I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I had a bit of trouble writing this chapter, I think mostly because I was struggling to get my thoughts in order, but it's finally done! And don't worry, we will have some alone time with Kara and Dai in the near future. I promise!

Following the Footsteps of Destiny

Chapter 310: Reptilian Deception

Takara Kamiya

Cyber, Western Hemisphere, Digital World

Despite nearly crumbling under the weight of her own insecurities, for the first time in a very long while, Takara Kamiya felt a lightness in her heart that she almost didn't recognise. It was a peculiar sensation, one she hadn't dared to hope she would ever experience again, and after suffering a terrible amount of fear and anxiety at the hands of Spritemon, the strength of her composure came as somewhat of a surprise.

And I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. It's funny...We're still in a lot of danger, and yet I'm not afraid. Somehow, I just know we'll get through this...

Holding her father close, whose dark head was resting comfortably on her shoulder, Takara felt wonderfully at peace with herself and her surroundings. There was a sense of calm about her and a quiet determination to succeed where she had almost failed, and smiling up at her partner, who was about to enter into battle, she said softly, "You're gorgeous."

"I couldn't agree more," her mother murmured, holding tightly to her father's hand. "You're every bit as beautiful as my daughter."

Kestrelmon's feathery pink bow stood out prominently in the dim lighting, along with her pale rosy skin and voluminous pink wings. She was taller in stature than Ibismon, and unlike her champion form, her eyes were a deep wine colour rather than green. They peered out of an emerald mask that resembled the type you would where at a masquerade ball, and there were pink feathers sprouting out the sides of the mask. Her knee-length boots, elbow length gloves, chest and skirt armour were predominantly green with pink detailing, and her long braided hair was a stunning shade of emerald. She made Spritemon seem almost small and insignificant by comparison, and placing a hand against her heart, the female bird digimon said simply, "I am a reflection of your heart. Pure and wise, with unlimited potential."

Kestrelmon...

The words were so sweet they left Takara speechless, and as her digimon went to meet Spritemon head on, the rest of their partners following suit, she turned her attention to her father. The man was drenched, but despite the fact that she was soaking up a lot of water from his clothing, she refused to let go of him. He was in such a weakened state because of her, and it was time to take responsibility for all her mistakes. "Are you alright, Dad? What happened?"

"I'm...not sure," her father replied, his eyes falling closed. "Something YukiOnnamon did?"

"She used one of her attacks to incapacitate him," Matt answered, frowning at the former leader. "It was a direct hit right to the heart. She did it because his Digivice was the only thing working against the sphere and she wanted to stop him from saving Dai."

"I suspect the trigger for the sphere had something to do with the Crest of Courage, along with a familial relationship to Kara," Izzy explained, coming over to join them with Ken in tow. "That would explain why only those of the Kamiya bloodline with an affinity to the Crest of Courage were able to trigger a reaction."

"Is that possible?" Ken asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It's the Digital World," Izzy said simply, shrugging his shoulders. "Anything is possible here, and they know it. Encantamon's a powerful ultimate, and her attacks are particularly dangerous because she can cater them as she pleases to perform in a certain way. That's likely what she did with the sphere. She created it with Kara in mind, knowing that it had the potential to act as a catalyst to dissolve the darkness in her heart, thus activating the Spirit Chip."

She was both helping and hurting me. She must have suspected Spritemon would try something like this if she was asked specifically to create the sphere with me in mind...

As the chamber began to fill with the sounds of battle, her mother turned to Izzy and said quietly, "Is Tai going to be okay?"

"There won't be any lasting damage, if that's what you're worried about. From what I could tell, YukiOnnamon's Frigid Soul attack is meant to incapacitate rather than kill. A good rest should cure the fatigue that's currently making him feel so weak. Thankfully Kara's D-Coder was able to counter most of the effects, but we'll have Joe take a look at him just to be on the safe side."

"Imagine that," the former leader murmured, laughing softly. "Saved by my own daughter. Maybe I'm not such a bad parent after all."

Takara vehemently shook her head, and resting her cheek against her father's forehead, she whispered, "No way. You're the best."

I'm so lucky to have Mom, Dad, and Tay, and even more lucky to have Dai and all my friends on top of such a great family. There are so many amazing people and digimon in my life, and I'm going to make sure they know they can always count on me. No more hesitation. It's time to act, and the sooner we save this city, the sooner I can finally tell Dai the truth.

Though they were deep beneath the ancient city of Abacus, Takara felt as free as a bird. Her lack of confidence had almost resulted in her own downfall, but after navigating through the darkness in the cave, she had broken through the mental barriers holding her back and triumphed over the shadows lurking in her heart.

And now that I have my Spirit Chip, the first thing I'm going to do is get Dai's D-Coder back.

Izzy must have had similar thoughts because as a fierce fight broke out in the centre of the cavern, sending explosions and flashes of light streaking to the far corners of the vast chamber, the computer expert said quickly, "Let's join the others. Now's probably the best time to get Dai's D-Coder back."

"We might not have another chance like this," Ken agreed, climbing to his feet. "Let's grab it while YukiOnnamon and the others are distracted."

Takara didn't need to be told twice, and glancing down at her father, she said hesitantly, "Are you okay to move?"

"I'll help him," Matt interrupted, gently tugging on her ponytail. "You just concentrate on looking after Dai and getting through this fight."

Uncle...

Takara gave the former musician's fingers a grateful squeeze, and jumping to her feet, she motioned for her mother and the rest of the group to follow. As they made their way towards the four boys surrounding Dai, she spotted Omnimon, FireDragermon, and IceTirimon squaring of against a composed YukiOnnamon while an enraged Spritemon exchanged deadly blows with Kestrelmon. Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and Garudamon were hurling their attacks at DarkAngelicmon, which left Odonatamon, JewelBeemon, MegaKabuterimon, and Cantarumon to fend off Encantamon.

This is going to be a tough fight, but we have to believe in our digimon.

"Kara!" Matty called out, waving his hand to get her attention. "What's the plan now?"

Takara quickly knelt next to her blond cousin, and waiting patiently as Matty gently maneuvered the goggle-headed leader into her arms, she said firmly, "We need to get Dai's Spirit Chip back."

"Doesn't that qualify as just a little bit dangerous?" Sam asked, giving her a look.

Naturally, the raven-haired Digidestined was entirely right about that, and watching as Matt carefully settled her father next to Mickey, she said firmly, "Definitely, but we don't have a choice. There won't be a better opportunity to grab it."

"That's it?" Ryoko snorted, crossing his arms over his chest. "That's all you have to say after everything that's just happened?"

"We can talk about the rest later. There's no time for that now."

"She's right," Mickey said quietly, elbowing his golden-haired cousin gently in the ribs. "There'll be plenty of time for that later once we're back in the human world. Any ideas on how we're going to get Dai's Digivice out of that glass casing?"

Considering the glass tube surrounding the goggle-headed leader's D-Coder was cracked so badly it currently resembled an intricate spider web, Takara didn't think it would likely cause a problem. The real issue was whether or not they could finish the job without being spotted.

I'm sure I can use my Digivice to free Dai's D-Coder, but if I take too long...

"Shouldn't I be the one to grab it?" Dai asked, his voice sounding dry and raspy. "It is my Digivice, after all."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Ryoko shot back, glaring at the goggle-headed leader. "You're in no condition to move. Let us take care of that for you."

"But-"

"No arguing," Matty scolded, rolling his eyes. "You really are too stubborn for your own good."

Takara smiled at that, and exchanging a look with her mother, she turned to Mickey and said, "I'll get it. Do you mind providing some back up?"

Mickey looked surprised at being addressed, and blinking in confusion, the older twin said slowly, "Of course I don't mind, but..."

"Why me? Is that what you were going to ask?"

Mickey blushed, and turning his face away, the older twin mumbled, "Maybe."

The reply wasn't unexpected, and holding out her hand to Mickey, she said gently, "Why not you? Come on."

"Be careful," Sam warned, catching the older twin's shoulder and giving it a quick squeeze. "Don't do anything risky."

Mickey seemed unable to look at the raven-haired Digidestined, and maneuvering Dai back into Matty's arms, Takara quickly took Mickey's hand and pulled the older twin to his feet. Sam looked particularly worried about Mickey, though he refrained from saying anything further, and gazing anxiously at his brother, Matty said firmly, "You better not try anything dumb, you hear me?"

"That's exactly why she's asking Mickey," Dai laughed, letting his head fall back against the younger twin's shoulder. "It's cause he's the least likely out of all of us to do anything dumb."

There was some truth to that, though it wasn't the only reason she had asked Mickey. Part of the reason was because the older twin looked like he needed a moment to collect himself, and chances were he would have an easier time of doing so if he could have a few moments away from such a large group.

Whatever's going on with him right now, he needs to focus. Hopefully this helps a bit.

"Well, if we're going to do this, we might as well get it over with," her mother sighed, her tone indicating she had resigned herself to the possible danger they were facing. "I don't see any way to reach Dai's D-Coder without being spotted, though."

"The dim lighting and the battle taking place will help somewhat in that respect," Ken offered, turning to Izzy. "What do you think?"

There was a brief moment of silence as everyone mulled over what to do, and standing in the centre of the group huddled around Dai and Matty, Takara gave Mickey's hand a reassuring squeeze. Ryoko, Ken, Izzy, and Sam were grouped together on Matty's left while Matt, her father, and her mother were crouched on the younger twin's right. Glancing over his shoulder at the battle taking place, Izzy said, "It'll have to do. Alright, Kara, wait for my signal. You'll have to be quick about it if we want to pull this off. I doubt Spritemon will notice since she seems determined to delete Kestrelmon, but YukiOnnamon's sharp. I don't think much is going to get past her even when she's in the middle of battle."

"Hopefully we won't have to worry about Encantamon and DarkAngelicmon, though," Ryoko pointed out. "I know we shouldn't assume, but I feel like if either one of them spots us, they'll just ignore it and pretend they never saw a thing."

Takara was inclined to agree, but even so she wasn't taking any chances.

I can do this. It's not that far away. If I'm quick, they won't even notice I've moved.

Takara winced as Angelicmon's Zenith Point attack lit up the massive chamber with brilliant white light, and as the four dark digimon they were hoping to defeat quickly scattered in opposite directions to avoid the blast, Izzy said quickly, "Now's your chance!"

"Go for it!" her father managed to say, giving her a thumbs up.

Takara quickly made her move, and pulling Mickey along by the hand, she was careful to remain behind the shattered sphere for as long as possible in her efforts to cross the floor towards the cracked cylinder that was holding Dai's D-Coder captive. Thankfully, the high base of Encantamon's creation hid them mostly from view, and crouching at the edge to peer around it, she whispered to Mickey, "They're still disoriented thanks to Angelicmon. Let's quickly cross and get behind the cracked tube."

"Right," Mickey whispered back, nodding to show he understood.

Together, the two of them moved slowly and quietly under the cover of darkness, and doing her best to keep her bearings, Takara carefully navigated her way towards the cylinder with Mickey right on her heels. Occasionally the strobe-like bursts of light created by the explosions raining down on the battlefield made her pause, but eventually they were able to duck behind the broken contraption that was their target. Inspecting its cracked surface, Takara whispered, "I can probably use my Digivice to break it, but that might attract attention."

Huddling close enough to stay warm, the older twin murmured, "Not necessarily. The light from your Digivice and the sound of shattering glass will pale in comparison to the explosions and the noise from all the fighting."

"I guess we'll find out, unless you can think of another way to go about this?"

Mickey shook his head, and avoiding her eyes, the older twin said quietly, "Why did you ask me to come with? It's not really because you think Matty and the others would cause trouble, is it?"

I don't actually know what's going on with him, but his reaction implies he thinks I might have an idea. If that's true and he's feeling guilty about it, then that means there really is an issue...

Which was all she needed to know.

"Kara?"

The voice was timid, and taking extra care to keep her tone neutral, she said lightly, "I figured you could use a little break. So, smash the tube to pieces with my D-Coder then?"

Mickey looked startled at the abrupt change in subject, and wincing as Gabrielmon took a painful hit to the chest, the older twin said wearily, "I don't see any other way. Just be careful."

"Yes, Sam," Takara teased, her playful jibe causing an instant reaction she hadn't been expecting.

For reasons she couldn't explain, Mickey suddenly turned bright red in the face, and ignoring the older twin for a moment, she proceeded to concentrate on her D-Coder. Almost immediately it started to glow a pale green, and as the light slowly surrounded the cracked tube, the already fragile glass promptly shattered into tiny fragments. Dai's D-Coder quickly clattered to the surface of the narrow pedestal, and scooping it up, Mickey whispered, "Let's get back to the others."

"You're not going anywhere," a sharp voice interrupted, the icy tone of her cold words freezing them in their tracks. "Did you really think we wouldn't notice you sneaking away from the other humans?"

Takara slowly stepped around the broken glass tube to confront YukiOnnamon, and lifting her chin, she said quietly, "Not really, but it was still worth the risk."

"I wonder...If you lose this battle, will you still believe it was a necessary risk?"

Despite the fact that she had been fighting against Omnimon and two ultimates for quite awhile now, the frosty mega didn't look as if she was suffering from any fatigue. Takara was quite certain her energy levels were still more than adequate for longer than any of their own digimon could withstand, but the same couldn't be said for her three companions. Both Encantamon and DarkAngelicmon looked tired, which was understandable since they had already engaged in battle earlier, and consumed by rage, Spritemon was already exerting far more energy than what she normally would have done on any other occasion. Under the circumstances, Takara wasn't sure if the pixie digimon's sudden reckless behaviour was a good thing or a bad thing, and that made her even more dangerous.

If she depletes her energy in battle too quickly, that might work in our favour, but if her thirst for revenge against me overpowers our digimon before that can happen, we could be in big trouble.

Since there was no way to predict the future, Takara knew they needed to be cautious, and holding tightly to Mickey's hand, she turned to YukiOnnamon and said calmly, "We're not going to lose. Haven't you figured out by now that we're a lot stronger than you give us credit for? And that includes our digimon."

At this point, the other three dark digimon had become aware of the situation, and eyes sparkling with hatred, Spritemon quickly darted around Kestrelmon and hissed, "Trying to steal back the D-Coder, are you? Move aside, YukiOnnamon. She's mine."

"What did I say about giving me orders?" the frosty digimon snapped, her black eyes flashing with undisguised anger. "You will do as I say."

"And fail like we always do?" Spritemon hissed, shoving past the former vampire digimon and fluttering into the air. "I'm done with taking orders from you. I told you I wanted the girl, and I've waited long enough. She dies today! Fairy Cannon!"

Takara let out a shriek as the blast came straight towards her and Mickey, and shoving the older twin back behind the pedestal holding the broken glass tube, she quickly crouched next to him and proceeded to cover both of their heads as best she could. There was a flash of emerald light as the pedestal exploded into pieces, and as the dust settled, she heard Dai shout, "Kara! Mickey! You guys okay?"

"Get out of there now!" Matty cried, waving his arms to catch their attention.

Takara could feel the smoke from the explosion invading her throat and nostrils, and coughing loudly, she managed to gasp, "Come on, Mickey. We have to get back to the others!"

"I can barely see," Mickey wheezed, sneezing and rubbing at his watery eyes. "Plus, there's nowhere else to hide for cover."

"That's right," Spritemon hissed, the manic gleam in her eyes pulsing in the dim glow of the chamber. "You were lucky the first time, but now there's nothing standing in my way. Fairy Cannon!"

Before Takara even had a chance to shout a warning, Kestrelmon intercepted the blast, and as a sparkling emerald burst of wind began swirling around her graceful body, the bird digimon shouted, "Stay away from my partner. Zephyr Torpedo!"

"Move! Now's your chance!" Sam shouted, his sharp words cutting through the shadows like the gleaming edge of a blade.

Takara didn't need to be told twice. Dragging Mickey along behind her, she raced across the floor before quickly taking cover behind a pile of broken rubble from an earlier explosion. A quick glance over the uprooted ground indicated that Kestrelmon had used her own glowing body like a missile to knock Spritemon out of the air, and looking furious, YukiOnnamon hissed, "You fool! Now look what you've done!"

"I don't care about the D-Coder," Spritemon screamed, leaping to her feet and once again launching herself at Kestrelmon. "I want that girl gone forever!"

I need to be careful, especially when I'm with the others. I don't want them to become a target because of me...

"Our pretty little fairy has finally lost it," Encantamon sighed, shaking her head and sending a torrent of toxic sludge at Centarumon and MegaKabuterimon with a flick of her wrist. "Oh well, this might be kind of fun."

Despite the serpent digimon's playful words, the weary tone of her voice indicated just how tired she was, and though she was consistently drenching the battlefield in venomous goo, her movements were lethargic. Not only that, but she also hadn't used her Malevolent Song attack, and Takara was pretty sure she knew the reason why.

I bet she uses up a lot of energy to subdue others with her voice, but for her the risk is worth the reward. At least, it usually is. Most of the time she can feed off the energy she steals from her prey to replenish her own, but that's not going to work this time. If she doesn't have the strength to use her voice to begin with, she can't use her victims to restore the energy she's lost.

"Not the term I would have used, but I suppose it'll do," DarkAngelicmon said dryly, looking amused as he sent waves of darkness hurtling at Garudamon and the angels. "Come now, Gabrielmon. Surely you can do better than that."

Mickey's partner had only just managed to avoid the worst of the darkness, and fluttering in front of his celestial companion, Angelicmon shot back, "You're one to talk. You've had a few close calls yourself."

As the room once again erupted into chaos, Takara found herself gazing thoughtfully at the fallen angel from where she remained crouched behind the broken rubble. From what she could tell, it didn't look as if DarkAngelicmon was trying all that hard to avoid the attacks flying in his direction, and she was pretty sure that wasn't due to fatigue despite how tired he appeared on the surface.

It was almost as if he wanted Gabrielmon or Angelicmon to hit him with their celestial light.

Is that because he doesn't want to fight us? If we were to put him out of commission, he would be giving us an advantage. After all, that would leave us with only three digimon to deal with instead of four. Plus, he wouldn't have to put up a front for YukiOnnamon anymore...

"Kara, we need to move," Mickey urged, tugging anxiously on her sleeve. "If Spritemon manages to slip past Kestrelmon, I don't know if this rubble will be enough to hold back her attacks. We were lucky with the pedestal, but that doesn't mean our luck will hold out forever."

The older twin was right, of course, and giving herself a mental shake, Takara said, "No kidding. I'd rather not take our chances. Come on, let's get back to the others."

"Yes, we've caused them enough worry already."

Takara couldn't agree more, and choosing not to respond, she quickly dragged Mickey with her to cover the remaining distance. The flashes of battle provided enough light to guide their way, and ducking behind the broken sphere where the rest of the group was still seated, she dropped to her knees and said wearily, "Well, that was a bit messy, but at least we got the D-Coder back."

"Only a bit?" Dai scolded, the relief in his dark eyes indicating just how much they had worried him. "More like totally dangerous and really uncool. And you guys have the nerve to give me grief all the time."

"Fair point," Mickey conceded, smiling gently as he quickly handed the Digivice over to its rightful owner.

The older twin was crouching next to Dai, who was still cradled in Matty's protective embrace, and though he didn't say anything, Sam's sapphire eyes were glittering brightly in the darkness, the intense expression on his pale face indicating he was holding back his emotions. It was almost painful to watch, especially since those feelings were clearly directed at Mickey, and turning to her father, Takara said, "I hope that wasn't too reckless."

"Sometimes you don't have a choice, or the choice is made for you," her father replied, reaching out to give her hand a warm squeeze. "Good job, Kara. You too, Mickey."

Mickey, who hadn't noticed Sam's smouldering gaze, blushed in response, and letting out an aggravated sigh, Ryoko said, "Now what? We're in a bit of a tight spot here."

"Normally, this is where I would say we need to get out of here, but unfortunately I don't think it's going to be quite as simple as that," Izzy spoke up, typing madly on his laptop while keeping his back against the broken sphere. "I'm not all that concerned about DarkAngelicmon and Encantamon, but the other two are going to be an issue."

Takara nodded in agreement, and relieving Matty of his charge, she gently settled Dai against her chest and said quietly, "Because of me, right?"

"When it comes to Spritemon, there's no denying that," her mother said slowly, her troubled gaze focusing on the flashes of light illuminating the large chamber. "Even if we do manage to return safely to the human world, that's not going to stop her from coming after you once another opportunity presents itself."

"Exactly," Izzy agreed. "Essentially, Encantamon is right. Spritemon has lost all sense of reason, and because she's allowing her anger and hatred to control her, she's not going to back down until she does what she came here to do."

"Which is to wipe Kara off the face of both worlds," Matt said bluntly, his arm tightening around her father's shoulders.

She won't even listen to YukiOnnamon anymore. This is really bad. Maybe even worse than Jestermon...

"Yeah, not gonna happen," Dai said firmly, his dark eyes flashing. "As much as I hate to say it, we all know what we have to do, right?"

Takara felt the goggle-headed leader's arms tighten around her waist, and burying her face in his dark hair, she took a moment to collect herself. She knew the answer to that question, even if the solution wasn't ideal.

"Look at her," Ken said quietly, indicating the way Spritemon was shooting blast after blast at Kestrelmon. "She's relentless. She won't stop hunting Kara until she gets what she wants."

"Not unless we defeat her for good," Ryoko finished, making a face. "While I agree that's probably the best course of action...If we do defeat her, what then? That still doesn't solve the real problem."

"I'm working on that," Izzy replied, continuing to type away on his laptop. "Even without Spritemon, YukiOnnamon is still a problem. I don't think we can defeat her as we are now, especially with the amount of energy our digimon are currently consuming. They'll likely end up using the rest of their reserves just trying to defeat Spritemon. We should focus on that, and once she's gone we need to get out of this waterway. I've already found us a way out that leads to the surface, but with both Dai and Tai out of commission, it won't be an easy route. Once we're out, though, Dragermon can fly us back to the palace, which will take us a lot less time than what it took for us to navigate through all those tunnels."

But if we do manage to get out of here, what about YukiOnnamon and DarkAngelicmon? We can't just leave them down here below the city...

Takara could feel the warmth of Dai's body soaking into her skin, despite their wet clothing, and allowing him to rest his cheek against her shoulder, she said, "What about the digimon we leave behind?"

"We'll worry about that once we're back at the palace," Izzy informed her. "One problem at a time."

"So we're taking the direct route then," Matty interrupted, wrinkling his nose at the wet spots Dai had left all over his clothing. "That's good. I like the direct route. I support this plan wholeheartedly."

"Of course you do," Mickey teased, giving his brother a fond smile. "Does this mean you won't complain anymore?"

"Hey, I had every right to complain! And don't think you're off the hook just because I can't stay mad at you. You almost gave me a heart attack with that stunt you and Kara pulled!"

"For the record, I didn't actually volunteer," Mickey pointed out, looking amused.

Realising the older twin was right, Matty quickly snapped his mouth shut, and attempting to hide his sudden embarrassment, the younger twin glanced at Sam and said suspiciously, "What's with you? You haven't said a thing this whole time."

The raven-haired Digidestined was crouching next to Mickey, and quickly rearranging his features into a neutral expression, Sam simply shook his head and said quietly, "I'm fine. We should concentrate on our digimon."

He's something alright, but fine is definitely not the description I would use...

Though the two boys weren't quite close enough to touch, Takara didn't miss the way Mickey's worried gaze strayed in Sam's direction, but she chose to let it slide for the moment. After all, the raven-haired Digidestined was right. Their digimon needed their support, and they needed to be aware of what was going on if they had any hope of defeating Spritemon and escaping unscathed.

Speaking of our digimon...

Takara flinched as Odonatamon and JewelBeemon went down in another wave of toxic goo, and as Spritemon and Kestrelmon continued to trade blows, DarkAngelicmon narrowly avoided running into them as he attempted to dodge Celestimon's glowing spear. The fallen angel really did look incredibly weary, and studying his sluggish movements, Takara couldn't help feeling concerned for his wellbeing. It was very clear to her that he had no interest in battling, and she was pretty sure he was merely biding his time before taking advantage of an opportunity to bail without his actions coming off as suspicious.

He's just putting up a front to satisfy YukiOnnamon...

"Is that all you've got?" Garudamon called out, circling around the fallen angel. "You shouldn't have wasted all that energy fighting us earlier."

"Duty calls, as they say," DarkAngelicmon replied, brandishing his weapon. "Twilight Spear!"

Garudamon easily avoided the dark weapon hurtling in his direction, and remaining airborne, the bird digimon shouted, "Wing Blade!"

DarkAngelicmon was knocked backwards from the force of the avian silhouette speeding directly into his chest, and taking advantage of the situation, Angelicmon quickly followed up with his own powerful attack. Using his glowing spear as a projectile, much in the same fashion as the fallen angel had attempted to do only moments ago, the sharp tip pierced through DarkAngelicmon's fragile wing, sending him crashing to the ground. Though the fallen angel likely could have gotten to his feet again, DarkAngelicmon remained lying on his side, his emerald gaze immediately focusing on his holy counterpart's handsome face. Some sort of unspoken agreement seemed to pass between the two of them, and then raising his arm, Angelicmon nodded to show he understood and said quietly, "As you wish. Zenith Point!"

"Watch yourselves!" Encantamon called out, darting out of range to avoid the blast.

YukiOnnamon and Spritemon did the same, and as seven bolts of pure light rained down from the ceiling, DarkAngelicmon was caught up in the blast. It was a direct hit, and attempting to cover his eyes, Mickey cried, "No!"

"Relax," Matty whispered, nudging the older twin in the ribs. "He's fine."

"He set himself up for that on purpose," Sam murmured, his expression growing thoughtful.

I knew it.

Wrapping her arms more securely around Dai's warm torso, Takara had to agree. Judging by the shared glances they had exchanged only moments ago, DarkAngelicmon had wanted Angelicmon to hit him. It was the perfect excuse to take himself out of the fight, and gazing at the fallen angel's seemingly unconscious form, Takara had a sneaking suspicion that despite his exhaustion, DarkAngelicmon was not incapacitated at all. That stunt had merely been for YukiOnnamon's benefit. In reality, she was sure the fallen angel was still fully alert and watching their every move.

I'm sure he's not just doing this because he doesn't want to fight us, but also to help our chances of escaping...

"Looks like our handsome angel is out of commission," Encantamon informed the others, ducking to avoid Centarumon's Solar Ray attack. "Shame, this isn't as fun without him."

"Who cares about that idiot!" Spritemon snarled, refusing to spare the fallen angel even a glance as she continued to shoot ball after ball of energy at Kestrelmon. "He's always been utterly useless!"

Ouch.

That was harsh coming from Spritemon, who had for the most part seemed fairly amicable towards DarkAngelicmon. It was another sign that she was losing all sense of reason, and raising her eyebrows, Encantamon said dryly, "Look at you. You're a disaster. You're never going to defeat Kestrelmon with that kind of attitude."

"Shut up!"

The pixie digimon's scream echoed throughout the chamber, and sending three simultaneous bursts of emerald energy at Kestrelmon, the bird digimon just barely managed to avoid them. Up until this point, Kestrelmon's speed and agility, combined with Spritemon's sloppy movements, had kept the bird digimon out of trouble for the most part, but at the end of the day she was still only an ultimate level digimon. As a mega, Spritemon had the edge, and attempting to orient herself, Kestrelmon steadied her bow and shouted, "Opalescent Arrows!"

So beautiful...

Takara watched in awe as three iridescent arrows with pink, feathery ends streaked through the air towards Spritemon. The female mega had to backflip out of the way to avoid them, and summoning icy barriers to block Omnimon's sword, YukiOnnamon snapped, "You stupid fool! Your silly temper tantrums are going to lose us the Spirit Chips! Stand down at once!"

"It's like she has a one-track mind," Ken observed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Even YukiOnnamon's threats aren't enough to stop her."

"And that's a problem," Matt said quietly, wrapping his arm more comfortably around Tai's shoulders. "In the past, Spritemon always seemed wary of Vampiramon, and I'm pretty sure that never changed after she transformed into YukiOnnamon. But now..."

Takara knew immediately what the former musician was trying to say, and giving Dai's hand a quick squeeze, she said, "Nothing scares her anymore, not even the Ruler of Darkness."

"Yeah," Dai muttered, returning the gesture. "She's made that pretty clear. You guys heard her. She doesn't care about stealing the Spirit Chips anymore, and she obviously doesn't care about what happens to DarkAngelicmon."

All she cares about is getting rid of me...

Though she hadn't voiced the thought out loud, her musings must have acted as some sort of trigger. Before she could even wrap her head around the developing situation, a huge green blast rocked the chamber, sending broken fragments of the floor flying in all directions. Takara quickly covered Dai's head and threw an arm over her own eyes to protect both of them from the stray debris, and squinting through the dust, her eyes widened in horror. The explosion had come from Spritemon, whose emerald blast had sent Kestrelmon slamming painfully into the ground, and raising her hand into the air, the female mega screamed, "Pixie Dust!"

"She's trying to drain their energy!" Matty warned, leaping to his feet. "Watch out!"

A shower of green dust exploded out of Spritemon's body, and Takara let out a gasp as the majority of it rained down on Kestrelmon's fallen form. Angelicmon, Gabrielmon, and Garudamon, who had come over to help after defeating DarkAngelicmon, were also caught in the storm, and crying out the three digimon were immediately forced to land in order to avoid the risk of falling from the air. Omnimon, FireDragermon, and IceTirimon were doing all they could just to fend off YukiOnnamon's raging blizzard, and Odontamon's group were attempting to avoid Encantamon's relentless barrage of toxic sludge.

A barely conscious Kestrelmon was left to fend for herself, but despite the fact that the female bird digimon was vulnerable, Spritemon didn't attempt to finish what she had started. As Garudamon and the two angels collapsed near Kestrelmon's still form, Takara found herself locking eyes with the little pixie, causing her breath to catch in her throat. Spritemon's delicate features were twisted in rage, and moving slowly towards her, the female mega hissed, "Now it's your turn."

"No!" her mother cried, scrambling to move in front of her. "I won't let you hurt my daughter!"

Before Takara or her father could even react, Spritemon was upon them. There was a series of shouts and screams as her mother was knocked aside, and then Takara found herself being dragged towards the battlefield.

Only this time she wasn't alone.

During the struggle, Dai hadn't lost his grip on her waist, and as a result the two of them were deposited roughly on the ground at Spritemon's feet. Glaring at them with hatred in her eyes, the little pixie sneered, "So you want to die together, do you? That can be arranged."

In the background, Takara could hear her parents and the rest of the Digidestined calling out to them in desperation, and holding her tightly against his chest, despite how weak he was, Dai said boldly, "I'm not letting you hurt Kara. I'll never let you do that ever again."

Oh, Dai...

Takara gently rested her cheek against the goggle-headed leader's shoulder, and knowing there was no way any of their digimon were going to make it in time to rescue them, she said softly, "You really hate me, don't you? I'm sorry you feel that way. I always thought you had the potential to break away from the darkness, but you won't even give yourself the chance anymore, will you."

"You should have thought of that before you decided to humiliate me," Spritemon snarled, raising her arm to point the small cannon she used as a weapon directly at their faces. "Now, let's turn this happy little reunion into a tragedy!"

I can't die here. I have to protect Dai and the others...

The gun on Spritemon's arm glowed brilliantly in the dim light of the chamber, and as a massive ball of green energy slowly began to expand inside the barrel of the cannon, Takara found herself pressing closer to Dai's warm body for comfort. The impending shot was larger than any blast she had ever seen the little pixie generate on previous occasions, and closing her eyes, she whispered, "I'm so glad you're here with me, Dai. Please, hold onto me. Don't ever let me go."

I love you.

Though his arms remained firmly fixed around her waist, the goggle-headed leader never had a chance to respond. Spritemon's cannon erupted in a blinding flash of emerald light, and fully expecting to lose consciousness, Takara was surprised to discover that she felt no pain from the sudden explosion.

That was impossible, of course. There was no way they could have survived such a devastating attack.

Are we...dead?

Dai's strong arms were still holding her tightly, and slowly opening her eyes, she blinked in confusion. As the dust settled around her, she spotted a body lying close by, and recognising the digimon's leathery skin and serpent-like eyes, she gasped, "Encantamon!?"

"No way," Dai muttered, looking just as shocked. "Why would she..."

The female digimon's slender body was still smoking from the force of the blast, and clearly baffled at this sudden turn of events, Spritemon stood there gaping in disbelief and said indignantly, "Are you out of your mind!? Why did you get in my way!?"

Encantamon slowly lifted her head, and as small bits of data began to float off her battered body, the serpent digimon said mildly, "Is that what I did? Imagine that. Sometimes I even surprise myself."

Takara could hear footsteps pounding against the floor as the rest of the Digidestined gathered around them, and gratefully accepting Ryoko's offer to support Dai, thus allowing her to move freely, she slowly crept towards Encantamon. Kneeling next to the serpent digimon and echoing the goggle-headed leader's outburst from earlier, she whispered, "Why?"

At this point, all of their digimon were back on their feet and ready to restrain both Spritemon and YukiOnnamon if it was needed, and shrugging her shoulders, Encantamon said mildly, "Just my way of apologising for what I did to your lover boy."

So that's what happened. I figured she was the one responsible for trying to drown Dai...

At those words, Dai's face immediately turned a brilliant shade of red, and doing her best to remain focused, Takara gently pulled the serpent digimon into her arms and murmured, "You don't seem like the martyr type to me."

"I'll admit, that's not usually my style," Encantamon drawled, laughing softly as her data continued to dissolve into the air. "But you know...I really like you. You're a lot of fun."

"Look at you, though..."

Encantamon was gazing up at her with those snake-like eyes, and as her long emerald hair spilled out across the ground, the serpent digimon said simply, "Don't worry about it. Like I said, I just tagged along for some entertainment."

"Even knowing you could disappear?" Takara whispered as the rest of the Digidestined looked on in somber silence. "Was all of this really worth it?"

You could have walked away from this and let Spritemon kill us...

Encantamon didn't seem too concerned about her current predicament, and closing her eyes, the serpent digimon said cryptically, "For me it was. I had a grand old time. Just do me one favour, though."

A...favour?

Takara didn't even attempt to hide her confusion, and frowning, she said, "What kind of favour?"

"Look after our handsome angel for me," Encantamon whispered, giving her a small smile. "And thanks for playing along."

"Encantamon..."

"Don't worry, I'll be back," the serpent digimon teased, poking her playfully in the nose. "Next time, we'll have lots of fun together."

Takara managed to smile through the sudden tears stinging her eyes, and giving the female digimon's hand a quick squeeze, she whispered, "It's a promise."

The smile she received in return was the only answer she needed, and then Encantamon disappeared, her data drifting off towards the light glimmering steadily in the darkness beyond.