Cicadas buzzed noisily, their screams piercing the hot, sweltering air as it seeped in through the open windows. A breeze drifted in, not enough to do more than flutter the blinds, as summer raged on in Japan.

Takeru sighed as he leaned against the balcony, his arms folded as he rested them against the railing. It was times like this that made him wish for autumn, even if it meant a return to school. But despite the heat, the Chosen of Hope wasn't ready to summer to end just yet.

The Chosen Children were putting the time off from school to very good use, taking back territory in the Digital World. It was amazing how much progress they were making, now that they were able to devote their time exclusively to their mission. Even more, they didn't seem like they were losing as much territory as they had been before. The Digimon Kaiser wasn't being as aggressive as he normally was, often allowing territories to remain uncaptured for several days before making movements to reclaim them.

It was a startling change to be sure, one that Takeru wasn't entirely certain how he felt about. The other Chosen were rather optimistic, thinking that the Digimon Kaiser was having trouble keeping up with them. And while he wanted to share in their optimism, Takeru simply couldn't. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was a different reason, something they weren't aware of.

"I guess there's really no point in worrying about it," Takeru muttered. He couldn't deny the possibility that it was just his shoulder, or rather the taint on it, that made it impossible for him to think positively of the situation. Without proof to support his concerns, there was no way to know. "We'll just have to keep going forward, and take whatever comes our way."

The Chosen of Hope straightened up before he turned to look back in to the apartment, catching sight of Yamato and his mother as they moved about the kitchen. A small smile graced Takeru's lips as he saw them, and he turned to brace his back against the balcony railing.

From his position, Takeru watched as Yamato and their mother worked away at cooking lunch. As their mother showed Yamato how to cook, the elder blond paid close attention nearby. Yamato had been the one cooking their breakfast recently, which Takeru was sure their mother appreciated - it ensured that Takeru had some real food to eat before school rather than a few pieces of toast. After all, she was often up and out of the house long before either boy had woken up.

Takeru's smile widened, turning wistful. As the scene played out, it made him think of back when their family was together - before the divorce. Only his father was missing from the scene. He knew it couldn't be helped, but it still left a sizeable void in an otherwise heartwarming scene. Still, the Chosen Child wasn't willing to allow his father's absence to taint the good feelings just yet.

At that moment, a loud chime caused Takeru to jump. Pushing himself forward instinctively away from the railing, Takeru's hand moved in to his pocket to pull out his D-Terminal. The sound caught Yamato's attention as well, who was quickly reaching around his apron in to his own pockets to grab his own device.

Takeru frowned. Sitting on the screen in front of him was an email - from Jijimon. It was the email they had been waiting weeks for, and he had honestly begun to suspect he'd never see it. And yet finally, a response had come - to all of the Chosen, judging by the email's list of recipients.

i rekon u all r still wantin to talk. lets get it over with. go to th temple now & dont be late!

"Oh, so now they want to talk?" Yamato asked, frowning as he read over the email. "After they ignored us for how long?"

Takeru grunted, sharing his brother's irritation. "Either they were hoping we'd forget about it or they were giving themselves time to prepare. Prepare what, I'm not sure… but there's only one way to find out."

Yamato nodded before he snapped the D-Terminal closed. "Well, it looks like lunch'll have to wait."

"I guess my stomach dodged a bullet for now," Takeru said, a hint of amusement in his voice as he turned to smile at his brother.

Yamato paused before he returned the smile with a smirk of his own. "Don't get too cocky, it'll be still waiting for you when we get back."

"Darn," Takeru said with a chuckle, snapping his own D-Terminal closed.


The grand cathedral stretched out high above the assembled children and Digimon, no different than it had been before. Even the snow remained the same, which served as quite a shock to the Chosen as they gated from extreme heat to extreme cold.

The frozen air immediately assaulted the Chosen, who fidgeted and glanced about as they debated heading inside or waiting for the others to arrive. Thankfully, most of the stragglers arrived in short order, with Ken being the last to arrive.

The boy genius hadn't been included in the email, so Daisuke had sent him one informing him of the coordinates with a quick message telling him to hurry. It was all the warning Ken got before he had to scramble, uncertain of what the Chosen were up to. While he had the option of insisting that he was too busy, he didn't want to risk yet another situation where they did something they shouldn't have - he was still paying for their last adventure.

Ken gasped at the sudden cold and held Wormmon tightly, shivering due to the incredible temperature drop. "C-c-c-c-cold-!" The boy shook his head before he glanced at the other Chosen, furrowing his brow. "C-could someone please explain w-what exactly is going on? I-" The boy stopped as his eyes widened, and he turned to stare at the massive cathedral in front of him. "...Ah."

Daisuke playfully nudged Ken in the ribs with his elbow. "Cool, isn't it?"

Miyako groaned and rubbed the bridge of her nose, raising her glasses in the process. "Ow. That pun was so bad it stings more than the cold. Bravo, Motomiya."

Ken couldn't find any words to speak, simply gaping up at the cathedral. Every fiber of his being said to flee, to give an excuse and ditch as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there was no way such an act would go unnoticed or unquestioned. So instead, his legs remained where they were, frozen solid.

"It'll be okay, Ken-chan," Wormmon whispered so that only Ken would hear him as he snuggled up closer to keep his Chosen Child warm.

"C-c-could we please g-go inside?" Sora asked, her teeth chattering. She had forgotten just how cold the trip had been, and her summer clothes afforded no more warmth than her school clothes had. There was nothing warm about a t-shirt and jean shorts.

At Sora's words, the other Chosen looked at each other before they hurried to the front door of the cathedral, the cold biting at their heels. They had the front door open in short order, rushing inside to find warmth and shelter. Only Ken lingered back for a moment, grimacing.

"C'mon, Ken!" Daisuke said, gesturing to the genius.

Ken hesitated a moment before before he braced himself. He rushed in through the front door before it was closed behind him, symbolically and literally trapping him inside.

As the door blocked the cold air from following them, the Chosen Children were greeted by the sight of Jijimon and Babamon standing in the center on the room, on the massive mural of crests.

Jijimon hummed as he tapped his staff against the floor. "I was wonderin'. You kept loiterin' outside, I wasn't sure if you wanted to freeze to death."

Babamon started to speak, but she barely got out the first syllable before she spotted Ken. Although her hair made it impossible to see her eyes, he could feel her familiar gaze piercing him, sending his heart racing in a panic. He knew it was the end of the charade, and his mind scrambled for possible strategies to deal with the fall-out. He had no time to plan, no time to warn FlaWizarmon and Witchmon so that they could be on guard. He simply wasn't prepared.

Least of all, Ken wasn't prepared for Babamon's smile.

"Ah…" she said softly. "I see you managed to find and befriend another Chosen Child. Well done, children."

"Eh? Ah," Ken hesitated and his eyes darted around from the Chosen to the two elderly Digimon. "I…"

Daisuke fairly beamed as he hooked his arm around Ken's shoulders. "This is Ken Ichijouji! He's amazing, and he's going to help us kick Tiny Tower's butt!"

Ken opened his mouth to speak before he closed it with an audible click, a chill running along his spine that wasn't related to the cold seeping under the cracks in the door.

Jijimon stared at Ken, the perception strong enough despite his eyes being obstructed. After a moment, a big smile appeared on his face, showing off his teeth. "Well, good fer you! The more the merrier, right?"

"There's only three more Chosen Children left," Hikari said softly. "Keiko, Ryo… and the Digimon Kaiser."

"Yup, just three left," Jijimon said with a sage nod. "One, two, three."

"The Digimon Kaiser is going to need the most help if you intend to befriend him," Babamon said. "Please do remember, children, that he's a child like you… a child who just needs to be reminded that there's more than violence in these worlds."

Miyako snorted, her expression deadpanning. "I think he's a brat who needs a few spankings before he'll think twice about making friends."

"I'd say he's overdue a punch in the face," Yamato said, his voice harsh. "And then some."

Ken grimaced, tightening his grip on Wormmon.

"You're awfully concerned about someone who's enslaving your world," Takeru said, quirking an eyebrow.

"In case you forgot, there's always someone tryin' to enslave our world," Jijimon said, dryly.

"That doesn't mean we should let it happen," Taichi said, frowning.

"'course not," Jijimon said with a shrug.

Hikari appeared calm despite the tension among her friends. While what happened to Tailmon at the Digimon Kaiser's hands still sparked anger within her, her determination was stronger. "We'll reach him. Sooner or later, we'll figure out a way to get through to the Digimon Kaiser… but I think we'll need the help of the last two Chosen Children to do it."

Babamon nodded slightly, the corner of her mouth quirking upward in a faint smile. "I'm sure you children will manage to bring him back around in time."

Jijimon paused at that and glanced at Babamon, before he turned back to Hikari. "...Well, I guess crazy stuff is what the Digital World's all about, so I ain't got no complaints."

Ken turned his head slightly to stare at Hikari out of the corners of his eyes. It was taking everything he had to school his expressions, his hands shaking against Wormmon, who gently patted him and nuzzled close in a reassuring manner. He didn't know what Jijimon or Babamon were planning, and he understood Hikari even less. What he did understand, however, was how even the slightest slip-up would lead to a disaster that he doubted even he could salvage.

Mimi picked Palmon up and hugged her Digimon close to quiet the conflicting emotions in her heart. "I don't think I can ever forgive him for what he's done to Palmon and the others…" She squeezed Palmon a little closer. "He's enjoying torturing Digimon… and us."

Koshiro ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm not so sure we can get through to him at this point either. It seems like the best we can do is just stop him from hurting anyone else."

"So yer gonna kill him?" Jijimon asked.

The room went dead silent, as Jijimon's words were a dagger that pierced the hearts of all the Chosen Children, though the Digimon were less affected. The children looked at one another, as the notion rocked them to their core.

"No," Hikari said, breaking the silence with conviction. "I know we can do it. He was Keiko and Ryo's friend before… He helped the Digital World before… I know with their help we can remind him what they were all fighting for and make him realize that what he's doing is what he used to fight to stop."

Jijimon looked at Hikari for a long moment, before his smile returned in full force. "I guess there really is a bit of each god in their Chosen Child, eh?"

Hikari blinked, startled. "Huh?"

Babamon stifled a laugh behind her hand. "Tenraimon loves all you Chosen Children, and she'd do whatever it took to save each of you with the same amount of determination you just showed now, dear."

"I really felt like I was lookin' at her right then," Jijimon said, chuckling. "So you can rest assured that she'd agree with you, kid."

Hikari felt a pleasant warmth flood her cheeks at the praise, making her falter. She noticed Tailmon smiling at her and somehow that only made her heart flutter even more. "I… I'm glad. I just wish I could talk to her again."

Babamon approached Hikari to take the child's hands in hers and pat them gently. "I'm sure Tenraimon misses you too, dear, but she wouldn't stay quiet this long if she didn't think you weren't strong enough to handle this on your own. You'll talk to her again as soon as she can manage it."

"When we sto... catch the Digimon Kaiser," Taichi said, unwilling to think of doing more than kicking the tyrant's butt. He was still shaken up by Jijimon's question, even if he tried not to show it. "Right?"

"...Contrary to what you might think, he's unrelated to what's happened to her," Jijimon said, his voice going rough. "An' yet completely related."

Koshiro's interest piqued, and he was more than happy to leave the morbid topic of executing a human being behind them. "What do you mean?"

Jijimon glanced at Babamon, who nodded, before he turned to Koshiro. "I mean that what happened to Tenraimon was just a result of what created the Digimon Kaiser as you know him."

Hikari felt a shudder run through her as she recalled her dreams. "Millenniumon?"

Babamon nodded, her expression solemn, as she tucked her hands into her sleeves and folded her arms around her broom.

"...The one and only," Jijimon murmured. "She's - no, we're lucky she's still alive. Barely."

Hikari's eyes widened in horror. "What?!"

Taichi stepped forward as panic rushed through him. "What do you mean? Is Millenniumon going after Tenraimon?"

Babamon shook her head with a sigh. "It's far more complicated than that, I'm afraid."

Miyako's expression deadpanned. "So stop dancing around it and explain it already! Point by point in detail! Everyone here is sick of you being all vague and cryptic!"

"For once, I agree with Inoe," Daisuke said with a grunt. "That kind of stuff works in anime and video games to build up tension and stuff, but it just comes back to bite everyone in the butt later!"

Jijimon glanced at Babamon again, then sighed and tilted his head back. "I reckon you got a point. But don't go crying to me if you just bit off more than you could chew."

"We've handled a lot up until now," Takeru said.

"He's right," Yamato agreed, crossing his arms. "How many times do we need to save the world before we've proven ourselves?"

"We might not be done growing up," Taichi said, "but we're not dumb kids anymore, either."

Koshiro nodded. "We've fought Devimon, Vamdemon, the Dark Masters, and Apocalymon, along with many others."

"We've come a very long way!" Jou agreed, then paused and glanced down at Gomamon. "And we… we're doing the best that we can."

"Please don't underestimate us," Iori said. "We have risked our lives up until this point, and clearly the others have done so in the past. Please give us credit where it is due."

Mimi felt uneasy, but persevered in spite of it. "If you know why everything is happening, it's not fair you're keeping it from us."

"Please, we need to know," Sora said, placing her hands over her chest. "As it is, we're just stumbling forward blindly. If it can help in even the slightest…"

"What happened while we were locked out of the Digital World?" Hikari asked, her voice quiet yet firm. "What happened to Tenraimon, Gennai… to the Digimon Kaiser and his friends?"

Ken felt his insides churn, nausea threatening to overtake him. Part of him actually welcomed the possibility of throwing up, as perhaps he'd be able to use it as an excuse to retreat from the situation.

Jijimon glanced around the room, noting the determined expressions on the children's faces - and the uneasy one on Ken's. He then returned his attention to Hikari. "You recall that orb, I assume? The one Gennai brought to you, to have you donate your power?"

Hikari nodded. "A little…"

Taichi frowned. "Hikari was in bed for a week after that."

"It accidentally absorbed Tenraimon's power," Jijimon said, looking directly at Hikari.

"I remember Gennai told us that after it happened," Koshiro said as he lightly touched his chin. "I can't imagine something that happened that long ago could still be affecting Tenraimon now though."

"The problem is what the orb's exact function was," Babamon said with a faintly bitter edge to her voice. "We didn't find out about what it would do until after it was too late."

"It failed," Jijimon said, gravely, before he paused. "Or perhaps... it did exactly as intended." The elder Digimon then shook his head. "Regardless, it gave Millenniumon a direct line to Tenraimon's power, allowing him to nearly devour her alive… and evolve."

Hikari bit back a gasp, her hand shooting up to cover her mouth as her eyes widened in horror.

"So long as Millenniumon still has that orb, he can take as much as he wants from her," Jijimon said, with a shake of his head.

"The only reason why he can't is Narakumon," Babamon said. "Tenraimon has ceased most of her functions and directed every ounce of power she gets to him before Millenniumon can snatch it up from her. While that means Darkness out of balance again, at least it's going to the right place this time."

"The right place?" Daisuke asked, his expression scrunching up as he stepped forward. "How can it be the right place if Narakumon is the one who dragged Keiko to hell?"

Ken visibly flinched, nearly dropping Wormmon before he caught himself. It was only due to his deliberate choice to stand at the back of the group that no one saw him.

Jijimon's eyebrows arched. "Well, considering she was on fire at the time, I'd say he didn't have much choice, now did he?"

"What?!" Hikari practically screeched before managing to collect herself. "What do you mean? Is she okay?"

Babamon's expression was stone as in one smooth motion she whacked Jijimon upside the head with her broom hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. "Don't make things worse."

A loud 'hurk' noise sound drew everyone's attention to Ken as he nearly threw up on the floor, though he managed to stop himself. He clasped a hand over his mouth, his face a deep shade of green, before he turned on his heels sharply. He couldn't even utter a mortified word before he and Wormmon suddenly disappeared in a flash of light, gating out of the temple - and the Digital World.

Daisuke whirled, but was too late to see more than a glimpse of light. "Ken!"

"...Too late," Jijimon said, his tone deceptively light. "Looks like I scared the lunch outta yer new friend."

Babamon whacked Jijimon again hard enough that the floor shook and cracked. "You are going to lie there and be quiet until I say you can talk again and think about what you've done."

Jijimon lay prone even as the fragments of the floor pulled themselves back together beneath him. "Fine by me. The floor's nice and comfy, anyway."

Babamon smacked Jijimon in the head one more time for good measure before she turned to the Chosen Children. "I'm afraid there's no easy way to say this… not after this idiot crammed his foot so far down his throat he could kick his own rear." She slapped the broom down on Jijimon's head. "I'm afraid that the battle that you children were kept from had… losses."

Hikari felt cold fear creeping up her spine. "So… so Keiko is…"

"We don't know," Babamon said quietly. "We don't know what happened to Keiko, or Ryo. Narakumon took Keiko from the battlefield along with her partner, Nyamon, to save their lives after they were severely wounded. As far as we're aware, they're both in his domain, the Dark World, but he's not saying anything else."

"He's not sayin' nothin' to nobody," Jijimon said.

Babamon slapped Jijimon again with the broom. "Hush up, you." She sighed. "Despite what you might think about Darkness, children, Narakumon loves Keiko. She was the one who showed him that humanity isn't evil. He nearly destroyed the Digital World - without meaning to, mind - in order to rescue her personally from the battlefield."

"Wait," Taichi said as he held up his hand. "Humans aren't evil. Why would he think that?"

Babamon shook her head. "Children, that's another long, painful story altogether, and, frankly, I only have it in me to tell you about one at a time. Let's focus on what you asked of us for now, and tackle more another day."

"'sides," Jijimon said as he rolled on to his side in a reclining position. "That ain't a story either of us should be tellin'. It's between Narakumon and Tenraimon to decide." He didn't so much as flinch when Babamon slapped him with her broom again.

"...That's right," Takeru said, reluctantly, before he gathered his nerves. "The Digimentals of Knowledge and Honesty. Where are they?"

"Gone!" Jijimon said as he stick his pinkie finger in his ear. When Babamon whacked him with her broom again, he moved his finger right back in. "Same for Purity an' Tenacity, too. Next question."

"Gone?" Yamato repeated, his eyebrows shooting straight up. "Gone where?"

"To where they can't do anyone any harm," Jijimon said between smacks of Babamon's broom. "Or can be used to do any harm."

"What do you mean, harm?" Mimi asked, eyes wide. "They're our Digimentals!"

"How can our Digimentals harm the Digital World?" Koshiro asked.

Babamon let out a frustrated hiss of breath between her teeth. "This is why you need to keep your big fat yap shut, you loaf." She slapped Jijimon one more time for good measure then took a calming breath. "Millenniumon… Zeed Millenniumon has the power of the Crest of Miracles at his disposal… along with its bearer… and Miracles overpowers Light in the same way Light overpowers Darkness."

"And Darkness overpowers Miracles…," Hikari murmured, recalling the diagram Nyamon drew.

Babamon nodded. "Exactly. Tenraimon has given her power to Darkness to prevent Zeed Millenniumon from taking it, as his power will dominate hers without question. Narakumon is now the pillar of our world, and the sole reason why Zeed Millennium isn't here after he defeated everyone who tried to stop him… and that includes Ryo, Keiko, and Nyamon."

Sora gripped at her shirt, her face pale. "And if he got the Digimental of Miracles, he'd have even more power to attack Tenraimon with…!"

"Not just the Digimental of Miracles," Babamon said in a grave voice, "but all the Digimentals that get power from it. That includes Purity, Knowledge, Honesty, and Tenacity, so, children, I'm afraid you'll need to wait a little longer and rely on the power of your friends to help you."

Taichi turned to Hikari with growing concern. "Wait, what about Hikari? She's connected to Tenraimon, right?"

"Tenraimon gave Narakumon her power for that reason, child," Babamon said gravely. "She's bearing the brunt of Zeed Millenniumon's attempts to use the connection against her and all of you tied to her because she believes that you will save us all again."

"Well, he's not doing good enough!" Taichi snapped. "Hikari keeps having nightmares because the Dark Ocean keeps coming after her in her dreams!"

Daisuke lowered his D-Terminal and focused more on the conversation instead of the unanswered concerned emails he sent to Ken. "I'm still not convinced the guy is on our side. It's the Dark Ocean, remember? And the Digimon Kaiser uses Dark Towers to enslave everyone, you know."

"Didja forget Narakumon's gift already?" Jijimon asked, then rolled swiftly out of the way to avoid another broom strike. "Hah! Missed me, ya old coot-" He couldn't even finish speaking before Babamon's broom pegged him in the forehead like a javelin, and he fell backwards.

Hikari raised her Digivice to stare at the Digimental of Darkness on its small screen.

"You've been doing a lot better since you got it," Tailmon said as she crossed her arms. "You've actually been sleeping, and not waking up in a cold sweat or screaming."

Hikari nodded as she held her Digivice close. "And I've been able to communicate with Nyamon…" She trailed off with a grimace. "Sort of."

"Millenniumon corrupted the Dark Ocean a long time ago," Babamon said with a sigh. "Originally, the Dark Ocean was just the bridge between the Dark World and Tenraimon's domain, the Crystal Tower. It was meant to be where Digimon floated from death to life after washing away their sins. If they sinned too much, they sank to the bottom and the waves washed them back onto the shores of the Dark World where they would stay to reflect on those sins. It was a natural part of the cycle of life, evolution, and death."

Babamon whacked Jijimon in the mouth before he could utter more than a syllable, and kept her hand there as he squirmed and flailed. "Apocalymon is a byproduct of the Dark Ocean no longer functioning the way it should. All those Digimon that went into it would've been able to have their corrupted data fixed and it would've allowed them another shot at life, but it only made things much worse. It's what led to what brought you children to the Digital World in the first place."

"So Millenniumon is responsible for Apocalymon too?" Koshiro asked, eyes wide.

"It really sounds like… so many of our problems are because of him," Yamato said, furrowing his brow.

Babamon sighed. "Millenniumon is responsible for so much more than I have it in me to tell all at once, children. There is a long tapestry of tragedy to this Digital World that most of us who know it wish to forget, so, please let's focus on what's important right now." She lightly tapped the end of her broom against the floor. "Keiko is in Narakumon's hands now, so there's no need to worry about her. If anything, she and Nyamon are probably trying to help in their own way. Ryo, on the other hand…"

"What did you mean?" Takeru asked, suddenly. "When you said that Millenniumon had the Crest of Miracles, and its bearer, at his disposal?"

The wrinkles on Babamon's face grew more pronounced and her shoulders slumped as sadness weighed down the corners of her mouth. "Ryo was… taken. We don't know where he is now, or what's become of him, but we do know that Zeed Millenniumon is responsible."

Jijimon reached to grab Babamon's hand, prying it from his mouth. "Quite frankly, there's only two individuals who seem to know jack crap, and that's Narakumon… and the Digimon Kaiser."

For once, Babamon refrained from striking Jijimon and nodded with a solemn air. "The battle against Zeed Millenniumon was… brutal. With the corruption of the data and so many losses, and the chaos and confusion… there is little known about the exact events, even by those who were there. Jijimon and I fought on the battlefield as well that day, and even we could barely do more than keep each other alive."

"She just refused to die, the old harpy," Jijimon said, his voice going rough. "Which is good, 'cuz I wouldn't have forgiven her if she had."

Babamon slapped Jijimon with the bristles of her broom, but there was no force behind the attack. "Same to you, you old buzzard."

"Bah," Jijimon said, before he turned back to the Chosen. "But as I said, only two individuals had a front row seat to the main event - Narakumon and the Digimon Kaiser."

"What we knew of it at the time was when Narakumon came to the Digital World…" Babamon said her voice grave, "...and his very presence almost destroyed it."

"Kinda hard to miss that," Jijimon said. "Considerin' the sky itself broke and the land was tearin' itself apart, you gotta be blind not to see that."

"The DigiGods cannot physically manifest outside the Inner Realm of this world, children," Babamon said. "Their existence is too great, too tied to every line of code that makes up the foundation of our entire world. Narakumon and Tenraimon would never risk both worlds by manifesting under any circumstance… but he did it to save Keiko and stop Zeed Millenniumon from achieving total victory."

"Some would say he never shoulda done it," Jijimon said before he glanced to Hikari. "After all, what's one human life compared to the damage he'd do tryin' to save it?" Jijimon then grinned brightly. "But then, Narakumon rarely gave a shit what people thought before, so why should he start now?"

Hikari's grip tightened on her Digivice. She felt at a loss, overwhelmed by the new information presented to them.

Koshiro touched his forehead as everything sunk in. "So… it's Ryo who's been captured, not Keiko, so we need to save him a-"

"You can't," Babamon said, her voice tight. "Not now. Narakumon sent Zeed Millenniumon to the Dark Ocean during that battle. It was the only way to save the Digital World… and he is only alive because he has both the orb and Ryo with him."

Takeru's eyes widened for a moment before he frowned, crossing his arms. "So once again, it comes back to the Dark Ocean… and Narakumon."

Babamon nodded. "For now, Millenniumon, in whatever form he's in now, is a prisoner. Although he has Ryo as a hostage, we can't do anything for Ryo right now, not until we can right the Digital World and somehow find a way to destroy that orb in order break his ties to Tenraimon, and unfortunately we don't know how to do so yet."

Iori turned to look at the other Chosen, frowning. "...This is admittedly not a favorable situation for us, or the Digital World.."

"This is overwhelming…," Mimi murmured, growing lost the deeper the conversation went.

"H-how are we… supposed to beat him?" Jou asked, beginning to sweat. "He seems to have the advantage in every way…!"

"We don't know," Babamon said softly. "The Digimon Kaiser… whatever he saw that day, as far as we can tell, this is the result of that. We don't know if he snapped from what happened to his friends and is being manipulated by Millenniumon, or if he knows something we don't. He no longer trusts anyone but those two working with him."

"FlaWizarmon and Witchmon," Taichi said.

"We can't reach them anymore," Babamon said. "And the Digital World is suffering for it. Jijimon and I need to focus not on their suffering right now, but on figuring out how to stop Millenniumon and save Ryo. That's why we put faith in you children to stop the Digimon Kaiser from making all these poor Digimon suffer."

Taichi thought of Agumon, as well as all their friends who were captured, tortured, and made into puppets of the Digimon Kaiser's whims. His entire body quaked as he clenched his hands tightly to his sides as the flames of rage ran through him.

"Then why didn't you tell us this in the first place!?" Taichi bellowed, startling the other Chosen. "If you wanted us to talk him down, then why yank us around for so long? Why not just tell us from the start that this kid snapped from losing his friends?"

"Because we don't know if that's why he's doing this," Babamon said, her voice grave. "You see… Millenniumon has another terrible ability… to taint and infiltrate those with a piece of him inside them and use them as his sleeper agents."

"T… taint?" Yamato repeated and he instinctively whirled to stare at Takeru, then flinched when he was met by his younger brother's cool stare. "Er."

"The Digimon Kaiser was tainted by Zeed Millenniumon's Dark Seed," Babamon said without looking directly at any of the children. "He did it to save his friend Ryo from being infected, and he was forced to leave the Digital World to avoid Zeed's reach."

"...And yet here he is, in the Digital World again," Takeru murmured. "Making Dark Towers and Evil Rings."

Babamon nodded. "The only reason why we're not certain that is the case is because he has FlaWizarmon and Witchmon on his side. It's impossible for the two of them to be corrupted by Zeed Millenniumon, as they were agents of Narakumon… but unfortunately, they have gone rogue, and they're refusing to explain their actions to anyone. We have no idea what their motivations are, but I cannot believe that they're working with Zeed, not after what he did and what he cost all of us."

Daisuke rubbed his hand over his face. "Okay, I'm totally lost now."

"Okay, so, let me see if I've got this straight," Koshiro said slowly. "The Digimon Kaiser might or might not be under Zeed Millenniumon's control, and Narakumon's agents are helping him, but you don't think they're helping Zeed Millenniumon, but might be helping the Digimon Kaiser get revenge on Zeed Millenniumon for, uh, that battle. Is that right?"

Babamon smiled sadly at the Chosen Children. "I'm sorry we don't have as many clear answers to give you as you'd like, children, but I'm ashamed to admit that there are many things that we still don't know about the situation. All we can do is help you to better defend yourselves and to stop the Digimon Kaiser from causing unnecessary suffering. Whatever the reason for his actions, it is clear he is not in his right mind."

"Or his left mind, or any mind at all," Jijimon agreed. "Regardless of whether that's due to Zeed or the battle, or because he thinks his actions are helpin' anyone let alone himself, the fact remains that it's gotta stop."

Sora lowered her hands, her head spinning from all the revelations. "I… I see."

"So, you regret askin' yet?" Jijimon asked, with a grin. "'cuz yer the ones gripin' about us being cryptic 'n all, so I don't wanna hear no complaints."

Miyako looked up from her D-Terminal, where she had been transcribing the conversation in an email to herself. "So basically… we can't do anything about Zeed Millenniumon, or Keiko and Ryo, and you were holding back so we wouldn't get crushed by sheer hopelessness, right? Or is there something else you're not saying?"

"That's a pretty good way to put it!" Jijimon said, cheerfully. "So let's go with that!"

Miyako's eyes narrowed. "But is that the case?"

Babamon nodded. "We're as frustrated at the situation as you are, child. Although we want to put a stop to what the Digimon Kaiser is doing, at the same time, we are needed elsewhere… and, on a more personal note, it's hard to raise your hand against a child who you used to protect."

Takeru glanced at the other Chosen, noting the varying degrees of frustration and helplessness on their faces, before he turned to Jijimon and Babamon. "But you said so yourself - you don't actually know that we can't do anything. So for all you know, there is a way, you just haven't found it."

"True enough," Babamon said with a small smile. "Maybe you can find out more from the Digimon Kaiser that we don't know, something that might be a key piece of information we've been missing… or at least you can stop him from making Digimon suffer needlessly."

"We sure ain't gettin' nowhere, with him or Narakumon," Jijimon said with a shrug.

"Why isn't Narakumon helping you?" Mimi asked. "I thought he was on our side."

Babamon sighed. "Narakumon isn't much for talking, especially not about things that he finds painful, and seeing a child he helped raise, who taught him to care for humanity…" She grimaced as her words choked off into nothing before she firmly shook her head. "The battle took a toll on him, and he's supporting the Digital World entirely on his shoulders, not to mention his domain of death has been invaded and practically usurped by the Dark Ocean…"

"But isn't that more reason to help?" Koshiro asked.

"Narakumon is helping," Babamon said, "make no mistake. He's keeping the Dark Ocean sealed up in the Dark World, and preventing Millenniumon's return. He couldn't offer anything to us to indicate why the Digimon Kaiser is doing what he does, nor does he wish to interfere."

"...Not to mention, he doesn't have much reason to trust us, or anyone," Jijimon said, lowering his head. "He hasn't exactly been treated kindly."

Taichi's mouth twisted unpleasantly. "Why wouldn't he trust you?"

Babamon leaned against her broom and let out a weary sigh. "We… lost faith in him. We thought the worst of him during our worst hour… after we lost so many friends and were betrayed by more… paranoia pushed to the forefront. Between Dark Seeds turning allies into spies, and knowing that if we fell in battle we'd be consumed by the Dark Ocean... "

"We went for the easy target, as did everyone else," Jijimon said, softly. "Darkness is always an easy target, especially when you can't see the true one."

"When Narakumon manifested…," Babamon said, her voice low and reluctant. "It did great damage. Although now we know the reason… although we learned more that we didn't then… We said terrible things and treated him as our enemy. He no longer has faith in us and there's not much we can do except try what we can to save our world and earn back his trust."

"...Does this have anything to do with how Mystimon talked about how everyone feared for Keiko's safety?" Takeru asked. "And how she was 'burdened' with her crest, like it was a curse?"

Babamon let out a humorless laugh. "Children, do you remember how you reacted when you first found out about the existence of the Crest of Darkness?"

The assembled Chosen paused and glanced at each other, shifting uneasily. Only Hikari kept her focus on the two Digimon in front of her, holding her Digivice tightly to her chest as Tailmon remained by her side.

"Darkness has a terrible reputation," Babamon said quietly. "It's powerful, and power easily corrupts unless you have the will to keep goodness in your heart."

"You met enough Digimon to know that," Jijimon said with a nod. "Not every evil Digimon was under the control of the Dark Ocean, Zeed Millenniumon, or Apocalymon. Some Digimon just really get a kick out of kickin' puppies, as it were."

"There are many Digimon who choose to evolve into Viruses because of its nature," Babamon said. "It strengthens your attack, and by making your attack stronger, many assume that they can kill before they are killed. It's no different than offering a sword or a shield to someone and they choose what will do the most damage."

"So you assumed Narakumon - and Darkness - was behind what had happened," Takeru said, slowly. "Even though it turned out to be not true."

Jijimon chuckled, but there was no humor. "That's right. Everyone assumed it was Darkness, because it had to be. It was the only thing that 'made sense'."

"Narakumon manifested," Babamon said quietly. "I can never hope to describe to you what it's like for a god to manifest, and I hope you never see it for yourselves. When Narakumon did that… when he caused such devastation… after we had faced betrayal after betrayal... we couldn't see any other reason than the absolute worst betrayal of all."

"It seemed so obvious," Jijimon said before he turned away. "So we were completely blind when the real traitor hit us. We never suspected a thing."

Babamon leaned heavily against her broom. "We had no idea what his true motives were until we had unleashed all our grief and rage upon him. No matter how much we regret it, we cannot take it back, and so Narakumon will not trust anyone but Tenraimon after everyone else in the Digital World betrayed him, and he lost those closest to him."

Hikari looked down at her Digivice and the beautiful Digimental on the small screen, the one that looked so terrifying in the dark when it couldn't be seen properly. "Maybe… maybe Narakumon will talk to us."

Tailmon turned to look at her partner. "No. I think he'll talk to you."

Hikari blinked, startled by how confident Tailmon sounded. "But-"

"He gave you his Digimental," Tailmon said, with a snap of her tail. "He didn't have to, Jijimon and Babamon said so themselves. And apparently giving it to you exposed him in ways we can't imagine. The fact that he's willing to do that… then he'll definitely talk to you, if you ask."

Hikari stared at Tailmon for a moment before looking down at her Digivice. "But how am I supposed to ask? I can't even talk to Tenraimon anymore… unless…"

"What about Nyamon?" Tailmon asked. "She can't talk because you overpower her, but wouldn't Narakumon be strong enough that you couldn't block him?"

Miyako paused in typing her transcript. "Maybe we can get you some sleeping pills to help you dreamwalk more or something."

"No way," Taichi said, his voice hard. "If we're going to meet Narakumon, all of us will do it. We're not going to force Hikari to have to face down a god when she's only now getting any real sleep!"

"Senpai's right," Daisuke said as he tucked his D-Terminal away into his pocket and moved closer to Hikari. "Just give us the coordinates to where Narakumon is and we'll gate in and see him together."

Takeru said nothing, staring down at the floor. While his first instinct was to shout denials like Daisuke and Taichi, he also felt like doing so was to show no faith in Hikari. It was a rather dark conflict, made exceptionally hard when he wasn't even certain if the taint was involved. The taint stood to gain a lot if the situation was left alone, but it also stood to gain a lot if it got its hands - or tentacles, or whatever - on Hikari. In the end, it left him speechless with indecision.

"I have a lot of questions for Narakumon I'd like to ask him too," Koshiro said, even though his mind was racing to process the new information and what it meant for them.

"I-I think I'd… rather not take the chance," Jou said, uneasily.

Mimi fidgeted from foot to foot. "Well… if we faced down Apocalymon and everything turned out alright, Narakumon shouldn't be any scarier… right? I mean, he's actually on our side, isn't he?"

"We have no reason to doubt him - for the moment," Iori said as he glanced around at the others. "Nor do we have reason to trust him."

"N-no, I think we…," Sora trailed off before she turned to Yamato. "If our crests, if we are considered Darkness too… and Keiko… then he must be on our side."

Yamato made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. "Either way, it's better to go as a group in case he's not."

Miyako typed furiously at her D-Terminal. "Guess that's it, the majority vote is all of us go. So, can you tell us how to get there, or are we going to wait a few more days or weeks to find out it's an absurdly long walk from wherever you send us?"

Babamon clucked her tongue as she inclined her head towards Jijimon. "That's just what this hairbrain thinks is good training. Narakumon isn't accepting visitors right now, but we'll send word to him that you all want to meet with him. If he agrees, then, trust me, you'll see him. Narakumon won't put up with that sort of nonsense."

"He's got no sense of humor, I tell ya," Jijimon said with a sigh.

"It's agreed, then," Yamato said, with a nod.

Hikari took a look around at her friends before focusing on her partner, who stared intently at her. She could guess what that expression meant and nodded ever so slightly before she tightened her grip on her Digivice.

It would be hard to get any sleep tonight, but Hikari had a feeling that the Digimental of Darkness would help with that far better than any sleeping pill.


The curtains were drawn tight, blocking out most of the summer sun. It plunged the room in darkness, or at least as much as it could with bits of light still peeking in around the fabric. At most, the shadows blurred the features of Ken Ichijouji's bedroom, obstructing them so that only faint silhouettes could be seen. From the computer desk with obligatory computer against the far wall to the bunk bed against the opposite side, it gave the impression of night despite still being broad daylight.

Sitting on the top bunk, Ken huddled under his blankets. Such an act should have been unthinkable in the heat, but the Chosen Child didn't feel it at all. Instead, he felt cold - chilled to the bone. Shivering, he rocked slowly as he tried not to focus on anything but the steady rhythm, He didn't want to think, he didn't want to speak, he just wanted to disappear until the moment passed.

Unfortunately, the constantly beeping D-Terminal made it impossible to do just that.

Ken glared balefully at the small rectangular device as it chimed over and over, for what felt like an annoying eternity. He knew what it meant, that it was signalling the arrival of more emails, but he couldn't bring himself to look at it - not yet. And the fact that the device wasn't catching the hint and kept crying for his attention didn't help.

Wormmon rested beside Ken, antennae drooping, as he tried to offer what little comfort he could. "Ken-chan… do you want me to answer the emails for you?"

Ken nearly agreed before he caught himself. Given Wormmon's motives in the whole situation, he couldn't be certain that the Digimon wouldn't be more friendly than necessary. With a grunt, the boy genius reached over to grab the D-Terminal, flipping it open to see the flood of emails. It appeared as though each Chosen Child had sent him at least one message with most subject lines outright asking if he was alright.

Wormmon lightly patted Ken's arm with his digit, his eyes filled with concern. "Don't worry… You don't have to force yourself when you're feeling bad. I'll take care of things for you, Ken-chan."

Ken frowned, glancing at Wormmon before returning his attention to the emails. He struggled for words, finding it difficult to really respond to Wormmon or to the situation in front of him. He couldn't entirely bring himself to deal with the situation, beyond cursing Jijimon for what he did. He couldn't shake the feeling that the elderly Digimon had done it on purpose. There was simply no other explanation.

Shakily, Ken deleted nine out of the ten emails Daisuke had sent. Most were repeats of the same concern, so he didn't need to respond to all of them - only the last one. As he got to the last one, the boy genius lingered, his eyes drifting over Daisuke's message, taking in the words of concern and encouragement. The goggle boy truly had no idea who he was talking to, or what he was talking about. All he knew was that Ken had fled, and his concern for the 'newest' Chosen.

Ken gave up trying to formulate a response, as his brain refused to formulate even an empty platitude. Moving on to the next email, the child genius was greeted by more concern - from Hikari, then Takeru, followed by Mimi and Sora. It was more of the same, the Chosen asking about Ken and expressing encouragement for something they couldn't possibly understand.

The next was from Miyako. Ken almost dismissed it, as he doubted it'd be anything but more 'concern'. Even worse, it might be notes or a transcript of what happened, neither of which he felt up to dealing with at the moment. Just when he was about to move on, Ken caught a glance of the text out of the corners of his eyes and paused. His eyebrows shot straight up as he stared at his screen, finally giving the email his full attention as the words left him speechless and caused his chest to constrict.

I think I know why you might've reacted badly back there. Um. Sorry. There's no easy way to say this. I dug into everyone's backgrounds a while back trying to figure out why we're all Chosen Children. I didn't tell anyone about your brother. If it helps… you're not the only one who lost someone.

If you need me to summarize what happened and skip the darker stuff, let me know. If you think you can deal with the full transcript, I'll forward it to you.

Let me know you're okay, okay? You're a part of the team and our friend.

Ken gaped at the screen, his eyes widening. He read the email again, and then once more. As he slowly processed what he was seeing, realizing what Miyako knew and had said, he was felt with a sudden wave of emotions. He opened his mouth before he reached up to clasp a hand over it, stifling a sob that nearly escaped him. His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes began to water, his other hand shaking violently as he held the D-Terminal.

The Chosen stared at his full in-box, the Chosen's emails - both read and unread - staring back at him silently. As Miyako's words echoed through his mind, sobs began to wrack his body. He couldn't even feel angry that she had pried, that she had brought up such a painful subject when he was already hurting. Instead, he could only feel himself crumbling forward as he held the D-Terminal tightly.

"I'm sorry," he murmured as he typed, his hands shaking. He addressed it to everyone, as it spared him having to type more than he needed to. He sincerely doubted he could handle it, as just the one email was more than he could handle. Ken didn't care about the punctuation or capitalization, or even the way he mangled the words with his shaking fingers. "I'm fine."

Ken clicked send and didn't even bother to see if it had actually sent, instead dropping the D-Terminal to wrap his arms around Wormmon, holding him tightly as his sobs grew in intensity.

"I'm so sorry," Ken choked out, holding his partner close. "I'm s-so… s-sorry…"


im sorry/ i;m fine.

Despite its brevity, the email was abundantly clear. It spoke far louder than anything else Ken Ichijouji could have said. And in the end, it left Miyako at a loss for how to proceed.

Miyako flipped back into her chair with a sigh as she set down the D-Terminal, then reached up to rub her eyes under her glasses. If it was something as simple as nerves, she'd have something to say that might help. But unfortunately, she knew far too well that some situations couldn't be handled with words alone.

Turning her attention back to her computer, and the chatroom window currently displayed there, she rejoined the conversation currently in progress. As always, there was a flurry of activity as people from across the world - mostly anonymous save for a well-used handle - typed away their thoughts. If she had expected to find united sympathy for their troubles, she was mistaken.

GODHACKER: Honestly, are you sure that you can't just replace him

GODHACKER: He hasn't been any help so far, just watching as everyone else does the fighting, and he keeps running every time things get too serious.

GODHACKER: How many times does a 'Chosen' need to PUKE before it becomes obvious that they were chosen POORLY?

Koshiro: It doesn't work like that.

Sailormoon96: How do you know?

Miyako felt her cheek twitch and she popped her knuckles while loosening up the joints of her fingers before unleashing hell.

RainbowBuilder: Just say what REALLY mean.

RainbowBuilder: You want to replace Ken Ichijouji.

RainbowBuilder: Stop pretending you're not just bitter that there's no more empty slots left.

GODHACKER: Look whos talking!1

GODHACKER: You stole 2 of them!

/~*~angeldancer~*~\: we all wanted a chance to be chosen children

OnEwInGeDaNgLe: WE weere all supposed to try out but now we cant.

GODHACKER: I'm just saying it'd solve everything if we can replace him and the Digimon Kaiser and 2 kids who don't show up at all.

Bunnyhop: Thatd fix everything wouldn't it?

Bunnyhop: if we replace the Digimon Kaiser then he won't be able to do anything anymore

GODHACKER: Maybe he's only a chosen because he hacked the code.

GODHACKER: Ever think of that?

Miyako felt her cheek twitch as a she watched the channel light up with debate and grumblings. She hated passive-aggressive barbs that tried to hide their real feelings beneath a facade of civility.

RainbowBuilder: We were going to TEST everyone.

RainbowBuilder: Remember?

RainbowBuilder: Iori and I simply passed the test, just like everyone else on the team.

GODHACKER: You did it before any of us had a chance!

RainbowBuilder: If you bothered to read the most recent theory file, you'd know that the evidence goes against a first come, first serve system.

RainbowBuilder: Even if we went last, it would've only worked on us.

GODHACKER: I'll bet you wouldn't be saying that if I went firsT!

GODHACKER: You're such a hypocrite!

CheerfulHeaven: She's right, you know.

CheerfulHeaven: It wouldn't make sense for Gennai and the others to make partners if they didn't already have someone in mind.

GODHACKER: I don't want to hear that from you, Mister AMERICAN GENIUS!

GODHACKER: You never cared from the very beginning!

GODHACKER: Too cool to be a Chosen, is that it?!1

Koshiro: Okay, everybody please calm down.

Koshiro: Fighting isn't going to help anything.

Koshiro: We're all on the same side, aren't we?

Koshiro: Even if most of us don't have partners, it doesn't mean we're not part of the team.

GODHACKER: It's bad enough that you brought the cop kid in on it, but now we've got another one with DEAD baggage.

GODHACKER: At least Cop Kid can fight, this SUPPOSED GENIUS just gets sick every time someone gets offed!

* GODHACKER has been kicked from #Digimon by RainbowBuilder

* GODHACKER has joined #Digimon

GODHACKER: WTF!

GODHACKER: WHY DID YOU KICK ME FROM THE CHANNEL!

RainbowBuilder: DON'T.

RainbowBuilder: MAKE.

RainbowBuilder: FUN.

RainbowBuilder: OF.

RainbowBuilder: THE.

RainbowBuilder: DEAD.

RainbowBuilder: Or people who have to deal with it.

RainbowBuilder: Every SINGLE day.

RainbowBuilder: This is your only warning.

Miyako jotted a quick message to Koshiro in a private window to take over the channel discussion before she kicked the chair away from her computer and went to pace around her room. She knew letting her anger overtake here wasn't good for anyone and even from a distance she could see the channel blowing up with discussion. With a disgusted snort, she minimized the chat window and set her computer on mute.

"Asshole," Miyako muttered under her breath before she stomped out of her room to get a cupcake and soda. Junk food always helped take the edge off, and she needed to sneak some before her parents came home and caught her in the act.

The last thing she needed tonight was more frustration.