I don't own digimon

Desert Mirage

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It was late afternoon. The sun was just starting to lower in the west and the digi-destined were walking slowly down a dusty red road.

"Is this entire continent a dust bowl?" growled Amy as she staggered over the ground.

"According to the Alpine Tundra data base, this desert spreads southward until we hit a line of mountains that serve as a border to some other little sector," said Brendan quietly. He looked up the road, "We should be coming to a canyon soon. There is a bridge that links this side with the other."

"I am guessing that is where Harpymon is," said Steven quietly as he looked up ahead of the road.

"The roads do, bottle neck there," said Brendan quietly. He looked back, "But I don't know if she'll be there."

"We'll let's go to find out!" Kevin walked past everyone with Snow Agumon.

"Wait…" Steven ran after him. It was too late though Kevin was already set out on the way. "Idiot," mumbled Steven as he went after him. The others looked at each other and then followed Steven.

"This is silly," said Amy quietly as she walked with Jason and Janet. Janet and Jason looked at Amy quizzically. "Steven and Kevin are both just so stupid…"

"What brought this on?" asked Jason quietly, looking at Amy.

"Ever since their fight near Alpine Tundra…" Amy huffed. She looked at the two boys that were a good deal ahead of them now, "They've not been overly happy with one another, can't they just get over it!"

"It's sometimes hard," whispered Jason as he looked at his crest.

"We're supposed to be friends!" shouted Amy at Kevin.

"Amy, shut up," Janet said quietly. The mini-skirt wearing girl stopped and looked at Janet. The brown haired girl turned to Amy, "Sometimes things take time, you just have to give them room…"

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"We're supposed to be friends!" shouted Amy's voice. Kevin winced and looked back at Steven.

"Maybe I should…" Kevin stopped and looked to Steven. The young man and Ryuudamon looked back and then Steven and Kevin averted their eyes.

"It's-It's glowing…" whispered Michelle. She held up her tag. "The crest must be close…" A beam of light shot forward down the road. Michelle started to slowly walk forward.

"Wait for us!" yelped Kevin as he ran after his sister.

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The beam flashed passed her eyes. She growled. She could smell it on the wind, someone was coming. She reached out unfurling her wing-like arms. Her face mask lifted as she stood slowly.

She lifted off the ground and hovered up to the long, thin, bridge of rock that was her tolling area.

"Who, comes to the toll station of Harpymon!" shrieked the woman as she looked down from her position in the sky. Eight humans and eight digimon stood at the edge of the precipice. "Ah, Lord Assaultmon has told me of you, it seems that Depthmon has failed to detain you…It's a shame, Assaultmon will probably level Marinaville, now. I'll have no one to toll…" Harpymon narrowed her eyes. One of the girls, the one with short tan hair, was looking down at a glowing necklace. The light was spread out. A portion was on half of a star on the side of the ravine the humans were on; another portion was on half of a star that Harpymon was over and a third portion shone on the middle of the bridge where there were circular designs.

"We want past!" shouted one of the males. He had a red hat on.

"You will pay a toll!" shouted Harpymon. She hissed at being demanded.

"We haven't anything to give!" replied the boy.

"Then you shall forfeit your lives!" Harpymon screeched and she flashed her claws forward. Wind shot up from the canyon floor and knocked the humans backwards. "Silent Seeker!" a twisting maelstrom followed by four twisting winds rocketed forward. The head of the maelstrom looked like a warhead.

"Renamon Digivolve to Youkomon!" Renamon, the golden kitsune, flew forward quickly flashing into her Champion, lavender, demon, fox form of Youkomon. "Jaenryuu!" twisting fire dragons wrapped forward but the wind sliced through them and exploded into the fox dropping her like a sack of potatoes.

"Youkomon!" shouted Janet as she ran to her partner. "Are you ok?"

"A little wind burned but fine…" the large purple, nine tailed fox stood.

"You don't have to fight her alone," Jason and Steven walked forward and held up their digivices.

"Otamamon…" the purple tadpole glowed brightly.

"Ryuudamon…" the black armored lizard followed suit.

"Digivolve to…" The two started to grow.

"Seadramon!" Otamamon elongated and swept forward.

"Ginryuumon!" Ryuudamon gained girth and a longer neck. The armor hung on him like some sort of draconic jousting horse.

"Let's get this wind witch!" growled Seadramon. He looked down at Ginryuumon and Youkomon.

"You aren't thinking of taking all the credit, are you?" asked Snow Agumon and Tapirmon. Brendan and Kevin smiled and held up their digivice.

"Tapirmon digivolve to Dobermon!" the purple mammal glowed and turned into a large, spiked, guard hound.

"Snow Agumon digivolve to Shima Unimon!" the white flat nosed dinosaur glowed and stomped forward as the red helmeted zebra Shima Unimon.

"What about me?" Penguinmon looked up at Amy. The girl looked down and nodded. Amy held out her digivice and Penguinmon smiled. "Penguinmon digivolve to Saberdramon!" The small blue aquatic bird glided upwards as the large black raven, Saberdramon.

"Strauss Strahl!" Dobermon charged forward opening his mouth and releasing a beam of darkness.

"Wild Thunder!" blue lightning shot past the harpy as she wove between attacks.

"Mach Shadow!" black bolts rained down but a sudden wind whipped up and pushed the bolts towards Saberdramon's allies.

"Silent Symphony!" the mouth of Harpymon's face mask opened and a rainbow beam shot forward stabbing Saberdramon in the chest. The raven squealed in pain as the rainbow pushed forward, dropping to the ground as Penguinmon.

"Saberdramon!" shouted Amy as she ran forward.

"Battle Rod Break!" roared Ginryuumon.

"Water Breath!" growled Seadramon as a pulse of water shot out of his mouth. Harpymon swept around the burst from the Ginryuumon and the wind seemed to grab at the water slamming it into the canyon wall.

"Insufferable, little miscreants!" shouted Harpymon. She lifted her arms. Seadramon and Ginryuumon were swept up in a large tornado and sent flying into Dobermon and Shima Unimon. Harpymon was ready to finish them off when she noticed the girl with the glowing necklace was gone. The four Champions de-digivolved. The bird woman turned to find the child with the short brown haired boy with glasses in the middle of the bridge. "None crosses the bridge without my permission!" The woman screeched as she dove forward. He claws extended.

Her claws clanked against golden ringlets and then there was a sharp jab to her midsection as a foot connected with her lower torso. Harpymon flew back. The angel, Lucemon, had interfered. It would be a costly mistake. She lifted her claws.

"Divine Feat!" the angel fired blasts of light at the woman. She growled and slashed her claws forward.

"Wind Seeker!" the ballistic wind strike hit Lucemon in the stomach and the angel fell to earth collapsing at the young tan haired girl's feet. The girl looked up at Harpymon.

"Why?" the girl asked quietly.

Harpymon looked down at the girl. "It's my place to take tolls; I must follow my orders, and Lord Assaultmon wants you destroyed; so it shall be so! Now, die peacefully, or you will die in pieces!" Harpymon drew her hands together. Another sphere of wind built up in her cupped hands.

"I am sorry you think that way…" whispered Michelle. She dropped to her knees and placed her tag to the ground. The ground shook as the canyon closed up. She stood and looked up at Harpymon, "You are in the dark; you have been corrupted by Assaultmon, but you can save yourself, let us pass to the Missionary in the south."

"Not without a toll!" growled Harpymon. She released the blast of air, "Wind Seeker!"

"Michelle!" shouted Kevin as he ran forward.

"Labramon digivolve to D'Arcmon!" The tan dog morphed into the dazzling canine angel D'Arcmon. D'Arcmon swept her staff forward slapping the ballistic wind away.

"You wench," growled Harpymon as she dove forward. She slapped D'Arcmon.

"You shouldn't have done that…" Penguinmon and Youkomon gulped quietly.

D'Arcmon narrowed her eyes and grabbed Harpymon by the throat and then the angel jabbed her knee into Harpymon's stomach. Harpymon cringed and D'Arcmon dropped the hawk woman. D'Arcmon pointed her staff at Harpymon. "La Pucelle!" a blast of pink lightning shot forward. Harpymon rolled away as the lightning cracked into the rock. Harpymon quickly took flight and spun around.

"Silent Symphony!" the rainbow beams shot towards D'Arcmon. The angel swept her staff deflecting the blasts.

"La Pucelle!" pink lightning flashed forward. Harpymon dove side to side the bursts of energy singing her feathers.

"Jaenryuu!" Youkomon swept around releasing the helix dragons. Harpymon growled as the dragons slammed her into the ground.

"Youkomon, get out of my way," growled D'Arcmon. The angel swept between Youkomon and Harpymon. "I can handle this myself…" A dark aura seemed to swim around the angel's frame.

"Are you…?" Youkomon started but the angel's head swept around and the fox immediately backed down. Her eyes shone a bright red.

"Wind Seeker!" the blast of air struck D'Arcmon in the stomach. The angel winced slightly and let out a growl.

"Battlement D'Amour!" Eight orbs of light, four at the tips of D'Arcmon's wings; two at her feet, one at her head and one at the head of her staff. The orbs converged. The lightning ravaged forward slicing through Harpymon's armor and striking the ground behind her. The energy washed through the bird woman.

"You will not succeed!" screeched Harpymon. "Assaultmon will crush you!" Suddenly the energy exploded from Harpymon's body ripping it to little bits.

D'Arcmon dropped to Michelle's side. The girl looked up at the angel. A look fear and awe filled her eyes.

"What is wrong?" asked D'Arcmon gruffly. Only the angel's eyes were cast down at the child.

"You…without care…" Michelle looked up in fear. "Why?"

"She was evil, and she was threatening you and our progress," replied the angel quietly.

"I see," replied Michelle she looked down at her crest. "We can't just vanquish the evil though…if everything evil is destroyed then a portion of the good will turn evil to make up for it…" Michelle looked up at D'Arcmon. "Some digimon deserve to be destroyed but some…" Michelle looked at the burn where the lightning had cracked into the ground, "Some can be rehabilitated…" Michelle's crest glowed brightly as energy seemed to seep from the ground and filtered through D'Arcmon. The angel screamed as a shadow shot out of her body.

The shadow turned. It took the faded shape of Boogeymon. "I almost had her…almost had a new host…" The shadow suddenly fizzled to nothing.

"That was…" Brendan stepped forward, "weird."

"Did you…feel that?" asked Michelle as Labramon crawled up to her.

"I knew something was…wrong but," Labramon whimpered, "he was very subtle…"

"I will admit, that was creepy as hell," said Jason as he walked past. "Creepy as hell."

"So is he dead?" asked Amy.

"Yeah," Lucemon replied. He lifted his hand, "He wasn't powerful enough to seed himself in multiple hosts."

"Why me?" whispered Labramon.

"I suspect it has to do with Michelle's crest," said Lucemon. The angel walked up to Michelle and held up her pendant and looked at the Christmas tree star design on the crest. "The Crest of Light makes its bearer very vulnerable to the forces of darkness," The angel looked at Labramon, "and you were a channel of her power…and thusly very conductive to his seed." Labramon and Michelle looked at each other. Lucemon smiled softly and opened his wings. "Well, we might as well go to the missionary nothing left for us here but weird memories."

"I second the decision," said Mark as he walked behind the angel. The others looked at each other and then looked up where the shadow had evaporated and then walked after Mark and Lucemon.

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AN: Well I know that was weird as heck….weird as heck. But There are only two crests left...

You know what that means...this arc is getting closer to being over...I must say I hated the Etemon arc, not only because I thought Etemon was the WORST character in the entire history of the show, yes he was worse than Sukamon, the Toucanmon, Suzie (Though I liked Suzie) and Big Mamemon put together, but the huntfor the crests just...bugged me. I don't know why and I know I have not done much better with this arc but this is one of those chapters, that yeah, I get the feeling any real cannocity to it will not be much beyond yay I have my crest...

Thanks to Alforce, the guy from the Matrix? I never really did watch the Matrix movies, in fact the only Matrix I know of is the one on Gallifrey. Oh come on, who do you think it is, I know you probably have the girl down, as she's the only felinewith her descriptionbut it would be interesting to see who you think the male is...Actually, I'm not one hundred percent sure if I know who the male is, I'm torn between two choices...

I think this chapter can also be titled, the WTF chapter...as well...as you can see, yeah things got a bit WTFish at the end...mostly becauseit was an on the spot thing and not a planned sort of thing so it caught me even off guard...I re-read what I had after the I had wrote it andI thought...well quite...