Bonjuor, I am Eliane Debre, a Chosen Child from France, though I am staying with DATS in Japan, learning how to be a Chosen from my late Aunt Catherine's friends. I suffer from the disease, Second Black Death, which is eating away at my skin. I always felt ugly, and no one even wanted to be my friend because of it, but I made a friend in Yasu Ishida, a best friend.
When we were fighting Rei and Lotsumon to stop her from taking Asami, we connected together, and our partners evolved together to become Machgaogamon. Asami realized her own limitations and managed to evolve her Leormon to his Fully Evolved from, Grappleomon! Yet, even though we had two Fully Evolved digimon, we were still not able to defeat her.
Kenji, Akira, Lizzie and the Hunters defeated the two Ancients, but Masa realized that staying with the Hunters would not help his mother, he joined with the DATS team as they came to help us.
Kasumi was still in the land of the dead, and she managed to purify herself of the Gift of Demons, but all those negative qualities merged into the Demon Lord, Sakumi! Kasumi managed to rush past GranDracmon and return to Earth, and now she's heading to help us as well.
Mr. Yagami, Mr. Ishida, and Mr. Yamaki were able to get DATS reopened, but they had to give up the list of secret DATS teams.
With so many people coming to our aide, I only hope we will still be alive when they get here.
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Rebirth
Chapter 3
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On Earth, Taichi, Yamato and Mitsuo were racing through traffic to get to the DATS building in the hope their children were still alive. When they finally arrived at the building, they took no notice that the Ministry of Finance agents were no longer guarding the building, but agents of the Ministry of Defense. They nodded at the trio and opened the door for them. They raced through the halls and arrived at the main control area. Reika Ootori and Megumi Onodera were already at their stations, their PawnChessmon were racing around, getting the machinery back online.
"Welcome back sirs," Megumi bowed when she saw them.
"What's going on?" Taichi asked. He mentioned to the large monitor that normally displayed a map of Nedigital, but the screen was blank.
"It's a mess," Reika sighed, "When we were forced to leave, we had to shut everything down, we never did that before. It's going to take some time to get everything up and running again."
"What about Gate capabilities?" Yamato asked.
"Not for a few hours," she sighed. She entered commands into her keyboard, "Now about that screen…"
Her terminal beeped loudly. "Come on," she said, entering the command again, only to be beeped at once more. She slammed her fist into the servers near her stations, and the screen came to life.
"There, that's better," she stared entering commands again, "Now let's hope the scanner still works…"
The screen suddenly displayed an image of a topographical map of a section of Neodigital, with a series of blinking lights. Reika used a laser pointer as she pointed at the monitor. "I've found them, they're all on the Dark Continent. Okay, these lights here…" she mentioned to a group of four lights that were near the left side of the screen, "The signal indicates these are: Kenji, Akira, Lizzie and one other."
"One other?" Mitsuo asked.
"Yes," she nodded, "The computer recognizes the signal, but has no information, we've seen it before, but we don't know who it is."
"Right," Taichi nodded.
Reika pointed to the group of seven lights in the center, "That' s Eliane, Yasu, Asami Gabe and Shiro. The signal from the other two aren't registering, but the strength is massive." She hesitated a moment before continuing, "Plus, the signals for Shiro and Gabe are low…."
Yamato gasped, "What?"
Reika nodded slowly. "Yes." She took a deep breath before pointing at the lone light on the right side of the screen, "And that signal is Kasumis."
"At least they're all still alive," Taichi frowned. He clenched his fist, "But all we can do is stand here and watch?"
"I'm sorry sir," Megumi called from the side of the room, "We're doing the best we can to get that gate up and running."
"Damn it!" Taichi growled.
Masa, Kenji, Lizzie, Akira and their partners were racing to aid Asami and her two teammates. "Are we getting close?" Kenji asked.
"I don't know," Akira frowned, leading the group, "But I can feel Yasu and Eliane over this way…plus another power that I've never felt before, it felt sort of like what Masa feels like."
"Really?" the older boy asked, "I can't feel anything…odd…."
"What about Gabe?" Lizzie demanded.
"I can't feel him," Akira explained, "He's not a child of the first."
"Right…right," she sighed, "Gabe, I hope you're safe."
"Don't worry," Masa smiled, "You're brother's pretty strong."
She nodded slightly, "Yeah, but…"
"You're still worried, I know," he sighed slightly, "But we'll get there soon, don't worry. I'm sure your brother's fine."
"Yeah…yeah, I hope…"
Asami stood behind Eliane and Yasu as all three girls watched their partners battling the demonic Lotsumon. The demoness laughed, "There's nothing you can do to stop us, why not just give up?"
"My brother wouldn't give up," Yasu replied, her eyes narrowed.
"And neither would Kasumi," Asami nodded, "Or Gabe, or anyone else!"
Eliane nodded, "We shall never run away!"
Machgaogamon and Grappleomon held their fists tightly, "We're with them!" the large lion man declared.
Lotsumon chuckled, "If that's what you want, so be it! I would have given the two brats the chance to get away, but fine, let's get this over with."
Machgaogamon shot forward and slammed his fists into Lotusmon's chin, then twisted around and crashed the back of his ankle against the side of her head. Then landed on his hands, twisted around in the air, and planted his foot into her face with all of his strength, an she stumbled backwards. He cracked his knuckles and began to encircle his enemy. "Gaoga Tornado!" He began an assault of punches and kicks, smashing and bashing, attacking in such close vicinity and with such rapid pace that the flower demon simply could not defend herself. When the wolf was finished with his assault, he leapt back, panting heavily.
Lotusmon regained her composure, then moved her head from side to side, her neck cracking as it did. "That was pretty good," she said with a chuckle, "I don't think I've felt that way in a while." However, her body language betrayed her attitude, she was clearly injured, she was favoring her right leg, her body was bruised.
She positioned her staffs in a stance, then charged forward. Machgaogamon shot forward to continue his attack and swung his fist, but Lotusmon dropped to the ground, then slammed both of her feet into the wolf's chest, sending him sailing through the air. Lotusmon shot into the air after him, then twisted, using the force of her momentum to slam both of her staffs into Machgoagmon's side. She twisted in the air, kicking him in the face, the bringing both of her weapons onto the wolf's shoulder, sending him crashing into the ground.
Yasu and Eliane gasped, rushing to his side, "Machgaogamon!"
"You don't get it, do you?" Neo chuckled, "You're not gonna beat us, just give up Asami Yamaki!"
Asami shivered slightly, "M…maybe I…"
"Don't even think that!" her Grappleomon shouted. He glared at Neo for another moment before turning his attention to Lostusmon, still hovering in the air. The lion man crouched down, then used his large leg muscles to leap into the air, meeting Lotusmon at level. He had only time for one attack before gravity pulled him back to the ground-he spun at an incalculable rate, kicking Lotusmon with such force that she was sent into a tailspin, crashing into the ground. Grappeleomon landed gracefully in front of the girls.
Lotosumon slowly crawled from the crater, panting heavily, green blood was gushing down her arm, her face was bruised and she was wobbling. "Nice job," Machgaogamon said.
The flower demon clenched her fists in rage, "You are so fucking dead! You think this is gonna stop us! Even if you get past me, you'll never get past dear brother!"
"She's right," Neo said with a smile, "There's nothing you can do, why don't you just give up now while you can?" He began to lick his lips, "I'm sure the Master'll give you back once he's…heh…done with you…"
"Once we're done with her," Lotusmon chuckled.
Asami and Eliane shivered, while Yasu made a face, "Bleech! You guys are disguising! You're fucking out of your minds! You're just monsters!"
Neo gave a slight chuckle, "You're closer then you think…."
1
The battlefield was covered in blood, bodies lay sprawled about the landscape. Rei and her Blossomon had just dispatched a group of Gekomon, who fell to the ground seconds before deleting. The girl crossed her arms, as she stared at the carnage, "All of this just for some land?"
"You remember our old base?" Neo questioned, "We were practically tripping over each other."
Rei sighed, staring at the bodies, "But so many of our friends…our comrades….did they really have to die?"
Neo hesitated before answering, "It is what Lord Masanori has commanded."
They heard a loud grumble, and when they spun around they saw a large Giga Seadramon towering over them. "You…have annihilated my entire people, simply so you could please your evil lord! I will kill you!"
Blossomon and Neo's Fully Evolved Arkadimon leapt in front of their human partners. They were about to attack, but Gigaseadramon attacked first. "Giga Sea Destroyer!"
A blast of blue energy smashed into the two Fully Evolveds, throwing them into their partners. "We're still too weak after the battle," Arkadimon panted.
"Even better for me!" the Mega serpent shouted, "Giga…"
"Metal Meteor!"
Gigaseadramon's body suddenly exploded as Dexdorugremon's attack tore through his body. Neo smiled, "My Lord!"
"You saved us!" Rei cheered.
Masanori marched over the battlefield, "Yes, again!" He sighed deeply as he surveyed the destruction, "And we have lost more soldiers once again." He turned to Neo and Rei, "And yet, you two still live…"
"M'Lord?" Rei asked.
"Come," he said, "We must confer with Araki."
When they returned to their base, Araki tended to their wounds before they sat in conference with Masanori. "We need Megas," the Demon Master said, "Even I cannot stand against the strongest digimon."
"But Master," Neo said, "I thought that we couldn't evolve to Mega without an external source, like a crest or something."
"Perhaps, perhaps not," Araki answered, "We are experimenting with something that may help in that respect, but volunteers are needed…"
Neo and Rei glanced at one another, then nodded. "Yes, lord," Neo bowed, "We are your loyal servants, we will do whatever you ask."
"This procedure will not be pleasant," Araki added.
"We kinda guessed that," Rei replied with a slight smile, "But we're ready."
They were brought to a strange room and strapped to a table along with their partners. A strange machine was attached to the side wall, with two strange glass orbs hanging from the ceiling via a metal pipe. Araki was walking around them, making motions with her hands. "The cleansing is complete." She walked over to the machine, grabbed a large lever and pulled down, "Now, the pain."
The orbs came to life, filling the room with massive bolts of power that coursed through the demons and their partners. Their screams were drowned out by the thick metal walls.
1
A few days later, Araki opened the door to the medical wing, the two Demons were wrapped tightly in straight-jackets, they were staring blankly at the wall. The Demon Priestess sighed deeply.
"Any change?"
She turned to see the Demon Master standing behind her, "No, Masanori, but I don't think this is a lost cause, they can be rehabilitated, they can!"
1
Araki's promise was true, she was able to bring back at least basic functions for them, but their experiment and their insanity spread throughout the base. As they walked past, the other Demons turned their nose at them.
"I heard they're completely insane!" Ami chuckled, "They spent their time watching cartoons-and I'm not talking about anime, I mean little kid shows!"
Shinji frowned, "All the others that have gone through that experiment have died, yet these two still live."
Yuuji clutched Shinji's arm, "They frighten me, twin brother."
Tsuragi narrowed his eyes, "They're freaks!"
The pair tried to ignore the others, but they were now cut off from the only community that would have accepted them as their own.
1
The girls and their partners were in shock. "W…wow," Yasu blinked, "You guys are….are lab rats?"
"Yasu!" Eliane snapped.
"Yeah," Neo snickered, "That's what we are, just a bunch of lab rats! Being completely infused with our partners like this…" His smile faded, "Rei, finish them now! Araki promised us a party if we won, remember?"
His demoness partner grinned, "Yes, with cake and party hats, right?"
"That's right."
Yasu blinked, "These guys are insane, completely insane!"
Lotusmon nodded, "Right, Brother, I'll destroy them and bring back Asami Yamaki for Master Masanori, all for Masanori!" She stared at Machgaogamon and Grappleomon, gripping her weapons tightly, "Time to die!"
"Never!" Machgaogamon shouted, rushing into battle. Lotusmon swung her flower-tipped staff into the wolf's side, and when he leapt to avoid, she whipped around and bashed his head with her serpent-tipped staff. He stumbled for a moment, and she began her assault. She punched his fist, then kicked his side. She gave him a deadly uppercut then spun in a tight circle, slamming her heel into his chest. She finished her combo by pointing her serpent tipped staff into his injured torso.
She smirked, "Serpent Ruin!" A blast of purple energy exploded into his chest, enveloping him in light and smoke. Once the fog cleared, Machgaogamon was still hovering in the air, albeit badly damaged. He was panting heavily, and soon fell to the ground.
"Machgaogamon!" Yasu and Eliane screamed, rushing to his side. He lay on his back, unmoving.
"Get up!" Eliane pleaded, "Please, get up!"
Yasu could not speak, and fell onto her knees, staring blankly at her partner.
Grappleomon sighed deeply, "I think he's out of the fight." He turned to stare at Lotusmon, tensing his muscles, "I guess it's up to me now."
The demoness pointed her serpent staff at him, "Don't act so cocky, I'm gonna drive you into the ground!"
"Bring it on!" Grappleomon screamed, "Even though I really hate the idea, if I have to kill you to save Asami, then that's what I'm gonna do!"
Lotusmon laughed as she crossed her staffs. "A conscious, huh? Well, don't feel too bad about it, this is war! This is what we do, and trust me, I won't give you the same consideration!" She shot forward at tremendous speed, and Grappleomon ran forward to match. When he swung his fist at her, she suddenly shot into the air, and he swung at nothing but air.
"Wha?" he gasped, straining his neck to follow. Lotusmon was dropping down from the sky; she managed to slash a chunk out of his metal armor with her crown-tipped staff. Once she landed, she executed a swipe with her foot, knocking Grappleomon onto his back. She jumped into the air again, twisted daintily before slamming all of her weight into his chest. He yelled with pain, his entire body arching.
"Grappleomon!" Asami screamed.
Her partner jumped back onto his feet and fired a beam of energy from her fist, "Lion Beast Killing Wave!"
Lotusmon went to swing her staffs in front of her face to block, but she was not fast enough, and the energy wave crashed into her chest. Grappleomon was not about to give her a chance to recover; he swung his foot into her head, "Lion Whirlwind Kick!"
His foot crashed into the side of her head, her entire jaw swinging from the force of impact. She fell to the ground. Asami cheered, "You really hurt her!"
Neo was gasping. "R…rei?'
Grappleomon was panting heavily as he stared down at Lotusmon, lying motionless on the ground. "Be careful," Asami warned.
He cautiously approached and gently used his foot to push her shoulder. "I think she's d…"
She suddenly jumped back to life, pointing her crown-tipped staff beneath Grappleomon's chin, "Seventh Fantasia!" A beam of rainbow light exploded from her staff, sending Grappleomon sailing into the sky. Lotusmon shot into the sky, and once she was above the lion man, she slammed both of her fists into him with all of her strength. He smashed into the ground with so much force that the ground shook violently. Lotusmon finished her assault by unleashing a Seventh Fantasia, followed by a Serpent Ruin. When the smoke had finally cleared, Grappleomon was unmoving.
"Grappleomon!" Asami screamed, "Grappleomon!" Despite her pleas, her partner remained lying motionless in the ground.
Kasumi and Yuki Agumon ran through the thick underbrush, hoping they would reach Asami before it was too late. The girl's digivice began to beep rapidly.
"What's it doing?" Yuki Agumon asked.
The teenage girl examined her device, and her face paled. "What?" her partnered asked.
"Three of those digivices signals…are dropping….fast!"
Yuki Agumon stared at her, "D…does that mean that….?"
"Yeah, I think so…We need to go faster!"
Her partner smirked, "You got it! Yuki Agumon evolve to Allomon!"
Kasumi nodded as she climbed onto her partner's back. Allomon began to charge through the forest, bashing aside the trees with her head. "Hell yeah, now this is moving!"
Akira gasped loudly. "What's wrong?" Falcomon questioned.
The redheaded boy was clearly shaken, "I…it's Yasu and Eliane…I can barely feel them…"
"What does that mean?" Lizzie gasped.
"I don't know."
Masa sighed, "If their energy-their inherited First Chosen power-is so low you can't feel it, that means they used up so much of it to power their partners, or…."
"Or what?!" Akira shouted.
"They're…dead…"
The others gasped, and Masa quickly added, "But I don't know, I'm just guessing here…"
"We've got to hurry!" Akira shouted, running even faster. "Yasu…please…I don't want to think about you dying!"
"Oh no!" Reika gasped.
"What?" Taichi asked.
She stared at her computer terminal, "I…it's…"
"Don't hide anything!" Yamato shouted, "What's going on?"
"It's the…the signal from the digivices matching Yasu, Eliane and Asami."
"What about them?" Mitsuo demanded.
"The signal is….dropping…"
"No!" Taichi shouted, "That means that….that….." He clenched his fist, "How long until the Gate is operational?"
"Another two hours at least, I'm sorry…"
Mitsuo slammed his fist into the wall, "Damn it!"
Lotsumon lowered to the ground and she and Neo watched as Asami slowly approached her partner. "G…grappleomon….?"
His eyes were open and he was panting heavily, "Asami, you've got to run…just run…."
"I'm not going to leave you."
"You have to!" he shouted, "You're the one they want!"
"He's right," Yasu said, rising back to her feet, "You have to get out of here!" She glanced over her shoulder to where Shiro, Gabe, and their partners were still lying unconscious in the cave in the mountain behind them, "If only Oniichan or Gabe would wake up, but they're still out cold from fighting Shinji and Tsuargi. They're our only hope now, we've got to stall until they wake up, but we won't last long, you need to run!"
Eliane nodded in agreement with her Jogress Chosen partner, "Oui, we do not know why zey want you, but it cannot be good, you must go, now!"
"How cute," Lotusmon snickered, "But the truth is very simple…none of you are leaving here alive!"
"Stop stalling!" Neo shouted, "Hurry up and kill them! We're missing Teletubbies!"
Lostumon stomped over to the fallen Grappleomon and Machgaogamon. She positioned her serpent-tipped staff at the wolf, while her rainbow-tipped staff was pointing at the lion. "This was a lot of fun, so I'm sorry it's got to end, but there's one thing I hate more then anything else, and that's missing my television shows! Time to say goodbye!"
The tips of her staff began to glow brightly. The girls could only stare in horror as they were about to witness the deaths of their partners, their friends for as long as they could remember. There was nothing they could do; Lotusmon's staffs were about to attack………..
-
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-
-
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A blast of energy suddenly struck Lotusmon in the chest, throwing her off balance. She fell onto her back, her staffs firing beams of energy harmlessly into the air. "What?" Neo gasped, "What the hell just happened?"
The girls were equally as surprised, seeing Lotusmon struggling to stand. "What is going on?" Eliane questioned, "What happened?"
Asami simply shook her head, she did not have an answer.
Lotusmon was panting heavily, having to user her staff to support herself. "W…what's going on?"
Neo suddenly growled and twisted his head to the side. Slowly emerging from the darkness of the forest was a blue dinosaur-it's eyes staring at the Demons. The DATS team gasped loudly. "It can't be!" Machgaogamon gasped.
Grappleomon could barely speak, "A…A….Allomon?"
The dinosaur nodded slightly.
Asami was shaking, "W….where's….?"
"Right here!" a figure declared as she stepped from behind the dinosaur. The girl was grinning, her hair tied tightly into a ponytail.
"Kasumi!" the DATS team shouted.
"She's there!" Reika screamed.
"What now?" Taichi gasped.
"She's there!" the DATS operator shouted again, "Kasumi's there! They're just hanging on…."
Mitsuo and Yamato glanced at Taichi. He was staring up at the ceiling, "Kasumi…"
Kasumi walked over to the others. Asami, Yasu, and Eliane. The three girls were still staring at her, and she gave a grin before waving. "Hey, what's up?"
"You're dead!" Yasu screamed, "I saw you die!" She clutched her neck, "You're not drinking my blood!"
"I'm not a vampire!" Kasumi snapped. She was going to say more, but was not able to before Asami tackled her, hugging her tightly.
"Kasumi!" she cried, tears in her eyes, "Is it really you? How are you alive?"
"I'll tell you later," she said with a smile, "And yes, it's really me."
She smiled slightly at Yasu and Eliane but her eyes focused on the unconscious Gabe and Shiro. She gasped, "What happened to them?"
"They're still out of it," Yasu explained, "They evolved to Mega to fight Tsuragi and Shinji."
Kasumi nodded slightly, "So that's why the two of them where there…"
"Where?" Asami asked.
"I'll tell you later," she said with a wave. She glanced over to Neo and Lotsumon, "What's with them?"
"They're here for Asami," Grappleomon answered, slowly rising to his feet.
Kasumi nodded, "All right, you guys take a break, we'll take care of this."
"Are you nuts?" Yasu gasped, "You not that stron…."
She stopped when Eliane shook her head. "Do you not notice…?"
Yasu stared questioningly, then turned to Kasumi. She gasped, "Her hair's brown again!"
"She's no longer a Demon," Asami said, smiling.
"But how can she fight Lotusmon if she doesn't have the Gift of Demons?" Machgaogamon asked, "Wasn't that were Orochimon came from?"
Kasumi smiled, "Don't worry about that." She turned back and started walking towards the Demons, a glare in her eyes.
"She's still as pissed as ever," Yasu mumbled.
Asami shook her head. "No/ She's angry, yes, but…but it's different then before, she's not lost in her rage, it's like, she's controlling it!"
The Demons stared interestingly at the teenage girl and her dragon partner. "Kasumi Yagami," Neo chuckled, "I had heard that the Master had killed you, I didn't know you DATS brats had the ability to return from the dead."
The girl shrugged, "I was just lucky, that's all."
Lotusmon held up her weapons. "It doesn't matter, if you think you're gonna beat me with that Adult digimon!"
Kasumi simply held up her digivice, "I'm not going to fight you with an Adult digimon."
Yasu smirked, "Yeah, she'll never beat Orochimon!"
"I don't think it's going to be Orochimon," Asami replied.
"Allomon evolve to…"
Kasumi's digivice fired a light blue beam of light into the air before exploding, showering her partner. Allomon's muscles grew larger, a horn emerged from the tip of her nose, red wings pushed through her back and reached towards the sky.
"Aero V-dramon!"
"A new evolution, huh?" Lotsumon snickered, "It doesn't matter, you're still no match for me!"
She shot forward and swung her serpent-tipped staff at the large dinosaur, but she suddenly vanished! Lotusmon swung at empty air, then glanced around. "What's going on?"
She began to twist her head, looking around. She spotted her target hovering only a few inches above her head. She fired a Serpent Ruin beam, but Aero V-dramon disappeared once again.
"Behind you!" Neo screamed.
Lotusmon spun to see Aero V-dramon standing behind her. The demoness began to attack by swinging her staffs rapidly, but each and every jab was dodged easily. "I don't get it," Neo frowned, "She's huge, how the hell does she move so fast?"
Lotusmon growled, clutching her staffs. "That dino bitch is just toying with me! I'm gonna kill her!" Once again, Aero V-dramon was simply too fast, and she successfully avoided every attack.
"Damn you!" Lotusmon screamed, "Stay still and fight me!"
Aero V-dramon suddenly appeared beneath Lotusmon and slammed her fist into the underside of the flower demon's chin, sending her sailing into the air. Neo and the DATS agents gasped, staring in awe as Lotusmon rocketed through the air. Aero V-dramon appeared above her and slammed both of her fists into her stomach, and she crashed into the ground in an explosion of dirt and rock. Lotusmon struggled to climb to her feet, but could not.
"No way!" Machgaogamon exclaimed.
Kasumi stared at Neo, "Leave now!"
The DATS agents could not believe their ears.
"You're under the control of the Gift of Demons, I was too, so I'm giving you just one chance. Get out of here!"
"We're not going anywhere!" Neo shouted back, "Our mission for Lord Masanori is to capture Asami Yamkai, and we are taking her back to him!"
Lotusmon growled, clenching her weapons even tighter. "I'm not running, I'll kill you all!"
Kasumi just shrugged, "Well, I gave you the chance. Aero!"
Lotusmon narrowed her eyes at Aero V-dramon, still hovering in the air. She shot through the air, heading straight for the blue dragon. Kasumi's partner pointed her wings at Lotusmon and fired two V-shaped beams from each tip. "V-Wing Blade!"
The two beams impacted Lotusmon in the chest, easily ripping through her body and exploding from the back. The Demoness hovered for a moment before her data exploded, leaving nothing in its place.
Neo screamed out in shock, while the DATS agents could not believe their eyes. "She…she beat her!" Grappleomon gasped.
Machgaogamon nodded. "So easily…"
Aero V-dramon chuckled as she landed in front of them. "Not really, she was pretty beaten up, you guys musta really worn her down…" She shrugged, "I just kinda finished the job, that's all."
Machgaogamon stared at her. "You're a Holy Dragon, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I think so."
"Maybe that's why…"
Neo screamed out with a mighty roar. "Heads up!" Kasumi shouted, "I think the real fight's gonna began!"
Neo's body began to glow brightly, and he shot into Arkadimon's chest. His partner, who had so far remained motionless, leapt to life. He stomped forward, cracking his knuckles, "You fucking little bitch! You killed Rei, you killed my sister!" He smirked, "You return from the grave, and now I'm gonna send you back there!"
Aero V-dramon assumed a fighting stance, "Reminds me of Tsuragi and Ami…"
Arkadimon snarled, "I hated those two! You just made me more pissed off!" He clenched his fingers, pointing the large saber attached to his arm at the duo, "Get ready for your worst nightmare!"
Kasumi smirked, "Sorry, we're not scared of dreams."
She walked closer to Aero V-dramon, "Think he bought it?" she whispered.
"Don't think so," her partner replied.
"Yeah, well, this guy's a fully-powered Mega." She cautiously glanced at her digivice, "Those others signals are coming right for us, they've got to be others." She placed the device back onto her belt, "We've just got to stall until they get here."
"Right, but it's not going to be easy."
"Yeah, I know."
Arkadimon pointed his bladed arm at them, "Well, do you expect me to make the first move?"
"Why are you even doing this?" Kasumi asked, "You don't have to be a Demon!"
"Yes, I do," he chuckled, "Tell me, is there someone that you care for so much, that everything you do, you do to please them? Is there someone that you hold in such regard, is there someone you're loyal to, no matter what?"
"Yes," Aero V-dramon replied. She mentioned to Kasumi, "Her, she is everything to me."
Kasumi smiled slightly, "Yeah, Aero means everything to me, but I guess I'm always trying to please my parents, my father especially, I just want to be like him."
Arkadimon smiled, "Well, my story isn't quite as…'mushy' as yours…
1
The boy lay in the street, cold, shivering. His legs were pressed tightly to his chest, squeezing even tighter in an attempt to keep himself warm in the frigid night air. He had his back pressed up against a dumpster, carefully scanning the pedestrians as they passed by the entrance to the alley. Hundreds of people passed, yet he remained still, motionless. An hour later, a young couple walked past, they looked like they were only in their teens, yet, judging by the large pearls the girl wore, they must be loaded. He rose to his feet and slowly exited the alley, the couple was only a few feet in front of him. He began to silently and cautiously follow, hunting them around the section of the city until they stopped at a street concession stand. While they were purchasing their food, the boy reached for the pearl purse hanging on the girl's shoulder. He had his hand around the strap, only seconds before the boy grabbed him and threw him into the ground.
The boy had his hand wrapped tightly around the boy's neck, "You little piece of shit, did you really think you were going to succeed? I should kill you now!"
"Wait, Masanori," the girl said, staring down at the boy, "Do you not see it? The look in his eyes? I think he would kill you if he had the chance."
Masanori stared down at him, "Perhaps you are right, Araki." He narrowed his eyes at the boy, "Answer me this, you are nothing but a thief, have you any family?"
The boy shook his head.
"So, if I were to give you power, if I were to give you a family, would you serve me?"
The boy did not respond, only staring at him, he had not expected such a response. "I…."
"Tell me," Masanori chuckled, "What has your life been like so far? How long have you lived on the streets like this?"
"S…since my parents died."
"You are barely surviving, barely living. I can give you food and shelter, I can give you a purpose! What say you?"
The boy nodded, "Yes."
1
The boy examined his arms. "I feel different."
"As you should," Masanori explained, "You have been infused with my Gift of Demons. To you, I have given the Gift of Decima, which is the nearest copy of my Powers of Chance."
"Chance?"
"Yes, the power which flows through me, is my birthright, as I am a descendent of the First Chosen, Juro."
The boy touched his hair, "Is that why I'm blond now?"
"Yes, the Gift has changed you to resemble out bloodline. Juro was blond as well." He mentioned to the girl at the boy's right, "This will be your teammate. All Demons act in groups of two-one brother and one sister, we do this because we are a family, those of Decima and those of Uni. These two clans share the same blood. I am the Master of all Demons, but I am also head of Decima. Araki, my priestess, is head of Uni."
"Where does Uni com from, Master?" the girl asked.
"Uni is the power of Fate, held by Yuushi, the opposing pole of Juro. His power was given to Araki through an…individual that is not among us. It is from her that the Gift of Uni is given. Fate and Chance, the First and Tenth power of the Chosen. Fate and Chance, Order and Chaos, the two building blocks of reality. Imagine the power one would have should they possess both…"
"Is that why there are the Demon Chosen, to make that person?"
Masanori only smiled, "Rei and Neo, that is what I shall call you…'
1
"Orphans, huh?" Kasumi asked.
"Yeah, that's right," Arkadimon snarled.
"So, you were alone and you joined the Demon Chosen 'cause you think you're part of a family? Don't you get it? The Demon Master's just using you! You're just a pawn! Look, I was a Demon too, I know how easy it is to lose yourself, but this can't be who you are, I'll give you one chance to leave, please, take it."
The DATS team was simply too shocked to believe what was happening. "This can't be right," Asami gasped, "This just can't be the same Kasumi!"
"You're right," Yasu nodded, "She's…different…"
"That is ze point, right?" Eliane said, "Zat she iz different."
Arkadimon, however, was having trouble speaking, his eyes were glowing with rage. "A pawn?...A pawn?!" He screamed and shot forward, slamming his knee into Aero V-dramon's stomach.Aero V-dramon's fist crashed across Arkadimon's nose, but the demon warrior was unfazed. He returned the jab with ease and Aero V-dramon stumbled backwards. "V-breath Arrow!" She expunged a glowing arrow from her mouth that would have struck Arkadimon in the chest if the demon had not blocked with his arms.
He darted forward, swinging around and smashing his heel into her head. She caught his leg and swung him around. He grabbed her tail and squeezed as hard as he could. She felt a burst of pain and released her grip. He was about to slash her shoulder with his bladed arm, but she rolled to safety. Arkadimon swung again, only to swing at empty air.
"Your speed won't save you!" he shouted, "I'll get you sooner or later!" He swung again, this time connecting with her back.
"Aero!" Kasumi screamed.
Arkadimon began a quick series of punches and kicks, which the dragon had no hope of blocking. She was only just able to fly to safety. She shot into the air, only to watch as Arkadimon flew after. He grabbed her tail and swung her crashing into the ground.
"Oh no!" the girls gasped, while the partners stood ready.
"We'd better help her!" Grappleomon exclaimed.
"Right behind ya!" Machgaogamon nodded.
"Stop!" Aero shouted, "You're too injured, stay and heal!"
"Yeah, well, look at yourself…"
The dragon chuckled, "I'm fine, really."
The demon smirked, "A state you won't be enjoying for much longer! Exile Spear!" His hands once again changed into long spears. Before Aero V-dramon could react, Arkadimon slashed across her chest with his left blade, then slashed with his right blade before twisting around, using his momentum with his slash to send the dragon crashing into a tree. She struggled to her feet, but Arkadimon was in front of her in the blink of an eye. He gave her a deadly uppercut, sending her sailing into the sky. Arkadimon flew into the air as well, catching up with her easily. He grabbed her tightly, then twisted her around so her head was pointing to the ground. He let gravity take hold and they both smashed into the ground, sending a shower of rocks into the air. He continued his assault, grabbing her tail and swinging her around and around, her head skidding across the ground before he released his grip. Aero V-dramon skidded along the ground before coming to a stop next to Kasumi.
"Aero!" she screamed, "Aero!"
It was no use, the dragon was staring blankly into the air, her tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth, and her eyes nothing but a swirling vortex.
"She's out cold!" Grappleomon shouted.
Arkadimon struggled to hold his laughter in check. "Don't you get it? Heh…I will complete my mission for my master! I will bring Asami Yamaki back to him, and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"
His laughter was heard throughout the entire forest.
To be continued……
Author's Note: The line about being scared of dreams was my favorite line from the first Dragonball Z dub, I just couldn't resist.
