I do not own anything.
In the years that were to come, Daisuke would never quite remember how he had managed to pass through his exams when he half expected Zoltel to come bursting through the door at any moment. Yet the days crept by, and there could be no doubt the Fluffy was still alive and well behind that locked door.
It was sweltering hot, especially in that large classroom where they did their written papers. They had been given special, new pens for the exams, which had been bewitched with Anti-Cheating spells.
They had practical exams ass well. Kurushin-sensei and Mamemon called them one by one into his class to see if they could make a pineapple tap dance across a desk. Nakamura-sensei and Renamon watched them turn a mouse into a snuffbox-points were given for how pretty the snuffbox was, but taken away if it had whiskers. Sato made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness potion.
Daisuke did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead, which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the forest. Ken and Wormmon thought Daisuke had a bad case of exam nerves because Daisuke couldn't sleep, but the truth was that Daisuke kept being woken by his old nightmare, except that now it was worse than ever because there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.
Maybe it was because they hadn't seen what Daisuke and V-mon had seen in the forest, or because they didn't have scars burning on their foreheads, but Takeru, Hikari, Tailmon, and Patamon didn't seem as worried about the Stone as Daisuke and V-mon. The idea of Zoltel certainly scared them, but he didn't keep visiting them in their dreams, and they were so busy with their studying they didn't have much time to fret about what Sato and Impmon or anyone might be up to.
Their very last exam was History of Magic. 1 hour of answering questions about batty old wizards who'd invented self-stirring cauldrons and they'd be free, free for a whole wonderful week until the exam results came out. When the ghost of Sarete-sensei told them to put down their pens and roll down their parchment, Daisuke and V-mon couldn't help cheering with the rest.
"That was far easier than I thought it would be." Said Hikari, as they joined the crowd flocking out onto the sunny grounds.
"Speak for yourself." Takeru replied.
They walked down to the lake and flopped under a tree along with Miyako, Hawkmon, Wormmon, and Ken. The older Erabareshi Kodomo, Jun, and Miyako's brothers were playing with the Giant Squid by tickling its tentacles and feeding it some warm marshmallows.
"No more studying." Takeru sighed happily. "You could look more cheerful Daisuke, we've got a week before we find out how badly we've done, there's no need to worry yet."
Daisuke had lowered his goggles to rub his forehead.
"I wish I knew what this means!" He burst out angrily. "My scar keeps hurting-it's happened before, but never as often as this."
"Let me see." Tailmon said.
Daisuke raised his bangs as Tailmon leaped onto his lap and checked the scar.
"I don't see anything strange." Tailmon said, analyzing Daisuke's scar.
"Go to Madam Nopshu." Miyako suggested as Hikari checked Daisuke's scar.
"I'm not ill…I think it's a warning…it means danger's coming…" Daisuke said.
Takeru couldn't get worked up, it was too hot.
"Daisuke, Hikari-chan…" Takeru said as he stood up and walked away from the others a bit, motioning for them and there partners to follow him. "Daisuke, relax, Hikari-chan's right, the Stone's safe as long as Damaro and Hyokomon are around. Anyway, we've never had any proof Sato and Impmon found out how to get past Fluffy. He nearly had his leg ripped off once, he's not about to do it again in a hurry. And Ken-san will play Quidditch for Japan before Hengai-san and Muchomon let Damaro and Hyokomon down."
Daisuke nodded, but he couldn't let off a lurking feeling that there was something he had forgotten to do, something important. When he tried to explain this, Hikari said "That's just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we'd done that one."
Daisuke was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn't have anything to do with work, though. He watched an owl flutter towards the school across the bright blue sky, a note clamped in its mouth. Hengai and Muchomon were the only ones who ever sent him letters. Hengai and Muchomon would never betray Damaro and Hyokomon. Hengai and Mucho would never tell anyone how to get past Fluffy…never…but-
Daisuke suddenly turned pale.
"Where're you going?" Takeru asked.
"I've just thought of something. We've got to see Hengai-san and Muchomon, now." Daisuke said.
"Why?" Hikari panted, hurrying to keep up.
"Don't you think that it's odd that what Hengai-san and Muchomon want more than anything else is a dragon and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? How many people wander around with dragon eggs if it's against wizard laws? Lucky they found Hengai-san and Muchomon, don't you think? Why didn't I see it before?" Daisuke said, scrambling up the grassy slope.
"What are you talking about?" Takeru said, but Daisuke, sprinting across the grounds towards the forest, didn't answer.
Hengai was sitting in an armchair outside his house, and Muchomon was sitting on the steps of his house. They were shelling peas into a large bowl.
"Hello." Hengai said, smiling. "Finished your exams; got time for a drink?"
"Yes please." Takeru said, but Daisuke cut him off.
"No, we're in a hurry. Hengai-san, Muchomon, we've got to ask you something. You know the night you won Nagato? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?" Daisuke asked.
"Dunno," Hengai said casually "he wouldn't take his cloak off."
He saw the six of them look stunned and raised his eyebrow.
"It's not that unusual, yeh got a lot of funny folks in Hog's Head-that's the pub down in the village. Might've been a dragon dealer, mightn't he? We never saw his face, he kept his hood up."
"What did you talk too him about, Hengai-san? Did you mention Butaibo at all?" Daisuke asked.
"Mighta come up." Said Hengai, trying to remember. "Yeah…he asked what I did and I told him I was Gamekeeper here…He asked a bit about the sorts of creatures I look after…so I told him…and I said what I'd always really wanted was a dragon…and then…I can't remember too well, cause he kept buying us drinks…Let's see…Yeah, then he said he had the dragon egg and we could play cards for it if I wanted…but he had to be sure if we could handle it, he didn't want it to go to any old home…So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon should be easy…"
"And did he-did he seem interested in Fluffy?" V-mon asked, trying to keep his voice calm.
"Well, yeah, how many three-headed dogs do yah met, even around Butaibo? So I told him, Fluffy's a piece of cake if you know how to calm him down, just play him a bit of music and he'll go straight off to sleep-"
Hengai and Muchomon suddenly looked horrified.
"I shouldn't have told you that!" He blurted out. "Forget I said it! Hey, where're you going?"
Daisuke, V-mon, Takeru, Patamon, Hikari, and Tailmon sprinted back towards the school as fast as they could. They didn't speak to each other until they came to a half in the Entrance Hall, which seemed very cold and gloomy after the grounds.
"We've got to go to Damaro and Hyokomon. Hengai told that stranger how to get past Fluffy, and it was either Sato or Zoltel under that cloak-it must've been easy, once he had got Hengai-san drunk. I just hope Damaro and Hyokomon believe us. Fioden might back us up if Hametsu doesn't stop him. Where's Damaro's office?" Daisuke said.
They looked around, as if hoping to see a sign pointing them in the right direction. All they knew was that the office was in the highest tower, but they didn't know which room it was. They had never been told where Damaro or Hyokomon lived, nor did they know anyone that had been sent to see him.
"We'll just have to-" V-mon began, but a voice suddenly rang across the hall.
"What are you six doing inside?"
It was Nakamura-sensei, who was carrying a large pile of books, and WhitePawnChessmon and BlackPawnChessmon.
"We want to see Damaro-sensei and Hyokomon." Hikari said, rather bravely, Daisuke, V-mon, Takeru, and Patamon thought.
"See Damaro-sensei and Hyokomon?" WhitePawnChessmon repeated, as though this was a very fishy thing to want to do. "Why?"
Daisuke and V-mon swallowed-now what?
"It's sort of secret." Daisuke said, but he wished at once he hadn't, because Nakamura-sensei's nostrils flared.
"Damaro-sensei and Hyokomon left 10 minutes ago. He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for Tokyo at once." She said coldly.
"They're gone? !" Daisuke said frantically. "Now? !"
"Damaro-sensei is a very great wizard, and Hyokomon a very great Digimon, Motomiya, they have many demands on their time-"
"But this is important." Daisuke said.
"Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Motomiya?" Renamon asked.
"Look." Daisuke said, throwing caution to the winds. "Senseis, it's about the Philosopher's Stone-"
Whatever Nakamura-sensei and the PawnChessmons were expecting, it wasn't that. The books Nakamura-sensei were carrying tumbled out of her arms, but she didn't pick them up.
"How do you know-" They spluttered.
"Senseis, I think-I know-that Sa-that somebody's going to try and steal the Stone. I've got to talk Damaro-sensei and Hyokomon." Daisuke said.
They eyed him with a mixture of shock and suspicion.
"Hyokomon and Damaro will be back tomorrow." BlackPawnChessmon said finally. "I don't know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possible steal it, it's too well protected."
"But Senseis-" V-mon said.
"Motomiya, V-mon, we know what we're talking about. I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine." Nakamura-sensei said as she bent down and gathered up the fallen books.
But they didn't.
"It's tonight." Daisuke said once he was sure Nakamura-sensei and Renamon were out of earshot. "Sato and Impmon are going through the trapdoor tonight. They've found out everything they need, and they got Damaro-sensei and Hyokomon out of the way. They sent that note, I bet the Ministry of Magic will get a real shock when Damaro and Hyokomon turn up."
"But what can we-"
Hikari gasped. The others wheeled around.
Sato and Impmon were standing there.
"Good afternoon." Sato said smoothly.
They stared at him.
"You shouldn't be inside on a day like this." Impmon said with an odd, twisted smile.
"We were-" V-mon began, without any idea what he was going to say.
"You want to be more careful." Said Sato. "Hanging around like this, people will think you're up to something. And Goono really can't afford to lose any more points, can it?"
Daisuke flushed. They turned to go outside, but Sato called them back.
"Be warned Motomiya. Any more nighttime wandering and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you."
He and Impmon strode off in the direction of the staff room.
Out on the steps, Daisuke turned to the others.
"Right, here's what we've got to do. One of us has to keep an eye on Sato and Impmon. Wait outside the staff room and follow them if they leave it. Hikari-chan, Tailmon, you better do that." He whispered urgently.
"Why us?" They asked.
"It's obvious." Patamon said. "You can pretend to be waiting for Kurushin-sensei and Mamemon, you know." He put on a high voice. "Oh, Kurushin-sensei, I'm so worried, I think I got question 14 b wrong…"
"Oh shut up." Tailmon said, but she and Hikari agreed to go and watch out for Sato and Impmon.
"And we better stay outside the third-floor corridor."
But that part of the plan didn't work. No sooner had they reached the door separating Fluffy from the rest of the school than Nakamura-sensei, BlackPawnChessmon, and WhitePawnChessmon turned up again and this time, they lost their temper.
"I suppose you think you're harder to get past than a pack of enchantments! Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you've come near here again, I'll take another 50 points from Goono! Yes, Takaishi, Patamon, from my own house!" They stormed.
Daisuke, V-mon, Takeru, and Patamon went back to the Common Room. Daisuke had just said "At least Hikari-chan and Tailmon're on Sato's and Impmon's tails" when the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hikari and Tailmon came in.
"I'm sorry Daisuke-kun!" Hikari wailed. "Sato came out and asked me what I was doing, so I told him I was waiting for Kurushin, and Sato went to get him, and I've only just got away, I don't know where Sato or Impmon went."
"Well, that's it then, isn't it?" Daisuke said.
The others stared at him and V-mon. They were pale and their eyes were glittering.
"We're going out of here tonight and we're going to try to get to the Stone first." Daisuke said.
"You're crazy!" Takeru said.
"You can't! After what Nakamura-sensei, WhitePawnChessmon, BlackPawnChessmon, and Sato have said? You'll be expelled!" Hikari said.
"SO WHAT? !" Daisuke said. "Don't you understand? If Sato and Impmon get a hold of the Stone, Zoltel's coming back! Haven't you heard what it was like when he was trying to take over? There won't be any Butaibo to get expelled from! He'll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! Losing points doesn't matter anymore, don't you see? Do you think he'll leave you and your families alone if Goono wins the House Cup? If I get caught before I get to the Stone, well, I'll go back to Odaiba and wait for Zoltel to find me there, it's only dying a bit later than I would have, because I'm never going over to the Dark Side! We're going through the trapdoor tonight and nothing you four say is going to stop us! Zoltel killed my parents, remember?"
He and V-mon glared at them.
"You're right Daisuke-kun." Hikari said in a small voice.
"I'll use the Invisibility Cloak." Daisuke said. "It's just lucky I got it back."
"But will it cover all six of us." Takeru asked.
"All…all six of us?"
"Oh come on, you don't think we'd let you go alone?" Takeru said.
"Of course not. How do you think you'd get to the Stone without us? I better go and look through my books, there might be something useful…" Hikari said briskly.
"But if we get caught, you four will be expelled too." V-mon said.
"Not if Hikari can help it. Kurushin told her in secret that she got 112% on his exam. They're not throwing us out after that." Tailmon said grimly.
(A while later)
After the dinner, the six of them sat nervously apart in the Common Room. Nobody bothered them, none of the Goonos had anything to say to Daisuke anymore after all. This was the first night he hadn't been upset by it. Hikari was skimming through all her notes, hoping to come across one of the enchantments there were about to try to break. Daisuke, Takeru, V-mon, and Patamon didn't talk much. Both of them were thinking about what they were going to do.
Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.
"Better get the Cloak." Takeru muttered as Tahiro Yoshi finally left, stretching and yawning. Daisuke ran upstairs to their dark Dormitory. He pulled out the Cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hengai had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy, he didn't feel much like singing.
He ran back down to the Common Room. Daisuke was wearing a royal blue sweater with a white shirt underneath it, khaki pants, and brown boots. Takeru was wearing a gray shirt, covered by an opened up dress shirt with green and yellow stripes, grey jeans, and black tennis shoes; and as for Hikari, she was wearing a long-sleeved brown shirt, a brown skirt, and black shoes.
"We'd better put the Cloak on here, make sure it cover all six of us. If Fuki spots one of our feet wandering along on its own-"
"What are you doing?" Said a voice from the corner of the room. Ken appeared from behind an armchair, with Wormmon on his lap and clutching Mikio the toad, who looked as though he'd been making another bid for freedom.
"Nothing Ken, nothing." Said Daisuke, hurriedly putting the Cloak behind his back.
Ken stared at their guilty faces.
"You're going out again." He said.
"No, no, no. No we're not. Why don't you go back to bed Ken-san?" Hikari said.
Daisuke looked at the grandfather clock by the door. They couldn't afford to waste anymore time, Sato might even now be playing Fluffy to sleep.
"You can't go out." Wormmon said. "You'll be caught again. Goono will be in even more trouble."
"You don't understand, this is important." V-mon said.
But Ken and Wommon were clearly steeling themselves to do something desperate.
"I won't let you do it." Ken said, hurrying to stand in front of the portrait.
"Ken-san! Get away from the hole and don't be an idiot!" Takeru exploded.
"Don't call me an idiot! And I don't think you should be breaking anymore rules!" Ken replied.
"Ken-san, you don't know what you're doing." Takeru tried to explain.
He took a step forward and Ken dropped Mikio, who leapt out of sight.
Daisuke and V-mon turned to Hikari and Tailmon.
"Do something." Daisuke and V-mon said desperately.
Hikari and Tailmon stepped forward.
"Ken-san/Wormmon, I'm really, really sorry about this." Hikari and Tailmon said as Hikari raised her wand. "Petrificus Totalus/Neko Eye!" They cried, Hikari pointing her wand at Ken and Tailmon glaring at Wormmon with her suddenly glowing red eyes.
Ken's arms snapped to his side. His legs sprang together. His whole body rigid, he swayed where he stood and then fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. Wormmon shot silk out of his mouth that surrounded himself, covering all his body, except for his eyes, in tight silk, making him fall to the side.
Hikari ran to turn them over. Ken's and Wormmon's jaws were jammed together so they couldn't speak. Only their eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.
"What have you done to them?" Daisuke and V-mon whispered.
"It's the full Body-Bind/Neko Eye." Hikari and Tailmon said. "Oh Ken-san/Wormmon, I'm so sorry."
"We had to Ken, Wormmon, no time to explain." V-mon said.
"You'll understand later Wormmon, Ken." Patamon said as they stepped over them and pulled on the Invisibility Cloak.
But leaving Ken and Wormmon lying motionless on the floor didn't feel like a very good omen. In their nervous state, every statue's shadow looked like Fuki, every different breath of wind sounded like Jojo swooping down on them.
At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Ms. Dam skulking near the top.
"Oh let's kick her, just this once." Takeru whispered in Daisuke's ear, but Daisuke shook his head. As they climbed carefully around her, Ms. Dam turned her lamp-like eyes on them, but didn't do anything.
They didn't meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third-floor. Jojo was bobbing halfway up, loosening the carpet so that people would trip.
"Who's there?" He said suddenly as they climbed towards him. He narrowed his wide, black eyes. "I know you're there, even if I can't see you. Are you a ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie?"
He rose up in the air and floated there, squinting at them.
"Should call Fuki, should I, if something's a-creeping around unseen."
Daisuke had a sudden idea.
"Jojo," He said in a hoarse whisper "the Bloody Duke has his own reasons for being invisible."
Jojo almost fell out of the air in shock. He caught himself and hovered about a foot off the stairs.
"So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Duke, sir." He said greasily. "My mistake, my mistake, I didn't see you-of course I didn't, you're invisible; forgive old Jojowy his little joke sir."
"I have business here Jojo. Stay away from this place tonight." Daisuke croaked.
"I will sir, I most certainly will. Hope your business goes well Duke, I will not bother you." Said Jojo, rising up in the air again.
And he scooted off.
"Brilliant Daisuke." Takeru whispered.
A few seconds later they were there, outside the third-floor corridor. And the door was already open.
"Well, there you are. Impmon and Sato have already got past Fluffy." V-mon said quietly.
Seeing the door open somehow seemed to impress upon all six of them what was facing them. Underneath the Cloak, Daisuke and V-mon turned to the other four.
"If you want to go back, I won't blame you. You can take the Cloak, we won't need it now." V-mon said.
"Don't be stupid." Said Patamon.
"We're coming." Tailmon said.
Daisuke pushed the door open.
As the door creaked, low, rumbling growls met their years. All three of the dogs noses sniffed madly in their direction, even though it couldn't see them.
"What's that at its feet?" Tailmon whispered.
"Looks like a harp." Takeru said. "Sato and Impmon must have left it here."
"It must wake up the moment you stop playing. Well, here goes." Daisuke said.
He put Hengai's flute to his lip and blew. It wasn't really a tune, but from the first note the beast's eyes began to droop. Daisuke hardly drew breath. Slowly, the dogs growls ceased-it tottered on its paws and fell to its knees, then it slumped to the ground, fast asleep.
"Keep playing." Patamon warned Daisuke as the slipped out of the Cloak and crept towards the trapdoor. They could feel the dog's hot, smelly breath as they approached the giant heads.
"I think we'll be able to pull the door open." Takeru said, peering over the dogs back. "Want to go first Hikari-chan?"
"No I don't!" Hikari answered.
"All right." Takeru gritted his teeth and stepped carefully over the dog's leg. He bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.
"What can you see?" Hikari asked anxiously.
"Nothing, just black, there's no way of climbing down, we'll just have to drop.
Daisuke, who was still playing the flute, waved at Takeru to get his attention then pointed at himself.
"Do you want to go first? Are you sure?" Takeru asked. "I don't know how deep this thing goes. Give the flute to Hikari-chan so she can keep him asleep."
Daisuke handed the flute over. In the few seconds silence, the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hikari began to play, it went back into its deep sleep.
Daisuke climbed over it and looked down through the trapdoor. There was no sign of the bottom.
He lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. Then he looked at V-mon and said "If anything happens to me, don't follow. Go straight to the Owlery and send Yushiba to Damaro and Hyokomon, right?"
"Right."
"See you in a minute, I hope…"
And Daisuke let go. Cold, damp air rushed past him as he fell down, down, down and…
*FLUMP*
With a funny, muffled sort of thump he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, his eyes not used to the gloom. It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.
"It's okay! It's a soft landing, you can jump." He called up to the light the size of a postage stamp, which was the open trapdoor.
V-mon, Takeru, and Patamon followed right away. They landed, sprawled next to Daisuke.
"What's this stuff?" Were Patamon's first words.
"Don't know, some sort of plant thing. Suppose it's here to break the fall. Come on Tailmon, Hikari!" V-mon said.
The distant music stopped. There was a loud bark from the dog, but Hikari and Tailmon had already jumped.
"We must be miles under the school." Hikari said after she landed.
"Lucky this plant thing's here, really." Takeru said.
"Lucky? !" Hikari shrieked. "Look at you four!"
She leapt up and struggled toward a damp wall. She had to struggle because the moment she landed, the plant had started to twist snake-like tendrils around her ankles. As for Daisuke, Takeru, V-mon, and Patamon, their legs had already been bound tightly in long creepers without their noticing.
Hikari and Tailmon had managed to free themselves before the plant got a firm grip on them. They now watched in horror as the four boys fought to pull the plants off them, but the more they strained against it, the tighter and faster wound around them.
"Stop moving! I know what this is, it's Devil's Snare!" Hikari ordered.
"I'm so glad we know what it's called, that's a great help!" Takeru snarled, leaning back, trying to stop the plant from curling around his neck.
Hikari and Tailmon looked around the room and saw that there was nowhere to go. It was a round room with some side walks around the Devil's Snare in the center, and Hikari realized what she had to do.
Hikari threw herself back into the Devil's Snare, followed by Tailmon, who trusted her partner. The girls were quickly wrapped around by the tendrils.
"Stop moving. If you don't it'll only kill you faster." Hikari said.
"Kill us faster? ! Oh, now I can relax!" Takeru said.
Hikari and Tailmon were then sucked in by the Devil's Snare and disappeared from view.
"Hikari-chan, Tailmon!" Daisuke, Takeru, V-mon, and Patamon screamed in despair.
"Now what do we do? !" Takeru asked.
"Just relax!" Tailmon's voice said.
"Tailmon, where are you? !" V-mon asked.
"Do what we said! Trust us." Hikari's voice said.
Daisuke, Patamon, and V-mon decided to take the advice and were sucked in out of view by the Devil's Snare.
"Daisuke, Patamon, V-mon!" Takeru screamed, being the only one left.
The three landed on the ground, and looked up to see the girls standing beside them.
"You okay?" Tailmon asked V-mon.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." V-mon replied.
Tailmon then looked at Patamon with eyes that asked the same question, and the flying pig Digimon nodded, saying he was well.
"He's not relaxing, is he?" Hikari asked as she looked up at Takeru.
"Apparently not." Daisuke answered.
"Guys, some help!" Takeru said.
"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hikari said.
"Well hurry up, I can't breathe!" Takeru said as one vine wrapped itself around his neck.
"What did Moyashi-sensei say? It likes the dark and damp-"
"So light fire!" Daisukes said.
"Yes, of course! Incendio!" Hikari said as she whipped out her wand, waved it, and sent a jet of bluebell flames at the plant. In a matter of seconds, the plants started burning and loosening their grip as it cringed away from the light and warmth. However, some plants still held on to Takeru, who was already starting to pass out from asphyxiation, and wouldn't let go until they completely burned to ashes.
"I gotta do something." Hikari said.
"What?" Daisuke asked.
"I remember reading something in Herbology."
"Help…" Takeru choked in a hoarse voice.
""Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare, it's deadly fun…but will sulk in the sun." That's it! Devil's Snare hates sunlight! Lumos Solem!" Hikari said as she pointed her wand at the plants holding on to Takeru and a bright light emitted from the tip, the rays of light making the plants let go of Takeru, who dropped to the floor.
"You okay?" Daisuke asked as he knelt down beside his best fried.
"Yeah, I'm okay." Takeru said as he stood up. "Phew! Lucky I didn't panic."
"Lucky Hikari-chan pays attention in Herbology." Daisuke said.
"This way." V-mon said, pointing down at a stone passageway, which was the only way forward.
All they could hear apart from their footsteps was the gentle drip of water trickling down the walls. The passageway sloped downward, and Daisuke was reminded of Mahginko. With an unpleasant jolt of heart, he remembered the dragons said to be guarding vaults in the wizards bank. If they met a dragon, a fully grown dragon-Nagato had already been bad enough…
"Can you hear something?" Takeru whispered.
Daisuke listened. A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.
"What is that? Do you think it's a ghost?" Hikari asked.
"I don't know…sounds like wings to me." Daisuke replied.
They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, its ceiling arching high above them. It was full of small, jewel-bright bird, fluttering and trumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy wooden door.
"Do you think they'll attack us if we cross the room?" Said Patamon.
"Probably." Said Daisuke. "They don't look very vicious, but I suppose if they all swooped down at once…well, there's no other choice…I'll run."
He took a deep breath, covered his head with his arms, and sprinted across the room. He expected to feel sharp beaks and claws tearing at him any second, but nothing happened. He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.
The other five followed him. They tugged and heaved at the door, but it wouldn't budge, not even when Hikari tried her Alohomora charm.
"Now what?" Takeru asked.
"These birds…they can't be here just for decoration." Said Hikari.
They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering…glittering?
"They're not birds!" Daisuke said suddenly. "They're keys! Winged keys. Look carefully…so that must mean…" He looked around the chamber while the others squinted up at the keys. "Yes, look! Broomsticks! We've got to catch the key to the door!"
"But there are hundreds of them!"
"We're looking for a big, old-fashioned one-probably silver, like the handle." Takeru said, examining the lock on the door.
"There! That one!" Daisuke called to the others. "That big one there! No, there, with bright blue wings, the feathers are all crumpled on one side. But…it's too simple." Daisuke said with suspicion.
"You can do it Daisuke, if Sato can, then so can you. You're the youngest Seeker in a century." Takeru said.
Daisuke nodded and grabbed a broomstick, making all the keys immediately surround him and start cutting him.
"That might complicate things a bit." Takeru said.
Him and Hikari each seized a broomstick and kicked off into the air to help Daisuke, soaring into the midst of the cloud of keys. They grabbed and snatched, but the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.
"Over there!" Daisuke said, pointing at the key.
Takeru went speeding in the direction that Daisuke was pointing, crashed into the ceiling, and nearly fell off his broom.
"We've got to close in on it!" Daisuke called, not taking his eyes of the key with the damaged wing. "Takeru, you come at it from above; Hikari-chan, you stay below and stop it from coming down; and I'll try to catch it. Right, NOW!"
Takeru dived, Hikari rocketed upward, the key dodged them both, and Daisuke streaked after it; it sped towards the wall, Daisuke leaned forward and with a nasty, crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand.
They landed quickly, except for Daisuke, who still had the keys cutting his body.
"Catch the key!" Daisuke said as he threw the key to Hikari and flew back upwards.
"Hurry up!" Patamon said.
The key struggling in her hand, Hikari rammed it into the lock and turned-it worked. The moment the lock had clicked open, the key took flight again, looking very battered now that it had been caught twice. They all passed through it and left it open, waiting for Daisuke. Daisuke quickly swooped back down and through the door, and the others closed it before the keys passed through, making them hit the door.
Daisuke, Takeru, and Hikari were by now all scratched and bleeding a bit, with their clothes torn up in some places.
"Ready?" Daisuke asked the other five, his hand on the door handle. They nodded. He pulled the door open.
The next chamber was so dark they couldn't see anything at all. But as they stepped into it, light flooded into the room to reveal an astonishing sight.
They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, which were all taller than they were and carved from what looked like black stone. Facing them, way across the chamber, were the white pieces. Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari, V-mon, Patamon, and Tailmon shivered slightly-the towering white chessmen had no faces.
"I don't like this." Tailmon said. "I don't like this at all."
"Now what do we do?" Daisuke whispered.
"It's obvious, isn't it?" Takeru said. "We've got to play our way across the room.
Behind the white pieces they could see another door.
"How?" Hikari asked nervously.
"I think…we're going to be chessmen." Takeru said.
He walked up to a black knight and put his hand out to touch the knight's horse. At once, the stone sprang to life. The horse pawed the ground and the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Takeru.
"Do we, er, have to join you to get across the room?" Takeru asked.
The black knight nodded. Takeru turned to the others.
"This needs thinking about…" He said. "I suppose we've got to take the place of six black pieces…"
Daisuke, V-mon, Hikari, Patamon, and Tailmon stayed quiet, watching Takeru think. Finally he said "Now, don't be offended or anything, but none of you are that good at chess-"
"We're not offended. Just tell us what to do." Daisuke said quickly.
"Well, Daisuke, you take the place of the bishop, Hikari-chan, you next to him instead of that castle. Patamon, Tailmon, V-mon, you take the places of those pawns."
"What about you?" Tailmon asked.
"I'm going to be a knight." Takeru said.
The chessmen seemed to have been listening, because at these words, a knight, a bishop, a castle, and three pawns turned their backs on the white pieces and walked off the board, leaving six empty squares that Daisuke, Takeru, Hikari, V-mon, Patamon, and Tailmon took.
"White always plays first in chess." Takeru said, peering across the board. "Yes…look…"
A white pawn moved forward two squares.
"Takeru-kun, you don't suppose this will be like…wizard's chess, do you?" Hikari asked.
Takeru's features suddenly became heavy with worry as he looked at a pawn.
"You there, D-5." Takeru told the pawn, who moved two squares and was standing in diagonally against the white pawn. The white pawn suddenly drew out his swords and slashed the black pawn, breaking it into small pieces, leaving everyone terrified.
"Yes Hikari-chan. I think this is gonna be…exactly like wizard's chess." Takeru said.
Takeru started to direct the black pieces. They moved silently wherever he sent them. Daisuke's knees were trembling. What if they lost?
"Daisuke, move diagonally four squares to the right."
The first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, where he lay quite still, facedown.
"Had to let that happen. Leaves you free to take that bishop Hikari-chan, go on." Takeru said, looking shaken.
Every time one of their men was lost, white pieces showed no mercy. Soon there was a huddle of limp black players slumped along the wall. Twice Takeru only just noticed that Daisuke, V-mon, Patamon, Hikari, and Tailmon were in danger. He himself darted around the board, taking a many white pieces as they had lost black ones.
"We're nearly there." He muttered suddenly. "Let me think, let me think…"
The queen turned her blank face toward him.
"Yes…" Takeru said softly. "It's the only way."
Daisuke wondered what he meant by that and looked around. Horror suddenly struck him together with realization.
"Wait a minute." Daisuke said.
"You understand now, right Daisuke?" Takeru spoke. "Once I make my move…the queen will take me. Then you're free to check-mate the king."
"No! Takeru, no!" Daisuke protested.
"What is it?" Hikari said, not understanding what they meant.
"He's planning on sacrificing himself."
"No, you can't! There must be another way." Hikari said.
"Do you want to stop Sato and Impmon from getting that Stone or not?" Takeru said. "That's chess! You've got to make sacrifices! I take one step forward and she'll take me-that leaves you free to check-mate the king Daisuke! Daisuke, V-mon, it's you that have to go on. I know it. Not me, not Patamon, not Hikari-chan, not Tailmon. You."
"Takeru-"
"Look, you don't hurry up, they'll have the Stone!"
There was no alternative.
"Ready?" Takeru called, his face pale but determined. "Here I go. Now don't hang around once you've won."
He stepped forward, and the white queen pounced. She struck Takeru hard across the head with her stone arm, and he crashed to the floor-Hikari screamed and Patamon closed his eyes forcefully but stayed on their squares-the white queen dragged Takeru to one side. His head was bleeding heavily; he looked as if he'd been knocked out, maybe even…
Shaking, Daisuke moved three spaces to the left.
"Check-mate." Daisuke said.
The king's sword fell from his hands and he took of his crown and threw it to Daisuke's feet. They had won. The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. Daisuke and the others then hurried to Takeru's side, checking his bloody head which now stained his golden hair, his hat nearby him.
"What if he's-"
"Don't say it! Don't you dare say it!" Daisuke said to Hikari.
"Patamon, you stay here and watch over Takeru. Hikari, Tailmon, Daisuke, and I will go one ahead." V-mon said, and his best friend nodded.
With one last desperate look back at Takeru, Daisuke, V-mon, Hikari, and Tailmon charged through the door and up the next passageway.
"Are you sure he's okay?" Hikari asked.
"He'll be all right." Daisuke said, trying to convince himself. "What do reckon's next?"
"We've had Moyashi's, that was the Devil's Snare; Kurushin must've put charms on the keys; Nakamura transfigured the chessmen to make them alive; that leaves Kurata's spell, and Sato's…" Hikari said.
They reached another door.
"All right?" Daisuke whispered.
"Go on."
Daisuke pushed it open.
A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, making both of them pull their robes up over their noses. Eyes watering, they saw, flat on the floor in front off them, a troll even larger then the one they had tackled, out cold with a bloody lump on his head.
"I'm glad we didn't have to fight that one. Come on, I can't breath." Daisuke whispered as they stepped carefully over one of its massive legs.
He pulled open the next door, next of them hardly daring to look at what came next. But there was nothing very frightening here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottle standing on it in a line.
"Sato's." Daisuke said. "What do we have to do?"
They stopped over the threshold, and immediately a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. It wasn't ordinary fire either; it was purple. At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onward. They were trapped.
"Look!" Hikari seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Daisuke looked over her shoulder to read it.
Danger lies before you, while safety lies behind
Two of us will help you, whichever one you would find
One among us seven will let you move ahead
Another will transport the drinker back instead
Two among our number hold only nettle wine
Three of us are killers, waiting hidden in line.
Choose, unless you wish to remain here forevermore
To help you in your choice, we help you in these clues four:
First, however slyly the poison tries to hide
You will always find some on nettle wine's left side
Second, different are those who stand at either end
But if you would move onward, neither is your friend
Third, as you see clearly, all are different size
Neither dwarf nor giant hold death in their insides
Fourth, the second left and the second on the right
Are twins once you taste them, though different at first sight.
Hikari let out a great sigh and Daisuke, amazed, saw that she was smiling, the very last thing he felt like doing.
"Brilliant." Hikari said. "This isn't magic, it's logic; a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizard's haven't got an ounce of logic, they'd be stuck here forever."
"But so will we, won't we?" V-mon asked.
"Of course not. Everything we need is here on this paper. Seven bottles: three are poison; two are wine; one will get us safely through the black fire, and one will get us back through the purple." Hikari said.
"But how do we know which to drink?" Daisuke asked.
"Give me a minute."
Hikari read the paper several times. Then she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. At last she clapped her hands.
"Got it. The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire, towards the Stone." She said.
Daisuke looked at the tiny bottle.
"There's only enough there for two of us." He said. "That's hardly two swallows."
They looked at each other.
"Which one will get you back through the purple flames?" V-mon asked.
Hikari pointed at a round bottle at the right end of the line.
"You drink that. No, listen, get back and get Takeru and Patamon. Grab brooms from the flying key room. They'll get you out of the trapdoor and past Fluffy; go straight to the owlery and send Yushiba to Damaro and Hyokomon, we need them. We might be able to hold Sato and Impmon off for a while, but we're no match for him, really."
"But Daisuke-kun, what if You-Know-Who's with them?" Hikari asked.
"Well, I was lucky once, wasn't I?" Daisuke said, pointing at his scar. "I might get lucky again."
Hikari's lip trembled, and she suddenly dashed at Daisuke and threw her arms around him.
"Hikari-chan?" Daisuke said, shocked and flushed.
"Daisuke-kun, you're a great wizard, you know. You really are." Hikari said.
"I'm not as good as you or Miyako." Daisuke said, very embarrassed, as she let go of him.
"Me and Miyako-chan! Books! And cleverness! There are more important things; courage and friendship. And Daisuke-kun, be careful!" Hikari said.
"Are you sure you guys want to go in there alone; you might not come back." Tailmon said with a worried look on her face.
"Don't worry. Just get Patamon and Takeru and get out of here." V-mon said.
Tailmon quickly, but tightly hugged V-mon.
"You guys drink first. You are sure which is which, aren't you?" Daisuke asked.
"Positive." Said Hikari. She took a long drink from the round bottle at the end, and shuddered, before passing it to Tailmon, who did the same.
"It's not poison?" Daisuke said anxiously.
"No, but it's like ice." Hikari replied.
"Quick before it wears off."
"Good luck; take care-" Hikari and Tailmon said.
"GO!" Daisuke and V-mon said.
Hikari and Tailmon turned and walked straight through the purple fire.
Daisuke took a deep breath and picked up the smallest bottle. He and V-mon turned to face the black flames.
"Here we come." They said as Daisuke and V-mon each had little gulp, draining the little bottle.
It was indeed as though ice was flooding their body. V-mon put the bottle down and he and Daisuke walked forward; they braced themselves, they saw the black flames licking their bodies but couldn't feel them. For a moment they could see nothing but dark fire, then they were on the other side, in the last chamber.
There were already two people there, but it wasn't Sato and Impmon. It wasn't even Zoltel.
Sorry I took so long to update, but I was really busy. Please review, and thank you to all my reviewers so far. My next chapter will be the last.
