AUTHOR'S NOTES:

D'you ever just take a Short Break from your fic, and then before you know it it's been almost a year since you last updated? Cool, cool, cool… yeah… me neither…

To everyone who was following along with the live updates – I am so, so sorry that I have kept you waiting so long for this! The TL;DR is that Life happened, and I have had zero time over the last ten months (Really? Ten whole months? Dayum…) to devote any energy to anything other than, well, Life. Thankfully (touch wood!) things are finally starting to settle, freeing up both time and energy to come back to this fic!

Before I jumped back in to posting, I decided to re-read my previous chapters to remind myself of where I was up to. Unfortunately, a 'Quick Re-Read' turned in to editing and re-proofing. Earlier chapters have now been updated, and we are officially running The Power of Darkness version 1.3. For anyone who doesn't want to re-read previous chapters, here is a patch-note summary of the changes:

- Fixed issues with sub/dub terminology and continuity. Whilst this story is a mismash of sub/dub terms, it should at least have internal continuity to avoid confusion.

- Fixed pacing issues in #18 relating to the Disappearing Into The Sand sequence. Thanks to Flareix for suggesting that the wordiness of the original sequence made it feel longer than it was.

- Reduced Daisuke's "Yagami Infatuation" by 13%. Daisuke now thinks about something other than one of the two Yagami's at any given point in time. The "Yagami Infatuation" score is still relatively high, but will be decreasing as the story progresses to make room for "Development".

- Updated errors with grammar and spelling.

- Completed a general tidy-up of dialogue and narrative.

- Main story remains unchanged. Any minor changes have had no impact on the story so far.

Thank you to everyone who read the last chapter, and a special thank you to everyone who left a review – especially those who reached out long after the update to make sure I was doing okay (and to remind me that this story existed). Digi-hugs to you all!

And now, without further ado (or apology), let us continue the adventure!

THE CALL OF DRAGOMON

Like a moth to a flame, the darkness flittered across the ground in search of the light. Here and there, streams of shadows joined together, each bringing a stream of consciousness riding a train of thought. They melted together, creeping along the ground inch by careful inch, drawn ever closer by the polluting spell of power. In the trees overhead, two sleeping Petitmon huddled closer in the moonlight, burying their faces in the crooks of their small wings and resting heavily against each other. They were safely out of reach, high above the soundless blight that slithered through the grass.

Somewhere, almost, closer, closer – the darkness stalked its unmoving prey with chilling precision. It stared sightless over the landscape, seeing without seeing. The light was a magnet, the centre of a whirlpool, the eye of a brewing storm. And the source was a tear – a fissure in the data that exposed light to the world much as blood ruptures from a wound. The Digital World was bleeding, and the shadow was hungry for it.

Closer! It rolled forwards, growing from a shadow to a mist to billows of black smoke that swept through the tall grass. The pale light of the moon was no match for its power and the darkness revelled in its freedom, rolling tempestuous over the land. Those away from its path were chilled by its presence, hugging themselves tighter and retreating deeper in to sleep, while those caught up in the shadow were consumed, their very being swept aside like dust in the breeze as their data was devoured.

Faster! The darkness tumbled over itself in its haste, tasting all that was light and good in the world and quaffing it greedily. It did not fear this dim half-light; it indulged it in, feasting on every last glimmer until it dominated the field. It spread itself wide and thin, rolling and climbing and rushing and sighing until finally – Here!

It descended upon the tear – near invisible to the naked eye, unless seen at the right angle where it would glimmer like a hairline fracture in glass, splitting the light in to all of its colours. But the darkness was not looking with its eyes, and what it saw instead was a fountain. Anger. Jealousy. Hatred. The trappings of humanity poured from the fissure and soon the darkness was tearing at the very fabric of the world, pulling and ripping until there was just enough room to poke a curious tendril through to the other side.

The shadow knew this place. In some dim, distant memory it saw the glass domes and flat roofs, the close-packed apartments and busy streets. In another life, it had flown through the sky, searching for the light. More and more memories joined the fray, surging together in a wave of sounds and smells and screams.

Oh yes. The darkness knew this world well, and as he peered down at the humans he was truly, madly happy.

Taichi stared absently at the television screen as Natsuko placed a fresh cup of tea in his hands. His last mug had long since gone tepid, and he heard her tipping it down the sink. He wanted to tell her not to fuss, but his voice had deserted him.

Hikari had flickered. As though her image had been distorted by bursts of static, she'd fizzled and flashed before disappearing with nothing more than a half-formed scream. And then there was Wizarmon, a digimon Taichi had never really known but owed so much to. One minute he'd been there, ghostly and ethereal, and then with a flash of light he'd disappeared and left Hikari unconscious. Had it been an attack? Some clever trapping of the Kaiser? Or had there truly been a ghost haunting the station? Digimon were supposed to be reformatted when they were killed, like Angemon after their fight with Devimon, but Wizarmon had been killed in the human world. Could there had been enough data left over for him to communicate with them? And, if so, what had he said?

Hiroaki had brought him back to the apartment. The journey had been a blur, and Taichi's hand had never left his digivice. They'd arrived minutes before Natsuko who had rushed in from the sunlight, happy to be home and out of the heat, only to be subdued by the sight of them. Since then she had showered Taichi with tea and biscuits and hollow words of comfort, but Taichi couldn't quite bring himself to eat or drink or listen.

It was the terror in Hikari's eyes that was destroying him; the wild panic that turned his hardened sister back in to a four-year-old fresh from a nightmare. He shivered as her face flashed before his eyes, and he took a deep steadying breath that earned him a pat on the shoulder as Hiroaki passed by.

"Chin up," Hiroaki said softly. "Yamato called; he and the others are on their way now. They'll be here soon." It was all Taichi could do to make a small grunt, nodding to acknowledge that he'd heard and understood. Hiroaki squeezed his shoulder. "She found her way back to you once, Taichi. She'll do it again."

Taichi couldn't bring himself to argue. He couldn't find the strength to say anything at all. Instead he sat staring in to his tea, terrified of whatever unknown horror had shaken his sister whilst being furious that she'd been snatched from under his nose. Hiroaki sighed and made his way in to the kitchen to talk with Natusko, their voices serious and hushed.

It wasn't long before the others returned. Taichi barely looked up from his lap as he heard the door open and listened to them pour in to the apartment. They brought a thick tension with them as they trudged in to the lounge. Somewhere, Natsuko gasped.

"Takeru! What happened?!" Taichi looked up then. Takeru was at the front of the group with Yamato at his side, his arm strapped tightly across his chest and a thick white dressing poking out from beneath the collar of an over-starched shirt.

"I'm fine," he said, but it was weak. Taichi didn't miss how Yamato kept a hand on his brother's back, and neither did Hiroaki who quickly swept to his youngest son's side.

"You look like you should lie down," he said firmly, glancing to Yamato who nodded discretely behind Takeru's back. Takeru didn't object as his father led him down the hall to his room, and Patamon fluttered in to Natsuko's arms as they hurried to follow. Yamato watched them go, waiting until he heard the door click closed before he moved to sit heavily at Taichi's side, dropping a bundle of cloth beside the couch.

"The Kaiser has the Digimental of Friendship." He scowled up at Daisuke who scowled through a blossoming bruise as the others settled in to the lounge.

"I said I was sorry-"

"Well it's not good enough. You almost got Takeru killed."

"That wasn't my fault-"

"Wasn't it?" Yamato snapped.

"Garudamon just came outta nowhere-"

"I'm not talking about Garudamon," Yamato seethed. "Fladramon's misfire almost killed my brother. If you'd just taken care of Lilimon-"

"So I was just supposed to hurt her?"

"Yes," Mimi hissed. She stalked towards him, her hands curled in to white-knuckled fists while her face was warped with rage. "That's exactly what you were supposed to do. We might have been able to save her if you hadn't been such a coward-"

"Hey, wait a second!" Miyako interrupted, throwing herself between Mimi and Daisuke. "It's not his fault – everything happened so fast-"

"You didn't seem to have a problem with it," Daisuke snapped. Miyako turned on him with a furious scowl.

"I am defending you here!"

"Well I didn't ask you to!"

"Because you were doing such a good job-"

"Taichi?" Sora's voice was quiet and timid but it cut through the argument nonetheless. Taichi lifted his head, glancing up at her, and watching how he scanned the room before looking at him again. "Where's Hikari?" His teacup rattled dangerously against the saucer. His mouth opened several times, but the words couldn't quite come out. He looked at Sora, lost, and as she always had she swooped down beside him and threw her arms around his shoulders. He leant in to the comfort, drawing on her as he had thousands of times before and finding, for the first time, that it wasn't enough.

Hikari shivered and rubbed at her arms. The ocean was so much colder than the Odaiba heatwave, but the crisp breeze had nothing to do with the chill working its way in to her bones. They grey sand crunched underfoot and the crackle of a sand-blasted twig made her heart explode.

"Your power is stronger than I thought, and I am glad, but they will come for you now…"

Wizarmon's words bounced around her mind, repeating themselves over and over until she was sure that she was mad. Tailmon had often said that Wizarmon spoke in riddles, and now more than ever Hikari wished she had her partner at her side. Maybe then she could have deciphered Wizarmon's cryptic message. Instead she was alone, much like she always was in this realm.

There were a few differences this time, however. In the past, the ocean had often dragged her under in moments of weakness or despair, when she was too distraught or distracted to fight its call. This time, she'd been happy – filled with relief at seeing Wizarmon again and helping him find peace. Perhaps that was why she didn't feel like she was drowning, and perhaps that was why she had woken to find herself atop the cliffs that overlooked the shore instead of waking in the sand.

There was a lighthouse some distance away, pulsing a black beam of light that swept across the bay light a searchlight. When it swept over Hikari it made her sick to her stomach, and after retching bile in to the blackened grass she turned her back to it, choosing instead to follow the edge of the bluff. As the cliff's edge turned back on itself her eyes landed upon the mouth of a cave she couldn't recall seeing before. With Tailmon at her side, she might have been excited to explore it, but the thought of going in alone terrified her. It made her feel itchy; that familiar itch that settled in to her bones and made her want to flee. But there was something about the cave – a pull that tugged at her heart and made her feet move of their own accord even as her brain wanted to run far, far away. She swallowed thickly, choking on the salt in the air, and carefully picked her way down a narrow path towards the beach. She stuck to the shadow of the cliff, as far from the water as she could be, and before long she was passing under the sea-worn arch and into the darkness beyond.

A light sputtered in the darkness; a sickly yellow glow that flickered to life as Hikari's heart leapt to her throat. Another faded in to view, and then another and another, until Hikari could make out a row of salt-crusted electric lanterns fastened to the wall in metal cages. They pushed back just enough of the darkness for Hikari to see the long, winding tunnel that snaked before her. There was something ominous in the air, but just when she'd made the decision to turn and run she heard a whispering echo through the cavern.

"…You came…"

Her heart stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. She'd heard that voice before… It drew her in, pulling her further down the winding path and growing louder and louder.

"…Save us… Chosen one…"

The digimon were almost as pallid as their surroundings, and in the yellow-grey lamplight Hikari almost missed them. They lay on the floor, slimy and still and glistening in the pale glow. As she approached, they blinked their large eye at her and reach out to her.

"She's here," one of them rasped, turning its bulbous head towards her. "The Chosen One… Here to save us… Saviour of the Hangyomon.."

"Chosen One…" they chanted in an eerie chorus that set Hikari's teeth on edge. "Chosen One…" More and more eyes turned towards her as the pile of digimon began to shiver and shift. They were slowly moving towards her, pawing their way through the damp silt and reaching for her. Manacles glinted in the lamplight – no, not manacles. Rings. Dark rings that drank in the light and pinched at their limbs in a way that was painfully familiar.

"We called to you…" a Hangyomon whispered, "…to save us… and finally you have come…"

"Had this been the reason for all of her trips to the Dark Ocean? Hikari bit her lip and thought of every time she had curled up in the sand, wallowing in grief and self-pity when there were digimon nearby who had needed her so badly they had pulled her through worlds time and time again. The waves were never an attack, she realised; they were a cry for help.

She dropped to her knees, reaching a hand towards the nearest digimon. It leant in to her touch and she shivered, trying not to retch at the strange, slimy texture that clung to her fingers.

"What happened to you?"

"…Enslaved…" the Hangyomon answered. "…He came… the New God… He enslaved us to fight for him… and turned us from our true God…" Hikari stared at the rings again and her stomach burned with rage. All this time she had wondered if the Kaiser was just as much a victim of this place as she was, but it seemed he had merely been seeking out new subjects for his empire. She clenched her teeth and took a deep breath, gagging on the stench.

"What can I do?" She took the Hangyomon's flipper and turned it over in her hands, examining the spiral wrapped around the limb. It was just as smooth as it looked from afar, and when she tried to slip her fingers beneath it the spiral tightened its grip. Her fingernails tore lines in the Hangyomon's fine scales, and it whimpered and shuddered but did not pull away.

"…Free us…" it begged. "…The darkness is weak… against the light…"

"…Use your power…" another whispered. "…The power of the Chosen One…" The others began to murmur in agreement, muttering "save us" and "Chosen One" in turns. Soon the cave was filled with desperate whispers, each a weak plea that tugged Hikari's heart. She dashed her tears on the back of her hands and tried to focus. The Power of the Chosen One.

"A power you might not have discovered if you have lived another life," Wizarmon had told her. Hikari closed her eyes and tried to think. Between Wizarmon and LadyDevimon, it was clear that her infrequent glowing was not something she had grown out of, but knowing she had the power and knowing how to use it seemed to be two entirely separate things. She closed her hands around the spiral and waited, praying for some sort of divine inspiration that might help.

Help. Perhaps that was it. When she'd been in LadyDevimon's grasp she'd been petrified, desperate to do anything to help her partner. With Wizarmon, she had reached out on impulse but had helped him nonetheless, just like with the Numemon when she was younger. They had been enslaved and shackled like the Hangyomon, and the sight of them had made her so angry she had wanted to help them in any way she could. Now the Hangyomon were looking to her for salvation, and she was ready to help them too.

The cave remained silent, drowning in anticipation, and Hikari cracked one eye open. The spiral remained solid beneath her dull hands, and the digimon's glassy eyes were staring up at her expectantly. She huffed and closed her eyes again, gripping the spiral tightly. Surely there was no greater use of her powers than to help someone? She allowed herself an angry frown as she desperately tried to think of anything else that could possibly be the source of her powers, only to hear gasps rippling around her.

She opened her eyes and added her own surprised breath to the chorus. Her hands were bathed in a gentle white light, and beneath them she felt the Dark Ring fracture and break. The light grew brighter, spreading up her arms and out over the other digimon, and soon Hikari felt the other spirals crumbling away too. With each one that disappeared, the captured Hangyomon gave a sigh of relief, until at last they were all free. The light fell away, and the wave of darkness that swept in behind it made Hikari's stomach roil.

"…We are free…" the Hangyomon rasped, their voices full of delight and wonder and something else that made Hikari shiver. "…Free to be our true selves again…" The sea of Hangyomon began to ripple and writhe, and Hikari scrambled backwards. The cold damp of the wall seeped through her sun dress, working its way in to her spine as the shadows began to grow. The slimy scales sloughed away, slipping to the floor to reveal shadowy forms beneath. They loomed over Kairi, their bodies shifting shadows clinging to a humanoid shape.

"Come, Chosen One." Their voices were stronger now, and their eyes gleamed in the lamplight as they lumbered closer. Their hands fizzed like static as they reached for her, and when she pushed herself further against the wall they snared her arm. The cold, clammy feeling made her gasp, and as they pulled her to her feet their claws dg in to her skin.

"We celebrate your power," the nearest creature breathed. Hikari shivered.

"Please, I need to go home-"

"Come, Chosen One." They didn't give her a choice. They pawed at her arms and pressed against her back, their claws scratching her skin as they pushed and pulled and dragged her back towards the mouth of the cave. They looked worse in the light; cloudy and indistinguishable, though their grip on her arms was like iron.

"Please," she begged. "I helped you. Now please, let me go-"

"You have proven yourself worthy," a creature growled. "Our God, he will delight in your new powers."

"He will make you his Queen," said another. "You can help restore his strength and his glory, and together you will destroy this false God!" Hikari sucked in a salty breath and tugged against their grip, digging her heels in to the sand, but it soon gave way beneath her and sent her stumbling forwards.

"Please, let me go-" The water lapped at her ankles and she choked on a scream as the creatures dragged her deeper in to the ocean. Soon the water was pooling around her knees and a chill settled like ice under her skin, racing towards her frantic heart. She struggled again, hard enough that the claws pierced her skin, but her limbs felt like lead in the water.

"Give yourself to him," the creature breathed, its eyes leering down at her, "and birth the legions that will cleanse our world!"

"No!" she sobbed. The water was at her waist now, the icy cold piercing her lungs. Every breath caught in her throat, leaving her lightheaded. She clenched her eyes shut, tugging with every ounce of strength. "Let me go! Let me-"

Something tugged at her waist and she was plunged in to icy silence. She clamped her mouth shut, pulling her hands over her face and resisting the urge to gasp as she was pulled deeper. Her lungs were burning. Her head was spinning. Something snared her ankles and wrapped its way around her wrists. Rough scales scratched her scars and Hikari whimpered.

"Welcome, Child of Light."

The voice boomed form all sides, piercing through the silence like a knife and penetrating her mind, echoing inside her head and drowning out all thought.

"You come to me in my hour of need."

Her hands were torn from her face and Hikari's mouth opened of its own accord. Saltwater filled her nose and her lungs and a flash of panic raced through her veins as her body tried to breath. Her mind screamed for survival but her body felt heavy, drained, and slowly the God of the sea dragged her further in to his lair.

"As I save you, so you shall save me."

The tentacle around her waist shivered and morphed, and soon callous fingers were digging in to her skin. A body pressed itself against her, pulling her close, and as a hand cupped the back of her head something covered her lips, breathing air back in to her lungs.

"You are strong… You will lend your strength to me."

The air in her lungs sent fire coursing through her veins and she lifted her hands, pushing weakly against the creature's chest. As soon as their lips parted the saltwater returned, flooding her lungs. She panicked and pulled herself back in, feeling the sweet relief of air once more.

"Yes… give in to me. The false God has weakened me, but you will make me strong again… Together, we will tear down his empire of lies… Just give in to me…"

Hikari's breathing was quick and shallow as she took as much as she could from her captor. He relaxed his grip on her waist, moving his hands to her face, and Hikari tucked her knees in to her stomach and planted her feet on his chest. She kicked, freeing herself from his grip and clawing at the water to escape him. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her lungs were screaming as she desperately tried to hold on to the precious breaths she had stolen.

He tugged at her ankle, pulling her down once more, and she barely heard her own muffled scream over the pounding in her head. Fingers and tentacles grappled with her limbs as she kicked and struggled. A handsome face flew past and she twisted away, kicking at something solid. Her head collided with the corner of a jagged rock and the last of her air escaped in a scream.

She was going to drown.

He grabbed hold of her once more, his grip slimy and scaly and crushing as he dragged her deeper.

"You will be mine!"

He pulled her close again, pressing his lips to hers once more, and suddenly Hikari wasn't scared. As he breathed life back in to her, her fear was replaced with white-hot determination. She couldn't die down here. She wouldn't. How could she save Tailmon if she was trapped at the bottom of the ocean? How could she help overthrow the Kaiser if she couldn't even help herself?

The light was sudden and warm and this time Hikari felt it. It exploded beneath the sea in a silent shockwave that filtered the darkness around her, purifying the water until it was clear as air. Under the glow from her skin her enemy recoiled with a pained roar. He was handsome and human but only for a moment; the dark hair melted in to the ocean and his pale skin became first grey and then a pale, sickly blue. His body shivered as his shoulders broadened, bulging and twisting and sprouting three white horns on each side, while his arms and legs rippled and split in to clusters of tentacles bound by chains and metal collars. As two tattered wings sprouted from his back Hikari's mind snapped back to action and she kicked away from the jagged rock to claw her way out of the darkness.

The beach was empty when she surfaced, and the salty air was now a blessed relief as she dragged herself to shore, coughing and spluttering the last of the ocean from her lungs. She stumbled to her feet and staggered out of the water as fast as her shaking legs would carry her.

"YOU WILL BE MINE!"

With a roar Dragomon burst from the water. The ocean surged and kissed Hikari's ankles and she leapt out of its reach with a yell, searching the beach for her escape route. The cave was gone, and the towering bluff was so far away. Even if she could make it there without Dragomon catching her, there was no way she would be able to scale it in time to escape him. She would have to fight.

She swallowed past the lump in her throat and turned, backing away from the ocean's edge and lifting her trembling, glowing hands. She found a new appreciation for Tailmon, then; Hikari had faced danger before, but then she had hidden behind her partner and her bow. Now she was alone, armed with a power she didn't understand against a quickly-advancing sea-God. She couldn't catch her breath past the ice in her lungs and she found herself gasping, like she was choking on air as Dragomon advanced.

"Leave me alone!" she cried, her voice strangled as she threw her hands forward. Dragomon's dark chuckling echoed through the sky and inside her skull, and she bit back a sob that was half-fear and half-rage.

"Yes, feed your anger!" Dragomon roared. He had almost reached the shore now, his enourmous silhouette towering in the mists above her. "I can taste it! I can feel it! I will have your power!"

"NO!"

The light left her hands in a sharp pulse that knocked her off her feet. The blast sped through the air, and before Hikari could blink it had splashed against Dragomon's outstretched arm. He reeled back with a howl, plunging his arm in to the ocean for relief.

"Do not fight me, child," he warned. "You will be mine!" He leapt from the water, sweeping his giant winds through the air with deafening strokes. He dove for her and Hikari threw herself aside, barely avoiding the fierce tentacle that sliced through the air near her head. As he turned to charge at her again, Hikari rolled to her feet and clenched her hands in to fists. There was a warm glow dancing across her fingers, and as she narrowed her eyes at Dragomon it spread through her hands and in to her wrists.

It wasn't light that fuelled her, she realised. Her power was founded in anger and despair and desperation; forged in the very darkness it was destined to fight. She gave in to it, pouring years of sorrow and pain and grief in to her hands until the light spread to her arms, then to her spine, and a fire erupted in her belly. The light coated her body, banishing the chill from her bones, and as Dragomon launched himself at her again she thought she just might explode. She screamed against the pain and launched herself in to the air, throwing everything she had – everything she was – into Dragomon's chest.

The light pierced his flesh, and Hikari recoiled at the sensation of feeling the light spread within him. There was something there, nesting in his core, and when the light pierced it Dragomon gave an unearthly roar. Hikari fell, the light retreated, and she collapsed in to the sand she watched Dragomon crash in to the bluff and spiral in to the sand. He twitched and rolled and groaned, and Hikari forced herself on to her knees. The world was spinning. If he attacked again, she would not be able to stop him.

He didn't move.

His great head lolled to the side, his red eyes glassy as they settled on her with a gaze that made her blood run cold. He lifted an arm, his tentacles shivering as they reached for her before collapsing heavily in the sand.

"What are you waiting for?" His voice echoed through her mind, but it was weaker now. His words were strained and his great chest heaved as though he were gasping for breath. "Finish me." She couldn't. Even if she wanted to. It was a struggle to remain upright. Dragomon's eyes narrowed and his body trembled. "You… would leave me… like this?"

Hikari shivered. Something in the air felt wrong. She stared at Dragomon, too scared to ask what he meant. She shook her head, fighting to keep her eyes open. It was a trap; it had to be. Fight her to exhaustion and take whatever remained of her powers. She glanced down at her hands, wondering if there even was anything left to take. Dragomon let out a snarl, but it was weak and sounded more like a wheeze.

"Such a… cruel child…" he rasped. "You would leave me here… to rot… because you cannot… destroy me completely." He let out a hoarse chuckle as his eyes slid over the ocean. "I pity… the false God… who must suffer your cruelty… Perhaps… for his sake… you will finish what you start…"

"I won't," she gasped. The words burned her throat and the effort left her head reeling, but she forced herself to speak. "I won't destroy the Kaiser." Dragomon wheezed a sinister, throaty chuckle.

"The Kaiser… and his… toys," he croaked. "A convenient… distraction…"

Hikari swallowed bile, remembering Wizarmon's warning. "Your enemy is not only the Kaiser," he'd said, "but a much greater darkness that cannot be defeated by strength alone." She pressed her fingernails in to her palms and bit the inside of her cheek to stay awake.

"Who is he?" she demanded. "If we're not fighting the Kaiser, then who are we fighting?" Dragomon merely chuckled again; the hollow rasp in his voice made Hikari's stomach churn.

"He is coming…" His voice, fading and weak, still made her ears ring. Dragomon's head lolled back and he looked at her again, blinking his enormous, rheumy eyes at her. "He is coming… for you… And when he sees your power… he will not let you escape…" His eyes slid closed, and his chest fell still. "Perhaps that is why… he weakened me… so I could not have you… for myself…" The words melted in to a chuckle which quickly became a choking, gargling sound. As silence fell over the beach, Hikari shivered; even the waves seemed to still in reverence, witnessing the passing of their God.

She didn't know how long she sat there, staring at the corpse, too scared and too tired to look away. Dragomon was gone – the empty silence he left behind was deafening – but his body refused to fade away. Perhaps digimon didn't in this dark world. Maybe their data simply lingered, like Wizarmon's had; unable to move on.

That thought led to another; a more pressing and urgent realisation that made her heart leap in to her throat. She had killed a digimon. She'd seen them die before, she'd even seen Angewomon land the fatal blow, but never before had her own hands been the cause of death. The realisation settled uncomfortably in her stomach, and when she finally turned away it was to heave bile in to the sand.

I need to get out of here, she thought, rolling away from the stench and the sick and curling up on her side. Home… I need to go home…

Something flickered in the corner of her eye. She looked up, spying a glimmer in the air. It was a jagged rainbow in the shape of a scar, hovering in the air infront of her like a crack in a window. There was light on the other side of it, and a feeling of safe familiarity that called to her. She lifted a glowing finger, tracing over the tear and watching in fascination as it rippled and fractured beneath her touch. Grey sands gave way to green grass so vibrant Hikari had to turn her head away. The fresh air of the Digital World washed over her with a familiar caress, luring her in to its embrace, and with the last of her strength she rolled through the rift and gave in to darkness.