Powers of Crests

by Debbie Dai-chan

The Digidestined are seeking the true meanings of their crests.

5. Awareness of Lightning

~*~ My special Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon: Digital Monsters. If I do, I will make Izzy the main Character. *ducks* Criticism will be treasured and flames will pity themselves for being flames.~*~

Powers of Crests Saga:

Part Five: Awareness of Lightning

By Debbie (Dai-chan) *^_^*

Koushiro cupped his hands and dunked them in the stream. He drank deeply, welcoming the cool, refreshing water in his dry throat. His Digimon companion, Tentomon, lowered his head so he could drink straight from the water. Koushiro took another drink and sat up, wiping his mouth. He watched Takeru wading in the stream, finding the delight of hunting for fishes. Patamon hovered near, often giggling whenever Takeru made a mistake to catch fishes; he often splashed himself, losing his grip on a slick fish.

The group was finally out of the underground cave. They don't know how long have they been underground, and they walked for only a short time when the sky began to dim. They chose a stream for a place to rest. Koushiro looked behind him. He saw Yamato sitting on a stone, his chin on his hands, looking solemn. His grey-blue eyes were rueful. His Digimon, Gabumon sat by him, usually quiet. Koushiro sighed. Yamato had been like that since Kimika found her power.

Koushiro's black eyes gazed over to the girl, who sat far from the group, sitting cross-legged, unusually quiet. Her new eyes, the eyes of snow white, staring out into the distance, seemed to watch for something only she knows. Her power changed her. Before, she was companionable, easy to talk with, but now she was silent, reflective.

Koushiro was very curious about her. He often wondered why she had to be changed like that. It seemed unnatural to have that white eyes and the golden-yellow braid. He stood up and strolled to Kimika, Tentomon following behind. Koushiro moved quietly, careful not to disturb her. She might be upset if she was disturbed from her thoughts. However, Kimika did hear him. She gazed up with her white eyes. She seems so blind, thought Koushiro, yet she can see me. The eyes didn't distract Koushiro, but increased his rate of curiosity. He sat by her right side; Kimika's Digimon, Iyumon laid by her other side, looking not rueful, but kind of amazed with deep admiration.

"How do you feel, Kim?" Koushiro asked.

Kimika's eyes once again unfocused in thought. "Kind of confused, now that I have this odd power." She gazed down to her hands, her white eyes seeming to flicker into a slight grey color, appearing perplexed. Koushiro's curiosity grew.

"I am very inquisitive about your abilities," said Koushiro. "Since Tai and Joe received similar abilities, I assure we might have easy access to them, too."

Kimika then gazed up to him, faintly smiling. "You want to know why, don't you?"

Koushiro grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Is that obvious?"

To his surprise, Kimika shook her head. "No. I can see it in your eyes."

Koushiro was puzzled for a moment, and then remembered. "Ah, I see. You are the Seer." Kimika became wistful, said nothing. "May I see your crest?" Koushiro thought Kimika might hesitate or refuse, but, without question, she putted off her crest over her head and handed it to Koushiro. He was gentle to handle it as he studied the pattern of the crest.

"What is the point of having a crest, Izzy?" He heard Yamato saying from behind. Koushiro looked back, and Yamato was striding toward with Gabumon. He looked kind of edgy, his lips tightened. It was not a surprise. He was always stern. Takeru was running up to his brother, his fish hunt forgotten.

Koushiro answered the blond boy's question, "Well, as you might recall, Sora mentioned about the reasons why we possess these crests. I presume this crest can reveal an opening for Kimika's power to expose itself, like the crests did for Tai's and Joe's." His black eyes went to Kimika's crest, the rainbow image on the silver tag shadowed by his fingers. "It's interesting that the crest didn't change a bit." Then he looked up to her. "It might be a vessel to inside of you."

The group sat by them. Yamato sat by Kimika, not too close to be modest, still looking ruefully. Takeru sat in Kimika's lap, the only one who was not disturbed by her power. Kimika held him close to her, as if she does not want to let him go. Koushiro noticed that she had the look of sad longing. The Digimon crowded around Koushiro, taking a look at Kimika's crest.

"You are right, Izzy," said Gabumon by Koushiro's right side. "Her crest is the same as before."

"But it did change Kim," Patamon spoke from his position in Takeru's arms. "Remember when Kim got her power, her crest glowed?"

Iyumon sat up on her hind legs, looking thoughtfully. "Now when you mentioned it, I did remember. It did glow, but I didn't feel it at all. Before, it did give me the power to digivolve into Nightrianmon, but this time, I didn't feel it."

"So, it's one of the mysteries of Digiworld, huh, Izzy?" said Tentomon with a hint of eagerness in his voice.

"The mystery I want to unravel," said Koushiro, eager to learn more. "Kim, can you -"

"HEY! Give Kim some room!" Koushiro and the Digimon jolted in astonishment at Yamato's words. His eyes flashing, Yamato scowled severely with warning. "She is new to her power and needn't to be examined as some foreign animal."

Koushiro felt his cheeks going hot, and he lowered his eyes guiltily. He heard Kimika speaking calmly, "Matt, it's all right. I, for once, am curious, too." He looked up to see Yamato's scowl deepened, and he averted away to stare at the stream, his eyes unreadable. Kimika was quiet, her eyes on him, but turned to Koushiro with a restful smile. "Izzy, what do you want of me?"

Koushiro's eyes flickered to Kimika's crest and gave it back to her. "Matt is right. I should not push you too far." Still, his curiosity coaxed him, encouraged him. He glimpsed to Yamato before asked Kimika, "But if it's not any trouble, would you mind to call on your power? Just a bit?"

Kimika's smile widened. "I would not mind." She held up a fist and opened it. A hazy image of a small Digivice floated above the palm of her hand, lazily spinning in place before it vanished in a brief, tiny flash. "Did it satisfy your curiosity?"

Koushiro grinned enthusiastically. "It is hungrier now. Is it easier to be able to call on your power?" The girl answered with a nod. "Remarkable! It's possible that you will possess this power for a lifetime."

Yamato suddenly burst out his unexpected words with hot fury. "But why must the power affect her like that?!" He paused, realized what he had said. Koushiro and the rest gaped at him in surprise. Kimika was gazing at him, misery coloring her white eyes into a light blue hue. Yamato's face and eyes abruptly paled into shame. "I'm sorry, Kim, but . . ."

"I understand," Kimika whispered with empathy. She now looked like the Seer, though Koushiro didn't remember how he knows. "I am not the same as before." Yamato gazed back with deep rue, and then hardened his face. He gave out a choked, strained grunt before he stood. He took off into the jungle, a worried Gabumon trailing after. Kimika exhaled faintly and turned to Koushiro with her sad eyes. "Izzy, for once, I wish I don't have that power, no matter how remarkable."

Takeru was quiet during the whole time. He sat up and wrapped his arms around her neck, hugging her warmly. He also had rue in his azure eyes. Her eyes closed, Kimika embraced him back, holding him so firmly that Koushiro got a hunch Kimika didn't want to let go at all for some reason. Iyumon also embraced her human friend with hidden compassion.

Gazing upon the girl, Koushiro pondered, his curiosity growing.

***

The group was sleeping by the stream, soothed by the humming of water. Takeru nestled near Kimika, seeking comfort and warmth, and Kimika gave him much more than that. Koushiro watched from his seat. Kimika acted kinda like a replacement for Yamato. Whenever Yamato was somewhere else, Kimika was present for Takeru as a big sister. Koushiro thought she was doing well at that. Yamato had come out of the forest, looking unusually woeful. Koushiro pretended not to pay attention to him while he worked at her laptop, but, out of his eyes, Koushiro saw Yamato standing near the boy and the girl, watching them in silent tenderness Koushiro never see before. He had heard faint rustling, then silence. When Koushiro looked up, he saw Yamato sleeping by Takeru's other side, Takeru in between Yamato and Kimika. Koushiro smiled.

Tentomon snoring lightly by his side, Koushiro tapped at his computer. He entered a folder that he kept the information of the eight crests. There was not much there, anyway. On one of the screens, he had images of the crests with their own colors and names.

"The crests have their own names," Koushiro talked to himself, pointing the crests out. "Courage, Reliability, Empathy, Sincerity, Knowledge, Friendship, Love, and Hope. Every of us have one of those crests that represents who we are. Already, the Crests of Courage, Friendship, Knowledge, Empathy and Love glowed to aid Agumon, Gabumon, Tentomon, Iyumon, and Biyomon to digivolve into their ultimate forms. But now, the crests gave Tai, Joe, and Kim their hidden powers. Why?" Koushiro sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. "I don't see the point to them."

Koushiro reached out his crest from his orange shirt. He liked the way the light reflected off the polished brass tag. The tiny screen protected the vivid blue-purple crest. Five circles - two within the largest one as another inside the last, linking together side by side – were set in the crest. The image of his Crest of Knowledge.

Koushiro's gaze tore from his crest to a sound. Tentomon yawned and gazed up to him. "What are you doing, Izzy?" he asked.

Koushiro sighed, letting go his crest. "I am trying to figure out the reasons to the hidden powers. I wonder if I would have such this power."

"Why, of course you do." Koushiro turned to his Digimon in surprise. Tentomon always showed his emotions through his bright green eyes, rather than through his face or mouth. His eyes seemed to smile. "You have the power of knowledge."

Koushiro smiled. "Yeah, but these powers are very different from the crests."

Tentomon cocked his head in slight puzzlement. "What do you mean, Izzy?"

Koushiro loved to explain things. "Well, Kim told me that when Tai attacked Phyrimon with his power, he used fire. I remembered Joe used his power, which is water, to defeat Aquenmon. Kim used, well, shadow to attack Arachnimon. It seems that the powers are connected to nature, not digital or machine-like, as I would expect."

Tentomon watched him for a while in silence. He appeared deeply puzzled, but smiled again. "I don't know, Izzy. But I am sure you will solve this. You have the knowledge." He settled down and went back to sleep.

Koushiro turned off his computer and shut it. For the first time, Koushiro was not certain he has the knowledge.

***

Again, the group explored through the jungle for their missing friends. They have no idea where they were since Myotismon sent them in the underground cave. They even tried to use their Digivices, which had aided them to find the friends since Taichi came back from the home world, but now, they refused to work for a particular reason. Yamato appeared upset about that; he had the determination in the group to find the friends. Kimika had the patience. She simply calmed Yamato down, and she took up the leadership. They boys and Digimon have trust in her as they followed her thought the jungle. They followed her until they stopped at strange ruins.

The ruins were an ivy-covered building, more like a temple or something. The stones were hued earth-brown with crawling green-blue vines all over. An entrance was opened wide, no doors, with stone steps leading upward to it. The steeple was rising so high that its tip seemed to touch the sky. On both left and right sides of the ruins, thick trees crawled so close that it seemed impossible to pass through. The Digimon went to check the areas to see if there was a path or trail.

"Is there another way around?" Yamato asked when the Digimon returned.

"No, we couldn't find any," answered Gabumon.

Kimika turned her eyes at Yamato. "We have to go through it. Please don't be so upset, Matt. I promise you no harm will come to us."

Yamato looked uncertain. Koushiro walked up to him, saying, "She is right, Matt. Besides, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. It would save us some time to go through that building than go around it."

Ignoring Yamato's tense eyes on him, Koushiro moved closer to see a better view of the ruins. A memory nagged at the back of his mind, seeming similar to the present. "That reminds me back when Mimi and I were stranded on a shred of File Island."

"Would the ruins be a maze?" wondered Takeru by Yamato's side.

Koushiro cocked his head in thought. "I don't know. Maybe if I would -" He stopped abruptly in mid sentence. He thought he saw something flashing on the perch above the entrance. He was not sure. It seemed something like writing or words, perhaps. He moved a bit and abruptly saw it. It flashed in a blue-purple hue, a bold word. It read, 'Warder.' Koushiro raised his thick red eyebrows in perplexity. Why would the word 'Warder' be above the entrance?

"Izzy?"

Koushiro jumped, blinked, and gazed at the hovering Tentomon. "What?"

Tentomon said with usual weary suffering, "You were off in another world, again."

"Was I?" Koushiro looked around. Yamato, Takeru, and the Digimon were staring at him in puzzlement. Kimika was quietly gazing at him - was there a faint smile on her lips?, remarked Koushiro. Koushiro looked up to the entrance. The word was gone in an instant. His cheeks went hot. "Sorry about that."

Yamato putted his hands in his jeans pockets, looking serious. "You were saying that if you would do something . . . what?"

Koushiro shrugged. "I don't remember. It must slip out of my mind."

Yamato exhaled sharply. "The sooner we get out of here, the better." He turned to enter the ruins with Gabumon, Takeru, and Patamon. Kimika walked behind quietly with Iyumon. Koushiro stared hard at the entrance's perch, and when nothing happened, he went after his friends with Tentomon.

Inside, the ruins were mostly empty. There was nothing but a square chamber with a hall at the other side. It was dimly lightened by sunlight through old cracks above. There were also vines all over the walls, seemed to be a viny curtain. The group entered the hall, and Koushiro realized after a while, turning many corners, the ruins must be a kind of labyrinth. He hoped they would not get lost in it. The walls were decorated with bizarre, outlandish pictures and letters all over, peeking through the vines. Koushiro stared hard with curiosity at them, wondering.

"What odd writing," murmured Takeru as he scanned the pictures. "It's not polite to write on walls."

"The writing is up there for a reason," said Gabumon.

"Do you know, Izzy?" Iyumon asked from Kimika's side, looking back.

Koushiro simply shook his head.

Kimika gazed back with concern in her white eyes. "You seem quiet, Izzy. What's the matter?" She slowed her pace so she can walk back to Koushiro's side.

"I'm not certain," answered Koushiro. His black eyes went to the writing. "I try to understand the words, but they are so confused."

"Don't get too hard on yourself," Tentomon said.

Koushiro still felt disappointed. "I wish I know the answer. You know, I did encounter a familiar word outside, on the perch over the entrance. 'Warder,' it presented. That is it."

Takeru surprised Koushiro and the rest when he said with wonder, "Could this 'warder' be you, Izzy?"

His eyebrows arched in surprise, Koushiro pointed a finger at himself, looking a bit comical. "Me?" Then he scoffed. "Why would I be a warder? Warder of what?"

Takeru held up his hands, shrugging unknowingly, then turned to study the writing.

Koushiro gazed up to the writing for a while, then suddenly saw a yellowish-white glow among the outlines of the pictures and letters. It lasted for a brief time, but long enough for Koushiro to finally be certain that they are not hallucinations. But he noticed that the kids and Digimon didn't react at them at all. Not even Tentomon.

No one saw it, but I did. Why? Koushiro thought with puzzlement.

They kept walking in silence, until Yamato slowed down into a stop. He gazed back to the friends, a lost expression on his face. "What are we doing here for?"

Koushiro stood in silence, then in bewilderment. "We are passing through the ruins so we can go search for our friends."

"Oh." Yamato shrugged, and then began to walk. Koushiro's bewilderment broadened.

As they walked, Kimika was playing with her sunglasses, looking deeply in thought. Then she dropped it, forgotten. Koushiro stopped to pick it up and ran up to her. "Hey, Kim. You dropped your sunglasses."

Kimika looked down at the red sunglasses and shook her head. "It's not mine. It must be yours."

"Huh? No, Kim, it is yours. You wear it all the time."

Kimika reluctantly took it, fidgeting with it, looking unusually confused. "Maybe it is yours," she said to Iyumon. She putted the sunglasses over Iyumon's red eyes. The Digimon appeared pleasant at this.

Koushiro stopped in his tracks, wondering why. Something was going wrong here. "Don't you remember anything happening now, guys?" he said to get their attention.

His friends stopped walking and gazed back to Koushiro with uncertain suspicion. "What do you mean?" said Patamon from his perch on Takeru's head.

"Don't you remember that we are supposed to find our friends?" Koushiro nearly went berserk.

He saw Yamato exchange sidelong glances with Kimika, and then said, "What's up with you, man? We are all here."

Koushiro's body nearly went limp, his black eyes clouding with incomprehension. He spoke faintly, "Remember the others? Tai, Sora, Joe, and Mimi?"

"What others?" asked Takeru with innocent confusion. "Who are they?"

Koushiro blinked his eyes in incredible disbelief. His friends don't remember anything about the others? What had happened? He gazed up to Tentomon, who also looked disbelieved. Koushiro and Tentomon might be the only ones who still remember. Koushiro suddenly felt light-headed, holding his head. He shut his eyes, holding back the dizziness. He heard footsteps coming closer, and he felt the supported arm of Kimika around his shoulders.

"Easy, Izzy," Kimika said with gentle compassion. "You press too much on yourself."

He kept his eyes closed. How can I relax when my friends are losing their memories? He thought. Kimika let go of him, and he opened his eyes. Kimika was whispering with Yamato, who responded with an arched eyebrow. Takeru was listening quietly, but his azure eyes were on Koushiro, looking attentive.

Koushiro flushed hotly and turned to keep his gaze on the odd pictures. For an instant, he saw a sudden, tiny flash among a picture of an A-shaped letter with a rugged line across it. He reached to touch it, but a small spark of lightning jumped from the letter to his finger. A sharp slice of pain stabbed in his finger.

"Ow!" Koushiro gasped, shaking his finger and sucking on it.

Tentomon hovered near, concern in his eyes. "Are you all right? What happened?"

Koushiro looked at his finger. It was not damaged. The pain was gone. "Nothing." He looked up to his friends to see if they saw what happened. Yamato and Kimika were talking together, concentration in their faces. Takeru's eyes were on them, looking boring. Koushiro shook his head in disbelief. "Tentomon, something is wrong with them, and I am going to find that problem."

Takeru was yawning, looking now tired. He tugged on his brother's green shirt to get his attention. "Can't we rest, Matt? I am tired."

Yamato nodded in agreement. "Okay. Take a break, guys." The rest sat down, already yawning. Koushiro was not tired at all; his curiosity urged him to find a solution to the problem with the losing memories. He turned to stare at the writing. He knew staring would not work, but it was better for him to concentrate than worry too much. Strangely, he rarely got upset, but his collected temper began to boil inside his chest.

Tentomon hovered lower so his head was at Koushiro's height. He spoke with anxiety, "You appear tense."

"Of course I am!" Koushiro nearly snapped. He sighed with anguish. "Don't you see that they forgetting about themselves? They don't remember the others, absolutely not at all."

"I do notice that," said Tentomon softly.

Koushiro clenched his teeth firmly; for the first time, he was a loss at ideas. "It must be something in the ruins that made them forget. I saw something flashing in those writing. That must be the reason."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Koushiro watched Tentomon glancing back to the kids, and then gazed back to him. He spoke gently, "Izzy, I think you should sleep. You are too tense."

Now he thinks I am crazy. Koushiro stubbornly shook his head. He felt the gentle touch of his Digimon on his shoulder and heard the pleading voice. "Please, Izzy."

He let his anger cool down from his chest and felt immediately exhausted. He glanced back and saw that his friends were already falling asleep. No sense to wake them. He slid down to a laying position and closed his eyes. Slumber took long to overtake him

***

. . . Warder . . . Warder . . .

. . . You are . . . worthless to the Digidestined . . .

. . . Thirsty for your knowledge . . .

. . . Come, warder . . .

"I am not the Warder!"

Koushiro popped his eyes open, sweating. What a bizarre dream! The words were few, but tauntingly enough to shake him. He laid still, staring up to the dark ceiling, trying to remember what happened. Then he heard the panicked call of his name. He blinked when the shocked face of Tentomon came in his vision.

"What's it, Tentomon?" he asked.

Tentomon's voice was quavering. "They are gone!"

Koushiro sat up, gazing around. The kids and Digimon were gone, but they left something behind. He found Yamato's silver-tinted harmonica, Kimika's small red backpack, and Takeru's favorite green-blue hat near him. Koushiro's worry and curiosity grew. "They left their possessions behind . . . What happened, Tentomon?"

"I don't know," said Tentomon. "I woke up to find them gone."

Koushiro gazed around harder, and then he saw faint footprints in the settled dust on the floor, leading from ahead of him. "They must go that way," Koushiro located, pointing at the footprints, "But why?"

Tentomon shook his head, tugging on Koushiro's sleeve. "No questions this time, Izzy! We must find them before it's too late!"

Koushiro nodded. He quickly putted Yamato's harmonica and Takeru's hat in Kimika's bag - it still contained her precious camera. He shoved it over his shoulder and ran after the footprints with Tentomon soaring ahead. The ruins were, as Koushiro believed, a maze, but the footprints led them the right way. He hoped. They turned a few corners before they stopped at a long gap in the middle of the hall. The footprints continued still from the far side.

Koushiro peeked downward and gulped at the deepness. Straightening up, he said, "How can I get across?"

Tentomon flapped his gossamer wings and held out his claws. "Here, hold on my claws."

Koushiro hesitated, biting on his lower lip. "Are you sure, Tentomon?"

"I am certain," Tentomon responded with confidence. His eyes seemed to smile. "Always."

Koushiro held a firm grip on his Digimon's claws. Tentomon flapped harder, and Koushiro felt his feet going off the ground. A bit shaky, Koushiro kept his eyes on Tentomon as he carried him across the gap. The moment he felt the firm ground under his feet, he let go. He beamed a thankful grin at the Digimon. "Thanks, Tento! Now let's go."

The duo ran down the hall, following the footprints, until they again stopped at a circular chamber with four different tunnels reaching out. The footprints abruptly stopped in the middle, as if the group decided to fly rather than walk. Koushiro knew it was impossible for them, except Patamon, to float, but now he was uncertain about the possibilities of Digiworld. He remembered Jyou saying anything is possible in Digiworld. In the ruins, everything was going wrong.

"Now what?" Tentomon mumbled.

Koushiro pondered for a while. "I think I have an idea." He reached in Kimika's backpack and got out the harmonica.

Tentomon cocked his head in wary confusion. "How can a harmonica help us find our friends?"

Koushiro awkwardly held the harmonica. "Matt would kill me if I try to play it, but it might be our only chance." Taking a deep breath, Koushiro blew into the harmonica. It came out terribly, piercing. Tentomon groaned softly at that. "Ouch." Trying again, Koushiro played the harmonica. He was terrible at playing music. The music was way off-key, screeching. Tentomon looked pretty suffered, covering his claws over his ears. Stopping, Koushiro waited for what he would expect.

As if answering back, Koushiro's music echoed back from three of the tunnels.

"Huh?" Tentomon remarked.

Koushiro grinned in triumph. "Just what I expected. The echoes mean that the three tunnels are dead ends. We go that way." He pointed at a tunnel at his near right. Together, Koushiro and Tentomon ran in the long tunnel. Koushiro now noticed the footprints of his friends, leading down from ahead. Soon, he will find his friends. Soon, they stopped at the entrance of a huge, damp-looking chamber. There were the odd writing on the walls, but Koushiro didn't care about them. He found his friends.

"Hey, you guys!" Koushiro ran to them. They were sitting cross-legged, facing each other, but he noticed they didn't react to his voice. They were unmoving, engrossed by something. Their faces were blank, expressionless. Their eyes were unfocused, staring out into the distance. Koushiro grew worried. "Wake up! Please!" He gently but firmly shook their shoulders, waved his hands before their eyes, and even pinched their arms. No responses. Koushiro sank to his knees, hopeless. "What can we do, Tentomon?"

"Maybe if you give them their possessions, maybe they could remember."

Tentomon's hopefulness gave Koushiro a new light. His face brightened. "Prodigious idea!" He putted down Kimika's bag and got out Yamato's harmonica. He went to kneel by the blond boy, placing the harmonica in his hands. To his shock, the harmonica slid out of Yamato's hands. Picking it up, Koushiro miserably looked right in Yamato's empty eyes. "Come on, Matt. You know you love playing the harmonica." He took one of Yamato's hands and putted the harmonica in his hands. When he let go, again the instrument slid out of his hands, carelessly.

His heart slowly clenching, Koushiro went to a quiet Kimika. He took out her advanced camera. He spoke softly, "Kim, remember your camera? You love taking pictures all the time, never going anywhere without the camera." Clasping on fading hope, he placed it in her hands. The camera settled in her lap, but she made no move. Koushiro quietly exhaled. "Your pictures are beautiful." He then took out Takeru's hat and putted it on the young boy's head. Takeru's azure eyes blinked not, looking empty. The kids' Digimon sat by their humans' sides, looking as hollow as them.

Koushiro sat down, his face twisted in anguish. He shook his head hopelessly. What had happened to his friends? "I don't understand, Tentomon. Nothing I can do helps them remember. I can't help them. I am useless!" His hands went into trembling fists, and his anger began to boil into his chest. He buried his face with his fists, stifling back an enraged cry. He never felt so helpless before. He remembered when he nearly drowned. It was an extremely disturbing experience. It was the same feeling, being helpless and lost.

He felt a comforted touch of Tentomon on his arm. Blinking back unwanted tears, Koushiro gazed at him. "Don't give up, Izzy," Tentomon said, deeply confident of him. "You can do it. I know you can."

Before he could respond, Koushiro heard a guttural growl filling the chamber. He scanned around quickly, and then glanced upward. He saw two glowing slanted eyes of deep red floating in the darkness above. "Who are you?" Koushiro declared with a bit of fierceness.

The eyes lowered downward until Koushiro saw that the eyes belonged to a Digimon. He was crawling on the walls, his claws clasping on the vines. He was upside down, his long, thick tail hanging over his head, swaying lazily. He had brown fur, with patched dark pants that came to below of his knees. Skin-like wings covered his arms and sides of his torso, giving him the appearance of a bat. He was sneering, revealing two rows of deathly-looking fangs.

"That's Thuntemon," explained Tentomon with some loathing. "I didn't know he lives in this ruin, but he is known by his way to 'gather' knowledge, unlike you, Izzy. He eats brains."

Koushiro suddenly felt queasy. His friends were losing their memories so that Digimon could eat their brains?! He's not going to let him do that! Standing up, Koushiro shook his fist at the bat Digimon. "Hey! Leave my friends alone!"

Thuntemon crawled to the floor, on both hands and feet. He made no move toward them, but his eyes seemed to grow hungrily. He spoke in a softly, screeching voice, "First, I want your knowledge, Warder. I can smell it far away from here. So delicious."

"Warder . . ." Suddenly, he remembered his dream. He remembered the flashing word of 'warder' outside. He began to shake his head in disbelief.

Thuntemon began to crawl around the kids and Digimon in a circle, making no move to attack. Tentomon hovered over Koushiro's head, softly growling in his throat. Thuntemon said, "You are the Warder of Knowledge who guards information and memories."

Koushiro moved so he could keep the circling Digimon in his vision. He inhaled sharply, uneasily. "Do you want to destroy me, just like the others?"

"Yessss," the Digimon hissed. "Each of you Digidestined must be destroyed."

"Why?"

Thuntemon paused in his tracks. "You should know that. You are the Warder." He tensed up, and his powerful legs pushed him up in the air, preparing to attack.

Tentomon, digivolve into Kabuterimon!

Lowering his shoulders, Kabuterimon rammed into Thuntemon's stomach, sending him out of the way. As his Digimon fought the bat Digimon, Koushiro turned to his friends, trying again to wake them. Shaking them, Koushiro pleaded, "Please! Wake up! We have to get out of here! Wake up! I won't let you forget! I won't!"

Then he heard a painful howl from behind him. Whirling around, he saw Kabuterimon screaming as Thuntemon clasped on his back, sinking his fangs in Kabuterimon's shelled shoulder. Red blood began to stain Thuntemon's fangs and Kabuterimon's shoulder.

"NO!" Koushiro screamed along with Kabuterimon. His chest began to glow with a vivid violet hue, and the glow surrounded him. The aura was deep purple, nearly as dark as his eyes, with tiny silver lightning bolts. A silver, rugged lightning bolt emitted from his hands and plunged at where Thuntemon bit Kabuterimon. The bat Digimon let of him when the bolt came in contact. He screamed in enraged pain, flapping his arm-wings. Kabuterimon fell to the floor, glowed for an instant, and de-digivolved into Tentomon, who held his bleeding shoulder. While Koushiro attacked Thuntemon, his aura blazed brighter until it touched the kids and Digimon, waking them from their trances. They gazed around in a daze.

His anger violently boiled into the point of explosion. He never was so raged at someone like that. He was angry because he was helpless. His aura blazing even brighter, Koushiro roared, "I wish I could do anything to help! I want to! I won't let you forget all about what had happened to us, forget all about our memories! I won't let you forget! I won't! Awareness of Lightning!"

Mad bolts of silver lightning charged all over from his body, forming an electric sphere around him. The bolts attacked Thuntemon from everywhere, giving him no place to escape. He screeched in pain. Koushiro let his anger get out of control, and the bolts explode in midair. The explosions were so powerful, immense that Koushiro was jostled back by the unexpected force. He flew backward and rolled across the floor, rapidly losing his power and strength.

He heard vague voices before he lost his awareness.

***

He was so weak when he regained his awareness. He found that he couldn't move. He had no strength to move his arms and legs. But he did feel movements of walking. He felt arms holding him up, one arm beneath his knees and another behind his back. He had his head rested on a shoulder, feeling the warmth on his cheek. He could feel heartbeats through his right side, and he assured that someone carried him.

He had just enough strength to open his eyes. Koushiro opened his eyes a crack and saw the head of Yamato above him, looking quiet. Yamato carried him. Yamato took a glance down to check on him, and seeing him awake, Yamato stopped walking, smiling gently. "Hey, Izzy."

Koushiro weakly looked around without moving his head. They were outside in the jungle, out of the ruins. Sunlight winked through branches above. He saw Tentomon hovering near Yamato, looking deeply relieved. Takeru was hitched on Kimika's back, both from ahead of Yamato. They looked back, relieved. "How do you feel?" Takeru asked from his hitch on Kimika, appearing concerned.

Koushiro tried to gather strength to speak, but all he could give out was a mumbled croak. His eyes fell droopy, suddenly exhausted.

Kimika smiled softly. "You don't need words to explain."

Koushiro's eyes scanned around, then gazed at his friends in wonder. Tentomon got the hint. "We are finally out of the ruins. You destroyed Thuntemon. With your power."

Koushiro's eyebrows arched a bit and raised his blackish-brown eyes to Yamato. Yamato nodded lightly, his grey-blue eyes full with new respect of him. "Yes, you have changed. Now, like Kim, you have a piece of violet hair in your red hair." His eyes flickered to where his new strand was, and he grinned. "Very attractive, if you ask me."

Koushiro smiled back weakly.

Kimika touched his cheek with her fingers, so tender and mild. Her voice was deeply sympathetic. "You must sleep now. Don't worry, Izzy. You will be all right."

Koushiro's eyelids drooped down, and he settled his cheek on Yamato's shoulder. He was so tired that he abruptly went to sleep. But the last words he remembered stuck to his mind, and they made him smile slightly even in his deep slumber.

I am the Warder.

To be continued.