They were at the main gates of Digitopia when someone suddenly shouted from behind them. Takajin turned, only to be tackled to the ground by a large purple and black blurr.

"Ahhhhh, my spine!! I think you broken it this time Juniko," Takajin screamed out, wincing with pain on the ground, Juniko resting right on top of him.

She got off of him, and crossed her arms. She looked at them all sternly, giving a wary glance at Huang and Sorami. "Taka, I am going with you. I don't trust them," she said, after returning her attention to Takajin.

"She's not coming. No way. She'll only slow us down," Huang ordered, turning to face Sorami, who wasn't saying a word. Sorami didn't even bother stopping or slowing down, and was continuing in the same direction towards the gate.

"For once I agree, but only because I don't want you to fall into harm's way. You can't protect yourself, and I don't want you involved in another bad situation. Like when Shiru was going to kill you. You mean too much to me, so please remain behind for my sake," Takajin calmly explained, trying very hard to not make eye contact with Juniko. He looked down at her feet instead.

Juniko gritted as she held back tears. She yanked a rope angrily, which was tied to something struggling to get away. "You nearly left this behind," she muttered. As the end of the rope got closer, they could all see it was Sunmon hog tied. "I caught it trying to burn more of the sacred garden and some of its caretakers," she told them, giving the rope a really forceful tug.

Takajin took the rope from Juniko sighing, "He must've sneaked off. I was sure I had him secured in his carring cage." He looked at the vacant cage he had been carrying all this time, slightly stunned.

"Please come back in one piece. You're my best friend, and you also mean too much to me. It would be like hollowing me out if anything happened to you," Juniko said softly before tackling Takajin with another hug. She then let go of him, and ran off, trying very hard not to cry.

Takajin stared as Juniko got farther and farther away. He felt like crud right now, but things were better off for Juniko if she stayed here. He knew he couldn't protect his friend. Turning, he and his sister began to run to catch up with the others.

Digimon Sync Ep 4 "The Unstoppable Mikuni Suzubuya"

(Edited by a friend)

It has been days since they had left Digitopia, and for some of them home sickness was setting in. Most were also annoyed at the fact of being told absolutely nothing about where they were going, since Sorami had not spoken a word since she had shown up. Even her Impmon hadn't talked to any of them. It just cheerfully laughed, and muttered things none of them could make out, and laughed again. But its master's expression never changed one bit. The last words they heard from her was when she demanded they come with her at the beginning of this forced Adventure.

Takajin stared at Impmon and wondered if that little pink bowed Goblin was making fun of them. He didn't have the nerve to ask, since something about Sorami made him nervous.

A couple more hours later a castle started looming in the distance. It's pure and frightening mass made it look closer even though it was still far away. It gleamed in the mid afternoon sun. Why they were heading there was a mystery to everyone except Sorami, who just lead them in that direction. A few more hours later they decided to settle down and set up camp as the sun was setting. Everyone had their own tent except for Takajin and Hikaru. Takajin was uncomfortable sleeping by himself in this unknown environment and had asked his sister to share a tent with him. She was quick to agree to this since she was nervous too. This was somewhat like camping when they were little children, but they weren't camping out in the royal forest this time. Since the two siblings would be together this ordeal was easier to take in.

"Do you think everyone back home will be ok?" asked Takajin, lying down in his sleeping bag. After closing it, he dropped his head lightly onto his pillow.

"I think they're better off than us," Hikaru responded, trying not to sound depressed. She was the one most upset out of the two. Her voice showed her angst even though she tried to hide it. Her smile lately even seemed like a farce put on just for Takajin's sake. "But we will be fine too," she added, catching her previous statement.

"Hopefully we'll be able to go home soon and this will be something we will look upon fondly as an adventure of our lifetime. Something to go in to the history books," exclaimed Takajin, attempting to sound excited to make his sister feel better. It seemed to work since Hikaru turned to look at him with renewed spirit in her eyes. It lasted a few seconds, but it was still something.

In his tent Huang was contemplating everything so far, and wondered why he had to deal with the Royal siblings. The only person he ever wanted to depend on was himself, and no one else. Sorami was just a means to an end for himself and to the people that did this to him. It didn't matter to him. Subconsciously, he gently stroked the scruff of Babydmon's neck as he thought.

-Kingdom Suzubuya outskirts-

A bunch of shadowy figures in dark clothes hid in an alleyway. Their faces concealed under hoods. There was about five or six of them. They were quickly making their way towards the castle gates, the huge fortress that loomed ahead of them.

"Migoku, made this sound like it would be really hard," said one of the cloaked men, "We sneaked in without even having to deal with the outer guards. This will be a cinch once we kidnap this princess and get out without anyone ever knowing," he suddenly stopped talking when something moved into the corner of his vision. When he turned around, it was gone.

"What was that," questioned another cloaked figure, turning around at the same time as the one that had been previously speaking.

"It was probably nothing" said the other, and headed into another alleyway, while the others followed him. The moonlight shined, revealing each of their faces. All of them wore a mask that matched Ankou's except that they had the crest of Kurokami Brigade instead. When they had walked far enough, one of them instantly vanished leaving their Digimon behind. Seconds later it died.

"What the heck," cried out one of the masked figures, who had been behind the one that had just vanished. He was now scared out of his mind. A member of the team was just killed, right before his eyes!! He looked rapidly from side to side. The others, who hadn't notice what had happened, continued down the alley. Before he could utter one word he vanished without a trace too, and his digimon died.

Far back into the shadows there was an outline of a large eared digimon, and a smaller figure beside it. They were there for only a second, and then they were gone. The cloaked figures exited another alley, and then entered a tunnel that would have led them to the main street leading to the castle. As soon as they entered and were out of sight, their screams echoed from the inside. A fallen mask slid out into street.

Standing back in the outskirt was Migoku. He was running his hand against his eye patch. He knew what had happened and could tell it wasn't because of Sorami. "We need to find another way to deal with this because, and this isn't working," he said with annoyance. There was a cloaked girl and a huge guy beside him, their hoods pulled back.

The girl was small compared to the enormous man. Her shoulder length hair was a dark green and tied up in two black bows. The man eclipsed her, as she leaned against him. Her weasel digimon was visible on her shoulder. "I met up with this guy on the way here. He said he's one of us and I decided to bring him with me. His name is Shiru, and he said the other chip bearers are on their way here," she elucidated before laughing, and then her expression changed to one of complete confusion, "Didn't Shiru die a couple decades ago? I don't remember any recent members that go by that name."

"That was my Ancestor. He made a refuge in the city of Digitopia. Away from the guardians that were searching for him. He met up with fellow followers of Lilithmon, the shield went up, and then he was trapped in with them," explained Shiru, going to his knees but still towering a foot over the others, "I still pledge myself to the glory of Lilithmon. I dream every night of her gracing us with her horrifying beauty."

"To Lilithmon, her glorifying love forever," Scythe and Migoku exclaimed at the same time, placing their hand on their chests, and going to one knee too.

"Ok you are in," said Migoku standing up again, and turning to face the castle, "We have a princess to kidnap and an unstoppable force to take care of. How are we going to deal with both? See if you can gather some information on this mysterious figure, so we can learn to deal with it."

-Camping ground-

The night ended and the sun peaked up on to the horizon; its golden radiance lighting up the sky as it made its way to the center of this world's galaxy.

Sorami stepped out of her tent. She was followed by Impmon, who was putting on its pink scarf. Both of them yawned. Afterwards, she walked up to each tent and collapsed them on which ever camper was still sleeping inside. She had as much patience as her master, which wasn't much at all, and was not willing to wait for the kids to wake up. The first one out was Hikaru, and then Huang, while Takajin still snored away covered in the tent, his outline clearly visible in the fabric.

"Brother, wake up!" Hikaru shouted at her snoring sibling, and lightly jabbed at his outline with her foot.

Takajin came out struggling with the tent flap. When he finally got free, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What the heck happened? That tent seemingly collapsed for some reason," he yawned.

Huang looked at Takajin like he was a complete dunce, while Hikaru laughed at her little brother's thickness. Sorami looked off into the forest like she was thinking about something and keeping it from the rest of them as usual. Meanwhile Sunmon had successfully set fire to one of the tents, and Impmon had quickly put it out. Grunting, Impmon glared at Takajin.

A wagon pulled up beside the camp site, and an old man jumped down. He walked towards Sorami and began to talk to her, "If these three kids are our passengers, I hope they know not to draw attention to themselves. We're risking a lot bringing them in," and began suspiciously eyeing Takajin, Hikaru and Huang.

"You're to go with them. They have guest passes for you, as their cousins from another land or something. You'll be safe as long as you don't draw attention to yourself," Sorami explained to the group, as she pretended not to hear the old man, "I have something more important to take care of and I need to hide you here." She then turned and walked away without saying another word, leaving them with the old man.

"Anything for a guardian of peace," said the Old man and began to introduce himself, "My name is Wilhelm, and this is my wife Brinda. Pay attention to what we say, 'cause it might save your life."

They all got into the Wilhelm's wagon. Huang stood, leaning against the wood, while Takajin and Hikaru sat down in a pile of hay. They watched as Sorami vanished on to the back of her Thunderbirdon before the wagon began to move. They trusted her somewhat by now, but it was annoying that they were suddenly dropped off with random people without warning.

"The Kingdom of Suzubuya is a peaceful kingdom, but a very paranoid and dangerous one. It was built on the back of war and bloodshed. Even its royal family was built on battle, with each of the children of the king fighting endless battles to stay on top of the line of secession to the throne. Dominance is a way of life," Wilhelm said, making conversion while looking down at the Wagon's reigns, "Mikuni is presently unchallenged, her powers are nearly unstoppable."

They rode for some distance without saying a word to each other, only watching the trees pass by. Wilhelm looked straight ahead, his grizzled features showing all the hard and harsh experiences he had been through in the past.

Takajin was the one to break the silence finally. "How do you know Sorami?" he asked, not looking directly at their driver, but instead fiddled with his shirt nervously.

"Her father saved my life, and I owe her entire family because of it ever since. I'll do anything within my power for the Kamiya. I'd even die to save them," his conviction showed in his hazel brown eyes, and it reflected clearly in the sternness of his expression. They could trust him to follow through with his word.

After a few hours they had reached a little creek close to a large pond. There they set up camp for the night, each getting their own tents. Momentarily, after settling in, his body told him that he urgently needed to take a leak, so Takajin yawned as he walked down the creek to get some privacy. In a few minutes he found a heavily covered area, but before he could even start, a shouting noise startled him. He turned to see a figure standing across the lake. The boy was attired in black with a weird hat, a red mask, and his dark cape flowing in the breeze. Takajin blinked and the figure was instantly gone. Soon the shouting returned, and he saw men in silver armor. He quickly hid in a nearby hedge. There were several Soldiers and they seemed to be looking for someone. It was probably that boy he had saw a couple seconds ago, he was sure of that. He waited till the soldiers were out of site before taking a whiz and then heading back to camp.

In the morning they got on the wagon, and continued their trip to the kingdom of Suzubuya. This time Takajin sat up front with Wilhelm. He wanted to ask him some questions to see if he could get to the bottom of what happened the night before.

"I saw something weird last night. I saw what looked like a figure in black with a cape and a red mask. He was being chased by a bunch of soldiers" said Takajin looking at Wilhelm with curiosity.

"That would be the Blackavar. He is a wanted criminal for treason against the crown. He attacks and vandalizes the guard towers of the Kingdom, and steals from the royal storeroom. But he is also the protector of this kingdom. Many people owe their lives to him. Though, there are a lot of people who want him dead. I am not one of them. I actually think the kingdom needs him," as Wilhelm finished talking they became in viewing distance of the main entrance to the city of Suzubuya. "Now take your goggles off! We don't want them to see you with them on. So put them in the chest in the back and tell your sister to do the same," Wilhelm ordered.

-Inside the castle-

It was a lavishly decorated room, full of several kinds of flowers, and an open fireplace. The embers ate away at the burning logs that were in there. It gave off a yellowish red glow that illuminated the room. In the center of the room was a beautiful oak chair engraved with the family coat of arms. A man, holding a vase of bright red roses, walked straight towards a girl that was sitting in that very chair. She had long blonde hair, and a silver crown haloed her head. She wore a dark green and orange gown, with yellow slippers. Her golden, yellow eyes shined in the light of the room. The girl gently picked one rose and put it in her hair. "Burn the rest. This one is perfect," she said gesturing to the fireplace across from them. Without any hesitation, the man did what he was told, and threw the flowers into the fire.

"You are looking forward to showing off your skills to the crowd at your festival soon?" the obedient man asked rhetorically.

"I always look forward to maiming a few peasants. It's a really fun sport," Mikuni may have been looking directly at the servant but was in all actually vividly picturing herself beating him up.

"Mikuni, his majesty, your father, is waiting for you. He has some sort of news that he wants you to announce at your tournament. Oh, and your older brother will be attending this year," said the man gracefully bowing to the girl.

"Whatever could that news be," said Mikuni with a bathetic tone in her voice. She turned and left the room. This was her special day, and she was going to enjoy her thirteenth birthday. This was going to be a festival in her honour; a huge celebration all about her, for her, and only her.

Her father, the king, was waiting for her in the hallway. He beamed with emotionless pride as she walked up to him. His cracked face showed his advanced age. "There's someone you have to meet. I'm sure this will help the kingdom to become more powerful than ever," he talked smoothly and gestured her towards another room.

-City of Suzubuya-

Wilhelm was closely followed by Hikaru, Huang and Takajin. They walked through the streets, making their way to the area for the opening ceremonies. People seemed to be watching them from a distance, until they noticed Wilhelm. They then turned away, and went back to their preparing for the festival, while some of them getting ready to set up shop. With how paranoid these people are the group was lucky to even get through the front gate.

"This is the Mikuni Festival. The festival is named after the current Heir, and happens on that specific person's birthday. In the previous years it was Akira's birthday, but for the past three years it has been Mikuni's day since she beat her brother in a dual. Those siblings are the root of the problems around here. The worst is Mikuni. She is beyond selfish, and likes to beat up peasants in her festivals. I blame their father. He's crueller than the two put together, that King Suzubuya," whispered Wilhelm, looking quickly from side to side for any soldiers that might be listening in on him.

They reached the arena. It was large but not as big the castle that dwarfed it. They entered the main gate and were gestured into a line by a mean looking soldier. He eyed every one of them suspiciously except for Wilhelm. They eventually took their seats.

First a band came out and did the national anthem, which sounded more like them praising the royal family, and glorify them over the kingdom itself. It lasted for a good 10 minutes in length, which made Huang fume with annoyance. He felt like punching all of these royals in the face. The fact that he had to stand up to this anthem so they could fit in with the crowd and not draw attention, infuriated him.

Next came forth the royal family. The king was dressed in robes of silver and wore a crown of gold. The look on his face was callous and bored. His flowing main of silver hair was tied up in a bow, and his beard still had blonde streaks in it. His two children were a spitting image. Mikuni and Akira both shared blonde hair. Akira was dressed in silver tunic and black trousers, while Mikuni was in an orange and dark green dress with a red rose in her hair.

The king stepped aside for Mikuni to take the stand, and handed her a microphone. She took it with a bow of respect. "Hello everyone, and welcome to my festival. Before we start the festivities I have an announcement to make that will impact the future of this kingdom. We have been dealing with them trying to take over our home, but not anymore. My brother Akira has come today bearing a treaty from The Kurokami Brigade. They were our last threat but now are our friends. Here they are, ready to be introduced," Mikuni announced graciously.

Migoku stepped out of the royal box. He was followed by Scythe, and Shiru, who Akira greeted as they came towards the Royal Family. There was a huge grin on Migoku's face as he eyed the crowd. Almost like he knew the Digidestined were there.

-To be Continued-

This is not good. What kind of situation have they gotten themselves into, and will they get out of this unharmed? To answer these questions, and more, please tune into the next Digimon digital monsters!