A/N: Sorry about the lack of updates these past few days. It's been a rather hectic time and well, I didn't want it to leak into the writing too much. I hope Hikari's part with the cards seems realistic.

Agumon was one of my favorite decisions to make in writing this. Gruff kind of fella. And it's okay if what's up with Hikari and Tailmon really doesn't make sense. It's not really meant to.

Thanks for your reviews Blue! Most of your confusion points are from the canon yeah. Sorry about that.

Enjoy guys! I am back!


4-10

They are up and out with the sun, hurrying from Gennai's as fast as possible. Agumon barely waits to leave the stairs before he is that big Greymon again, stomping through the trees and making a general nuisance of himself to the few soldiers left in the surrounding area. Hikari ignores it, though Tailmon is laughing. Hikari turns the cards over in her hands. "Child, Adult, Perfect..." she murmurs, looking at each card.

"I wonder if this will work," she mumbles to the air.

Tailmon rolls onto her back. "Why wouldn't it?"

"Because that geezer is insane?" Greymon says, and Hikari nods. That is her basic reason. Gennai seems a few cards short of a full deck, and trusting someone with that mentality is asking for trouble.

"We're not okay, either Hikari," her partner says. "And the others trust you."

The truth of that stings like tears, but Hikari only smiles her agreement, shuffling the small pack of cards again. "Desperation leads to many things."

"Hmph." Greymon rolls his red eyes. "Maybe, but don't put yourself down so low, kid. Even crazy people are people... except that vampire. He just needs to leave existence, now."

"Amen," Hikari agrees and hangs her head. Because Tailmon seems worse when he's around, because she feels disgusting and violent when he's around, and if that doesn't scare her, what really can?

At the sight of the enemies in front of her, Hikari cringes, because there is no way to evolve Tailmon again. In fact, she doesn't know how she has done it at all. But Tailmon doesn't care. She leaps into the fight anyway, punching and kicking, and trying to dance with awkward paws. Greymon doesn't even care, merely slashes his claws around and apparently that does more than enough to either frighten or send the enemies into the nearby wall. Hikari is still running through the cards when they reach the great black doors and stands upon the cracked floor alone. She lays them out and sighs.

"Koushiro-kun would be helpful right now," she muses. "But I'm alone for a bit, I guess."

She lays the cards out in a line, then a square. The levels are something she knows, but arranging them by that alone isn't the only answer. Tailmon plops down beside her as the air soon smells of smoke. "Hikari, you need to hurry!"

Tailmon sounds not so much urgent as she does wary, and that makes her stomach clench and fingers fumble for just a moment. Then she carefully arranges them, evolution level wise then looks at Etemon.

"Tailmon, is Bastemon a virus?"

Tailmon nods. "Like Etemon and his dogs!" Her eyes flash and she suddenly leaps forward, punching a spider in the face. Hikari shudders. She never did like those things. Shaking her head, Hikari moves the cards around until she is faced with an awkward grid. Looking at the pedestal ahead, she hesitates.

"Didja get it?" Greymon snaps, punching another large spider.

"I... maybe." There are two cards left and she doesn't know which is right.

"Then do it!"

Hikari looks at him. "But what if I'm wrong?"

Tailmon shrugs. "We won't know until we get there. So do it!"

She isn't sure if these Digimon are courageous or foolish, but she does as they say and the pedestal begins to glow, opening the door wide. Greymon shrinks down and shakes his head, dodging a splat of web.

"Thank you," he grumbles. "That was getting annoying."

Tailmon rolls her eyes. "Speak for yourself. I want bug spray. "

"But they ain't bugs..."

Hikari tries not to giggle while she's running, but she can't help it. Her empty Tag glows, this time pink, and it pulls her feet forward and then down, down through the gaping hole that the open doors made. Pain runs up her spine and she suddenly coughs, spitting red.

She hears Tailmon and Agumon both cry out her name for a moment, and then the world goes completely black.

In the darkness, the Agumon card burns, falling from her hands.