“What's that sound?” Yamato Ishida listened hard, trying to discern the cause of the noise over Tai’s bright response.

“What’s what sound? I didn’t hear anything.”

Matt ignored him, straining his ears, trying to identify what he was hearing. Then the noise stopped abruptly, so much so that Matt wondered if he had imagined it. Tai gave him no time to reflect on this.

“Besides, why’re you worrying about some noise? You’re supposed to be looking for a good place to camp!” Matt shrugged, and they kept on walking. In a moment, he stopped and pointed off to the left.

“There’s a clearing here that looks good. Let’s camp there.” This will give me the chance to search for whatever that was, he thought to himself. I’m curious.

Mimi groaned. “Oh, good. I need somewhere to rest my poor achy feet.”

Joe looked apprehensive. “Are you guys sure? I mean, we could all be attacked in our sleep. We should make sure it’s safe before we set up camp.”

Tai snorted derisively. “Don’t be such a worrywart, Joe. Of course it’s safe.”

Matt kept silent, not wanting to get into another argument with everyone. The last thing they needed was to waste their time that way. He hoped Tai was right, although he wasn’t counting on it.

He sighed, and followed.

Insects hummed as day faded into dusk. The crackling fire was burning high as Tai, the pyromaniac, continually and unnecessarily fed it twigs and dry leaves. The Digimon were already asleep, tired out from the walk and not possessing of Tai’s boundless energy.

Matt stayed off to one side of the clearing, ignoring everyone else’s talk, and began to play his harmonica. Gradually, the conversation died down, and the only sound was the instrument, creating a strange harmony with the ever-present humming of the insects.

He just played, letting the harmonica choose the melody, and thought about nothing and everything. He remained so until Tai’s bright tenor crushed the silence.

“Hey, we’re trying to sleep here. Can you knock it off?”

I will NOT fight with Tai. He’s NOT worth the trouble. I will NOT fight with Tai. Matt forced himself to keep any and all barbed comments from surfacing. He put the harmonica carefully back in his pocket and got ready for bed. He couldn’t remember what he had been thinking about, but he guessed it hadn’t been important.

Hmm. I wonder why I’m so on edge. The noise I heard? He discarded that possibility after a moment. No, I’ve heard weird sounds before, and I’ve never been like this. He rolled over and then back. Although he was exhausted, he found sleep to be curiously elusive. Of all the nights to have insomnia. Might as well go for a walk. He got up, dusted off his pants, and headed silently towards the stream they had discovered close by.

It was unnaturally calm, the stream flowing lazily and soundlessly wherever it might be going. Matt dipped his hands in the cool water and took a long draught. Better. Maybe I can sleep now.

A sound from his right nearly sent him plunging into the stream. He threw his balance backwards, gracelessly scrambling to keep from falling. As he recovered his equilibrium, he concentrated on the sound. Is that someone–singing? He crept towards the noise. It became more audible as he got closer to a break in the trees. He peered through to another clearing.

A person sat on the ground, the music he had heard undeniably issuing from its mouth. The figure wore dirty, stained black pants and a ragged black tank top. What looked like a black bandana circled the figure’s head, holding back a cloud of hair the same midnight shade as the clothes. A girl?

She didn’t appear to have noticed him. A backpack and a black plastic case lay on the ground near her.

I’d better tell the others. Matt quietly retreated, but a twig snapped, and her head jerked up. She hastily flipped her hair back, jumping into a defensive crouch.

“Who’s there?” she demanded, voice as harsh as a raven’s cry. “Who are you? Come out!” Matt tensed, wondering if he should run, then stood and entered the clearing. She eyed him warily. “Who are you?” she repeated, more forcefully. He felt slightly awkward.

“I’m Yamato Ishida. Who’re you?” He was already thinking that showing himself had been a severe error in judgement.

“Jesanae Tekani. Who wants to know?” A slanting beam of moonlight hit her, and Matt got a good look at her face.

It was oval, with high cheekbones and upswept eyebrows. Her nose was long and straight and a bit strong, and the soft mouth was offset by a stubborn chin. Her eyes were large, and a startling, deep amber. Her face was bruised, the cheeks hollow and gaunt; already pale, the moonlight lent it an ethereal quality. The eyes held the haunted look of a cornered animal, wild and terrified, coupled with a ferocity that made him step back.

“Well?” she demanded. “I’m not gonna wait around if you don’t start talking!” Matt opened his mouth, and at the same time, a call was heard from the camp.

“What’s going on, Matt? Who’re you talking to?” Sounds like those of a drunk elephant heralded Tai’s blundering arrival through the bracken. He looked at Jesanae. “Who’re you?” Everyone else, drawn by the ruckus, was also stumbling sleepily into view.

Jesanae’s crouch deepened and tensed with each new arrival, and she watched as though she were estimating how many she could drag screaming into Hell with her. She relaxed slightly when she saw T.K. and Kari, but didn’t move from her stance.

“Hey, I said, who are you?” Matt groaned. Tai was many things, but a diplomat was not one of them.

“Jesanae Tekani, and I’m not saying it again!” Tai strode boldly forward into the clearing.

“What’re you doing here?”

“Stop! Right there!”

“Oh yeah? What for?”

“I said HOLD IT!” She executed a graceful leap, decking Tai with her heel and landing in the same crouch in one fluid movement. Tai, uninjured but indignant, scrambled to his feet.

“Hey! What was that for?”

“Back off, pal, or you’re gonna get hurt!”

“We don’t wanna fight.” T.K. walked hesitantly up. “We just wanna know what you’re doing. Can we just be friends?” Jesanae stared at the little kid for a second, and Matt almost started forward to protect his brother; then a tiny smile worked its way to her mouth. To his intense relief, she dropped to her knees.

“Sure we can. Sorry about all this. Although I’m not sorry about him.” Gesturing loosely to Tai, she glanced up at the rest of the Digidestined party, and something in that gaze said she was no longer so afraid. Everybody flocked around, myriad questions and comments forming a confused jumble.

“I wouldn’t be caught dead in clothes that dirty!”

“That was a neat trick. Can you show me?”

“I was of the understanding that we were the only humans present in the Digiworld. What conjunction of circumstances brought you here at this point in time?”

“Why the heck did you kick me?”

“Are you gonna hurt us? Don’t break my glasses!”

“Where did you come from?”

Matt could think of absolutely nothing to say. Jesanae looked less wary, and somehow vulnerable. The Digimon wisely kept mostly quiet, although Agumon looked upset.

She waited until they all paused to answer them. “You can all call me Jesse. The first person who calls me Jess or Jessa is gonna regret it. It’s not my fault I’m filthy, maybe I’ll show you how to do that later, I don’t know how I got here, I kicked you because you pissed me off, I'm not gonna hurt you if you're not gonna hurt me, and I came from Tokyo. That answers all of your questions, so now you answer mine. Just what the hell are you doing here? I thought I was alone! And who are you?”

Tai introduced everyone, and those who dared shook Jesse’s hand. “We’re the Digidestined, these are our Digimon, and we’re here ’cause we gotta save the Digiworld. What about you?”

“I don’t have a clue what you’re babbling about! I told you, I don’t know what kind of weird shit brought me here or why! Right now, I’m angry, tired, hungry, and irritated, so I don’t want any more questions!”

“But–” Tai’s mouth snapped abruptly closed as Jesse glared at him. Matt had never seen anyone shut Tai up that fast without punching him. T.K. grinned.

“You want some food?”

She smiled. “Sure, kid.”

Many explanations later, they all curled again around the guttering campfire to catch a few last hours of sleep. Matt, unable to do so, stayed sitting by the embers, thinking about Jesse. She confused him. Her reaction to him, to Tai, to the others; he wondered what her story was, and if she could be trusted. To clear his head, he brought out his harmonica again and began to play softly. When his fatigue began to catch up with him, he fell asleep by the glowing coals, harmonica in his hand. He did not see the newcomer watching him.

They walked the entire next day, as they had nothing much else to do. No one else seemed to want to risk talking to Jesse, so Matt ventured a cautious conversation start.

“Where did you live before you came here? Heighten View Terrace? I used to live there.” He looked at her, and immediately knew that he had picked the wrong subject. He was about to tell her to forget it when she answered him.

“I didn’t live anywhere in particular. I don’t have a home.”

“What?” Matt said, even though he had heard perfectly well.

“I lived mostly in the park. I ran away from home. My parents were not the best of people, and it was rough. I scrounged, did a lot of street playing.” She lifted the black case he had noticed the night before. “I didn’t know much in the way of work, except karate and stuff like that. I lived in the park for two years.”

Her next comment floored him. “I liked it.” He gasped like a drowning fish, floundering for something to say. He sensed that this was not the safest of subjects, but she continued despite his mute protests. “I learned some good lessons there. How to take care of myself, use my head, live alone. Then I made my own family.”

“Um, if you don’t wanna talk about it–” Instantly, anger flared in her face.

“I thought maybe I’d found someone who wanted to listen! Nobody listens! And now you don’t wanna hear any more!” She balled her fists. Izzy and Joe turned to look, then hastily glanced away. Sora watched them anxiously.

“I didn’t mean it that way–”

“Don’t get near me, you bastard!” Rigid, she stomped off towards the front of the group. The others resolutely ignored this, not wanting to get involved.

“But–I just thought you didn’t want to bring it up! I do want to hear! I didn’t–”

“Shut UP, damn you!” She paused in mid-stomp. “You do?”

“Sure!”

She was immediately contrite. “I’m sorry. I have a temper. Lately it’s been coming out more often.” She fell in beside him once more and resumed her story as though she hadn’t stopped. “I went out and looked for others without homes, organized them, brought them together. They became my family. We were a tight bunch, the eight of us, none of us over fourteen. Some of them didn’t even remember what their real names had been, so we all had new names, just for the gang.”

She smiled fondly, remembering. Matt listened with rapt attention to her low voice. “Then one time, Ikumi and I were off playing on a street corner. We were hoping to make enough so that Ansuli could get his guitar fixed. Ikumi played flute. While we were gone, the others got involved in some sort of gang fight with some men. There were guns. None of them made it. Ikumi was crushed, and refused to stay with me; she went, by choice, to live at an orphanage. I never saw her again.”

There was a long silence. “How long ago?” asked Matt finally, in a voice hushed with pity.

“Maybe eight months. I got here a week ago.”

“How?”

“I was in the park, moving out, and had all my stuff with me. It was night. Nobody else was there. I saw a shooting star, but it landed practically on top of me, and it wasn’t a star at all.” She produced a Digivice much like Matt’s own and held it for him to see. “I picked it up. There was wind, and lightning, and water, and I was falling. And I was here.”

“We all arrived pretty much the same way, except that we were together.”

“Yeah. Lucky you. By the way, if you dare repeat any of this, I’ll gut you myself.” To his immense shock, she reached around in her pack and pulled out an ornate dagger, twirling it playfully around her fingers. Just holding it seemed to make her feel better.

“Where did that come from?” He eyed it apprehensively.

“I found it after a fair left town. I think someone dropped it. I’ve had it for years.” She grinned dangerously. “And I know how to use it.”

“That’s good to know, I guess,” Matt gulped. He caught the look in her eyes, and laughed ruefully.

Then Tai turned around, saw the knife, and freaked out. After that, Matt couldn’t stop laughing.

“Hahaha! This is fun!”

T.K. crowed with delight as Jesse swung him around by his hands, her momentum carrying him higher than waist level and menacing Tai’s hair as he ate dinner. Tai scowled and ducked repeatedly, but, amazingly enough, stayed quiet for once. Matt savored his silence. For some reason, only Tai’s annoying chatter could effectively jar him from his thoughts, and he had more leeway to think this way.

I used to feel sorry for me. He wondered if he would have been tough enough to take that kind of abuse. Probably not. Maybe. Certainly not and still smile like she does. He frowned a bit. She said it happened only eight months ago. I wonder . . . why tell me? It has to hurt her. Why bother relating it to someone she barely knows? He thought a little and reconsidered. I guess she felt like she needed to tell someone, and we’re the only ones around.

He stood.

“I’m going to get a drink. Anyone else coming?”

Jesse put T.K. down and yawned. “Sure. You comin’ too, T.K.?”

“Naw, I’m not thirsty. Hurry back, OK? I was havin’ fun!”

“Sure, Squirt.” She cast a disparaging glance at Tai. “YOU’RE not coming, are you?”

“What, you wanna be alone w–”

WHACK.

“Let’s go, Matt,” she said, nonchalantly strolling off in the general direction of the pool and leaving their leader to extract himself from a convenient prickly bush. Matt was glad Tai was not coming. He still had some questions left that he had not thought to ask. He did so as they headed into the trees.

“Do you have a Digimon?”

“Since I don’t know what that is, I’m betting no.”

“Like Gabumon. A little talking animal. Don’t let him know I called him that.”

“No.” Jesse looked at him curiously. “Should I?”

“Um,” he said intelligently, “we all did when we came here. I just thought that maybe you would too.”

“Maybe it hasn’t found me yet,” she said, rather defensively. “I’m sure I have one somewhere, if you all do.”

“Okay. I also wanted to know what kind of instrument was in that case. You mentioned it, but not what it was.”

“A violin. You play?”

“No. I play this, though.” He pulled it out.

“I heard you.”

“When?”

“Two nights ago.”

“Oh. Yeah.” He paused, then sighed. “I’m glad there’s someone else here who likes music. Tai couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, and T.K.’s too little.”

“Me, I love music,” she replied as Matt stooped to drink from the waterhole. “I actually used to hate it, though. In fact, my parents practically had to force me to take up the violin.”

“No kidding?”

“Really. I was maybe five or six at the time, and we passed this little music shop on the way to the store . . .”

By the time they returned to camp, it was well past nightfall, and they were fast friends.

It was quiet until the next day.

Tai was cooking, and his phony French accent grated on Matt’s nerves. And everyone else’s. Jesse was visibly restraining herself from either injuring him or shutting his mouth with duct tape. It’d be fun to watch. And he’d shut up. He conjured a mental image of his ‘fearless leader’ with duct tape all over his face, trussed up with more of the same. He laughed. Jesse gave him a look.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I was just thinking it’d be cool if–”

Joe interrupted him. “Hey, Matt, will you and Gabumon go see if you can find some fruit? We can’t live on just protein, you know.”

“Oh, sure.” Matt grimaced apologetically at Jesse and scooted over to Gabumon. The two of them trooped off into the woods, Biymon following to scout from above. It was slightly chill out in the early hours of the morning; he blew on his hands to warm them as they halted at the foot of a large fruit tree.

“Hey, wait up!” Jesse skidded to a halt beside him and grinned at his stupefied expression. “We were in the middle of a conversation, remember?”

“Well, yeah, I just kinda assumed Joe had found something for you to do.”

Jesse snorted delicately. “He tried, anyway. Need some help?”

“Sure. We can carry more in one trip.” Gabumon smiled warmly as he answered for his partner.

“So,” she said conversationally, “you were about to say something before we were so rudely interrupted.”

He handed her a fruit, catching another with his other hand as Biymon dislodged them from the upper boughs. “I was just thinking of ways to make Tai be quiet. Namely having to do with duct tape.”

She giggled. “And I suppose I’d have to do it?”

“I don’t think I’d do too badly. But you could hold his legs down, at least. He plays soccer.”

“No, thank you. My ribs are quite bruised enough as it is.”

Matt glanced at her. “Really? You should have Joe take a look. He probably has something in that bag of his that could help.”

“Oh, they’re not that bad. See?” And she put down a fruit to lift her tank-top, exposing her waist. It was mostly mottled yellow in color, with darker purple and greenish hues dotted sporadically. He gaped.

“You call that ‘not that bad’? What happened? You shouldn’t be able to bend over!” He dropped the fruit he was holding, stepped over Gabumon and grabbed her shoulder. “We’re going back and getting some salve or something!”

The next instant he was looking at a blue sky dotted with cheerful fluffy clouds, his chin smarting from a well-placed blow. Jesse’s shoes were just visible in the corner of his vision.

“Don’t you dare give me orders!” she spat. “If I say I’m fine, then I’m fine!”

Matt’s temper rose at her unfair attack and he got slowly to his feet. “Well, so much for being concerned about you! I suppose you’d rather I didn’t care at all!”

“That would suit me just fine!” Jesse snarled, her bared teeth giving her a savage visage. “Just so long as you stay out of my business!”

“Oh, excuse me! I just thought that maybe since you’re here, your business is the same as mine!”

“Fuck that! For all I care, this world and the real one can go to hell! Then I wouldn’t have to deal with jerks like you!”

“If I’m such a jerk, maybe you should go talk with Tai instead! I’m sure you two would have much more in common!”

“Works for me! At least he has the guts to lead this sorry bunch of losers, instead of sitting back and squawking on that stupid harmonica!”

Matt stiffened with rage; she had hit three sensitive areas at once. He gave a wordless snarl and was about to shout something else at her when a bloodcurdling shriek cut across the cool air. Both heads whipped around to look towards the camp.

Mimi was running full-tilt towards the two of them, wailing like a siren, with Palmon trailing in her wake. She didn’t stop until she reached Matt, nearly bowling him over and still screaming hysterically.

“Mimi!” Matt steadied himself with some difficulty. “What’s wrong?” She refused to answer, or to stop sobbing into his shirt. He was forced to push her away and grab her hand, pulling her along to catch up with Jesse, who was already long gone.

He saw it before he even reached the clearing. He dropped Mimi’s hand and ran faster. It was enormous, blotting out the bright sun and casting a long, misshapen shadow. It made his eyes hurt to look at it; he stumbled, suddenly dizzy, and found himself on his knees in the grass.

His eyes registered no light, only a viscid darkness that it sickened him to see. Images flashed through his mind: his parents fighting, his classmates jeering at him and throwing rocks, Tai and the others deserting him, himself causing their deaths, Jesse killing him with her own hands–and T.K., dead in his arms.

He screamed, or thought he did; the images continued, repeating over and over with merciless clarity. He clutched at his head to blot it out, but nothing helped. His worst fears and deepest insecurities became real, and the pain of it was too much to bear. He felt madness claw at his mind, felt himself being dragged down into a weeping abyss–

And it stopped.

”Matt!” His vision cleared. He was staring at his knees, bent double, gasping for breath. He half expected the nightmare to start all over again; when it did not, he cautiously raised his head. Gabumon was standing over him, looking anxious; the huge monster had vanished.

“Wh-what happened?” he quavered, berating himself for the stutter.

“You just fell down and started screaming,” his Digimon answered him. “So did everyone else.”

Matt pushed himself to unsteady feet, looking around. “T.K.! Is T.K. all right? Where is he?”

“Matt!” Tai came running up to him. “Kari’s gone! I can’t find her anywhere!” His voice was frantic, his eyes shadowed with fear.

“And Patamon and Gatomon are missing, also!” observed Biyomon.

Matt tore away from Tai’s grip and looked wildly around the clearing. Nowhere to be seen was the distinctive green of T.K.’s hat, or the cheerful face that had been still and lifeless in his nightmare. “T.K.!” he shouted, running to the bracken on every side, searching for some sign of his brother. “Where are you? T.K.!”

Jesse’s voice, behind him. “We have to find out where that thing took them!” The words shook a little.

“I’ll go!” Matt didn’t get four feet before he was tripped flat on his face by Jesse.

“What are you talking about? We’ll ALL go!”

“He’s my little brother! I have to get him back!”

“Now listen here–” She stopped abruptly. “He’s your little brother?”

“Yes! Tai forgot to tell you?”

“Hey!”

“Well, you were the one giving introductions! And that doesn’t matter now! Let’s go!”

“Fine! I’m going too, no arguments!”

“I don’t care anymore! Just come on!”

Piedmon watched the children’s antics with amusement. It almost disappointed him how easy it had been. Take away their most vulnerable parts, and the rest become just as weak. He snapped his fingers, and a tiny Digimon appeared.

“Lord Piedmon?”

“Bring Cholimon to me.”

“Yes, Lord Piedmon!” The Digimon scampered away. In a moment, Cholimon appeared, its irregular shape shifting to accommodate the narrow doorway. The eyes, a bright aquamarine, focused on Piedmon and flickered questioningly.

“You have done well. Do not do anything with the children as yet. They are merely the bait.” The eyes turned from aqua to a deep brown. “No, we cannot afford to damage them. We need them intact, but only until those other fools wander onto my elaborately set stage. However, feel free to terrify them in your own particular fashion.” The eyes grew larger and shifted to a deep, glowing violet. Piedmon smiled. “Good. I should love to see that drama unfold.”

Jesse plopped down on the forest floor, exhausted beyond belief. Matt and Tai both refused to get any sleep, and only under pain of extreme pain had they agreed to stop at all. Jesse needed time to think.

I wonder why they didn’t tell me. If I’d known that was his little brother–well, maybe I would have acted differently, but what’s done is done. They couldn’t know how important family ties are to me. She wondered briefly why T.K. being Matt’s brother bothered her more than Kari being Tai’s sister, but could come up with no answer. Disturbed, she picked up her violin case and headed to a distance where she felt she was safely out of sight and earshot. She raised the violin to her chin and began.

It was an old melody, one that her mother had loved well, as she had not loved her daughter. Mournful and poignant, it seemed to her to embody sadness and longing and pain, and despite her hate for the one who had taught it to her, it was her.

She poured the whole of herself into the music, deliberately calling to mind all the horrors she had seen in her head that day, letting each one be soothed away by the rise and fall of sound. Her fingers wandered the strings and chose new harmonies of their own will, until she no longer recognized anything but the feeling of sorrow the song always brought.

At last it came to an end, an unresolved wail of fragile melancholy. In the silence that followed, the air was stirred only by the soft sounds of breathing, and the faint and plaintive notes of a harmonica.

All was quiet that night.

A search that was beginning to look hopeless flowered the next afternoon. They were tired, and anxiety was building. The sun beat down on them now that they had reached the outskirts of the forest, slowing progress and dampening spirits even further. Jesse was utterly frustrated after an entire day of trying to talk to Matt and Tai and meeting with solid walls of determination. The break came with Joe’s excited shout.

“Guys! Hey, guys! Look!”

“What?” Tai demanded, bulling forward to see. “A Digivice!”

Izzy came closer. “But to whom does this particular Digivice belong?”

“Let me see!” Matt pushed his way past Tai, ignoring his leader’s indignant yelp, and took the Digivice. He held it for a moment, then gave it back. “It’s not T.K.’s.”

“Fascinating. How did you discern this?”

“I just know, okay? It must be Kari’s.” He paused. “Wait a minute! I’ve been so stupid! Follow the signal on the Digivice!”

“An excellent idea!” Izzy puttered away at his computer for a moment. “There. The signal is programmed to home in on T.K.’s Digivice reading. He seems to be several miles to the northeast.”

“How DOES he DO that?” Jesse whispered.

“I dunno. I just play soccer,” Sora whispered back.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!”
And they walked, and walked, and walked. The travel began to wear on most of the group. Matt and Tai, of course, were relentless, and Jesse was more than used to this sort of thing, but in due course everyone else was wilting. The Digimon were plodding stoically along, not bothering to talk.

Apparently it takes more effort to start a conversation than they want to expend. Jesse shook back her hair and flipped it up to unstick it from the back of her neck. I really should wear a hairtie. I just hate those God-awful, annoying, uncomfortable things. And it would never stay in, anyways. My hair’s too damn thick.

Grimacing at the necessity, she untied her bandanna and used it as a hair ribbon to keep the wavy mass at bay. She would get sweat in her eyes now, but at least she wouldn't roast.

She sighed. “Are we getting close?” she asked.

At the exact same time, Matt yelled, “We’re getting close!” They looked at each other, and Jesse saw with surprise that Matt blushed. She gave him, wide innocent eyes. He gave her an indecipherable look in return and went back to walking. Well, that answers that question.

Jesse thought. There wasn’t much else to do, so she thought about Matt. She didn’t know how to feel around him anymore. She was betting she had also blushed when their eyes met, and she knew it should infuriate her, but it didn’t. I wonder why. I never blush. Why doesn’t it make me mad? She considered. Could I have a crush on him? I suppose it's possible. It's only been a few days, but he's the only one here I can talk to, really. If I could only understand half of what Izzy says, I might be able to talk to him, too, but as it is . . . Well, if it is a crush, I'll have to ignore it. Neither of us has time for that right now. Goddammit. I haven't met anyone I'd care to spend time with in so long, and when it finally happens, it's a bust from the get-go.

She wondered if this whole thing was a dream set up to torture her. Although I don’t see any bamboo slivers. How can you possibly torture someone without bamboo slivers?

The thought made her smile and choke back a giggle, turning it into a cough; but she was all too aware that the humor was born of hysteria and not good spirits. Her mirth faded as though a hand had wiped it away. She felt confused and flustered, a condition that did infuriate her suddenly, but again, it was self-directed, not Matt-directed. I shouldn’t let any of this confuse me! I’m just an idiot! What I need is something to stab! She thought of her dagger, running through self-taught exercises in her mind. Although it was real, it had never been meant for use, but she had drilled herself in it anyway. A lot of good it did me.

“Look!” She jerked her head up to where Tai pointed, although she couldn’t have missed it if she had tried.

In point of fact, it bowled her over.

It vaguely resembled a lizard, but was more like a tiny, bejeweled dragon. Its scales were a dark, shimmering turquoise, so deep it was almost black, and the eyes were a pale and luminous blue.

“That’s Lyeernmon! What’s she doing here?” Tentomon asked quizzically.

“Jesse!” she purred through a mouthful of sharp, needle-like teeth, washing Jesse’s face with a ribbon-like tongue. “Where were you? I looked everywhere!”

Jesse laughed. “I guess you’re my Digimon, Lyeernmon!” Lyeernmon sat up on her haunches and assumed a reprimanding look.

“No, Jesse, you are MY human, and you took way too long to get here!”

“I’m sorry, Lyeern, but I was–busy. Actually more like lost.”

“That’s no excuse!”

By now, everyone was laughing at the exchange, the problems at hand momentarily forgotten. Matt happily watched the little Digimon scold Jesse, glad that she had found herself a Digimon partner, but that thought in itself dampened his enthusiasm. He wasn’t sure why.

Jesse dizzily pulled herself up, situating Lyeernmon in the crook of her arm. “I really hate to remind all of you about this, but–”

Izzy reported their position relative to the Digivice reading, and they set off again, Jesse cuddling the little dragon to her chest.

Just as night fell, they reached what, according to Izzy, was their destination.

The massive building towered above them, at least ten stories high and many times as wide, its ends vanishing off into the distance to either side. It was made of marble of a curious violet shade, with many alternating swirls and hues.

“Let’s head in!” Tai, as usual, charged forward without looking first. Jesse sighed, put Lyeernmon gently down, and knocked him tail-over-teakettle in the dirt. The little dragon watched approvingly as Tai struggled to get up from his sprawl.

“Well, at least you’ve learned something without my help.”

“Tai,” Jesse said tiredly, “I know this is a cliché, but always look before you leap. It can save you a heck of a lot in hospital bills.” Tai glared at her indignantly for the thirteen millionth time since she had gotten there.

“Hey, you didn’t have to do that!”

“Oh, really? That’s funny. I was of the impression that you were stupid enough to bull ahead without looking.” She gave him a cheerful smile that fairly dripped sweetness.

“I would’ve stopped anyway, I was just warming up!”

“Har. Har.”

Matt melted into the backdrop and pretended he wasn’t there.

Joe tentatively broke in. “I think we should camp here tonight and go in when it’s light out.”

“What’s the matter, Joe? Scared of the dark, too?”

THUD.

“How many times do I have to hurt you before you get the hint? WILL YOU SHUT UP?” Tai opened his mouth. “No, I’m rephrasing that. It is not optional. You WILL shut up, and NOW!” Their leader gaped, then frowned belligerently.

“What’re you gonna do about it? You can’t tell me what to do!”

Jesse looked at him. Slowly and deliberately, she raised her hands to chest level and proceeded to crack every knuckle on both fists. Tai paled, realizing his mistake.

“I was just kidding!”

She took a menacing step forward.

Tai babbled something incomprehensible about firewood and fled, bodily dragging Agumon with him. When he was safely out of earshot, the others shared a good laugh before setting up camp.
Everyone was in a surprisingly good mood that night. All the Digimon were getting to know Lyeernmon, and she was fascinated by the rest of the people.

“Why weren’t you with Jesse when she got here? I was just at the right spot to meet Matt.”

“I don’t know,” Lyeernmon replied. “I was waiting, and she didn’t come. I knew she should have come by now, so I looked, and didn’t find her. I picked here to stay and wait. I knew she was smart enough to find me.” Her hackles rose, half in annoyance, half in pride.

“That’s just a little weird,” said Agumon.

“No weirder than Kari and me,” Gatomon retorted.

Jesse herself was listening, interested. Gabumon was snoozing nearby. Matt looked at him with amusement. He hasn’t done much this entire trip. Hasn’t said much either. Oh, well, not a lot of them have. It was getting late, and most of them would normally have been asleep anyway, curiosity the only factor keeping them awake. It’s no wonder they’re tired. They must be low on energy, since all they’ve had to eat is berries and fruits. The rest of us, too.

He yawned. “I’m gonna go to bed, you guys. See you in the morning.”

“Sure,” came Jesse’s absentminded reply. The last thing Matt saw before dozing off was Jesse and Lyeernmon talking softly, the little dragon snuggled in her arms, sharing a newly-discovered and precious rapport. In his semi-conscious state, he felt rather jealous of the Digimon, but had no time to be embarrassed with himself before he fell asleep.

The morning dawned bright and clear, despite Joe’s morbid prediction of rain. They broke camp, chattering happily, but with an undercurrent of fear, for T.K. and Kari, and of what might wait inside the vast corridors of the building. Mimi constantly grumbled about having to sleep outside with such a big, warm, cozy place right nearby and how her skirt was absolutely and positively RUINED now and beyond all salvation and how she had found a BUG by her nose when she woke up. Nobody felt particularly sorry for her, but bore it in silence. Silence, that was fast becoming apprehension as they approached the massive structure.

“I’ll just check it out and make sure it’s safe,” Joe volunteered. He crept forward, Gomamon tailing him just in case. “I think I’m gonna regret this,” he muttered. Careful scouting yielded nothing, so he motioned for the rest to come forward. Matt felt a sinking doubt, unable to feel at all comfortable with this. I have to find T.K.! he reminded himself. Steeling his resolve, he followed the rest into the building.

“It’s just one big room!” Tai said unnecessarily. The hall stretched forward and to either side so far that the walls were invisible, and the ceiling as well. It felt like being surrounded by space, stretching on for eons, not knowing whether it would ever be finite. Even the smallest utterance echoed like a shot, bouncing off the unseen dimensions of the room to return heartbeats later, and eerie cadence that little resembled the original sound, but instead something otherworldly, alien, and unrecognizable.

“Let’s split up and look around,” Tai suggested, striding forward.

He didn't get very far.

The monster from the clearing oozed out of the blackness, mutating as it moved, and again Matt was driven to his knees. The nightmare was happening again–he couldn’t move, couldn’t see, couldn’t think. The same horrible visions assaulted him, along with a new one: Jesse, lying dead by his hand.

“Pepper Breath!”

“Blue Blaster!”

“Poison Ivy!”

“Munching Fishes!”

“Super Shocker!”

“Spiral Twister!”

“Crystal Beam!”

Dimly, Matt heard the beginning of the fight. He struggled to see, to fight the terror, and the mist lifted somewhat; blurred shapes manifested before him. Though the horrors were superimposed over reality, he was able to tell the difference, and his fear receded.

The attacks were striking the thing, without effect. It seemed to drink in the energy, become more powerful, more dangerous. Its eyes were a dull grey, like a thick, impermeable fog. Its shape began to shift, faster and faster, the red-brown blurring into a mix of hues until the slimy, roiling colors made Matt feel sick. Then it seemed to burst, spilling Kari, T.K., and their Digimon onto the ground. They were awake, alive, and apparently unharmed.

“T.K.!” Matt yelled, striving to regain his feet–but just as he lurched upright and began to run forward, Jesse came out of nowhere, passing him effortlessly. Tai’s muted “Kari!” was drowned in the pounding of their feet as they sprinted.

Jesse reached them lightning fast, almost before Matt had a chance to start running, crouching over the frightened kids and growling like a threatened wolf. The thing did nothing, so she gathered them warily into her arms and was back with the others before Matt could even halt his dash. He skidded, trying to stop, turn around, and run the other way all in the same motion, and landed with a muted thud that drove the air from his lungs and echoed dully throughout the cavernous hall.

The thing’s eyes turned from muted grey to violent orange.

It struck.

“No!” The dagger left Jesse’s hand before she could think, burying itself to the hilt in the rusty, red-brown hide. The thing recoiled inches from Matt, keening, and she sprang forward.

“Jesse!” Lyeernmon began to glow.

“Lyeernmon, Digivolve to . . . CALARSHMON!”

The little dragon grew to twenty times her original height, wings sprouting to span yards. Her scales turned the color of antiqued silver, her eyes a deep burgundy, and her claws took on a diamond-hard sheen. Fire gouted from her jaws, and she gave a trumpeting roar that shook the hall.

“Gabumon, Digivolve to . . . GARURUMON!”

They rushed in together.

They were too late.

The time spent Digivolving, although remote, had cost them the second the thing needed to recover, and it now held Matt and Jesse in front of itself, bound and struggling, a string of the foulest curses any of them had ever heard spewing from Jesse’s mouth. Calarshmon screamed defiance and took flight, frustrated at her inability to strike lest she injure Jesse. Garurumon found himself in similar plight.

A deep, rolling laugh echoed through the hall, heralding Piedmon’s arrival. The Digimon smirked at the helpless Digidestined.

“Fools. You disappoint me. I expected a more amusing performance. Well, no matter. The end is the same–a tragedy. For you.” He laughed again.

“Howling Blaster!”

“Wind Shards!”

The pillar of blue fire merged with the swirling shower of green, glass-like shards, forming a beam that struck with double intensity. Piedmon shrugged it off. “Oh, my, you dirtied my costume.” He cackled. “Cholimon, you may destroy those two. Then the others as well.”

“No!” Matt yelled. “T.K., get out of here!” The other Digidestined hung back, torn between saving them and running, uncertain of what to do since their Digimon couldn’t Digivolve without first putting them in danger. If one of them (likely Tai) rushed forward to provide that danger, it was unlikely that any of the three would get out alive.

“Matt!” T.K. was stopped by Sora. “Hold on! Patamon, can’t you do something?”

“No, I can’t Digivolve right now! I’m trying, but I just can’t! I’m so sorry, T.K.!”

“Don’t worry about me, just GO! Get away! Garurumon, get them out of here!”

“Matt . . .” The soft word made Matt turn his head. Jesse looked at him, amber eyes bright. “We’re going to die, aren’t we?”

“I–yes,” he answered her, fighting a different kind of terror now. He could hear his friends calling, Garurumon growling, Calarshmon shrieking. He wanted those sounds to go on forever, but knew they would not.

Tears welled up. He closed his eyes and leaned over as far as he could; Jesse met him in the middle. They kissed, softly, tentatively.

Cholimon folded in on itself, enveloping them in its substance. They were still holding the kiss as they disappeared from view.

“Matt! Jesse! No!”

Calarshmon keened, a high, broken sound, arched her wings in agony, and disappeared. Garurumon dissolved slowly, howling heartrendingly. Cholimon shifted lazily as the horror-stricken Digidestined watched, then jerked and began to glow with a bright green light.

It exploded. The blast threw everyone against the doorframe and wall, shattering small and unsecured items like glass–Jesse’s violin case broke open and spilled the fragile instrument onto the unyielding marble. Bits of dissolving data flew and vanished like mist. Piedmon gave an outraged scream and disappeared back to his castle.

When the smoke cleared, all that was left was a cracked crest, two shattered Digivices, and the twisted remains of what had once been a harmonica.

A clearing in the woods. There are no living creatures about, as though they sense that their world is forever changed.

Alone in the center of the clearing, forlorn and small in the green that surrounds it, lies a broken violin, and near it, a harmonica. The tracks of the Digidestined lead away from here into the distance, heavy with grief and heart-pain. They will never return to this place.

The silence is broken only by the soft, sad melody of the wind on shattered strings.