Reality Redux
By ArchangelUK & Digicowboy

We did own Digimon but part exchanged it for a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare.
Alas, poor Taichi... I knew him well Horatio...

DC: Have you finished yet?
AAUK: Almost.
DC: PLEASE tell me this is the last part of this "Identity Crisis" substory.
AAUK: Yes. This is the last part and it's a short(er) one.
DC: Alright!
AAUK: *Rolls eyes*

Chapter 14: Identity Crisis Pt IV - Enter The Gatekeeper

The sword flashed downwards neatly seperating flesh from bone, with an audible grunt Angelus removed the sword from the wood and meat it was still buried in. Gennai groaned.

"When I said you could carve the Turkey I meant CARVE not slice through it and my table."

"Sorry bro, you can claim it on the insurance."

"Most insurance doesn't cover 'Act of Demi-God' Angelus."

"Huh, excuuuuuse me!"

They ate in relative silence after that, it had been the best part of a fortnight and Angelus had been training religiously. Not that he intended to be a monk, just that he was training all day every day more or less. He had been learning too, the secrets of the Three known worlds and of the Unification.

"There was a Unification once before." Gennai suddenly and unexpectantly announced. Angelus coughed and some of his lemonade went up his nose.

"Whoa, timeout! This is new!"

"Before everything else, (more or less just before the Three were created) we realised we had made a mistake. When we set out the layout of the Three we hadn't thought of how they would act against each other."

"What do you mean 'set out'? I died after the Three were created."

"Yes, it was a sort of scale model in a way, but the three draft worlds still held life and much, much power. They began to be attracted to each other. You and young woman called Jasmine stopped this mini-unification very quickly before it could get out of hand. However it succeeded in convincing the dissident powers of Darkness that the idea of the Three would not work."

"And then there was the battle." Angelus summised,

"And...then there was the battle." Gennai repeated, "We don't know what happened to Jasmine. She died I suppose." He shrugged and got up from his crouching position.

Angelus shook his head at Gennai's bluntess and at his newly aquired brothers complete lack of empathy. She just died - he supposed.

"Is there anything else I need to know about? You know anything really major that will cost me my life if I don't know?"

"No, nothing of importance."

"Good."

"Now, back to the training."

And so it continued like this, Archangel learning all that there was to learn, or rather all that Gennai would teach him. Whenever something peaked Angelus' interest Gennai would immediately gloss over it saying it was -

"For a time yet to come my brother."

Angelus gritted his teeth, it was begining to come his catchphrase.

Oh well, at least I know what to get him for his birthday. A global trademark and the website url www.foratimeyettocomemybrother.com!

Training rapidly moved onto combat. Gennai and Angelus sparred for many hours at a time, swords striking together producing a large variety of sparks.

Gennai's thoughts were a frantic mix, here he was squaring off against his brother. Would he have to do it again under much different circumstances? Just as their master the Light had hinted at.

'You will never again be a Warrior of Light, but there may come a time where there can be only one remaining.'

Gennai got faster, his blade as old and powerful and Angelus' sword was a blur as he pushed his pupil backwards towards the edge of the cliff.

"Hey Gennai, you wanna calm it a bit?" The normally cerene man did not answer only growling low in his throat, the blade smashed harder against the other. Angelus was doing his best not to lose his grip as Gennai continued to reign slice after slice down upon him. He was genuinely trying his hardest to avoid the sword his brother weilded.

"Aggh!" Angelus yelped as the other sword just knicked his side, glancing and barely enough to break the skin but Gennai didn't care. He kept on going, the thought reverberating through his concious thought.

'There can be only one remaining.'

Angelus was close to the cliff edge now - very close.

'Only one.'

Gennai screamed a war cry and launched himself at his brother sword first. Without really knowing it Angelus instantly crouched low, swinging the sword up in an arc and the next thing he knew Gennai's sword was flying down into canyon below. His brother was in a heap on the floor, a swelling bruise already forming under his eye.

"What the hell was that about?!" Angelus demanded dragging Gennai to his feet.

"I...had to make sure you were ready."

"For what?"

"For what will undoubtably come a battle against Darkness once more."

"There was no need to try and kill me!"

"Well, what's done is done." Gennai walked back to the little camp a decidedly disgruntled Angelus in pursuit.

"So what now?"

"You are needed in the real world. Go and rejoin the DigiDestined I have taught you all that you need to know." Angelus went to protest but sighed and held up his hands in defeat, he concentrated and a blue archway appeared infront of him. He took one last glance at his brother and stepped through to the other side...

"And that brings us up to date." Angelus finished sipping his annoyingly luke warm moccha and frowning at it's lack of consistancy.

"That was a very nice story, thanks for sharing." Mimi said smiling but then her face went decidedly red. "BUT WHAT ABOUT BEN!??!"

Everyone cringed at the volume, Mimi was in tears again. Angelus got up out of his seat and told the others he was strong enough now to try again. They walked over to the place where the Gate of Destiny had appeared and disappeared, Angelus raised his hand and again closed his eyes. A few seconds later a whirling gold portal of light appeared and opened up revealing a bright white centre of oblivion. Oddly Angelus appeared able to open the G.O.D without the sucking vortex that usually accompanied it. This Gate of Destiny appeared, well, dormant.

"Something's wrong." Angelus announced.

"Oh what now?" Tai whined,

"He's not there."

"He's not there? What do you mean he's not there!?"

"Calm yourself Mimi, please!" Mimi - looking like a ferocious pink panther - was being held back by Joe.

"Er, Angelus? I think...I can sense him." Sora's voice suddenly announced.

"Sense him?" Angelus turned around to face the Keeper of Love and instead found himself looking at Izzy. Not such a bad thing, but then again as Izzy was standing directly behind the chestnut haired girl and Angelus could see through Sora then that was a bad thing.

Sora was disappearing.

To Be Continued....

Want more? Tune in soon for more Digimon - Reality Redux!

DC: That was...er...
AAUK: Short. The shortest chapter I've ever done infact.
DC: Er....why?
AAUK: Because it was getting annoying and I wanna see your chapter.
DC: *Hands it over*
AAUK: Ooooh. *hides it behind his back* MWAH HA HA HA HA! No peeking you lot!

Kari's Angels - http://www.geocities.com/happy_hylian/