Chapter Twenty Eight: Truth Be Told

(Kari's P.O.V)

I looked back to Koji when Baalmon disappeared. What should I do about Koji? We couldn't stay here and he's knocked out and there is no way to know when he'll wake up.

"Thank you Gatomon." I looked to her and smiled but she shook her head.

"That's what friends are for." I looked back to Koji before standing up; I was still a bit shaky on my feet.

"What are we going to do now Kari?" I pulled out my phone.

"I'll try and see if maybe Koichi can come and help get Koji somewhere." I glanced at her when she moved to look at Koji but I went back to my phone and I called Koichi.

As I waited for him to pick up I watched Gatomon poke Koji a few times. She's acting like he's some kind of alien. At that thought I couldn't help but laugh slightly. When I laughed she looked at me.

"What are you laughing at?" I shook my head and sighed, I hung up when Koichi didn't answer.

"It's just that you're acting like he's an alien." I looked at phone, was he still looking for his friend?

"Well it's not every day you see a human become a Digimon." I shrugged.

"I was actually surprised when I didn't transform?" She blinked.

"Huh?" Did no one bother to tell her?

"Before I was the DigiDestined of Light, before we met, I was a DigiDestined known as 'Harmony'. I fought alongside Koji, Koichi, and Takuya. They transformed back then so when I got a partner I was surprised." Them transforming wasn't so odd to me, at times I wonder what it felt like but it didn't bother me.

"So it's true then, that you had connections to the Digital World before the Myotismon stuff." I nodded and I looked at my phone, tempted to try calling Koichi again.

"Yeah." I hit the button and called Koichi again.

"So, can you actually fight?" I thought about it before shrugging, I haven't really had to fight yet.

I watched as Gatomon went back to looking Koji over as if trying to find something wrong with him or different. I sighed again and I was just about hung up again when I heard the click of Koichi answering.

Koichi: Hey, sorry about missing your first call. What's up?

Kari: I need some help.

Koichi: Why, what happened?

Kari: Well a Digimon named GranDracmon attacked Koji and I.

Koichi: Oh god, are you two ok?

Kari: Well we're alive, Koji's knocked out and well our surroundings aren't as ok though.

I bit my lip when I heard sirens coming. Oh crud the police are coming. This isn't good. I sighed and ruffled my hair. If only Takuya wasn't being controlled then he could've helped.

Koichi: Where are you two?

Kari: We're close to…

I was cut off when someone in the background called his name. Did he found his friend or did he bump into Evan and they were looking together.

Koichi: I'll be there, Evan and Storm's coming along since they aren't ready to let me go since they have more questions.

Kari: Ok.

He hung up and I sighed. I wanted to tell him about what Baalmon said. I grabbed one of Koji's arms; I can at least attempt to get out of sight right? With some luck I was about to drag him down an alley where I slid down the wall. Gatomon choose to perch on the wall and watch for any signs of trouble. I closed my eyes and waited for the sirens to get closer but when they faded I opened my eyes. I quickly rubbed my eyes but I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"What the heck." I stood up and looked around.

I stood in the middle of a white room; it had a high ceiling and almost equally high windows. Every other window was opened which caused the white curtains to move in a breeze. Where was I? I turned around but then something caught my eye, I looked down and I was surprised to see that I no longer wore what I had but I wore a white dress.

"Where am I?" I heard someone laugh.

I turned around quickly but I stopped. A girl stood there, she looked no older than I was. Her brownish blonde hair was cut to the middle of her back but she still had that air. Her red eyes looked me over as I looked her over. She wore a white dress too but she had red cloak like thing over it.

"You're in my palace." She seemed to walk as if she glided; she soon stood in front of me and offered me her hand.

"Your palace?" She nodded.

"My father, adoptive father at least, is the King here. I'm the princess of this world." I was stunned, wasn't I just in an ally way beside Koji?

"You must be wondering why you're here?" I nodded slowly.

"You're here because the princess needs a word with you." I glanced at the guard but I stopped.

Where a guard would've stood was a Digimon. I hadn't even noticed it at first. I didn't know the Digimon but something told me that it was important. It had brown and white armor and white wings sprouted from its back. It also had a tail that had a yellow orb at the end; it carried a sword on its hip.

"He's Leopardmon by the way; he's assigned to my protection." She looked back at him with a soft smile before looking back to me.

"I am to no extent, to as far as I care, a princess. My father gave the title to me; to me I am but a DigiDestined." She offered me her hand once again that I had realized that she had ever lowered.

"You're a DigiDestined?" She nodded and I went to take her hand but I hesitated.

"What's your name?" She sighed.

"It's best that you don't learn her name for now, if you were to learn her name things were be set into motion faster than you are prepared for." Leopardmon's words caught me off guard.

"I will tell you, when you actually meet me I will not look like this." I was confused by that.

"What do you mean?" She sighed and grabbed my hand, I felt something spark.

"Here I am as calm as I will ever be but this is simply the calm before the storm. I have an explosive temper and I'm nothing like a princess." I wanted to laugh but I couldn't since I was still stunned.

"I have a favor to ask of you." She leaned forwards so her mouth was beside my ear which made me gulp.

She pulled back and she smiled but I was surprised by her words. The words she whispered to me that was her mission then. She was setting out to do something that she would need help on.

"I may have power but I can't do that alone." I heard Leopardmon sigh.

"I'm tolerating the secret keeping princess but I would much rather learn your secret now than later. I know that you two are simply images that you two have created and left behind. I also know you went back to looking like a boy too." So this girl before me, she's just an image?

"I thank you for playing along; you already know what we're aiming for. I trust you to lead this place while we're gone though. If you and the others would leave this world would fall to the darkness. A journey to the darkness will already be made; there is no need to let worlds fall apart anymore." What is she talking about?

"You're an ally then?" She nodded.

"Yes, I am an ally as is he. We'll stay hidden a little while longer but we'll reveal ourselves soon enough, all in due time." I nodded slowly and when she let go of my hand I was confused, there was a bit of fractal code.

"Take it; it'll help you with your powers." I was about to question her but I closed my eyes when there was flash of light and when I opened them I was staring into Koichi's eyes, he looked worried.

"Are you ok?" I looked around for any hint of what I had just seen but there nothing.

"Yeah, how long was I like that?" Koichi sighed and then it registered, I was in an unfamiliar room.

"At least half an hour." I looked back to Koichi and my eyes widened.

"What?" It didn't seem that long.

"You also had a fever." I sat up slightly and I looked to the person who entered.

"Why don't you go and talk to your brother? He just woke up, I got her." I don't know who she was but since Koichi trusted her enough to leave she had my trust.

"How are you feeling?" I looked her over once.

Her brownish blonde hair that was cut like a boy's haircut and completely messy while she wore a dark blue t-shirt and black pants that had a few tears in them. Her brownish red eyes had a gleam of worry written within them but at the same time they held a gleam of annoyance as well. Her eyes flickered over me in a matter of seconds.

"I asked how you're feeling." I gulped, she was angry for some reason.

"I feel ok." She rolled her eyes and ruffled her messy hair.

"That's good; I was seriously thinking we might have had to take you to the hospital." Was it that bad?

"My name's Storm Aleister by the way, sorry for my short temper by the way." She winced slightly when she moved and placed her hand on her side.

"Are you ok?" She nodded and when she moved her hand I caught sight of red on her hand before she quickly closed her hand.

"Yeah don't worry about me, just a bruise. I'll be right back; I'll bring some food up for you." I watched her leave, she was holding her side.

She's hurt from something. I wonder what hurt her enough that blood would be able to seep through her shirt and still be wet enough still to cover her hand like that. When I moved my hand I felt something was in my hand. I moved my hand and I was surprised. In my hand was a bit of fractal code still. How is it still there? Wouldn't it have faded by now?

"She said it would help but how?" I muttered the words but then the fractal code glowed grey.

I watched as the fractal code turned into a card pretty much. In the center of the card it had some kind of odd symbol that was white while the background was black. The edges of the cards though were a different color, they were in an odd shape though, one corner was red and the other was blue while the other two were grey. I flipped the card over and it looked like it had the appearance of a memory card almost but it a fancy 'K' on it.

"She gave her one? What is she thinking?" It was barely a whisper.

I looked up but all I saw was a shadow before it was gone. I blinked but I heard a thud and then rushing steps. What happened? I stood up but I fell to my knees, my legs felt so heavy. I glanced at my eyes and I noticed that they looked a bit discolored and when I placed my hand on them I could still feel how cold they were. It was that Digimon! I nearly jumped when the card that was held in my hand let a soft red glow emit from it and then I felt heat rush through my hands and the heavy feeling in my legs began to disappear.

"Evan! Why the heck did you jump! What you trying to do, kill yourself?" I stood up and I left the room when Koichi spoke so quickly and rather loudly, he was leaning over the railing and at someone below.

"Nope, I didn't feel like using the stairs besides I do, Storm!" When Evan suddenly called out the name I went to the railing and looked at what made Koichi's eyes go wide.

Storm had collapsed, blood dripping on the floor. Evan was beside her and I faintly noted that he really was the boy from earlier on.

"What happened to her?" Koichi glanced at me but he looked so worry.

"She was this hurt but she didn't say anything, she just went on to tend to your friend and brother." When Evan shifted I caught sight of it.

There was a bloody slash on her side but it was red around the edges, like it had been burn and cut at the same time. It covered just as quickly as I saw it but something bugged my mind at that. It reminded me of a similar wound that I had seen from an attack of Belphemon. While she was missing was she attacked by the Demon Lords or what?

"That's her for you though. She never stops until something makes her stop." Even though Koichi looked and sounded worry he rested his arm on the railing before resting his head on it.

He closed his eyes and let a long sigh. Was this normal for then? Neither seemed that alarmed by the phantom wound. Then again maybe Koichi didn't see it. Evan lifted her up and then placed her on the couch and grabbed the bandages that were already on the coffee table and began to bandage her wound.

"Wait, what caused that wound Evan? I never got to ask that before we left, also how did you two just accept what I told you so easily." Evan sighed and shook his head as he continued to bandage the wound.

"You don't know the half of what we've seen Koichi." Evan paused and looked at Koichi.

"In truth, you don't know the half our lives." That made Koichi narrow his eyes.

"I know a lot considering we've been friends since we were young." Evan sighed and shook his head and suddenly I remembered that he knew what the Digital Code was on the blade that Takeru had then the words I heard before he had jumped.

"You're connected to the Digital World." As soon I said that Koichi's head shot up and he looked at me while Evan laughed slightly but he looked at me, his red flashed with something.

"You are smart; I thought that we would be able to make it a while longer before anyone figured it out." Koichi looked from me to Evan, he was stunned.

"How?" Evan stood up and put his hands into his pockets.

"How we're connected or how we've hid it from you?" I saw Koichi tighten his grip on the railing.

"Both." Koichi was mad but I could tell he was also hurt.

"Our parents died when we were born." His eyes went wide.

"Our parents never existed here in this world. We're Runners." Runners, the DigiDestineds who go between worlds and solve problems or help.

"We've been to countless worlds, fought countless Digimon. We've never let anyone in but when we met you Koichi, we broke our number one rule." Evan was so blunt.

"Which was?" Evan sighed.

"We made friends with you." It came from Storm as she opened her eyes, placing her hand on her side.

"What happened to your side then?" She sat up and looked at me before looking away from me.

"Got in a fight. I had a mission this afternoon so I skipped outta of school." Koichi shook his head but I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Koichi." He looked at me; I could tell how this bothered him.

"At times things have to be hidden so the people around us don't get hurt." I had been about to say it but the words came from Gatomon before I could speak.

"It's not that different from the place I was put into thanks to having to keep you guys a secret from my family and friends." I looked at them and I thought about what would be ahead of us.

"It'll take a while for me to get over the fact that you guys lied to me for a long time but I do understand since I wasn't any better, I never told you guys I was a DigiDestined." There's one of the major differences between him and Koji, he knew when to submit to something and forgive easily.

"You're two of the 'actors' that we were waiting for?" Evan smiled slightly hearing that while Storm sighed.

"I see you've made friends with Chrono, yes we're two of them. Chrono is actually our friend; we've worked together on quite a few missions." So they're two then if you add Gatomon and Baalmon you have four, that means the four that Chrono spoke of are accounted for.

"Hey Evan, you can read Digi Code can't you?" He looked at me confused.

"Digi Code?" I sighed.

"The writing that was on that dagger." Koichi gave me an odd look but Evan got an understanding look.

"It's called Digital Script, it's a writing system used between Digital Worlds. Most Runners know how to read it, why are you bringing that up?" Koichi smiled when he caught what I was doing.

"We were planning on going somewhere to gather info on the Demon Lords and how to defeat them but the info we'll need will more than like being in 'Digital Script' so we'll need someone who can read it." Evan and Storm looked at each other before the both nodded.

"We'll help you there, we'll fight too." I smiled, so two more allies.

"So when are heading out?" Koichi jumped but I looked to Koji, he smirked slightly seeing Koichi jump.

"Also whatever whoever did to my shoulder thank you." That's when I realized that my wrist didn't hurt even though I've moved it around.

"The effect of Heaven's Charm." It healed allies so it must've healed Koji's shoulder and my wrist.

"So we're taking a journey into the darkness." A journey into the darkness?

"A world of eternal night." They seemed somber talking about it for some reason but I attributed it to the fact that they might know the story behind the world and for a world to be stuck in eternal night would more than likely have a sad tale.

It might be a little rushed and for that I'm sorry. I didn't know how else to include the unveiling of the origins and I felt like this was better than my other thought. In truth it's a lot better than my other idea. So, hopefully it's good at least to some degree. If it's a total miss I'm sorry. Well hope you guys have a good day/night.