck was oddly similar to the pattern of Gabumon's pelt only its light purple with dark purple stripes. The other, also a humanoid Digimon, was clad in lustrous black and gold armor, the shoulder pauldrons and armor on its chest plate strangely resembling a face of a menacing black lion and on its right hand was a black spear.

"EWIG SCHLAF!"

The black armored Digimon finished off the fallen rampaging Champion Digimon with his spear and purified it, the digicodes floating up in the air and seeping into a device she hasn't seen before but after staring at it intently, it conspicuously looked like a… She ran a hand inside her pocket and pulled out her D3. She looked back at the three mysterious humanoid Digimon, a plausible theory in mind. 'A digivice?'

After the scanned Digimon reverted back into its egg, the blue armored Digimon took out an unfamiliar circular device. It shone brightly, the light momentarily blinding her but that didn't stop her from witnessing the digital egg forcibly sucked in to the device, disintegrating, before it completely disappeared. The rational side of her wanted to ask what they were going to do with the Digi-egg. No matter how evil or corrupted the Digimon was, they should still return its Digi-Egg back to the Village of Beginnings to be reborn. If they meant any harm to it, then...

But why? Why does she feel so sure that they won't harm it?

The sound of metal clashing with cement and concrete brought her back to reality and she found her eyes landing on her savior who was slowly walking towards her.

Her eyes had watched his every move—the slow pace of his walk, the sound of his heavy armor against the cement and the soft gale of the wind that played with his hair—until the view of his face that entered her vision became pronounced.

He stopped just a few inches away from her, avoiding squishing the bouquet of flowers underneath the weight of its heavy armor.

The expression on his face was unreadable, mostly rigid really, but his gaze was strangely fixated on her face. His lips were drawn into a tight line as if he was having an internal battle of what expression he'll make. Her crimson eyes then slowly traveled all the way up to his eyes. Vivid blue eyes…like the color of the sky.

'Blue eyes?' She relished in the soothing color, surprisingly enthralled by it. 'How strange.' She began, finding herself lost in his eyes. There it was again- That same feeling of familiarity. Not just voices anymore as a projection of one of the lingering mysteries around her came to life in flesh and matter. And here, she fervently claimed otherwise.

She knew this person- Wait, what? A person? But this creature in front of her was a Digimon. Why did she think that this Digimon was a human and go as far as regarding him as such? It sounded impeccably impossible for a human to become a Digimon or in this case, a Digimon becoming a human. Oh wait. Archnemon and Mummymon can switched forms. But she felt this was entirely different from what their previous enemies could do. So why, in this plethora of unanswered mysteries that surrounds her, does it felt like everything of it was true. And she knew better than to carelessly slip in her thoughts. She set her newly formulated hypothesis at bay, still unsure on how to go about it. For now she should concentrate in remembering his name because if what she's feeling right now was true then knowing this Digimon's name will hopefully be the first step in decrypting the mysteries surrounding her.

She began digging through her memories for a name, aimlessly searching through the hazy film of memories seen through different eyes as she aged, when she automatically froze, feeling an abrupt sharp pain directed on her head again. The pain reminded her strongly of what she felt when she was trying to recall the name Wizarmon spoke of. 'But why?' She asked in a silent cry, blinking back the tears that were threatening to fall. Why does it happen every time she tries to remember something? 'Why?'

The mysterious red armored Digimon noticed her pain and tried to reach his hand towards her only to stop halfway, visibly tensing as he sensed another presence nearby.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Luminamon yelled, threatening him in his attempt to touch her human partner.

The small fairy Digimon flung herself in front of Hikari, determined to protect her from the humanoid armored Digimon despite their obvious size difference but one glare from said Digimon made her inadvertently flinch. She equally glared back, stubbornly refusing to fall from the weight of his glare.

"I SAID…GET AWAY FROM HER!" She repeated through clenched teeth, her voice thick with uncharacteristic hostility from her normal peace-loving personality. It was unlikely of her to get this easily hostile whether in the pose of danger or not.

Hikari seemed to have recovered from the excruciating pain she felt and held out her arms, wrapping them around her partner Digimon with the intention of calming her down, "I'm alright now Luminamon. Please don't fight." Despite her pleas, Luminamon still hasn't moved an inch nor dropped down her guard. Her senses were on overdrive, screaming to warn every bit of her digital fiber at the sight of the familiar Digimon. Or should she say, the Legendary Warrior of Flame.

But Hikari's insistence to stop this riling antagonism from both Digimon and the assurance that she wasn't in harm's way, made her visibly relaxed. She let her shoulders slump and retreated to her Hikari's side after giving her a look that she wasn't intending to fight their savior (no matter how unwilling she was), which earned herself an affectionate pat on the head and the briefest smile from her human partner. She laced her feeble arms around Hikari's arm, eyes watching warily at the conversation that was about to transpire.

Hikari's gaze drifted towards the mysterious Digimon who had wisely kept his hand back to his side after the warning shot called by Luminamon in her surge of protecting her. "Thank you." She told him.

The armored Digimon didn't speak but his eyes grew noticeably softer after hearing her voice. He closed his eyes, letting the overwritten data slowly seeped away off his body, the fractal code returning back to his D-Tector, revealing a handsome young man around Hikari's age with disheveled dark brown hair and equally warm brown eyes that were staring at her crimson pools intently.

She wanted to ask why he looked that way towards her. And that's not even half of it. She was also wondering why he acted so furious during the fight against the RedTyrannomon. It just doesn't make any sense, really. And truthfully, she had shied away from his penetrating stare a couple of times, feeling conspicuously uneasy about that unnerving gaze. It doesn't helped the fact that he was also good-looking but unlike anyone who would be easily swooned by a gorgeous face, Hikari was a bit different, having used into seeing pretty faces everyday- And it wasn't even exclusive to the men too. Miyako will surely be disappointed in her hearing that same indifference every single time. But kidding aside, she wasn't that entirely immune to beautiful people, only with trained blasé expression has she appeared like she didn't particularly minded. And so she did and continued staring back, only this time it was different.

From behind him, the two other armored Digimon, both equally unfamiliar as well, transformed back to their human forms, revealing two good-looking young men, twins to be exact as the resemblance became clearer after their transformations, both with matching dark blue hair but one has longer hair which he kept tamed by tying in a low pony while the other one has curly dark blue hair almost falling on his shoulders.

She hasn't been paying close attention to the others, as her eyes fell solely on the man in front of her, surprised by his own transformation. The moment their eyes made contact, Hikari felt an electrifying surge ran down her spine, jolting every bit of her fiber as a sense of familiarity washed over her. Another memory resurfaced from the depths of her subconscious, briefly pulling her out of reality, and her eyes turned glassy and distant under the intensive steady gaze of the man in front of her.

The memory was hazy, unclear like she was seeing it through a film, but she refused to be held down- Not when she felt she needed to see whatever this was. After taking a moment to focus on it, squinting her eyes in the bright light, she saw the figure of the same man who appeared in front of her, only prominently younger with the same hair and eye color and features tenderly calling out her name with an outstretched hand reaching out to what appeared to be her fifteen-year old self. He was grinning, innocent and cheerful and not as severe and somber as what his older self is now.

Have they met before in the past? She wasn't certain. Better yet, she doesn't know at all. She has no distant recollection that they ever did. And there's no one remotely closed to the features of the said boy from any of her memories too.

Except for one.

That memory that just flashed before her eyes.

It wasn't coincidental that he knew her name, even regarding her so closely by using the familiar annunciation of her name. If that wasn't enough, what then would explain that tender expression in his face if they didn't know each other? And what about seeing her younger self accepting that gentle hand reaching out to her like there's been so much trust between them?

Just who is he really…? How come she appears to know him when she wasn't even sure that she knew him?

'YOU CAN'T!' A ghastly low voice whispered in the empty air, paralyzing her body in fear. She felt a cold shiver running down her spine, her blood turning ice cold at how hollow and cold the voice was. It reminded her of Vandemon's sickly cruel voice as he mercilessly watched the cries of innocent children in search for the 8th child and Daemon's dark wicked tone when he claimed to take Ken away for the Dark Spore he once possessed. It was the darkness' voice. It distantly rings a bell having been called to the Dark Ocean numerous times in the past. A whisper of an evil darkness, gently coaxing the travelers that visited their realm to resign and submit to them.

'You can't remember! You shouldn't! You are not allowed to remember!' The voice insisted, almost showing anger that she was being disobedient and was putting an effort into remembering something that was long sealed. And then there's panic. Although subtle and shadowed by the anger, the desperation to cease her motives was hinted. However, Hikari barely noticed the difference, too coped up in her own contained emotions. She felt her chest wringing, twisting into knots. Frustration welled up to her, replacing her fear.

Why? Why was that? Why was she forbidden to remember? She wanted to ask.

Surely it doesn't have a single idea on how agonizing it was that she couldn't explain any single irregularities or mysteries surrounding her to that point that it became increasingly frustrating that she was the only one experiencing this. How agonizing itself not to know anything and she couldn't even reached out to anybody, not even to her family, about her frequent feeling of dread, her nightmares that woke her up in the middle of the night leaving her unable to close her eyes again in fear of seeing and hearing those haunting images and voices again, those splitting headaches that made her wish that she could somehow ripped them off to bypass the pain and those unexplainable visions or perhaps, memories.

She always had a feeling that there was something wrong. That there was something missing and she was forgetting about it. It unsettled her being played on endless riddles like this. She wanted to have answers to them and here it won't let her? Does it have something to do with this Digimon and the other two behind him? How about the name Wizarmon mentioned a few moments ago? And that light the RedTyrannomon mentioned when it gone berserk and tried immolating her alive. Does it also have anything to do with all of these?

However no matter how repulsive and horrifying it was, that voice was her only clue for the strange lapses in her memories.

She looked around, searching for that ghastly voice to ask why she wasn't allowed to remember and if the recurrence of those headaches were the attempts to stop her from retrieving any of her memories however her eyes were only greeted by an infinite stretching abyss. All her questions remaining unanswered. She looked back, only to realize that the memory slowly faded. The scene cracked into million bits of glass shards and before she knew it, she was back to the reality she knew.

In that millisecond of a minute though, she swore she have heard of that mysterious voice from somewhere. She just couldn't remember when, where or how.

Nobody seemed to notice her lack of response or minded that she was staring off to space for what felt like an infinite time, but she did felt the brown-haired man's gaze on her, never reverting or retreating. It made her feel self-conscious, unused to the unnatural amount of staring coming from the mysterious man.

'Wait', she refocused her gaze again, realizing that she was missing a question, "You turned into a human?" She slowly asked, doubt coloring her voice. Since when did humans become Digimon anyway? A Digimon and a human are two separate entities. This…She never seen or witness before.

Suddenly flashes of six Warriors came into her mind, five males and one female, each shouting what seemed to be…Spirit Evolution? And then materializing into Digimon forms. Kari stopped. What was that she just saw? That vision… Her eyes slowly widened.

"We are humans to begin with." The one of the two other Digimon turned human answered for her which confuses her even more. 'So humans can turn into Digimon?' She kept the question to herself quietly but she was still confused on what to think about it. The idea itself was outrageous. There had been no breakthrough in the technology to that extent. Sure humans turned into data when crossing the other world but actually turning into Digimon seemed too farfetched. No one has considered that possibility yet. Not even Koushiro would dream to believe it happening without his knowledge.

But looking at their eyes and seeing it happen before her eyes just proved that it was true.

And not to mention the vision she just had. It was not a coincidence that she had that vision. These visions might just be the answers to the recurrent headaches she had been experiencing, however she couldn't exactly thread the two together. What are these visions she's seeing? And why do it feels so credibly nostalgic at the same time?

"LIES! THERE'S NO WAY A HUMAN WOULD TURN INTO A DIGIMON." Luminamon retaliated, earning another glare from the brown-haired boy and now the blue-haired one at the back. She growled at them, the ring above her head glowing dangerously.

Hikari silently agreed with Luminamon but at the same time, she also believed him. Or rather because something inside her told her that he was telling the truth. "What's your name?" She found herself asking after some time to the boy who's the closest to her.

The one who transformed from the red armored Digimon, the one with dark brown hair who saved her from the rampaging Digimon, seemed to flash her a sad look before it was soon replaced with a gentle smile, a smile that made Hikari's heart flutter but at the same time, made it ached too. 'Why is that?' She asked, staring deeply into his brown orbs.

"Takuya." The boy told her, "Takuya Kanbara."

There was another spark of pain in her head as his name escaped his lips but this time, the pain was minimal and not unbearable unlike before. She willed herself not to succumb to the pain again. She also felt her heart starting to race, hammering viciously against her rib cage.

"PRISON GATE OF BEHEADINGS!"

An illusion of a gigantic blade unleashed a shock wave, mercilessly cutting anything that crossed its path. Hikari was unable to quickly react to the attack lurched towards them, distracted by the uneven rhythm of her heart, and so was left unguarded and rooted on the spot but two strong arms immediately grabbed hold of her back and waist in a split of second, and she and whoever grabbed her dived away from the hazardous blow in a hairsbreadth.

Instead of landing on hard concrete like she imagined, she found herself cushioned to the person who saved her, her face buried into someone's hard chest. Beneath the heavy clothing he wore, she could feel the person's strong well-sculpted body gotten from the countless battles he had fought hard to survive just to live through. When she inhaled in shock and softly coughed out the dust after the mist has cleared, she involuntarily took a whiff of a spicy cologne and a musky scent of men's deodorant blended with a mix of the strong aroma of grounded coffee and wet soil that clung to his shirt. She felt her heart hammering against her chest, heat pooling and coloring her cheeks which she mistakenly confused for the shock of a second attack today. She vehemently tried not to read too much about her racing heart that may lead her into a wrong conclusion.

"Are you alright, Kari?" She felt a deep rumbling from her savior's chest as he spoke. Lifting her head, her crimson eyes met the warm brown eyes of Takuya, a wrong move though because she realized how closed their faces were.

She quickly stood up, tearing herself from the man, "I'm sorry." She squeaked, embarrassed by mindlessly treating his body as a pillow.

In truth though, what made her so flustered was how she felt his hot breath on her skin. The awkward proximity of their earlier position also done nothing to make her feel better or pacify her racing heart.

Takuya didn't respond for a second before getting on his feet as well, "It was nothing. You don't need to apologize for anything."

"HEY TAKUYA, IF YOU'RE DONE FLIRTING, LEND YOUR FRIENDS A HAND OVER HERE ALREADY WILL YOU?" What sounded like the long dark blue haired man from earlier yelled, both in hint of annoyance and teasing dipping in his voice.

Hikari flushed at the preposterous idea. This was the very same thing she dreaded not to let herself think. That little skinship just now was meant to save her. If he didn't helped her, she was sure a goner. Besides, it was unavoidable considering the situation.

"Shut up man! It's none of your damn business." He yelled back, sounding irritated but judging by his expression, that crooked smirk was enough to tell anyone that he found the comment amusing. Seeing him like this and having that boyish grin, vastly reminded Kari of Tai when he was younger, obnoxiously careless and reckless, but at the same time, isn't.

He turned back to Hikari only to catch her looking. They both hastily looked away at the same time.

"I need to go", Takuya declared after a while. He turned to her again and saw how she mutely nodded her head but her cheeks were still evidently red. This made his expression soften. Even if she doesn't remember him anymore, he was still glad that he had the chance to see her again. Her presence alone spoke volumes on how impactful she was to him. And it took all his self-control not to pull her into his arms and drown himself to her scent all the while ascertaining himself that she was truly here.

"Kari…" She looked up, responding to the sound of her name. Takuya smiled at her, subconsciously flashing that same lonely yet gentle smile again, "After this is over, will you come with me?"

"She's not going with you anywhere, Warrior of Flame." Luminamon, who was kept at bay beneath the crumbling ceiling, spitted icily, glaring at Takuya to which said Warrior equally glared back. He withdrew back though, putting his childish pride aside and setting away their differences since they were fighting a common cause after all, "Never mind." He curtly turned away.

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Luminamon flung herself towards Hikari's open arms, the latter hugging her human partner in assurance of her safety.

"HEART BREAKER!"

The shattering of glass interrupted their heated confrontation and they all turned to see a black armored lion beneath the remains of the cracked glass. "Umm…I hate to interrupt anything but I think we need to proceed to Plan B, Takuya. There's a little troublesome opponent out there and Kouji's temper is nearing its limit." The lion easily shook the broken glasses off his body and pounced ahead to the ongoing fray outside.

Takuya sighed, grumbling something unintelligible under his breath before directing Luminamon a brief dark look. Hikari hadn't seen the cold expression of his because before she could noticed, he had turned away. However the fairy Digimon didn't failed to catch the sight of it. Ever since the appearance of three of the Legendary Warriors, she hasn't dropped her guard even for a second and allowed her eyes to closely follow their movements. She flinched ever so slightly under the constant remainder of the Warrior's hostility towards her. Despite it only seen briefly, she could feel the hidden killing intent beneath those wordless glare. The feeling's mutual anyway. She was just as agitated and displeased to their presence as he was to her.

He took out his D-Tector, or Digivice in Hikari's eyes. This was the first time she would witness the baffling transformation of a human into a Digimon. She watched ever so closely even when greeted by a blinding light coming from the evolution itself.

"DOUBLE SPIRIT EVOLUTION. ALDAMON!"

The fractal codes surrounding Takuya slowly seeped away and in his place stood a different Digimon. His new form strongly resembled his previous evolution, only this time, the appearance of this Digimon had grown wings and his limbs morphed into what seemed like scales of a dragon. It was also a fire element type like before. With another quick glance her way, the unknown Digimon jumped outside, flapping his enormous wings before scurrying into the exit out to the skies.

"Kari it's dangerous here." Luminamon latched onto her arm, tugging the sleeve of her shirt to reckon her to move. "Let's go." She insisted but Hikari was strangely not responding to any of her calls. Her condition worried her. Has that damn Legendary Warrior do something to her partner? It was not until a presence of another Digimon stepped in that Hikari showed signs of movement again. Luminamon was quick to notice how Hikari's shoulders were suddenly trembling, her hands warping her arms protectively. She let her eyes fall upon the cruel gaze of the newcomer- a QueenChessmon, she acknowledged solemnly.

And it seemed unabashedly displeased by their presence if that frown had not told her otherwise. It was quite obvious, really. She could sense evil in the said Digimon. And despite its incomparable beauty, there was this vile air around it, treacherous and menacing like a snake awaiting for the moment to perfectly strike its prey.

Instinctively her body shifted into a defensive stance in front of her human partner, her gaze narrowing as she watched its every move warily.

"Oh." It started, voice thick and uncannily sweet, "What do we have here?" It gave a cold smirk, directing the expression to the both of them.

"My, such an ugly human girl and a puny animal." It sneered haughtily, flippantly tossing her long silver-colored hair to the side. It was kind of disappointing, really, that her master would give her the task of eliminating a pitiful human girl who doesn't even hold a candle of her beauty and magnificence. Such an ugly human girl! And what's with the annoying glowing runt?! Did it actually think that it can take her down with its puny size? Ha! Ridiculous. She'll finish this quickly so she can play with those human-Digimon hybrid outside. Not to mention, one of them had strongly caught her interest. Although his random burst of temper wasn't exactly her type- she liked the more obedient type with all the collar and whip, his pretty face would compensate everything of his potty mouth.

"Don't you think it's a little cruel that he wanted you dead as quickly as possible?" She tilted her head to the side, a sinister smile dipping venomously on her lithe lips as she slowly walked towards her prey and the dog. "Because in all honesty, I don't see the allure in killing a mere human like yourself."

"Who…" Hikari began, in a surprisingly even voice, "Who is he?"

QueenChessmon fall back a step, honestly surprised by the question. She rose a delicate brow, scrutinizing the hideous-looking human girl with an unamused frown. Perhaps she'd been far too cruel in her words when she described the said human. But blah…Who cares? KingChessmon mentioned before that she never had a critical eye for female beauty, suggesting her vain complex that no one- Digimon or human alike, would exceed her brilliance, let alone beauty, to which she hotly disputed with an offended 'Are you mocking me?' and a sheer kick on the bastard's gut. Really, she hates that cowardly good-for-nothing grandpa-looking midget king.

"What? You don't know?" She then paused, a contemplative expression on her face, "You don't remember anything do you?"

Based on her baffled expression, she presumed she really don't. Snorting a bit, she placed a hand on her waist cheekily, a long-weary sigh escaping from her lips, "I'm not one with charity, girl. But I suppose it won't hurt letting you know that every single entity in this world is wary of you. Rather, your whole existence. Child of Light, your mere presence is an abominable existence which is needed to be removed as soon as possible." She paused again, and her eyes swiveled to the Digimon next to the brunette, "Come to think of it, I've never seen a Luminamon before. Not in all the worlds, I've been to." Said fairy Digimon visibly tensed, her eyes narrowed in a hard glare at QueenChessmon.

The comment confused Hikari. "What do you mean you've never see-"

"Hear yourself, ugly bitch. I never seen a hideous QueenChessmon like you before either." Luminamon snarled vehemently, glaring coldly at the vain Digimon. At this point, she had long forgotten that Hikari was just beside her, clearly hearing everything. The surprise in Hikari's face tells anyone that she had never seen Luminamon this aggressive before, let alone swearing words in such menace. She noticed how her normally bright aura diminished exponentially- a chilling atrocious air creeping slowly from the tips of her toes that sent shivers down her spine.

"Now you've actually done it. And I was being nice too." QueenChessmon mumbled incoherently, "HOW DARE YOU!" She flung her weapon towards the fairy Digimon just to be thwarted by a blanket of darkness by the latter. By now, Luminamon's eyes had turned completely bright red and her form had started morphing in a formless abominable creature with a least thousands of creepy eyes directing its gaze on her target.

QueenChessmon was quick to step back, cautious by the sudden transformation. When it ended, she saw a Shademon in the once fairy Digimon's place. She froze, loudly sucking in air.

"Luminamon?" Hikari's voice cut through Shademon's vengeful train of thoughts and she reluctantly turned to face her, completely unprepared to handle this situation where Hikari would finally witness her true form, only to flinch ever so evidently at the frighten expression in the girl's face. This readily angered her. 'She doesn't see me anymore.' After they've been together for so long, she…despises her the moment she saw her true form. She was like the rest of them. A liar. A hypocrite liar. She launched beams of black light towards her in ill desperation and confusion before succumbing into the darkness, wallowing her past form and disappearing into thin air.

In the brink of the crawling darkness, Takuya jumped between them, seamlessly scooping her, careful not to graze her with his sharp gauntlets before landing on the other side, away from the trajectory. He set Hikari on her feet although kept his hold on her waist, afraid that the moment he let go, she'll readily collapse to the ground. It didn't do enough that Hikari was trembling. Everything must have overwhelmed her. He couldn't help but slightly regret getting her involved again. He knew it was unavoidable- She had been the key to defeating their common enemy that was currently terrorizing the entire Multiverse which was in grave danger of extinction if not for the immediate intervention of the different rulers of the different Worlds and the different veteran fighters who had once saved their own versions from chaos and was forced to forget her memories and have it vastly altered. This world she was in doesn't even exists. Even the imagery of her seemingly normal life….nothing of it was true. They were purely illusions and he had been waiting all these time, fighting and surviving every hard battles despite the heavy casualties that was inevitable to avoid, just to find her.

He had been quietly watching her in the shadows as her normal days drone on and couldn't helped wishing she would miraculously remember him the moment he was finally allowed to make contact with her. It was to his utter disappointment so to say that she didn't showed signs of recognizing him even as he transformed back into his human form. He tried convincing himself that it was inevitable. Kouji had told him the possibility of Hikari remembering him or any of them for that matter was close to zero. The others had also warned him of getting too ahead of himself and letting his personal issues greatly affect him which might led him to forget his mission. However he didn't expect that he'll be deeply hurt like this. She was so near to him…and yet…she doesn't know him.

"Takuya", Hikari spoke, cutting him from his inner thoughts and found his eyes landing on her face. "Please…" She tottered, her voice was so small he almost couldn't hear it had he not paid close attention.

He frowned a bit, debating whether to start apologizing for putting her through this hell again and for his selfishness or to start telling her everything. She deserved as much explanation after almost being killed on numerous close accounts today. However what surprised him was the next few words that escaped her lips.

She looked at him, almost pleadingly- her gaze just as clear as day with a budding resolve in them. It made him unable to look away, remembering those fervent pinning gaze she gave him in the past, encouraging him to move forward even in the point of no return.

For the first time in many years, he seemed to be looking at the very Hikari Yagami he knew despite her staged memory loss. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, hold her hand and take comfort in her presence. To assure himself that she was here. That she was really here. He internally wonder if his face was already betraying his masked emotions because right now, he felt as if his heart will explode any moment and he might not be able to contain his practiced calm anymore.

"Please save Luminamon." She requested, eyes swiveling back at where Shademon last appeared before vanishing, suggesting the presence of an opened Digital Gate somewhere near. Her head sank almost as suddenly, turning back to him in shame, "I think I've hurt her when I looked frightened after seeing her other form. It was not it really. I didn't mean to look…"

His expression turned hard and he felt his blood numbing and running cold under his veins. It was funny how one moment she makes him feel all jittery and nostalgic, almost making him forget his mission, who he was and what he had been fighting for all along, and the next, easily wounding him. He was surprised how her words had greatly angered him. She was concerned to the very creature that took her away, almost killing everybody in the process just to have her. It was that vile creature who trapped and caged her in this delusionary dream world. She doesn't have a single idea on how much he had searched for her everywhere, to the point of actually slashing out his family and friends all because of the pent-up frustration that he had let her be taken away before his very eyes. And here…she was especially worried about…

"You realize that that Luminamon you're referring to doesn't exist in the first place." Before he could calm himself and dismissed his anger, his words had flowed out harshly and coldly. He wanted to take them back, fearing that he had scared her out of his fit of anger. Why was he even venting it all to her when she wasn't even at fault here? However, he was caught by surprise yet again when she didn't even flinched from his rough tone. Should he be thankful that Hikari didn't appear frightened of him or for being her usual self of always quietly accepting things even if they were painful? He was not sure. He wasn't even sure that he liked how she would keep everything bottled inside of her so as not to cause problems to others and putting up that pretense of a smile she wore so well. Her stubborn trait hasn't faded the least.

"I always had the recollection that something was off. Not quite right in a sense. That sometimes, I don't belong to this world no matter how perfectly normal it was. I never quite thought of it, mostly I've given up searching for all the answers to my questions. No one could give them to me. Even I cannot solve all the mysteries piled around me." She trailed off in a soft distant voice, sounding so world-weary of the constant failure that resulted to frustration, "Despite that, she cared for me. Behind my insecurities, she had willingly been a partner and a friend. And I promised her one thing, Takuya. That I will never abandon her and that we will always be together. Even if she had led me to this. This warped world that was better off as a dream- a perfect fairy tale. And I think I had silently wished for this too. To see and be with everyone I specially care for even if it is nothing but a living nightmare."

For someone who always speaks his mind before losing that trait to the weary of constant battles that scarred his being, Takuya found himself lost for words. How will he regard her after hearing her thoughts for the first time?

In the past, she had appeared apathetic, giving an impression that the loss of her family, brother, friends and partner Digimon hadn't bother her much and only determined to complete her self-appointed mission in lieu with the impending Jötunheimr and save the entire Multiverse.

It did cross his mind once that she was just stubbornly keeping things to herself, deterring herself from what happened in her version of World and making sure that no one would see her breakdown which he had to admit she had done exceptionally well, but he never thought that what he initially thought of her was truly the true reflection of her suppressed feelings. Had he been blinded by her gentle smile, warm presence and indomitable wisdom, he doesn't really have an answer to it. She was always encouraging, smiling, accepting and warm. She had been the light, which was quite ironic considering that Hikari was indeed the Chosen Child of Light, amidst the piling insecurities and uncertainties the Multiverse holds and he felt as though he could do no wrong with her beside him.

However, after hearing her thoughts- of what she truly thinks even though her memories were unreliable now, he realized that he hadn't knew her well enough. She was a much deeper person holding an immeasurable amount of loneliness. Always forgiving and considerate to others, but very strict and doesn't compromise a single bit to herself. He could never fully imagined how devastated she was by the loss of everyone she loved and the fact that she lost them, unable to do anything but helplessly watched them being slaughtered. The magnitude of her grief was unthinkable. It made him think of how foolish he was, only caring for what he felt about her but not actually looking through her and what she truly felt.

It all but made sense that she would unconsciously wished for this kind of world even if it was nothing but a fleeting pleasant dream. That was probably the only way she could think of to escape the cruel reality that when she wakes up, nobody would be there anymore.

For the first time in his entire life, he felt inclined to question himself if this was truly the right thing to do. He had never felt the need to question his principles and morals before because he believed that his actions were for the greater cause. That these were the right choices to make in order to protect everyone, the world and their future. He never thought that he would feel so conflicted about those very morals and beliefs now. Was it wrong for her to be selfish and escaped the unpleasant recollections of the apocalypse? After all, she had sacrificed and lost the most. He, out of all the people, knew it. To never be able to go back to her World because the World she knew doesn't exist anymore.

She was human too, like them, despite appearing perfect. She was bound to have emotions, be conflicted and confused and warranted to do mistakes and chose wrong decisions. Will he deprive her of what she truly wants just to accomplish his given mission? He unconsciously tightened his grasp on her. They might berate him for this, but just this instance, he wanted to stand by her side. And this time, he won't let go of her hand. For one girl, he was ready to go against everyone, even against the Gods and destiny.

"I never knew that twerp was Lord Shademon." Their attentions were drawn back to QueenChessmon. She adjusted her stance and her eyes roved over their forms- her target in the Legendary Warrior's arms. "Just some serious business girl. Actually I will let you experience a quick painless death but I changed my mind." She twirled her Queen Stick with practiced ease, pointing it towards Hikari. Because why not have fun witnessing the possible reactions of these hybrids when they find out that they failed their mission was left unsaid.

"You have to pass through me before you can even touch a single strand of her hair, bitch." Takuya bellowed, glaring icily at the Digimon. He won't let her do as she pleases with Hikari! He vowed not to lose her again. This time he'll make everything right the way it should be.

"HA! Let me see you try then!" She extoled in morbid glee at the threat, an omnipresent smirk on her face.

He loosens his grip on Hikari's waist, ready to engage to battle, only to feel her hands squeezing his own. He didn't noticed when she grabbed his hand but the touch ate away most of his anger. "You don't need to fight her, Takuya." She told him, her crimson eyes gazing intently on his own as if mentally telling him to place his unconditional trust in her. He would have laugh at her only he knew she was serious. Does she actually want to be killed by this Digimon? Just what the hell was she even thinking?! He pursed his lips into a grave line still not convinced in her idea of having not to fight.

"QueenChessmon", Hikari began. The black and pink armored Digimon spared a look at her, a pensive expression on her beautiful face. "Why do you want me dead?" She asked.

The Legendary Warrior of Flame stiffened, jaw tensing at the question. Why would she deliberately ask her perpetrator the reason why she wanted her dead? Unless she really wanted to die, this doesn't make any sense.

QueenChessmon rose an elegant brow, "What's this? I thought we've already established that your existence is nothing but a threat to the universe." She frowned, slightly annoyed at her question, "Didn't you hear me before?" Because if she was, she absolutely hated repeating herself just for her sake.

Ignoring the hidden insult that was left unsaid, knowing QueenChessmon she was sure she had just insulted her in the most subtle way possible, Hikari was determined to get to the bottom of things. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together after backtracking everything that happened. The random attacks of rampaging Digimon, Takuya and his companion's sudden appearance, Luminamon's earlier unexplainable discomfort and her other form, and the information QueenChessmon supplied. Although she hasn't figure everything out yet, it was enough to lead her to this one theory. She'll gamble any chances that the female Digimon will catch the bait and tell her the truth. "No. That is not it, isn't it? You have more in mind than just to kill me. You wanted something, right?"

There was a long lapse of silence, either party moving an inch, before the black and pink armored Digimon burst into fits of laughter, throwing both Chosen in surprise. After a few more giggles, the laughter finally subsided and died in her throat. QueenChessmon gingerly wiped off the tears done from hysterical laughing. She hadn't had a good laugh in a long time. And it felt odd laughing this much in one day but she couldn't just ignore a good question.

She looked over to the Child of Light and the Warrior of Flame, seeing no amusement crossing their grave expressions. Such sourpusses. Well, she won't let it sour her mood.

She gave Hikari a pointed amused look, "And here I thought you were a boring human." She paused, cocking another smirk, "You're right. We wanted something. And judging from the look of Mr. Hottie behind you, he has no idea either despite their futile resistance against us." She gave out a low chuckle, earning a steeling glare from Takuya.

Really…Was she picking a fight? Because if so, he'll gladly burn her into nothing but ashes if she don't watch her tongue soon enough. Or perhaps being heartless just this once and burn her DigiEgg so she'll never have the chance to be reincarnated again.

He had long lost what little bit of innocence he still had. The feel of wars and battles had been a mundane thing to him; the battle scars a constant reminder that escape was futile and fighting was the only viable option. He had grown too numbed to care about the idea of killing living beings. The guilt hadn't gnawed him as much as his nightmares haunted him whenever he closed his eyes. No more screaming at night, paralyzed by the sight of blood and hateful eyes of those he killed. He had grew to be nothing but a heartless violent killing machine. The weak and foolish child who was still taintless and uncorrupted of the world and coped up into playing his hero game had long vanished. And the only thing that kept his sanity was her. He can became the human he once was when he was around her.

So if she dared hurt her in any way, she'll be facing the cruelest death possible under his hands.

"Lord ZeedMillenniummon wanted you. Hikari Yagami. The 8th Chosen Child and the bearer and true embodiment of Light, as well as the rare being who can move the entire Multiverse in its wake."

It took Takuya a moment to properly process the information. Despite his undeniable combat prowess, he, as much as he doesn't want to personally admit it, was (miserably) slow in comprehension. That's why he leaves all the technical stuffs to the twins who were both light years ahead of him in that particular area of expertise. But all kidding aside, he knew this wasn't time to be poking fun on his obvious mediocre skill in comprehension. He felt Hikari's grasp on his hand tightened at the mention of ZeedMillenniummon's name. She must have recalled something unpleasant about their common enemy. That or her senses told her that she was threading into deep waters.

What actually bugs him at this moment was why they claimed that Hikari can move the entire Multiverse if she wishes to. Has all of these have to do with Hikari's strange connection to the very fabric of the digital world? That she could somehow communicate with digital entities not seen and heard by any other Chosen Children even though they were the same as her? Is this the reason why they hunted for her? But why did Shademon deliberately took her away if it was working with ZeedMillenniummon all this time? What was his true objective in trapping Hikari in this illusion of her World? And most especially, why does death be the only option for her right now? Isn't that all but an ironic contradiction? Just what are their intentions?

"ZeedMillenniummon wanted more from me isn't it?" He turned back to the Chosen of Light in his arms, surprised and confused at the same time. He had long abandoned trying to follow the lead through her thoughts. She just spoke in riddles sometimes. Overflowing with unnatural wisdom as if she was years ahead of her actual age when in fact, they are just the same age. "It wasn't death you're after. Rather a test of what would happen if you were to kill me. What effect would my death bring to the entire Multiverse, isn't it?"

"What?" He found himself frowning deeply in a mixture of shock and brooding anger. All the puzzles in his head instantly clicked, finally absolving the millions of question that never quite had any concrete answers for a long time. This was the reason why, after destroying her World, ZeedMillenniummon continued hunting for her in its quest of destroying every existing Worlds. Hikari was a living threat to ZeedMillenniummon who he bet never thought the former Chosen Child of Light would be. Whatever connection she had, it was definitely enough for the Multiverse to react. Whether in a good or bad way, he didn't know. However, he can't fully imagine the magnitude of what would happened if it loses her.

"Oh my! You really are one brilliant human. I'm surprised you concluded right in the point despite not remembering anything." QueenChessmon then viciously grinned, eyes glowing intensely, "It makes me want to actually go all out and see how I could mutilate you before the Multiverse interferes."

It took all of Takuya's self-control not to hurdle down at the display of pure sadism. Just how can someone be so cruel and even excited at the fact that they could feast on the death of someone. By now, he tightened his hold over Hikari. Whether she liked it or not, he was getting her out of this, with or without Shademon.

There was a slight movement from the rubble and even without looking, he had felt the presence of both Beowolfmon and JaegerLoweemon. Said Digimon were not completely unscathed since they've fought a Mega-level Digimon just now, but them being here meant they've eliminated the other enemy.

He could feel Kouji's mood dramatically souring at the sight of the troublesome black and pink armored Digimon who had blatantly flirted at him despite his obvious annoyance at being fawned upon. The imminent glare directed at his back spoke volumes of his disappointment that he has yet to finish the said Digimon. He fought the urge to actually heave a long-exhausted sigh and deterred his focus on Hikari instead.

He noticed that she hadn't moved an inch since QueenChessmon had confirmed her theories. Was she frightened by what she said? He wanted to let her know that she need not to worry a thing. He won't let anyone lay a single hand on her. Yet again, she proved his thoughts wrong.

"Then, aren't you afraid of what the Multiverse might actually do the moment you lay even a single finger on me?" She sounded so calm…so undeterred… unshaken despite hearing the Digimon's idea of killing her off. It kind of scared him how she could remain this calm over the talk of her death as if they were simply conversing about the weather. He wanted to call her off and tell her that it was okay to be vulnerable. He could take her share of pain and loneliness anytime if that meant to alleviate the heavy load in her shoulders right now. But none of it managed past his tongue.

QueenChessmon cocked her hip, "Are you challenging me girl?"

"I may or may not. But even without my memories in me right now, I easily figured out what you actually aimed for. Won't it be just as easy for me to remember how to really move the Multiverse then?"

Judging from the grave look in her eyes, this human was not bluffing. She visibly tensed and unconsciously took a step back, almost letting Hikari's words succumbed her.

True enough. Hikari indeed defied everything she thought of her. She was too (cunningly) smart for her own right, with or without her memories. And here she thought it was an easy kill, she had miscalculated this one.

Her eyes roved over to the two other Legendary Warrior- one of which she had took interest but this was not the time to be doing that. She knew she was the only one left. She hadn't sense Zanbamon's presence anymore so that meant that the Legendary Warriors had took care of him. Blah- just a worthless loser. They were the pure Digimon here and to be defeated by Hybrids? How humiliating.

'Hmp. To think I'm driven to the corner like this.' She began, clicking her tongue in annoyance. She never had enough patience for narrow fights like this.

She adjusted her stance, "I liked to see how you can actually move it!" She suddenly detonated the entire place and took the confusion of the heavy smoke as the chance to escape. To think that a lowly human girl would threaten her like this. She'll personally come back to her!

Once the smoke dissipated, the three Warriors lest the Chosen Child of Light was met by the sight of an empty dilapidated observatory room, the presence of QueenChessmon gone, vanishing into thin air.

For what felt the longest time today, Hikari allowed herself to relax. She hadn't realized how much she held her own breath. Taking a cautious breath, she loosened herself from Takuya's Digimon form only to realize that he had not moved from his hold on her waist.

She softly cleared her throat and turned to him, "Umm…you can let go of me right now…" She told him, nervous again at their proximity. She hoped he won't noticed the difference in her voice. It was embarrassing enough to be held by a complete stranger more so a man.

Almost immediately as she said it, he withdrew his hands off her and she gave a relief sigh before slowly talking to the ruined flowers which where the very exact spot where Luminamon disappeared. It had probably flew in the heat of the fiasco, not that she was surprised. She knelt on her heels, touching the flowers.

"We're sorry about the flowers." She instinctively looked up, gathering that she doesn't recognize the voice. Looking up, she met the gaze of the other dark-haired man with cerulean colored eyes who was smiling albeit apologetically at her, probably because of the magnitude of the damage that wreak her yearly offerings. She recognized that he was the one who transformed into the black and gold armored Digimon- the name of which Digimon she still doesn't know of.

When he knelt beside her, only a few inches away from where she was, she almost as instantly felt the impulse to jerk away and defend herself. She was hauntingly familiar to this ominous feeling. She wouldn't have mistaken this for anything else.

This man was someone born from an entity similar to the creatures she saw in the Dark Ocean.

A human that was harboring an immeasurable amount of darkness inside of him.

But why, as she stared through his deep blue eyes, does she feels that he was entirely different to that gruesomely cold and cruel darkness she knew in the past? 'Ah...yes, this is different.' She realized. This was a different kind of darkness. Warm and gentle yet somehow holding an immeasurable amount of loneliness…

She was sure he wasn't someone capable of harming anyone just because he was a being of darkness.

This fleeting nostalgic presence… She remembers this. It was like Wizarmon's. Despite being a dark attribute, he was one of the noblest Digimon she ever met. What was then to fear about this man?

There was something changing inside of her, she realized. She wasn't as repulsive to the idea of darkness as before. Her fear had been cemented by the purest evil Digimon she encountered in succession in the past and her isolation to the monochrome world of the Dark Ocean. She was unconsciously closing her heart to them, never giving them a chance to prove that they weren't a repulsive existence in this cruel world. Perhaps this was vastly because of Luminamon's influence as well and the realization that she hurt her by unconsciously thwarting her true form. This time, she'll learn and grow to accept this kind of darkness.

She shook her head, smiling a bit, "It wasn't supposed to be anyone's fault." If anything, she was probably the one at fault here. Isn't it quite ironic that she lost Luminamon here- in the very same place she lost Wizarmon? And not just that. She felt like she lost someone very important here- someone she really holds dear in her heart.

The dark-haired, blue eyed man seemed to have notice something in her face but chose not to ask about it. Smiling, he was about to reach his hand but slightly withdrew it. Letting out a low chuckle in attempt to cover his slight slip up, he forced himself to smile again only this time it looked strained. "I'm Kouichi Kimura by the way."

"Hikari Yagami. Though you probably knew that already." She paused, suddenly breaking into a wide smile, "And I'll take your hand. A handshake wasn't it?" Without a do, she grabbed his hand, sandwiching his relatively bigger hand with her own.

The sudden gesture greatly startled Kouichi. He was being careful. Earlier he had noticed how she visibly tense the second he approached and knelt beside her. He didn't blame her though. Her natural extinct was just telling her to be cautious of him, especially since he was her natural enemy. So it really took him by surprise when she suddenly reached for his hand when he had cowardly retreated his own in fear of making her even more uncomfortable than she was. Doesn't it bother her being this close? He doubt she can't feel the repelling force between them made cause of their polar opposite elements.

All of his worries and uncertainties instantly dissolved the moment he saw her warm eyes. It was the same eyes that accepted him in the past when they met for the very first time. He slowly relaxed as the surprised look in his face disappeared completely, replaced by a sincere gentle smile for having returned the acceptance he was bestowed by the very Hikari Yagami before she loses her memories.

When they pulled their hands back, he slightly turned to point at where the two Warriors were, abdicating the honors in introducing his little brother and bestfriend to her. "That's Kouji Minamoto and of course, you know Takuya already."

She nodded and quickly peered behind him where she spotted Kouji and Takuya. They seemed to be arguing about something but since they were far from them, she couldn't hear any of their conversation from this distance.

Kouichi noticed the cause of her sudden deterrence of attention, before he let out a problematic sigh. Scratching his cheek a little, he started apologizing for the unlikely sight, "I'm sorry you get to see that." He paused, "But you'll get used to it eventually." 'Or not.' He heaved a tired sigh. And here he was hoping they could at least behave themselves in front of their dear friend who they get to see again after years. He had placed his expectation too soon.

Hikari turned to him, blinking slowly as if confused by his sudden apology before smiling fondly; light reaching to her eyes, "They are best of friends aren't they?"

He threw her an apprehensive glance, surprised by what she just said. Her sudden comment on the love and hate relationship of his two bestfriends caught him off-guard. How can she confidently say that when she lost all of her memories prior to her entrapment in this illusionary world and had some of it vastly altered? How does she know that his brother and Takuya were friends when right after the aftermath of the previous fight, they began arguing? And it wasn't as if he didn't have a single clue about what they were arguing about either but he at least wished they've waited until it were just the three of them before talking about that and not blatantly in front of Hikari.

However, all of these questions died in his throat as he chooses not to ask about it. He always had felt that Hikari possessed this strange ability of just knowing things. She could read relationships, knew what was troubling a person without the need to say anything and picking up confusing riddles and figuring them out easily. She was peculiar like that. And even without her memories, she had understood yet again without waiting for any explanation. Somehow it was as if she was still the old Hikari he knew. He smiled, nodding in agreement, "Yes. Yes they are."

"Then, there's nothing to worry about I suppose." Seeing Takuya and Kouji reminded her of her brother's and Yamato's friendly banters, mostly of which was purely immature of them which they both vehemently denied when pointed out.

Oh…and there's Daisuke and Takeru's too although most of it were clearly one-sided, heavily leaning to the younger leader who just can't helped but always find fault about the blonde boy because of the sole reason that he was closer to her but she was glad the one-sided rivalry died out eventually.

She should have added when Miyako gets furious about Daisuke's inexcusable and still ever so incurable tardiness especially on gatherings but decided they weren't really arguing. It was more of the lavender-haired woman being a good future mother to her rebellious young cub, only said cub finds it annoying that she nags him about it too much.

So it wasn't so surprising that she was used to a rowdy atmosphere. And then there's this feeling that told her that this was a regular occurrence and she will be seeing more of it. How she knew it? Probably due to that strange feeling that she knew these people.

"What the hell happened here?!" A third voice exclaimed, drawing their attentions to the guards and personnel rushing towards the stairs that led to the crumbling observatory deck.

"Careful! The ceiling's not looking good." Another exclaimed. By now, the footsteps were already getting louder- an indication that they were soon to get in the place.

"Someone get me the flashlight! Damn, the electricity's busted. Think it's an electrical outbreak again?" The other asked his companion.

Taking the approaching voices as the signal to vacate the area, Kouichi swiftly rose from his spot. His twin and bestfriend seemed to pick up the same message as well.

Takuya was suddenly at Hikari's side, taking her arm and ushering her to leave the area with them. "We should leave before they see us." He told her, helping her get into her feet. She looked at him in daze, suddenly conscious again of his presence. It should have been a preposterous thought, she refused to think of anything otherwise, but why was he so obliging towards her? Always so kind and considerate.

'Ahhh…' She groaned mentally, humiliated by the way she was acting right now This is becoming really embarrassing. The way things were right now, she will probably be unable to keep her calm around him anymore.

She whipped her head away trying with all her might to keep him from seeing the current expression in her face. She imagined it must be an awful lot. The moment she did though, she caught Kouichi smirking coyly before winking at her meaningfully as if he read her mind and had prior knowledge of her current dilemma. It took all her strength and will power not to succumb to the wordless teasing and make a fool out of having a red face that will confirm whatever gibberish things he was currently thinking of. Absorbed in her trance though, she missed Takuya calling her name for what felt like the second time since he told her about vacating the area. She only snapped back to reality the moment he called her for the third time and felt the gentle pressure on her arm. Not trusting her voice at the moment, she just nodded her head without looking at him, letting him led the way to the outside.

Takuya quickly transformed into his armored human Digimon form which was followed briefly by the transformation of the twins. In the briefest of seconds, a running memory slipped inside her head, whispering to her the names of these Digimons.

Agnimon.

Wolfmon.

Loweemon.

A sense of accomplishment washed over her. Finally! The names she'd been struggling to remember.

She was about to tell them about her little feat when she suddenly felt her feet losing the familiar contact with the ground. It took her a minute to realize that Takuya was already carrying her into his arms. Wanting to protest about the manner of being carried, the urging complaint completely died in her throat when he suddenly jumped off the near collapsing bridge without any warning which was at least six stories high off the ground.

Completely taken by surprise, she unconsciously wrapped her arms around his shoulders almost in a chokehold, fighting off a scream from escaping her lips. 'This was waaaay suicidal!' She squeezed her eyes shut, suddenly feeling nauseated by the air that blew gentle kisses on her face.

"Don't worry. I won't drop you." Reassured Takuya. The way he said it made no room for doubt. He sounded so confident like he'd done this a hundred times before.

And he did just that.

Somehow they had safely landed off to the ground, totally unscathed, only suffering a not-so-healthy dose of fright. She fought back the urge to sigh in relief the moment she opened her eyes and realized that they reached the ground. "Remind me next time to tell any of you to warn me beforehand and deciding on doing something reckless like this again." She murmured before she could even think of not expressing her slight displeasure aloud. The way things are right now, these boys were just copies of Tai and Daisuke. Enthusiast to extreme sports and reckless behavior.

Laughter suddenly erupted, finding their way to reach her ears in her internal musings. She realized she spoke her mind just now and was a step behind too late to take them all back to her mouth. Surprisingly, this didn't bother her that much because hearing whoever it was that had poked fun at her obvious frightened expression made her mood sour.

She turned to give whoever it was a glare, only to realize that the culprit…culprits rather, were the three of them. And what's more unpleasant to see? The person she expected to at least sympathize with her was the most who finds these all hilarious if that annoying crooked smirk tells her any different.

By nature, she was one who rarely gets furious or annoyed and blatantly shows it in her face. This was a bit of an exception to the rare days when she finds herself unable to contain her budding contempt. And it took all her practiced calm not to scowl so openly, even though she certainly didn't find that amusing at all.

"You can let me down now." She reminded Takuya, evading his prying gaze and sudden silence as she released her hold on him and waited for him to set her down without much of a word. A minute later, he finally set her down to her feet before regressing back into his human form.

"Are you mad?" He asked, the smirk had long been wiped off from his face.

"No. Why should I? Did you do something to make me mad?" She asked. He would have thought it was nothing but a harmless little question, a normal thing to ask when asked, but he knew better than to take that question ever so lightly, especially if he had went through the same experience in the past. But really, he couldn't contained himself after strangely finding it ironic how she reminded him of the first time he did something like that in the past without her permission. She was beyond possible ghastly white after that. Such a bitter irony considering she would probably not remember that even after retrieving all of her memories. Her question though did indeed indirectly hit him- the weight of her question made him readily guilty of the deed.

"You ought to forgive him. He's quite delicate with the matters concerning you after all." Kouji told her, sounding smug and not at all apologetic. It alleviate some of the tension but she wasn't that ready to forgive any of them yet.

"Oh, shut up Kouji! And who's the delicate here again?" snapped back the brown-haired boy.

Hikari chose to tune them both out, although she couldn't helped but feel strangely warm after hearing what the blue-haired boy said. She shook the thoughts out of her head. Mad. She was mad. She refused to let a single word smolder her so easily again.

"Forgive me for laughing, Kari-chan. It's just that we find it nostalgic seeing you react in the same way you did when Takuya didn't bother warning you before jumping the last time." Kouichi explained in broad details, his voice so earnest she just had to forgive him. She sighed. Why was it this hard not to forgive this boys again?

"So we really have met before didn't we?" Hikari asked him, a pensive expression in her face. She missed how the two boys stopped arguing, distracted by her innocent question although undeniably weighing heavy in their heart.

"Yes. Although you might not have any recollections about it." He told her. "You knew us- me, Kouji and Takuya even before we knew you."

"Then, will you tell me everything? Why I supposedly lost those memories and who ZeedMillenniummon truly is?"

Kouichi allowed himself a small smile, "Of course. But for now, let's move out before the security sees us. They'll be suspecting everyone in sight."

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FOOTNOTES:

[1] Keepers – or Global Digital Security, the international organization that handles the network and Digital World laws and enforcing peace between humans and Digimon. Gennai works for GDS in the Digital World, relying every progress to Earth.

[2] Cradle – the Global Digital Security mother system which monitors digital signals and interferences with the gate that separates the two worlds and is capable of creating and opening Digital Gates as well. Created by Koushiro Izumi.

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Omake

-How to peacefully end a fight with bloodshed…Hikari's way!-

"I CAN'T ACCEPT THIS!" QueenChessmon wailed. So she admitted defeat right now but to lose in terms of beauty against this ugly hideous human girl?! She turned to the Warriors of Light and Darkness, a pout marring her face, "WHO DO YOU LIKE BETTER? ME, the glorious MOST BEAUTIFUL ME, or that human?"

Without a do, both brothers replied with a straight face, "Kari/Kari-chan."

Had she not have any dignity left in her, her jaw must have dropped upon hearing their immediate answer. They didn't even paused to think about it. "WHAT?!" How can she lose spectacularly to this human girl? She glared daggers at Hikari which said young woman awkwardly let out a laugh, redirecting her gaze away from the black and pink armored Digimon's prying stare and dangerous almost murderous dark aura emitting from her.

With a sniff, QueenChessmon pointed her finger towards the last Legendary Warrior, the Warrior of Flame, who had his arms protectively around her target. She refused to be defeated and be humiliated like this! Don't these hybrids have any sense of beauty at all? Shall she give the honors of educating and enlightening their poor tastes then?

Somewhere at the back of her mind, she recalled KingChessmon's silly advice of toning down her arrogant 'Queen' tone and try appearing cute. Ticked about the shitty suggestion, she almost chugged down her Queen Stick down the midget Digimon's throat. But suppose, that might work in this situation….

She gave the most cutesy look she can muster, batting her naturally long lashes to appear more attractive (or what she actually thinks is attractive), "WHO DO YOU THINK NOW IS BETTER? ME OR…" But before she could even finish, Takuya rudely cut her with the same straight face as his bestfriends, "Kari."

Cricket Sound…

"Prffft…." Unable to contain his laughter, Kouji erupted into fits of laughter, his twin following his example although not as boisterous as his.

He wiped the laughter tear stain off the corner of his eyes, a broad amused smirk plastered on his face, "You actually think you stood a chance asking Takuya as your last resort when all he got in his head is Kari."

For some reason, the person himself interpreted this as an insult. "So you're implying I'm an idiot huh?"

Said offender shrugged with a smug smirk on his face, ticking the Warrior of Flame even more. "Why? It's not like it isn't true?"

"Say what?"

Hikari approached QueenChessmon, wholly ignoring the two and their silly bout of argument, and placed a hand over the Digimon's shoulder, smiling, "Don't worry QueenChessmon. I like you. I think you're great."

QueenChessmon sniffed, lifting an eye, "Wrealley?"

She nodded, "I think you're beautiful."

The Digimon was unable to hold back anymore and bawled like a child, wrapping her arms around Hikari, "I think you're pretty good as well. Actually…" Sniff. Sniff. "I…Just that I can't really accept that. I'm sorry. I was wrong. I like you too…."

Hikari comforted the Digimon in her arms and turned back to the three Warriors with a smile in her face.

In the end, QueenChessmon who was sent to kill Hikari, readily gave up her mission and befriended the said DigiDestined.

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A/N: I got to admit. I fell in love with this odd pairing due to the wonderful stories of Sightbent. I'm a great fan of your stories. Shout-out to the awesome you! :)

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Preview: Wedding