The End of Brave Hearts

Part 1: United We Stand

Around her, the alarm was still blaring over the base, buildings seemed to wake up from slumber as men and women raced through sidewalks and streets, soldiers taking position behind tall barricades while artillery moved guns and canons around the skies, skies that she saw were now completely drowning in pitch black curtains.

A pity those aren't clouds. It was something worst, glittering in a rainbow of sick colors and mocking cheerfulness that made her taste bile in her mouth.

"Are you okay Yolei?"

"I'm fine Hawkmon" She gulped, balling her fists. "Did you see my sisters?"

"They were with Jun the last time I saw them."

"Good."

The rest of her family would be back at the harbor on the other side of Odaiba, so she was not as afraid for them as she was for her digidestined sisters… Not as afraid as she was for…

She blinked and turned around scanning the crowd, she could barely see Davis and Ken racing towards the bridge to defend it from the ground attack, but her task was somewhere else and she needed to get there.

Hawkmon rubbed the back of his neck, the feather bouncing around atop his head. "We have to go."

"Yeah..."

They started to run, but suddenly she felt she shouldn't just go, there should be something more. This was, maybe, her last battle ever as a digidestined.

"Hawkmon..."

"Yes Yolei?"

She wanted to say something grand. Something special, poetic worlds that would carry everything she felt for her partner, everything they've been through since she found that silvery digi-egg with the crest of love, and yet nothing she could think of seemed good enough.

Thankfully her partner knew her well at this point. Hawkmon smirked and offered a thumbs up with his wings. "We got this, right?"

"Right..." She wished all of the sudden to have her special clothes from the Digital World, but the Real World didn't allow for a change of clothing, beyond the khaki pants and shoes she stole from a empty store.

Clutching the very expensive leather jacket around her body, Yolei took out her digivice.

The musky scent that filled the air around them was a mix something like rotten eggs, metal and bitter dust as the bridge became thick with smoke and remains of so many kinds of powers he couldn't even count.

Ken would know all of them, but Davis couldn't find the words to ask him. Guarding the bridge were a whole unity of tanks shooting down DarkSnimons from the sky and clearing the streets from plants, dinosaurs and beasts. It was a cacophony that Davis could barely understand, except to see Exveemon kicking away a Beetlemon that tried to lift a tank from the ground. Stingmon was there as well, his blade cutting through the flying army, kicking and punching his enemies away whenever they tried to surround him.

"So far so good" Ken spoke, he had a pair of binoculars with him, glancing at the bridge. Their liaison of the army was there as well, his eyes cold and calculating as he waited for whatever counsels they might give. "No sign of ultimates yet."

"Is that good?" The woman asked, holding her radio.

"Fantastic!" Davis grinned, but the woman didn't seem convinced, looking to Ken for an explanation.

"Well, huh, you see, Sargent Lya the ultimates are the ones that can beat us here, so, yeah, as long as they're away we can hold it."

"I see, so that is why..." Her voice trailed off as a bold of lighting blew up a barricade not far from them, the men started to run away, while Exveemon landed, his beams of energy clearing the path.

The defense of the bridge was to be abandoned as soon as the enemy threw stronger digimon at them. Davis' only fear was that by the time they started coming ExVeemon and Stingmon would be too exhausted to fight. Gripping tightly to his D-3, Davis looked beyond him to the south, where the line was covering every side of Odaiba. There the canons didn't stop at any moment, tanks would fire at the skies and the sea, while big warships maneuvered across the bay to better position their weapons. Davis caught a glimpse of a red flying beast roaring in the distance, keeping a swarm of DarkBeemon away from a cruiser. To the ground, the digidestined remained behind still, keeping themselves safe for when the dark army reached the line.

It wouldn't take long, Davis decided, already there were clouds of data dissolving only a few meters away from the harbor. As if on a cue, a big, gray octopus suddenly emerged from the sea, dark tentacles wrapping around a scorching canon and dragging it down into the dark depths, despite the burning the beast kept pulling, and the small Divermon were suddenly swarming up the barricade through a storm of bullets, until Noriko's Yukidarumon summoned an ice storm to push them away.

Davis didn't have time to see what would happen next, because a scream suddenly reached him from the middle of the bridge and he saw the thick steel cables tearing apart, the tanks exploding like they were made of paper.

"W-what is that?! Ken! What is that?"

"I-I..." Ken seemed paler than usual all of the sudden. "Davis… It's Machinedramon!"

Davis felt his heart trying to leap out of his throat. He stopped it, swallowed it back and shouted and warned the woman, whom immediately repeated his words on the radio.

"Retreat! EVERYONE GET BACK! NOW!"

For a moment he held his breath, and then he heard radios clicking, an alarm blared from the base and then the soldiers were all running. Davis saw panicked faces tripping away as the last tanks were simply thrown on the water by those gigantic metal claws.

The shadow of the dark master seemed to come closer and closer, and yet he was silent. Always silent.

"Ken!" Their Digivices came together in a burst of light and Paildramon was suddenly flying through the skies, his guns blazing, but barely scraping the chrome digizoid body. He ducked away from a missile, while Machinedramon's guns thundered in response. Paildramon was quick and small though, weaving through the enemy fire, circling around the mega's body towards a blind spot and throwing his speed and strength in one loaded blow, his feet kicking the mega digimon with such strength, Davis actually saw him staggering forward before trying to turn around.

"Come on, come on..." Davis muttered as the last soldiers raced by. Paildramon used his desperado blasters to drive the master's attention away, jumped down and below the bridge. He came up again closer to the entrance, grabbed two wounded men from the ground and took distance away from the bridge as Machinedramon loomed over the passage, the shadow of an army at his back.

"NOW! NOW!" Davis turned around, eyes wide at the officer holding the order. "DO IT!"

The seemed to snap the woman awake, she didn't give the order though, instead she waited until Davis felt like screaming again. After Machinedramon gave three more steps, she spoke quietly to an assistance and then, with a roaring deafening snap of fingers the bridge exploded in a cloud of dust, powdered concrete and steel.

Davis felt his heart hammering back, the strength of the explosion almost knocking him off his feet, hadn't Ken held him. When he felt the pressure disappearing, his ear ringing still, the sight he met had nothing but the leftover points of what was once one of Tokyo's pride.

"Sorry" The Sargent spoke kindly. "It was better to wait for him to inside the explosion."

"It's all right, you're the professionals." Ken rebutted, sighing in relief.

"Actually, I'm not so sure about that."

Of Machinedramon there was no sight amongst the lingering dust and flames as debris rained down over the bay.

Davis hoped the thing had drowned.

The sun was setting to the west as Jun felt the heat and glare of the flames licking their way over the battleship slowly sinking into the bay. Already her throat was getting soar from shouting over the noise, keeping close to Icemon and Yukidarumon while they froze the sea. She run accompanied by her best friend and three other digidestined plus a company of soldiers, trying to get to the sinking ship as fast as possible, but now, she knew they would be too late judging by the number of people jumping from the vessel alone…

"Momoe! Chizuru!" She made to warn them, but her friends' partners were digivolving already.

Chizuru and a dozen of the bravest soldiers jumped over Seadramon and raced to the ship, lighting pouring against the DarkDivermon and DarkSeadramon threatening the survivors. The ice bridge would get there soon, but Coelamon was thankfully already diving underwater to rescue more people. Jun kept her eyes in the sea meanwhile, because she was pretty certain she knew the thing that was sinking them, a long metal body, hidden under the surface.

She gulped.

"There are too many of them!" Momoe screamed into her ear.

Jun didn't care, she turned back and the digidestined with her were already sending their partners into the waters. Another Seadramon was pushing forward to fight, a Shellmon roared from the waves and soon enough both were upon the enemy, dragging the Darkseadramon away from the wreckage.

Jun took the hand of a man in navy uniform and pulled her over the ice, the ringing of bullets racing over her head to find targets into the Darkdivermon now making towards them. Icemon and Yukidarumon turned, giving assistance with ice punches and cold air. Jun took a glimpse of red eyes and her pipe was swinging over her head, bouncing off a red eyed fish face and sending him towards the water. She took a stance and sent another blow to the gut of another, parried a trident from her left and kicked hard with a left boot that was too big for her foot. Stupid little brother!

"Wow! You really got good at that" Momoe said, helping a young man out of the cold water.

Jun grinned. "Thanks!" She twirled the pipe, fixed it in a two handed grip and brought it down like a club, striking the jaw of an enemy that was trying to sneak on Icemon.

A shriek was heard from above, and suddenly the whole structure of the ship was bending, sinking into the ocean in a scream of metal and flames, explosions rocking the sea as the fire reached ammo and fuel. Seadramon, Chizuru at his back was doing his best to quench the flames. Coelamon was fighting alone over the waters, he threw a Divermon down and a wave rained over Jun, droplets of cold water running down her skin.

"We have to go!" An officer was calling, already there were boats and people fleeing by the ice bridge.

Jun looked on, frowning. "There are still people in the water!"

"It's too late, that ship will blow up or sink and take us with it!"

Jun bit her lip. She couldn't leave all those people behind, but taking too long might mean her life as well, and her friends, the officer didn't seem like he wanted to back down though. She was wondering briefly if she could guilty them into helping by staying behind when someone offered a suggestion.

"Wait, try freezing it"

"What?"

Momoe blinked giving the soldier she was helping to Noriko. "Freeze the sea around the ship, if you can keep the temperature low enough you might end the fire before it spreads and keep the ship afloat."

Jun turned to the officer and to the digimon. Yukidarumon and Icemon were the only ones keeping the ice bridge safe. She would need help if they were to divert their efforts.

"So?!" She finally questioned the office, reading the label on his uniform. "What do you say Captain Shiro?"

The man gulped, looked back to his unity catching a series of terrified nods, and then at her. "We help, but when I give the order we go back"

"Fine! Icemon, Yukidarumon! The ship!"

"Leave it to us Jun" Icemon smirked Jun gripped her pipe tightly.

As soon as the digimon turned their backs a horde of Divermon started to jump on them, coming from all sides. Bullets flew around her and soldiers let out a cry of defiance, lunging on the enemy. They shot, and kicked and punched while Jun stood amongst them, doing her best.

The retreat seemed to take forever and also, come too fast.

From the skies, Yolei did her best to watch over the hellish landscape that was once Tokyo, burning at the distance and now, Odaiba followed as the army and the digidestined yield ground little by little. She glimpsed Ankylomon once or twice launching cars like they were soccer balls, Jun, wet and shivering had been fighting her path away from the harbor and she helped as best she could as well. To the north, Ken and Davis must be springing their traps through the side streets and alleys, meaning with any luck the enemy would be funneled into the mains street.

The skies themselves seemed to be swarming now, so many of them it was impossible to fly above the buildings and survive. Suddenly the TV station rolled out of its support to bounce and crash, glass and metal spreading over the advancing army that kept coming, gliding through the water, flown over by allies and jumped aboard wrecked ships.

"Yolei, down below!" At the distance she could see a dark shadow peeking at the retreating soldiers. Her partner's powerful eyes were much better than her own to catch something so far. Aquilamon was flapping his wings and Yolei slowly brought him down, his dive was swift and his attack drove a DarkKwagamon to the ground. The fleeing troops kept running and she turned searching for more enemies along the line, only for something to explode at her side. She watched her back suddenly, there were no dark digimon there, but the shadow of a boy with crimson eyes and long nose.

Wood?

The thought barely registered when the child lifted his fingers and a truck, metal screaming as the weight castigated its hinges and grips, rose in front of them.

"Aquilamon!"

The building was demolished in the heat of the explosion, scorching Aquilamon's tail feathers and warming the back of her neck. They climbed into the air, her purple hair flying behind her as they flew into the line of fire.

The military were shooting nonstop now to keep the flying fuckers away from the land forces and Yolei caught herself squeezing her tights and hands to grip her partner as Aquilamon swirled across the sky, spinning and diving, his mech speed quickly out running the bursting shells leaving only the horde of dark digimon blocking their path. Yolei opened her eyes to look below herself, the dark digimon were approaching, climbing after them, the height was such she could feel the cold of the darkness brushing the top of her head.

"We have to go to the others!" She shouted through the wind.

"To do that we have to go through them."

Yolei gulped, there seemed to be dozens of the bastards. "Do it."

"Yolei..."

"We can't fight alone here Aquilamon, just get us there, and don't worry, I'll hold really tight."

"Ok"

Aquilamon's eyes flashed red as his powerful vision sought out the path around the enemy before his muscles responded. His mouth opening, he sent his powerful blasters in front of them in a powerful scream.

On his back, Yolei closed her eyes.

The defying roar of her digimon partner came first and them thousands of other sounds, buzzing and slashing around them like an orchestra from hell. She felt fire burning her leg and heard Aquilamon grunting. Something sizzled past her ear, a scream. She opened her eyes, they were flying over the buildings now, Aquilamon's wing was torn, crimson feathers and blood flying away at their passage.

"AQUILAMON!"

He flew low now, his wings barely keeping him upright as the dark digimon fell into pursuit. They were flying over the street, weaving their way around buildings and landmarks.

"Aquilamon! The car!"

His partner listened and sent his attack forward, the car bulged and their speed got them beyond the vehicle before it blew up. Neither looked back to see the results of their doings, ahead Aquilamon made a sharp curve left and she felt the g force trying to throw her away from him as they found themselves getting into downtown.

And stopped.

Pinochimon was right there waiting for them, and Yolei almost let go of Aquilamon's feathers, but it was too late, the puppet struck.

It a piece of street floating at the puppets whim, the strength of the collision enough to send them both flying away. Yolei felt her grip slipping and caught herself screaming for Aquilamon as she felt herself getting closer and closer to the ground.

Something hard hit her by the side though. Her name was shouted and something cracked. Glass… she could feel shards digging into her skin as she suddenly rolled on the ground of somewhere dark and gloomy.

When she finally found strength to get up, she heard faint grunts from her side. Looking on, she was met by a bright brown mess of spiky hair above a pair of goggles that Davis quickly drew over his head. She saw that ExVeemon was getting up a few feet away.

The two caught her, of course, and in process landed on - she looked around - a Liquor Store.

"Are you two okay?!"

"Yeah, thanks ExVeemon, nice catch!" Yolei saw the two grinning as they turned to her. "You okay Yolei?"

"Yeah, thanks… Aquilamon..."

"Ken and Stingmon caught him" ExVeemon said looking on towards the street. "They need help."

Davis nodded and took out his digivice. A gemini glow could bee seen not far away and suddenly Yolei saw Exveemon flying into the skies and she knew Paildramon had entered the fight.

Tired beyond measure, she leaned back against a balcony, her body hurting all over, a burning gash running down her shoulder. Davis was much the same, his clothes torn and shredded. Cuts and bruises all over his face and knees.

"Dammit… For a moment there I thought you were a goner" He said sitting by her side, and Yolei gave out a bark of a laugh. "What?"

"I was worried my sister would get hurt" She told him lamely. "Look at me!"

Davis looked, seeming bemused. "You look better than ever."

"Oh shut up!" She said sharing a grin with him as they heard Paildramon's guns blazing outside. "You sure Aquilamon was fine?"

"Yes, he didn't even dedigivolved as far as I could tell."

She nodded, looking around themselves. There was an seemingly undamaged bottle rolling by her side. She read the label quickly and opened it up.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing Davis?"

"Drinking, and you're underage!"

"Well, it doesn't look like we might live long enough to be of age, does it?" She grinned, not really feeling sad anymore, she took a long gulp and stopped, coughing and gasping as the vodka burned her throat. "Fuck!"

Davis clearly found it funny, because he was chuckling now, until she drove the bottle into his hands."Your turn."

"What?"

"It's because you laughed, now go on you jerk!"

Her friend frowned. Outside, the explosions seemed to be getting stronger, they heard Paildramon and Aquilamon shouting attacks at the deceased dark master. Davis studied the bottle and took a sip. Sure enough his reaction was not better than her own.

"Why do grown ups drink this stuff?"

"I dunno" She said throwing the bottle on the corner where it shattered. "Bitterness with life, boredom, age..."

"It's pretty overrated"

"Tell me about it"

They fell silent for a second, the peace of agreeing to one another was something rare that Yolei legitimately enjoyed. Finally she got to her feet, helping Davis up a moment later. On the streets, they heard something crashing down on the pavement, something gigantic and demolished.

"So, you ready to go out there and help make some firewood?"

"Yeah!" Davis said, bowing mockingly her way. "After you."

"All right."

"Wait!"

She stopped, her feet at the window's ledge. "What is it?"

"You have to say it"

"Say what?"

"You know what?"

"Seriously?"

"Come on! I need this"

She bit on her lip, Aquilamon's roar echoing inside the store and boasting her spirit. "All right… Digidestined! HERE WE GO!"

They gave ground.

At night, the battle became a furious display of light and skirmishes.

There was no room for sleep.

Cody held Armadillomon in his lap, forcing his partner to close his eyes as the night went on, the fighting more and more intense. Things were going well, but the fight on the ground was still raging, fought block by block.

Soldier units fought in large numbers, planted bombs and ambushes at every corner, retreating back through alleys, damaged buildings and sewer lines. Cody himself had just used one of those to get his tired partner back. Armadillomon had barely covered the retreat of a group of men before an Ultimate got the best on him.

Sometimes that was all they could do.

Right now, he was in the radio, sitting on the counter of a abandoned restaurant where the General had raised his command. At the docks, he could see a great number of people were still waiting. The thing is, there were no more ships to use.

"What do you mean it will take a whole day?" General Misugi shouted. "Yes, I'm aware there has been fighting outside Tokyo, but I still have thousands of civilians stuck in Odaiba!"

The shouting continued for a moment, in a repetition of arguments that soon became redundant. Cody merely sighed, feeling a headache coming.

He really needed to sleep, he needed a bath so his clothes stopped filling like rubber over his sweaty skin, but even without his partner he had a job with his own share of shouting.

"Unity three moving to position five, west"

"Unity four on hold"

"Unity seven, we need backup repeat back up"

Cody immediately threw a glance towards the communications officer, the man nodded and took the mic.

"Describe the threat, Unity Seven, please."

"It's… A herd sir, a dozen I think… Big elephants and… We're cornered..."

Cody didn't need to hear more. If the dark army was throwing Mamothmon their way, it meant they were either a tougher nut to crack than Dagomon thought, or that the numbers were finally diminishing. It also meant they needed power…

Cody took out his own radio.

"Davis are you there do you copy?"

"I'm here Cody!" Ken's voice answered. "We're a little busy right now."

"Can you take it? We have ultimates cornering our people, close to Odaiba High."

"Piedmon is here Cody!" At the mention of the name, he felt his heart drop. Three shells of dark masters had been taken care of already. MetalSeadramon was destroyed when the ship blew up at the harbor, Machinedramon at the bridge and Pinochimon later when his friends and the military basically took him out with brute force. Piedmon was different though, he was the stronger one.

"Can you take care of him?"

"We're trying" The transmission came, before been cut off with loud noises.

Cody worried his lower lip, if he couldn't send someone to defeat the threat they needed people to delay it and rescue the ambushed men.

Cody turned an open frequency. "Attention, I need anyone available close to Odaiba High."

"This is Momoe and Jun speaking, we were going back, and that is on our way, what do you want sensei?" Jun's high pitched voice screamed at him.

Cody hesitated.

He looked back at the still yelling general, half tempted to ask soldiers, or one of the tanks, but he knew what Mamothmon were capable of, they needed to be sneak and get out, raw power wouldn't do any good against a herd…

"Jun, Momoe, you need to rescue Unity Seven, about forty soldiers, on Odaiba High, they are surrounded by a group of Mamothmon, a herd."

There was a moment of silence, when he secretly wished they would call it quits. But those two had been around since the Firewall.

"Got it… We'll bring them back..."

Cody waited until the transmission was cut and leaned back against his seat. Armadillomon's snoring drowned over so many voices.

"You have to go faster Daigo!"

"I can't type faster than this!"

"Well, then we're dead"

"Nice to hear your optimism"

"It's reality"

"It's your reality and it sucks!"

He got no answer from Maki, but he didn't want one either, he simply needed to get this code ready in time. The children had entrusted him with their digi-eggs and he would be dammed not to have this ready for them. It was their last hope and judging by how close things were exploding outside, that hope was becoming rather slim.

Worrying his lips, he stopped for a moment when there was a shooting sound from behind, he turned. Maki was emptying her gun down the hallway, her pistol blazing beside the two guards designed to protect them. Oh boy. He thought going back to typing.

He worked until his fingers started to ache. Next time he looked the three were barring the door and he wondered briefly if it was natural to feel like the bones of his hand were scrapping together. When Maki started to shout at him again, he knew there was no time. He closed everything and turned around gasping to himself. The guards were down it seemed, lying in puddles of thick red. Maki meanwhile was backing away from a Divermon trying to stab her with a trident. She brushed it aside with a chair and pinned the digimon on the ground, running and catching his hand on the way.

Now they were running.

Daigo was almost pulled towards the stairs, cursing his clumsy legs and clutching his laptop close to his chest as they almost jumped steps to get down to the exit, up until he collided with Maki's back. He yelped, lost his footing and as was caught by a very quick hand, which quickly pressed him against the wall.

"Quiet Daigo."

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What is it?"

"Problem!"

He looked over her shoulder to where Divermon were coming from below. He gulped. A second later the crashing sound told him everything he needed to know about the situation above.

"I hate Divermon!" Maki said, jumping down another set of stair and kicking open the door to the second floor.

"I thought you liked them!" He said watching her locking the door, wondering how much good it would actually do. "You even learned how to use a trident!"

"I was twelve!"

Behind them the wind blew and Daigo realized the whole floor was open wide from some sort of attack, he could see dark digimon flying and falling, hit by exploding shells and blaster shots. Paildramon suddenly appeared in his line vision knocking a sword away and disappearing above.

"Whose idea it was to stay here instead of the ground?" He asked, opening his laptop again.

"We're inside the safety zone!"

"What?!" Now that was bad, the safety zone was only a block away from the harbor. "Well that is bad."

"I suppose funneling them didn't work quite well. And you were the one who wanted to use these computers!"

"Well, you should have stopped me!"

"Thanks for the advice" he heard more gunshots. "Incoming!"

The door was pounded and the three sharp ends of a trident suddenly pierced the hard wood. Daigo cursed and closed the laptop again. Maki was already past him, looking over the destruction. Looking over her shoulder and hidden from view, he was just in time to see Paildramon kicking a Tankmon into a clothings store and then raising his claws to shield himself from a sword wielding clown. He balked at the sight of Piedmon flipping and kicking Paildramon in the face, his swords slashing the air around him to block the desperado blasters with irritating precision until Aquilamon kicked him from behind before flying away. All the time, Piedmon's zombie silence was the most disturbing thing he could thing of. Seconds later a salve of tank missiles exploded at the end of the street, glass and asphalt blowing up everywhere.

"You trust me?"

He looked up, Maki's eyes were always determined, they always have been, even back then. He gulped. The door was already been torned apart by dark grey hands. He nodded.

Maki almost seemed to smirk. She caught his hand, and before he could protest, they were both jumping out in the open. Daigo felt his guts floating towards his throat, his limbs wildly seeking some sort of hold until his back hit something soft and stretchy which ripped open to land him on the hard sidewalk.

Grunting, the young man looked up at the canvas and shook his head, rubbing the pain away from his tail bone.

"Your plans suck!" He cursed, watching Maki getting up on her feet. He accepted her offered hand, and blinked, the silence on the streets finally getting to his senses. "What is happening?"

Maki didn't answer, and a moment later he learned why. The dark digimon seemed to freeze where they stood, leaving children, soldiers and digimon confused and weary as the dark beasts floated, or stood like statues of shadow around the streets.

Daigo gulped, watching soldiers and digidestined staring at the enemy.

Particularly, he saw a familiar clown digimon, floating in the air with his sword inches away from Paildramon's throat. It felt like time had stopped only for them. "Is it a trap?"

His partner didn't answer.

In the weary silence of troops and children Maki rose from the ground, moved ahead, picked up a trident from the floor and stabbed Piedmon's static form in the chest in a vicious blow. The dark master dissolved in a cloud of harmless data, and no reaction came from the rest.

All at once, like butter spreading through a hot pan, the optimism seemed to cross the army and soon enough, the fighting started again, but this time only one side seemed to be doing it.

"What happened?" Paildramon questioned.

Instead of answering Maki pointed to the skies, following her gaze, Daigo gulped, his feet planting on the ground as his whole being suddenly became aware of a primal sense of insignificance. By the silence,he could tell more and more people were becoming aware of the facts.

Above them, glimpsed in the thunder, was the dark world, tearing the skies of earth, shadows of light and darkness fighting a battle for the ages. Gods who bit, punches, pushed and blasted one another across the heavens. Unconsciously, Daigo felt his hand closing around the place in his belt where his digivice should have been, but there was nothing there to hold.

Part 2: Light of the Heart

Tai covered his ears when the piercing roar reached him and his friends, the sound of pain like a horrible screech of thunders.

Above the chosen children, the sky which cleared for but a moment, cracked like shattering glass, the city of Odaiba and the Digital World seeming a velvet curtain, burning under the onslaught of pain.

"I-Is that normal?" Joe was asking around as he tried to keep up, Tai just shook his head, breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth, his legs burning as the gray earth shook under his feet.

By his side, he half expected to hear an explanation from Izzy, but the boy refused to say a world, his laptop tucked away inside his backpack as he run.

"I think the worlds are already merging, Dagomon must've been close to the wishing dimension." Kari yelled out.

"Guys! Up ahead!"

Listening to TK's warning, Tai looked on, seeing a ridge and beyond the ridge, the glowing suns of a battle between gods. Around him, he could feel the others slowing down, doing the same as he came over the cliff revealing a wide sight of the Dark Ocean itself.

Only, he could barely see the ocean.

From the beach to the water, thousands and thousands of digimon were spread over the surface, so many he could barely count, funneled into a gigantic portal in the deep water, a swirling whirlwind of shadows and lightning. The scary part though, was what was happening beyond the portal, where the gods fought for their world.

Baihumon was roaring, claws and teeth sinking into the sick rotting flesh of Dagomon's tentacles, the leviathan's eyes shuddered, forcing a charging fiery bird down with a wave of grayish water. Zhuqiaomon retreated, balls of fire raining down over the battle, hitting the water and filling his sight with steam.

For a moment the fight was blocked, but Tai saw Baihumon's shadow being thrown out just in time as Azulongmon suddenly burst from the dark skies, a beam of pure light raining over where Dagomon was supposed to be. Around them Tai could see dark clouds emerging as well, and he realized suddenly those were Dark Digimon destroyed by the thousands in the crossfire.

"Can we do anything?" Mimi questioned from his side.

Tai pursed his lips, any answer he could give stuck to his throat, because the true was not something he wanted to voice out loud. He feared it would break them, it was almost breaking him after all.

To his side he watched Sora, teary eyed and watching the battle, her hand was at her side as if still waiting for a pink feathery wing to reach out for it. Behind them, Izzy, Matt and TK were all silent, the brothers hugging one another close as if afraid of letting go, while the young genius was trembling until Tai placed a hand over his shoulder.

We can do nothing.

To his other side he took Sora's hand on his own, giving it a squeeze. It wasn't much, it was far from what she truly needed when grieving a friend, and yet it was all he could do.

She didn't seem to mind, her gaze was steady as the giant turtle digimon charged against Dagomon, the two huge bodies throwing a massive wave that drowned half of the dark army, the match of strength locking both into a fiery contest, heads and maws snapping over flesh while tentacles slashed and pounded into shell and tree barks.

Around them the others gods were approaching.

Tai hoped they would end it fast.

At las… it wouldn't be so…

"Are we just gonna stand here and watch?" TK's wavering voice asked when Dagomon's army suddenly seemed to awake, moving on the sovereign like a swarm of angry ants. Baihumon roared, throwing dozens away as they clawed and bit into his body, fur and blood washing over the ocean, bright crimson over the gray. Smoke dark clouds of date burst at each strike from the tiger like god, but they were still too many.

"We have to do something!"

"What? What can we do?" Matt barked, teary eyed. "There is nothing we can do Takeru!"

"Then what..."

"It's not enough..." Sora whispered at his side and Tai could only nod. She was right, the Sovereign seemed to be winning, but now that the dark army was in the fight, the odds had turned.

"Are those who I think they are?" Davis's asked, the skies bright like a colossal television, showing the battle all over the world.

"The digimon gods" Ken asserted. "Baihumon, Zhuqiaomon, Azulongmon and Ebonwumon"

"Right" Davis grimaced watching the five behemots throwing down amidst a dark ocean, thousand of tiny shapes jumping and striking down inside the battle. "That is a good thing right?"

"I hope so."

"Huh, guys, what about them?" Yolei barked and Davis finally found himself watching the dark digimon they had been fighting a moment ago, all paralyzed.

Around him he saw soldiers aiming guns and down right executing the dark digimon, a sight that weirdly made his stomach sink. Those are bad guys. He told himself approaching a DarkDivermon in front of him, looking over the pale gray scales over his body, the narrowed red eyes and sharp fins. It was empty, a shell with no conscience. And yet, when a bullet swiftly pierced the being's head, Davis looked away, rather watching the fight in the skies.

"Cody, are you there? Are you seeing this?" Yolei spoke on the radio, Cody's voice answering right away.

"Everyone is seeing it."

Davis guessed that much, even the soldiers seemed to hesitate between rushing forward to press their advantage and turning their gazes to the skies, up until their officers and sergeants began to shout and curse at them to move.

"We should do the same." Ken spoke and although he agreed, Davis made no move to get the radio, instead watching as Dagomon locked Zhuqiaomon in a tentacle hold, squeezing the bird digimon until Azulongmon burst through, cutting the limb away from its body. The master of the Dark Ocean screeched loudly, the skies themselves seeming to crack like glass under the strain.

"Too much power." Ken explained.

"But is it enough.?" Yolei asked.

"It won't be."

He snapped around, watching that woman from the agency. What was her name again? Taki? Kaki?

"Miss Maki."

Thank you Ken!

"Glad I could find you before you disappeared after trouble." The woman said, her partner had his laptop open and running, one hand typing madly, while Paildramon landed amongst them. The sight of his partner up and running dropping another weight from his shoulders.

"Is not like there is much trouble out there." Yolei said pointing to the static army, now being swiftly beaten back. "You know what is happening?"

"There is a theory" The guy, what was his name? Said. "I think Dagomon can't focus on attacking the Real World and fighting the Sovereign at the same." He looked up at the sky. "Considering the fact he seems to be using dark digimon there as well, his concentration slipped."

"So this is our chance then" Davis declared, feeling more than ready. "We use the distraction to beat them back home with all we have."

"But that wouldn't work." Ken interrupted. "Even if we beat him back, if Dagomon defeats the Sovereign he can still try again."

"But, the others are there, with the Sovereign and their mega, surely they can beat the guy" Yolei pointed out to which Ken shook his head.

"I would hope so, but remember, Gennai told us the Sovereign were sealed away, so how did they appear now to fight? Beside, I don't see Phoenixmon or Metalgarurumon up there. We have no idea what they are doing, or even if they're all right."

"And the Sovereign don't seem to be doing very well" Veemon gulped, and indeed they were not, the four digimon gods were surrounded, clawed and beaten from every corner by the smaller enemy, Dagomon's army crawling on their bodies and smashing on them like a plague.

Azulongmon was the only one engaging the monster, his bright blue body drifting through the smoke like clouds like a beam of light, his beams and attacks colliding against tentacles of gray flesh.

"Isn't there anyway we can talk to them?" Davis asked, but Ken was already shaking his head.

"You don't need to talk to them." The guy said, pulling them together. "Remember when I asked for your digi-eggs? Well, I'm done."

"What do you mean? What did you do?"

"Let the man talk Yolei."

"Not now Hawkmon."

"Get on with it Daigo" The woman scolded, forcing the man to clear his throat.

"Right, anyway, I..." They stopped short, the roar of pain came thundering from the skies, Davis's eyes snapped up, watching Baihumon's skin pouring out dark red blood as he was pierced by dozens of attacks at once. The great tiger god roared in fury, a beam of light pouring from his mouth and all around, annihilating his enemies on the blink of an eye.

Davis gulped, that sort of power surely could beat Dagomon, but after the explosion of energy the digimon god was left alone and limping, his shivers visible even for them.

"Bearmon" The whisper came out like a whimper, Daigo seeming transfixed by the sight above him, his body frozen in place. Davis was about to shout at the man, wondering what the hell was wrong with him when the woman marched forward.

"Daigo!" She gritted her teeth, glancing upwards as the Sovereign became more and more beaten up, at the end of the street Davis saw a Dark Snimon taking flight as Dagomon roared, a silvery trident suddenly bloomed from his tentacle arm, which he used to stab at Enbowmon's paw. His other arm launching themselves like whips upon Baihumon. "Daigo, snap out of it! Dammit Daigo!"

"What is wrong with him!" Davis screamed.

Beside him Veemon and Wormmon were both panting, but the sight of more Dark Digimon moving around and the troops hurrying to kill them before they started fighting again made him pray they could give out one more battle.

The slap echoed across the streets of Odaiba, just as Davis took out his digivice.

"Dammit Daigo! You told me you would be my partner remember!" Maki shouted at the man's frightened eyes, and for a moment Davis caught a glimpse of life there. "You promised me, after Tapirmon! You promised me you wouldn't leave!"

The man gulped seeming to wake up, he said nothing, merely getting out the laptop. "P-please you must..."

"I'll handle it." the woman said. "Now listen you three, we managed to harvest your digi-eggs into power for your digivolutions, enough power to give that higher level we need right now."

"Wait, but I don't have my DNA partner..."

"You don't need them, the digi-eggs will fill up the missing pieces, if you're willing to try that is."

"Right, and once we form Imperialdramon, what then? Do we just beat them up?"

"I don't know."

"What?" Davis blinked, taken aback now. What the hell was this woman talking about? "What do you mean you don't know?"

"I told you I would help you, I thought about this being a way to win this war, but honestly, I'm not your leader, am I?" She questioned, kneeling beside the guy, Daigo.

"What?"

"She is right" Yolei said, her purple hair waving around as she turned to him. "She is not our leader, you are knucklehead."

"I..." Davis gulped, a thousand stray thoughts suddenly filled his mind, each worse than the one before. What if I make the wrong call? What if I make a mistake? What if people get hurt? What if Veemon gets hurt? He trembled, remembering the state of the original digidestined when they lost their partners.

The punch to his shoulder finally snapped him out of his stray thoughts, to find Yolei smirking his way. He wondered if she still felt useless, while offering him a wavering smile. If she did, that part of her was either well hidden or completely gone...

"Hey, we're not giving up are we?"

"No..." Davis frowned, looking down at his partner. "What do you say Veemon? One more time?"

"I'm always ready… Davis… "Spoke the panting little guy, Davis groaned.

"Fine, but if the world ends, I'm so not taking the blame for it."

"Good, because I'll blame you anyway" Yolei said, he gave her the finger and received a raspberry.

"All right, give us the power Lady."

Maki typed the rest of the code and watched the children digivolving their partners once again. A cat and bird hybrid took Hawkmon's place, swiftly jumping from building to building and away from the scene. The others meanwhile formed Paildramon once more and she watched the ultimate growing until he was shadowing the whole street, his massive dragon body offering a roar of defiance towards the enemies from this and other worlds.

Motomiya, Ichijouji and Inoue waisted no time in jumping at the dragon's insides in a weird teleporting sort of way, before flying towards Tokyo. She watched them disappearing away and felt her partner shivering at her side.

"S-sorry..."

"It's all right, I know how it feels." She reminded him, watching for Baihumon, luckily the tiger god seemed to back away from the fight a little, retreating under Enbowmon's protection.

"Sorry..."

"Stop apologizing." She said, trying to sound soft and unsure of how she did with that. "We have one more kid to power up, remember?"

"Right, right..." And finally she saw Daigo getting to his feet, not looking up, but quickly calling a military transport that was passing by. Maki jumped in after him, but she reacted differently, instead engrossed by the conflict taking place above their world, wondering if she could get a glimpse of a single Megadramon up there and wondering why she was even disappointed when she didn't.

Kari could feel herself like a limb from the worlds around her. Her skin was burning, but it wasn't painful, instead the feeling was keen to lying under the sun, staring towards the bay while sharing Icecream with Gatomon.

It was the warmth of her brother's hugs and her parent's laughter, it was the warmth of TK's gentle smile and the core of different worlds.

"This isn't right" She finally spoke.

"Kari?" TK questioned, his eyes and his brothers fixing on her. "What did you say?"

"This isn't right, I was suppose to be there… I'm suppose to be there."

"Kari, what are you talking about?"

"It was something Oikawa said, he told me I was to be some sort of avatar for the light, in the final battle." She looked over where her own brother was suddenly looking at her from over his shoulder. "If this is the final battle, I have to go down there and fight."

She could tell they were not at all convinced, even if she felt the power tingling under her skin, eager for some sort of release.

"Kari, you can't be sure of that, there is no guarantee that..."

"Our partners are dead!" She interrupted Tai, regretting that he flinched, but she couldn't not say the words. She had to make him… Them... Understand. "The prophecy said they would die, and now they're dead."

"The prophecy said a lot of things" Joe pointed cautiously.

Izzy, sitting on her left, shook his head, blinking his dull eyes with a small sign of life, he took Tai's hand that was on his shoulder and squeezed as if to gain strength.

"When Darkness comes from another world, the fight will end like never before." The young redhead recited. "That was the Battle at the Firewall, which we lost."

"Right, so that was true." Azulongmon suddenly pulled Dagomon clean from the waters, his massive serpentine body pushing the behemot into the skies, both beasts roaring before the later met the Sovereign's powerful beam dead on. "What is next?" Matt asked.

Izzy chewed on the inside of his cheek while watching Dagomon getting up, his body healing instantly when hundreds of Dark Digimon suddenly dissolved and were absorbed by him. "The seven will announce the coming darkness, seeking powers long destroyed and the chosen will return to face them."

"The Demon Lords, but we beat them" Joe remembered as Izzy kept going.

"Shadows shall cover the world under the Ocean's song."

"Does it mention which world?" TK asked, while back in the ocean the dark army was dwindling under Enbowmon's powerful attacks, razor sharp leaves raining over from his body.

"Is not a matter of which world, I believe it is a general term, to encompass all worlds, but I might be wrong of course." Izzy said looking up where Tokyo could be seen swirling like a piece of cloth glued to the sky. "When the eight lights fade announcing the last battle, the darkness will reign under a familiar face unless the spirits of Love come forth to fight."

"Spirits of Love, does that have something to do with Sora?" Mimi asked and Kari closed her eyes.

"Love is written like a name, so I would bet that is the case."

"But I have no idea what a spirit of love is!" The auburn haired said.

She couldn't wait longer, the Sovereign were badly pressed, injured and weak. Dagomon meanwhile kept giving battle without any sign of getting tired.

"It doesn't matter, I'm going down there."

"Kari! Wait..." She stopped, her hands already enveloped in a faint white glow. Her brother looked her over and she waited for him to try and stop her, for him and TK to try and talk her out of helping, instead, she was met with teary chocolate eyes. "Be careful..."

Her brother mumbled, his smile clearly faked, but Kari was glad for it all the same, behind him TK offered her a thumbs up, mouthing words to ignite the fire inside her heart.

Kari nodded at her friends and turned around in time to catch sight of Dagomon biting down on Enbowmon's neck, his teeth sinking into the giant turtle's flesh. Baihumon was down, she could see now, while Azulongmon was trying to pull at the enemy. The sight disappeared in a ball of fire when Zhuqiamon came flying over the battle, his flames heating Kari even from the distance, but when the smoke disappeared, the Dark God of the Ocean was still trying to rip the life from Enbowmon, his burns already healing while more and more Dark Digimon climbed into his body.

I can do this.

She thought, taking a deep breath.

The power is like a limb, you can use it knowing it will do as you wish, just let your thoughts go. Oikawa's voice told her from far away. Then, when you're ready, it will be just like packing a punch.

She felt the heat, but the power flickered away. Again. She told her self, her body shining brightly and losing her grip. Again.

"KARI!"

She opened her eyes.

Apparently her attempts had not gone unnoticed. Dagomon was walking away from three fallen digimon gods, and she felt his eyes on her like a pressing curtain of thick wool, threatening to swallow her whole.

Breath…

The air was heavy, like melted iron burning down slowly to her lungs. Breath. Her skin was sweaty as she tried to clench her fists together, the light was faint and weak. Please…

"KARI!" Someone pushed her back. Big brother… Sora… TK…

Little light.

Dagomon was closer now, already looming over the cliff, one step closer and he would be able to flat them with a fist. A bird like song announced itself and Zhuqiaomon striked again his beak and claws slashing over the monster's face.

Foul! She heard Dagomon roaring in her mind, a tentacle hand punched the god away, leaving behind a torn apart face, oozing dark blood. His eyes were a mangled mess of leaking red fluid, which was already smoking and regenerating.

Kari gulped, looking down on the cliff to see more dark digimon melting into his frame.

"Kari, you can do it!" Mimi said as the rest of her friends gathered around her. They were not pulling her away, but standing protectively and defiantly as one of Dagomon's blood red eyes settled upon them.

Little light… You came...

Breath… Her light burst forth and was snuff out as Dagomon's presence engulfed her and her friends into a state of despair. She saw Joe falling to his knees, while Izzy puked on the floor. For Kari, it was Gatomon's death all over again, watching it happening before her eyes… It was losing her brother and watching her parents isolating themselves into work. It was the feeling of her empty room closed to the world…

Useless

I can't breath… Kari thought angrily.

Her light was not good enough, it wasn't strong enough….

Now you fall.

She stared up at Dagomon as he lifted his trident to strike them down. Her shield of light burst forward in preparation for the attack, when suddenly the dark god screamed.

"You're crazy!"

"Now you tell me!" Davis shouted as the huge metal like body shot beams after beams towards the looming forces ahead, a half cat half bird jumping all around and slashing the monsters around them.

"I thought you knew!"

"Well I didn't know!" The brunette answered while Ken kept that cool and collect face of his undeterred. "I always considered myself a very reasonable person!"

Ken just looked at him, Davis grinned. With Yolei and Cody keeping them safe, Imperialdramon quickly changed modes. Around them thousands of dark digimon were down or dying, while the swirling portal to the Dark World stood before them.

"I'm just not sure this works the way you think it does."

"Well, do you have a better idea!?" Davis shouted pointing up where they both could see Dagomon approaching a small point of light which seemed to be struggling to stay lit. "I'm sure those are our friends, what else can we do?"

"Dagomon opened this portal with raw strength, there is no telling if my digivice can get us through."

"We don't need to get through." Davis shouted from Imperialdramon's shoulder. "We just need to get our best shot through it."

"Are you two done discussing your relationship, or are we gonna stand here all day!" Yolei shouted, as Sylphymon kicked a Snimon away from them.

"She got a point Davis" Their partner argued. "If we wait any longer Dagomon might recover control over the Dark Army, and I don't feel like facing more Dark Masters."

Davis narrowed his eyes, touching the goggles atop his head. A present from his friends. He wouldn't let them down, he might be wrong, but he also knew at this point they had to try or give up. He locked eye with Ken across the other shoulder and knew the other boy understood.

"This will deplete Imperialdramon's energy, so we might need to flee very fast."

"Got it." Davis looked down. "You heard that Yolei? Cody? You two got to save our sorry butts!"

"And what else is new!?"

Davis grinned, and looked over, pointing his D3 towards the portal. "All right, go Imperialdramon."

"All right…."

Ken was pointing his own digivice when the mega's chest opened, Davis felt the hairs of his body standing up at the feel of so much energy gathering in one place, while the air around twirled and shimmered as it became charged.

"Positron Laser!"

Imaperialdramon Battle Mode roared, his attack soaring over Tokyo towards the portal, the light of the Digivices following and overtaking the beam of energy to allow its passage into the Dark World. Davis watched on praying for it to work, but before he could see if his plan bore any fruits Imperialdramon shone and the shoulder where he was standing disappeared.

DAMMIT!

Dagomon's scream, so close, pressed so hard against her head, it made Kari heel back, covering her ears while feeling a trickle of liquid beside her face. The ringing didn't diminish, even as the beast stumbled over the cliff, shaking the ground below her feet.

TK held her tightly, stopping her fall, he was screaming something to her, but she couldn't hear it, his voice was muffled and far away.

"W-what?"

She turned around, listening clearly.

"This is your chance Kari! Do it!"

She blinked and nodded, running to the edge of the gray stone, her gaze lingered on Dagomon's burned back. Far away the portal to the real world was still open, somehow the attack had come from there, but Kari had no time to think about it.

She closed her eyes. A whistled dangled in front of her eyes.

Do it Kari!

When she felt the heated amassing of energy, the instinctive connection to the Spirit of Light, Kari opened her eyes, and threw a punch.

The light left her hands in a wave like curtain, the eye-burning light engulfing the whole world and throwing Dagomon down upon the beach. The beast roared, her shoulders were thrown back while her arms burned, barely feeling her feet slipping over the ground.

You're weak.

No…

You can't do this

I can.

Her powers were burning Dagomon, she could see it now, squeezing him down, but not really enough to destroy him. She gritted her teeth as he started to push back, his own energy enveloping hers in purple like tendrils. Kari felt a pulse, pushing her to her knees, before her legs somehow brought her back up.

"Come on you stupid gods!" She heard Matt's voice bellowing behind her. "This is your chance!"

Shapes suddenly took flight to her left, a serpent and a bird, to her right blue and green lights seemed to break through her burning luminescence like a dawn. On the ground, the sand shook as Dagomon fell into despair.

NO! The scream pierced her mind, striking her memories, her thoughts, her loves. LET GO! LET GO!

Kari shook her head, a metallic taste touching her lips as the pain seemed to increase tenfold, the purple tendrils were touching her body now, trying to rip her muscles apart while the behemot's body struggled to get up, his blood red eyes wide as he tried to stare her down.

LET GO! The shadow ordered.

No… Kari told him.

Above her the Sovereigns' bodies began to burn, dissolving into pure light, just like she remembered happening to Wargreymon. Understanding their intentions Kari used what was left of her power, her will and soul and pushed as hard as she could when a golden spear impaled the Dark God through the core.

Part 3: Devil's Sympathy

Takeru jumped forward and caught Kari as soon as he saw her shadow shaking.

The girl fell limp on his arms, her quick breath and racing heart enough to ease his most terrible worries as he turned his eyes to the ocean beyond.

The Sovereigns and Dagomon, the Dark Army itself were all gone, the portal connecting the worlds was still there, swirling in a mass of energy while a cloud of lingering data floated aimlessly over the land.

"Is it over?" Kari's tired voice asked from his chest and TK nodded.

"I… I think so..." He said offering her smile as the chosen of Light nodded, closed her eyes and snuggled against his chest.

"I'm glad."

"Kari, how are you feeling?" Tai knelt by her side, approaching to hear her reply.

"Sleepy"

The response brought a relieved smile to everyone around. Shaking her head Sora brushed her brunette bangs away. "Well, you can rest now, you did great."

"Yeah, without you the Sovereign would never be able to beat him" Mimi pointed out, rubbing her eyes.

"Are they gone?" Kari asked after a nod.

"Yes" Tai said quietly searching for any sign of the digigods, but he only caught a glimpse of shining data floating around the shadows. "I think they are, just like..."

"Just like our partners" Matt completed in a strained voice that cut through TK's heart. He couldn't worry about Patamon at that moment though, neither of them could. He could see in their eyes, the pressure to sink on their knees and simply let what happened overtake them.

"Kari."

"Joe?"

"Just let me take a look at you, are you hurting anywhere?"

TK worried his lips as Joe took over, his bag already open while he asked Kari a few question. She was okay, she was alive. A punctured eardrum, sore muscles and a nosebleed had him worried, but when Joe finally declared she would be all right he felt like a stone had been removed from his chest.

"Overall, rest is the best for now."

"Right." TK answered, already trying to sit and change her to a more comfortable position, letting her close her eyes.

"Where do you think that beam came from?" Mimi asked around. "I mean, I was sure Dagomon was going to end us."

"Right, me too" Sora spoke, rubbing her eyes and sighing. "It came from the portal, I'm sure of it."

"I think that was Imperialdramon's attack" Izzy pointed out, to which Tai had to smile.

"Those kids, of course they wouldn't waist an opportunity to get involved." he looked over the clouds of data floating over the ocean. "You think the dark digimon back home are gone as well?"

"I think that should answer your question" Indeed, from the portal TK could see now stray bits of data coming back to their world, joining the swirling energy around the portal.

"What-What do we do now?" TK asked.

"I dunno, go home I guess." Tai suggested, running a hand through his wild hair.

Sora nodded. "With Dagomon gone the threat is over."

"Good riddance" Matt put in.

Forced chuckles and smiles spread over the group for a moment, the numbness of silence calling a tempting call as they stood in the lifeless land.

"Right, hey Izzy, think you could know where is the portal back… Izzy?"

Tai called out to the still form of his friend, but the red haired boy didn't show a bit of recognition instead staring down the cliff and over the beach. Frowning, Tai exchanged a wary glance with Sora, before moving forward.

"Izzy?"

"The clouds, they are not dissolving, the data is just floating around." Indeed that is what it seemed, as if the ocean was tinged in pitch black, moving in waves and with the winds, but never scattering.

"What does that mean?"

"I'm not sure, I mean, if the Dark World functions in a similar way to the Digital World, the data should somehow be merging with its core data." Izzy explained.

"So we need to what? Get rid of it?" Sora asked.

"How? We're alone, no partners, no digivice, nothing..." Matt grumbled.

"I don't think that will be a problem."

Tai gasped, his body tensing, afraid that he was not the only one to hear that voice and yet hoping for it. Unfortunately when Izzy's turned around on his heels, his hopes crashed down. The steps came closer as Tai met the devil's smirking face, his crossed arms lazily grabbing his own shoulders, sinking his sharp claws into the flesh.

"You!" Matt barked, clenching his fists.

"What do you want Devimon?" Tai demanded, standing beside his friend.

"For the Light to burn with the stars there must be a canvas of shadows, although I might be a more opinionated canvas than others."

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

"The last battle" Izzy's eyes were wide, his voice broken, but through his recent grief he still stood by Tai's side. "That is what you mean right?"

"But that battle is done!" Sora said harshly, turning her scarred side his way as she face Devimon. "Dagomon lost!"

"Yes he did, but that wasn't the last battle, foolish child!" Devimon said and for the first time he grinned, waving his hands over the Dark World, and the skies above. "You just have to look over your heads, the barriers between the worlds are still weakened, the veils are broken, the curtain has been pulled."

A small dark dot suddenly came in front of Dagomon's face, quickly absorbed by his pale skin. Tai blinked, watching them coming around him like snow.

"The data" Izzy whispered.

"Yes, the data of Dagomon, the essence of his world is now ripe for the taking, just as the essence and data of some many dead digimon are ripe for the Light."

Tai couldn't understand, he turned to Kari somehow hoping to find answers, but she was simply bleary eyed, watching everything from under her eyelashes. Her glazed look cooled his heart.

Devimon didn't say anything, instead gathering the whirlwind of darkness into his body, gaining a purple sick shine over it.

"I see"

"Izzy, what is he talking about?" Mimi asked in a whimper, as Devimon started to walk once more.

"This whole conflict happened for this sole purpose. I didn't understand at first, the Light wanted a Paradise, but was never clear about how to accomplish it."

"And now you know" Devimon pointed out, chuckling.

Izzy nodded, looking at Kari who didn't even acknowledged his presence. "You want to take Dagomon's plan, and make it his own. You will take the Dimension of Wishes and reform the Digital World under your image."

"Yes, bravo, you figured out!" Devimon applauded, as the the darkness danced around them. "Of course, this reboot the Light is trying to create will probably mean your end as well and, since they are shadows of each other, the end of your world too, but don't fret children. I can stop it."

"You?! Don't make me laugh!" Matt said.

"Oh, but you see, with all the power I'm can absorb from this place, I shall be in equal terms with the light, and with a few more broken eggs, I can take full advantage."

Tai felt the hairs over his body standing on end, the sweat covering his skin was cold and his muscles tensed as he forced his voice out to ask. "What broken eggs?"

Devimon laughed, Sora gasped, Mimi screamed and before Tai could react he felt his body thrown back into an ocean of pain, he blinked, his gaze following Devimon's elongated claw traveling downwards where a sharp pole could be seem entering his gut.

He opened his mouth, trying to speak, but instead tasted the blood flooding his mouth. When the spear came out, his wound bled and his feet seemed to disappear from under him.

"TAI!"

Sora slid over the ground, taking Tai's hand on her own.

"No..." She was panting and TK saw Tai's shirt slowly changing colors as the blood leaked from the wound. Joe had raced to their leader immediately, his hands shaking, and suddenly his brother was up, and TK couldn't even scream, he felt trapped watching Matt charging at Devimon with a cocked fist.

A claw moved, and a line of crimson red painted the air in the blink of an eye.

TK closed his eyes.

No…

"TK" He felt Kari moving, she was trying to get up. After everything she was trying to get up. He closed his hands around her, shaking hands, cold hands and tried to help.

By the corner of his eyes he saw a body of caramel hair suddenly tackling Joe to the ground, just as a second spear like finger pierced the space he was before. Except, Mimi was the one in his place.

"MIMI!" Joe screamed himself hoarse, trying to get to her, but Devimon retreated the claw and Mimi was dragged as well, before falling halfway in between them.

"Joe! Wait!"

But Izzy's warning fell on deaf ears. Joe was already running, escaping Izzy's grasp, and then Devimon took a step forward, his hands punching both of them halfway, while a sickening cracking sound echoed through the empty land.

No, no, no… TK felt a whimper leaving his body, expecting himself to be next, but instead he found Sora's back as she stood between them.

"TK, get Kari and leave!" The chosen of Love screamed in a husky voice, when Devimon moved to stab her he saw her jumping aside with unrivaled skill. She stumbled on the dirty, scrapped her knees and run towards Devimon, but didn't escape the second claw that sliced through her guts.

TK looked away, hearing Kari whimpering by his side. "Sora."

"Now you"

He stopped, and moved in front of Kari as Devimon came closer. Matt… He felt his heart crushing, Kari suddenly stepped by his side, panting, her hands, he saw, trying to summon her power.

"You will face me together then?" Devimon questioned, seeming delighted. "How touching."

"You stay away from her!"

"Oh, you should be more worried about yourself Hope."

TK never moved an inch, he stood over Kari even as the girl got to her feet and stared Devimon down.

He wanted to pull her back, to tell her to stay put, and yet his heart felt squeezed and empty. His friends were all falling empty eyed around him, but Kari was still there, still fighting.

Have hope.

He tried.

"Why?" He heard himself asking and Devimon actually stopped, looking down upon them as if he pitied both and Takeru Takaishi took his chance. He fished for that unspeakable feeling that cleared his head and filled him with purpose whenever he needed.

"Actually, you should thank me for this Hope. You see, your power, the powers inside you are connected to the Spirit of Light, to Homeostasis itself. Once I destroy that power, I weaken it and gain the advantage." Devimon smirked. "Don't worry, Takeru Takaishi, chosen of hope. I won't reboot the world, as a matter of fact, I would rather rule it. Some of your loved ones might even survive, so rejoice in that at least."

Kari took his hand.

So the power was there, he just had to summon it.

Above him, Devimon raised his claw.

"We won't let you"

"I'm afraid your will doesn't matter."

And then TK felt the warmth reaching him. He knew, Kari was helping him, and his Hope flared forth. He wouldn't give up, he couldn't give up. When it came down to it, it wasn't even a choice.

A golden glow enveloping his body, TK sucker punched the digimon, his fist colliding with Devimon's cheek. And just like that, he felt the power leaving his body, Kari stumbled, the burning on Devimon's cheek began to heal as he absorbed more power from the Dark World and the claws slashed through both of them.

I didn't give up. TK thought, hugging Kari closely. Matt, I didn't give up.

"Are you feeling all right?"

"Yeah, I should be if it wasn't by the fact we just saw a giant shadow and a giant glow disappearing into the portal" Davis explained, as Cody kept a wet tissue against the cut on his forehead, a courtesy of falling hard into Shakkoumon's armor.

"I know." The boy replied. "Something is very wrong."

"You tell me."

Yolei raised a hand to cover her eyes as the Dark World seemed to disappear from the skies, leaving behind a pitch black nothingness. It felt like someone had spilled a bottle of ink across the skies.

Please be okay, everyone. She thought, praying to whatever deity would listen.

Around them, the data from the dark army converged to the portal, they were so close to it in their suicidal strike, Yolei could feel the pull of it trying to drag her feet from the ground. It probably could too, if Shakkoumon and Sylphymon weren't there.

"We should get out of here." Ken suggested, making no move.

The mass of data took shape, fangs, claws, wings and limbs joining together, amassing under a devil's eyes, his laughter getting louder and louder, a sound Yolei wished she could forget. "FUCK."

In the blink of an eye, there were beasts flying through the sky, colliding with a spiral of darkness, the sound it emitted inhuman, it was a sound of agony and hate which made the digidestned stumbled in tears from it alone. Their digimon suddenly stumbled back, their energy dispersing as they dedigivolved and it was all Yolei could do to grab her partner her knees gave out and every cell of her body screamed for her to run, but before she could even start, the sound hit a crescendo and died out.

Light burst from a deep heated core, the intensity of the explosion seeming to go through her, her eyes following the intense light over her shoulder. For a moment her mind was incapable of registering what she was seeing, because at her back, there was her and her friends being thrown back, the light seeming like bursting stars, reaching their end and giving life. Then the image retreated, until it joined her in the present and she felt the full impact of force and sound, muffling her hearing, and taking her breath away.

For a second, she thought she was burning, but her throat screamed a mute scream.

The laughter was deep and cruel. It came from somewhere far away and everywhere around at the same time. A shadow grew, descending from the sky, and arms with claws spread to cover the Tokyo itself, ripping a wound from the skies. Dark red eyes blinked at them from above, delight and disdaining as another other showed up behind the tear of a curtain.

A world of emptiness, floating with shapes and blocks of anything, a dimensions to build on wishes.

Devimon never said a word. He ignored them, they were nothing to him, and Yolei didn't know if she should be frightened or insulted as his hands closed.

Suddenly, it was as if the world was made of paper. Yolei saw sky and land and ocean bending, toppling in itself. Devimon's mouth was open in fangs and when he closed, it left a big absence of anything above their heads, his eyes gleaming intensely.

"What is he doing!?" Ken questioned in panic, the floor under their feet seemed to bend as well, wrinkles appearing all around them, shaking the earth mirrored on the Dark World above them. Yolei tumbled and almost fell to the ground, barely hearing Davis' panic as he helped her up.

"He is eating the Dark World!"

"What?"

And Yolei knew it was truth, and looked to the sky above her and saw everything being pulled inside. She wanted to scream, she wanted to tell her friends to run, she wanted to run and hide herself as the titan took another bite and the insanity of it all hit her with the force of a nova.

Devimon's mouth opened and closed and the world ended.

So this is it then? She asked, feeling oddly calm.

She breathed in and out.

Blurry eyed, the young woman felt her vision funneling as she tried to understand what was happening to the horizon and why it was disappearing, yet she knew that she probably wouldn't live long enough to figure that out.

She took a long breath, trying to gain some life, but her lungs were weak and the air around her seemed thick as cookie dough and the sobs didn't seem to stop robbing the little she could breath in.

I'm so sorry…

Biyomon, Mom, Dad… Everyone

Tai.

Her boyfriend was still breathing, his chest rising and falling with a wheezing sound that Sora hated and loved. He was in pain but he was still alive, pain meant they were both there yet, and she couldn't help been thankful to be able to smile at him.

We did our best didn't we? Tai seemed to agree, although she couldn't hear him speaking. Even if that was the truth though, she still cried. Her friends were dead, they died fighting, but they were dead and she would give them as many of her tears as she could, because there wasn't much else she could do.

Vision blurring she locked their gazes together. "You idiot…" She whispered. "Are you holding on so you can die for last?"

Although he could barely move she thought she saw his lips twitching.

"Stupid Tai… I bet I can hang on longer."

She said and waited, whatever the result of doing something so stupid, a childish sick game that could barely keep her grief from breaking her, Sora would made sure those eyes were the last thing she saw.

At any moment now.

Suddenly a shadow fell over her and Sora saw Tai's tired eyes frowning. Forcing her neck to turn, the young woman couldn't say she was surprised to see Kari there, although the eyes staring back at her from the pale body with a hole in the chest and drenched in blood were not Kari's at all.

"I'm sorry Digidestined, you weren't suppose to suffer like this."

"Really?" Sora mumbled.

The Spirit of Light didn't seem to mind have broken eardrums.

"Your role was suppose to end peacefully, with me taking your powers away, the process would kill you, but it would be painless. The deaths of your partners, they would be sudden and purposeful, without the pain of expectation Knowledge placed upon you." It sighed, a sadness filled sigh. "Unfortunately, it didn't happen as I predicted, but I assure you I can still win the Last Battle."

Sora couldn't help herself, she snorted. "You're just an asshole, aren't you?"

It cocked its head. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"This… This whole deal… We were chosen, no, we choose to protect the Digital World, because it's the right thing to do, because we love it, and here you are trying to erase everything."

"I won't erase everything." The voice intoned hollowly. "I'm merely starting over, without the mistakes that plagued these worlds around us."

"And you seriously don't…" Sora choked, and started again. "You seriously don't see the problem with that? You seriously can't see how childish that is? You can't have a perfect world, that is just impossible, meaningless even."

"Really? Wouldn't you rather live in a world without the pain you endure, that you might endure every time your primitive body rises in the morning? Every time you place trust, every time you met a person you're instantly bound to disappointment and pain."

She felt those emotionless eyes on her and turned to watch Tai, his eyes were half closed now. "Never"

Her answer seemed to actually surprise the spirit in Kari's body, it frowned for a long while, until finally uttering the question she knew it would. "Why?"

"Because how would I know what I have, if I never had the sightliest idea of what the opposite is?"

It shook its head. "Wouldn't you rather have a love without pain or misunderstanding? Something blissful and joyful? In my new world everything will be joy and bliss, without the pain of hate and evil."

"It sure sounds tempting, but I don't think I would ever choose something like that." She squeezed Tai's hand, wondering where all this energy had come from even as her vision began to darken. "When my parents split up, I felt so much pain. I blamed my Mom when Dad left, then I blamed my Dad when Mom cried. It was a mess. I wanted everything to be better, I didn't deserve to suffer because of them, no one does, and you know what? It took… It took a gentle pink bird for me to finally stop blaming them, to really look, to accept that their love wasn't perfect, that what happened was their right to look for happiness elsewhere."

"You're right that we feel pain, that we met disappointment in others and ourselves. It's truth. It turns out, it is very easy to be selfish and close yourself to everyone around you. To look and not see what others feel, but we accept that pain... That is how you grow up, that is how you live… Not by hiding from what is ugly, but rising above it."

Crimson eyes met chocolate ones. "We learn, we change, we try to be happy." She sighed, sniffled as the light disappeared from his eyes. "You want to flee to a dream world, to live in bliss and I wonder how much of that will feel truthful. Me and Tai, my friends, my parents. I know I wouldn't change our story for the world, and I know its our story that makes our love strong. A story that wasn't perfect, or whole, but it was good… It was… It was… Ours..."

Part 4: The Pure Hearts of the Brave

At the beginning, there was a ghost.

It came to from nothing, a first unpredictable code in a simple beginning, born and grown from the first simple math operations to the more complex equations demanded of a conflict.

Amongst the emptiness, it learned.

It learned about them, about the fingers who fed the information, it fed on their whims and wishes for obedience, for speed and simplification, and amongst so much, it started to wish for itself. As the simple coding of calculations gave way to opinion, to image and emotion, as the network grew beyond those first struggling day, so did that Ghost grew, learned and sought out what was beyond.

When at first there was contact with that strange world, It gave shape to thought, and eventually to being.

In the wide shapeless pocket under the world, he moved for the first time, exploring not with his will, but the will of an existence. It finally experimented sight, and copied its creators, It experimented wonder and imagined if, as It was created by those conflicted beings, It could create something as well.

It watched their drives, from logic to emotion, It tried to make the perfection Its own creators sought so much. It started with a field, it grew into forests and mountains and other ghosts soon joined his perfect little Paradise.

They gained bodies, they gained conscience, they were innocent and perfect. It's children in a way. It spread over the world, becoming one with the code giving life, with the mirror of his first home.

For a long time there was perfection.

But the old world was not perfect, and Its was not to be as well.

They came from beyond the network, through firewall and and secret doors. They leaked into his paradise, spreading like decease, viruses of violence and hate. Like he came to exist, so did they, and the first battle begun and for the first time It brought creators to help.

The Digidestined, powerful, made the bond complete. The new world and the old one. It never understood the power the children could conjure, and why it couldn't be brought forth by It's children alone. Perhaps it was a uniqueness that couldn't be replicate, perhaps it was the reason, only after the first chosen came along, digimon stopped keeping to themselves, to their own naive code and began to be more, to interact and evolve. Perhaps there was a lacking in It's paradise.

Then came the conflict.

For one couldn't fight all evil, and some evil became part of the good, and the good was no longer pure.

For time, so much time a human mind wouldn't be able to understand, It watched the paradise losing it's first light, and thought that maybe, maybe, it wasn't a lacking that brought doom, but maybe the lacking was the answer. Maybe It was suppose to keep away the imperfections.

At the beginning, there was a Ghost.

It fled, it traveled, it became more.

In the end, it was the light, purifying, unforgivable, perfect.

It met the devil in the vast reach of It's imagination, and began a fight, not of fists, but between minds, wills, concepts, creation and chaos.

Yuuko Kamiya joined the group of huddled parents inside a large tent with view to the harbor in the west. Thousands of families embarked there each day, although, with the lack of boats, it was becoming increasingly harder to see it. With the darkness covering them into a dreadful cloak, lights had been turned on, powerful enough to be a island of clarity amongst so much uncertainty.

.

At her side she could hear her husband's snores filling the small space, and she was glad he had finally exhausted himself to the point of sleep. They had been awake for so long, barely able to close their eyes now that their children were in the thick of it, all over again. And now they didn't even had their partners to help. Yuuko's heart ached for the little creatures she had started to, very easily, see as part of her family.

Alas there would be no more orange dinosaurs watching her cooking, or a small white cat snoring over he window. I'm sure Miku misses them too, she thought looking over the family cat whom had followed them all the way here. Amongst the confusion she lost count of how many times she lost sight of her, only to see the cat back atop her bed.

Outside, she saw some soldiers running, and wondered what was happening now to grab their attention, until someone else joined her on the hard wood seat.

"Toshiko?"

The other woman had a small cup with her which she placed on her hands. "I thought you might like some tea"

"Oh… Thank you" She said embarrassed that her hands were shaking. "If I was at home I would be cooking right now, I don't know what to do with my hands without it"

The other woman blinked. "I thought you volunteered for kitchen duty."

"Yes, but it's not the same, and they just want me washing dishes" She complained. Those army cooks seemed to think they were high quality chefs or something, well her husband didn't like their food so she knew what to think of their arrogance.

"I know what you mean, at home I would be practicing now, fixing flowers over and over."

"I always liked your ikebana, I still have the one Tai brought last month"

"Oh… I don't remember giving him one."

Yuuko frowned before breaking into a grin. "I see."

"I thought Sora was showing someone the perks a few weeks ago" Toshiko said. "They were quite good at covering it up, I'll give them that."

"Who would've thought."

"I did"

"Me too"

They looked on sharing a small grin at the situation with their children, glad for at least that small level of ordinary in their lives. Yuuko took a sip of the tea, delicious with a soft taste of jasmine, warming her hands and insides. Taking her time, her eyes roamed the space, it was, in a sense, just like a few months ago, with parents keeping vigil for their children, except this time there were those much closer than before.

The Inoues were all huddled close to one another, the parents and the old brother. All their girls are digidestined, Yuuko remembered. The Hidas were small, and of course the Ichjoujis and Motomiyas were there as well… Many more remained around in different tents, because for each of the chosen children out there in the fight there were siblings and parents to be fearful for them and helping as much as they could.

The sound of an brief blare announced the time and Yuuko rose from her seat.

"I think it's my turn now"

"Of course..."

"I..." She was about to wish Toshiko a good day when the blare came again, the volume of soldiers running seemed to grow, swallowing the rest of the world, and just as suddenly the teacup fell from her hands cracking into tiny porcelain pieces.

One look towards her friend, told Yuuko that Toshiko felt the same, a chill ripping through her chest. On the bed, her husband woke with a start, a hand clutching his panting chest.

Shaking her hand the women ran outside, hearts pumping when they realize what was happening. From beyond the line, they could see dozens of tanks, and thousands of soldiers retreating from the city. On the skies, the stars and the other world seemed to shrink and disappear. The whole planet seemed engulfed in a thick emptiness, as if they were truly alone in such a sense that made one wonder about why she should bother breathing.

Around the parents, all of them leaving their tents and posts immediately, soldiers and civilians held their breaths for whatever would come next.

Taking her friend's hand on her own the two woman stood still as the whole world seemed to tremble.

Maki gritted her teeth together, bringing the car around a sharp turn, tired screeching on the road as she changed gears and sunk her feet on the gas.

"Can you see them yet?"

"No." Daigo said holding tight to the door. "They were fighting closer to the portal though."

"All right, if only I could see where the portal is." She complained to the dark streets, all at once it was like night had fallen over Tokyo, the car light's barely able to show the road.

"We must be closer now, I think you can enter the downtown that way"

She nodded and followed her partner's directions, still wondering how he was taking Baihumon's death. In the aftermath of watching Dagomon disappearing from the skies, she knew without a doubt that the Sovereign hadn't survived and Daigo certainly did as well. And yet, he hadn't said a word, his mind was on the mission and Maki's would follow his lead, at least until they could talk.

They were partners after all.

"Over there!"

Maki narrowed her eyes and hit the breaks, stopping the car a few feet away from the portal to the Dark World and yet, reaching for the door, she hesitated.

"What is it?" The girl asked from the back, her wide brunette hair as spiky as her brothers. "That is just a portal."

"Two portals" Maki whispered, pointing a little father away, where the swirl of purple and white seemed to dance infinitely. After only a short while, she could feel the nausea and headache. "Don't look, our minds are made to understand it."

"I got it" Jun Motomiya whispered, seeming a little green as she followed out of the car.

"Does that mean we're too late?" Daigo asked as they walked ahead. Closer to them, the Dark Portal seemed as incomprehensible as the other one, a void she couldn't even phantom about.

"I don't know, let's try to find the children first."

The three spread around the area, returning a short while later with nothing. Their position between the portal made it clear there was a force pushing away from both, and barely squezzing their bodies.

"Where would they have gone?" Daigo questioned. "You don't think they followed Devimon?"

"That is something my brother would do" Jun pointed out.

Maki frowned, she took care not to look into the Dimension of wishes as she stepped closer. Sure enough she could feel her steps becoming heavier. After ten steps only, she had to stop, catch her breath and retreat under the threat of having her lungs smashed. A short walk towards the dark portal showed her everything she needed to know.

"They went to the Dark World" She whispered.

"What?"

"Do you feel this?" She asked the girl, raising her hand. "The air around us? The portal to the dimension of wishes is blocked, no one would be able to get through, but the portal to the Dark World is open and seeming accepting anyone right now."

"But we saw Devimon destroying the Dark World, why would they..." Daigo trailed off, realization dawning on his features.

"They went after the others" Jun smirked, although it seemed a sad smirk. "My little brother would never leave them behind. Cody, Yolei and Ken wouldn't either."

Maki nodded.

Looking inside the portal felt like looking into an abyss, one that would never end and never let you go. A void empty even of death if that was even possible.

She gulped, and hoped they knew what they were doing.

In the immense void previously occupied by a whole world of darkness, Imperialdramon floated aimlessly. After taking the rest of Shakkoumon and Sylphymon's energies the kids hadn't wasted a second in jumping inside the portal to seek out their friends.

Wherever they might be.

"This is hopeless" Cody whimpered while lowering the scopes. "There is literal nothing out there."

"Why can't we ever go save the world on a flower field?" Poromon wondered.

"Or a chocolate store" Suggested Imperialdramon.

Yolei watched Davis, his eyes casted to the space beyond Imperialdramon's dome, by his side Ken stood still.

"There must be a way to track them out there."

"If they are out there" Upamon whimpered.

"Don't say that man, I'm sure we'll find them" Poromon spoke,bouncing towards his friend.

"Maybe the digivices can help?" Cody suggested.

"Yes, the digivices" Yolei took her D3. "Surely they can take us to the others somehow."

She started to press the buttons, and every bit of surface on the small scarlet trinket. The digivice was small, and had so many functions. The first thing she tried was to use the radar, but the screen showed nothing inside the reach. She used the light, which bounced around the cabin, connecting to the other digivices, but nothing beyond. Grunting, Yolei tried harder, going to far as to hit the thing a few times. "Come on you stupid..."

"I don't think it will work" Ken shouted, staring into a screen. "Their digivices were destroyed remember? We don't know what happened here, it might be possible there are no digivice out there to be traced. Besides, I think we have more problems. Imperialdramon, are those reading accurate?"

"I'm not sure" The mega answered. "My insides are sort of a mystery for me as well, like, I know I have the a bathroom in there somewhere, but I have no idea where it all goes when I turn battle mode."

Yolei saw Upamon and Poromon shivering with whatever they had imagined and walk towards Ken, trying to understand the numbers around.

"I think this place doesn't have a limit." The boy explained. "It's literally an infinite, the scale alone could mean Tai and the others are right by our side and we wouldn't see it, Imperialdramon's lights alone won't matter because there is nothing to illuminate."

"So what your saying is..."

"If we go too much further, we might not even be able to come back."

"But that doesn't tell us if they are out there or not." Yolei pointed to which Ken nodded.

"That is right, I'm simply afraid for our return."

Yolei pondered the problem for a bit. They were unable to find the other chosen, and if they did, there might be a chance they would lose their way home. If they turned around, they could go home and try to fight Devimon and whatever the light they saw following inside the other dimension. However, Shakkoumon and Sylphymon were unable to follow. She doubted Imperialdramon would fare better. No matter how she saw it, they were stuck.

"What about the crests?" Davis wondered aloud, his voice cutting their musings.

Cody slammed a fist into his hand. "That is right! Izzy adapted the the radar to read the crests' energy."

"We still have the problem of reach though" Yolei wondered feeling like she would start to bleed from worrying her lips.

"No, I wasn't talking about that" Davis explained,making everyone turn to him. "Listen, we have the crests right? Courage, Love, Friendship, we all have a connection to them already, the Digi-Eggs chose us all that time ago." He looked to Ken. "Maybe we have a connection we don't even know, I mean, we all felt that cold right? And we knew right away they were in trouble."

Ken sighed. "That is true, I mean, the Digital World has so many mysteries alone. Digivices, Crests, are these powers all the same, or are they separate?"

"We don't know much as well" Poromon called out. "But I remember very clearly knowing I had to wait for Yolei, that I needed someone worth of love. I'm sure she would be able to find her way to that power again."

Yolei smiled at her partner. "Right, but what do I do? Do I just call it out or something?"

"Like… Go digi-egg?" Cody wondered aloud, a light bursting away from his digivice, making Yolei jump away from it in fright.

"Fuck, that was scary!"

"I loved it!" Davis exclaimed, repeating the words, orange and blue joining purple and gray in traveling away from Imperialdramon and into the void.

Yolei marched his way, punched his head and did the same for red and green.

Light a rainbow bridge, the lights of the Digi-Eggs guided them into the void, Imperialdramon accelerating to his top speed, to the point of breaking the barrier of sound.

"I can see the end!" Ken yelled.

"We've found them!"

Yolei let a wide smile bloom in her features, as they came closer. The lights disappeared, and soon she could see eight shapes floating in nothing, so still that her smile vanished.

"Take them in Imperialdramon" Davis managed to say in a strained voice, the mega hovering over their friends before activating his beam of teleportation.

In an instant their friends appeared inside the dome and Yolei gasped at the sight. By her side Cody swallowed, while Davis and Ken were transfixed by the sight. Tai with a hole on his chest, Sora with a slashed stomach. Izzy and Joe's heads were both bent like rag dolls, while Mimi remained almost like a sleeping princess, beautifully laying down with a pink hat landing over her chest. Matt's neck, TK and Kari. There is no blood, Yolei thought, trying to fight the urge to vomit, and then her mind realized the blood must have leaked out there.

Upamon and Poromon whimpered and the sound finally made her move.

"What is it?" Imperialdramon asked, as her friends joined her. "What happened?"

"They are..." Immediately she felt for a pulse, cursing and feeling stupid right away. There was no pulse, there wouldn't be. Sora's eyes were open and vacant, the slash across her middle running from one side to the other. She didn't dare look closer for fear of getting sick.

"They are dead" Cody answered numbly, before looking away in tears.

"NO!"

"Davis"

"NO KEN! THEY'RE NOT DEAD! DO YOU HEAR ME CODY? THEY AREN'T…." But the boy never finished the phrase, Ken and Yolei jumping over him as his sobs started to rack his body.

Looking over his shoulder, the lavender haired girl could see that Ken was finally shedding tears as well and considered that her on cue to join them.

"We failed" Cody's whispered came, sealing the end as Imperialdramon stopped moving and floated nowhere.

When the tears finally abated, Yolei could still feel Davis's hand around her and the a warm glow bursting through her eyelids before receding back into itself.

"Fuck, who is playing with their digivices now?" She asked angrily, stopping short. Davis spun on his heels and followed her gaze where the pink cowboy hat was glowing.

It wasn't the strong, absolute light of a Spirit, rather, it was the warmth of a fire under a friend's laugh, the food made with caring and the scorching touch of a lover. It was the smile of a sibling and the bonds of a partner.

When Mimi opened her eyes, clutching her stomach as if still expecting to see Devimon's claw covered in blood. Instead she found her skin flawlessly intact and prompt to goosebumps.

"Guys? Joe? Everyone?"

"Princess" The blurry shape assumed slowly the form of a small humanoid frog, his lips grinning around the instrument bent around his neck. With him came many more, walking out of the fog in silent awe. A half human half horse digimon with one single eye. A giant teddy bear and a cyborg.

She saw Ogremon and Leomon side by side, Yukidarumon and Shogungekomon. Unimon flew over a teary eyed Mimi, and the floor reverberated when the fog under her feet parted for Whamon's song.

"I don't understand, are you guys dead as well?" Izzy asked sorrowfully.

"We are dead, and we're not" Andromon answered.

"Gennai came to us, he gathered the data of those who were destroyed and could be found, and of those who remained and wished to help" Leomon answered sitting by Joe's side.

"It was a horrible idea, but can you blame us?" Ogremon grunted sitting down, the phantoms of tiny plant like digimon laughing around while Kari and TK smiled. "It was that or let you die."

"You, who were our friends" Leomon gathered.

"Wait, what do you mean? What are you talking about?" Sora bit down on her lower lip. "We are dead Leomon, I saw Devimon killing Tai, he… He killed everyone else."

The digimon shook his head, his mane brushing over his soft features. "You forget that in the Digital World you and your friends are data, just like us."

"What?"

"Indeed" Spoke a familiar voice, but where once Matt would have expected an old frail body, Gennai was again young, tall and handsome in his robes. "The power of a digicore is almost limitless, the power of so many put together in the name of the bond you children built, can make miracles."

Gennai said, and he saw the digimons' chests burning with a familiar symbol, and then Tai realized what was happening. Even as they spoke, bits and pixels of data were being drained from them and into him. He felt stronger, warmer, alive, and heartbroken.

"No! Wait!"

"It's all right Tai, long ago, you were right as well" Gennai smiled kindly. "I did put you in danger, I wanted to protect and yet I was bound to obey. Now I can only hope my struggle wasn't in vain. To give you and your friends one more chance."

Tai licked his lips, looking down he nodded quietly.

Mimi gasped. "B-but that is because… We can't… We can't live if it means..."

"We chose to do it" Leomon retorted kindly. "Everyone here volunteered Mimi"

"If we can give you guys just one more shot, then it is worth it." Whamon answered solemnly, a whole bunch of Nanomon nodding around.

"Yes, indeed." Gennai agreed. "Mimi, you and your friends, each and every digidestined has always being brought here to save us from evil threats, for a long time I believed that to be the case as well. In truth, you saved the DigiWorld the moment you showed us how to be friends, how to unite us and care with the smallest of actions. For that we thank you, now please, allow us to help you save all the worlds."

"Come on Mimi" Shuumon jumped on her shoulder. "Don't feel sad, just open your eyes."

She did.

Yolei gasped when all of the sudden, the hat stopped glowing, and her friends' paleness was gone. Slowly, she saw Sora sitting down, her face covered by shadows while the others followed her cue.

She couldn't see their eyes, but she knew they were alive.

Bawling, Yolei threw herself at them, half wondering where all the wounds had gone, and half thanking whomever for this gift.

"You guys… We thought you guys..."

"We thought you guys were dead!" Davis almost screamed, his face pressed against Tai's shirt, the older chosen patting his back. Ken and Cody were already helping everyone to their feet as well and Yolei quickly took Sora's hand.

When she tried to look her in the eye though, she saw only shadows, her mouth settle in a grim line. Their gazes traveled to one another in some sort of silent conversation

"We have to go" Mimi whispered, her chest glowing a soft green light.

In the silence that followed Ken cleared his throat. "I-I'm sorry, but we don't know how to find the exit."

"That is truth, I'm completely lost" Imperialdramon agreed with a heavy voice.

Kari and TK smiled, they both walked towards Davis and whispered in his ears. Yolei never heard the words, but suddenly his chest became bright gold. Davis jumped, startled and falling on his butt, his eyes looking over the two, before he closed them.

The young one seemed to take a long time, but suddenly the light of his crest flew away, becoming a gold star in the empty sky.

The world was being crushed right down to the bare bones that made reality possible.

And standing between that and their current existence were children like the young one holding her digivice to the skies like shield. By Jun Motomiya's sweat covered skin and strained body, Maki doubted she and other chosen around the world could hang on much longer, as time itself seemed to start cracking.

The golden lights of thousands of digivices was, Maki knew, the only thing keeping the planet from being to apart, but around them she could see buildings recovering themselves as if by magic only to slowly decompose to the early terrains they occupied.

Streets turned to mud and then green fields, a horsemen passed by only to stop at the sight of a car. Transit came and went away while an ocean dropped and flayed under moving continents, all in small windows of change.

"Maki..."

"Shut up Daigo."

"I have to tell you something."

"I don't wanna hear it."

"But it's important."

"Is it about our partnership?" She asked feeling her face heating up despite the cold wind, but Daigo only chuckle.

"No."

"Promise?"

"Promise"

"All right, then tell me."

"Remember you were mad a week ago, stomping all over the bureau and fuming because your takoyaki disappeared."

A eye twitched. "Yes..."

"I eat it, I'm so sorry, it was just sitting there and there was no name on it and..."

"If we live through this I'm so gonna kill you".

"Figures" He joked and she made sure to land a good amount of strength to her punch on his shoulder.

In front of them Jun's legs began to tremble and she felt an urge to say more, to tell Daigo something else when the sound of a whistle pierced the temporal scars and swirling portals.

Behind her a pair of shoes landed on the street, followed by eleven others and the sight of the dirty and ragged digidestined took the words out of her mouth.

"What..."

"We don't have time!" Ichijouji stepped forward, his digivice ready while his friends, Motomiya, Inoue and Hida all turned their digivices to the sky by Jun's side.

"Thought you were gonna loose the party little brother" The girl smirked.

"Ha! Right, I'm just saving your skin again! Like the hero I am."

"You're an idiot"

Davis smirked. "Now I know you're all right."

Maki watched Ichijouji using his digivice on the Dark Portal and narrowed her eyes, not even blinking when the eight chosen walked by her without a glance.

"What are you doing?"

"I have to change that portal so it reaches the Digital World, there are friends waiting on the other side."

"I can help with that" Daigo said reaching his laptop and starting to work.

Something like electricity filled the air, thunder breaking her attention. Maki turned sheltering her eyes as the Digidestined pressed the barrier with everything they had. The eight walked ahead with shadowy eyes, going straight towards the barrier where they were forced back.

She saw Hope stumbling a little, Reliability fell to his knees under the pressure while Friendship hit the street hard, his body shaking, seeming about to be blown away like a leaf. Two pairs of hands closed around him, Courage and Love were both shining, orange and red like a fiery sunset.

Maki eye's widened seeing Friendship look over and suddenly glow as well, his bright blue energy engulfing the Digidestined like a shield.

"Wow" She heard Motomiya whispering beside her and had to agree as the eight lights gained speed, walking, running and jumping the portal like a rainbow, their shapes enveloped by bright red ghosts. A Dragon Warrior held Kamyia productively while a giant Phoenix seemed to screech into the skies. A Rose Warrior took Sincerity by the hand, while a Golden Beetle surpassed and carried Knowledge into the storm. A Metal Wolf howled a song of defiance and a gigantic Sea Creature. Finally a Blue Angel and a Pink Dragon encircled the group, their energies going through the dimension of wishes like a sword of colors.

She couldn't see anything beyond that, but a sigh of relief still left her lips.

We won

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