A/N: I do apologize for not updating this story for so long.

Chapter 15: Lustful Cave-ins
Ash and co. were back on the trail after a peaceful rest. While some of them were focused with proceeding forward, Ash, Kari and Rin were still a little shaken up by the appearence of the fiend known as La Mortua in Kari's nightmare. Little were they aware of another threat up ahead that a certain jet-black haired woman in a black dress jumped in their path. "Long time, no see, little warrior," she bellowed. Ash and Al knew who it was.

"Hello, again, Lust," Ash greeted.

"Remember me?" Al questioned. Rin and Asuka were geared to draw their weapons, in case it was an enemy.

"I didn't recognize you, at first Alphonse," Lust admitted, though, happy to see Al, human. "I thought you'd need the Philosopher's Stone to be human, once again." That's when she saw the rest of the group. Junpei walked over to Al.

"How do you know this chick?" the brute asked.

"She's a homonculus," Al replied. "She was created after a failed human transmutation had occured. Seven homonculi were created, and based after the seven sins: Lust, Greed, Sloth, Pride, Wrath, Envy, and Gluttony."

"I can relate to Wrath, considering the destruction I can produce." Less interested in their conversation, Ash stepped forward.

"La Mortua sent you, didn't he?" he questioned.

"La Mortua can kiss my immortal butt, for all I care," Lust denied. "You have have stopped me from killing that ishbalian and your lives, and for that, I won't make that same mistake and let you pass. I may be immortal, but I do wish to be human. Don't get me wrong." Then, loud caws from the side caught everyone's attention, as large round, flying creatures with what appeared to be men attached to the waist on top of the flyers. Koga had a pretty good idea what they were.

"Looks like the Birds of Paradise have arrived," he called. Two of the birds were charging headlong at the group. Lust, undaunted, flung her nails out, stabbing the birds in the wings, knocking them out of the sky.

"Get going, you're not safe with that large of a flock."

"You don't have to tell us twice," Kari agreed. The team ran off to where the key's beam pointed: a cave entrance.

"Ash! Be careful. La Mortua is very deadly, and can kill you the instant you let your guard down." With a nod, he joined the rest towards the cave. Three of the Birds blocked the path, but also stoked Asuka, as she brought out a rocket launcher. With a pull of the trigger, the rockets were fired, and blew up the Birds, spraying feathers and blood.

"Never doubt the power of the second child," she gloated before getting into the cave. One bird decided to peek into the cave.

"No peeking!" he yelled as he smashed his fist into the Bird, and knocking a flock down like bowling pins with wings. After a minute to calm the group down, Sasami was feeling suspicious about how Ash and Lust knew each other.

"Ash, what history did you have with that pale woman?" she questioned.

"Well, back when I first started the journey, I was helping Ed and Al evacuate a girl named Rose after she was attacked by chimeras," Ash explained. "Before I got her out of that situation, Lust attacked us. When I managed to stab her on her tattoo, she was pretty much immobile. After I freed her, she claimed we meet again."

"I guess she found us, but didn't attack," Rin muttered in thought. "Do you think she double-crossed La Mortua?"

"It's possible," Koga nodded. "I think she came here to warn us of the danger, and used La Mortua's permission as an excuse."

"Great. A so-called immortal tells us that were in mortal danger," Asuka huffed.

"Let's just get going. Besides, I believe we found a tunnel." As they walked through the tunnel, Junpei started to kick Koga in the tail, increasingly annoying the demon. "Stop it." Junpei continued to kick. "Knock it off."

"Why don't you make me, hotshot?"

"You are so asking for it!" Kari saw trouble.

"Hold on, you two," she tried to mediate. "Can't you save your anger for La Mortua when we get to him?" Instead of listening to the digidestined, the two began swinging their arms out, but they missed each other and hit the walls, shaking the tunnel, badly. Then, the ground vibtrated violently, knocking the group down.

"We're...in an earthquake?" Ash shouted. Suddenly, the ground, that was under Koga and Junpei, collapsed underneath them, causing them to fall into the holes. "Koga! Junpei!" As soon as Ash got to the hole, it was too late. Both big men fell into the hole, probably to their death.

"We gotta go, fifth child," Asuka ordered. "If we're lucky, those knuckle-brains'll be fine and they'll find another exit." Convinced, Ash nodded and followed Al and the girls. Meanwhile, Junpei and Koga had landed on their feet, but were still willing to knock each other out.

"Do you think a little fall will keep us from fighting?" Junpei grinned. Koga, suddenly, dropped his guard by placing his arms to his side.

"Kari's right," he monotoned. "If we knockout or kill each other, the others won't survive, much less our homes." Junpei appeared surprised, hearing the demon sound very human. Then, he looked up at the hole he and Koga fell through. "There's no way we can get back up there."

"I'm amazed that we fell that far and suffered knicked prides."

"Good point." They peered over to a downhill slant, giving Junpei a curious guess.

"I've seen movies in which adventurers are chased down hills and tunnels."

"Movies? Never heard of them."

"Besides the point..."

"What are these 'adventurers' chased by?" Before Junpei could responed, a giant boulder crashed on the slant, rolling towards the two.

"You just had to ask."

"Oh, shut up and run!" Both men charged away from the boulder for a few seconds before Junpei turned around, fist ready to strike.

"Why should I be afraid of a 'little' boulder?" He punched the boulder with the powered-up gauntlet, and crushed the boulder to pebbles. Before he breathed a sigh of relief, another, and larger boulder was rolling in place of its crushed comrade. Freaking out, both men scrambled to escape a possible death.

"Did you ever think it had backup?"

"Talk about a new twist on an old trap. How was I suppose to know there was a second boulder!"

"Forget the boulder...Look!" Both looked forward to see...the road end at a gaping hole with another tunnel on the other side. Without giving a second thought, they leaped into the air with all their might. Somehow, they cleared the hole as the boulder wasn't so lucky. Both looked back, as yet more boulders rolled down into the hole.

"Don't start," Junpei snorted, preventing Koga from making any smart-mouth remarks. After a few minutes to catch their breath, they walked down the new tunnel. Half an hour later, the two found people in a decrepied cave room, weak, hungry and filthy. One old woman saw the two enter, and became happy to see them.

"You must be Queen Pandora's chosen," she hummed. "Her majesty's prayers have been answered."

"We are two of them. Are you the people of Darnell Lunaria?"

"We all are."

"What are you doing here?" Koga asked. "Hiding from La Mortua?"

"Yes. Before he overruled this land, Darnell Lunaria was a peaceful, magical land. Green earth, blue skies, wonderful atmosphere...you can say paradise lived here. When the King of the land passed away, the widowed Queen never let the death get to her life, and lived up to her husband's rule, while keeping peace throughout the land. Then, one day, he arrived."

"La Mortua," Junpei answered.

"The Queen feared for our lives, and told us to escape the dangers. Her servants were also assisting the situation. I was slow to escape, but if it hadn't been for Emma and Stark, I would've died. Anyway, that's when I heard the Queen screaming as she was killed, and her daughter, Elizabeth, taken."

"The Queen had a daughter?" Koga wondered. "How did you know of this?"

"I was her loyal nurse." Junpei and Koga understood her statement. "Princess Elizabeth had her mother selfless heart. After the queen was slain, and the princess captured, Pete told me of a prophecy that could slay La Mortua. It seems the prophecy is coming true."

"...Because of our arrival?" The nurse nodded.

"When you return to your friends, fight as the chosen group, for all of us."

"How the hell do we get back up to the surface?" Junpei questioned.

"Come to think of it," Koga wondered. "How did you get here in the first place?" That's when a small boy walked to a far wall, and moved a cardboard from there, revealing a ladder back up to the surface. "Well, that answers my question." Meanwhile, Ash, Al, and the girls managed to find an exit to the tunnel, when they spotted more of the Birds.

"They were camping here for us?" Sasami shrieked. Ash pressed the yellow emblem, and started to change. His ears rose while his skin turned yellow and his cheeks red.

"He just turned Pikachu," Auska moaned.

"Stand back, guys," Ash warned. Al clapped his hands before slapping the ground, transmuting a rock wall. "It's time to light this world." That's when he unleashed lightning bolts from his body, striking the Birds and sending most of them to the ground. One Bird came from behind, ready to blindside Ash. Suddenly, a rock was shot up, nailing a direct hit on the Bird, knocking it out a foot from Ash's feet. Everyone turned their attention as Junpei and Koga emerged.

"Hey, you two," Kari greeted. Sasami and Rin helped the two out of the hole they came from. After Ash transformed back, he joined the group, happy to see the boys make it out okay.

"Thanks, you guys."

"Not a problem, kiddo," Junpei smirked. After a little while to gather theirselves, Koga had the floor.

"We've had an encounter with the people of the world," he motioned. "And it turned out, that the Queen was killed for no reason other than world domination."

"Is that true?" Rin questioned.

"Yeah, and we found out the Queen had a daughter who was kidnapped." Angered at the news, Ash started to stomp towards the direction the beam of the key shot out.

"I take it he hates kids taken from their homes," Junpei pondered. Kari and Rin, concerned about Ash's intake, ran up to him, hoping to calm him down.

"Either that or he wants to end the prophecy ASAP," Sasami pointed out. The others followed as they were closing in on the prize.

TO BE CONTINUED...
The danger mounts in the next chapter as the group heads to the door with the keyholes. What awaits behind those walls?