Well, done

After careful consideration, I have decided not make Kyuubi Naruto's partner in anyway, he will remain in the seal for two reasons. One, having Kyuubi out of the seal completely changes the future plans for the fic, and two, it is slightly too common for Naruto x Digimon fanfics. But don't fret, Naruto is getting a partner, just not Kyuubi.

I don't own Naruto or Digimon

The group was currently searching the forest for Yamato. Taichi turned to Naruto, who was leading the group, "Naruto, are you sure Yamato went this way?"

Naruto stopped, taking a sniff of the air before nodding, "Yeah, his scent leads this way."

Hikari, who was standing net to Naruto, turned to Taichi, "Onii-chan. What do you think happened to Yamato-san?"

Taichi looked to his sister for a second before turning away crossing his arms, "How should I know? What the heck is up with him anyway?"

Agumon was facing Taichi when he spoke, "He could have been kidnapped by Pinocchimon!"

"Judging from his abrupt disappearance, that's a likely conclusion." Koushiro said

"No." Everyone turned back to Naruto as he took another whiff of the air, "I would have smelled Pinocchimon along with Yamato. He smells like rotting wood, that's not something you forget easily."

Everyone was silence for a second before Taichi spoke again, "Well, at least we know now that he wasn't taken by Pinocchimon."

Agumon followed up on Taichi's comment, "But where exactly did he disappear to then?"

Sora was looking to the ground before looking up to everyone. "Now that I think back, didn't Yamato-kun seem to be acting a little strange to you?" Sora asked, recalling when Yamato could make his crest glow.

Naruto only listened, turning to Tailmon, "What did I miss when I was in Pinocchimon's mansion?" Tailmon gave Naruto a brief explanation at to what had happen during his absence. Naruto nodded after Tailmon finished explaining, looking to Hikari. Before he could say anything however, both he and Hikari heard a voice again, turning around to the direction of the voice.

Tailmon noticed their acts, asking Hikari, "What's the matter, Hikari?"

Hikari simply stared into the sky as she answered, "I heard a voice again."

Taichi ran up to Hikari, stopping next to Hikari, "A voice? Was it Yamato's?"

Naruto shook his head, "No, I don't know whose voice that was…"

Taichi glanced to Naruto before turning back to sky, "I don't hear anything. Maybe you two were hearing things."

Naruto simply narrowed his eyes at Taichi, "You don't just hear things with ears like these." Naruto then twitched his ears as emphasize, causing Taichi to chuckle nervously.

Koushiro joined the three, stopping just behind them, "He couldn't have gone that far."

Taichi nodded, signaling everyone to follow as he started walking again. Naruto waited for Hikari, calling her after a few seconds, "Hikari-chan, let's go." Hikari snapped out of her daze, nodding as she grabbed Naruto's hand, pulling him along. Tailmon smiled again when she noticed the blush forming on Naruto's cheeks.

Yamato was walking next to a lake with Gabumon trailing behind him, "Yamato! What's wrong? Yamato, are you listening to me?"

Yamato didn't answer, walking further down the bank of the lake before stopping, sitting against a tree with Gabumon next to him, "I've always been concerned over Takeru's well-being… I kept thinking that… Takeru would never be able to take care of himself if I wasn't around to help him. But before I realized it, he'd grown up on me. He's grown up so much now that… he doesn't need me anymore." Yamato said, memories of their first adventure flooding his mind. "It's not just him. There's also Taichi, Sora, Mimi, Jyou, and Koushiro… Ever since everyone came to the digimon world, they've changed. They've all grown stronger."

Gabumon nodded, letting Yamato continue, "But compared to them, look at me! I'm the same person I always was. I haven't changed a bit!"

"That's not true!" Gabumon tried to reason, "You've also-"

Yamato interrupted in his anger, "What is wrong with me? This isn't who I wanted to be! I can't stay stuck like this! I have to change! I have to grow stronger!" Yamato shouted, standing at the end, "And in order to make that happen… I can't stay with the others." Yamato and Gabumon then heard an eerie laugh. Yamato quickly whipped around, facing the direction of the laugh, "Who's there."

Coming up the bank was and old tree digimon, "My name is Jureimon."

Gabumon ran in front of Yamato, "You're one of Pinocchimon's minions, aren't you?!"

Jureimon simply stepped forward, stopping a few feet away from the two, "Now calm down. I didn't come here to fight. I just wish to have someone to talk to." Jureimon let out another laugh after he finished.

Koushiro was watching the screen of his digivice as the group proceeded through the woods looking for the Yamato, "The digivice isn't reacting. It doesn't seem to be functioning properly within these woods."

Tailmon voice her opinion after Koushiro finished, "I think we should take a break somewhere and wait for him. Everyone wants to be alone once in a while."

Taichi quickly disagreed, "No, we have to find Yamato. We're useless unless all eight of us are together."

Jyou simply held a downcast look as he walked, "But everyone is tired. Why don't we sit down around here and rest our legs?"

Naruto simply listened, unsure on what to say when he heard Mimi mutter, "Just because all eight of us should be together and fight… Everyone else had to die…"

Palmon, Sora and Piyomon were worrying about Mimi when Naruto stopped, looking into the top of the trees. Hikari stopped next to Naruto, watching as his face grew serious, "What's wrong Naruto-kun?"

Naruto simply sniff the air before saying "Rotting wood."

The moment Naruto said that everyone heard a loud, "Yo!"

The group looked in the same direction as Naruto to see Pinocchimon sitting on the top of an old tree. Pinocchimon seemed to ignore everyone except Takeru, "Hey Takeru! I'm glad to see you again!"

"Well I'm not!" Takeru shouted back, "I won't play with you anymore, so don't even bother asking!"

Before Pinocchimon could say anything, Naruto stepped forward, "Hey stiff stick, you like my present!?"

Pinocchimon quickly became angry, "That was you! You destroyed my play house!"

Naruto only grinned, folding his arms behind his head, "Yeah, to bad my paper bombs didn't get rid of you too!"

Pinocchimon clenched a fist, three tick marks appearing on his head before turning to his left, "Get them, Garbamon!"

Naruto looked to the same area as Pinocchimon, seeing three pink digimon in trash cans holding trash bazookas line up in front of them. Naruto just burst out laughing at the three digimon, "Those three? This'll be easy!" Naruto turned to the rest of the group, "Can I take of this? It'll be good training."

Everyone looked at each other before turning back to Naruto. Taichi just gave a nod, "Sure, just shout if you need a hand."

"Sure thing," Was all Naruto said as he started cracking his knuckles.

Yamato was still standing in front of Jureimon with Gabumon at his side, "Sorry, but I don't feel like sitting down to talk just to make you happy." He and Gabumon the proceeded to leave when Jureimon moved one of his six arms in the way. Yamato turned back, glaring at Jureimon, "Hey, out of my way!"

Jureimon didn't move, watching Yamato carefully, "Now, now, I told you to wait. You should show more respect for your elders." Jureimon let out another chuckle as he started quoting Yamato, "-What is wrong with me?- -This isn't who I want to be!-" Yamato took a step back in surprise as Jureimon continued, "It is important for us to step back once in awhile and see who we've become in order to gain a better opinion of ourselves."

"Were you eavesdropping on me?" Yamato said when Jureimon finished.

Jureimon chuckled again at Yamato's question, "Whether I have or not is of no importance. There is nothing in this forest that I do not know about!"

Yamato listened, taking a reluctant step forward, "Then… tell me! What should I do now?"

Jureimon retracted his hand, seeing Yamato was willing to stay, "You ask me what you should do? Children these days, always wanting the answers handed to them. They never try to come up with one for themselves. Therein lies the problem, if you ask me."

Gabumon simply sat behind Yamato glaring a Jureimon, "Yamato! You don't have to pay attention to this guy! Let's go!"

Yamato turned to Gabumon, but before he could speak, Jureimon continued, "Are you sure about that? If you want to grow stronger, you must improve yourself!"

Yamato turned back to Jureimon at this new information, "Improve myself?"

Jureimon quickly answered before Gabumon could convince Yamato otherwise, "Yes. But that is easier said than done. You will need the determination to carry it out."

Yamato didn't move, staring at Jureimon, "Determination… I do have that." Yamato stepped forward to Jureimon, "Tell me! How am I supposed to do that?"

Jureimon grinned evilly as he thought to himself, "Looks like he's taken the bait." Jureimon took a second to study Yamato before saying, "You must defeat your rival!"

"Rival?"

Jureimon simply pointed to the lake in response of Yamato's question, "Take a look at yourself in that lake. There you will see the rival you must defeat."

Yamato studied the lake for a second, then slowly proceeded to its bank, "The rival… I must defeat…" Yamato stopped at the bank, kneeling down as he leaned over. Both he and Gabumon were shocked when an image of Taichi appeared in the water, "Th-This is…!"

Everyone was sitting back, watching Naruto toy with the two remaining Garbamon. Naruto had taken one out by using a clone to sick a paper bomb on the inside of its lid. When the Garbamon took cover to defend, Naruto made a hand sign, detonating the bomb, destroying the Garbamon. One of the others was currently hanging upside down from a tree, completely tied by ninja wire. The last Garbamon seemed nervous as it backed away from Naruto, who now had his katana out. Naruto only smiled as he walked forward.

Yamato was glaring at the lakes surface, disbelief all over his face, "Taichi is… My rival…?" Yamato quickly stood up, letting out a disturbing laugh before he addressed Jureimon, "Sorry to disappoint you, but I've never considered that of him, not even once!"

Jureimon let out yet another chuckle before it spoke, "That lake reflects whoever lies within that heart of the person who looks into it!"

Yamato stared at Jureimon with disbelief, "What?" He quickly glared to the lake before turning his head away," I won't fall for this!"

"You must not avert your eyes. Face yourself properly!" Said Jureimon as he continued to convince Yamato, "I know the truth. Although you are both chosen children, everything you and that boy Taichi stand for are completely opposites of each other. Whatever Taichi says or does bugs you so much that you can't help but react to it. That's how big an existence Taichi has become within your heart. Unless you overcome those feelings, you will never be able to grow beyond who you are now. You must fight Taichi! Only when you free yourself of the hesitation within your heart will you become a new person!"

Gabumon quickly intervened, "He's lying! That's complete nonsense! Taichi is your friend! Don't be fooled, Yamato! This must be a trap!"

Yamato's head snapped up from the ground, looking at Gabumon, but doubt clear on his face, "Y-You're right! We're friends…" Yamato turned to Jureimon, glaring at the over-sized tree shouting, "Friends don't fight each other!"

"Heh, friends, you say? You don't even believe that such a thing really exists!" Jureimon told Yamato, forcing the uncertainty to resurface, "You may lie about it to others, but you can't lie to yourself!" Jureimon chuckled at the expression on Yamato's face, "I've hit the nail on the head, didn't I?" Yamato resumed looking at the ground as Jureimon continued, "Loyalty… Comrades… Friendship… Very convenient words. But in the end, they're all illusions! Nothing but a fleeting emotion! You know that you cannot allow yourself to be exploited for such things! Am I wrong, Yamato-kun?" Jureimon said as flashes of everyone appeared in Yamato's mind.

Gabumon simply moved next to Yamato, looking at his partner, "Is that true, Yamato?"

"I… I don't know." Yamato said, his true feelings coming to surface.

Jureimon took his chance, giving the final push, "Listen. I will say this once more. If you want to improve yourself, you must fight Taichi! Unless you have the determination to do that, you will never be able to change yourself." Jureimon said as an ominous wind started blowing his leaves around, "Unless you face this trial, you will never become the person you want to be!"

Yamato stood there, unsure of anything before dropping to his knee, "I don't know what… Damn it! What am I suppose to do?" Yamato pulled his crest out, snapping the rope that held it around his neck, looking at it as he spoke, "The Crest of Friendship… Why does someone like me have the Crest of Friendship!?"

"Yamato," Gabumon called, stepping closer to his friend, "I understand, Yamato. Do what you think is right." Yamato could only face Gabumon, shocked at what he was hearing as Gabumon continued, "Running full speed ahead, like Taichi always does, can't be the answer to everything. I'm sure that there are things out there only you can do, Yamato. Let's look for them together. And in those times, if you need me to… I will fight for you, Yamato! Even if this means treating the others as my enemy… I will always be with you, Yamato!"

Yamato could only shed tears, "Gabumon!"

At that mount, Yamato's crest began to glow again, erupting in a beam of light. "Gabumon warp-evolve! MetalGarurumon!" The light faded, revealing MetalGarurumon, "Let's go, Yamato!" Yamato nodded, climbing onto MetalGarurumon's back. MetalGarurumon let out a howl as he ran through the forest, trying to find the others.

Behind them Jureimon laughed at his success, "It went without a hitch!" "Still, I'm surprised by the strength of the bond between them. Since Pinocchimon-sama doesn't have a heart like they do, he may lose to them if he slips up."

MetalGarurumon was having his own thoughts as he ran, "Yamato…I know how you really feel. The truth is, you do want to believe… In your comrades… In your friends… In friendship."

Pinocchimon was washing his face in a stream after an incident with the poop fried by the Garbamon, "How dare they throw poop at me! Those guys are dead!"

Pinocchimon stopped washing his face when he heard, "Pinocchimon-sama!" He turned around to see Jureimon approaching him, "My plan has worked perfectly!"

Pinocchimon fully faced Jureimon as it approached, "And what would that be?"

"Making the two Ultimate Levels, Wargreymon and MetalGarurumon, fight each other!" Pinocchimon cheered as Jureimon finished, "If those two fight seriously, neither of them should come out of it unharmed! No. At best, they will both die by the other's hand! Once the strongest are out of the way, all you will need to do is pick off the weaklings."

Pinocchimon looked like a child getting a Christmas present, "Wow, I've gotta hurry and see this! That's one super battle that I don't wanna miss!"

Jureimon called after Pinocchimon as he ran off, "Please be careful around the Chosen Children! If you make light of them, even you may lose, Pinocchimon-sama!"

Pinocchimon stopped dead in his tracks, "I… may lose?"

Jureimon quickly answer Pinocchimon's semi-question, "They have something that you don't, Pinocchimon-sama."

Pinocchimon hadn't moved, "Something that I don't?" Pinocchimon looked over his shoulder with a menacing glare to Jureimon, "Are you saying that there's something I'm missing?" Pinocchimon saw Jureimon nod, but gave him no time to explain, "I'm not missing anything!" Pinocchimon then leaped into the air, "Bullet Hammer!" Pinocchimon slammed his hammer onto the ground, completely encasing Jureimon in his attack, deleting him, "I don't care who you are, no one gets away with making fun of me!" Pinocchimon then proceeded to find the children again.

The last Garbamon was facing Naruto and Metalgreymon. Naruto looked up to the giant cyborg dinosaur, "Why did you evolve?"

Metalgreymon simply glanced to Naruto, "You looked like you were having trouble with the last one."

Naruto thought for a second before shrugging, "Well, since you went through the trouble, you can have him."

Metalgreymon nodded, but before he could attack, the Garbamon dropped his bazooka to the ground, "All right, all right. I give up." The Garbamon said, jumping out of his trash can, "Just kidding!" The Garbamon pointed the opening of the trashcan to everyone as it started sucking debris of the forest, "There is a black hole in this thing! I'll suck all of you into it!"

Naruto simply stood in place, wedging his katana into the ground while using chakra to hold himself to the ground as Hikari, Tailmon, and Taichi held onto Metalgreymon's leg, the others else grabbed onto the trees. Taichi held onto both Hikari and Metalgreymon's leg as he looked to the Garbamon, "Damn it… He still had that trick up his sleeve!"

Taichi was surprise as Hikari lost her grip, Tailmon letting go to retrieve her. Naruto jumped when he heard her cry, "Onii-chan!" Leaving his katana in place, Naruto released his chakra grip, jumping over Hikari and Tailmon. He slammed his feet into the ground once he passed them, gripping the ground with chakra again as he caught both Hikari and Tailmon.

Taichi let out a sigh of relief when he witnessed Naruto's actions, shouting, "Nice catch Naruto!"

"Yeah, thank you Naruto-kun!" Naruto nodded to Hikari's thanks, slowly making his way back to Metalgreymon.

Just as Naruto made it near Metalgreymon, something shouted, "Cocytus Breath!" The Garbamon sudden froze solid before shattering into pieces. Naruto set Hikari and Tailmon down, retrieving his katana. He looked up when everyone started shouting "Yamato!"

Naruto saw Yamato near the others, then looked over to MetalGarurumon as Metalgreymon de-evolved back to Agumon. Naruto picked up his katana, watching MetalGarurumon carefully, not liking the look in either Yamato's or MetalGarurumon's eyes. He continued to watch as Agumon started running up to MetalGarurumon, "Thank you! That was a real close one!"

As Agumon continued to thank MetalGarurumon, Naruto noticed MetalGarurumon's eyes glow. Naruto ran full speed, surprising everyone as he grabbed Agumon, pulling him back when MetalGarurumon launch his attack. Everyone was shocked as MetalGarurumon stepped forward, "Agumon, fight me and you…" he added, turning his gaze to Naruto, "don't interfere with our fight! Now Agumon, evolve to Ultimate!"

Agumon stayed next to Naruto, glaring at MetalGarurumon, "No thanks! Why do I have to fight you?"

MetalGarurumon responded by firing two missiles at the pair. Naruto grabbed Agumon again, jumping away as the missiles exploded upon impact with the ground.

Sora managed to snapped out of her shock, running up to Yamato, "Yamato! Wh-what is this? What are you doing!?"

Taichi stood in front of Yamato, getting in his face, "Hey, Yamato! Hurry up and stop him!"

Yamato only glared at Taichi as he spoke, "No. I won't."

"You won't!? You…" Was all Taichi said, turning to Agumon and MetalGarurumon.

MetalGarurumon was glaring at Naruto, "I told you to not interfere! If you do, I will be forced to fight you as well!" Naruto's response was simply taking a step forward, showing he wouldn't back down. MetalGarurumon did nothing for a minute before saying, "Fine, have it your way. Agumon! My next shot won't miss. Now… hurry up and evolve to Wargreymon!"

Yamato moved next to MetalGarurumon as Agumon moved next to Taichi. Everyone was lined up on the left or right, looking like a hallway between the two. Naruto stood in the middle, glaring at both Yamato and MetalGarurumon, their actions bring back painful memories of his and Sasuke's fight at the valley. (Ok, everyone should know about that, so I shouldn't need to describe it.)

Jyou ran towards Yamato, stopping next to him holding his hands up in a defensive matter, "Q-Quit kidding around, Yamato! We're all friends here, aren't we?"

Yamato only responded with, "Friends?"

"That's right, friends! We're all Chosen Children, so that makes us friends!" Jyou said.

Yamato turned to Jyou after letting loose a small chuckle, holding one arm up, "Then here's a question. Who chose us?" When Jyou couldn't answer, Yamato lowered his hand to his side while raising his other fist, "If you don't even know that, what makes you think we're friends?"

Jyou turned his head away muttering, "You have a point there…"

"Jyou. There's no arguing with him. Yamato is always like this." Said Taichi

"Always like this?" Yamato said to himself before facing Taichi, both fists raised, "What the hell do you know about me anyway!?"

"I know you! This is your way of throwing a tantrum, isn't it?" Taichi said as he closed his eyes, raising one hand, "Just because things aren't going the way you want them to!"

Yamato turned his head slightly, a smirk on his face, "Well, aren't you amazing! I don't even have any idea what kind of person I am, but you do!"

Sora stepped near Taichi, seeing as Naruto was already standing between him and Yamato, "Hey, let's stop this, you two."

Taichi continued to stare at Yamato, "You don't need to tell me that. Yamato's the one picking a fight with me. I don't need to listen to this guy" Taichi finished, walking away.

"You've grown really mature, Taichi." Agumon said as he followed.

"That's not happening!" MetalGarurumon shouted as he leaped to block off Taichi and Agumon. Before he could land, Naruto jumped, kneeing MetalGarurumon's stomach then giving a round house kick to his face, sending him back to the ground near Yamato.

Yamato quickly turned to MetalGarurumon, seeing him get up easily before turning back to Naruto, "Hey! Stay out of this!"

The second Yamato finished his sentence, Naruto was standing next to him, his katana at Yamato's throat, "Tell me why! Why are you doing this?"

"To get stronger!" Yamato shouted, surprising everyone. Naruto eyes widen as he slowly lowered his katana.

Yamato smirked, thinking Naruto would stay out of his fight, only to be slugged in the jaw by Naruto. Yamato went sliding across the ground from Naruto's blow, stopping next to MetalGarurumon. Everyone was shocked by Naruto's actions, even Yamato and MetalGarurumon. They looked up to see Naruto hanging his head down to where you couldn't see his eyes. "You teme!!!" Naruto shouted, snapping his head to them revealing his crimson eyes as Kyuubi's chakra erupted from his body, spiraling around him in a violent vortex. Yamato and MetalGarurumon were frozen in place, but not by Naruto's power, by the tears falling from his eyes.

No one moved, either being to afraid or seeing nothing to do since Naruto seemed to be restraining himself. Hikari seemed to wonder off, hearing the voices yet again. Tailmon and Koushiro were the only ones to notice, following Hikari. Hikari stopped, looking to what seemed to be sparkles of light, "Are you people our friends? Or our enemies?"

Both Tailmon and Koushiro had found Hikari at that moment. Koushiro turned to Tailmon after hearing Hikari speak, "Who is Hikari-san talking to?"

Tailmon turned from Hikari to Koushiro, "I don't know."

At that moment Hikari spoke again, "Okay. So you're not bad guys." The sparkles then turned to beams, shining down on Hikari. Hikari closed her eyes as she began to glow, then hold her chest in pain. Both Tailmon and Koushiro ran to Hikari as she pulled out her crest, it giving off a bright light that enveloped everyone.

The light faded, revealing everyone in a pure white room, the only other color coming from their shadows. Naruto, who had calmed down when the light enveloped him, only stared at Hikari as she spoke, "Wherever there is light, naturally there will also be darkness. Darkness and light are like two sides of the same coin. But if the power of darkness grows larger…" As Hikari finished, the entire area was shrouded in shadow.

Takeru was the first to speak, "It turned into night!"

Jyou started looking around the area, "What is this place? Did we get sucked into another dimension?"

Sora quickly called to everyone, "Wait, guys! I see something!"

Everyone faced the same direction as Sora, seeing something appear in the shadows. Taichi was the first to recognize the figures, "This is… Hikarigaoko!"

Everyone gasped as a light formed in the sky, shining over to digimon, one being Greymon. Koushiro quickly pulled out his laptop when he spotted the second digimon, "That bird is the one we saw four years ago! Parrotmon… He was a Perfect level."

Hikari stepped forward, next to Koushiro, facing the two digimon, "Four years ago in your world, a Digiegg passed through a tear in the dimension by mistake."

Taichi quickly turned to his sister, "What are you talking about, Hikari?"

"That isn't Hikari talking." Everyone turned to Naruto, who was still staring at Hikari.

Koushiro quickly filled in when he noticed the confused looks on everyone's faces, "Someone is using Hikari-san's body to speak to us."

Hikari turned around facing the group, "I am a being who wishes for balance in the Digimon world."

Sora held out her hands in a questioning manner, "Could you be the God of the Digimon world?"

"No, I am not." Hikari answered, "I am identical to the Digimon in that, I am made up of internet data. But unlike the Digimon, we are unable to take form. In other words, we don't have a physical body. That is why I am borrowing this person's body to speak to you."

"Why Hikari?" Taichi asked, concerned for his sister.

"She and Naruto-san were the only ones who could hear me, but Naruto-san's emotions were too unstable at the time." The person speaking through Hikari said, at the same time Naruto held his head down in shame for losing control. "The truth is, I had wanted to talk to you ever since you first arrived on File Island." As Hikari finished again, the group was lifted off the ground by an unknown force. They proceeded to fly over Hikarigaoko, lights now shining on everyone from four years ago. Naruto watched and listened as everyone pointed themselves out. When Koushiro asked about the light, Hikari explained, "They are scanning everyone's data."

"But what for?" Yamato asked.

"Allow me to explain everything from the very beginning." Hikari said as the group flew into the source of the light. When the light faded, everyone found themselves inside some sort of laboratory. The group wandered around when Takeru noticed a case with eight Digieggs in a case. Everyone except Naruto ran up to the case, looking at the Digieggs, also noticing the digivices and crests were there as well.

Jyou turned around when h heard something walking behind him. He let out a scream when cloaked figures went by, "Um, excuse us for the intrusion!"

The figures simple ignored Jyou, going to work on the many machines in the lab. Gomamon didn't take being ignored well, "Hey, what gives? You could at least answer us!"

Hikari walked in front of the cloaked figures, "These people are holograms. We are transmitting images of what had occurred in the past into your minds."

Koushiro proceeded to look around when he spotted a familiar stone pedestal, "This is the stone slate in the basement of Vamdemon's castle!"

"The gate is here too! It's the same room!" Piyomon shouted, having flown around the room.

Everyone ran up to the gate, leaving Naruto curious about the place. He simply filed a note to ask about it later when Jyou turned back around asking, "But what are those people doing?"

"They are preparing for the moment when this world will be overrun by darkness." Hikari said, walking up to the group, "First, we created the Crests and Digivices out of the data that we scanned from you. Speaking of which, Naruto-san." Naruto turned to Hikari, letting her know to continue, "We were able to retrieve enough data from your short appearance here to make your own digimon." Before anyone could say anything, a Digiegg appeared in Naruto's arms, shocking the group.

Taichi was quick to respond to Hikari's previous words as Naruto examined the egg along with a few others, "So that means… You guys are the ones who chose us?" Hikari gave a nod, leaving Taichi with another question, "But why were we chosen?"

"Both you and Hikari-san made the Digiegg that wandered into the real world evolve into Greymon, remember?" Hikari answered.

"No, he evolved on his own!" Taichi answered back.

"There is no such thing as a spontaneous evolution." Hikari responded, "In other words, that evolution was not a mere coincidence. It was because of your presence there that allowed him to evolve into Greymon!"

"But… we didn't do anything! We didn't even have a Digivice!" Taichi said as he recalled the memory.

"If you think of the Digivice as merely a tool for evolution, then you are mistaken." Hikari said as she continued her explanation, "The Digivice matches your special qualities with your Digimon, and enables them to evolve correctly. The same goes for your Crests. Is everyone aware of what their Crests means?"

"Mines Courage." Taichi said

"Mine is Love." Said Sora.

"Purity." Mimi said.

"Knowledge." Koushiro said.

"Sincerity." Said Jyou.

"Mine is the Crest f Hope." Said Takeru

"Mine is…" Yamato started only to have Jyou finish for him.

"Friendship, wasn't it?" Jyou said as he patted Yamato's back.

"I'm not sure mine counts." Everyone turned to Naruto, seeing hold both the Will and his unique Digivice out.

Everyone turned back to Hikari to hear her explanation, "It is true both your Digivice and Crest are unique, but after careful analyzes, we determined they will work the same way as the others." Naruto only nodded, putting them both away as Hikari continued, "Those are the strongest qualities that each of you had four years ago. But what happens if you lose those qualities? You may end up misusing your Digimon for the wrong purposes. Also, if you used those wonderful qualities of yours for the wrong reasons…"

Taichi's eyes widened as he realized something, "Could it be…? Back then, I jumped in front of the enemy so I could force Greymon to super-evolve. But Agumon became SkullGreymon instead. That was the wrong kind of courage…"

"Yes. You finally realized it." Hikari said

Naruto decided to ask his question, "So do you know what mine means…?"

Hikari turned to Naruto smiling, "Yes, yours is determination. Your will to never give up."

Naruto pulled his Crest back out, "That's ironic."

Jyou stepped next to Taichi, "So this means you've put all of this work into bringing the best out of qualities that we'd already had in the first place."

Yamato walked back to the case where the Digieggs were being held, followed by the others. Koushiro stared at the case asking, "I can understand why Taichi-san and Hikari-san were chosen, but the rest of us didn't make a Digimon evolve…"

Hikari faced the group again, turning away from the case, "After examining everyone's data, we found that you share something in common with Taichi-san and Hikari-san. The meaning behind it is, is still a mystery to us…"

Takeru had stepped closer to the case as Hikari spoke, "What are these Digieggs?"

Hikari turned to Takeru, smiling again, "Can't you tell?"

"Could it be us?" Patamon asked, receiving a nod from Hikari. The Digimon then decided to identify their Digieggs.

Hikari's smile quickly turned into a frown as she continued, "The Dark Masters soon found out our plans and they immediately stepped in to bring it down."

Just then a door opened, showing to different Digimon behind them. The Digimon holograms began attacking the people as Hikari continued her explanation, "These are also holographic images."

The group started to calm down after a short panic caused by the Digimon holograms. Taichi couldn't help the anger bubbling up inside him as he watched this scene in front of his eyes, "Damn it! Are you telling me that we can only stand here and watch, just because they're holograms?!"

Koushiro took the time to analyze the two Digimon, Guardromon and Mechanorimon. Everyone watched in both anger and horror when Jyou spotted something familiar, "It's Piemon!" Sure enough, a hologram of Piemon floated to the egg case, using his evil powers to crack the case open.

Piemon tool at the Crests in the case before another hooded figure charged Piemon, sword in hand, "Piemon! Keep your hands off them!"

Piemon simply faced the figure as the hood fell, revealing a young man, "Gennai." Piemon simply jumped over Gennai's sword swipe, putting a small black sphere into Gennai's back Gennai made another swing at Piemon, who dodged easily. A Mechanorimon attack Gennai, only to have Gennai jump on top of it and pry the lid open. Gennai pulled out the Digimon piloting the suit, jumping in and taking control. Naruto couldn't help a chuckle when Gennai stole the machine.

Gennai then used the machine to grab the Digieggs and Digivices, taking off making a hole through the room. The group followed as Piemon sent a few Guardromon after Gennai. Naruto had a quick conversation with Kyuubi as the followed, "Hey Kyuubi, after all this is over, bring them into my mind. I need to show them why I lost control."

"Are you sure kit? This may hurt more than help."

"They deserver to know if they want to."

Naruto heard Kyuubi give off a low growl before agreeing, going back to its light sleep. Naruto watched as Tailmon's egg was blown out of the suits claw, falling to the ground. They continued to follow until they arrived on a snow-covered File Island, Hikari continuing where she left off, "And then… many, many years passed until…"

Koromon filled in, seeing his egg crack, "I hatched!"

Everyone watched at the newly hatched Digimon formed a circle, constantly tossing the Digivice into the air until they vanished into the air, the children coming falling from the sky. Hikari finished as the holograms started to end, "We don't know what the Dark Masters' final objective is or what must be done to save this world. All we can do for now is watch over the peace of the Digimon world and prepare a system that will repair damages before they take effect."

The hologram then faded out in a bright light, but before anyone could move, a dark crimson color flash, forcing everyone unconscious. Everyone awoke to find themselves in what seemed like a sewer. Hikari, being herself again, was the first to ask, "Where are we?"

"We're in my mindscape." Everyone turned to see Naruto standing in front of a large door with the words memories printed on the front. "I brought you all here to show you why I lost control earlier."

"What do you…" Koushiro began, stopping when he remembered Naruto unleashing the violent vortex.

Naruto nodded when Koushiro stopped, "If you want, you can follow me through this door and find out or wait here. But I warn you, once you decide, you can't change your mind, and the memory isn't a pleasant one." Everyone seemed to think for a moment before nodding. Hikari was the first one to step forward, followed by everyone else. Naruto gave a nod, "Ok, then lets go."

Naruto pushed the doors open, a bright light shining through before it revealed two statues with a waterfall between them. The door shut as Naruto sat down, closing his eyes so not to see the memory again, although he knew it was futile. (Ok, I really shouldn't have to explain the fight between Naruto and Sasuke at the valley. So I won't)

When the memory finished, everyone was frozen in place, tears falling from everyone. Hikari was the only one not frozen, though her tears flowing freely. She quickly faced Naruto, who simply had his face turned away. Hikari did the only thing she could think of, she ran to Naruto, enveloping him in a gentle hug. Naruto didn't know why, but the moment Hikari hugged him, he couldn't hold the tears in any longer, wrapping his arms around Hikari letting the years of bottle pain loose.

Everyone watched as the two held each other, one comforting a friend, the other letting out years of pain, with a small smile on their faces. Taichi couldn't help a knowing smile, which Tailmon caught, "So you know. That Naruto cares for Hikari."

Taichi gave a nod, "Yeah, I had my suspicions when Naruto only gave Hikari a suffix to her name, but this confirms it."

But before they could continue their conversation, the light faded out. Everyone awoke on the forest floor, standing up as both the holograms and the memory was still fresh in their minds. Taichi didn't waste anytime, turning to Yamato, "Yamato. Now we know why we're the Chosen Children." Yamato gave a nod as Taichi continued, "Just as I'd thought… It looks like we're the only ones who can straighten out this world's distortions. Yamato. Let's fight side by side again."

Yamato's answer surprised Taichi, "I'm sorry."

"Could I have been wrong this whole time?" Taichi asked.

"No… This is all my fault." Yamato said, beginning to walk away again.

"That's not what I meant! I was talking about how I've been acting up till now…" said Taichi, still trying to convince Yamato.

"It's not my place to say this after, how I've behaved, but…I don't think there is ever a right or wrong way of doing things. It's simply that you have your path and I have mine. I don't have a clue what sort of path is waiting for me. I thought that if I fought you, I'd be able to find out what it was. Apologizing probably won't be enough for you to forgive me, but… I'm sorry." Yamato said, facing the forest before turning back to everyone, "But… I want to find my own path. No, I have to! That's why I decided to leave you guys and go on alone from here. Just me and Tsunomon."

"Please reconsider…" Koushiro began only to be interrupted by Naruto.

"Let him go, he needs to find his own way." Naruto said as he checked the Digiegg he had woken up with.

Before any could pretest, they heard, "Thank you Naruto." Everyone turned back to Yamato to see a small smile on his face, "You understand what I'm going through, even after what I did you're willing to help me."

Naruto simply shrugged, "Forgive and forget."

Yamato smiled again before walking away. Taichi seemed to understand, leading the group away, "Let's win those battles and fix the distortions in the Digimon world!"

Sora stopped, realizing Mimi had stopped as well, "Mimi-chan?"

"Gomen Sora-san. I'm not going." Mimi said

Sora ran up to Mimi, stopping right in front of her, "Not going? You want to stay here?"

Mimi turned her head away when she spoke, "Yeah. Others may get hurt and die again… I don't want to see that anymore."

"Then I'll stay too." Jyou said, surprising Koushiro. "It's dangerous for Mimi-chan to be here on her own. I'll do my best to convince her to come back, and after I've done that, we'll join back up with you guys again. Is that okay?" Jyou finished asking Taichi.

Taichi gave a nod to Jyou, "Yeah, We're counting on you, Jyou."

Jyou nodded back, running to Mimi with Gomamon as Patamon talked with Piyomon, "Everyone is being separated again…"

"And just when all eight of us got together, too…" said Piyomon.

Tailmon over heard the two, walking next to them, "You guys don't get it do you? The roads we take are different… But the place we'll end up in is the same."

Naruto also over heard them, "Different roads, same destination." He said as he walked by, Digiegg in one arm. Hikari quickly joined Naruto, giving him a warm smile as she grabbed his hand. Naruto smiled back, the two holding hands the walked with the group.

Ok, that's done. Sorry if the ending seemed kinda rushed, I was running on no sleep for a day.


Notes:

… Can't think of any.


Reviewer Response:

Diimmortal: Thanks for the idea, but already decided.

ConnectFire611: Same, thanks for the idea, but already decided

Challenger: No, no BlackOmnimon/BlackOmegamon, and I'm not spoiling the story

CrimsonKyuubi: Thanks for the info, but I already knew. My brain is just weird.

To everyone else I didn't mention, you have either flamed, (Which no one has yet) or left a comment along with poll answer. I thank you all for your support.

PLEASE READ, ENJOY, AND REVIEW!