Disclaimer: I did not create and do not own Digimon.

House of Blades

The digimon rushed into a bright room. She shaded her eyes and squinted. The human ran in behind her and almost stumbled over her. Ken's eyes adjusted to the light faster than the feline's, but he couldn't think of words to express his sudden terror.

"Uh oh," Gatomon said when she could discern the situation. "This isn't good."

Blademon. Lots of blademon. Tiny pinpoints of light in place of the eyes on creatures otherwise entirely made of razor-sharp knives turned toward the intruders with what could only be assumed to be menacing glares.

"Maybe we can explain our situation to them?" Ken suggested.

"Do you see any ears?" Gatomon countered.

"Blade shower!" one of the blademon shouted, and knives fell where Gatomon had been a moment before.

"Thanks," the digimon said in Ken's ear as the boy ran. "Really. If you hadn't grabbed me right at the last second, I'd be kitty kibble. You're a real pal."

Ken didn't waste breath acknowledging the digimon's gratitude: the blademon were right behind them. It was lucky Ken was athletic.

"Oh, great. Now what?" Gatomon turned in her rescuer's arms to see what had made him suddenly stop. She groaned. "Skelemon."

Gatomon leaped to the ground to face the new threat while Ken turned to confront the blademon.

"This strikes me as bad," commented Gatomon.

"You should probably talk to someone about your habit of making witty remarks in life-threatening situations," Ken deadpanned. "Any suggestions on what to do now?"

Gatomon frowned. "Dodge like crazy?"

"Skeleton Strike!" The skelemon attacked.

"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon countered not very effectively.

"Blade Shower!"

"Ken, watch out!" Gatomon shouted. Ken ducked as a blademon leaped over him.

It looked hopeless.

"If I could only digivolve!" Gatomon complained in frustration.

"Owl Arrow!" Razorlike feathers smashed against a skelemon

"Owl Claw!" OneLegOwlmon attacked from above.

"Macaw Glare!"

"Skull Wing!"

The four owlmon drove back the skelemon. Gatomon and Ken still had the blademon to worry about. They were soon surrounded. They sensed the final attack in preparation.

"Wait!" Ken was thinking fast. "You're not going to kill us."

The blademon exchanged curious glances.

"I mean, why would you? We're obviously no threat to you. We were forced into your realm, so you can't call us trespassers. We aren't eating your food. The only reason you would have to kill us is if you were going to eat us."

The blademon nodded vigorously to each other, as though this were the best idea they'd heard all day.

Ken almost panicked. "But of course you couldn't eat us; you don't even have mouths! You need mouths to eat us. But you have to eat something, right?" They nodded. "Right, but, of course, the only thing you could eat in order to give your bodies the raw material to make blades would be other blademon." He hoped they were exactly as bright as they acted.

His gamble paid off. The blademon instantly turned on each other and attacked savagely. Ken and Gatomon made their escape.

The owlmon flew after them. "They follow you surely, the skelemon," Macawmon told them.

"Merely make haste," said ArrowOwlmon.

The owlmon lead them to the next door, then flew away.