Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Summary: After Metal Greymon defeated Etemon. Taichi was pulled into a dimensional hole and transported back to earth. But what if that wasn't what happened, what if the hole stranded him in a completely new world.

--
Altered Fate.
Part VIII.
--

Taichi Here, last time we finally defeated Santiramon, despite of her claims of having more servants to fight for her, she was completely alone when we found her.

Anyway, after kicking her butt, this weird digimon showed up and brought me back to what looked like my home world, only it was overrun by darkness and completely destroyed, yet he still told me that I could prevent this, if I could just overcome my destiny, or at least I think that's what he meant.

While I was having this talk, Majiramon launched an attack and badly beat Bastemon reverting her into Plotmon, but no matter, I'll fight against anyone I have to, to save both of the digital worlds and earth if I must.

Oh yeah, I got to save Taiko from Majiramon, seems she got kidnapped by him.

Which reminds me, why do the bad guys keep going after the girls?

--

Lighting flashed across the sly as Majiramon tore through the hole in the clouds, his eyes narrowing as he watched the Dark network suspended between the floating war ships. "At long last, the will of my lord shall be carried out." Held as carefully in his hands as he could, Majiramon cradled Taiko. "Your power shall lead the darkness to this world, for its final battle."

On the deck of the lead ship, Makuramon breathed out in relief as he watched the only remaining member of the devas besides himself approaching. "At long last, salvation lies ahead."

Far below, and within the dark network's mess of wires and machine parts, Etemon grunted to himself as he settled in next to a small, but highly important component of his little creation. "Just you wait, when the times come, I'll tear your little plan apart, right here at the heart of it."

Chuckling as he leaned back, Etemon continued his waiting, cursing himself silently, for letting his anger and hate of the humans blind him to such an obvious lie, to not really expect someone to agree to help him, without demanding a far grater price then what they had really mentioned.

--

Looking upwards, Taichi grumbled loudly as he found the first and biggest flaw in his plan, one that was big enough to prevent it from taking place at all. "Okay, Agumon, I know this much to ask, but we need you to evolve back into Metal-Greymon, and."

The look he was getting from his partner digimon enough to earn a sigh from him. "Okay, scratch one way to get up there, so that leaves only, well, walking." Glancing over at Plotmon, a few seconds passed before Taichi shook his head. "Never mind, so, anyone here has an idea?"

"I do." The rather cold and hateful vice spoke as a lone figure emerged from the forest, black feathered wings spreading out dramatically as the sound of swords getting drawn were heard. "You can start by dying, chosen one of courage." The left sword pointed forward as Karatenmon's face became visible. "In Lord Hikaru's name, your death shall be painful child."

Giving his best annoyed glare, Taichi turned fully around to face down this possessed digimon, now controlled by that Hikari wanna be loser of a pain in the butt, Hikaru. "Okay, one, this is not the best time, and two, I am not his brother!" Grabbing his digivice, Taichi held it out before him, sparing a quick look over at Agumon who gave a short nod back at him as he stepped forward. "Three, we do not have time to give you the beating you deserve, so."

Turning around on the spot, Taichi tore Plotmon up from the ground in one move. "We'll run away for now!" Agumon firing off a rapid succession of fireballs, hoping to covered their retreat, barely managed to follow it as Karatenmon took flight, his swords gleaming as he flew up over them.

The demon man digimon merely licked his lips as he flew forward, one sword starting to glow as he closed in on Taichi and the two digimons, the boy barely out of the clearing. "Boy, I will kill you, and eat your partner's data!" His hand closing down, only to stop as a flash of light intercepted him, plowing him backwards roughly. "What the hell?"

Landing on the side of a tree, Karatenmon watched intently as the light stopped growing, forming into a orange ball of light rather then a white one, his dark gear shuddering at the presence of it, the darkness around his mind fading a bit as he lowered himself back down onto the ground. "This power, I have sensed it before, but where?"

Sliding to a halt, Taichi froze as he found himself trapped inside the light itself, his eyes darting to and from as he struggled to find an escape from it. "When will I get a break from this stupid world, when?" The last word almost a squeak as the light shifted into what seemed to be liquid fire, flakes of it nearly reaching him. "Who is it this time huh, Majiramon, that angel digimon or the rabbit like one, Wisemon again, Hikaru or some new evil?"

"I am flattered that you remember my name." Wisemon stated as he hovered before the two digimons and Taichi, the light fading away around them to reveal Karatenmon standing battle ready. "The time for you to face this evil is not now; your presence is needed to prevent the outsiders from winning."

Wisemon's body shimmered as he moved to face down Karatenmon, the birdman like digimon shooting him a dark glare. "For once, I shall break my vow and directly intervene in this war." Waving a hand through the air, the hooded digimon gave off the impression of smiling as light flared up around him. "Go child; find what you need to fight off this very darkness."

Stumbling back as light engulfed them again, a sick feeling washed through Taichi, Agumon and Plotmon as the world faded away around them.

Resuming his stoic glare, Wisemon stood defiantly before Karatenmon. "Well, shall we fight?"

Karatenmon's only answer coming in the form of a war cry, followed by his swords flashing through the air.

--

"I hate this world."

The words were spoken very easily by Taichi as he stopped throwing up his last meal, his eyes flashing with anger as he stood up in the cold wind blowing around him. "I could have been at home, with my friends in the digital world of my reality, but no, i get to be stuck here, kicked around like a freaking soccer ball by digimons I don't even know."

Agumon merely kept silent as Taichi raved, his green eyes scanning the hill tops around them, and the signs of struggled having taken place sometime ago. "Where the heck are we anyway?" His attention turned towards the Stonehenge like structure dotting the landscape around them, along with the nine massive grey blocks behind them. "You'd think he could have sent us to a better place then this one."

Moving past him, Plotmon sniffed the ground softly, sneezing a bit as he moved past a patch of dead grass. "It doesn't feel right here, like the darkness thrives more in this place then anywhere else on this world." Tilting her head to the side, she watched as Taichi calmed down, his insults having grown a bit mellower. "Hey, think you can get around doing something useful now? You haven't forgotten about it have you, Taiko's still kidnapped by those jerks."

Turning to glance at the puppy digimon, Taichi let out one deep sigh as he cracked his neck. "Yeah, yeah." Much as he didn't like to admit it, it was no time to be

Regarding a nearby stone block, he frowned as he kept staring, finally walking closer to it to, he ran one hand across its surface cautiously as he walked around to the view it from the other side. "Hey, this one got the crest of friendship on it, and over there is the crest of Sincerity."

Agumon gave off a loud gasp of surprise as he found the crest of Courage and Reliability. "You think this is the crests of this world Taichi?" The orange digimon looked over his shoulder, and froze as he found Taichi staring long and hard at two crest signs even he had never seen before. "What are those two?"

Plotmon walking forward slowly, stopped as she looked up at the crest before her. "This one is the crest of light, and that must be the one Ken has, the crest of Kindness."

Sitting down, Taichi ran hand through his hair, the last few days worth of events finally catching up to him, the whole thing with Holy Angemon, Wisemon, Hikaru, Majiramon, Vajiramon and Santiramon causing him to drop down onto his back completely. "Damn, I wish the others were here, at least that way, it wouldn't all be on my shoulder."

Plotmon looked over her shoulder at him as he spoke. "True, but this time you'll have to pull through, without Taiko, I can't evolve." Her body slumped a bit as she thought about her lost partner. "You can save her, can't you?"

"Of course he can." Agumon added in as he turned away from staring at the crest of Sincerity. "He saved Sora from Nanomon and gave me the strength to stop Etemon."

Taichi's loud sigh cutting through his partner's rant, the pressure of the last few days finally reaching him, causing his voice to rise a bit up towards the level of anger. "Yeah well, if it hadn't been for Koushiro and Joe, I wouldn't have been able to do it, Izzy helped me see how foolish I was, and Joe helped me overcome my fear."

"Without the support of my friends, I don't think I would have lasted long against even Orgemon, or Frigimon." Staring up at the clouds above him, He suppressed a small shudder as he thought about everything he had encountered, all the times he had been given help and support from his team, his friends. "I could really use some ideas from them right now, or even some of Mimi's home cooking."

Agumon's eyes narrowing as his stomach growled. "Taichi, don't mention food, I'm hungry enough as it is."

Plotmon having dropped down to lying on the ground planted her head of her front paws. "We all are, not to mention we haven't had much time to rest since escape that city either."

Looking over at his partner and Plotmon, Taichi grunted as he reached down to his left pocket, digging around it before pulling out a bruised handful of berries and a used piece of gum. "Sorry, but this all we got right now, remember, we didn't have to time to find food after entering the forest."

Spotting the food, or lack there of Agumon dropped down onto his belly. "I'll de evolve into Koromon again if I don't get a meal soon."

"What about me?" Plotmon spat out as she glared at the reptile digimon. "I just got my butt kicked, became a child level digimon and lost my partner."

Looking a both Plotmon and Agumon with the tired expression of far to much stress, the messy haired glance down at the berries, picking off the gum, he sighed and stood up. "If you promise to stop fighting, you two can have my share as well, at least that way, you can be ready for battle if we're attack again."

Dropping an even number before them, the child of courage did his best not to feel sick from seeing the two digimons wolf down the food in a split second. "Geez, at least chew before you swallow." His eyes going from one of them to the other, before he stopped, the feeling of someone glaring at him enough to make him spin around on the spot, ready to fight or flee if need be.

Only to stop as all he saw was a small fireball like digimon staring at him. "You're rather different now you know." The candle opening to reveal a row of teeth as it spoke. "The Taichi I knew would have kicked his partner for being weak."

"He'd never do that to me!" Agumon spat out in anger, along with a half eaten berry as he glared at the candle like digimon facing them both down. "Who are you anyway?" His green eyes narrowing in suspicion as he stood up. "Are you out to kill him as well?"

The fireball like digimon giggling as it floated upwards gently, before glowing brightly as it circled around Taichi, staring at him and ignoring Agumon's protests. "You don't feel like him either, nor do you dress like him, what happed to your goggles, they used to be far cooler?"

Doing a quick loop to avoid Agumon's claws swiping at him, the fireball digimon hovered up before Taichi's nose, and simply looked the boy into his eyes. "You don't recognize me do you?" Glowing a bit brighter, it gave off the feeling of being insulted as it flew back a bit, turning it's back on Tai. "How could you forget me, the partner digimon of your only friend among the chosen children?"

"The one you abandoned to satisfy your own pride." The fireball like digimon spat out as it flew closer to Tai, burning a bit brought. "Why I have half a mind to."

The rest of the sentence lost as Taichi's head dropped down. "Okay, first off, I am not the one you knew, two, I am not from this world, three, I do not have time to pick up another enemy."

Watching him for a second, the fireball digimon hovered silently before it faded away, the only trace of it's presence a faint flicker in the air, a flicker that shattered and revealed a just as big digimon, but one that both Taichi and Agumon recognized on the spot. "Piccolomon?"

The fairy digimon smiling as it hovered before them. "Yup, it's me, the great Piccolomon, guardian of the graveyard of the crests." Giving a proud grin as he spoke, the smaller fluff ball like digimon with insect wings focused intensely on Taichi, his small staff held out before him. "And you must be the one I felt breaking through the barrier." Voice cold and harsh, the perfect stage digimon hovered closer to them. "Now tell me what you're doing here child? And leave nothing out of it."

Moving back a bit to avoid the rather, angry looking digimon, Taichi felt Agumon move in beside shim, ready to defend if need be. "Well, you know, Wisemon zapped us and we ended..."

Piccolomon narrowed his eyes further as he cut off their answer with a quick swipe of his staff, sending Taichi tumbling backwards from shock. "You spoke with the mad digimon, he who claims to know the future?"

Casting a quick look over at Agumon, then at Plotmon, the fairy digimon sighed as he landed on the ground. "I haven't heard from him in years." Staring hard at the human boy, he let out a small chuckle. "Must have been shocking to you that there is far more perfect stage digimons around then there should be."

Pushing himself up, Taichi glanced right at the tip of the staff. "You know, it would be nice if I could get a straight answer for once, so far I've met Holy Angemon, Karatenmon, Wisemon and three devas, and none of them gave me a straight answer, well, except Santiramon, who says they want to summon some digimon called Milleniumon to this world."

"More darkness no doubt." The small digimon mused out as he landed on the ground. "I guess Wisemon told you his version of the prophecy?"

Piccolomon barely stopped to hear the answer from neither Taichi nor Agumon. "Two stars, lots of blood, deaths of both humans and digimons, fours lights and a great power, lords of chaos to put it shortly." Leveling his most serious front as he finished his rapid recap, Piccolomon nodded shortly. "Wisemon was the one, who received this message, but he misread it completely, the darkness is already here, and the lords of chaos are merely waiting for the time to purify this world of darkness."

"Purify?" All three members of his captive audience breathed out in a badly done sync.

"The lords of chaos were born from part of Chronomon's last wish, his desire to end the endless cycle of war and suffering, to bring peace to the world brought those monsters into life."

"Each of them took on the appearance of the strongest digimons who fought either with or against Chronomon. Yet despite his desire to end war and suffering no matter what, Chronomon held them back, knowing that there could be one last thing to try before everything should be purified."

"The Lords of chaos sleeps with Chronomon within the core of Refugia, each of them holding together this small world and providing the few remaining uncorrupted or non-enslaved digimons with a hiding place."

"So we spend out days, endlessly waiting for either Chronomon to lose patience, or someone to defeat the darkness."

Lowering his staff as he finished his talk, Piccolomon breathed out deeply. "Now, you said these devas wanted to summoned someone, most likely an evil digimon who more darkness." The Fairy digimon added in as tapped one finger against the ground before him. "If what you say is true, the arrival of this Milleniumon will most likely push Chronomon's despair over the edge and the lords of chaos will awaken, their mission to cleanse this world of all evil."

"And that would be bad because?" Plotmon added in as she settled down on the ground, her head resting on her forelegs once more. "If they purify this world, the darkness will be gone and everything will be fine right?"

Merely rising an eyebrow at first, Piccolomon respond secondly by bonking Plotmon over her head with his staff. "The way they'll purify this world, is not the way you think so, the lords of chaos were born from Chronomon's wish to end all fighting, and so they will, by killing off every single digimon."

Plotmon merely blinked as she scratched her head. "That makes no sense, how will killing off everyone grant Chronomon's wish?"

Hovering sage like before the pup like digimon, Piccolomon nodded his head. "I thought so too, until I went over it one more time, I don't think its fighting that Chronomon wanted to remove, but rather all the darkness present within the digital world itself."

From his place, Taichi suppressed a yawn as he did his best to listen in on the, in his not so humble opinion rather boring conversation/monologue, Still, the last part got to him a she looked up, some long time ago explained Buddhist religion coming back to him. "Hold on, destroy all the darkness, but, that would mean he'd have to kill everyone including himself, all living things have both light and darkness within them, light can't exist without darkness and the other way around."

"Or something like that." The messy haired boy added in a second later as he scratched his head, confusion clear on his face as he thought even harder about it. "Wait, I thought Chronomon were a savior to all digimons, not a destroyer?"

Piccolomon shook his in a sad manner as he settled down before them. "Yes, but Chronomon can be both a savior and a destroyer, that is the burden of this divine digimon." His mouth becoming a thin line as he looked away from Taichi, giving off the impression that he was hiding something from the messy haired boy.

Shaking his head as he decided to ignore it, Taichi grunted as he lifted his gaze upward, studying the clouds far above them. "Well, none of it will matter if we save Taiko; I'm guessing they need her to open their gate."

The small fairy digimon before him turned back around to add in some more to the conversation, when a faint rumble from above reached them, a heavy wind suddenly kicking up with the cloud shield itself as the normally calm layer of clouds began to heave and crest much like a ocean would in a storm.

Recovering from the wind blast, Taichi turned to see Piccolomon hovering before them once more, his staff held out before him as he gave his best go happy smile. "Child, despite of the past and its lost promises, I fear I have to relay on you once more, you and your friends"

Watching him calmly, all three of them stood up, ready and willing to fight to the very end, not just to save Taiko and the digital world, but to prove that Piccolomon had been right to trust them with this.

Only to have the entire moment ruined by the most unexpected thing yet, the sky lighting up as a purple light beam lanced down from the heaven, impacting Plotmon perfectly, bathing the puppy like digimon in a bubble of power that sent Taichi and Agumon flying off in different directions.

The harsh impact against the stone block bearing the crest of Friendship ending Taichi's short journey, leaving him with no choice but to painfully slide down to sit in a huddle on the ground.

His eyes opening fully as soon as he recognized the type of light and power covering the second smallest member of the group with a sphere of darkness. "Aw man, can this get any worse!"

Plotmon answering him as her body hovered upwards, her eyes completely empty around as if her soul and heart had been torn out of her. "Plotmon, Dark Evolves too... Lady Devimon."

The light faded with the last word, to reveal a female human like digimon with chalk white skin, red gloving eyes, lone white hair and skin tight leather clothes, most of it held together in places by poorly done stitches, her left hand sported the same red color fingers as the regular Devimon, a moving, ragged part of her outfit rose up from her back, revealing it too sported a pair of red eyes and a mouth, even a small arm made from part of the leather.

"Thank you gods, thank you a lot." Pushing himself up, Taichi froze as Lady Devimon mouth opened to reveal her fangs, her left hand rising up, finger spreading out before the whole thing reforming into a shape, spear like weapon, it's tip pointing right at him. "Now how about having Agumon evolving into Metal-Greymon as well?"

The answer to that demand were made by Lady Devimon, as her hand slashed out and cut a deep line into the crest of friendship, Taichi having barely ducked in time to avoid the attack.

--

Ignoring the angry screaming from behind them, Makuramon calmly walked across the surface of the dark network, his eyes scanning the endlessly churning cloud cover. "At long last, at long last everything my friends have fought and died for will be made true."

Holding out one hand before him, he laughed softly as he gazed into the dark screen of the small white device, barely larger enough to even fit in his palm. "With this one act, we can save our world from the suffering brought about by the crimes of you humans, and all we have to give up, is this forsaken realm that you have destroyed as well."

Moving back around to regard Taiko as she were strung up straight; Makuramon watched as her arms and legs were locked firmly into place on a metallic X rising up from below, wires running from her head, hands and feet into the slightly raised metal surface below them. The whole contraption slowly turned until she was facing straight upwards. "Rejoice child, your powers will guide the monster here, to this world."

"Your death, while painful, will still save an entire world." Crossing his arms as he allowed a bit of silence to fill the air, he gazed down at the glaring Taiko and the gag stuffed into her mouth to silence her endless insults and verbal attacks.

As he waited, he grinned as he took in her angry expression and its hatred aimed at him. "Hate me all you want, but frankly, this is the only way you humans can be of any help to us now." Ending his sentence by holding up her D3, he grinned coldly as he merely placed the D3 on her chest, a cold smirk filtering across his face. "Except of course that is, to supply your little boyfriend with a little distraction."

Makuramon's eyes narrowed to slits as he walked away from her, brushing off her struggles and muffled insults with ease as he neared the edge of the network. "It's just a little while longer while we finalize the attachment of your digital signature to the gate program."

Lifting up his hand, he clenched it as he observed Majiramon floating up from below the dark network. "Well, are they ready?" His eyes narrowing as he watched his fellow deva take a second to two to slow his ascend.

The smirk greeting him from the dragon deva were more then enough to make him chuckle as he spun back to face their human captive. "Showtime girl, I hope you'll like your part in the grand finale!" Jumping backwards, he chuckled as he cleared the Dark Networks edge easily, before landing on the deck of a ship halfway down the side of the network. "Nanomon, open the dark gate and bring over Milleniumon."

The command were followed by the most pain filled, yet muffled scream from Taiko, her body shaking as electricity were directed into her through the wire, her D-Terminal and D3 lighting up as the digital link between her and partner digimon were switched on ruthlessly.

The screen glowing bright white at first, then slowly sliding into a sickly purple color as the light slowly slithered out from it.

The second scream from the girl coming in perfect timing with part of the dark light tearing off much like an arrow, the light arching off about a few meters above her, before heading off towards the ground in an angle, vanishing into the distance below.

The rest to the light flowing down the wires and into the dark network, the massive machine starting up as the sky began to darken around it.

The bottom of the Network shuddering once before three wires ripped themselves partly lose from the Network, their exposed inner working dangling loosely as dark energy flared up around them, the energy sparking out, before connecting with a small thunder clap, forming a circle like ring in the air.

Majiramon watching it all from his front row place, his body moving effortlessly through the air as he moved around the Dark Networks lower part. "At long last, the plan thought up by the gods comes true!"

The ring flaring up as the air within it shattered, arcs of lighting shooting out as gale force winds kicked in, the whole thing matched by a distant roar of hate and anger filling the area as well.

"Milleniumon descends to this world."

TBC: The gate opens at last, and a digimon of overwhelming darkness descends from the other side of the void, but with Taiko and Plotmon out of the battle, can Taichi win against a digimon of a class and level he's never faced before.

AN: At long last, another chapter rolls out the factory line for your enjoyment, so be sure to review it this time around, or I might just take a little longer to write the next one.

Also be sure to check out my Marvel comics' story, "What If: The end".