Some of this chapter will be in the present tense, 'cause I'll be switching back and forth from Julian to the main story.

Predestined

Chapter Twelve: The First Battle

Chicamon's tiny ears suddenly prick up. "Listen," he says quietly. "I hear something.

"What do you hear?" Julian asks. He floats over to his partner and cups him in his small hands. "Is it Kina?"

"I think so. Let me investigate."

Chicamon struggles out of Julian's hands and whizzes off. He comes back moments later, and he looks grim.

"Come with me. It doesn't look good."

One week of fervent training passed. By that time, in mock battle, Rachael's Tsumiramon was able to digivolve to Nievemon, who was a larger version of Tsumiramon but with longer teeth, two extra horns and blue and green fur. Lucas's Aibomon could digivolve to Firenzemon, a large otter-like creature with glossy black fur and huge, lamp-like yellow eyes. His face was covered in a silver mask. Unfortunately for them, however, they weren't able to DNA digivolve or go to the Ultimate level.

"Cheer up, maybe Tania is your partner," Lucas said to his older cousin as she fed Tsumiramon. Aibomon was wrapped around his neck again.

"But she doesn't have her Digimon yet!" Rachael said angrily. She accidentally shoved too much food at Tsumiramon, who nearly choked. "And anyway, she's way too little to be fighting."

Tania looked highly affronted. "Good things come in small packages. It's true. My mommy is shorter than Hikaru and she's a teacher. That's a hard job."

"Kids," Rachael muttered. She turned to get more food…and saw five figures outlined by the bright sunlight. They were staggering across the field, barely able to walk.

"Hey guys, I think it's the others!" she cried. She sprinted across the plain and met the five escapees, just as Lee fell to her knees.

"Thank God! We've been walking for days, and… Hey, wait…who are you?" she asked suspiciously.

Kim pushed her aside. "Who cares? Why does she have MY GOGGLES?"

They got the five of them back to camp and got them fixed up. The whole time, they plied them with questions and were given lengthly answers.

"So…where were you guys?" Tina asked, wrapping a bandage around a cut on her sister's head.

Lauren groaned. "Easy on that, Tina. We were in this cave somewhere. Some creepy chick in leather took us to her base and kept us there. She said she was on her way to some place called Starlight Plains, to reawaken this Beast thing." She swatted away her sister's hand. "Not the iodine! AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHH!"

"Suck it up, buttercup!" Tina snapped, holding her older sister down and swabbing her wound with the iodine. "The cut might be infected!"

"Anyway," Lee continued, "she was the one who attacked us and took us through to this world. She drugged me at the hospital, and knocked Kim out when she was at my place."

"She sent her henchmen to beat the shit out of me and Hikaru," Chris said darkly. One of his arms was slung carefully over Hikaru's shoulders, trying to avoid the bruises on her back.

"And when Mike and Kiko tried to go through the Port, she pulled me through instead," Lauren added.

Holly motioned to the two tiny mouse-like Digimon curled up near Starymon and Mikomon. "Who are those little guys?"

"They're the ones who got us out of there," Lee said. She picked up one of them and cuddled it to her. "They're called Kanejamon. There were five of them when we left. They knew that Lady Kazuma had abandoned the base when they broke us out, but they didn't expect that she still had two of her guards there. The guards…" she gulped down some of the hot tea that Jenna had made for them. "…deleted three of them, and these little guys almost got creamed too." She gently touched the light grey fur streaked with darker grey on its face. "They were so brave…"

"They're really cute," Tania said. "May I?"

She held out her small hands, and Lee hesitantly placed the Kanejamon into her palms. Tania stroked the little creature's fur gently and sighed. "It's so sad that they got hurt."

"They'll be fine," Hikaru told her little sister. "They're just a little banged up, that's all."

The Kanejamon stirred and opened its big violet eyes. It saw Tania and gasped out, "Are you an angel?"

The little girl laughed. "No, I'm just a kid!"

It sat up and stretched. "What's your name?"

"I'm Tania. You're Kanejamon?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a partner?"

"No."

"Wanna be my partner?"

The Kanejamon almost fell out of her hands. "Are you serious?" it squeaked. "Do I look like I'm up for battling with the Beast?"

"Yes," Tania affirmed. "And I think you're very cute. Are you a boy or a girl?"

Kiko groaned. "Tania!"

The Kanejamon grinned. "I'm a male."

Tania involuntarily made a face, causing everyone to laugh. "Well, I guess you'll do," she said in a nearly perfect imitation of her older sister.

"But what if I'm not supposed to be your partner?" Kanejamon asked.

Rachael jumped in. "We'll burn that bridge once we cross it, OK? All we really have to worry about is the battles. Fiannamon, when can we expect Lady Kazuma and her troops?"

The Fiannamon in charge flew straight up in the air, and came down quickly. "I would say about five days."

"Good. That gives us plenty of time. Now let's continue with lunch. I'm starving!"

Lauren's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "You're joking, right?"

"Afraid not, lass."

Kinaka looked at the Fiannamon squarely. "You're absolutely serious about this. Well, that's peachy with me, but I think it sucks."

The Fiannamon were enraged. "Well, try them on before you condemn them," they said, placing the armor and swords on the ground in front of them.

Tina approached first, and picked up the silver and bronze-colored armor that the Fiannamon had been making since Lee and the others had arrived after lunch the day before. "This is the armor that the girls have to wear?"

"Yes."

"Well, ladies, we're about to become Xena: Warrior Princess. LOOK AT THESE!" She examined the breastplate, which looked suspiciously like something Xena might wear. "For those of us who aren't as…shall I say, well endowed, can we get smaller sizes?"

"Hey!" half the girls cried out in mock embarrassment.

"And for the guys…" Chris held up his. "Heavy-duty jock strap. I bet one of us could get kicked by a horse and not feel a thing!"

Hikaru groaned. "Shut up about it or you'll be testing your own theory!"

Everyone pulled on their armor that they would be using in battle to protect them. The girls wore Xena-like breastplates, leg guards, arm guards, neck guards and a helmet that only really covered their eyes. They guys wore more of a gladiator style breastplate, with the same armor that the girls had covering their appendages, as well as helmets with spikes on them and heavy-duty extra-strength jock straps.

"Those are made of chrome digizoid, with an alloy of platinum, bronze, gold and silver for decoration," the Fiannamon informed them.

"They're pretty light," Tania remarked, flexing her arms. "And comfortable."

"They have to be. You'll be commanding your Digimon partners, as well as defending yourself with these." The Fiannamon pointed to their swords, all of which were silver in color and were emblazoned with each of their Crests. "Only the Bearer of each individual Crest may handle their own sword. Any pretenders will have their hands burned off."

Mike whistled. "Well, just call me Sir Galahad," he quipped.

"Take your swords. We've got four days to prepare for the first battle, and we have no time to lose."

Lady Kazuma's strange eyes surveyed the wide expanse of Starlight Plains, taking in the sight of the perfectly aligned troops far ahead. Her first mercenary troop, the first of many, made up almost entirely of DarkFiannamon and Flymon, waited silently behind her. They were waiting for her signal to attack.

"My Lady," her general, a particularly stalwart DarkFiannamon said cautiously. "With all due respect, perhaps it would be…wise…to attack within the next half hour. The sun sets completely in four hours, and it would be in our best interest to attack now, and finish with the sun still up. That way we can see what we're doing."

"Your idea is good, but I think if we waited until after dark, we would have a better chance for victory. Don't forget, they have the two witches of the prophecy on their side. And I've been in contact with the guards back at the base, and they say that the prisoners managed to escape with the Kanejamon."

The DarkFiannamon swore. "Damn it! Now our tactics will be useless!"

"Not quite so," Lady Kazuma said. She turned back to the field and faced the slowly sinking sun. "I have another plan…"

It was time.

The Fiannamon who had seen Lady Kazuma's troops three hours before had caused them all to spring into action. The troops, comprised of about 150 Fiannamon altogether, were all lined up in the way they had been trained to do for thousands of years, and the Digidestined stood behind them, their partners digivolved to the Ultimate level (with the exception of Rachael, Lucas and Tania; Kanejamon was still a Rookie) and ready for action.

After about three hours had passed, Tania began to fidget. "I have to pee," she moaned to her big sister.

Hikaru groaned. "Can it wait?"

"No!"

Hikaru looked up at the Fiannamon. "How long until the other troops get here?" she asked.

"About fifteen minutes," the sentry replied.

"Good. That gives us plenty of time." She grabbed Tania by the hand and led her away. While they were gone, Mikomon looked anxiously at Tania's Kanejamon. The other Kanejamon had died during the night days before; it had been very badly injured.

"What if Tania's not your partner after all?" Mikomon asked.

Kanejamon shrugged. "Dunno. I'll do what I can to protect her, as long as I can."

Almost as soon as Hikaru and Tania had returned, the sentry cried out, "There they are!"

Dark shapes were marching up across the field. Ahead of them in the distance was a small figure wearing a skin-tight outfit of red and black leather, with gold stitching and a wide golden cape. A black mask was over her eyes, and her strange eyes shone out of it with ferocity.

"ATTACK!" she screamed, raising a scimitar into the air.

All at once, hell was breaking loose. The DarkFiannamon and the Flymon, as well as the others in Lady Kazuma's army, rushed across the field toward them. In a flash the Fiannamon were on them, and they managed to break the first two lines before the DarkFiannamon began to push back.

"Celtic Rage!" the Fiannamon cried. Their attack was a wave of green energy that obliterated just about everything.

"Dark Destroyer!" the DarkFiannamon countered, their attack much the same but colored black and teeming with bats.

"Ground Stingers!" cried the Flymon.

It was now time for the other Digimon to join in. The Ultimates attacked first, and then Nievemon and Firenzemon got to attack for the first time.

"Howler Storm!" Nievemon shrieked. Her horns suddenly became like arrows, and they shot into the opposing troops with the impact of nuclear warheads.

"Fire Squall!" Firenzemon cried out. From his eyes and mouth, hot streams of fire poured out and scorched just about everything in their paths.

The battle raged for hours, yet they were barely tiring. The same could not be said about the opposition, however. Just as the sun was going down, the Fiannamon and the other Digimon managed to smash through the last line near a large lake on the plain, leaving just two DarkFiannamon, a Flymon, and Lady Kazuma herself.

"You fools!" she cried out. "Do you think that I am easily defeated! Don't gloat, because there's more where that came from!"

Rachael's eyes glittered. "Big words, coming from someone who's down to her last three soldiers!"

Lady Kazuma ground her teeth. "You brats!" she shrieked. She pointed at the lake, and its tranquil surface was suddenly broken by a raging whirlpool. "I think you need to take a swim, to cool off your battle-fired heads!"

The woman drew her throwing knife out of her belt and threw it hard at the Digidestined. As they scattered, it curved around on its trajectory and flew back to her hand.

She cackled. "How about you, my pretty? Wanna take a dip?" she called to Jenna, throwing the knife at her.

Leon pushed Jenna out of the way as the throwing knife whizzed by. It kept going, however, and came straight at Kinaka's face.

"AAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHH!" she screamed. She took one quick step back to avoid it…wobbled…began to fall into the lake.

"KINAKA!" everyone screamed, but it was too late. She'd already fallen into the whirlpool, while Lady Kazuma laughed her maniacal head off and flew off on her DarkFiannamon's back.

Lee made a mad dash for the water and dove in before anyone could do anything. She battled against the strong current, her armor suddenly feeling heavy, and reached Kinaka just as she was being sucked under into the churning water.

"Lee, help!" she cried, and sucked in a deep breath just as she was pulled under the surface.

"Hold on, Kinaka!" Lee cried out. She inhaled deeply, and dove down as deep as she could. Kinaka was far below her, being sucked down fast by the raging whirlpool. Her long hair had come free of the tight braid she'd put it in specially for the battle, and was flying about her head like brown seaweed. Even from far above her, Lee could see that her eyes were open in abject terror.

Kinaka reached up, bubbles trailing out of her mouth. Help, she mouthed, stretching her arms high above her head. Lee, help me!

Lee kicked hard, but the current was pulling her away from her cousin. She, too, reached out a hand that barely brushed Kinaka's fingers, but it was too late. Kinaka was gone.

She was flung up to the surface, and she took a deep breath when she got there. At the water's edge, the Digidestined waited with bated breath, not knowing that far below Lee, Kinaka was still fighting for her life.

Julian peers at his partner. "What's the matter?"

"Just come quickly!"

The little boy sighs, but complies without further complaining. He zooms off with Chicamon, happy to have gotten the hang of whizzing around in a space with zero gravity.

There in front of the two of them lies a thin veil of temporal fabric—although of course, Julian has no clue what it is. All he knows is that he can see his sister's frightened face upturned—fear evident in her blue eyes—struggling against the current—sucking in one last breath as she is pulled inexorably down into the murky black water—

"KINA!" Julian cries out. He is scared now, more scared than the time he met Barney at Ontario Place, with his mommy and his Auntie Annika. His rosebud lips open, and he screams in fear.

"Julian, listen to me. We haven't much time. Now, when I tell you, reach out your hands and put them through. You have to grab hold of your sister's hands before she reaches the bottom. Do you understand?" Chicamon says. "On my signal."

The little boy lifts his hands. "I'm scared," he moans.

"NOW!"

"Oh my God," Lauren gasped. She fell to her knees at the water's edge. "Lee? Where's Kinaka?" Tears blurred her eyes as she stared into the turbid surface of the water.

"I couldn't—reach her," Lee panted as she pulled herself onto the shore. "She went under—so fast—and then she was just gone…"

Lauren let out a long wail and buried her face in her hands. Mike was at her side in a flash, holding his sister tightly while she cried for her lost friend.

Everyone looked at eachother in shock. None of them had actually expected anyone to die during these battles, especially not like this. But the truth was staring them right in the face—Kinaka was dead. She had to be. There was just no way she could be alive anymore.

"I…I suppose we'll have to contact her parents to tell them," Tina said gravely. She opened the laptop and booted it up.

Before he can think about it, Julian shoves his hands through the temporal fabric, nearly stopping what he is doing as the icy cold shock of the water in the other world washes around his hands. He gropes blindly around for his sister, all the while thinking: "Kina…where are you?"

His small hands close around warm flesh—Kinaka's wrists. He can feel her pulse, beating strongly, and he knows that she is more frightened than he is. And suddenly she is beside him, in the beautiful vortex of color, her eyes still wide with shock. She coughs out a stream of water before realizing she is not underwater anymore. She is soaking wet and breathing hard when she asks:

"Julian! What are you doing here? And…where are we?"