"Don't mention it!" he said,"No really, don't mention it! I don't want it to get around!"
"Guys!" Matt said,"How are we going to defeat the Dark Masters?"
"Do we really have to worry about that now?" Joe asked,"I mean, can't we just enjoy the fresh air and ocean?"
"Yes," Whamon said,"You should try to get some rest! I will take you to the city where the Gekomon's Castle was relocated. There you should be able to hide until you're ready to attack!"
"Can we trust them?" Izzy asked.
"Yeah," Tai said,"I remember them. They were a little weird, but I'm sure we can trust them." "Just as long as they don't try to get Mimi to sing for them again!" Joe said, missing Mimi's flying arm.
Sora sat on Whamon's back, watching Tai. She loved him so deeply, yet she couldn't tell him. What would he see in her? She wanted to tell him so desperately, but she didn't know how.
On the top of Spiral Mountain, inside Piedmon's castle, Magicmon and the Dark Masters were seated watching the Digidestined through a glass sphere. "It was so easy," he told them," to enter her mind! She has no psychic defenses what-so-ever!"
"I don't care about how easy it is," Piedmon snapped,"I just want results!"
Magicmon nodded. "Very well! The point I'm making is, with no psychic defenses, once I establish a psychic rapport with her, part of my mind will always be in hers! It will be so easy to control her and why not! All I'm doing is giving her a taste of some of her innermost, even forbidden, needs and desires. Within her angel's soul lurks a demon, a yang counterpart to the surface yin! The strongest I've ever felt!"
"How can that be?" Piedmon asked. "She is by far, the kindest among them!"
"That is not true!" Puppetmon said,"I've been watching them! The leader, Tai, his little sister Kari is the kindest!"
Magicmon nodded. "Indeed! Sora was once the kindest, but Kari has now taken that position! Sora is jealous of Kari! Jealous because of that and also because where Tai once paid the most attention to Sora, he know is always thinking of Kari and his need to protect his sister. This has made Sora jealous, but she has bottled down the feeling. Buried it deep inside of her where it has mingled and merged with every other dark thought and negative emotion she has had, but kept deep inside of her! When I'm creating illusions inside her mind, what I'm really doing is reaching that, 'dark' part of her soul, and unleashing it! All I'm doing is freeing that negative part of her self from its moral cage!"
Magicmon smiles, concentrates, and miles away, Sora's world suddenly turns topsy-turvey. Sora felt her head began to throbbed and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, Whamon and her friends are gone, and she is inside a colonial ship in the 1800 on its way towards America with the one she knows as Sir Jason, really Magicmon.
"Oh no!" she thought, looking around,"not again!"
Magicmon turned to her. Something inside of her, some feeling, pulls her towards this digimon she believes is a human. Could it be love? she wonders.
"Is something amiss, Sora? I thought I heard you cry out!" he said, comforting.
He walked over to her and started to pull her closer to himself. "I know we've had a rough passage, my darling, but we'll be in New York soon. And then we'll be together forever!"
"Yes, Jason," she said, succumbing to the feeling inside of her. "No!" she thought,"What am I doing? The emotions he stirs within me, so intense! I must break away while I can!"
She pushed herself away and ran for the door to their cabin."My head aches so, Sir Jason. I'll be fine once I've had a breath of fresh air!"
"I'll accompany you!" he said, moving toward her.
"No! Thank you, I prefer to be alone!"
She ran upstairs to the top of the ship where she could see the ocean. "What's happening to me?" she asked," Am I going crazy?"
Suddenly she felt a presence behind her. Turning around she saw a man wearing a army offical's uniform. "Milady..?
"The captain!" Sora thought, "Wait, I know that voice..Its's Tai!"
The captain pulled off his hat to reveal Tai's face. "I saw ye come on deck, Ma'am. Is any thing..."
"..the matter with you Sora?" Tai asked.
Sora found herself back on Whamon sailing through the ocean breeze. "You've been like this for days," Tai said,"I want to help!"
"I..I don't know if you can!" Sora said, turning away from him.
Tai slowed. "At least let me try!"
Sora looked him straight in the eyes. "I...need to talk to you! I've..noticed..that..I'm starting to have...feelings for you!"
Tai's heart jumped. "What kind of feelings?" he asked.
"It started when you were fighting Etemon and you and Metalgreymon disappeared. We searched for months, but we never found you. The others wanted to give up, but a part of me wouldn't! That's why I left and started to look for you! Then when Biyomon and I found you with T.K., we wanted to see you so bad, but I couldn't! Demidevimon told me my crest would never glow, and I knew the reason why!"
"Your mother.."Tai began.
Sora shook her head. "No, that was just something I made up. It was you Tai! I knew my crest wouldn't glow because I couldn't tell you...that...I love you!"
Tai stood motionless. "Sora..I...I've had feelings for you too, but...until now I always thought they were strong friendship, but I see that I love you too!"
"Tai!" Sora cried, hugging him with tears flowing down her cheeks.
"Curses!" Magicmon yelled.
"What happened?" Piedmon demanded.
"It was Tai!" Magicmon yelled,"He brought Sora out of my control and now they just confessed their love for each other!"
"Will this be a problem?" Piedmon asked, coldly.
"No,"Magicmon said, confidently,"No, I just have to fight fire with fire!"
"This place has changed!" Mimi said, walking up the road to the Gekomon's castle. "Just be careful!" Palmon said,"I don't want to run into Shogungekomon again!"
"Don't worry!" Gomamon said," Metalgreymon blasted him to nothing, remember!"
"Oh yes!" Palmon said, playfully hugging Agumon, "My hero!" In the distance, Biyomon started to become jealous.
As the group got closer to the castle, they could heard loud music coming from inside. "This place has become a night club?" Joe asked.
"That's what Whamon said!" Tai exclaimed,"Weren't you guys listening?"
When they reached the castle they saw a long line of digimon. "How do we get in?" Kari asked.
Tai was about to say something, when one of the Gekomon came running down the road. "Its you!" he said, his tounge hanging out of his mouth,"You came back to save us!"
Tai nodded. "That's right, we're back, and these are the rest of the Digidestined!"
"Shh!" the Gekomon said,"Not so loud! They'll kill you on the spot if they knew you were here! Come inside. Our club is full of Digimon determined to bring down the Dark Masters! They'll protect you with their lives!" Once inside, the kids gasped at what they saw. Digimon of all kinds where dancing around to rock and roll music. "So this is what you've done with yourself since we left!" Mimi said,"I'm a little surprised at this type of music!"
"Oh," the Gekomon said, leading them to a table, "Just try to blend in! I think it would be safe to dance around!"
"Oh!" Mimi said, getting up and grabbing Izzy by the hand. "Dance with me Izzy!"
"But I.." he protested, but was already on the dance floor.
They laughed at the way Mimi was dragging Izzy all over the floor.
"Sora," Tai said turning to her. "Man!" he thought,"Would you look at her? She's so hot and beautiful and she's all mine!"
"Yes?" Sora asked, sweetly.
"I'm, uh, going to see about a guide up to the top of Spiral Mountain. I'll be right back!"
"That's weird!" Matt thought as Tai and Agumon walked away from the table."I'm the unofficial second-in-command, so why did he tell Sora? Maybe it because of their love! He can't stand not being with her, I donnu know! I wonder what she sees in him! Maybe I'm still jealous because I like her too! But Tai would be such a better match for her, but I wonder, does she feel the same about me? Its just an innocent question, right? But if I ask, will it hurt her relationship with Tai?"
Matt decided to ask her, but when he turned to face her, she was gone. "What the...?"
He glanced around the ballroom until he spotted her walking towards a digimon that looked like a Hollywood heart throb. "What's she doing?" Matt asked, concerned.
Sora walked over to the Digimon. She was sure she saw him somewhere before. Just as she was about to tap him on the shoulder, he turned to face her. "I DO know him!" she thought,"He's the one from my....daydreams!"
"Hello, miss," he said. As soon as he touched her hand, reality warped around her.
The disco was gone and in its place was a churchyard in 1700s New York. She was wearing a wedding gown and caring a bouquet of flowers. This time, Sora doesn't even try to fight it, she just becomes part of it.
She's led to an alter where Piedmon, though she doesn't know its him, stands as the minister. In front of him is Magicmon, know to Sora as Sir Jason, the one who will become her husband.
Piedmon cleared his throat and held up the bible. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered together in the face of this congregation to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony.."
Sora doesn't hear the rest, she just stares as Sir Jason, unable to take her eyes of him. It takes all her strength to stand through the ceremony, when she'd rather be in his arms.
Piedmon continued,"Wilt thou, Jason, have this woman to be thy wedded wife? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honor and keep her in sickness and in health and forsaking all others, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"
"I will, "he said, somberly.
"Wilt thou, Lady Sora, have this man...?"
"Oh yes!" she bursted out.
Smiling an evil pair of eyes, the minister concludes the ceremony. "...I pronounce that they be man and wife! Sir, you may kiss the bride!"
Magicmon lifted Sora's veil. "You're mine now, milady, body and soul!"
Sora smiled. "Milord, I would not have it any other way!"
The two kissed long and hard, then as mysteriously as it began, the time slip ends and to the surprise of Tai and Matt, Sora is kissing Magicmon.
Sora broke away and saw Tai staring at her. "Tai!" she cried,"Let me explain!" But how can I"she thought, "Do I even know what's happening to me? Was that...daydream real? I felt feelings for that Digimon! Feelings I've only felt for Tai!"
Tai turned away from her. "What happened? I've never seen her like that! It was as if she wasn't Sora at all, only someone who looked like her!"
There was an uncomfortable silence before Tai said,"Come on Sora, we'd better get back to the others, I've gotten us transportation to the top of Spiral Mountain!"
Sora nodded, dumbly. Why was he acting so cold?
"Okay, guys!" Tai said when they were all back at the table,"I've got us a guide up to Spiral Mountain! The one who arranged it said to meet him in the middle of the forest by the only black tree! Its at least a day's walk from here, so we'd better get moving!"
"Right!" Matt said, looking strangely at Sora.
As they were leaving the castle, Tai noticed Magicmon staring at them from a upstairs window. "Who is he?" Tai thought, "An enemy, or just a rival for Sora's affection? He's a Digimon though, he's not flesh and blood!" Tai started to relive himself. There was no way he could have feelings for a human.
Tai's heart started pounding again as he realized something. "Wait, we're not flesh and blood in the Digiworld either! And when the Digimon where in the real world, they became flesh and blood! He could be an enemy, or quite possibly someone out for Sora's heart! The first I could deal with, no problem, but the latter? That's something I don't think I could deal with!"
As Tai turned away, a light from inside the room cast Magicmon's shadow on the ground in front of them a shadow that didn't match Magicmon's features. Tai automatically notices the image, but his mind already preoccupied with a million other thoughts, doesn't register it. One day he will remember and recognize who he saw that night. By then, however, it will be to late, for him, for the Digidestined, and more importantly, for the girl he loves.
TO BE CONTINUED...