Hey there guys. Hope you're all having a good week. We got another chapter just a little earlier than usual. We're finally getting on our asses to get this ready a little earlier in the day. So, let's get to it shall we?

"The Keeper of Worlds" - Hope you enjoy the chapter my friend.

"I have a dictionary here" - Wow, lots of questions here. Well first of all, things with the Digital WOrld are affecting what's happening in the human world. These Digimon attacks are a response to that. That said, you'll see what's up with that soonish. As for the four other kids, nope, they're not going to be in this. Just a preference is all. And in regards to the others, we'll figure something out.

"Firehedgehog" - Well, let's hope they have a good story to tell her. Enjoy.

"wentvoltage123" - We'll find out right now won't we?

"Kameo1" - Whoo! Dracmon's gone! Hooray! Now, let's time how long it takes before something else happens.

"myra the fox" - Yeah, Dracmon's gone. Not going to be seeing him again. No we got other ways of torturing the boy. Mwa ha ha ha ha.

"Spirit Dragoness" - Revenge is sweet isn't it? Though -looks at the kicked ashes- That might be overkill.

"Digidestinedkid6" - I'm sure those kids will be fine. I mean, how hard can it be?

"Ten Commandments" - Yeah, we seem to be pretty good at making Takuya's life worse and worse with each DIgimon encounter. I gotta say, you won't be expecting this new one. I'll bet my life on it.

Okay guys, here you go. Enjoy.

Chapter 23: It Ends Tonight

"So let me get this straight, you ran into Dracmon at the station and beat him, caused mass hysteria and damages during the fight, and to top it off you got chased off and shot at by the police afterwards."

Takuya, Kouji, and Kouichi nodded slowly; the three of them lined up as Zoe questioned them. JP and Tommy kept quietly on the sidelines.

"In a nutshell." Kouichi commented.

"And you didn't get hurt?" Zoe asked, eying Takuya carefully for any wounds.

"I didn't get hurt. We we're perfectly safe. Dracmon couldn't touch me and neither could the police." Takuya explained to her. "Right guys?" he asked turning to the twins. Kouji just nodded. "See? No one got hurt."

Kouichi grumbled something along the lines of "You hit me in the face." Though subtly.

She stared at them long and hard. "You boys..." she said finally, sounding exasperated.

Zoe worried about Takuya. A lot.

But not nearly as much as Kouji did. Probably because he had to put up with the brunette half-Digimon's antics on a daily basis. When it came time for he and his parents to depart and leave the boy in the care of his brother and birth mother, Kouji could easily beat out Zoe in a mother hen competition.

"So help me if the house is burned down, or you get hurt, or I hear ANYTHING on the news-"

"Kouji chill!" Kouichi took his younger brother by the shoulders, "It'll be fine. You need to stop worrying, get in the car and go."

The younger twin growled softly. "Fine," he grumbled after Kouichi released him, "Keep the house in one piece though!"

Both Kouichi and Takuya flinched as Kouji reluctantly went down the stairs to the car. They waited until they were sure the car door had slammed shut and the engine revved as it pulled out and drove away.

"Damn your brother is scary." Takuya remarked once he was sure he was safe to speak. "He looked like he would throttle us."

Kouichi nodded weakly. "Then we better not make a mess by the time he gets back."

"We can do that. No sweat." Takuya replied and lounged on the couch, catching a breather. He felt like he could finally relax with that nightmare Dracmon gone. He didn't have to worry about being manipulated by that thing ever again.

The older twin took a seat next to his friend. "Mom's going to come over after work to help get everyone situated. In the meantime we can just chill out."

"So, what are we going to do for this whole break?" Takuya asked curiously. Sure Kouichi was the fun twin but he had no idea what they could do to pass the time.

"Just the usual stuff. Christmas cooking… uh, Christmas party… hanging out with the others." Kouichi started to list.

Takuya fell silent at the mention of the impending holiday. A sorrowful expression graced his face as he turned away. Kouichi cursed to himself for reminding Takuya of his family. "Hey. Chin up Takuya. You've got me and my mom. Then there's Zoe, Tommy, and JP too. We're your family too."

The boy smiled weakly, "Yeah, Thank you Kouichi."

"Now what do you say to watching some of those old Godzilla movies and eating the cookie dough mom explicitly said not to eat?" the elder boy asked with a huge mischievous grin.

"Movies sound good- but won't your mom get mad if we eat the cookie dough."

Kouichi rolled his eyes still grinning, "I was kidding about the last part, she said, don't eat it all- so a few spoon fulls won't hurt."

"Depends on what you mean by spoon fulls." Takuya countered, smiling a little more.

"With normal spoons of course; no serving spoons or ice cream scoops. Tried that with Mom when I was younger. She didn't think it was that clever." His friend replied, still grinning though sheepishly.

Takuya rolled his eyes at the ridiculous boy. "Of course you would try something like that."

"I am the fun twin after all." Kouichi stated proudly, puffing up his chest and making his friend roll his

eyes at his ridiculousness. "So, cookie dough? Yes or no?"

"I'll find the movie. You get the dough." Takuya answered and took the remote in his hand.

Kouichi grinned and got up from his seat. "That's the spirit." He said with high spirits before going to the kitchen.

Ms. Kimura was relieved to find that the boys had left the cookie dough largely untouched and were engrossed in the movie. She only distracted them when she began to prepare dinner and the scent of food lured the boys away from their movie.

"Did you have a good day at work mom?" Kouichi asked, as he and Takuya set the table.

She smiled, "Yes, and the week after Christmas I'll be off to spend time with my boys."

Takuya bit his lip, hiding his face from them. He wasn't sure if he felt comfortable with Ms. Kimura calling him one of her "boys." He was still struggling with the fact that he wouldn't be home for Christmas with his family. He wondered if they would miss him, or even notice his absence.

Kouichi smiled at his mother and then turned to his friend. He was confused seeing the downcast look in his face. "Takuya, what's wrong?"

Takuya had their attention now but he didn't want to start explaining himself. He didn't want them to worry over him. He just wanted some time to think. "It's nothing." The boy answered lamely, feeling saddened by his thoughts of his family.

Tomoko could tell that the boy wasn't telling them the truth but she didn't want to force an answer out of him. She did have some ideas though. It was probably the first Christmas without his family. It must have broken his heart.

"Takuya? You can talk to us." Kouichi tried getting his friend to speak to them.

Takuya just shook his head. "I'm fine. Really. Don't worry about it."

Ms. Kimura put aside her cooking, moving beside the boy to try and comfort him. "It's alright dear. If you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to."

He looked up at her, his eyes full of sadness. "I... I just need to be alone right now..." he said finally, slipping out of the room without another word. He escaped to the living room, contemplating taking a walk to clear his head. It was cold, sure, but he didn't feel very hungry anymore and just needed to sort his emotions all out.

"I'm going to step out for a moment." he called as he slipped on his sneakers and a jacket. He heard some reply of acknowledgement from the kitchen as he opened the door. Takuya took this as an okay, and stepped out into the cool winter night.

The cool air was refreshing to an extent. The streets were empty save for a few occasional cars. It was peaceful and quiet; giving the boy a good opportunity to just relax and think. Takuya found himself at the park and it seemed relatively empty. He took a seat at the park bench and sighed out some of his frustration, seeing his breath in the cool air.

He tensed up, feeling another presence in the area. Takuya stood up and scanned the area around him. He couldn't see anything. There was nothing wrong; there wasn't any life in the park except for him according to what he could see.

The boy could definitely feel a presence. He contemplated evolving on the chance that it might be a Digimon but something told him it wasn't. It didn't feel like a Digimon was around; there was a distinct feeling whenever there was a Digimon around.

Takuya waited patiently, feeling like he was being watched. He sighed again. "I really am paranoid..." he muttered under his breath. He stood, feeling uneasy and departed the park, opting to just keep moving.

He shoved his hands into his pockets after pulling the hood of his jacket over his head and set off down the street. His paranoia died down as he roamed the dark streets aimlessly. He rounded a corner, finding himself in a dead end alley. This didn't seem right, but it was dark and he likely got turned around and took a wrong turn.

The brunette turned to go back when he felt a presence again. Now he was cornered. "Who's there!?" he called, trying to sound aggressive and intimidating.

"Well, if it isn't the little freak show- out for a walk. Don't you know there's a leash law?" The voice of Shinoba sneered as the elder boy stepped out of the shadows.

Takuya growled, anger building up within him at the mere sight of the bully. While Shinoba was not the reason for all of his misery, he contributed to making his life a living hell at school. "What the hell are you doing following me?"

"I was busy minding my own business till I saw you, little freak show." The bully started explaining and prowled closer. "No friends to come to the rescue this time huh?"

"I don't need my friends to deal with a creep like you." Takuya answered, glaring dangerously at the upper classman. He stopped when he noticed that the bully had his cell phone out. "What're you doing?"

Shinoba just smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

It dawned on Takuya that he was planning to get evidence of Flamon. The bully was trying to get proof to show that he really was a monster; a freak show. Takuya growled, feeling heat radiate from his body but stopped.

He couldn't release any flame or evolve, not with Shinoba ready with his phone to film it all. He was stuck.

Then he sensed another presence, one that sent chills down his spine. Digimon. 'not now...' Takuya groaned inwardly, glancing around for the intruder or a way out- whichever came first.

"Think you're so untouchable do ya?" Shinoba taunted, "I'll show the world what you are- then no one will want you. Not even your family."

That last sentence nearly made Takuya snap with rage. "Just shut up Shinoba. You're crazy! All you're doing is having a witch hunt!" he shouted angrily, still un able to find the Digimon or a route he could use to escape.

Shinoba glared, "Maybe so, but you're a monster- the one who burned down the school, and attacked the train station. You probably wrecked the mall too. Does your girlfriend still want you freak? Or is she afraid of you?"

"Shut the hell up!" Takuya snapped at the bully, feeling close to evolving and mauling him. "Just shut the hell up!"

Shinoba was frightened by Takuya's reaction though he remained adamant about getting his evidence for the whole world to see. Despite the vicious glare Takuya was giving him, he wasn't going to run.

Takuya felt his rage boiling within him. Just mentioning his family and then pulling Zoe into the whole mess made him nearly lose it all together.

The upper classman felt his whole body tense up, feeling an intense heat radiate from the boy shaking with rage. Any more heat and he was afraid Takuya would spontaneously combust. This could be the moment of truth that Shinoba was waiting for.

"What're you going to do, huh?" he continued to taunt, any common sense long since been discarded in Shinoba's attempt to reveal the Digimon boy to the world.

Takuya never felt more frustrated in his life; the stress of a possible Digimon attack and Shinoba's presence and ranting nearly driving the poor boy insane.

He could feel the Digimon's presence stalking him, lingering in the darkness where Takuya couldn't find him. The bully's taunts were only making it harder to find the predator which added to Takuya's frustration.

"Come on! Change into that freak form of yours! I dare you!" Shinoba shouted at the perturbed boy.

Takuya snarled, turning his attention to the bully, almost to the point of breathing a great torrent of flame at him. "Shut the hell up! For the love of god shut the hell up and leave me alone!"

Shinoba smirked, "Too scared, huh? Let me tell you this freak, this is only the..." the bully stopped suddenly, pale as a sheet. Takuya knew why too. The brunette turned slowly to see the pair of yellow eyes gleaming with malcontent from the darkness.

The beast growled and lunged at the boys, sending them both flying into a neighboring wall. The Digimon snarled and pounced on Shinoba first. "You... You're not the human brat..."

"Looking for me?" Takuya called, standing slowly. He held his shoulder gingerly, but faced the familiar monster down unafraid. "I beat you once, I'll do it again Cerberumon!"

Cerberumon bared his teeth. "Not likely," he growled. Shinoba yelped in fright, shrinking away from the demonic dog.

Takuya never took his eye off the large dog Digimon as he gained some space between them. One wrong move and he'd be at Cerberumon's mercy. The only issue was the bystander who lay trapped under the dog's large paw. "You want me Cerberumon, come and get me."

Cerberumon growled and gave the quivering boy a sideways look. Deeming him as some unimportant brat, the large dog gave Takuya all of his attention. "With pleasure, brat."

Looking back at Shinoba, Takuya realized he had an opportunity to evolve without worry. He wouldn't let this opportunity slip by.

The mad dog lunged at Takuya before he even had the chance, the long blades on his paws poised to slash the boy to ribbons.

The boy yelped and ducked down at the last minute avoiding the sharp blades as Cerberumon glided over him and out into the street. Takuya turned quickly and growled weakly, trapped with Shinoba in the alleyway by the large dog.

"Don't just sit there! Run!" Takuya barked to the elder boy who still sat on the ground in a daze.

Shinoba looked up at Takuya, "Not on your life runt, I'm not going to let you get off that easy!" He snatched up his cell phone again, pointing it at Cerberumon then Takuya.

Takuya groaned. "Are you stupid or something? That THING is trying to KILL US!" he shouted waving his arms wildly for added emphasis.

"You clearly know that thing! How do I know that's not one of your freaky friends!?" Shinoba shot back.

Cerberumon lunged again, claws aimed for Takuya's chest. "Get down!" Takuya tackled Shinoba to the ground, evading the assault.

Cerberumon crashed against the wall giving Takuya a small opportunity to try to drag Shinoba out of the alleyway. "Does that thing look like it's my friend?" Takuya remarked sharply as they tried to escape.

"Emerald Blaze!" the demonic dog opened his maw wide and spewed out a great plume of green flame down the alleyway at the boys.

Takuya was quick to tackle Shinoba out into the street, using his body to shield away the heat from the flames that shot over them. He tensed up and did his best to bear with the heat from Cerberumon's flames with his own natural abilities.

The flames finally died down and Takuya gave a small sigh of relief. However, the relief was overcome with pain, his back burnt from the intensity of the dog's hell fire.

Shinoba pushed Takuya off, letting the younger boy roll onto his side and gasp in pain. He stood up and made a dash to escape and leave Takuya at the mercy of the monstrous dog.

"I've got you now! Dark Portals!" the Digimon howled, opening up large holes in the surrounding environment. Shinoba nearly ran headlong into one, stopping short by mere inches.

Takuya wasn't as lucky. One opened right beneath the injured boy, dropping him into a void of darkness.

The devil dog smirked wickedly and disappeared into the darkness after his prey, disregarding Shinoba completely. Shinoba wasn't his intended target, Cerberumon couldn't care less whether he was involved or not. It was Takuya that he wanted.

Takuya felt like he was floating in an infinite void, a feeling all too familiar from his previous battle with Cerberumon. This time Takuya didn't have the advantage; he was at the mercy of the beast.

"No where to hide runt! You are mine!" the demonic Digimon roared and slashed Takuya across his left shoulder, making the boy wail in agony.

The boy held his wounded arm tightly trying to stop the bleeding. Another cry of pain ripped through Takuya's throat when Cerberumon's blades sliced into Takuya's right leg.

He cried out again, feeling all his strength draining from his wounded body. He couldn't bring himself to evolve and fight back. At this point, all he could manage was finding a way to escape. He tried to recall how he even managed it last time.

Flames... and a lot of them. He unleashed a huge burst of fire to stun Cerberumon and destroy his portals. However, he was Agunimon and not badly wounded. Maybe he could just... just one burst of flames.

Takuya tried to ignore his pain and summon up enough energy to produce a flame let alone evolve and fight back.

There had to be something Takuya could use; some spark, anything to ignite to help him break free from the dark zone. At this rate he couldn't last much longer. Takuya needed some kind of miracle if he were going to survive.

"Takuya." A voice called out to him. Takuya remembered hearing the voice before. It felt familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. It didn't matter though, not with the urgency of the situation.

"Takuya." The voice called his name again and Takuya felt warmth slowly building up inside him. It steadily raised, the heat melting away the pain that surged through him.

The boy found his opportunity and focused on the heat, making it grow. Small flames flickered around him as it began building up.

Cerberumon must have sensed the surge of energy and appeared out of the darkness. "Emerald Blaze!" The dog's white hot flames engulfed he boy, snuffing out the rising energy. The portals dissipated from Cerberumon's flames. Takuya didn't have the strength to cry out in pain.

He collapsed on the ground in a heap, body burned badly. Takuya heard Shinoba gasp in horror not too far away. Cerberumon sneered as he placed a crushing paw on the boy's chest.

Takuya writhed under the dog's large paw, feeling as if any more pressure would snap his bones in an instant. He tried to pry himself free but he couldn't even find the strength to lift up his arms.

"Looks like this is the end of the line, runt." Cerberumon sneered, small green flames flickering through his teeth. "Now to pay you back in full for what you did to me."

"D-don't…" the poor wounded boy croaked out, fighting to gather some strength to get him out from under the dog's paw. But he had nothing. His body had grown numb and cold, his arms falling limp on the ground.

Shinoba watched helplessly, his phone long since forgotten on the floor. He gasped when he saw a ring of light spiral around Takuya's body suddenly. "W-what in the world…"

The large demonic dog paid no mind to the other boy, focusing only on the fractal code that spiraled around his prey. Without another word Cerberumon opened his maw wide, inhaling the code.

The boy's body grew dark, his form shifting as Cerberumon took the last bit of data. Takuya gasped the color, returning to his body. He panted, pain rippling over his body. A quick assessment of his own body told him he wasn't human anymore. A stunned gasp from Shinoba confirmed it.

"Just die!" Cerberumon lifted his paw to slam it back down on Takuya's chest. That was all the boy needed to scramble away and make a break for it.

Takuya darted towards Shinoba, hauling the boy to his feet and dragging him away towards the park.

"Let go of me!" Shinoba shouted.

Takuya snorted. "And leave you for Cerberumon? I'm not that cruel," the boy remarked hoarsely. His body hurt like hell but his adrenaline had kicked into overdrive as he dragged Shinoba along behind him.

The demonic dog gave a loud howl and bounded after them, intent on capturing his prey.

Hearing Cerberumon's great howl behind them had fueled Takuya's body, driving him to drag the bully faster and farther into the park away from the evil Digimon. "Can't you move any faster? We need… need to get the hell away from that thing…"

"J-just let me go! That thing wants you!" the older boy retorted, trying to pull away despite the fear that shook him to his bones.

"This wouldn't have happened if you had just left me alone!" Takuya replied heatedly.

They stopped, the Digimon boy glancing around to look for a place to hide. They couldn't keep running forever. Takuya was on the verge of collapsing. They could only hope that they could somehow lose the demon dog.

Takuya looked around wildly, panting up a storm. Shinoba could get away, maybe, but only if Takuya took Cerberumon head on. Something the boy just couldn't do.

"You... You have to run... Now," Takuya panted weakly. Shinoba stared at the flame Digimon for a moment, almost waiting for Takuya to take his command back. "Go!"

The bully jumped at the sheer power in the boy's words. He took off running towards the other end of the park. Takuya watched, waiting for Shinoba to disappear from his line of sight. Cerberumon growled loudly, thundering into the park.

Takuya had to act. He carefully picked up a few stones into his hand and silently crept up into thicket of one of the tall trees. He could use the stones to lure away Cerberumon away from him and give Shinoba time to get away.

Cerberumon prowled around, relentless in his search for the small fire Digimon.

Takuya had to act. Cerberumon would find him soon if he didn't think fast. Quickly, he ran through the nearby brush and took off in another direction as silently as possible. He had hoped that the dog would follow the trail and go the wrong direction.

The Digimon boy ran as fast as his legs could take him despite how heavy his legs became or how his lungs burned for air. He just had to get out of there.

A great howl echoed throughout the park, shaking Takuya to his core. It sounded far but Takuya knew he wasn't safe until he was far away from the park.

The boy stopped after he was sure the park was far behind him. He collapsed against a wall deep in a dark alleyway. He panted heavily, chest heaving wildly. Every fiber of his being hurt as he fought to intake air.

He leaned back, tilting his head towards the sky. Takuya looked up at the dark sky, eyes watering. He was in trouble now. Cerberumon had taken his human data. He was fully Digimon. He felt panicked, trapped like a wild animal. He was exposed and vulnerable like this.

He wished that his friends were around, hoping that maybe they could find him and bail him out yet again.