Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

A/N: I've decided to cut the planned final chapter into two… it was getting really long as I was typing it up…. (I decided not to make a sequel to this, so the anticipated last chapter is longer than I initially planned for… protest about that if you want on the review board…) There are several whole new twists to the story…. Oh, this chapter is where Azulongmon gives his famous history lesson with Gennai… Won't they find it fun? Lol… enjoy.

Chapter 35: Sacrifices

            "Let me go, you, evil creature!  Let me go!!! NOW!" Uraina snarled, but that only frustrated and hurt her more.  The agonizing stinging from her leg was still there, and this new situation of being taken hostage to be victimized severely wasn't going to eradicate the throbbing she was undergoing.  Sensing it was useless to keep reminding herself of her injury, she vanquished the thoughts of pain and concentrated on a spell to get out of the mess.

            'Why hasn't Daemon fall asleep yet?!  Why isn't my magic working?  GRRR!' She tried to break away from the villainous creature, but to no avail.  She could have sworn that it wasn't only Daemon who was really holding her back, but some invisible force.  Besides the grip she felt from Daemon on her wrists, she felt something tightly clutching her ankles and arms to prevent her from escaping.  Her breathing became heavier and much faster until her exhausted body caused her to fall unconscious to the ground.

            'Uraina!' Tai cried out to himself as a scene of Uraina reaching out for his hand as she fell into a large black hole flashed in his head.  'No!  Am I dreaming?'

            'Is this what Dawna predicted was going to befall upon my two daughters?'

            "Errr!!!" all the chosen Digimon retorted.  Provoked, they (not Mr. Chaikary's Gabumon) charged towards Daemon with their attacks while Gabumon burrowed a small hole in the ground and gently placed the digi-egg in his possession into the hole.  After that, he aided the other Digimons against the enemy.  However, none of their attacks were able to even lay a scratch on Daemon.

            "I must commend you my dear.  You've made my life a lot easier, seeing that all of your pathetic little ruts [the Digimon] are too feeble to stop me," Daemon said defiantly and laughed maliciously.

            "Why are you here?" demanded Tai irately.

            "Keep away from Ken!" Davis warned as he shielded Ken when Daemon slid closer to Ken and Kamari.  At the same time, Sam, Tai and Von hurried by Uraina's body to see how she was doing.  She was barely breathing; her pulse remained weak.

            "I'm not after—" Daemon stated with a wicked smirk on his face until the young empress thrust her body forward in an attempt to throw Daemon over.

            "Maria!" Davis and the others cried out in shock when her effort backfired.  Somehow, Daemon was able to swing both of her hands back and clenched her wrists together.

            "Stay back or she gets it," Daemon threatened as he quickly fastened a rope around her wrists while she struggled, kicking futilely.

            Mentally, she chanted a spell; unfortunately, her magic was also out of commission so to speak.  'Ludicrous spell!' she cursed.

            Smirking triumphantly, Daemon took out a small electronic device from a camouflaged pocket around his waist, and held it close to Kamari's neck.  "Like I was about to say before, I'm not after the dishonourable emperor; I'm after the spores of the empress.  I've waited over two millennia for this moment," he paused.

            'Two millennia?' Sora asked herself.

            'For what?!' T.K. pondered.

            'If he's after Mariana for her spores, that means he attacked Uraina for hers also.  How come I didn't know about their spores?  I thought I was the only one besides those kids in the van with me.'

            "The moment of extracting samples of the first generation spores.  And this time, nothing will stop me.  Absolutely nothing!" Daemon continued, and Mariana began to pant.

            "I don't remember being implanted with spores!  Foolish being, you, delusional daft!  You will not have the pleasure or privilege of extracting anything from me!" a defiant Kamari snapped with a smirk.  "Digivolve to Tykylomon and attack him—"

            Her partner tried to digivolve, but only failure resulted.  "Mistress!"  She darted towards Daemon, but an invisible force tossed her aside.

            "This time, I shall savour my revenge upon you, my dear," Daemon gloated, "and become the most power creature of all realms!"

            "Maria!" Davis called out as Daemon slowly moved his electronic device closer to the empress' neck.

            'Take care—' Mariana started to murmur in her head before her head lowered out of exhaustion.  Bright streaks of white light shot from the same digi-egg that Gabumon had been safe-keeping towards Mariana.  Despising the light, Daemon let go of his hostage recklessly.

            'Fascinating,' Izzy commented at the sight as he analyzed the situation with his laptop.  'The Digi-egg of Purity, a legendary digi-egg thought to have been destroyed during the digital wars,' he started to mentally read the data from his laptop.

            'Stupid digi-egg!  GRRR!  Egg of Purity!' Daemon growled mentally as the rays embodied Mariana completely and untied the ropes around her wrists.

Next, the rays pulled her towards the digi-egg.  When Mariana was soaring right above it, the digi-egg ascended.  She reached out her hands to receive it.  Upon contact, the colour of the rays changed into the colours of the rainbow, and caused fiendish purplish glow radiated at the back of Mariana's neck.  'Some believed that the egg has powers able to wash away any darkness implanted within its owner or anyone the owner chosen to purify….' Izzy continued to read.  Emitted out also were the digital spores once implanted into the empress' body mysteriously.  As they were cleansed out of Mariana's body, they vanished bit by bit until no spore was remaining.  When the process of purification was achieved, her body stopped radiating and her feet touched the ground once again.  The digi-egg entered Mariana's D-terminal, which was still on the ground beside the grey digivice.  Mariana glared daggers at Daemon for his attempts to capture her and her sister.  She didn't feel weak anymore.  Instead, she could feel her whole body functioning better than before, and even her Digimon returned to her champion form.

            "Forget the rebellious empress.  Go after her sister!  We can still get the spores we came for from her,"  Daemon shouted as though he was commanding his henchmen.  Another bizarre thing started to happen.  Uraina's body was suddenly lifted up, perhaps by invisible or camouflaged creatures, as Wishmon changed into Tykylomon.

            "How is he able to do that?" Yolei questioned as Uraina's body floated towards Daemon.

            "I've got some new friends and attacks.  All thanks to the Dark Ocean you and your pathetic friends sent me to," Daemon answered in satisfaction when her body was only a metre away as Mariana got onto Tykylomon's back.  "We haven't lost yet—"

            "But I won't let you win!" Mariana vowed as she charged towards Daemon on Tykylomon.  But before she could reach Daemon to steal back her sister, he waved one of his hands and two strong gust of wind blasted from his palm and one of them shot straight into Mariana while the other hit Tykylomon.  "Aaahhh!" the empress shrieked as Daemon laughed spitefully.  The winds were fierce enough to hurl Mariana's body and Tykylomon's body around in different directions.  Mariana's body severely bumped against the truck of a large tree, causing her body to collapse to the ground and lose consciousness while Tykylomon quickly flapped her wings to slow down her acceleration towards another trunk which allowed her to minimize her injuries when her body collided into it.  Likewise, Tykylomon fainted, but she also, changed back into Wishmon.  Mariana's father rushed by his younger daughter's side and discovered that the back of her head was bleeding at a rapid pace.  Tears raced down from his eyes as he hugged her tightly.

            "That was fun," Daemon said with a wicked grin.  "Now let's go," he declared and several figures revealed themselves around Uraina.  They were digital creatures none of the Digidestines or their Digimon has ever seen.  Dressed in large black cloaks that concealed their truth appearances did not hide the fact that all of them had no feet or paws.  What's visible about them were the deep scarlet eyes, and their hands and tails being gaseous, implying that their entire body was gaseous and digital. Two of them were holding Uraina in the mid-air while several others stood defensively beside Daemon.

"Not so fast!" a voice coming from behind interjected.  All of them looked in the direction of the noise, and discovered it was Dawna.  But why were her hands hiding behind her back?  With her was a young Gennai.

            Dawna examined the situation, glancing back and fro.  Her head twitched when she saw Mariana and Wishmon down and Uraina in Daemon's grasp.  Dawna and Gennai spotted the D-terminal and grey D-3.  At a snail's pace both of them walked towards the devices and then tried to conceal them behind their bodies.

            "What the heck are you interfering for?!  You have no business in this matter!" Daemon demanded angrily of Gennai.  "I hate being interrupted!"

            "Who are your ghostly friends?" Dawna asked as Gennai snooped down and grabbed the devices.

            "They're the shadow dwellers from the Dark Ocean," Gennai spoke.  "It seems that they've allied themselves with Daemon."

            "A brilliant deduction," Daemon started off sarcastically.  "They are called Darkshadowmon.  You can get to know them later; I'm late for my victory party."  He was about to take off with his shadow dweller friends.

            "Change in plans," Dawna indicated as she brought her hands forwards, revealing a glowing flower bud shaped digi-egg in her possession.  The upper portion consisted of small two layers, one overlapping the other.  The white was folded under the black.  The lower portion, being the largest, consisted of a blue pair of symbol over the grey background.  The symbol resembled a circle with a line that cuts through it to divide one part of the circle into an arc as well as six triangles that enclosed it.  Basically, it was like an eclipse with six triangles that circles it like the rays of the sun.  The radiation spread over to Wishmon; the white light lifted her back onto her paws and she armour-digivolved unconsciously in a flash.  "Meet Shadowwomon," she smirked as the upgraded Wishmon, now Shadowwomon, blinked her eyes opened.  Shadowwomon bore a resemblance to Daemon's henchmen.  However, she had grey eyes, and the same symbol on the digi-egg was found embroidered on front of her grey cloak's hood. Shadowwomon brought her grey furry hands (paws, but they look more like hands now) out from underneath the cloak, revealing a staff.  In the middle of the staff was an hour-glass with flower petals on each end, while on the outer ends were two metallic rods.

            "We should help her," T.K.'s Digimon said weakly.

            "Sorry, but all of you are still too weak to battle," Sora replied.

            "The digital gatekeeper of the realms," Daemon mumbled furiously as he clenched his teeth when his henchmen placed Uraina's body lightly onto the ground and Ken, Von and Gennai quickly moved in and seized her body for her own safety.  The henchmen seized their accomplice and forced Daemon to kneel in front of Shadowwomon with them, "Double-crossers," he grunted wrathfully.

            "Give yourselves some time to regain your strength," Joe advised.  "If we go in now, we're bound to lose and get in the way.  Retreat for now, then strike again."

            "Gatekeeper," the Shadowmons uttered in unison as they lowered their heads to her while kneeling down somehow.  Daemon struggled to escape their grasps, but their grips were too great.  For a bunch of silly gaseous beings, their strength was immense.

            Shadowwomon said nothing.  Instead, with her right hand, she held onto the hour glass and spun it so fast that a large twister was produced and it engulfed Daemon and his henchmen.  The staff stopped spinning, and now, she turned the hour glass.  A few clicks were barely heard over the screams of the villains, and the metallic rods slid into the flower petals magically.  "What is she doing?" Yolei asked as Shadowwomon pointed her staff at the twister that contained Daemon and the Shadowmons.

            "Blazing Sands!" Shadowwomon shouted, finally saying her first set of words after transforming, as small particles of never-ending sand were bombarded at the enemies from the hour glass and through the flower.  Daemon and the Shadowmons continued to scream as the sands of time smacked right into them and caused little fires to be ignited.  The flames gradually grew larger as it became mixed with the wind of the twister, and seeing that the fire was large enough, Shadowwomon stopped blasting sand.

            Meanwhile, Mr. Chaikary tended to Uraina.  Everyone attention was either on the Chaikary sisters or the continuing battle.  'The Digi-egg of Eternity; it is believed that the gatekeeper of time and the realms once possessed this digi-egg ever since the birth of the Digital World.  However, it cannot be confirmed if the human gatekeeper with her Digimon were for real.  All that is for sure is that over the years, the digi-egg disappeared.  Some believed that it will show itself when the human gatekeeper returns to the Digital World to reclaim it,' Izzy read to himself from his laptop when he decided to look up on the new digi-egg.

            The sight and the smell of the air were mind-boggling. They were being scorched within the twister.  The smoke was being accumulated and some of them began coughing due to the extreme closeness to the fire.  Strangely enough, Gennai, the Digidestines and their Digimon could not feel the heat of the fire.  Next, the metallic rods slid out again.   She spun her staff in the other direction to complete only one circular spin to draw a circle right in front of the twister in the mid-air.  "Planetary Gates," she uttered and the circle she drew with her staff grew large enough to fit the twister.  "Open," she commanded, and a black portal opened within the inside the circle.  "Transport," she ordered and twister was sucked into the dark area of the circle along with its components into another location.  Automatically, the portal closed, but the outlining of the circle remained until Shadowwomon whispered, "The world of fears."  The task of removing Daemon and the Shadowmons from the digital realm was carried out in mere seconds, and Shadowwomon de-digivolved back into Wishmon.

            "Impressive," Dawna complimented, smiling proudly at Wishmon.

            "The storm in the other sector has passed," Mr. Chaikary's Gabumon muttered.  The in-training form Digimons regained their strength and changed back into their usual states, as rookies or as champions.

            "The first prophecy has been fulfilled.  The three ancient Digidestines have returned to the Digital World," Gennai started to say when fluffy packs of white clouds shrouded over them, and Azulongmon emerged from behind them.

            "Long time no see, Azulongmon," Agumon uttered as they stared upwards.

            "We should get those two to the hospital straight away," Joe counseled.

            "Erm…. I guess this is a bad time for me to nag you about explaining things to us, isn't it, Maria?" he mumbled as he toyed around with Mariana's ponytail, curling the ends around his finger.  Mr. Chaikary looked at him, and managed only a weak reassuring smile.

            "That's what I'm here for—to explain some of the things that had been going on," Azulongmon spoke in a strong voice.

            "How are we supposed to get rid of the spores inside of Uraina's body?" Tai posed.

            "I'm not sure.  I was hoping that the Digi-egg of Purity will cleanse her sister of it also," Dawna replied and shrugged.  'I guess it either ran out of juice or only works on its owner."

            "At least, Daemon's temporarily out of commission," Matt's Gabumon remarked.

            "Better than out of commission.  He along with his friends should be experiencing their worst fears, which is basically good for us," Wishmon corrected.

            "Digi-port open!" Yolei shouted as she opened the digital portal on Izzy's laptop.

            "AH-HEM!" a voice barked almost angrily.

            "Kids, take my advice on this, don't ignore the guardian.  He's here to explain things that all of you will find rather important and helpful to know."

            "Oh.  Sorry."

            "Much better.  Now, some of you send the two sisters immediately to the hospital," Azulongmon spoke, feeling now more appreciated for making his presence.  They nodded.

            Tai, Joe, Von, Ken, Yolei, Davis and Wishmon offered to help Mr. Chaikary rush his daughters to the nearest medical centre; Sam also tagged along with them.  The rest of them sat on the grass, gathering themselves beneath Azulongmon, eagerly awaiting the sovereign's great speech.

            "Alright then," Azulongmon started off.  "Once upon a time, long, long, long ago—"

            "Over two millennia ago," Gennai interrupted.

            "What's this about again?" Matt asked, scratching his head.

            "Please don't let it be a long and boring history lesson," Mimi begged.

            "Where's Kokomon?" Terriermon asked Willis.

            "Erm.  He's doing something for me.  Anyway, let's get on with the show, I don't have all day.  Trying to get you and those girls back to the second Earth will require a lot of work." Azulongmon pointed out as he glanced at Dawna.

            "Oh?  In that case then, we appreciate it," Dawna said gratefully.  'Maybe I should have gone with Davis and the others to the hospital, even if I don't have my magical powers anymore.'

            "Good.  Now for the 'short' history lesson," Gennai urged on.

            "And no more interruptions," Azulongmon paused and waited for the Digidestines and the Digimons to answer back a yes before continuing.  "Over two millennia ago, the light reigns over the darkness.  But when the digital wars erupted, chaos followed until the Digital World was destroyed and reconfigured again.  And that took a few centuries.  However, what's more important to note is why and how the digital wars erupted?  What triggered it?  And so to assess that, what all of you need to know is what went on before the digital wars."

            'I think I should tape this with my laptop so we won't forget.'

            "You see, before the digital wars, there were the ancient Digidestines.  And the first set of three Digidestines was given certain tasks to perform in the Digital World.  Belonging to this set were Dawna, Uraina and Kamari."

            "…??"

            "All three of them were alive back then?" Mimi asked in disbelief.

            "In one of their past lives, they were the first set of human chosen by the four sovereigns.  And all four of us pooled some of our powers and entrusted them with it so that they use it only for the benefit of the Digital World."

            "I'm confused now.  I thought I was from another Earth.  When Kamari, Uraina and I are to unite to become one, neither of us will exist separately, but as part as the teen called Faith."

"All will be reveal in due time," Azulongmon answered dully.

            'Er.  That's what they all say,' the kids thought.

            "Back in those days, they had different names, but the same type of Digimon.  All three young ladies were accompanied by Wishmons."

            "So, where are the other two Wishmons?  And is Wishmon's true partner today then?" Gatmon queried.

            "I'll be getting to that.  Be patient.  Dawna was in charge of the gates to all realms and times, so she was often considered 'Gatekeeper'.  Kamari's duty included judging all potential Digidestines and their Digimons of their worthiness to determine who will remain as the chosen few to protect our divine realm against any dark forces."

            "And if they should fail?" Matt questioned abruptly.

            "They lose all their memories concerning their adventures as Digidestines.  Their Digimons would also suffer a similar fate."

            "What about the digivices?"

            "It wasn't until near the end of the first half of the second millennia that the digivices and D-terminals were invented.  And as for the digi-eggs, those were scarce, since the realm was still very young."

            "Just like that they lose their memories?!" Izamon hissed, upset.

            "Yes and no; those who failed are allowed to do a second try if they could persuade Uraina to get her younger sister to give them a retest."

            "Oh?"

            "Why was I given the task of maintaining time and the portals?"

            "Uraina was around fourteen while her sister was around twelve at that time.  You were the oldest of the three—sixteen years old.  Ah, sweet sixteen.  You clung yourself to Gennai," Azulongmon replied, chuckling.  The others glanced at the young Gennai and were stunned.  For the first time ever, his cheeks were pinkish.  Was he embarrassed?

            "Hm?"

            "Gr!  You were definitely a pain in the neck.  You couldn't stop with the questioning, and you were practically trying to become my shadow," snapped Gennai and began glaring at Azulongmon.  'You didn't need to mention that now.'

            'Was I that uncontrollable and immature?' Dawna asked herself thoughtfully.  She recalled the earlier years of her life with her aunt, and was reminded how hyper and wild she was.  Then she giggled quietly to herself.  'Man, this craziness doesn't fade away, does it?'

            "You were assigned to be Gennai's apprentice.  You protested at first, but then you finally settled down and accepted the role of being his student."

            "Oh really?"

            "Erm.  Get to the point please," hurried Gennai grumpily.

            Now all of the kids along with the chosen Digimons were getting a little confused.  'Uh?'

            "Okay.  Things were off to an excellent start.  All three of you were very happy, especially you [Dawna].  You were quite a handful for poor Gennai, even if he was in his early twenties."

            "I told you I required backup."

            "For what?  Both of you were really enjoying each other's company."

            "She was stubborn, and she destroyed things."

            "She was merely curious and merely experimenting.  And besides you gotten used to it."

            "Erm….  No comments."

            "Anyway, the peace in the Digital World was maintained extremely well for the next two years after the first arrival of the original Digidestines.  Individually, the members of the third set of Digidestines were being tested over a period of time by Kamari.  There was a distinctive member of this group, and he was like the black sheep.  All of us expected him to pass, but when he experienced his failure, he was proven to be unworthy.  And this was the first time any Digidestine had failed his own test.  His Digimon didn't take it too well also."

            "Gosh.  Cut the guy some slack.  Everybody fails once in a while," Izzy said surprisingly.

            "Hm.  Anyway, he survived all her brutal and physical tests.  However, she sensed something dark about him when he made unlikely approaches in the test of the mind and the heart, such as conquering his worst fear.  Because of that feeling, she did not pass him and he resented that.  He vowed that he would return for his stolen victory."

            'Interesting.  But why hasn't he told us the name of this Digidestine?' Izzy pondered as he continued to listen.  'What was the name of his Digimon?'

            'Er.  Why am I stuck here listening to Azulongmon's long and boring bed-time digital story?  I should be by Uraina's bedside, or Kamari's!  All because Wishmon insisted for me to stay here to see if Azulongmon or Gennai has a way to help them.  What's the use of giving a girl magical powers if one day she will wake up to find out that all she's got no more magic left inside?!  Grrr!' Dawna thought, annoyed, as Azulongmon continued to lecture them about the history of the Digidestines and the cause of the digital wars.

            "Ange?" Willis asked.

            "Ah?  Um???  What is it?"

            "Oh, nothing, it just seemed that you zoned out," Matt murmured.

            "I won't blame you.  Half of this stuff so far is rather unimportant to me," Izamon hissed to Dawna.

            "I beg to differ.  This is intriguing.  We're exploring the history of this realm second-hand," Izzy whispered to them so Azulongmon won't hear.

            "Shhh, I'm trying to listen," Sora scolded as quietly as she could, and all of them muted themselves.

            "… slyly he befriended the judge's sister, Uraina.  He told her what he wanted her to believe, and naively she believed his every word.  Meanwhile, Dawna was relieved of her apprenticeship status—"

            "What you do mean by 'relieved'?" Cody questioned.

            "Well, you see, during the two years, Gennai and Dawna had built a strong relationship."

            "You mean good friends?" Matt's Gabumon queried.

            "More."

            "More???"

            "Affirmative.  More than friends."

            "You mean—"

            "Yup," Azulongmon confirmed, and Dawna glimpsed at Gennai strangely.  He looked away.

            "Do you really have to bring this up again, Sir?" Gennai asked in a voice that pleaded for the discussion about him to end.

            "Of course, I'm afraid.  I know how sensitive you are about the matter—"

            "Why sensitive?"

            "Gosh, Armadillomon.  We'll need to upgrade your knowledge about romance," Biyomon teased.

            "Oh?"

            "For crying out loud, Gennai and the Dawna from long time again were in love," Palmon blared.

            "Whoa.  This is so romantic," Mimi commented dreamily, and Izamon coughed a little while some of her other friends rolled their eyes.

            "I'm worried about the others; I'll go check on them.  Someone with a digivice wanna tag along?" Dawna asked, trying to get out of this embarrassing situation.  She glanced towards Sora.

            "Oh… um….  Sure.  Yolei sent me the name and address of the hospital during the interesting session.  But, where's your digivice?"

            "Wishmon took the D-3 and D-terminal for them," Dawna answered Sora.  And with that, everyone paused at what they were doing, so Sora and Dawna approached Izzy and his laptop.

            "Later," ended Dawna, waving a temporary farewell.

            "Don't forget.  E-mail us the hospital's address when you've arrived," T.K. reminded.

            "We won't forget," Biyomon chirped.  "Join us soon to visit them."

            "Don't miss us too much," Dawna joked as she wore a smug grin across her face.

            Gennai let out a little roar and then sighed.  "Digi-port open," Sora shouted, and the computer screen beamed out white light that captured both of them and began sending them back to the real world.

            He waited until Biyomon left with Dawna and Sora before uttering in defeat, "I admit I do—did have feelings for Dawna—"

            "And that brought up many controversies.  The question of whether a relationship between a human and a Digimon is accepted by both worlds was about to be answered.  A large number protested against their relationship while only a few won't mind.  And evil forces took advantage of this.  Secretly, many Digimon conspired among themselves under the leadership and preaching of a revolutionary group that wanted to overthrow the four sovereigns and conquer the digital realm," Azulongmon added quickly as images of the past replayed in Gennai's head.

*Gennai's Flashback in General POV*

            "I don't understand why we have to do this!  Both of us get along just fine!" a young lady with short wavy turquoise hair protested angrily.  Standing a metre away was the young Gennai.  Both of them were quarrelling inside a small candle-lit room.

            "That's the problem.  We're getting along too well.  And the Digimons don't like it," he argued, and she walked closer to him.  She placed her arms around his waist and buried her head in his chest, trying to hear heartbeats.  "Um….  What are you doing?"

            "Trying to listen to the rhythm of your heart.  But I can't hear it."

            "Oh, that's because Digimons don't have that.  We're mostly data.  Instead of a heart, there's a program that simulates human emotions so that we can experience the same sensation as—"

            "I don't care what they think of our relationship.  I don't care if they don't approve of us being together; I love you and I trust that you feel the same," she murmured, and he returned his reply by stroking her back lightly.  "I could care less if the whole Digital World disapproves.  You can come to my world—"

            "Darling, we can't just run away from this entire world just like that," Gennai reasoned, and she backed away a little to take a good look at the person with her.  She had never seen a more determined look in his eyes until now.  He was really serious about breaking up.  "It's not that easy.  For some reason, you've been chosen to protect this realm as a Digidestine, and to guard all portals as a gatekeeper.  You cannot escape destiny."

            "I can try, and so can you—"

            "If we do not do this, the Digital World will experience its first major war.  And that would be all our faults.  Both of us have sworn to protect the realm with our lives; if you truly care about this world, you will protect it," he paused and then turned his body around she won't see his face when he muttered his next words.  "Let's just be friends, only friends."

            "Must that be the only option?"

            "No.  It is, however, the right choice."

            "There is no right or wrong in love.  If you love me, you will not shun me," she spoke determinedly.

            Gennai hesitated for a few seconds before he closed his eyes, bit back his lower lip, and then replied monotonously, "Then I do not love you then."

            Tears trickled down from her eyes.  She sniffled and then declared out of frustration, "Fine!  I never want to see you again.  I'm through being a Digidestine.  I'm through being the gatekeeper.  I'm through being your apprentice.  But most of all, I'm through with loving you."

            'You can't escape destiny.  None of us can.'  Gennai said nothing.  A few tears shed from his eyes, but she could not see them.  'Be strong, and don't turn back.  The future of all worlds depends on it."

            "One day, you'll regret this.  The whole digital world will regret breaking us apart!  Now I know why Digimons are so cold, they don't have hearts," she cried out, and then used the magical powers the four sovereigns entrusted to her to begin beaming herself out of the room.

            "I already am," Gennai whispered remorsefully as he turned to glimpse at her one last time before she disappeared.  It pained him more to see the grief she was being put through on her face—eyes reddened, her cheeks bore the stains of salty water, and the frown her lips formed.

*End of Flashback*

            "Meanwhile, Dawna and I 'agreed' to return to just being ordinary friends, and that brought a temporary truce among the residents," Gennai stuttered a little.  He let out a sigh.  Looking back on the biggest mistake he had made in his lifetime was almost as painful as going through it the first time.

            "However, as more and more Digidestines enter the realm, some of the Digimons felt that their world was being invaded and that their homes were being taken away from them.  The tension between Digidestines and their partners, and the other Digimons kept growing, but it was still stable until another issue came into the question."

            "With all the upset, all of the Digidestines with their Digimons held overnight meetings and debates in a small house.  It was there when the Digimon belonging to the first Digidestine that ever failed secretly implanted into Kamari's body the first dark spore while she was sound asleep.  No one suspected, not even her sister or Digimon.  The transformation was very subtle.  First, she allowed the first failure to stay.  Then she started judging her challengers with harder tests, and failed them just for her own sick amusement.  Then a rumour about Kamari's incapability started to spread.  Eventually, the issue surfaced itself: why should a mere human child be the one who dictates who is worthy of entering the realm and becoming a Digidestine when she herself is imperfect and unjust?  Is humanity indispensable?  Is the human race vital to the stability of the Digital World?"

            "It wasn't her fault.  She was under the influence of the dark spore," Wormmon defended.

            "Humanity isn't dispensable.  All of us rely on each other.  You can't just close yourself from the outside world.  You've got to accept help, even if it's help from a being from another world, culture or race," Patamon addressed.

            "It's good to hear that from a fellow Digimon," Gennai complimented.  "If only we weren't so narrow-minded back then."

            "How did you find out about the spore?  And who did it?" Mr. Chaikary's Gabumon posed.

            "It was a slip-up.  Uraina and the Digidestine were spending time together, and one time, it rolled off his tongue, and his Digimon wasn't there to stop it.  Uraina, who based most of her life forgiving others and giving second chances, decided to give the Digidestine another try at being a true warrior if he and his Digimon can extract the spore from her sister's body and never again do such a horrid thing," Gennai answered.

            "He gave her his words, but his Digimon was unwilling to listen to him.  He blamed his human partner for dragging him down in Kamari's test, for making him fail also.  At that time, many of the relationships that formed between the human and his or her digital partner weren't strong; each of them were more concerned of their own kind.  His Digimon defied his partner's request, refusing to remove the spore from her body, and instead, implanted more dark spores into his human's body.  The Digidestine was unable to control himself; he went mad, and many Digimons urged the first Digidestines to keep him away from their world.  Kamari won't listen; Uraina didn't want to banish him from the realm," Kyoto's dragon continued after Gennai.

            "What about Dawna, and the other Digidestines?" Tentomon inquired.s

            "The other Digidestines were divided in this matter; some claimed that if he remained he'll cause destruction, while other argued that he needs help and not exile.  Dawna, now, she didn't care; she would back up Kamari in whatever her choice would be.  If Kamari wants to banish him from the digital realm, she would keep the gate to this realm shut from him," Azulongmon replied.

            "So, she didn't quit being a Digidestine?"

            "Of course not, Hawkmon.  You just can't quit," Gennai answered.

            "Anyway, Kamari decided to keep him around, but that cause more commotion among the Digimon.  Soon, a large band of Digimon declared war upon the Digidestines and their partners.  Their numbers kept on increasing.  And after a whole week of fighting, our side grew weaker."

            "They were after the first set of Digidestines.  They claimed that they tainted their realm, that they didn't do their jobs properly.  So the four sovereigns plotted to evacuate the children from the realm.  They refused of course."

            "We couldn't just send them back to your world, you see, since everyone knew how to find them, and because of this, we needed to send the children to another Earth, a planet different from yours," Azulongmon continued after Gennai.  "To transport the first band of Digidestines to another Earth, we needed a lot of power.  On the day of departure, Kamari, Uraina and Dawna, though they stubbornly refused to leave, combined the digi-eggs of purity, forgiveness and eternity, to create one ultimate digi-egg, the Digi-egg of Unity.  In the process, however, Kamari, Uraina and Dawna had also fused into one person, and their Wishmons became one also."

            "Which means that Wishmon is the partner of all three of them," Gennai concluded.  "The united form of the three girls used the digi-egg to open the gate to another Earth.  She wanted to bring Wishmon along, but Wishmon refused and fell back to battle in the digital wars, and so did the other Digidestines.  Then, she refused to leave the battle grounds."

            "Of course, we didn't allow her.  We used some of our powers to push her through the portal.  But before we could do the same to the other Digidestines, the rebels surprised us, and they began fighting again, leaving the portal to close behind them.  And the egg of unity separated back, and dispersed into three different locations," Azulongmon said proudly.

            "The war raged on.  Many perished, sacrificing themselves for their beliefs.  The constant and endless fighting caused the realm to deteriorate.  Some fled to other worlds, such as the Dark Ocean, or the fantasy world [the world where your dreams come true].  The deterioration brought the total annihilation to the entire Digital World.  We were fortunate however, that the whole realm re-configurated itself.  And many of the Digimon that died in the war were also reborn, except now, all of us were reborn with a heart.  We weren't composed of mostly data anymore.  And only several of us retained the memories that life existed before the rebirth of the world.  The united form of all three girls was reborn as one in the second Earth.  The memories of their pasts were erased, and so she started her new life there.  We made some of the adventures into myths and legends to tell to our future generations.  Some of us prophesized that one day, those three special Digidestines would return again.  That was the first prophecy."

            "And they did.  And on their arrival to your world, they were separated back into their true forms, and they were reborn individually at different dates.  Now, their powers would only last until the end of their mission—to pass all of you as the Digidestine trainers of the future.  And to do so, they had to place all of you through various tests.  All of the Digimon pitched in as much as they could.  They weren't really controlled by any dark rings or the pyramids.  Instead, they were doing it of their own free will."

            "So, the spore inside of Kamari's body was never removed?" Wormmon brought up.

            "Not until today," Izzy answered.

            "The pyramid guardians?  The teleportation process.  How?"

            "Magic mixed with technology," Gennai answered T.K.

            "Tell me, Azulongmon, if they [Kamari, Uraina, Dawna], originally were from our Earth, but was transported to another Earth to live, which Earth do they truly belong to?  I mean, they've made their marks in both Earths."

            "That's a good question, Gatomon.  It's one that will be left for all three of them to solve when the time comes for them to return to the second Earth," Azulongmon answered dully.  "The second prophecy will come to pass soon, when all the realms align themselves to form one straight line.  There will be an eclipse in your world to show for this, and that will be the exact moment when they will be able to safely return to the second Earth.  I must go now to prepare for that day.  Until then, take care.  Learn from what Gennai and I have revealed.  All sacrifices must not be in vain.  Keep your fighting spirit strong," Azulongmon stated lastly before he flew into the sky, disappearing behind the white clouds.  The others bid him farewell.

            "What now?" Gomamon asked.

            "We go to the hospital," Mimi answered.  "Have you received the address yet, Izzy?"

            Izzy nodded as he closed his laptop.  "Alright then, digi-port open!" Kari bellowed, opening the digital gate from a nearby monitor.  She and Gatomon passed through it.  Matt, T.K., Patamon, Wormmon and both Gabumons trailed behind.  Cody, Mimi, Armadillomon, Palmon, Gomamon, Agumon, Veemon, Hawkmon and Izamon followed. 

            "Are you coming, Gennai?" Willis asked, and the young Gennai shook his head.

            "Not this time, Willis.  I have to meet with Kokomon," he answered, and Terriermon requested of him to safely teleport Kokomon back when Kokomon has completed his little secret mission.

            "Sure thing.  He'll be rejoining you soon," assured Gennai, and hearing that, Willis and Terriermon disappeared into the screen.

            "Before we go, tell us, is there another way of erasing the spores from a human body?"

            "Only one way exists, Izzy.  The Digi-egg of Purity is the only way to remove every spore.  If the spores inside of Uraina's body are not removed, she will be in an eternal slumber until she passes on."

            "But, I thought as long as the darkness within the host is kept under control, the spores cannot take effect and harm the host," Tentomon stated.  "I thought it would be the same case as Ken's and the other kids."

            "It would have been if her body wasn't too weak in the first place when she transferred the spores into it.  To cleanse her of this foul parasite, the Digi-egg of Purity must be activated and used to purify her, and soon."

            "What was the name of that Digidestine that first failed," Izzy interrogated and Gennai hesitated before answering.

            "It doesn't matter now.  Go see to it that the two sisters will be safe."

            "Yes, Sir," Tentomon exclaimed, and he and Izzy teleported themselves into the human world [the first Earth].

            'Good luck,' Gennai thought.  'I'm relieved that neither Izzy nor Tentomon persisted.  I won't have been able to tell them that Daemon was the Digimon who poisoned Kamari with the spores, or that fact that it was an ancestor of the Ichijoujis that failed.  He did try to stop his own Digimon.  He trapped himself and his own Digimon in the Dark Ocean.  However, he was mortal, and he died.  Daemon however, continues to live, even today.  Life never seems to run out of surprises.  Well, at least, one thing is certain, the empress' pyramids and fortress will be removed.  Kokomon and I will ensure that.  The Digidestines and Digimon have proven themselves to be more than capable of and willing to protecting the realms.  Dawna was correct; the reason why we were so cold back then, was because we had no heart.  And that brought our demise.'

*          *          *

To be continued….

A/N: Whoa.  Such a lengthy chapter… Bizarre also, won't you agree also?  Digimon and human… oh well, I'm crazy….  Thanks for reading and/or reviewing…. Last portion of the previously anticipated final chapter is in work… Please post any comments in the reviews… thanks.