"I can't believe I let them take the crest."
"You didn't let them Takeru, you were dangling over the side of a cliff."
"To save one of their own! I'm such an idiot."
"You did the right thing."
"Yeah and I couldn't help angemon."
Hikari gave an annoyed humph as she stood in the rain with here arms crossed standing behind Takeru. The other digidestined, including Patamon, had tried to drag him out of his self loathing but, as can be seen, it hadn't worked as planned, so they sent the big guns- Hikari.
"And what could you have done? Digivolved to Takerumon and and fought the digimon with Angemon? They would have beat you to a pulp."
"Not really helping."
"What's your crest Takeru?"
At first he didn't answer but when she asked again, this time emphasising every word. Takeru rolled his eyes and said.
"Hope."
"And that crest chose you meaning, you had hope back then, so have hope now!" Hikari carefully sat in the mud besides her friend. Her hair was clinging stubbornly to her face. She wanted to wipe it off but it didn't seem like the appropriate time.
"It's just... I don't know why... that v2 just go to me for some reason."
"You want me to be honest? I would have been worried if you hadn't jumped to save him."
She put a reassuring hand on his cold shoulder.
"You know right, we are not going to hear the end of this right?" loughed Takeru as he stood up and extended his hand to help her stand.
"Hey, they sent me. it wasn't my fault. Also.." she whacked him on the head.
"Ouch! What was that for?!" He said rubbing his head.
"That's for being an idiot and jumping of a cliff… twice!" Then while still rubbing his head, she pulled the surprised Takeru into a cold, rain-soaked hug. "And that's for catching me when I fell."
"Now we'll defiantly never hear the ned of it." he joked trying to hide his blush.
And with that the two friends walked towards where the digidestiend were camped, that being a giant cave. It wasn't really a cave, until before the Angemon's fight it was just mountain but someone had blasted it so severely that they left a permeant mark- an ideal shelter from the wind and rain. The digidested stood and sat inside this little shelter, there socks and shoes sprawn besides a hastily lit fire made of burning medicine books, they would have to buy new copies for joe Later.
"Since when have you not been able to drag Takeru out of his gloom?" joked Sora leaning against Matt.
He loughed and called out to Tai, who was twisting water out of the bottom of his trousers. "Looks like we might be related someday after all."
"What!?" gasped Tai almost burning his sock in the campfire as Hikari and Takeru walked into the cave.
Patamon imeditaly flew into his hand.
"How are you feeling bud?"
"Next time they'll be the ones who will need a bandage."
"Good, everybody is in the cave?" said Joe making a head count. "We better rest here until this storm passes."
"I don't know about you guys but I could do with some warm cloths." Yawned mimi hitting her jeans. With each hit water seaped out.
"I know what you mean." Said Sora as she forced water out her tights.
"If only we could dry them." mused Mimi.
"We're drying all we can." said Hikari rubbing her palms on her damp school blouse, her school jersey spawn over her bare knees, slowly drying.
"And at least we are out of the rain." Said Izzy leaning against the wall of the cave.
"we should still keep watch.." but Tai's voice trailed off as his eyes began to close.
"i guess we'll keep watch tonight." said Gabumon as he looked towards the sleeping children
if it hadn't been for the grumbling of their stomachs the children probably would have slept trough the entire next day.
"ugh I'm starving!" complained agumon as the last piece of Clothign, Takeru's blazer, was handed out to its owner.
"No."
"Hikari wear it, the rain might have stopped but it's still cold."
"Then you wear it. It is yours after all."
He tossed it to her and she clumsily caught it.
"Keep it, you can give it back to me when this is all over." He said smiling.
She grudgingly, but silently thankfully, put the blazer on. She couldn't help feel slightly disappointed when she realised it smelt of burning books…
"We'll get food once we get off this mountain." Said Tai as he tied his now dry sholaces.
"At least it stopped raining." Observed Gomomon and with that digidestined made their slow track back down inifninty mountain.
"If my calves don't look faboulaous after all this I don't know what." Said Mimi a couple of hours later as she rested against a three.
"let's not do that again." Panted Izzy pushing his red hair out of his eyes.
"Are you alright Sora?" Asked Biyomon.
"I've got a blister." She answered meekly.
"Well we sure look like a mess." Laughed Hikari as she clipped her stubbern hair out of her face.
"You. . your. Elders." Panted Joes, slightly wheezing.
"why don't you guys rest?" suggested Takeru. "Hikari and I will go find some food."
"I'll come with you." offered matt as they set out into the forest .
"how did we ever climb that thing in the middle of a storm?" They heard Tai moan.
It didn't take them long to gather enough food for everyone, which they ate hungrily.
Beep.
"oh not again." Whined Mimi as everyone pulled out their digivices.
"I guess it's my turn." Sora casually showed her friends her beeping digivice.
"if my hypothesis is correct it should point you to the general direction of the Yokomon village." Said Izzy.
Biyomon shook her head. "The yokomon village is north, this is pointing us east."
"What's east?" wondered Gabumon.
"We'll just have to see and find out." Concluded Gatomon.
And that's what they did, right to the very edge of the island.
"Oh I was dreading this." Admitted Gomomon his ears drooping.
"Server continent ?"
"server continent."
"But how?"
"Ikkakumon, who else?"
"Hey I can digivolve to birdramon, carry a few of you guys."
"I can try lilymon, I'd lift a bit of a burden."
"ok guys but we have to plan this." Interrupted izzy doing the math in his head. "it should take us three days to get to Server continent, too long for any one digimon to carry us all but… let's see… if during the day we travel on Ikkakumon and Kabuterimon and then during the night birdramon, and Lilymon share the load…" izzy trailed off as he turned to look at the four digimon in question. With a new found determination in their eyes they nodded their heads.
"Then let's get going!"
The three days they spent at sea were slightly less comfortable then those they had spent with whalmon, at dusk and down having to alternate digimon taxis and with the sun now deciding to shine Mimi was worring about getting an uneven tan. Even their sleeping habits were disturbed during the nights they would have to cling to birdramon and Lilymom and so the only time they could actually sleep was on ikakkumon. So I don't think you'd balme them if the instant they reached the continant the digidestined collapsed onto the cold damp sand. That is, all except one. The others oblivious of the dangers that might await them collapsed into a well needed slumber while Takeru kept coarse no one had realised.
The next morning the digidestined continued their travels wherever Sora's digivice led them which was, unfrotunatly, a deseret, but tired and sore they kept on walking.
"Is that a pyramid?!" Gawked Hikari
Sora sighed. "I guess this must be the place."
Matt put his arm round her shoulders. "Don't worry about it, there's not datamon this time."
"But there is me!"
"How did they get here already?!"
Soaring from behind the pyramid appeared Karatenmon, V2 Sora hanging from his taloned foot. She landed on the soft desert sand in one swift graceful motion.
The v2 gave the digidestined a smug look (was that their only programmed facial expression?) as Karatenmon landed in cloud of sand before them.
"Where are the others?" yelled Tai, his head turning from side to side.
"sorry to disappoint you… Tai…" she seeed to reluclantly say his name. " I'm the only one coming today."
"that arrogant? must be part of the job description to work for the darkness."
The v2 lowered her hands and clenched her fists. "You don't know a thing about me. don't just assume you know me."
"you're helping peidmon that's all we need to know! Gabumon, digivolve."
"Biyomon you too!"
"No Sora, she's still too tired!"
"He's right." Guiltily admitted Biyomon.
And with that Garurumon and Karatemon clashed, the air around them filling instantly with sand and the sound crashing steel. The digidestiend fell to the ground, taking shelter behind the dunes.
"Don't you dare assume you know me!"
Catching her attention Sora left Matt's side and carefully walked towords the V2.
"You're a copy created by the darkness to couse distruction."
"I am not." Th girl looked up at her with anger and loathing.
"Piedmon may have created me but I am as real as you."
"So why do you fight us?!"
"Because there is someone on this side I must protect."
The v2 said these with the same honesty Sora knew herself had used at that age. There was determination in the girls eyes, she wasn't going to loose.
A beam of light suddenly surrounded the V2, the crest of love appeared of her heart. To Sora's dismay the crest of love hovered over the tip of the pyramid, it's light surrounding the V2.
"No!" she shrieked as the light faded and she saw the tag and crest, her tag and crest, hanging around the V2's neck.
The v2 clutched the tag triumphantly.
"I guess my love is stronger then yours."
She wasn't mocking Sora, she just seemed relieved.
"C'mon Karatemon."
And, giving Sora her back, began to walk away.
"No! Come back!" bellowed Sora, running after her. She wasn't running after her for the crest and tag. There was something else that had cought the digidestined's attention.
There is someone on this side I must protect
Karatatemon, attacking Garrumon with one last attack, followed his partner into the vast shadow of the pyramid where they vanished.
"Sora!" yelled Matt, running towords her and embracing her but she continued to look out at were the v2 had vanished .
"Who do you have protect?" she whispered to the wind.