"Oh, my oh my!" Silver licked his lips in satisfaction as he stepped out from behind a large white curtain. His clothing, which was still blotched with old bloodstains, was now soiled with strange liquids and dust. "I believe I'm done!

"With what, exactly?" Aoi asked. Her partner Agumon was sniffing the air, wary of the strange scent that hung around them.

Silver had begun his experiment several days ago, commandeering half of the warehouse as his makeshift laboratory. Aoi and the others had no idea what exactly he was working on. All the boy had said was that this strange experiment would get them to the Digital World.

Silver grinned evilly. "Oh, my dear boss lady, I have created something absolutely amazing! Please, call in the others. We have some serious talking to do!"

As if on cue, Kye, Kai, and their partners walked in. Both Scyth and Labramon sniffed the air as well. "Wh-What in the world is this stench?" Scyth asked, wrinkling his snout. Labramon's pink tail fluffed up in alarm.

"It might just be the smell of our new friend!" Hagurumon's robotic voice chimed in. "Silver's really outdone himself! He's created a live Digimon!"

"What!" Labramon yelped at the white haired tamer. "That's impossible!"

Silver merely sneered at the Beast. "Oh, but it is, my canine friend. Come see." The young tamer beckoned his comrades to follow. As Kai began to walk as well, Labramon gripped his pant leg with his teeth.

"I'm starting to think we're in way over our heads, Kai…" Labramon whined. "I've been with you for quite some time and followed your every order. But now, things are getting to be too much."

"Labramon…" Kai looked down at the Digimon. He was obviously very sceptical about this creation of Silver's. "It'll be fine. Silver's a smart kid. This new Digimon should be okay for now-"

"No creature, human or Digimon, should play god, Kai." Labramon growled.

Kai swallowed hard. He also had a twinge of doubt about this artificial Digimon. Silver was not a stable individual, and Kai would have been lying if he said he wasn't having second thoughts himself.

The tamer knelt down and patted the Digimon's head. "This might be our only chance, Labramon. To make the world we've always wanted. As sketchy as this is, we can't miss this opportunity."

Labramon narrowed his eyes at his partner. After a moment, he looked away and sighed. "I am your Digimon, Kai. I will follow your orders until the day I die. That is my true mission, after all."

Kai furrowed his brow. Labramon always said that when they had conflicting views. It always made him feel bad. He sighed heavily, stood up and nodded. They followed into Silver's lab without another word.

…

"Balance is key, Darcmon." Heart muttered. "If you stand firm and in balance, nothing will topple you."

"You look like an idiot, Master." Darcmon said dryly. Her tamer was balancing on handrail of a small, wooden bridge, garnering the stares of confused bystanders. Darcmon shuffled in the large baggy hoodie she was wearing to conceal her golden wings.

"Oh come on, Darcmon." Heart stuck out her tongue. "I'm trying to teach you something. Can you please try to at least humor me in my lesson?

Darcmon gulped. "But… Everyone's staring at us…" The Champion Digimon wasn't the type that enjoyed attention.

"Then let them stare!" Heart shouted. "We are the future, you know! The ones who will change the world will be us!"

Darcmon fell discerning stares boring into her back. "Shut up, you idiot!" She cried as she pushed her tamer over the bridge and into the shallow river below.

Heart stood up and spat out a stream of water. "You are so dead!" She said with blazing azure eyes.

…

Heart, along with a moderately battered Darcmon, was traversing a long beaten stone path in the woods. The two knew the path well, moving through the denser parts of the path with ease. Soon enough, they came across an old, abandoned hut.

"Ah, dump sweet dump. How I missed you." Heart said as she flew open the door. Inside were several large sacks. Heart opened one up, revealing a small collection of shiny treasures.

"Looks like everything's still here." She looked out of one of the broken windows and shouted, "Thanks again, Shurimon!"

A creature immediately appeared from the forest. It was a strange, ninja-like Digimon clad in white, with leaves on his shoulders. Its arms and legs were long and vine-like with a large shuriken attached to the ends. A final shuriken sat on it back. It bounded over to Heart and bowed. "I am happy to help, Master." He said.

Heart patted the Digimon's head. "You're such a good Digimon. I know you'd never disappoint me. Or push me of a bridge…" She glanced over to Darcmon, who was taking off her sweatshirt. The Champion stuck her tongue at her.

"Shall you be moving once again, Master?" Shurimon asked.

Heart pondered for a moment. "Probably not. I'm just checking in. Let everyone stretch their legs." She activated both of her D-Wrists. "Reload, Gururumon! Devidramon! Ginryumon! Digmon! Clockmon! Saibirdramon!"

Lights of various colors exploded from both of her D-Wrists. A small army of Digimon appeared before Heart. They bowed to their leader, which made Heart smile proudly.

"Everyone seems to be in top shape." The blonde inspected her Digimon carefully. "Now who should I bring out today?"

The D-Wrist was only big enough to hold three Digimon at a time. With Shurimon protecting her treasures, Heart still had seven Digimon to take with her. With two D-Wrists, Heart decided to keep six in for travel, and one out in case of emergencies, which happened pretty often.

"Pick me!" Devidramon, a huge black lizard with leathery wings, growled cutely. "I wanna stretch my wings." She nuzzled Heart's side. "You must be tired of walking, Master. Let me carry you through the sky!"

A female squawk surprised the lizard. A black bird-like Digimon shoved her out of the way. "It Master wants to fly, she should do it on me! My wings are much stronger! And unlike you, I know how to fly without being seen! Last time Master rode you, you almost crashed into the Chrysler Building!"

"It was one time, Saibirdramon…" Devidramon whimpered. The Champion seemed to be quite submissive. "I promise I'll fly right this time…"

Gururumon yawned noisily to show his disinterest. Along with him was a yellow beetle-like Digimon with drills for its hands and nose. He seemed a bit younger than the other Digimon, with its smaller size and bouncy demeanor.

"Mister Gururumon?" Digmon asked, with shining emerald eyes. "How come you never ask to go out?"

The silver wolf snorted. "If I'm needed, I'm needed. No need to go looking for work to do. That's pretty uncool."

"No one's as cool as you, Mister Gururumon!" Digmon beamed.

Heart sighed. Between her two female Digimon bickering, and Digmon's constant praise of Gururumon, things could get pretty loud. Noticing her discomfort, Clockmon bounded up to her. It was an average size creature, looking similar to a clock, save for its arms and legs. Heart rubbed the Champion's side. "What do you think about this, Clockmon?"

Clockmon whirled and beeped. It sounded pretty happy. The tamer laughed. "That's why you're my favorite."

Her final Digimon, Ginryumon, was sitting perfectly still, awaiting orders. The dragon Digimon was clad in strong black armor. He looked more like a giant chess piece more than a living creature. It wasn't until Heart beckoned him over did he stir.

"Master…" He said. "Nice day, isn't it?"

"Yep. Good day to go fishing."

"Then I hope you will take me with you. I've gotten so much better at it lately."

Heart nodded. She liked Ginryumon for his calm nature, even if it made him a bit of a stick in the mud sometimes. "One of these days, Ginryumon." She said as she felt a tingling feeling on the back of her neck. "We might need to take care of something first."

Three winged creatures burst from the treetops. They were blood red in color, with purple wings and were holding pitchforks. They grinned evilly at the group of Digimon.

"Boogeymon!" Devidramon cried. "Run away!"

Heart shook her head. "No way. This is our turf. We're not going anywhere." She beckoned her Digimon to fight. "Those guys will make a great snack for you all!"

The blonde knocked her D-Wrists together. "Jogress! Clockmon and Ginryumon!"

The two chosen Digimon transformed into bursts of light and fused together. In their place, was a massive orange dinosaur with a metal helmet and a robotized arm. "MetalGreymon!" The beast roared.

"Ruby Eye!" Lasers shot from the Boogeymons' eyes. They struck MetalGreymon in the chest, pushing him back slightly.

"If you think that'll deter us, you're sorely mistaken." Heart yelled. "Digmon! Devidramon! You're up too!"

With another knock of her D-Wrists, Digmon and Devidramon fused. The new Digimon was a large, grey beetle with scissor like hands. "Okuwamon!"

The Boogymon split up. One was combating Okuwamon by stabbing at it with its pitchfork, while the other two were shooting lasers at MetalGreymon. The jongressed Digimon seemed more annoyed by the Champions than anything.

"Pathetic." Heart chuckled. "They thought they could fight us?" She smiled slyly. "Let's make it interesting. Partition! Jogress!"

MetalGreymon and Okuwamon split back into their base forms. Just as quickly as they separated, they fused again, but with switching partners. Digmon and Ginryumon fused to form DinoBeemon, a large Ultimate Level with characteristics of both an Insect and a Dragon. Devidramon and Clockmon became SkullMeramon, a human shaped Digimon with fiery hair and a metal mask.

"Kill 'em like the rest." Heart smirked.

"Blazing Iron Whip!" SkullMeramon launched metal chains at the Boogeymon. One was constricted and thrown to the ground.

The other two attacked DinoBeemon, but the Ultimate was unfazed. It zipped around the remaining Champions and began striking them with terrible ferocity. "Hell Masquerade!" DinoBeemon rumbled. The two Boogeymon fell over, dazed.

"And that's how you do it…" Heart shrugged. "Now go on your way, you three. I spared your lives, so don't try and waste them like that again."

"We must destroy the Tamers!" One of the Boogeymon hissed. "Milleniummon will not be pleased with our failure!" The two other Virus Types grabbed hold of the first and dispersed into data, feeding him their energy. "Boogeymon Digivolve to… Phelesmon!" A new, more demonic Digimon appeared before the group. Its skin was red, and now held a new, stronger pitchfork.

It smiled devilishly. "Black Statue!" Beams shot from the Ultimate's eyes. DinoBeemon and SkullMeramon froze in their tracks. Their bodies turned black like obsidian.

"Oh… That's no good…" Heart scrunched her eyebrows. The new Ultimate had petrified her Digimon with a single attack, and it was obvious that it would just happen again to the rest of her jogresses.

"Shurimon, distract it." She called to the Armor Digimon. "Darcmon, I think it's your turn." The two Digimon nodded.

"Momiji Oroshi!" Shurimon threw its limbs at Phelesmon, nicking its sides. The Ultimate yelled and flew up to punch Shurimon in the stomach. But the Armor Digimon disappeared in a flurry of leaves. "Kohona Kakure!" He reappeared behind Phelesmon, slashing its back.

Darcmon began breathe deeply. "I'm ready." She said. "Do it."

Heart held up her left arm. A symbol appeared on her hand; an eye shaped mark with a diamond shape for the iris. "Let's go! DX-Wrist!" Heart's left D-Wrist contorted into a golden gauntlet. "Digivolve."

Darcmon's body began to grow. Her clothing turned white and gold, and long red scarf covered her mouth. Her staff morphed into a necklace of rosary beads. "Darcmon Super-Digivolve to… Sanzomon!"

"Demon's Shout!" Phelesmon roared furiously at Shurimon, paralyzing it with its power. "We will destroy all Tamers. For Milleniummon's sake!" Phelesmon raised his pitchfork above his head, ready to impale the Armor Level Digimon.

Sanzomon appeared before Phelesmon's weapon, grabbing one of the spokes. She winced, as data began floating out of the wound. "I would like to tell you to tell Milleniummon that he can go bugger off to the darkest depths of the Dark Area, but I'm afraid you won't be around long enough to relay that message."

The Monk Digimon threw the spear away. Phelesmon roared, but was stopped when Sanzomon grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground. "Kochou Mu-kyou!" The Ultimate's hands crackled with energy, shocking Phelesmon.

Phelesmon jumped away, breathing heavily. "St-stop!" The Fallen Angel Digimon cried. "You can't do this to me!"

"Sanzomon." Heart walked to her Digimon's side. "Like the rest."

"Mugen Danmaku Shin-kyou!" Sanzomon's rosary beads split apart and began pelting the Virus Type from all directions. Phelesmon yelped helplessly through the barrage. When the attack was over, all that remained was a floating cloud of data that was quickly absorbed by Heart's DX-Wrist.

"50 Data Points collected!" The Digivice said.

Heart sighed thankfully. Now that the battle was over, SkullMeramon and DinoBeemon began to move once again. Shurimon even seemed to be more or less unscathed. "Partition. You guys deserve a rest."

The jogressed Digimon split apart and returned to the D-Wrist. Saibirdramon and Gururumon walked over to their Tamer. "Sorry we weren't more help, Master." Saibirdramon squawked.

"I'm not." Gururumon huffed. "I hate forming Mihiramon with you." Saibirdramon shot the wolf a look before disappearing into the D-Wrist.

Sanzomon looked over Shurimon. "Are you sure you'll be fine? You should rest."

"And then who will protect the Master's treasures?" Shurimon said. "I'll be fine. If anyone should be resting, it should be you."

The Ultimate Digimon nodded as she began to shrink. Her body became small and stubby, with long ears and a short horn protruding from her forehead.

"Haven't seen that form in a while, Terriermon." Heart snickered. "Just realized you look like my sister's Digimon. You know, before we killed it."

"Don't remind me." Terriermon snorted. "Weird how the two twin DigiDestined also have twin Digimon-"

"I'm not a DigiDestined." Heart said darkly. "Remember?"

Terriermon smiled nervously. "R-right…"

Heart shrugged and turned around. "Let's get going. I'm tired of this place." Terriermon jumped up onto her shoulder, and together they left Shurimon and the little cottage.

"What did you mean by that?" A voice called from behind. "That's you're not a DigiDestined?"

Heart turned on her heels. She found herself face to face with Soul, her twin sister. Her eyes were laced with worry, and her hand was tightly gripping the strap on a blue satchel on her back. "Oh. Sorry…" Heart eased. "I mistook you for a threat. How'd you find me?"

"Dorumon, here." Soul referred to her Digimon, who was nervously hiding behind her legs. "He's got very adept senses."

Heart grinned. "Okay. So did you hunt me down for revenge or something? Got yourself a new partner and decided you'd avenge the one you lost? News flash, moron. I wasn't even the one to kill the pitiful little thing!"

"I know that." Soul said. "I caused Lopmon to evolve into that… thing, and Will was the one to… delete her. I'm not here for any of that, however."

"Oh. Okay, then what?"

Soul pointed to Terriermon. "That Digimon… It looks just like-"

"Yeah, yeah, Lopmon and I look alike! Tell the town why don't you!" Terriermon grumbled. "I'm Terriermon. Rookie form of Darcmon. Nice to meet you."

Soul nodded. She quickly turned her attention to her sister. "Why did you leave the school?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Heart said condescendingly. "That place was literally a prison. I knew soon enough if I wasn't going to break out, I was probably going to kill myself. Thankfully, Terriermon here came to me, and we trashed the place."

Soul shook her head to process the information. "What about the D-Wrist? Why do you have two?"

"I know people, okay?" Heart paced around her twin, examining the D-Wrist on her arms. "At first, I thought having lots of Digimon would make me stronger. Then I discovered Jogress, and everything changed. Of course, it can't do everything a real D-Wrist can do. Can't evolve Digimon, can't transform. Just storage and Jogress."

Terriermon sighed her discontent. "Is that all? We're burning daylight."

Soul held up her hand. "One last question. Why don't you want to be a DigiDestined?"

Heart began to breathe heavily. "Why would I want to be a DigiDestined? I never asked to be this 'savior of man and digital-kind!' All my life, I've just been compiling to the norm! Stay prim and proper! Respect your elders! Don't set fires indoors! I want to do what I want now!"

"You know that's impossible, Heart!" Soul shouted. "You can't go around doing whatever you please! That's not how this world works!"

Heart turned away. "Yeah… You're right. Not this world… But the Digital World is another story!" She raised her fist into the air. "That's my dream! Make a life for myself in the Digital World! Where strength is the only law! It's the perfect world for me!"

"That's insane." Soul was beside herself. "You'd never survive! Milleniummon has destroyed most of the Digital World and the creatures that live there!"

"That's why I'll wait for you." Heart pointed at Soul. "You'll eventually defeat that guy, right? When he's gone, I'll be able to go to my true home."

"But… Heart…" Soul grabbed her sister by the shoulders. "You really don't care about everything you'd leave here? You really don't care about this world?"

"Nothing matters but mine and my Digimon's happiness." Heart whispered.

"But what about Dad? He loves you so much, he's been worried sick! He doesn't matter?" Soul was on the verge of tears. "Wha… What about me? You're my twin, you're supposed to be the only one in this world who would understand me, and I to you! Don't I matter?"

"If that was mutual, wouldn't you try to understand me?" Heart pushed her sister away. "We're leaving."

"Wait!" Soul pulled off her satchel and opened it. Inside was a large, brown and pink striped egg. "She's… been shaking a lot recently. I think she's going to be born soon…"

"Yeah… that's usually the sign." Terriermon nodded. "It'll hatch today probably."

"Could you… stay with me for a little bit, Heart? I… I'm scared…"

Heart groaned. "Oh, wow. Look how much I give a damn!"

"I'm being serious now, Heart." Soul's voice was shaky. "I need my sister…"

Heart stopped walking. "Oh. You need me? You always need me. And I always have to be there for you." She spun around to face her twin. "But what about you, Soul? Where are you when I need you? Like when, oh, I don't know, I was being hauled off to that prison of a boarding school? You just sat there crying like the useless girl you are!" Heart's eyes flashed red as she tackled Soul. "You selfish brat! You think you can just cry and beg and you can get anyone to do anything for you! You are disgusting!"

Soul tried to push Heart off of her, but her twin was far too strong for her. "Dorumon!" She cried.

The purple Beast Digimon threw himself into the fray, but was thrown back by Terriermon's large ears. He slammed into a nearby tree, dazed.

Heart now had one hand around Soul's throat. "You never learn. Not then. Not now. What will it take to make you understand?" Heart's eyes darted to Soul's satchel, the striped egg half exposed from it.

A thin smile crept onto Heart's face. "You don't deserve that Digimon. You used her like a doll more than anything else… Babying her, scolding her…" She grasped the egg with her free hand and held it up. "And when you were done with her, you threw her away."

"T-That's not true!"

"Oh, but it is! Just another toy in your room to make you feel good about yourself!" Heart gripped Soul's throat tighter. "It'd probably be best to just end her here so she doesn't have to suffer you anymore."

Soul's eyes widened. "P-please, Heart… Don't!

"Say goodbye to your favorite toy, Soul." Heart said quietly. She shoved the egg towards the ground.

"No!" Soul screamed.

A memory flashed in Heart' mind. She and Soul were smiling and playing together. More memories began flowing through her head. The twins running around in the rain, climbing trees and rocks. The final image was of her and Soul in standing in front of their father's study.

…

"He'll be so mad…" A young Soul had said. "He said not to play in the dining room… But I didn't listen!"

Heart grabbed her sister's shoulder. Her heart was racing. Just as Soul had said, the twins were playing catch with each other in the dining room. Unfortunatly, Soul had thrown a ball to far from Heart's reach. It flew over her and shattered the glass dining table.

"D-don't worry, Soul." Heart tried to comfort her sister.

"I'm going to be in so much trouble!" Tears flowed from Soul's eyes. "I threw the ball and broke the table! Daddy's gonna hate me!"

Heart hugged Soul tightly. "No he won't." She said. "I'll say I did it."

"B-but Heart-"

"But nothing!" The twin smiled. "I was born first, remember! I'm the big sister, so I gotta take care of my little sis!"

Soul began to blubber even more. "Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

"That's what big sisters do…" Heart smiled.

…

Silence. Soul looked up at her sister. Her hair had fallen over her face, concealing her eyes. "Heart…"

"Damn it. I want to be rid of you. You and this Digimon will only cause trouble in the future, but…" Tears started to drip down her face. "I… still love you. Damn, I really thought I was over this…" She released Soul's throat and carefully placed the egg down. "God damn it…" She said as she wiped away her tears.

"Heart…"

"Don't come looking for me again. If I don't get rid of these feelings for you, I'll never survive in the Digital World. I'll be thinking of you, and Dad, and then… God, this sucks! Why couldn't I be born an only child?"

Soul picked up her Digiegg and craddled it. "I'm starting to see why you want to go to the Digital World. I think…"

"No need to tell me what I already know…" Heart brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I need to get out of here… Terriermon, we-we're leaving…"

The Rookie Digimon jumped onto her Tamer's shoulder as she stood up. "See you around." They both said to Soul. She began to walk away.

"Heart!" Soul shouted. "I- I knew it! You really are a good person! So… I'll… I'll help you! I'm going to get you to the Digital World!"

The other twin stopped for a moment. "You… Do you mean that?" She asked without turning to face Soul.

"Yes." Soul replied. "I've lost my mother and my partner. I don't want to lose anyone else."

Heart grasped her chest. She shook her head and began walking again. "You talk too much…"