Disclaimer: I don't own it, never have, never will, although I do own rather a nice pair of shoes, they have this semi-high heel on the heel and a zipper up the side-

Muse: Shut up.

*grins* Arigatou for all the wonderful reviews, minna! You're all way too sweet to be serious. Thanks again!

Muse: I don't think I like them.

Why not?

Muse: Well, that one reviewer shot me with a laser! *scowl*

Well, it's not like you're solid, so you didn't feel it.

Muse: Oh, sure, let's all shoot at Muse because she can't feel it!!!

Oh, don't try and gain sympathy, you meanie.

Muse: I'm not mean!

Hai you are.

Muse: Am not!!!

Whatever.

Muse: Hey,--

Oh, be quiet.

Chapter 3

Ken tripped over a magazine lying on the floor of his family's apartment. He shook his head, wondering why his mother had started reading so many mothering magazines. He thought she must still feel like everything that happened was her fault.

He tossed it over onto the couch and went to his room. Sitting on his bed, he unzipped his bag to let Wormmon out and looked at the picture next to his bed. It was a framed photo of the Christmas party he and his friends had held the year before. It showed Miyako smiling brilliantly , with her arm linked with Ken's, Hikari sweatdropping as she tried to nudge closer to Takeru than Daisuke, who was trying to wrap his arm around her neck, and Iori with an exasperated smile on his face as he observed the jumble.

Ken fixed his gaze on Takeru, noticing that he wore an expression that he hadn't for a while. His face in the picture was bright and happy-lately it had bore mainly exhaustion and forced smiles. Ken had noticed this right away, naturally, but hadn't said anything about it.

Takeru was worrying him. He hadn't been acting at all like himself lately. At the picnic today he'd hardly said a word, even when Hikari was trying to get him to drink one of Iori's grandfather's prune juice packets. Not that Ken had had that much time to notice-what with being completely enraptured in Miyako's radiant beauty-but it was still obvious enough. He wondered what was up.

As soon as Mimi skipped into her hotel room-where she was staying during her visit to Japan-she ran over to her suitcase. Michael had accidentally left his laptop at her place the night before she came to Japan, and she had absentmindedly packed it into her suitcase. She wrenched it out from between two of her tightly packed tops and flipped it open.

"Okay, Koushirou said you turned it on by clicking..this?" she said out loud, then squealed when she clicked the button and a terrible staticy roar erupted from it. She clicked it again and the roaring stopped. "Well, I guess that wasn't it." she said, searching the laptop again. "This one? AHHH! NO!" she cried, snapping the laptop shut as it flickered to life and she caught her first glimpse of his wallpaper. "MY GOSH WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT GUY?!?!?!?!"

She flipped it back open when she heard a beeping. "Huh?" she said, shielding her eyes against the background while she clicked on the window flashing 'NEW MESSAGE'. "Maybe I shouldn't read this, after all, it is for Michael." she said, even as she began to read the words.

Chosen Child,

I know who you are, Tachikawa. I'm back.

Mimi stared. 'Well, they're not exactly the best letter-writers, now, are they?' she thought.





Vilmon whimpered as she rushed around a tall, weathered tree, her spiked yellow tail flipping over in the air behind her yellow-green rabbit-like body. Oh, she was in for it this time, no way around it. She wished she hadn't stopped to get a drink with all her heart. Oh, she was dead..dead.dead..

She quivered as she hesitantly crept into the dark fortress that now loomed over the entire island. Shaking her head mentally, she padded up to the creature, who was perched coldly on a rock-hard throne. The thing looked down at Vilmon, who shook with nerves. "Vilmon." The creature spoke in a harsh, emotionless voice. "I understand you have been trying to live a good life? Be.nice?" Vilmon nodded, her jet-black eyes bulging in fear. "You know that's not possible. You're one of my followers-you always have been." The thing continued.

Vilmon winced as though she had been whipped. "What I do not understand is why one of my followers would attempt to change into one of those blasted failures, when they should have been looking for a way to release me from my prison. Luckily, I found a way myself. But that does not excuse your betrayal." Vilmon jumped and opened her mouth. "M-my goddess, please, please forgive me! I-I'll do anything!" she pleaded the creature, now confirmed to be a female. Vilmon backed up a step when she raised a hand menacingly at Vilmon.

"Did I say you could speak?" she asked, her voice piercing through the still, cold air. Vilmon shook her head furiously, then asked, in an effort to stall her punishment, "W-what way did you use to escape, my goddess?" The creature knew what the digimon was trying to do, but chose to answer anyway.

"It turns out those horrid children who imprisoned me have been replaced. And, as you know very well, a chosen child, especially one with a very strong spirit, can be very, very useful." she said simply, and then smirked as she raised a clawed hand to point at Vilmon's terrified face.



Okay, that's all for now, everyone. Sorry it's so short, I promise the next one'll be longer! That is, if you review..