Woo! I finished Chapter 4 and it only took me forever! *does extremely happy dance* ... *composes self* Ehem, well, anyways, sorry about how long this took to get out, and I hope to start updating a bit sooner. If I would stop procrastinating and plan out a guide for myself so I know what's all going to happen when, they might come out faster...Yes, self, I'm talking to you! ...I'm very sorry you had to witness that...Please ignore my rambling and enjoy your reading...XD


Chapter 4~

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" The feminine boy questioned, his words escaping his thin pale lips harshly, though accompanied by the gentleness that his persona glowed radiantly with. It was easy to see through the windows that his eyes made into the soul that existed within him. He wasn't one to be bothered by very much, and calmness and serenity followed him everywhere like some kind of bright, joyful shadow. There weren't very many people around anymore that could quiet a room full of angered humans like this one could. If he knew what potential he actually owned within.

The only answer that I offered for him at first was a raspy chuckle from my throat, the roughness of my pitch coming from the willpower that it took to make this kill last as long as it could so that I could see the light fade slowly from their eyes as they began to realize that there was no escape from a monster like me. But then I thought a second time, and figured that if this was their last few hours, and they would be the greatest kill I'd ever find after all, I may as well do them the honor of showing a slight respect. As long as I stayed in control of this situation, which was clearly a given. "Morsels, the two of you have rich blood, and for the fact, and that reason alone, that you will keep my thirst under control for months on end, I shall let your lives extend only as far as my patience for you. So, we shall see how long you last.

"Because I feel a strange pity for your loss, I will answer your questions. I am Moroamon, but that is all you shall ever know of me, for I am only a shadow here. As soon as your blood has been drained from your veins, I shall leave without a trace of evidence for any investigators to go on. All they will think is that the both of you have been murdered by the infamous Globe-Trotter Killer like most," My gaze wandered from the two of them to the little Digimon sitting near their feet, the blue dragon/rabbit creature and the worm-ish caterpillar insect. They were both staring at me with an intensity that I knew to be the beginning of hatred. I assumed it was because of the 'threats' that I was implying to their partners. "But that is quite far from the truth, which you will not live long enough to know, so I would not ponder it—"

"No!" The little blue digital dragon called out as he raced over to me as fast as his stubby little cerulean legs could carry his pudgy, human-food-filled body. It would've been clear to anyone that saw that minute creature that it had had a few too many chocolate bars or something in its infinite lifespan. The being leapt over to me, and, standing right at my feet, began to bounce up and down, reaching my eye level at the highest point of the jumping-spree, all the while making strange sneezing/squeaking sounds. Amidst those sounds and the noise of the worm Digimon coming over to join him, it stated quite boldly, "I won't let you hurt Davis! Or Ken, but mainly Davis!" I had to admit, though I did not fear this little being whatsoever, I had to hand it to him: He had quite the brave little heart.

"DemiVeemon!" The one apparently called Davis, the very human I'd come all this way just to find, exclaimed as if to rebuke his Digimon partner. It seemed that he was trying to stall their judgment in a way, but his aura didn't have the aroma of the kind that was very acquainted with fear or cowardice. There was a strong bouquet of bravery to it, though that type of courageousness that he smelled of clearly made him seem as if thoughts were the last thing in his mind, and actions and brawn were all that he was concerned with. I had to constantly remind myself that since they weren't reacting with fear and anxiety to my current presence in this residence there had to be something they knew that I had either overlooked or just simply had not been capable of being aware of.

I looked away from the little blue 'menace' over to the worm Digimon, almost expecting something equally aggravating to be ready to explode out of it as well. Though it did nothing but take a few precautionary steps back towards its partner before mumbling, "I must protect Ken, I must protect Ken," over and over to itself as if saying those particular words would make them any more or any less effective when he finally did act. I figured just by the fact that he was a yard or two away from me and the minute DemiVeemon was practically on my toes that he wouldn't be making any rash, idiotic choices anytime soon.

Tuning out the aggravating sounds of the DemiVeemon and the quiet murmurs of the Wormmon, I focused on returning my attention to the two humans less than three meters away from me. A siren was beginning to go off in my head now, growing louder and louder with every second, every minute that went by without any action taken: If I was going to take their data for Lord Devimon, why hadn't I already? It wasn't as if I hadn't been given the opportunity. I'd been given so many in the last three minutes; the number of them was already uncountable and rising rapidly. My feet seemed to be rooted to the floor like a tree in a strong wind, unable to move because it was best. But there was only one problem with that simily: This was not the best that could be, or should be done.

Feeling Master's rage begin to heat the rain-chilled air by the minute, my black-lined lips curled back to reveal a cavern with multiple canines like a vampire, two of them made to act as incisors were so large that they hung from my mouth ever so slightly. A low, warning growl echoed from my vocal cords, snaring the atmosphere around us into an eerie, still silence, the kind that you heard just before your last breath was taken.

I wanted so badly to leap forward like a Shurimon and take them into the black abyss with me. I could imagine dragging the feminine-ish one by the back of his shirt collar through the watery passage into the Digital World, and through the halls until we got to the throne room where Master and the other Devis would be awaiting my arrival. I would throw the DigiDestined boy at their feet, and, after being given the command, I and the other demons Master commanded would tear the teenager limb from limb, leaving not one drop of blood wasted. It would be a feast to remember.

But I couldn't bring myself to picture the other one, the one called Davis. I tried hard to imagine sinking my canines into his soft, tender skin, feeling the heat as his beautiful blood rushed out of the wounds and over my cold lips and tongue. I wanted to hear his screams for mercy and compassion in my head as if they were really echoing in my ears. I longed to feel him struggling to free himself from my death-grip hold, clawing at my tough skin with his fingernails, attempting to bring me with him if he was going to leave his life…But I couldn't. I couldn't see him harmed, at least not by me. I wanted it, I craved for it, but it wasn't there.

It was inconceivable to me how I couldn't imagine killing a DigiDestined, especially one that had caused me so much trouble and tension with Master and his accomplices. He smelled like one I had come in contact with in the past, very, very, very long ago. He even resembled him ever so slightly, though I could not remember far enough back to see the face of the original. It was like looking through a shattered kaleidoscope. You could see the basic picture, but details were impossible to pick out unless you stared at the same spot for hours. And I didn't have that much time. Master wouldn't allow a thought process that long to go on inside me unless he had commanded it.

Only once had Master allowed me to think about something so hard the eventually I could barely keep my eyes open and fell unconscious. And even then, Master hadn't technically given his word that I could do so, he'd only said it would take up time that could be used to track down another DigiDestined. But I'd gotten him the data of four that day, so I'd figured that another would be there by the next day. Or whenever I was done pondering whatever subject I had been that day. I couldn't even remember anymore now.

During my slight moment of distraction, the two humans had found the time to agree mentally on their plan of action, and after exclaiming, "Now!" simultaneously, they jumped forward and tried to grab at my arms and throw me down. But, they were merely two humans, and they didn't even have any weapons. How could they possibly think that there was any chance in either of the worlds that they could defeat me?

However, I saw what their sudden courageous moment was inspired by when something hard and metallic sounding collided out of seemingly nowhere with the back of my head, whacking me strongly enough to knock me to the floor in a dizzy stupor. I couldn't think very fast, or very much, and soon found myself on my knees on the floor, one hand cradling my throbbing head. The next thing I knew, I was laying facedown on the floor, and everything was going black.

The last thing I heard was in a very familiar voice, and for whatever reason reminded me of the human subject of Algebra. And extreme frustration and betrayal, though I had no idea why. It said, sounding quite triumphant and proud of himself (It was a human male, after all, I could tell by the deepness of the voice's structure), "Prodigious! I got her!"


I wanted badly to crawl underneath a rock to hide when I saw the angered look on Master's face. His usual features were contorted and twisted like placid water ended up as when you threw a handful of pebbles into it. Except he wouldn't go back to normal without my punishment, and for a mistake such as this, it would be severe. Pain already rattled through my body, causing my skin to tremble, though I did my best to hide it. Master would increase the fault if he as to see any kind of weakness in me.

His blood red eyes bored into me with such intense rage and malice that I didn't know how to react to it other than stare right back up at him with a faked strength that I knew he searched desperately for in all of his warriors. I might have a chance at lessening said anger in him if I showed him what no one else did: Power when his presence was easy to sense.

Standing before him as he sat upon his throne, drenched and coated with what looked to be dark, fading red paint, but what I knew to be the blood of DigiDestineds that I'd brought to him. They'd met a most grisly end by my hands, though I felt no real guilt or compassion for their passing. I knew that if they were not important in some way, Master wouldn't have wanted them dead.

Why they were important was the only question that plagued me at some moments. Though, now was not a good time for thoughts such as those.

Master Devimon drummed his long fingers on the arm of his throne, clearly pondering to himself of what to say, what to do now. It was obvious to him that just threats would do nothing to compel me, nothing he would or could ever do would ever fully harness my valiant soul. He knew that even more than I did, really. Master was also quite aware that leaving his side wasn't in my list of options, though. So, in reality, I was caged, after all.

Knowing that he wasn't going to be saying anything to me any time soon (I'd screwed up that badly; it would take him a little while to gather all of his thoughts), I allowed my thoughts to wander back to the situation I'd just been in what seemed like minutes ago. I'd had two DigiDestineds cornered along with their young Digimon partners, but my plans had been foiled when that third human had attacked me when I wasn't paying any attention to my surroundings. If I had, I would've had three DigiDestineds. I was sure of that fact.

That word that the last one to arrive had used…'prodigious', it was strange how familiar it sounded. I couldn't place it, but I knew that it probably had something to do with the life that Lord Devimon denied me having lived. Of course, I had no memory of it, but many things felt as if I'd known them, namely people. That Joe person that I'd found on the train fell under that category, along with the 'prodigious guy'. But I had no idea why. Why wouldn't Master want me to know if I'd had another life, anyways?

Letting that final question pass immediately from my mind, I pondered instead the reason that I'd become part of Master's army of Digimon in the first place. As I recalled, it had been because of someone's betrayal of me, many of them, actually. I couldn't remember their names or what they looked like, but Master did. He'd sent me to memorize their scents once, but he hadn't allowed me to actually hunt them, at least not then. If I'd come across one then, Master had commanded me to ignore the urge within me to attack them, and to continue on instead. Unless he told me otherwise, which, of course, he never had.

When I stole a moment or two of sleep, however, all that filled my dreams were visions of their murders, anything I could do to find them, catch them, and kill them. I wanted badly to taste their data, their blood. I'd envisioned the hunt so many times; it was the most thrilling, adrenaline-pounding event that I'd ever live through.

But to them, it was their only nightmare, though neither of us had any real idea of what the other's face looked like besides what had been told to us by others. My claws fulfilled their terrors, and my teeth ripped them into shreds while they slept, unaware of what lurked in reality, and completely unprotected by their Digimon, as they also slept. In their short world, it would forever be the last thing that made them so afraid tears or fright strolled down their cheeks, that tremors shook their bodies so violently that the joints dislocated themselves and the human was left a heap of clattering skin, bone, and muscle. And fear.

It would be the last thing that they'd ever suffer through.

Some nights, when sleep was escaping me always like chances to remember what I'd lost long ago, I would lay awake either in a corridor deep in Master's catacombs where no one could find me, or somewhere dark and covered in the human world where none were around to bother me, let their scents mess up the delicate fabrication of the natural world. In the dark underground of the castle, I plotted my hunt and capture endlessly, always feeling starved when I came to the actual kill part of it, though I was never able to sort out how I would go about ending that part of the mission.

However, under the starlit skies of the polluted human world, it didn't seem quite so right to be thinking of such things, and my mind's eye wandered beyond all of that into the questions that I really wanted answered, and not just 'How will I take my revenge on those who forced me onto this path of bloodlust?' Each and every night I searched my mind for a new question, and I always found one, though some were more interesting than the next. One had been something along the lines of 'With what part of a human do they actually feel emotions?'

That certain inquiry had boggled my mind practically the whole night. I'd wondered constantly, knowing that their brain generated some of it, but did their soul give it that power that drove them to cry because of the pain, to cheer due to the joy, and to do everything to the best of their given abilities all because of one little thing that could turn someone who was colder than ice, blacker than midnight during a new moon phase, and crueler than my Lord's Master into someone whose smile could melt you, whose bright persona was so blinding that you couldn't even look at them without burning out your retinas as if they were a solar eclipse, and with a heart that's size was so immense that the universe with its unending chasms could never be enough to contain.

Love.

And even then, what was love? Was it simply being willing to die for that person, despite the lack of knowledge of the form that end would come in? I'd heard many a human say that that was the true definition of love. But then again, I'd heard some say that it was when you saw someone, and everything faded into nothingness besides that one human and you. That it wasn't the force of the planet's gravitation pull holding you to the ground anymore, but that one, single person. You could've simply seen them on the street that very morning, or met them a day or so ago, or have known them for as far back as you could remember. The feeling was always the same, and it would remain imprinted on you for the rest of your life. According to those humans, it depended on what had gone on between you and that other person in that relationship that manipulated the factors the next time you fell head-first into the lap of that feeling again.

Emotions—defined or not—always sent my mind spinning in all kinds of directions, but not because I didn't understand them, per say. The reason was that I either hadn't felt them before or I couldn't remember having sensed them within my psyche. Master, during the time in which he created me, hadn't given me the true ability to be able to feel anything besides what I touched, or what my instincts allowed me to see and sense. I wasn't quite sure why he had forbidden that; after a second thought, however, I figured that such things would've affected my work in ways that hindered all of my missions.

Master's sentiment seemed to be lightening unexpectedly, though I was certain that it wasn't because of LadyDevimon's appearance. She stalked across the room, seeming quite angry about something, her gaze fixed on me. It was as if I'd come across Angewomon and had let her leave my presence without so much as a deadly stare. I wasn't sure what to do; almost never had both of them had a bone to pick with me at the same moment of the same day.

The chains around her waist clinked as she walked over to me, each step as precise and agile as a lioness's, and just as threatening. I was faster than her—I was the quickest Digimon here by far—but I was no match for her in strength. My cunning and speed wouldn't be able to do much against her. Besides, with a snap of her fingers a thousand other Digimon could be after me within seconds, and even Master would oppose me. Fighting to survive when LadyDevimon and Master were in the equation was just a plain stupid thing to do. But I didn't think that that path was necessary quite yet; Master wasn't angry at me per say, only at what I had done and also had failed to accomplish. He would not delete me yet.

Standing without a single muscle even twitching, I watched as LadyDevimon approached me until she had to look practically straight down just to see me. With her hands on her hips, she seemed more like an angry human mother gazing at her child, expecting an answer to why they had done something, like gotten into a fight at school or pulled a gun on their pet hamster.

"I don't understand it," She grumbled both to herself and also to Master, though she was staring straight down at me with her crimson eyes sparkling with rage and puzzlement. I knew what she was talking about before she even spoke of it. "Devimon, if you say she's so vicious and bloodthirsty, why has she been so simply sent away by these weak little humans? I don't see why you don't just—"

With a wave of his long-clawed hand, she was silenced. But I knew that it wasn't his power that she feared; it was Master's master that her bones truly trembled for. Sureness of his name didn't come to me, for Master hardly ever mentioned it for fear of bringing disrespect to it and plunging himself into despair that a bitter warrior of his might send upon him. Despite his sign for quiet, my lord made no sound from his own throat.

Sensing that it might be a slightly good idea for me to say something now, I chose my words carefully, slowly, each of them delicately placed and surely deliberate. Mistakes weren't tolerated. "Master," I made a move forward, but regretted it immediately and retreated instead. "At the time of my…blunder," A snarl crossed my face on impulse at the thought, the recollection of the scent now in my mind. This seemed to please Master, somehow. "My mind had been clouded by the bouquet of one of those humans, those who I must make suffer…our revenge.

"One was there—the one that smells of electricity and Math homework—and he attacked me from behind. I didn't see or hear him coming, for I was too focused on the scent of the other two. All three were DigiDestined, and you created me with abilities far beyond others, and the two that I was stalking…their smells overpowered the third human's…" I decided at the last moment, thankfully, not to mention the fact that I'd considered not attacking because of…Davis's almost perfect-seeming, delicious bouquet. It was too beautiful to kill.

Lord Devimon seemed to take my confession to thought, and by the look on his face it was clear that he hadn't taken this into pondering before. It was clear that he was about to dispose of his most beloved creature, with much regret, but without a second glance at me nonetheless. He was cruel and strong in such ways, never letting emotions—if he had any to begin with—come into play in what had to be done. It was the only way we were not alike.

A sound of fluttering echoed throughout the chasm, clicking off the tile-like floors as my claws did. I knew who it was, and disgust at the presence—let alone the stench, especially of those who followed it—filled me swiftly as the room became drenched in it, with no air of any kind of freshness whatsoever existing any longer. "Why let her live, sir?" DemiDevimon croaked weakly, for there was fear of not only Master, but also me in his black heart. He'd never Master's favor of me go; I'd stolen his place, and all because our Master had created me and I showed obedience and respect to him for giving me a life without fear. "You never let anyone else live past a second fault—"

"Cease your tongue-flapping, DemiDevimon," The flying weasel retreated immediately, taking refuge on LadyDevimon's shoulder, thinking that she would protect him like she usually did, though she made no movement indicating that she noticed him. Master snapped at the little beast on a daily basis, so much so that this time he seemed agitated that he had to.

But soon his mind was less focused on the little rat, and yet again on me, his eyes never leaving mine even as a DeviDramon or two entered the room as well, probably with the same intent as DemiDevimon: Make sure Master held my guilt to me. Despite the loud thumps and pounds that their feet made as they came in, Lord Devimon paid no mind to them at all, and instead rose to his feet, grace, pride, and incredible power in each and every movement that he made.

I urged strength into each of my bones, all of my muscles, begging my whole body to take on a fearless aura, which it complied with as Master neared me. Soon he was standing directly before me, and still had not directed anything straight to me. An unexpected serenity passed over his deep crimson eyes, and he gently ran the tips of his long fingers across my cheek, caressing the skin in a way that he'd used to when we'd first become acquainted. He hadn't done this in a long time, and it almost felt nice.

"I may not have made you without fault, Moroamon, but you've more than enough abilities to have been able to get in and get out of that place with both of their data. But, I believe your excuse, and I will pardon you because of it—" DemiDevimon was hushed hastily by LadyDevimon when he was about to comment on Master's decision. Mistress always knew when it was best not to speak, even if she knew that Lord Devimon had never touched her in a harming way. Master continued as if he hadn't noticed. "—But because of your current predicament, a new plan of action will need to be taken, one that will involve much more interaction with those very DigiDestined. Will you fail me again?" There was a testing tone in his voice, and it was clear that he wanted complete honesty.

I wasn't afraid to let him know if I couldn't; he'd already shown me that no matter what the other Devis in his clan wanted, he would never dispose of me. I was his own creation, and there wasn't another creature like me, nor would there ever be another. Master would never harm me fatally, only enough to discipline me whenever I drove him to it. It was a little strange that he didn't today, though.

Shaking my head fervently at his inquiry, my eagerness to know of this new plan became evident in my eyes, and for once the feelings that my eyes let escape from my mind weren't going to end up getting me beaten. A pleased smile scooted across Master's face, and he didn't waste any time explaining the simplicity of the plot almost stunning me, "All you need to do is get them to befriend you, earn their trust. After you're sure that they suspect you of nothing, you come to each of them in the night. One by one, taking them out. By the time they realize what's going on, there won't be enough left to be able to defeat you, and they will be no more. It will take some time, but it is an easy win for us, Moroamon. You won't fall to them; I know it."


My eyes opened slowly, almost unsure of themselves. But before I was completely awake, I realized by the scents around me that I was in a home, specifically one that a DigiDestined or two lived in. It was hard to tell, since it was easy to scent multiple DigiDestineds having come in and out quite often. There were too many and all of them far too strong for them to have been around this much. It was right then that I realized that they needed to be in the room for such a powerful aroma.

All of my senses returned to me instantly, quickly enough to give me a small headache. Somehow I was able to keep a reasonably good hold of my sanity, or else I would've snapped the ropes that they had so foolishly bound my wrists with and went into a frantic feast on their flesh and data. If I was going to befriend them, that wasn't the way to do it at all.

Instead of hearing a question that I'd already heard multiple times in the past few weeks, I watched with intentness as the first DigiDestined spoke up; a boy with blonde hair and bright blue eyes, the sound of music coming to my mind at the sight of him, "We know who you are, and we're not afraid of you at all, Moroamon, so let's just get right to the point: Who sent you to attack Davis and Ken?" There was fierceness to his burning gaze that I felt as if I knew from a moment in the past, but such a glare had never been cast upon me. But then it hit me: He was also one of the DigiDestined that Master had given me when he first created me, like that other one that smelled of calculators and computers.

I knew there was only one final scent left to find an owner to, and something told me that that last human was standing beside the blonde male. The brown-haired boy came closer, not fearing me in the slightest due to the fact that they thought that the ropes were actually strong enough to hold me. They were quite lucky that there was no need for me to attack them yet, otherwise both would've been dead by now, and the rope laying snapped on the ground.

Without a hint of fright in his voice, the brown-eyed human, about the age of sixteen, give or take a few years, came forward and added in a strong voice that made it seem as though he truly thought that he was superior to the likes of me, "You can give us the silent treatment for as long as you'd like, but we've got all day. So you may as well—"

"Who ever said that I wasn't going to speak?" I interrupted him with an innocently sweet grin, an expression I didn't get to use all that often, however faked that it was. If Master wanted me to earn their trust, I would have to be very careful about all that I did and said, so if I acted as some humans did when they were around others, I might be able to fool them. "I must apologize, since I'm not sure I understand what you're asking." If I acted ignorant of all that they asked, there was a chance that their suspicions of me would begin to lessen more and more until they finally faded. I just had to find a way to dodge each of their questions.

The two humans gazed at me with a touch of disbelief to their stares; it was clear that Davis and the other had already talked to them about their encounter with me. From what they had probably been told, this oblivious attitude didn't sink in with them quite well; the feminine human's description of me and my behavior had been too vivid. I'd told the two of them too much to have ended up failing. "What do you mean you don't understand?" The brown-haired one raised a hand in confusion, lines crossing his brow that expressed his fury perfectly. "What is there to not get?"

I merely ignored his rage and continued to smile sweetly at him, though it faltered slightly in my own aggravation. This little game of 'Play It Innocent' was a royal pain in the neck and I was starting to wonder just how important it was that I went through with this. "I mean, I'm not—or, I wasn't—intentionally hunting your two friends. I was at my home in the Digital World, and the next thing I know is I have a throbbing in the back of my mind and I'm laying here in this home, which I can sense belongs to a DigiDestined. So, that all being said, I would like to thank you for bringing me to my senses before I caused any serious harm to anyone." I fidgeted with the ropes that bound me, making both of them tense as if they thought I was going to break free of them. They must not have been as stupid as I thought.

Both of the humans seemed skeptical of my reply, and it was at that moment that I realized that it was only them who had come in to see me: They thought that I would try something, and would've wanted it to be against them instead of the others. How noble. Though, that bravery would do nothing when the time came. "…Why should we trust you? What proof do you have that'll support your claim?" The blonde boy questioned hesitantly, his eyes wary of me and watching with intent every move that I made, no matter how minute. The caramel-eyed human seemed to agree with him.

I was quiet for a little while, and my smile had lost its sheen, fading completely from my face as I turned from them, buried deep in my thoughts. Master had never told me what excuses to make; what was I supposed to say now? I knew that if I didn't come up with something soon, they would begin to suspect that whatever I did eventually say was all just a lie. With nothing else coming to mind, I chose the very thing that I wasn't sure if I was lying or not. "Well, you see, I wasn't always this way. I used to be like you, like everyone that's normal: A human.

"But one day, nothing seemed quite right, and I found myself somewhere dark, and cold. I was alone. The next thing I knew, I was like this, and I couldn't stop…attacking and stalking people. Since I wasn't sure that there was a way to go back to normal, I just did what the instincts told me to and stopped fighting them. Until, however, I came across your friends. I'm not sure what I would've done to them or anyone after them if that third boy hadn't done something—" If I ever run into that kid again, he'd better hope he's in daylight and in public. "—I would, actually, like to thank him and apologize to the other two for my previous actions—if you don't mind, that is."

The two glanced at each other with stunned expressions, as if that was the absolute last thing that they'd ever expected me to say. After seeming to have had a conversation that lacked verbal communication, the blue-eyed blonde turned back to me and said, his voice much gentler than it had been before which made it quite clear that they'd bought the excuse I'd given, "Sorry for being so rough on you. When one of your friends is threatened like that, you find it kind of hard o think that there's any way that something that seemed so evil could just be a little misguided and hopeless," The other boy came up to me and began untying the knots they'd made in the rope; he wasn't very good at it. "My name's Matt. My younger brother, TK, knows one of the kids that you were getting after from his school—Davis. Tai's sister, Kari, goes there as well."

The teenager—who I'd assumed was Tai—glanced up at me and away from the knot he was still struggling with. There was a warm, friendly smile that probably drove human girls insane propped upon his face, the feature fitting like a piece in a jigsaw puzzle. "The other boy, Ken, was staying over at Davis's place since his parents were gone for the weekend and they both had a soccer tournament anyways. It's a pretty important couple of games for both of them, since every win that they make is another step closer to the championship game—" Matt seemed pretty irritated with his soccer-fanatic friend; it was quite evident in his harsh tone.

"Tai, this isn't the time to be having a typical conversation. This girl's DNA has been completely altered, and you're ranting about a game where you chase a ball for hours on end and try to catch it with poles and netting!" After ignoring a glare, Matt turned back to me with a touch of compassion in his eyes—Tai gained some of it after he grew out of his own annoyance for the other human. "Do you think you could tell us who it was that made you like this? If we knew, maybe we could get him and find a way to turn things around for you." The genuine way that the two of them could appear to care so deeply for a creature that they barely knew the name of was almost astounding. Part of me found it inspiring, in a way, while the superior side of me thought of it as moronic and stupid.

Doing what I could to hide my opinion of how dumb their human hearts made them, I forced a saddened look to portray my internal sentiment as I shook my head. My voice automatically took on a depressed tone, as if even to think of what he'd asked depressed me to no end. "No, nothing comes to my mind whenever I try to remember. I always come up blank…" Not sure what else to add, I allowed myself to trail off, looking away from them as I did so to add effect. I saw them glance at each other like they had before, telling me yet again that they'd taken the bait.

A small smile that was supposed to comfort me formed on Matt's lips. "Don't worry about it, Moroamon," He cast a questioning glance at Tai, and I figured that it was something about if I would remember what my human name was, or if they should attempt asking. He didn't. "If you want, I can bring Davis and Ken in so you can meet them formally, along with Izzy—he was the one who hit you over the head with a pan and pulled you to your senses."

I turned my gaze from Tai—he was finishing up undoing the knots of the rope around my ankles—to meet Matt's, and a small smile crossed my mouth, the points of my long fangs showing slightly. My head bobbed up and down a time or two as I added, "You should send Kari and TK with them as well," Bewildered surprise sprung into their eyes like fear; they must've been astonished that I'd thought that they were here. But they had no idea just how much I could tell about this place by what it was scented of alone. I gestured to my nose with a tap of my index finger. "I can smell them." The two humans exchanged glances that said that neither of them had even considered such a thing, but the both of them let the fact slide by without a comment, and Matt left the room to retrieve the other five.

An awkward silence fell over Tai and I as we both awaited Matt's return, and it didn't help that there wasn't many places to look that I wouldn't be able to see him staring at me out of the corner of my eye. Especially since I was sitting on the bed in a way that it would be obvious if I turned away from him, and that wouldn't be a very good impression. But Tai didn't seem very concerned about that, or how off-topic his questions could be. "Do you know what a watermelon is?" I swiveled in my spot to stare at him incredulously, but when our eyes locked I saw that it had been a completely serious inquiry.

I knew I'd heard the word mentioned and had seen a round object gestured at with said word before, but I wasn't entirely sure what the thing was. It was obvious by the fact that humans swallowed chunks of the thing like it was the last day that such a thing would ever exist that it was a reasonably popular food, but I myself had never done such a thing. Shrugging my shoulders lightly, I mumbled uncomfortably, "Sort of…Why? Do you?" I cocked my head to the side, forgetting that I was here on a mission and not to sit here and chat like the human beings did. Keeping my serious composure was starting to become an annoyance.

Tai laughed at my little retort, finding my serious question amusing. It took me up until right about then to notice just how huge his hairdo was; it was like a to-scale model of the Titanic. But he wouldn't have looked quite right without it, I supposed, and attempted not to flick it. Right before Tai was about to comment on my question, Matt, followed by a few others, came back into the room.

The first appeared to be around the age of both Matt and Tai, and wore the same school uniforms that they did—green blazer, white shirt-but was shorter than both of them by a bit; it was clear to me immediately that this was the one with the wicked pan skills. His hair was like the color of Mars seen from a far distance, and from what I could tell, his eyes were dark, like a doll's eyes. If you turned your head to the side and squinted really hard, he was like the guy version of a Raggedy Anne doll. That Andy dude—It was hard for me not to notice that the presence of all of these humans was beginning to tamper with my psyche.

A boy with a cream-shaded bucket hat that covered blonde hair was the next to enter, and just by the scent that he gave off and its similarity to Matt's, I could only assume that this was TK. His eyes were the same genuine blue as his older brother's. He wore a green and yellow jacket that was zipped up to his neck. Even with all the differences in their body structures and clothing, it wasn't hard to tell that Matt and TK were brothers, other than by the fact that the genetic coding in the aromas they gave off was very similar. The way their faces were built around the golden hair and cerulean eyes showed their relation to each other.

Next a girl came in; she had to be around TK's age, and that alone gave me the impression that this was Kari, Tai's little sister. Her scent was masked greatly by perfume and other horrid sprays that made my nose tickle as if I were going to sneeze. Not all of the fumes like those were bad, but it was just the ones that she was currently wearing, and it wasn't just her. All kinds of humans—mostly females—wore fragrances that made my eyes water and my tongue taste bad. Her shirt was sleeveless and pink, and its brightness was rivaled by that of her yellow shorts, which weren't quite as long as TK's Her hair was short and light brown—a much lighter shade than Tai's-framing her face like a portrait. Not only her hair, but her eyes also seemed to be slightly brighter than Tai's—not in kindness or friendliness (At least, not when she looked at me), but just in color. It seemed to vex her that I was here, and had been left alone with her brother.

My vision was taken from the door when the one who smelled of calculators and other electrical technologies was suddenly very, very close to me, his face only an inch or so away from mine. His voice matched his scent completely, sounding exactly like one of the men that I'd witnessed on a DigiDestined's television box before—of course, I hadn't stayed all that long to have known exactly who it was—except he wasn't a comfortable distance from me, which he didn't seem to notice or care about at all, "This is an interesting Digimon; I've never seen anything like her before. And to think that she doesn't mean any of us true harm—that is to say, it wasn't her idea—"

With a slight chuckle of nervousness, Tai reached out and pulled the carrot-top back a ways by the shoulder, looking at him with a faked smile that didn't hide his anxiety at all. "Izzy—" A pang of agony stuck my brain like nothing I'd ever felt before, and I turned away from the both of them for a moment to calm myself. The same pain had struck me when I'd found that man with glasses that had been mugged, and when I'd first woken to see Matt and Tai. But after noticing that Davis had seen my reaction to the name, I hardened my jaw and attempted to compose myself before averting my gaze from him. "—two things: One, she's not a specimen that needs to be studied with great detail like always and she can hear you, and two, don't provoke her." Almost everyone in the room was giving Izzy a look that said they agreed with Tai, but he didn't seem to notice it and brushed off Tai's 'advice'.

"That was three things, Tai. You need to pay more attention in Math class," Despite his insult to Tai, there was a smile on Izzy's face that said, 'Hi, I don't hurt things…often' and I figured that that 'often' came from whacking me with a pan. He came back over to me—not as close as last time, due to Tai's comment—and flashed the sweet little smile at me as well. "I'm sorry about hitting you with one of the Motomiya's cooking pots. You really didn't leave me many other options, and you seem to be fine right now anyways," His smile faded for a second and his dark, dark eyes took on a hint of compassion and maybe even a little guilt. "Are you alright?"

I didn't make a move to reply, not really knowing what to say. I'd never been asked that question before, and I wasn't too sure what to reply with. Should I just nod and pretend I knew what I was talking about or what? But I was saved from answering that question from a very angry-sounding Kari. "Don't any of you remember what it's done—what it tried to do? Have all of you forgotten why he hit it with that thing in the first place?" Her eyes were filled with desperation, hoping that someone would agree with her. She glanced back at Davis and Ken, but Ken didn't offer a response and Davis had ignored her completely. His eyes never left me.

Finally, TK spoke up, showing where he stood on the matter as well. Apparently he was on Kari's side in this situation, however, he was a lot less hectic and emotional about getting the others to go along with what he was saying and actually listen. "Kari's right. Everyone in this room knows exactly what happened almost every single time that we trusted someone like it, and the consequences were never good. You guys ca—"

"Moroamon is not an 'it', TK," Ken shocked everyone by his words, especially by how strong they seemed to come out of his mouth—he even seemed a bit astounded by himself. But he didn't let it fade away as he continued, "I did all kinds of bad things and you gave me a chance. What's so different between then and now?" His outburst had strewn a silence across all of them and it was unnerving to see how they all worked as one to come up with plans, solutions. They work better as a team than everyone in Master's clan…

I felt out of place among them, and knew that I should get back to Master, tell him how it went so far, despite him being fully aware of what I was seeing and hearing, even what I was feeling. He didn't really know for certain that I knew he could read me in that way, but I did. And it would be disastrous for me if he were to ever learn. He would make sure, by any means necessary, that I forgot about that knowledge completely. Before I let it interfere with my work, for example, trying to block it somehow. Which, of course, I'd never tried to do, only known in my heart that it was a foolish thing, something that a traitor would say.

Finally, Davis was the one to speak, which struck me as a little odd since he didn't seem like the type to want to break a silence as serious and dead as the one that had settled among his human friends, "I don't think we should set any decisions in stone, not yet anyway. I mean, shouldn't we wait until everyone else knows what's going on? Yolei, Cody, Sora, Mimi, and Joe don't even know that she's here yet. I think we should wait to see what they think. In the meantime, we could just get to know Moroamon a bit better—you know, so we…I don't know. So we have all the information that we need?" Everyone glanced at Davis, making his face turn a bright pink with embarrassment. He looked down at his feet and dug his toe into the floor. "…It was just a suggestion, you guys don't have to stare at my awesomeness!"

A small smile threatened me with its sharp curves and sadistic sentiment, but I resisted its attack on me and stayed emotionally blank, watching Davis intently, entranced by the red hue dusting his cheeks like dawn over the nighttime sky. When the stars started to fade away and the moon was glowing palely, awaiting the time of its demise, until the next time that the sun fell from its righteousness and the night dweller was given free reign again. I shuddered as I struggled to look away; I would be reminded of that face now every time that I watched the moon die and the sun rise again to live its short life like a human, before falling into the darkness of death and allowing the dead moon to takes its place once more. Only to have the same cycle repeated time and time again, each time neither being making a move to disturb that which was nature. Neither striving to live forever.

Judging by the way that both Davis and Ken had stuck up for my presence here against some of their own kind, both of them had accepted the reason I'd given for attempting to attack them, and had 'forgiven' me for it. But, to me, it wasn't true forgiveness because in my mind, there was nothing to forgive. That was what I did, what I would always do, and eventually do to them: Stalk, corner, kill. There was nothing more to it, and there never would be. I stole their life away, took the data that all DigiDestined children had embedded in their DNA that made them capable of going back and forth to the Digital World, gave the data to Master and was rewarded with my payment: their blood. What else did I have to live for each day for the rest of eternity but that which had always been?

After we'd been bailed out of the second prison of quiet solitude, Kari was surprisingly the first to comment on his words, a smile playing in her eyes and on her mouth, "That's probably the most intellectual thing I've ever heard you say, Davis. I'll second that notion," She raised her hand daintily, as if her opinion on the subject mattered so much that she would feel left out if her arm wasn't up in the air, drawing attention to herself. She must be the last to go. If she isn't, her shrill screams may draw attention and blow my cover.

"I think Davis is right," Matt agreed, earning a growling glare from his little brother, who was immediately shot with the 'I'm-your-big-brother-and-my-word-triumphs-over-yours' scowls. After their vocal-less spat was ended—Matt being the obvious victor—the blonde teen turned back to Tai, and, seeing the mutual agreement there as well as on everyone else (Except TK, kind of), nodded his head in content. It was still quite intriguing to me that they had come to a conclusion so quickly, and without even saying a word to each other until the final solution had come to one of their minds—even if the answer had been to wait for more of their people.

I knew that now would be the best time to escape from them and collect my thoughts further, but I didn't know how to leave. It wasn't like I could just get up and rush out the window, and if I walked out the front door like I was a human, someone would see me and everything would be that much more difficult. But then I thought of something that I hadn't before, at least not in the same way that I had at first. With my voice quiet so not to disturb the stillness of the room, I allowed my voice to take on a sort of tremble as if I feared their presence, although it was the true opposite, "I think it best if I leave now—I don't wish to trouble you any further tonight. Humans such as yourselves need sleep like all the other ones, no matter how different each of your kind are…"

With nothing more to add and no one making a move to stop me, Izzy even nodding his head, granting my request as if I'd asked, I got up from the bed effortlessly and leapt up to the windowsill. Opening it with a small creak, the rain still pounding the ground, I was about to slip out the already wet exit and get away into the stillness of the trees in the park, or go back to the Digital World and the comfort of my Master, when a voice suddenly broke the emptiness of the pattering rain, sending chills up my spine and anxious fluttering to my stomach, even in the insides of my deepest, darkest being.

"We're going to be seeing you again, aren't we?" The voice belonged to TK, and it was in no way excited to hear my answer, knowing full well what it would be. But did he really think he knew me after seeing me lay as if I were dead upon one of their beds? Did he believe that he could read my mind and body as if hearing my voice and seeing the deadness of my eyes had given him infinite power, unimaginable abilities, insight to my very being? No. None of that had occurred. He only thought that he could read through my mask, see past my disguise to the shrouded demon underneath. This DigiDestined boy will be much harder to fool than the others. He's not for playing little games with the original Jigsaw murderer.

I turned halfway around to look back at him, my feet out of the window already and being drizzled on by the sky's tears. His face was rigid with a hidden hate for what he thought he knew I did when they weren't watching, when all of the lights were off and it was too black to see my evil deeds. There was a loathing in his eyes that told me he didn't want me to come back, he didn't want to wait to make a decision. He wanted me gone now, gone forever. But I wouldn't be, and something in him told his angry heart that very thing.

"I suppose that depends on you, and whether you're willing to see me with your eyes, and not with your biased heart." A devilish grin spread across my face when I saw how deeply my words had impacted him, his strong-set expression crumbling immediately as he stared at me. I turned from him quickly, not wanting any of them to see the malicious expression upon my features. Slipping from the sill and landing skillfully upon the soggy ground, I raced away from the house, chuckling with glee for my first victory over their silly little hearts, so full of compassion for those who'd been 'taken by the darkness'. It would be easy for me to steal away their trust, and murder each of them in their sleep.

My own senses were amplified by Master's pleased demeanor, his mood altered completely by the way that I'd shown up the DigiDestined in such a wondrous way. I could feel his pride in me grow immensely, and I knew that I had regained my high-ranked position in his eyes, in his heart. Suddenly, I heard his gentle, almost joyful whisper in my ear, and I was glad to hear the way he would allow me to celebrate for a job well done. Deep down, I knew it was a reward to keep me interested in hunting the large group of DigiDestineds in this new, awkward way. It involved more socializing then missions like this usually required, and Lord Devimon know that the key to the success of this was to keep my metabolism high.

He gave me permission to claim three humans, as long as one was a DigiDestined.


*Sighs with relief* I never thought that I'd get another chapter in this done, and I'm pretty proud of how this one turned out. I hoped you guys liked it, and I also hope that I can get Chapter 5 out a bit faster than this one did (But first I have to figure out what actually happens in that chapter...*laughs*). Please review and tell me what you thought of the chapter - ideas are also welcome, so if you guys want to see something happen, then run it by me in your review and I'll see what I can do. See ya! XD