"I never thought the digital world had such weird weather." Sighed Joe as he bowed his head in a defeated manner. "First rain and now a sand storm? We must be the unluckiest digidestined ever chosen!"
It surely did appear that the digidestined were having a run of bad luck. After the V2 had run off with the crest of love (an incident Sora would not elaborate on) the digidestined had almost been buried alive in a freak sand storm, forcing them to seek refuge in Datamon's old prison. They had barely set foot into the pyramid didn't another digivice begin to beep.
"I guess it's our turn." Said Tai leading the way trough the maze.
"Hey Takeru, could you wait for me a second?" called Sora as, with a small nod in her boyfriend's direction, she left Matt's side and ran towards his brother.
"How are you feeling?" he asked having experienced the same lose not too long ago himself.
"We'll get it back." She answered, but lowering her voice she added. "It's those V2s that I'm worried about."
"What do you mean?" Takeru whispered, catching the urgency in her voice.
"You spoke to the V2 that looks like you right? That's why you saved him?"
Takeru subtly nodded his head. "He said he didn't want to fight. He was actually crying at one point. Did your V2 tell you something?"
"Yes, she said she had someone to protect. Takeru these copies are way more sophisticated then the one Datamon had originally made of me."
"Apart from having their own personalities?"
"Yes, these can think for themselves and I have a feeling… some of them may even have a conscious."
"Like BlackWarGreymon… You believe that some of them might join us, don't you Sora?"
"I'm not sure. But there was something in the way the V2 Sora spoke, she isn't working for piedmon for herself but for someone she cares for. That's why the crest chose her…"
As Sora and Takeru were having this discussion Hikari, out of earshot, sighed. "I hate being out of the loop Gatomon."
"Don' worry Hikari, if it was something important Takeru would tell you."
"But the thing is, he's been acting so strange since his fight with the V2…"
"Well having your crest stolen from you would do that to a person I'd imagine."
"But…"
"Don't worry about it Hikari, Takeru's fine just give him a little space."
Hikari couldn't help following the blond with her eyes, she had an unusual feeling churning in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like all the space that had formed between them.
"I still can't believe this place is still standing after the fight with Etemon." Mused Tai.
"Not only that, but it has been fully repaired." Observed Izzy.
Tai looked down at his beeping digivice.
"Well there's only one place I'd imagine the digivice would take me in this pyramid."
He wasn't wrong.
The electrified gate may not have been there anymore but entering Datamon's old lab didn't really bring back fond memories.
"Where could that crest be?" said Agumon scanning the room.
"We'll have to wait for the V2s to find out." Sighed Tai crossing his arms.
"Quite the observant one aren't you."
"Come on out Tai." Called Tai. "No use hiding."
"You are not as slow as Piedmon made you appear." Laughed the V2 Tai as he and his fellow copies emerged from the shadows.
Sora vaguely observed that the V2 Sora, clutching her tag, was standing right behind him.
"Don't underestimate them." V2 Sora warned. "We may have two of the crests but…"
"Oh just let him break something." Yawned V2 Hikari. "The sooner we get those crests the sooner we can dispose of these have-beens."
"I like your thinking sis!" shouted V2 Tai. "Agumon you know what to do."
Still silent, the v2 Agumon digivolved to blackTyranamon and with each step the dinosaur took the pyramid shook.
"What kind of battle do you want?" yelled Tai as Agumon digivolved to greymon. "One on one or 8 vs 8? I'm sort of confused how you guys work..."
"I won't need the others' help to beat you."
A collection of complaints erupted from the V2s.
"That was not the plan Tai." Warned V2 Hikari.
"If you fail to capture the crest of courage it will be all of us that will receive the belt from Piedmon" added V2 Joe."
"We are only meant to engage them individually when the probability of us achieving the crest if high." Calculated V2 Izzy.
"Well I'm sure. Hikari time to do your stuff."
The small girl sighed. "Make it more obvious why don't you?"
She twirled her hand in a nonsense manner.
"Oh tai." Said V2 Sora looking slightly defeated.
"BlackTyranomon attack!"
"Don't go easy on him."
And with their orders the two dinosaur digimon collided.
Flames flickered around the digidestined, rubble and clutter began to rain upon them.
"Tai! Get greymon to relax or he's going to burry us all!" yelled Matt as he shook dust out of his hair.
But Tai wasn't listening, his shoulders were rising and falling. His fists clenching and unclenching. Hikari took a few weary steps back.
"Takeru." She whispered. She was shaking, her eyes wide as plates. She blinked and blinked again. This time she was certain- a darkness had surrounded her brother.
"Hikari what's wrong?" whispered Takeru placing a hand on her shaking shoulder.
She frantically turned around, the fear on her face catching him by surprise.
"You can't see it either, right Takeru?"
"What? Hikari, what do you see?"
"Darkness." She pointed at her brother who had started to charge towards the V2 Tai. "It's making him act weird. He's not himself!"
Takeru wanted to ask how she knew this but as a shriek from Mimi indicated, Tai had just punched the V2. Without a second thought Takeru ran past her, manoeuvring trough the digidestined and the falling debris.
"Takeru wha…?" Matt began to speak but his brother was already sprinting towards the fighting boys. Tai had just staggered back as the V2 punched him in the stomach, oblivious to the bad state Greymon was in. With a final burst of light the digimon degenerated back to Agumon, unable to move.
With a growl Tai made to attack the v2 again but as his fist began to move his sight was momentarily blocked by a blond head.
"Tai stop it!" Takeru was panting from the run. They didn't have much time, DarkTyranomon was advancing on his prey and the pyramid was threatening to collapse at any moment now.
Tai blinked at him, momentarily confused, but it was too late. Tai couldn't stop his hand. Takeru was sent scuttling to the side.
"Takeru!" Hikari and Matt yelled in unison. Hikari already running towards the fighting boy, Patamon leading the way.
"There's some darkness around and its effecting you." coughed Takeru, bent double before looking at Tai's horrified face,
"Takeru I'm so…"
"Tai go help Agumon!" Takeru's order was clear. "Go!"
Still looking horrified with himself for what he had just done he ran towards his fallen partner. He stood between BlackTyranamon and Agumon. Arms spread out as if that could stop the dark digimon's attack.
"You'll have to go trough me!" He yelled.
That's when the crest of courage appeared on his chest.
"Why you…" The v2 turned to face Takeru who Hikari was already comforting. Gatomon and Patamon were standing before the V2 ready for a fight.
That's when the V2 felt someone tap him on the shoulder.
"What…" but as he turned he was greeted by a fist in the face by a very angry Matt.
"That's for Takeru and Tai."
While this was going on, it seemed that the pyramid wasn't going last much longer.
"Takeru you idiot." Scolded Hikari as he used her for support. "What were you thinking running into a fight like that."
He gave a her a sheepish smile. "You said Tai was acting weird…"
"Takeru! Hikari!" Takeru wasn't sure which of their brothers was calling them, possibly both.
"Guys, we might have a slight problem." Gatomon and Patamon took a few steps backwards towards their partners as a chasm began to form in the ground separating Takeru and Hikari from Matt.
Matt was calling them frantically, waving his arms for them to jump, but it was becoming too vast, too quickly and the ever present dark network lay nestled at the bottom, waiting for unexpected prey.
"You should digivolve, Patamon." Began Takeru as larger and larger pieces of the ceiling began to fall.
"Hikari watch out!" Yelled Gatomon, leaping towards the girl as, at last, the ceiling gave way.
As if in slow motion they could see the old slabs crumble and begin to fall towards them. They were going to be crushed, there was no time for Patamon to digivolve.
Then the world around them turned black. For a moment, Takeru thought he might actually be dead. But it didn't feel right, Hikari was still standing besides him, clutching his arm. Patamon hovered before him, his wings still flapping. Gatomon's head was moving from side to side- Had time frozen?
"Takeru, what happened? Where are we?" Hikari let go of his arm and looked cautiously around them. No, time was still working.
"You're in the shadows."
"It was you!" Takeru turned his attention to the little boy that suddenly appeared before them. The V2 was shuffling his feet looking at the four of them awkwardly, Takeru noticed that the V2 Patamon was nowhere to be seen.
"You saved us?" There was slight disbelief in Hikari's voice.
"How can we trust him? he's one of them!" hissed Gatomon.
"I couldn't let you be crushed. It… it wouldn't have been right." There it was again the genuine childish conscious Takeru had noticed before.
"But you are working for Piedmon!" Continued Gatomon.
"But he also saved us." Countered Patamon.
Hikari took a cautious couple of steps in his direction, kneeing down so she was eye-level with the boy. "Thank you."
The boy blushed and began playing with his hands. "You're much nicer then the Hikari I know."
Hikari gave a light laugh, "I'd imagine so. But Takeru, where are we?"
"Piedmon's palace, you'll have to keep your eyes closed if you want to survive tough"
HI! I'm so so so sorry I took so long to publish this but exams are closing in and I had to study, I hope you understand :3 So there's another chapter! I really hope you liked it, please tell me what you think - LunaPendragon.