This will be the last chapter for a while, folks. I'm moving from a town to
a city and starting university there. I hope you enjoy this - it written
outside in the blazing sun with my laptop. It's not done yet, the little
monster, but hopefully I can finish before I die. On that lovely note, read
on good friends. I hope I don't disappoint you.
Where The Heart Is
The first snowflake drifted aimlessly in the late afternoon sky, falling faster than the frozen leaves of a lifeless digital tree. It continued its reckless path, traveling an unfathomable distance for such a small object, before landing on Black Wargreymon's nose and dying from the heat of his breath. Its death sparked a chain reaction as more tufts of snow were released from their cloud captors to cover the dry earth. Afternoon gave way to evening and the mounds of snow thickened and twinkled as the wind began to blow.
Black Wargreymon sat at the mouth of the cave with his formidable arms stretched as far as they would go. With the arrival of the snow came the return of the Boy's vicious fever and the Gazimon was trying everything to keep his fever down. So he convinced Black Wargreymon that sitting in front of the cave to block the wind and snow from entering would help him control the Boy's fever or at least keep it from getting any worse. All they had for supplies now were a few medicinal herbs, some used bandages and one blanket that only covered the Boy when he curled into a fetal position.
Black Wargreymon sensed that they would have to move soon. He had not expected the weather to change so quickly but this was the digital world, after all. Things changed in strange ways here and the creatures were just as unpredictable as the weather. They had found themselves in the middle of one of the worst weather zones, the Gazimon told him. In this part of the Digital World, seasons changed almost every week and they did not follow a natural order. Fall could follow winter, summer could precede spring. This was because the Digital World was divided into specific weather quadrants and each quadrant had a different season occurring at a different time. The divisions of these weather quadrants met at a center point. At the center point, all four seasons occur at the same time. Black Wargreymon, of course, had wound up in a part of the center point which had just started winter. If they traveled further north, the Gazimon informed him, they would run into summer again.
The weather wasn't the only reason why they needed to travel. Black Wargreymon knew that the Digimon were looking for either him or the Boy and now they knew where they were hiding. Normally Black Wargreymon would have stayed and fought, but he had the Boy to think about and there was no way in hell he was going to leave the Boy under the protection of the Gazimon. He thought about his enemies using the Boy as a weapon, holding their hands to his throat and clutching him until he could no longer breathe. The Gazimon would flee and he would be left with nothing.
Traveling with a sick human in such treacherous conditions would pose several risks. Black Wargreymon was the only member of the group that could defend himself. He would probably end up defending the Boy and letting the Gazimon die in the hands of enemies. It seemed to be a fitting death for a coward. There was also no guarantee that the Boy would live if they exposed him to the blistering cold; his condition was already worsening even though Black Wargreymon was blocking the worst of the cold from entering the cave. Black Wargreymon didn't want to see the Boy die but he'd have to choose between the two risks. Either they stayed in the cave and risked being attacked by throngs of Digimon or they ventured out in the cold before their enemies could find them. It was a difficult decision to make and time seemed to be slipping away.
Inside the cave the Gazimon was complaining about how cold he was as the Boy shivered violently beside him. That gave Black Wargreymon an idea. He called the Gazimon over to the mouth of the cave and explained to him what was going to happen.
"You're joking. Please tell me that you're joking," was the astonished reply.
"I'm not joking. I don't joke. You just do exactly what I tell you to do and you'll live. If you refuse, I'll kill you. I don't need you alive for this."
The Gazimon sighed and sat down next to Black Wargreymon at the mouth of the cave. Black Wargreymon tested his claws on the rock face of the cave to make sure that they were sharp enough to do the deed. He then swiftly brought them down on the Gazimon's sides and sliced through the fur, being careful not to cut through to the delicate flesh underneath. At some point the Gazimon had begun to cry and Black Wargreymon did his best not to cut him as the Gazimon's body shook. As the cold teased his newly-exposed skin the Gazimon screamed and tried to stumble back inside the cave. This earned him a cut on the bum and a growl from Black Wargreymon.
When he finished he forced the tearful Gazimon to go back inside the cave and wrap the Boy up in the fur. He promised to carry the Gazimon during their trip in exchange for the fur. If he forced the Gazimon to walk, he knew that it would die. He still needed it to care for the Boy and it would be difficult to find another weakling Digimon capable of helping. Besides, without his fur the Gazimon would never be accepted back into a group and his leader would take advantage of his unnatural nudity by making him into a consort. Black Wargreymon had seen these things happen on his journeys; a breath of cruelty lurked in every kind of Digimon. They loved to degrade their own kind and watch the sufferers die alone. They also loved to make little Digidestined boys bleed. Black Wargreymon glanced over his shoulder at the Boy, who was moaning and kicking in his feverish sleep. He wondered how these violent urges could be something so natural and instinctive.
Black Wargreymon sauntered to the back of the cave to inspect the Gazimon's work. For a child, the Boy had very long legs and arms. The Gazimon had managed to cover the places where heat was lost and needed, but the Boy's legs remained without fur. So the Gazimon just wrapped his legs with his old dirty blanket and hoped for the best.
The Boy remained feverish; his face was red in places that were not covered by the Gazimon's thick fur. Black Wargreymon made the decision to move now, before the Boy got even worse and they wouldn't be able to move him at all.
Dark approached slowly over the glistening mounds of snow, touching the tips of the trees, then slowly moving to soak the trunks with night. The snow continued to pour from the navy blue sky creating vivid contrast to the coming evening. Not a creature sighed; they had all traveled earlier, sensing the arrival of a snowfall. Most creatures living in the center had no families or were not planning to stay in the center very long. These creature enjoyed traveling often and living in different environments. They made no friends, these travelers, because they had all been betrayed by other Digimon of their kind who were only looking out for themselves.
Black Wargreymon made the very first footprint in the snow; his weight caused him to sink knee-deep into it and he was not too pleased. His steps had to be carefully thought out because if he fell, the two creatures in his arms would die of exposure. One, of course, he did not care much about. In fact, the Gazimon was making his stomach roar. A skinned Gazimon used to be dinner, but this one had been upgraded to slave.
The next few steps Black Wargreymon took were a little bit easier. He was getting used to the thickness of the snow and was able to predict how deep his next footstep would sink. The Gazimon kept squirming against him from being so exposed to the intolerable cold. Black Wargreymon growled at him and squeezed him closer to his chest before taking another step on the frozen earth.
He could feel the life inside of the Boy too. The heat of his breath burned at Black Wargreymon's metallic exterior as did the warmth of the Boy's cheeks. He could feel the little heart thumping in his chest; it was slightly erratic and rapid as if the Boy was marching alongside of him instead of traveling in his arms. At some point their heartbeats matched and Black Wargreymon was shocked to discover that his body had a vestigial heart. It continued to mimic the heartbeat of the Boy but Black Wargreymon wasn't sure that he liked the life that his heart suddenly possessed. Maybe he was allowing himself to be too aware of his newly functioning heart, he thought.
The Boy moaned and Black Wargreymon turned his attention back to him. He readjusted the Boy's head so that it settled in the crook of his elbow, but the Boy continued to moan. His eyes opened suddenly and he tried to speak; his little mouth formed words that Black Wargreymon could not hear. Tears glistened at the bottom of the Boy's deep blue eyes as he struggled to communicate with the metal monster. At first Black Wargreymon thought that maybe the Boy was trying to tell him that the infection was starting to spread again, but that was something that Black Wargreymon already knew.
The Boy's fear met with frustration and together they began to open a bond unique to the Digidestined and their Digimon partners. Through that bond the Boy sent his message with undeniable urgency, praying that it wouldn't take Black Wargreymon long to figure out what he had done.
It hadn't. Black Wargreymon knew in an instant that he was now sharing his mind with someone else, someone completely unintrusive. Black Wargreymon felt the Boy skip right past his thoughts, aware that the Boy could read them at any time if he chose to. It was part of Black Wargreymon's persona to be mysterious and ruthless and if the Boy knew that he wasn't any of those things - he wasn't sure what might happen.
The Boy didn't seem to be interested, however. He went straight to the area in which he could project his message the loudest. Black Wargreymon felt the Boy take in some of his, Black Wargreymon's, energy and manipulate that energy to form what he had been trying to say.
*They're back.*
Black Wargreymon stopped with his foot in midair as the Boy sent him images of the translucent creatures that had once poisoned him. In these images one of the creatures, presumably their leader, held the Boy by his throat and choked him. It laughed as the Boy dangled helplessly from the edge of a cliff and then the image blurred. But Black Wargreymon didn't need images to know what had happened next.
*THEY'RE BACK*
He felt his anger rise but he would not stay to fight. He began to run instead, continuing north like they had planned as the Boy drifted back into a fitful sleep.
~
" They're back," Wormmon said suddenly.
Koushirou, who was still crouched behind Daisuke's bed, jumped up and yelled, "Where? Where?"
"No, no..." Wormmon moaned. His claws racked against the wooden floor.
Koushirou jumped up onto the bed causing Daisuke to groan in protest as the bed shifted. "Stay back!" Koushirou yelled, raising his scrawny arms.
"Ken-chan..." Wormmon's scuttling became more urgent. "They're back..."
Koushirou stopped his frantic arm movements. "Ken is alive? Wormmon are you talking to Ken?"
"I don't," Wormmon wheezed loudly, cutting himself off, "know."
Koushirou groaned in frustration. He picked Wormmon and Chibimon up off the floor and sat down beside them on the bed. Daisuke wiggled around under his sheets before squirming into a sitting position. He rubbed his face and his aching arms but his eyes remained red and his arms were still sore. Chibimon waddled over to his friend and clutched Daisuke's hand with his tiny little paw.
"Hey," Koushirou greeted and Daisuke smiled softly.
"Hi," Daisuke whispered, his voice still hoarse from screaming. "I think I know what Wormmon's saying."
Koushirou leaned forward and Wormmon continued to wiggle in his arms.
"Whoever attacked Wormmon and Ken is after Ken again. They're getting really close. Actually, I'm not sure they even know if Ken's still alive. They're just heading toward him very quickly. I'm very confused."
"So Ken's still alive?"
"I'm still not sure that Ken's alive. They might be after his... his body. All I know for sure is that they're back and they're heading in Ken's direction."
"How do you know this?"
"I think it's the black stuff. I can sense evil in the Digital World, but I can't sense Ken. I think Wormmon's lost that bond too."
Wormmon nodded.
"That could mean that Ken is dead or that he's using all of his energy to bond with someone else."
"I sent a message to Ken-chan," Wormmon mumbled, "they're back. If he's alive he must know because without me he can't sense the evil."
"Who are these creatures Wormmon? What kind of evil attacked you and Ken?"
"They were like nothing I've ever seen. Barely Digimon. All of their parts were in the wrong places and they were even stranger than Black Wargreymon. Their touch was poison.." Wormmon's eyes filled with tears. "They tortured Ken-chan and threw him off a cliff. He didn't even do anything wrong...he tried so hard to make up for.." Wormmon burst into tears and Koushirou held him close. The sound alerted Daisuke's mom, however, and she came rushing up the stairs. Koushirou went back inside the closet with Wormmon still in his arms and Chibimon ducked under the bed.
"Daisuke! What are you doing sitting up? You should be resting!" Mrs. Motomiya rushed to her son's side and pulled him into a strong hug.
"Mom! I don't want to sleep anymore. I'm not tired."
"Oh, look at your eyes! You poor thing."
"They don't bother me," Daisuke lied, rubbing them with his fists. His mother pulled his hands away from his stinging eyes. She put her hands on his face and peered closely at the swollen veins. Daisuke whined and swatted her away. She smoothed his hair and kissed him on the forehead, then started to leave so that she could make her son some tea.
Daisuke could hear Koushirou giggling in the closet and he growled. He readjusted the pillows against his back and waited for his mother to return.
~
Yamato lay on his back trying to avoid picking at his healing sunburn. His face itched but his arms and legs still were painfully sore. Every time he contracted his muscles they stiffened, so he just stayed where he was and tried not to move at all. His brother came by every once in a while with a drink or a snack so that he wouldn't have to get up and go downstairs to the kitchen. The bathroom was just a short walk across the hall - a short walk that Yamato tried to avoid.
His brother entered the room again to give Yamato some oatmeal lotion for his burn. Yamato examined his brother's expression as he began to remove Yamato's dirty dishes. He could see that Takeru was troubled - he had been ever since Ken disappeared.
Takeru caught his brother staring at him and shot him a look. "I'm not putting the lotion on you."
"Oh come on!"
"No." Takeru left the room with the dishes and Yamato continued to stare at the ceiling until his Digivice began beeping. He considered just ignoring it; the last time he answered his messages he had ended up at Daisuke's doorstep in an effort to distract his parents. His legs felt as if they were splitting in two and the swelling had just started to go down.
His dad had given him a hard time about his sunburn. He couldn't understand why Yamato would go to a tanning place and stay there long enough to get so badly burnt. He even suggested that Yamato spend more time with his bandmates and less time with Taichi, making Yamato wish he hadn't said that the tanning was Taichi's idea. His mother, of course, was too busy to tease him about his sunburn, so he decided to stay with her until he healed.
Yamato sighed and decided that he would punish himself some more by pulling his Digivice from his pocket and reading the new message from Koushirou. It was just as vague as the last one, which had said: "Need distraction at Daisuke's. Ring bell twice so we know it's you." This one was a little bit more informative: "In Daisuke's closet. It smells. Have something to tell everyone. Tell everyone to meet me in the Digital World in two hours. I'll find you." Yamato considered sending Koushirou a nice "No way in hell!" message, but the beeping would probably give Koushirou away. Instead, he called his little brother into the room. Takeru leaned on the doorframe and listened to his brother's instructions, his eyes darkening at the mention of the Digital World.
"I'm going over to Daisuke's. Koushirou shouldn't be wandering around the Digital World by himself; you'd think Ken's death would teach us that lesson." Takeru's eyes darkened angrily and Yamato stared into them until his neck got sore and he had to rest against a pillow.
"He's not *dead*," Yamato said, trying to sound convincing, "we just can't find him."
Takeru shot him a deadly look over his shoulder and left.
~
Takeru took the elevator up to Daisuke's floor and knocked on the door. Mrs. Motomiya answered and Takeru immediately became uncomfortable because of her disheveled appearance. He began to regret using the front door instead of infiltrating the lair. For a moment they both stood there saying nothing to each other because Takeru didn't know how to proceed and Mrs. Motomiya wasn't sure what the boy wanted. She tilted her head and he seemed to snap back into a reality that disturbed him.
"Um, is Daisuke home? I need to talk to him - it'll only take a minute." Takeru bit at his bottom lip, looking every bit like he knew he was going to be rejected. It reminded Mrs. Motomiya of the look on her husband's face shortly after he asked her out on their first date. She said yes to her shy husband and yes to the boy before her. Not because of the way he shifted from foot to foot and avoided her eyes like her husband had so many years ago, but because of the air of urgency surrounding him. She suspected that this boy knew more than he would ever say to her, just like her son. Before Daisuke's...accident... she would never consider that her son would keep strange secrets but that reality was dimming. She moved aside and let Takeru pass by her. As he passed she could have sworn she caught a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
Takeru made his way through the kitchen, stopping by the sink to turn off tap - water was starting to seep over the counter and onto the floor. Before he went into Daisuke's room he knocked first and got to his knees to whisper "It's me" under the door. He heard Daisuke say something and the closet door open, then he was face to face with Koushirou, who quickly pulled him inside.
"What the hell?" Koushirou whispered angrily after he closed the door.
"I came over because I don't want you going into the Digital World by yourself. We'll find the group ourselves. Yamato said to meet at the new bridge - you know, that one that popped out of nowhere not too long ago. I don't think he's coming because-"
"Wait a minute!" Koushirou interrupted, throwing his arms up in the air. "You know, I had to climb up on the balcony to get in here. I don't think it's fair that you can just go through the front door like that. Who do you think you are?"
"If it makes you feel better I'll go do it your way."
Koushirou sighed. "Well, you're already here... maybe another time."
"Good because I wasn't going to do it anyway."
"The things we do for Daisuke."
Daisuke cleared his throat loudly and the two boys turned their attention to him. Takeru crossed the room and sat on the bed next to Daisuke. "What happened to you? You're eyes are..."
"Scary. I know. Koushirou will probably explain while you guys are in the Digital World."
"Yeah. It's a long walk from this portal to the bridge."
Chibimon peeked out from under the bed. "I'll give you guys a ride."
"No way. You and Daisuke are staying right where you are." Chibimon grumbled but crawled back under the bed.
Wormmon rustled under the sheets until he found a hole to poke his head through. "I want to come."
Koushirou bit his lip. "I don't know...it might be a long trip."
Takeru nodded in agreement. "What if we have to go through the desert again? Or fight a Digimon?"
"I have to go," Wormmon wheezed. "If you find Ken, I have to be there. I have to be there for him."
Takeru and Koushirou exchanged looks, then nodded.
~
The two creatures in Black Wargreymon's arms shivered violently as he picked up his pace. Ten minutes ago the Boy had warned him that they were being followed; now they were closing in and Black Wargreymon could sense them himself. He felt fear in the Boy's quickening heart, fear that made him want to stop right where he was and take revenge. He would slaughter first their armies, starting with the one that was quickly catching up, then their villages and families and children. Then he would incinerate all evidence of their culture to effectively erase them from history.
He looked down at the Gazimon but still maintained his pace. The Gazimon's skin was slowly turning from unsightly blue to frostbitten red. He noticed that some fur was starting to grow back already as the Gazimon's body fought desperately against the cold. If he didn't get his slave to a warm place soon, it would die.
He focused straight ahead, refusing to allow himself to sneak a peek at the army's progress. Only minutes ago he had finally made it through the forest of gangly trees weighted with thick snow. Now he was on a stretch of flat, barren land with no protection and nowhere to hide. A black mountain in a field of snow is an easy target.
Black Wargreymon looked up at the sky and sighed, wishing he could fly to his destination. It was too late now, with the snow plummeting from the sky and the added chill of the wind. If his followers could fly, Black Wargreymon thought, they would have caught up by now.
Black Wargreymon tried to make himself airborne anyway. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and reached, but he stayed put on the snowy earth. He cursed angrily and walked faster to make up for the few seconds he lost. It figures, he thought, now I'm too tired to fly. The Boy, roused from sleep by the flying attempt, offered him a small, appreciative smile.
Black Wargreymon covered the last of the barren landscape with long, quick strides. Ahead of him he saw bountiful fruit trees, running water and Gazimon. Behind him he heard shouts and the dreaded clink of high-powered weapons.
Where The Heart Is
The first snowflake drifted aimlessly in the late afternoon sky, falling faster than the frozen leaves of a lifeless digital tree. It continued its reckless path, traveling an unfathomable distance for such a small object, before landing on Black Wargreymon's nose and dying from the heat of his breath. Its death sparked a chain reaction as more tufts of snow were released from their cloud captors to cover the dry earth. Afternoon gave way to evening and the mounds of snow thickened and twinkled as the wind began to blow.
Black Wargreymon sat at the mouth of the cave with his formidable arms stretched as far as they would go. With the arrival of the snow came the return of the Boy's vicious fever and the Gazimon was trying everything to keep his fever down. So he convinced Black Wargreymon that sitting in front of the cave to block the wind and snow from entering would help him control the Boy's fever or at least keep it from getting any worse. All they had for supplies now were a few medicinal herbs, some used bandages and one blanket that only covered the Boy when he curled into a fetal position.
Black Wargreymon sensed that they would have to move soon. He had not expected the weather to change so quickly but this was the digital world, after all. Things changed in strange ways here and the creatures were just as unpredictable as the weather. They had found themselves in the middle of one of the worst weather zones, the Gazimon told him. In this part of the Digital World, seasons changed almost every week and they did not follow a natural order. Fall could follow winter, summer could precede spring. This was because the Digital World was divided into specific weather quadrants and each quadrant had a different season occurring at a different time. The divisions of these weather quadrants met at a center point. At the center point, all four seasons occur at the same time. Black Wargreymon, of course, had wound up in a part of the center point which had just started winter. If they traveled further north, the Gazimon informed him, they would run into summer again.
The weather wasn't the only reason why they needed to travel. Black Wargreymon knew that the Digimon were looking for either him or the Boy and now they knew where they were hiding. Normally Black Wargreymon would have stayed and fought, but he had the Boy to think about and there was no way in hell he was going to leave the Boy under the protection of the Gazimon. He thought about his enemies using the Boy as a weapon, holding their hands to his throat and clutching him until he could no longer breathe. The Gazimon would flee and he would be left with nothing.
Traveling with a sick human in such treacherous conditions would pose several risks. Black Wargreymon was the only member of the group that could defend himself. He would probably end up defending the Boy and letting the Gazimon die in the hands of enemies. It seemed to be a fitting death for a coward. There was also no guarantee that the Boy would live if they exposed him to the blistering cold; his condition was already worsening even though Black Wargreymon was blocking the worst of the cold from entering the cave. Black Wargreymon didn't want to see the Boy die but he'd have to choose between the two risks. Either they stayed in the cave and risked being attacked by throngs of Digimon or they ventured out in the cold before their enemies could find them. It was a difficult decision to make and time seemed to be slipping away.
Inside the cave the Gazimon was complaining about how cold he was as the Boy shivered violently beside him. That gave Black Wargreymon an idea. He called the Gazimon over to the mouth of the cave and explained to him what was going to happen.
"You're joking. Please tell me that you're joking," was the astonished reply.
"I'm not joking. I don't joke. You just do exactly what I tell you to do and you'll live. If you refuse, I'll kill you. I don't need you alive for this."
The Gazimon sighed and sat down next to Black Wargreymon at the mouth of the cave. Black Wargreymon tested his claws on the rock face of the cave to make sure that they were sharp enough to do the deed. He then swiftly brought them down on the Gazimon's sides and sliced through the fur, being careful not to cut through to the delicate flesh underneath. At some point the Gazimon had begun to cry and Black Wargreymon did his best not to cut him as the Gazimon's body shook. As the cold teased his newly-exposed skin the Gazimon screamed and tried to stumble back inside the cave. This earned him a cut on the bum and a growl from Black Wargreymon.
When he finished he forced the tearful Gazimon to go back inside the cave and wrap the Boy up in the fur. He promised to carry the Gazimon during their trip in exchange for the fur. If he forced the Gazimon to walk, he knew that it would die. He still needed it to care for the Boy and it would be difficult to find another weakling Digimon capable of helping. Besides, without his fur the Gazimon would never be accepted back into a group and his leader would take advantage of his unnatural nudity by making him into a consort. Black Wargreymon had seen these things happen on his journeys; a breath of cruelty lurked in every kind of Digimon. They loved to degrade their own kind and watch the sufferers die alone. They also loved to make little Digidestined boys bleed. Black Wargreymon glanced over his shoulder at the Boy, who was moaning and kicking in his feverish sleep. He wondered how these violent urges could be something so natural and instinctive.
Black Wargreymon sauntered to the back of the cave to inspect the Gazimon's work. For a child, the Boy had very long legs and arms. The Gazimon had managed to cover the places where heat was lost and needed, but the Boy's legs remained without fur. So the Gazimon just wrapped his legs with his old dirty blanket and hoped for the best.
The Boy remained feverish; his face was red in places that were not covered by the Gazimon's thick fur. Black Wargreymon made the decision to move now, before the Boy got even worse and they wouldn't be able to move him at all.
Dark approached slowly over the glistening mounds of snow, touching the tips of the trees, then slowly moving to soak the trunks with night. The snow continued to pour from the navy blue sky creating vivid contrast to the coming evening. Not a creature sighed; they had all traveled earlier, sensing the arrival of a snowfall. Most creatures living in the center had no families or were not planning to stay in the center very long. These creature enjoyed traveling often and living in different environments. They made no friends, these travelers, because they had all been betrayed by other Digimon of their kind who were only looking out for themselves.
Black Wargreymon made the very first footprint in the snow; his weight caused him to sink knee-deep into it and he was not too pleased. His steps had to be carefully thought out because if he fell, the two creatures in his arms would die of exposure. One, of course, he did not care much about. In fact, the Gazimon was making his stomach roar. A skinned Gazimon used to be dinner, but this one had been upgraded to slave.
The next few steps Black Wargreymon took were a little bit easier. He was getting used to the thickness of the snow and was able to predict how deep his next footstep would sink. The Gazimon kept squirming against him from being so exposed to the intolerable cold. Black Wargreymon growled at him and squeezed him closer to his chest before taking another step on the frozen earth.
He could feel the life inside of the Boy too. The heat of his breath burned at Black Wargreymon's metallic exterior as did the warmth of the Boy's cheeks. He could feel the little heart thumping in his chest; it was slightly erratic and rapid as if the Boy was marching alongside of him instead of traveling in his arms. At some point their heartbeats matched and Black Wargreymon was shocked to discover that his body had a vestigial heart. It continued to mimic the heartbeat of the Boy but Black Wargreymon wasn't sure that he liked the life that his heart suddenly possessed. Maybe he was allowing himself to be too aware of his newly functioning heart, he thought.
The Boy moaned and Black Wargreymon turned his attention back to him. He readjusted the Boy's head so that it settled in the crook of his elbow, but the Boy continued to moan. His eyes opened suddenly and he tried to speak; his little mouth formed words that Black Wargreymon could not hear. Tears glistened at the bottom of the Boy's deep blue eyes as he struggled to communicate with the metal monster. At first Black Wargreymon thought that maybe the Boy was trying to tell him that the infection was starting to spread again, but that was something that Black Wargreymon already knew.
The Boy's fear met with frustration and together they began to open a bond unique to the Digidestined and their Digimon partners. Through that bond the Boy sent his message with undeniable urgency, praying that it wouldn't take Black Wargreymon long to figure out what he had done.
It hadn't. Black Wargreymon knew in an instant that he was now sharing his mind with someone else, someone completely unintrusive. Black Wargreymon felt the Boy skip right past his thoughts, aware that the Boy could read them at any time if he chose to. It was part of Black Wargreymon's persona to be mysterious and ruthless and if the Boy knew that he wasn't any of those things - he wasn't sure what might happen.
The Boy didn't seem to be interested, however. He went straight to the area in which he could project his message the loudest. Black Wargreymon felt the Boy take in some of his, Black Wargreymon's, energy and manipulate that energy to form what he had been trying to say.
*They're back.*
Black Wargreymon stopped with his foot in midair as the Boy sent him images of the translucent creatures that had once poisoned him. In these images one of the creatures, presumably their leader, held the Boy by his throat and choked him. It laughed as the Boy dangled helplessly from the edge of a cliff and then the image blurred. But Black Wargreymon didn't need images to know what had happened next.
*THEY'RE BACK*
He felt his anger rise but he would not stay to fight. He began to run instead, continuing north like they had planned as the Boy drifted back into a fitful sleep.
~
" They're back," Wormmon said suddenly.
Koushirou, who was still crouched behind Daisuke's bed, jumped up and yelled, "Where? Where?"
"No, no..." Wormmon moaned. His claws racked against the wooden floor.
Koushirou jumped up onto the bed causing Daisuke to groan in protest as the bed shifted. "Stay back!" Koushirou yelled, raising his scrawny arms.
"Ken-chan..." Wormmon's scuttling became more urgent. "They're back..."
Koushirou stopped his frantic arm movements. "Ken is alive? Wormmon are you talking to Ken?"
"I don't," Wormmon wheezed loudly, cutting himself off, "know."
Koushirou groaned in frustration. He picked Wormmon and Chibimon up off the floor and sat down beside them on the bed. Daisuke wiggled around under his sheets before squirming into a sitting position. He rubbed his face and his aching arms but his eyes remained red and his arms were still sore. Chibimon waddled over to his friend and clutched Daisuke's hand with his tiny little paw.
"Hey," Koushirou greeted and Daisuke smiled softly.
"Hi," Daisuke whispered, his voice still hoarse from screaming. "I think I know what Wormmon's saying."
Koushirou leaned forward and Wormmon continued to wiggle in his arms.
"Whoever attacked Wormmon and Ken is after Ken again. They're getting really close. Actually, I'm not sure they even know if Ken's still alive. They're just heading toward him very quickly. I'm very confused."
"So Ken's still alive?"
"I'm still not sure that Ken's alive. They might be after his... his body. All I know for sure is that they're back and they're heading in Ken's direction."
"How do you know this?"
"I think it's the black stuff. I can sense evil in the Digital World, but I can't sense Ken. I think Wormmon's lost that bond too."
Wormmon nodded.
"That could mean that Ken is dead or that he's using all of his energy to bond with someone else."
"I sent a message to Ken-chan," Wormmon mumbled, "they're back. If he's alive he must know because without me he can't sense the evil."
"Who are these creatures Wormmon? What kind of evil attacked you and Ken?"
"They were like nothing I've ever seen. Barely Digimon. All of their parts were in the wrong places and they were even stranger than Black Wargreymon. Their touch was poison.." Wormmon's eyes filled with tears. "They tortured Ken-chan and threw him off a cliff. He didn't even do anything wrong...he tried so hard to make up for.." Wormmon burst into tears and Koushirou held him close. The sound alerted Daisuke's mom, however, and she came rushing up the stairs. Koushirou went back inside the closet with Wormmon still in his arms and Chibimon ducked under the bed.
"Daisuke! What are you doing sitting up? You should be resting!" Mrs. Motomiya rushed to her son's side and pulled him into a strong hug.
"Mom! I don't want to sleep anymore. I'm not tired."
"Oh, look at your eyes! You poor thing."
"They don't bother me," Daisuke lied, rubbing them with his fists. His mother pulled his hands away from his stinging eyes. She put her hands on his face and peered closely at the swollen veins. Daisuke whined and swatted her away. She smoothed his hair and kissed him on the forehead, then started to leave so that she could make her son some tea.
Daisuke could hear Koushirou giggling in the closet and he growled. He readjusted the pillows against his back and waited for his mother to return.
~
Yamato lay on his back trying to avoid picking at his healing sunburn. His face itched but his arms and legs still were painfully sore. Every time he contracted his muscles they stiffened, so he just stayed where he was and tried not to move at all. His brother came by every once in a while with a drink or a snack so that he wouldn't have to get up and go downstairs to the kitchen. The bathroom was just a short walk across the hall - a short walk that Yamato tried to avoid.
His brother entered the room again to give Yamato some oatmeal lotion for his burn. Yamato examined his brother's expression as he began to remove Yamato's dirty dishes. He could see that Takeru was troubled - he had been ever since Ken disappeared.
Takeru caught his brother staring at him and shot him a look. "I'm not putting the lotion on you."
"Oh come on!"
"No." Takeru left the room with the dishes and Yamato continued to stare at the ceiling until his Digivice began beeping. He considered just ignoring it; the last time he answered his messages he had ended up at Daisuke's doorstep in an effort to distract his parents. His legs felt as if they were splitting in two and the swelling had just started to go down.
His dad had given him a hard time about his sunburn. He couldn't understand why Yamato would go to a tanning place and stay there long enough to get so badly burnt. He even suggested that Yamato spend more time with his bandmates and less time with Taichi, making Yamato wish he hadn't said that the tanning was Taichi's idea. His mother, of course, was too busy to tease him about his sunburn, so he decided to stay with her until he healed.
Yamato sighed and decided that he would punish himself some more by pulling his Digivice from his pocket and reading the new message from Koushirou. It was just as vague as the last one, which had said: "Need distraction at Daisuke's. Ring bell twice so we know it's you." This one was a little bit more informative: "In Daisuke's closet. It smells. Have something to tell everyone. Tell everyone to meet me in the Digital World in two hours. I'll find you." Yamato considered sending Koushirou a nice "No way in hell!" message, but the beeping would probably give Koushirou away. Instead, he called his little brother into the room. Takeru leaned on the doorframe and listened to his brother's instructions, his eyes darkening at the mention of the Digital World.
"I'm going over to Daisuke's. Koushirou shouldn't be wandering around the Digital World by himself; you'd think Ken's death would teach us that lesson." Takeru's eyes darkened angrily and Yamato stared into them until his neck got sore and he had to rest against a pillow.
"He's not *dead*," Yamato said, trying to sound convincing, "we just can't find him."
Takeru shot him a deadly look over his shoulder and left.
~
Takeru took the elevator up to Daisuke's floor and knocked on the door. Mrs. Motomiya answered and Takeru immediately became uncomfortable because of her disheveled appearance. He began to regret using the front door instead of infiltrating the lair. For a moment they both stood there saying nothing to each other because Takeru didn't know how to proceed and Mrs. Motomiya wasn't sure what the boy wanted. She tilted her head and he seemed to snap back into a reality that disturbed him.
"Um, is Daisuke home? I need to talk to him - it'll only take a minute." Takeru bit at his bottom lip, looking every bit like he knew he was going to be rejected. It reminded Mrs. Motomiya of the look on her husband's face shortly after he asked her out on their first date. She said yes to her shy husband and yes to the boy before her. Not because of the way he shifted from foot to foot and avoided her eyes like her husband had so many years ago, but because of the air of urgency surrounding him. She suspected that this boy knew more than he would ever say to her, just like her son. Before Daisuke's...accident... she would never consider that her son would keep strange secrets but that reality was dimming. She moved aside and let Takeru pass by her. As he passed she could have sworn she caught a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
Takeru made his way through the kitchen, stopping by the sink to turn off tap - water was starting to seep over the counter and onto the floor. Before he went into Daisuke's room he knocked first and got to his knees to whisper "It's me" under the door. He heard Daisuke say something and the closet door open, then he was face to face with Koushirou, who quickly pulled him inside.
"What the hell?" Koushirou whispered angrily after he closed the door.
"I came over because I don't want you going into the Digital World by yourself. We'll find the group ourselves. Yamato said to meet at the new bridge - you know, that one that popped out of nowhere not too long ago. I don't think he's coming because-"
"Wait a minute!" Koushirou interrupted, throwing his arms up in the air. "You know, I had to climb up on the balcony to get in here. I don't think it's fair that you can just go through the front door like that. Who do you think you are?"
"If it makes you feel better I'll go do it your way."
Koushirou sighed. "Well, you're already here... maybe another time."
"Good because I wasn't going to do it anyway."
"The things we do for Daisuke."
Daisuke cleared his throat loudly and the two boys turned their attention to him. Takeru crossed the room and sat on the bed next to Daisuke. "What happened to you? You're eyes are..."
"Scary. I know. Koushirou will probably explain while you guys are in the Digital World."
"Yeah. It's a long walk from this portal to the bridge."
Chibimon peeked out from under the bed. "I'll give you guys a ride."
"No way. You and Daisuke are staying right where you are." Chibimon grumbled but crawled back under the bed.
Wormmon rustled under the sheets until he found a hole to poke his head through. "I want to come."
Koushirou bit his lip. "I don't know...it might be a long trip."
Takeru nodded in agreement. "What if we have to go through the desert again? Or fight a Digimon?"
"I have to go," Wormmon wheezed. "If you find Ken, I have to be there. I have to be there for him."
Takeru and Koushirou exchanged looks, then nodded.
~
The two creatures in Black Wargreymon's arms shivered violently as he picked up his pace. Ten minutes ago the Boy had warned him that they were being followed; now they were closing in and Black Wargreymon could sense them himself. He felt fear in the Boy's quickening heart, fear that made him want to stop right where he was and take revenge. He would slaughter first their armies, starting with the one that was quickly catching up, then their villages and families and children. Then he would incinerate all evidence of their culture to effectively erase them from history.
He looked down at the Gazimon but still maintained his pace. The Gazimon's skin was slowly turning from unsightly blue to frostbitten red. He noticed that some fur was starting to grow back already as the Gazimon's body fought desperately against the cold. If he didn't get his slave to a warm place soon, it would die.
He focused straight ahead, refusing to allow himself to sneak a peek at the army's progress. Only minutes ago he had finally made it through the forest of gangly trees weighted with thick snow. Now he was on a stretch of flat, barren land with no protection and nowhere to hide. A black mountain in a field of snow is an easy target.
Black Wargreymon looked up at the sky and sighed, wishing he could fly to his destination. It was too late now, with the snow plummeting from the sky and the added chill of the wind. If his followers could fly, Black Wargreymon thought, they would have caught up by now.
Black Wargreymon tried to make himself airborne anyway. He planted his feet firmly on the ground and reached, but he stayed put on the snowy earth. He cursed angrily and walked faster to make up for the few seconds he lost. It figures, he thought, now I'm too tired to fly. The Boy, roused from sleep by the flying attempt, offered him a small, appreciative smile.
Black Wargreymon covered the last of the barren landscape with long, quick strides. Ahead of him he saw bountiful fruit trees, running water and Gazimon. Behind him he heard shouts and the dreaded clink of high-powered weapons.