A/N: I hope you guys are enjoying The Chaos Realm so far. I have a feeling that the episodes at the beginning are going to be focused on each of the DigiDestined in turn. For example, Matt's true personality was brought out in The Pathway to Nowhere. This episode features Kari. Oh yeah, and at the end of The Pathway to Nowhere, the 'brothers forever' part wasn't supposed to be there, I just forgot what was and screwed up. The beginning of this is supposed to be the end of that, except this takes part in morning instead of night. And if you're wondering, I don't know if Matt's a morning person or not, he's just having a mood swing, I guess. ^_^'' Oh yeah, the new kids will appear soon UNDER DA AMERICAN NAMES. (DavisDaisuke, YoleiMiyako, CodyIori, WallaceWallace & MichaelMichael, I guess.) One more thing to clear up. The older DDs (Tai, Matt, Izzy, Mimi, Jou, Sora) look like they did in 01 except they're fourteen whereas T.K. and Kari look like they did in 02 at age 11. Davis is wearing the same stuff he wore in Our War Game and Miyako is wearing the blue hair rag instead of the helmet;everyone else is wearing the same stuff. (Yes I had to put that all in one Author's Note.) :p
Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything from Digimon. Digimon is copyright Bandai, Toei Animation, Saban, and Fox Kids. (Any disagreements on that, non?)
The Chaos Realm, Episode 2: Valley of Darkness, part A.
"Hey Matt." Tai kicked at the other boy sleeping on the ground. "Come on, we gotta discuss something. Move. Me, you, Agumon & Gabumon. It's important."
"Mmm." Matt woke up slowly. "Why now?" he complained. "I'm tired."
Gabumon laughed. "Now Matt, you said you wouldn't complain anymore..."
"Yeah, yeah," Matt grumbled. He, Tai, Gabumon & Agumon went into the cave.
"Looks like you aren't a morning person," Tai said, grinning at his friend.
"Oh wow, Almighty Tai got something right for a change," Matt said sarcastically.
"Whatever," Tai said. "Look Matt, I want you to take over as leader for awhile."
Matt choked. "What are you saying?"
"Well, you were thinking clearer than me yesterday," Tai admitted. "I sort of do jump ahead and not look back to see if the group's holding on okay."
"Yeah, but you know now, so it's okay." Matt struggled for words.
"Mm-hm, but anyway, if anything happens to me, I need a backup. I want to see if you're up to the test." Tai pointed out.
Matt sighed, defeated. "Alright, alright, whatever. I'll be the stupid leader."
"Good then!" said Tai. They walked out of the cave.
The others, just after finishing breakfast, looked at them. "Hi!" they chorused.
"So Tai, where do we go now?" asked Kari.
Tai had a devilish grin on his face. "Ask Matt."
"Hunh?!" Now the group was very confused.
Matt sighed, and looked at the ground. "According to him-", meaning Tai, "-I'm the new leader."
Sora was the first to warm up to the idea. "Okay, that makes sense. So Matt, what we do now?"
"What do you guys suggest we do?" Matt asked promptly.
"What?" Tai asked with a confused expression on his face.
"I asked," said Matt patiently, "What do you guys suggest we do?"
"Um..." They thought for a moment.
"Keep walking, I guess!" exclaimed Mimi.
Everyone laughed, lifting the mood, and set off.
They kept on going up the uphill pathway, still not seeming to get anywhere. By lunchtime, everyone was driven crazy by frustration and exhaustation.
"I don't understand it!" Tai said, ready to rip his hair out. "There's gotta be somewhere where this path leads to!"
"Mm-hm," said Matt, agreeing.
"I agree," said Sora, coming up behind them. "But it's either a very long trail, or a trick of some evil Digimon."
"But Sora, if it was a plot set up by an evil Digimon, wouldn't we have run into some of its henchmen already?" Matt pointed out. "I say this is just a really long trail. By the time we get there, I'll probably have a beard that would reach the ground!" he joked.
"Aah!" exclaimed Tai, at the comment.
"Huh!" Sora remarked. "Very funny, Matt." She looked around the group. "So now that everyone's fed and watered, why don't we keep walking?"
"Sounds good to me!" Both boys agreed.
The group resumed walking uphill, and finally they saw something that looked promising...but not promising enough.
There was a valley, but it looked more like a huge, gaping space of blackness in the middle of all of the colour. Eerie black smoke floated above it. Nothing seemed to be in there, alive anyway.
T.K. shivered. "That's spooky."
"You're telling me," said Kari.
"I say we should go down and take a look, Matt," Tai suggested.
"It wouldn't hurt," Matt agreed.
"Wait a second!" cautioned Agumon. "I would almost say that's Rainbow Valley!"
"Yeah!" exclaimed Patamon.
"It doesn't seem too bright now," warned Gabumon.
"Rainbow Valley?" questioned Matt. "What's that?" asked Tai.
"Rainbow Valley's home to all mystic Digimon," Gatomon said. "Unimon, Gryphonmon, the whole works."
"Hey, cool!" Tai's eyes lit up.
"Yeah, but as you can see, it's been taken over by total darkness." Gatomon's ears drooped, her voice sad.
"Well, maybe we can fix it," Sora suggested.
"We could try!" said Kari.
"Let's go then!" said Tai.
"Wait a sec!" exclaimed Joe. "Don't we need faster transportation?"
"All right, then!" agreed Tai. "Digimon, Digivolve!" yelled Matt.
"Gabumon Digivolve to...Garurumon!" "Agumon Digivolve to...Greymon!" "Biyomon Digivolve to...Birdramon!" "Tentomon Digivolve to...Kabuterimon!" "Palmon Digivolve to...Togemon!" "Gomamon Digivolve to...Ikkakumon!" "Patamon Digivolve to...Angemon!" "Gatomon Digivolve to...Angewomon!" "Veemon Amor-Digivolve to...Fladramon!" "Armadimon Armor-Digivolve to...Digmon!" "Hawkmon Armor-Digivolve to...Horusmon!" "Gumimon Digivolve to...Teriamon!" "Betamon Digivolve to...Seadramon!"
The thirteen kids got on their Digimon and galloped down into the valley. The Digimon de-Digivolved and the kids looked around in the smoke.
"Something's coming!" T.K. said, cupping his hands to his ears.
"Yeah, I hear it too!" said Patamon.
"Gabumon, Agumon, Digivolve!" yelled Matt.
"Gabumon Warp-Digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!" "Agumon Warp-Digivolve to...WarGreymon!"
The two Mega Digimon tensed, ready to attack. But instead, they were surprised by...
"Leomon! It's you!" exclaimed Mimi joyfully.
"We haven't seen you since you and Zudomon defeated MetalEtemon!" said Joe.
SaberLeomon stopped in front of the kids. "Did I startle you? I'm sorry."
"It's alright," said Matt. "We just don't know what we're going to find in this valley."
SaberLeomon scowled. "Not much, after Chaos was done with it."
"Chaos? Who's that?" asked Tai.
SaberLeomon scowled again. "A being of the worst kind. Come back to my castle, and I will tell you more."
He led the DigiDestined and Digimon to a beautiful, familiar castle.
"The Gekomon's castle!" exclaimed Mimi.
"Do the Gekomon live here anymore, Leomon?" Joe questioned.
SaberLeomon shook his head. "No. Shortly after Apocalymon was defeated, we took this castle for Rainbow Valley. The Gekomon have a new one, in place of this old one."
"Oh, I see."
Kari had been feeling weird ever since she entered Rainbow Valley. Her crest felt funny. "Hey Tai, my crest feels funny."
"Huh? It does? I wonder why."
"The Crest of Light," SaberLeomon mused. "Hmm."
The kids entered the castle, where they learned more information from Leomon, and dined in the hall. They were welcome to stay the night, so they accepted.
Up in her wing of the castle, Kari went outside on to the balcony, dressed in her sleeping robe, her tag and crest in her hand. She looked over the dark, still Rainbow Valley, and felt darkness in her heart.
"No one will ever know the real Hikari Yagami," she said. "I don't deserve this."
She looked at her crest, laid it on the balcony railing, and rushed back inside.
A/N: So, you like? Okay, it didn't focus around Kari much, but that's why this episode is two parts. And to clear something up, this fic is not becoming a Taito...but Matt does find a love interest sooner or later...
If you think something is about to happen to Kari, you're right...and guess what? The new DigiDestined will actually speak in Part B! Yay!! Hehe. Please review!!