*******************

Kyra looked around the circle of the Digidestined, trying not to cry out. She

had told them her past, her most guarded secret. Why? She already knew the answer.

Vixenamon curled up next to her master. The nightmares were back. Her indigo

eyes searched Kyra's green ones.

"You remember the future, you recall our past. You are the Rememberer. Do not

cry." The little fox reassured her master like one would reassure a small child.

Matt looked deep into the girl's eyes. He sensed that she knew their darkest

secrets, their fears and hopes. Slowly he shook his head, and leaned back.

Tai was shaking in horror. How could anyone hurt this small, frightened girl

?

He put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned against him.

Mimi looked almost frightened. Her mind was screaming at her, telling her

something. She listened to frantic sounds of her dreams. Her nightmare! In

her nightmare, there had been a small child, a girl. She looked like Kyra,

younger maybe, but the eyes were the same. Those haunted eyes. Who knew what

knowledge they held?

Kari looked at the woman she had met just a few days ago. This was the same

calm, composed, and fearless woman? The woman who had greeted her with

ancient formality?

T.K. just kept shaking his head in denial. This wasn't happening.

Jyou edged nearer to the entrance of the cave. This was not good.

Koushiro looked at her, and thought he saw a hint of identity loss. She

didn't know who she was.

Sora muttered to herself, over and over and over again. "It's okay, It's

okay, It's okay, They won't hurt you, you'll be safe." there was terror in

her dark amber eyes. She seemed to be repeating what someone had told her,

and she was still scared.

The Garurumon, The Protector approached. Searching the terrified faces, he

saw Sora, trying to reassure herself. He sat near her, and his presence was

calming. The terror slowly faded, and she was reduced to sobbing into the

wolf's shaggy coat.

Why can't it stop? She thought desperately. I've been taking the stuff, but

it just gets worse. I can't do this; I'm not the same fearless girl who cared

so much anymore. I can't even take care of myself, let alone them.

Kyra looked up from the floor of the cave and saw Sora, and her thoughts. No!

I don't want to know their pasts! I just want to be alone!

Jyou left the cave, followed by Tai, Kari, T.K., Mimi, and Koushiro.

Matt stayed, and Sora slowly stopped crying.

Kyra looked at her friend.

"You saw it then." Sora made no attempt to disguise her emotions.

"Would you like to speak of it? Some people say it helps." Kyra said, in a

soft tone.

Sora nodded.

"Okay."

Matt looked at the two women.

"Would you like me to leave?"

"No, Blue-Eyed-One-of-Sorrow. Your tasks start here."

Matt turned around; almost stepping on the small fox that had spoken. He had

forgotten about Vixenamon.

"What happened?" asked the Garurumon.

Sora took a deep breath, and told her secret to two of her best friends.

"It started when we got back from Digiworld for the first time. I just felt

so alone, what with Tai growing bitter, and no one really understanding. I

just missed Piyomon at first, but it grew more insistent. I became almost

afraid of my own being. I couldn't sleep; and when I did, I wished I hadn't.

"The real thing started when I turned about sixteen or seventeen. About the

time Tai met you."

Kyra interrupted.

"We just said hi. I didn't see him for another five or six years."

Sora smiled.

"I know. I was just so alone, that I finally - snapped, I guess.

"I had a nervous breakdown. I was in the Hospital for six months, and then

when I was released, I was, and still am, on sedatives. The medicine itself

wasn't so bad. I just didn't want anyone to know. I wrote my Mom and told her

that I had been on a new assignment, and that I hadn't been able to phone or

write. She believed me."

Sora cringed. Here she was, with some old friends, and she was still scared

stiff. Well, she thought, I guess they have to find out sooner or later.

Better that I tell them myself, I guess.

"My crest was dark for years. I had no feelings. I had killed my emotions,

and my heart. Then one day, after a rainstorm, I looked out of my condo, and

I saw something amazing." Sora stopped, wonder written on her features. "It

was like a sign. I wasn't alone anymore. There, on my windowsill, was a

little kitten, half starved and bedraggled, and it cried. I took it into my

'home' as one would call it, and just held her.

"Yes, her. I named her Pounce. But that name did no justice to her aerial

skills, and she renamed herself within a week. She was Kamikaze. You know she

loved onions. She would climb shelves just to get at them. But then she found

the garlic, and she didn't climb the shelves again. She lived on a little dry

cat food, and numerous other morsels, which I cooked myself. I was happy."

Sora's features fell suddenly.

"It was only a month ago. Kamikaze disappeared. Just. Like. That. I found her

one day. She had been torn up, it was awful. The little thing. There

were bats there and blood. So very much blood." Sora paled, and shook her head

. "And I couldn't help. I always have that nightmare now. She's there, crying for

help, and I can't come near, because I fear the dark side of myself. I

couldn't save her, and she was just a little cat. Her love helped me so

much didn't have anything to love before she came home." She smiled

bitterly. "Yes, home. Peculiar word, isn't it? It was cold and dark. I was

alone, so very alone and then Tai came back. I felt a glimmer of hope, of my

old self, when he cared about you, Kyr. It was like having him back for one

moment. And I was pulled away from the idea of death once more, just in time

.

"Yes, death. Suicide always seems a good way out. But it just keeps

destroying everyone, everything. So I didn't. And it's almost worth it,

waiting for the next hand to be dealt." Sora hugged her knees, unaware that

she was crying. "I guess I still loved them all. Not a strong, emotional

bond, but a sisterly love, ya know?" Sora bowed her head. Why was it so hard

to tell them? Well, I guess it's better than being, I don't know, alone. I

just can't stand being alone.

A voice suddenly came out of nothing.

"Do not worry, Little one. You will never be alone again. They love you. You

are as necessary as Hope." The voice was very low, almost like a mother

crooning a distressed infant. "Little ones, Remember. Not just for your

sakes. For the sake of the worlds, remember. You are not alone."

As suddenly as it had appeared, the voice was gone.

"We must be strong. We must fight. We must live." A strangely choral voice

came from Kyra's throat.

"Agreed." Came another voice, from Matt's throat.

Sora stared at the two, beginning to get weirded out again.

"What are you?" she asked, voice trembling. "Oh. My. God."

Kyra looked at Sora.

"Shhh, Shhh, it's nothing. I think that I'm an embodied spirit or

something. How else would this happen?"

Author's Note: Sorry. I've been reading David Edding's The Mallorean. I'll

stop, but I love those books.

"I don't know. All I know is that this is getting weirder then ever!" came

Jyou's voice from the entrance of the cave, sounding slightly panicked.

"Okay. I think that we should get back to the main cave levels. I'll call for

help." With that, Kyra left with Matt following.

Sora just shuddered and buried herself deeper into the Garurumon's fur. She

was still there, asleep, two hours later when the others were ready to leave.

****************************************************************************=

**

*******************

Author's Note: Am I scaring you? I know for sure as hell that I'm scaring

myself. Thank you to the brilliant mind that came up with the nervous

breakdown thing for Sora. It's all her doing. I'm not the one you want.

People who don't like freaky things (this includes me) don't read the next

part!

Sora blinked. She wasn't in the small, quiet cave anymore. She was in a dark

room, and there was Piyomon. But it wasn't Piyomon. Piyomon was kind and

sweet, and this digimon was killing a smaller digimon, a Punimon. Sora

averted her eyes in disgust and horror. Her nightmare! This was one of them!

"No! Don't!" she cried, not realizing that she had spoken.

The scene switched. There was Tai, Kyra, Kari, Matt, and all of the

digidestined. They were dying, or dead. She ran toward them, and saw

something that remained in her mind indelibly for the rest of her life.

The digimon were eating their partners. Tai, Matt, and Kyra were still alive,

but not for much longer. She ran forward and cried her fury to any that would

hear.

"This must stop. This must end. This is wrong. They're my friends. They can't

die. I'll be alone. Don't leave me alone! Please! I'll be good. Just don't

leave me alone." Her voice softened to a whisper, a cry of a small child.

Tai looked at her, an agonized expression on his face.

"Help…" he managed to whisper, as Augumon bit again into

him, and chewed with relish.

Kyra cried out as all of the resurrected digimon bit and clawed her again and

again, and there was so much blood, so very much blood. Piyomon stepped

forward.

"Good. You're late, and I'm hungry." Her normally blue eyes were red with

insanity. She reached out, clawing at her partner. Her talons slashed Sora's

wrist, and blood began to flow.

"No. This isn't happening." Sora muttered, pulling her injured arm c

loser to try and stop the bleeding. She ran toward Tai and Matt, avoiding her crazed

digimon.

As she neared to two men, their digimon looked up, their faces blank. She

pulled her injured arm free from her side. She flung blood in the opposite

direction. The blood-crazed digimon followed the fresh scent, and she ran to

Matt and Tai, her expression unreadable. Pulling bandages out of her medikit

she stanched the worst of the wounds. It was too late for Kyra. Too much

blood loss.

"That won't help, you know. They're too far gone." Came the gleeful voice

from the shadows. It grinned evilly.

"You." Sora said, anger and fear showing in her voice.

The shadow smiled, gloating over its victory.

"Yes. Me. And I intend to kill you all. It's only a matter of time, my

dear." He vanished.

Sora started to cry, a quiet soft sound of enormous loss.

'No, don't cry…" came the weak voice of Matt. He reached up and wiped a tear

off of her cheek.

Tai nodded.

"You did your best…" Matt's weak voice trailed off, as he and Tai died. Sora

cried out.

"No! You can't die on me! Don't leave me alone!" she was reduced to tears.

"Please I'll be good, don't leave me alone." her voice lowered into a whisper, and she began to cry hysterically. The digimon stared at her, eyes

still glazed red.

"Sora. You can make them live. Use your power." Came a ghostly voice. Sora

whirled about, trying to see the woman speaking. Yes, woman. It was

definitely female.

"Who are you?" she asked, suddenly not so alone.

"You don't need to know. Use your power Sora. You know it's there. Let your

Love speak for you."

"I don't understand."

"Try."

Sora straightened up and ceased trembling at these words.

"Tell me what to do." She pleaded. This was all she had left.

The being smiled to itself. Then it spoke.

"You must let your Love speak for you. Let your power free. Don't fear the

Darkness, Sora. It is only the opposite of Light. You must choose. Try to

remember your power. It will be crucial."

Sora nodded. Taking the hands of her now-dead friends, she called for the

Love she had buried long ago.

"I call upon the ancient Love that has bound us together. I call for the

faith I have long buried deep in my soul." She paused, gathering her

strength. " Love. Live." Those two little words were filled with a deep and

bottomless love, a love of centuries and millennia. A Love too strong to die.

To call them back from death's door.

Sora placed a spark of her life into each digidestined, gently fanned it, and

watched as it glowed and took hold of the spirit. She watched, bemused, as

the healing took place.

Wounds healed.

Eyelids fluttered.

The digimons eyes slowly turned to their normal azure color.

Hearts started to beat anew.

The Love had found the way.

Sora woke up, gasping.

"Sora? Is something wrong?" asked Piyomon sleepily.

"No. Go back to sleep."

Piyomon turned over and was out like a light.

Sora lay looking at the stars painted on the ceiling of the cave. They were

so far away… so distant…

She drifted back into a troubled sleep.

************************************************************************

Okay, call the insane asylum. I'm ready. Man, I am getting disturbing. If you

don't like blood, don't read these! I didn't think that this would happen. I

need out.

See you in the physco ward! Oh, and for those of you who would like to know,

Kyra is NOT the demented fanfic writer at Fanfic.net, but she's kinda my Ae

(alter ego) and she controlls almost all of my fics and their plots, inane

and stupid as they are. i know she sounds lame, but she could kick Tai's fat

butt any time of day. Of course that's pretty easy, (ducks tomatoes thrown by

Tai fans) I like Tai! why do you think I gave the blasted creep my fav char

for a girlfriend? She deserves Matt, but the plot wouldn't work that way.

Okay, I'll shut up now.

Kira Yalnami (Demented fanfic writer at large. Wanted, preferably dead. Large

reward.) ^_^