Wow. Okay…so much for three weeks…SORRY! Moving in took longer than I expected, and then school started! But something I've noticed…I write more during the school year! Who knows why… But I'm back on track now!

I've also gotten behind on replying to reviews, so I've forgotten who I replied to. Sorry if you didn't get a reply!

Sorry.

Moving on to more important and/or relevant things, I actually DID get Jomei's picture up. About a week ago, I suddenly hit a writing spree, and I wrote two whole chapters in less than a week! And that's with having to deal with school and homework from TWO AP classes! (Don't ask me why I'm taking two; I'm crazy.) So this chapter is longer than my others (that's another thing: I can suddenly write more.) Sorry if you're not too fond of drama. This chapter got a little heavy on it (in my opinion; you may not think so) for some reason, but the action starts to pick up a little next time. Then another chapter…Then the chapter that launches into the final battle! That's right! There will be 17 chapters total. That's it.

On the bright side, I have several stories planned, both for Frontier and for Adventure. The next one I'm going to write is a Frontier story, and cringe that may take a while to get started. I have the first two chapters written, and I like the first, but the second (and on, most likely) are giving me problems. I don't want to give up on it, though, because the second half-ish I think has real potential (that and it sets up the other stories). And, of course, I'll be working on ATTWT, but I figure those updates will take a while, so I'll have to have something else to satisfy the mob. heh

Wow. That was a lot of stuff….

Disclaimer: Say, say, say, say you don't own Digimon! (Don't own the thing I stole that from, either! Anyone know what it is?)

Old Demons

Chapter 11: The Price You Pay

The previous evening, Ophanimon had dismissed the Legendary Warriors (human and digimon alike), saying that she had other business to attend to. The Spirits apparently had rooms already, which made Zoe wonder how often they stayed here. The humans were led through the castle to their own chambers. They then met up and basically wandered around the castle. After several hours of relative boredom, they had split off and gone to sleep. Of course, the Digital World hadn't exactly heard of pajamas, so the kids had to sleep in their clothes.

Early in the morning, Ophanimon called a meeting. Sorcerermon had roused the Spirits and told them to get their human. Half an hour later, they were all gathered in the hall outside Ophanimon's chamber…except for Lobomon and Kouji. Lobomon had apparently been out for an early walk. (Although with as early as it was, that didn't seem possible.) Agunimon volunteered to go find Lobomon and Takuya volunteered to wake Kouji up.

"Um, Takuya?" Zoe asked sweetly. "Do you really think that's such a good idea?"

Takuya frowned at her. "What are you talking about? Of course it's a good idea. What, do you want to go in there? What if he sleeps in his underwear? Although, you'd probably like that, wouldn't you?"

"Takuya!" She yelled, slapping him upside the head. "Ew! Mind out of the gutter, Takuya!"

"Whatever." Takuya rubbed the back of his head. "I'll be back!" That said, he took off through a random archway.

Zoe rolled her eyes. "This won't be pretty."

Kazemon smiled at her. "Come on. What's the worst that could happen?"

-

"Kouji. Kouji! Wake up!" A pillow connected with Kouji's head. Though he was still half asleep, Kouji yanked the pillow away and threw it across the room. "…I guess you're awake, then."

"What do you want, Takuya?" Kouji glanced at the room's one window. "It's still dark outside."

"Huh. Funny, I always thought you were the early bird."

Kouji glared at Takuya. "Give me one good reason to get up or I'm going back to sleep."

"Ophanimon said she needed to see us."

"I said a good reason," Kouji growled, but sat up anyway.

"What's your problem?"

"I wonder. My brother's missing and apparently part evil. And despite the fact that Ophanimon knows more than we do, she still didn't know Kouichi was missing, let alone how to find him."

"Well…Just hurry up and get dressed."

"I am dressed."

"Great!" Takuya grinned. "Let's go." He grabbed Kouji's wrist and dragged him out of the room. When they emerged into the central hall, Kouji pulled out of Takuya's grip.

"Would you just leave me alone?" he shouted.

Zoe leaned towards Kazemon. "I told you."

The door opened. Sorcerermon looked out. "Good. You're all here. Come in!" They entered Ophanimon's chamber. The great angel wasted no time with greetings.

"I have located Duskmon and, I believe, Lowemon and Kouichi as well."

"Where?" Lobomon and Kouji demanded in unison.

"A world called Twilight."

Lobomon scowled. "That's impossible. The Gate's been closed for the last twenty-four years. Lowemon couldn't get in!"

"Nevertheless, Seraphimon and I both sense Duskmon there."

"Seraphimon, huh?" Kouji folded his arms. "And how did he know to check?"

"I asked him to last night after you departed," Ophanimon said, with just a hint of frustration.

Takuya snorted. "So, what, he just happened to be flying through?"

"No. I contacted him – "

"How?" Kouji demanded.

"She probably doesn't have an answer for us," Takuya muttered. "She can't hide that fact she's been going behind our backs, either!"

"I have not gone behind you backs!" Ophanimon seethed. "Nor have I done anything that constitutes this attitude from you two humans! This is my world, not yours, and as such, it is my responsibility to – "

"You 'responsibility'?" Kouji shook his head. "So you're just doing this because you have to."

"I never said – "

"No! I don't care who you are or how powerful you claim to be. It's my brother's life on the line! I'm going to help him. I don't really give a crap what you have to say, so unless you can tell me how to get to whatever world Kouichi's stuck in, I'm leaving!"

Everyone stared at Kouji in shock. His face was slightly red, his hands were clenched at his sides, and he was glaring daggers at Ophanimon. Even the angel digimon seemed slightly fazed by the outburst. She stared at the younger twin for another moment and finally sighed.

"I do know how to get you to Twilight, but there are some things I should explain first." Kouji rolled his eyes but didn't move for the door. "First of all, let me start by saying that Twilight is connected to both the Digital World and the human world. It was created to collect the lost data from the war between human- and beast-types. It looks much like the human world, but it has the properties of the Digital World – everything is primarily made of data. As such, it is easier to get to this world from the Digital World, although it is obviously possible to come from the Real World. As far as I know, someone of power in Twilight or the unshaped space beyond it would have to summon you from the Real World."

"So we can't get in?" Tommy asked.

"Not from the Real World," Ophanimon admitted. "That must be why you were brought here. There is one way through."

"Lady Ophanimon," Mercurymon began, "you speak of the Gate, do you not?"

The Mega nodded slightly. "I do."

"But how, pray tell, is this relevant? Has not the Gate been closed, as Lobomon pointed out? Were you not the one who said it could not be opened by our power or by yours?"

"I did say that. But now Lowemon is on the other side. The Gate is controlled by the power of the Spirits. I do not know how it was sealed, but with that controlling power on either side, the seal is already weakening. It will take significant energy, but you should be able to slip through."

"Hold the boat!" Beetlemon interrupted. "'Significant energy'? What's that supposed to mean?"

Ophanimon bowed her head and searched for the words, but Lobomon spoke first. "She means we'll have to sacrifice our physical form; revert to pure spirits like when the humans came before."

Zoe gaped at him, then turned to Ophanimon. "Is that true?" The angel would not answer. "It is, isn't it! How can you ask something like that? And not even tell them beforehand! Who do you think you – "

"It is the only way." Ophanimon's voice was subdued, but it cut Zoe's rant short. Zoe blushed guiltily and stared at the floor. Of course it's the only way. It's not like Ophanimon had a choice. Judging by the way Ophanimon cringed as she forced herself to meet each digimon's eyes, she felt guilty about asking them to give up their physical form. And Zoe hadn't helped that guilt.

Kazemon blinked at Ophanimon. "How long?"

Ophanimon sighed. "I don't know. It may be a few days…It may not be until the balance is reset."

Arbormon scratched his head. "And…alluh us hafta do it?"

"No. The five who have human counterparts will be going. You four who are staying should not need to use quite so much energy. You will still retain your body."

"Oh?" Ranamon frowned. "Why can't we help? Lowemon's our friend, too! You can't expect us to just sit back 'n' do nothin'!"

"You aren't going for two reasons," Ophainmon said with slightly more force than necessary. "One, if you went through, there would be nothing to stop you from reverting to spirits alongside the others. Without humans, you would be useless." Ranamon flinched at the frank comment. Ophanimon saw this and lowered her voice. "I don't know that the seal will be broken when they go through. You four are staying here as a safeguard. If the seal remains, all of you will have to work together to force it open once more. You will need power on both sides of the Gate for it to work." The Mega scanned the tense faces of the humans and the troubled faces of the digimon. "You must willingly choose to do this. No one can force you to give all your energy. It will not work if you are unwilling. Consider it carefully, and choose for yourself."

Lobomon paused for only a moment, glancing at Kouji before stepping foreward. "I will do whatever is necessary to help Lowemon."

Seconds later, Agunimon placed a hand on his shoulder. "Count me in!" The Human Spirit of Fire flashed Takuya an impish grin. "We're a team, right?" Takuya nodded grimly.

Kazemon moved forward from behind Zoe, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder as she passed. Zoe smiled weakly. Kazemon silently took her place by Lobomon, wings twitching once, not trusting herself to speak.

Beetlemon and Kumamon joined the other three simultaneously. Beetlemon punched the air enthusiastically. "Duskmon doesn't stand a chance!" Kumamon merely nodded with a soft grunt.

The other four digimon stayed where they were and simply nodded an agreement.

"Very well," Ophanimon said, rising from her throne. "Follow me." The digidestined and Spirits followed her out of the chamber into the door-lined hall, through the first arch on the right, and into a octagonal chamber only slightly smaller than the throne room. Everything in it was black – the walls, floor, and domed ceiling were made of ivory, and ten twenty-foot black trees stood in a half-circle around the image of a gate on the far wall. A single square window near the ceiling above the chamber's entrance provided the room's only light, a beam that illuminated the Gate and trees, making them look almost silver.

The digidestined stared at the awesome sight, completely at a loss for what to do. The digimon, having done something similar many times before, walked past the trees to the open space in front of the Gate. The humans followed hesitantly, noticing two concentric half-circles on the floor. A foot away from the outer circle, the symbols of the Spirits were etched in the floor, evenly spaced. On the left side of the Gate, the first symbol was that of Earth, then Water, Thunder, Fire, and Light. By the wall on the right side of the Gate was Wood, followed by Steel, Ice, Wind, and Darkness. Darkness and Light were side by side between the Gate and the chamber's entranceway. The symbol of Darkness was glowing, pulsing violet. A similar red light glowed, overlapping the purple one, though there was only one symbol etched on the floor.

Takuya was the first to notice the phenomena. "Huh? ...Why are there two symbols here?"

Kouji came over and looked at the symbols. "There were always two symbols. Don't you remember the sign over the Trailmon tracks to the Dark Continent? … But why are they the only ones glowing? And why do they overlap?

"There are two symbols," Ophanimon said, "because there are two distinct spirits. They overlap because they are fighting each other."

Tommy joined the two older boys around the symbols. "And the glowing?"

"Because Lowemon is on the other side of the Gate. In Twilight, at the other Gate, the other nine symbols are glowing."

JP glanced at the symbol, but soon turned to Beetlemon. "So how exactly does this whole Gate-opening-thing go?"

Ophanimon heard him and answered. "Just stand in front of your Spirit. They know what to do."

Beetlemon nudged JP. "Looks like you're gonna be doing the fighting for me again…Don't die."

JP chuckled nervously. "Yeah. No pressure!"

"Of course not." Beetlemon smiled at him (not that JP could see his mouth; all he saw was the Warrior's sad eyes). Beetlemon turned and led JP into the innermost circle, lined up with the symbol of Thunder. JP stood in front of him. Outside the circles, the symbol glowed yellow.

Kumamon tapped Tommy's shoulder. Tommy glanced at him, uncertainty written on his young face. Kumamon smiled gently. "Don't worry, Tommy. I know you guys can do it." They took their places in the circle. The symbol of Ice glowed pale green.

Agunimon turned to Takuya. He didn't say anything. The determination Agunimon practially exuded didn't pass Takuya by. The gogglehead grinned and nodded. They took their place next to JP and Beetlemon; their symbol glowed orange.

Kazemon crossed her arms over her chest and stared forlornly at the Gate. "Kazemon?" Zoe looked nervously at her Spirit. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Zoe." Kazemon forced a smile. "I'm worried, that's all. I can't help wishing there was another way. I want to do something important."

"You are!" Zoe said firmly. "You're my power. I was completely helpless before I Spirit Evolved, and when the spirit was stolen…The point is, we need each other. You can't go after Lowemon and I can't fight. But together we actually stand a chance!"

Kazemon laughed. "You're right. Thanks, Zoe." They took their places next to Tommy and Kumamon, and the symbol of Wind glowed a pale lavender.

Lobomon stepped forward, but Kouji stopped him with a hand on his arm. The digimon turned around obligingly. "Look, I know you must want to help Lowemon – "

"No more than you want to help your brother. There is no one I trust more than you to help them."

"Thanks – I … Thanks."

They took their places between the human and digimon Warriors of Fire and of Wind. The symbol of Light glowed pure white. The other four Warriors took their places, outside the outer circle. Arbormon stood between Kumamon and Kazemon; Mercurymon stood next to him, between Kazemon and Lowemon. Then Grumblemon, between Lobomon and Agunimon, and Ranamon between Agunimon and Beetlemon. The symbols of Water, Earth, Steel, and Wood glowed blue, bronze, silver, and dark green, respectively.

"One more thing," Ophanimon said as the light from the symbols spread along the ground and up the Gate. "You know that the time in the Digital World is off from the time in the Real World. The same is true of Twilight. The time there matches Real World time, but it is offset by twelve hours."

The Warriors nodded gravely. They began focusing their energy to open the Gate. For the four staying in the Digital World, various features began glowing, the light particles streaming to a spot seven feet off the ground directly in front of the Gate. And orb of white light began forming there. Grumblemon's hammer glowed a pale yellow-brown color. The cannon-like features on Arbormon's shoulders glowed green. Mercurymon's mirrors glowed a silver that was very nearly white. And Ranamon's gems – on her helmet and knees – glowed red.

For the other five, the process was slightly different. The digimon glowed white, so that none of their bodies could be seen. Most of the light streamed to the orb, but some, led by two small objects, went to the digidestined. The objects entered their D-Tectors, and the light swirled around them. Kouji's light formed Lobomon's helmet, shoulder armor, and scarf on the human's body. Takuya's was similar – Agunimon's helmet (horns included), shoulder armor, and thigh armor. JP received only Beetlemon's helmet, without the mask, and breastplate. Tommy had all of Kumamon's minimal armor. And Zoe wore Kazemon's winged boots and gloves, and her visor. And, of course, it was all pure light.

The orb suddenly reformed as a wedge as tall as the Gate. Tendrils of light lashed out and connected to the light-armor. The kids were converted into light and merged with the wedge, which proceeded to phase through the Gate.

-

All Kouji saw was white. He sat up and looked around, finding himself in a room much like the one he had just come from. It had similar features – trees (around him), Gate (behind him), and symbols (below him). But it was all white. His D-Tector lay by his right thigh, the symbol of Light pulsing softly on the screen. When he picked it up, the symbol flashed once and disappeared.

One by one, the others woke up, and grabbed their D-Tectors.

Zoe was the first to speak: "Well, we're here."

"Twilight," Takuya whispered.

Kouji nodded. "Let's get going."

Wow! The longest chapter yet! My next longest one (Chapter 3: In the Night) was only a little over five pages in Word. This one is like EIGHT! Yay! lol Okay, sorry. I just had to celebrate.

Somewhere along the way, two chapters merged (the total count used to be 18, but by the end of this chapter it dropped to 17). Good news for you! Kouichi comes back in the next chapter! Mwahaha! Now you have to wait! But, hey, I already have it written…And half of chapter 13. And I have the rest of the story planned. So this should go smoothly for the rest of the story. I'll have the next chapter up sometime next week. (And this time I will, too!)

ATTWT: Well, I don't have the pic done. I do all of them on my computer, which is unpacked but unfortunately not running yet. (Stupid procrastination). But his name is Kado, and he's younger than Jomei, Naoko, and Taura. I kind like him, in his own way…But…I really have nothing else to say.

Review, please! Criticism is welcome. (Go ahead and yell at me for taking so long to update, if you want!)

-Child of Healing

Word count: 2724 (YAY! Chapter 3 was only 2045!)