A/N: Here it is. It's only been a month since my last update, so you guys should be happy, right?

Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon in any way, shape, or form.

The Warrior of Hope
Chapter 27
The Human Leader

I clung to the fur on SaberLeomon's back, wondering how such a huge creature could be moving so fast. We had been travelling for a couple hours and the only thing to do was watch the scenery around us. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to see. The Digital World was made up of more empty space than land. Luckily, SaberLeomon seemed to be able to run along the Trailmon tracks just fine, but it was making me pretty nervous.

"We're getting close," SaberLeomon's voice rumbled from beneath me.

I looked past SaberLeomon's head to see that there was a giant city looming in the distance. I wondered how bad the fighting really was. It must be terrible for SaberLeomon to come and find me. I wondered how the other beast Digimon were. I leaned close to SaberLeomon's ear, "How are the other beast Digimon? Are Dobermon and MetalGarurumon okay?"

"When I saw them last, they were," SaberLeomon replied.

I frowned, wondering if they were no longer travelling with each other. I wanted to ask, but I had the feeling that SaberLeomon didn't want to talk about it. He hadn't spoken much since we had begun our journey.

As we got closer to the city, I saw that some of the large buildings weren't whole. They were each missing some of their upper floors. I could also see signs of a fight going on. There were various attacks going through the air, trying to hit flying Digimon. The flying Digimon were also sending attacks down at the streets.

We reached the city limits and I saw groups of rookie Digimon huddled with each other, looking at the city nervously. I realized that they had nowhere to go. They couldn't go to a different city unless they had a Trailmon, but they couldn't stay inside the city with all the fighting.

SaberLeomon was panting underneath me, obviously tired from all the running. I leaned toward his ear again, "You can let me down now."

"Alright," SaberLeomon began to slow down. He weaved past the buildings, avoiding the worst fighting. We stopped in front of a building that was more ruined than most. It looked as if it used to have at least one more floor, but now the first floor was all that was left, and there wasn't much there either. The walls were crumbling, and there was glass everywhere.

I hopped down from SaberLeomon's back, "Thanks for the ride."

"Not a problem, Princess," SaberLeomon replied.

I looked around, but there appeared to be no fighting going on around us, "So, where is everybody? Is somebody in charge while you were gone?"

"I left MetalGarurumon in charge. Though I told him not to provoke the human Digimon, it appears that he did just that," SaberLeomon said.

I nodded, "It seems that that's the case. We'll have to find him first."

"You should become a Digimon first. I wouldn't want you to get hurt while in your human form. There's no telling what might happen," SaberLeomon urged.

I pulled out my D-Tector, "Execute, Beast Spirit Evolution! Gatowomon!"

Last time I had seen them, the beast Digimon had respected me for my Beast Spirit. It only made sense to show them that I was still a powerful beast.

"How do we find him?" I asked.

SaberLeomon tilted his head to the center of the city, "I'm sure that he's in the middle of all this."

I sighed, "Well, I guess we'll start by splitting up the fight."

"I should warn you, a powerful Digimon is leading the human Digimon," SaberLeomon said.

I shrugged, "That's only natural."

"You should watch out for an android Digimon. It has the power to copy your attacks," SaberLeomon informed me.

I nodded, "Let's get going."

A digimon came around the corner, interrupting us. It was a fox Digimon with nine tails and some sort of red and white rope around its neck.

The fox looked at SaberLeomon, "SaberLeomon, please help us. There is fighting going on near the rookie Digimon."

"Kyubimon, I will take care of it. Princess, please continue on to MetalGarurumon," SaberLeomon said.

The fox, now identified as Kyubimon, blinked, "This is the Princess of the Digital World?"

I shrugged, "Some call me that. Others would call me the Warrior of Hope. However, my friends call me Jade."

"Kyubimon, can I count on you to escort the Princess to MetalGarurumon?" SaberLeomon asked.

Kyubimon nodded, "Of course."

"Princess, I will meet you there as soon as I am able," SaberLeomon said before he turned toward where Kyubimon came from and left.

Kyubimon turned in the opposite direction, "Come, Princess, I will guide you to the battlefield."

Kyubimon took off running, not waiting for me to catch up. I quickly matched my pace to the fox Digimon's, sensing that the Digimon didn't accept me as someone it could trust. It was taking all my efforts just to keep up. I could hardly pay attention to where we were going. However, after taking a right turn I knew that we were no longer going toward the center of town. I wondered why MetalGarurumon wasn't in the middle of town. Was he in danger somewhere else?

I began to move faster, my worry for the beast Digimon giving me adrenaline. We turned to the left and Kyubimon came to a stop. I dug my feet into the ground, surprised by Kyubimon's sudden halt to our quick pace.

Kyubimon nodded toward the building in front of it, "What you seek is in there."

I looked at the building in front of me, confused by its appearance. It wasn't anything spectacular, just a grey building with few windows and a red door. It wasn't the appearance itself that confused me, it was the fact that the building had no damage done to it whatsoever. This hardly seemed like the place MetalGarurumon would be.

I stepped up to the door, wondering if I should knock or just enter. I was focusing, trying to hear what might be going on inside, when the noise of water alerted me to an unknown presence behind me. Oddly enough, Kyubimon had also disappeared.

My body automatically tensed, preparing for whatever the presence behind me might do.

"Hydro Pressure!" a deep voice shouted from behind me.

I dodged a blast of water, jumping to the right. I turned to face my opponent, wondering why they had attacked me without knowing anything about me. The Digimon I faced was a humanoid with water for hair and a white full-body suit.

The Digimon nodded, "I'm pleasantly surprised by your reaction time."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Splashmon," he replied.

I glared at him, "Why did you attack me?"

"My mistress wished to test you," Splashmon shrugged.

I felt my claws lengthen, "Then why doesn't your mistress face me herself? Or is she afraid to come face-to-face with a beast?"

"I fear nothing of the sort. I just wondered what pitiful creature enduring the pressure of the hopes of the beasts looked like," I turned to see a female android Digimon in silver armor smirking at me.

I frowned, "So, you are the mighty android Digimon that SaberLeomon warned me about? Funny, I thought that I would be facing an amazing warrior, not someone that stays in the shadows, using tricks to lure out your enemies."

"I also thought more of you. Who would have thought that you would be naïve enough to follow after someone you didn't know?" the android mused.

"Is it my fault that I trusted someone SaberLeomon trusted?" I asked.

The android shook her head, "I had heard marvelous stories of a Digimon that convinced the beast Digimon to pursue peace instead of fighting with Cherubimon. I suppose that I should have expected to be disappointed."

"You've made one mistake," I said, "I may look like a Digimon, but I am actually a human. As an outsider, it is easy for me to see things that you Digimon don't."

A grin covered the android's face, surprising me, "Then perhaps you should show your power. Stop the battle between the human and beast Digimon. Only then will I acknowledge you."

I glared, "Why should I care whether you acknowledge me or not? I have already proven myself to many."

"So, that means that you will just watch as the human and beast Digimon tear this city apart?" the android asked.

I sighed, "No. However, my actions are merely because SaberLeomon asked for my help, not because of you."

"I look forward to seeing your performance. Come, Splashmon," the android said.

"Yes, Androwomon," Splashmon said, following his mistress as she walked away.

I frowned, thinking that this had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.

A/N: Well, there you go. Sorry that it's short, but it's just kind of an introduction to this part of the story. Anyway, reviews are welcome. Thanks for reading :)