The Reason

by Toshiku Yumari

Toshiku Yumari is different;technically, she's a Digimon.And not just because she's digi-destined.She feels as if she doesn't belong anywhere, but when she recieves a mysterious phone message, she wonders if everything is about to change forever. KojiXOC

25. Chapter 23: Changes

Chapter 23: Changes

My eyes opened slowly, my whole body aching with even that slightest movement. With my vision blurry and everything undecipherable for the moment, I could only tell what was around me by my weakened sense of touch and feeling. There was cold dirt beneath me, and the air felt thick around me, thick with darkness. I'd been around it so much now that I had been capable of memorizing its wicked bouquet.

It took a few more seconds before I realized just how badly my wounds stung, my sight returning to me in one of the sudden bursts of pain. I tried to sit up, tried to stand, but was unexpectedly, but gently, held down. When I glanced over, I saw Koji quite close to me, his arms wrapped around me as if there was something around that could harm me. But what was there to fear? There was no sign of any of the Three, and I couldn't sense Raveamon within me. She was completely silent, and that wasn't like her.

Raveamon's not in me.

The single thought was both joyous to me, and a death sentence for many others. She could no longer take control of my mind like a virus to a cell and make me fight mercilessly against those I cared for. But if Raveamon had no boundaries—for example, my will fighting constantly against hers—then she could do whatever she pleased whenever she thought it best. There would be nothing to stand in her way. How could I want her to leave me? Now, there's hardly anything I can do against her…Or did Koji destroy her?

Almost as if he'd sensed my question, Koji glanced up past me. From this angle, I could see that his eyes were clouded with exhaustion and exasperation, though his face didn't show quite as much of it. When I followed his gaze to see what he was staring up at, I could see where a lot of it was coming from. Raveamon herself, nothing separating her from us at all, stood, and although her ruby eyes were closed, the lids fluttering as information was organized in her malevolent brain, she was just as ferocious as she'd always been, even when I'd thought she was on my side.

I was startled when her wings suddenly fluttered, her upper lips curving into a momentary snarl before she slowly faded back into the blank expression and motionlessness. It was only a matter of time before everything was sorted out in her mind, all of her memories and instincts beginning to come into play in the way that she would soon live life. Turning to Koji, I spoke on my own for the first time in what seemed like years, no one forcing the words out of my mouth for me, even though such circumstances made my voice sound weak and broken, "W-We have to get out of here before she realizes we're here. We need to get as far away from that…that thing as possible!"

Nearly stumbling when I pulled myself away from Koji's embrace, he had to help me to steady my feet and start walking. I had to wrap an arm around Koji's shoulders just to keep somewhat upright, not being able to stand hardly at all on my own now, let alone move. The Wolf Warrior said nothing for the longest time, and for a moment I thought he wasn't too thrilled about being so close to me after what I'd done to him, after how badly I'd just screwed up.

I untangled my arm from him and tried to take a couple of steps on my own, ultimately earning myself a meeting with the hard ground. "Toshiku," Koji's tone was one that cried out to me, trying to get a hold of the part of my mind that would do nothing but listen to him, always doing whatever he said because of how I felt for him. But now that Raveamon wasn't part of me and it would be so much harder to protect everyone from her…I realized that that was the very reason why he got hurt so much. Because of how I felt about him.

Holding back a groan of intense agony, I wiggled out of Koji's grasp when he attempted to help me up, muttering through clenched teeth, "At least let me try, Koji. Please, I have to. I don't want to need someone to help me walk," My words were pleading, begging him to let me go, let me try to teach my miserable little body to move on its own again. After a moment of consideration, Koji released his grip on my arm and backed up a bit, but was close enough to me to make me pretty chikushou self-conscious.

But I ignored it as best I could, knowing and constantly telling myself that the goal was to regain all the strength that I had had before, not to impress Koji. I'd never needed to impress him. Despite how much my muscles begged for me to stop, I forced myself up onto my hands and knees, keeping my aching head bowed and my eyes squeezed shut. I crawled forward a foot or two before my arms and legs buckled beneath me and I fell back onto my stomach, my head resting against the freezing ground. Everything still felt cold to me.

I heard Koji take a step towards me, and my eyes shot open, cold and desperate as I cried out, "I can do this, Koji! I know I can!" I dragged strength back into my muscles, pushing myself back up onto my knees, almost halfway there now that I was standing on my knees. There was a determined glaze shading my eyes, and my breathing came in pants because of the burning pain within both my soul and my body. The fortitude gave me authority over my pathetic inner self, and I was able to ignore the hurt that racked me as I got shakily to my feet, every other movement that I made threatening to send me off balance. But I didn't fall, and I was able to take a step or two before I fully trusted my feet again.

Feeling a sudden pang of guilt for how I'd acted towards Koji, especially after how he'd risked life and limb to return me to this form, I turned with a sad expression to face Koji, the remorse showing on my face. My voice was quiet, my whole body feeling numb and sore from the internal pain of all that I'd tried to forget. Is this what Raveamon did for me? She hid my hurt from me? "I'm sorry…I just…I…" A small growl of frustration echoed from my throat, and I averted my eyes from him with my fists clenched at my sides and teeth grinding with aggravation. Why couldn't I just say what I needed to and be done with this? I still had to find a way to tell him my last idea on protecting the Legendary Warriors, so if I couldn't get this out…there was no way I was going to find a way to explain that.

Koji simply cast me an understanding smile as he approached where I was standing. When he was in front of me, he stopped and gently put a hand to my face, the warmth of his skin something that I'd once forgotten. I saw a minute happiness in his eyes, and it took me a minute to realize that he'd missed being so close to me. The thought made my heart burn with agony. "I know, Toshiku. I know," The smile I hadn't seen in ages was there on his face as he wrapped his arms around me, drawing me in close to him.

I hated how I couldn't remember feeling Koji's warmth before this moment, and it bothered me more than it should've. It pained me to think that I'd forgotten so much, especially so many of the moments I'd been happiest. Koji kissed me gently on the cheek, his face turning a slight pink at the show of affection. Slowly, almost hesitantly, I returned the embrace, holding Koji to me tightly, burying my face in his neck and shoulder. I felt myself begin to tremble when I found that I didn't completely recognize his unforgettable scent, and I tried to memorize it again, knowing that this might be the last time that I'd ever be this close to him.

When the embrace finally found space between us, I pressed my forehead against Koji's, our gazes locking in half-open stares of heartfelt sentiment that neither wanted to forget. I remembered how I used to look into those pretty blue eyes at night, the moonlight making them shine in a way that could be compared to nothing. Feeling my heart suddenly skip a beat, almost as if it were encouraging me to do what it knew this moment pleaded for, I made a move to press my lips against Koji's. Seeing the burning blush on my face and the nervousness in my eyes, Koji's mouth turned into a slight smile and met me half way. It was at that moment that I knew for sure that no matter what happened, no matter how many trials that the two of us were going to have to face, and ignoring every pain that would strike us, each deeper than the other, the way we felt would always remain the same.

Nothing, no one, could change it or make it go away.

We finally pulled away from each other, the one thing that I'd always remember from moments like this being how hard it was to think of something to say or do afterwards. But there was almost always one suggestion a person could make in a situation like this that would fit no matter what. Trying to keep my voice from stuttering, I used that very proposition, "We, uhh, should…keep going. You know, find the others and what not…" At first I didn't move away from him, practically needing a crow bar just to do so.

"R-Right," Koji agreed quietly as he came up to walk beside me, glancing over at me out of the corner of his eye every now and then as if he were a little worried about me. I knew that I'd be flipping out inside right about now if anything like this had happened to Koji. Sighing inside, I wished there was a way that I could try to stop those feelings of concern that stabbed him so from coming up within him from the dark that surrounded me.

Silence settled upon the two of us, but it wasn't the kind that we enjoyed, nor was it awkward in any way. It was just…venomous. There really was no way to describe it other than that. With the way that it sank into your skin, flowing through your veins and slowly shutting down each and every part of you that had the will to speak until it finally reached your heart, sending you down a path that was eerily quiet, desolate. Dead.

Like Rowloamon.

More hurt struck me like a slap in the face, except on my heart. Sure, Rowloamon had tried to destroy me a hell of a lot of times, but she'd tried as best she could to save me when the time finally came, coming to warn me of the ways that some Digimon could become stronger by absorbing the data of certain others. How was I to know if Raveamon had another Key Digimon like her? I wouldn't even know about that at all if not for Rowloamon. And she risked—lost—her very life trying to save me from a fate without that knowledge. What would've happened if she hadn't gotten that out in time? If I didn't know that?

But that wasn't all that she'd told me. What seemed like ages ago, she'd attempted to warn me of something else in a way that she knew I would remember it best: Music. That song was still burned into my head, and now…I was almost sure that I could piece every part of it together and couple it with something that had gone on in the short time that I was here in this world. Even some of the people and Digimon.

'You know, you're not the only one…' I wasn't. Raveamon had been with me since the beginning of all of this, before it even. She'd been my greatest friend, challenging me to do my best with a kindness in her voice that hide her true persona, making me believe that she was my conscience, or something like that. Maybe the little angel that sits up on your shoulder and tells you what's best to do, always fighting against the little devil. But she was both. My angel and my devil.

'When they all come crashing down in mid-flight. You know, you're not the only one…When they're so alone they find a back door out of life. You know, you're not the only one…' A bird didn't fall from the sky unless it was injured, or had been killed. Since my Spirit was bird, that had to have something to do with her being thrown into the darkness, probably against her will. And I fell right along with her. Because of how alone I felt in the human world, despite all those who were around me, I held onto Raveamon's entity too tightly, leaving myself vulnerable to her. She forced me out of my own life, and into hers to suffer hell right along with her.

'We're all grieving, lost and bleeding…' Never mind everything that she'd put me through, all of the hell and kuso that she'd dragged me through, one hand always resting roughly on my shoulder to keep me from leaving her, she was my Human Spirit. I couldn't help but be sad that she was no longer mine, but Cherubimon's, Lucemon's. She was lost in the darkness, blind to me and to the light. There was nothing that I could do but wait, letting my heart bleed for her profusely, never finding a way to help it heal, to stop the flow. How could I when she'd been a part of me for so long? How could she?

'All our lives, we've been waiting for someone to call our leader…' I'd never been a follower in my life, not even when I was a little kid. I'd lead Daijiro everywhere, feeling strength and pride in the fact that he trusted me to know what I was doing and that it was best for him. I was his leader, one that he'd put his faith in until the very end of his life. Raveamon had cheated both of us out of time together, and that was unforgivable in my eyes. To think that my whole life I'd been waiting for someone to help me lead like she had, giving me the feeling that she did, even when I hadn't known it was really her.

'All your lies, I'm not believing…' Cherubimon had been the source of all of the lies, all of the voices in my head when I'd first come to the Digital World, but was Raveamon one of the reasons why they'd suddenly stopped? I wasn't all too sure about that, since the Knight of the Night had spoken her fair share to me, driving me insane ever so slowly from all her taunts and jabs. Though, now I could tell false from true, after having practiced the maddening game of lying myself a few too many times.

'Heaven, shine a light down on me…' I couldn't be certain it had really happened, but there was a vague memory in my head of a wolf made of glass, maybe even diamonds, that had been surrounded by a constant light. It had struck me in a way that nothing had before. It had even felt holy, divine, heaven-sent, even as it dug its claws into my skin and tore me apart, digging for something within me that was deeper than my very soul. Deeper than my darkest being.

'So afraid to open your eyes, hypnotized. You know, you're not the only one…' Just the thought of Raveamon having complete supremacy over me in every way possible sent a cold chill down my spine, throughout my muscles, making my bones shiver and rattle. But the darkness that someone like her could surround you with had a quality that no other had. It was almost beautiful, perfect even, and you just couldn't look away from it, not until you could fully understand how such a substance could be considered with such pure words. It was in that moment that all would fall into its power, obey its every whim and command, not even stopping to wonder why you were doing all of this. You were almost scared to think on your own.

'Never understood this life, and you're right, I don't deserve. But you know, I'm not the only one…We're all grieving, lost and bleeding…' Life had always been a hard thing for me to fit into, never being able to find a spot for myself in it. I'd always thought that that was the main reason that I screwed up so many times. Because I didn't know who I was or what I wanted out of this life. I wasn't worthy of all the second chances that people had given me, but for some reason, they thought that I was. They'd bled for me, they'd sacrificed everything for my soul, and some had even died in my place. I couldn't be sad for their loss all the time, because there was something in me, my destiny, that they'd given themselves to protect. I had to fulfill it.

There was more to the song, but I wasn't sure exactly what the rest of it meant without repeating a few of the things that I'd said. It couldn't be repetitious like that; it wouldn't make sense at all. Of course, history happened over and over again in different ways, but not like that. Not so close to the original, not unless it was planned that way, and I sucked at planning stuff. If something was too similar to another part, then I had to have screwed up somewhere along the line.

And that left me at a dead end. I probably haven't gone through all of it yet. I've got more coming my way.

"Is something wrong?" I was a bit surprised when Koji suddenly spoke up, neither of us having said one word since the kiss. But, realizing that my frustration for the unfinished song must've shown through on my face, it wasn't so hard to find this question typical. It didn't bother me this time, though, because for once…I did need to talk to him about this. There was another side of the song that told me a way that all of this pain and suffering could've been avoided, and that the rest of it could be evaded by him and all the others that I cared for.

Slowly, unsurely, I nodded my head, glancing at him for a mere second before immediately looking away again. This was going to hurt, a lot. And I had to be strong, not only for myself, but for Koji and everyone else, too. If I started to fall apart, he would see the flaws in my theory, in my words, and no one would pull through. I had to be careful with the way I went around doing this. There was absolutely no room for mistakes right now, because they could mean a raw wound deep down were it would fester and never heal quite right. "There's something I need to talk to you about, Koji, something that I should've a long time ago, now that I think about it.

"You know how I feel about you, how I'll always feel about you, but you also know how much trouble that gets all of us into and all the hell I've put you guys through because of what I do whenever I feel that you, of all people, are threatened in any way. Of course, I do that for everyone, but it just makes everything worse when I do that and you get involved. I'm stupid and reckless, and I…there's nothing I care for more in this life than you and the Warriors. But you know I care for you in a different way, and that's what I need to talk to you about.

"Have you noticed how some of my enemies try to go after you, not even batting an eyelash at anyone else, not even me? I knew it was because of how I feel about you, but even then I thought that I could teach myself to be strong enough to be able to defend you against anything. But I was wrong, and I know that now. I realize now that the only true way to keep you safe is to…to separate myself from you, teach myself to feel for you the same as I do the others. Koji, I…I can't feel anything for you here, in this world. After we get back to the human world…that's really the only time that we'd be able to feel this way towards each other…" I trailed off, not sure what else I could say, or if I could even say anything at all. I'd crawl across this world for him, do anything he wanted me to…how could I say anything more about wanting to feel nothing for him?

Koji was quiet for the longest time after I'd stopped talking. He was watching the ground as he walked, keeping his eyes off of me. The once bright blue was clouded and scratched with tire and pain, and I hated myself for being the cause of both. He was exhausted because he'd had to fight me, and the pain was both from the battle and from all that I'd said. My self-loathing burned within me, and I knew that if I could fight myself, I would do it gladly, not caring what the cause of hurting a form of me would be.

Finally, the Light Boy's words came from his mouth, quiet, but not serene, for they were strained as if he were perplexed a little by what I'd told him, "Why do you think that I can't stand beside you, that I can't fight at your side? You don't have to be invincible, and to be honest, you don't need to be any stronger because you're an outstanding warrior the way that you are," He still wasn't looking at me, and there was even more hurt in his eyes, and I knew that it was the same pain I felt on the inside. We both couldn't stop wondering how you could just up and make a feeling stop. Neither of us knew.

I let out a small sound of exasperation, having hated this conversation since the first time that we'd argued over a matter such as this. At least this time I knew a bit more about all of the fights with them, something Raveamon had stopped me from seeing before. "Koji, we've gone through this before. And now, I know that it's not all about supremacy. With them, it's something deeper, something that only I can give because I'm the only one in the universe that has it. I may not know for sure what it is, but I know that that's what the fights are really about. They don't care about you guys, other than the fact that I'm supposed to protect you, and they're trying to get under my skin by going after you. Other than that, they'd choose to have nothing to do with you, so I don't need help fighting them, because they'd just ignore you."

There was a look of disbelief on Koji's face, but it wasn't for what I'd tried to explain. It was about the whole topic, the true reason behind it. A skeptical expression crossed his features, his eyes drilling into me as he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. But there was also a touch of worry there. "…What is this really about, Toshiku?" For a second I wasn't sure what he was unintentionally hinting towards, but then it hit me.

Zoe.

I let out a pent up sigh, having known deep inside that this would be the always-hated scene that we'd end on. Stuff like this never could end happy. It just…I suppose people thought it wasn't right if it was a mutual thing. "…How long were you with her, Koji? I'm not mad about it, I just want to know how long I've been replaced for." I may as well have struck him in the face if I'd wanted to see that look in his eyes. The pure agony and regret, it was obvious now to me that it stung him, just like some of the things that I'd done. We both wished that there was a way to go back in time, but there wasn't, and we'd have to suffer together and alone at the same time.

After a second or two, Koji closed his eyes and answered with all truth, "It was a little while before Rowloamon attacked the Trailmon we were in, when Raveamon had control for that bit of time. But we…" He made an almost inaudible, distressed-seeming sound. I could feel his hurt in my own nervous system. "…We never really did anything. I didn't want to be that way with her, I…I only wanted to be with you, but she…Zoe kept trying to convince me that there was something going on with you that was beyond our ability to help you with. I tried not to listen to her, but it was hard.

"Whenever you turned on us, she'd give me this look, like she was trying not to say 'I told you so'. After Raveamon started to take more than a mental hold on you, it was difficult to think that there was a way to help you go back to the way you were before, and for a little while…I even doubted that you would ever be the same. But I didn't want to give up on you, or us, so I stayed by your side, showing you the care that I'd had from the beginning of all of this. Zoe thought I was wasting my time, but…what I do with you is well worth all the time moments like that took.

"We can't just give up on each other when moments from back then are replaced by arguments and fights like these. You're not the kind of person who gives up, Toshiku, you've never been that way and you never will be. But, right now, that's what you're saying that we should do: Just give up on each other. How can you—" A small sigh escaped through my nose. Every night in this chikushou place seems to get worse and worse.

"I'm not giving up, Koji," I interrupted with a voice like I'd heard in a few of my dreams, gentle but strong and filled with a feeling that told you there was hope. That something was still alright in the world. "I've had plenty of other ideas, and this is one of them, one of the last ones, to be specific. This is me trying everything that I can to keep you from hurting like this. If I hadn't been so stupid and had thought for once that maybe the problem was something I couldn't see, that I didn't know about, you wouldn't have had to find a solace in someone else. Koji," I let out another sound that was drenched with exasperation, however, this time it was for myself, and my inability to get all words in the dictionary to cooperate with me. "This is me trying to do whatever I can to give you a life you deserve, and keep me and my ball-and-chain of misery from wrapping its bandaged fingers around you, too.

"I should've done this a long time ago, maybe I shouldn't have even chased after you in the first place. I mean, it was an accident that I met you in the subway that fateful day; how do we know that we're even supposed to be together? Both of us could've gone through so much less if I'd been paying more attention that day, if either one of us had waited one or two more seconds, milliseconds even. Who knows? Maybe we would've suffered through more," I closed my eyes, beginning to pick up my pace as I grabbed my D-Tector from my pocket, holding it tightly in my hand. "Either way, I'm no Legendary Warrior, and I shouldn't be mixed in with you guys as if I am. Sentinels are the guardians of this world, and that means that we can't stay in the same place as the people with whom we're watching. I can't be around you or the others anymore. Of course, I'll come whenever you need me, but that'll be it. I can't be anything more than an ally to you. Everything will go wrong again if I make another mistake like that."

I was about to spirit evolve to Wereraiomon and get out of here before Koji could say anything else, mainly because there was nothing else for me to say, and this was a pretty shaky way for what Koji and I had to end. It was like I'd just gone and cut our bond with a scissors, severing the thread that held our hearts and souls together as one, shattering the both of us like mirrors as the string fell away and we hit the cold floor of reality. This was what AncientRaiafemon had been talking about in the dream where she spoke with Shitsurenmon after she'd been hurt by her love.

Duty had gotten in the way of sentiment.

I'd never imagined that it would feel this badly, though. All I'd ever wanted to do was be around Koji, hold his hand, keep him close to me. I'd never felt more at ease than when I was with him; it had been years since I'd had true happiness within me. Laughing didn't feel quite as good if it wasn't with him. And living just wasn't worth it anymore. The pain of what I'd just done hurt like nothing I'd ever felt before, and I just wanted to rip my heart out, throw it in a box, lock it, bury it in the ground, melt the key, and burn the map. I wanted it to stop, but I knew in my soul that it never would. Maybe, over time, it would begin to dull, grow numb, but it wouldn't just fade away like other wounds. It would stay with me until the end of time itself.

But this was something I had to do if I was ever going to be able to fill the shoes that AncientRaiafemon and all of the other Sentinels had left when they'd either passed from the living world or had grown blind to the tender touch of the light, turning instead to the cold, but somehow healing embrace that the darkness of the night and all of its nocturnal creatures knew how to give. I had to make sacrifices just like she had, because that was how things were in this world. It was what people like me had to do.

I could hear Koji's voice, but it was a drone to my ears, silenced by my own racing thoughts. Besides, I knew that if I could hear his voice, I would stop to listen to him, and I would end up staying. But I couldn't stay, not anymore. He might understand in time why I had to do this, but he wouldn't yet. Not right now, not this hour, not today. Maybe not even this year. But eventually, Koji would understand why certain things had to be done in certain ways.

Holding my D-Tector out in front of me, I was about to spirit evolve when something that Koji shouted, making my blood suddenly run cold. "Toshiku, watch out! It's Raveamon!" I turned just in time to see those frozen red eyes and death-black wings looming above me. There was a hope in me, for whatever reason, that if the dark had passed from me then it would leave her as well, so I made no move to get away from her, although my D-Tector was still in my grasp. Why I felt such a hope, I had no idea.

But I was wrong.

Before either of us had a chance to spirit evolve, Raveamon had snatched me, only me, up in her arms, springing into flight. I could only hear Koji's voice for another few seconds, after that we were too high and too far away. It felt strange to be held as a prisoner was by my very own Human Spirit, in fact, it made me sick to my stomach. When I finally thought that if I spoke I wouldn't throw up, I started to thrash around in her arms, trying to free myself and grumbling, "Let go of me! I don't want you to touch me!"

Raveamon's grip tightened around me, her talons digging into my skin but not hard enough to cut me. I could sense the snarl on her face as she retaliated, "This isn't what I want right now, either, baka. I would've skinned you alive by now if Cherubimon hadn't ordered for me not to." Her voice had been cold, harshly hushed, making her violent nature that much more ferocious and terrifying. But I still found it hard to be afraid of her; I merely hated what she was, everything about her. It still hurt inside to see the evil on her face, in her eyes, though.

I wanted to say something more to her, try to make some kind of conversation that might be able to snap her out of this. But what could I say? It wasn't like 'How are you?' would work right now. "Where are you taking me?" Finally, I managed to get something out of my throat, even though it was a pretty overused question and I didn't really want to know anyways.

Feeling her eyes staring down into the back of my head, I shifted so I could look up at her, and instantly wished that I hadn't. Her lips were curled back, tilted up into a psychotic smile, worse than what the Grinch had whenever he got a twisted idea. Raveamon's scarlet eyes were wide and filled with a severe need for a psychiatrist or a tranquilizer dart of mass proportion. The blood that eternally stained her face didn't help much either.

Chills ran down my spine, and I closed my eyes tightly, turning around to face the ground again. I could feel myself begin to tremble as a deep, thundering laugh echoed from Raveamon's throat, filling the sky and making it seem as if nothing would be more pleasing to her than to watch as someone's blood was shed mercilessly. It didn't matter who. She just wanted to be the one to make it flow.

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but it wasn't because of what I knew that evil grin meant for me. It was because of what my Human Spirit had become. It was like watching your best friend being stabbed again and again, and knowing that there was nothing you could do to make it stop, to look away and pretend you couldn't hear her screaming for you to help. If I could've done anything right then, if I could've wished to be able to do anything, for anything, I would've begged Kamisama to let me free Raveamon from the chain of tainted darkness that kept her locked in a cage.

But those tears never fell from my eyes, they didn't have a chance to. Raveamon suddenly dug her talons into my shoulder, ripping through my shirt and skin with a sickening sound. The pain was so close to the control system of my nerves that the agony was intensified by thousands, sending a scream into my throat, though I was able to hold it there. Darkness began to cloud my vision, as the hurt made its way throughout my whole body, tingling and burning every part of me.

"Sleep in the black, Toshiku," Raveamon's voice took on an almost gentle tone, one that would've made me feel safe with her, comfortable in her embrace. But there was nothing tender about the way she spoke; it was sadistic, a tune that you heard right before you were injected with a drug that would ultimately be fatal to you. She was one of the most dangerous beings in the whole Digital World, and her whole body felt like ice to me. There was no life in her, at least nothing good that would cause warmth. "Sleep in that so-called peace for a little while, for we will arrive shortly, and you'll wish you could sleep in the darkness forever."

---

Raveamon had been right. When I woke up, I wanted nothing more than to just turn from the pale light and disappear into the black again, ignoring how cold Raveamon felt against my skin. She was my Human Spirit after all, and deep inside, I felt a kind of safety within her presence, even though that should've been the last thing I sensed with her in a state of mind like she was.

She wasn't flying any more, and was carrying me like you would a little kid who'd fallen asleep in the car or someone that had hurt their leg and couldn't walk. After a few more seconds I opened my eyes reluctantly, accepting the fact that I wasn't going to be getting any more sleep, or at least I wasn't going to go back to be unconscious, since that's pretty much what I'd been.

What I saw was odd to me, so unfamiliar. We were in some kind of castle-fort-structure made of gray stone, and from where we were, there were no windows, only a few torches here and there, most of the lay being utter darkness. I moved my head when I looked around, and Raveamon noticed my being awake now. She glanced at me, looking away again before I could meet her gaze. There was no emotion in her face, and even though she knew I could walk, she continued to carry me, probably thinking that it was easier this way and she would've have to concern herself about me if I tried to escape her.

"So, where are we right now?" I glanced around again, seeing a door that was only open a crack a little ways ahead of us, and apparently in the direction that Raveamon was going. There was a touch of pale light coming from the crevice, and it was as if the lighting was coming from outside of the building. I assumed that there was a window of some kind there, or a door, maybe even a gap in the wall where something had broken through the wall.

Raveamon ignored my question; however, I knew she'd heard me. The glazed look in her eyes was blank, showing nothing at all, and it made me a little nervous to see what was waiting for me behind the thick wooden door. As she came through the door, I was almost horrified—almost—to see Mercurymon and Ranamon standing in the room, facing the door with expectant expressions, smiling malevolently at me. They were probably still a bit pissed about what I'd done the last time I'd encountered them.

The black-winged Digimon moved a few feet closer to them before holding me out in her arms, unexpectedly dropping me onto the ground. I grunted when I hit the ground, rolling onto my side with a grimace as I attempted to get to my feet, or at the very least, my knees. "I would stay there if I were you, sugar," Ranamon's Southern accent told me smugly, sending a snarl onto my face, but I did stay on my hands and knees, feeling pathetic.

After grinning triumphantly down at me, Mercurymon averted his gaze from me and turned his attention to Raveamon. "It warms my heart to see a dark beauty such as yourself standing before this world as you do. There's nothing that enhances my belief in your loyalty to Lord Cherubimon than—"

"No," Raveamon stated flatly, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. I glanced back and forth between the two of them, wondering how much of my Spirit's personal life I'd missed whenever I had a moment to not be paying any attention. You just couldn't help but wonder about these things.

Mercurymon was about to say something else, a finger held up to assist his point, but Raveamon cut him off before he could get any further. "I don't ki ni suru what Lord Cherubimon said. You're not my type, and you're not going to be able to change since you don't know what to change to. And you can tell him whatever you want to, because even though he may find a way to force me to be with you, he's never going to make me feel anything more for you than what you are to me: An ally. Nothing more, and nothing less." Apparently, that was that, since Mercurymon put his hand back down with a defeated sound.

The blue Warrior spun around on her heel and suddenly shouted at Mercurymon, making him slink away from her a little bit as she made no move to keep Raveamon from hearing her words, "Why, you think she's prettier than me, don't you, Mercurymon? Answer me!" I couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for Mercurymon right about now. I mean, first you get completely rejected and then you're being yelled at about appearances by some creeper. What a night.

A single moment of silence went by before I heard the sound of claws clicking across the floor, and turned to see Raveamon walking out of the room. I was about to call out to her, but was beaten to it by Ranamon. "Hey, where do you think you're going? Lord Cherubimon told us to tell you that you're supposed to stay here, so you've got—"

"You're not the boss of me," The Raven snapped, placing a hand on the wood door as she cast a loathing half-glance back at Ranamon, who scowled back at her. It wasn't hard to assume that they'd never really gotten along, even when she'd still been part of me. But I guess it wasn't a difficult thing to contemplate. Raveamon was a 'beloved creation of Cherubimon', and what part of that wouldn't make Ranamon insanely jealous of her? Besides, it was obvious she was much stronger anyways.

With nothing more to say to either of the Warriors, she sent another blank look down at me. Our gazes locked, the bright green and blinding red of our irises like Christmas lights in a way. I could feel something within me that I never had before, a sensation that gave me hope, sent power into my being, making me rise up from the ground despite Ranamon's warning. Raveamon's sight never left me as I stood, and she made no move to force me back to the ground. I fisted my hands as I stared back at her, our eyes stuck in a mental battle that neither of us had really wanted in the first place.

Finally, she turned from me, closing her eyes and muttering something that I could only figure I would've disliked hearing, she walked out of the room, the door slamming loudly behind her, the sound echoing throughout the whole edifice. Without her here, I felt a bit more insecure about the situation, but I did my best to ignore it, telling myself that I still had both the Verre Collar and my D-Tector. That Wereraiomon was still on my side.

"She is so irritating! If she weren't loyal to Lord Cherubimon, I would've taken Miss High-and-Mighty down from her throne a long time ago!" Ranamon growled, crossing her arms over her chest with an irritated scowl on her face. Her face was turning purple with her rage, and I couldn't help but wonder that if purple was what she turned when she was pissed, what color she would turn if I choked her for even thinking she could take down my Human Spirit.

I caught myself before I said anything of the sort, telling myself—even my inner voice was cold—that Raveamon was against me now, and it would be good if Ranamon was tough enough to take her down, or at least put up a halfway-decent fight. If she was, then that would mean she'd be simple to defeat, or else the Water Warrior would've already done that for me.

But I knew better.

Raveamon was built for warfare, crafted to be quick and swift, but to hold mass amounts of energy and muscle; AncientRaiafemon had made sure of that because she'd never thought that Cherubimon would be so bold as to infect a Human Spirit. But what else had she expected? I couldn't blame her though; it was my fault as well since I hadn't thought that he would do such a thing either. Her wings were like a kind of light-weight iron, and that was without using the Guardian's Shield defense. She'd once had a heart that cared for all, felt no hatred except to those who hated, but that was the past. Now, she had no heart at all, I could sense that much, for it was the only important thing that she lacked.

"Thou art quieter than what is normal, at least for thine own level of typicality," It hadn't needed to hear his voice to know that it was Mercurymon, calling me a weirdo in his ancient tongue. All I'd need was a record of what he's said, unless Ranamon decided to take a class on the olden days when people other than Mercurymon still talked like that. Back then, Toaster-Destroyer probably went around saying, 'Sup, my peep?'.

Usually when people noted you were a little shorter on words than what you ordinarily were, it was out of concern for how you were feeling. But the way Mercurymon said it as he approached me, it was as if he wanted to take his anger and humiliation for being turned down by Raveamon out on me, thinking maybe that she might feel some of the pain that I did. That was impossible, of course, but a tin can could hope.

Picking me up by the collar of my shirt, Mercurymon held me up in the air so I had to look down at his face. I could see a slight reflection of myself in his face, and it was like seeing someone that had just been taken off of a deserted island. My face had a few bruises here and there and was covered in dirt, my hair sticky with mud that had probably been the cause of dirt and blood. The bright, healthy green that my eyes had once been was faded and dark with exhaustion, though I really didn't feel any of it. Maybe I was running on adrenaline.

"Tis a shock, when one looks in the mirror and can barely recognize thine own face," Mercurymon's words were true, but that didn't make him any less annoying. He didn't know anything about how I felt, who I was, or what I planned to do. I knew he could see the tire in my eyes, but that was all he knew of me. But Raveamon did. Had each of them been given a short version of everything that would take me down, make me weak? "Perhaps thy brain is suffocated," Before I could do anything to stop him, Mercurymon had taken the Verre Collar from around my neck, dropping me to the ground in the process.

I landed shakily on my feet, my exhaustion hitting me head-on now that the Verre Collar had been removed. It must have some kind of effect on my body, that's why I didn't feel all the pain or fatigue that I should've been. Mercurymon looked at the collar, running a metallic finger over each of the verres, whispering softly to himself, "At last…it's finally mine. I can almost feel her power…"

It seemed to me that if Mercurymon thought there was a person within those stones, he needed a mental check-up. But what if he meant that there was a Spirit of some kind in there? With a skeptical expression and a hesitant question in my voice, I asked him, unsure who this 'she' was (I'd probably been told before, but I couldn't remember for the life of me), "What are you talking about? They're just stones with powers. That's it, there's no person in them—"

"That shows just how far thine own knowledge extends past thy name," Mercurymon interrupted brusquely, his attention still surrounding the Verre Collar, one finger reaching up to stroke one of the small gems. He was just about to touch it, but suddenly his face took a bit more of a serious attitude and he fisted the collar, his gaze returning to me. There was deadliness to his featureless face that sent a shudder down my spine; his lack of eyes told me he wasn't afraid to do anything, for eyes were windows to the soul, and if there were no eyes, there was no soul. "Let us take our newest guest out to meet the others, shall we, Ranamon?"

His blue ally earned a wicked little smile as she came up to stand beside Mercurymon, pretending that she could tower over me like he could despite her practically being my height. She raised one of her arms, her finger pointing towards the sky as a dark cloud began to form above her finger. "Allow me. Draining Rain!" The black cloud hurtled across the short distance, resting over my head like the clouds in the human world seemed to sometimes. Rain of the darkest blue I'd ever seen before poured down upon me, pelting any ounce of strength that I had and dragging me to the ground along with it as it ran in rivers off of my skin and dripped off of my clothes.

Knowing that this would be a weak moment on my part, Ranamon and Mercurymon both grabbed one of my wrists and dragged me across the room to a different door. When they opened it, a felt a rush of cold air chill my skin, but the soft sensation faded as they dragged me across the dirt a little ways before dropping my hands. I was about to give getting up a shot when Mercurymon had me by the throat, putting something that was tight and cold around my neck before beginning to walk away from me.

I'd assumed that it had just been his hands on my neck, so a wave of astonishment and dread passed over me when I heard a clinking sound as I struggled onto my knees. Looking down and putting a hand to my neck at the same time, I saw that there was a metal pole sticking out of the ground a few feet away from me with a chain tied around it, the chain connected to a thick metal collar around my neck, probably supposed to be some kind of mockery for the Verre Collar, or remind me that it wasn't with me. I should've felt petrified that it wasn't here, but I didn't. I barely even knew what it did anyways, so why worry about it. I had no way to get it back even if I did.

But what about Wereraiomon? Ranamon and Mercurymon weren't around, and they'd been careless enough to forget about my D-Tector. Besides, Zoe, JP, and Tommy were a couple of yards away from me, chained to a wall, and I could see their D-Tectors from here as they were being inspected by a group of Datamon. If I spirit evolved to Wereraiomon now, I could get everyone out of here before either of the two evil Warriors could figure out what had happened.

However, apparently Zoe had other plans, and they involved yelling at me. I could feel the heat of her rage in her voice, and for a moment I wasn't really sure what I'd done, but then I thought for another second, and I knew. I'd done everything wrong. "How could you have possibly been captured? You're supposed to be the one who knows what's all going on and when, so how in the world did you get yourself caught? I swear, you're just never going to learn, are you?" Usually her words would've fanned the ember of my own anger, but this time…it wouldn't light. I didn't feel like arguing with her.

A small smile lingered on my lips, and I lowered my head so I didn't have to look up at Zoe. If I'd had the time, I would've explained everything, but I didn't have all day, so I summed it up into the best summary I could give, "Sorry, Zoe. I didn't expect Raveamon to come up from out of nowhere and grab me, so…here I am, chained to the ground…" I tugged at the chain, accidentally bopping myself in the nose by grabbing too much of the chain and not realizing how close to my face my hand had been.

Zoe stared at me as if I'd just slapped her in the face. I'd expected her to all me a liar and ignore me from here on out, but she just looked at me, her green eyes filled with confusion like mine were a lot. Now that I thought about it, the hues of our eyes were really alike, both green and lively, but exhausted beyond all reason on the inside. I'd been right in thinking that we really weren't that different.

"You…Did you just say you were sorry? Sorry for…being kidnapped by your own Human Spirit?" Despite her hands being stuck in one of those old-fashioned handcuffs, she tried to point at me. There was a complete disbelief for all that she was hearing that almost made me laugh. Zoe had apparently never expected to hear words like that directed at her coming out of my mouth.

I shrugged, knowing how it sounded, especially from her side. The Warriors of Ice and Thunder seemed just as confused as she did since they hadn't been there when Raveamon had been separated from me. They might've seen her come flying in with me, though, unless she'd come from the other direction. "I got some help from a friendly little light, and he found a way to get her evil essence from mine, so…now she's got a physical form, and I'm not sure which was worse. But I won't be around you guys anymore now, so I can keep her away from you. We've just gotta get out of here first—"

"We don't have our D-Tectors," JP interceded in the conversation, finally getting up the courage to now that he knew this wasn't going to break into a huge fight like it almost always used to. I could see the relief on Tommy's face as well. "There's not much that we can do without them." A wave of defeat and depression fell over all of their faces, their eyes becoming downcast as they pondered how hopeless it was.

But I still had my trump card. I just had to be careful with it.

I wanted to use it right then and there, wipe the frowns from their faces for once instead of being the one to put them there, but I couldn't. I could almost feel the air grow tense as Mercurymon and Ranamon walked up from behind me, maybe it was because they had a feeling I knew something they didn't, and they didn't like that. But it was hard to be sure, so I kept my eyes on the ground as they walked by me.

Ranamon stopped in front of the three Legendary Warriors, her gaze hard and aggravated. She turned to Mercurymon and asked in a sinister little voice, making me glance up at her from the ground, "Since our last session of torture didn't turn out quite how I'd planned, it is alright if I do something a little more drastic?" I could feel my skin prickling as I rose to my feet, feeling a sudden surge of power rush through me even without the Verre Collar. It was the sensation that every Sentinel got when they were scared to death.

"Over my dead body!" I tried to lunge forward at the both of them, but my offense was cut short so unexpectedly that I fell over backwards, gasping for each intake of oxygen. The chain wasn't long enough for me to reach them, and there was no way that I could break it or get it off of the chain. There was nothing I had left to do but sit there and see what happened, or spirit evolve and avoid it. Struggling back to my feet and ignoring the snickers of the two dark Legendary Warriors, I chose quickly: I'd wait to see what Ranamon would do.

Returning his attention from my poor attempt to get at them back to Ranamon, Mercurymon's reply was just as sickly sweet to my ears as Ranamon's had been. Maybe even worse. "Do as you wish," I wanted so badly to rip him apart, shatter every part of him that was breakable and melt the rest. But I couldn't do that right now; I had to wait, and that was something that I needed a bit of practice with.

Ranamon turned back to the three humans, and pointed directly at JP. "You, sweet thing," My concern was staring to bore a hole through my skin and into my very organs. Was there nothing that I could do without giving away my possession of a D-Tector? It killed me to think that this was how everyone else must've felt whenever I took the fall for someone else, but that was what I had to do, it was my duty. They, on the other hand, didn't have to go through this. They didn't have to hurt because it was my job to hurt for them.

My reckless, thoughtless nature took over me, and I embraced the essence of the Sentinel within me, feeling the courage and strength of every Sentinel I'd ever seen or heard of before rushing through my veins, filling me with hope. I snatched my D-Tector from my pocket, and was just about to Beast Spirit Evolve when I heard the snap of an arrow being released. Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw Obstimon standing in the doorway of the fort; he was just lowering his bow, and the arrow was aimed right at me.

Or, more specifically, my D-Tector.

The sharp point crashed into the screen, sending it flying from my hand and straight into Mercurymon's. The Warrior of Steel pulled the thin weapon from the device, looking at the black and white D-Tector that now lay in his hand. All of my hope faded from me, knowing deep within me that there was no way that the Digivice could work if the arrow had pierced it in that way, having completely shattered the screen. I wasn't sure things could get much worse than this.

But, of course, if you say that, it only means you don't want to be there when things really do get worse. "A pity, really, that thy mind deceived thee in such a way, for you had no chance against myself and my brethren," To emphasize his point, Mercurymon proceeded to crush my D-Tector completely in his hand, the pieces falling to the ground before vaporizing themselves into tiny data particles that faded into the atmosphere.

For a slight moment, Mercurymon turned from me and directed his attention to Obstimon, a thankful smile upon his face as he called over to the archer, "Your assistance is appreciated, my quiver-wielding ally. Lord Cherubimon has truly gifted thy existence." My enemy didn't seem very pleased with the Legendary Warrior's thanks, probably not having wanted it at all. It seemed like he hadn't even wanted to shoot my D-Tector with his arrow, and hell, I hadn't either.

I stared at the spot where my D-Tector had dropped, had turned to something smaller than dust, my eyes wide with horror. It was like watching your last line of defense fall before your eyes, or witnessing the death of millions and feeling the pain of every last one of them. For a moment, I prayed to anyone who would listen to tell me I was dreaming, to force me to wake up, make all this go away, do something. But no, no one was going to do anything to help me now. I'd wasted every other chance I got, and now…

There was nothing I could do but watch as my friends suffered because of another of my stupid mistakes.

Dropping to my knees, I slammed my fists into the dirt, gritting my teeth against the pain inside and out, mentally shouting at myself for always being this way, always doing the wrong thing and screwing up. What are you supposed to do now, huh, Toshiku? Are you just going to sit there and watch your friends get hurt, maybe have a few laughs with Mercurymon about it? Give it up before you get yourself killed, you know you can't spirit evolve and you don't stand a chance without it.

I felt sick as I realized the way I was talking to myself. Had this been what Raveamon had worked off of? My very own thoughts? There were all kinds of things that were wrong with me, and I knew that. The darkness wasn't completely gone, only Raveamon's share of it was. But that didn't mean I was going to succumb to it again. No, I'm not just going to sit here, and I'm not going to give up. I know I need a Spirit, but I don't have one and there's nothing else I can do. I need to stop Ranamon before she hurts them.

JP's sudden scream of pain shook me from my thoughts, and I leapt to my feet and charged Ranamon, ignoring the fact that the chain was too short for me to reach them. I only succeeded in suffocating myself again, and apparently I had to do that twice before I realized that doing that wasn't going to get my anywhere. Grabbing ahold of the thick, cold metal, I yanked on it as hard as I could, putting everything that I had into pulling it back. No matter how far underground that pole went, I was going to get free. I had to if I was going to help them.

"Toshiku, watch out for Mercurymon!" Tommy's warning didn't register fast enough in my mind for me to be able to evade his grasp. Holding me by the chain, the Warrior of Steel lifted me into the air, letting me dangle and choke. My fingers attempted to pry the collar from around my throat, but were to no avail. It was too tight for me to get it off, and my mind was too foggy to figure out how to undo the binding on it.

There was a sick, twisted smile on Mercurymon's face as he watched me struggle, ignoring the shouts of the three other Warriors. Even Ranamon had stopped to watch as he strangled me, her face showing that she was intoxicated by how malevolent he could be. "Thy friends may help you fight my brethren, and thy Human Spirit may not wish to battle something as pathetic as you, but I don't mind seeing thy thrashing, like a firefly in a jar—"

"A firefly that could take you down in one shot," My eyes were shut tightly because of the lack of oxygen in my brain, but I recognized Lobomon's voice. Air suddenly rushed into my lungs at the same time a metallic clang rang off, and a series of cheers echoed from the three captive Warriors. Ranamon tried to silence them by attempting to use of her attack on them again, but she wasn't fast enough and ended up being kicked away from them by Lobomon.

As everything rushed back into my awareness, I rolled from my back onto my stomach, rising slowly to my feet. Mercurymon was just about to walk by me towards Lobomon, and I did what anyone would want to: Jumped up and punched him right in the face. Hard. Hell, I'll admit it probably hurt me a heck of a lot more than it did him, but it felt good to know I had to have at least smudged his face. I felt okay about having done that until he hit me back. A lot harder.

I fell onto the ground again, my ribcage throbbing from the impact with his mirror-shield. The Warrior cast me a loathing glance that wished it could kill, but did nothing more. He continued towards Lobomon, no evil smile on his face for once. I heard Ranamon say something about manners, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Mercurymon. He was the one I was worried about. "And so," His voice held no emotion, no hint at what he planned to do, and it was probably the worst sound I'd heard. "The fourth Warrior hath joined us."

Lobomon gave him no reply, merely stared him down with those gleaming red eyes that threatened pain to anyone who hurt someone he cared for. I could see a few scratches till on his armor from our battle, and I instantly felt a pang of guilt for having done that much damage to him. He was probably hiding so much more. I'm sorry, Koji. It's all my fault, and I can't even do anything to help you fight them besides shout a bunch of verbal threats.

I was very tempted to use one of those threats on Mercurymon, but they took their battle to the roof of the castle-fort-thing before I had the chance. I could hear the fight commencing, but I couldn't look, I didn't need to. Lobomon was outmatched, Ranamon having a Beast Spirit and Mercurymon being strong enough even if he didn't appear to have one. With my fists clenched, I bowed my head and stared at the ground, not knowing what to do. I had no D-Tector, and Raveamon wasn't on my side anymore. Who did I have left to help me fight?

But…what about AncientRaiafemon? I stared up at the sky, wind beginning to blow around me, lifting my hair up off of my shoulders and making it swirl around my face. I'd taken so much power from her; did I even want to ask her for more assistance? All that she'd need to do was send Wereraiomon's Spirit from the shattered D-Tector and straight into me, like Raveamon had been. But I wasn't sure how much of her energy that would take, or if she had any left at all. Last time, she'd had a bit of help from the verres to protect me from Mukademon, but this time they were gone too.

I had to look up when I heard the crash of stone being blasted to bits, and part of one of the towers fell to the ground far below. Mercurymon was using his arm-mirrors as shields, sending all of Lobomon's laser blasts in all directs, anywhere but hitting the Warrior of Steel or Calmaramon. "Lobomon needs our help!" Zoe shouted, her tone filled with concern and loathing for her lack of a D-Tector. The Datamon still had all three of them, and were starting to think of new ways to try and get the Spirits out of them.

Tommy's voice held the same trait, except with a bit more reality to his words. "But what can we do?" All of their faces became downcast and distressed at the news flash, and it hurt me to see that they hated this moment just as much as I did. No one wanted to feel useless, like pawns that were ready to be played by the opponent at any time that they pleased in order to make your master suffer.

"Man, if only we could spirit evolve!" JP exclaimed with a touch of sorrow to his voice; it hadn't been very long since I'd last heard his tone like that, and that wasn't a good thing. But the sadness faded to panic and anger when the Datamon found a brand new idea and were preparing to test it out: Throwing the D-Tectors into a pot of steaming hot, molten metal. How did they get that through the force field without any of us noticing? "Hey, you better not throw our D-Tectors in there!" Almost as if to answer him, the Datamon that possess his D-Tector looked at it thoughtfully, an evil little snicker erupting from his lips.

Shimatta, I should've gotten the Digivices back and spirit evolved when I had the chance to. I shouldn't have waited so long; my hesitation gave my enemies the chance to prepare themselves for any offense I might give. But how was I supposed to know that Obstimon was here, or that he would've known I had my D-Tector, unless he thinks that Ranamon and Mercurymon are dumb enough to leave it with me, which they were, but that's beside the point. Kamisama, I just need a way to spirit evolve!

I knew that the only options I had left were to either wait for Takuya and hope to heaven for a miracle, or ask AncientRaiafemon for another favor that she could barely spare the energy for. If I waited for Takuya, Lobomon would be a goner since I had no idea how long it would take the Warrior of Flame to get here from wherever he'd gone off to. But if I were to ask my Ancient Spirit for a hand, I'd be endangering what little life she had left, if any at all.

Reminding myself continually that she'd given me the duty of protecting the Legendary Warriors, not deceased Sentinels, my mind started to give in to the thought of yet again asking for someone to help me when I couldn't just do it myself. This was similar to Raveamon taking over me, with me being completely useless and pathetic and without any way to fight back. I needed someone to break through the dark and give me strength that only the bright essence of light could give, like the white wolf that came running down from the sky.

I'd never truly met the Moon Being before, aside from in my dreams where no one really knew anyone since they were all just fragments of your imagination and not the actual people, but I cared about her well-being as if she were a family member that had been there for me throughout everything, good times and bad. Taking more power from her would only add to the guilt that I felt day in and day out…but it was necessary for the survival of the Legendary Warriors and the revival of the Digital World, wasn't it? And wasn't that what my fate was, to serve them and this world no matter what the cost?

Once, in another of the dreams where I'd seen AncientRaiafemon, she'd said that a Sentinel couldn't let emotions get in the way of what had to be done. Even though she hadn't been talking about or to me, I knew that this bit of logic and wisdom applied to me in this situation. I couldn't sit here and wait for Takuya, for all I knew, he might not even be able to get here. I'll have to look for him if he doesn't show; they can't save the Digital World with only nine Spirits.

With a heavy heart and my decision made, I closed my eyes tightly against the cold wind and bowed my head, not even wanting to look at the sky. It was AncientRaiafemon's domain, the night sky, whether she was dynamic and living or only slightly alive. Even the clouds of the sky showed their feelings through expressions and shapes in the clouds, the sounds the wind made and the way that thunder rumbled as lightning flashed. There didn't seem to be a storm coming, but the intensity of the air was suffocating me in the same way a thunderstorm did.

I wasn't sure if she could hear me all the time when I thought, so with my voice as quiet as I could make it, I whispered with a fast urgency, a few of my words stumbling over others because of the rapid pace and the racing of my heart, "I don't know if you can hear me, or if you're even listening, but I need you right now more than ever. My friends are in trouble or have just plain disappeared, my Human Spirit's forsaken me, the Verre Collar was taken from me, and now my D-Tector has been completely destroyed. I don't know what to do now, and I need…Shimatta, AncientRaiafemon, I need your help.

"I should be strong enough to be able to find a way to do something useful, but I'm a poor replacement for you, and I think you're starting to see that too. Never has there been a time that I lived up to that name, the Sentinel of the Moon, and eternities will pass by before I come anywhere near it. But I've done things that no one would ever be proud of, acted in ways that would make a serial killer sick to his stomach, and I need to do something to show my friends and the whole chikushou Digital World that I'm sorry, that I wish I was some kind of 'Warrior of Time' or something and turn it all back, travel back into the past and warn myself before any of this happened…But I'm not, and I can't.

"So, here I am, a messed-up idiot was acted like a terrorist and a traitor to those I was sworn to protect. But I'm also a messed-up idiot that wants to fix everything, or die trying to. And being able to spirit evolve right now would be the best thing that'll ever happen to me, so, if you're listening…I could really use a helping hand right about now…" After a little while, I ran out of stuff to say, knowing that none of this was really all that new and I thought about the same problems over and over again. But everyone had little pet issues that never seemed to fix themselves no matter how much effort people put into them, because you were so used to having them there all the time to make you as miserable as they could. All of my pains and problems were just another part of me, I guess.

Silence surrounded me. Everything had tuned out on me aside from the swift winds and the gentle whistle as it blew dust off of the ground. I couldn't hear the sizzling of the metal hammers that the Datamon had dropped into the molten metal, and the shouts and comments of the three trapped Warriors had become just another part of the breeze. Thunder was rumbling like a cat's purr in the distance, but the separation was shortening with every second, and soon it circled us in the sky like a vulture, or a lioness stalking her prey before she struck as fast as lightning.

Dark clouds twirled like dancers above us, pouncing at each other with lethal agility and accuracy, each one blacker and more menacing than the other. It was clear that this was no storm that would ever appear in the human world, and I would know, for whenever there was a storm of any kind going on I'd be right there on the window sill watching it progress, silently watching as all of the people ran to their warm homes so they wouldn't be caught in the rain and lightning. It made me hurt inside to know that everyone on that street was moving fast because there was something at their house worth going back to. Whenever I was caught in the rain, I liked to stay in captivity so I didn't have to return to my 'home'.

But I wasn't there anymore, and that was never, nor ever would be my home again. If I got back to the human world alive, there was no way in hell that I would ever go back. Sure, I had no idea where else I would go, but nowhere was better than going back to being a hostage to my own purposelessness. Of course, Rio was there, and it had always seemed like he needed me there, but really, did he? The Legendary Warriors fared just fine without me, only needing a helping hand to assist them in standing every now and then, and that was rare. Did I even have a true purpose anymore, now that everyone knew what they were doing?

Of course I do. Lobomon needs me right now. So do Zoe, JP, and Tommy. And Takuya needs me to protect them in his absence, give them guidance and lead them with him gone. Confidence filled me at my own thoughts—for once—and I rose to my feet, the wind blowing my hair up off of my shoulders, the strands dancing around my face and tickling my dusty skin. I felt like I was Raveamon again, sensing everything that moved around me, every sound, every scent, anything and everything that could be felt living or dead around me. I knew deep in my heart that I would never be able to spirit evolve to her again, and it was like being shot in the heart when the realization hit my brain. But it was reality, and I'd have to learn to deal with it eventually. For now, the memory of her would have to do.

I was pulled from my thoughts when a wall of water rushed through the doors of the fort, leaving Lobomon after it drained away in the ground, leaving only wet dirt and a few puddles here and there. He didn't made a move to get up after the water had left, and that made it pretty clear that he was drained of strength as if his strength had been the water and his skin the dirt.

Ranamon and Mercurymon followed him out of the edifice, though they walked out by their own will and not by that of the riptide. The Warrior of Steel seemed pretty pissed at his blue accomplice. "Have you no control?" Even though he didn't seem that much taller than her from way over here, the green Warrior towered over Ranamon.

"Why are you mad at me? It was your idea!" She-who-is-the-color-of-someone-being-choked retorted, slinking back from Mercurymon with a slightly fearful expression. She knew just as well as everyone else did that he was much stronger than her. It wasn't hard to see; you didn't need to know if he had a Beast Spirit or not, he didn't need one. His method of intimidation worked just as well.

If he'd had eyes, he would've been rolling them as he walked away with an annoyed groan, muttering loud enough for everyone to hear, "I'm surrounded by buffoons…" Ranamon didn't seem too put off by the comment, it was like this was something that he said on a regular basis and she thought he was kidding. Or she couldn't understand his 'accent'. But the humorous way that they acted around each other faded from my conscious when I saw where Mercurymon was headed: Straight for Lobomon.

Fear and agony tore at my heart as I did the same to the chain and collar around my throat. I was hurting my own neck by how hard I tugged at the metallic band, but I didn't care because keeping me safe wasn't the goal here, it never had been. Koji had always been the one I guarded night and day, my eyes never leaving him for fear that he would be harmed, and in the end everything went after him. I suppose I had that coming, but hell, it sucked anyways. That was why I had to separate myself from all of them while still being their Sentinel at the same time, so that no harm befell them that wasn't destined to.

"Lobomon!" I saw that I wasn't the only one fearing for the White Warrior when JP's voice sounded through the silence, slicing through the air as if nothing were there to stop it. The sound reverberated in my ears like someone was slamming on a drum with all their power, hitting a gong with every ounce of their being. It hit me in a way that told me this was my fault in ways I never could've prevented it, and I didn't understand. Why did I have to blame myself for this, for all of it? I hadn't known…what was I supposed to do?

Struggling to his knees just as Mercurymon stopped in front of him, Lobomon hung his head weakly, his whole body trembling with pain and exhaustion. His words quivered and shook like his form as he spoke in the same drained tone, "Give me your best shot…" My hands were starting to become numb with how much effort I was putting into dragging up the chain, though I knew I'd never achieve what I wanted. The pillar the chain was fastened to, who knew how far it went down, how strong it was. And I certainly wasn't strong enough on my own to break the chain or the collar.

With an evil laugh commencing from the bowels of his being, Mercurymon's voice sounded sickly sweet, as if he were following his master's orders, but planning to stab him in the back the moment his gaze was elsewhere, "As you wish," Hot, angry tears sprung to my eyes when Mercurymon's foot collided with Lobomon's face. A cry of pain shot from his lips as he fell again to the ground, this time making no effort to rise again. Mercurymon's wicked laugh resounded in the utter silence, drowning in it like a single lamp in a dark, dark world.

I wanted to shut him up, make him pay, do something to repress the scream of internal anguish in my throat. There was absolutely nothing that I wanted more than to rip that rokudenashi to pieces, melt him in the pot of molten metal. Suddenly, it felt as if I'd been shot in the heart with some kind of needle, the stinging feeling sending a numbing sensation all over my body as more thunder rumbled and a few bold flashes of lightning unleashed their power upon the sky, rendering it helpless against their supremacy. A voice as quiet as the wind itself rode on the thunder itself, coming to me in my mind through the brightness of the lightning, "Go, do your job and do it well. Do not fail."

Almost instantly bright blue light surrounded me, and when I saw the Digital World next it was through Wereraiomon's gem-hued eyes. I wasn't sure what the metallic collar had been made of to be able to reshape itself in order to fit my huge Beast Spirit, but it was no longer as strong as it had been to a mere human being. With a menacing bawl and a single thrash, the chain's many links shattered and the collar broke apart into pieces. I won't let you down, AncientRaiafemon. I refuse to be defeated.

Unleashing the anguished scream that had been within my throat this long while, I rushed at Mercurymon faster than I ever had before. Before anyone had a chance to figure out what the hell had just happened, I was on top of Mercurymon. With another raging bellow, I slammed a heavy paw into him, sending him flying into Ranamon, who wasn't exactly pleased to have such a heavy, pointy ally fall on her.

I took on a much more gentle nature as I sprung over to Lobomon, not really knowing just how bad the extent of his injuries was. Nudging his shoulder gently with my nose as a small whining noise slipped from my mouth, I got a bit of a groan out of him, showing that he was awake but not without a heaping helping of agony. My long pink tongue ran across his face in an attempt to wake him up a bit more, and it must've done something to help since the next thing I knew I heard another moan as Lobomon rose shakily to his feet.

Holding onto my muzzle ever so slightly to help steady him, the White Wolf Warrior looked into my eyes, truly seeing that I'd spirit evolved to my Beast without my D-Tector. There was much confusion in not only him but everyone around us, the two dark Warriors included. Lobomon was about to say something—probably something having to do with the whole D-Tector-less-ness thing—but Mercurymon's voice sounded first, cutting him off, "Remarkable, really, the way you squander such talents, waste them by serving these poor excuses for Legendary Warriors. It's truly an insult to the very Digital World—"

"Shut it, Mercurymon. I don't care or want to know what you think," I barked with a threatening snarl, taking a step towards him. Both of the other Warriors moved back a little ways, obviously wary of what I might be able to do. I still had to be a little careful, though; they couldn't leave without me getting the Verre Collar back first. "This isn't my power, and I have no interest in serving Cherubimon anymore. I never should've doubted my loyalty to my friends, to the true Legendary Warriors." My emphasis on 'true' clearly enraged the both of them, but Ranamon's attention was stolen from my grasp for a moment as the winds and rapid twirling of the clouds began to grow, a soft chill forming on the heavy breeze.

The chill turned to a frigid cold as snow began to fall, accompanying the thunder and the ever-threatening winds. The sudden change of temperature set off a strange change in my emotion, sending a surge of confidence throughout my body that told me—no, commanded me—to fight. Right now. With one last glance at Lobomon, I turned from him to fully face Mercurymon, my fur ruffling up my spine with aggravation at the very sight of him. It made me sick to think of all the misery he'd put all of us through just for kicks, so he could feel something. If that hunk of metal even could feel anything at all.

My black lips curled back to reveal my sparkling white teeth, which seemed even brighter due to the falling snow. With another loud bark erupting from my lips, I leapt at Mercurymon, Ranamon quickly dashing away from him so she wouldn't be dragged into the fight. I slashed at the metallic being, but he deflected my advance by shielding himself from my razor-sharp claws using his mirror-shield.

Circling him like a lioness does a sickly, old antelope, I barred my teeth at him, knowing that it would be considered suicide to look away from such a powerful being for even half of a second. His gaze, however, didn't follow me, as if he thought he was calling my bluff, since I hadn't attacked yet. Going around behind him, I hoped that he wasn't expecting an advance as I raised my head, the glittering white energy filling my mouth and throat yet again. "Nova Star!" Letting it loose from my lips, the huge ball of pulsating light crashed into an unsuspecting Mercurymon who'd obviously thought that he'd caught me at a time when striking was the last thing on my mind.

He cried out as dust and smoke buffeted him and reduced his vision to practically nothing, which was only amplified by the snowfall. It was nice—for once—to hear someone else's screams of pain, someone who actually deserved the hurt. Out of the corner of my eye, I could've sworn I saw the Verre Collar shoot off and land somewhere in the dirt and snow, but when I made a move to go and see if that was really what it had been, Mercurymon's arm broke through the smoke as if it had been water, and he aimed his mirror-shield at me.

"Dark Reflection!" With a blinding flash of light, an orb that was the exact same style as my Nova Star blast came rocketing from the mirror, hurtling towards me with lightning speed. I knew I wasn't fast enough to evade it no matter what I tried, so I braced myself for the impact, tightening every muscle in my body to keep myself from falling when it did collide with my side.

The sound of a sudden rush of wind overpowered the surge of my own attack, and when I looked back at the impending offense, a powerful wind blew it off of its course and into the side of a rock instead of me. I knew that that wasn't any ordinary breeze, and when I looked back to the direction of where it had come from, I was surprised to see Kazemon standing there, just beginning to regain her composure from using such an attack to lend me a helping hand. Kumamon was at her side. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of the other Warriors—Agunimon included—fighting Ranamon. If we can corner them together, it'll be a lot easier than destroying them one by one...but I think I'm going to need Kumamon and Kazemon's help…

A single glance over at the both of them was all it took for them to get the gist of the plan and become more than willing to give me a hand. It was almost hard to believe that the three of us were really getting along when only a night or so ago we were practically at each other's throats. We were finally working together as the team we had always been meant to be, none of us trying to be the hero and risking everyone's lives. All of us, we knew what to do now, for we'd been with each other for just the right amount of time, fought at each other's side and fought each other long enough to know. We were all one with each other, and with our Digimon Spirits. But why do I still feel all alone then? I can barely feel them here with me.

Trying desperately to shake all thoughts from my head, I advanced against Mercurymon again, this time with Kumamon and Kazemon at my right and my left. Kumamon went in first, the snow falling around him making his white fur seem much brighter, almost like it was healthier and much sleeker. Like he was stronger than he ever had been before, not counting when he'd first used his Beast Spirit. "Blizzard Blaster!" Raising his green gun, multiple blobs of snow formed ice around Mercurymon's feet, freezing him in place without anywhere to go.

Kazemon came in for a strike after glancing at me to see if I would take him out now, but I gave a slight shake of my head and she rushed in without a second thought. "Tempest Twist!" She exclaimed as she pulled a handstand and sent rapid kicks into the metal Warrior. The ice broke from around his feet and legs, and as he began to fall to the ground, I came up from behind him again, and slammed my heavy paw onto him, my strong claws making deep gashes in the green metal that made up his shoulder.

All three of us stood with our gazes locked upon him as we allowed him to stand, knowing full well that there was no way that he stood a chance against all three of us at one time and we could easily have destroyed him right here and now. He, seeing that he was greatly outnumbered, backed away as quickly as his feet would allow him, and we pursued him, pressing him to keep going lest he fall under our offense again.

With Kumamon and Kazemon walking on either side of me, it was even more obvious who I served, who I would always serve. I was the Legendary Warriors' beast, and I would forever own that title. That was one thing that no one could take from me no matter how far down into the black they wanted to drag me, or how far away from my friends they tried to pull me. It was like severing the moon from the sky. It just wouldn't happen.

Just as Mercurymon returned to Calmaramon's side, she took a precautious step back and asked in a panicking voice, "How did ya'll get so strong?" The three of us stopped next to the other three Warriors, forming a kind of stance like a little army. I was the only one in a Beast Spirit form, but that didn't bother me. Taking up the rear of our regiment, I could see the water particles in my breath rushing out before my nostrils every time that I breathed, and I could see the others' breath as well. It was a good feeling, knowing they were all alive, as strange as that sounded.

Agunimon's voice was stronger than it had ever been before as he called out over to them, his vocals reverberating loudly despite the roaring winds and pounding thunder, "We have a stronger ally than you could ever imagine!" Holding up an arm perpendicular to his armored chest, fire surged serenely from the little holes that were almost randomly placed on his wrists and feet. The red and orange heat billowed and blew around unpredictably in the breeze.

The Warrior of Steel seemed to get the idea behind the snow, thunder, and wind before his watery friend. The astonishment that Agunimon had been clever enough to be able to come to such a conclusion—not to mention what kind of power it took to bring about nature's force to do one's bidding—evident in his voice as he exclaimed, "They're using the forces of nature to amplify their attacks! The Master will be displeased…" Either Mercurymon was very, very loyal to Cherubimon, so much so that he hated to fail, or Cherubimon wasn't exactly a forgiving lord.

"Forget the Master!" Calmaramon was obviously unconcerned about either outcome, and was much more aware of the eminent reality of being destroyed by our inconceivable power, for the two of them—the whole Digital World, even—had never seen our group at this level before. It was almost like this were some kind of dream, and one false move would cause all of us to awaken and see the true danger that we were in. But it wasn't happening. "What about us?"

I couldn't stop a small snarl from escaping my lips, the thrill of this long-lasting battle finally coming to a close that was nearing faster and faster invigorating me to the point that I was starting to become a bit arrogant at heart. But it wasn't that bad, it would fade, I knew it. It just showed how ecstatic I was about defeating the Warriors of Water and Steel. "Will you stop sniveling, woman?" Mercurymon shouted at Calmaramon after seeing the change in my persona, knowing that I thought that they were as good as beaten. But he didn't seem to realize that they were. There was no chance in hell that I would let such an opportunity go by without springing at it. I knew for a fact that the Legendary Warriors at my side would agree full heartedly.

Letting out a deafening battle cry that sent empowering ripples through my spine and to all of my muscles and cells, Agunimon slammed his fists together with a sound that was louder and more threatening than the thunder itself. "You won't defeat us ever again!" With a roar surging from his very soul, fire shot out from his hands when he made punching motions at the two of them, and despite the lack of foliage to catch the flames, the ground was soon overwhelmed by hues and red, orange, and blinding yellow.

Trying desperately to curl her tentacles away from the fire, Calmaramon turned to Mercurymon, who was trying to shield himself from the flames that surrounded the both of them. "Well, now what do we do?" I could smell fish frying on the breeze, but the fact that such a scent was coming from Calmaramon made me sick to my stomach. It was all I could do not to retch on Beetlemon.

"Retreat, and regroup." Mercurymon didn't seem completely pleased about such an outcome, but he saw now that it was the only thing that they could do to refrain from being destroyed and live to fight against us another day. Without another second passing by, the metallic man snapped his fingers and disappeared into his mirrors, which stunned the hell out of me. I'd really been looking forward to tearing that rokudenashi into itty bitty little pieces. Apparently, that wasn't the plan.

Calmaramon rushed away from us with a pathetic little scream, throwing herself over the edge of a cliff and rushing down it as if she were swimming down and down to hide in the deep darkness of the ocean's abyss. The only thing that I wanted to do was go rushing after her, but I knew deep in my own heart that I had other business to attend to: Guarding the Legendary Warriors, watching for any signs of Raveamon, the like. But Calmaramon's parting words told me that she'd be back, that both of them would eventually, "You little brats! This isn't over!" Sweet. I'll be here.

As soon as they were one-hundred-percent sure that the evil Warriors were gone for good, the five Legendary Warriors raised their fists and let out a triumphant shout. A smile of my own formed on my wolfish face, and I couldn't help but let out an earsplitting howl of my own. The Digimon that I'd fought beside this whole while covered their ears against the loud sound, but when I finished it, they laughed and did their own little imitations of my howl, which I couldn't help but smile at. But it began to fade when I realized two things: the Verre Collar was gone, and I had to leave the Legendary Warriors now.

I had to separate myself from them emotionally. It would be best for all of us, even though an exact reason was escaping my mind. Maybe it would help to protect them, for there would be no connection between us with which our enemies could use against me. Once upon a time, I'd been able to make such good excuses to get away from people, from everyone, but now…the only thing I wanted was to be loved like everyone else was. I was human, and that's the one vital thing that every being needs desperately. Food, water, shelter, none of it matters unless one is loved.

And here I was, forcing everyone who'd ever tried to love me away. But I just couldn't stop. I didn't want to.

Turning from them with my eyes downcast and my head hung slightly, I started to make my way across the colorless dust, the particles of the Digital World such an unhealthy gray that it constantly reminded me just how ill and hurt the world was, and everything that existed in and on it. It made me hurt inside to think of all the others that had hurt to bring this world so much pain, as if it could feel their pain. And mine.

"Toshiku?" I came to a sudden stop when Kazemon's voice called out after me, and I heard the fluttering of her wings as she came up to my side. If I'd been able to see her eyes, I wouldn't have had to listen for the confusion in her voice. "Where are you going? We just beat them, you don't have to go and fight again!" For once in the whole time that I'd known Kazemon, she sounded genuinely concerned about me, and I didn't choose to mistake it for an attempt at getting me to do whatever it is that she wanted me to. She just wanted me to be safe.

With an exasperated sigh, I half-turned to face the floating fairy Digimon, tire in my eyes from thinking of a way to explain this that would move her to just let me go. So far, I wasn't coming up with much. "Zoe, I…There are some things in this world, between Sentinels and Legendary Warriors, that must be done in order to reach each of our full potentials. I have to…umm," My mind was starting to draw a blank on clever things to say, and it was starting to become clear that the only thing that I could really say was the cold, hard truth.

A final sigh escaped quietly from my nose in a last attempt to calm my nerves enough to level out my voice. I didn't want to sound thrilled about leaving, and I didn't want to show that I was on the edge of a breakdown either. Because neither was completely true. "…I have to separate myself from you guys sentiment-wise, all Sentinels have to learn that after a while. It just took a lot of pain, and a hell of a lot of time for me to figure it out. And I'm sorry, but I—"

"…You don't have to be sorry, Toshiku," I was surprised as hell when Kazemon cut off my apology, before she couldn't get enough of me saying that I was wrong. Why was she going around telling me to stop now? Had she gone through this huge change when I'd been away? "You're a Sentinel, different from us in a way, and I know that that means that there are some things that you've got to do differently. And even though I hate to have to stand by and let you go off on your own…" Her face rose again from looking at the ground to meet mine again, and there was a sad smile on her face. I'd never seen such an expression on her face, at least not aimed at me. "But if you think that it'll help you sort your life out and figure some things out for yourself, then I…I think I can let a friend like you go off by yourself for a while. But don't you get to thinking that you're off the hook, because I'll come and get you if you're ever in danger."

I couldn't stop staring at Kazemon. Had she just…decided to let me leave? Without so much as an argument? For a moment, I could've sworn that she was just yanking on my leg, trying to break down this one hope that I'd had. But then, why would she have thought of such a reason for me wanting to go off on my own? What the hell would've given Zoe the idea that I thought I needed to change myself, find something that would help me sort everything out? Of course, that was the only thing I'd wanted for a long time now…but I'd never said anything about it to anyone that would've mentioned it to her.

Or did she know me a lot better than I'd ever known her? Had she tried, while I just sat back and did what I could to hate everything about her?

With those thoughts now plaguing me as well, I began to turn from her, but then her voice rang out again, "Oh, Toshiku, wait! I almost forgot something!" I'd barely had time to stop before Kazemon was putting something around my neck, sending my brain into a slight state of panic. But I calmed when she came back down from above me and hovered in front of me with a sweet, but sad smile upon her face again. "I found the Verre Collar on the ground when you were first fighting Mercurymon, so I picked it up, hoping that I'd have the chance to get it back to you since I know how important it is to you. I figured that you would be pretty beat-up about losing it."

Glancing down ever so slightly, I saw that she wasn't lying, and the Verre Collar really was there again, resting above my fur like it always had been before. Each of the verres seemed to sparkle as almost all of the Elements shot and danced all around them. I could feel their power weaving through me again, and I recalled now just how much of my soul was made up of what they gave up. All of my exhaustion and physical pain seemed to numb and numb until they were just dull throbs, and soon I couldn't feel it at all.

Returning my attention to Kazemon, I gave her an appreciative smile as a thank-you, something that I wasn't sure that I'd ever really done before. Well, I doubt that I have, 'cause when was the last time that I cared if Zoe was here or not? My mind was right, but it only reminded me of how cold I'd been to her, how I'd ignored and loathed her every chance I'd gotten. It hurt me inside, where the verres couldn't protect me, but I tried to ignore it as I started away from Kazemon and the others again, glad that none of the other Warriors had made a move to come after me.

As Kazemon started back towards the others, Beetlemon and Agunimon rushed forward to meet her, trying to get around her to chase after me. Spoke too soon. I'd better get out of here before they catch up. Despite the amount of distance I could cover when I ran, I could still hear their words, all of their voices—except Kazemon's—racing with anxiety and shaken by my leaving so suddenly.

Agunimon was the only one to piece all of these feelings together to find words. "Zoe, let me go after her! Why is she leaving, what happened? What the heck is going on?" His words were all blending together with the speed of his questions, but I knew that it was because of how he felt for me. If it had been him instead of Kazemon that I'd spoken with only a moment before, there wouldn't be any chance of me getting out of here. Fate sure knows us well.

The Warrior of Wind was much harder to hear, but I could still sense her voice somehow, and I could almost feel what she was saying as if the notes were being played in my soul like a piano or a guitar. It was a sad song. "We have to let her go her own way for a little while, Takuya. She needs some time to sort some things out, you know, like you did. You may not have realized it, but you sure seem like you've changed for the better. I think…Toshiku saw the change and you…and she's wondering to herself, 'If Takuya can find a way to be a better him, where is the real me? Who am I anyways?'

"We just need to give her a bit of time. Everyone needs to be alone every now and then, I suppose." Tears sprung to my werewolf eyes as her words began to reverberate in my head, banging around as if they were coated with steel. My whole soul and heart combined hurt so much for a second I thought I was going to end up stumbling because of the inner agony. How can you know me better than I know myself, Zoe? I never let you in, and yet you seem to read me as if you were there my whole life, as if you were a sister to me. How do you know me? And better yet, why did you spend so much time learning about someone that you could barely stand to be around?

And there you have it, Chapter 23. Up next, that not-so-Sakkakumon-Sakkakumon-episodes! The 'not-so' part comes from the fact that I'm not exactly sure if Toshiku is going to actually get sucked up into Sakkakumon with the others or if she's going to have her own little thing go on in a different way that I can't tell you guys about since it'll take up like five chapters. So, if you guys have a preference (Sakkakumon or go with different route) you can let me know in your review because that would really give me a hand, but if not then I'll figure something out depending on how it all falls into place. Nevertheless, thanks for reading and please review, and hopefully I will have some of the 'Sakkakumon' chapters done a bit faster.