"you go round the tower left I'll go right"

"got ya" said veemon moving off

tailmon stalked round the tower quickly hiding as she saw the guard wait his shape is familiar, its so hard in the dark She saw the guard start

"t-tailmon?"

What? This wasn't possible?

"it is its me I swear"

How can it be?

"please believe me, tailmon" he reached for her hand in the dark catching it "last time I went through I'm so sorry"

"oh wizarmon it is you!" she hugged him tightly "you came back?"

"everyone is back" wizarmon hung his head

"everyone?"

"yes, I was captured and forced to serve him once more"

"that vamdemon got a lot to answer for" growled tailmon "come with us now"

"I can't, I must serve him" wizarmons voice was so quite tailmon could barely hear him "if I don't he'll hurt patamon"

"so patamon is here?"

"yes, he was captured, he was being used as bait"

"bait?"

"yes, tailmon please you must leave it is not safe for you here"

"no! never, I will not leave you and patamon here at his mercy"

"I will get patamon to you I swear"

"and yourself?"

"I'm being punished for my last traitorous act apparently, one more won't hurt"

"wizarmon no I…"

"hey what you doing to tailmon?"

"no v-mon he's-"

"v-head butt" v-mon launched himself at wizarmon, who quickly dodged then watched in horror as he hit tailmon and she fell lifeless to the ground

"that was a low trick"

"diasuke you followed us!"

wizarmon was speechless. Then he heard laughter

"oh my that was priceless wizarmon, vamdemon will be proud of you" it was picodevimon

wizarmon remained staring at tailmon he knelt down and began desperately to mutter a healing charm

"oh no you don't" yelled diasuke knocking him away

"bakemon!" yelled picodevimon and immediately a whole crowd of them appeared grabbing onto diasuke veemon and tailmon and taking them into the castle

"no!" yelled wizardmon "let them go" he said angrily to picodevimon

"ha! I'm so likely to take orders from you. Ha-ha! The look on your face just wonderful"

"stop it" there was tears in his eyes

"are you crying? Oh my you are haha!" crowed picodevimon

"shut up, just shut up" wizarmons voice was choked picodevimon just laughed

"my my you are amusing wizarmon" said a new voice from above vamdemon was perched on a higher battlement "and thanks to you your flee ridden friend is once again mine, your suffering is so delicious, stepping out of the way of an attack that must be a new one for you. Now come I will require your assistance in their torture"

"I will not help you!"

"bloody stream" wizarmon was knocked to the floor he felt blood where the attack had hit "get up" he stood still clutching his chest to try and stem the blood he started muttering a spell closing the wound

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"diasuke is gone!"

"he must have followed tailmon and veemon!"

"that's it I'm going too" said takeru "its patamon who's in danger its me who should go"

"I'm coming with you" said hikari "the others should have been back by now tailmon in there too"

"then I'm coming" said taichi "you are not going in there on your own"

"you should stay and protect the others"

"you two don't have any digimon I'm coming to protect you"

"thank you taichi"

"yes thank you" agreed takeru

"you're my sister of course I'm coming, and besides yamatto would kill me right takeru"

"he would, he would actually kill you dead"

"what about the rest of us?"

"stay here if we're not out in half an hour come find us"

***

"hikari stay close" said taichi

"its so dark"

"shall we head to vamdemon's old throne room?" Asked takeru

"good a place as any" agreed taichi

***

They crept round so they could see the throne

"vamdemon!" the exclaimed together

"he's back but how?"

"who's that he's beating up?" takeru asked fearfully

"I can't tell in this light"

"I can see patamon" exclaimed hikari "chained to the wall behind the throne"

takeru looked and saw patamon hanging limply in the chains

"pata-" taichi quickly clamped a hand over takeru's mouth to silence his surprised exclamation, but it was too late

"who's up there? Bakemon find them"

"run!" yelled taichi, they ran.

Panting they all hid under a staircase after running down several flights of stairs

"I think we lost them" gasped hikari

"and ourselves" added taichi

"how is vamdemon back?" asked takeru, "and why has he got patamon? What does he want with him" he finished angrily

"takeru calm down" said hikari anxiously

"we'll get him out don't worry takeru" assured taichi "tailmon too"

"and diasuke and veemon" hikari added

"yeah" there was silence for a few moments

"how?"

"I'm still working on that part"

***

"we're going to be the ones who find those kids you got that?"

"picodevimon" whispered taichi

"I don't see why you can't search on your own" came a quieter voice

hikari's eyes widened in recognition

"is that who I think it is?" muttered takeru

"ha! Its you who can't be trusted by themselves, you're here because you'll be useful to me"

"how exactly? And what makes you think I'm going to help you"

"it is? isn't it?" he asked hikari

"I think so" she whispered back

"oof" they heard a sound as if someone had just been pushed into a brick wall which was fairly accurate

"you know what will happen if you don't"

"it doesn't sound like he's here willingly" said taichi quietly "but he is again working for vamdemon"

"what am I supposed to do?"

"you really are clueless aren't you? You can find their thoughts detect they're presence can't you? I don't care what it is you actually do just find them"

"that's…"

"what? Unfair? Dishonest?"

"yes"

"ha! You obviously have us confused with someone else if you think we care about that. Its your skill isn't it?"

"well yes but-"

"unfair and dishonest"

"I don't have to use it"

"but you do, you're going to be fine here you're perfect to work for vamdemon"

wizarmon winced at those words

"that's why you were able to fool him last time, you may think differently but you are really one of us"

"I am not and I will not help you find them"

"looks like he is going to need a little persuasion after all phantomon"

Phantomon stepped forwards out of the shadows revealing he was holding an unconscious tailmon his scythe pressed to her throat

"tailmon!" gasped wizarmon

"no" moaned hikari

"let her go" said wizarmon in a low voice

"ha! Or you'll do what?" mocked picodevimon

wizarmon started moving his hands in a healing spell

"oh no you don't" phantomon removed the scythe from tailmon neck in order to bring it down heavily on wizarmon's arm who yelled in pain then crumpled onto the floor clutching the wound he'd been given

"find them and then you can have you're friend back"

"I'll find them" said wizarmon with a grimace standing "but they will not be in your custardy for long" he vowed

"haha! You're going to free them are you?"

"yes I am"

"whatever just do it"

"he's right, if they capture us I'm sure we can escape but there's no telling what they'll do to him and tailmon if this carries on" said taichi fairly "we can't even attack without danger of hurting them"

"give me tailmon first" said wizarmon determinedly

"as you wish" said phantomon grinning evilly handing tailmon to him

"now find them!" commanded picodevimon, wizarmon shut his eyes concentrating then opened them "well?"

"say you can't find them and I will kill her on the spot"

"t-t-they're o-over there" wizarmon stammered pointing and drawing tailmon closer to him

"lead us!"

wizarmon miserably lead them to where the children were a lot of bakemons had been summoned by phantomon as they walked

wizarmon stopped "here" he said his voice full of remorse

"come out brats" crowed picodevimon

"or we'll come and get you" added phantomon

taichi stepped out closely followed by hikari and takeru hikari moved over to the two digimon

"wizarmon, tailmon" she threw her arms round him careful not to squash tailmon. wizarmon started surprised for a moment then relaxed

"hikari, I'm sorry I had no choice"

"I know it's okay we'll get out of here of course we will"

"you did the right thing" added taichi placing a hand on his shoulder

"touching reunion aside" said phantomon "seize them"

The bakemon rushed forwards capturing taichi takeru hikari Agumon and wizarmon

"hey let me go you said I could take tailmon"

taichi was angry too "you said he could let him go now"

"I don't know why we expected you to play fair" yelled takeru

"oh but we are" said picodevimon positively bursting with excitement he turned to wizarmon "we said we'd give her to you, you forgot to bargain for your own freedom"

wizarmon stared at him horrified as he realised what was said was true "and now all though you have her you still have to stay here, so so does she" wizarmon had gone pale

"you cant do that" he said weakly

"let them go!" yelled hikari

"it seems your not thinking of your self has backfired wizarmon" said vamdemon he shape suddenly looming behind them "I'll take that" he said reaching for tailmon, wizarmon jumped backwards away from him

"leave her alone" he said angrily

The children and Agumon were trying to get free too.

"don't hurt tailmon!" yelled hikari

"hand her over this instant!" commanded vamdemon "need I remind you wizarmon, you are my slave you do as I say"

"I will not" said wizarmon determinedly

"you will do as you're told! You will be loyal to me"

"I refuse to ever be loyal to you" he took another step backwards suddenly he found phantomon's scythe hooked around his neck from behind

"you have two choices" he said "hand her over or I'll kill you and we'll take her from you"

wizarmon swallowed

"wizarmon!" yelled hikari nearly in tears

"I'm sorry hikari"

"you have no need to be sorry" said takeru

"do as he says" said taichi

"but…"

"no, don't put yourself at risk again" said hikari

wizarmon kept his head bowed "I'll take her to wherever you want her to be, vamdemon-sama"

"finally showing a bit of respect I see" said vamdemon satisfied "very well, follow me with the prisoners"

The precession walked into the throne room

"patamon!" yelled takeru braking free and running over to where he was

"crimson lightning" takeru was knocked to the floor he got up wincing in pain to be recaptured by the bakemon

"and now the digidestined will fall to me"

"we will not"

"I have already captured your friends"

"oh"

"damn"

***

"w-wizarmon" tailmon voice was barely a whisper

"shush stay quiet pretend your still unconscious" he whispered

She curled up tighter against his body and he shielded her further with his arms

***

"tie them all up" said vamdemon "put them in separate cells, I can wait until tailmon is conscious for my revenge it will make it all the more sweet. wizarmon"

"yes?"

"yes what?"

wizarmon blinked "er…yes, master?"

"good, I want you to come with me now"

wizarmon wordlessly handed tailmon to hikari and followed vamdemon out

The digidestined were lead away to cells

"please let tailmon stay with me she's so hurt? And your master wants her alive"

Good one thought taichi

Phantomon and picodevimon exchanged looks

"for now you can"

"you can watch her suffer"

They both laughed before slamming the door to her cell shut

As soon as they were gone tailmon opened her eyes

"oh tailmon" hikari hugged her gently "I'm so glad you're okay"

***

"now let me show you who I've caught wizarmon, and you can find the minds of any I have not" wizarmon nodded "search for human minds around this area" vamdemon commanded

wizarmon concentrated searching "none" he said finally

"if you're lying to me-"

"I'm not I checked througherly" vamdemon hit him

"and don't interrupt me"

"yes vamdemon-sama"

"you will make a good slave in the end won't you wizarmon, you're attributes suit this life style" vamdemon strode off, he was smiling enjoying watching the other digimon suffer and it was about to get a whole lot better.

"vamdemon-sama?"

"what do you want now?"

"can I see them please?"

vamdemon laughed slightly "of course that's what you want to do" he said half to himself "you will see them In good time"

"what do you mean by that?" said wizarmon alarmed

"figure it out yourself" said vamdemon turning away "if your good I'll let you take them food this evening" he added with a sneer

"thank you"

vamdemon laughed at the mage's sincerity

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