Aurasoul: Hello and welcome to Digimon!

Skyler: Someone's finally back.

Aurasoul: Yeah, yeah I know I just got lot on my plate IRL sue me. I am trying to get back to the swing of things. so I dont own Digimon only my OCs except Luna who belongs to Wrath so on with the story!

Chapter 14 Past Connections

"Ok we'll stop here again tonight."

Kyubimon stopped letting Skyler, Taichi, and Agumon down off her back before reverting back as Renamon. "How much farther do we have left?" Taichi wondered.

"It won't be too long." Renamon replied, collecting firewood. "Another day or two of traveling and we'll be there."

"A day or two huh? Thankfully there's a holiday at school so we won't have too much to worry about." Skyler sighed, helping Renamon get the firewood.

"Yeah, good point." Taichi chuckled.

"Hey Taichi, I'm hungry!"Agumon spoke up.

"Then we should find some food." Taichi smiled.

"No need, I found us, some." They looked up to see IceDevimon fly down holding different assortments of fruit in his arms.

"Will these be fine?" He asked, holding them out.

"Uh yeah." Taichi blinked, taking the fruit. "Thanks."

"Thanks IceDevimon!" Agumon smiled, taking an apple.

"My pleasure. I figured you'd be hungry."IceDevimon replied.

"I'm not used to a nice Devimon." Taichi muttered.

"Understandable." Skyler remarked.

"How we Devi Digimon act depends on how we were raised." IceDevimon smirked. "Like your animal pets nurture over nature as it were."

"So depending how you're raised you can be kid or cruel." Skyler replied, placing the wood down.

"Yet not all are lucky to be kind." Renamon frowned. "Agumon help us start the fire."

"Sure." Agumon said, walking to them.

"Well my Chosen Child is one who has a strong sense of morality despite her rejection." IceDevimon replied lightly.

"So your partner is a girl." Renamon stated, as Agumon started the fire.

"Yes, even now I remember her name." IceDevimon replied, looking up at the dark sky. "Mukuro Sakurai."

*SNAP*

They looked up surprised at Skyler who snapped the wood in her fist, but it was her expression that shocked them. A void face with no emotions but her eyes were brightly expressed with painful sadness.

"Mukuro… Sakurai…" She muttered.

"Skyler, do you know her?" Taichi asked, quickly at her side. Skyler was silent looking at the fire in front of her. Taichi gently touched her shoulder making her flinch but didn't push him away to his relief.

"My friend…" She muttered.

"Eh?" Taichi questioned.

"I thought… Mukuro and the others… I thought we were friends yet, they…" She frowned, throwing the broken wood in the fire. "Why were they so cruel? Even Nakamura-sensei…"

"Skyler?" Renamon spoke worriedly.

"... We were all classmates. Me, Mukuro, and fire more with our kind Nakamura-sensei. We were best friends for years." Skyler spoke, still not looking up. "So how… How did it turn out the way it did?"

"Skyler…" Taichi frowned sadly. Taichi removed his blue coat and placed it over Skyler's shoulders and pulled her close. Once again Skyler stiffened for a moment but then leaned against him. Renamon and Agumon watched, worried but IceDevimon had a frown.

My partner's rejection and her cruelty to Skyler Miramiki… Could it be possible this is connected? He thought, with a frown. "Skyler, I know this is cruel of me to ask. But what was Mukuro like before her sudden… Change?"

"Oi back off a bit." Taichi began. But Skyler gently touched his hand, stopping him before she glanced at IceDevimon and spoke.

"She was like a soldier in a way. Loyal, strict, and very responsible, pretty much the straight man of the group." She explained.

Just like what was recalled to me about her. IceDevimon thought. But what could've caused the sudden change?

IceDevimon lowered his head in remorse. "I'm sorry for being insensitive, Skyler." He apologized.

"It's fine." Skyler only said, staring at the fire again. Renamon looked at IceDevimon with a frown as he took a seat.

Skyler and Taichi slept soundly together, Taichi holding her close as they slept yet Renamon, Agumon, and IceDevimon stayed awake.

"Skyler had it horrible." Agumon frowned sadly.

"Yes, but something seems off to me." IceDevimon replied.

"You better not be implying she was lying." Renamon glared.

"Far from it. I'm actually thinking of timing." IceDevimon spoke.

"Timing?" Agumon questioned.

"To me I feel as if Mukuro's rejection and her cruelty to Skyler is too much to claim as a coincidence." IceDevimon explained.

"Are you saying it was planned?" Renamon demanded.

"It's a high possibility." IceDevimon frowned. "Along with Takumi being behind it as well."

Both Agumon and Renamon grew wide eyed at this glancing at Skyler.

The next morning the five traveled again as Skyler stroked Kyubimon's fur. "You doing ok Kyubimon?" Skyler asked in concern.

"Don't worry Skyler, I'm fine." Kyubimon assured. "After all, we're nearly there."

"Really?" Taichi questioned.

"Yes, look ahead." Kyubimon told them. They all looked up to see a mountain shore just out of the forest as Kyubimon leaped out landing on the stony sand and allowed them off as IceDevimon landed next to them.

"So this is it?" Taichi questioned, looking around.

"We should keep moving to find Gankoomon." Skyler replied. They continued walking, noticing how the mountain range behind them curved as if surrounding them.

"It's like a crescent." Skyler remarked.

"Do you think, the center of the curve?" Taichi began to question.

"Beelzemon's Seal." IceDevimon spoke. "It's there."

They looked at IceDevimon who glanced across from them before they looked at one another before Skyler sighed.

"We should check it for ourselves." She admitted. "But no wrong moves IceDevimon."

"Of course." IceDevimon nodded. They began walking to reach the mountain side to then see a bright yellow marked seal with a code surrounding it.

"So this is Beelzemon's Seal." Agumon remarked. Skyler looked at it then noticed Kyubimon walking closer to the seal.

"Kyubimon?" She spoke.

"Oh…" Kyubimon whispered. To their surprise they could see tears in Kyubimon's eyes as she stood in front of the seal.

"Kyubimon what's wrong?" Skyler questioned worriedly.

"Oh my dear…" Kyubimon choked sadly.

"My dear?" Taichi questioned.

"Bless Fire!" They gasped quickly dodging the bullet fire in shock.

"Where did that come from?!" Taichi gaped.

"I'll give you credit for finding this place but I'm gonna have to ask you to leave." A female voice snapped. They quickly turned to see a female humanoid digimon in all black pointing one of her guns at them, her cat-like hood obscuring her face.

"Uh oh." Taichi gulped, quickly turning to Agumon. "Agumon quick! Ev-"

"Noir!" Kyubimon gasped. They looked at Kyubimon shocked, including the gun wielding Digimon who moved up her hood and looked at Kyubimon closely.

"Wait, could you be that Kyubimon?" She gasped.

"Kyubimon, you know that Digimon?" Skyler questioned.

"Yes she is one of the Sistermon, this one is named Noir." Kyubimon said. "She along with her younger sister Sistermon Blanc were charged by Gankoomon to look after Hackmon who is the child stage Digimon of the Royal Knight Jesmon."

"Seriously?!" Taichi gaped. Noir put away her guns as Kyubimon reverted back to Renamon for Noir to hug her.

"I can't believe it's really you Renamon! It's been so long!" Noir smiled.

"Yes it has, how are Blanc and Ciel?" Renamon asked.

"Same as ever." Noir chuckled, before looking at the rest and saw Skyler. "Is this who I think it is?"

"Yes this is my partner Skyler." Renamon said. "The boy is her friend and fellow Chosen Child Taichi and his partner Agumon."

"Oh I heard of those 2." Noir remarked. "The bearer to the Crest of Courage." She then took notice of IceDevimon.

"And this?"

"Long story, but we came to see Gankoomon." Renamon frowned. "Please, it's important."

"Hmm, very well." Noir nodded, letting Renamon go. "I'll take you to the hut."

They nodded following Noir while Skyler looked at Renamon. "Who's Ciel?" She asked.

"Noir's twin sister, unlike Blanc and Noir, Ciel roams the Digital World to investigate unusual phenomena to report it to Gankoomon." Renamon explained. "She's hardly in one location for too long so it's not easy to find her."

"Would she have found out about Takumi and reported to Gankoomon?" IceDevimon muttered lowly.

"It's possible." Renamon muttered back.

"But wait, how do you know them?" Agumon asked curiously. Renamon actually looked perplexed much to Skyler's surprise, never seeing her partner like this, but before she could question her Noir spoke up.

"OK we're here!" She voiced. The hut was quite large, it was by the water of the shore with a rock formation behind it that had cracks against it.

"Don't mind the formation Gankoomon uses it to train." Noir replied.

"I thought Gankoomon retired as a Royal Knight." Skyler remarked.

"Technically he is. But that doesn't stop him from journeying across the Digital World to stop any form of chaos or unusual phenomena Ciel reports." Noir smiled.

"But wouldn't that mean being away from the Seal?" Taichi questioned.

"If it comes to that he'd have me and Blanc watch the seal until his return." Noir explained, opening the door. "Gankoomon-sama, Blanc! We have guests!"

"Guests?!" A young girl's voice rang. They then caught sight of a young female humanoid digimon in all white except the pink hood in shape of rabbit ears while holding a three pronged golden lance.

"Renamon?!" The Digimon gasped.

"Hello Blanc, it's good to see you." Renamon smiled, as the younger Sistermon hugged her.

"Same to you I-!" Blanc gasped noticing the others and quickly hid behind Noir to their surprise while Noir smiled fondly.

"Sorry about Blanc, she's quite shy with strangers." Noir replied. "Please come in."

They walked inside the hut to take in the ancient structures within but then all of them stiffened. They could practically feel the heavy presence before them that even humans like Taichi and Skyler couldn't help but feel heavy by it. They hear the clanking of steps walking to them for them to look up.

"Well quite the surprise."

Aurasoul: And that's that!

Renamon: Why am I not liking where this is going to go?

Aurasoul: Cause you probably won't. So until then everyone please read and review!