Author's Notes: Once again, extensive research has failed to uncover any appropriate canon forms for the character in question. Choumon is my original creation. If anyone finds any evidence that there IS a canon devolution for the character in question, feel free to tell me. That is all.
The mountains echoed with the sounds of laughter. A herd of Moosemon looked up from their grazing to search for the sound, curious as to who would be making such a noise in this barren place. Peering from the edge of a high cliff, they could make out a procession far below: six children and two Digimon, who were currently helping their long walk pass more quickly by having a joke contest. The jokes had gotten steadily worse over the last few minutes, and most of them were working themselves into a case of the sillies.
"All right, all right, I've got one!" said Junpei. "There are these two oysters, see, and they're eating a candy bar..."
"Oysters don't eat candy," Kouji said.
"These do."
"Where'd they get it?" asked Takuya teasingly. "I don't remember any convenience stores under the ocean."
Junpei rolled his eyes. "I gave it to them. Can I get on with the story?"
"Sure," said Kouichi, hiding a grin. "Be my guest."
"Okay. There are these two oysters eating a candy bar, and a couple of fish swim by..."
"I thought this joke was about oysters," said Takuya.
"It is! I'll get back to them in a minute. Anyway, these oysters are eating a candy bar, and these two fish swim by. One fish says to the other..."
"Fish can't talk," said Kouichi, trying hard not to smile.
"These fish can. They're parrotfish," Junpei said. "Can I get on with it already?"
"Go on! We're listening," said Takuya.
"Fine. There are two oysters eating a candy bar, and these two fish--"
"Parrotfish!" Tomoki interjected.
"These two parrotfish swim by. One says to the other, 'Boy, that candy looks good. Do you think they'd share?' The other says, 'Nah, they won't share any - they're two shellfish!'"
The twins snickered, Takuya guffawed, and Izumi giggled. Tomoki, however, didn't do anything. He had been spending his time investigating the properties of his new mirror, and was thoroughly engrossed in whatever it was showing him. Noticing his friend's preoccupation, Takuya drifted to the back of the group to see what Tomoki was doing.
"Having any luck with that?" he asked.
Tomoki shrugged. "Some. It helps if you ask it nicely. Mostly it's just been showing me random things that don't make much sense. See?"
Takuya glanced in the mirror. It was flashing images without any apparent plan or purpose. He watched in mild curiosity as it showed him a picture of an Ogremon with a large hammer, then what appeared to be some kind of shaggy mountain goat, then a building on a windswept hilltop, then some kind of Digimon resembling a cat in harem pants. Then it jumped back to the goat again and stuck there.
"It shows me that a lot," said Tomoki. "I don't know why. Do you think it's important?"
"Maybe," Takuya replied. "Maybe your mirror just has a weird sense of humor."
"Maybe so," said Tomoki, glancing back at his new treasure. It was showing the Ogremon again; he was busy hammering metal over a forge. "This is a new one, though. Maybe I ought to start writing these down..."
Takuya decided he wasn't going to get much conversation out of Tomoki until his new toy had lost its fascination... which, he knew from long experience, might be a while. The best thing to do was probably to leave him at it and let him work it out on his own. Resigned, Takuya turned his attention to the front of the group to see what the rest of them were doing.
By virtue of the Star of Guidance, Izumi had taken the lead, a situation she seemed to feel was entirely appropriate. Takuya felt otherwise, but there was no point in complaining. He didn't even have a Fabled Artifact to look after, a fact she'd be quick to point out if it came to an argument. Keeping her company was the ubiquitous Junpei, who was making himself useful primarily by assisting the Digimon on the sometimes difficult pathways. It was almost a full-time job, as Bokomon was walking along with his beak in a book, tracing their route and reading up on whatever hazards might present themselves along the way. Neemon had no such hindrance, but then again, he didn't need one to get into trouble. The twins marched behind them, side by side like a pair of matched guards. Takuya jogged up to join them.
"Hey, don't get too far ahead!" he shouted to Izumi. "You're going to leave people behind!"
"You'll catch up," she said offhandedly. "It's not like there are any other roads around here."
The trail wound around a sharp curve, with a steep drop off to one side and the mountain inclining sharply upwards on the other. Izumi navigated it carefully, and then stopped and looked.
"Well, never mind, then," she said.
Junpei peeked around the corner. "Fork in the road," he observed. "Which way now?"
"Hmm," said Izumi. She glanced down at her necklace, but it was only giving out the faintest of glimmers. Whatever item they were looking for was obviously still too far away to do them much good. "No idea! Bokomon, you're the expert here. Which way do you say we go?"
"Well, according to this map," said Bokomon, "both of them go the same way. The one on the left, however, is considerably shorter, while the one on the right leads past a small spring suitable for refilling water supplies. It all depends on what your priorities are, really."
"Our water supplies are running pretty low," said Kouichi. "I'd say, since we're not on a set schedule, we ought to think about taking the chance for a refill."
"I was thinking the same thing," Kouji said.
His brother smiled. "Of course you were!"
"I was also thinking that where there's water, there are usually also plants - and possibly food," said Kouji. "There's not a lot to eat up here in the hills." He waved around at the sheer rock walls that surrounded them on all sides.
"I wasn't thinking about that," Kouichi admitted. "I was just thirsty. This hiking takes it out of you!"
"Well, let's hit the trail!" said Takuya. "One of them, anyway. Which way was it we were going?"
"That way," said Izumi, pointing.
Takuya tossed off an exaggerated salute. "Yes, sir! Whatever you say, sir!"
Izumi rolled her eyes and started walking again. The others exchanged amused glances and started walking again.
The path looped and twisted, winding its way around hairpin turns, occasionally dipping but usually climbing steadily upwards. The air was becoming cooler the higher they climbed, and a few of the children had pulled out their jackets and slipped them on. It had been one thing when Bokomon told them that the Digital World's autumn was approaching, back when they were in the flowering fields of the Continent of Light, but it was something else again when you were on the side of a rocky mountain with a chilly breeze whipping around them.
It was eerie, that wind. It blew over the rocks and called forth strange sounds, whistling and wailing, that echoed through the bare chasms. From time to time, it would dislodge a stone and send it careening down from the heights; several times, the children had been forced to dodge as basketball- sized stones came bouncing down among them. It made everyone nervous, but they learned to tolerate it after a while, and didn't pay much more attention than it took to hear the noise and get out of the way. It was the ever-vigilant Kouji who first became aware that trouble was brewing.
"Guys," he said quietly, "do you hear that?"
Everyone stopped walking and listened. There was a strange sound in the air, one they hadn't heard before, a kind of grinding and creaking that they could feel in the earth as well as hear.
"What is that?" asked Tomoki.
"I don't know," said Kouichi, "but I don't think I like it. Let's get out of here!"
He began striding forward briskly, but he didn't make it very far. Even as he began to move, there was a rushing noise, and everyone looked up to see a large chunk of the mountain come loose and began tumbling down the slope towards them, bringing with it a tide of rubble, dust, and debris. For a split second, everyone was petrified. Then there was a wild scramble to get out of the way. Kouji caught his twin's collar and dragged him backwards, away from the falling stone. Junpei lunged forwards and shoved Izumi out of harm's way. The Digimon fled in wild panic, and possibly would have run all the way back to Ophanimon's palace if Tomoki hadn't latched on to them. The rumbling went on, shaking the earth beneath their feet. At last, after what seemed like forever, it ground to a mutter and became still. The children began opening their eyes, blinking as the dust settled, and began taking stock of the damage. The rubble was completely blocking off the path, but everyone seemed to be safe and sound...
...just not all on the same side. Takuya looked around, taking a headcount. Yes, he seemed to be all in one piece, and Tomoki seemed to be more concerned with making sure his mirror was still intact. The twins were busy reassuring each other that they were fine (Kouji was giving his brother a scolding for frightening him), and the Digimon were still huddled on the ground with their hands over their ears. There were, however, a couple of noticeable gaps in the roster. Takuya stared worriedly at the heap of stone in front of him.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anybody alive over there?"
"Yeah, we're fine," called Junpei. "We're a little dusty, but we're okay."
"Are you all okay over there?" Izumi asked.
"We're fine," Kouji assured her. "Though not without or difficulties..."
"Yeah, I guess this is a problem," said Takuya, walking up to inspect the heap of rubble. It was piled higher than his head where it was closest to the slope, and while it tapered off on the other end, he didn't dare try to walk on the pile of loose stones and gravel - not with that fifty-foot drop looming on the other side. He made an abortive attempt to climb over the higher side, but was forced to give up as the stones shifted beneath his feet.
"Looks like we're stuck," he said.
"Maybe we could dig it loose?" Tomoki suggested.
"Probably not," said Kouichi. "There are some big rocks in there, maybe too big to move. Not to mention trying might cause another rockslide."
"So what are we going to do?" asked Takuya. "We can't just leave them there."
"Of course not," said Bokomon briskly. "We'll just have to take an alternate route."
"Is that anything like taking a Trailmon?" asked Neemon blankly.
"Close enough," said Bokomon. "We'll have to backtrack and take the other route, and meet up at the intersection."
"Are you guys getting that?" Takuya shouted across the barrier. "You two keep going, and we'll catch up to you later!"
"We've got it," Izumi assured him. "Guess we'll see you at the crossroads."
"Be careful out there," said Kouji. "You never know what will jump out at you."
"We'll be fine," Junpei assured him.
The group said their goodbyes and headed off in their separate ways - Izumi and Junpei continuing along the path, and the rest of the team retracing their steps towards the divide in the road. Kouji kept glancing worriedly over his shoulder. Kouichi noticed this and put a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder.
"Don't worry," he said. "They can take care of themselves just fine."
"I don't know," said Kouji. "At least we have this stupid thing to protect us, if worst comes to worst." He brandished the Staff of Order. "They don't have anything to protect them."
"She has Junpei," said Tomoki. "If something nasty comes up, he can evolve and fight."
"We don't know that for sure," Kouji said. "It only happened once."
Takuya laughed. "So what? You know how he is - if something tried messing with Izumi, he'd take it apart with his bare hands, if he had to. And Izumi's a tough chick by herself. I know I wouldn't make her mad, even if she was alone! Nah, the most she's in danger from is Junpei's brand of romance."
Kouji almost smiled. "That's probably enough to worry about."
"She knows how. She's had lots of practice," Takuya assured him. "All we can do for them
now
is hurry and try to catch up. Come on!"
Kouji nodded and picked up his pace a little, looking somewhat reassured. Kouichi, however, was not fooled. Kouji was a born worrier, and right now, his brother was picking up tremors of unease from him. It was funny, he mused, how it was the Warrior of Light who was always thinking of what could go wrong, while Kouichi himself was the optimist of the pair. Right now, Kouichi was inclined to agree with Takuya: Izumi and Junpei could take care of themselves, and by all accounts had done so before under similar circumstances. It was highly unlikely that there was anything in this barren place that could do them any real harm.
Witchmon was sleeping. Wisemon, a spy by nature, opened the door to her room a crack to peer inside at her. It wasn't much of a room, really, more like a large hole in the ground that had been filled with furniture, which was more or less the case. The walls were made of stone, but they hadn't been joined particularly well, and the roots of plants protruded through the chinks here and there, so that Witchmon had an ongoing battle to keep them from caving in. There was a dilapidated shelf filled with Witchmon's books and magical tools, and a battered and scorched table for the making of potions, and some crude magical diagrams etched into the floor. The bed was nothing more than a pallet filled with straw, resting on a sagging bedstead. Witchmon was sprawled upon this in an attitude of utter exhaustion, barely even breathing, while Cat stretched out in a similar fashion at her feet. Both of them twitched and whimpered from time to time, as if battling nightmares - perhaps reliving their last encounter with their mistress. Wisemon nodded and shut the door. The punishments Lilithmon dealt out for her transgressions tended to be draining, and it generally took a day or two for Witchmon to recover from them. Smiling as if from some private joke, the wizard glided away to attend to his own, more pressing, business.
I wonder if I should try dealing with these children myself? he mused. It would be easier than leaving matters up to Witchmon... and Lilithmon herself won't take direct action until they are too close to be safely ignored any longer.
He turned the possibilities over in his mind. It was possible that he could find them and defeat them, and then again, it was possible that he couldn't. He was a powerful wizard, but his magic wasn't necessarily battle magic. There was, too, the fact that he would rather not rush into a situation where he didn't know what to expect, and this odd new form of evolution the humans were using was outside his experience. He didn't want to go blindly into a battle and find himself facing something utterly unpredictable.
If only Lilithmon would fight them herself, we'd have nothing to worry about, he thought wistfully. That she could defeat them, he had little doubt. There had been a time when she could and did do almost anything she wished. It was his firm belief that if she desired to challenge the Great Angels themselves, she would at least stand a fighting chance, especially if she had the option of taking them on one at a time. They might have been the most powerful Digimon alive today, but they weren't gods, and they could be overcome - Lucemon had proven that. They were mortal and had mortal failings; they could be frightened and confused and led astray like any other Digimon, and that was Lilithmon's specialty. It was only her own fears and doubts that kept her imprisoned here. If he could only convince her to return to the outside world, there would be nothing that could stand against her.
I would be doing her a favor if I let the situation be for a little while. Once they enter her domain, she'll be able to fight them herself, and destroying these new Legendary Warriors might be just the boost of confidence she needs. Laying claim to the last of the Fabled Artifacts would be a nice bonus, as well... but no. I have my orders, and I cannot disobey. He thought of what would happen to him if Lilithmon were to suspect he'd let enemies into her territory on purpose. He shuddered faintly. Oh, well, perhaps the knowledge that she had destroyed them by proxy would be enough.
Returning to his own study, Wisemon produced one of his crystals and peered into it, searching for some trace of the human warriors. It would have been so much easier if he'd had Witchmon there to home in on - there was nothing like a blood tie to strengthen a spell - but he would work with what he had. In the end, he was able to home in on the vague sense of not-belonging that these strangers in their land emanated, and even that signal was scattered and faint. Wisemon frowned. Even at a distance, their auras shouldn't feel this faint. No matter; he knew roughly where they were, now, and that was enough. Now all he had to do was find someone to deal with them.
A few moments later, a cell door slid open in the bowels of Lilithmon's manor, allowing a wan shaft of torchlight to fall into a holding pen. The pen's only occupant raised its head and turned to face its captor. Wisemon allowed himself a faint sneer of disgust. While this creature was technically classified as a Dragon Man Digimon, it was still rather too beast-like to suit his tastes. Still, it had merit as a fighter, and it had been willing to serve Lilithmon of its own free will, and thereby merited better treatment than some of the other beings confined down here. Its pen was large enough that it had room to move and even run if it wanted to, and there were torches and crude furnishings for its convenience, though the lights were out at the moment. Apparently Wisemon had caught it napping, but now it was awake and alert.
"Hello," said Wisemon. "How would you like to kill something?"
Unaware of the looming danger, Izumi was walking casually up the path, keeping a watchful eye over her traveling companion. She felt it was only her right, considering that he was always keeping an eye on her, one way or the other. She had gotten used to it, to the point where it seldom bothered her any more, but she felt it was wise to keep a sharper eye on him than usual. It had been a while since they'd been completely alone together, and while she thought she could count on him to be more-or- less gentlemanly, she still didn't put it past him to try something.
The idea gave her a tiny thrill of apprehension. When it came right down to it, she still couldn't put a name to exactly how she felt about him - or how he felt about her, for that matter. The fact that he had a crush on her was plain to anyone who wasn't blind and deaf. It was even possible that he loved her. For her own part, well... it was complicated. Certainly she liked him a lot. He might not have been magazine-cover material, but he did have his good points. He was kind and patient and loyal and easy to be around, and there were times when his flirtations called up an answering spark... but it was only a spark, and generally went away as soon as she noticed it. Sometimes she almost felt guilty, because he was so plainly devoted to her, and she had a hard time imagining ever being that smitten with him in return.
She didn't realize she looked preoccupied, but her companion noticed anyway. She was being far too quiet, and "quiet" was not her natural state of being. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, Junpei began to talk.
"You know," he said, "if I had just thought to turn into Mushimon, I could have just flown everybody over the rockslide, and we wouldn't have had this problem."
"If you had turned into Mushimon, you might have forgotten yourself again, and I would have been stuck on the wrong side of a pile of rocks by myself," Izumi pointed out.
He looked sheepish. "Yeah, I guess it could have happened. It's hard to tell. Oh, well, maybe I couldn't have done it at all."
"Maybe so," she said. There was a pause. "I wonder if I could do it? I mean, if we get into trouble? Right now, I'm not good for much in a fight, and I hate it."
"Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll protect you."
She smiled a little wryly. "That would be fine, if I wanted protecting. Lately I feel like the only reason they need me around is because I'm carrying the compass."
"That's not true," he said. "We wouldn't have found the mirror if it hadn't been for you. Lately you've been almost like a leader."
"Yeah, but not everybody likes that," she said. She considered a while. "Do you think I'm too bossy?"
"Of course not!" he said.
She laughed a little. "Well, of course you think I'm perfect. But do you think the others think so?"
"I dunno, really. I wasn't paying much attention," he said.
"Typical," she sighed.
"Anyway, I don't see why it's really a problem," he said. "You know what I think? I think that's why the Star of Guidance chose you in the first place."
She looked at him curiously. "Really? What do you mean?"
"Well... It's like... it makes sense that Tomoki's got the Pool of Knowledge, because he always wants to know things and figure things out. And Kouji's got the Staff of Order because he likes everything in its place. That's how they are. And you have the Star of Guidance because that's how you are."
"I am?"
"Yeah," he said. "You always know exactly what you want to do, and you do it! You find your own way. I mean, it wouldn't work if I had it. I'd be lousy at telling people what to do and where to go, but you can keep us on track."
"Oh," she said. "I hadn't looked at it that way."
"Well, sure," he said. "I mean, you were the only one who could handle your B-Spirit, the first time you got it. Takuya and Kouji and them, they went crazy when they got theirs. You never lost your cool. I was impressed."
"You were impressed by more than my poise, if I recall correctly."
"Okay, yeah, but still."
"I don't see how that proves anything. I don't remember you doing anything particularly crazy when you first turned into Bolgmon."
To her surprise, he blushed a bit. "I felt crazy. I just, you know, didn't have a whole lot of time to do anything. At the time, I couldn't think of anything but getting hold of the people who wanted to hurt my friends and blasting them into a million pieces. I might have gone a little crazy, if I hadn't passed out first."
Izumi was quiet for a moment. It seemed strange, now that she thought of it, but none of her friends had ever taken the time to really talk about how it felt, making that essential shift from a human being into something altogether different. They just always assumed that the others knew, because they all had been through the same thing. It had never been completely comfortable, turning into a Digimon. Even after you got used to it, even if you got to the point where you could enjoy it, there was always a kind of edge to it that reminded you that this was something strange and unnatural you were doing.
"Was it very bad, turning into Mushimon?" she asked quietly.
There was a long pause, long enough that she stopped to look back at him. He had stopped walking, and he was staring up at the endless blue sky with an expression of wistful longing.
"No," he said. The emotion in his voice was hard to place. "No, it was... wonderful."
He shook himself, and when his gaze came back to earth to alight on her, the faraway look was almost gone.
"It's okay, though," he said. "I wouldn't leave you behind again. If anything happens, I can keep you safe, and you'll keep me safe."
She smiled at him - not because she felt particularly reassured, but because she wanted to reassure him.
"Sure," she said. "That sounds fair. Now, come on, or the others will be waiting for us."
She walked back to his side and set a gentle hand on his arm, urging him forward. He smiled back at her and followed her up the path.
There were two shimmering lights on the pinnacle of a mountain. One of them gradually resolved itself into a solid form, that of a two-legged, reptilian beast. The other remained steadfastly ambiguous, hovering in the air as nothing more than the illuminated outline of some shadowy being. The dragon-man watched it thoughtfully.
"I will not expend the energy to send myself as well as you," said Wisemon's brittle voice. "You must manage for yourself from here, Strikedramon."
The beast nodded. "I will do as you wish, my master. I will kill your enemies for you."
"Very good," Wisemon replied. "See that you do. Perform well enough, and you may find we have other missions for you."
Strikedramon nodded and licked his lips in anticipation. "I will not fail you."
"Yes, you've said that before." The shimmering figure flicked a spark of magic at Strikedramon, which settled over the dragon-man's head and vanished. "That should tell you all you need to know. I will be watching you."
Wisemon's image faded and vanished. Strikedramon nodded. He was an independent creature by nature, and he preferred to hunt alone. It was one of the reasons he had been able to survive and thrive in Lilithmon's dungeons when other creatures had gone mad from the eternal solitude and darkness. Many years ago, Strikedramon had been a simple V-mon, living a carefree life on the sandy plains not so very far from here, living among other Beast-Type Digimon. He should have grown up as a friendly Vaccine, but he had evolved unexpectedly into a Human-Type, and had been driven out of his colony. Lilithmon's warriors had taken him in and trained him to become the superhuman fighting machine he was today. Now he lived for one reason and one reason only: to avenge himself on those who had rejected him. He cared for no one but himself, but he was willing to lend his services to Wisemon, because the two of them had an understanding. Someday they would see Lilithmon reinstated to her rightful place, and then she would rub out all of those savage Beast-Digimon. Of course, these Legendary Warriors committed the blasphemy of trying to be human, Human-Type, and Beast-Type all at once. That, he thought, deserved a special punishment. He would deliver.
Moving nimbly down the rocky slope, using his sharp claws for purchase and his tail for balance, he worked his way in the direction he knew the main trail lay. Wisemon had been able to communicate to him roughly where these humans would be, but he would have to pinpoint them on his own. He made his way down the mountainside, sometimes crawling like a lizard down near-vertical walls, pausing from time to time as he listened and watched for any movement.
Halfway down the slope, he encountered evidence of a disturbance: a recent rockslide. Following its trail, he found the heap of rock covering the trail. Strikedramon sat down on top of it and considered. There was no way something as clumsy and weak as a human child could have managed to navigate around such a mass of rubble. It would be entirely too convenient if they had been crushed beneath it, so... had they passed this point before the rocks fell, or had they not yet reached it? He crept carefully around the area, sniffing at the dust, investigating the faint footprints. They led him to a conclusion: they had done both. Two of them had made it safely past the rockslide and continued onwards, while the rest had been thwarted by it and forced to backtrack. Strikedramon smiled. So they had let themselves become separated! It would be so much easier to battle two than six, and then he could hunt down the rest and deal with them later. Perhaps he could even arrange for more convenient rock slides - there were certainly enough materials near at hand. Feeling pleased with himself, he turned and bounded up the path in the direction of the two unlucky travelers.
Meanwhile, the pair in question were quite literally cooling their heels. After a period of climbing, the path they had been following changed to a gentle slope, lined here and there with clumps of greenery. Further on, there was even the occasional tree, in the form of a scraggly pine. At last, like an oasis in a desert, there was the spring. It was a small thing, not much more than five feet across, with a tiny outlet that trickled between the stones and disappeared into a crevice. Moss and lichens grew all around it, turning this one section of the barren mountains into a comparative paradise. To two thirsty and footsore travelers, it was a welcome sight. They had scooped up handfuls of cold, clear water and enjoyed a refreshing drink, and then refilled their water bottles. Now they were taking the opportunity to rest a bit, sitting back on the soft moss and letting their bare feet dangle in the water.
"Ooh, this feels nice," Izumi sighed. "If I could get away with it, I'd stop right here and take a bath."
"If I say something, I'll get slapped or something, won't I?"
She laughed. "Not hard. I'll tell you, the first thing I did when I got back home the first time was to take a long, long bath. I don't care if no time supposedly passed between when we left and when we got back; I felt like I had a month's worth of grime on me. And I had a lot to think about."
He blushed a little. "I went home and ordered a pizza."
She laughed. "I should have known it was something like that!"
"Well, I hadn't had any in a long time, and I was hungry! Saving the world takes it out of you."
"If it makes you feel any better, I did that after I finished my bath."
"Really?"
"Well, I'd been making one before I left, and it was just sitting there waiting for me when I got back, so..."
He laughed. "See? We have something in common."
"Maybe so," she said. She sighed and began climbing to her feet. "Nice as this is, I guess we'd better get moving again. The rest of the gang will be waiting for us."
"Yeah," he agreed. He began pulling his socks and shoes back on. "I guess so. It'll be a relief to get back with the others. It's too quiet out here - gives me the creeps."
Izumi agreed that the silence was eerie. The whistling wind had died down to a light zephyr that barely stirred her hair, and the resulting stillness made her feel strangely exposed. The wind was supposed to be her ally, and if its strength was dying... She rejected that thought as being paranoid. With a firm stride, she began marching up the path. Junpei hopped awkwardly on one foot as he attempted to catch up with her and put his shoe on at the same time.
The area around the spring was relatively flat for a short distance in all directions, if one didn't count the occasional boulder that had been dislodged from somewhere higher up the mountain and had been forced to make a new home down here. They stood at odd angles, sometimes propped on top of each other, looking like they might topple if someone sneezed on them. It was the ideal setup for something that wanted to jump out and nab an unwary traveler. Perhaps it was that, plus the unnatural stillness of the place, that put Junpei on edge. Or maybe it was just his determination to protect his beloved, making him imagine that there had to be something out there for him to protect her from. Either way, he was warier than usual, and that was why he was almost ready for what happened next.
It happened so quickly that it took a moment for Izumi to realize anything had happened at all. One minute, she was walking peacefully up the path, and in the next moment, she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye. Then she felt an impact, and she was thrown to the ground. She sat up shaking herself and spitting the grit from the mouth, and saw that Junpei was crouching next to her, shielding her from... what?
Something dropped lightly on the top of a flat stone and turned to face them. It was some kind of Digimon, of course, something lithe and muscular, a dragon in human form. Its skin was mostly blue, with a white patch covering the front of its neck and chest, which was marked wit a curling reddish tattoo of some sort. It wore clothing of a sort, in the form of loose-fitting green pants, as well as a metal helmet that covered most of its face. Its hands and the tip of its tail were likewise encased in metal. It carried no weapon, but its teeth and claws suggested it didn't have to.
"You dodged," it said. "I was not expecting that. I will not be surprised a second time."
"I don't guess that means you're going to give up and go home now," said Junpei.
"No," said the creature. "I am Strikedramon, loyal warrior of the queen who dwells in darkness. She is displeased with you. I have been sent to dispose of you."
"Yeah, like a half-a-dozen other things we've dealt with in the last week," Izumi retorted. "Some of them got off lucky - we didn't send them packing back to the Village of Beginnings as eggs."
"Then you were foolish," said Strikedramon, "and so were they. And I am not interested in your idle banter. Defend yourselves."
"If you want her, you're going to have to go through me!" said Junpei, spreading his arms in front of her protectively.
She glared at him. "Don't be an idiot! You can't fight with that! We've got to get out of here, before-"
She tugged futilely at him, trying to get him to move, and was only halfway successful. She manged to tug him a few inches backwards, just as Strikedramon sprung. He toppled backwards with a hoarse cry of pain, a long red slash angling across his chest. The dragon Digimon dropped lightly to his feet a few yards away and examined the blood on his claws.
"One down," he said. "One to go."
He sprang again - and was hit full in the face with a handful of dirt, thrown at point-blank range by Izumi. He forgot all about battling his enemies and was reduced to choking and sneezing and clawing at his mask, trying to get the stuff out of his mouth and eyes.
"Come on, move," she snapped, scrambling to her feet and pulling at Junpei's arms. He managed to get to his feet and stumble after her, staggering and panting with pain. They made it as far as the shelter of a large rock before he collapsed again. Blood was slowly but steadily soaking his shirt, and he was looking drawn and pale. He leaned back and closed his eyes.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"What do you mean, you're sorry?" she said.
"I couldn't protect you," he said. "Looks like you were right... I shouldn't have tried."
"Now isn't the time to talk about it. We've got to figure out how to get away from this thing before..." She trailed off. She had been about to say, "Before he kills both of us," but considering the state her friend was in now...
He made an attempt to stir, gasped, and lay still again. "I don't think I'm going to go anywhere. It looks like... this time you're... going to have to protect me."
She said nothing. He gave her a strained smile.
"Come on," he said. "I know you can do it. You can do anything, right?"
She forced herself to smile back. "Yeah. Right."
She put a comforting hand on his and tried to look reassuring. His eyes met hers for a moment, and then his gaze wavered.
"I don't feel so good," he croaked, and he slumped into unconsciousness.
Izumi swore. "Don't die on me now!" she ordered, feeling frantically for a pulse. It was still there, which reassured her somewhat, but there was no telling how much longer he was going to last. His wound was still bleeding sluggishly, and there was no time or material to treat him with. Her mouth set in a grim line. Somebody was going to pay for this.
Not so very far away, Strikedramon had succeeded in getting most of the grit from his eyes, and was now busy searching the area for his elusive quarry. He was not in a hurry. The male couldn't go far in the state he was in, and would likely bleed to death if he tried. As for the female, even if she abandoned her companion (which Strikedramon didn't put it past her to do) well... a Digimon could move a lot faster in the rocky mountains than a human girl could. He primarily expected her to hide and wait in hopes that he would go away. She had no way of knowing that he had waited many, many years for his chance to come out and hunt enemies again, and a few more minutes or hours would mean nothing to him. He would find her sooner or later, and then he'd pry her out of her hole and...
"Hey, snake snoot, looking for me?"
Strikedramon raised his head in surprise. There was the girl, standing proudly on top of a stone and glaring at him in a way that made him think suddenly and uneasily of freezing winds blowing off the arctic floes. She was literally shaking in fury.
"Yeah, I'm talking to you," she said. "If you think you can hurt my best friend and get away with it, you'd better think again."
Strikedramon tilted his head quizzically, slightly amused by her confidence. "And what do you propose to do about it?"
In reply, she leaped down off the rock and began running as quickly as she could back up the trail. "Catch me if you can!"
Strikedramon smirked. Did she really think she could outrun him? Well, what difference did it make? He had been cooped up a long time; it would be enjoyable to stretch his legs a bit. He loped after her at an easy pace, keeping her just within sight. She continued hurrying up the hill, right to the point where it reached its crest. Beyond that point, there was a dramatic lookout over a deep gorge. Izumi ran right up to the edge... and jumped off.
This is the stupidest thing you've ever done, she thought. You probably won't live to do anything stupider.
Looking down, she could see only a long ribbon of black shadows, which she was plummeting towards at a remarkable rate, and the closer she got, the more clearly she could see the jagged rocks that were drawing up to meet them. She forced herself to close her eyes, to look away, to concentrate only on the fact that for the moment, she was cut free from the earth, and that there was nothing above or below her but air. The rest of the world might have been still and calm, but she was caught up in a mighty wind that pulled at her clothing and made her hair whip out behind her, and she could hear nothing but the sound of it wailing in her ears. It almost sounded like someone singing, a long way off, and she realized she could hear words in it.
Don't be afraid. You are embraced by the power of the Wind, the breath of life. It moves in every living thing - bird and beast, fish and insect, flower and tree. It is in the patterns of the weather, which in turn nourish the earth. It is the great traveler, moving in the skies and the seas and all that is in between. It is unstoppable, unchangeable, unbreakable. Traveler, seeker, nurturer - this is the wind, and it is you. You are the Wind!
"I am the Wind," she whispered.
Her world jerked, painfully, and for a moment, she was sure she had been right all along, that she was being dashed against the rocks after the obligatory experience of having her life flash before her eyes. Then she opened her eyes and realized that the ground was still several yards away and still drawing near, but not nearly as it had before, and the ache was only in her back, as if someone had yanked a hook between the shoulder blades. She glanced behind her and saw pink. She blinked a few times and realized she was looking at the lacy edge of a wing. It seemed to belong to her. She fluttered it a few times, experimentally, and was pleased to see that she stopped falling and began rising gently upwards, like a bubble.
Well, of course I have wings, she chided herself. How else would I get around?
She looked around, vaguely puzzled at what she was doing halfway down this empty gorge. It wasn't a very pleasant place, really - nothing down there but rocks and tough mountain plants. Still, she had a fuzzy recollection that there was something she was supposed to be doing. She glanced upwards and saw something creeping around the edge of a precipice.
"What's he up to?" she wondered. "No good, I'll bet. Well, I'll fix him!"
Meanwhile, Strikedramon was thoroughly nonplused. Had the girl gone mad, or was she really foolish enough to believe that he would follow her over the edge of a cliff? Or was this some kind of ritual suicide? Perhaps the boy he had attacked had been her lover, that she was willing to try to lead him to his doom while jumping to her own demise? No; the boy was hardly the kind of person someone would be willing to die for. More likely this was some kind of trick. Perhaps there was a ledge below the lip of the cliff, out of his sight. He leaned over to have a look.
Something came shooting up and collided with his jaw, and he rocked backwards. It was only with some quick maneuvering with his tail that he kept from being thrown completely-off balance. He regained his footing and looked up to see what had struck him.
Hovering in front of him was a little Digimon, perhaps four feet tall, maybe less. It was very nearly human, taking the appearance of a young girl. Her face was pixy-like, with a sharp chin and pointed ears and high, arching brows. Her eyes, though, were anything but human, being more than twice the size of a human's and colored an opaque blue-green. They had a faint iridescence to them, like an insect's eyes. Her pinkish hair was tied into two long, thin ponytails that sprouted away from the top of her head like a pair of antennae. Sprouting from her back were a pair of frilly pink butterfly wings, and she was clothed in a short ruffled skirt of similar material. She did not look particularly dangerous, but she did look rather annoyed.
"And what are you supposed to be?" Strikedramon asked.
"Exactly what I am," she answered. "I am Choumon, the child of the Wind."
"Ah, yes..." said Strikedramon. "Wisemon did tell me... you've transformed. Interesting. I didn't really think you had it in you. So, are you going to have a real fight with me now, to avenge what I did to your friend? That will be entertaining."
"Friend?" said Choumon, momentarily nonplused. The word was touching off vague images in her mind that she was sure were important, if she could just find a moment to think about them...
Strikedramon chuckled. "Ah, I see. I thought as much. You only want to save yourself, don't you? I knew you couldn't have any use for that idiot boy."
He waved a claw dismissively, and the sunlight flashed on it. There was blood staining its tips. Where had that come from? Choumon stared hard, thinking there was something important that she had to remember, and she had to remember it now.
"You... you hurt my friend!" she said slowly. "I know you did, if I could just remember you doing it!"
"Then why don't you punish me for it?" he answered, grinning.
Infuriated with the grinning reptile and frustrated by her own inability to remember, Choumon dove at him. He dodged her easily, and as she sailed by, he lashed at her, raking his claws across her arm. It did little more than scratch her, but it stung, and she cried out in pain and surprise. Strikedramon laughed at her. She brought herself up sharply, narrowly missing crashing into a wall of stone.
"Hold still!" she snapped at him.
Strikedramon only laughed and beckoned for her to come at him again. She gave a snarl of fury and dove. Once again, he dodged and lashed out at her. This time, he wasn't as lucky, and only clipped on of her wings as she went by. It barely even hurt, but it did alter her balance, and she wobbled a little in midair as she tried to slow herself.
Girl, what do you think you're doing? The thought came to her like a voice from a dream. You know better than that! All the battles you've fought, and you think you can take this thing on just by throwing yourself at him? You're crazy!
Choumon shook herself. Her head hurt. What other battles had she been in? She had only come into being today... but she had also always existed. She must have, because she was the Wind...
That's not all I am, and you know it. I'm Izumi Orimoto, I'm thirteen years old and I live in Tokyo, and right now I have friends who are counting on me, so quit fooling around!
You're wrong. I'm a Digimon.
I'm human.
She shook herself again. For a moment, she felt she was looking at the world through two sets of eyes, as if she was seeing two images laid over top of one another. She struggled to get the world to come back into focus, and was surprised to feel herself losing altitude. Startled, she turned her attention back to staying aloft.
Okay, okay, so I'd better be a Digimon for a little while longer. But I can at least be one with some sense! Let's go see what I can really do.
"What's the matter, little insect?" Strikedramon sneered. "Are you afraid of me?"
She felt anger surge again, and she held herself back from attacking again.
He's just trying to make me angry enough to get close to him. He can't catch me while I'm way up here, so he has to lure me in close. Well, two can play that game!
"Not hardly!" she snapped back. "I'm just tired of playing your little games. We're going to play my way now!"
She turned and dove at him - but turned away a few feet shy of him. He lashed out at her anyway and missed, and glared up at her through his mask. She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Missed me by a mile, slowpoke! Come on, try again!"
She flitted backwards and forwards, always staying just out of his reach, drawing him steadily closer to the edge of the cliff. Strikedramon noticed that he was approaching the drop-off and smiled faintly. Did she really think he was so naive? He couldn't be fooled that easily. Let her tire herself out playing tag with him if she wanted to. He could wait. He watched as she dove at him again, forcing himself to resist the urge to lash out at her...
Much to his surprise, she flew straight past him and pulled up short behind him. He whipped around to stare at her, and nearly lost his balance. Choumon smiled at him.
"Papillon Breeze!"
She fanned her wings, calling up a wind, on which rode a flurry of metallic pink scales that slashed at him like thin blades. Strikedramon tried to get away - and he did, dropping straight over the edge of the cliff. Choumon waved at him.
"Bye-bye!" she said.
For a moment, elation filled her, the fierce joy of defeating an enemy, but she beat it back. She didn't have time to celebrate - Junpei needed her. The thought of her friend lying alone, in pain, maybe dying, was enough to flatten out her euphoria and clear her mind. She fluttered her wings and top speed and went rocketing up the trail toward the spring.
Junpei was still where she'd left him, lying unconscious in the shelter of the stone. He seemed to have stopped bleeding finally, but his shirt was soaked with blood and his face was waxy pale. She fumbled at his wrist and felt for a pulse. Much to her relief, it was still beating, faintly but regularly.
"Just hang in there a little longer," she told him. "I'll get you some help, I promise."
It took some doing to maneuver him out of his hiding place when he was almost literally a dead weight, but she managed in the end. It was fortunate that her Digimon form seemed to be much stronger than her human form was, or she never could have carried him. It was awkward enough as it was. It took all the energy she could muster to move him the distance between the spring and the crossroads, as well as many anxious minutes. By the time she finally saw her friends in the distance, loitering at the place where the two paths merged, she'd nearly worked herself into a state of panic.
"Help him!" she shouted, depositing him on the grass in front of them. She was dismayed to find that some of his blood had transferred onto her, and she stared in horror at her hands and front.
"Izumi? Is that you?" asked Kouichi.
"Never mind that now - he needs help," she pleaded.
"I can see that," Kouji said. "All right, all right, get yourself together, and we'll do what we can. Does anybody know any first aid?"
Bokomon, the self-appointed expert on everything, pulled out a book and found a chapter on healing herbs, and various persons were dispatched to see if they could find some. Kouji and Kouichi, who declared they weren't squeamish about blood, stayed behind to see what they could do about cleaning and bandaging their friend's injury. His shirt was plainly never going to be the same, so it was torn apart to make into padding and bandaging. Beneath it, they found that there were a set of three scratches. Two were hardly more than grazes, but the mark left by the longest claw was long and deep, angling from just below his shoulder to the opposite hip. The brothers exchanged anxious looks as they went about what rudimentary care they could manage, wondering just how much damage such an ugly- looking wound could have done.
Meanwhile, Izumi had managed to shift back to her human form almost without thinking about, all thoughts of flying free on the wind crowded out by a purely human concern for her friend's well- being. She and Takuya had been dispatched to look for a certain bamboo-like plant, whose gluelike sap had given generations of Digimon cause to use its outer bark as adhesive bandaging. A stand of it had been located close by, and they were busy trying to break stalks of it free - a difficult job, as the stuff was displaying an appropriately bamboo-like disinclination to break. Izumi was busily taking out her frustrations on one of the stubborn weeds, and it took her a moment to realize Takuya was watching her strangely.
"What's your problem?" she demanded sharply.
"I was just thinking," he said. "When I turned into Flamon, I ran off into the woods and would have forgotten all about you guys if you all hadn't come after me. Junpei would have left if you hadn't started telling him off. But you came back, and you turned back into yourself without any trouble. How come?"
She was silent for a moment, and he watched her carefully, wondering if he'd said something wrong.
"Because," she said quietly, "I always know what I'm doing. That's how I am. Just ask him."
Takuya's expression softened a little. "You're worried about him, aren't you?"
"Of course I am," she said sharply. "Aren't you?"
"Well, yeah," he said. "Still, when you think about it, better him than one of us."
Izumi spluttered in incoherent rage. "How - how dare you say such a thing?!"
She lashed out and slapped him hard enough to make him stagger backwards. He rubbed at his face.
"Hey, I didn't mean it the way that came out!" he protested. "What I mean is, Junpei's tough. He can take a lot more punishment than you could. If you'd taken that hit, you would have been gutted, and then there's nothing we could have done for you... but he'll probably be just fine. Especially if we can get these dumb weeds to cooperate."
"Hm," said Izumi, not completely mollified.
Takuya set a hand on your shoulder. "I'm just as worried as you are. Really. So let's hurry and get this done so we can go check back on him."
"Okay," she said. She gave the plant a wrench, and it released its hold on the earth and came away in her hand. "Let's go."
They hurried back to camp to find Tomoki and Neemon hard at work with fistfuls of dark green, pointed leaves, which were purported to have antiseptic qualities. They were busy mashing these into a paste, while Bokomon supervised the cleaning of Junpei's wounds. Kouji waved to Izumi and Takuya as they arrived.
"Great, you're here," he said. "Get to work skinning those things so we can start putting him back together. Good news, though - that thing didn't hit anything vital. It looks like he's going to be just fine."
Bokomon nodded. "He's going to be rather weak and sore for a while, but that's nothing a period of rest and a few good meals won't fix. He'll be good as new in no time."
"You mean he's got to spend the next couple of days just relaxing and eating?" asked Takuya. "Geez! Why can't I get hurt like that?"
Izumi smiled weakly. "He'll like that."
They finished with their cleaning and bandaging, and then, since they were obviously not going anywhere any time soon, set about making a camp. Takuya laid a fire, and Tomoki started fixing dinner. The twins volunteered to take the group's water containers and hike back to the spring to refill them. The task of caring for their injured companion was delegated without any discussion to Izumi; there was an unspoken consensus that if he was in any danger, well, he was less likely to leave if she was looking after him. It was difficult to say how she felt about this duty, but she accepted it nonetheless, and did what she could to make him comfortable.
Sunset passed them by, and the mountains darkened with the coming of night. Takuya threw more wood on the fire. Everyone huddled close to it, speaking little, nibbling at their evening meal without much appetite. The general mood was tense. It was one thing to say their friend was probably going to be all right, but the truth was, none of them were doctors, and they were alone in the wilderness, far from anyone who could help them. For the time being, everyone had forgotten that they were supposed to be on vacation.
All such thoughts were driven from their minds by the sound of a low groan. Izumi looked down at the figure sleeping next to her, and saw him twitching slightly. He turned his head slightly and grimaced.
"Am I dead?" he said woozily.
Izumi gave a laugh of relief. "No, silly, of course you're not dead."
"Oh, good," Junpei answered. His eyes flickered opened, and he looked around. "Where am I? What happened to Strikedramon?" He raised his head a little and caught sight of the others for the first time. "When did you guys get here?"
"It's kind of a long story," said Izumi. "Don't worry about it. The important thing is, you're safe now, and Strikedramon isn't going to be hurting anybody else. I made sure of that."
He smiled. "I knew you could do it! Didn't I say you could do anything?"
"Yes, you were right," she said. "I had to pay that rotten lizard back for hurting you."
"Really?" he asked, looking at her hopefully.
"Of course," she said. Speaking as gently as she could, she added, "After all, you're my friend - my very best friend."
"Oh," he said.
"Aw, why don't you just kiss him and get it over with?" Takuya interjected.
Izumi glared at him. "Mind your own business! We're trying to have a conversation here, if you don't mind!"
"You just don't wanna admit you like him," Takuya teased.
"Takuya Kanbara, you take that back this instant!"
She jumped up and moved toward Takuya, who backed off with one hand upraised.
"Hey, you've hit me enough today! Don't start that again!"
"Then learn to keep your big mouth shut!"
The others tried to hide grins as Takuya and Izumi fell to arguing. Junpei just leaned back and sighed, and then grimaced again, making a mental note not to breathe too deeply until he'd healed up a little more.
Best friend, huh? he mused. Yep. I'm definitely not dead. Welcome back to my life...