Disclaimer-I don't own Digimon, nor do I own the song, 'Close Your Eyes'.

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

Close Your Eyes

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

Kouichi sat unmoving, his breathing steady, the hilt of the sword in one hand, the D-Tector in another. His mouth only opened slightly to give way to a gentle exhale, but no words came out. Eyes were shut, and feet were crossed. His eyebrows were furrowed slightly, giving him a look of concentration.

"Busy?" someone asked, forcing Kouichi to open his eyes.

Seeing Kanaye, the first boy sighed. "Not exactly," he answered half-heartedly. Through the darkness, Kouichi could see a thin smile on Kanaye's lips. It struck him how human Kanaye looked like that. Human just didn't seem like something Kanaye could be.

Kanaye cleared his throat. With all the grace he possessed, he took a giant step forward and sat down beside Kouichi. "Something's on your mind. You know, Kimura, if I didn't know you so well, I'd say you were the one who was possessed, not your brother." A pause. "You've changed attitudes so many times, I'm not sure what's wrong with you," Kanaye remarked, face back to being cold and void of emotion.

A heavy sigh was held back in Kouichi's throat. The boy looked away from Kanaye and focused his gaze ahead. In a quiet voice, he admitted, "I guess something's on my mind, but I don't know what. I can't understand what. That's probably why I've been so edgy, but..."

"Kako?" Kanaye guessed. And of course, we can't forget Kouji, he reminded himself. Kouichi just looked at his shoes. Trying not to snort, Kanaye told the other boy, "I'm sure she's fine."

"The thing is...I'm more worried about her than Kouji," Kouichi said.

Kanaye suppressed a smile at this. "I can understand why. She gets herself in a lot of trouble."

"She gets herself out of trouble real well, too," Kouichi argued, though not as passionately as he might have done so months ago. "It's Kouji...he's in more trouble than she could ever be...or...I don't know." Letting out a frustrated sigh, Kouichi stood up. "I can't sleep."

"You're not trying," Kanaye said pointedly.

"I can't. I'm...going...alone," Kouichi said with difficulty, taking a step forward. "I can't stay here...I just can't."

No one's stopping you. Idiot. This is what Lucemon wants, Kanaye thought, biting the tip of his tongue. Kouichi slowly walked off, blanketed by darkness, leaving Kanaye alone. Letting out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding back, Kanaye allowed himself to lie down on the soft earth. "Maybe if they'd listened to me...none of us would be in this stupid mess," he muttered, disgusted.

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

Their surroundings were anything but colorful. He rather enjoyed the situation they were in (it made him feel reliable) however painful it was, but he had always imagined it would happen on a sunny day, surrounded by trees, sunlight...fresh air...and a Rai that was awake.

Hideki cringed under Rai's weight. When will she wake up? He lifted his chin up and looked ahead of him, but all he saw was dirt. "Rai...you can get off now," Hideki said, sounding slightly annoyed. He didn't even want to consider the prospect of rolling her off. If she woke up just as he did roll her off, she would be sure to kill him, and right now, more than ever, Hideki wanted to live.

"Rai?" he called out again, wondering how safe his spine was under her weight. "Rai...? Wake up."

"Shut up," came the answer in a muffled voice.

"YOU'RE AWAKE?" Hideki screamed, about to jump to his feet until he realized it was Rai he was dealing with.

"I said shut up. And don't move."

She's been awake this entire time...? No wait...that makes sense. She landed on top of me. After a few seconds of silence, Hideki asked, "So what's the big deal?"

"It's gone." With a heavy sigh, Rai rose to her feet and looked around. "Drimogemon's holes. Real brilliant, Hideki. We can't go up, we can't go down...we have to go around."

Hideki, now standing, brushed the dirt off himself. "Better here than dead," he retorted.

Angrily, Rai snapped, "We're as good as dead down here!"

He just snorted. "Says you."

"I don't have time for this. We have to find the children-"

"They aren't children, Rai. They're teenagers, perfectly capable of taking care of themselves," Hideki reasoned.

"And what about Kanaye? Can we trust him?" Rai turned around and pointed a finger at Hideki. "Do you honestly think they're capable of realizing whether or not Kanaye's tricking them or not?"

Surprised, Hideki took a step back and held up his hands. "Woah, where are you going? Kanaye...? I really doubt he knows how to pull our leg. He's a jerk, but he's not against us, Rai."

Rai's voice rose considerably as she shouted, "Then how did Duskmon find us? He was standing right where their wristbands were. They led him to us."

"They didn't have the digivices! Can you really blame them for wanting to protect themselves? What's safer? Human, or digimon?" Hideki drew a breath and then continued, "Besides, Ichiro only finished those yesterday night. It isn't their faul-"

"It doesn't matter!" Rai whirled around and stormed further into the hole. "You should have just stayed in Japan."

A scowl formed on Hideki's face. Instead of saying anything, he folded his arms across his chest and followed Rai, not saying a word. This continued until at last they reached a fork in their road, and Rai stopped in her tracks.

"Well?" Hideki said. A rude snort escaped him and he walked to the right fork. "Do you really want me to go back, then? I'll go back, Rai. Just say the word, and I'll go back." He turned around, revealing an intense gaze. "What will it be, then?"

Eyes focused on the ground, but could clearly see her fists shaking. Rai cursed aloud bitterly at this betrayal and looked up defiantly. "Shut up."

He watched in confusion and amusement as Rai walked past him into the left tunnel. What have I gotten myself into? And I thought Kouichi had it bad. A small snort was suppressed with no effort. Instead, Hideki burst out laughing as he ran after Rai.

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

"So if you were Kouji, Piximon...where would you shove Lobomon in your memories?" Kako asked, frowning at the three-way road ahead of them.

Kouji rolled his eyes. "Let's split up," he said.

Scowling, Kako replied, "If we do that, there's no way Piximon or yours truly would be able to open up any roads. This is your head, dummy." To add to her point, she rapped on Kouji's head with her knuckles, standing up on her tiptoes as she did. "Now," Kako said with haste, noticing the suppressed rage, "think about where you might have stuffed Lobomon."

All the anger escaped him with a deep sigh. Kouji took his time to observe the three streets in front of him. The one on the left, he knew very well. The other two were lost to aging. The bandana boy craned his neck, trying to get a better look. He was still uncertain when he pointed to the left street and said, "This one will lead to the train station. I think the right street is a hospital, and the middle one is...something else. Maybe an old house...or something I wanted to forget." Kouji made sure to mutter the last few words under his breath.

"Alright! To the train station!" Kako declared, taking a decisive step forward. Kouji held a hand out in front of her. Startled, Kako took small, stumbling steps back. "What?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Kouji said, voice barely audible, "I don't think so."

Kako tilted her head to the side. "Well why not?" she asked, turning to watch Piximon as the digimon came flying over to land on her head. Her gaze returned to Kouji, waiting expectantly.

His eyes focused on the ground, slowly rising to stare at the rightmost street. "Just...I just...it's instinct, okay? Listen, sit down, would you? I need to...I need to tell you something." God, why couldn't it be Izumi I was stuck with...or even Takuya? What's possessing me to tell her of all people? Kouji, tears being wept in his head, turned away from Kako and shivered.

"Hurry up!"

He jumped and turned around. Hesitantly, Kouji sat down and began, "See, Lobomon isn't in any way tied to the train station. Sure, that's where we entered the Digital World, but there's more to it than just those kind of connections. Thing is, Lobomon isn't just connected to the Digital World in my mind. Back in the Digital World, I..." A pink tinge appeared on his cheeks.

Scowling, Kako snapped, "Spit it out and let's be done."

Scowl was met with scowl. Reddening considerably, Kouji snapped, "Shut up! Back in the Digital World, after I met Kouichi, I began wondering about how our parents were before their divorce. I remember I said something about having two birthdays..."

She looked positively clueless. Piximon fluttered up from Kako's head. "Two birthdays? Why?" he asked curiously.

"Uh...the birthday when we were born and the one where we became digimon," said Kouji, reddening even more.

Kako and Piximon exchanged glances before bursting out into laughter. Two of a kind, Kouji thought, lips pressed tightly together to hold back the retort that was on his tongue. Instead, he waited until they were calm again. "Anyway, that brought back a few misplaced baby memories."

"'Baby memories'?" Kako repeated. "Kouji, really...you need to figure out how to-"

"Shut up. That's what they are: BABY memories. You have them too, don't you?" he asked, folding his arms and glaring, all red gone from his face. Kouji snorted when Kako shrugged. "One of them was of a hospital room. Either I died and I'm a ghost now-"

"Yep, I think that's-"

"Shut up, goddammit! Don't you know sarcasm when you hear it? No more interruptions." Kouji sent her a warning glance before continuing, "I figured it was the same hospital where Kouichi and I were born. I looked through all the photo albums in our house, because Dad hides all the pictures of Mom. Well, not exactly hides, but he just tries to forget about them. I found a few, looked the hospital up..." He stopped.

Piximon settled the ground, staff lying on the ground as he leaned forward in anticipation. Kako waited a few more seconds. "AND...?" she said aloud, startling Kouji out of his trance-like state.

"Oh...I visited the hospital. They demolished it, apparently," Kouji said quickly, shutting his eyes as he felt them glaze over again. "What really got me was how I saw Lobomon there. But it wasn't just Lobomon. Thing was, I saw everyone. The legendary warriors, Lucemon, Takuya and the others. I think even you and Kanaye's group there...I don't know. I blinked and everything disappeared."

You blink and of course it'll disappear if it's a hallucination, Kako thought, biting the tip of her tongue to stop the smart-aleck remark from coming out. "Okay, anything else?" she asked, noting the long pause.

Kouji nodded. His eyes opened. "Kouichi," he said, and then hesitated.

Kako nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Okay..."

"Shut up. Didn't I tell you not to interrupt?" asked Kouji, scowling.

Yeah, but just how many times have you told me to shut up? It's not my fault you keep spacing out. Puffing her cheeks out, Kako placed the pads of her thumb and index finger together, brought the fingers up to her mouth and pulled them across in a zipping motion.

Seeming amused, Kouji shook his head. With a sigh, he murmured, "He looked...sorry. That's besides the point. This isn't about Kouichi right now. We'll only get out if we find Lobomon." He rose to his feet quickly and brushed himself off.

"Hey! You're hiding something!" Kako exclaimed. A finger shot out towards him accusingly.

Kouji brushed the finger aside. "The right most street," he just said, and headed towards the said spot.

The girl's jaw dropped as she watched him walk off without another word. "The nerve," she muttered, storming after him with Piximon floating merrily beside her.

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

Kouichi was finding it harder to breath as he continued. Maybe I should have taken a nap, he thought, but quickly pushed it away. Kicking a pebble aside, Kouichi called out, "Duskmon! Where are you? Get over here, now!"

In truth, he couldn't be sure he was right. The swords were something, but it wasn't enough to prove him right. What if Duskmon just planned to lure him away from the others? What if he planned to destroy them, instead?

"No...Duskmon wouldn't do that, would he?" Kouichi whispered to himself.

Lowemon appeared, a shadow behind Kouichi. He regarded the boy, eyes filled with an almost cold emotion that was warm compared to the expression on his face. "Kouichi, do not doubt anything, but instead expect anything: We cannot be sure if Duskmon will abide by our rules."

"I know, but..." Desperately, Kouichi turned around, searching Lowemon for help. "...but why Kouji? Why couldn't he...just...take me again?"

"Because," Lowemon simply said, voice soft. A smile crept onto his features. "Kouichi, you can fight him now. Unfortunately, that's why he didn't possess you. Kouji was undergoing his own problems, easily susceptible to Duskmon's tactics. He had neither the will nor the training to push Duskmon out-"

"Kouji's got a lot of will!" Kouichi shouted angrily. He whirled around, glaring furiously at the digimon.

An irritated sigh escaped Lowemon. "That's not what I mean...I mean to say his will was considerably weakened by his own internal battle."

Kouichi fell silent. Guilty and embarrassed by the outburst, he turned back around. Several things to say popped into his head. Though he tried to say them all, the only word that came out of him was in a quiet voice. "Sorry," Kouichi whispered. "I just don't understand anymore. How am I supposed to protect them all if I don't understand anymore?"

A moment passed where all air escaped Kouichi, leaving him breathless for seconds. When at last he had his breath back, he leaned back against the dirt wall of the cave and sank to the floor, taking deep, measured breaths. "You think...maybe I should try all that meditating junk?" he asked weakly.

I think you should just breath. No more talking, Lowemon returned, disappearing physically.

A frown tugged on Kouichi's lips. Alright. Are you...?

Yes. I think you could take the break. Go to sleep. If Duskmon is abiding by his old code, he won't bother us for a while.

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

"Where's Kouichi?"

Kanaye shot a glare at the boy. "Figure it out yourself."

Angrily, Takuya took a step forward. "What are you saying...?" he growled. A few more steps and Takuya had advanced right in front of Kanaye.

Naoko started towards the two to prevent any bloodshed, but Fujitaka held her back. Instead, Izumi called out in a warning tone, "Takuya..."

"To the right!" Shinya shouted with a cackle.

Izumi's piercing glare turned to the younger Kanbara. "Shinya." Immediately, the boy fell silent.

Calmly, Kanaye replied, "He's Kouichi, goggle brain. What's Kouichi's flaw?"

The goggle boy was taken aback. He scratched the back of his head cluelessly, then shrugged. "I'm supposed to know...?" he asked.

IDIOT, Kanaye thought. The word was repeated several more times in his head. Through gritted teeth, he said, "Kouichi doesn't like getting others involved in what he thinks is his business." Some friend, not knowing his flaw. Now, to repay an overdue debt. He spun around on his heel. "Ritsuo. Fujitaka. Naoko." The three showed no sign of following, but merely hesitation.

"Kanaye! We're a team!" Takuya shouted, swinging a hand out.

Kanaye stopped. "No one's coming...?" he asked, turning his head to the side. "You're all a lot of idiots." An annoyed look appeared on his face as he turned back around to face them all. "Listen, goggle brain, tell me your priorities. Do you plan to get Kouichi first or go onto Lucemon?" he demanded.

A short moment passed where the look of conflict appeared on Takuya's face. "Straight to Lucemon! Kouichi can take care of himself, as much as I hate to say it," he replied solemnly.

"Then our paths are different. Tell me something else, goggle brain."

"What?"

A small smile appeared on Kanaye's face. "Do you ever skip important conversations or places in a video game?"

Taken aback by the question, Takuya fell silent, and his gaze fell to his feet. In his place, Shinya piped up, "Of course he does! Lots of times!"

"Do you ever not get characters?"

"Yeah!" Shinya answered again.

Takuya looked up, meeting Kanaye's eyes. "I see." Turning around, he grinned. "Change of plans! Let's go get Kouichi back!"

Idiots, Kanaye thought, turning around to hide his smile. "Then hurry up. He's had a great head start."

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

"Oh!" Kako gasped, looking around. "I know this place, I think..."

Kouji turned his head over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

Making a face, she ran to catch up to him. A furious nod was the answer. In a quiet voice, she told Kouji, "I got lost here."

A startled expression appeared on his face. Kouji stared at her in shock, and his foot accidentally scraped against a small rock, nearly causing him to trip. At the sudden sound, Kako jumped and clutched on tightly to Kouji's arm-probably the reason he didn't fall.

"L-let go," Kouji ordered, brushing her away. "When was that? When you were three?"

"S-six," Kako replied with a squeak.

Three, six, nineteen...no matter what, I bet she'll never change. Kouji scanned the street for any sign of the hospital. "I think...it's...just up ahead," he finally said, coming across a familiar looking antique shop.

"Gaaah! This is the place!" Kako squealed, now practically hugging Kouji.

Piximon, alerted by the noise, flew higher up into the air as Kouji came staggering by. "Let me go!" growled the bandana boy, red-faced and furious. "Kako! You aren't six anymore!"

Sniffling, Kako let his arm go and stared at Kouji with wide eyes. "But...I just realized...this shop..." She motioned to the antique shop. "Ogata ran it."

"You're joking."

"No. That's why he lied and said he was forty-something. See, it was a family business. He worked here when he was like...seventeen or eighteen or something like that. I know. My mom came here...every week...? Something like that..." Kako shivered and lowered her gaze to the ground. "She'd talk to him, and he'd always be scowling." She looked up and found Kouji in front of the store. "What are you doing...?" Kako asked, suddenly worried.

"I saw something," Kouji returned rudely. "Hurry up!" Piximon was waving urgently, too.

Not good...? Nervous, Kako ran after the two.

A figure emerged from the shadows as they entered the deserted shop. Eyes stared fixedly at them, unblinking. "Promises are meant to be kept," the figure whispered before slowly slinking back into the darkness.

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

He sat on the boulder, arms folded. In one hand, the white sword was gripped. The other hand was clenching and unclenching every few minutes. At last, he looked up, smiling smugly to himself. "Finally," he muttered, hopping off the rock and landing gracefully onto his feet just as the person he had been waiting for advanced closer.

"Duskmon," came the growl.

The smugness didn't disappear. "Where's Kouichi?"

A sigh of defeat escaped the digimon, and Lowemon de-digivolved, revealing an exhausted Kouichi. "Duskmon...let me fight you..." he mumbled, drawing out the sword. He leaned on it heavily, causing the tip of the blade to sink into the dirt. "...and if I win," the boy continued, "get out of Kouji, please."

But Kouji just laughed. "Kouichi, Kouichi...keep in mind who you are talking to. When have I been known to make such silly deals?" he laughed, pointing the sword at Kouichi.

In a quiet voice, Kouichi murmured something.

Kouji scowled. "What?" he asked, somewhat rudely.

"You won't accept because you're afraid I'll win," Kouichi repeated slightly louder.

A brief smile lit Kouji's face before twisting into a sneer. "I won't accept because it would be pointless. I'm already on my guard. You're too soft, Kouichi. Too kind..." Without warning, Kouji was in front of him, sword poised above his head. "You honestly hope to beat Lucemon like this?"

Their blades clashed, and Kouichi pushed his brother's body back. Trying to get a hold of his breath, he demanded, "What do you want with Kouji? Just leave him alone."

"But you see, Kouichi...that's precisely why I'm using Kouji. Put up your guard!" This last part was a furious command, as Kouichi had dropped his sword to one side, and thrown the D-Tector to the other side.

"Kouichi!" Lowemon appeared behind the boy. "What are you doing?"

Shaking his head, the boy just murmured, "I can't fight. I won't fight. You win. Are you happy?" He gazed up defiantly, meeting a pair of identical eyes. "I...I know the Digital World will disappear. I don't want it to. I'm trying to think, Duskmon, but there's too much. You, Kouji, Kako, Marise, everyone else...I can't multitask in my head. I'm not that bright. I need people, but I don't want to hurt them. Remember that poem...?"

"Refresh my memory," Kouji growled.

"So then the townsfolk smiled,
Returned to their work, leaving the child.
In the end, although he cried, cold, alone,
Darkness took him and showed him warmth," Kouichi recited, keeping a hold of his brother's gaze. "Sound familiar? After all, Duskmon, wouldn't that child be you?"

Silence fell between them, and the grip loosened around the sword in Kouji's hand, much to the older twin's relief. "I..." began Kouji, but a yell cut him off.

"Kouichi! Out of the way!" someone shouted. "Pyro darts!"

"Takuya...no!" Kouichi returned, turning around and wincing as the blasts of heat flew past him. He brought his arms up before his eyes to shield them from the flying gusts of dust.

The attacks just kept coming.

"Thunder fist!"

"Tempest twist!"

"Crystal freeze!"

"Dark Vapor."

"Leaf Cyclone."

"IDIOTS," came an annoyed voice. "I told you to follow him quietly, not attack when you see the enemy. Why won't anyone just listen to me?"

Kanaye, Kouichi thought, somewhat relieved. Dropping his arms to his side, he turned around and nodded at Kouji. "You...?" he asked softly. His hope was building, only fueled by the footsteps of his friends behind him.

But Kouji's hand tightened around the sword again. "I was that child, but I won't be, ever again!" A maniacal look appeared on his face. "Get your sword, Kouichi...! It's time to fight!"

Kouichi just swallowed. He looked over his shoulder, a helpless look on his face. Takuya was the only one who did anything, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Oops?" the goggle boy just said.

"Oops," Kouichi agreed, turning back around to collect his D-Tector and sword. "Oops."

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

"Kouji, please," Kako begged him, "just find Lobomon! We can come back again!" She had been pleading with him ever since he entered the shop she dreaded so much.

"I don't think so. Piximon, can you check the shelves? No, those shelves, over there," Kouji said to the digimon, pointing to the opposite side of the room.

The digimon did as he was told, fluttering over to the shelves and sitting on one of the platforms. "What are we looking for?" he asked curiously.

"Papers...books...something...anything that could tell us about Lucemon or his weaknesses. Anything about Chaos, too," Kouji murmured, preoccupied with searching himself.

Letting out a whimper, Kako shifted from one foot to another. "Please, Kouji!"

Kouji shut the book in his hand and placed it back in its respective spot. Scowling, he snapped, "Just a while longer!" He didn't bother to look up.

"No! I'm going outside NOW!" the girl shouted, stomping her foot down.

Shocked, Kouji turned to look at her, another book in his hand. A vase on the desk tilted from the waves of the stomp and rolled off and crashed to the floor. The entire room fell silent, with all eyes on the vase.

A curious look was plastered onto his face. Kouji walked over to where the vase had fallen and knelt down. "Those drawings," Kouji said softly, picking up a broken shard of the vase. "Lucemon...the symbols for the ten legendary spirits..." He looked up at Kako. "Does it have any more?"

She just let out another whimper. "Please," the girl tried again.

"Hey, up here!" Piximon called out.

Kouji was up on his feet in seconds and ran over to the pink digimon. "What is it?" he called out, and the two began to examine a book with the symbols of the ten legendary warriors arranged in a circle, with a picture of Lucemon in the middle. Around this circle, however, was a mass of dark purples, blacks, and grays.

I hate gray, Kouji thought, opening the book and staring at it blankly. He flipped through a few more pages, scowled, and then threw the book onto the floor. "Nothing," he spat, seeming disgusted. Then, he proceeded to head to the door. "Come on."

Hesitantly, Kako picked up the book at her feet. Letting out a shaky breath, she murmured, "Kouji...get back here..."

"What? The book is empty," Kouji declared, turning his head to see her.

"Not this page."

The bandana boy made a mad dash towards her, practically ripping the book out of her hands. Kako held on, slightly annoyed by the action. Piximon flew over and landed on Kako's head.

"'Chaos, by which I shall control all the gates, come to me now, come with me forever. Heed not the boundaries of light, nor the boundaries of darkness. Become one with both, for that is what you are.' How lame..." Kouji muttered, shoving the book towards Kako.

"Don't tell me you don't understand..."

"I don't understand."

"IDIOT!" Kako brought the book down on Kouji's head. When he let out a yelp and turned around, the girl explained, "Chaos is made of both light and darkness, right?" He nodded, and she continued, "Because of this, Chaos has no boundaries. It can surpass both darkness and light. Now, if you produce your own Chaos of equal amount..."

Kouji's eyes widened in surprise. "You don't mean..."

Kako smiled and nodded. As quickly as it came, the smile faded. "Unfortunately, Duskmon's in the equation," she muttered, frowning.

"I can take care of that."

Startled, the three looked up. Kako and Piximon hid behind Kouji, and the boy just blinked. "Duskmon...?" he murmured in surprise.

"No way! He's all...not gloomy!" Kako hissed.

The figure before them just frowned. "Promises are meant to be kept," he said, and a troubled look passed over his face.

Kako shot him a puzzled look and stepped out from behind Kouji. "Oh...?"

"I do not know."

"What?"

"Who I am. You were going to ask me, weren't you?" The figure tilted his head to the side. In looks, he was like Duskmon, save for the coloring. Instead of the gloomy black, red, and whatnot, he was wearing a white armor, with gold plates where Duskmon's eyes would have been. "I made a promise to someone," the digimon explained. "I don't know who..."

Kako and Kouji exchanged glances. Quickly, they turned their backs to the digimon and began a conversation in hushed tones.

"He's like an Anti-Duskmon," Kako whispered.

Kouji nodded. "Makes sense. Does that mean we can cancel Duskmon from the equation?" he inquired.

For a while, Kako thought hard. Shrugged, she said, "Maybe. But Kouji, if Anti-Duskmon is here..."

They both fell silent. Then, in unison, they cried, "HOLY LUCEMON!"

"Lucemon isn't holy," the Anti-Duskmon told them.

"No, no, no!" Kouji said quickly. "It's just...if you're like the Anti-Duskmon, then the Duskmon-Duskmon will be...the one possessing me...and...if you guys are separate...have you always been separate?" Panic was running through him. What Kouji was mostly worried about was what the Duskmon-Duskmon, as he had named the possessing digimon, was doing with his body.

Frowning, the Anti-Duskmon admitted, "I'm not sure..."

Kako pushed Kouji forward. "Hurry, hurry!"

"Sorry, Anti-Duskmon, we need to take you with us!" Kouji blurted, dragging the digimon along by the hand as he began to break into a run. He didn't need to look behind him to tell that Kako and Piximon weren't too far behind.

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

Hideki, tired of the ongoing silence, decided it was time to let loose the chain of questions in his head. "By the way," he asked Rai casually, "any idea where we're going?"

"Yes," she snapped, and said nothing more.

He paused, waiting a while before he asked the next question. It was all part of the game, and he was going to play by the rules. "Where are we going?" he asked, now sounding curious.

"To find the children."

Screw rules, Hideki thought, now smirking. "And they are where?"

"Somewhere."

"That's where, exactly? I'm sorry, I lost my map."

"Lost your brain with it, I see."

"Rai, you're lost, aren't you?" Hideki finally concluded, more serious than he had been in the past few minutes.

A pause. They arrived at a fork again. "N-no." The hesitation answered his question.

Hideki cleared his throat and pointed to the floor. "We've been in circles. Footprints, and they're our size. Let's go right this time."

"No," Rai said.

"We've already been to the left fork! Rai, let's go right."

Still, the answer was the same, old, firm, "No."

He couldn't take it anymore. Whether he loved her or not, he didn't want to end up going in endless circles. "You know what...?" Hideki said slowly, voice rising in volume, "Maybe I shouldn't have come in my dad's place." He sent a piercing glare in her direction. "I've had a lousy time, picking girls. Every single person I went out with, Kako hated. You know, the only one she liked was you. You know that. And I actually liked you, Rai. Look, I completely understand how you have a great crap of a commitment to your job, so fine. I won't care that you're dumping me because I'm supposed to die or crap like that, but I sure as hell won't let you ruin their lives! We're going right, whether you like it or not." Roughly, Hideki grabbed a hold of her arm and yanked her through the tunnel.

Rai was too surprised to do anything about it.

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

"Is this the place?" Kako asked, staring at the flat land before her in surprise.

Kouji nodded and pointed to the pile of rubble in front of them. "There," he murmured, stepping forward and gazing at the pile. "I just...don't know what to do."

Frowning, the girl rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully. Piximon struck a thinking pose in the air, and Anti-Duskmon stared at the rubble with his head tilted to the side curiously.

"Someone once told me," the digimon began, "that you must call up all of yourself in times where you are stuck and need help. You must bring yourself to a firm decision, put all your efforts to make this choice come true. Only you can help yourself."

The frown deepened on Kako's face. "Hey, who knew Duskmon was such a wise guy?" she muttered, amused.

Anti-Duskmon just shook his head. "It was not my other half, but someone else. A human, I believe," he said.

"Oh, in that case...wow, I never knew humans could be so smart!" the girl laughed.

"It's only you," Kouji muttered under his breath. Ignoring her indignant shout, he returned all attention to the pile of rubble. "Then...I want the hospital back...the way it was before it was torn down," he whispered softly, staring hard at the pile of rocks.

Kako and Piximon took a great gasp of air and held it, watching and waiting. Anti-Duskmon remained as silent as Kouichi, concentrating on the pile of rocks himself.

Seconds passed. Nothing happened.

Kouji released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "What now...?" he moaned, sinking to his knees.

"Get up. Do not lose hope so easily." A pause from Anti-Duskmon. "That human...also said that. Or did he...?"

Trying to keep the hopeful mood, Kako added, "He's right, Kouji. You never saw the hospital while it was constructed, right? All you remember was the room...? Try imagining the room, instead!"

"The room...?" Kouji whispered softly. "I don't remember it all that much." His eyes slipped shut and he fell onto his palms. "It had peach walls, I think. Or maybe it was just the light reflecting off the walls. I remember a table. I...remember Kouichi...just barely."

"Kou...ichi?" echoed Anti-Duskmon. "Who is he?"

"Kouji's twin," Kako murmured in a hushed voice. Kouichi...I wonder how he's doing. "Watch," she whispered, "and see how I can get him motivated." Aloud, she said, "Kouji, come on! Pull yourself together! What if you're just overlooking something?" A grumble escaped her lips when Kouji stayed where he was, unmoving. "You know, just kick aside the rubble," she commented, walking over and pushing aside a large block of cement the size of her hand, too afraid to try to kick it. "And I'm sure an egg will appear! Just like that one!" she declared, pointing to the pile.

"What egg...?" Kouji looked up, startled, then crawled over and pushed aside more blocks of cement. "Where?" he demanded, finding nothing.

Kako just shrugged. "It's called motivation, buddy."

"IT'S CALLED FALSE HOPE!" the boy retorted angrily. Rising to his feet, Kouji let out a curse and kicked something nearby. "I'm never listening to you again."

"So..." Kako paused and pressed her lips together. Hesitantly, she asked, "You won't believe me when I tell you that you just kicked Lobomon's egg?"

"The hell would I?" asked Kouji, obviously exasperated.

Again, Kako hesitated. "Believe me or kick the egg?" she asked slowly.

"Both!"

"Because...it's true and you did about over twenty seconds ago." Kako pointed to the egg that was rolling down the road. "Good job, now go get it!"

"I KICKED THE EGG?" Kouji screamed, dashing madly towards the egg.

Beaming, Kako turned to the two digimon. Laughing with her eyes shut, she told them aloud, "See? I told you he'd find it with a little motivation!" Kako opened her eyes, ready to say more, but discovered both digimon were already after Kouji. Grumbling, she thought, I miss the old Piximon.

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

Kouichi's eyes widened as he saw the blade swing towards him. It was expertly aimed, and was sure to have sent him flying back. And yet, all it did was dully slam against the flat of his own blade.

Well, technically both swords were his, but...

A yelp flew out past his lips at the feel of something against his leg. Kouichi could clearly hear the cloth being torn open by his shin, could clearly feel the blood ooze out and trickle slowly down. He ignored this, however, instead concentrating on watching his brother. Duskmon seemed to be holding back within, and for what reason, Kouichi was unsure of. It had been going on long enough, though. His stamina wasn't developed for such short, intense fights.

Not that it was developed much at all.

"What are you doing, Duskmon?" Kouichi finally snapped, swinging his blade in front of him. He had no desire to fight back; he was on permanent defense. "You could have beaten me minutes ago." The fight was wearing him down...and Kouji didn't look in any better shape. He was tired. He wanted it to end.

"Shut up!" Furiously, Kouji lashed the blade forward recklessly, and it slipped out of his hand to fly harmlessly in front of Shinya.

The younger Kanbara quickly cackled as he picked it up. "Cool!" exclaimed Shinya, examining the blade with awe.

Takuya just grumbled. To Kanaye, he said, "Are they done yet? I really want to just kick his-"

"No, no, and no," Kanaye snapped. "Now watch."

Kouichi stood there, watching his brother, watching Duskmon. It was almost hard to believe they were different people. "Duskmon, what are you doing?" Kouichi asked in a quiet voice, walking up to his twin, who had fallen onto his knees in defeat. "I don't see what you want."

But Kouji, instead of answering, looked up and murmured, "You learned well..." A smile appeared on his face with great difficulty. "Marise taught you well..."

After a few seconds, Kouichi corrected, "Not just Marise. Everyone. Including you, Duskmon. Now please, Duskmon..." He stopped here, unsure of what to ask for. If Duskmon left Kouji, he would be gone forever. If he stayed, there would probably be no chance of seeing Kouji again. No matter what, it would be a lose/lose situation to him.

He was being selfish again.

He had been helpless for the past few hours, and he was just as helpless as before. Kouichi turned around, searching the faces of his friends for any sign of help. They all smiled encouragingly at him. He could even find a slight smile on Kanaye's face, however small it was. Kanaye nodded, as if telling him it was all right to do what he was about to do.

He wasn't sure what he wanted to do.

Swallowing, Kouichi walked over to his brother's body and kneeled down. "Duskmon...will you please..." he began again.

A soft light illuminated the cave, practically blinding them all. Kouichi tried to resituate his eyes to the light as quick as possible, and succeeded just in time to see Kouji's body float into the air and separate. At least, he could only explain it as separating. There were two Kouji's, and one was slowly changing shape. Both shone brightly for a few seconds, and all returned to normal.

Kouichi swallowed. "Kouji...?" he called out softly, holding out a hand and trying to feel his way through the darkness. Seconds passed, and his eyes adjusted to the dark of the room. On the floor lay Kouji, groaning, with something white in his hand. On his back sat Kako, staring around in confusion, and beside her floated a familiar pink digimon. "K-Kako...?" the boy choked in surprise.

"Kouichi? Huh! Hey, where are you? I've got a few bones to pick with you...maybe hairs if you're lucky. And where's Duskmon? Or...Anti-Duskmon, rather?" she called out.

"KAKO GET OFF OF ME!"

The girl snorted and looked around. "What?" she asked, staring below and seeing Kouji's jacket. "OH..." Quickly, Kako scrambled to her feet and offered a hand to Kouji. "Sorry."

Kouji accepted the hand and, with Kako's help, stood up on both feet, feeling slightly dizzy. "Uh...where's Anti-Duskmon?" he murmured. The bandana boy didn't notice the egg that was rolling around beside his feet.

"Anti...Anti-Duskmon?" Kouichi echoed. Feeling incredibly uninformed, he walked up to his brother. "What happened...?"

"Right...uh...damn, I can't see anything!" Kouji muttered, pointing his finger out in front of him. "Kako, where is he?"

"Which 'he' are you talking about?" Kako snapped with a scowl.

Kouichi pushed his twin's finger aside as it came to point at him. A restless feeling bubbled up from the pit of his stomach. Before any thought came into his head, Kouichi screamed, "Someone please tell me what's going on!"

The entire cave fell silent, save for the sound of someone scratching their shoe on the ground. Kouichi saw Piximon float onto Kako's head.

"Uh...let's start with Piximon! Kouichi, meet Piximon the annoying," Kako said, laughing nervously as she pointed up at the digimon on her head. Not seeing any emotion flicker on Kouichi's face, she stopped laughing and her gaze fell to the ground.

The twins exchanged calm looks, eyes locked. "You..." Kouji began, hands clenching into fists.

Kouichi struck first, punching his brother's jaw. "IDIOT!" he snapped, glaring murderously at the bandana boy. "You have a lot of explaining! What if I had to kill you? What would I say to Mom, then? 'Sorry, Mom, I couldn't do anything but kill Kouji. Oh, yeah, and the world is going to end in a few hours because Lucemon took over. Feel free to kill me whenever!' What happened to that promise you made?" The older twin hovered over his fallen brother, still glaring.

"Promise..." Kouji started, looking up at Kako. "Hey...Anti-Duskmon said...he said something about promises, right?"

Nodding, Kako recited, "'Promises are made to be kept.' That's pretty true, I guess..." She shrugged. "But probably only 0.1 of the promises made are kept in the world."

"Start explaining, or I'll tell Mom you died after personally killing you myself!" Kouichi snapped. "Who is Anti-Duskmon?"

"Kouichi, you know everyone is staring at you, right?"

"I know that! They can feel free to help me! Except..." Kouichi turned around to meet the blank stares of his friends. "Shinya has the sword, so we should probably take care of that first..."

"Done!" Takuya shouted, waving the sword in the air side to side. Due to this, a circle of at least two yards in radius was made around him.

"Put the sword down!" Izumi barked, pushing Shinya in front of her.

The younger of the Kanbaras was grinning. Seeing this, Takuya sent a glare at Izumi and placed the sword on the ground before running over to Kouji. "Boy, you missed a great fight," the goggle boy remarked, just grinning as Kouji grumbled and stood up. "Never knew you could put up a great fight."

"Yeah, yeah, but where's Anti-Duskmon? Or Duskmon?" Kouji muttered, rubbing his jaw and looking around the dirt cave. "Where's...wait...is that Kanaye?" Kouji asked, half-growling.

"Just shut up and tell me what happened!" Kouichi returned, grabbing his brother by the lapels of his jacket.

Kouji followed, only grabbing Kouichi by the collar of his shirt. "No, you just shut up and tell me what happened!"

"Both of you shut up and tell us what happened," Kanaye snapped. The twins turned their heads in surprise before Kako pushed them apart. Eyes shut, Kanaye muttered, "I believe Kouji should start, as events happened to him first."

Still glaring at Kanaye, Kouji crossed his arms and let out a snort. "Yeah, I'm so sure. I bet you're just ready to turn tail and run while we fight Lucemon."

"Kouji, just tell them," Kako hissed, kicking the bandana boy's shin.

Through gritted teeth, Kouji began, "I got stuck in my own head. Some trick Duskmon used to take over my body and keep me in. So I tried looking for a way out, found my D-Tector, Piximon, Kako, and Anti-Duskmon, who isn't here. Your story?" His eyes were mainly focused on Kanaye.

Naoko answered instead. "Big mumble of nothing, if you get my meaning. We split up, secured the three points of the Area, which we're in, and headed to the center. Then we met up with you-or...Duskmon, rather, and Hideki shoved us in one of the Drimogemon holes."

"And I got stuck talking to Duskmon, who then decided to play a very nice joke on me and sent me into Kouji's horrible head. How many lectures did we go through? Not only that, but I got told to shut up about eighty times," Kako grumbled.

"True...what about you, Kouichi?"

"I...am...beat. Dead tired. Over five minutes of serious fighting with Duskmon, and I still don't understand what's going on. Who's Anti-Duskmon, and where's Duskmon? He wouldn't just disappear..." Kouichi looked around the cave with a sigh. "I wanted to talk to him..."

"Um...about that, Kouichi," Kako said quickly.

He turned to her and immediately frowned, seeing the downcast look on her face. "Yeah...?"

Nervously, Kako mumbled, "I think Anti-Duskmon...well...oh, let me start from the beginning." She drew a breath and said in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, "You see...we found this book...and I'm not sure how it could be there if Kouji never saw it, but it was there. It was a pretty smart book, in the sense that it had a lot of stuff about Chaos and...well, we...or I...came to the conclusion that..." She sent a look at Kouji, unable to continue.

"Chaos is made out of both darkness and light. If you can create Chaos greater than that..." Kouji trailed off and took his D-Tector out of his pocket. "We can get rid of Chaos, and maybe even Lucemon." He looked up, watched as his brother walked to the fallen sword and picked it up. "Two swords...?" asked Kouji, raising an eyebrow.

Kouichi nodded. One sword was in each hand. "Light," Kouichi murmured, tossing the white sword to his brother. "And dark. Duskmon was right. It fits," he whispered softly.

Kouji caught the sword and brought it to his side with ease. "Duskmon..." he muttered, staring at the screen of his D-Tector.

Quickly storing his sword back in his D-Tector, Kouichi asked Kanaye, "Where to now?"

"First take care of Duskmon," replied Kanaye, returning Kouichi's blank look with an equally blank stare of his own.

Shocked gasps cut the silence. "What?" Kouichi asked dumbly.

"Take care of Duskmon. Everyone else can come with me. We'll wait," Kanaye said, just shrugging as he turned around and walked off.

The others followed, too. Naoko and Fujitaka had to drag Ritsuo, who had teamed up with Junpei to spy on Kouichi. In the meantime, Kouji was dragging Takuya who was dragging Shinya, who was trying to snatch Kouichi's D-Tector and withdraw the sword. The others went too, however reluctantly. In the end, Kako was the only one still in the room, staring thoughtfully at Kouichi.

"You know," the girl began, "if there's one thing to remember, it's..." Kako hesitated momentarily, before a small smile broke out on her face. "Promises...really are made to be kept."

Kouichi opened his mouth to say something, but she was already running to find Kanaye and the others. Troubled, Kouichi looked around the empty dirt room. "Duskmon...?" he murmured aloud. His heart had never felt heavier, and if it had, he couldn't be sure when. A pained expression crossed Kouichi's face and his eyes fell to the ground. "He's not gone...is he?"

"Hardly. He's right in front of you."

Startled, Kouichi looked up, finding Duskmon right in front of him. Behind the digimon, there was another...same height, same build, but different colors. "That's...Anti-Duskmon?" he guessed, forcing a smile.

Duskmon just shrugged. "My shadow."

"Shadow?" Puzzled, Kouichi lifted a finger, pointing from one digimon to the other. "But...you're...and he's...how...?"

"It's just that way. What's the shadow of darkness, Kouichi? What's the shadow of light?" Duskmon smirked, seeing an understanding look on Kouichi's face. "Exactly." A pause. "You see, I'm not meant to be."

Kouichi kept silent. Of course. Just...the corrupt form of Lowemon, he thought to himself, lowering his eyes to the ground.

"Look up and face it, Kouichi."

"And why should I?" the boy demanded angrily, meeting the digimon's eyes. "I don't care if you aren't meant to be, I don't care if you shouldn't exist! Thing is, you do right now, and that's what matters! Why can't...why...why do we have to go so far as to destroy a world for our safety? I'd...rather be destroyed."

"Would you rather be tormented with the knowledge that countless other worlds are suffering because you simply refuse to destroy one world? Are you going to destroy one or all? Sometimes, Kouichi, there is no choice. Sometimes, we'll be forced onto a new turf. Sometimes, we'll be stuck in the dark," Duskmon hissed, red eyes narrowing on the boy. "Sometimes, all we can do is hope."

"I'm sick of hope."

'Doushite matteru no?
Oreta hane no you ni
Zutto hiza wo kakaete
Tsurai omoi nara naze...naze...'

"Isn't it a common human belief that when one close to you dies...or leaves...they're always in your heart?" Duskmon asked, seeming pained to mention such emotion. Kouichi just looked up, surprised Duskmon would ever mention such.

'Toki wa modora nai
Hontou wa wakatteru
Urei no KYANDORU wa
Mou kiete shimatta no
Itami dake wo mitsume naide'

"But...but that isn't true," Kouichi murmured. "Sometimes...sometimes it's more. I don't...after...I don't want to regret anything anymore! Why are you doing this?" he cried out, glaring at the digimon, wishing he was home, wishing he had never been to the Digital World, wishing he had just had a normal family.

A snort escaped Duskmon. This time, Anti-Duskmon spoke up softly, and it was hard to hear, as his back was turned to Kouichi. "Even in darkness, you are able to see, because there is a light. You cannot let anger and pain blind you, or you will never see that light. There is always a way out," he said.

'Close your eyes nemutte
Konya wa soba ni iru
Kitto yume no naka ni sagashite ita
Hikari ga aru...for you'

"You realize time will just go on. You will have to let go. It's best if you do so now," the digimon murmured, turning around.

"Memories are more than just memories. You live through them, Duskmon!"

"And with age comes corruption of those memories. Live for the future. Correct it for the past. Promise me that, and I'll be at peace." Duskmon turned to his shadow and nodded.

'Towa ni surechigau
Omoide to ikite yuku no?
Sou kiri no you na hibi wo furikaeru yori
Ima wa tsugi no DOA wo ake you'

Kouichi just watched as the two disappeared, fading forever from reality. The puzzle he had thought he put together so long ago in his head was ruined. He was missing pieces, pieces lost in the past. Over half the pieces were ruined somehow...cut up, burned, shredded, covered with false lies. It was too large for him to handle alone. He didn't want to handle it alone.

It was a burden he didn't want. He had friends, though, didn't he? But to burden them...he couldn't do that. Kouichi swallowed, and slowly turned to make his way to where everyone else was waiting. He couldn't cry now, he couldn't be weak. He had to be strong. He had promised to keep everyone safe. What had Kako told him? "Promises are meant to be kept," Kouichi whispered to himself. Meant to be kept...

He regarded everyone with dull eyes, unsure of what to say, unsure of what to do. Duskmon had told him to live for the future. Kouichi wanted the past.

Let go...? Kouichi felt himself take a seat on the floor, eyes void of any emotion. Start anew...

"Is he...okay?" asked Shinya suddenly, breaking the awkward silence.

Kouji just nodded. "He'll be fine. Believe me," the younger twin declared in a tone that ended all argument.

His eyes slipped shut. His head rested against the dirt wall. He was breathing, he was alive.

Duskmon wasn't meant to exist. Yet he did exist, he had existed, and he still existed in Kouichi's memories. Memories that, as Duskmon had said, would grow corrupt. Memories that would be lost to time.

"Kouichi..." Kako sat down beside the boy, staring at him calmly. "He's gone for good...?" she whispered.

It wouldn't end. Why won't it end? Kouichi winced.

'Close your eyes itsudemo
Watashi ga soba ni iru
Nagai nagai yoru mo itsuka akeru
Dakara
Say goodbye to yesterday
Hajimari wo mitsuke you
Kitto yume no hate ni asa wo tsugeru
Hikari ga aru'

And yet...his friends were with him. Duskmon was gone, but Duskmon had been correct. He had to live...for the future. And if not the future, for his friends.

"It...wouldn't be fair, huh?" Kouichi murmured aloud, relief flooding through him at the confused sounds from everyone around him.

They were with him.

'Subete wo terasu ooki na ai
Moshi mie nai nara
Kitto ima wa
Kizuite nai dake'

He couldn't let them down.

His eyes opened, and a soft smile formed on his lips. "Thank you, everyone," Kouichi murmured, suddenly feeling tired and awake at the same time. He was finally understanding.

'Close your eyes itsudemo
Suteki na yume wo mite
Nagai nagai yoru wa yagate akeru
Dakara
Say goodbye to yesterday
Hajimari wo mitsuke you
Kitto mezameru toki
Mune no naka ni michiru hikari...for you'

He would start again.

Kouichi rose to his feet. "Well, where to now?"

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

A/N-

Sorry for attempted chapter. But YES for Summer! I'll start working on the story more often, hopefully. But I miss some of my teachers…

You can google up 'Close Your Eyes' lyrics or just google up Cherryblossom Garden, go to Artists, locate .melody, and get the lyrics through that. It's a really pretty song. Thanks to Pekkle for that.

I'm behind! Gah…! Thanks for the review- GemmaniGirl

Review or PM or Flame.