A/N: (clears throat) my most sincerest, humblest, and deepest apologizes for this belated chapter. Growing up sucks, it takes up all of your time. If I could, I'd go back to when I was fourteen and all I did was go to school in the morning and watch fox kids in the afternoon, now those were the days. But anyway I also want to apologize for the fact that the council scene is not in this chapter. I had a huge case of writer's block, and so I had to write what came to me and unfortunately that scene just was not working. So the next chapter will for certain, without any doubt be the council scene, which means finally we can get into some of the conspiracies and the plot. This chapter has a tiny bit of action and angst so hopefully it will be entertaining.

All right I have a few questions to address:

Emerald Space2: don't worry, I have absolutely no intentions of brining anyone back from the dead. A revenant might appear here or there, kind of like Piedmon in the first fic or Wizardmon in the series, but I'm not sure about that. But anyway death is final in this fic; this is why war would be such a horrible thing.

Curtis Zidane Ziraa: oddly enough you are not the only person who has asked me about the whole killing/happy-ending thing. Well lucky for everyone I promised FireBird9900 that I would not go on a "killing spree" as she so eloquently put it. So don't worry, there will be a triumphant ending (I think, sometimes my muse turns on me), but I want kill Yama. I hope that puts your mind at ease.

Mims: I'm not entirely sure what you mean by "hurt Tai", but I'm guessing you're not a Tai fan, and you want some damage done to him. Well don't worry his status makes him a target for pain in this fic, however, I don't think it will be the humiliating pain you are hoping for.

Sc333: I'm sorry but as much as I love Yakari I still want to keep this as a no romance fic.

Youko-love: you are more than welcome to put my fics on your site, however, keep in mind that they are long and that they will probably take up a lot of space (which is why they are not on my site). But yeah go for it if you want, just e-mail me if you need anything from me.

And I think that is everyone… if for some reason I missed you please let me know and I'll either e-mail you or leave you a little message in the next chapter like I did here.

Also while I have you all here, there is a little bit of info on a new fanfic competition at the end of this chapter. You can win prizes hehehe….

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon blah blah blah…

He stood unshaken by the chaos around him. Those accompanying him upon the platform looked up into the obscurity in consternation, their eyes clearly displayed their discomfort at being so close to the extraterrestrial phenomena. Most of the creatures of the world had fled from the storm by evacuating places of high altitude and seeking refuge on or below the ground, but those were civilians. Creatures looking out for their own interest. Creatures far different from those lined in perfect formation upon the platform.

After a moment of staring straight forward numinous eyes glance to the left. The blue orbs caught sight of the guards posted upon the platform, some were familiars, while the rest were official guards of the East. While he did not like the presences of the Eastern guards, he was forced to both accept and tolerate it. They were, after all, in the Eastern region, so it was expected of them to follow the righteous Eastern laws.

He was an official so he naturally understood the need for caution in foreign relationships, especially when dealing with a government whose relationship with your own was strained. But he still found the presence of the Eastern guards somewhat insulting. But he knew musing on the matter was useless; no amount of distaste would remove the guards so he was forced to remain silent in his discomfort.

"Your Lord was scheduled to be here an hour ago sorcerer."

The sound of an agitated voice pulled him out of his contemplation, forcing him to turn his attention form the empty platform to the line of guards on his left side.

"Yeah, just because you and your wretched race enjoy this evil darkness doesn't mean you should subject the rest of us to it."

Another voice spoke mocking the wizard by insulting his character and his race.

Both of the provokers were elegant and intelligent, as is expect of such high ranking soldiers in the majestic Eastern army, but neither had a since of humility or respect. Their hatred for the Southern race, whom they blamed for the many miseries of the world, was evident in their harsh treatment of the waiting official.

At first he did not responded to their taunting. He found no need to defend himself or his Lord to such insolent creatures, but his silence only further agitated the guards.

They had been waiting silently for over an hour upon a landing platform high in the sky. In the minds of the Eastern guards this was insulting and dangerous. They were forced to wait for a Lord they did not trust, admits a storm they were convinced was created by the very Lord they waited for. They would not admit it but the core of their growing agitation was fear. They feared the storm around them, they feared the Lord of the South, and they even feared the other creatures waiting on the platform with them.

Even though they attempted to cloak their fear in a mask of arrogance, the official could clearly sense it. Even his own guards were uneased by the hovering clouds and vibrant lightening, only they conducted themselves with dignity rather than foolish name calling.

"I know," the second guard, a Unimon, continued with his mocking, "Why don't you use some of your witchcraft and clear the storm up above us."

At this the first guard, a Goatmon, joined in. "Yeah, I'm sure you know how." he stated as if to emphasizes some sort of hidden point.

The official could feel anger welling up within his own guards. They were trained to be silent at all times, but he could sense their irritation. Their desire to defend their superior and their entire race from the inappropriate remarks made by the Eastern guards were clearly first upon their minds. Whishing to prevent a possible fight between the Nightmare Soldiers and the Eastern guards, the official turned his attention to containing his own guards.

"Remember your duties and do not let their insolence trouble you."



He ordered sternly. The guards nodded in response to the telepathic order and remained silent.

"So sorcerer, your Lord must feel very good about himself. After all he has caused a lot of panic. I suppose he's hoping to live up to his predecessor expectations." the Unimon stated casually, trying to provoke the official into retaliating.

At first it had been easy for the official to ignore the guards insults, but now his patient was growing very thin, and their remarks about his Lord finally pushed him to respond.

"If your brains were as sharp as your tongues then you would have found a way to remove this storm yourselves." he replied indifferently, his eyes still upon the empty platform in front of him.

The two guards were both stunned and angered by the official's response. Fueled by their offense they ignorantly stomped closer to the uninterested official.

The Unimon growled in frustration as the Goatmon spoke. "How dare you!" he barked in rage.

"Goatmon! Unimon! Stand down!" a soft and somewhat mechanical voice shouted from behind the guards, turning both of the guard's and the official's attention behind them.

Both Goatmon and Unimon backed away from the official once they registered who had arrived upon the platform.

The small Digimon looked frustrated and embarrassed with his two subordinates. With authority he wobbled upon his four stubby legs over to the two guilty guards.

"Such behavior towards an official is unacceptable." he panted in irritation. "You are both relieved from duty for the rest of the day."

The bulky blue Digimon continued to rebuke his two guards, only now his voice was low, making it impossible for the official to hear what was being said.

The two guards hung their heads in shame before their superior dismissed them. After the Unimon and Goatmon had disappeared down the elevator, the commanding Digimon wobbled over to where the official stood.

After taking a few short breathes the Digimon spoke. "I apologize Sorcermon for the behavior of my digimon." the hedgehog like Digimon greeted friendly before continuing. "My name is Togemogumon, and I am the commander of this platform." he explained with a smile.

To Sorcermon's surprise the Togemogumon was friendly and casual, but this did not bother him. What disturbed him was the fact that he could not sense anything from the hedgehog Digimon. Obviously Azulongmon had given a great deal of thought towards who should command the platform. Choosing a Digimon immune to telepathy was simply another sign of the digi-god's distrust.

Togemogumon waited silently for Sorcermon's response to his words, but soon it became quiet evident that the wizard had no intentions of replying.

"I know they were way out of line, but they're not bad Digimon. Just a little arrogant and rebellious that's all. You can expect that from the youth." the virus Digimon continued with his idle chitchat hoping to ease some of the tension upon the platform.

Sorcermon, who despised useless conversation, especially with strangers finally decided to answer. "Why are you here commander?" he questioned without looking at the one he spoke to.

Togemogumon sighed in defeat then answered. "Well Lord Yamato was expected here sometime ago, so I was sent up here to make certain that everything was all right." he replied calmly.

"You mean you were sent up here to make certain that we were not planning some kind of treachery." the wizard Digimon stated, finding the commander's courteous behavior somewhat annoying.

"No that's not it at all," the blue Digimon tried to explain, but was cut off by the official.

"You do not have to wait much longer," Sorcermon stated, smiling behind his collar. "He's here."

At these words both the official and the commander looked up, their eyes falling upon the approaching silhouette of a carriage been drawn in the sky by six great dragons.

Whispers, some of fright and others of resentment, arose between the Eastern guards. The guard's agitation with the inimical Lord only seemed to grow as his black carriage was seen among the shadows in the sky. The Devidramon pulling the carriage flapped their gristly wings, fighting against the violent wind, which attempted to toss them down to the ground below.

As the carriage approached the shadows lifted and the awaiting guards could see the glowing red eyes of the demon dragons. Many of them stumbled back in dread, while others gawked in awe. It is impossible to describe the mere effect the approach of the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers can cause. It is as though the elements themselves, take notice of his coming. While the wind would normally not be bothered by the arrival of a leader, the approaching carriage seemed to shatter its composure. Without warning it spilled over the heavens tossing the clouds about so that the looming storm seemed to rise in the sky, clearing the path for the dragon drawn carriage.

Sorcermon smiled as the Kuzuhamon rose the reigns and brought them back down, signaling to the Devidramon to make their descent onto the platform. The Devidramon obeyed the command and circled downward. With the wind having forced the storm higher into the sky it was far easier for the dragons to maneuver, making their landing smooth and fluent.

The carriage circled down until the Devidramon brought it onto the platform. After the six dragons touched the platform with their hind legs, Kuzuhamon pulled the reins bringing the demons to a halt.

Once the carriage had stopped upon the platform, Sorcermon approached the side door. Apprehension had spread through the Eastern guards, however, the few Southern guards were completely relaxed. Most of the Southern guards felt just as Sorcermon did, that it was not just their Lord who had arrived but also their friend.

Togemogumon wobbled up behind Sorcermon, waiting to give the young Lord his official welcome to the East. One of the Kuzuhamon acknowledged the General and the Commander with a quick nod before gracefully jumping from her seat on the carriage to the platform. She then walked to the carriage door and opened it.

At first no sign came from the inside of the carriage, and none could see in it due to the darkness. The Eastern guards began to fidget as the waiting troubled them, and many of them nearly cried out in sudden fright as a black gloved hand emerged from the shadows within the carriage and placed itself upon the silver bar on the outside. The gloved hand gripped the silver bar as a cloaked figure emerged from the darkness and stepped onto the platform.

The elements responded again as booming thunder crashed above signaling that the Lord of The nightmare Soldiers had come to the East.

"You're late. I was beginning to worry."



Sorcermon spoke to his Lord telepathically, not wishing to share his concern with the Eastern guards.

"I'm sorry. The storm is worse during the day ,and the Devidramon had some difficulties making it through."



Yamato apologized as a small smile appeared on his hidden face. He had truly begun to miss his Political Advisory. As the conflict between the East and the South rose, Sorcermon became absent more and more. His duties called him away from his home and to the cold borders of the East, and it had been months since Yamato had spoken directly to the wizard.

"We should not linger out here. There is too much to do before tonight."



Sorcermon reminded the young Lord.

Yamato nodded in agreement before waving a dismissing hand to the Kuzuhamon.

Togemogumon had yet to speak. He had respectfully been awaiting his opening, believing it was important for the official to greet his Lord before he spoke. But none of the Nightmare Soldiers spoke, and it was not until the cloaked figure of the young Lord nodded that the blue Digimon realized that they were all communicating telepathically. With Sorcermon, who was arguably the most powerful wizard Digimon alive, it was quite easy for the non-telepathic Digimon present to speak without words.

"Welcome Lord Yamato Ishida," the hedgehog Digimon greeted friendly but respectfully. "I am Togemogumon, commander of this platform, and may I be the first to say, welcome to the East."

Yamato looked at the short blue Digimon closely, then nodded in response. He was no telepath, but he did consider himself a good judge of character and he could tell that this Digimon did not harbor the resentment, which was common in most Eastern Digimon.

Togemogumon concluded that the nod was the most courteous response he was going to receive so he proceeded to continue with his orders. "I am to look after your coach." he explained, "Do the uh… dragons need to be tied down? And what time do they need food and water."

"They don't." a smooth, mysterious voice replied.

At this Togemogumon turned his large frame a bit so that he could look at the one who just spoke. The owner of the voice was the Kuzuhamon who had driven.

"I beg your pardon?" the Togemogumon questioned politely, not certain of what the sorceress Digimon meant.

"They don't need food or water, and they don't need to be tied down." the armored Digimon explained as she walked past the commander and took her place next to the other Kuzuhamon.

"So what should I do with them?" the blue hedgehog questioned, wishing to perform his duties correctly.

Yamato glanced at the Togemogumon from underneath his cloak before raising his right hand and snapping his fingers.

The Devidramon instantly responded to the command, by moving into sitting position. Then their eerie red eyes began to glow with a hellish flame before stone spread from the red orbs and encompassed their bodies, turning them into statues. Once the stone had covered their bodies the glow in their eyes vanished and they went to sleep.

Togemogumon looked on in both shock and amazement, he had heard of the magnificent wizardry of the South, but he had never seen it before. Such a sight was awe inspiring, and he felt a sudden respect for the Nightmare Soldier's abilities.

Without further conversing Sorcermon led Yamato to the elevator on the side of the square metal platform. The platform was built on top of a towering spiral, which shot into the sky from one of the Eastern palaces below. If you could not fly then the only way to get to the top of the platform was by the large glass elevator on the side.

Sorcermon entered the elevator followed by Yamato, and then the two Kuzuhamon along with the rest of the Nightmare soldiers on the platform. After the glass doors shut and the elevator began its decent Yamato spoke.

"Well something tells me that this is going to be a pretty eventful trip." he stated with a chuckle, earning him an agreeing laugh from Sorcermon and smiles from the rest of the Nightmare Soldier.

The darkness seemed to descend upon the courtyard. The flames burning in iron bowls flickered as they fought against the shadow's companion, the wind. The wind was like death breathing upon you while the darkness seemed to be the shadows that follow death. It was a surreal feeling, standing admits the darkness with the bitter wind lashing at your skin and the roaring thunder pounding in your ears, but the three waiting in the courtyard ignored the eerie sensation that washed over them from the prolong exposure to the aberrant storm.

The flames in the iron bowls hanging from thick iron chains continued to dance in the wind, while the darkness caressed the beings present, mocking their weakness. Three of the most powerful creatures in that world and they could do nothing to change their condition. The storm gloated in front of them and all they could do was look on in dread.

Another crash of thunder forced a tedious groan from one head. A second head rolled its brown eyes in annoyance, while a third head gritted its teeth in fright.

"I do not mind the darkness, and I can withstand the wind, but this noise is beginning to get to me." the sound of an elder voice rose above the clamor as the first head expressed his distaste for the thunder.

The two other heads nodded in agreement as one set of eyes looked towards the sky and a second set of eyes looked to its right.

"I find the darkness troubling. The sun powers many of the factories in my region, without it we've been forced to work on reserves. I don't know how much longer The West can withstands these conditions."

This time it was a deep booming voice, which spoke. A weaver of dread spread through this mighty voice as it uttered its concerns.

The thunder crashed again as if to further mock the three helpless beings below. The gale hissed venomously at the great creatures daring them to attempt to stop it. But there was nothing the mythical beings could do. The great storm was beyond them and at the moment it was not their greatest concern.

"It definitely has appeared at the worse time." the last of the three creatures voiced his own worries.

All of the three heads belonging to the first being turned so that they could look upon the creature floating in the sky. "Then you are still convinced that it was not Lord Yamato who sent this storm?" the second head, which seemed annoyed by the storm questioned curiously.

"Reason alone would have me come to such a conclusion." the creature floating in the sky answered honestly.

The second creature, a great tiger with glistening white fur and steal colored strips, spoke "You doubt that young Yamato would have the power to spread such a force over the world." the animal Digimon concluded understanding his companion's logic but doubting its probability.

"Baihumon," the third creature addressed his friend with patients, "Yamato has grown considerably throughout these last three years, however, he is still only a child. I think you give him too much credit to consider him strong enough to conjure such a menace." the mystical creature explained as his long white beard was tossed around in the wind.

Baihumon sighed not wishing to turn the discussion into an argument, but still desiring to prove his point. "Azulongmon, I wish with all my heart to discredit this storm to the boy, however, the evidence we have acquired is making my wish obsolete."

Azulongmon nodded, knowing the evidence of which his companion was referring to. The storm's digi-codes and power were identical to that of the Dark Ocean. After Deamon was destroyed the South reaped the spoils of war and claimed full control over the neighboring dimension. Now all of the Dark Ocean's power and resources were at the Nightmare Soldier's disposal. For this reason many people found it logical to charge the South for the presence of the storm, however, the digi-god of the East still remained optimistic. He truly did not wish to blame the South, but the evidence against them was great.

"My friend, I do not deny the evidence, however, I will also not deny that even facts can be misleading. Yamato has pushed me to my limits with his arrogance and his lack of responsibility, but he is still a Digidestined. A chosen guardian of this world. He fought and suffered for this world, I do not think we should forget that. I wish to approach him in these arguments not simply as the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers, but also as the Digidestined of Friendship. Only by seeing him for all that he is can we truly decide if he is capable of this evil." Azulongmon explained his intensions earning him agreeing nods from his two companions.

"There is also something else to consider." the last of the great beings, a turtle with three heads and great trees growing upon his shell, spoke earning him the attention of his companions. "Before the presents of this storm we were already considering war against the South. We must not let this phenomenon be the defining factor in our negotiations. Since we can not truly prove or disprove that this storm is the work of the South then we must make our decision based on the undeniable facts we do have." the third head of the nature spirit Digimon explained reasonably.

"Xuanwumon, your mind is as sharp as ever." Baihumon exclaimed with a smile. "We have to be reasonable about this. We can't let our emotions govern our decision. Obviously none of us want a war, but I think we can all agree that none of us want a repeat of Piedmon's legacy."

"Then we have agreed. We will not rashly charge Yamato with allegations about this storm." Xuanwumon's first head stated before his third head added, "But we will not be the only ones standing against the boy. Do not forget that lesser rulers will also be there, and they do not have the patients we do. Many of them do not care about preserving peace. Their hatred for the Nightmare Soldiers have long since built up, and I do not doubt that many of them will demand war." at this point the second head spoke, "And we can not deny them their request. If enough of the people want war then we will have no choice but to comply."

"And there is another thing to consider," Baihumon began after the digi-god of the North had finished stating his concerns. "Just because we are attempting to avoid war, it does not mean that Yamato is. He has already expressed hostile intentions against you, Azulongmon, I do not doubt that he sees war as inevitable now."

Azulongmon remained quiet at first. His companion was correct, tension between the East and the South existed long before the storm spread across the heavens. The possibility of a war, at least between the East and the South seemed likely if not certain.

"Perhaps," Azulongmon admitted, knowing that if a war did break out it would be partially his fault. "Perhaps war is but a few hours away, but for now I wish to live in this moment, where hope still remains. For now let us end these talks of war and enjoy these last moments, before our world is forever changed."

The grief within the great dragon's voice was very evident to his two dear friends. They alone knew how painful this time had been for the mega Digimon. He did not want a war, but he had a responsibility to the Digital World to withhold. He was the eldest of the digi-gods, and the general good for all the regions came before his personal desires.

"We will leave you to your thoughts Azulongmon. I suppose we could all use come solitude during these final hours." Baihumon announced before he turned and began walking toward the great pearl doors, which led from Azulongmon's court to the open hall in the sky.

Xuanwumon's three heads offered the dragon smiles of sympathy before the turtle Digimon too turned and headed to the pearl doors.

Azulongmon watched his two kindred leave. As the great doors such his mind began to wander to Zhuqiaomon. The youngest of his kindred had long since broken ties to his brothers. The great phoenix Digimon preferred his solitude deep within the fiery volcano in Forbidden Valley.

A part of the mega dragon hated his youngest brother for involving the Digi-Core in the affairs of the world, but he also understood why he did it. None of the digi-gods were more like minded to the Digi-Core than Zhuqiaomon. He saw his region, filled with chaos and animosity. He saw no hope for the savage creature there and so he eliminated them. His hope was for a new race, one untainted by the evils of the previous race. It seemed that this ideal for a world of order past down to the Nightmare Soldiers. None could deny the South's efficiency.

Azulongmon, the eldest of the digi-gods, was the least like the Digi-Core. He felt that gradual reform was the way to a higher race, not eliminating those who he felt were inferior. A Digimon who had witnessed first hand, how damaging the idea of selective existence could be taught him many of his philosophies.

It was understandable that the Digi-Core would have these philosophies. The Digital Entities were forced to watch as Digimon, a lowlier race than their own, tore the world apart with war and greed. It seemed as though all were fighting for the greater good of the world, but which ideal would survive had yet to be decided. To Azulongmon it was somewhat ironic that the decision would be made by a human of barely eighteen years. It seemed odd that it would be a human, who could never find his place in his own world, that would decided the fate of the Digital World.

"Only a few more hours now." Azulongmon whispered as he began to prepare himself for the struggle ahead.

The light gleamed from the oil lamps, illuminating the large room in the many colors of the glass shades. The spectrum of light reflected off of the polished white opal floor, causing the bare floor to resemble a kaleidoscope. The chromatic show hit the walls begging them to join in the spectacle; however, the walls were unable to comply. Each wall was pieced off and painted a different color. One wall was covered in squares of indigo, olive, and bright red, which were divided by deep brown trim. On another wall there was bright orange, pale blue, and forest green with all of the colors divided by the same wooden trim. The other two walls followed in suit with gray, violet, and bright pink and then cream, turquoise, and navy. So when the vibrant light hit the painted walls only selected colors could survive. The colors that were not upon the walls drowned within the paint while the others were sent back into the room brighter than before.

The furniture was placed precisely in the room, with a large desk in the back, a couch in the center, and two chairs opposite of the couch. Paintings of angels in beautiful gardens were set upon the colorful walls, but to the surprise of all who entered the room the paintings were in black and white. They were the only articles in the room not alive with color. Potted plants, with bright lime green leaves and vines and deep purple flowers, hung from the corners of the room. The entire room seemed a bit collective, but it was large and spacious which gave some comfort to the two currently occupying it.

The room was set in a closed off wing of the large palace, very few were allowed to enter the wing for fear of confrontation. There were no windows for this specific room, which was placed in the center of the wing. Three maroon doors made up the entrances and exits to the room. The doors on the western wall and eastern wall both led to bedchambers, while the door on the northern wall led into a hall. The wing was completely isolated from the rest of the palace, segregating the guest from the rest of the palace.

Most would have found such segregation insulting, but for the two in the room the separation was both expected and appreciated. Neither of them had any desire to mingle with the other guest in the palace, so their isolated quarters became a welcome sanctuary from the outside world.

The first occupant of the room sat at the large desk in the back. The desk was clear and appeared to be made of some sort of plastic. Various papers and documents were stacked neatly upon the desk while a large book lay open for the creature at the desk to read.

He read each page carefully before slowly flipping the page; only occasionally did he look up from his book to scan over the colorful room to make certain that the second occupant was still there. After he was certain that his silent companion was still resting upon the couch he would turn back to his book and contain studding the pages closely.

This went on for some time until at last the first occupant of the room grew so concerned for his companion that he abounded his reading and kept his gaze fixed upon his friend. The second occupant of the room had not moved in hours. He was sprawled out upon the white couch with one arm spread across his head and over his eyes. The sight was certainly not a consoling one for the creature at the desk. His companion appeared completely drained and dejected. He covered his face as if to block out the world and the many tribulations conflicting him.

"There is a bed in the chamber if you'd like a more comfortable place to rest." the creature at the desk commented softly, wishing to end the unsettling silence, which had fallen upon the room.

His companion stirred and then removed his arm from its former place. Golden locks slipped into his face as he pushed himself up and sat upon the couch.

"No, I'm fine." he replied, dismissing the offer politely. "I'm sorry I'm not better company Sorcermon." he apologized earning him a concerned frown from the wizard at the desk.

"I shouldn't have disturbed you. I'm sure you're tired." the champion stated as if to say that no apology was needed.

The young man shook his head "no", allowing more blonde locks to slip over his crystal eyes. "So what are you reading?" he questioned, finally realizing that he needed to shake off his daydreams and return to reality.

"The Sillmarilian." Sorcermon answered with a sheepish smile.

The blonde on the couch burst out laughing at the wizard's response. "Sorcermon for the last time, Tolkien's writing is just fiction." he chuckled out in amusement.

The wizard Digimon crossed his arms over his chest in defiance. "How do you know? It could have happened in another dimension. Haven't you ever considered the possibility that there's a dimension where Digimon is nothing but a fictitious story?"

At this the teen stopped laughing and looked at his companion thoughtfully. "I never thought about it that way," he commented almost frightened by the possibility that there was a reality where Digimon didn't exist, "that begs the question, is a world without Digimon a world worth living in at all?"

Sorcermon shrugged his shoulders, "I guess we'll never know." he commented with the same dramatics as his companion. "But on a more serious note, Matt" he began but was cut off by a dramatic sigh.

"Oh don't say the word serious, everyone's too serious these days." he commented before flopping back upon the couch.

Sorcermon rolled his eyes in annoyance, however, his collar concealed the grateful smile, which spread across his face. 'At least he's cheered up a bit.' He was glad to see some mirth return to his oppressed Lord. Yamato had been plagued with worry ever since tension began to grow between the East and South. It had become a rare and wonderful thing to see him smile.

"If the digi-gods could only see you behave like this then there's no way they could label you a tyrant." the wizard mocked before pushing his chair away from the desk and standing.

"Tyrant?" the blonde repeated thoughtfully, "I haven't heard that one yet." he shrugged the insult off as he did all the others. He had grown use to these demeaning labels and had long since learned not to grow upset by them.

"This one didn't spread around until after the appearance of the storm. Crusadermon said that only a tyrant would shroud the world in darkness."

"I agree." Yamato responded as he sat up once more upon the couch and turned to look and Sorcermon who had moved to the center of the room and was now sitting in one of the chairs opposite of the couch. "But I'm sure the little pink devil said a lot more than that."

Crusadermon was one of the most popular propagandists against the South, and more specifically against Yamato. She led marches and protests against the Nightmare Soldiers, and even created an underground militia to combat the Southerners. None spoke out more freely against the South then the vaccine mega, and very few were as respected as she was. She had lead rebels against the first Nightmare Soldier threat. She stood against Piedmon and his massive armies with unwavering strength. She was a Digimon of the East, well educated and powerful. She showed unlimited support for the Digidestined, and considers Yamato a traitor for having accepted the role as Lord of The Nightmare Soldiers.

"Out of respect for your youth I will not repeat the things she said." Sorcermon explained earning him a glare from the blonde, "However I can assure you that she will be at the council and she will have her chance to speak out against you. You mustn't let her lead you into a trap. Your own words will be your worse enemy tonight. Remember it is not what you say, but how people interpret it that matters."

Yamato nodded taking his friend's advice in. He was grateful that he would not be forced to stand before the council alone. The fact that his dear and trusted wizard friend would be there gave him courage. But even enchantment could not charm his fears and doubts away.

"I think I'm going to go wash up. Maybe some cold water will help wake me up." the blonde explained as he rose from the couch and stretched.

Sorcermon nodded, knowing that he Lord needed sometime to think and process this new information about Crusadermon. "Good, while you're gone I can work on my thesis about the obvious proof that Middle Earth did exist."

Yamato looked at his wizard friend blankly then shook his head as if to say, "I give up".

"O..kay… well I'll be back later." the blonde stated slowly before turning around to leave. 'It's a good thing I didn't tell him about the movie.' he thought to himself before leaving the colorful room and the wizard behind.

"Azulongmon, Baihumon, Xuanwumon, Gennai, Crusadermon…" the list of names echoed down the empty hall, mingling with the sound of bare feet moving across marble floor.

"Azulongmon" one finger rose to represent the great dragon Digimon. "Baihumon" another finger represented the tiger Digimon. "Xuanwumon, Gennai, Crusadermon" three more finger rose in the place of the last three names. "That's five." the one reciting the names announced as he looked at his hand and the fingers representing the five names. "That's me against the world."

The hand sunk back to its owner's side after he wearily admitted his situation. He knew that he could sooner stop the sun from setting that he could convince these wise and mighty leaders that he was innocent of the charges that stood against him.

"Azulongmon, Baihumon, Xuanwumon, Gennai, Crusadermon…" he recited the names once more, hoping that by focusing on this simple list of names that he could prevent his tired mind from wandering unto unwanted subjects. Subjects of duty, love, and friendship, and what each of these meant to him. But his struggle was futile, ultimately he could not prevent the uninvited thoughts from surfacing.

'I wonder how TK and the others are doing. Do they even know what's going on here? I suppose not. If there was one thing that Azulongmon and I can agree on, it's that the Digidestined should remain out of these affairs. We both agreed that it was in their best interest to keep them in the dark about our quarrels. It's not like this is some kind of good verses evil situation. It's just two imperial powers fighting over principles and ideals. Needlessly endangering the others over something as pitiful as that would be selfish, not to mention reckless. They are the last defense this world has against true evil, their destiny exceeds this minor chapter in the Digital World.'

Crystal eyes narrowed upon the light pink floor. He hated thinking of the Digidestined as though he was no longer a part of them, but it had become a common thing. There was a time when he was named as one of the most powerful Digidestined alive, one of the very few able to command the strength of a mega level Digimon, but that time had long since past. He was no longer counted among the heroes of the world. All of his selfless deeds had been forgotten and the creatures of the world saw him as one thing, The Lord of The Nightmare Soldiers.

Bare feet once strolling effortlessly across the marble floor stopped once they reached the obstacle of a large deep red plastic door. The door was transparent, however, the steam from the other side prevented him from seeing into the room beyond. For a few seconds he simply stood there, staring blankly at the deep red door.

There were so many things he needed to figure out, so many worries passing through he mind. Though he would never admit it out loud, he was secretly terrified. He was terrified of the possible war, terrified of the possibility of loosing his brother and friends, terrified of the darkness in the sky, and terrified of the darkness within himself.

'What if I can't do this? What if I'm not strong enough?' he questioned desperately.

Though a part of him wanted an answer, he certainly did not expect one.

And what if the sky falls down on your head? So much to consider, wouldn't you agree?

Crystal eyes grew distant and fearful as lean muscles tensed in alarm.

"Just ignore it, just ignore it," he whispered to himself, hoping to use the same sort of tactic against the voice as he had against the unwelcome thoughts of his friends.

To his surprise and relief the evasive maneuver worked and the voice went silent, choosing to leave the youth to his misery.

With a dejected sigh the young man pushed the deep red plastic door open and was instantly greeted by a cloud of warm steam. For a moment he closed his eyes, allowing the cold behind him and the warmth before him to sooth some of his thoughts away. His muscles quickly relax, as the steam enticed him to enter the room with the promise of compassion upon his exhausted body. He was entranced by the alluring warmth and without thought he entered the sauna. The red door shut behind him as his hand no longer held it open, and he was left alone amongst the steam and his own thoughts.

He sat down upon the marble bench on the far side of the steam room. He had hoped for a nice cold shower to help make him more alert, but one of the Kuzuhamon had informed him that the Easterners only use steam rooms for bathing. It was the exact opposite of what he wanted, but he decided to take chance anyway.

With little resistance he allowed the heat and the steam to carry his mind to a number of unimportant things. He began to think about music and books and other topics that caused him no grief. It was not long before his energy was drained and his mind slipped slowly into blissful darkness.

Colorful light continued to dance around him, but he had learned to ignore it. This prismatic room had been his home for several months now, and the unsightly colors no longer gave him a headache.

Even if he were still unnerved by the flickering colors he would not have noticed them at the time. At the moment his full focus was upon the book and the neatly stacked papers in front of him.

Scribbled upon one paper in large black letters were the words: "Plausible Theories of The Existence of Middle Earth". Below these words was a list of theories written neatly in an outline form.

Gentle ice colored eyes looked proudly at their owners work before nimble fingers began flipping through the papers on the desk.

With all the stress he had been under over the past few months it was relieving to distract himself with less stressful research. He could have sat there working on his thesis until the sun had set, but for some reason he found himself suddenly unable to focus on his work.

He couldn't explain what he was feeling. He was a wizard not a prophet. Such forlorn feelings were alien to him, and he could not deny the desire to simply push the feelings aside and continue with his pleasurable activities. But no matter how hard he tried to ignore the premonition it simply would not go away.

Finally the omen grew unbearable and a sense of unexplainable dread washed over him. He knew now that he could not simply ignore this feeling, so with determination he rose from his seat and headed towards the exit of the colorful room.

He was a rational creature so he would not jump to any conclusions; however there was no harm in making certain that his fellow Nightmare Soldiers and especially his Lord were all right.

He was lost in a sea of thoughtless darkness. His departure from the waking world was so subtle and unexpected that he had not realized it had happened at all.

It was not until he was awoken that he realized he had fallen asleep.

Without warning a blow connected with the left side of his rib cage. The force of the blow shoved him against the marble wall, which shot pain into his shoulder blades and back.

Instantly his eyes shot open as the blow jolted him awake. Dizziness greeted him, and he found his vision blurred by both the steam and his spinning head.

"Who's there?" he demanded as his right hand protectively moved to his now bruised ribs.

No reply came.

The steam continued to cloud his vision, however, the dizziness had past allowing him to rise to his feet without complications. He tried to tune in his senses to locate his attacker, but the steam had relaxed both his body and mind to the point where he could not focus.

He went to take a step forward, but before he could another attack came. This time the attack was red energy in the shape of a heart and it slammed into his right side forcing him to the ground.

Dizziness returned as the spell of the steam continued to work against him. It was then that he realized that the steam was in some way enchanted, and its effects upon him were specifically design to target his weaknesses as a human.

He gritted his teeth as the pain from the previous blow settle in. the wind had been knocked out of him and he was finding it difficult to catch his breath in the steam filled sauna.

As he sat panting on the floor, desperately trying to regain control over his senses a light giggle cut through his jumbled thoughts, giving him something to focus on.

He looked up trying to catch a glimpse of his attacker, but he could distinguish nothing admits the steam. All he had to focus on was the gleeful giggling, which seemed to be getting closer. With a defiant grunt he raised his right hand and sent out sphere of azure energy.

The energy shot through the steam clearing a path in the cloud for a brief second before the steam closed in on the open air again. The energy was sent in the direction of the voice, but through the path he could clearly see that it missed its target, slamming into the marble wall instead.

Chunks of debris and dust fell to the once spotless sauna floor, and the voice giggled even louder, mixing with the sound of the crash.

"You'll have to do better than that, Yamato." the voice chirped smugly.

Yamato blinked in surprise at the sound of the voice. Much like the giggling it was gentle and sweet, sounding more like the cooing of a baby than the ramblings of a killer.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" the young Lord question as he crouched upon his knees. He couldn't see his attacker, but he was certain that his attacker could see him. So he felt it more strategic to remain as small of a target as possible.

"Does it really matter who I am?" the voice pouted before another shot of red, heart shaped energy came hurling towards the teen.

This time Yamato saw the approaching attack and avoided it by rolling out of the way.

His maneuver obviously did not impress the attacker. "And what I want should be pretty obvious by now." the voice taunted.

"Yeah I think I've caught on." the blonde hissed as he scanned his surroundings, still unable to locate the source of the voice.

"A little on the slow side huh." the sweet voice commented before another heart shaped attack was released.

Again Yamato saw this attack and was able to escape it by remaining low and somersaulting out of the way. He wanted to counter attack, but at the moment he wasn't certain if he had the energy. The enchanted steam was certainly serving its purpose as he found himself completely tired and unable to focus. Just sending out that small sphere of energy had taken all of the strength and will power he had.

"I'm impressed, but…" the voice chimed, "You still don't stand a chance."

Yamato was about to snap back with some sly insult, but was quickly stopped by a new dilemma. The heat in the room was rising and he suddenly felt as though he could not breathe. He choked upon the steam and his skin felt as though it were on fire.

"Bring on the heat!" the voice chirped and then giggled as the young Lord fell back to the marble floor where he lay helpless and struggling to breathe.

He walked leisurely through the hall. For some reason the urgency he felt within the colored room had dissipated, and he almost felt foolish for responding to a feeling in the first place. He had checked in with the Flawizardmon, who were his personal guards, and they had informed him that everything had been quiet. He spoke with Apemon and Tapirmon, who were also political officials for the South, and they too had nothing to report.

So now he was walking steadily down the hall looking for the Kuzuhamon, who were Yamato's guards. Thus far he had been unable to locate the mega sorceresses, but he did not find this alarming. They were Digimon of stealth and they did not know he was looking for them. At first he had intended to search the rooms for the megas, but he was quickly growing bored with the search. His desire to return to his thesis was slowly growing, forcing him to use another method to locate the fox Digimon.

"Kuzuhamon."

The wizard sent out a telepathic message, expecting the guards to simply materialize before him as they always did.

"Kuzuhamon report."

He tried again. Now the urgency was returning. It was not like the efficient megas to ignore a command.

"Kuzuhamon."

Still no reply.

In desperation the wizard extended his thoughts, seeking out the guards through mysticism. The Kuzuhamon were sorceress Digimon, it would be easy for this fellow sorcerer to locate their magical signatures.

Quickly his thoughts flowed from room to room seeking out the absent guards. The small sense of urgency he had felt earlier was quickly growing as each room proved to be empty. Just as he was about to give up and go scrambling about the wing in search of his Lord, his thoughts located the Kuzuhamon. They were unconscious and in a room further down the hall. A room he had yet to check.

Without further thought the wizard dashed towards the room. He was now beyond panic. Fright now dominated his reasoning, clouding all rational thought. If he had been thinking clearly then he would have probably sought his Lord first, but for some reason his mind was almost forcefully directed towards the guards, and his body willing reacted to the command to seek them out first.

He was now standing before the door, which led to the room where the Kuzuhamon were. Without pausing he slammed the door open and flew inside the room.

The room was dim and for a moment his vision was blurred as his eyes adjusted from the bright hall to their new, darker surroundings. Once his vision was clear he scanned over the room.

The dim light was enough to see by, and he was able to make out every article in the room. At first nothing seemed amidst until his eyes landed upon the reason for his earlier mad race, the Kuzuhamon. He gasped involuntarily as his alarm filled eyes rested upon the two fox Digimon.

The two guards were chained tightly to the wall by glowing purple rings. Their heads hung low and their bodies trembled as the purple chains were slowly draining their energy.

In the midst of urgency only one thought crossed the wizard's mind, he had to free his friends from the restraints. Taking a deep breath he dashed over to where they were latched to the wall, but before he could reach them a shield of violet energy rose around them.

He crashed into the barrier and was then thrown back. A yelp of pain and surprise escaped his lips as he was thrown into the air before landing painfully upon the plastic, blue table the center of the room.

"Pit Bomb!" a loud cry rang through the room before a blast of pink energy was sent flying into the wizard's chest.

The force of the blow snapped the plastic table in half and threw the champion Digimon onto the opal floor below.

The wizard moaned in pain before slowly opening his eyes. Once his eyes opened he caught sight of a small pink ball with white wings spinning in the air.

The ball continued to spin until the sorcerer began to stir. Once the champion Digimon was back upon his feet the ball came to a stop, allowing the champion to get a better look at it.

"A Piximon" the Sorcermon exclaimed in surprise.

"I would take a good look, yup." the Piximon expressed, his voice animated and pitchy. "I'm gonna be the last Digimon ya ever see. Yup."

'This was all a distraction, which means Matt is in trouble.' suddenly the situation seemed far worse than it had moments ago. His Lord was in danger and there was no way to help him.

The wizard's first instinct was to focus his magic so that he might teleport out of the room and away from the attacker, however, he quickly decided against this option as he remembered an important fact, he was no longer in his home land. In the South his magic had fewer limitations, but in the East magical barriers were placed systematically within the region. The barriers were used to monitor magical activity and to prevent an upset in the balance of magic. If he were to use a teleport spell then his powers would be instantly drained, leaving him useless. He needed to preserve as much energy as possible so that he might combat the assassin sent to prey upon his Lord.

'Hang on Matt. I'll be there as soon as I can, but first I must eliminate this nuisance.' Sorcermon suddenly wished that WereGarurumon or Renamon were there, instead of himself. The two animal Digimon were warriors, he on the other hand, was a diplomat. He had spent more time enhancing his magical abilities than he had his natural fighting skills, and this made him vulnerable in the battle he was about to participate in.

"Ya not much of a talker, nope, not at all." Piximon rambled with a smile; his large dark brown eyes seemed to glow with mischief as he glared at the wizard below him.

Sorcermon shot his head up; his eyes froze over with disgust as he looked upon the ultimate Digimon. His anger was slowly consuming his thoughts, changing his hate from a tiny brush fire to a raging wild fire of animosity.

"What sort of coward attacks an ambassadors here on a mission for peace?" the Sorcermon demanded as he rose to his feet, clutching his staff tightly.

The Piximon's short bulky arms wrapped around his lower body as he laughed in mockery. "Mission of peace?" he questioned still laughing, "Ya call attacking innocent villages, cutting off valuable life saving imports, and blacking the sky with evil alchemy missions of peace? Y'all are just out to make others suffer, yup."

"That's not true!" Sorcermon urged, wishing to avoid any further conflict if it was possible.

"Don't lie!" the Piximon shouted in rage, suddenly his mocking was over and his glistening eyes turned to endless pools of revulsion.

Without further insult the pixie Digimon dove towards Sorcermon with his primitive spear aimed at the wizard's heart.

Sorcermon's eyes widen in alarm as the ultimate Digimon's amazing speed caught him by surprise. The sharp point of the spear grew closer, but it was not until the tip of the spear caught a glimmer of light, sending the light into the wizard's eyes that Sorcermon regain control and dove to the side, avoiding the attack.

Sorcermon felt the air spilt next to his shoulder as the spear barely missed his body and connected with the floor. The wizard avoided being impaled, however, the spear did mange to rip through his cape, pinning it to the floor.

Piximon shot his gaze in the direction of his opponent as the Sorcermon tugged on his cape, ripping it free from the spear. The pixie grunted in frustration at having missed his target. With a loud cry the pink Digimon swung his spear around with the intent of sending the spikes on the side into his adversary's skull.

Sorcermon rose back to his feet and brought up his staff just in time to block the deadly blow. A screech echoed through the room as the pixie's spear met the wizard's staff. The jolt from the collision seemed to vein out into the room sending misdirected magic at the bright colored walls, causing them to vibrate from the paranormal force.

The two enemies gripped their weapons tightly as they both tried to force the other to stumble back. After a moment in became evident that neither were more physically powerful than the other so Sorcermon decided to end the show of strength. With a defiant cry he pulled back and flew into the air.

Piximon sneered and followed the sorcerer's lead. He floated into the air then charged at his adversary once more.

This time Sorcermon brought up his staff and met the attack head on. Another jolt of enchanted energy spread through the room causing the walls to shake once more.

After stopping the pixie's attack Sorcermon pulled back then brought his staff up, wishing to bring the curved tip of the crescent moon down upon the other Digimon's head.

Piximon saw the coming attack and raised his spear over his head, blocking the attack before shoving the staff back down. He then twirled his spear around three times and swung it at Sorcermon's left side.

Sorcermon rotated his staff and brought it up to block the attack, he then yanked his staff up pulling the pear with it.

Piximon pulled back, freeing his spear from Sorcermon's staff then jabbed at the wizard, aiming for his rib cage.

Sorcermon dodged the spear and brought his staff around connecting it with the spear.

For nearly fifteen minutes the two opponents remained in the air exchanging blows with their weapons. The two were equally match, that was until Piximon pulled his spear back and sent his Magical Tail flying straight for Sorcermon's shoulder.

The attack hit the wizard, sending lancination through his right side and forcing him to fall to the ground.

Whimpering the sorcerer raised his left hand to his right shoulder, wishing to sooth some of the sharp and sudden pain.

Piximon laughed as he descended upon his injured adversary.

"Don't ya worry about missing your Lord." the pink Digimon mocked with his pitchy voice, "Ya'll see each other again real soon, yup." he mocked before brining his free hand up and shouting "Pit Bomb!"

Sorcermon gritted his teeth in aggravation. His entire right side felt as though it were freezing and yet the sharp pain would not numb. It felt as though a blizzard of sleet was blowing within him, and there was nothing he could do but weather it.

As the Pit Bomb, Piximon's most powerful attack drew closer; panic began to spread through the sorcerer's mind. He simply could not allow it to end like this. There was too much at stake to give in now, and so with determination he raised his shaky left arm and concentrated all his energy into one final defense.

Suddenly a white light engulfed his gloved hand. Like the halo of an angel calls out to those lost in the dark, so did this spell reach into the captured minds of his Lord's guards. The white light pierced the numbness of their minds like the first rays of dawn pierces the haze, which settles upon the earth at night. Suddenly the clouds were dried away and the Kuzuhamon awoke.

The mighty guard's eyes snapped open as the powers of a wizard recalled them to life. Instantly they knew what to do, and with determination they fought against their restraints, breaking the spell of the purple chains. As they yanked the chains away the purple rings scattered upon the opal floor before evaporating into a black mist.

Sorcermon remained conscious just long enough to see his spell full filled then the weariness from the battle and the magical barriers took its toll and he fell into the emptiness of unconsciousness.

Piximon sneered not realizing the meaning behind the wizard's spell. His attack was now upon the crumpled ambassador and soon it would all be over.

But in a flash the pixie's confidence shattered as a purple figure dashed past him and went towards the sorcerer.

"No!" Piximon screamed in rage as he watched his attack hit a bare floor.

One of the Kuzuhamon had flown past him and collected her superior before teleporting out of the wa,y causing the attack to miss its intended target entirely.

With a grunt Piximon turned around in search of the freed sorceress Digimon. His large eyes burned with hate as they landed upon three figures, the two Kuzuhamon, standing with their golden staffs gripped tightly in their hands, and Sorcermon in the middle both alive and awake.

"Not possible!" the pixie Digimon shouted in disbelief, "Not possible at all!"

He could not begin to understand how his entire mission had fallen apart so easily, but to the three enchanters standing against him the cause of his defeat quiet apparent.

Sorcermon used up the remainder of his energy to break the spell upon the Kuzuhamon, allowing them to free themselves. Kuzuhamon, much like their lower form Renamon, have the natural ability to dematerialize and rematerialize, allowing one of them to quickly and efficiently rescue their superior from their adversary's approaching attack. Wizard type Digimon naturally heal quicker than other Digimon, and if it took less than a day for normal wizard types to heal from deadly wounds or drained energy then how much quicker would a General of the Nightmare Soldiers be able to heal. It took less than a few seconds for Sorcermon to recover from the magical barriers and Piximon's attack. Now all three of these mighty wizards stood against the lone Piximon, ready to eliminate the insolent creature for his cowardly attacks.

However no such desire was fulfilled. Sorcermon did not wish to destroy the assassin, as he held valuable information, which needed to be extracted before any sort of punishment could be made.

"Take care of him." the General ordered, earning him a nod from the second Kuzuhamon.

The fox Digimon raised her golden staff then swung it towards the floating pixie. Violet petals flew from the staff towards the ultimate Digimon before colliding with his skin.

Piximon screeched as the petals hit his skin and then soaked into him. The ultimate's body absorbed the magical petals. Instantly his eyes grew heavy and his breathing began to even out. Without further warning darkens washed over him and he fell to the stone floor below.

"Only a counter spell can wake him." the Kuzuhamon explained.

Sorcermon didn't wait for any further explanation on the spell; instead he turned and dashed towards the door.

"Our Lord is in danger we must find him!" the General shouted behind him before exiting the room.

It took less than a second for the Kuzuhamon to respond. Without further questioning they too ran out the door, concern for the Lord eliminating all interest in the tiny creature crumpled upon the floor.

The three enchanters would seek their answers later; at the moment only one thing mattered, locating their Lord.

It felt as though the air itself was collapsing on him. If the wind ever slipped into the crevasses of the earth, down into the abyss to meet with the flames of hell, then carried the heat of those flames upon its translucent wings back into the world then all would know the pain he felt at that moment. Each time he drew in a shuddering breath his body flinch as the heat burned his lungs and offered him little oxygen. His head was beginning to feel light and his vision was beginning to darken.

"Poor little Yamato, ya never catch a break do ya?" a soft voice declared, attempting to sound as malicious as possible.

Yamato panted and wheezed fighting to remain conscious despite the fact that blissful darkness was beckoning him to rest. He placed his shaking hands upon the slik wet floor. Pieces of sharp debris cut his flesh as his trembling arms struggled to push his upper body off of the floor. After a painful fight against his own weaknesses the blonde was able to return to his knees. Now he defiantly challenged the darkness and heat, which were playing with his flaws as a human.

'I have to remain conscious. Who knows what this crazed Digimon has planned. I can't give him the chance to walk out of here.'

The blonde continued to coach himself. He reminded himself that he had faced stronger opponents than this cowardly Digimon.

'There's no way I can let this Digimon win, he may go after Sorcermon and the other if I don't stop him now. I have to beat him!'

A new feeling rushed through him, quenching the fire and replacing it with a power far more destructive than any flame could ever be. The energy pulsed through him, renewing his strength and spreading to every limb of his body. Suddenly his weaknesses as a human no longer matter, the combined power of the Digidestined of Friendship and the Lord of The Nightmare Soldiers combated with his weaknesses, making his flaws trivial and his strength immeasurable.

Suddenly Yamato's head shot up. His eyes were as cold as ice, not even the intense heat of the sauna could melt them. The Crest of Friendship beamed on the left side of his bare chest, revealing the source of his strength both as a Digidestined and as a Lord, his friends.

"You fought off the spell all by yourself?" the voice stuttered in amazement.

"No," the cold, menacing voice of the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers sent a shiver down the attacker's spine, "Not by myself." he stated, not feeling the need to further explain the meaning of his words. He knew that his strength came from his friends and loved ones, but his opponent did not need to know that.

The blonde rose to his feet, his movements fluent and his body poised. Boredom blanketed his crystal eyes, making it seem as though the threat had vanished the moment his strength returned. Slowly he raised his right hand to his left side then he waved it back quickly.

Instantly his command was obeyed, and the air itself bent to his will. The steam rolled back, clearing the room of the heat and exposing the identity of his attacker.

"I like to look into the eyes of my opponents. I find it far easier to respect a direct attacker than cowards who hide in the shadows and prey off of unprepared victims." the blonde explained indifferently.

There was no reason to rush in for an attack. With the change in the battlefield so came a change in the battle itself.

"A victim?" the airy voice hissed in revulsion. "Is that what you think you are?"

"You attacked me while I was vulnerable without provocation," the blonde did not get a chance to finish as the other party interrupted him.

"Without provocation?" he exclaimed in a fury. "Your savage armies raided and destroyed my home. Many of my friends were brutally murder, and all of this without provocation."

The blonde looked his opponent over closely. This Digimon was small, incredibly small. He had a large round head with bright green eyes, two pink wings and a seal shaped body with a red heart in the center of his chest.

"Marineangemon," the blonde began, hoping that perhaps a battle could be avoided. Hoping that he could heal some of the mega Digimon's wounds. "I am sorry for your loss, but you have to understand, I have no control over the actions of rouge Digimon." he persisted, but still the pixie Digimon's eyes remained cold and hateful. "Just as Azulongmon has no control over what you are doing now. I would have stopped them if I could have."

Marineangemon growled in frustration then harshly replied, "Azulongmon is wise but his desire for peace clouds his reasoning. If he were thinking clearly then he would have ordered your race's destruction long ago. But that doesn't matter because I'm going to make certain you feel the pain that I feel now."

Before Yamato could reply a beam of bright read energy came flying towards him. Quickly he dogged the beam by diving to the right then he raised his right hand. Blue energy in the shape of a prism floated above his open palm. The energy then manipulated its form until it was in the shape of a cross. The blonde released the energy by pulling his hand back, sending the cross-shaped attack whirling toward the pink Digimon like a Chinese star.

Marineangemon fluttered up, avoiding the energy before releasing his Smiling Ocean attack.

Yamato gritted his teeth as a title wave of power came rushing towards him. In desperation he used the only defense he could think of. Summoning all of his strength he willed himself to push the boundaries of the Digital dimension by temporarily pulling himself out of it. Like a phantom he vanished right before Marineangemon, leaving the pixie Digimon startled and befuddled.

"Now who's the cowered!" the child like voice of Marineangemon demanded as his bright green eyes dashed nervously from one side to another.

No repose came, causing the mega Digimon to grow more anxious. His breathing began to quicken as fear gleamed in his eyes. Suddenly an eerie feeling began to wash over the pink Digimon. His instincts told him that his opponent had not left the room, but was still very near, watching him closely.

"Show yourself!" the pixie cried in panic.

Now the roles had been reversed. Yamato was in full control and Marineangemon was the victim. A part of the young Lord wished to take advantage of this situation. His darker side, the part of him which had slowly built up resentment towards the Easterns, the part of him which had been overwhelmed by the pain of loss, the part of him which loathed himself for choosing to become the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers, this part whished for nothing more than to release his anger and frustration upon the mega Digimon.

He attacked you first, and for no reason. You have a right to defend yourself.

'But there's no reason to destroy him.'

He tried to kill you. He threatened your friends. He's breaking the laws of his own liege. What more reason do you need? This is justice.

'He's only doing what anyone would, what I would have done in his place. He lost everything and now he wants to justify his loss. I cannot punish him for that. Have I not done the same thing time and time again?'

The argument went on as Yamato stalked his bewildered opponent. Slowly, just as wind and rain weathers stone, so was this voice breaking him down. He wanted to fight its reasoning. To argue against its logic, but the more he was tied to the alter, the more he suffered for the good of the Digital World, the harder it became to argue.

He's nothing but a rouge, an assassin. Acting outside of his own government. If you kill him it will be justice.

Yamato rematerialized behind the floating Digimon. Anger flashed in his eyes as he listened to the voice in his head.

Marineangemon was still scanning over the room, desperately trying to locate the teen. It wasn't until his instincts told him to look behind him that he was aware that the teen was no longer hiding. Quickly the mega spun around, ready to release an attack upon his adversary.

Yamato waited until the pink Digimon was fully facing him before he let go of his control and released his anger. Without warning the blonde brought back his arm then threw it forward slamming his fist into the mega Digimon's skull.

The blow came quicker than a serpent strikes passing feet. Marineangemon went flying into the sauna wall, crashing into the solid marble.

The sound of a small body breaking upon stone echoed through the room sending a shiver down the teen's spine. His eyes welled with tears as he watched the small frame of Marineangemon fall with a cloud of dust to the ground below.

Glossy white blood spilled upon the floor, flowing from the split flesh on the mega's back. The creature coughed and panted as more white blood streamed down his face from where Yamato's knuckles had hit.

Don't hesitate. This is what that monster deserves. He attacked you. He threatened your friends. Justice should be served.

The voice coaxed sweetly. Its very tone seemed to offer all of the answers, and yet Yamato could not stand the sound of it.

'This isn't justice, this is murder.' he argued on the verge of tears.

The blonde felt lost and confused. He was only defending himself, much like he had when he fought against Deamon's army, and yet it did not feel the same. These were not evil, savage Digimon, lusting for power. These were normal Digimon, fighting for what they believe is right. They were the same as him. How could he fight evil when there was no evil to be found?

The sounds of Marineangemon's panting drew the blonde's attention back to his fallen opponent.

The little Digimon lay broken and bleeding. His body had gone into trimmers and his breathing was labored and shaky.

The young Lord wanted to do something. He wanted to rush over there and help the Digimon who only moments ago he sought to destroy, but something stopped him. It was like his body would not obey his command. He stood frozen like a statue, watching as the mega Digimon took his final breaths.

The little Digimon took in one shattering breath before his bloodied body began to break apart.

Crystal tears streaked down Yamato's face as he watched Marineangemon's body reconfigure. In only one unchecked moment he allowed his anger to senselessly take another life. Suddenly he felt weak, his legs gave out beneath him and he fell to his knees. His body shook with grief as tears streamed down his face.

"This was only one life. One life… the first of many." his whispered as images of war flashed within his mind.

He did not want anyone else to suffer, and yet he knew that this pain was only the beginning.

The steam began to rise around him once more, blanketing him in its toxic obscurity. Protectively he wrapped his battered arms around his trembling body, trying to fight off the shadows returning to his mind.

Tiny pools of crimson began to sprinkle around him as his blood began to seep from his new wounds, spilling red on the marble floor. The droplets looked like bitter teardrops. His heart was broken once more, splattering the content within around him so as to further remind him of his pain.

His bones were breaking beneath the weight of the world. Too many fragile things were placed in his clumsy hands, and yet he did not complain, he only wondered why.

'Why did she choose me? What do I have that this world could possibly need? How can I save?'

The questions circled his mind like ominous thunderheads circle the earth before a storm. He felt lost within a future he could not prevent. A future where the heavens are lifeless and portentous, where the earth is salted and desolate, where the water is murky and toxic, where hope has vanished forever, this was the world he waited in now.

Suddenly the red plastic doors were roughly thrown open as a small figure, quickly followed by two larger figures, came running in.

Sorcermon stumbled to a halt then gasped as he saw the wreckage in the sauna and his Lord sitting numbly admits drops of blood.

"My Lord!" the wizard cried as he rushed to his friend's side before knelling next to him.

The young Lord did not stir.

Gently a gray-gloved hand rose to the teen's chin, lifting it slightly before slowly turning it.

"Matt," Sorcermon addressed softly, "can you hear me?"

At first the blonde did not respond. A part of him wished to remain lost amongst the shadows of his misery, but another part of him knew that he could not wallow in self pity forever. With all of his will he forced his head to nod yes, showing Sorcermon that he was listening.

Sorcermon smiled in relief before he spoke again. "Get rid of this steam. It is poisonous and it has a damaging effect upon him." he ordered without breaking eye contact with his friend. He had to keep the blonde focused on something familiar; he could not allow him to slip back into the shadows.

The Kuzuhamon nodded even though their superior could not see them, then they raised their golden staffs and swung them swiftly and in unison. White rose petals, glowing with halos of dim silver, materialized from the swing of the sorceress' staffs.

The petals rained upon the room, each growing larger as they absorbed the enchanted steam like sponges. Soon the air was clear and dry, allowing the three enchanters to have a full look at the damage upon the sauna and their Lord.

Yamato was bruised and bleeding, and his body shook from weakness.

"Matt," Sorcermon whispered, hoping the effects of the steam would wear off quickly.

Suddenly reason returned to the teen, causing him to pull away then lowered his head, breaking eye contact with his friend. He lifted a blood-streaked hand to his forehead as if he were fighting off a headache.

Sorcermon remained silent; his concern for his Lord was slowly growing as Yamato kept his eyes closed, breathing as though he could not catch his breath.

"I didn't expect them to be so good, that attack was perfectly planned. They know my weaknesses better than I had thought." the blonde whispered with his head still lowered and his eyes closed.

"Are you all right?" Sorcermon questioned, ignoring his friend's earlier comment.

Yamato nodded then looked up, his eyes clear once more. "Were you attacked as well?" he questioned suddenly.

"Yes, but we are all right." Sorcermon explained.

Yamato looked the wizard over closely before turning his gaze to his guards, wishing to see with his own eyes that none of his friends were hurt. Once he was certain they were well he looked back to the ground.

After a moment of silence the blonde stood, with the steam gone his strength had returned and his mind was cleared. "Some one is going to pay for this attack." the blonde announced sternly.

Sorcermon rose to his feet then nodded, agreeing with his Lord's threat.

"It seems we have more things to discuss before the council begins." the political advisory stated.

Yamato turned his attention to the second Kuzuhamon. "Find Gennai and tell him I wish to speak with him before the council starts." he ordered, a part of him was furious at having his emotions toyed with by the enchanted steam, but another part of him was shocked at what the steam had revealed to him. He never realized how truly uncertain and disturbed he was by his own actions.

'I cannot let my own fear be my downfall. We all, no mater how wise or powerful, know fear. But fear is only a weakness if we allow it to be. I will not let it be my weakness.'

"Let's go." Yamato announced before heading towards the sauna's door.

Sorcermon and Kuzuhamon waited until their Lord had past then they followed him out of the sauna and down the colorful hall.

Once the three Nightmare Soldiers were well down the hall and the red plastic door to the sauna was shut, a thick cloud of steam returned to the room.

Two giggling voices echoed through the sauna, one was soft and gentle and the other was pitchy and animated.

"If that doesn't push their buttons then nutin' will, yup." large brown eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Uh-huh, bring on the war." bright green eyes glistened with excitement as the thought of war flashed through their owner's mind. "Now poor little Yamato, time to make all our dreams come true."

The voices laughed in mockery before two different pink bodies vanished, leaving the suana wrecked and blood stained.

Blue light beamed from the lamps placed within the walls. Openings were carved into the white stone walls every three feet, and within each opening was a clear lamp with a blue flame burning upon the wick. The curlean light reflected off of the steal blue floor causing the ground to look like the night sky with bright stars glowing within it.

The white walls were high and ran into a cylinder ceiling. Painted upon the ceiling in soft shades of blue and white were paintings of various angel and holy beast type Digimon. All of the Digimon within the paintings seemed crowned in heavenly light and possessed eyes filled with wisdom and virtue. The fact that these vaccine Digimon were portrayed as righteous peace seekers nearly caused the beings below to become physically ill.

It seemed a mockery to them to be standing beneath such lies, for all Digimon no matter what their attribute were capable of wickedness.

"It has been some time now," a raspy voice announced softly, "Is this their way of gracefully refusing our request?"

It seemed a justifiable question. The group of Nightmare Soldiers had been waiting within beneath the cluster of angels for nearly half an hour.

"No they'll send somebody, this is just their way of gracefully showing us how much we are worth to them." another voice, this one smooth and mystical answered with agitation.

They were all growing restless, waiting without acknowledgement within the blue room. It was yet another insult to them, and yet they endured it.

"Our Lord is too gracious to these fools." the first voice whispered to the being next to him.

"Our Lord is gracious indeed, but do not mistake the Easterners for fools, Flawizardmon, they are wiser and more powerful than they first appear." magical blue eyes narrowed as this warning was offered.

"Of course my brother, Sorcermon." Flawizardmon replied respectfully to his brother Digimon.

"I too grow tired of this waiting. Time for the council is now very near," a fox Digimon clad in armor and carrying a golden staff stepped forward and spoke, "My Lord, perhaps they are refusing your request."

At these words many eyes fell upon one of the white pillars standing across from the blue walls. Leaning against the pillar was a young man with golden hair and brilliant blue eyes. His garments of black and red contrasted with the serene blue within the room, causing the young man to stand out like a beckon of diversity among a world of conformity.

The young man had been silently listening to his companion's conversations, his blue eyes had lazily drifted from one being to another, shifting to who ever was speaking at the time. Up until this direct address he had remained somewhat disinterested in his fellow Nightmare Soldiers' words, but now he placed his full attention upon them.

"Whether we wait here or within the rooms we still must wait." the young man answered with a voice almost as angelic as the paintings upon the ceilings.

This reply seemed to satisfy many of the waiting Digimon as they saw the truth behind it. Why complain about an inalterable fact. They were going to have to wait nothing would change that.

"As true as that is, I must wonder why Gennai has yet to respond." the raspy voice of Flawizardmon spoke once more.

"Maybe da arrogant fool is afraid, like all dem others." a Candlemon expressed in repugnance.

"Don't mistake youth for arrogance." the voice of the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers filled the room once more. "Gennai may seem cocky, but his intentions are pure and just, and there is little about him that is arrogant."

"I wonder if that Icemon went to retrieve him at all." Sorcermon queried logically.

Before another Nightmare Soldier could reply hurried footsteps echoed from further down the hall. The Digimon of the South turned their attention to the small creature approaching.

An Icemon came scampering up to the group of Nightmare Soldiers before abruptly stopping in front of Sorcermon. The little Digimon then bowed, his shoulders trembling slightly in the presents of so many powerful creature, before speaking.

"I… I apolo… apologize for the um… wait, honorable guest." he stuttered out within chattering teeth.

The Kuzuhamon both were forced to bight their tongues to keep from laughing at the "poor little guy", while the other Digimon merely rolled their eyes in announce. First they were forced to wait on a response and now the response itself was taking forever.

Sorcermon smiled behind his collar before replying, "What is Gennai's response, will he see us?" the wizard questioned, knowing that time was of the essence.

"Um… sir…" the Icemon spoke softly trying to sound humble so as not to further frustrate the waiting Digimon. "He… he said that… that the um… Lord of The Nightmare Soldiers might come and… and uh… speak to him privately… but no… no others."

At this Sorcermon's smile faded and a look of irritation replaced it. Turning from the Icemon, Sorcermon walked to where his Lord remained leaning against the pillar.

"Matt I am not certain that is a good idea," the official expressed, "After the earlier attempt upon your life I worry for your safety."

At first Yamato did not look at his friend, his eyes were upon the Icemon who remained bowed and cowering where Sorcermon had left him.

"I have to speak to him Sorcermon," haunted crystal eyes met enchanted blue, "Maybe it's better if I do it alone. We may speak more freely this way." the blonde explained.

Sorcermon diverted his eyes to the floor for a moment, worry was clearly written upon his face.

"Don't worry, I'll be on my guard." the young man announced.

Sorcermon nodded, knowing that he could not stop his Lord from doing as he wished, but still unable to shake off his concern.

"Every creature here wishes to see you dead," Sorcermon reminded, knowing his Lord could at times be rash when it was only his life at stake. "Even with your luck it is hard to defeat such odds."

"Sorcermon, that's not luck, it's skill." Yamato replied with a cocky smile before pushing himself off of the pillar and walking past the wizard.

Sorcermon only rolled his eyes as if to say "I give up", before following his Lord back to where the Icemon was bowing.

"So Gennai wishes to speak with me alone."

At this the Icemon raised his head a bit to see who was speaking, once he caught a glimpse of Yamato he quickly lowered his head once more. "Ye… yes… my… my Lord." he managed to stuttered out as his body began trembling even more.

Yamato took a look at the pathetic Digimon before him, his eyes grew sad and compassionate for a moment before freezing over into an emotionless glare.

"Very well." he stated, his voice suddenly changing from gentle and friendly to cold and distant. "Take me to him."

At this the Icemon raised his shaking body slightly before turning on his heal. The rookie's head remained bowed and his yellow eyes remained down cast, as he feared to look upon the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers.

Silently he led the teen down the blue hall and in the direction of the waiting digital guardian.

Lightening flashed as a small omen before another rumble irrupted from the caliginous sky. The wind poured upon the earth like the breath of some demon, panting in lust over its vulnerable prey.

But the lightening did not illuminate blind eyes, nor did the thunder echo in deft ears. And the wind, with the chilling phantom of necrophilia riding wildly upon its wings, could not touch numb skin.

While the rest of the world cowards before the bedlam, he stood strong against it. His mind drifted to a vision far worse than the one before him. A vision that would drive a righteous soul mad. He saw war, famine, and death. He saw the inescapable future for the world he loved. He saw the inescapable future for the creatures he would die for.

This unwelcome apparition of direness left him in a state of narcosis. He was drained and weak, unable and unwilling to focus on anything. Even the sound of the large silver doors behind him, slowly being pushed opened, barely registered in his ears.

"I'll leave you two alone." a timid voice mumbled quickly before soft footsteps faded away, and the door slammed shut.

He did not turn to see who was behind him. He did not need to, the power radiating off of the new comer was more than enough to identify him by.

An uneasy silence stood like a stone wall between the two beings. The wind roughly blew around them, hitting the silver doors with violent blows, while the lighting continued to flash and the thunder continued to boom.

"Nice weather we've been having." the new comer at last broke the silence, knowing that there was much to be done and little time to do it in.

At this he growled in frustration, finding the other beings sarcasm both insulting and unnecessary.

"I was told that you wished to see me, Lord Yamato." the words came out oddly calm and respectful. It was true that he hated this boy for his betrayal of the Digital World and his fellow Digidestined, but there was a small part of him that also admired him for his steadfast rule over the ruthless Digimon of the South.

"I did."

The reply was gentle and courteous.

"On what matter?" he pressed further still without facing the one he spoke to.

"Do you hate me so much, Gennai, that you will not even look at me?" Yamato questioned calmly.

At this the digital man turned around at last, shifting his gaze from the chaos in the sky, to the young man upon the balcony.

The blonde was clad in black cargo pants, black boots, and a blood red fitted shirt. A black trench fell around his thin frame like a cap and black gloves concealed his hands. The clothing of black and blood red greatly contrasted with the pastels upon the balcony causing the teen to stand out like a silhouette upon a while sheet.

"What do you want, Lord Yamato?" he questioned once more, wishing to be trough with the Nightmare Soldier as quickly as possible.

"Aw, but the questioned is, would you believe me if I told you." Yamato expressed before gracefully walking to the silver railing around the large balcony. "Nice view."

At this the guardian snapped. "Enough games!" he exclaimed in frustration.

At this the blonde quickly turned around. A smile spread across his fair face as he comfortably leaned against the railing on the balcony. "That's what I like about you Gennai, you're always business first." he stated still with a confident smile.

Gennai had regained his composure and was now standing opposite of the blonde with his arms crossed over his chest, showing his obvious disapproval of the situation. He was about to lecture the teen on the seriousness of being a leader when Yamato suddenly spoke again.

"An attempted was made upon my life today, as well as the life of my political advisor." the smile had completely faded from the teen's face and his crystal eyes were sharp and intense. He no longer felt the need to toy with the digital man, he was now certain that he would have control over the conversation, which was all he wanted.

Gennai's eye too change. No longer did they beam with frustration and anger, but now they showed sincere curiosity and concern.

"Who?"

"A Piximon attacked Sorcermon and two of my guards, and a MarineAngemon attacked me. I destroyed MarineAngemon, however Piximon was captured, but somehow managed to escape." the blonde explained.

Gennai nodded as he went over the details shared with him. "And how do I know that this is not some fabrication?" he questioned seriously, knowing that if there had been attack upon the Nightmare Soldiers during peace time that it would earn them sympathy within the council.

"Why would I lie about something like this?" the blonde replied, his voice taking on a threatening edge.

"For many reasons." Gennai snapped back, "And I would think that you would know them." the digital man was torn. Torn between the part of him that was pleased that the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers was suffering and the part of him that was concerned for one of the children he once guided and protected.

"I am not lying Gennai. I have neither the need nor desire to earn the council's pity."

This was an answer that Gennai could believe. Yamato had always hated appearing weak or vulnerable, his pride would not allow him to accept pity. "Who do you suspect?"

"Crusadermon." came the reluctant response.

At this Gennai's eyes narrowed in offense. "Crusadermon is a holy knight in Azulongmon's army. Her forces held back thousands of creature clawing to get to you and the rest of the Digidestined during your first battle with Piedmon. How could you possibly accuse her?" he questioned in rage.

"Because she has opening pleaded for my head on a platter, and the Digimon who attacked us were part of her underground." the blonde replied calmly. He had expected this distrust and so was not offended when it appeared.

Gennai was about to reply when suddenly a gentle knock rang from the silver doors.

At this both Gennai and Yamato turned their attention to the doors, before Gennai spoke.

"Yes?" the digital man called to the one waiting on the opposite side of the great doors.

Slowly the right silver door was pushed open. The blue flashes of lightening glistened off of the polished metal as the door moved. After the door was ajar the Icemon, who had retrieved Yamato, poked his head through.

"Forgive me for interrupting Gennai." the little rookie greeted with far more confidence than he had displayed when he stood before the Nightmare Soldiers alone.

"Yes what is it Icemon?" the robed man questioned.

"I just wanted to make certain that you were ready?" the ice Digimon explained.

Yamato remained silent as he listened to the words exchanged between Icemon and Gennai.

"Yes, we're ready." Gennai answered then waved his hand dismissingly to the waiting rookie.

Icemon smiled mischievously before giving a small bow and then vanishing behind the large doors once more.

"Ready for what?" Yamato questioned suspiciously.

Gennai glanced at Yamato, who had moved from the railing to the center of the balcony. Suddenly guilt spread through him and a part of him simply wanted to undo what was about to be done.

Yamato waited patiently for the digital guardian to answer, but no reply came. He wasn't certain why, but for some reason, his heart was pounding. Before he could further question the robbed man beside him the sound of many footsteps diverted his attention to the silver doors.

Suddenly both doors were quickly pushed open, and a diverse group of humans and Digimon walked onto the balcony.

"Matt!" the sound if an innocent voice filled with love reached the young Lord's ears before his mind went blank and all he was aware of was the two trembling arms wrapped tightly around him.

Upon instinct, an instinct so strong that it could wake him in a dead sleep, the teen wrapped his own arms around the trembling boy who had raced to him and embraced him in a tight hug.

"TK," he whispered with more love radiating in his soft voice than a new mother shows her first babe. He shut his eyes tightly, fighting off the tears of joy that threatened to spill forth as he continued to hold his younger brother.

After a moment the two brothers let go, though the moment was not nearly long enough for either of them.

TK looked up at Yamato, his baby blue eyes glistening with joy and fear as he gazed upon his weary older brother.

"Matt what's wrong? Aren't you happy to see us?" the Child of Hope questioned, his voice weak with uncertainty.

Realization of what was happening had suddenly come crashing down upon the young Lord. His brother and his friends were here, standing before him with lost eyes. Suddenly he felt weak and powerless. Suddenly he felt like falling to the ground and weeping in despair. This wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want those who mattered most to him to see what was going to transpire within the council. He wanted to shield them from this evil.

"That's not it at all." There were so many things he wanted to say, so many things he wanted to apologize for, and yet he knew that it was too late. He knew he had to go into the council as the Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers and do whatever seemed best for his people, and he knew that this would pain them more than anything else he had ever done.

"It's just, you're not suppose to be here." at first his voice was soft, but it took on a cold edge as he diverted his gaze to Gennai. "We had an agreement." he barked at the digital man, rage burning in his words.

Gennai's eyes clouded over with grief as he replied. "Azulongmon felt that since the Digidestined are such a large part of this world that they should be a part of this crucial council." he explained sadly.

He could not be offended by Yamato's anger, for once he agreed with the blonde. Azulongmon and Yamato had both agreed that the Digidestined were not to be involved in the proceedings between the East and the South, and now, not only did the digi-god of the East go back upon his word, but he also brought the Digidestined here without so much as warning Yamato.

"So you don't want us here."

Yamato darted his gaze to the one who spoke, but instantly regretted it as he looked into the dark eyes of his best friend.

"I just don't want to endanger you with something that doesn't concern you." he tried to explain, but he knew they would not understand. To them everything was black and white, good and evil, but this was politics, where all was evil under the pretence of good.

"Doesn't concern us?" Sora expressed in disbelieve. "Why do you and Azulongmon get to decide what concerns us or not?" she question. She didn't want to turn on her friend, but she was tired of the world treating them as though they were obsolete.

Tai stole a quick look at the Digidestined of Love, who was whipping a tear from her check, before walking past the group and closer to his best friend.

Yamato looked at Tai, suddenly finding that he was unable to read his best friend. Tai's eyes were emotionless and he walked with poise, showing no concern for the flashing lighting above.

Once Tai reached his best friend he raised his arm with the intent of placing his hand upon the blonde's shoulder. Instantly Yamato flinched as if he were expected a blow, causing Tai to lower his arm and look at the blonde with pained eyes.

"Did you think I was going to hit you?" he whispered softly to his friend, not even attempting to hide the hurt in his voice.

No body noticed Yamato pull away from his best friend. The action was so small and quickly that only Tai and TK, who knew him so well, were able to pick up on it.

Yamato's eyes shifted to the ground in shame.

"I thought you knew me better than that, Matt." Tai expressed, his voice wavering with disappointment. "Are you so engrossed in your role as Lord of the Nightmare Soldiers that you have forgotten who your real friends are?" the leader of the Digidestined questioned, the hurt taking its toll. "I feel like we've lost you Matt."

Yamato lifted his eyes from the ground and looked deep into his best friend's eyes. "I feel like I've lost myself Tai."

Gennai waited silently as he watched the Digidestined stand together for the last time. His heart broke as he knew that all would change. The children he loved were grown and now held the keys to their own destiny.

"Digidestined," he spoke softly, earning him the attention of everyone except Yamato, TK, and Tai. "We should go. The council will begin soon." he explained before walking to the silver doors.

Reluctantly the Digidestined and their partners slowly turned and walked through the doors, leaving Yamato, TK, Tai, and Gennai alone upon the balcony.

"Matt," the timid voice of the Child of Hope broke through the silence.

Yamato's misery filled eyes fell upon his brother, and for a brief moment he felt that there was hope.

"No matter what happens," the younger blonde began, "You'll always be my brother."

With that the young teen turned to Tai, then waited so that they could leave together.

Tai took once last look at his best friend, his heart breaking as he saw how deathly pale the blonde had become, before he too turned and headed off the balcony.

Yamato watched silently as his best friend and his younger brother disappeared within the shadows of the hall.

Gennai waited until the Digidestined were far down the hall before he too turned to leave.

"Gennai," Yamato called causing the digital man to stop his retreat, "You do realize that this changes everything." he explained, his voice cold once more.

Gennai nodded weakly without looking back before he began to walk once more.

The silver doors slammed shut leaving young Lord alone upon the balcony.

Once alone Yamato fell to his knees. "I welcome thee my death, let me become a phantom of what I once was, so that I might not feel this pain." he whispered a pray as the shadows descended upon him, cloaking him in darkness.

So was it entertaining? looks around hopefully anyway I'm going to temporarily ignore my other fics until I get the council scene up. How long will this take? I'm not entirely sure, but hopefully not as long as this chapter took. Now remember to get any complaints/critiquing in while we're still early in the fic, otherwise you just have to deal with whatever you don't like all the way through the fic.

Also as I stated above, here is some info on The Fallen Ones' next fanfic competition. This competition is completely different from the first one. It is restricted to the season one/two reality, and is also about the Digidestined. The challenge is "Digidestined Gone Bad". You write a fic about any Digidestined in the adventure/zero two reality turning evil. The prizes are a fanart of the Digidestined you chose in their evil persona, done by the incredible artist/fanfic author known as Trayne, and a requested fanfic done by me. I just added the requested fic thing to the prize so it's not on the page yet. But anyway you can find out more by going to and clicking on the R.I.P. section. If you have any further questions feel free to e-mail me.

Now enough of my babbling, let me know what you think of this chapter, and once again I apologize for my muse's inability to cooperate with me.