Tai sat on the hospital bed, legs crossed, wondering if the staff ever turned the hall light off, or if it stayed on all night and all morning and all week. He couldn't move his right hand, and the cast over his wrist and arm itched like crazy. His chest ached dully, and he was having trouble breathing with all the bandages.
Tai lay back down, looking blankly up at the ceiling, debating whether to tell anyone what had really happened. But if they knew, could they do anything about it? They wouldn't believe him. About the dragon.
"You failed me." the dragon said, from beside the hospital bed. Its voice rasped and hissed.
Tai didn't look over. He knew. He hadn't killed it, he had failed it, it was going to kill him now for what he had done.
"Look at me when I'm talking, jerk." the dragon said, sounding annoyed.
Startled, he glanced over. Looming over him was the dragon, piercing red eyes glaring down at him, huge wings spread and filling the room with dark radiance. Its claws touched his arm.
Tai screamed and jerked his arm away.
The dragon yawned, and its ebony teeth sparkled in the dark. "There's no need to be afraid of me. I'm not the one that hurt you, and I'm not going to hurt you." The dragon clicked its claws together and smirked. Its wings fluttered, though there was no breeze. "Karen did that just fine."
"Who is she?" Tai hissed. Hate welled up in him. He thought he recognized the girl, but he couldn't remember from where.
"Don't get all worked up over that. We'll get her later."
Tai shuddered. "I thought she was you, I thought I killed you . . ."
"You did?" The dragon appraised him again, red eyes piercing him, then shrugged, a ripple that ran through its shadowy body. "I must have done you more damage then I thought." The dragon tapped it's own head lightly with a claw and laughed. "No matter."
Tai snarled. "You mock me, dragon."
"Much better. You can't tag along if you can't stand up for yourself." The dragon wrapped its claws around the hospital bed and drew it closer, dragging it across the floor with an unholy screeching, until Tai found himself staring directly into the dragon's unblinking crimson eyes. "Call me Shadowdramon, dearie." She lowered her huge head and whispered into Tai's ear. "Now how would you like to come with me and help take over the world?"
"I . . . don't know . . ." Tai said, suddenly frightened. A wave of icy air swept over him.
"Well, think about it." Shadowdramon laughed again, and flickered over to the other side of the bed, blocking the eternal light from the hallway. "If you stay here, they won't believe you. You're practically a nutcase already. If you come with me, I can fix that. I can fix your wounds, too." She flickered again and began to fade, until only her glowing red eyes and her smirk were left, like a Cheshire cat. "If you need anything, just call. Please."
Then only the hall and its perpetual light were left, blinding Tai for a moment. His wrist hurt suddenly, and he turned onto his side to keep his weight off of it.
He thought for a long time before he finally went
to sleep.
* * *
The Digi-Destined gathered around in a small clearing in a Digital forest, waiting while Miyako set up her laptop.
"Connected to Izzy yet?" Daisuke asked.
"Not quite, Daisuke. Could you give some room? I have problems typing while people are staring at me." Miyako sat back and glared at Daisuke.
Daisuke held up his hands and backed off. "Okay, sorry. C'mon, V-mon, let's go sit with everyone else."
"Thank you." Miyako watched him sit down.
"Hey, there's something blinking on the screen." Hawkmon said, sitting next to her.
"Hm?" Miyako looked back at her laptop.
A little white box sat on her screen. Inside was a single word: Hello.
"What the hell?" Miyako typed Izzy? and hit enter.
A second passed.
Izzy . . . another Digi-Destined?
Who are you? Miyako typed.
Dracaemon. I am on a holy mission to find you.
Another box opened on her computer, this one looking
slightly more like a normal chat screen.
Izzy: Hello? Are you in Digital World
yet?
Miyako leaned back. "Hey, everybody, I think you better come see this."
Yamato got up first. "You contacted Izzy yet?"
"Yeah, but a Digimon is trying to talk to me."
"What?" Yamato came over.
Izzy: Miyako? Are you there?
Miyako muttered something under her breath, and started typing.
Who sent you on this mission, Dracaemon?
Miyako: Yah. Could you look up a Digimon called Dracaemon?
Izzy: Sure.
Gabumon scratched his head. "Dracaemon? Never heard of it."
"That's really strange, Miyako. Do you know what it could be?" Yamato said.
I don't know why you care, but Goddramon sent me.
"I can't hold three conversations at once!" Miyako yelled. "Give me some room!"
"Sorry." Yamato and Gabumon moved away, only giving room for Hikari, Iori, Daisuke, and their respective Digimon to crowd around her computer like vultures.
Izzy: It's a dragon-type virus Digimon. Why?
Miyako: It's chatting with me.
Izzy: You mean online?
Miyako: Yeah.
Izzy: What's its sn?
Miyako rolled her eyes.
What's your sn?
UltimatDrac3001. What's yours?
Miyako.
Miyako: It's UltimatDrac3001
Izzy: Shit.
Miyako: What?
Izzy: Are you sure?
Miyako: Pretty damn sure, yeah.
Izzy: That person gave me stock tips.
Another message from Dracaemon typed itself out on Miyako's screen.
So. I will meet you tomorrow, when you're out of the forest.
Miyako: Izzy, it knows where we are.
Izzy: Can you digivolve?
UltimatDrac3001: Wassup?
"Isn't that the Digimon?" Iori said.
"How the hell-" Miyako started to type again.
Miyako: Iz: yeah, we can. Drac: What do you want?
The white box disappeared.
UltimatDrac3001: If I'd known you had IM, I wouldn't have had to hack your laptop.
Izzy: Who are you?
UltimatDrac3001: Dracaemon.
Miyako: Why do you need to find us?
UltimatDrac3001: Community service.
Miyako: What?!
Izzy: What?
UltimatDrac3001: Tell y'all later. Meet me by the big dead tree. Southeast, along the little stream you're sitting by.
Miyako: How do you know this?
UltimatDrac3001: I'm just special.
UltimatDrac3001: I track your laptop. I have to help you. You may need an extra Digimon to help save the world.
The screen flashed "UltimatDrac3001 has signed off".
"Great." Gatomon said. "We don't even know who that is."
"V-mon?" Daisuke asked.
"No idea." V-mon said, and shrugged.
"Dunno." Armadillomon said.
"Never heard of it." Gabumon said.
"Well, I have no idea who that is." Hawkmon said, and looked at Miyako.
"So, are we going to meet Dracaemon by the tree or not?" Hikari looked at Daisuke expectantly.
Izzy: Miyako, are you there?
Miyako: We're staying here overnight. Tell our parents something, a slumber party, I don't care. Tell them something.
Miyako: Sorry Iz, I have to go. ttyl
Miyako signed off with a click. "Well, Daisuke?"
"Yeah, let's meet it by the tree." Daisuke said. "Are we staying here overnight?"
"I guess so." Iori said.
Matt glared at them all, arms crossed. "It's probably a trap." he said, stiffly.
"Yeah, but it'd be all of our Digimon against one."
Matt turned and started to walk off. Gabumon glanced at the other Digi-Destined, then at Matt, and looked apologetic as he followed him.
"Matt! Where are you going?"
Matt turned around. There were tears in his eyes and fury in his voice. "How could you forget about Takeru so quickly? I'm going to find him." Matt turned his back on them again and continued to walk away.
Hikari looked worried. She ran up to Matt and put her hand on his arm. "Matt, I'll go with you. I want to find him, too."
"No!" Matt shook off her hand. "I'm going alone. I'm going to find Takeru alone."
Gabumon gently pushed on Hikari's leg. "Please, Kari. I think he need to deal with his grief by himself."
"Grief?" Hikari stepped backwards. "T.K.'s not dead. He's still alive."
Gabumon looked up at her, sorrow in his eyes. "I'm sorry, Kari, I doubt he survived the fall."
Hikari shook her head, and then retreated back to the tree she had been sitting under.
Matt walked into the forest, walking step by step until the trees finally hid him and Gabumon.
Daisuke watched them vanish into the forest, and
then looked at the ground. The grass was wet with tears.
* * *
Shadowdramon stretched her wings out and settled
down onto the tiled floor. In front of her a huge throne rose, ominous
in the dim torchlight that lit the chamber.
Sitting in the throne was a dragon-headed Digimon,
not quite Myotismon. His fangs glinted as he spoke.
"You took your time getting here, Shadowdramon."
"I'll have you know I run on Mexican time."
Shadowdramon said, folding her wings into herself.
Vamdramon snarled. His cape swirled around
his tattered wings as he stood up. "I expect respect from lesser
Digimon, Shadowdramon."
"Well, good luck getting it." Shadowdramon
laughed. "Not even Darkie gets respect from me."
"You are an idiot, Shadowdramon."
She laughed again. "But I have some interesting
news, Vammie. Don't you want to hear it?"
"Very well." Vamdramon said, spitting the words
like a curse.
Shadowdramon muttered something to herself, and
her eyes flickered from red to orange and back. "So . . . as we speak,
the Digi-Destined have returned." Shadowdramon grinned, and her voice
dropped to a grating hiss. " . . . and do I ever have a lovely surprise
for them."
"I do not want to hear your stupid musings, Shadowdramon."
Vamdramon snapped. His red cloak fluttered in the breeze made by
his beating wings.
"Remember . . . Mokushi is rising again."
Shadowdramon spread her wings and launched into the air. "Don't worry,
Vammie, I have a surprise for you, too." She laughed, and vanished
before she hit the roof.
Vamdramon turned and glided back towards his throne.
