Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Return of Shadows

Chapter: 2/ Rescue

She stood in the center of the court yard, her pale face, covered by a silver fox-shaped mask, bowed in meditation. In one hand, she held a silver, vajra staff. Several moments of silence went by, until finally, a soft glow surrounded her body. Mouthing an incantation under her breath, she spun suddenly, unleashing a stream of shining white light, as fluid as a river, sparkling in the air where it swiftly dissipated into nothing. She repeated the motion, and more light swiftly appeared, only to again disappear. Moments turned into minutes, until finally she brought her staff down with a loud click of its bottom spike onto the ground.

Breathing a heavy sigh, the Sakuyamon, better known as simply 'Silver' to her companions of the Seer Council, shook her head and relaxed her guard.

"Still not enough," she muttered to herself.

"Problems?"

Looking to the side, Silver found another Sakuyamon, this one of the normal, bronze armor and mask variety, standing off to the side, a small smirk on her face. Silver nodded in greeting to her.

"No more than what normally comes with the weather," she replied. The Sakuyamon's smirk became almost sneering in its appearance.

"Don't try to sound like Mother. It does not suit you, and you do not have her wisdom."

"It is not my intention to try," said Silver, striding over to her. "No one among us can replace the Mother. Now, is there something you wish to tell me?"

"Only that one of our Kyubimon has discovered something of interest that all members of the Seer Council should see."

"Very well then," nodded Silver. "Lead the way."

Still smirking, the Sakuyamon turned and began walking. Silver found herself frowning beneath her face mask at the choice of transportation.

I suppose that whatever was discovered must not be that important, she thought to herself as they strode across the courtyard and towards the main temple grounds. She took a moment to survey the area, smiling softly to herself as she saw the multitude of Renamon and Kyubimon busying themselves with their chores and training while, here and there, a Taomon or Doumon directed them. The temple grounds had improved much in the past three years since the destruction that the Royal Knights had wrought upon it, and had even expanded somewhat. More buildings to house the most recent litters of Reremon and Viximon, and a new library for study as well.

One would have thought that, after the battle with the Royal Knights and subsequent invasion by the DexDoruGreymon, we would have become far more guarded when it came to dealings with outsiders, she observed. In a way though, she was glad that they hadn't concentrated their resources on increasing their isolation and fortifications. As things stood, the Seer Council backed by the Taomon and Doumon were enough to thwart almost any invasion, just as they had with the DexDoruGreymon. Building fortifications, as far as the digital world was concerned, didn't amount to much without extreme knowledge of how to manipulate information. However, such skill was exceedingly difficult to come by, and only a few digimon of even the Mega level could hope to master any of the high-level programming languages.

Although, here and there, some digimon of even lower level are capable of the feat. Wizardmon and Witchmon for example… and the former ruler of the distant Myotis castle as well.

Silver unconsciously shuddered at the thought of the black fortress, and swiftly dismissed it from her mind. She had other things to focus on.

Oh Mother, she thought as they approached a building that had been made for housing guests. Would that you were still here to guide us…

The two shaman vixen entered the building, and Silver was quickly shown to a nearby room. Opening the door, her Sakuyamon companion stepped aside and ushered her inside. Silver raised an eyebrow at what she saw.

A Kyubimon sat at attention in the room, and upon seeing the two Megas, she immediately bowed her head and a tail gestured to the side. Lying on a futon with a blanket covering him, was a tall human with rich, reddish-brown hair and a red jacket. Next to him was a digimon of a variety that she immediately thought of as an Agumon.

It is larger though, she thought. And with Training braces? Could it be a subspecies? Or something else all together?

Despite the question, her immediate concern turned back towards the human and she walked over to him. Getting down on her knees, she raised one hand and placed it on the human's forehead.

"We don't get many human visitors," she noted.

"Indeed," replied the Sakuyamon, entering the room. "The most recent one was within a year I believe. And there were the Tamers hailing from Azulongmon's world three years ago. The one with the Princess and her two knights that were being guided by Urocyomon and our Little Sister Kuzuhamon…"

Silver nodded her head in acknowledgment, recognizing the tone in the Sakuyamon's voice. The disappearance of the Rookie and his charge was something that had not gone over well with the Seer Council.

"I take it you were the one who brought them in?" Silver asked, turning to the Kyubimon. The Champion nodded.

"Yes. The circumstances surrounding my…discovery are a bit…unusual to say the least. In fact, it was a LadyDevimon who handed them to me, asking me to take care of them."

"A LadyDevimon?" hissed the Sakuyamon sharply as she drew in a breath. "What was a Virus doing inside of our borders?"

Silver noted that this was news to her companion, and filed it away for future reference.

"It doesn't matter," said Silver, removing her hand from the human's forehead. "All that matters is that we have two individuals who are in need of care. We shall do so."

"We shall?" asked the Sakuyamon, sounding a bit surprised from the decision. "If this human has had dealings with the creatures of the Dark Area, then we should have nothing to do with them. They are a danger to us as long as they exist here."

"That is not your decision to make, young one," spoke Silver gently, rising to her feet. "Our first tenant is to bring a place of peace and succor to all who come within our walls, seeking aid, no matter who they may be. The Mother, when she was alive, has done so before. In that spirit, we continue to do so."

The Sakuyamon pursed her lips together, clearly not happy with Silver's statement. Gripping her staff tightly, she turned and headed for the exit.

"I have to report this development to the council." She paused to look at the Kyubimon, who flinched under the Mega's gaze. A second later, the Sakuyamon left, leaving Silver and the Champion alone in the room.

"Why didn't you initially report that these two were given aid by a Dark One when you arrived?"

"She was standing guard at the gate," Kyubimon said, shuddering slightly. "She almost didn't let me inside. You know she hasn't been the same since the Mother died."

Silver nodded grimly, but chose not to comment. The topic of the Sakuyamon who had just left was not one that many chose to comment on, and when they did, it was best closed quickly.

Kyubimon scowled at the door. "How did she get to evolve so early?" she mused out loud.

"Never mind her for now. Tell me more about how the LadyDevimon that delivered these two to you."

"She was…a bit different," replied the Kyubimon. "She had red hair. I believe she may have been a subspecies."

"You don't see many that have a different hair color," mused Silver. If only I had access to the Light that the Mother did. I would have been able to discern something about this LadyDevimon. "Did she exhibit any other traits?"

"I'm still here," pointed out Kyubimon. "I think that's proof enough."

"Hmmm…perhaps. But not all Viruses will destroy what's in front of them simply because they can. While it is true that a Viral form resulting from a dark evolution will be inherently wild and dangerous, Viruses can also appear as they do simply because of their mindset or personality. It is not unheard of for there to be a Demidevimon—or even a BlackWarGreymon—to fight on the side of light, or to live a life free of violence."

Kyubimon became silent at that, and Silver turned her full focus on the human and Rookie digimon before her. She frowned beneath her mask as she looked them over.

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I could have sworn that I heard something recently about a human and a digimon—an Agumon— traveling the digital world, stirring up trouble. Could these be them?

As she watched, the human groaned and shifted beneath his blankets. A dark aura, thin and barely visible, flared around his body. Silver's eyes widened in surprise, causing her back to go rigid.

"That…was interesting."

"Was that a…" began Kyubimon, only for Silver to finish for her.

"…Touch of darkness." Silver narrowed her eyes, and after a moment, a small smile graced her face.

"Very interesting," she chuckled softly. "This appears to be what the LadyDevimon wants us to heal. A very different LadyDevimon indeed."

Getting to her feet, Silver looked over at the Kyubimon.

"Continue watching them for me. I need to gather some ingredients for our 'guests'."

…

The searing desert heat greeted LadyDevimon as she ascended a set of stairs leading out of the ground. She smirked triumphantly to herself at having found the passageway between two levels of the digital world.

It certainly made getting to those blasted kitsune's temple that much easier, she thought to herself. Now that I have that little 'chore' out of the way, I can focus on getting back to Takato and Kurata.

The crimson-haired Virus's eyes narrowed dangerously and she checked her bearing to reorient herself before spreading her tattered black wings. Assisted by rising heat, she took to the air, where she used her eyesight to scan her surroundings, trying to spot her 'partner' and their charge.

I thought they were closer than this, she thought after several minutes of flight, during which she found no sign of her companions. Scowling, she continued onwards for a bit before circling about. I could have sworn…

LadyDevimon growled under her breath in frustration.

Did that cotton head of a Tamer decide to move on his own? she wondered. A flash of anger stormed through her digital heart, and for an instant, she believed it. Humans… It would be just like them to up and leave at a moment's notice—especially considering how stubborn Takato is! He probably felt that because I wasn't living up to our 'promise' that I was no longer worth sticking around for.

LadyDevimon drew her claws into a tight fist, and the fire in her heart all but blazed forward with greater strength. However, no sooner did the fire begin, did a voice, calm, logical, and stilling, made itself heard in the dark corners of her mind.

"It is sometimes best to err on the side of caution, my dear. You can be too passionate at times. That is why you fell, is it not?"

LadyDevimon's free hand went to her head while her claws were forced to open themselves from their fist.

GranDracmon… she thought, swallowing audibly. A trickle of sweat crawled down her face, and she flew down towards the ground. Upon landing, she fell forward, panting heavily.

Even after he promised me that he loosened my leash, his voice still carries too much strength for me to fight…

LadyDevimon shaded her eyes with her claws as she bit the inside of her mouth, causing her digital blood to spill forth. She suckled on her wounds, shuddering slightly at the bitter, oily taste that her blood had—a stark contrast to the sweet-by-comparison coppery taste that Takato had—but the pain and the taste distracted her, allowing her a moment to collect herself. Getting to her feet, she glared at the horizon.

No… she thought finally, again clenching her hands into fists. Takato wouldn't abandon me. He's too soft and 'good-hearted' for that, no matter how angry he becomes with one such as me. It is why GranDracmon never bothered to leash him with his voice like he did with me. He stays because he has a dept to repay to him for saving him. He won't break who he is… The crimson light in LadyDevimon's eyes burned brightly for a moment and she smirked. …even if it kills him.

Allowing that thought to calm her, LadyDevimon spread her wings once more. She was just about to take flight once more when something glinting in the sand caught her attention. Frowning, she retracted her wings and sauntered over to where she saw the glint, berating herself for even being distracted by such a thing.

It's probably nothing more than sand or glass that was fused by a fire-type digimon, she thought to herself. At the same time though, she knew she was wrong. Her eyesight was superb, even amongst her species. What she saw was anything but sparkling sand or even fire-fused glass. No. This was something else all together.

Bending down, she picked up what appeared to be a thin, metallic-like needle. LadyDevimon brought it close to her face and peered at it carefully.

This looks like something a SaberLeomon fires, she thought.

Something clicked in her mind. Casting her eyes about, she quickly found several more such needles imbedded in the sand. A sneaking suspicion began to form in her mind. She looked ahead and again spread her wings.

This is probably just some regular scuffle between savage digimon, she thought. A grin drew across her face. But one way or another, I could use a little misplaced aggression and a good show. Not to mention a little data…

…

A howl of rage tore across the desert wind, all but sheering the air and causing the sand to tremble slightly.

The remains of the cactus—the cactus that she had cut for Takato—lay on the ground. Needles, more than its fair share and generally not the kind that grew on the plant, skewered it in a half-hazard manner. As a matter of fact, there were far more needles lying in all directions, but they all lay in a uniform manner.

LadyDevimon seethed as she strode amidst the painfully obvious battlefield, looking for some sign of direction as to where Takato had gone. Kurata she could care less about, but Takato on the other hand…

Dark blood sizzled to the ground from where her claws bit into her hand.

A SaberLeomon was here, she thought. The needle length is about right. Same for sharpness. No Togemon has that kind of point to its needles.

She glanced around. The sand was disrupted in all directions. Unlike most areas in the desert plain, this part was less dune-like in appearance and she could conduct some measure of forensic study to determine what had happened. However, the wind had already done a good job of distorting much of the sand, complicating her task. All she could tell for certain was that there had been a large group of decently sized digimon—Champions most likely judging from the impressions in the sand—and at least one of them had to have been a SaberLeomon. Beyond that, she could get no numbers or identify what species they were.

However, she did see what appeared to be a trail.

Anger rose and fell within her bosom, but this time it was of a cold kind. The absence of Takato did not bode well in her mind, especially taking into account the numerous needles that dotted the landscape and the fact that there was more than one attacker.

Takato was in no shape to fight if he had been attacked. And Kurata isn't much of a fighter himself even with the power of Belphemon inside of him.

LadyDevimon spread her wings and took to the air, her eyes blazing a fearsome crimson.

I don't care if Goddramon has mercy on them or not, because I won't. Whoever they are…if they deleted or harmed that idiot Tamer of mine in any way, I will take great pleasure in ripping their cores from their bodies.

A/N: We have a return of the Seer Council and Silver, both of whom we haven't seen or heard from in some time, and we have LadyDevimon finding that something bad has happened to Takato. Worst of all, she's not happy and fully intends to cause some mayhem. Not a fun combination for anyone on the receiving end. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and have a happy thanksgiving. :P

-Crazyeight

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