Rediscovering Destiny

By theladyknight

Disclaimer: Digimon and "On the Way Down" by Ryan Cabrera aren't mine!

Kuroi Black Nightingale: Well, not whole group reunion. But rest assured that is coming very soon…

Sorato-takari: Glad to know you're interested!

Curtis Zidane Ziraa: The whole "missing" thing will be revealed when the entire group is back together…

Saturnangel: Thanks!

Calare: Drama, drama, and more drama. I really wasn't sure what genres to put this under. You could say it's a little bit of everything!

A Hopeless Romantic: There's a bit of significance in the groups in which everyone arrived. Iori and Jyou go together because they're a bit alike. Both weren't considered the strongest or most powerful of the group, but the team couldn't function without them. Be prepared for some subtle michi hints this chapter.

Money makes me smile: Glad you like it!

KoumiLoccness: Thanks, and happy early/belated birthday; you mentioned it was your birthday sometime soon in one of your reviews for my other fics.

Chapter 6: I Took a Dive

Darkness plagued the land. There was no escaping its grasp. Once the opaque nothingness menacingly caught you, you were stuck. There was no refuge.

Areas known for their light had fallen, fallen quite quickly. Trepidation and fear were common. Conformity of the weak lingered. Evil was winning.

And he was smiling.

"Master," Two of his half-witted servants entered the fortified palace. "We found nothing."

His steel gray eyes flashed dangerously. "Were you not informed of the consequences should you find nothing?"

He could smell their fear. It was a distinguishable element in both humans and digital creatures. Fear was his nourishment. Fear made his powers stronger. Fear fed his soul.

"Y…yes, we were, oh Dark One. B…but we did receive some in...information you may want to hear."

"What would that be?" His bored tone was meant to offend the Bakemon. But the digimon, knowing the provoking statement was set as bait, managed to hold his mouth shut.

"Sector twelve has reported signs of human activity."

The Dark One gave a haughty laugh. "That's old news. I've known that for ages. Did you think I didn't know Gennai would give into temptation? Did you think that old fool would not turn to desperate measures?"

"Hope and Light have been spotted in sector eight." The first Bakemon responded, hoping to redeem himself. "Do you want us to bring them here?"

"Hope and Light don't matter to me anymore. The digidestined are in disarray. They have fallen apart. Their choices allowed me to gain the control I so rightly deserved. Their choices saved me from my banishment. Their choice led to their downfall. Human pride and ego will keep them from reuniting. And if they are unable to discover their traits, they are of no threat to me. However, if by some lucky chance that should happen, I would take out Love and Friendship first."

"Why them, Oh Prince of Darkness?"

"Friendship and Love are the glue that holds them together. Without friendship, they cannot begin to find their scattered crests and mend their differences with each other. And without love, their digimon partners will remain forever locked in the abyss of chaos. Love is a powerfully destructive trait that these humans are lacking, and I intend for it to remain that way."

An evil glint filled his eyes as he became bored discussing this topic. "Master…"

A new slave came in, much stronger and more powerful than the Bakemon. "Take them to the torture chamber."

Their screams resounded through the halls, and the Dark One gave a sadistic laugh. You digidestined stand no chance against me. You have no hope of rediscovering your traits and friendship. But if for some reason you do, then I'll attack. And you'll wish you never came into the digital world…


He was speechless, unable to string even two words together to form a legible thought. Words bunched up in his throat, stuck there, continuing to pile up.

She stood before him with her arms folded defiantly. The young woman could have said something to slice the tense situation, but she instead chose to remain silent.

Yamato knew he needed to make some motion. The redhead was pissed off at him enough the way it was, but he needed confirmation.

Slowly, he moved his right hand to her stomach, gently caressing it. Sora pulled away and glared at him. "Sora, honey, you're going to have to acknowledge me sooner or later."

She sighed. "No, I don't."

"Yes, you do. Particularly if I'm the father of our child."

There was a moment of silence. Normally, it would've bothered the rock sensation, but given the circumstances and the already unbearable conditions, he wasn't too upset. The two stared each other down. "There is no child."

Yamato's eyes widened. "Did you miscarry? Have an abortion?"

The woman shook her head. "No, and you know I would never even consider having an abortion. That's just wrong!"

"Then what happened?"

"I was never pregnant in the first place. It was a false alarm. The home test said I was, but the doctor informed me that the tests aren't always completely accurate."

Yama remained quiet, considering all the new details added to the current dilemma. He was conflicted, unsure of how to react. Finally he managed to control his thoughts and voice. 'Is that a good thing?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you glad that you're not pregnant?"

He could see the internal anguish in her eyes. It was her turn to feel conflicted. Part of the girl would answer with a resounding hell yeah. She didn't know the first thing about being a mother. But there was another side to it. The other half of her was upset. The gift of life was a beautiful thing. And a product of her love for Yamato…

"Sora?"

"I would've had to raise the child on my own."

"No you wouldn't. I would've been there. Damn it, Sora. The child would have been OURS! You don't know how many nights I've dreamt of you and starting a family together, settling down together, and living our lives together. Of course I'd be there."

"Is that the case, Yamato? Would you really be there? Because you haven't been there for me. I've needed you more than ever before and you WEREN'T there! You had no idea about anything that was going on with me or any of the others for that matter. I bet you don't talk with your own brother anymore."

He winced a bit from the verbal blow, pounding his fist against the wooden door of the old restaurant. "If I could go back, I never would've gone with the band in the first place."

"Well, you can't. What's happened has happened. But I can keep myself from making the same mistakes over."

She began to walk, leaving him far behind, now very aware of the tears in her eyes. "Sora, come back."

"Make me," She growled, storming down the stone footpath towards the mountains of foliage a few hundred meters away.

"Sora, you have to listen to me sometime. I want to fix things between us. I want us to be together the way we used to be."

"Do you really think things can go back to the way they were? Do you think we can jut mend things between us with a snap of a finger?"

Yamato hurried to catch up with the raging redhead, not wanting her or any chance they had of being together to fleet away. "What do I have to do? What do I have to do to show you how much I love you? To get us back together?"

"Stop talking, Yamato. You sound like a desperate fool."

They were now facing each other, yelling rather loudly, lost in their own little world. The argument and criticisms continued, both wondering if they could ever be together again, unaware of they'd wandered into the dense forest and that they were no longer alone…


Koushiro collapsed onto the jagged rock, panting heavily and clutching his side. Ken stood before him and checked his watch. "We need to keep going."

"How are you not tired?" The older boy managed as he struggled for air.

"This is a light walk for me compared to the way things usually are."

"Can't we stop for just a quick break?"

Ken shook his head, firmly sticking to what Gennai had told him a few days earlier. "If you want to find out why we're here, we need to find the others."

Koushiro stood up, knowing full well that he was going to be feeling every ache and pain in his body tomorrow. "The others? The other chosen are here?"

"Look at your digivice."

It was unnecessary to do so. Koushiro knew it was true; he had just wanted to hear the boy affirm his hypothesis. "Did we get separated into groups of two?"

"It looks that way." The raven-haired teen answered as they began they journey again. "We're probably about a minute and a half away from finding the two closest…wait! I'm picking up two more readings. They're heading towards all four of us. It appears like we're all going to meet in the middle."

Thank God. Because I'm about two minutes away from having a heart attack. "I wonder who it is."

"So do I?" They trekked onward, desert now far behind. The two males entered a forest area, surprised that the landscape had changed so abruptly. Well, the Dark One has been making all sorts of changes. We should be there any minute.

Koushiro's ears began to pick up something. "It sounds like there's somebody up there yelling."

Ken shut his eyes, intent upon hearing the same thing. "There are two voices…two chosen…one male and female. They're yelling pretty loud. Let's go!"

Long legs sprinted off, and Koushiro felt his head drop. Why are we running? The redhead forced his legs to pick up the pace, well behind Ken's speed, but he soon caught up to the boy.

Ken had stopped at a tree, watching the two duke it out before him. I knew it was them.

"Do they know they're fighting with each other?" Koushiro wondered out loud.

You have no idea what's going on. There's a first…


The rushing stream was the lone source of life now. It's clear blue waters flowed around them, providing the only physical beauty to be seen for miles. What happened? It was so beautiful a few miles back.

"We need to cross the stream. My digivice is picking up two others across the river."

Those were the first words either had muttered in the long time they'd been walking. Daisuke studied the older leader, unsure of how to answer his statement and not wanting to question it.

"Let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get answers." At least I hope so.

Taichi waded through the shallow water, surprised to find no sources of life around here. That's odd. You'd think creatures would be clinging to this. The terrain all around us is just barren. There's nothing out there to enjoy or provide sustenance.

Daisuke followed behind, hurrying through, hoping they'd get to the others so he wouldn't have to be alone with the bearer of courage any longer. Tai and I were so close, but now, it's so awkward.

"Who do you think is up ahead?"

The older brunette glanced down. "I…I don't know. It could be any of them." But I hope it's not my sister. I don't want to face her, knowing I let her down.

"Do you think they have any ideas about how we got her?" He wasn't trying to pester Taichi. Daisuke just wanted to break the uneasy barrier around them.

"I'm not sure."

"Do you think there's a new evil here that we have to face?"

"There could be." Taichi was frustrated, finding the questions bothersome and annoying, not understanding the younger teen's logic for doing so.

"Taichi?"

"WHAT! Would you stop asking questions, Daisuke? I don't know the freaking answer!" He finally exploded, glaring daggers at the younger boy.

Daisuke's face bore a hurt expression. "Look at your digivice." He quietly whispered, voice turning melancholic.

Two dots had joined the others, all gathered in the same area. Now, six bright flashing lights illuminated the screen, and two of them were moving. I guess that's us. By the looks of things, we're about to them. Taichi turned to share this information with Daisuke, but the boy looked downtrodden and ignored Tai's glance. I shouldn't have snapped at him. He wasn't trying to be a pain. Man, I need some sort of a reminder on how to be a friend.

Pushing through the tree branches, Tai made a path for him and the younger teen to tread on. He could hear yelling up ahead, two distinct almost nostalgic voices, one male and the other female.

They approached the edge of the forest, trees becoming less in number. Taichi stopped walking, and Daisuke collided with him. "Ouch. Why…"

"Sora? Yamato?"

The two stopped their bickering for a second, hearing both their names called. What in the wo… "T...Taichi?"

The blond saw at the confused look on his girlfriend's face—though, at the moment he was unsure of what their relationship was. His cerulean eyes glanced in the direction she was looking, and he took a step backwards. "Taichi, is that you?"

He came out into the open now. Daisuke followed close behind, cautiously, warily, afraid it was all just an illusion. "Yeah," The former leader answered. "I can't believe you guys are here too."

Yamato was dumbfounded, not able to think for the second time today. "How did we get here?"

"We don't know." Taichi answered. Their conversation seemed almost forced. No one said anything for a minute. Eyes wandered around, hoping some geological crevice, flower, or insignificant artifact would provide a conversation starter.

"It's…it's been a long time." Sora finally managed to say.

No eyes met hers. Each of the males were ashamed, guilt-ridden, not willing to look her in the eye. "Weren't two others in this area as well?" Daisuke changed the subject, not wanting to think about the last one.

"I suppose we should make our entrance then."

Everyone faced the new arrivals. Ken and Koushiro came out from behind the tree. Koushiro was looking baffled, but the former Kaiser didn't seem too phased. "Are you ready to explain what's going on now?" Koushiro asked.

Ken glanced at their surroundings and the ominous, darkening skies. "Night is about to approach. It seems a large storm is brewing as well. Darkness is a common thing here in the digital world, but no one wants to be caught in it. I will explain a little bit once we find shelter for the night."

"There's an abandoned restaurant right up there." Sora provided.

The teen smiled at her. "Let's settle there."

Rain began its descent on the land right as the six chosen entered their current refuge. The restaurant seemed even more dark and dismal at the time being. There was no source of light or heat. There was no food. There was no change of clothes.

There was nothing.

"I think there's some firewood in the kitchen area." Yamato tried. "I'll see if I can start a fire."

"That's a good idea." Ken responded, automatically taking the role of leader. Taichi didn't object. He believed the younger teen knew some things the rest of the humans didn't. He didn't want to do anything to endanger learning about these things either.

The rock star did indeed find some old, rotted logs in the once-kitchen. Beats nothing, I guess. He rubbed two of the firmer, more brittle sticks together. Nothing happened. The teen kept trying, forcing himself not to give up until he got some sort of spark.

It occurred faster than he thought it would. On his eleventh try, hands beginning to feel calloused and full of blisters, a spark ignited. He could feel the heat, and the blond hurried to place it on the sticks. In no time a roaring fire had begun. The group settled themselves around it, all leaving large gaps in between each other. Everyone remained as sparsely spread out as the situation allowed.

This is going to get us absolutely nowhere. The genius teen stood, looking around the room. Ken noticed the inquisitiveness in Koushiro's eyes, still lingering there from his days as a teen. He knew the only reason Koushiro had continued on their long hike was because of his hunger for the answers. It's good to know some things never change.

Daisuke seemed unsure of himself, doubting the reasons he was here. He's trying to put on a brave face, but I can tell something is bothering him. The boy sat, glancing up at his longtime friend in hopes that he would soon learn the reasons they were sent back, and at the same time, hoping his friend could guide him back on the right path.

There's fear and despair in Taichi's eyes. It's like he's almost given up. We have to break through to him. Ken knew Taichi's charisma and leadership would be key in aiding the chosen during their battle. He was the one the others looked to in a time of crisis for aid and support.

Yamato…Ken knew he and Sora were in rocky waters. While he hadn't heard too much of their fight, he was sure it was something large and would have to be resolved in the future. We need your friendship, Yamato. Friendship is a key to mending our groups' broken bonds.

And Sora. It was the same response as her boyfriend. They often say love makes the world go round. Love is going to unite everyone. We all love our friends, and we're going to need love to fix our torn friendship.

"I know you are all wondering what conditions brought us here, and how we managed to get here. I know the answers to both these questions and many more, but I can only give you sparse information for the time being. Gennai has instructed me not to disclose the main points until the whole group is back together again. United again."He emphasized the first word, making sure all ears heard it.

"So what can you tell us?" Taichi was pissed off, to say the least. He wanted the answers now, wanted to resume his role of leader, and show himself everything would be all right.

"An evil digimon has swept over the digital world. Known as the Dark One, this monster has used fear and deception to rapidly place almost all parts of this world under his control. There are still blankets of resistance scattered sporadically around, but most of the land bows before him. It is our job to rid the world of him once more as we were the one to bring about his conquest."

The lone female raised a hand. "How did we do that?"

"We abandoned our crests, the very traits we held close to us. We gave up our true friends, choosing the pleasures of fame and fortune instead. We brought upon the demise of the digital world."

Guilt covered the room like a dense fog. Everyone had been affected by Ken's last statement. They knew they no longer held the things once dear to them close to their hearts. Our choices…it's because of us. What would Agumon think?

"Ken, what about our digimon?"

"I can't tell you that yet, Taichi. We must wait till we find the others. Does anyone else have any questions or comments."

Silence became the fog now. No one knew where to begin. It was a maze. Discarded friendships filled the paths, millions of dead ends threatening to blind the way, distracting the destined from learning the truth, tying up all the unraveled ends. The light at the end of the tunnel seemed distant, fading fast.

No one spoke up.

It was beginning to grow further and further away. Koushiro turned his laptop on, typing some codes into it furiously, hoping some sort of miracle answer would come. Daisuke had taken to drawing little pictures in the dirt in an attempt to clear his mind. Taichi and Yamato sat in vegetated states. And Sora was curled up, looking as if she could fall asleep but afraid to close her eyes, fearful of the dreams she might have.

He had to do something.

"The digital world will not save itself. It's up to us, guys! We have to restore our lost friendships. Think about the good times. Think about the times we spent together that are etched in our memories."

No one spoke up.

Ken tried one last attempt. "Remember the large party we had right after defeating MaloMyotismon? You guys remember it…it was the one where all the digidestined from all over the world were at. Just think about it…remember the good times…remember our friendships."

He sat down, noticing how the idle processes all had been doing seemed to cease…


It had been precisely one month after triumphing over MaloMyotismon. Gennai announced to all the destined he was throwing a celebratory party in the digital world. Word spread quickly, and it seemed everyone was making time for the party.

"Look at all this food!" Daisuke exclaimed.

"Look at all the people!" Hikari answered while giggling at the boy's comment.

Takeru chuckled. "That too. Hey Hikari, I want to come introduce you to some of the people I met over in France. Dai, you want to come too?"

"Thanks for the offer, man. But I see some of the people I met when I was in New York. I want to go catch up with them."

"I'm going to the food!" Veemon happily cried.

Daisuke watched the other digimon race towards the same table. "Save some for the rest of us!" He walked over to a group of very familiar people. "Hey guys!"

"Daisuke!" They exclaimed back, greeting him, or in Mimi, Michael, and Tai's case, continuing on with their own conversation.

"I can't believe your father got those tickets. Those are fantastic seats. Now I'm getting jealous!" Taichi teased.

Mimi let out a laugh. "You would've loved it there. It was such an awesome game. They went into a penalty shootout…"

"…which I had no idea what was going on." Michael supplied.

"I was explaining things to him." Mimi answered.

"You were explaining things?" Tai was awestruck. "Since when did you know about soccer?"

She winked at him. "Apparently all your rambles and talk about it rubbed off on me. I'm quite knowledgeable about it. You and the others should come visit sometime soon. I'll take you to one of the games…"

"Well if it isn't the Poi brothers. How are you all doing?"

"Koushiro. It's nice to see you again."

"Is Kari here?" The youngest brother laughed.

"She's off visiting some friends. I'm sure she'll look you up sometime soon."

"That's good to hear."

The oldest brother smiled. "So, how is the very smart young computer man?"

"I'm doing well…"

"Ken!"

"Hi, Rosa."

"Guess what; my brother is a digidestined!"

He smiled at the younger girl as she introduced her sibling. "That's good to hear. Mucho gusto…"

"Nacho." Rosa answered.

"Mucho gusto Nacho."

He smiled shyly up at Ken, offering him a toothy smile. "Nacho is shy. How are you, Ken?"

"I'm good. How about you?"

"There's so much I want to tell you. I was hoping I would meet you again. Is Wormon here?"

"By the food table, I assume."

"I wouldn't doubt it…"

"Yama, I want you to meet Yuri. Yuri, this is my…this is Yamato." She smiled up at the blond, unsure of what to label him as.

"Nice to meet you." The Russian replied in forced English as he didn't know Japanese and the other two knew no Russian. "She is beautiful."

"I agree." Yamato smiled, not feeling too jealous.

"Your…girlfriend?"

He beamed down at Sora, placing a delicate kiss on her forehead. "Yeah, she's my girlfriend…"


Ken was overjoyed to see many of the chosens' expressions lighten from the memory. Maybe it's starting to get through. Maybe we do have a chance to do it. His thoughts grew more optimistic as a small smile worked its way to Taichi's face. Maybe…

A/N: Finally; I wrote like the whole thing today amidst the graduation parties I had to go to, visiting my friend who won 3 state championships in track over the weekend, and doing my homework…uh oh, I'd better go do my homework right now. Please review and let me know what you think!