Kazu's vision was blurred. He awoke in a soft bed. No, it wasn't a bed. It was a hammock, and a very comfortable at that. However, something inside him told him that he wouldn't stay comfortable for very long.

He looked up at the door in his room and saw that a girl was standing there, looking down pitifully at him. A girl with glowing green eyes and shining blue hair.

"Sakuya!" Kazu shouted, but as he tried to get up he found that he abruptly fell back down. All trace of energy and strength seemed to have left his body. "What's wrong with me?" he asked.

She leaned down and took his hand in her own. Then her eyes began to water. "I hate to be the one to tell you this"

Kazu looked at her strangely. "What's wrong?"

"You are going to die within...the next... five hours..." she murmured quietly. Kazu felt as though a brick had slammed right into him. He couldn't die. There was so much more he was going to do in his life.

The age he was at hadn't been long enough for his full enjoyment. There were too many things he hadn't done yet. He hadn't killed Beelzebumon. He hadn't grown up to be a famous digimon fanatic like he wished. He hadn't even kissed a girl yet.

"Why?" he managed weakly.

She continued slowly, tears beginning to appear. "When Beelzebumon shot you with his gun, he had loaded a special bullet in. It was coated with a vile toxin. It is slowly turning all of the cytoplasm in your cells to a poison that will kill you"

Kazu closed his eyes. "Oh good, I thought it was serious"

Sakuya looked at him. Then her eyes glowed a little brighter. "I'll go get the others. Maybe we can fight it"

She dashed off into the cave. Exactly twenty two seconds later all of Kazu's friends came in, eager to check on his condition. Except Rika. Where was she? And Renamon to?

Once Sakuya explained the situation, everyone was shocked. Gardromon was the one who took it the hardest. As being Kazu's digimon, he was to afraid to know what life would be like without Kazu. Gardromon went stumbling backwards, arms flailing, then crashing into a wall and shutting down, the glow in his eyes disappearing.

"Help me you guys..." pleaded Kazu. "We can all kill Beelzebumon together. I want to be right there to get a piece of him....Please...don't let me...die"

Jeri leaned down toward Kazu, then took his hand. Come on Kazu, fight it!

Jeri stretched out her hand. Kenta took it. Kazu suddenly felt the pressure on his mind decrease. Then, Rika, then Ryo, then Sakuya joined hands. Kazu could feel the poison disappearing. Then, he escaped within himself to battle it.

______________

Kazu was in a bright white place. Small globs of dark red floated past him. Kazu turned around and saw a huge black diamond sitting there, just staring at him.

"Why do you bother trying to live?" a strange, sort of slimy voice asked.

"Because there is so much more I need to do" Kazu said. The creature then began to do an evil giggling voice. "There is nothing you can do"

"Shutup" he murmured. The hideous giggling still rang in his ears. "SHUT UP!!!!" he shouted suddenly, so loud that the voice stopped giggling, then screamed as it shattered apart, raining down harmless flecks of black, translucent material that disappeared.

Then he turned around and sprinted down the path. He looked upwards and saw a small capsule with flames spurting out of the back. He ran out of the way as the grenade slammed into the ground he was in a moment ago, exploding on impact.

He looked around. Hundreds of small Gardromons were floating around, twisting and turning in different directions, floating up and down.

"What's going on?" he muttered. Then he ran forward. "Stop it!"

He turned around to go back the way he had come.

In his path stood a huge Gardromon. It's eyes were glowing red, and it looked down at Kazu. It raised an arm. "Guardian Barrage!". Grenades flew through the air.

Explosions flew around Kazu, and smoke clouded his view. He brushed it away just as another grenade slammed into the ground next to him. The shockwave sent him flying to the floor, and bits of shrapnel flew outwards above him. Kazu got up on all fours, then leaped up and began to jog down the road.

"Gardromon! It's me, Kazu!" he shouted. His efforts were futile as another grenade slammed not ten feet away from him. Kazu continued to run away from what had once been his partner.

Then suddenly, he same something else. "Sakuya...please tell me your real.." he said. Sakuya took out her bow and put an arrow. "I hate you Kazu! Consider me your enemy!" she shouted. She let the arrow go and it zoomed forward. Kazu put his arms up and dodged to this side, turning sideways so that his body made a smaller target.

"Sakuya! Stop it! Me and Kenta are your friends!" shouted Kazu.

"I don't know you! Prove it!" she shouted, putting another arrow in her bow.

"Remember? Me and Kenta found you in that cavern under the park we got lost in! You showed us the way out!" Kazu cried desperately.

"I did no such thing!" she let the arrow go. It zoomed towards Kazu. Kazu dodged aside, then put out a hand and snatched the arrow out of the air.

Kazu looked down at his hand, which held the arrow in it. Sakuya seemed just as surprised as he. He had never had reflexes like that before. Then he thought of something.

This was Kazu's world. It was his rules. Whatever he wanted was what goes. Everything here belonged to him.

Kazu put up his hand, and prepared to drive the arrow into Sakuya's head. Sakuya gasped at him as his hand came downwards. Then, Kazu stopped. She could just barely feel the end of the arrow against her skin. Kazu was holding it with his other arm, trying as though to pull himself away.

"Stop it! I won't hurt you Sakuya! No matter what!" he shouted, then threw himself backwards, falling to the ground and struggling in place. Then, he got back up.

Sakuya had taken flight, and was zipping into the air with her bat wings flapping heavily. She put another arrow into her bow and pulled the string back.

Kazu leaped up, and suddenly two long angel wings sprouted from his back, and white feathers fell around him. He zipped out of the way just as three arrows slammed into the ground where he had been.

"That's enough!" he shouted, then slammed into her, sending her skyrocketing to the ground. Once she landed, all of the fight seemed to have gone out of her.

Sakuya's eyes darkened, and she suddenly exploded. She was somehow turned into several white glass shards. She was destroyed in much the same way the black diamond was.

"Thank you, Kazu..." Sakuya's voice floated over him.

"Sakuya?! Where are you?" Kazu shouted. His voice was getting quite scratchy from yelling all the time.

"I am with you, Kazu...get rid of the poison inside you. Live, Kazu...live..." she said.

"Hi, Kazu" said a familiar voice behind him. Jeri was standing there. "You must save yourself, Kazu...yip!" the puppet said.

"What are you doing here, Jeri?" he questioned.

"Leomon's death was my fault...I have come here...to be alone..." said Jeri. Her sock puppet fell to the floor. Jeri collapsed on her knees and looked at the floor. "I killed Takato too, and now I got you poisoned. I have been...a very bad girl...so I must die"

"Jeri, for god's sake! That wasn't your fault! Why do you keep blaming yourself for something you have no control over!" Kazu said sensibly.

"It is my fault!" she said, hugging her knees. "I could have done something...for him. Leomon died because of me!" she returned, tears coming to her eyes.

"Kazu leaned down and grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Jeri, listen to me! Leomon died to keep you alive! He wanted..to keep you...alive!" He let go of her and she stared up at him, tears coming down her cheeks.

"He died because I was weak..." she started.

"Jeri, please..." he hugged her to his chest. "Leomon wanted to save you. He will always be with you...Jeri" he let her go.

She looked up at him, then dried her eyes. A smile appeared on her face for the first time in a long time. "Your right Kazu. Go get rid of the poison. Save yourself. I don't deserve the glory of life" then she disappeared in the same way Sakuya did. "I am going to go find Leomon...don't die Kazu. I don't want you to leave with my other best friends..."

"Goodbye Jeri..." he said.

Kazu continued on his course. Kazu nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand appeard on his shoulder. "Kenta?" he ventured fearfully.

Kenta laughed, then began walking along beside Kazu. "Is that all you can say to your best friend?" Kenta laughed.

Kazu looked at him. "Are you the real Kenta?" Kazu asked him.

Kenta looked at him, giggling. "Stupid, are you the real Kazu?"

Kazu looked at the Kenta. "Your not Kenta. You can't be"

Suddenly, Kenta's eyes had a terrible, evil look in them. His fist came flying up and socked Kazu right into his jaw, which sent him flying backwards. Kazu recoiled with a right hook to Kenta's face, which sent Kenta spinning to the ground.

For some odd reason, Kenta was able to leap back up so quickly that Kazu that he had turned into Renamon. Kenta blasted him in the stomach with a roundhouse kick. Kazu gasped for air as Kenta simply stood casually with his hands in his pockets. Where the heck had he learned how to punch and kick like that?

Then Kazu remembered. This was his world. He could do whatever he wanted.

Kazu suddenly reached up his fist and slammed it onto the ground. A small beam released from his fist and snapped through the ground, blasting upwards so that Kenta went flying backwards, shattering into a million pieces of black glass.

"Good job, Kazu!" Kenta's voice rang in his ears. "You did it! Your going to live! I can feel it!"

Kazu smiled, then walked forward. In his place this time stood Guilmon, Renamon, and Terriermon.

"Hi guys..." greeted Kazu cheerfully. Guilmon hopped up to him, sniffing at Kazu's pockets. "Is it time for lunch yet?" asked Guilmon. "Why do you always eat everything in sight?" asked Terriermon.

Kazu smiled and pulled a lump of Guilmon bread out of his pocket, then handed it over to Guilmon's outstretched hand. Guilmon happily gobbled it down.

"Hey don't forget me!" shouted Terriermon. Renamon was about to scold him when both Guilmon and Terriermon had disappeared.

"Kazu" Renamon said. "I wish I could help you get rid of the poison, but you must do this on your own..." Renamon too, disappeared.

"May luck be with you" she sang as she disappeared.

"Thank you" he responded, walking forward.

In front of him however, stood Lee and Rika.

"Hey Kazu..." said Rika.

"What's up?" Lee asked.

"Don't ask" said Kazu, but he was on guard. He still wasn't sure if they were real or not. If they were cheerful enough, like Kenta was, or mean enough, like Sakuya, they would definitely be fakes.

"You're an idiot" said Rika. Her words stung Kazu like a bee sting. "What kind of a fool would go against a massive, powerful being like Beelzebumon?"

Kazu stiffened himself, then took up a fighting stance.

He was ready.

_____________

Skies of ice...

Pyle