AUTHOR'S NOTES:

So 2021 is off to an… interesting start. To my friends and readers in America, please stay safe. My thoughts are with you, for that they're worth, and I hope that things will start to calm down soon. To everyone else, I hope that COVID isn't hitting you too hard.

Stay safe, stay well, and as always I hope you enjoy today's update!

THE SPHINX AND THE SKELETON

"Hikari!"

For a moment she merely sat, staring up at him with her mouth hanging open like a goldfish. Tailmon cleared her throat and Hikari blinked, glancing across the cavern to where her partner was stood next to Patamon. Only then did her brain finally reboot.

"Takeru!" she finally exclaimed, her voice louder than she meant it to be. He smiled and leant towards her, gripping her arm and lifting her to her feet with such force that she flew in to his chest. She gasped in surprise, drawing in a lungful of sweat and grass, and when they broke apart she found herself hoping the light was dim enough that he wouldn't notice her burning cheeks.

"Hikari!" Patamon barrelled in to her chest and Hikari squeezed him tightly, keeping one eye on Takeru as he crouched to greet Tailmon (who was watching Hikari with something akin to a smirk).

"Sorry, by the way," Takeru said with a bashful chuckle, "for attacking you. I couldn't see you, and then Tailmon attacked-"

"You threw a knife," she retorted, narrowing her eyes at Takeru who chuckled and ran a hand through his hair.

"It was only supposed to be a distraction," he offered. "I didn't see Tailmon at first, and when I thought you were alone I thought you might have been the Kaiser." Tailmon snorted.

"You've met him, then?" she drawled. Takeru nodded, his expression grim.

"A couple of times," he answered. "You?"

"Once or twice," Hikari answered quickly before Tailmon could answer. Tailmon's tail twitched, her tail ring glinting in the low torchlight, but she didn't offer anything further. Takeru dipped his head sharply.

"You should try and avoid him. The things I've seen him do..." His fingers curled in to fists. "He has Yamato. Jou said the Kaiser is holding him prisoner but they don't know where." A shadow washed over his face and he pressed his lips tightly together. Hikari felt her stomach tighten at the mention of Yamato. She wondered if Takeru had even seen him since their final battle.

"We heard," she murmured.

"We thought we might be able to find him but…" he grimaced and shook his head. Patamon swooped out of Hikari's arms and perched on top of Takeru's head. He flattened himself in Takeru's hair and used the tips of his ears to tickle Takeru's jaw.

"Don't worry, Takeru," he said with a grin. "We'll find him!" Takeru batted Patamon's ears away and smiled a little. Hikari swallowed thickly.

"So… What have you been doing up here?" she asked, keeping her voice light and airy in an attempt to lift the mood. "Jou said you had some stuff to take care of."

"We sure did!" Patamon chirped. "But now that you're here, we can leave again." Hikari frowned and glanced to Tailmon who looked equally confused.

"What do you mean 'now that we're here'?" Tailmon asked. Takeru smiled.

"We were only protecting the Digimental until you could come and get it," he answered.

"But… it's not mine," Hikari said softly, although it sounded more like a question. Now it was Takeru's turn to be confused, and she quickly brought him up to speed on Daisuke and the other new children who had inherited the Digimentals. When she was done, Takeru folded his arms with a frown and glanced up to Patamon.

"I just saw the Crest of Hope and figured it was for us," he said. Patamon nodded in firm agreement

"You should pick it up and see what happens!" Hikari looked to Tailmon again and Tailmon shrugged. After all, what was the worst that could happen? A slight jolt to the fingers was nothing compared to the potential power the Digimental could unlock. Hikari took a deep steeling breath and turned back to the mounds of earth. The Crest of Light danced with a cool pink light as she approached, and she felt her digivice thrum on her hip as she reached out towards it.

It came away easily. It fit perfectly in her hands – neither too big nor too small, not too light or too heavy – and a gentle warmth flooded through her fingers and spread in to her arms as the cavern was flooded with blazing pink-white light. She didn't know when she let go of the Digimental, but by the time her digivice grew warm against her waist her hands were free to untuck it from her waistband. It shivered in her palm and trembled before being struck by a jet of pink light that set it blazing. When the light faded, the digivice had become a D-3 with a white body, black buttons and a vibrant pink grip. The screen was larger and trimmed in black, and there at the centre were two dots – one pink and one green. As the light began to fade Hikari felt something forming in her other hand, and she stared at the device that had suddenly made its way in to her grasp. The body was speckled silver with a black grip under her fingers and a cluster of buttons on either side. Daisuke had one of these too, she remembered as she lifted the hard flat to reveal a large screen which currently bore an outline of the Digimental of Light.

"What is this?" she asked, peering at it in the darkness. Her eyes were still adjusting, and the bright light of the screen was making it hard to examine the device in any great detail.

"It's called a D-Terminal." Takeru reached over her shoulder to push one of the larger buttons, and Hikari's breath caught in her throat as the words 'D-Terminal' flashed across the screen. "I got one too when my digivice changed," he said, rummaging through the large pocket of his leaf-covered trousers to withdraw an identical device. He flipped open the screen and quickly navigated through the menu. "There are other names here too – these are the others you were telling me about right?" He opened an address book and showed it to Hikari, where she saw five names listed. She peered back at her own screen and let Takeru guide her through the menu until she could bring the list up on her D-Terminal too.

"Is it just the five of us?" Takeru nodded.

"I'm guessing you only get added to the list when you get a D-Terminal."

"But what do they do?" It had seemed rude to ask Daisuke (especially when there was a high chance that he wouldn't know either), but now that she had one of her own her curiosity was running in overdrive. She began flicking through the menu, quickly adapting to the controls and memorising where everything was.

"I haven't really figured that out yet," Takeru answered with a nervous laugh. "There's the list of names, and there's the Digimental, but we haven't really figured out much else."

"Maybe Koushiro will know more," Hikari suggested as she prodded the buttons and skimmed through the menu. "I'm sure the others will be back again soon. Daisuke said they've been to the Digital World a few times now, and they seem to come and go whenever they want to."

"Do you think that means we could go home again?" Takeru asked. Hikari's stomach tightened as Patamon's ears drooped.

"Do you wanna go?" he asked, a sad note in his voice. Takeru swept him in to his arms flipped him on to his back to tickle the cream fur on his tummy.

"I don't wanna leave you, Patamon," he said as Patamon squealed and wriggled in Takeru's arms. "But I'd like to see my mom again. And my dad. And maybe get some of those chocolate bars you used to like so much-"

"Candy?!" Patamon exclaimed. He flew from Takeru's arms and flew in circles around Takeru's head. "Human candy is the best!" Tailmon arched an eyebrow and flicked her tail as she watched him spiral higher towards the roof of the cave. Takeru shook his head with a fond laugh before turning his attention back to Hikari.

"Well, we should probably get back to Jou. There's nothing left for us to do now that you've got the Digimental."

"I wonder who you'll become!" Patamon breathed as he dropped back on to Takeru's head, his eyes wide with wonder. Tailmon's ears twitched.

"What do you mean?"

"When you evolve with the Digimental, it's a completely new form!" he exclaimed. "It feels so cool! And kinda tingly…" Tailmon's eyes travelled to the D-3 in Hikari's hand and she looped her tail around Hikari's ankles. Hikari felt her heart thundering in her chest at the realisation that they would be able to evolve now, even from beneath the shadow of the Kaiser's Dark Towers. She tightened her grip on her D-3 and sucked in a sharp breath. Takeru closed his fingers around hers with a smile that made her cheeks burn.

"Maybe you should wait until you're outside," he suggested. Then, to Tailmon: "We don't know how big you're going to get." Her eyes flashed and her tail twitched eagerly, and Hikari tried to ignore the burning in her cheeks as Takeru led them out of the cave.

"That's smart," Patamon chirped from his perch atop Takeru's hair. "When I evolved to Pegasmon, I couldn't get out again."

"Who?" Tailmon asked. He turned back to them with a wink.

"You'll see!"

As they emerged in to the late-afternoon sun, Tailmon leapt from Hikari's shoulders with such force that Hikari was left stumbling sideways in to Takeru. He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and carefully kept her on his feet, and when Hikari tried to thank him she found her voice had deserted her. Tailmon came to the rescue then, calling Hikari's name as he hunkered low against the ground, ready for whatever new powers the Digimental might give her. Hikari took a deep breath and curled her fingers around the D-3 as she thrust it into the air.

"Digimental up!"

Tailmon was swept off the floor as she was surrounded by a nimbus of light that sank in to her skin. Her body twisted as her limbs lengthened and two startling-white wings blossomed from her back. When the glow finally faded, Hikari drank in the new digimon's white fur and long, purple-striped tail that was so like Tailmon's, right down to the purple tuft at its tip. She looked more cat-like than ever now as she stood on all fours; her back paws were bare, exposing gleaming pink claws, while her front were covered in Tailmon's green and purple gloves. Her forelegs were wrapped in silver armour trimmed with gold and decorated each with a single precious gem in dazzling pink. Her shoulders were plated in matching armour, and a close-fitting silver breastplate was engraved with purple markings and decorated with a thick gold necklace. Gleaming eyes peered down at Hikari from behind a stern, silver mask, and her golden ears twitched as she landed gracefully back on the ground.

"Nefertimon, the angel of light!" she proclaimed. Hikari let out the breath she'd been holding and rushed forwards, throwing her arms around Nefertimon's neck and feeling the warm jewellery press against her skin.

"You're beautiful!"

"I feel powerful!" she purred.

Behind them Patamon wrapped himself in his own evolution, and when the nimbus of light shattered he was a fine stallion. Two large wings had sprouted from his back, like Nefertimon's, but where hers were silver his were gold. Gleaming yellow-gold plate wrapped around his hooves and across his chest, decorated with intricate carvings and glittering gems. His face was protected by a golden helm and surrounded by a halo of white-gold hair. Two small orange bat-like ears emerged from his temples, similar to Patamon's but half the size, and the orange fur of his muzzle gave way to cream at his stomach and down on to his legs.

"Pegasmon, flying hope!" he introduced with a flick of his white-gold tail. With practiced ease Takeru sprang on to Pegasmon's back and strapped his staff across the armoured saddle. Hikari found a similar groove along Nerfertimon's back, just the right size for her bow. She eyed her partner warily; she was a good climber, but Nefertimon's armour didn't exactly have all that many places to hold on to and it was too high for her to jump. She was grateful when Nefertimon dipped her head and extended her foreleg for Hikari to clamber up, and after allowing Hikari a moment to get settled she glanced back over her shoulder.

"Ready?" she asked. Hikari's heart was thundering in her ears as she met her partner's gaze and nodded.

Nefertimon's powerful legs pushed off the ground with such force that Hikari almost left her stomach behind. She pressed her face in to her partner's neck – unable to breathe as the roaring wind ripped the air from her lungs. Her heart stopped, her head began to spin, and then Nefertimon was levelling out. Hikari's heart restarted with a painful jolt as she slowly straightened, gulping in a deep breath of cool air. The great mouth of the cavern below was no bigger than Hikari's thumb now, and the thought of being so high above the ground was both exhilarating and terrifying all at once.

Nefertimon hovered for a moment, keeping them balanced with great strokes of her large wings. Then without a word of warning she surged forwards, rolling and spiralling and looping through the air, testing her new form to its acrobatic limits. Hikari flattened herself against the armour as she familiarised herself with Nefertimon's smooth movements. There was no fear of falling, but it did take a minute or two to get used to the sensation of tilting this way and that, and to figure out how to breathe when the wind was whipping past her face. They'd flown together before, but sitting atop Nefertimon's back was much different to hanging from Angewomon's neck. Little by little she slowly sat up, her iron grip on the saddle lessening, and as Nefertimon twisted upside down in a loop Hikari spread her arms wide, squeezing tightly with her thighs and feeling the wind dance through her fingers. She let out a giddy scream and Nefertimon howled with her as they shot up and burst through the clouds. Droplets of water clung to her skin and she shivered, her breath coming in short gasps.

Pegasmon broke through the clouds beside them and Takeru shook water from his hair as they caught up.

"Amazing, isn't it?" he shouted. Hikari's pounding heart was lodged in her throat, and it was all she could do to smile and nod. Takeru laughed and his grin widened. "C'mon, I'll race you back to Jou's camp!" Pegasmon's wings send a gust of wet wind whooshing towards them, catching Nefertimon off-guard and allowing him to disappear beneath the clouds. Hikari wiped the water off her cheeks with a giggle as a deep chuckle rumbled through Nefertimon's chest.

"Oh, he is asking for it," she purred. "Hold on tight, this is a race I intend to win." Hikari flattened herself against Nefertimon's neck and let out a giddy scream as Nefertimon plummeted down through the clouds like a bullet.

They'd made short work of toppling the Dark Tower and freeing the small town of mismatched digimon that surrounded it. From there they'd followed directions to another tower nearby and they'd knocked that one over too. The destruction brought Taichi no closer to Hikari, but it did give him an opportunity to learn more about the kids who were taking up the mantle of Chosen Children.

Miyako, he quickly learned, was prone to whining and she seemed to have found the perfect pitch at which to do so that stripped Taichi of any sympathy he might have had for her. It reminded him of Mimi at times, but at least Mimi would occasionally give in. Miyako, on the other hand, seemed content to tell the world of her woes and would jump straight to loggerheads with anyone who might interrupt her (Daisuke frequently found himself in the firing range, though he expertly gave as good as he got, leading to several heated arguments between the pair while their partners watched on in despair). Taichi had come close to snapping at her more than once, and it was Sora's patience and Hawkmon's level-headedness that helped him keep his temper in check.

Iori was completely the opposite; the quiet boy rarely spoke, but when he did he sounded wise beyond his years. Taichi wasn't sure which he found less ominous; the eerie silence or the serene glimpses of wisdom and patience that seemed to emerge right when Taichi least expected them. Armadimon plodded along merrily at his partner's side, smiling and keeping up a low monologue as they passed things he found interesting, like a particularly large tree or a bulbous rock that was shaped like his shell.

In fact, the only one Taichi felt he understood was Daisuke. He watched the boy take the lead, making the first move and dragging the others along behind him with a bravado that never faltered. Then, when all was said and done, he moved on to their next objective with a confidence that bordered on arrogance. It reminded Taichi so much of his younger self that he wanted to smile and punch Daisuke at the same time (looking back, it was no wonder Yamato had given him so many bruises).

They were in the process of destroying a third tower when Taichi heard something from behind. He frowned and turned, peering in to the sun as his ears picked out a distant thwump-thwump-thwump – like several large drums beating out of time. A shadow was forming in the sky, silhouetted by blinding white clouds, and as it drew closer it became several smaller shadows bound together by thick ropes. Morbid curiosity kept him rooted to the spot as the shapes grew closer, dropping steadily until there was no mistaking their target.

"Taichi?" He heard Sora murmured. She laced her fingers with his as she fell in beside him, and he felt her stiffen as the shadows grew close enough to be recognisable.

"Is that…" she asked in a horrified whisper. Taichi nodded. His heart leapt to his throat as his digivice shivered at his hip, but something was wrong. MetalGreymon's skin was cold and blue, and the tufts of hair that stuck out from below his helm were blood red instead of their usual orange.

And yet there was no mistaking that this was Taichi's partner; there was a sure fire certainty pounding through his veins as the Airdramon above released the ropes that held him in the air. He dropped to the ground like a stone, kicking up clouds of dust as he landed with an earth-shuddering THUD, and as the air cleared Taichi spied the thick black spiral wrapped around his partner's arm.

"MetalGreymon!" he roared. His partner's eyes flashed red and Taichi's stomach twisted as a sinister cackle echoed overhead. One of the Airdramon remained, and as it sank towards them Taichi saw the figure of a boy standing atop the digimon's shoulder.

"An unexpected reunion," the boy sneered through a smirk. "How quaint. It's a shame that MetalGreymon doesn't remember you, because he remembers nothing that I don't allow him to." Taichi didn't need Daisuke's passionate descriptions to know that this was the Kaiser; the boy's arrogance and the flamboyance of his gold-trimmed cape told him everything he needed to know.

"What have you done to him?!" Taichi roared. The Kaiser chuckled and flexed his fingers.

"Now, now," he mocked, "temper, temper. Or do I have to tame you too?"

"Don't worry, Taichi, I got it!" Daisuke cried. "Fladramon, go get 'em!" The Kaiser arched an eyebrow and his lips curled in to a smirk.

"Oh, I don't think so," he hissed. "MetalGreymon – attack!"

MetalGreymon gave a single nod before stomping closer, tossing his head back with a wordless roar that made Taichi's blood run cold. Sora gripped Taichi's hand with both of hers as Fladramon surged forward with fire on his knuckles.

"Flame fist!" The attack splashed harmlessly across MetalGreymon's plated chest and Fladramon faltered. Holsmon swooped in close behind, releasing a powerful gust of wind that barely ruffled the tufts of crimson hair around MetalGreymon's helm. Digmon sent two gleaming silver drills spiralling through the air, and MetalGreymon's armoured claw batted them away like fruit flies. His eyes flashed and his lips pulled back in a snarl as he widened his stance, planting each foot firmly in the dust. The silver panels across his chest opened with a hiss and two small pairs of eyes peered out from within. Taichi had only a moment to recognise the grinning missiles before they launched.

"Get down!" He shoved Sora out of the way before leaping towards Daisuke and tackling him away from the attack. The blast threw them back several feet and Taichi groaned as his cheek grazed the dirt. He rolled to his knees and scrubbed dust from his eyes before quickly glancing to the others. Iori and Miyako were still some distance away, safe enough from the attack. Koushiro was helping Sora to her feet while Daisuke was rubbing at his side with a grimace (though it was nothing worse than what he'd experienced on the soccer field).

"We need to get rid of the Dark Ring," said Miyako. Koushiro shook his head.

"That's not just any Dark Ring," he countered. "MetalGreymon is an Adult-level digimon; whatever that thing is on its arm, I think it's stronger than the Dark Rings." The Kaiser cackled.

"Not as dumb as you look," he taunted. Taichi pushed himself back to his feet with a scowl.

"Whatever it is, we need to destroy it," Taichi snapped.

"If we could keep him still then Digmon's drills could strip it right off!" Miyako exclaimed. The Kaiser laughed and Taichi clenched his fists, determined to ignore him.

"Great, but how do we hold him still long enough?" Daisuke growled, his eyes fixed on the fight. Fladramon was taking most of the heat, and what few attacks he could fire off splashed harmlessly against MetalGreymon's armour. A silver drill grazed MetalGreymon's thigh and he backhanded Digmon into the dirt. Taichi's heart skipped a painful beat.

"Allow me to try," Holsmon boomed as he swooped overhead. He barrelled towards MetalGreymon and spread his wings wide, hovering at eye level to draw MetalGreymon's attention. "Eagle Eye!" His eyes flashed a deep, fiery red and two bright lasers lanced towards MetalGreymon's helm. He turned his head at the last second and the beams struck his jaw. He threw his head back and roared in to the clouds, and Taichi felt his knees tremble.

It's for the best, Agumon, he thought, gritting his teeth to keep from screaming with his partner. The ache in his chest was growing worse, and he found himself clutching at Sora for strength. We're only trying to help.

MetalGreymon slowly ground to a halt and his roar died away, though his mouth still hung open as he glared up at the sky. It was as though he had been frozen – stunned, almost – and the digimon hovered nervously around him, waiting to see what would happen next. Taichi's breath caught in his throat and as the whole world seemed to wait with baited breath; even the Kaiser had stopped cackling.

MetalGreymon jerked and snapped his jaw shut with an angry huff, shaking his head and stomping his feet before releasing several giant fireballs at Holsmon's retreating back. He dodged all but one which singed his tail feathers and sent him veering off-course.

"Holsmon!" Miyako screamed.

"Miyako, stop!" Sora cried, reaching out to grab her wrist before she could run to her partner. Holsmon had quickly regained his balance and had narrowly avoided colliding with the ground, though it seemed to take a great effort for him to return to the air. Miyako's eyes never left her partner as Sora let go of her arm. "Don't get too close to the fight – it's too dangerous." Miyako nodded, and she curled her fingers in to fists as she watched Holsmon disappear up into the clouds.

"We need to do that again," Taichi ordered. "That attack stunned MetalGreymon. If we can freeze him again, maybe we can get Digmon to attack the spiral."

"But that's too high for Digmon to jump," Iori said softly, his eyes fixed on MetalGreymon as he took another swing at Digmon (this time Digmon was prepared, and he leapt back just in time to avoid another pummelling).

"What if we try and knock him down first?" Daisuke suggested. "If we can get him on his knees and then freeze him, Digmon'd have a chance, right?" Taichi clenched his teeth and he felt Sora give his hand another squeeze. He met Daisuke's gaze and nodded firmly.

"Whatever it takes."

The next time Holsmon broke from the clouds Miyako screamed his name and waved him down. He swept close enough for her to explain the plan before returning to the fray where Digmon and Fladramon were beginning to tire. It was to be expected, really – they had a fraction of the strength and experience of MetalGreymon even before whatever the Kaiser had done to him – but with every passing minute the hope of freeing MetalGreymon from the Kaiser's clutches slipped a little further away and Taichi found himself praying for some kind of miracle.

Fladramon made several small attacks to keep MetalGreymon's attention while Digmon worried the ground at his feet, causing cracks and fissures and chunks of dirt designed to make MetalGreymon stumble. Holsmon flew around MetalGreymon's head like a persistent fly, and whenever MetalGreymon became distracted by Digmon Holsmon would swoop in to distract him. When the ground was suitably churned Holsmon began buffeting MetalGreymon with blasts of wind, but each time MetalGreymon would plant his feet and hunker down until the gust had passed. He did not fall, and Taichi couldn't help but feel a flicker of pride beneath a crushing wave of despair.

"It's not working!" Miyako wailed.

"If we can't bring the ring to Digmon, perhaps we can take Digmon to the ring," Koushiro suggested. "Could Holsmon lift him?" Miyako's face paled and she turned to Koushiro.

"I… I don't know," she whimpered

"We have to try," Iori said firmly. Miyako hesitated before nodding, and Iori called to his partner who quickly dropped back.

"This guy sure packs a punch!" Digmon wheezed as he dropped to one knee, breathing heavily. "Do we got ourselves a plan of action, partner?"

Digmon was just as dubious as Miyako, it seemed, but he took Iori's instructions back to the others nonetheless. Fladramon doubled down on his attacks while Holsmon scooped Digmon off the ground. It was a clear struggle, but after skimming the ground for several seconds Holsmon managed to climb with Digmon in his talons.

It all happened at once. Fladramon jumped high and barraged MetalGreymon's face with bursts of fire, intent on distracting him long enough for Holsmon and Digmon to close in. The panels on MetalGreymon's chest were sliding open as Digmon's drills latched on to the spiral, and the attack made MetalGreymon roar. He jerked away from the attack, arms flailing wildly as he stumbled backwards. His foot caught in a large fissure and he slowly tilted backwards as the missiles were launched from his chest. One found its way in to Fladramon's side, knocking him backwards in an explosion of fire and smoke, while the other arced high in to the air before twisting to set its beady eyes upon a new target.

Taichi's heart pounded in his ears.

"MOVE!"

Sora let go of Taichi's hand as she dove for Miyako, grabbing the girl's wrist and pulling her back. The missile was drawing closer. Koushiro was running behind Iori whilst Sora was dragging Miyako aside. Daisuke was rooted to the ground, his eyes wide, and Taichi grit his teeth and shouldered him out of the way.

The world was white-hot, awash with flame and fire and the smell of singed cotton and Taichi was weightless, floating high in to the air. Someone was screaming. It might have been him, though he felt like his mouth was burning. Something slammed in to his shoulder and then he was skidding along the ground. Seared skin on his cheek tightened painfully as the ground tore through the shoulder of his blazer and bit in to his shirt and his skin as he slid to a stop some feet away. He rolled on to his knees and grit his teeth against the pain as he squinted through the flames. MetalGreymon was glowing, and for a minute Taichi dared to hope that they'd won until he heard the Kaiser's panicked screams.

"No! Retreat! Retreat!" He punctured the order with a sharp crack of his whip that pierced through the ringing in Taichi's ears, and slowly Taichi blinked the world back in to focus. The light around MetalGreymon was starting to fade, but instead of growing smaller he had grown bigger, and when the light faded Taichi felt his heart stop as he beheld SkullGreymon in his terrifying, bone-white glory.

He looked just as fierce as Taichi remembered, and he felt his shame wash over him anew as SkullGreymon thrashed against the incoming Aidramon. Despite his efforts the Airdramon looped thick ropes around his skeletal limbs and quickly hoisted him in to the air, dragging him back in to the clouds.

The Kaiser dropped heavily to the ground and stormed towards Taichi, his face pulled back in a furious snarl. Dark boots kicked a storm of sand in to Taichi's face and Taichi turned away, spluttering and scrubbing at his eyes.

"You imbecile!" the Kaiser roared, and this time the kick landed between Taichi's shoulderblades. Taichi screamed and rolled away from the attack, barely able to make out the boy's silhouette through a blinding curtain of tears and sand. "You lost me my servant! I had hoped to wait until my experiments were complete, but I suppose there's no time like the present. Let's see how you fare against the power of a Dark Spiral!" He reached beneath his cloak and withdrew a gleaming black spiral which he threw towards Taichi who scrambled backwards-

The stone tablet came from nowhere, zipping through the air and striking the Kaiser's hand. The spiral clattered to the ground some distance away and the Kaiser clutched his bloodied hand to his chest with a curse as a figure dropped down between them. Taichi was blinded by a light that erupted from the crest beneath his shirt as hands slowly pulled him back and helped him to his feet.

"Don't you touch him!" a voice hissed. A girl's voice; a voice that made Taichi's heart leap to his throat. Something creaked like bending wood as the hands slowly helped Taichi to his feet.

"Taichi, are you okay?" Taichi squinted at the figure beside him, able to make out shaggy blonde hair and wide blue eyes.

"Takeru?" he breathed. Takeru nodded as the Kaiser chuckled.

"I was wondering where you'd gotten to," the boy hissed. Taichi rubbed the last of the sand and tears from his eyes with the heel of his hand before peering at the Kaiser and the girl who stood before him, glaring at the Kaiser down the shaft of an arrow. He took a step towards her and she released her bow, piercing the ground at his feet. The Kaiser stopped and Hikari quickly loaded another from the quiver on her back.

"Next time I won't miss," she threatened. Shadows swooped overhead as a golden horse and a silver sphinx dropped from the sky, their golden eyes fixed on the Kaiser. "Give up. You're surrounded." The Kaiser smirked and straightened with a sinister chuckle.

"Will you ever learn?" he mocked. His fingers snapped an and Airdramon dropped down from the sky. He leapt impossibly high, and the Aidramon swooped beneath him. Hikari followed him with the tip of her arrow, but before she could take her shot he was barely a shadow in the sky and she slowly let the tip sag towards the ground with an angry sigh.

"Hikari."

Her name slipped from his lips, so quiet that he wondered if she'd heard him at all. But then he saw her spine stiffen and saw her shoulders tremble, and when she turned towards him he felt his heart stop. Her face was longer and thinner, and yet she was every bit the little eight-year-old sister he had left behind.

She cast the bow and arrow aside and barrelled in to his chest, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his blazer. He wrapped his arms around her, ignoring the pain that lanced through his arm; he'd take it ten times over just to have his sister close again. Before long they were both crying, and he pressed his face in to her hair and squeezed, afraid to let her go.

He didn't know how long Sora had been waiting to approach them, but when Hikari finally noticed she pulled herself from Taichi's arms and fell in to Sora's, laughing and smiling. Sora fussed over her like a mother hen, smoothing her hair and rearranging her scarf, and when Hikari grew uncomfortable with the attention she turned back to Taichi to hug him again (Sora, meanwhile, moved on to Takeru and gave him much the same treatment which he accepted with a beaming smile). This time Taichi couldn't contain a small groan as Hikari jostled his shoulder and she sprang back, her eyes quickly landing on the tattered sleeve of his blazer.

"You're hurt!" she gasped. She reached out a hand to brush his jaw and he winced at the trail of fire she left behind. The skin on his neck was growing tight, and once he noticed it he couldn't ignore the way it burned. Hikari's eyes were glistening, but she blinked and smiled and took his hand. "We should get you to Jou, he'll know what to do."