A/N: Allow me to explain a few things first and foremost, firstly I know Taka-toe is sort of out of character in this, but I have my reason for that which should be explained later, secondly; I have upped the rating to "T" for Tourture, Thirdly; I have a few different ways I could take this story, and depending on people's responses it could go a bunch of different directions(assuming people actually Review, on that note Reviews make me feel special, remember that D), and Finally; In slightly more then two weeks I am starting college, which means my writing time will be severely cut, so apologize in advance for any delays.

(Everyone should go thank my sister/editor "SharpCookie," for editing my story into something that doesn't suck, huzzah)

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, nor do I own Atlas Shrugged(The book the quote at the top of the story comes from), or the song "Slash(The song I inserted into the Battle Scene, also I was wondering if you guys/girls thought the song worked well), that is all.

Takato V.S Koji

There is no necessity for pain--why, then, is the worst pain reserved for those who will not accept its necessity?--we who hold the love and the secret of joy, to what punishment have we been sentenced for it, and by whom?

Atlas shrugged, all rights reserved.

"What is the Digital Hazard?"

'Why do you want to know?'

"I can feel it… when I get up in the morning, and when I go to sleep at night, that little part in my head is screaming at me.' It's telling me some thing's wrong, something needs to be changed."

'Do you really want to know? Do you think the answer will be a logical one?'

"I do not want to know...I need to know. Every man has a desire to hear the truth, why then would I be any different?"

'Indeed," The giant digimon said, flapping its flaming wings, "You have grown a lot, Takato Matsuki; I shall tell you what you want to know." The giant sovereign took a deep breath before beginning;

"The digital hazard is life, and it is death, it is what allows us digimon to achieve such evolutions, but it is also what stops us from going forward. Every digimon existence is connected to the hazard, that is how we can suck up data, and how your cards can modify ours, simply put the hazard is the digital interpretation of free will, with it digimon have been allowed to grown, and to attack, by manipulating Data, and physics digimon can attack, and create, and also destroy, the Digital Hazard was actually created by a friend of yours, a hacker by the name of..."

"Shibumi, the code he used to allow the digimon to evolve on their own, that was,"

"Exactly, the very first form of the digital Hazard, of course over time it has grown to something far different. It is strange, you should not have a connection to the Hazard at all, yet your connection rivals that of your digimon,"

"I created Guilmon."

"That would explain it," The flaming bird digimon closed it's eyes, "If you have a connection, then with some training I suppose you could learn how to use. No doubt, by manipulating data, even in a small degree you would become as strong as some digimon...Humans, who knew you could have this power,"

"TEACH ME." The bird looked wide eyed at Takato; what was it he asked? "I SAID TEACH ME! I want to learn, I want to learn how to use this. So I can fight, so I can fight for my friends, my family, so I can defend those close to me! So teach me...please…"

--Back in the Digital world--

"Koji Minamoto: Age Twelve. Sex: Male," Takato said coldly as he glared furiously at Lobomon, "Cold and aloof, he is an only child living with his dad and stepmother. Despite his outwardly cold demeanour he has shown to be compassionate. His courage is top notch, and is strong in his own right, suggesting Koji might be suitable for the spirit of light."

"How...how do you know that?" Lobomon took a slight step back, waiting for the strange human to let his guard down.

"Lobomon; the Human Spirit of Light. Main attacks; Lobo Kendo, and Howling Laser. Proficient in long and short ranged combat," Takato sneered at the Human Spirit, "Koji Minamoto, I know everything about you."

"Lobo Kendo!" The Human Spirt charged forward, slashing downwards with his light kendo, but to his surprise the Human's newly formed weapon blocked the attack. Quickly drawing his second blade he slashed for the strangers' side, once again his blade fell short as Takato pushed the first blade over with his spear, and blocked the second attack.

"So predictable," Takato scoffed. "It's easy to get to you, Mr Minamoto. There is your weakness," The human spirit leaped backwards preparing another attack.

"Enough talk; Howling Laser!" Sticking his six foot long spear into the ground the black clothed tamer used it as a pole vault jumping over the attack and landing on Lobomon's shoulders, then pushing off of turned in mid air, throwing his weapon at Koji's back. The Human spirit stumbled forward as the blade smashed into him, and then bounced back into Takato's hand as he landed.

"Why do you fight me?" Takato asked, blocked a slash from the opposing digimon. "Is it because I did something to Takuya?" He leaped over one of Lobomon's blades, "I thought you didn't need friends." Takato's spear clashed with the two light kendo's of Lobomon, locking them in a battle of strength, their faces just inches from each other.

"I don't! I fight my own battles; that is my conviction."

"Are you going to run risks and disasters--at a precarious time like ours-- in the name of those imaginary notions of yours which you call your convictions? You say that you're so right? Nothing is right, or ever can be!" With a might shove, Takato was able to push away the mighty digimon, causing the human spirit to stumble backwards barely catching his balance.

"How… how are you so strong? Are you even human?"

"Human...I am not even sure any more, but as for my strength that is an answer I can give," Takato smiled lightly, "It's the digital hazard,"

--Somewhere...Okay, Shinjuku--

Click click click.

It was past two AM, and yet the boy was still up, his fingers like paintbrushes creating art on the computer screen.

Click click click.

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEES!"

"Henry, keep it down… I need my beauty sleep…" In his brief moment of enthusiasm, Henry forgot how late at night it was, looking to his bed he saw a groggy green dog digimon rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry, Terriermon," The blue haired tamer apologized, scratching his head.

The Digimon leaped casually on his tamers head , "What are you do-" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw what was on the screen. "Hey, are you hacking?" The code looked familiar to him… but Terriermon couldn't put his finger on it.

"Henry, you're a felon. When you go to jail, don't expect me to bail you out."

"Oh, shuddup," Henry whacked his partner lightly on the head, "it's for a good cause."

"You haven't given up on him, have you?"

"No way! And I never will."

"Everyone else gave up a long time ago."

"But they didn't have Hypnos at their disposal!"

"YOU HACKED HYPNOS?! Henry, are you insane?!"

"Criminally."

--Back to the Digiworld--

Screams shattered the deathly silence of the darkened night forest, then as fast as they started they stopped being replaced by heavy breathing and gentle groaning. Somewhere, a young girls' screams could be heard again, echoing throughout the forest, as she tried he best to retain her consciousness.

"You bit-!"

"Now who said ya'll could talk?" The beast spirit of water laughed, her pale blue tentacles wrapped tighter around the girls legs and arms. The girl felt herself getting stretched to the point she was positive she was going to be ripped in half. "Now are ya gunna tell us where the others are?"

"N-Never," The girl barely managed to get out in between gasps for air, "You're a witc- ARRRRRRRRGH"

"STOP THAT! YOU'RE GOING TO KILL HER!" The large older boy struggled with his chain, his hand and feet locked to a stone wall in such a way he had no chance of breaking free. His captors did not even bother to stop his foolish struggling.

"That's the idea, darlin'. Unless ya'll wanna tell us where yur friends are, then we'd gladly stop. Ya hear sugar," she said, looking down towards her prey, "You might get to stay in one piece after all."

"I hope you burn," she spat.

"Wrong answer."

"ARRRRRRGH!"

"Tis enough, let our prey rest, whilst we prepare the next for thine punishment," the green mirror ridden digimon walked out of the shadows towards the larger beast. "It shall make their pain all the more sweeter."

"I like the way you think, honey."

--Takato VS Koji--

"The Digital Hazard?" Lobomon took a cautionary step back, light reflecting off his helmet from the full moons above, "What, is the digital hazard,"

"You ask foolish questions," Takato said in such a manner it was like he was chatting with a friend on the beach, not locked in mortal combat discussing the digital interpretation of free will. That's Takato for you, though. "How high is the sky? How deep is the ocean? Who is John Galt?" Takato playfully leaned on his spear while Koji looked confused from his last statement, almost mocking the man in front of him, "What is the digital hazard, all foolish." Takato quickly took up his spear and pointed it towards his opponent as light carefully danced of the metallic surface, Takato's eyes slitted in fierce contrast to his previous demeanour; now it was time to fight.

Twin blades of light flashed like lightning forward, turning all in their path to ash. Luck would have it that Takato Matsuki was not in their path, for before their deadly light could reach him, he had already leaped super humanly high into the air, landing directly behind the wolf-man digimon with a resounding thud. The blades where already turning before Takato landed as the digimon anticipated the attack. "Got-"

"Gotcha," Takato said triumphantly, as the spinning digimon found himself nearly impaled by the spear which was now pointing backwards, as Takato has his back to his opponent. A few meters away the digimon landed with a crash sliding a little ways, before he back flipped onto his feet.

SLIDE EVOLUTION

LOBOMON SLIDE EVOLVE TO...KENDOGARURUMON

The cyborg wolf put the petal to the metal as his wheels retracted and he sped towards the single human. In a move similar to what he did early, Takato attempted to use his spear to pole vault over the beast, and I say attempted for this time the wolf digimon crashed into Takato's spear shattering it into pin sized shards. Without the support holding him up takato crashed on top of the beast, and quickly rolled off as Koji sped away leaving the goggled headed hero to slam into the ground with the full force of gravity.

"Guilmon," Takato said as he slowly picked himself up, ignoring the small trail of blood slowly seeping down his face. "Your turn."

"Lupin Laser!"

The light emitted from one card, oh

Tells of this story's beginning, oh

"Brave Shield Activate!" In a quick flash of light from Takato's D-Tector, Takato slashed his card like he had done so many times in the past. And like so many times in the past, it took effect right in the nick of time; the red dino-digimon suddenly had a very large golden shield in his hands, using it to deflect the blue-ish laser that was emitted from his adversaries mouth.

Realize your courage

So much so that blows the gauge

When you evolve, you're a Tamer

"Digmon's Drill activate!" The large metallic wolf put down his wheels once again hoping to charge though his opponent like he had done to his tamers just second before, "I know your weakness Koji," Takato said from the sidelines as two drills formed on Guilmon's hands, "…like that you need flat ground to move fast."

Guilmon's drills pierced the ground a crack formed along the ground, towards Koji who was approaching fast, "If I disrupt the ground," Suddenly the small crack extended horizontally, perpendicular to Koji's direction. As the beast charged it's two front wheels got stuck in the crack, sending the wolf air born, "Then you are done for." The wolf landed skidding across the ground on it's side toward it's target, creating a cloud of dust in its wake. When the beast opened its eyes it found its wolf like head just inches from the smiling face of Guilmon.

"Lupin Laser!"

Slash the life! You guys can become

Invincible partners

The blast shot across the ground, indenting the ground as it burst through the forest destroying everything in it's way. With a triumphant smile, Koji had finally thought he beat that thing when nothing was left after the blast finished. Looking towards the boy, he saw that a smile was till plastered on his face, which confused him. Why smile when his digimon was beaten? He seemed to be holding something in his left hand, a card, looking closely it read...

Alias.

"Renamon Activate!"

"DIAMOND STORM!" Kendograurumon did not have a chance to see what hit him, as thousands of small diamonds erupted in tiny explosions over and over, until at last he de-digivolved into his human form. He lost, but was not his fault; there was no way he could have expected Takato to use an Alias.

"So now what…?" Koji said weakly, trying to get to his feet," What are you going to do with me?" Funny; despite his appearance, Koji actually looked like he was ready to put up a fight.

"Congratulate you," Takato said with a smile. "I had to use a four card Combo to beat you, it's a rare feat to force me to such extreme measures," The black clothed boy walked towards the smaller child, his face beaming with pride, "…it looks like I chose right. Now since you did so well you can ask me any question you want, but only one."

"Who are you?"

Takato looked at the bandana wearing boy with a sting of awe in his face, such a simple question, "I go by many names, By Ophanimon I am called Servant, by the Sovereign, Child of the Hazard, by many digimon Milord, and my friend over there," Takato said motioning his head towards Guilmon who was keeping busy chasing his own tail, "He calls me Takatomon, as for you… well, I guess you can call me Takato Matsuki, Tamer Extraordinaire!"

"You work for Ophanimon?!"

"I believe we agreed to only one question," Takato said turning his back to Koji, "you have far to go Koji Minamoto, many trials to face, many enemies to defeat, and lessons to learn. Unfortunately you are the one who is going to suffer the most in the end, but I hope through all of it you finally realize the power of friendship, as cliche as it sounds, might be the only thing that saves you." With that Takato walked out of the clearing, his red friend close behind.

"Oh and Koji," he said, tilting his head over his shoulders, "don't tell anyone we met, they don't really need to know… yet." With that, Takato left the confused looking loner where he belongs; alone in a forest clearing as the three full moons looked down at him.

"I hate being so serious all the time," Takato said in a laugh. "You're so lucky, Guilmon."

--Torture Time--

"He's just a kid, stop this!" Zoe screamed at her prison guards, struggling to get free of her shackles. "STOP!"

But they didn't. Mecurymon had tied Tommy face towards a stonewall, leaving his shirtless back outwards towards the merciless beast digimon. At first, Tommy screamed as the beast whipped him with her tentacles, then cried loudly, then softly, and then somewhere between the cries for help and tears Tommy lost consciousness, only to be awaken periodically to cry in pain as a new welt was added to his steadily growing collection.

"Howling Laser!"

"Seems our prey hath arrived," The green metallic digimon laughed as he walked out of the ancient looking castle, three Digivices in his hands, "Twill be grand to hear you scream." The two warriors of Cherubimon sized up to the human spirit of light, both buying their time for the perfect oppourtunity to attack.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder broke the deafening silence, followed by a howling wind bringing small pellets of ice careening into the bodies of the Digimon. As thunder struck again, fire burst from the side of the caste, slamming into the hands of the mirror digimon, sending the digivices high into the air. "I know what it means now, to truly be one with nature," A bodiless voice said, "and now it's time to give you two your walking papers!" The red figure of Agunimon leaped gracefully down behind the two evil warriors. "Lobomon, free the others; we'll need them."

--Back To Henry--

"So how did you do it, Henry?" Terriermon asked, trying to figure out the strange information on Henry's computer screens (as our favourite blue-aired tamer seemed to be fiddling with three different computers at once).

"I didn't really," Henry laughed a little, "Yamaki lets Dad access Hypnos from home, so I just hacked dad's computer and got his access codes. I have to say, it was surprisingly easy."

"So you're going to find Takato," Terriermon said, a ting of melancholy evident in his voice. "But even Hypnos couldn't find him, what makes you so sure?"

"I have a secret weapon."

"Your actually a woman?"

"Terriermon!"

"Momentai, momentai! Come on, tell me already; don't keep me in the dark here."

"This," Henry said, holding up a package to the long eared digimon who was still stationed on Henry's head.

"A Digimon game?"

"Precisely," Henry said, his fingers going back to the computer. "Remember when you first came to this world Terriermon? It was through this game, and through it I was able to look into the digital world from my computer like I was watching a movie. So, now tell me what makes Takato different from anybody else who might be in the digital world?"

"Ummm...The Digital Hazard?" It was no surprise Terriermon knew; after all, everyone by that time knew of Takato's connection with it. Especially after what they went through… "Wait, I get it!"

"Exactly, Takato's human, so he should be seen as a anomaly in the hypnos database. But the digital world is huge; bigger then the real world even. So looking for a single anomaly is difficult, but by using the game and programming it to look for a digimon 'partner' with an anomaly status, and the Hazard code, I should be able to find Takato."

"Let's tell the others! They'll be ecstatic!...except Rika. She'll be really angry."

"NO!" Henry said, much louder then he wanted. "I don't want to get their hopes up… especially not Jeri."

A/N: You know that scene in frontier where Zoe and Tommy get tickle tourtured? Yeah well that pissed me off, so I decided to change that around a little bit. Now it's much better I think

Chapter Preview:Never trust the light- Of course Koji decided to tell the other warriors about the strange boy he fought, it is no surprise after all. When the legendary warrior confront their Guardian, Takato refuses to induldge in details, but instead challenges them, if they win he will reveail what exactly he is doing. Meanwhile in the Tamers universe, Henry gets a lock on Takato, and finds out something startling about the very nature of the universe. What you ask? Well you are going to have to read chapter four to find out(A/N Crappiest preview ever)