DISCLAIMER: Is putting the author through the torture of typing this every time really worth the story? I hope SOMEONE out there thinks so. Anyway, full long-winded disclaimer in Chapter One. I own Kacie and Cabaiyomon. KatGrrl owns Katina and Havamon. I don't own anything else, so if you sue me all you get is a sassy redheaded character and her annoyingly cute digimon.
Authoress's Notes: Well, well, well. Here we are again. PART FOUR! WOOOHOOO! Um...at last check, everyone was asleep but Matt and T.K., and T.K. had just managed to REALLY EMBARRASS poor Matt. Anyway, read on. See DigiDestined! See battles! See Tai get ticked off at an anonymous prankster! ;-D
Kacie woke up to Matt's shaking her shoulder. "Where's the fire?" she asked sleepily.
He snickered. "Come on, before you're the last one up."
"It can't be morning."
"Look around."
She sat up, almost bumping into him. "Sorry." ~He's gonna think I did that on purpose...but then again, I might have if I'd known where he was sitting...~ She blushed a little, and quickly turned her face to look around like he'd asked. "Okay, maybe it *is* morning..."
"I figured you'd see it my way."
Cabaiyomon awoke in the midst of the conversation. "Good morning Kacie, Matt..."
"Good morning." Kacie turned and took the critter into her arms.
T.K. came over and tapped Matt on the shoulder. "I don't know what he meant, but Tai said to...to get your head out of the clouds...and get packed for the day."
Matt blushed through his irritation, both at the remark and at having the perfect moment ruined. "Tell him--" he paused and pulled T.K. close so he could whisper in the small boy's ear.
T.K. cocked an eyebrow. "Is that really a nice thing to say, Matt?"
"It's as nice as what he said to me."
Kacie watched, amused, as the young boy ran off to relay the message, and smiled with delight as Tai's face turned beet red. ~He sooooo deserved that...whatever it was...~ "What did you tell him?" Kacie asked between giggles.
"Eh...just hinted at the thing he and Sora have going. Of course it's so much more embarrassing coming from T.K., because he has no clue what he's saying..."
Kacie let out a laugh, and Tai shot a dirty look in her direction, although whether he meant it for her or Matt was unclear.
That day, Kacie read more of the book to Cabaiyomon as they walked. They got through about half the book.
The day went without event, and they set up camp a bit later than usual.
Kacie thought something was off, but said nothing. ~I can't put my finger on it. It's too quiet, but it's plenty noisy, it's been too long since we fought. That's it! It's simply been too long. Not that I miss it, but I think that those baddies are busy planning something...but who do I tell? Tai won't listen to me, and I wouldn't tell him anyway, and Izzy...well, he'd listen, but would he believe me? What would he *do* about it? He'd ask why I don't tell Tai.~
"Kacie, read to me?" her Digimon pleaded.
"Huh? Oh, sure, Cabaiyo..." Kacie reached into her bag and pulled out the book. "We were at chapter...what chapter, Cabaiyo?"
"We finished twenty-four."
"Okay...Twenty-six...twenty-five. Here we go. Chapter twenty-five, 'A Competitive Examination'..."
Cabaiyo listened to the story with rapt attention. Matt, in the spot next to Kacie again, merely listened to the voice. Although her voice did not have the charming tones and enchanting pitches of Katina's, it was obvious she put her heart into her reading, that she truly loved what she was doing.
It was quiet.
Katina sat in front of Izzy, having a typing/Japanese lesson.
Sora and Mimi chatted quietly, giggling occasionally.
T.K. and Kari had drifted off to sleep.
Kacie was reading to Cabaiyomon.
Tai was staring into the fire, apparently trying to figure out their next move.
Joe was arguing with Gomamon over something silly, and sorting through his medical bag.
Matt was playing his harmonica softly, lending a coziness, a homelike feeling to it all.
It was quiet.
Quiet.
Something that never lasted long.
Kacie finished the chapter, and set the book down.
"Oh, come on, Kacie, you're not tired yet, are you?" Cabaiyomon protested.
"No, Cabaiyo. I'm *very* not tired. I'm on edge." ~Something's up.~
The digimon wrinkled her nose. "What does that mean?"
"Something's up. It's quiet. I've only known I'm DigiDestined for four days, and I can tell. Quiet around here simply means the calm before the storm."
Cabaiyomon cuddled up to Kacie's stomach. "Don't say that. Don't egg it on."
Kacie smiled. "I have no control over it."
"Do you know what's up?"
"I wish I did, but not as much as I wish it would just go away."
A sinister voice sounded from somewhere within the trees. "Not likely, DigiDestined!"
Kacie whirled to see another Venimon. "No! Not again!"
Everyone's sleepy state had been thrown aside. Even the two youngest were wide awake instantly.
"You can't beat us, Venimon!" Tai cried.
"In the name of King Ferodramon--"
"Violet Wave!" Cabaiyomon cut off the evil digimon by attacking.
He was attacked on all sides by all the rookies, but as he dissolved ten more poured out of the forest.
"Oh, peachy!" Kacie cried.
Everyone else digivolved, but Cabaiyomon simply kept attacking wherever she could between her higher-digivolved friends. She would jump high to attack in the Venimon's eyes, and while they were distracted, two of the larger digimon would team up and destroy them.
It was a comparatively easy battle, so short it was over before anyone had a chance to think. None of the digimon had to de-digivolve, but it made it much easier to get around, so they did.
"That was..." Tai began, but he didn't dare call it easy. It had been, but he didn't want to jinx it. With their luck, if he had said it, a hundred of the stupid things would've appeared.
"I know," Izzy agreed. "But I think our best bet is to keep moving."
"Wait!" Kacie said. "Have we been taking a more or less straight course? Not changing direction much?"
"Give me a nano," Izzy said. "I'll access a map with our route--yes, Kacie-san, we've been going steadily west. Why?"
"Well, these stupid things are always appearing from the right of our path--perhaps we should head to the right--north--and see where they're coming from?"
Tai sweatdropped. Kacie was sure he did not want to admit that she had a point. After a moment, when the drop disappeared, he spoke. "Fine. It's as good as any other direction when we don't know where we are anyway."
~Guys never want to admit it when they're wrong, or even when a girl is simply more right than they are!~
They walked for about an hour in the direction Kacie had suggested before re-setting up camp--or rather, most of them walked. Tai carried Kari on his shoulders, and Matt followed suit with T.K..
Kacie smiled as Matt came to talk to her, both for the fact that he *was* coming, and for the fact that T.K. had fallen asleep up there and it made a cute picture.
"He must be very tired..." Kacie said softly.
Matt looked up, over his head. "Yeah. I think so. He was sleeping already, and then he had to loan Patamon the energy to become MagnaAngemon...usually it doesn't affect us kids, but we've been walking a long time, and he's so much smaller..."
Kacie nodded, and brushed her hand over a sleeping Cabaiyomon's mane in her bag. "I don't think we're through yet. Something bad is coming down ahead of us."
"Eh?" Matt frowned.
"No, not tonight. We'll be okay tonight, I'm pretty sure, but--well, let's just say that getting as much sleep as you can tonight would probably be a good idea."
Matt frowned again. ~Can she honestly know that stuff for a fact?~
Finally Tai stopped them. "It's late, guys, like, two in the morning. There's only enough time for five watches. Who volunteers?"
Kacie, Matt, Joe, Izzy, Sora, and Tai himself all raised their hands.
Tai frowned. "Joe, you first, then Sora, Matt, me and Izzy. Kacie can go to sleep."
Kacie objected. "No. I didn't have to help my digimon digivolve. I'm not as tired, and I need to start doing this. I'll take someone's place."
Tai sighed. "No--"
Sora stopped him. "Let her. She has a digimon, and all watching involves is yelling and waking the rest of us up if anything happens."
"Fine," Tai pouted. "She can have your place. Sora, go get some sleep."
"Tai--"
"Sora."
Sora frowned, but went and laid in her spot, with Mimi, Katina and the two little ones, who were already asleep. Joe found a good lookout spot atop a rock and sat there with Gomamon across his lap, back to the rest of them. Tai, Izzy, Matt and Kacie went and laid down as well, and sooner than any of them expected, sleep came.
Kacie was sure she only got five minutes of sleep before Joe shook her shoulder, but she felt refreshed nonetheless.
Kacie took her bag over to the rock where Joe had been as he went to go to sleep, and after she sat she woke Cabaiyomon.
"Huh--? It's dark out..."
"It's our watch. You have to be awake too, because I don't want to be alone. If you want, I'll read. If anything happens, I'll hear it before I see it. And besides, nothing will happen tonight."
"Then get your flashlight and read, please."
They read several chapters in the hour, and all was quiet, just as she had expected. She stuck the book back in her duffel, and Cabaiyomon crawled in after it.
After a minute, she walked over to Matt. She hesitated to wake him up--he was so adorable when he was asleep. So handsome. So...
"You have to wake him, Kacie, no matter how nice it is to watch him sleep."
"Oh, hush, Cabaiyo." Kacie walked over to him and knelt next to him. She reached out and gently shook his shoulder. "Matt..."
"Hmm? Kacie?" He opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "My turn?"
"Yeah." She smiled and went to lay down as he got up and headed for the rock.
~That's twice he said my name *before* he opened his eyes. I wish I knew what he was thinking--or at least what he thinks of me...~
Matt looked over his shoulder at Kacie as she laid there so silently.
Gabumon looked up at him. "What is it about her, Matt?"
"I wish I knew."
"Do you--?"
"I think so." It was funny how Matt always knew what his digimon was going to say--and when he didn't want him to say it aloud.
The next morning Kacie awoke to a cheerful "Good morning!" from Cabaiyomon.
"Good morning...who else is up?" Kacie asked, not opening her eyes.
"Mostly everyone except Matt, Gabumon and Kari..."
Kacie sat up and turned to wake Matt. It pleased her that she got to be the one to do it. She shook his shoulder, "Matt..."
He was awake almost instantly, and the thought ran through Kacie's head that perhaps he had been awake and pretended to be asleep, for whatever reason. She knew she did it sometimes so she could think to herself.
"Good morning, Kacie."
"Morning. Today is going to be a long day."
"I hope not--"
"WHO WAS THE CLOWN THAT TIED MY SHOES TOGETHER?!!?" Tai yelled.
Kacie grinned wickedly.
Matt turned to look at her.
"You didn't honestly think I came and got you straight after my watch, did you?" she asked him with a cool tone.
He wasn't sure whether to smile back at her or give her away. So he smiled. It wasn't like she'd hurt anything--except Tai's pride, and that was so big it could definitely take the abuse.
Sora helped Tai with his shoes--he was too distracted to do it himself--and then they went about the day's walk.
Cabaiyomon was all ears as far as "Connecticut Yankee" was concerned. Kacie read most of the morning.
Matt wanted to talk with Kacie, they usually had interesting conversations if nothing else, and he was enjoying getting to know her, but Cabaiyomon insisted on hearing one more chapter. "Kacie, please? Then I'll go to sleep and leave you two alone to talk. Please? Matt? Kacie?"
Matt laughed. "That must be a good book."
"It is," Cabaiyomon assured him. "*Please*, Kacie?"
"Well, okay. One more if you promise to rest up when I'm finished."
"I promise!"
"Okay. I bookmarked it this time. Chapter forty-one, 'The Interdict'. 'However, my attention was suddenly snatched from such matters; our child began to lose ground again, and we had to go to sitting up with her, her case became so serious. We couldn't bear to allow anyone to help in this service, so we two stood watch and watch, day in and day out. Ah, Sandy, what a right heart she had, how simple, and genuine, and good she was! She was a flawless wife and mother; and yet I had married her for no particular reason, except that by the customs of chivalry she was my property until some knight should win her from me in the field. She had hunted Britain over for me; had straightway resumed her old place at my side in the placidest way and as of right. I was a New Englander, and in my opinion this sort of partnership would compromise her, sooner or later. She couldn't see how, but I cut argument short and we had a wedding.
"'Now I didn't know I was drawing a prize, yet that was what I did draw. Within the twelvemonth I became her worshiper; and ours was the dearest and perfectest comradeship that ever was. People talk about beautiful friendships between two persons of the same sex. What is the best of that sort, as compared with the friendship of man and wife, where the best impulses and highest ideals of both are the same? There is no place for comparison between the two friendships; one is earthly, the other divine...'"
"That's sweet," Cabaiyomon interrupted. "I didn't think that the Hank guy had it in him. Go on."
Kacie finished the chapter, blushingly. Of course it would be to that chapter the one time Matt could hear every word! ~I hope he doesn't think I rigged that. I didn't! I mean, it was a nice sentiment, but--I wonder, if he *was* to think I rigged it, would he take the hint? Maybe it wasn't *so* bad...~ She put the book away and Cabaiyomon kept her promise.
Matt watched Cabaiyomon saw logs. "Why did you want her to sleep?"
~Partly because I like being alone with you, and partly...~ "Because I think today there will be a battle, and she needs her strength. If she sleeps, she'll be stronger."
"I see. And why do you think there's gonna be a battle?"
"Can't you feel it? The closer we get to those stupid Venimon, the worse it feels."
"Feel what?"
"I don't know what to call it. Something about the heaviness of the air."
"No, I don't feel it."
"That's weird."
Matt looked around. He could tell nothing different. "Perhaps it's because the first digimon you faced was a Venimon...or because you faced it alone...you have some sort of instinct for them."
"Maybe." Kacie shook her head, not really wanting to know why she knew.
Matt could tell she wanted the subject changed. "Hey, that chapter you read...that was good."
"What part?"
"All of it. Who wrote it?"
"Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his penname, Mark Twain."
"Isn't he dead?"
"Uh, yeah, last I checked..."
"That's pretty good for having been written so long ago."
"All the classics are good. If they weren't good, why would they still have fans to this very day?"
"Good point...what others have you read?"
"Umm...I'll read any of the classics...I like Mark Twain, and Emily Brontë's 'Wuthering Heights', and H.G. Wells, I love H.G. Wells...Sherlock Holmes stories..."
Matt cocked his head. "How did you get started reading such old stuff?"
Kacie sighed, and rolled her eyes, trying to think. "Umm...I read 'Black Beauty' when I was eight, I've always had a thing for horses..."
"Then Cabaiyomon seems to be perfect for you."
Kacie smiled. "She'd be perfect even if I didn't like horses. At any rate, 'Black Beauty' was really easy to read, super-short chapters. I think the longest ones were six pages. Never more than that. Than when I was nine I saw a movie called 'The Secret Garden'. I found out it was a book first, and so I borrowed the book from the friend who had told me, and it was by the same publisher who had made 'Black Beauty', and from then on I had pretty much figured out that the classics were the world's finest literature."
"I see...if they're all like what you read just now, I can understand."
"They are, for the most part. Of course every author has a different style, but the quality level is the same. The only thing I have yet to get is Shakespeare."
"Really?"
"Yeah...I won't get edited or abridged copies of anything if I can help it, and so far every time I run across a Shakespearean play it's one or both of those. I'd really like to have one, especially 'Romeo and Juliet', but I just can't find them."
"Well, that's gotta suck," Matt sympathized, making a mental note to himself.
"It does." Kacie rolled her eyes. "I hate publishers who desecrate the great literary works of the world by cutting out parts or re-writing them in more modern English for my convenience. Modern typesets I can understand, but that's about all I'll tolerate. I like Old English. It presents a challenge to read, or at least it did at first. By the end of my first book of Arthurian legend I pretty much had it down."
"Old English?"
"Thou knowest, in this manner, good knight. It very well rolls off the tongue."
Matt laughed. "Okay, okay, I get the idea!"
"Hast thou begun to understand?" she continued tauntingly.
He protested between laughs. "Knock it off!"
"Art thou sure thou wantest me to quit this manner of speaking?"
"I art sure!"
"Actually, Matt, it would be I am...art means are, you don't go around saying 'I are'..."
By this time he was barely able to talk between the laughs. He had no clue why he thought it was so funny. Perhaps it was closer to quaint than funny, but either way it made him laugh.
"Hey everyone! Check it out!" Tai cried, with that bad-news tone in his voice.
"We're heeeee-rrrrre," Kacie said indifferently.
"Huh?" Matt didn't have time to ask her what she meant before T.K. came and grabbed his hand, dragging him up to Tai's viewpoint.
"Matt, Matt, we found it!"
Kacie walked slowly and serenely to the others, they had reached another cliff, and as she looked over the edge she saw it.
"Ever notice that these baddies get all the nice places with all the high-tech stuff and we end up sleeping on the ground in caves?" Joe asked.
Kari was taking in the sight with fascination. "Oh..." Her crest began to glow, and the light enveloped her. "Tai? Tai..."
"What is it, Kari?" he asked anxiously.
"Tai, remember those Venimon that attacked in the name of King Ferodramon?"
"Of course I remember the Veni--what are you telling me, Kari?" The boy put his hands on his little sister's shoulders and knelt down in front of her. "You know something. Your Crest...it's telling you something..."
"Yes, Tai...that's his castle," she answered weakly.
"Ferodramon?"
Kari nodded. "If we beat him..." she faltered, and closed her eyes. She fell into Tai's arms.
"Kari!" T.K. cried.
"I'm fine, T.K....If we beat Ferodramon...uhh...then the Venimon will go away..."
"All of them?" Tai stood and held her against himself.
"Yes..."
Kacie had known that. She didn't know it as distinctly as Kari seemed to, Kari had a gift, but Kacie had felt it in her bones, in her deepest soul.
"Let me down, Tai, I'm fine." Kari's Crest had returned to normal, and the light had left her.
He did so and she stood on her feet as if nothing had ever happened.
"Kari?" T.K. asked, holding a hand out towards her.
~How cute!~ Kacie thought.
"I'm fine, T.K.. I told you that. It's just sometimes my Crest takes a lot of energy."
"You have a special crest," T.K. said in awe.
"I know," she answered with no importance. Not indifference, but something like she might have said if Tai had reminded her which cupboard something was in.
"Well, we'd better get going, everyone," Tai said.
"Let's go," Matt said.
"I'm in," Izzy agreed.
"Let's get this overwith!" Kacie cried. It was a bit different than the usual, but it was exactly how she felt. She felt that soon would come the time Gennai had told them of, and she wanted to get it out of the way.
~I have to be the heroine...it figures.~
They approached the castle and hid in some bushes.
Izzy used his laptop to gain what information he could. "Fascinating! The entire place is a labyrinth, at the center of which is a huge training center where Ferodramon teaches methods of battle to the Venimon which he has created!"
"Created?!" Tai asked.
"Yes, apparently he can call them into being and have as many as he wants."
"Peachy!" Kacie said. "But now it makes sense, if we defeat him, he cannot make any more Venimon. We'll still have to defeat the ones that exist."
"Not necessarily. It's the very existence of his energy that keeps them alive. They do not require nourishment, but if their energy source--Ferodramon--suddenly ceases to exist, they do too."
"If that's true," Kacie said, "The more of them he makes, the weaker he would become."
"Yes, most likely," Izzy agreed, "But he could probably have a hundred before he would notice any change, so he probably has tens of thousands of them. Otherwise it would not be practical. It would be simpler to do his own fighting."
"Since when are evil digimon known for being practical, Izzy?" Sora asked.
"Still, I think if we can get him to create more and more of these Venimon, we could weaken him enough to defeat him," Kacie said.
Tai turned to his sister. "Kari? Are you hearing anything about it?"
"If I knew, Tai, that would be the easy way out. We have to make decisions sometimes. I can only get information to help you make the right choices, not blank out your mind."
"It doesn't get much more cryptic than that, Tai," Matt said. "Forget that approach."
"Well, let's go on in," Izzy said. "I downloaded the map of the labyrinth and calculated the fastest route to the center."
Tai nodded, and everyone began following Izzy silently. No one dared to speak. There was no telling where there were Venimon lurking.
After a few minutes Izzy halted everyone. "Through that door," he said. "Ferodramon."
Kacie stepped forward and looked in first. She held her mouth clamped shut so she would not scream no matter how repulsive the sight.
There were Venimon all over the place, but that was not the main thing to catch her attention. "Ferodramon..." she whispered.
He was not ugly, like the Venimon, but he was not at all pretty. His skin was patchy, like camouflage, only in shades of orange. His globular form, back to Kacie, must have been twenty feet tall.
"It's him," Kacie said, turning to face her fellow DigiDestined. "Obliteration time."
Tai nodded, and the group walked in.
The voice--it was low, so low it was hard to understand it--came from the other side. "I was expecting you."
"Well, then, I'm glad to say we didn't disappoint you!" Tai cried.
Ferodramon turned around, and Kacie then became repulsed. His face was twisted, crooked, scarred. His yellow eyes barely showed among folds of skin.
"You big old windbag! We've got you all figured out! We'll show you!" Kacie yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Digivolve!" Tai ordered.
"Agumon Warp Digivolve to...WarGreymon!"
"Gabumon Warp Digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!"
"Patamon digivolve to...Angemon! Angemon digivolve to...MagnaAngemon!"
"Gatomon digivolve to...Angewomon!"
"Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon digivolve to...MegaKabuterimon!"
"Biyomon digivolve to...Birdramon! Birdramon digivolve to...Garudamon!"
"Palmon digivolve to...Togemon! Togemon digivolve to...Lillymon!"
"Gomamon digivolve to...Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon digivolve to...Zudomon!"
"Havamon digivolve to...Wizardmon!"
Cabaiyomon looked up at Kacie. "I can do that, too, once more without your Crest..."
"Go for it!"
"Cabaiyomon digivolve to...Librimon!"
Before Kacie stood a majestic, purple, horse-like digimon. Pale pink mane fell in long locks past her neck, and her tail was braided in many tiny braids, like cornrows. Her hooves glinted, and Kacie noticed they were silver.
"Watch me now, Kacie!" she cried. The voice was deeper, but still echoed of the small purple creature Kacie had come to adore. Among the other digimon's attacks Librimon shot off her own.
"Cantering Wave!" Hoofprints of shining white light shot through the air towards Ferodramon.
For the first time, he let out a cry of pain at her attack. "Gaaah! I will not allow you children to defeat me! Fiery Shock!"
Garudamon took the brunt of the attack. "Sora! He got me..." She de-digivolved to Birdramon again.
"No!" Sora screamed. "This can't be happening!"
Suddenly floods of Venimon poured in from the various entrances to the room and the DigiDestined found themselves swamped. No one had time to attack Ferodramon, and although Venimon were vanishing right and left, there were always more to take their places.
Ferodramon smiled. "You will be exhausted soon! You will be able to do nothing! All I have to do is sit back and enjoy the show!"
Feelings of hatred for the digimon rose in Kacie's throat, in her mind, in her very soul. She tried to push them back but she had to think very hard just to survive, and her emotions had free rein inside her.
Librimon came close next to her. "Get on my back! I'll know where you are and you'll be easier to protect!"
Kacie clambered on her digimon's back and tried to hold on with her legs in the absence of a saddle. She remembered that once she had been told that horses had no feeling in their manes, and no matter how hard you jerked and tugged and yanked at them, they would never feel a thing. You could hang 3-ton weights from their manes and they'd never notice. This was great as a last resort for a rider when their horse took off. Kacie knew she had to hang on to *something* with her hands or she'd lose her balance, especially since Librimon had to raise herself up on her hind legs to do her attack, so she took two fistfuls of mane and prayed that the same held true for digital horses.
"It doesn't hurt, but even if it did I would understand!" Librimon told her. "Cantering Wave!" She reared and Kacie held on for dear life. Her eyes were scrunched shut as she felt herself raise up in the air at a bizarre angle and then fall toward the ground with a *whumph*!
"Hey! I'm still on!" she cried in shock.
"Of course! If you fell, I would catch you!"
The ten digimon fought the Ferodramon for twenty minutes before there were any more de-digivolutions, but at that point a lot of them fell fast.
"Agumon!"
"Patamon!"
Kacie turned, while upon Librimon's back, to see Tai and T.K. run to their digimon.
"Biyomon!"
"Palmon!"
"Tentomon!"
Kacie turned away and tried to concentrate. She had not figured that they would be so numerous! The more they took down, the more he made, but he kept them at an equal rate so that his energy level did not drop any lower.
"Cajamon!"
"Gomamon!"
~Oh no, it's just me and Kari!~
"Fiery Transport!"
Eight of the kids screamed. Kacie whirled to see them, along with their digimon, disappear. "*NO*!!!" she and Kari cried in unison.
And suddenly, all the Venimon dissipated.
Librimon fell to her front feet, and turned around to face Kari and Angewomon.
Ferodramon smiled. "You two will be fun to torture...the weakling child and the girl with no Crest!"
"Hey, where did you get your face? Trick'n'treats or us?" Kacie yelled. "You just TRY to do anything to me, or Kari, and it'll get turned inside out! Maybe then it would actually be possible for it to be uglier than it is now! What did you do with our friends?"
"They're all separated from their digimon in safe places. The digimon are in irons, and your friends are in the Death Row of my dungeon!"
A massive monitor on one wall lit up, and became staticcy, and then faded in to show a panoramic shot of the DigiDestined, all unconscious, strapped to the wall by wrist and ankle. And no floor in sight--at least not in the shot.
"Tai!" Kari cried. "And T.K.!"
~Matt! Izzy!~ Kacie bit her tongue. ~I have to put on a brave face for Kari.~
"Now for you, small one...Fiery Transport!"
Angewomon stepped in front of Kari to take the blow, to be transported to the torture chambers Kari was sure to be headed for, but the flaming beam passed right through her and on to Kari. Angewomon's pain at hearing Kari scream and watching her disappear was beyond evident.
Kacie had never thought she'd see an angel get ticked off.
"YOU STUPID EVIL VILLAIN! WHATEVER YOU DO TO KARI YOU WILL FEEL TEN TIMES THE PAIN, I SWEAR IT!"
"Oh, you little digimon scare me so much! I'm frightened!"
"You should be!" Librimon cried.
~It's...just...me, and Librimon...Angewomon may soon go down, and I can't help her re-digivolve, she needs Kari for that...~
"Cantering Wave!"
~Oh peachy! Guess what time it is, kids, it's save-the-day-and-be-the heroine-time!~
"Fiery Shock!"
Kacie cringed, and Librimon reared, but Angewomon screamed.
"Angewomon!" both Kacie and her digimon cried.
"AAAHHH! SAVE KARI FOR ME!"
Kacie was not sure if the digimon was dying, or going to de-digivolve, or what.
"Fiery Transport!"
"I'll do my best, Angewomon!" Kacie promised before the angelic being disappeared in the light. Then she turned to Ferodramon. "You cannot defeat us! We have all the good power on OUR side! You have nothing but darkness! Light always chases away darkness! Take a light into a dark room and the darkness can do nothing but disappear! I *refuse* to let you win that easily! I'm going to win even if defeating you becomes my dying action!"
Kacie's digivice sent a beam of light towards the fiend, as if to prove her point. Then it began to glow. Kacie swung her leg over Librimon's back and let herself slide to the ground.
"*I*....*will*...*NOT*...*let*...*my*...*friends*...*DOWN*. I've come too far to quit now. You're as good as gone, Ferodramon!" Her digivice continued glowing, and then for a second the entire room was filled with blinding light.
"Kacie!" Librimon shouted, "It's..."
"I know what it is!" she shouted back. When the light vanished, there was a pendant strung around Kacie's neck, and she was holding the "charm" of it between her fingers so it dangled down. "My Crest." In the window of the brassy Tag, the Crest shone. The design was carved dark purple on light, in the shape of a heart inside a five-pointed star. "The Crest of Determination!"
Librimon reared.
Kacie's digivice shot a beam of light through the new Crest, and it shot towards the digimon.
"Librimon...digivolve to...Cielomon!"
The digimon didn't change much, other than going from the size of a Morgan to that of a Clydesdale, and sprouting a pair of multi-colored wings. (A/N: Those who know something of horses can ignore this. Morgans are small but sturdy. Clydesdales are huge! Taller than your average six-foot guy at the point where the front legs join the body!)
"Whoa..." Kacie gaped in awe. ~Is that *my* digimon?~
Cielomon bent down and looked at her. "It's me," she assured the girl.
Kacie looked into her eyes. They were the same eyes that Jacamon, Cabaiyomon, and Librimon all shared. "Yes. So give him all you got and let's get this overwith!"
"Violet Lightning!"
Ferodramon screamed.
~He actually felt pain! Perhaps he himself is not as strong as we thought! But, can I do this alone? NO! I can't even *think* like that! I *have* to try, for all my friends!~
"Do you think you can defeat me, human?"
"HAVEN'T I MADE THAT PRETTY OBVIOUS?!!? OF COURSE I DO!!"
"Violet Lightning!"
"Fiery Shock!"
They both dodged, and neither attack hit its original mark, but they did some pretty nice damage to the walls of the place.
~Guess I just have to keep trying...~
A/N: ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! I LOVE THIS! Will Kacie defeat Ferodramon? Will her friends (and Tai) survive? Speaking of her friends, where are they? Will I ever stop asking these annoying questions? Will you review my ficcy? Will somebody shut off the mike so that--
Authoress's Notes: Well, well, well. Here we are again. PART FOUR! WOOOHOOO! Um...at last check, everyone was asleep but Matt and T.K., and T.K. had just managed to REALLY EMBARRASS poor Matt. Anyway, read on. See DigiDestined! See battles! See Tai get ticked off at an anonymous prankster! ;-D
Kacie woke up to Matt's shaking her shoulder. "Where's the fire?" she asked sleepily.
He snickered. "Come on, before you're the last one up."
"It can't be morning."
"Look around."
She sat up, almost bumping into him. "Sorry." ~He's gonna think I did that on purpose...but then again, I might have if I'd known where he was sitting...~ She blushed a little, and quickly turned her face to look around like he'd asked. "Okay, maybe it *is* morning..."
"I figured you'd see it my way."
Cabaiyomon awoke in the midst of the conversation. "Good morning Kacie, Matt..."
"Good morning." Kacie turned and took the critter into her arms.
T.K. came over and tapped Matt on the shoulder. "I don't know what he meant, but Tai said to...to get your head out of the clouds...and get packed for the day."
Matt blushed through his irritation, both at the remark and at having the perfect moment ruined. "Tell him--" he paused and pulled T.K. close so he could whisper in the small boy's ear.
T.K. cocked an eyebrow. "Is that really a nice thing to say, Matt?"
"It's as nice as what he said to me."
Kacie watched, amused, as the young boy ran off to relay the message, and smiled with delight as Tai's face turned beet red. ~He sooooo deserved that...whatever it was...~ "What did you tell him?" Kacie asked between giggles.
"Eh...just hinted at the thing he and Sora have going. Of course it's so much more embarrassing coming from T.K., because he has no clue what he's saying..."
Kacie let out a laugh, and Tai shot a dirty look in her direction, although whether he meant it for her or Matt was unclear.
That day, Kacie read more of the book to Cabaiyomon as they walked. They got through about half the book.
The day went without event, and they set up camp a bit later than usual.
Kacie thought something was off, but said nothing. ~I can't put my finger on it. It's too quiet, but it's plenty noisy, it's been too long since we fought. That's it! It's simply been too long. Not that I miss it, but I think that those baddies are busy planning something...but who do I tell? Tai won't listen to me, and I wouldn't tell him anyway, and Izzy...well, he'd listen, but would he believe me? What would he *do* about it? He'd ask why I don't tell Tai.~
"Kacie, read to me?" her Digimon pleaded.
"Huh? Oh, sure, Cabaiyo..." Kacie reached into her bag and pulled out the book. "We were at chapter...what chapter, Cabaiyo?"
"We finished twenty-four."
"Okay...Twenty-six...twenty-five. Here we go. Chapter twenty-five, 'A Competitive Examination'..."
Cabaiyo listened to the story with rapt attention. Matt, in the spot next to Kacie again, merely listened to the voice. Although her voice did not have the charming tones and enchanting pitches of Katina's, it was obvious she put her heart into her reading, that she truly loved what she was doing.
It was quiet.
Katina sat in front of Izzy, having a typing/Japanese lesson.
Sora and Mimi chatted quietly, giggling occasionally.
T.K. and Kari had drifted off to sleep.
Kacie was reading to Cabaiyomon.
Tai was staring into the fire, apparently trying to figure out their next move.
Joe was arguing with Gomamon over something silly, and sorting through his medical bag.
Matt was playing his harmonica softly, lending a coziness, a homelike feeling to it all.
It was quiet.
Quiet.
Something that never lasted long.
Kacie finished the chapter, and set the book down.
"Oh, come on, Kacie, you're not tired yet, are you?" Cabaiyomon protested.
"No, Cabaiyo. I'm *very* not tired. I'm on edge." ~Something's up.~
The digimon wrinkled her nose. "What does that mean?"
"Something's up. It's quiet. I've only known I'm DigiDestined for four days, and I can tell. Quiet around here simply means the calm before the storm."
Cabaiyomon cuddled up to Kacie's stomach. "Don't say that. Don't egg it on."
Kacie smiled. "I have no control over it."
"Do you know what's up?"
"I wish I did, but not as much as I wish it would just go away."
A sinister voice sounded from somewhere within the trees. "Not likely, DigiDestined!"
Kacie whirled to see another Venimon. "No! Not again!"
Everyone's sleepy state had been thrown aside. Even the two youngest were wide awake instantly.
"You can't beat us, Venimon!" Tai cried.
"In the name of King Ferodramon--"
"Violet Wave!" Cabaiyomon cut off the evil digimon by attacking.
He was attacked on all sides by all the rookies, but as he dissolved ten more poured out of the forest.
"Oh, peachy!" Kacie cried.
Everyone else digivolved, but Cabaiyomon simply kept attacking wherever she could between her higher-digivolved friends. She would jump high to attack in the Venimon's eyes, and while they were distracted, two of the larger digimon would team up and destroy them.
It was a comparatively easy battle, so short it was over before anyone had a chance to think. None of the digimon had to de-digivolve, but it made it much easier to get around, so they did.
"That was..." Tai began, but he didn't dare call it easy. It had been, but he didn't want to jinx it. With their luck, if he had said it, a hundred of the stupid things would've appeared.
"I know," Izzy agreed. "But I think our best bet is to keep moving."
"Wait!" Kacie said. "Have we been taking a more or less straight course? Not changing direction much?"
"Give me a nano," Izzy said. "I'll access a map with our route--yes, Kacie-san, we've been going steadily west. Why?"
"Well, these stupid things are always appearing from the right of our path--perhaps we should head to the right--north--and see where they're coming from?"
Tai sweatdropped. Kacie was sure he did not want to admit that she had a point. After a moment, when the drop disappeared, he spoke. "Fine. It's as good as any other direction when we don't know where we are anyway."
~Guys never want to admit it when they're wrong, or even when a girl is simply more right than they are!~
They walked for about an hour in the direction Kacie had suggested before re-setting up camp--or rather, most of them walked. Tai carried Kari on his shoulders, and Matt followed suit with T.K..
Kacie smiled as Matt came to talk to her, both for the fact that he *was* coming, and for the fact that T.K. had fallen asleep up there and it made a cute picture.
"He must be very tired..." Kacie said softly.
Matt looked up, over his head. "Yeah. I think so. He was sleeping already, and then he had to loan Patamon the energy to become MagnaAngemon...usually it doesn't affect us kids, but we've been walking a long time, and he's so much smaller..."
Kacie nodded, and brushed her hand over a sleeping Cabaiyomon's mane in her bag. "I don't think we're through yet. Something bad is coming down ahead of us."
"Eh?" Matt frowned.
"No, not tonight. We'll be okay tonight, I'm pretty sure, but--well, let's just say that getting as much sleep as you can tonight would probably be a good idea."
Matt frowned again. ~Can she honestly know that stuff for a fact?~
Finally Tai stopped them. "It's late, guys, like, two in the morning. There's only enough time for five watches. Who volunteers?"
Kacie, Matt, Joe, Izzy, Sora, and Tai himself all raised their hands.
Tai frowned. "Joe, you first, then Sora, Matt, me and Izzy. Kacie can go to sleep."
Kacie objected. "No. I didn't have to help my digimon digivolve. I'm not as tired, and I need to start doing this. I'll take someone's place."
Tai sighed. "No--"
Sora stopped him. "Let her. She has a digimon, and all watching involves is yelling and waking the rest of us up if anything happens."
"Fine," Tai pouted. "She can have your place. Sora, go get some sleep."
"Tai--"
"Sora."
Sora frowned, but went and laid in her spot, with Mimi, Katina and the two little ones, who were already asleep. Joe found a good lookout spot atop a rock and sat there with Gomamon across his lap, back to the rest of them. Tai, Izzy, Matt and Kacie went and laid down as well, and sooner than any of them expected, sleep came.
Kacie was sure she only got five minutes of sleep before Joe shook her shoulder, but she felt refreshed nonetheless.
Kacie took her bag over to the rock where Joe had been as he went to go to sleep, and after she sat she woke Cabaiyomon.
"Huh--? It's dark out..."
"It's our watch. You have to be awake too, because I don't want to be alone. If you want, I'll read. If anything happens, I'll hear it before I see it. And besides, nothing will happen tonight."
"Then get your flashlight and read, please."
They read several chapters in the hour, and all was quiet, just as she had expected. She stuck the book back in her duffel, and Cabaiyomon crawled in after it.
After a minute, she walked over to Matt. She hesitated to wake him up--he was so adorable when he was asleep. So handsome. So...
"You have to wake him, Kacie, no matter how nice it is to watch him sleep."
"Oh, hush, Cabaiyo." Kacie walked over to him and knelt next to him. She reached out and gently shook his shoulder. "Matt..."
"Hmm? Kacie?" He opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "My turn?"
"Yeah." She smiled and went to lay down as he got up and headed for the rock.
~That's twice he said my name *before* he opened his eyes. I wish I knew what he was thinking--or at least what he thinks of me...~
Matt looked over his shoulder at Kacie as she laid there so silently.
Gabumon looked up at him. "What is it about her, Matt?"
"I wish I knew."
"Do you--?"
"I think so." It was funny how Matt always knew what his digimon was going to say--and when he didn't want him to say it aloud.
The next morning Kacie awoke to a cheerful "Good morning!" from Cabaiyomon.
"Good morning...who else is up?" Kacie asked, not opening her eyes.
"Mostly everyone except Matt, Gabumon and Kari..."
Kacie sat up and turned to wake Matt. It pleased her that she got to be the one to do it. She shook his shoulder, "Matt..."
He was awake almost instantly, and the thought ran through Kacie's head that perhaps he had been awake and pretended to be asleep, for whatever reason. She knew she did it sometimes so she could think to herself.
"Good morning, Kacie."
"Morning. Today is going to be a long day."
"I hope not--"
"WHO WAS THE CLOWN THAT TIED MY SHOES TOGETHER?!!?" Tai yelled.
Kacie grinned wickedly.
Matt turned to look at her.
"You didn't honestly think I came and got you straight after my watch, did you?" she asked him with a cool tone.
He wasn't sure whether to smile back at her or give her away. So he smiled. It wasn't like she'd hurt anything--except Tai's pride, and that was so big it could definitely take the abuse.
Sora helped Tai with his shoes--he was too distracted to do it himself--and then they went about the day's walk.
Cabaiyomon was all ears as far as "Connecticut Yankee" was concerned. Kacie read most of the morning.
Matt wanted to talk with Kacie, they usually had interesting conversations if nothing else, and he was enjoying getting to know her, but Cabaiyomon insisted on hearing one more chapter. "Kacie, please? Then I'll go to sleep and leave you two alone to talk. Please? Matt? Kacie?"
Matt laughed. "That must be a good book."
"It is," Cabaiyomon assured him. "*Please*, Kacie?"
"Well, okay. One more if you promise to rest up when I'm finished."
"I promise!"
"Okay. I bookmarked it this time. Chapter forty-one, 'The Interdict'. 'However, my attention was suddenly snatched from such matters; our child began to lose ground again, and we had to go to sitting up with her, her case became so serious. We couldn't bear to allow anyone to help in this service, so we two stood watch and watch, day in and day out. Ah, Sandy, what a right heart she had, how simple, and genuine, and good she was! She was a flawless wife and mother; and yet I had married her for no particular reason, except that by the customs of chivalry she was my property until some knight should win her from me in the field. She had hunted Britain over for me; had straightway resumed her old place at my side in the placidest way and as of right. I was a New Englander, and in my opinion this sort of partnership would compromise her, sooner or later. She couldn't see how, but I cut argument short and we had a wedding.
"'Now I didn't know I was drawing a prize, yet that was what I did draw. Within the twelvemonth I became her worshiper; and ours was the dearest and perfectest comradeship that ever was. People talk about beautiful friendships between two persons of the same sex. What is the best of that sort, as compared with the friendship of man and wife, where the best impulses and highest ideals of both are the same? There is no place for comparison between the two friendships; one is earthly, the other divine...'"
"That's sweet," Cabaiyomon interrupted. "I didn't think that the Hank guy had it in him. Go on."
Kacie finished the chapter, blushingly. Of course it would be to that chapter the one time Matt could hear every word! ~I hope he doesn't think I rigged that. I didn't! I mean, it was a nice sentiment, but--I wonder, if he *was* to think I rigged it, would he take the hint? Maybe it wasn't *so* bad...~ She put the book away and Cabaiyomon kept her promise.
Matt watched Cabaiyomon saw logs. "Why did you want her to sleep?"
~Partly because I like being alone with you, and partly...~ "Because I think today there will be a battle, and she needs her strength. If she sleeps, she'll be stronger."
"I see. And why do you think there's gonna be a battle?"
"Can't you feel it? The closer we get to those stupid Venimon, the worse it feels."
"Feel what?"
"I don't know what to call it. Something about the heaviness of the air."
"No, I don't feel it."
"That's weird."
Matt looked around. He could tell nothing different. "Perhaps it's because the first digimon you faced was a Venimon...or because you faced it alone...you have some sort of instinct for them."
"Maybe." Kacie shook her head, not really wanting to know why she knew.
Matt could tell she wanted the subject changed. "Hey, that chapter you read...that was good."
"What part?"
"All of it. Who wrote it?"
"Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his penname, Mark Twain."
"Isn't he dead?"
"Uh, yeah, last I checked..."
"That's pretty good for having been written so long ago."
"All the classics are good. If they weren't good, why would they still have fans to this very day?"
"Good point...what others have you read?"
"Umm...I'll read any of the classics...I like Mark Twain, and Emily Brontë's 'Wuthering Heights', and H.G. Wells, I love H.G. Wells...Sherlock Holmes stories..."
Matt cocked his head. "How did you get started reading such old stuff?"
Kacie sighed, and rolled her eyes, trying to think. "Umm...I read 'Black Beauty' when I was eight, I've always had a thing for horses..."
"Then Cabaiyomon seems to be perfect for you."
Kacie smiled. "She'd be perfect even if I didn't like horses. At any rate, 'Black Beauty' was really easy to read, super-short chapters. I think the longest ones were six pages. Never more than that. Than when I was nine I saw a movie called 'The Secret Garden'. I found out it was a book first, and so I borrowed the book from the friend who had told me, and it was by the same publisher who had made 'Black Beauty', and from then on I had pretty much figured out that the classics were the world's finest literature."
"I see...if they're all like what you read just now, I can understand."
"They are, for the most part. Of course every author has a different style, but the quality level is the same. The only thing I have yet to get is Shakespeare."
"Really?"
"Yeah...I won't get edited or abridged copies of anything if I can help it, and so far every time I run across a Shakespearean play it's one or both of those. I'd really like to have one, especially 'Romeo and Juliet', but I just can't find them."
"Well, that's gotta suck," Matt sympathized, making a mental note to himself.
"It does." Kacie rolled her eyes. "I hate publishers who desecrate the great literary works of the world by cutting out parts or re-writing them in more modern English for my convenience. Modern typesets I can understand, but that's about all I'll tolerate. I like Old English. It presents a challenge to read, or at least it did at first. By the end of my first book of Arthurian legend I pretty much had it down."
"Old English?"
"Thou knowest, in this manner, good knight. It very well rolls off the tongue."
Matt laughed. "Okay, okay, I get the idea!"
"Hast thou begun to understand?" she continued tauntingly.
He protested between laughs. "Knock it off!"
"Art thou sure thou wantest me to quit this manner of speaking?"
"I art sure!"
"Actually, Matt, it would be I am...art means are, you don't go around saying 'I are'..."
By this time he was barely able to talk between the laughs. He had no clue why he thought it was so funny. Perhaps it was closer to quaint than funny, but either way it made him laugh.
"Hey everyone! Check it out!" Tai cried, with that bad-news tone in his voice.
"We're heeeee-rrrrre," Kacie said indifferently.
"Huh?" Matt didn't have time to ask her what she meant before T.K. came and grabbed his hand, dragging him up to Tai's viewpoint.
"Matt, Matt, we found it!"
Kacie walked slowly and serenely to the others, they had reached another cliff, and as she looked over the edge she saw it.
"Ever notice that these baddies get all the nice places with all the high-tech stuff and we end up sleeping on the ground in caves?" Joe asked.
Kari was taking in the sight with fascination. "Oh..." Her crest began to glow, and the light enveloped her. "Tai? Tai..."
"What is it, Kari?" he asked anxiously.
"Tai, remember those Venimon that attacked in the name of King Ferodramon?"
"Of course I remember the Veni--what are you telling me, Kari?" The boy put his hands on his little sister's shoulders and knelt down in front of her. "You know something. Your Crest...it's telling you something..."
"Yes, Tai...that's his castle," she answered weakly.
"Ferodramon?"
Kari nodded. "If we beat him..." she faltered, and closed her eyes. She fell into Tai's arms.
"Kari!" T.K. cried.
"I'm fine, T.K....If we beat Ferodramon...uhh...then the Venimon will go away..."
"All of them?" Tai stood and held her against himself.
"Yes..."
Kacie had known that. She didn't know it as distinctly as Kari seemed to, Kari had a gift, but Kacie had felt it in her bones, in her deepest soul.
"Let me down, Tai, I'm fine." Kari's Crest had returned to normal, and the light had left her.
He did so and she stood on her feet as if nothing had ever happened.
"Kari?" T.K. asked, holding a hand out towards her.
~How cute!~ Kacie thought.
"I'm fine, T.K.. I told you that. It's just sometimes my Crest takes a lot of energy."
"You have a special crest," T.K. said in awe.
"I know," she answered with no importance. Not indifference, but something like she might have said if Tai had reminded her which cupboard something was in.
"Well, we'd better get going, everyone," Tai said.
"Let's go," Matt said.
"I'm in," Izzy agreed.
"Let's get this overwith!" Kacie cried. It was a bit different than the usual, but it was exactly how she felt. She felt that soon would come the time Gennai had told them of, and she wanted to get it out of the way.
~I have to be the heroine...it figures.~
They approached the castle and hid in some bushes.
Izzy used his laptop to gain what information he could. "Fascinating! The entire place is a labyrinth, at the center of which is a huge training center where Ferodramon teaches methods of battle to the Venimon which he has created!"
"Created?!" Tai asked.
"Yes, apparently he can call them into being and have as many as he wants."
"Peachy!" Kacie said. "But now it makes sense, if we defeat him, he cannot make any more Venimon. We'll still have to defeat the ones that exist."
"Not necessarily. It's the very existence of his energy that keeps them alive. They do not require nourishment, but if their energy source--Ferodramon--suddenly ceases to exist, they do too."
"If that's true," Kacie said, "The more of them he makes, the weaker he would become."
"Yes, most likely," Izzy agreed, "But he could probably have a hundred before he would notice any change, so he probably has tens of thousands of them. Otherwise it would not be practical. It would be simpler to do his own fighting."
"Since when are evil digimon known for being practical, Izzy?" Sora asked.
"Still, I think if we can get him to create more and more of these Venimon, we could weaken him enough to defeat him," Kacie said.
Tai turned to his sister. "Kari? Are you hearing anything about it?"
"If I knew, Tai, that would be the easy way out. We have to make decisions sometimes. I can only get information to help you make the right choices, not blank out your mind."
"It doesn't get much more cryptic than that, Tai," Matt said. "Forget that approach."
"Well, let's go on in," Izzy said. "I downloaded the map of the labyrinth and calculated the fastest route to the center."
Tai nodded, and everyone began following Izzy silently. No one dared to speak. There was no telling where there were Venimon lurking.
After a few minutes Izzy halted everyone. "Through that door," he said. "Ferodramon."
Kacie stepped forward and looked in first. She held her mouth clamped shut so she would not scream no matter how repulsive the sight.
There were Venimon all over the place, but that was not the main thing to catch her attention. "Ferodramon..." she whispered.
He was not ugly, like the Venimon, but he was not at all pretty. His skin was patchy, like camouflage, only in shades of orange. His globular form, back to Kacie, must have been twenty feet tall.
"It's him," Kacie said, turning to face her fellow DigiDestined. "Obliteration time."
Tai nodded, and the group walked in.
The voice--it was low, so low it was hard to understand it--came from the other side. "I was expecting you."
"Well, then, I'm glad to say we didn't disappoint you!" Tai cried.
Ferodramon turned around, and Kacie then became repulsed. His face was twisted, crooked, scarred. His yellow eyes barely showed among folds of skin.
"You big old windbag! We've got you all figured out! We'll show you!" Kacie yelled at the top of her lungs.
"Digivolve!" Tai ordered.
"Agumon Warp Digivolve to...WarGreymon!"
"Gabumon Warp Digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!"
"Patamon digivolve to...Angemon! Angemon digivolve to...MagnaAngemon!"
"Gatomon digivolve to...Angewomon!"
"Tentomon digivolve to...Kabuterimon! Kabuterimon digivolve to...MegaKabuterimon!"
"Biyomon digivolve to...Birdramon! Birdramon digivolve to...Garudamon!"
"Palmon digivolve to...Togemon! Togemon digivolve to...Lillymon!"
"Gomamon digivolve to...Ikkakumon! Ikkakumon digivolve to...Zudomon!"
"Havamon digivolve to...Wizardmon!"
Cabaiyomon looked up at Kacie. "I can do that, too, once more without your Crest..."
"Go for it!"
"Cabaiyomon digivolve to...Librimon!"
Before Kacie stood a majestic, purple, horse-like digimon. Pale pink mane fell in long locks past her neck, and her tail was braided in many tiny braids, like cornrows. Her hooves glinted, and Kacie noticed they were silver.
"Watch me now, Kacie!" she cried. The voice was deeper, but still echoed of the small purple creature Kacie had come to adore. Among the other digimon's attacks Librimon shot off her own.
"Cantering Wave!" Hoofprints of shining white light shot through the air towards Ferodramon.
For the first time, he let out a cry of pain at her attack. "Gaaah! I will not allow you children to defeat me! Fiery Shock!"
Garudamon took the brunt of the attack. "Sora! He got me..." She de-digivolved to Birdramon again.
"No!" Sora screamed. "This can't be happening!"
Suddenly floods of Venimon poured in from the various entrances to the room and the DigiDestined found themselves swamped. No one had time to attack Ferodramon, and although Venimon were vanishing right and left, there were always more to take their places.
Ferodramon smiled. "You will be exhausted soon! You will be able to do nothing! All I have to do is sit back and enjoy the show!"
Feelings of hatred for the digimon rose in Kacie's throat, in her mind, in her very soul. She tried to push them back but she had to think very hard just to survive, and her emotions had free rein inside her.
Librimon came close next to her. "Get on my back! I'll know where you are and you'll be easier to protect!"
Kacie clambered on her digimon's back and tried to hold on with her legs in the absence of a saddle. She remembered that once she had been told that horses had no feeling in their manes, and no matter how hard you jerked and tugged and yanked at them, they would never feel a thing. You could hang 3-ton weights from their manes and they'd never notice. This was great as a last resort for a rider when their horse took off. Kacie knew she had to hang on to *something* with her hands or she'd lose her balance, especially since Librimon had to raise herself up on her hind legs to do her attack, so she took two fistfuls of mane and prayed that the same held true for digital horses.
"It doesn't hurt, but even if it did I would understand!" Librimon told her. "Cantering Wave!" She reared and Kacie held on for dear life. Her eyes were scrunched shut as she felt herself raise up in the air at a bizarre angle and then fall toward the ground with a *whumph*!
"Hey! I'm still on!" she cried in shock.
"Of course! If you fell, I would catch you!"
The ten digimon fought the Ferodramon for twenty minutes before there were any more de-digivolutions, but at that point a lot of them fell fast.
"Agumon!"
"Patamon!"
Kacie turned, while upon Librimon's back, to see Tai and T.K. run to their digimon.
"Biyomon!"
"Palmon!"
"Tentomon!"
Kacie turned away and tried to concentrate. She had not figured that they would be so numerous! The more they took down, the more he made, but he kept them at an equal rate so that his energy level did not drop any lower.
"Cajamon!"
"Gomamon!"
~Oh no, it's just me and Kari!~
"Fiery Transport!"
Eight of the kids screamed. Kacie whirled to see them, along with their digimon, disappear. "*NO*!!!" she and Kari cried in unison.
And suddenly, all the Venimon dissipated.
Librimon fell to her front feet, and turned around to face Kari and Angewomon.
Ferodramon smiled. "You two will be fun to torture...the weakling child and the girl with no Crest!"
"Hey, where did you get your face? Trick'n'treats or us?" Kacie yelled. "You just TRY to do anything to me, or Kari, and it'll get turned inside out! Maybe then it would actually be possible for it to be uglier than it is now! What did you do with our friends?"
"They're all separated from their digimon in safe places. The digimon are in irons, and your friends are in the Death Row of my dungeon!"
A massive monitor on one wall lit up, and became staticcy, and then faded in to show a panoramic shot of the DigiDestined, all unconscious, strapped to the wall by wrist and ankle. And no floor in sight--at least not in the shot.
"Tai!" Kari cried. "And T.K.!"
~Matt! Izzy!~ Kacie bit her tongue. ~I have to put on a brave face for Kari.~
"Now for you, small one...Fiery Transport!"
Angewomon stepped in front of Kari to take the blow, to be transported to the torture chambers Kari was sure to be headed for, but the flaming beam passed right through her and on to Kari. Angewomon's pain at hearing Kari scream and watching her disappear was beyond evident.
Kacie had never thought she'd see an angel get ticked off.
"YOU STUPID EVIL VILLAIN! WHATEVER YOU DO TO KARI YOU WILL FEEL TEN TIMES THE PAIN, I SWEAR IT!"
"Oh, you little digimon scare me so much! I'm frightened!"
"You should be!" Librimon cried.
~It's...just...me, and Librimon...Angewomon may soon go down, and I can't help her re-digivolve, she needs Kari for that...~
"Cantering Wave!"
~Oh peachy! Guess what time it is, kids, it's save-the-day-and-be-the heroine-time!~
"Fiery Shock!"
Kacie cringed, and Librimon reared, but Angewomon screamed.
"Angewomon!" both Kacie and her digimon cried.
"AAAHHH! SAVE KARI FOR ME!"
Kacie was not sure if the digimon was dying, or going to de-digivolve, or what.
"Fiery Transport!"
"I'll do my best, Angewomon!" Kacie promised before the angelic being disappeared in the light. Then she turned to Ferodramon. "You cannot defeat us! We have all the good power on OUR side! You have nothing but darkness! Light always chases away darkness! Take a light into a dark room and the darkness can do nothing but disappear! I *refuse* to let you win that easily! I'm going to win even if defeating you becomes my dying action!"
Kacie's digivice sent a beam of light towards the fiend, as if to prove her point. Then it began to glow. Kacie swung her leg over Librimon's back and let herself slide to the ground.
"*I*....*will*...*NOT*...*let*...*my*...*friends*...*DOWN*. I've come too far to quit now. You're as good as gone, Ferodramon!" Her digivice continued glowing, and then for a second the entire room was filled with blinding light.
"Kacie!" Librimon shouted, "It's..."
"I know what it is!" she shouted back. When the light vanished, there was a pendant strung around Kacie's neck, and she was holding the "charm" of it between her fingers so it dangled down. "My Crest." In the window of the brassy Tag, the Crest shone. The design was carved dark purple on light, in the shape of a heart inside a five-pointed star. "The Crest of Determination!"
Librimon reared.
Kacie's digivice shot a beam of light through the new Crest, and it shot towards the digimon.
"Librimon...digivolve to...Cielomon!"
The digimon didn't change much, other than going from the size of a Morgan to that of a Clydesdale, and sprouting a pair of multi-colored wings. (A/N: Those who know something of horses can ignore this. Morgans are small but sturdy. Clydesdales are huge! Taller than your average six-foot guy at the point where the front legs join the body!)
"Whoa..." Kacie gaped in awe. ~Is that *my* digimon?~
Cielomon bent down and looked at her. "It's me," she assured the girl.
Kacie looked into her eyes. They were the same eyes that Jacamon, Cabaiyomon, and Librimon all shared. "Yes. So give him all you got and let's get this overwith!"
"Violet Lightning!"
Ferodramon screamed.
~He actually felt pain! Perhaps he himself is not as strong as we thought! But, can I do this alone? NO! I can't even *think* like that! I *have* to try, for all my friends!~
"Do you think you can defeat me, human?"
"HAVEN'T I MADE THAT PRETTY OBVIOUS?!!? OF COURSE I DO!!"
"Violet Lightning!"
"Fiery Shock!"
They both dodged, and neither attack hit its original mark, but they did some pretty nice damage to the walls of the place.
~Guess I just have to keep trying...~
A/N: ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER! I LOVE THIS! Will Kacie defeat Ferodramon? Will her friends (and Tai) survive? Speaking of her friends, where are they? Will I ever stop asking these annoying questions? Will you review my ficcy? Will somebody shut off the mike so that--