A/N: Hello, all! Late as heck update, but I need to get some sleep sooner or later, and this decided to argue with me and have short chapters. Well, shortish. Anybody who reads Pile and Light are probably raising their eyebrows at me right now. Eh, oh well. It's all right. I'm happy you're liking it so far, Ryoumafan. I'm super sleepy and hope everything's been edited okay. That all said, please read and review!

Little note: that tidbit Sayo made about the oxygen was incredibly inaccurate, but it's Sayo, and I imagine she doesn't know. Thanks for that heads up KumoFuzei!

Warning: F-bombs, past improper treatment of children, allusion to pyromania.

Chapter One: Line at the Cafe

"You're late, Sayo. Again."

I tried not to roll my eyes at her clicking tongue, pulling my hat and goggles back down on my hair and wiping my mouth. No one laughed. Everyone knew about my legendary teleportation sickness. Alternate servers were the worst, especially since Thriller Ruins smelled like mildew. "Sorry, Chief," I said, saluting with the biggest amount of fake enthusiasm imaginable. "Your therapist decided it was important to try and remind me I'm fucked up in the head."

Julia's eye twitched (at the curse or my derision of Annie, not sure) and I took great pride in making that happen. Oh sure, I could play the- what was that real world term, Girl Scout?- the goody two shoes and be all contrite, but Julia liked me being anything but, and who was I to deny the Queen of Darkness her desires? She looked ready to say something, but then stopped herself. Good.

The first time I met Julia, I was chained to a bed. I was fucking chained to a hospital bed. I half expected a god damn muzzle. Then again, I didn't know what a muzzle was, so maybe. I knew what bodily functions were, I hadn't forgotten how to read, or how to walk, or how to chew. (I might forget those one day, that would be a pain.) All I knew was how to get the hell outta dodge, and that until I wasn't chained to something, that was gonna be a doozy of a task.

Even now, years later, I know for a fact that she was the one with the sadistic idea to chain me to a bed. Her eyes had been a little too amused by the whole ordeal, if you know what I mean. Eh, I do get back at her anyway. Like now.

Letting it go, she tapped her foot and then faced us all, arms crossed. "Very well then, let's get started. Normal Tamers, form up!"

We don't scramble. Informal and insane we Night Claw may be, we know what discipline is. She took the high ground, standing over us with her first partner, her loyal knight. ChaosDukemon stared down at us, arms crossed and expression likely something amused. If there was anybody I heard be vocal about the stupidity of the Rank Tournaments, it was ChaosDukemon. Apparently Ofanimon wasn't much better, but she had a smile, so everybody listened to her. Eh, wasn't my problem. The tournaments were hilarious to me.

Up until now, I only got to watch, little sister's hand tight in mine as claws and fangs and flashes of power broke stadiums. (The Platinum Tournament had to be relocated last year, and I couldn't even go!)

Now, I got to feast.

"All right, I know for some of you this seems like no big deal." Julia knew how to make her voice ring without shouting, and damned if I didn't wanna know how. "It's the Normal Tournament, you've barely gotten used to your DigiSoul and your team, hell, you're not even used to your squad, isn't that right?"

Behind me, someone shifted back on their heels, almost in preparation to backpedal out of the ruins. I didn't even have to look to know it was Ponch, little idiot with a lot to prove and not enough balls to do it.

Then again, anyone with Gutts for a cousin would have to be twitchy. Hate visiting his house. Plates thrown everywhere... eurgh.

Julia noticed, she noticed damn near everything. "There's nothing wrong with those feelings. Those feelings are natural. They are fear. Everyone standing here is well aware of what fear looks like."

Gutts laughed. Newton kicked behind him without tearing his gaze away, landing a solid kick to the other's thigh. I failed to muffle a snigger. ChaosDukemon glanced at me, and I just winked. I can't help myself sometimes, I'm a horrible person.

Julia continued on, stepping closer to the ledge. Anyone else would have hesitated. Thankfully, Julia never did. If her cubs were in danger, then so was she. "It is precisely because we see fear, that we know it, that we can eat it."

All of us shivered. We couldn't help ourselves. Her expression had lost its calm long ago, replaced with intense, unbridled loving fury.

"It is because we can devour fear that we can look at them, our rivals, and face them. They are strong, they know competition better than we do, they are healthy free, and safe. Very few of them are like us, and Glare makes sure of that. Rich bastards for family are more difficult to deal with than ordinary bastards."

She laughed, and the sound was sneering music to my ears. "All of that said, they have the advantage of not questioning their next meal, or checking for all of their teeth, or not having to cringe at the sun. But we have the advantage of knowing the answer to that question, and that answer is that we will snatch it by any means necessary, as that is no less than our complete and utter right! We are Night Claw, and victory is in our souls! Is that clear?"

"Sir!" God, whenever she talked that, it was like preparing to go to war or to bed. I wanted it, wanted my blood to scream in my ears. I licked my lips and punched the air. It was bluster, a lot of barking, a Dobermon's yowling but it was the best truth I had to follow. She was worse with a solo audience.

"Good." Unfortunately, ChaosDukemon did have a tendency to boom. "The Digimon here won't interfere with you today, but you may have some uninvited observers. Try not to hit them."

"Their fault if they get in the way," Gutts shouted, and Ponch roared his agreement, now that he had something to agree with. We laughed.

A smile ghosted over Julia's face. "Fair enough. Disperse!"

"Sir!"

Newton bounced from one foot to the other. "Dorothy, Sayo, let's go further in! Kokuwamon's itching to set something on fire!"

Right, that was what his partner wanted. Ri-ight.

Dorothy giggled near my ear. "Set something on fire, he said."

I grinned. "Hope everything burns equally." We hurried after him. We eventually found him perched by a server pillar. He spun his Digivice. "Kokwamon, get Sayo!"

From above, I saw the glimmer of electricity and spun to the side, dragging Dorothy with me. Her normal eased expression was now a twisted frown and flaring nostrils. "He did say, setting everything on fire," I reminded her and she scowled a bit, raising her own Digivice.

"Floramon, pin him!"

I grinned. "Pulling out the big guns then? All right! I'll let you take this one, Lunamon!" My Digivice flashed and the Lunamon leaped from the dark void she opened above my head. Dropping, her ears spun, filling the air with bubbles. Kokuwamon cringed back, right into Floramon's waiting arms.

"Electrocute her," Newton shouted. "She's Insect, she can take it."

Kokuwamon's body sparked white and Floramon dropped him like a stone. She let out a scoff of anger, petaled hair standing on end. I snorted, couldn't help myself.

Dorothy scoffed a bit, blue Soul Energy flashing by her fingers. "You're such a charmer. Blast him!" Floramon moved to whip him in the face.

Well, I couldn't have that. I whistled and Lunamon spun and swiped at the vines. Floramon yelped and Diana lunged, firing an arrow of ice. Floramon stumbled into Kokuwamon. The beetle made to zap her. She slapped him.

I snapped my fingers. "Now, seal em!"

Lunamon spun her ears again, and the bubbles spread, heading towards the two Digimon like a seeping foam. God, it looked hilarious to see a Taser beetle and a walking flower stuck in a bubble trap. If Floramon tried anything, it'd blast their brains out. Which she promptly did.

Needless to say, it didn't end well.

I cackled with laughter and put my hands behind my back. "How's that?"

"Cheat!" Newton shouted, rushing to his twitching partner. "Cheater! Kokuwamon's weak to thuh-hat. Ch-Cheat!"

I kept my face as normal as possible, while Dorothy slipped an arm around Newton's waist. "You're the one always drilling strategy into my head, Newt. Don't blame me if I know how to punch holes into yours."

Newton's chest heaved for a moment, then he nodded, head bobbing too fast and dislodging his beanie from his head. "S-Sorry, yeah, right..."

"Besides," Dorothy giggled, slipped from seriousness as easy as I dropped a bouncy ball. "Sayo doesn't play fair."

"I don't have to," I protested. "Animals don't play fair, why should I?" Seeing Lunamon roll her eyes, I flicked her in the nose. Seeing Newton huff and snicker and Dorothy giggle again, I pouted and put my hands on my hips. "Fine. You know what? Fine. You want me to get kicked around? All right, you've got it. Hey, Raigo! Hey stal-lker, where are you?"

From behind a wall, there was an amused grunt. "What are you shouting for, wild girl?" Raigo mussed his red spikes as he stepped into view. I had to admit, Julia liked picking the weirdos for her higher ups Raigo, mid-level in his Tamer crop, didn't have the strongest Digimon or Soul level (For you kiddies out of the loop, that meant he's not all that natural at kicking ass.), but he managed to convert a Vamdemon's data in one go with only a Veggiemon and a Tailmon. People still whisper it like the stuff of legend, and the Vamdemon haven't forgotten it earlier.

I placed my hands on my jean-hugged hips. "Well, you see, these two are calling me a cheat."

Raigo pushed up his glasses. "What, you're not?"

Newton let out a snort. "See, told you." He was breathing slow and easy again, which meant that I could turn on Raigo and glared.

"You're the one who told strategy was key," I shot back, puffing out my cheeks.

Raigo's grin split his face. "Was it strategy or blood rushing through your veins that said "drench them in a free-for-all", eh squirt?"

Newton sniggered and I turned my nose up. "Both. Now, c'mon, Raigo. Soothe Newt's poor ego and kick my can around."

Raigo tutted and shook his head no, glancing back at where he came. "While I'd like to shove you into a wall, dizzy and smarting with anger, I can't. A little bat told me that some Infermon have decided to nest in the back areas. They're supposed to listen to the Chief... but I've never known a wild to willingly listen to anybody."

He winked at me, and I snickered. "Don't knock it until you try it."

Dorothy let out a dreamy giggle. Then her mouth opened wide in concern and she pulled Newton to the ground. "Down! Down! Down!" She shouted and we all reacted, rolling away from potential debris. Then the ground started to shake, each of our cells vibrating. Floramon flung vines to cover Dorothy and Newton and we waited. When it calmed, nobody moved until Dorothy did. She raised her head slow, lifting her eyes and tilting her head in time with some innocent tune.

"Is kay," she said after a few minutes. "No more."

I pulled myself to my feet. "Damn, Dorothy, you're gonna have to teach me how to sense like that."

"It certainly is useful." Raigo rolled into a smooth crouch.

Dorothy smiled, the expression completely relaxed. "It's not very hard," she said, patting Floramon's leafy arms with one hand. "All you have to do is lis- Sayo!"

I turned and something struck me in the back, hard. I whirled to face a green, goblin creature. Its large fangs slobbered purple, dribbled poison. Dull red eyes glimmered like dying coals as it advanced towards me.

"Kill," it croaked, taking a step forward. "Kill... Tamers...Kill."

"Oh, fuck," I muttered.

So much for just having uninvited observers.