"Take these broken wings
I'm gonna take these broken wings
And learn to fly
And learn to fly away."
Savage Garden—"Gunning Down Romance"

Echoes of Angels Who Won't Return
Chapter Three, February-March: "Learn to Fly"

When the sun rose in the morning, all of the Kaiser's slaves knew it would be just another day in their accursed lives. Those on the day shift would get ready for their harsh labor while the night shift came into their cells, sank down on the hard cold floor with a rough blanket, and fell asleep.

Soon, soldiers and mercenaries of the Imperial Guard opened the doors to the cells and escorted the prisoners out. And on Cellblock 18, it was no different.

Colonel Reiyama, top-brass mercenary, unlocked the door to Cell 11. A middle-aged man and his ex-wife exited, saying goodbye to the people forced to remain inside. While they did that, Reiyama coldly glared at an eleven-year-old boy who lay against the wall on his right. The boy ignored the evil eye and sat up to talk to his stepmother. Thoroughly disgusted, Reiyama slammed the door, muttering something about insubordination.

The boy laughed quietly at Reiyama's reaction. It had been a week since the Kaiser had ordered that he remained in the cell for the duration of his recovery time, and Reiyama couldn't take the fact that he was powerless to torture the boy. It was one of the few joys of being in that place.

"Hey, singer!" a night shift worker whispered once the Imperials were gone. The boy got closer to the bars, revealing his Asian features, short raven-colored hair, and blue eyes. "Are you going to hold another concert today?"

"Maybe," he whispered back. "If my sister starts crying again."

"Good," the slave replied, revealing a toothy grin. "Your music is one of the few things that keeps us going. We'll miss it when you're moved back to your regular cell."

The young slave retreated into the shadows, guilt overwhelming him and erasing the slight smile that had been on his lips and in his eyes. With all he'd ever done in his life, he'd never felt the pressure of responsibility weighing him down as it did now. Everything he'd done up until that point was completely meaningless if he couldn't do something to help those unfortunate souls that shared his prison.

"Kouji, is something the matter?" his stepmother checked.

"No," he answered. "It's nothing. Just another one of those days."


Taiyou Tenshi sat in her bedroom, writing in her diary while the music of her brother's Ayumi Hamasaki CD drifted through the paper-thin walls. She didn't really care too much about the sound, so long as he didn't say anything while he did his work for the Resistance. She occasionally helped with the Chiba branch of the anti-Kaiser movement just as her brother worked for the Mt. Fuji division and her father helped deliver news about captured slaves to their families, but she didn't understand why her reclusive baby brother would ever want to take a gun and go out and fight—much less being teamed up with people, considering the way he avoided society in general—or why her father would be so willing to risk his neck to save a complete stranger. And that stranger was slowly creeping higher on her list of people to hate.

"Taiyou?" her father addressed, stepping into her room. With him was a blonde teenager a few years younger than her eighteen, dressed in a black T-shirt and camouflage pants. "Oh, I thought the music was coming from here."

"No, Dad, that was Kage again. Want me to tell him to turn it down?"

"Yes, please. I'm trying to talk to this young man here."

"Is this about that halfling boy again?" she questioned.

"Halfling?" the anonymous teenager repeated.

"Taiyou, watch your language," Dr. Tadaaki Tenshi warned. "That boy is just as human as you and I are."

"Hmph," she replied, stepping out of her room. "Kage! I know you have an obsession with Ayumi Hamasaki, but please keep it down!"

"I apologize for my daughter and son," Dr. Tenshi informed, leading his guest downstairs.

"It's all right," the teenage boy replied. "I have a younger brother, so I know how they can be. Besides, I was pretty rebellious too when I was younger."

"But still, she had no right to use that kind of language just because I had to be spending more time with that patient than I do at home," the doctor insisted. "If only her mother were still here, then I wouldn't have so much trouble. Teenage girls are nearly impossible… Now, what was it you needed?"

"I was looking for information on a friend of mine," he answered. "Short black hair, blue eyes, age somewhere between ten and twelve? I don't know if he's been hiding his identity, so I can't give you his name."

"Sounds like the halfling to me!" Taiyou shouted from her room.

"Taiyou, that's enough!" Tenshi reprimanded. "Now that you mention it, I do have a patient matching that description. But he's not in the type of institution that would allow visitors. How did you meet him?"

"Well, he's an old friend. I met him years ago."

"All right," Dr. Tenshi replied, convinced of his alibi. "I'll make copies of his information and pass it to you tonight…"

"Amistad," he answered. "Just Amistad."

"Fine then, Amistad. We'll meet at ten, my office."

"Got it."

Amistad grabbed his coat and walked to the train station, hoping no Imperials would stop him for I.D. One inconvenience about this world was the need to take a train-like Digimon called Trailmon to get to the Digital World. The more days he spent in this world, the more he longed for digital gates. But it didn't matter. Finally, after a long week of searching, he would finally get the answers he needed on the person he'd been asked to find.

He boarded a Trailmon and sat in waiting to reach a place called the Forest Terminal. As he sat there, he removed a sheet of musical notes and lyrics from his pocket. Softly, he hummed the music, wondering about its significance.

A dense thicket of trees soon appeared, and Amistad stood ready to leave. He pulled his mahogany-colored hood over his golden hair and placed the music back in his pocket. A young man in a white hat and a young woman in a blue hat sat on a bench outside.

"Ai! Yuuki!" he greeted. Ai stood up on crutches while Yuuki helped her.

"I hate having to use these names," Yuuki muttered.

"I know, Taichi," Amistad, or Yamato, whispered. "But there are too many spies."

"Come on!" Ai—Sora—urged. "There's a soba restaurant nearby. We'll talk there."

Dera Soba was obviously not a popular hotspot as it was completely empty. A Deramon presented them with soba noodles on the house, and though the recipe was more than a little flawed, the three hungry teenagers ate without much complaint.

"I think we've gotten spoiled," Sora commented. "About four years ago, we wouldn't have cared that this tastes like a sweat sock cooked in rancid garlic."

"Well, we had been living off the land," Yamato reasoned. "Anything that could possibly remind of us civilization was greatly appreciated."

"Yeah," Taichi agreed, slurping up a mouthful of noodles. "Try and get Digitamamon in here. He'd be able to whip this place into shape."

"How were things at the Railroad?" Yamato checked once Deramon was far out of earshot. "Did those others finally come back from their mission?"

Taichi nodded. "Kage wasn't here today, but we got to meet the other kids. They were Chosen Children."

"What?" Yamato questioned. "Did they have Digimon?"

"None that we saw, but they had digivices," Taichi answered.

"But that's not all we found out," Sora added. "They explained to us that the Kaiser killed his own brother just before this tyranny was built. The Kaiser's name is Kouichi Kimura, and he was a Chosen too."

"Hmm," Yamato commented.

"And," Sora continued, "he is definitely the person we all saw after Oikawa's sacrifice."

"And that means he was the person Hikari saw," Taichi surmised. "But I couldn't ask about the singer. They were just so depressed—worse even than Iori. Himi explained it's because they're mourning the loss of a friend."

"Well, I think I know how to find our musician," Yamato informed. "Meet me wherever the Kaiser's base will be around ten tonight. I'm going to get the boy's medical records."

"From the base?" Taichi asked.

"No, from a doctor in Chiba. And I'd rather meet near Kouichi's base so we can keep an eye on his moves."

"Right," Sora agreed, understanding his methods. "If he could kill his brother, who knows what else he's capable of?"

"Ten then," Taichi agreed. Yamato placed money down on the table and walked out the door. His two friends merely looked down into the remains of the food in their bowls. So much had gone wrong already with Iori's insanity, Hikari's rage, Ken's reclusive life, Miyako's apathy, Takeru's hatred, and the others' injuries. Was there any guarantee that Yamato could get those files without getting killed in the process? And was there any guarantee that any of their sacrifices would be fruitful?


Daisuke sat on the bleachers of Odaiba Elementary, watching his soccer team play. Everyone in the school knew that he was the best player and worth more than half the team. Without him, they didn't stand a chance against Tamachi next week.

"I thought it was out-of-season," Natsu commented behind him. She used her cane to guide herself to him and sat beside him, her shaded, sightless eyes focused upon the field. A weakened Chibimon made his way over to rest in her lap, and she stroked him gently with her good hand.

"Personal vendettas are never out-of-season, as we've all seen," Daisuke answered. There was a long silence, interfered with only the sounds of the frustrated soccer team as they practiced. Finally Natsu spoke.

"I hate it too, you know." Nodding, Daisuke drew her close to him. "I'm beginning to hate everyone, except you two. Why did it have to be us?"

"I don't know," was all Daisuke could say in reply.


Yamato hid in the shadows near Dr. Tenshi's private practice in Chiba. When he came and unlocked the door, Yamato finally emerged.

"Dr. Tenshi?" he asked.

"Come inside," the doctor ushered.

He and Yamato walked into the building and headed for a storage facility in the back. Out of sheer instinct, Yamato became tense, wondering what could possibly be back there.

"I didn't have time to make copies of the information, so I'll have to give you the original file," he informed, handing Yamato a file folder. Inside was a picture and the little bit of medical information on the mysterious blues singer.

"Thank you," Yamato replied.

"Don't let anyone get hold of this," Dr. Tenshi cautioned. "The boy is bound to be hospitalized again, if not in the near future. If this information disappears, he will most likely die from incorrect treatment."

"I understand." Taking the folder and slipping it under his coat, he crept out of the office and in the direction of Ginza, where Taichi and Sora were waiting.

The night was busy as usual in the big city of Ginza, Tokyo, and Sora Takenouchi and Taichi Yagami were taking advantage of the bustling crowds that would not allow for trouble from local Imperials. They waited for their companion in a café, and tried to enjoy themselves with the coffees they'd ordered. Taichi slowly sipped his café au lait while watching Sora look out the window, her caramel coffee slowly becoming icy as she stared at the night scene.

"Don't worry," Taichi assured, catching her by surprise. "Yamato will be here soon."

"I know, it's just…"

"You can't stand the thought of him in danger," Taichi observed. "It's easy to understand. Love's funny that way. It can give you strength and take it away just as easily. You bore the Crest, so you should know all about it. Just watch. This will all be over soon, and you'll be in each other's arms again."

"And what about you?"

"I'll be fine," Taichi promised. "Sure, I'll have to deal with everyone trying to kill each other, but if they succeed, my problems are over. Besides, the important thing is that you're happy."

Sora smiled. She believed that the best way to show love was to let others love whom they wanted, and Taichi was certainly proving it true. "Thank you, Taichi."

Rather than answer, he stood up and stared in shock out the window. "Holy shit."

"What is it?"

"That boy walking slowly."

"What about him?"

Taichi fished Hikari's drawing out of his pocket and thrust it at Sora. "Now look."

Her face turned white with realization. "What?"

Without responding—or paying—Taichi ran out of the café, desperately searching for the boy he'd seen. Sora followed on her crutches, looking around.

"Where is he?" she checked.

"Not sure." He scanned the crowd for any familiar characters. "There!"

The boy saw him this time and began running. Taichi shoved past people on the street while the boy darted out of other's paths.

He's fast, Taichi realized. I'll never catch up at this rate. "Kid, wait up! I just want to talk to you!" The boy didn't stop, so Taichi gritted his teeth and continued running.

The boy kept running, occasionally looking behind him to see if Taichi was still following. Each time he saw that his pursuer was still there, he only ran faster. Finally, he crashed directly into a blonde man with cruel green eyes that were so pale they were almost yellow.

"Reiyama?" the boy recognized, a look of genuine terror plastered onto his face. The man smirked and began squeezing his shoulders so hard that he dropped to his knees in an attempt to break free. The pressure was enough that it was breaking his collarbones, and he was not the kind of person who could afford any more broken bones.

"Excuse me," the man identified as Reiyama addressed, "but has this boy been troubling you?"

Taichi saw the desperate look in the boy's eyes as he tried to break free, and knew there was no way he could just leave him in that situation.

"It's all right," he assured. "I can take care of this from here. Thanks for your help…"

"Colonel Reiyama."

"Thank you, Colonel." Taichi then took the boy's wrist and half-dragged him back to where Sora had lost them. "All right, kid, you've put us through a hell of a lot of trouble, so you'd better cooperate." Sora glared at him and his threat.

"He's scared enough," she noticed. "Don't go so hard on him." She turned to the boy and smiled sweetly at him. "Sorry about the trouble we've caused you and for his rudeness. He's actually nicer than that. My name is Ai. He's Yuuki. And you are?"

He pulled his arm free of Taichi's grip and rubbed it carefully. "Kouji," he answered quietly.

"Mind telling us what scared you so much about that guy?" Taichi questioned. "Are you in some kind of trouble or something?" Kouji didn't answer. "Look, we're not leaving until you answer my questions."

"Look," Sora pointed out in a whisper. "Around his neck—it's a Black Ring. He's a slave."

Shocked, Taichi nodded. "Kid—Kouji, is that Reiyama guy your warden?" No answer. "Well is he?" Again, no response. Losing his patience, Taichi grabbed Kouji's arm again but missing the jacket this time, exposing a white bandage wrapped around his wrist. The imprints of where his fingers had been when he'd grabbed him the first time were visible—with blood. "What the he…"

Kouji took this opportunity to tear free and run from them. Taichi attempted to take chase again, but Sora held him back.

"Don't. Right now all we've done is scare him," she reasoned. "He's definitely in danger, but the only way we'll find out anything is if we take it slowly. We have to build his trust."

Taichi calmed and pulled back, glancing at the blood that had gotten on his fingers. "Now I know what Hikari's dream meant when she said she saw him drowning in blood. Either this Kouji kid is self-destructive, or someone wants us to believe he is."

"Come on," Sora urged. "Let's see what Yamato found."

Yamato was approaching the café when they saw him. Immediately, the three ran up to each other and declared, "His name is Kouji!"

"What?" Yamato asked, confused as to how they knew.

"We actually saw him," Sora explained. "Taichi chased him several blocks. We didn't find out much about him except that he's a slave and he has a worse loner complex than you used to have."

"So did you find the records?" Taichi checked.

"Right here," Yamato answered, producing a folder.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!"

Quickly, the three Chosen hit the ground as glowing white arrowheads shattered the glass window of the café. A skilled assassin stepped out of the shadows, revealing sleek yellow fur and silken purple gloves. Angry, Taichi scooped up a handful of glass and arrowheads, and threw them at the assassin, hitting her in the face. She clawed them away and stared at him with such hating black eyes that would have fooled anyone into thinking she was uncontrolled.

"Fox Leaf Arrowhead!"

Taichi fell to the sidewalk, the arrowheads piercing him from his chest to his right hand. Blood leaked from his injuries as he lay unmoving in the glass shards, his eyes closed.

"Renamon!" a voice shouted—if a command in a strained voice just above the normal level could be called a shout. The assassin turned, as did Yamato and Sora, to see the mysterious Kouji standing nearby, his dark blue eyes blazing with a cold light.

"They have nothing to do with this," he continued.

"Wrong. You have nothing to do with this," she replied, speeding toward him. He quickly ducked out of the way, but not before feeling her Wisteria Punch strike his side. But he got up as though he hadn't, gripping what would have appeared to Yamato and Sora to be a blue-and-black D-3, if they had been able to see it.

"Spirit Evolution!" Kouji ordered, activating a dome of data bands around him. Never before had the duo seen a human evolve, and neither had the unconscious Taichi. The dome soon broke apart, revealing a creature resembling a white-and-gold MetalGarurumon. "Garmmon!"

Yamato and Sora had each seen his or her own fair share of surprises, but this one entirely blew them away. Ignoring all else, the Digimon that had once been Kouji came over to the three humans, slowly lowering his body.

"Get him on my back," he instructed. Both the conscious humans were still in shock. "Hurry!"

Fear over Taichi's condition made them forget their hesitation. Carefully, Yamato lifted Taichi's limp body and placed him on Garmmon's back.

"Follow me," he ordered.

Sora discarded one crutch and let Yamato carry her piggyback style as they followed Garmmon to the Ginza train station. They startled everyone, creating a mass panic as they headed to the elevator. A dome of data bands formed around Garmmon and Taichi, reverting the Digimon back to Kouji. Somehow through all of that, he'd managed to keep hold of Taichi, as he was holding Taichi's good arm around his neck and keeping him off the floor. Silence befell them all as the elevator lowered to the deepest depths of the border between the worlds, and the only change inside was the blinking of the digital writing on the Black Ring.

Finally, they arrived at the Trailmon station; Kouji carefully hauled Taichi out and placed him on the ground. He pried out each arrowhead and created a pile of them nearby. Sora came and took over for bandaging while Yamato looked at the bloodstained arrowheads.

"They make a good light source," Kouji explained in his quieted voice. "They're better than candles, and they don't go out."

"How did you do that?" Sora questioned. "I've never seen anyone that could become a Digimon."

"What you saw was my form with the Beast Spirit of Light. I have a Human Spirit too, but that form would have been useless to help your friend." He began to get up to leave, but Yamato stopped him.

"Do you know anything about this song?" he asked, handing over the lyrics and notes.

"How did you get this?" His expression was full of shock. "I didn't come up with the words until recently."

"It's not important right now," Yamato replied. "But you did write this, right?'

"Yeah, but…" His shocked expression tensed as the reality of the situation returned. "Spend the night in the Digital World." He reached in his pocket and handed over 399.35 yen. "Convert the currency if you need to; I know it's not a lot, but it should be enough to replace your bandages at least. I'll try to meet up with you tomorrow. Just find the Kaiser's base—that's where I'll be." They seemed reluctant to leave. "You have to board the Trailmon now. The Black Ring is telling Kouichi that I just evolved. You have to get to safety now, if not for yourselves, then for your friend."

"Come on, Yamato," Sora coaxed.

Kouji watched them as they boarded Trailmon Mole and headed to the Digital World. He could only hope that he'd be able to meet up with them again.

He took the elevator upstairs and raced toward the heart of Ginza. Just as he passed the shattered glass in front of the café, a cold, sticky darkness clung to his skin and his muscles froze in place. Before he knew what was happening, a heavy weight struck his back. He lost his balance and fell onto the sidewalk, scraping his arms and part of his face in the process.

"Did you really think you could get away with something so foolish?" the Kaiser demanded.

"Kouichi…" Kouji began, but didn't get much farther than that. An electrically charged blade slashed across his body repeatedly, eventually blacking out all his senses but pain.


White feathers gently stroked against Taichi's bronze-tanned skin. He stirred a bit before finally opening his eyes to a Digimon apparently of the Adult level and several Baby I and II Digimon.

He sprang up quickly, aggravating the wounds on his body. He was surprised to see that there were fresh bandages on his torso and arm, as well as the fact that none of the Digimon was attacking.

"Glad to see you're awake," Yamato commented, handing his friend his shirt and hat.

"Swanmon was nice enough to watch you for the night," Sora informed. "But it looks like the Babies took a liking to you too."

"Where are we?" Taichi questioned.

"This is the Village of Beginnings," the feathered Digimon, Swanmon, explained. "It's the birthing and rebirthing place of the Digimon."

Taichi looked around at his surroundings in amazement. It was a reminder of home, but at the same time, it was also a reminder as to how much they were foreigners in that strange world. A large tree grew in the center of the Village, and plants all around appeared to be growing eggs. There was a saying: "O brave new world that has such people in it!" and it only barely adequately described his feelings at the moment. But it was still a brave new world.

"Incredible, isn't it?" Sora asked. "The Village of Beginnings back home grew soft toys on its trees. This one actually grows the Digimon. It's like something taken out of a science fiction movie, but I somehow feel like we're still at home."

"How did we get here?" Taichi questioned.

"Kouji risked his life to get us to a Trailmon," Yamato recapped. "If not for him, you wouldn't be standing here now."

"What happened to him after?"

"We don't know," Yamato confessed, looking toward the ground. "But he did admit he was the singer Hikari kept seeing."

"We'd better take a look at his file now," Sora decided. She limped on her one crutch to get to another clearing in the wood, one that wasn't as occupied. A plastic bag glowed with the Fox Leaf Arrowheads that had been plucked out of Taichi's skin. Upon seeing his confused face, Sora explained, "Kouji told us these would make a good light source, and he was right. We've been using them instead of the flashlights we brought."

"Come on," Yamato urged. "Let's take a look at this."

The folder only contained a small amount of information: Kouji's full name (his surname was Minamoto), his year of birth (1991), his blood type (A), and an odd piece of information involving "Spirits."

"What are these 'Spirits' that were mentioned?" Taichi asked.

"There's not a whole lot of information, but Kouji said he had two of them: a Human Spirit and a Beast Spirit," Sora explained. "He uses them to become a Digimon himself."

"You're kidding," Taichi challenged.

"No," Yamato answered. "We watched him use the Beast Spirit to become a Digimon called Garmmon. This Wolfmon listed must be his Human Spirit. I don't know if someone ran experiments on him or anything, but it's possible and likely if he was a slave like you and Sora say."

"Yamato, why is his family information blotted out?" Sora questioned.

"Dr. Tenshi didn't want this information to fall into the wrong hands," he explained. "His daughter called Kouji a 'halfling,' which I learned meant 'child of a human and a Digimon.' I guess he wants it to look like Kouji is such a creature, so he had to blot out any human names." His voice lowered considerably. "And that would explain the Spirits—Kouichi would want him to be a halfling."

Sora let out a sigh as she looked up at the three moons in the sky. "We'd better head back to the Railroad. Amistad needs to meet the Chosen and Kage."

"All right," Yamato agreed, packing up the file.

"Don't wear your jacket," Taichi advised. "They might not take well to Demon's symbol on the hood."

"Then it looks like I ruined Jyou's jacket for no reason," Yamato commented.

"It wasn't for 'no reason,'" Sora protested. "This has been keeping Kouichi, or at least the Kaiser, from recognizing you."

"Yeah," he agreed. They looked at him for an order. He felt stressed at taking Taichi's position; but as the musician, it was his duty to lead them on this mission. "Well, I guess it's time to go."


Morning dawned in Ginza, and the rays of sunlight streamed in through the windows of Cell 11. As he opened the door to the cell, Reiyama couldn't help but smirk at the injured boy who lay half-conscious on the stone floor. His back was still bleeding, and the bandages on his wrists would need changing. In addition, he'd been hit in the head, so he was still very much out of touch with reality. But he was aware enough to know that he would not be going out that night and aware enough to know that he could not meet with those three strangers that night and more than aware enough to recognize his warden's pleasure. Kouji painfully rolled to his side in an attempt to block out the mocking smile, but Reiyama kicked his back, sending a sharp pain through his body. It was nothing new. It was just another morning in his accursed life.
A relieved Terriermon rested on his Tamer's head. Jenrya was typing away on the computer, but his head still made a comfortable seat and his blue hair made the perfect soft pillow—whatever shampoo his mother had bought him was definitely worth the money if the Tamer's head was this cozy. Shiuchon could be heard down the hall, singing as she dressed up Lopmon in all sorts of doll clothes. Normally, Terriermon got the unwelcome cross-dressing experience, but twin Tamers Ai and Makoto Shimamura had come over for a play date and had brought their shared Digimon, Impmon, with them. They wanted Lopmon to play the girl's part. The nearly six-year-olds were currently joining Shiuchon in a game of "Wedding."

"Shiuchon, no more, please!" Lopmon begged.

"Ai, Makoto, I'll become Beelzebumon, I swear!" Impmon threatened.

"I should have taken Zhuqiaomon-sama's offer to go back to being a Deva…"

"Deletion's looking pretty good right now…"

Terriermon smiled at their comments. They were almost the same ones he used to make all the time.

"Enjoying yourself?" Jenrya asked.

"Yep!"

"That isn't exactly nice, you know."

"Moumantai, Jen. Consider it their sentencing."

"Sentencing?"

"Well, Impmon killed Leomon, and Lopmon used to be a Deva, so they both needed to pay for their actions."

"And who are you to pass judgment when you go crazy with power too? Have you forgotten that little incident where you nearly shot Ruki? She certainly hasn't. Besides, don't you think defeating the D-Reaper was a good enough repentance?"

"Jen, you've got to see this!" his eighteen-year-old brother, Rinchei, shouted. He held out his camera phone and was already snapping pictures. "I think these will make a nice wallpaper for Dad at work."

"Shiuchon, Ai, and Makoto took some of Mrs. Makino's dresses and put together Lopmon's wedding dress," his nearly seventeen-year-old sister, Jaarin, added. "It's priceless!"

Shiuchon, Ai, and Makoto stepped aside to reveal two humiliated Digimon. Impmon wore Rinchei's bowtie from some formal dance with a hat of Jiang-yu's. Lopmon wore Ruki's least favorite dress and a veil consisting of one of Mayumi Lee's lace curtains. His brown-and-pink ears were tied up with some of Jaarin's hair ribbons, and both wore wedding rings made from soda pull-tabs.

"That explains why you wanted my empty soda can," Jenrya realized with a laugh.

"Hey, Jen, what are your friends' e-mail addresses?" Rinchei questioned. "They'll love this!"

"No, Rinchei," Lopmon begged. "I never did anything to you…"

"Lopmon, what did I say about using 'ware'?" Shiuchon scolded. "Use modern speak!"

"Well, Ruki doesn't use the computer much," Jenrya continued, "but she occasionally uses her grandmother's account."

"Oh no, not Ruki!" Impmon declared, tearing out of his costume.

"Impmon, come back here!" Ai called.

"It took forever to get all that stuff on you!" Makoto added.

Jenrya laughed all the harder at the spectacle. It was the hardest he'd laughed since Ryo e-mailed to say that Monodramon had gotten hold of a tape with Rurouni Kenshin reruns and had begun jumping on the couch singing the third ending theme, "Heart of Sword," entirely off-key. Following the incident, Monodramon had evolved to Cyberdramon, who had far too much pride and shame to do such a thing. He had refused to devolve since.

Well, I guess that's what comes with having all the Digimon back, he thought as he walked back to his room. "Come on, Terriermon. I have the strangest urge to hear the wedding march and 'Heart of Sword.'"


Himi sat in the mess hall of the Railroad, fine-tuning his weapon: a black laser pistol with three settings—stun, burn, and kill. It was the very same one he'd used against DeathMeramon in Shibuya. He rarely used it now due to his unofficial partner, Gabumon, who sat beside him. The Chosen had come, bringing along their friends Amistad, Yuuki, and Ai. Kage sat a little further back, working on something on his computer.

"Kage built all this?" Amistad asked in amazement.

"I was more of the developer," he explained. "I calculated everything, but Kae was the one that organized a team to dig everything and get it reinforced."

"Himi-san, is something wrong?" Gabumon questioned. His partner was staring off into space as he rubbed the same metal plating for fifteen minutes.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing Gabumon. Just a little stressed, that's all."

"Yutaka onii-chan, what's wrong?" Tomoki checked.

"Nothing really. I was just remembering that entire Resistance team that got captured."

"The one that happened after the second assassination?" Kage asked.

Yuuki turned to look at him. "Second?" he repeated, his voice tense and wavering. Was it possible their helper, Dr. Tenshi, had been killed? "Who was the second?"

"Nari Ayamisa," Izumi answered. "The first was…" Her voice was choked with tears. Takuya tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she pushed it away.

"The Kaiser's brother," Ai realized. "He was your friend, wasn't he?" The Chosen nodded.

"I used to date Kouichi," Izumi continued. "He promised that they would try and surprise me on my birthday because I was a Gemini and they were twins." A hurt smile found its way on her face. "I loved to tease them about that coincidence."

Ai looked at her compassionately and spoke in her gentlest voice. "How did he die?"

"Strangulation? Electrocution? Maybe both?" Izumi shrugged. "All I know is that we got there too late." Ai looked back at Yuuki and Amistad, who both wore expressions of sympathy.

Miyagami and Takamoto soon stumbled in with a small group that had been fighting in the northern part of the district. Their faces were pale, and they looked like they would either faint or throw up—maybe both.

"What's the problem?" Himi questioned.

"Kae…" Miyagami's voice squeaked as he said her name. Kage looked up immediately.

"What about her?" he asked.

"She was captured," Miyagami continued.

"Tell me you're kidding," Kage pleaded.

"No," Takamoto replied, his deep voice choked up. "It was one of those damn landmines. She didn't see it, and it blew her whole left leg off. She told us to go on without her. I think she was captured, but there's no way to tell."

"This is all his fault!" a seventeen-year-old named Ataru declared, walking toward Takuya. "The Kaiser's brother. If it wasn't for him, none of this mess would have started!"

"How could it be his fault if he died before the worst of it?" Takuya demanded.

"What? You expect him to suddenly leave the afterlife at any given time?" Junpei added.

"It doesn't work that way," Tomoki agreed, "and even if he were alive, there's no guarantee he'd be able to fight Kouichi!"

At this point, Miyagami and Takamoto were holding Ataru back. Himi had a firm grip on his brother's shoulders, and Ai, Yuuki, and Amistad were holding back Takuya and Junpei.

"Don't you think he'd know something?" Ataru questioned. "They were twins, so maybe his weaknesses are the Kaiser's too."

"No, they weren't!" Izumi declared angrily, shocking them all. "Though they were identical twins, they were two completely separate and wonderful people! One boy's weakness was another's strength, and it was always simple to tell them apart! They weren't two halves of the same person or two of the same; they were two people with some similarities and differences." A tear fell to the ground, but she ignored it. "And they were two of the most important people in the world to me."

"All right, that's enough!" Kage decided, abandoning his computer. "I have had enough of this disrespect for the deceased. Every other day, there's another fight involving this person. Kae wouldn't stand for it, and neither will I, seeing as I'm the new commanding officer here. Now, anyone who chooses not to follow my rules can leave. The choice is yours: either stay here on this team and have a chance to live, or leave and face almost certain death out there. I can guarantee you it will be no picnic." Everyone was silent. "Ironic, isn't it? By honoring and respecting the dead, you can ensure your own life. Now, on my computer are the plans of a weapon of sorts that agents in Vancouver, Cape Town, Philadelphia, and Beijing have sent me. They've been using it in the Digital World, and it's been working so far. This weapon will help Himi most of all, but I can't guarantee anything. Also, my father has been treating a slave in the Kaiser's base. He might be able to figure out what the Kaiser's next move is, or he might be able to find Kae. I'm going to check with him now; he said he would be in Yokohama, searching for evidence on Nari Ayamisa's murder and how it's connected to the first assassination." As he turned and walked out of the tunnel, he whispered, "Himi, Amistad, Ai, Yuuki, thanks. I don't know what might have happened if you didn't intervene."

He ran off, hiding his identity with a pair of darkened contact lenses and falsified papers in case the Imperial Guard stopped him. Those under his command stared after him with a new sense of wonder and respect.

The other Chosen went over to Izumi, who was discreetly trying to wipe her tears.

"Come on, Izumi," Takuya urged. "We promised we wouldn't remember him that way."

"I'm okay," she assured. "But I had a dream about him last night. Usually, when I see him in these dreams, he's angry, but this time he was in pain. He sat all alone in the darkness. I could almost feel him crying. But when I woke up, I found only my own tears."

Ai, Yuuki, and Amistad exchanged glances. In their experience, dreams like that were never good. But rather than mention that, Ai commented, "We don't ever want to think of anything but happiness for someone that died. It's human nature."

"Maybe you could build some kind of remembrance shrine to him," Yuuki suggested. "A friend of ours has one for his father. What was your friend's religion? After all, it would be embarrassing to build a Buddhist shrine if he was Shinto."

"He didn't have a religion," Izumi explained. "His father was an atheist or something and his stepmother was a non-practicing Shinto."

"Then build something just for him," Amistad advised. "Take whatever you can find. Put his soul to rest."

"You could try a mock funeral," Himi reasoned, "since his body burned in the fire."

The four Chosen nodded. This was an idea they could consider. Not only would they be able to put him to rest, but they could put themselves to rest as well.


Kage wandered the unfamiliar streets of Yokohama, trying not to look like an outsider. But as he approached the middle of the street, a circle of police officers caught his attention.

"…Looks like another one…"

"…No more than a traitor, I say…"

"…Prisoner went crazy… Attacked the Kaiser…"

"Psst!" whispered a voice from nearby. Kage turned to see his sister.

"Taiyou?"

"Shh!" she hissed, motioning for him to come. Checking to make sure no one had seen him, he walked over.

"Tai, what is it?" he questioned.

"Dad was just assassinated," she informed. Kage stared at her in horror. He knew she wouldn't lie, especially not about something like this. "That brings the total to three. It all has something to do with that halfling slave, Minamoto."

Kage's eyes were still wide with shock. "That must be the prisoner they mentioned."

"Exactly," she answered. "Now, I'm heading to the Digital World with the Chiba Resistance. I want you to head for Mt. Fuji, and don't stop. Whatever you do, don't go home. They'll be waiting there." He looked at her with a hesitation to leave. "Look, if we need help, I'll contact you. I promise."

He hugged her firmly, showing the emotion he buried in front of his squad. "I'll see you soon, Tai onee-chan."

Taiyou stared after him as he ran off. "Take care, ototo-chan. It's back to business for you now." Only when she was sure that he wasn't going to be pulled aside by any Imperials did she turn in the opposite direction and run for the Chiba Resistance base. Tears would have to wait; revenge would have to wait… It wasn't until much later when she was aboard a Trailmon, heading full speed to the Digital World, did she finally let her bittersweet tears fall from her vengeful blue eyes. The halfling would pay for this assassination, and she would wait until the end of the world if necessary to take his payment in nothing other than blood.


Ryo Akiyama sat in his bedroom, typing a message to Jenrya and the others on his laptop. Nearby, Cyberdramon sat in an authoritative position, as though trying to protect his Tamer. With his loyalty, it was hard—no, impossible—to believe that a part of him was Millenniumon, who at a time would have stopped at nothing to kill him. But it was a relief to the nearly sixteen-year-old that Cyberdramon's viciousness was now controlled by protective instincts.

Jenrya's brother Rinchei had just sent a hilarious picture of Lopmon and Impmon dressed up as bride and groom. Ryo found that he had to fight to hold back laughter at the sight. It only made him wish he'd taken a recording of Monodramon's performance of "Heart of Sword."

Well, Lee, he thought, at least I know you're in a good mood. Now I know you'll take better to my request. As he typed, his right sleeve pushed up, revealing a gruesome scar stretching from his wrist to his elbow. This was Cyberdramon's mark on him—a vicious bite he'd taken when he lost control during a battle. It had taken a long time for Ryo to explain that to his dad and an even longer time to explain that Cyberdramon was perfectly safe to be around. But that was all in the past now, along with the opponents they'd sought and Ryo's old missions from Gennai. His current mission was to contact that lovable old guy again, and contact Ken, Taichi, and the others as well. And for that, he needed Jenrya Lee's help, or more specifically, his connection to Hypnos.


March 12 had been a nightmare that soon passed. For the remainder of the week, Thursday through Saturday, the Chosen had been working on an empty grave for their lost friend. Because there had been no body to bury, Izumi placed a single photo under the soil. It had been a picture of sentimental value to her: a photograph she'd taken when he wasn't looking, so he was perfectly calm and lost in thought—his true self, according to the Chosen. Yet even though they were told all this, the others in the Resistance were not allowed to see the photograph. The memory was still too painful, and the pain was still too fresh. At sunset that Saturday, they were to hold the funeral. It was the only way they could pay their respects without compromising the friendship they'd forged to pass beyond the realm of the dead.

On that day, near the time for the funeral, Amistad, Yuuki, Ai, and Kage suited up for a rescue.

"Thanks to Miyagami and Takamoto, we know that the Kaiser's slaves are brought in at six on the dot," Kage explained. "We won't be able to save all the slaves, but we'll get Kae."

"One question," Takuya interrupted, "what if she's on the night shift?"

"She isn't," Takamoto assured. "Chideta and I checked to be sure."

"All right, so the four of you will go in," Himi observed. "The rest of us will wait on the mountain for the precession."

"Let's move out," Kage decided.

The Kaiser's base was located in Odaiba, an area Kage's partners knew well. The slaves were picking up discarded Imperial weapons near an elementary school while the four fighters waited inside the school's gates.

"Where's Kae?" Yuuki asked quietly.

Amistad looked around. A woman of thirty-something hobbled about on wooden leg, trying not set off any explosives. On occasion, a humanoid Digimon in silver-and-blue armor would come over and defuse a mine or defective weapon.

"Is that her there?" Amistad whispered. "The woman that Digimon's helping?"

Yuuki checked. "Yep. That's her all right."

"All right then," Kage decided. "Yuuki, Amistad, go in. Ai, stay here."

"No," she argued, pointing. "The Digimon sees already. He's coming over."

Discreetly, they made their way over to the Digimon, who was allowing Kae to lean on his shoulder. He connected his brown eyes with Amistad's blue before carefully observing the others. A look of near-relief swept across his face as he saw Yuuki, but he hid it by handing Kae over to the four Resistance fighters.

"Run," he ordered in a calm whisper.

"Kaiser!" an Imperial soldier alerted, pointing. "A prisoner's escaping!"

"Run!" the Digimon ordered once more.

The Kaiser came over to the Digimon and struck him with the whip. Ai dared to look back as she ran. Kae's rescuer was being brutally beaten, even worse than those that lived under the first Kaiser's reign. But worse, in the distance, a mercenary—not that Reiyama guy, but someone lower in rank—was counting out money and handing it to a slave.

Hush money? Ai wondered momentarily. But all too soon she determined—from the cheers of some of the slaves in the crowd—that it was a won wager. Slaves were betting against their own.

"Sora, come on," Amistad urged softly.

"We have no time," Yuuki added.

"Yamato, Taichi…" she began.

"I know," Yuuki answered. "I hate thinking of how he has to suffer too. It's wrong for anyone—human, Digimon, or halfling—to face that."

"But we have to keep going," Amistad continued. "If we don't, his sacrifice will be in vain." Never before had he said that, and for once in his life, he now knew why Taichi had pushed them to continue their journey against the Dark Masters nearly four years before.

"Kage," Kae addressed, "take me to the nearest Resistance base. I will not be able to withstand the journey to the Railroad."

"But…" he protested.

"Kage Tenshi, you are their leader now," she informed. He nodded.

"But what about that Digimon?" he asked, voicing Ai's fears.

"Wolfmon will be all right for now," she assured. "He is a protector to the slaves, and he has done this kind of thing many times. The Kaiser will not—or cannot—kill him." He nodded his understanding and kept running, though Ai trailed behind.

"What is it?" Amistad questioned, turning with Yuuki.

"Didn't you hear what she said?" Ai asked. "She said his name was Wolfmon. That means that was Kouji back there."

A somber silence overtook the trio as they ran the remainder of the way to the Odaiba center-of-command. They felt wrong about leaving him behind, but they knew they had to. Someday, they would return to save him. But even with that promise, the silence remained as they went to the pathway of Mt. Fuji, where the last rays of the setting sun were visible.

On the side of the mountain path was a mound of dirt the same length of a human body. Encircling it were white stones and lit blue candles. The Chosen were all choked up with tears, unable to speak. Kage stepped forward, saving them the pain.

"I know that I've never met the person we are here to mourn tonight. I don't even know his name. But I do know that he left a deep impression on those who did know him, and even on those who didn't. Wherever you are, whoever you are, I hope you know that there are those here who loved you. They miss you, and they won't forget anything about you."

Amistad stood looking at the mound of dirt encircled by light. All around him, people were silent in their sorrow. But he couldn't keep the suffocating calm there. To him, it was an unfinished melody, just waiting to be sung.

He wasn't sure when it happened, but somehow he found Kouji's song clenched in his hand. He didn't know the person they were mourning, but he felt that the one true death was forgetting or not knowing. To forget was how to kill the dead. He held out the paper and began singing the last chorus.

He meant to leave it at that, but a young man with spiky bluish-black hair and gold-rimmed glasses stepped forward. Although he appeared to be only eleven, he seemed older somehow. Dressed in a long-sleeved navy blue T-shirt, a green hooded T-shirt, and jeans, he was as out-of-place as the others, but he didn't act it. There was something about him that seemed familiar, but Amistad just couldn't place it. He looked at Amistad with strong-willed indigo eyes that reminded him somewhat of Kouji's, causing the young man to finish singing…

Only this time, the familiar boy accompanied him, without reading the lyrics:

Once the duet had finished, Amistad, Ai, and Yuuki had a mind to go talk with this newcomer, but he seemed to be consoling Izumi, who needed every bit of comfort offered.

"Was he a friend of yours?" he asked. "I noticed the way you were crying, so it was my best conclusion."

"He was," she answered. "He was a very close friend, one of the people we could always talk to when we had a problem—you know what I mean?"

"Sadly, no." He lowered his head, causing the candlelight to ethereally reflect off his glasses. "I never had many friends when I was growing up. I only had my brother."

"That's the way he was too, only he met his brother later," Takuya informed, walking over. "I've never seen you around. Are you from the settlement?"

"You could say I'm visiting," he replied. "I just want to offer my condolences. I know how painful it is to lose a loved one to the darkness of the world. I've experienced that pain for about three years." The expression on his face said the matter was something he did not wish to discuss. "How old was he?"

"Eleven, not even twelve," Izumi answered. "His birthday wasn't until September 27."

"Next to me, he was the youngest in our group," Tomoki added as he and Junpei joined the small gathering.

"He may have been the second-youngest, but he always acted the most mature," Junpei added.

"Sounds like the complete opposite of the person I lost," the visitor commented. "My brother was only eight, and could be counted on to be immature. In the end, I think I pushed him too far. I didn't understand that what I saw as immaturity was actually his most innocent and beautiful trait, and he paid for it. I yelled at him and said some horrible things that I never should have even thought. Because of that, the person most important to me was gone forever. But the innocent person I remember still lives in here." He gestured to his heart. "But he'd kill me if he knew that I blame myself for what happened to him."

"So would our friend," Izumi realized. "I half-expect him to walk up here and see us all crying. He'd be so embarrassed, turning eight different shades of red. He never liked people making a fuss about him."

"I agree," the visitor commented. "It would be interesting to see his reaction if he found out about this."

"It's the little things like his modesty that we miss the most," she continued.

"Of course. In my case, my brother's kindness and gentleness are what can never be duplicated. They were a gift like no other, and they're what I miss most. That and his smile."

"Our friend didn't smile a lot," Takuya recollected, "but when he did, we always knew it was genuine." Miraculously, he smiled, leading everyone else to. "In fact, he was honest about a lot of things—maybe too many."

The stranger was also smiling, reminding them of their friend as he looked at each of them. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me and tell me a little about your friend. And thank you for listening about my brother's scenario."

"Hope you learn to cope with your brother's fate," Izumi wished. But the look on his face said that he thought it was wrong to call it "fate." How could it be that Fate would want to do something so cruel to such a kind boy? "I mean, his loss."

"And I hope you learn to cope with that of your friend's," he replied, glancing up at the night sky. The stars were shining and the moon was almost full. "Even the most broken wings can heal and fly again." And with that last enigmatic remark, he walked away, seeming to vanish in the darkness.


Hikari sat at her desk, doing homework while Tailmon placed a CD in the player. A knock sounded at the door, and Agumon led Taichi in.

"Onii-chan?" Hikari questioned. "I didn't think you would be back until the beginning of April."

Taichi silently placed a file on Hikari's desk while Agumon warned, "Put that someplace safe. He, Yamato, and Sora risked their lives for it."

"What is it?" Tailmon asked, voicing the question before her partner could.

Rather than answer the question, Taichi stepped out the door. But before closing it, he informed, "In case you were wondering, he has a name. It's Kouji Minamoto."

Hikari smiled as the door closed. "Thank you, onii-chan."

-sama: a very respectful suffix, similar to "Lord" or "Lady"

Ware: an almost obsolete word for "I." This is more commonly used in samurai movies and by Lopmon

Onee-chan: older sister, but the less formal version

Ayumi Hamasaki was obsession of DMF member Indigo/Brian , who actually said the original fic was good. Natsu's line "I'm beginning to hate everyone… Why did it have to be us?" was based on a line from Na-chan's image song "Only Lonely." The café in Ginza is supposed to be the same one Haruka, Michiru, and Setsuna are in during the Snow Dancer attack in the Sailor Moon S movie Princess Kaguya's Lover. Taichi's chase scene is based off of something similar in the Ghostwriter episode "Who Burned Mr. Brinker's Store?" while his and Kouji's earlier feeling about being content seeing the people they love happy was from CCS. The 399.35 yen was left over from what Archnemon gave Kouji in the flashback in the "With Broken Wings" chapter "Shiny Days." The "brave new world" thing came from "Doppelgangland," which will have a crossover with this some time in the future. The experiment theory was also from there, from the character Kouen. There was no reason for the Lopmon/Impmon torture scene other than to lighten up such a dark chapter and give Ryo an opening to ask for a favor, as well as give Rinchei some actual lines. And "Heart of Sword" is one hell of a good song. The cities Kage mentioned are where my friends are from or live near: Vancouver—Alisha/C. Queen, Cape Town—Nic/Ken's luver, and Philadelphia—Whitney/Fuzzy Wuzzy Whitnery. Beijing was important in "With Broken Wings," and got a spot. The idea of forgetting being the way to kill the dead was the Trader belief in The Circle of Magic by Tamora Pierce. And nobody remembers were she got Taichi's last line from. There are Pretender references, but I don't feel like naming them.