Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon

Takeru watched with sharp eyes as Tejuku came racing towards him, swords up. Behind the charging boy, Keitya ran towards them tool, spear gripped firmly. Waiting until Tejuku was only a few yards away, Takeru drew his swords as well. The two opposing boys met with a loud 'clang' as their swords hit hard. Next to them, the girls had a similar meeting. All around, the forces of the two sides clashed, howls of pain and rage everywhere.

Takeru gritted his teeth as he forced all outside distractions from his head and focused only on his fight with Tejuku. Both had planted their feet and were pushing against each other, both hoping that the other would give first. Simultaneously, the two gave a final push and jumped back. Tejuku growled and charged again, swinging wildly with his right sword. Takeru raised his left hand high and blocked, as he swung his right up towards Tejuku's gut. His sword was stopped with a jolt. He saw that Tejuku had crossed his other arm over to block the would-be fatal attack.

Jumping apart again, both boys grunted with frustration. They weren't supposed to be so evenly matched! If things kept going at this rate, they would die of exhaustion before they died by the other's hand. But, there was always the chance that one of them would make a mistake, so it might be worth continuing this fight.

After staring Tejuku down for a moment or two, Takeru instigated the next charge. He kept his swords by his sides in the beginning, hoping to have the advantage by not letting Tejuku know which side he would be attacking with. Right before he stepped into Tejuku's range, he raised his right sword and brought it down with tremendous force. He inwardly cursed as Tejuku stopped the attack cold.

Grunting, Tejuku pushed his twin back, or tried to anyway. It seemed like they were matched in skill, strength, and agility. Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in his mind. Takeru may match him in all of that, but there was no way that he could match his power, it was just too great for even the likes of the infamous Shadow Mage.

Smirking, Tejuku used a strategy that he had never used before, one that violated the rules of swordplay. But, if he won, what did it matter if he broke a rule or two? Sure that he could hold his position for the second he would need, he closed his eyes briefly and channeled his power through his swords. It traveled down Takeru's swords and hit his body. Tejuku smirked even more as the other cried out in pain and retreated. Opening his eyes, he saw Takeru panting a few feet away, trying to recover from the unexpected attack.

Takeru glared openly at Tejuku, hate showing. "If you want to play dirty, that's fine with me," he growled as he shot a mass of shadow energy at the other boy.

Tejuku chuckled maniacally as he jumped out of the way. It was time to reveal his new power. While in the air, he descended to a Life Force Crystal that his mistress had given to him after killing him. It was completely black. Going to one of the glowing orbs to harness his power, he transformed himself into his true form.

His red hair was now streaked with black, and he had a dark glint in his eyes to match. His wings were a leathery black and he had noticeable fangs protruding from his mouth. With blood-lust showing on his face, he dove towards the blonde-haired boy below, sure that he had the ultimate advantage. He created a mass of Hell's Fire in his palm and drew his hand back, ready to strike. Below, he saw Takeru just watching him. He got closer and closer to the boy; 10 feet...6...3...but suddenly...his target was gone.

Utterly confused, he whirled around, trying to see what could have happened. What he saw nearly knocked him off balance. The boy...the weak pathetic boy who he had the unfortunate luck of sharing blood with...had transformed as well. He now looked just as powerful as Tejuku, if not more so.

Scowling, Tejuku launched himself back up into the air, intent on driving his sword right through Takeru. However, his plan was thwarted when Takeru dodged with demonic speed and charged Tejuku from behind. That time, Tejuku dodged the attack.

Both boys hovered a few yards apart, breathing heavily. It appeared that this was going to take much longer than either had anticipated.

/o-o/

Down on the ground, Katya was engaged in a battle with Keitya. They too were matching each other blow for blow. Swing, parry, dodge, swing, parry dodge...it seemed like an endless cycle.

As Katya looked at the dirty-blonde haired, brown eyed girl a few yards away, she noticed that the girl was very similar looking to her, save for the color difference. It was very perplexing.

"Just...who...are...you?" she asked between exhausted pants.

Keitya was panting as well, but steadied her breathing enough to answer. "I am Keitya the Devil's Sun Mage, not that it's any of your business. I was sent here solely to destroy the Light Mage, that's all that should concern you."

"Why do you want to destroy me so badly?"

"It's not that I want to destroy you, it's that my mistress wants you destroyed. And what mistress wants, mistress gets." With that as the only warning, Keitya lunged forward again thrusting her spearing in front of her as she ran.

Katya automatically dodged. As she did, she caught a glimpse of what was happening around her. All of the wolves, lionesses, coyotes, cheetahs, and spiders were locked in battle. It seemed like the wolves were only fighting the coyotes and the lionesses were only fighting the cheetahs. That left the twenty spiders, Denzo, and Siara to deal with the rest of the army. They seemed to be winning, though. However, she couldn't see any sign of Takeru. It worried her.

She was drawn out of her thoughts as Keitya attacked again, hoping to catch her off guard. Deciding that she needed to end this fight quickly and find her lover, she leapt into the air and transformed to her true form. Looking down at Keitya, she was surprised to find the girl smirking.

"That's a nice trick, mind if I try?" she asked, sneering tone in her voice.

Leaping into the air as well, she was engulfed in a bright light as she transformed. She now had rough, leathery white wings and large fangs. Her blonde hair had become streaked with pure white. Still smirking, she raised her hand and pointed it towards Katya. Her hand glowed briefly before a stream of yellow-white, wild light came straight for the Light Mage. Instinctively, Katya created a light shield to block the attack. It worked, but just barely.

Keitya laughed cruelly. "It would appear that we are equal on this playing field too. Ah well, it will just make it that much more rewarding when I crush you!"

Katya dodged the both the oncoming light attack as well as the spear. She whirled around in the sky to counter-attack, but something caught her eye. There was another battle happening in the sky just one hundred or so yards away. As the two figures clashed, sprung away, and clashed again, she recognized one of them. Takeru!

Her joy at finding him pretty much unharmed was cut short by a blast of light to her mid-region. She fell backwards in the sky, but was able to catch herself before she hit the ground. She inwardly cursed at herself for being distracted. Luckily, her subconscious must have been paying attention at least, because her body had automatically defended itself and there was only a slight burn mark on her abdomen.

"I'd worry less about your lover and more about yourself if I were you," Keitya growled, diving towards the girl.

This time, however, Katya was ready. She not only blocked Keitya's attack, but counteracted immediately, darting behind the other and aiming a ball of her own light at her back. Keitya tried to get out of the way, but hissed in pain as she wasn't quick enough and the attack grazed her side.

"Bitch," she scowled, rubbing her wounded side. Suddenly, she looked down and got a very shocked look on her face.

Katya looked down as well and saw what had shocked her. Most of the ground troops had been completely obliterated. All that remained fighting were the four packs of Shadow Beasts. The two vampires and their spiders were off to the side, recovering. They had done their part and were not able to do anything more. Feeling very confident, Katya looked up to meet Keitya's eyes. The girl seemed to be in a state of shock.

'I don't believe it, how could this happen? This army has defeated many others, seizing control of great tracts of land, yet this small group has wiped them out. And this girl...this stupid little girl...can match this power of mine that only the four Masters and Tejuku can stand a chance against. Just what are these people?'

Looking up, she saw Katya staring at her with a smug look. She scowled back. 'It really doesn't matter I suppose, I'll destroy them whatever they are!'

With burning fury, she launched herself blindly towards the girl. Katya had been expecting an attack, but not one with this rage or speed. Keitya was in striking range within just a second or two. Katya braced herself for impact when, suddenly, a bolt of lightening flashed through the air right between the two girls, forcing Keitya to veer off course. On the other side of the sky, the same thing had happened between Takeru and Tejuku. All four children looked around, searching for the source of the strange power surge. However, only Takeru and Katya seemed confused, Tejuku and Keitya seemed to know exactly what they were looking for.

A few seconds later, they found it. It was a distant figure in the sky, coming closer quickly. Tejuku and Keitya immediately bowed their heads deeply, shocking the other two with their uncharacteristic placidity. All of a sudden, Takeru realized with a start that the figure was the same woman who had killed him before right after his fight with Tejuku. He bristled and started to gather his remaining energy.

The cloaked woman barely glanced at him from atop her dragon. She addressed the two non-Guardians first.

"Go back now," she ordered, ice in her voice.

Tejuku and Keitya's heads shot up.

"What?" Tejuku asked incredulously.

"Look around you," the woman snapped. "Your army is gone, you've already lost. Go now, I will deal with your punishment later."

Both Tejuku and Keitya flinched, nodded, and made to leave, completely forgetting about their opponents. Takeru frowned; this woman's voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it. As he saw Tejuku start to move away, he decided to worry about placing the voice later, and take action now. He couldn't let Tejuku simply escape, not again.

"Not this time," he scowled, charging his twin from behind.

Tejuku whirled, raising his sword automatically, however, it wasn't necessary as the woman sent another strong bolt of lightening between them, allowing Tejuku to successfully escape. Growling, Takeru turned on the lady; it had been her fault that Tejuku had been able to get away each time, she needed to pay! He shot an enormous ball of shadow energy at her. She made to defend, but wasn't quite fast enough. His shot hit her right hand, slicing the back of it open.

The woman glared at him. "That was a mistake young one," she said in a dangerously calm voice. "I have already killed you once, and now I shall do it again." With that, she created several large bolts, all heading for him.

Before he had time to react and create a shield, he felt something, or someone, ram into his side, pushing him out of the way. He looked down to see Katya holding him around the waist, breathing heavily. The woman was merely watching them with detached interest now, not seeing any threat.

"Don't do that," Katya scolded, "You're going to get yourself killed! She's too powerful, we have to run."

"I can't," Takeru protested, trying to struggle away, intent on destroying the woman's arrogant stance.

"You will," Katya ordered. "If you love me at all, you will."

Takeru looked down, surprised. They had coupled many nights since that first time, but never spoke of love during the day, it went against their unspoken code.

"She won't just let us leave," he pointed out quietly, placing an arm around her shoulders.

She didn't release his waist. "We must try, please," she practically begged. "If we die fighting her today, then we won't be able to get strong enough to beat her. And if we die, our whole journey will have been for nothing and Hiata will be doomed."

Takeru considered her logic and nodded slightly, still not liking it. However, he quickly cooked up a scheme for escape in his mind. Hunching over a bit, he whispered into her ear.

"Have you lionesses cluster with Denzo, Siara, and the spiders, I will tell my wolves to do the same. As soon as you do that, create a bright wall of light to blind her. After that, just hold on and leave it to me."

She looked up at him strangely, but nodding trustingly. Closing her eyes, she spoke to her lionesses quickly, still holding Takeru. Gathering her strength, she created a bright, prolonged flash of light behind her. Takeru watched with satisfaction as the woman screeched and had to hide her eyes from the burning illumination.

Moving quickly, he dove towards the ground, pulling Katya with him. He landed in the middle of the large group. As soon as he touched the earth, he released Katya and placed both of his hands on the ground, closed his eyes, and created a dome of shadow. His plan was to create a camouflage so that they would be able to fool her and have time to get away. He only hoped that the woman wouldn't be able to sense it. As insurance that the dome would not stand out, he had coated all of the visible ground with a layer of shadow. Surprisingly, it was not draining as much energy as he thought it would.

Looking up through the dome, he saw that the woman was looking around, moving angrily. He couldn't see her face, but he imagined that she was probably scowling. After a few moments of searching, she ordered her dragon to turn and leave. She would deal with these menaces another day.

When he was sure that she was gone, Takeru recalled all of his Shadow magic. He felt a good deal of his waning energy return, but some was still gone. Looking back, he saw that the others were looking at him in a very surprised way.

"Well," Denzo stated, speaking first. "That's quite a trick. I didn't know you could do something that extensive."

"That makes two of us," he muttered before turning his full attention to them and raising his voice. "I suppose all that matters is that I could, and we are safe for now. We thank you two for your hospitality, and we would hate to impose on you any longer than necessary. We shall fetch Akio and sleep for a few hours before leaving, if that is alright with you."

Siara nodded. "Of course. You may stay as long as you like, though," she offered.

"We appreciate the offer," Katya replied, catching Takeru's drift. "But it is quite imperative that we reach Karina's as soon as possible."

Denzo smiled in understanding. "Well then, let's get going. You've got a lot to do before you leave, I imagine."

With that, the large group began to move back towards the town. Katya smiled slightly as they did. While they may not have had a definite victory on the battlefield, they had won something much more important; new allies...new friends in this hostile world. Hopefully, their friendship would prove to be enough in the long run.

/o-o/

"Papa, are we there yet?" Akio asked, yawning.

Takeru smiled down at him slightly. They had traveled with no trouble for the last few weeks, and were positive that they were very close to Karina's. He was about to answer Akio and say that they were close, when Frenzy's voice cut through his mind.

/Takeru, I can see the forest where Karina's house is located now. At this pace, we should be there within twenty minutes./

/Thank you Frenzy/ Takeru replied, grateful for the news.

Looking over at Katya, he could tell that she had received the same message from one of her lionesses. His happy thoughts were interrupted by Akio tugging on his arm.

"Don't ignore me Papa," the young boy chided in an indignant voice.

Takeru chuckled slightly. "I'm sorry kid, I didn't realize I was ignoring you. Actually, I was talking to Frenzy and she said that we'll be at Karina's very soon."

"How soon?"

"She said that we'll be there in about twenty minutes. Is that fast enough for you?" he lightly teased.

Akio stuck out his tongue and Takeru laughed.

"I can't wait to get there," Akio started. "I wanna meet your friends that you told me about and I wanna see their big bird and I wanna play with it and-"

Takeru and Katya exchanged amused looks as Akio rambled on and on about the things that he couldn't wait to see or do. For a little kid, he was very ambitious. Suddenly, about ten minutes after they entered a forest, Akio gasped and stopped mid-ramble.

"Look Papa, Mama! Look! It's a house!"

The two looked ahead immediately and saw that they had finally come within sight of Karina's house. Takeru looked upon this moment with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he was ecstatic to be much closer to seeing Kari and Hiroki again, and to be closer to finishing this 'destiny,' but on the other hand, he wasn't looking forward to seeing Karina again.

As the wolves and lionesses got closer to the residence, Takeru and Katya noticed a large white bird and a large red/orange bird resting in the clearing. The two animals looked at the group with little interest, but Takeru was happy to see them because they meant that Kari and Hiroki were here already.

As soon as the three dismounted the Shadow Beasts, they heard excited gasping from behind them. Turning, Takeru barely had time to register a figure rushing towards him before he was crushed in a hug. The same was true of Katya.

"Oh TK, I missed you so much!" Kari exclaimed, hugging him tightly.

"Yeah, I missed you too Kari," he replied. "How long have you guys been here?"

"Just since this morning, I guess we both timed our returns fairly well, huh?" she said, smiling.

TK smiled back. Suddenly, a hand clamped on his shoulder.

"Takeru, my man, what's up?"

Still smiling, Takeru turned around and found himself facing Hiroki.

"Not much, what's up with you?"

Hiroki shrugged. "Same ol', same ol'."

"So, where's Karina?" Katya asked from behind Hiroki.

"She left a few hours ago," Kari replied. "Didn't say where she was going, she just left the five of us alone."

Suddenly, she remembered Miyo. About that same time, Katya and Takeru remembered Akio. Looking around, they found the pair staring at each other, mouths open, and there was no question why that was.

"Mama!" "Mommy!"

"That kid looks like me!" they exclaimed at the same time.

They weren't kidding, all four older children noted. The two looked identical, even more so than Takeru and Tejuku, because the younger children even had the same coloring. It was more that slightly odd.

"Where did you find that boy?" Hiroki asked.

"His name's Akio, we saved him from a crazy man in a bar several months back. Where'd you find that girl?" Katya replied.

"She's Miyo, and we saved her from some Jackal beasts several months back too," Kari answered.

They didn't have any time to further ponder this bizarre situation because, at that time, Karina stepped from the shadows.

"Guardians, you have finally all returned," she said in a very cheery voice. "It is so good to see you again. Why don't you come inside and tell me all about your adventures? I'm sure there is much worth hearing."

For some reason, Hiroki, Kari, and Katya all looked towards Takeru, waiting for his answer. Karina looked at him too, but not out of curiosity, she seemed to be saying 'I told you so,' with her eyes. Takeru sighed, and grudgingly nodded. It had been bad enough when Karina had simply been a bitch, now she had to be right too. Shaking his head, he stepped inside with the others, wanting to get this mandatory time with Karina over with as soon as possible.

/o-o/

As soon as possible, however, turned out to be five hours later. It had taken each group two and a half hours to tell their story with enough detail that it satisfied the Fate Mage; of course, they did leave out some details that they wanted to tell each other before they told Karina, but the woman didn't seem to catch on to their game. All six travelers were weary the entire time, but Karina wouldn't let up on the questions. In order to not pass out, each had positioned themselves in a certain place reflecting their powers.

Hiroki, of course, sat right next to the fire. Kari sat perched on an open windowsill, holding a sleeping Miyo. Katya sat in the brightest part of the lamplight, and Takeru sat in the darkest part of the room, sleeping Akio on his lap. They were all trying to suck up as much energy as they could.

Finally, after the five excruciating hours, she told them that they could go rest.

"Just a minute Takeru, if you don't mind," she called sweetly as they filed out of the house to go sleep with their Shadow Beasts and Spirit Animals as they were accustomed to doing.

Takeru sighed and handed Akio to Katya before turning and walking back near Karina.

"Yes?" he asked, trying not to show his irritation.

"Have a seat, dear."

Sighing again, he obeyed, not up to arguing with her.

"Have you thought about what we last spoke of?" she asked casually.

"Not really," he lied. He didn't want to admit that the thought of so much responsibility in the fate of an entire world sometimes haunted his sleep.

"Do you believe I'm wrong?"

"No," he answered, struggling to appear calm. "But, if I am truly the leader of the Guardians, it wouldn't do for me to worry over something so trivial, now would it?"

Karina's smile seemed somewhat strained. "No, it wouldn't," she agreed. After a few seconds pause, she continued, a real smile on her face this time. "You know, I believe that you will do more for us than I would have ever expected. Much more. But, why don't you get some sleep now? You look tired. We can talk again later."

Forcing himself to nod at the last comment, Takeru rose and began to turn towards the door, when something caught his eye.

"Karina, what happened to your hand?"

Karina's eyes widened slightly in surprise as she looked down at the appendage in question. It was her right hand that he was asking about; it had a bandage around it and blood could be seen seeping through the top. She shrugged as she answered in a sweet voice.

"I had a run in with a large predator of this forest. It scratched me before I could get away. Why?"

Takeru schooled his expression. "No reason. Good-night Karina."

"Good-night young Guardian," she replied as he left.

As soon as he was out of sight, her smile turned to a scowl. He suspected something, she knew it. Why else would he ask about her hand when he seemed to hate her?

"Is everything in place?" a man asked from behind her.

He was a young man, younger than any others that she worked with, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, the younger they were, the easier they were to fool and manipulate.

"Yes," she answered. "They will meet you tomorrow, you will take them to your court, and they will become your ultimate weapons."

She didn't bother to mention that these Guardians were strong willed and would not be easily swayed into helping a stranger. The man would have to find that out on his own. Not that it mattered if his plan worked or not, either way, Karina would have all that she needed for her own battle ahead.

/o-o/

Katya was the first to awake the next morning. At first, she was very confused, but then she remembered what had happened. They had finally made it back after nearly a year of traveling and fighting. Smiling, she looked over to Takeru. Her smile changed to a small frown. He had come out after talking to Karina and had been very quiet and solemn. When she asked what was wrong, he told her that it wasn't safe to talk about it presently, but she would discover it for herself if she looked at Karina very carefully.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice Hiroki rise and come over to her. She jumped when he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thinking about your lover, eh?" he asked teasingly.

Katya smirked. "As a matter of fact, yes, I was."

Hiroki's eyes bugged. "You mean, you two are really...y'know...together like that?"

Katya nodded. "We admitted it when we reached Vorago, but we accepted that we were not meant to love completely, so we try to make our love physical. I guess we left that part out of the story we told Karina, huh? So, what about you and Hikari? Are you two lovers yet?"

Hiroki blushed. "Not yet."

"But soon?" Katya prodded.

Hiroki flushed even more. "I don't know, I don't know if she feels the same," he said hurriedly.

Katya rolled her eyes. "Stupid boy. Of course she feels the same. She was watching you all last night, are you saying that you didn't notice?"

"Well...I..."

Before he could finish his incoherent stuttering, Akio came up and crawled into Katya's lap.

"Good-morning Mama," he automatically greeted.

"Good-morning Akio." She frowned as she saw that he looked somewhat sad. "What's wrong?"

"I feel something bad here, Miyo does too. I don't know what it is."

Katya frowned even more before switching into reassuring-mode. "I'm sure it's nothing, why don't you go play with Miyo now while I finish talking to Hiroki? I'll tell Papa about your bad feeling when he wakes up, okay?"

Akio nodded, looking satisfied with the answer, before running off. Katya turned back to Hiroki.

"Now, where were we? Ah yes, I remember. You were just about to take my advice and tell her."

"Was not," Hiroki protested.

"Well now you are." She sighed at his stubborn look. "At least think about it?"

Hiroki nodded before standing again. His eyes immediately narrowed in suspicion.

"What?" Katya asked, confused.

"Look," he said in an undertone. "Karina's talking to a strange man. I've never seen him before."

Katya twisted around to see what he was talking about. She frowned. "I've never seen him either. Do you think that he's causing Akio and Miyo's bad feeling?"

"Looks like we're about to find out," he muttered as Karina started to lead the man over to them. "Wake Takeru, I'm going to wake Hikari."

Katya nodded as he walked off. She looked over to where Takeru was sleeping, and was surprised to find him sitting up and awake. She crawled over and rested her head on his shoulder.

"What do you make of him?" she whispered.

"He's a normal human, but something about him doesn't seem right," was the reply.

Katya's frown deepened. "Akio said that he and Miyo have been having a bad feeling about something here, do you think it's him?"

"Could be, only one way to find out."

He stood and pulled Katya with him. A few yards away, the other two stood as well. Takeru walked forward to the middle of the clearing. Katya stood slightly behind him to his right, and the two Elementals stood slightly behind him to the left. Takeru inwardly sighed; they didn't have to make it so obvious that he was the supposed leader.

He looked at the man with Karina suspiciously as they approached. He was young, mid-twenties probably, with sandy brown hair and matching eyes. He had a slim complexion, but a powerful stance. He was obviously someone of high rank, but who?

When the two groups were about a couple feet away, Karina and the man stopped.

"These are the Guardians my Lord," Karina said. "Children, this is the good Prince Larin."

All four Guardians stiffened at being called children, but they looked at the man before them with newfound interest. So, this was the man that they were supposed to secure Hiata for. Hopefully he was more worthy than he looked.

When Karina saw them just looking, she grew somewhat angry. "Don't just gawk," she rebuked. "Bow to your Prince."

The four looked over to her sharply, more bristled than before. Takeru sensed that Hiroki was about to do something rash, so he signaled him to stay still.

"No offense, but he's not our prince," he said cooly.

Karina scowled before turning apologetically to Prince Larin. "I apologize for their impudence, my Lord, but they were not brought up with the court. Their manners are little better than those of heathens."

"Our manners are just fine," Katya snapped. "But we will not recognize a prince that we do not know. Perhaps, should he prove himself worthy, he will gain our respect and loyalty. Until then, he is not our prince."

"Again, I am sorry my Lord," Karina apologized bowing.

"I understand," Larin said in a condescending tone. "Often, free spirits resent being told what to do. I'm sure they will come around soon enough."

HIroki glared at him, but Larin ignored him.

"I'm sure you're wondering what an important figure like me is doing here, right?" he asked as if he were speaking to small children.

"Don't patronize us," Takeru said in a warning tone, not liking the feeling he was getting from this man. "Just say what you will and be done with it."

Larin kept the smile on his face. "I have come to offer you a position in the Swords. You will serve me, and they will serve you. You cannot be defeated with such an army."

Hiroki snorted. "We serve no one. As you said, we are free spirits. Besides, we do not need your army to win, we have our own allies, and all the power we need."

"Perhaps that is so," he said, still in a condescending voice. "But, why don't you come take a look at what I'm offering you? Come stay at my court and see for yourself how much help we can give."

As he spoke, Takeru noted that Larin was only looking at him, as if the opinion of the others didn't matter. Takeru, however, knew that it mattered a lot. Turning his head, he locked eyes with Hikari and Hiroki. Both gave him slight nods. Locking eyes with Katya, he received another nod. He faced Larin again.

"Two weeks," he said. "We will give you two weeks to prove to us that you are worthy."

Larin smiled widely. "Excellent," he said, more to himself than any one else. "Most excellent. Now, why don't you gather what you want, we can leave immediately via transport spell. I guarantee that you won't be disappointed."

/o-o/

Two hours later, the large group was looking at a castle-type fort. It had a moat, a large stone outer wall, a drawbridge, and large towers. It looked every part the medieval castle.

It looks even grander on the inside," Larin said somewhat cheerfully as he led them to the drawbridge. "However, your animals will have to remain outside."

"We will not go in unless two wolves and two lionesses can accompany us," Takeru stated, leaving no room for argument.

Larin paused before nodding hesitantly. He then continued forward.

As soon as he came within sight of the guards, excited rustling came from inside and the drawbridge was lowered. When they entered, they were immediately swamped by civilians living inside the castle. They were all bowing and reaching out, hoping to have the honor of touching the garments of one of these powerful figures; of course, it was against the law to touch their skin.

The four Guardians, plus Miyo and Akio, all shrunk together, slightly unnerved by all of this. Picking up on their discomfort, Rage and Tempest placed themselves on the right of the six, while Star and Mercy placed themselves on the left. They sent warning growls to anyone who tried to get too close. Takeru smiled slightly and patted Rage's shoulder.

It didn't take them long to get out of the fray of people and into the main hall of the castle. Larin stopped and motioned to a servant.

"Yes, my Lord?" she asked, bowing low.

"Take the Guardians to the rooms that have been prepared for them." He turned back to said Guardians. "While I would like to show you around, alas I have important things to take care of. Feel free to explore, and be assured that we will speak again very soon." With that, he turned and hurried off with an advisor.

"If you'll come this way, my Lords and Ladies," the servant said meekly, obviously afraid of them.

Hikari nodded and smiled. "Don't be afraid, we have no quarrel with you. You are quite safe. What is your name, by the way?"

The servant girl looked reassured by that as she led them up some stairs. "Nadia, my Lady. My Lord had two suites prepared, one for Mages and one for Elementals. Both are very spacious, and I hope they will be to your liking."

The four nodded in acknowledgment. They soon reached a long hallway. In this hallway were two sets of large oak doors facing each other. The servant opened one and quickly opened the other too.

"Here are your rooms, my Lords and Ladies. Do you require anything else?"

"No thank you Nadia, you may go back to your other duties now," Katya said graciously.

The servant girl nodded. "Thank you, my Lady. If you need something, ask anyone, and they will get it for you." With that, she bowed, turned, and left.

The six humans looked inside the rooms. Nadia hadn't been kidding when she said they were spacious. Each had a large four-poster bed, big enough to sleep all four of the Shadow Beasts comfortably, a large table, a fireplace, four large cushioned chairs, and an adjacent dressing room, and bathing room. They all had lavish decorations and large windows with embroidered drapes. Obviously, Larin was trying to buy their support.

"Why don't we go into one of the rooms and talk?" Hiroki suggested.

The other three nodded and went into the room on the right, dark colors symboling that it was the Mages' room. The four Shadow Beasts and two smaller children followed. The Guardians settled themselves in the large chairs and sat silently for a while. Then, Hiroki broke the silence.

"What do you think?" he asked, addressing all, but looking at Takeru. After all, who better to make sense of strange dark strangers than the Shadow Mage?

Takeru frowned. "I sense an unusual amount of fear from everyone here, including Larin himself. Not that I trust him anyway, not since he's working with Karina."

"What's wrong with Karina?" Hikari asked. "She's our ally, though she may not be the nicest person."

"She's not our ally, she's our enemy."

"What do you mean?" Hiroki asked.

Takeru looked to Katya and sighed. "I knew I didn't like her at first, but I had no real reason why. Now, she's given me one."

All three looked at him anxiously, waiting for him to continue. Only Katya seemed to have the slightest idea what he meant.

"Do you remember what we said about the lady on the dragon in the last battle we had?"

Hiroki nodded. "Yeah, she controls lightening as well as Tejuku and Keitya. Why?"

"Well, at the end of the battle, my Shadow Energy cut the back of her right hand. When we saw Karina again, I noticed that she had a bandage on her right hand, blood seeping from the top. At first, I considered that it could be a coincidence, but then I sensed lingering traces of my Shadow Energy embedded in the wound. Without a doubt, I can say that it was Karina on that dragon attacking us."

Katya nodded, suspicions confirmed, while Hikari and Hiroki stared, wide-eyed.

"I don't believe it," Hikari said softly. Then, she turned to Hiroki. "Do you think she's one of them?"

"One of who?" Katya asked, confused.

Hikari sighed. "Well, in a battle that we fought, we were against these people in red cloaks. They said that they weren't with Shaukaka or Isan, but were with a group called the Abbey."

"The Abbey?" Takeru interrupted. "I read about them in my father's book."

"What did it say?" Katya asked.

"It said that they used to be a very religious group who were corrupted by power. They tried several times to overthrow the current ruler and take power themselves, but failed each time because they lacked the necessary strength. They were never caught, though, because they were good at simply 'disappearing.' However, when one of their rebellions in which they enlisted Shadowlore failed, the Shadowlore sold them out. They were captured and burned at the stake, one by one. It was not believed that any escaped, but they must have, if this group exists."

"Why would Larin work with them if they had a past reputation of trying to overthrow rulers?" Hiroki asked, perplexed.

"Maybe he doesn't know," Hikari suggested. "After all, Karina doesn't wear the cloak, and she seems to be the main person who works with him. There's really no way he could know, if they didn't want him to."

"Yes, but this is all assuming that Karina is with the Abbey," Katya noted, unsettled. She didn't like all of this betrayal and deadly secrets.

Their thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. They saw Larin enter.

"I trust your accommodations are to your liking?" he asked.

They nodded slightly.

"Good. Now, you three can continue to talk, but I require the Shadow Mage's presence. The nobles of my Court would like to meet and talk with the leader of the Guardians."

"We have no secrets between us," Takeru stated, voice dangerously calm. "There is no reason that your Court cannot meet with us all."

"They would rather meet with a simple representative at first. Being the leader, we felt that you were the natural choice."

Takeru bristled, feeling insulted for his friends. He then felt Katya's hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly.

"Go ahead Takeru. We will finish our discussion here and perhaps explore a bit. We can all talk when you return."

Looking at the other two and receiving affirmative nods, Takeru rose and walked towards the door. Rage followed.

"Your...beast will have to stay here," Larin stated, looking at the wolf with barely disguised hatred.

Takeru frowned. "Rage goes where I go. However, if he makes you and your court nervous, he can wait outside the room."

Larin looked at him with a mock-hurt look on his face. "Why do you feel you need protection in my castle? I'm beginning to get the feeling that you don't trust me."

"I don't," Takeru replied frankly. "Now, shall we get going?"

Larin gave a sharp nod, obviously offended. "As you wish."

They walked out of the room and down the long hallway. They reached another set of stairs and ascended two stories. They then walked down another hall until they reached a metal door.

"The Council is in here," Larin stated eyeing Rage.

Takeru nodded slightly. /Stay out here Rage. I doubt they'll try anything, but I'll call you if they do./

Rage mentally nodded and laid down dutifully by the door. Larin opened the door and motioned Takeru inside. The boy felt dwarfed by the room. It was large and circular, and had two levels of tables and benches. Filling these benches were close to a hundred nobles. All were staring at him as if he were some kind of side show.

"Valued members of the Royal Court, I present to you the Shadow Mage," Larin said while walking to his seat at the head of the room. He motioned for Takeru to stay put. "Shadow Mage, these are the nobles of my Court."

Takeru nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

"They are all very eager to meet and please you," Larin continued, "They would like this to be an informal so that they can converse naturally with you, if you would allow."

Takeru nodded slightly again, locking eyes with each of the nobles, sending the message that he wasn't to be messed with. Larin gave a wave of his hand and instantaneously, nearly every person in the room rose and walked down to the center, where he was. They bowed deeply and the men reached out to shake his hand. Though he did not like all of the attention, he played along, shaking each one of the mens' hands, and kissing the hands of the ladies lightly.

They seemed to have endless questions for him; where was he from? what were the other Guardians like? what had he accomplished already? what did he plan to do now? He answered them as vaguely and as best as he could, not wanting to make decisions or commitments that he hadn't discussed with the others. He also received several dining invitations from nearly every noble family, and had to accept them all, as it would be rude to do otherwise.

This seemed to go on for hours for Takeru until Larin once again gestured with his hand and the nobles returned to their seats.

"I think that we've exhausted the Shadow Mage with enough questions today," Larin said. "But, tell me Shadow Mage, have you come any closer to deciding whether or not you will aid us."

"I have not had sufficient time to consider the matter," he replied.

"Well, then perhaps you will allow me to try to persuade you a bit?"

Takeru gave a slight nod, it wasn't as if he had much choice anyway.

Larin smiled. "As I'm sure you've heard before, war is like a game of chess. Every king needs good and loyal knights, bishops, and rooks to succeed. Pawns as well. With these lords and ladies, I have my bishops and rooks, and with my foot soldiers, I have my pawns. However, I am missing my knights, my masters of war. I believe that you and your fellow Guardians could fill that void, with advantages for both of us. After all, no chess piece could succeed without the others. In other words, you need us as much as we need you in order to have a victory. Do you understand?"

"You make a good argument," Takeru stated simply out of courteously. "But only time will tell what our decision will be."

"Of course," Larin granted, speaking only out of courteousness as well. "You may go now, Shadow Mage, feel free to take your time in making a final decision."

Takeru nodded once to him, and once to the nobles before walking out of the door and towards the stairs. He looked back at the door before he descended.

'You're right about one thing Larin, war is like a game of chess. However, I think you're mistaken about which of us is the pawn.'