Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon I just wish I did. This is done for fun not profit.

Rating: PG

Setting: Digimon Frontier story set a few months after the season finale.

Comments: I'm sorry this took so long. My computer broke down and I was left for several weeks without net access. Currently unbeta'd so if you spot any errors please tell me in your review. All constructive criticism gladly received. All flames ignored. Yes, I know I should be working on my 02 fics but I write as I'm inspired to write and right now I'm so unhappy with them I've taking them down.

Of Necessities and Consequences

Chapter Four

Dawning Suspicions

"Why would they take the book?" Kouichi mused out loud as Angemon and Fairymon tried to comfort the distraught Bokomon.

"I would have thought that that is obvious." Neemon said in one of those rare outbursts of astuteness that he some times had. Moments that made Kouichi suspect the little yellow Digimon knew more than he let on about the Digital World. "There must be something in there that they don't want us to know ... the identity of our enemy maybe."

"I guess that makes sense..." Kouichi began when a shocked cry from Tailmon interrupted him.

"My Castle!" She was staring at the screens in horror. "They scanned my castle!" She put her gloved paws to ger eyes. "Poor Nefertimon!"

"Hmmm.... that was a big library. I doubt it's coincidence."

"So it really was a feint." Fairymon agreed. "They wanted everyone distracted so they could obtain... obtain what? Potential sources of information about them?"

"It seems that way." Kouichi agreed then looked back at the screens. "What about that Tunnel of Time place?"

"I don't know." The digimon in charge of the screens said. "It's currently in a blind spot. We'll have to wait until that part of the Dark Continent is in view of one of the moons... which should be any minute now." It gestured to one of the screens and they all turned to watch it. They were still waiting when the other Legendary Warriors arrived and took in the scene. Fairymon quickly filled them in on the situation and they joined the silent vigil at the screens. Moments later the area rolled into view.

"It's gone." Turueimon said in a sad but unsurprised tone. "Whoever did this planned this down to the last stroke." He turned and looked at one of the other screens. "But they missed somewhere." He added in a satisfied tone.

"They did?" Agnimon blinked but the question was hopeful. Turuiemon nodded solemnly.

"A lot of things in the Digital World come in threes." Tailmon explained. "There were the three of us for example. And there are 3 basic digimon attributes, data, vaccine and virus." She shrugged, "Though that doesn't cover you."

"Anyway there are also three great places of knowledge where the history of the Digital World is stored." Angemon explained. "Ophanimon's Castle in the Light Area, The Tunnel of Time on the Dark Continent and the 'Grove of Secrets' deep in the Forest." He paused and then added. "I'd guess that they didn't hit because they didn't know about it. It's existence was never common knowledge. we liked it that way for just this reason." He looked down. "I doubt that will last for long. It's existence is noted in both the Tunnel and the Library. If they read the digicode they'll know it's there... but not where it is fortunately. They'll have to look for it."

"But you know where it is, right?" Agnimon asked. "So we can anticipate them and go there and guard it?"

"Study it I'd say." Fairymon suggested. "Let's find out what they don't want us to know."

"That too." He agreed.

"Neither will be easy." Angemon said wryly. "It's off the beaten track, far from any Trailmon Lines."

"And its guardian is notoriously cranky." Tailmon added.

"Okay, so we fly in." Agnimon said. "Vritramon can carry everybody."

"That's the thing..." Tailmon explained. "She won't like that. And fighting an unhappy Doumon would not be good. You'd win but she should be an ally not an enemy. Let's humour her."

"You mean we'll have to walk in?" Turuiemon sighed. "Why does Doumon have to be such a stickler for protocol?"

"Do we have time for that?" Agnimon asked. "I mean I doubt they'll stick to protocol whoever they are."

"True but they don't know exactly where it is, so they'll have search for it... we can walk right there. It's a race and we have an advantage..."

"But for now it's evening." Tailmon said. "and nearly dark. Let's eat and then get a Trailmon to take us overnight to the Forest." She looked up at them. "And you should put off devolving. You're wasting a great deal of energy."

There was a slightly sleepish silence and the five kids did as she suggested. There was a faintly musical humming tone as the spirits flew back into their digivices and then the forms of the Warriors appeared next to the kids ... only now they seemed semi-transparent. Tailmon looked at them thoughtfully.

"Now that's possibility never occured to me." She murmerered. Everyone looked at her. "Well it seems that the Spirits have retained their identities but not their data cohesion." She waved a paw though Agnimon's form as if it wasn't there. "It seems that the spirits have... well... literally become spirits."

Takuya glanced down at his digivice and blinked when he realised that the Spirits of Flame themselves were actually still in it. He looked from it to Agnimon and back before noticing that the others were doing the same. It was Kouji who finally spoke up.

"It seems to be some form of projection from our digivices." he said thoughtfully.

"Yes, it's odd.2 Wolfmon's image agreed. "I can project my consciousnesses out from the digivice but not our forms." He flowed in and out of Kouji's digivice to demonstrate.

"It's better than nothing." Fairymon said cheerfully. "But why?"

"Hmmm...." Everyone considere the question but no answers were forthcoming.

Not far away from the Town of Flame two digimon were meeting surreptiously.

"I warned them." Rosemon told her companion as she stared up at the human world in the sky. "But I doubt they'll listen. I mean why should they believe it? They saved us once and they want to do it again." She sighed. "I just wish that there was some way to show them. It isn't fair."

"Life is seldom fair, Rosemon." Babamon sat down on a log. "You know that! No matter what they actually want their presence endangers the Digital World this time. We must do something about it. Clearly the rules have changed for some reason and the ban on travel now works both ways."

"Yes... but something is bothering me." Rosemon frowned briefly. "If we're right how come this start before they came back? It makes no sense."

"I don't know." Babamon admitted "But I d know that my visions don't lie. While it is certainly unintentional on their parts the Chosen Children are in some way the cause of all this."

"I wonder what that Digimon meant." Takuya mused as they ate their second feast of the day. "She seemed so sure of herself."

"The Rosemon that you mentioned?" Tailmon asked. He noded and she frowned. "I'm afraid I don't know. There's no reason for her to think that your presense in the Digital World would endanger it." She lapsed into thought. "Though she isn't the first to say it."

"Is there any way that she could possibly be right?" Kouji asked but Tailmon shook her head.

"No. You see when humans come to the Digital World they become digital data so there's no problem. But when a Digimon goes to the Human World they remain as Data. That's what causes the problem... it sort of..." she paused as if struggling to find a word.

"Infects?" Turueimon suggested and she nodded.

"That describes it... it sort of infects your world. It starts to become digitized... your reality is 'analog' and if your world becomes digital it won't be able to exist in it's native reality. It would be drawn into ours... two things cannot exist in the same place at the same time so that would be bad. There would be a Digital World afterwards but it would be a weird mix of both and most people and digimon wouldn't survive."

"Damn!" Izumi blinked. "That's bad. But it does explain what happened this morning." She added before telling them about what had happened to her home. Tailmon nodded.

"Yes, that is exactly the sort of thing I'd expect to happen."

"The last few weeks have been filled with strange stuff like that. Though not on that scale." Izumi added. "I think it's been effecting us as well."

"Oh?" Tailmon looked at her curiously. "Effecting you how?" she listened as Izumi described the mystery illness and her frown deepened. "That's very strange..." She looked over at Kouichi. "And you haven't been effected?"

"Not at all."

"This is very odd... I wonder..." Tailmon lapsed into a deeply thoughtful silence.

"You wonder what?" Junpei asked but she shook her head.

"Let me think about it. I don't want to say anything until I'm sure... but I hope I'm wrong."

"That sounds ominous." Takuya noted. "Do you think that Rosemon may be right after all?"

"Oh no! Not at all." Tailmon replied. "Quite the opposite actually."

WWhat do you mean?" He asked but she would say nothing more. They could tell she was worried though because she spent the rest of the meal deep in thought and didn't touch her food.

"We have the book," Lady Devimon knelt respectfully before a portal that resembled a polished basalt mirror. "And the Data from Ophanimon's Castle and the Tunnel of Time." She opened her hand and let them float through the gate.

"Excellant! Well done, was there any trouble?"

"We lost SkullGreymon I'm afraid but everything went off without a hitch." She replied.

"That's unfortunate ... but not too problematic. However this data tells me something disturbing. It seems that there is a third archive ... somewhere in the forest. You must find and scan it before the warriors get there ... they must not learn my identity and history."

"I will gather a strike force immediately." Lady Devimon rose and bowed.

"Do not fail me."

I will try to update sooner. I swear!