Disclaimer: I don't own digimon

A/N: I was really unhappy with the last version of this chapterso I decided to rewrite parts of it. What I did was I added something in the last half to make it less boring. So, if you've already read it, the top portion is exactly the same, but the bottom part is changed. HopefullyI succeededin making it at least a little better. It's still not my best chap, but hopefully it's better than before. I don't know what else I could do to make it anybetter without compromising some other chaps. I hope it's satisfactory.

Kari darted through the sky as the archers from the army below let their arrows fly. It was like a wall of wood and sharp points coming towards them rapidly. Kari called upon her wind power to blow them away, however, some made it through her torrent. She figured that the ones that did must be magically protected.

Gracefully, she swooped through the clear blue sky, easily avoiding the arrows, before raising her own bow. Setting an arrow, she let it fly into the ranks below, killing one of the many archers. She sighed. It was going to take a long time to win if they had to pick off the army one member at a time. They needed a faster method.

She was so caught up in trying to formulate a plan, that she didn't notice a large raven Spirit Animal rise up behind her. She turned quickly as it screeched and saw its talons only a few feet away. She froze, she knew she didn't have time to move. She let out a sharp gasp as Hiroki came barreling into her, knocking her out of the way just in time.

"Are you alright?" he asked, worried.

She nodded. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that."

"That's alright, but we'd better just stay focused on the fight from now on. Let's go."

Kari nodded again as he flew off, swinging at the Spirit Animals with his axe. He was right, they needed to concentrate. Any strategies would have to suddenly develop in the midst of battle, they couldn't afford to spend time formulating them.

Clearing her mind, she returned focus to the battle as she let more arrows fly into the army below. She vaguely sensed Whisper fighting several yards behind her with another bird-type Spirit Animal. She wasn't worried about her large bird, she knew she could take care of herself.

She continued shooting her arrows and dodging attacks from both below and above until, about twenty minutes into the battle, her large supply of arrows ran out. She quickly secured her bow on her back with the two empty quivers and drew her dagger. Taking a deep breath, she flew down to the ground, ready for some hand-to-hand combat.

On the other side of the battle field, Hiroki was battling with a flying Shadowlore. This Shadowlore was nearly twice his size, but was only half as strong. Its defense was good, though, and it had blocked most of Hiroki's attacks.

Hiroki sighed, getting frustrated. He could probably finish this being in an instant with a blast of fire, but he knew that he would probably need all the energy he could get later. Raising his axe yet again, he brought it down on the beast with tremendous speed and force. This blow, the creature could not block. It sliced through him cleanly and he fell back down to the ground, dead instantly.

Not giving the creature another thought, Hiroki looked around for his next opponent. He didn't see anymore flying beings, other than the ones that were being taken care of by Whisper and Fury. Suddenly, he noticed Hikari on the ground, fighting with a large Shadowlore. She seemed to be doing pretty well, but then the Shadowlore managed to knock her dagger away.

She backed up as it advanced and swung down heavily with its sharp claws. She quickly jumped back into the air to escape, but the creature still made a fairly large gash in her side. Hiroki growled in anger and rushed down to where she was hovering.

"Are you alright?" he asked, obviously concerned.

She nodded, not trusting her voice to sound as strongly as she would have liked. While her injury wasn't life threatening, it did hurt a great deal.

Hiroki was less than satisfied with her answer, but he could do nothing for her at the present time. She was still fit to battle, so that's what she had to do. With a last statement of 'be careful,' Hiroki and Hikari flew separate ways.

Hiroki immediately flew to the Shadowlore that had hurt Hikari and cut him down. Afterwards, he sliced through a few more Shadowlore, taking out his anger at Hikari's injury on them. A few minutes later, he looked around to see what progress they had made. Amazingly, just over half of the army was gone; the weak Shadowlore half anyway, along with some Spirit Animals and a couple of Elementals. Now, it was just the two Guardians against a couple dozen semi-strong Elementals and their still-intact Spirit Animals.

'I guess this is where it gets serious,' Hiroki thought grimly as he flew up to Fury, Whisper, and Hikari.

Hikari was resting on Whisper and looking down at the remaining enemies with eyes just as grim as Hiroki's. It was clear that the second half of the battle was going to be much, much tougher than the first. Urgently, she looked down to her side, hoping against hope that it had healed enough for her to focus solely on the upcoming fight. She sighed as a sharp wave of pain traveled up her side. At least the bleeding had stopped, if nothing else.

Hikari?- Whisper asked.

Yes?-

Are you well to fight?-

Hikari mentally nodded. –I am well enough.-

Whisper didn't seem satisfied, but knew better than to push. She simply vowed to keep a closer eye on her charge, as she could do little else.

The group in the sky watched apprehensively as the mass on the ground returned to formation and prepared to attack. They weren't entirely sure they could win against such a large group of strong Elementals, but they knew they had to try.

As they watched from above, the first line of about a dozen Elementals down below stepped forward slightly. They were chanting something, but the hovering group couldn't make it out. All of a sudden, a wall of ghostly, three-dimensional images of some of the magical beings of Hiata rushed towards them. They looked just like harmless ghosts, but the four suspected that they were more than that. Their first instinct was to fly away, but there was no where to run. They settled for standing their ground instead.

As the wall of translucent beings grew nearer, Kari slid off Whisper and hovered next to her, all the while gathering her energy. When the wall was just a few yards away, she fired the first shot, hitting a horrific-looking ghostly Dark Nymph directly in the chest. The image of the Dark Nymph flickered and shrieked before disappearing. However, there were still hundreds of images coming towards them. No matter how many they shot and "killed," there always seemed to be more.

The wall of wailing beasts surrounded them, slowly closing in. They could feel the aura these beings gave off, confirming their suspicions about them being more than just ghosts or images. But, how could they possibly destroy all of them before they were destroyed themselves? Suddenly, Kari's inner sense activated.

The creature's greatest weakness, and the weakness of their wielders, was earth-type Elemental magic…like fire. She looked over to Hiroki, idea forming in her mind.

"Hiroki?" she called quietly.

He glanced over. "Yeah?"

"Create a small wall of fire, like you did back in the alter room of the other town."

Hiroki paused, looking at her with a confused expression.

"Just do it," she urged, "Hurry!"

Nodding, Hiroki created several balls of fire, lining them up in front of the two. Then, he let loose their power, letting them explode and creating a mass of fire. Immediately, Kari called upon her wind power. She aimed a medium-strength gust towards the flames. It was clear when the two made contact by the wild growth and motion of the fire. Kari smiled, her plan was working.

She manipulated the wind throughout the flames until they grew over twice as large as they had been before. She saw the ghostly figures start to back off, clearly frightened. Not wanting to give them a chance to retreat completely, she sent a last burst of wind, causing the flames to engulf all of the beasts. The air was filled with loud shrieks and hisses as, one by one, the creatures dissipated. Suddenly, some yells of pain sounded from the ground as well.

Looking down sharply, the four found that the Elementals who had cast the spell were writhing in pain as well. Most were on their knees on the ground, holding their heads as they yelled. Kari's stomach turned as she saw blood coming from their mouths, noses, and even eyes. She couldn't explain why this horrible event was happening, and she wasn't sure she even wanted to know. All she knew was that it had something to do with the destruction of the illusion.

After a few seconds, the men fell silent and began to drop to the ground completely, finally dead. Kari felt a small pang of guilt at having had a hand in causing them so much pain, but she quickly and easily pushed it away.

The other dozen or so Elementals, who had simply watched calmly as their companions suffered and died, now looked up at the two Guardians and two birds again. Both Hiroki and Kari were shocked that they seemed to feel no remorse for their fallen comrades. This lack of emotion made them seem…unhuman, almost. Though, on Hiata, there was no guarantee that they were ever human in the first place.

The two sides spent the next few minutes simply sizing each other up. From above, the four could see that there were exactly thirteen Elementals left, six women and seven men. All were cloaked in blood red cloth with a strange Haitaian symbol embroidered on the back in gold. They recognized that it was from the Old Tongue, an ancient word meaning 'Abbey.'

Along with these thirteen, there were three black bird Spirit Animals, four demon fox Spirit Animals, four giant, dark lizard Spirit Animals, a large bear Spirit Animal, and the large serpent.

All of the other Elementals and their Spirit Animals seemed to pale in comparison to the man wielding the serpent Spirit Animal and the woman wielding the bear Spirit Animal. Kari figured that those two must be the leaders. She watched as the two stepped slightly in front of the group. They lifted their hands and pulled their hoods fully back. Hiroki and Hikari's eyes widened slightly as they stared at the two. They didn't look like they could be evil.

The man had dark brown eyes and blackish hair. He had a smooth oval face and defined features. Had it not been for the ferocious look in his eyes, he would have seemed like a kind gentleman. The woman next to him had long red hair and dark green eyes. She had a round face with delicate features. Just as with the man, her hardened eyes were the only indication that she was anything but gentle and kindly.

"You've done well to survive so long on Hiata, young Elemental Guardians," the man said in a booming voice. "You have more than proven yourselves in today's battle and it would be a pity to finish you off now. That is why we of the Abbey shall let you live, for the time being. But the next time we meet, you will have no such mercy."

With this, the man raised his hand slightly, causing an immense cloud of smoke to fill the area. Hikari and Hiroki covered their mouths and fought to keep their stinging eyes open. However, they could see nothing down below.

""Fury, clear the smoke,"" Hiroki ordered quickly.

Fury obediently opened his wings and flapped, sending the smoke to the south. When the air was cleared, the four were surprised to see that, save for the dead bodies, they were alone. The other Elementals had fled. But, why? It made no sense. The Elementals of the Abbey, as they had called themselves, had obviously had the upper hand seeing as how the four in the sky were exhausted while they hadn't even fought for a single minute. Why would they stop and leave?

Sighing and knowing that going crazy pondering the answer wasn't going to help anything, they decided to head back to Pomarius, Kari riding Whisper because of her injury. They kept their eyes averted from the battle field as they flew, wishing to unsee all that they had seen.

It took them only a few minutes to reach Pomarius, and they could see that it looked deserted. They were glad of it though, because it meant that EvenBreeze and ScorchingFlame had listened to them. After landing and making sure that the Elementals of the Abbey hadn't set up an ambush, they reverted to their human forms. Kari looked back down to her side and gasped. Her wound was gone! But, how?

Hearing her gasp, Hiroki looked over and his eyes widened. He looked down at himself quickly and noticed that all of his bruises and cuts from the fight had disappeared. It was a shock, but not an unwelcome one.

"Come on," he said when he overcame his surprise. "We should fetch the others."

Nodding, Hikari followed, still slightly dumbfounded. The two birds stayed behind to nurse their still-existing wounds. The two Elementals quickly walked into one of the more rundown areas of Pomarius. This grove was overgrown with many weeds and unwanted plant-life, but that was exactly how it was supposed to look. In reality, it was the entrance to the underground tunnels.

These tunnels created a maze underneath Pomarius that would confuse even the brightest enemy. They were designed for the protection of the beings living in Pomarius if there was ever an attack. However, they hadn't been used in many years.

Hiroki pulled back a mat of tangled vines to reveal a trap door covered with dirt and grass. Opening the trap door, he started down the steps, fireball lighting the way. Hikari followed. Using an inner sense that they didn't quite understand, they found themselves being pulled in a certain direction. They knew that, somehow, that direction is where they would find their biological parents, and Miyo as well.

After a few minutes of careful navigating, they started to hear a buzzing sound, like people talking quietly. Rounding a last corner, they saw the group of Pomarius' inhabitants. Near the front were the two ex-Guardians and Miyo. All talk stopped when they entered as everyone froze. Miyo was the first to recover as she ran over and leaped into Hiroki's arms. She then reached over to give Kari a hug.

"Mommy! Daddy! You're okay!"

The two couldn't help but smile at her obvious joy. They looked up as EvenBreeze and ScorchingFlame came over. EvenBreeze gave Hikari a small hug while ScorchingFlame clapped a hand on Hiroki's back warmly.

"You appear to be unharmed," he stated somewhat lightly. "I'm assuming you won?"

Hiroki nodded. "Yeah, you could say that we won. But, we were injured. At least, until we became human again. What happened?"

EvenBreeze looked surprised. "Didn't we tell you?"

At their blank looks, she continued. "While you are still you in either form, your forms themselves are different. If one is injured, it doesn't mean that the other will be. And if you stay in your uninjured form for a few days straight, your injured form will heal in just a five or six days, no matter how severe the injury. Of course, you could go down into your Crystals and tend to your other form, to speed the healing."

Hiroki was still a bit confused, but he got the gist. "Well, that's a useful thing to know, I suppose. It'll especially be useful on our continuing journey."

"Speaking of that," Kari interjected softly. "We will need to leave immediately."

Both EvenBreeze and ScorchingFlame looked somewhat stricken. "Already?" they asked together.

Kari nodded. "I fear we may have already stayed here too long if the enemy was able to find us. What is to stop another from coming? Besides, we need to get back to Karina's and meet with the others. You understand, don't you?"

EvenBreeze sighed and nodded. "We understand. And it's not as if it's really good-bye, we'll see you again soon."

ScorchingFlame nodded his agreement. "However, when we do meet again, you must not call us ScorchingFlame and EvenBreeze, or Father and Mother, at least not in public. You must call us Edan and Aira. Those were our names before, and they will draw the least amount of attention to us. Understand?"

Hiroki nodded and shifted Miyo. "Well, I suppose we should go now," he said hesitantly after a few awkwardly silent seconds.

Hikari and the two ex-Guardians nodded. Turning, Hiroki began to walk back down the tunnel, Hikari following. The elder two followed as well. When they got above ground, they saw that Whisper and Fury were already waiting by the entrance. The four Guardians, past and present, faced each other. Suddenly, Aira and Edan stepped forward and pulled their respective 'children' into hugs. The two children returned them. Though brief, the hugs were filled with warmth and comfort. Reluctantly, the two younger pulled away.

"Until we meet again," Hikari gave the final farewell as the three travelers climbed onto the two birds.

"Wait!" a voice called out.

Both Hiroki and Hikari turned. They saw Harmony rushing towards them, blonde hair flying in the wind. They bristled slightly.

"My Guardians," Harmony started, slightly out of breath. "I could not let you leave without resolving the conflict between us. It was wrong of me to disagree with you when you first came here, and I now beg your forgiveness. I fear my pride has caused this action to be long overdue, but I still hope that you will accept." She fell silent, waiting for their judgement.

Hikari smiled softly. "We forgave you a long time ago, but I fear that it was our pride that kept us from admitting it to you directly." She chuckled a little.

Harmony smiled as well. "Then I thank you and wish you good luck on your journey. We're all with you."

With nods of acknowledgment, Hikari and Hiroki ordered their Spirit Animals into the sky and flew out of Pomarius. They looked back only once, just in time to see the shield replaced. Then, they faced forward, anxious to face whatever enemies came next so that they could finish this destiny of thiers and go back to normal life. At least, they hoped it would be that easy.

/o-o/

Hikari stretched her arms over her head, sighing in relief when her back popped, relieving some tension. She had been riding Whisper all day and her muscles were a little stiff. She looked over and smiled as she saw Hiroki and Miyo playing just a few yards away. Miyo was laughing as she ran away from Hiroki, who was half-heartedly trying to catch her and laughing as well. She continued to watch them for a few seconds until, suddenly, she heard a noise from behind her. It sounded like a low rustling. Turning, she saw nothing in the trees.

She tried to shrug it off, but, for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that they weren't alone. Looking back over at the others, she noticed that they didn't seem like they had seen or heard anything. Not wanting to bother them, she started to walk slowly towards the edge of their camp, wanting to check it out for herself.

She saw nothing out of the ordinary within the first few feet of trees, but decided to check a little bit further. Just as she lost sight of the camp, another rustling noise came from her left. Curiously, she took a few cautious steps to where she thought the sound had come from. All of a sudden, she was faced with a large, imposing dark figure. It began to approach her menacingly. She opened her mouth to call for help, but no sound came out.

Be not afraid.

Kari jumped, startled. Was she hearing things, or had the figure spoken inside her head?

What you hear is true, I am speaking to you Wind Elemental. Though you do not recognize me, I'm sure, I recognize you.

"Wh-who are you?" Kari asked, feeling a bit unnerved.

I am the Portal of Death in my physical form.

Kari took a shocked step back. "I don't understand...h-how is that possible?" she stammered.

Anything's possible on Hiata, was the somewhat amused reply. I thought you would have learned that by now.

Kari nodded slightly, knowing that it was true. It seemed like nothing was impossible in this strange and crazy world. She returned her complete attention to the Portal of Death as its shadowy form approached her.

Now, he started reaching out a hand towards her. It is time I collected payment for an outstanding debt of yours.

/o-o/

"Hikari? Hikari, where are you?" Hiroki called, frowning slightly.

He had seen Hikari walk off not too long ago, but hadn't really thought anything of it. He figured that she was just taking a bathroom break or something. However, that had been nearly an hour ago, and there had been no sign of her. Not wanting to worry Miyo, he had left the young girl playing with Fury using the excuse that he needed to get a drink from a nearby stream.

He frowned more deeply as he went farther into the woods. Hikari shouldn't have gone this far, they all knew that they had to stick together.

"Hikari?" he called yet again.

"Hiroki?" came a quiet reply.

Hiroki let his face break into a wide grin of relief as he heard Hikari's voice. However, there was something wrong, he voice sounded so...so weak. But, she had been fine just an hour ago.

Walking towards where her voice had come from, he found her just a few yards away. She didn't look too good. She had dark circles under her eyes and seemed a bit shaky. He rushed over and wrapped an arm around her waist to help her walk.

"What happened Hikari?" he asked, concerned.

Hikari shrugged, obviously using a good deal of energy in that simple movement. "I'm not sure," she lied, "I just started feeling a bit under-the-weather a while ago."

Hiroki's frown returned again. "Well, we'll head back to camp and you can rest as long as you need to Hika."

"Hika?" Kari asked, eyebrow raised.

Hiroki looked a bit flustered. "I-I..uh..I meant Hikari."

Kari smiled. "It's alright. You can call me Hika, if I can call you Hiro."

Hiroki blinked. "Umm...okay."

Kari's smile stayed in place, though she was clearly exhausted. "Come on Hiro, let's get back to camp before the others worry."

Nodding, Hiroki began to help her walk back towards the others. As they walked, Kari looked back from where she had come and then looked down towards her hand, dried blood in the palm. She was not looking forward to doing that again in six months but, if it kept her alive, she wouldn't protest. She looked to Hiroki and silently hoped that he would have an easier time of it than she had. She couldn't stand the thought of him being hurt. After all, he was her friend, and maybe...something more.

/o-o/

It took Hikari's human body just under a week to recover enough to travel again. She had played it off as the flu, and none had questioned her. She did get stir-crazy near the end, and would have given a great deal if she only had enough energy to maintain her true form. That way, she would have been able to move much sooner. However, as she did not have enough energy, she had to simply wait it out.

On the morning of the sixth day, she was ecstatic to find that she could stand up and walk with little dizziness. She quickly walked over to Hiroki and shook him awake.

"Come on Hiro, get up! We have a lot of ground to cover today if we want to get back to Karina's on schedule."

Hiroki groaned and rolled over. "It's too early," he muttered.

"Oh, don't be such a big baby," Kari chided playfully. "The sun's already up, it's not as if I'm asking you to leave before dawn. Now, get up or I'll send Miyo over to wake you up."

Hiroki sighed exasperatedly and opened his eyes. Sitting up, he mock-glared at Hikari.

"You are evil, y'know that?" he mumbled as he walked over to Fury to wake up the bird.

"Yeah, but you know you love me anyway," she replied cheekily.

Hiroki inwardly nodded. "Yeah, I do," he said so that only he could hear.

"Did you say something?" Kari asked from behind him.

Hiroki turned, smiling. "I said that we'd might as well get a move on, if we're going to be up this early. Miyo can have her breakfast a little later in the day."

Kari nodded her agreement and continued to prepare to leave. She hoped that today wouldn't be too stressful, as she still didn't have all of her energy yet. Unknown to her, it was going to be quite a surprising day.

/o-o/

The first half of the day was fairly routine, with nothing out of the ordinary. They had spent that time simply flying over various fields and forests, heading south. When they came upon a large clearing in the middle of the forest, they decided to take a break and let Miyo eat and stretch her legs.

"What a peaceful place," Kari commented serenely once they landed. "So quiet and beautiful. It'd be nice if everyplace in Hiata was like this."

Beside her, Hiroki simply nodded. He looked around at the surrounding forest mistrustingly; he didn't trust anything now, not with their luck. Satisfied that the forest, and creatures within, posed no serious threat, he headed towards the small pond at the edge of the clearing. Kneeling down, he cupped his hands in the water before bringing them up to his mouth, taking a long drink.

His head shot up as he heard a high-pitched laugh. He looked back towards Miyo and Hikari, but already knew that it couldn't be them, their voices weren't this high-pitched, and they weren't close enough for him to hear them.

He stood up slowly, looking all around. Suddenly, he saw movement in a bush a few feet away from him. Moving cautiously, he pulled back the leaves of the bush, not sure what to expect. His eyes narrowed as he saw nothing there. Then, he noticed movement a few feet ahead. Taking a last glance back at the others, he continued into the forest after ordering Fury to stay with the girls.

The game of cat-and-mouse continued for several minutes, Hiroki following the trail of rustling and sharp laughs, but never being able to find their source. He once again saw movement in a bush near him. Moving quickly, he pulled the leaves aside, and jumped back when he found himself faced with a young girl.

This girl had brown hair in a bun with a crown of flowers. She had dazzling silver eyes and dark honey-colored skin. She had silver butterfly-type wings which moved idly behind her. She was wearing a light blue dress that flowed loosely and only went to her knees. She was barefoot, but had a silver ankle bracelet. She looked up at him with laughing eyes. Unexpectedly, she bowed her head deeply.

"Greetings, my Lord," she said in a high voice.

"Greetings, young one," Hiroki replied out of habit. "Tell me, who are you?"

"I am called Anai. I am a Faerie. My People and I live in this forest, my Lord of Fire."

Hiroki got a confused look on his face. "How is it that you know who I am? I have never been here before."

Anai giggled. "Oh, everyone knows you, and the other three Guardians as well. You are legends, and we would know you at a glance."

Hiroki stayed silent for a second, not sure how to reply to that. Then, he said, "I hope we have not disrupted anything by resting in the clearing."

"Oh no, my Lord," Anai replied with sincerity. "Actually, we are glad you came, because we are in need of your assistance. Help us, and we will happily grant you both warriors and magic-makers for your final battle. We are a strong People, so this will benefit both of us." She fell silent, hoping that she had convinced him.

Hiroki tilted his head. "What do you need help with?"

"A few days ago, our village was destroyed. We need help rebuilding it so that it will be able to withstand another attack.. As I said, if you help us, you will receive warriors and warlocks, and we will tell you a secret of Hiata as well that you may need to know in order to win the final battle."

Hiroki nodded. "We will help you and your People. Wait here, and I will fetch my fellow Guardian. Then, we will see what we can do about your plight."

Anai nodded and Hiroki quickly made his way back to camp. Once there, he pulled Hikari to the side and repeated what Anai had said. Of course, Hikari agreed to help as well. The two swiftly returned to where Hiroki had left Anai, leaving Miyo with Fury and Whisper. When they got there, the girl was idly weaving some flowers together. She saw them and smiled.

"I am pleased to meet you my Lady of Wind," she said, bowing to Hikari.

"And I you, Anai," Hikari replied graciously. "Now, where is your village?"

"This way," Anai said, flapping her wings rapidly and starting to fly ahead.

The two Guardians followed, taking in their surroundings the whole way so that they could easily find their way back if they needed to. It took them only a few minutes to reach the Faerie's village, or, what was left of it anyway. There was scorched rubble all around the area, and the plants around were burned as well. The two could see that rebuilding had already begun from the few new buildings that were up, but it was clear that over half of the village was still in need of replacement.

"What happened?" Kari asked, eyes wide.

"We were attacked by a group of trolls passing through. Usually they don't come down into the forest, but they did that day. Somehow, they found our village and set it on fire after terrorizing us. A few of us were killed, and others injured. We desperately need to rebuild before they come back. I know it's dangerous because we don't know where they are right now, but will you still help?" she looked at them with pleading eyes.

"Of course," Kari reassured. "Let's get to work."

/o-o/

For the next few days, Hiroki and Hikari spent all of their time at the village. Hikari used her wind power to move all of the rubble and separate what was salvageable. Hiroki used his fire power to carefully cut stone and other material. They both also helped a lot in the actual labor of putting the buildings together. Things seemed fairly peaceful during that time, no signs of trolls anywhere. However, just because they couldn't be seen didn't mean that they weren't there.

It was the third day, and Hiroki was helping to stabilize an outer wall that was being built around the village. With him were two of the adult male Faeries, Mako and Derin. They had just finished securing another log by using a type of mud-based cement, when they heard a crunching sound not too far away.

"What was that?" Hiroki asked, not sure what to think.

Derin shrugged, looking slightly unsettled. "I don't know, it doesn't sound like anything that lives in the forest normally." He traded glances with Mako, and Hiroki knew that they were both fearing that it was another troll.

"I'm gonna check it out," Hiroki stated, climbing up a temporary ladder in the wall. "One of you get Hikari just in case I need help." With that, he hopped down to the ground. He heard one of the Faeries fly off quickly on the other side of the wall.

Walking forward, he tried to locate the source of the crunching. It seemed to be coming from ahead of him and slightly to the right. Deciding on caution, he quietly transformed into his true form, and hovered above the dry leaves and vegetation on the ground. He flew forward quickly, darting between trees and bushes, trying to make no noise. If it was a troll that he was hearing, he wanted the element of surprise on his side. As he neared the crunching, he also heard some low mumbling. Flying behind a particularly large bush, he parted the leaves slightly. His eyes widened at what he saw. It was a whole group of trolls, not just one.

As he hovered behind the bush, he counted seven in total, all at least twice his size, some three times. They were ugly creatures, with pale yellow skin and dull black eyes. They wore only loose pants, and flab hung all over their bodies. They also had several warts and scars; not a pleasant sight. He saw the largest, presumably the leader, motioning in the direction of the village with a stubby arm that was brandishing a club. The other six nodded and grunted before turning and starting in that direction.

Still hidden in the bush, Hiroki bit his lip. The village couldn't withstand another attack just yet, the protective walls weren't finished yet. He couldn't let the trolls attack again, but he was outnumbered seven-to-one. He took a deep breath as he decided that he had no choice. He only hoped that Hikari would hear the sounds of battle and come to his aid.

Creating two fireballs, one in each palm, he darted out of the bush and threw them at the backs of the two largest trolls. They barely scorched the yellow skin; however, the attack did get their undivided attention. The entire group whirled around as one, growling at him and thumping their clubs on the ground in a primitive sort of challenge daring him to continue his attack. He felt his stomach knot up a little bit; thought they were dumb, they were incredibly powerful and one wrong move could get him killed.

Swallowing nervously at the ineffectiveness of his attacks, he prepared two larger ones and threw them into the group. One troll dodged, while the other was hit. It screeched in pain, but the fire had really only just burned him slightly. Now the trolls were livid. Not only had this...this thing trespassed on their newly-claimed land, but it had attacked them! It was inexcusable in their puny-minded opinion. The leader pulled his hand back and lobbed his club straight at Hiroki. Hiroki was able to dodge, and send a fireball after the weapon, causing it to catch fire. However, when he turned back around, six more clubs were heading for him.

His eyes widened and he desperately tried to dodge. He had almost made it through the barrage, dodging one club after another when suddenly, after narrowly escaping being hit, he heard a sickening crack as his right arm shattered. It had been hit by the sixth club, the one that he didn't have time to dodge.

He was forced to the ground as the pain intensified. Dropping to his knees, he cradled the injured limb. He knew he had to change back to his human form if he was to have any chance of survival. Not sure if he had time to complete the transformation or not, he rapidly started the change. He inwardly sighed in relief as it was completed and he was still alive. However, he froze inside again as he looked up and saw a troll directly above him, already bringing the two hundred pound club rocketing down at his head. He didn't have time to move, and he knew it.

He instinctively closed his eyes and hunched his shoulders as the club continued its descent. He tensed, waiting for the inevitable impact. It never came.

Just when the club should have cracked his skull into millions of pieces, he heard a loud crash and felt a gust of wind. Hikari!

Opening his eyes, he saw the troll standing above him still, empty-handed and dumbfounded. Looking to the left, Hiroki saw the troll's club embedded in a massive tree trunk. To his right was a very pissed off Hikari in all of her true form's glory. She fired another large windburst at the troll, forcing it back to the others, who were just staring stupidly at the new girl. Hikari paid them no mind as she landed by Hiroki and helped him up.

"You idiot," she scolded. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you get me first?"

Hiroki looked down, somewhat peeved at being yelled at. "I couldn't just let them find the village or I would have. Give me some credit, Hika, I'm not completely stupid."

Kari sighed and smiled softly. "I'm sorry I snapped, but you worried me. Now, let's finish this fight and help protect the village, then we'll chew each other out."

Hiroki smirked back. "Sounds like a plan. So, why don't we use that combo attack you came up with? I doubt they could dodge it, even if they had brains," he said, looking at the group that was still standing dumbly and staring into space.

Hikari nodded. "Alright, go ahead, but try not to strain yourself too much, for the time being, that's the only form you have."

Nodding his understanding, Hiroki planted his feet and closed his eyes, concentrating on making enough fireballs. Then he had them surround the trolls. The dumb creatures tried growling at them and swatting them with their hands, crying out in surprise when they were burned.

'Stupid creatures,' Hiroki thought, inwardly shaking his head. Pushing them out of his mind, he returned his concentration to the task at hand. He nearly had enough fireballs, and most were in position. A few seconds later, he had all that they would need...hopefully. Opening his eyes, he let the power explode from within them. Instantaneously, Hikari created a whirling gust of wind, causing the wall of fire around the creatures to gain immense height and power. They could hear the beasts within hissing at the intense heat.

Wanting to be as merciful as possible if she had to kill them, Hikari directed the wind so that the flames would cascade upon the ugly yellow trolls, engulfing them. More inhuman shrieks filled the air, then silence. A few seconds later, Hikari recalled her wind, and Hiroki recalled his fire, expecting to see ashy skeletons where the trolls had been. Shockingly, the trolls were still there...and alive. The two could see them moving a bit, growling in pain because of their badly scorched skin. The group struggled to their feet and looked at the children, debating whether or not to continue fighting. The two Elementals took up defensive stances.

Then, after a few moments of tense silence, the trolls turned and hobbled away quickly, not wanting to risk death. Hiroki and Hikari debated going after them, but figured that it wasn't necessary. Hikari landed again and checked Hiroki over.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

He nodded and she took his right arm, intent on dragging him back to the village and yelling at him for his irresponsibleness. However, she stopped short as she heard his gasp of pain. Not releasing his arm, she turned and examined it closely.

"There doesn't seem to be any actual damage, but you must have done a number to your other form if you can feel the pain. You'll have to be very careful until your other form heals. Maybe we should put it in a sling."

Hiroki got an indignant look on his face as if to say, 'Not a chance, I'm too tough for that.'

Before Hikari could argue with how he was acting, they heard some cheers from behind them. Turning, they saw that the whole village of Faeries was there, having watched the fight from the concealment of bushes and trees. Anai stepped in front of the rest of them and waited patiently as Hiroki and Hikari walked over.

"Thank you so much," Anai said, bowing deeply when they reached her. "You have driven the trolls away from our homes. Without your help, we would have all perished. Now, we can flourish again. We're forever in your debt. And, as promised, the elders will send a group of our best fighters and spell-casters when you need them. We may not be able to do much against the tough skin of trolls, but we can defeat nearly any other kind of being. They have also given me permission to tell you a secret that few know, one that should help you."

Kari and Hiroki nodded, signaling her to continue.

"The secret is that Hiata is not so much a planet as it is a living being. It lives, has thoughts and emotions, though they are not always apparent. And, every once in a while, the world will be represented by actual beings. These two beings are called Keys. They hold ultimate power as they are the essence of Hiata itself. These Keys are unaware of what they are, and do not know how to use their powers on command. That makes them the perfect tool. If you have the Keys, and have their trust, you can train them how you wish them to be trained. That is why everyone goes after them when they exist. I can tell you now that they do exist at this time. Some know who they are, but most do not. If you can find these Keys, and get them on your side, you will win the battle easily."

"Can you tell us who these Keys are, do you know?" Hiroki asked, anxiously. If there was a guaranteed way to win the war, he wanted to know everything about it.

Anai hesitated. "The elders know, but they have not told me. All I can say to you about that, is that they are much closer than you think." she stopped and tilted her head, as if listening to something that no one else could hear. "I must go now," she said. "I wish you good luck on finishing your destiny, and pray that we will meet again one day. And do not fret, you shall have our help when you need it. Good-bye my Guardians!" she called as she turned and flew away, disappearing into the trees.

Hiroki and Hikari glanced at each other before starting back towards the camp.

"Well, it looks like we've got another wild-goose chase on our hands," Hiroki stated, sighing.

Hikari smiled slightly. "Yeah, but we won't be alone, we'll have the others with us. Now, come on, let's get to Karina's." She grabbed his hand and started running back to camp, laughing slightly as they went.

Hiroki smiled from behind her. He loved her laugh, he only hoped that she would still be able to laugh after all the trials that they would have to endure in the future. It would be a pity to lose such a beautiful thing.

/o-o/

"Why did we let them live?" the woman asked.

"Because," the middle-aged man answered, "We will need them in the future."

"What if they discover our true identities? I do not think that they will take too kindly to being deceived by people they thought they could trust."

"Be calm, they will not find out. If they do, I'm sure that we can find a way to persuade them to continue to do our bidding."

"I hope you're right," the woman said, sighing deeply. "It could be the final end of us if you're not."

A/N: Like I said, not my best work, but the next chaps will be better and hopefully the added stuff made this chap not so bad.