Taichi found Kimiko and Yuki Agumon staring at the wall. "Are you two okay?"

The tween girl turned to him. "But Masaru.." She fell into him and began to cry, "...he ordered his partner to…"

Agumon hissed and Taichi felt his heart turn cold. "Kimiko, I-"

She pulled back and wiped her eyes. "I shouldn't feel sad. He wanted to kill me but…" She sniffled.

Taichi patted her back. "Yeah, I get it."

Kimiko took a few breaths and then looked further down the hall. At the end was a set of double doors. "He said she was down there…with another one of…of us."

Taichi gave a short nod. "Then it's time to end this."

Child of Courage

Chapter XIV

Taichi kicked open the door at the end of the hall and raced inside, followed closely by Kimiko and their partners. The room was the same as where they'd fought Takuya and Masaru, wide and empty. Well, empty save for the slightly raised platform at the far end, where Maki Himekawa stood in front of a large glowing cylinder.

She studied the quartet and then sighed. "So I'm guessing both Takuya and Masaru failed?"

"They're…they're gone," Kimiko said, "The same thing with Taiki and Takuya."

"Really?" she asked with a shrug, "I would have guessed they had a few more days, at most. Oh well."

"That's it, huh?" Taichi snapped, "They meant nothing to you?"

"They were soldiers and failed experiments," she replied, almost with a snarl, but then she smiled. "At least with your DNA, I can create more."

"Why?" Kimiko snapped, "Why am I so special? Why am I so damn perfect?"

Though Taichi made no effort to say it, he still pictured himself reprimanding her for swearing.

"You're not."

Taichi blinked in confusion but then noticed Kimiko's face drop. "What?" she asked "You kept saying you wanted me back here…"

Maki smirked. "You didn't let me finish. You're not perfect, but you're close enough, almost there." Her smile grew. "I escaped the Dark Ocean with the help of the one you call Dark Gennai."

Taichi scowled slightly while Agumon grumbled. "Great, him."

Maki continued, "All he told me was Iggdrasil wanted me to cause as much chaos on Earth as I could. In return, he told me how to bond humans and digimon together. I thought I could use it to get Tapirmon back but…" She laughed, "...seems it needs a clean install."

Taichi glanced at his digivice.

"But I still thought I could use it to figure out how the whole human/digimon partnership worked, so I agreed. As I told you before, I already had your genetic samples, so I started with basic clones."

Taichi snorted. "Like all of this is completely normal."

Maki stared. "Yeah, so anyway, with Dark Gennai's help, I created a process to clone Chosen. I used your DNA and bonded them with digimon partners, but they aged too quickly. They all died of old age within a week."

Kimiko hissed while Yuki Agumon started whimpering. "Oh don't worry, they were mindless. They didn't have a mind, soul, operating system, or whatever else you want to call it. The point is, they were empty. That wasn't the issue, the issue was their biological clock was too fast. Then I thought that might be fixed with a natural child. All I needed was the specialized equipment. The fertility clinic helped with that."

Taichi wobbled slightly on his feet while he felt his heart begin to race. Did she mean-? Was she saying that-?

Kimiko and Yuki Agumon shared confused expressions. "What are you talking about?"

Maki chuckled. "You're too young to get that, so let me put it another way. You said before that you were made into Taichi Yagami's daughter, but that's not true. You were always…" She gestured to Taichi, "...our daughter. You share my DNA because I am your true mother."

Kimiko turned to Taichi and he saw the corner of her lips started to twitch.

"But," Maki said, "After you were born I bonded you with a Digiegg, just like I had the previous test subjects. There wasn't anything unusual with you the first week or the second. It wasn't until the third that I noticed you were aging faster than normal-not as fast as the clones, but still fast. You aged into a toddler within a year. Then, your Digi-egg hatched into a Botamon and your aging slowed down to normal."

"What happened?" Taichi asked.

Maki shrugged. "Near as I could tell, our daughter and her partner were synched so perfectly that, since digimon develop faster, she was causing Kimiko to age faster too. That's when I concluded digimon had to be bonded to older children. I introduced you to the others in the orphanage, but I think you now remember the rest."

Agumon studied Taichi while Yuki Agumon was staring up at Kimiko. "Uh, guys?" Agumon asked, "Are you okay?"

Kimiko nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah." She stared at Maki. "Why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me that I was really your daughter?"

"Why should I?" Maki said with a shrug, "You were just an experiment like the others, but you were still useful as a soldier. It wasn't until after you'd disappeared that the others started degrading while you never did. If I'd had even an inkling that would happen, I'd have kept you under lock and key, chained to my side, if necessary."

Most of the explanation had gone over Taichi's head (he really wished he'd made Koshiro come), there was one phrase he latched onto…our daughter. Kimiko was his child. Her birth was far from normal, but Kimiko was, truly, his daughter.

And Kimiko was staring at the floor, whimpering and sniffling. He stepped towards her, ready to put his arm around her shoulders, ready to tell her that he was there, that he would do anything he could to make this better.

He reached for her but pulled back when Kimiko threw back her head to stare at Maki. "You know what? I'm glad I didn't know the truth. It would have made what you did to me even worse! You didn't care about me at all until you needed me!"

"And I still need you!" she snapped, "And if you won't come willingly, I'll make you."

Taichi and Agumon jumped in front of Kimiko and Yuki Agumon. "How? You don't have a partner anymore!"

Maki snarled and then spun around, slamming the side of her fist into a small panel attached to the side of the cylinder. Lights began flashing from the ceiling while the glass of the cylinder slid into the floor. "Maybe not, but my latest experiment more than makes up for it."

Taichi held his breath as a person stepped forward; a young boy, maybe ten or eleven, wearing a familiar blue t-shirt and orange shorts, as well as a pair of blue goggles. Kimiko gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "H-he's younger than me!"

"Who is he?" Taichi demanded, "Some other kid from the orphanage?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Maki answered, "2020 here is just an advanced form of the clone you fought outside the building earlier, even more advanced than Takyua. 2020 is a mindless creation, fully programmable by me." She grinned at Kimiko. "And with the DNA sample you gave me before, I was able to stop his degeneration and I think I need to give him a test run before I showcase him to my potential buyers."

Taichi stared at the boy; letting his mouth drop open. It was him; it was Taichi at age ten! "You…you're completely fucked up! What you did to use seven years ago was bad enough, but how could you do that to a bunch of kids? How bad did the Dark Ocean screw with you? Or were you always this messed up and just hid it well?"

Maki growled and jabbed a finger toward them. "2020, I need that girl alive! Kill the old man and his partner, but bring the other two here!"

"Old man?" Taichi grumbled, "You're older than me."

The boy, 2020, jumped off the platform as his body burst with bright light, shifting and twisting into a towering metal dragon. "MugenDramon!"

Taichi pulled out his digivice and turned to Kimiko. "Ready?"

She looked up at him and smiled. With a nod, she said, "Ready!"

"And we're ready too, right?" Agumon asked Yuki Agumon.

"Oh yeah!" she replied.

Taichi and Kimiko held out their digivices and shouted in unison, "Evolve!"

"Agumon warp evolve to Wargreymon!"

"Yuki Agumon super evolve to Aero V-dramon!"

MugenDramon attacked first, launching himself forward while swinging his claws. Aero V-dramon launched into the air while Wargreymon darted to the side, avoiding a swipe by mere inches. The dinosaur man retaliated by shooting fireballs from his gauntlets, striking the machine dragon's chest. MugenDramon snarled before stampeding towards WarGreymon and connecting with his claws. "Booster Claw!"

"Yes!" Maki shouted, "Finish them!"

Wargreymon grunted as MugenDramon's claw sliced across his chest. "Hang on!" Aero V-dramon shouted. "Magnum Crash!"

The blue dragon slammed her fist into MugenDramon's cheek. His head twisted to the side but then swung back, slamming into Aero V-dramon and sending her tumbling through the air.

Wargreymon flew at MugenDramon with his arms open. "Dramon Tackle!"

MugenDramon swung down and smacked the dragon man into the ground like swatting a fly.

"V-Breath Arrow!"

Aero V-dramon's attack struck MugenDramon's back with a bright explosion. He started to topple forward but then quickly shifted his feet, managing to jerk himself back upright.

"Damn it," Taichi said.

"All we did was almost make him lose his balance!" Kimiko cried.

"Don't worry, we've got this," Aero V-dramon said.

"Yeah!" Wargreymon agreed, "Let's go!"

Taichi squeezed Kimiko's shoulder as their partners rushed at MugenDramon once more. Aero V-dramon took to the right while Wargreymon shot to the left. The dinosaur man dove at MugenDramon with his dragon killer claws ready and his body primed for his Great Tornado. "Great-"

He didn't finish as MugenDramon grabbed him with his clawed hand and flung him into Aero V-dramon as she flew in for a dive bomb. Both digimon untangled themselves before avoiding MugenDramon's Booster Claw from his left hand.

"Look out!" Taichi shouted.

Wargreymon noticed MugenDramon's right Booster Claw soaring towards him. He slammed his gauntlets together and shouted, "Great Tornado!"

This time he was successful, drilling himself into MugenDramon's palm, through his arm, and bursting through his elbow.

Then Aero V-dramon followed up with her V-Wing Blade, slicing off the metal dragon's already damaged limb. It fell to the ground with a massive thud, drowned out only by MugenDramon's howling.

"Yes!" Taichi and Kimiko cheered in unison.

Their smiles faded as MugenDramon began thrashing, stomping his feet as he clutched his injured limb. His tail whipped behind him, smacking into the walls and sending down chunks of plaster.

Maki screamed. "What are you doing? Stop this at once!"

MugenDramon continued stomping in his blind pain, moving dangerously close to Maki.

"Get out of there!" Taichi shouted, "Run!"

Wargreymon and Aero V-dramon once more charged at MugenDramon but they were flung back by his flailing arm.

Behind him, Maki tried to flee through the shower of debris but was trapped as MugenDramon stepped backward. Taichi pulled Kimiko into his chest and covered her ears, sparing her the sight of watching Maki crushed beneath the mechanical dragon's foot.

MugenDramon continued to howl and stomp around the room. "He's out of control!" Aero V-dramon shouted.

"He doesn't have a mind to reason with," Wargreymon said, "He's just out of control power!"

Taichi shielded Kimiko from the debris with his body. "Then take him out!"

Wargreymon nodded at Aero V-dramon. "We'll double-team him."

"Gotcha!"

The dinosaur man began drawing energy into a sphere within his palms while Aero V-dramon breathed in, expanding her chest as far as she could.

MugenDramon suddenly stopped thrashing and turned to them, his eyes glowing. Crap! He was finally aware of them! Taichi pulled Kimiko even closer.

"Gaia Force!"

"V-Breath Arrow!"

MugenDramon almost seemed to laugh. "Mugen Cannon!"

Wargreymon and Aero V-dramon dropped in front of Taichi and Kimiko, shielding the humans from the explosion of the three attacks. While they were safe from the worst of the blast, the shockwave still sent them tumbling along the floor before sliding to a stop.

Kimiko felt herself rattle as she and her father tumbled along the floor. When they finally stopped, she felt her father's strong arms go limp around her. She pushed herself to her knees and tried to ignore the pain in her side. "Dad?"

Her father lay motionless on the ground. She shook his shoulder. "Dad!"

He groaned and pushed himself up. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah! What about you?"

He moaned. "I've been better." Then he chuckled. "Never really hit home until now but I guess I'm not a teenager anymore, heh."

Kimiko suddenly gasped and twisted around, groaning herself as pain shot through her side. "Yuki!"

The two Agumon were lying on the ground a short distance in front of them amid a massive pile of debris. They were both smudged with dirt. Yet, beyond them, MugenDramon was visible within the smoke, the flickering light from the burning piles around him making him look even more like a demon.

Kimiko heard her father shout, "Agumon!"

The orange dinosaur jumped to his feet and hoisted his white counterpart to her feet. They both ran to the side of their partners.

"What now?" Yuki Agumon asked.

"Do we run?" Kimiko asked.

Her father scanned the massive room. "I don't see a door anymore."

Agumon nodded. "Only way out is up." He turned to MugenDramon, "But I don't think he's going to let us leave."

Kimiko heaved. "W-what do we do?" She slouched. "It's hopeless."

Her father smiled. "Hey, is that any way for a Yagami to talk?" He rested his hand on her shoulder. "We don't give up. Ever."

She smiled and gave a short nod. "Yeah. Never."

"We'll do this together," her father said.

Both humans held out their digivices and their partners nodded in agreement.

"We're ready," Agumon declared.

"Right behind ya!" Yuki Agumon shouted.

Kimiko felt her digivice shake with energy and saw that her father's device did the same. "Yeah, together!"

"Agumon…"

"Yuki Agumon…"

"...super warp evolve to…"

"...Examon!"

Kimiko stared in wonder at the winged dragon hovering in front of her. "Jogressed?"

"Yeah," her father said, "Father and daughter together." He squeezed her shoulder. "Go on."

The tween grinned. "Examon, finish him!"

"You got it!" the dragon knight declared. He swung his arm to the side and a lance appeared in a burst of light.

MugenDramon roared and his twin cannons started to hum. "Mugen…!"

Examon shot towards the metal dragon with his lance sparkling with energy. "Avalon's Gate!"

He slammed his lance into MugenDramon's chest. The metal dragon heaved and then laughed. "..Can-"

His attack declaration died in his throat as a blast from Examon's lance blew him in half. The metal dragon's torso toppled to the side and his body burst into data before hitting the ground.

"Yes!" Kimiko cheered.

Then the room began to quake as chunks of debris rained down once again. "Shit!" her father said, "That shockwave must have destroyed what little support was left! Examon!"

Their combined partner flew at them but a shower of tile and support beams fell in front of the humans. Kimiko felt her father's arms wrap around her. "Kimiko!"

"Dad!"

Hikari paced the area in front of the dark building before looking at her phone again. "Where are Koshiro and Tentomon? I'm giving them another minute and then we're going in."

Tailmon nodded. "Sure, but I-"

The ground shook and Hikari braced herself against a lamppost. Not an earthquake! Not now!

Her horror only grew worse as the building rumbled before a crack ripped up the middle. "No!"

"Look!" Tailmon shouted.

A red dragon burst through the top of the building moments before it collapsed in upon itself. She then held her breath as the digimon began dropping towards her. She reached for her digivice. "Tailmon!

"Hikari!"

She blinked. "Taichi?!"

As the dragon descended, she could indeed make out her brother within the dragon's arms, and within his arms, was her niece with a wide grin on her face. "Aunt Hikari!"

Taichi turned to Kimiko as they stepped out of the elevator. "Nervous?"

She shrugged. "A little."

"You've been fidgeting since we left the apartment. Are you sure it's more than a little?"

Kimiko frowned. "I'm not a fan of this dress."

He had to admit, it did seem a little too pink-princessy for her. "You have some others, right?"

"I promised Aunt Hikari I'd wear it during special occasions."

"Ah." He tugged at his neck. "Well, I'm not a big fan of ties, either."

"Really? Didn't Aunt Hikari say you were trying to get into business or something?"

He smiled. "Not anymore. You kind of changed my mind there."

She turned to him and he noticed her cheeks and lips seemed a little redder. "Are you wearing makeup?"

"A little. Why?"

"Aren't you too young for that?"

"I'm twelve, remember?"

He winced. "Right, right." They both lost so much time together while she was…

He cleared his throat. "Um, are you okay? I mean, about your mother…"

She tensed. "I know she was my mother but…if I hadn't met you then…then who knows how I would have turned out." She paused. "I think I'll miss her in some weird way but…" She hugged him. "I have you now."

Taichi wiped his eyes and cleared his throat. "Um, anyway. Hanging around with you, well, kind of made me rethink things."

"That's why you got that coaching job?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Maybe in a few years, I'll try something else, but for right now…" He shrugged, "Yeah, coaching kids seems good to me."

They stopped in front of the door but neither one moved. "Ready?" Taichi asked.

"Not really."

"Yeah…me either."

"Can we bail? I mean, you said that Mr. Izumi and Mr. Ishida shut down Ami's lab but she's still out there somewhere, right? We need to find her and-"

Taichi shook his head. "No. If we don't do this now then I don't think I'll ever do it."

Kimiko nodded. "Yeah…yeah, okay."

Taichi took a deep breath and knocked. The door flung open and Hikari stood on the other side, wearing a black dress. "Late, as usual," she sighed.

They stepped inside and Hikari shut the door. "Very handsome, Taichi. Kimiko, very cute."

Father and daughter blushed in unison.

Taichi's parents walked into the hall, both dressed in formal wear themselves. "Taichi!" his mother said, "Can you explain why Hikari told us to…" Her mouth dropped open while his father stood motionless. "W-who is this?"

Taichi ignored how his heart was pounding against his ribcage. "Um, Mom, Dad, this, uh, this is Kimiko."

He gave her a gentle push forward. "H-hi," she stammered, "N-nice to meet you, grandma."

THE END