Darkness Falls, Part 9
Searching

By Kira Yalnami

Kyra placed a hand against the cool stone wall of the cave. Her strength and magic gone for the moment, it was all she could do to stand. She slumped against the wall and slid down to the floor, the only sounds in the cavern the whispering of her robe. She just couldn’t face it anymore.

“Why me? Can’t there be someone else better suited for this task?” she whispered softly. No one was meant to hear her pain and fright filled voice.

But someone –or something- heard.

Liquid shadows streamed down the walls and surrounded her. Before she could cry out, she had been pulled into another world. Just as the gate closed, her hair ribbon that she had idly twisted about her fingers fluttered back to the cave floor, stained with blood.

* * *

Matt sighed and turned onto his left side so he could read the faintly glowing numerals on his watch. It was 3 a.m. He’d been tossing and turning all night. Remembering what had started when he was about seven and had stopped less then ten years ago had been slightly scary. His mind was not that nice of a place. He’d never told anyone. He had just kept it bottled into him, never letting anything in or out. He couldn’t have told. It would have put his dad in jail, his mom under observation, and himself and T.K. into a foster home. So he kept quiet. He knew his dad didn’t mean to hit him, hurt him -the alcohol, his one vice, had torn them far enough apart already.

But something was wrong. He didn’t need the faint throbbing between his shoulder blades to tell him that. The scar he had gotten from Angemon’s arrow had throbbed whenever danger came near. But he didn’t need the scar this time. Oh no, you could FEEL the wrongness, like clay. So palpable you could cut it with a knife.

Gabumon sat up, and listened to a sound that his master couldn’t hear. He became tense, and observed his partner.

Matt got up, got dressed. Paced for what seemed like an age. Then he left his room. His head told him that not all of his friends were there. As he walked out of his room, Gabumon followed.

* * *

Sora sat bolt upright. The quiet breathing of Piyomon was the only sound she heard. But something was wrong. Something was very wrong. She stood up. The long nightshirt Kyra had lent her reached her calves, and she saw an unfamiliar face in the opening of the cave/room where she had been sleeping. It was a winged cat, much like Katamon, but larger, and red in color. She had amber eyes, and her wings crackled with tongues of licking flame. Sora took a step toward it, hand outstretched-

And the digimon shied away, then, cautiously, it approached. The digimon (who was female) looked at Sora, and her amber eyes turned gold in anguish.

“Please. Help me find my Master. Help me find Kira!” the cat said the familiar name with a different accent, and reached a paw out to her. Sora gasped. The leathery pad was crossed with zigzagging scars, and her legs and body were torn and bleeding.

“I am Leopardmon. Help me find my Master! She is gone! The shadows have her!” The light surrounding the leopard patterned cat flickered, and went out. “Please!” her gold eyes flashed an almost lavender color, and Katamon appeared, hovering in midair above Sora’s head. She saw the digimon, and gasped.

“Leopardmon? Oh, sister, what have they done to you? What have they done?” her voice was a low moan.

“Never mind me. The Shadowed One has the Master!”

The littler cat reeled back in the air.

“No, no. No! NO!” she flickered, turned pure silver with rage or fear, and winked out.

* * *

Tai stood at the cave entrance, thinking. When he had seen Sora there, lost in thought and crying, all-to-familiar emotions rose. Why was he feeling this way? He had loved her- once, at least- and he had had Kyra there. But Kyra never went beyond a slight hug and a movie where they split the cost. But he had called her a girlfriend. From the look in Sora’s eyes though, he knew what she had been remembering.

He hadn’t been surprised when Kyra was there. Kyra always made you remember things you had locked away in the back of your mind, bringing things to light. What she had told him -to let go of any feeling he might have had for her- had shocked him at first. But later, as he thought, he remembered how Kyra had always been alone. His memories of meeting her weren’t sure –as if they were an illusion. Kyra was meant to be solitary. She might have had emotions besides fear once, but those days were gone. When in the cave she had told them her story in sketchy details, she had shown them a reason of her fear; her scarred arms spoke of many battles, and also of pain born patiently.

The hair on the back of his neck arose, and he heard a howl of anger.

“Let me up! Fishes’ Tears, it’s me! Woulfosmon!” then he howled again, and Matt and Gabumon were there, helping him up. The wolf-like creature growled at Matt, snapped at him, but seemed friendly-ish with Gabumon. Then it spoke.

“Fishes’ Tears! You don’t see a body for a thousand years and this! Where’s the Master? Where’s Kira!” he yapped. His gold-blue fur faded in and out, looking like perpetual mist. His brown eyes glowed with unlit fire, and he raced about the entrance, smelling all around. Then he went down a corridor, yelped at something, and came out, wide-eyed.

A larger form of Katamon came out, but later they found that she wasn’t a digivolution. She was just a distant cousin. Her name was Leopardmon. She saw Woulfosmon, smiled slightly, and flew over to them, making Tai duck.

“The Master is gone! /And dark ones about! Time to scream/ time to fight/ time to shout! /My words are aflutter/ watch out-“

Leopardmon shot an agitated look at a small pixie that had come out of nowhere.

“Cut the crap, Meloudiemon. We don’t have time.”

“Well exc-u-u-use me. Hmph. I was only living up to the name Muzoicmon gave me. He is soooo hot! I mean, he called me pure eloquence!”

“Meloudiemon, I think he was being sarcastic. Come on, we have to tell these humans-“ the digimon speaking, Leopardmon, gave a sniff when she mentioned us as if she didn’t approve, “-what has happened.”

Matt looked instantly on his guard. Tai looked at all of the digimon who had startled him out of his thoughts. They were agitated. Their digi-partner must not be there –wait! Kyra had multiples! And she had mentioned these ones…

“Tell us the truth. What has happened to Kyra?” Matt’s voice showed true worry, as it had done when T.K. had been hurt once. Leopardmon looked at him closely, and sat in front of him, perched like Bastet on her throne.

“Get the others. I do not want to say this more then once.” Her gold eyes filled with what seemed to be tears of fire. “I will tell this once. It is too much for just one to carry. But widespread grief-“ she shook her head. “Bring the others here. I will tell you all. Hurry! Away!”

* * *

Kari was curled up on the edge of a bench in her room. The door ajar, she was huddled underneath a worried looking Gatomon. Kari’s whimpers grew slightly louder, and her muscles clenched as if anticipating a blow. T.K was walking past her room, on his way to his own, when he saw this. Gatomon looked at him with large pleading eyes, and he came in. Kari stiffened again as he sat on the edge of the bench and touched her shoulder. Patamon came in and looked at Kari. Then he looked at T.K., and begged with his eyes for him to do something. The digimon didn’t speak; they didn’t need to. T.K picked up Kari’s body and held her close for a moment. She stopped trembling almost at once. Then, as he let her go, she started to cry in her sleep.

“Don’t leave me alone…please…Tai…Tekeru…Sora, anyone! Help me…” her cries grew louder. T.K. winced. He knew the memory she was experiencing. The nightmare. He had been there.

She had been pressed against a wall, no way out. The rest of them were chained to a wall, with about three feet of chains to move with. Only Kari was against the wall. Only Kari had a knife at her throat, blood welling out of the small wound that had already been made. Her white throat was soon stained, but the knife pressed harder into the skin, then was put at an angle between two ribs. If the attacker pushed, he would have her heart at the tip of his knife. T.K., sweat partially blinding him, yanked furiously at the chains that held him. He pulled and strained, but he couldn’t get free. Kari was just there, twelve feet away, and he couldn’t save her. He strained again, and saw, out of the corner of his eye, Mimi and Sora now in similar situations. Sora stood paler then usual, against the wall. She was soon bound tightly, couldn’t move. T.K. saw Tai, his face streaming silently with hopeless tears. T.K. put his hand on Tai’s shoulder, and he heard Tai muttering.

“I’m supposed to HELP, and all I can manage is get the two people I love the most almost dead, and get the rest of my friends chained up! Some leader I am.”

T.K. pulled again at his chains, and felt a whistle of air around his face he looked up, and wished he hadn’t. Kari was still alive, but the guards were amusing themselves with dagger practice. Kari wasn’t able to move and these lumbering Devimon that guarded them were going to kill her. T.K. looked up, undisguised hope setting fire to his blue eyes. Then his crest glowed, and the manacles that bound him and his friends disappeared. He ran on silent feet, with the others following him to the cages the digimon were in. He watched Matt take a sharp bit of twisted metal –a wire- out of a pocket and pick the lock. The digimon came silently, and attacked. Angemon fired his hand of Fate at the Digimon hurting Kari. Salamon digivolved to Gatomon but couldn’t get near her partner. Angemon grabbed her, just before the attack of a Devimon would hit her, and then Gatomon leaped in front to of Kari, knowing it was hopeless. But she still had Hope.

T.K. ran forward, tripping a Devimon about to destroy both digimon and human. The force meant to kill Kari and delete Gatomon hit a nearby wall, but some of the blast hit T.K.’s shoulder. He pulled Kari out of the way of the falling rocks and covered her with his own body. The rocks meant for her hit him. He grunted slightly, but made no move until the rocks had stopped falling. Then he stood, helped up by Tai. As Tai grabbed his arm, pulling him, T.K. couldn’t help but cry out. He was only fourteen, and Kari was the same age .As Jyou had said once, “Pain still hurts!”

And pain did hurt. Kari was out of the collapsing caves in a flash, and began to fuss over T.K. He didn’t seem to mind much, but he pulled away from her and picked up Patamon, who was panting for breath.

“Did we do it, T.K.?” asked the spunky little digimon.

T.K. laughed, a sound he hadn’t made since Kari had been taken and the group had followed her.

“Yes, Patamon. We did it.” Then he turned around, and with his unhurt shoulder, scooped Kari up in a friendly hug. She smiled, hugged back, and pirouetted over to Gatomon, who had escaped without a scratch.

“Look Gatomon! The sun!” Kari laughed. She hadn’t seen the sun in so long. Now, above ground, in the sun, with her friends and T.K., life was beginning to look up.

Kari’s eyes snapped open. The nightmare was gone, and she wasn’t alone anymore. Someone was holding her close. No fear. Someone’s here. How did that song go? She looked up, and saw Tekeru.

“You came back.” She whispered.

He nodded, looking out the door.

“Yeah. I came back. And so did trouble.”

Kari sat up, leaning on T.K. for support. She was still weak from her nightmare.

“I see. Let’s go. They,” she said, meaning the other digidestined, “Will need us.”

T.K. nodded, hugged her fiercely, and stood up.

“Let’s go, Kitten.” He said.

Kari raised an eyebrow at the nickname, but followed him towards the main cave.

* * *

Mimi stirred. Palmon was sitting at the door of the cavern they had chosen to stay in. The plant digimon could feel tension radiating everywhere. She looked up, hearing almost silent footsteps and a buzz of wings. It was Izzie, and Tentomon. She heard the soft footsteps as Izzie walked over to a laptop that had been set up on the desk. Tentomon flew quietly over to her.

The two digimon sat, listening to the dreadful scilence.

A knock on the door.

“Hello? Izzie? Mimi? Have you seen Kyra? She’s disappeared.” Came Sora’s familiar voice.

Izzie stood up, answered her.

“No. She’s not here.” He opened the door, with the two digimon still listening to the wrongness scream inside their heads. As Izzie talked with Sora, and Mimi awoke and joined the conversation, Tentomon suddenly grabbed Palmon’s arm with such force that he bruised her stems.

“Ow! Tentomon, careful!” she yelped, startling the humans for a moment. Tentomon immediately softened his grip on her arm and pulled her close and whispered in her ear.

“The Bad Thing is worse. Someone is gone. Can’t you hear the screams?”

Palmon listened, and heard. The cry was soulless and gloating. She shivered and stood up straight. She walked over to Mimi.

“Something’s wrong, Mimi. We should go to the main cave. Tentomon thinks that we might be able to find the Bad Thing.”

Mimi looked down, and relayed the words to the others. They nodded, and the humans left the room. Palmon stood, quivering a moment, and the Bad Thing surged and she turned a whitish green. Tentomon was at her side in an instant, supporting her as she began to wilt.

“Come on. We should follow them.” He said, opening his wings. Other then that, he made no move to leave her side until the wilting spell had passed. When she stopped trembling, he half-carried her, half-pushed her down the hall until she could walk properly.

When they reached the main cave, everyone was there. Even Jyou. They were looking in awe at a rainbow colored light that projected a small person.

“Gennai?” the name was out of Palmon’s mouth before she remembered Gennai was dead, and then, in a double take, saw that this person was female, and bore a startling resemblance to Kyra. But on a closer inspection, she saw that the girl was blind, her green eyes seeing nothing.

She spoke, looking about her, seeming to see their hearts, as if to make up for the fact that she would never see their faces. Then she spoke, but not out loud. It seemed to be everywhere. The ground, the air, their minds, and even the rocks themselves.

“Hello, Guardians. I have come to warn you. The Seer has been kidnapped by the Shadowed One. You must do all in your power to save her.”

Kari drew back slightly from the being.

“Who are you?” she asked, fear strong in her voice.

“That is not what you need to know, Little Ones. I will tell you where the Seer is. You must pay the cost for her rescue, even if it means killing her or putting out her eyes. Blindness can let you see with startling clarity at times. She is in the shadow realm. She is far from well now. The Shadowed King, or Synthlaya,” here the woman spat out the name as if it were the curse of all curses. The hair stood up on the back of Matt’s neck at the pure hatred –no, it wasn’t hatred, it was sorrow, disbelief, that one would choose to live for hatred- in her voice.

“My time is short with you. There is a tunnel towards the back, through her chambers. Leopardmon will show the way. Good luck, and remember…the smallest thing can tell much more then at first glance. I must go now, little ones. We will meet again, whether you fail or triumph.” She faded away abruptly.

Matt was the first to break the scilence.

“I suppose we should go find her. Come on, Gabumon. Bring the others.” He turned to Leopardmon. “Which way to her rooms? We have to find the passage.” He looked around at the startled faces of his fellow digidestined, who were surprised by his vocal activity. Matt hardly, if ever, talked now. That was a monumental speech for him. The others stared for a moment, and then followed Leopardmon to the passage that would lead them to Kyra -if she was still alive.

* * *

Kyra looked about, seeing the liquid shadows shift together and become one. One shadow lord. Salsmindermon. She shivered slightly, but held her ground. Then she spoke.

“Why? I gave you blood. My own, in fact. I gave you life once. Why did you turn to dark?”

The snake smiled, a disturbing thing on something that didn’t have lips.

“Maybe I was never on your side. Maybe-“ here he stopped to coil around her arms, pinning them to her sides- “Maybe I was born to kill the Seer. Or the Guardians.”

She didn’t struggle in his grip. The snake pulled tighter, and drew his head close. His toung flickered in and out, tasting the air, and the skin on her face. As the ribbon-like tendril touched her face, Kyra pulled back in disgust. The coils pulled tighter. She gasped slightly, but she still didn’t come over. She knew that as soon as she stayed still, he would bite her. She even knew where. Right above her left collarbone. She also knew the poison would work too slowly to kill. For now. This was just a precaution so she wouldn’t escape before he had delivered her to his Master.

Knowing this was her last chance, she sent out a mind call to the digimon. She transmitted feelings of fear and pain, wrongness and the need for help. Kyra was so frightened, however, that she threw these emotions about with very few perimeters about the spell. In laymen’s terms, she sent the spell out with such force that certain humans, who retain strong emotional bonds with others, living or dead could here her cry of despair.

The snake’s head drew closer. STRIKE! Blood oozed sluggishly out of the wound at her collarbone, and the poison began to spread throughout her body. Salsmindermon laughed, and pulled tighter about her waist, almost crushing her. As the poison took affect, she turned pale gray and slumped, unconscious in his coils.

* * *

Matt looked down the dark corridor, Leopardmon leading the way with her flaming fur. Gabumon strayed next to Vixenamon and Woulfosmon, and the three canids began to whisper information about the dark lords to each other. Matt looked back, and shushed them. All was quiet until Tai stepped on Vixenamon’s tail. Her indigo eyes grew very wide, her tail puffed up, and she slid behind Gabumon and Woulfosmon with a slight whimper. Then, like a cat, she furiously began to wash the offended area.

Suddenly, Gabumon sopped short, not letting anyone pass him. Not even Matt. Vixenamon twined around him so she could see what was going on. When she saw, she gasped and hid her face in Gabumon’s fur. Gabumon looked slightly surprised, but Woulfosmon jumped over the two, saw what was there and began to growl. Then he yelled out his attack.

“Aerial Wind!” gusts of power whirled about, but the one he was attacking laughed hollowly.

“Fool! I know your powers! I OWNED your Masters once! Stay back! I have death pointed straight at her heart!” Salsmindermon, whom the digidestined only knew from Jademon’s description, was immense. He was coiled around Kyra, and she was ashen faced, struggling to breath. There was blood at the base of her neck; blood from a wound that Salsmindermon had given her. She glanced up from her weak struggles, and saw them. Her face turned paler, and she spoke one word that echoed in their heads.

“Help.”

Just that one word. It almost seemed that she wanted help, but she wanted them to leave. Didn’t want to see her like this. Then Matt understood. She was asking them to help the very creature that was killing her.

Then Kyra sat up, no longer gray. She looked up, still struggling in the snake’s grip.

Salsmindermon uncoiled, and was trembling at a pale rose light flooded the cave. The serpent flinched, and there was a woman, slightly familiar. It was the blind woman from the cave. She was small, fine boned. She had reddish hair with a garland of columbine about her head. Her pale green robes were made like a tailored kimono, and her face was sad.

“Little One, why do you turn Light against Dark? Hope against Love? Why do you try to kill all I have made? The Seeress must live. She, in a sense, gave birth to you. Why do you seek to destroy?” without waiting for an answer, she spoke again. “Ah, I see it now. The darkness was pored in to your soul at the beginning. You are no longer one of my children. Go. The sight of you sickens me.” With a negligent wave of her hand, Salsmindermon vanished back into the Shadow world. Matt, closely followed by all of the digimon, ran towards the projection, and Kyra. He caught her, just as she slipped, all of her strength used up. Her eyes fluttered slightly, and she focused on a point just past his shoulder. She saw something that the others could not.

“Senji!” she cried, heart rending tears in her throat. Then she shuddered, and sank wearily into Matt’s arms and, mercifully, oblivion.

The woman in the projection turned to him, looked him in the eyes. The blind face saw more then he liked.

“Take care of her.” She vanished.

Sora began to cry silent tears that the strange light in the cave showed for a moment before dissipating. Then, their whole world went dark for one moment, until Leopardmon and Rubymon burst into living flame.

* * *

A shadowed man sat in a darkened corner of his now-master’s study. He was short, but not terribly so, he wore wire-rimmed glasses, and his hair was red, or had been once. Years in the shadow realm had darkened it. After what seemed an eternity, a smaller shadow spoke to him.

“I told you not to cross the world rifts again, Senji. You are a shadow lord now. It’s time to put your past lives behind you.” Though the words were not soothing, the voice that spoke them was not unkind. It seemed regretful that it had to say such a thing to a fellow Shadow.

“I know, Now-master. But I cannot put a sister behind me, however hard I try. We were so closely linked. Now they do not even call her by her rightful name. And she is so weakened by the darker side of Shadows…”

His master gave him a sympathetic look, and floated over to him. She put one shadowed hand underneath his chin and he looked up into her soulless black eyes.

“Destiny has plans for her. And your other sister, the Serene one, has joined our realm. The poison of leeching strength weakened her. But do not sorrow Senji. There are other worlds, and soon, you will be made known to the one destiny has chosen to pair with your twin.” She let go of his face, and shrunk to her normal size, only slightly smaller then he now. “I once lived in a world of color too, Senji. But I had to leave it all behind. I was called by destiny to come and teach you. I chose to come willingly. I knew what would happen if I didn’t. You see, all females of the Shadow worlds have another sight that we receive from the Mother. She is of Uniformity, however, and we are of Inconsistency. So all we can do is see to some extent. Your sisters were very adept at this talent. In fact, here is your younger.” She drew a deep breath, and beckoned at the open door. A small woman entered, her pale face and dark hair accented by the flickering grays of this world. Senji saw her and stood.

“Hello, Lotus. How is life in the shadow realm?” he said calmly. Then he embraced her, and cried softly. His little sister comforted him a moment and then turned to Senji’s now-master.

“Are you the Shadow of Stars?” she asked politely. The other female nodded slightly. Lotus curtsied, an amazing feat for a girl who was insubstantial.

“I am as well as one can be in a Shadow world. Strong in body, sick at heart.” Senji’s now-master said tiredly. “When I fist came, things were different. But now I must speak with the mind that this Shadow had when he was last human.” She motioned to Senji, who paled (a hard thing to do for a shadow) and Lotus left them.

* * *

Yes, yes, I know. Star dragon, thanks for beta-ing, and tell me what makes Kyra so irritable (No, not the WRITER! The Character in my story!). I’m sorry to EVERYONE (Yes, Bob, even you. And Unknown, maybe my lame fics will inspire you to write something that’s not sex or drug related. And may pigs fly out of my brother’s butt. But still…) for focusing too much on Kyra. Her name will change shortly (SPOLIER!) and this thing will probably end up as a really lame romance fic between Matt and Kyra, maybe with Tai and Sora getting back together.
Don’t get mad at me for this. I really like to write, and this is what I write. Mostly, I dream my fics up (literally) and then I type like a maniac. Also sorry about the author’s note in pt7… I was a LITTLE stressed. If you (the readers, who I pray to GOD will review) want me to, I can put up one of my older brother’s sarcastic columns from his college newspaper. It’ll be under my name, but Ed is hilarious. Sarcastic, but funny.

What? You want me to write more on this silly fic? Okay. I’m always happy to oblige. Also, beware. I will be starting on a mass crossover soon; it will be in digimon. All authors who find themselves in the fic: Please don’t send me viruses. Hate mail, death threats, ECT are okay. I like getting mail. But no viruses. My dad will kill me if I do that… Anyway, back to the silly little fic. No offense to anyone (even the Unknown, who is a SICK FREAK) who I have offended here. Later. Here’s the rest of this never-ending piece of…never mind. I really shouldn’t insult my own stuff. Here we go again…

* * *

Piyomon shivered, and sat closer to the fire in the main cave. She was cold. Seeing what she had seen had taken a lot out of her, and she wasn’t as young as she used to be. The slight scar from Demidevimon’s Demi dart throbbed, but she bore the pain patiently. She was surprised when a scaly arm slid around her shoulders, warming her. She looked up. It was Agumon.

Agumon. That digimon could have thrown her into boiling oil and she would have complied if it made him happy. She was glad that he was here. (I know, I know. SAPPY! I LIKE the digimon. Besides, one can't have all of one's fics on the Digidestined alone. No story there. And to those of you with sick minds, I DON'T write lemon! So if you're disappointed, go somewhere else. I know they must write programs or something, but they have been with Humans so long, emotions and other things have rubbed off.)

Almost cautiously, she laid her head on his shoulder; she thought for a moment that she felt his hide ripple with some contained emotion, but decided it was just her imagination. Then he began to comb her feathers ever-so-gently with his heavy claws, careful not to scratch her delicate skin. As his gentle claws rubbed her throbbing scar, she relaxed against his warm body, and dozed on his shoulder.

Agumon was in utopia. He was holding Piyomon in his arms and, as an added plus, he was warm, comfortable, and didn't have to worry about an evil digimon interrupting them. He cleared his throat.

"Piyomon?"

She looked at him, her blue eyes warm. "Yes, Agumon?"

"Piyomon."

"Yes, Agumon?"

He looked at her, his green eyes shining. He pulled her closer, pressing her against his chest.

"I love you." Those three words were spoken with such truthfulness, such sincerity, that Piyomon knew he wasn't joking.

"Agumon -how-why- oh, I don't know how to say this…I-I love you too."

Agumon smiled with such tenderness, and leaned forward. Piyomon sat stock-still, and soon felt his lips (mouth? I dunno. Don't ask how they kiss. I have yet to think of a logical way for that… for the record, birds and lizards don't have lips.) against hers, and she was drowning in his arms, melting as he kissed her deeply. She closed her eyes, threaded her wings about his neck, and leaned in.

* * *

Matt held Kyra in his arms, carrying her to her rooms. Leopardmon led the way, fluttering her wings agitatedly as she watched Matt like a hawk -or, more accurately, like a cat. Katamon had merely contented herself by perching precariously on one of Matt's shoulders, poised to fly at the slightest misstep.

Kyra stirred as he lay her on the bed in the room devoid of anything home-like that had been her home for so long. As he pulled away from her and walked out of the door, he heard her laugh as Katamon and the other digimon (ALL of them) crowded about her, making sure she was all right. Matt smiled to himself, a rare expression on his solemn face, and walked down the hall to his own room. As he slowly moved, he heard a small voice speak.

"Thanks, Matt."

* * *

Sora gave an expression that passed as a smile as she passed Tai and Kari who were chatting easily in the lounge. She just couldn't smile, not now. Not ever. But especially not now. The encounter with that being in the light, Gennai's light, and the serpent, made her feel unclean. She wanted to go, and scrub away the feeling, scrub away the fear and hurt and hate that had embedded itself into her skin.

As she walked down a long corridor, Mimi ran up to her, her hair flying behind her.

"Sora! Sora! Guess what!"

Sora smiled. It was hard to stay gloomy around Mimi when she was like this.

"What, Mimi?"

"I found the Hot Springs! We can take a bath!" Mimi was almost crying, she was so happy about this.

"Great! I'll meet you there with my stuff, 'Kay?"

"Right on!"

* * *

Izzy buried his head in his hands, his red-rimmed eyes closing in frustration. Why couldn't he find it? He had searched for hours, but still no profile on Salsmindermon, a Dark Shadow lord. He knew it was here somewhere… he just didn't know how to find it.

He hit the desk hard, making the papers dance and the keys of his computer rattle. He still didn't understand why, and that made him edgy. Izzy knew that he couldn't hope to learn everything that there was in one lifetime, or even ten lifetimes. But his crest made him hunger, and he always drank in the new things with an eagerness to learn that made those who knew him smile.

Tentomon approached his partner cautiously, not knowing what Izzy could do when he was like this.

"Izzy…"

"What." Izzy's voice was hard and calculating as he turned towards his best friend. Tentomon was taken aback by how haggard and strained Izzy looked.

"Shouldn't you take a rest? Or relax? Mimi said she found the Hot Springs. I was thinking of going for a dip myself. There are two pools, one for the girls, one for the guys. C'mon, Izzy. Let's go take a bath."

"You're right. I DO need a rest. Let me get my towel."

Tentomon seemed relived by this, and he hovered anxiously as Izzy gathered his things.

* * *

Once she was sure that everyone -human and digimon alike- was asleep, Kyra rose from her bed and paced tirelessly about her small room, her bare feet hitting the stony floor with muted thuds. She thought about the true evil and hate she had seen in her old friend Salsmindermon's eyes. Soon, however, her mind invariably shifted to the shadow she had seen. It had to have been Senji; it HAD to have been! He was the only one she knew with a build like that -short, spare, and strong.

Finally, she gave up a losing battle against her curiosity, and headed towards the caves that led deep into the bowels of the digiworld.

Kyra hadn't been walking for long when she saw a tall, lean figure bent over a stone table, consulting a chart. He heard her approach, his keen ears picking up the slight pattering of her bare feet on the cave floor strewn with moss and debris, along with the slight whisper of her nemaki *. He turned, and faced her.

"Kira." His voice was soft, and as he rose from his position, a lock of blood-red hair fell into his emerald eyes.

Kyra looked at him, her amber hair streaming down her back, her eyes wide with recognition at the soft voice that had called her name with a familiar accent. She walked towards him, heedless of sharp stones and bits of bone that cut her feet as she neared him

"Hello, Dad." She placed one hand on his arm, and started to cry.

Koushiju Tsunami awkwardly patted his daughter's shoulder, trying to calm her. At last, he spoke again.

"Kira, chibi one, neko-chan, there is something you must know. " he lifted her tearstained face so she was looking into his eyes, so much like her own. "I am your father, but your name is not Akyriya Tsunami. You are Akira Yalnami, and I-" here he paused, gathering his courage, "I am Koushijumon. You are half-digital, little cat." He held up a hand, silencing her questions before she could give them voice. "But there is more. I am also called Synthlaya." He smiled sadly at the look of shock on her features. "You have heard the name before. I am here for a purpose, Neko-chan." He paused again. "I am here to kill the one called Yamato, who imprisoned me in human form, not much unlike my own digital form, but without my wings and heightened senses, and left me orphaned and broken in the real world, where I met your mother." Koushiju smiled suddenly, and Kyra got a strong mental image of her frail, almost golden, mother. "Then I did not want to leave. You had been born, and your brother and sister. They too have power, though you are the primary." He took another deep breath, and Kyra tensed herself. She knew this wasn't good news.

"I need your help, Kira," he said, "I need you to help me kill the digidestined."

* * *

A/N: Wow. I tell you what, wow. I think this is getting to be like a soap opera…e-mail me, please R&R, all that stuff. Ahh! Writer's block!
~ Kira Yalnami ^_^

*nightgown