A/N: I don't think sorry will cut it, so let's just ignore the fact that I haven't updated in almost a year, shall we? I would like to thank Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967, DD Leader Dark Heart of Water, Eaten Alive By Boredom, Digidestined Ninja of Sunshine, awsomeangel200, mitsuki uchiha namikaze, and Violet Lilypuff for reviewing the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon (aren't you all glad for that?).

The Warrior of Hope
Chapter 26
The Village of Beginnings

We rode on the Trailmon in silence, tension filling the cart. I was happy that I had sorted out my feelings and that Koji and I had progressed, but right now everyone was worried about Dynasmon and Crusadermon.

"I hope they all got home safely," Tommy broke the silence.

Zoe smiled, "I'm sure they're fine."

"Don't worry, Tommy, I'm sure Worm wouldn't let anything happen to them," Takuya reassure him.

I tuned everyone's voices out. The safety of those kids was out of our control now. There was no use worrying about it. What really worried me was Lucemon. There wasn't much time left before he would be free. The Digital World was getting smaller and smaller every day. We really needed a way to beat Dynasmon and Crusadermon. They were both extremely powerful on their own. Facing both of them at once was as twice as bad as facing Cherubimon. Unfortunately, it had taken the power of EmperorGreymon, MagnaGarurumon, and me as DeviAngewomon to defeat him. Even if we did end up defeating Dynasmon and Crusadermon, we would still have to face Lucemon.

"Well, here we are folks," Trailmon's voice brought me out of my thoughts, "get out, and get lost!"

I followed the others off of the Trailmon and let my eyes go to a giant rainbow-colored tree. There was light shining down from above, illuminating bushes growing beneath it.

"Wow, what a beautiful place to be born," Takuya said after they had all said goodbye to Trailmon.

Bokomon nodded, "Indeed. It's the only place for Digimon. The safety of this village and everything in it is critical to our very existence."

As we walked closer, I saw that there were Digi-eggs growing on the bushes. The eggs were so varied. Some had polka-dots, some had stripes, and some even had shapes. I smiled, "They're so beautiful."

I walked up to an egg that was purple with red stripes. It reminded me of BlackGatomon's gloves. If this was the place where baby Digimon were born, did that mean that BlackGatomon's egg was here too? Was I one step away from seeing my friend again?

J.P. screamed, turning my attention to my friends.

"Who's there?" Takuya asked.

A white and black bird Digimon with armor on its head, chest, and legs came swooping down from above. The Digimon glared, "Step away from the egg right now, intruder!"

"Swanmon is feathered, yet fierce. This Digimon's beauty is only rivaled by her protective instincts. The feathers will definitely start flying if you try to mess with this mama," Bokomon informed us.

J.P. looked scared out of his mind, so we surrounded him, hoping to calm the bird Digimon.

"He didn't mean anything by it, honest," Takuya said.

J.P. bowed his head, "Yeah, I'm sorry."

"In that case, I bid you loving welcome," Swanmon said happily.

Everyone sighed, but I just groaned. Swanmon was too trusting. What if we were actually going to hurt these eggs? Bad people would lie in order to get close to them.

"I am Swanmon, the caretaker and protector of the Village of Beginnings," Swanmon informed us.

Everyone stared, "Wow!" We all stared at the hundreds of eggs around us, wondering how one Digimon could take care of them all.

"So, how exactly do these egg bushes work? Are they like other bushes? I mean, do they need water and sunlight in order for the eggs to grow bigger, or is it something weird? Also, if you took one of the eggs off and planted it, would it grow another bush?" I asked.

Everyone stared at me.

I frowned, "What? Even I get curious sometimes."

They all laughed.

I pressed my lips together and glared at the ground.

Koji chuckled and patted my head, "Don't sulk. We were just surprised."

"Yeah, yeah," I blushed.

"If you want, I can show you how I take care of everything," Swanmon offered.

I nodded and smiled, "I would like that."

"Actually, I was taking care of them before you all came along," Swanmon brought a watering can out from behind a bush. She began watering a nearby bush, "I make sure they receive water and nutrients every day. They must be carefully nurtured. These eggs are the precious treasures of the Digital World. Other than water and sunlight, that is all eggs need to hatch. Sunlight will make an egg hatch sooner, but it isn't actually needed. Plus, eggs that were once stronger Digimon hatch sooner than other eggs."

I cocked my head to the side, "Strong in what way?"

Everyone blinked and Swanmon replied, "Are you referring to a specific Digimon?"

"It was a BlackGatomon," I replied, "When I was captured by Duskmon, BlackGatomon helped me out and gave me the power to fusion evolve."

Koichi was looking down at his shoes, "Sorry, it's my fault."

I shook my head, "I don't blame you. She willingly gave herself up for me. I just wanted to thank her."

"You have to stop blaming yourself so much," Koji said.

Takuya patted Koichi on the back, "Don't worry about it, buddy. We're all friends now."

"Yeah," Zoe, Tommy, and J.P. smiled at Koichi.

Koichi nodded, "Thanks, guys."

"This one's hatching!" Patamon's eyes were wide as he stared at a white egg with grey dots.

We all stared as the egg began to crack and then started glowing. Once the glowing died, a green Digimon greeted us, "Pabu!"

Swanmon caught the baby Digimon as it leapt into her arms. She showed us the baby.

I stared at the Digimon, wondering about my own birth. Being born into a military family had brought me around the world. I wondered what the chances were that I would end up in Japan at the exact time that children were being called to the Digital World. Plus, the fact that I so easily received my spirit when I wasn't supposed to bothered me a bit. I was either extremely lucky, or unlucky. I looked at the joyful faces of my friends, and then I focused on Koji's slight smile. I wondered if I had helped him smile easier because I was here. If I had, then it would be worth all the bad luck in the world.

Takuya and Koji's D-Tectors began beeping at the same time. We all watched as they pulled them out of their pockets to find the screens lit up.

"What's happening?" J.P. asked.

Takuya replied, "It's the four evil warriors."

"Their data seems to be reacting for some reason," Koji said.

"Zoe, remember the question you asked me?" Bokomon spoke up, "The eggs of the evil legendary warriors you scanned must have been sent back here to start over."

Zoe cringed, "So does that mean they'll be reborn someday?"

"After all that work?" J.P. complained.

"Wait," Takuya said, "When we scanned them, we purify them, right? Plus, Cherubimon's gone, so this time when they're reborn there's no way they'll be evil."

"I hope you're right," Tommy said.

I frowned; did that mean that there was a chance that the Digimon that we hadn't sent here through purification could end up evil? Was it just a matter of luck whether a Digimon ended up good or evil? I imagined a BlackGatomon that wasn't nice. Instead of helping me escape, she could have attacked me while I was still chained up. I shuddered at the thought.

A hand fell on my shoulder and I jumped. Koji's blue eyes were examining me, looking very concerned. He frowned, "Are you okay?"

I nodded, "Sorry, I was just wondering about the eggs that we didn't purify. If it was that easy to change a Digimon's personality does that mean that BlackGatomon could end up evil?"

"I really wish I could reassure you," Koji quickly pulled me into his arms, "But I really don't know. I only know that people can end up good or evil based on the influence of others. Cherubimon wasn't evil until Lucemon influenced him. BlackGatomon could have been the same way. Without the evil influence, I don't think that BlackGatomon will turn out evil."

I hugged him back, "I guess you're right. I just don't want to believe that the Digimon I once knew is gone. I mean, I've seen Patamon being born as a good creature, but he's not the same as Seraphimon."

"That's true, but Patamon is still a baby. Maybe when he digivolves he will seem more like Seraphimon," Koji suggested.

"I wonder if we'll still be here when that happens," I murmured.

Koji pulled away slightly to look at me, "Do you mean still in the Digital World, or still alive?"

"Either one, I guess. I really don't know what's going to happen anymore. Defeating Cherubimon was one thing, but can we really defeat Dynasmon and Crusadermon? Plus, we might also have to fight Lucemon," I said.

Koji nodded, "You're right. We're facing a lot of things right now. I don't know how it's going to turn out either, but I have learned one thing from travelling with the others, and that's to never give up. We may have never beaten the Royal Knights so far, but that doesn't mean that we won't beat them in the future. At least, that's what Takuya would say."

I giggled, "I think it would be a bit more like a war cry, but that was pretty close."

"Well, I'm sorry that I haven't been more inspired by past speeches made by either you or Takuya," Koji teased, "Maybe I'll have to try a different method to get your abilities."

I raised my eyebrows at him, "And what method would that be?"

Koji smirked before pressing his lips to mine. I rolled my eyes, but kissed him back. His hands went to my waist, pulling me closer.

"Koji," I pulled back, "Wait."

"What?" Koji asked.

I looked around, hoping that nobody had seen. Everyone was getting a little fed up with our overly romantic gestures lately. I blinked at the empty spots around us, "When did everyone leave?"

Koji laughed, "They left while you were spacing out. I would have left too, but I saw that you weren't paying attention."

"Where did they go?" I asked.

Koji pointed toward the big tree, "Apparently the tree is where all the baby Digimon are fed."

"We should catch up with the others," I said, grabbing his hand to pull him along.

Koji sighed, "Just when we were finally alone…"

"Well, now you know how adult couples feel," I grinned, "It's not often that we would have babies interrupting our private moments."

Koji's face went bright red.

I stopped, "What?"

"Well, that kind of talk just made me think about adults in relationships having babies, and—well…" Koji trailed off, looking at our interlocked hands instead of at me.

I blushed, "So that made you think about us having babies when we're adults."

"Jeez, don't say that out loud!" Koji covered his face with one hand.

I would have laughed at how embarrassed Koji was if I wasn't so completely embarrassed myself. I had to stop myself from fanning my blushing face, "Koji, we won't have to worry about that for a long time. We're only in the sixth grade right now. We've got about six more years before we will even think about having kids."

"You think we'll still be together in six years?" Koji asked. I couldn't tell whether he was surprised or not.

I shrugged, wondering if even hiding under a rock would be enough to hide my blush, "I don't know. I mean, I love you, but we are still kids. It's hard to know what will happen in that amount of time, especially living in a military family. What about you? Do you think we'll still be together in six years?"

"Is it bad to say I hope so?" Koji asked.

I blushed and hugged him tightly, "Not at all. It makes me happy."

"We should get back to the others," Koji kissed me quickly before he pulled away, taking my hand instead.

I nodded and we began walking toward the tree. When we got there, our friends were just leaving. They were carrying food and a giant blanket while Swanmon was carrying a tray with tea on it.

We all got everything set up before we each took a seat on the blanket. I sat between J.P. and Koji, who was sitting next to Takuya, who was sitting next to Neemon, who was next to Bokomon and Patamon, who were next to Tommy, who were next to Zoe, which brought us back to J.P.

Swanmon stood behind Takuya, "So tell me, is it true that you've inherited the spirits of the great Legendary Warriors?"

"You bet your booties!" Bokomon said.

I shook my head at his improper use of the phrase, but kept my mouth shut.

"Zoe, aren't you going to put him down so you can eat?" J.P. asked while shoving food into his mouth.

J.P. was referring to the green baby Digimon from before, that was currently sitting in Zoe's lap. She smiled, "I would, but he cries every time I do."

"That's cause you spoiled him. Guess the little booger thinks you're his mom or something," J.P. glared down at the baby. His jealousy at the baby almost made me laugh.

"I wish my mom were here to spoil me," Tommy said.

Everyone looked at Tommy before looking to the ground. I bit my lip, my mom was hardly ever home. She had been constantly at work since the day that we had arrived in Japan. I hadn't had a proper conversation with her since the day that my parents had told me that we were moving to Japan. I had even gone against her wishes and took the subway while everyone else was busy. I had just felt so lonely. Everyone had left me at home because I was still sulking. So, I decided to grow up and look around the city by myself. It was my first time even going outside since we had arrived, so it was really amazing to me. I wondered if they missed me. I wondered if they even noticed that I was gone.

"That's why we have to stick together and do everything we can to save the Digital World. This is our home too and I'm proud to be a Digimon!" Takuya's fierce voice brought me out of my thoughts.

I agreed with everyone else, but was kind of confused as to how we had gotten on this subject.

Bokomon had tears running down his face, "Thank you all very much."

"Well gang," Zoe stood up, "What do you say we go try to talk some sense into those silly Trailmon and see about getting those babies home?"

"That would be wonderful," Swanmon said.

We all stood up to leave, but Koji grabbed my hand, pulling me away from everyone else, "Are you okay? You've been spacing out a lot today."

"Yeah. I guess I've just got a lot of stuff to think about. Maybe I should stay with Swanmon," I said.

He frowned, "Do you want me to stay with you?"

I shook my head, "I'll be fine."

He pulled me into a hug, "Let me know if you need something, alright?"

"Sure," I hugged him back, burying my face in his shoulder. I had the awful feeling that I wouldn't see him again after this, though that made no sense. It shouldn't take that long to get the Trailmon to come back here. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the worries.

Koji gave me a kiss on the cheek before he followed after the others. I waved as they began walking along the tracks to the cave where the Trailmon were.

"Are you sure you don't want to go with them?" Swanmon asked.

I nodded as I began helping her put away the stuff from our picnic, "Yeah. They'll be fine without me. I'm not very good with talking to people."

"Aren't you the one who received the spirit of the Princess?" Swanmon asked.

I nodded, "That doesn't mean that I'm very good with people."

Swanmon shook her head, "I am sure that you are wrong. I had heard that you were the one who convinced Cherubimon's army to stop the fighting. You must be pretty impressive to have accomplished that."

"I just used the beast inside of me. It's only because I showed them that I wanted to protect them as well as the human digimon. Luck must have been on my side," I shrugged.

"There is no luck strong enough to get you through an encounter with SaberLeomon and MetalGarurumon in one piece. You clearly know how to get people to follow you. Why don't you believe in yourself?" Swanmon asked.

I looked away, "I've just screwed up so many times. Doing one thing right doesn't make up for all the other times."

"You saved all those Digimon from Cherubimon's control. That's a pretty big accomplishment," Swanmon.

I nodded, "But now we are faced with even greater threats. Who's to say that it wouldn't have been better for them to stay with Cherubimon?"

The sound of a roar surrounded us before SaberLeomon leapt over a bush. He was panting, as if he had been running for a long time.

"SaberLeomon? Is everything okay?" I rushed toward the Digimon.

SaberLeomon shook his head, "Princess, we need your help. After we escaped, all of us beast Digimon went out to help the Digimon that were still missing their homes. Things had been going fine, but then we reached Metro City. Some of the stronger Digimon recognized us as being from Cherubimon's army. Now, there's a big battle going on between the human Digimon and the beast Digimon. We need you to come and put an end to the fighting."

"See, they need your help. Obviously SaberLeomon believes in you, and so do the other beast Digimon," Swanmon pointed out.

I sighed, "Fine. Anyway, can you let the others know what's going on? Tell them that I'll meet up with them later. Also, tell Koji not to worry. This is something that I have to do on my own. They have to continue doing what they're doing. This is how it was meant to be."

Swanmon nodded, "Of course. I'll make sure that they understand."

"Thank you, Swanmon," I said, "SaberLeomon, where are we going?"

SaberLeomon crouched, "Get on my back. I'll take you to Metro City."

I climbed onto SaberLeomon's back and he took off. I looked back at Swanmon, standing under the rainbow tree alone, and wondered when I would see my friends again.

A/N: Well, there it is. Sorry that it's so short, but I will try to get the next one up soon. You can review if you want, but I understand iif I've lost a lot of people in the long time it's been. Thanks for reading :)