Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Summery: AU, very AU and dark, with mentioning of torture, violence and blood drinking.

Revealing his identity to Gennai and Catherine at last, the master turned out to be Osamu Ichijoji, Older brother of Ken Ichijoji, the Digimon Emperor. And with only one temple remaining to be looted and its core captured, the forces of evil are close to winning. And what is the secret of Witchmon, and just how is she connected with Taichi

Special note: 'Thoughts'

Flying backwards, Paildramon gasped for breath as he shot upwards to escape the sudden sneak attack from below by Megadramon's tail, the larger fake digimon roaring out in anger as he once more failed to hit him. "Davis, this is, to much. I don't know how much longer we can on."

Even as he spoke, Jun smirk had faded as her eyes turned to stare at her digivice, the once glowing screen now cold and dark as it power transfer to her digimon was cut off. "Penmon, he must have failed to defeat them." Mumbling out the words, Jun turned her head back to face Davis and his friend. "Well, I'll just have to make sure that someone pays for it."

Snapping out a finger, she pointed straight at Paildramon as her dark sneer reformed. "Come on Davis, is that best your little fusion toy can dish out, Megadramon's barely winded."

Below her, Megadramon screamed out as his cannon arms snapped open, missiles flying out of them in a steady stream. "Face it brother, you can never beat me."

Clenching his mouth and right fist up, Davis stared harshly at Jun and then down at Paildramon as the dragon man like digimon shot up to avoid the attack. "We have to get in close to them again, otherwise we're finished, she's got the best long range attack, and."

Shooting forward, Paildramon interrupted Davis speech as his gauntlets sent out two glowing spikes. "I hear you Davis, but I really hope this works."  Ducking under a strike from Megadramon's metal cannon fist, Paildramon moved as much power into his spikes as he could, ripping them across Megadramon's chest. "Sting strike!!"

Letting lose a painful and sheer hateful scream as the sudden pain flared through him, Megadramon nearly sent Jun flying into the air as his whole body jerked back. "Dark Side attack!" Two extra powerful missiles getting fired off as he got far enough away from the smaller digimon to do so.

Having ducked back as well, Paildramon easily moved away from the attack, his grin fading behind his mask as the attack doubled back around towards him. "Damn, he can do that too?" Quickly firing off his desperado blaster attack, he gave a sigh of relief as the attack simply blew up without really hurting him. "Okay, so now what? We scratched him but it didn't seem to work so well."

Having watched the attack as well, Ken suddenly turned around to stare at Megadramon hovering there as he prepared to fire off another volley of missiles. "Wait Paildramon, I got an idea." Smiling evilly, Ken quickly whispered it out to Paildramon as he saw the next set of missiles get fired off. "Understand?"

Smirking as well, Paildramon didn't give off any answer other then suddenly flying rapidly towards Megadramon, his hip guns moving up into firing position. "Desperado Blaster!!" Firing of the bullets right at Megadramon, he didn't give off any curses as the dark digimon shot up into the air, his body only taking a few hits near the tail area. "Got you!"

Spinning around in the air as he passed under Megadramon, Paildramon grinned as he held up both his hands at Megadramon's tail, the spikes on the top of his gauntlets glowing brightly. "Cable Catcher!" The two spikes shooting out much like ropes or chains would, quickly catching a hold of the dark digimons tail.

On the dark digimons back, Jun stared downwards as she gave a loud laugh at their attempt at attack. "Please Davis, what do you think you are doing? This won't even slow us down, and all you've done is leave yourself wide open to Megadramon's missiles!"

Still smirking behind his mask, Paildramon kept moving even as he turned his head to face the approaching missiles, his cable attack suddenly growing tight as he pulled all he could on them. "Hey, come down here and try feeling your own attack for once Megadramon!"

Giving a roar of surprise as he was pulled down by Paildramon, Megadramon twisted his head up in time to see his shark like missiles smirking faces just before they rammed right into him, fire and heat washing over him as each one exploded.

On his back, Jun screamed loudly as her body was knocked off her digimon partner's back. Her eyes closing in fear as all she felt after that was a rough wind as she began to fall down to the ground. "Noooo!" Then a hard impact hit her as her body was roughly stopped in its fall. "What?"

Smirking at her, Davis grabbed her arms and held her down as he looked over at Paildramon's head. "I got her, now finish this battle!" His voice making the messy haired girl wince from both its loudness, and closeness to her ear.

Watching calmly as Megadramon shook off the effects of his own attack, Paildramon focused on the area of his chest where he had already hit him once before as his lifted up his hip guns. "Desperado Blaster!!"

Twisting her head as a loud pain filled roar reached her, Jun stared wide eyed as Megadramon's body flickered from a colored and scale covered body into a transparent one while his chest were riddled with bullet holes, then as the firing stopped, it turned completely transparent and exploded as its Imitamon make up shape finally deleted rather violently.

And with that, came the feeling of utter defeat. And knowing that there was no chance of her ever getting any of the rewards she had been promised so many years ago. The wealth, respect and power. Forever out of her grasp. Her mind nearly shut down as her shoulder slumped downwards and a few tears slid out of her eyes.

"So, do you give up?" Davis softly mumbled out as he felt Jun stop struggling to get free.

Looking up at him with hate filled eyes as the question burnt away any kind of sadness, Jun snorted before looking away from him. Mentally deciding that there was simply no way she was ever going to admit defeat to him, never.

Next to them, Ken pulled out his D-terminal and flicked it open. "Davis, I'll mail the others, and then see how far away we are from the original meeting place."

Giving a sharp nod in return, Davis looked up at the sky and allowed some of the tension to leave his body, he had gotten his sister back at last, and even if she hated him, it was still a plus. All that was needed now was to cure her like Tai and Mimi had been and it would all be complete.

Well, almost all of it Davis mused bitterly as he thought about, there was still that bastard Babel out there somewhere.

Smashing through yet another rock with a brutal head butt, leaving rock shards flying out all over the place as he whipped around with a fireball already ready to be launched in his mouth. "Nova Fire!!" Greymon cursed his opponent mentally as she just kept up annoying him by avoiding everything he threw at her.

Moving to the side with superior elegance and grace, Bastemon flicked her hand out and sent a blast of dark power ripping into the fireball as it passed her, snuffing out the attack and knocking Tai's hiding place down as well. "So, that's where you are." Smiling smugly, Bastemon did a quick jump as Greymon passed underneath her. "Now, just stay right there Yagami, and I'll deal with you after finishing my dance with this mockery of a digimon."

Lashing out with both hands, purple light swarmed in around them as her eyes glowed as well. "Helter Skelter!!" The purple light breaking away as a bolt of darkness shot out to hit Greymon in the back. The attack sending the large orange digimons tumbling forward as arcs of darkness raced over him. "Aw, not done yet, well don't worry, I got more where that came from loser!"

Moving quickly, Greymon rushed forward as several blast of darkness raced past him, rocks and dirt flying wherever they impacted. "I don't care if you are an ultimate or a mega, I won't let you hurt Tai, I won't!!" Changing direction, Greymon charged right at Bastemon, fire shooting out of his mouth rapidly.

Dancing past the attacks with ease, Bastemon grumbled a bit as one fireball did manage to singe a few hairs on her left arm, the minor discomfort enough to make her send out a wave of darkness to batter away the fire once and for all.

Left standing unhurt, for the most part, her eyes still glowed as she focused on him, her arms lifting up in front of her as she pulled on the most powerful thing she had in her possession, her beauty. "Hey dino boy, watch this." Moving around in a very seductive dance, Bastemon grinned as Greymon had stopped his mad charge and where staring at her in a confused manner as she gave a very pronounce sway with her hips.

Still moving in a dance, she suddenly whipped around, startling both Tai and Greymon as one of her arms lashed out at the large orange digimon, her fist covered in a red mist that shot out towards Greymon's chest area. "Vampire Dance!" Hitting him just as Bastemon called out the name of the attack, her smile never faltered as her target roared out in intense pain and suffering while stumbling backwards.

Sinking down to his knees, Greymon gave a last weak moan as light covered him, shrinking along with him, as he kept de-digivolving all the way down to his in-training level.

Shooting back form the In-training digimon, the red mist flowed back into Bastemon who glowed brightly and gave a low moan of pleasure, one hand lifting up to draw the red mist closer in. "Thank you Greymon, you energy was a very delicious snack to taste, a true feast for a hungry girl like me to enjoy after a good fight."

Turning her attention away from the growling in-training digimon, she smile das she spotted Tai trying to move over to where his partner digimon had fallen without her spotting him. "And now for the main course for today, I do wonder how your human energy will taste."

Moving forward, she laughed as the red mist shot out again, racing in closer to the messy haired boy as he stumbled backwards and tripped over that stupid cape he was wearing. "Vampire Dance!" Yelling out the attack, she gave a quick laugh as it flowed over the boy, a scream coming from it as leeched off his energy. "That's right boy, scream, show me how much it really hurts!"

Still laughing, she stopped as another scream filled the air, her mind losing the sense of joy she had been feeling just a second ago. Instead, she was left feeling hollow and empty, like she had done something very wrong.

Looking back down at Tai, she waved her right hand and dispelled the red mist, her mouth opening lightly at the sight of the boy twisting up into a ball, his eyes portraying the pain he had been feeling in the last few seconds, and behind that there was something else, something that shouldn't be there. "You, you."

Feeling another emotion well up, Bastemon's mouth twisted into a dark sneer, her hands lashing out as her feet carried her forward, catching him around the neck roughly. "How dare you look at me like that, I don't want your pity, nor do I give it away to anyone, you hear me."

Shaking him, she stopped, as all she could see in his eyes was pity now, and sadness growing fourth. "You." Pulling back one hand, her nails glinted in the light as she prepared to rip those eyes, to remove that annoying pity once and for all when her eyes were drawn down to something else. "Oh no you don't, that won't work with me!"

Lashing out at something else, she hit the orange colored D3 that Tai had been lifting up, the light glowing faintly on its screen exploding outward as Bastemon hit the side of it, it's force great enough to stop her movement short, before it consumed both her and Tai completely.

"What is this!?" Her voice full of terror, she had to force herself just to spit out the question as her mind went black for a second, then refilled with new memories, memories she hadn't expected to have.
 
Memories of a different time and a different life.

Memories of Tai, and a small black colored Gatomon like digimon.

And then she knew it, that it was memories of her and Tai.

Of her, the traitor digimon who gave up everything to protect the one who hadn't treated her like a walking punching bag.

Dropping Tai, Bastemon stumbled backwards and fell over, landing on the ground with a soft impact, eyes half closed as she gazed up at the sky above her. "What, what do I do now?" The question coming from her as she could feel her anger fading away, along with that, all of her desires and needs to kill the traitor Yagami. "What do I do?"

"Static Force!!"

"Deep Sorrow!"

Ripping into each other, the two attacks struggled for supremacy over the other, the static energy finally ripping through the dark attack and traveled towards the digimon behind it.

Moving backwards as fast as he could, Neodevimon did let out a scream as the attack scored a hit on his left leg, power crackling through his whole body while the area hit went numb from the pain alone.

Finally shaking off the attack, Neodevimon breathed out heavily as his eyes focused on Silphymon moving up towards him rapidly, the bird like digimon glowing with power as he got closer and closer. "Stun Claw!" Slashing wildly with both hands, he smirked as four blades of poisoned darkness shot out from each one in succession.

Spinning to one side as the attacks game closer, Silphymon stared down after the poison attack, his attention on both defeating this digimon, and protecting his partners from any harm at the same time.

Turning back around, the eyes behind his visor narrowed as Neodevimon had used the time of his distraction to move out his position. "Where did he go!?" Looking around, Silphymon felt a chill go up his back as something felt like it was coming from below him and passing by right behind him.

"Guilty Claw!"

As soon as the words had been spoken out, Silphymon let out a blood chilling scream as his whole back felt like it was fire, five long glowing gashes ripping across it and sending massive amount of pain through his body.

On the ground, both Kari and Yolei gasped as what they had thought to be a weak dark digimon, suddenly seemed to be domination the battle so easily when their fused ultimate level digimon should have been walking all over him. "He's going to lose isn't he?"

Shaking her head negatively, Kari clenched up one hand and stared at Silphymon with determination in her eyes. "No, both something really is wrong, it's like he's drawing on the darkness in this area." Casting a quick look around to see the night covered forest, Kari bit her lip a bit "We need to get him out into a place where he can't drawn on any kind of darkness."

Agreeing with what the younger girl was saying, Yolei had turned to regard the area as well, her eyes narrowing when she spotted the place she had been looking for. "Silphymon, get him over to exit to the forest, we'll lure him out into the day light! "

Up in the air, the bird man like digimon pushed the pain to the back of his head as he focused on the approaching dark digimon, both hands flexing open as he shot off as well, rapidly avoiding the attack that would have hit him if he hadn't moved.

Turning as soon as he had passed, Silphymon reacted with lighting speed as he Grabbed one of the dark digimon arms, pulling back on it as hard as he could before going into a spin, Neodevimon screaming out in anger over getting spun around with him as well. "Here goes!"

Letting go of Neodevimon and sending him flying towards the exit, Silphymon quickly took off flying as well, pink light flowing down over him, the buckle on his belt beginning to spin around rapidly as an attack was powered up for use. "Astral Laser!!"

Finally stopping his flight, Neodevimon let out a yell of rage as he turned to face the one who had tossed him, getting a face and body full of astral light and power right at him, the attack making his skin crawl and burn as it pushed him even further backwards.

Shattering the attack as soon as the pain died down, Neodevimon growled as he focused on the area in front of him, failing to see Silphymon before he had heard him, the flying digimon hovering right behind him with Kari and Yolei held in his arms.

Lashing out and sending a wave of darkness flying, Neodevimon smirked as it succeed in making Silphymon fly upwards with his cargo, the two humans mocking him the whole time as they began to fly away from him.

Flexing his hand s as he began to follow, Neodevimon chuckled as his brain figure out that it could only mean one thing for them to be running away. They were retreating, and on the verge of losing, nothing more then easy pray for him to finish off when he finally caught up with them.

So intent on following them, Neodevimon didn't even noticed that Silphymon was flying towards one of the few places where daylight could be seen lancing though the dark sky above them.

Lowering his gauntlet-covered arms, Blackwargreymon towered up over the two younger boys with an impatient look in his eyes as the seconds went by without an answer to his question. "Well, do you wish to challenge me?" Taking a step forward, he grunted as the two digimons stumbled back in fear. "Humph, weaklings."

Swiftly turning around, one arm slashed out and ripped through the trunk of a tree with little effort, the large thing giving a loud cracking sound before crashing into the ground loudly. "Is there no one worthy of fighting with me in this world?!"

"Is that all you can think off? Fighting?"

Snapping back around, Blackwargreymon stared down at the human boy who had dared to speak that way to him, golden eyes narrowing as they took in the weak and completely laughable body before him. "And who are you to ask me that question? Or are you saying that there is something else beside fighting?"

Shaking with fear, Cody shot a quick look up at TK, seeing a lightly understanding look in the blond haired boy's eyes as he slowly moved towards his digivice. Then the youngest boy turned back to face the digimon before him. "Of course there is, take us, we fight yes, but we also try and help others, work towards rebuilding this world so its back to the way it was before it was attacked by the Digimon Emperor. And if you have a heart like me and Armadillomon, you too know that it can't only be telling you destroy things."

Not impressed by one thing Cody had said so far, Blackwargreymon began to turn away as the boy's ramblings began to give him a light headache, still, as one hand began moving up to gather in the destructive red energy at his command, the thought of a heart went through him mind, even as he knew it couldn't apply to him. "Rebuilding and helping, it doesn't concern me." Forming a sphere of raw power between his hands, he smirked as he saw the four before him stumbled back in shock. "Terra Destroyer!!"

Screaming as they threw themselves down, TK and Cody watched as part of the forest went up in smoke and fire, a shockwave hitting them harshly as trees collapsed and dirt rained back down from the sky. "I fight because I was created to do so. I have no heart or care for anyone else. I may be able to think and refuse to obey Arukenimon's orders, but that is more likely a fault in the control towers that was used in my creation then a heart."

Pushing himself up, TK glared at the digimon as he began to leave again. "You're wrong, you do have a heart. You're just ignoring it because you don't want to give up on destroying and fighting everyone you meet!" Clenching up one hand, TK's eyes almost blazed with the anger running through him. "You are no better then they were, or him. All of you are the same, living only to hurt others."

Behind TK, Patamon gave a small whimper as he felt the angry power from TK, knowing already what it could do if it was allowed to overtake him. "TK, calm down, please, calm down." Flying up to pull on TK's shoulder, he gave a small squeak as he was pushed away. "TK, no!"

Just watching the boy with the blonde hair, Blackwargreymon felt aw anger flood him as well. He didn't know who these others were, but to think that he was telling him all he cared about was hurting others made him sick. He cared about the battle, to fight worthy foes. Not just trample down everyone in his path. "You boy, you want to fight me?"

Holding out his digivice, TK glared darkly up at Blackwargreymon as power flowed from him and into the digivice. "Patamon, digivolve!"

Whimpering louder as power filled him, Patamon hoped with all of his heart that TK could control his anger, and not do anything rash again. Not like his brother had done all those years ago. "Patamon digivolve too, Angemon!" Twirling his staff around in the air as soon as he finished digivolving, Angemon quickly moved into an attack position in front of TK, Cody and Armadillomon. "TK, Cody, get out of here, I'll have to use my full power for this, and I don't want to put you two at a risk. Armadillomon, protect them for me."

Not waiting for an answer, Angemon rushed forward to engaged him head on, his staff flying sideways through the air at an unguarded Blackwargreymon that was just staring at him with an uncaring look on his face. Then his attack was blocked in a swift moved as Blackwargreymon moved forward as well, his rage replaced by a judging expression as he continued to block the staff.

Ripping through the ground, Silphymon blinked his eyes rapidly as sunlight greeted him at last; the fresh warm rays making him feel stronger then before as he turned to view his opponent burst out of the ground behind him. An angry growl turning a shriek of surprise as the light began sapping away his power.

Shooting down through the air, the birdman like digimon planted one heavy kick right on Neodevimon's chest while he was trying to block his eyes from the sunlight. "Kari, Yolei, move!" Yelling out the command, Silphymon released the two girls and shot up into the air again. "Okay Neodevimon, it ends now!"

Glaring up at Silphymon through the sunlight, a very cold and hard glare moved over Neodevimon's face as he clenched up both hands tightly. "Indeed it does, your death comes now, as he has ordered!" Rushing forward, his hands dimmed out as large amounts of darkness pulled in around them. "Die!!"

Shooting back down through the air, Silphymon ignored the last word from Neodevimon as his whole body was covered in pink light, his belt buckle one more spinning around to create more power for his attack. "Astral Laser!" Sending out the attack as he stopped flying downwards, the birdman like digimon watched as it honed in on Neodevimon.

Having been ready to fire off his own attack, Neodevimon stared up as the astral laser scored a direct hit right into his chest, pink light and energy ripping through it and sending several high amounts of pain through him. "Damn you!" Screaming out the words, Neodevimon fell down from the sky, his body hammering into the ground with a loud thud as the darkness he had pulled in faded away. "I'm sorry, I have failed you master Babel."

Closing his eyes with that last comment, the synthetic dark digimon broke apart, his digital data blowing away and fading in a matter of seconds.

Just staring down at him as he utter out the last words, Silphymon slowly drifted down to stand before the place where Neodevimon had been just a second before. "He fought well, for a synthetic digimon. But what worries me is that Babel can create digimons of that power level now."

Behind him, Yolei and Kari had come up to look as well, the younger, brown haired girl biting her lip a bit as she looked down at the ground. "I should be glad we won, but it still feels to me like we just deleted a real digimon."

"It's all that Babel guy's fault, he sent him after us." Spitting out the words, Yolei clenched up her fist and turned her head away sharply. "He's as bad as the Digimon Emperor was, forcing digimons to fight and destroy for him."

Nodding in reply, Kari turned her head to the side and gave a small smile as she picked up a familiar shape moving towards them. "It's Davis and Ken." Waving a hand as a greeting while she ran forward, she stopped as a third person could be seen on Paildramon's back. "Is that Jun?"

Landing right before them, Paildramon dropped off his cargo and stared at the birdman like digimon before him with a puzzled expression. "Gatomon, Hawkmon. You two DNA digivolved?"

Smirking lightly despite being the smaller of the two, Silphymon hovered off the ground to float right in front of Paildramon, arms crossed lightly. "Got that right Paildramon, so now you're not the only fused digimon on the team anymore."

On the ground, Davis shook his head as he cast a quick look around the place; eyes narrowed as he quickly noticed who was missing and who wasn't. "Okay, Kari, you have any idea where the others are, none of then has answered our mail yet."

Shaking her head negatively, Kari turned lightly around to face the direction she and Yolei had come from. "Sorry Davis, we haven't seen anyone yet, not even here." Frowning as she spoke out the words, Kari felt a chill run down her back as it became clear to her that something was really wrong. "They should be here, at least Mimi should, and Matt and Sora as well. They weren't dragged off in a different direction inside the gate."

Tensing up at the words, Davis and Ken moved a bit closer together as they scanned the area for anything. "Think its Arukenimon again? She could have made all of this as trap." Ken muttered out as his gaze landed on Jun who still hadn't said a single word since they had captured her. "Hey, do you know anything about this?"  

Simply giving back a smirk as response, Jun returned her gaze to the ground and continued to curse her little brother, his friends and everyone else she could think at the moment. All of them had to pay for this somehow, all of them had to.

Shooting Jun a distrusting look, one that quickly faded and was replaced with one of sadness, Davis shook his head and turned to face Paildramon and Silphymon above them. "Hey, check out the area will you, see if you can find any of the others around here okay?"

Moving upwards at the request from Davis, both Paildramon and Silphymon scanned the area from a much higher up in the air position, both of them stopping as something caught their eyes. "Hey, what is that down there?" Pointing one hand downwards at a long red and black shape, Paildramon cursed as whatever it was suddenly began moving away rapidly from them. "It's running away!"

Tracing a set path in the air before him, Silphymon gathered up static energy as he began to move forward as well, taking great care to keep in firing distance of whatever it was. "Static Force!" Launching the attack when he felt he was close enough to do so, the birdman like digimon continued to watched as his attack streaked through the air.

Fling down through the air, the blot of electric energy hammered into the back end of the red and black shape, a loud screeching wail filling the air as whatever it was turned around and glare up at them for a second or two, then it continued to move away, this time moving in a more twisted pattern to avoid getting hit again.

Right behind Silphymon, Paildramon tense up as he finally recognized the shape, but still felt something was off about it, like the size and color. But there was no mistake about it. That was Seadramon, no mistake about it. "But why, and what happened to make him look like that."

And as the Seadramon look back a little, before resuming his gliding towards the horizon, Paildramon pushed the thoughts away as a more pressing one emerged. Just why was he getting the feeling that Seadramon had something to do with the others disappearance.

Pushing himself up, Tai grunted as he cast a quick look around the area, one hand grasping his digivice carefully with one hand, the other reaching his tag and making sure it was there. Then he focused on a small pink digimon jumping towards him rather rapidly. "Agumon, that you?"

Stopping right before him, the pink digimon stare dup at Tai for a second before smiling and jumping around him. "I'm a Koromon now Tai, and its nice to see you're awake, I thought that Bastemon had really hurt you that time." Setting down next to him, Koromon grunted a bit as he noticed a fairly humanoid digimon sitting a bit away from them. "Hey, it's her, but why isn't she attacking us?"

Eyeing Koromon as he finished his question, Tai shook his head a bit. "So, you want her attack us?"

Bouncing up to sit on Tai's head, Koromon gave a nervous chuckle as he looked over at her. "Of course not. In this state I wouldn't even last a minute. I think." Giving a loud yelp and wrapping his ears around Tai's head to stabilize him, Koromon chuckled out a bit nervously as he watched his human partner start walking over towards Bastemon. "Um Tai, do you think this is wise, who's to say she won't attack us again."

Smiling a bit at Koromon's question, Tai rubbed one finger under his nose as he Koromon removed his ears from him. "Just call it a hunch, besides, if she wanted us dead, she had killed us by now." Grinning lightly at his joke, Tai felt Koromon smack his head lightly with one of his ears in irritation over it. "Hey, it was a joke, a joke."

Stopping right before Bastemon, Tai stared as the digimon looked up at him with a confused stare, one of her hands wrapped up in her tails as they twitched nervously. "So, you okay?" Holding out a hand to help her up form the ground, Tai gave her his best friendly smile. "Sorry about the digivice, I didn't think it would react like that"

Eyeing the hand offered to her, Bastemon lifted up her eyes to watch Tai closely, her heart nearly breaking as she recognized the smile from one of her newly regained memories. "You, you're not scared of me? But I was attacking you, trying to kill you!"

Still smiling, Tai held out his hand once more, watching her as she watched him. "I know, but somehow I feel that you won't do it again." Still holding out his hand, his smile faltered a bit as he felt those eyes once more tries to look through him and into his heart. "Do you?"

Turning her head away, Bastemon ignored the offered hand and faced the horizon. "No, I don't want to hurt you, but, I have too, I'm not." Closing her mouth she didn't dare turn face him in case he had figured it out, it wouldn't do if he could still remember the little black colored Gatomon who had been his most trusted partner.

He would hate her for it, she was sure of it. He had been her best friend, the one who had shown her that there was more to life then getting treated as a slave and beaten when she failed an assignment or were to slow to carry out an order. "Look, just get out of here and forget me, I'm not going to do anything to you or your friends again."

And that was true, she would stay here until the power in that small sphere ran out and she became Witchmon again, then she'd leave this part of the digital world, find a place far away from both him and Babel. She didn't deserve Taichi's kindness anymore, and she wouldn't help Babel no matter what, not after what she had learned about her past.

Still look down at her, Tai sighed a bit and settled down next to her, keeping an eye on her along with Koromon who stared her fully expecting her to try anything. "What's wrong?"

Getting a startled expression on her face, Bastemon snapped her head around to stare at him, not having expected him to ask that, or even talk to her after her blunt dismissal of him. "What, why do ask you me that? I'm your enemy!"

"Are you?" Tai responded as he looked at her as well. "Or are you just confused right now?" Not waiting for to answer, Tai looked away from her, a sad smile on his face. "You know, this reminds me of the time I worked for Babel, and when I had a different partner, Blackgatomon."

Watching her face turn to one of utter confusion, Tai could also feel Koromon's as the much smaller digimon seemed to sit completely still on top of his head. "I take you too woke up and found yourself trusting him in everything, and that you had to obey no matter what, simply because he was your master?"

Not getting an answer besides a sharp turn of her head, Tai grinned a bit and stood up, one hand reaching out to help her stand up. "I know how you feel, whatever happened to you, remove whatever control he had, and even if you were my enemy, I won't leave you to deal with it alone, the ones I fight against didn't just leave me when I was freed from his control."

Feeling her hand grab his in a hesitant way, Tai smiled and pulled her up to her full height. "And I won't do it to you either, Blackgatomon." Seeing her last bit of hope of him not knowing shattering, he smiled at her. "I heard you before I blacked out, and remembered where I had heard your voice before; and trust me, it is still the same kind and sweet one you had back then."

Trying to pull her hand free, Bastemon felt that she couldn't, even if she had tried as hard as she could it wouldn't have worked. She wanted to be here, being held by him no matter what, as her old self, not this mockery of a body Babel had made for her again. "Taichi."

Wrapping her arms around him, she gasped as a bright golden light filled the air, her body shaking as it went through the de-digivolving process. "Tai." But instead of her Witchmon form, she felt her body grow even smaller, small enough to fit in nicely between his arms, with well know gloves over her front paws, and a ring around her tail again. "I missed you so much."

Hugging her close, Tai smiled as he felt Blackgatomon's happiness so clearly, knowing how well it matched his won. "The same here Blackgatomon, the same here."

Flying back a bit to gain some room to move in, Blackwargreymon already had the process of forming a long range attack half done. "Terror Destroyer!!" The red glowing sphere of raw destructive energy ripping through the dark forest rapidly, trees getting blow apart as it impacted them. "Give up this fight fool, you are not a worthy opponent."

Struggling up from where he had landed doing his attempt to avoid getting hit, Angemon cast a quick look over to see if Armadillomon had managed to protect TK and Cody from that attack. Sadly, this attempt cost him dearly as a heavy shape slammed into him, followed by a dark colored leg ramming right into his lower stomach area with enough force to lift him clear off the ground.

Not wasting as much as a second, Blackwargreymon stuck out at once, his gauntlet covered fist with deadly claws on it planting itself right in Angemon's face, the blow actually cracking his helmet a bit. "Humph, do you give up now, or do you want me to end this fight with a, permanent finish?"

Pushing himself up from the ground, Angemon suddenly swept out with his staff, the attack ending as Blackwargreymon grabbed it before it could hit, the golden colored thing giving a low crack as it was pushed back again. "No, I won't give up against you, TK wants me to fight you, then I'll fight you to one of us is deleted if I must, Hand of Fate!"

Stumbling back more of surprise then out of pain or damage. Blackwargreymon shook his head a bit as the attack wore off, his eyes scanned the ground to see if Angemon was still there. "Impressive." Muttering out the words, he turned to see Angemon hovering behind him, staff out in a fighting position. "You are truly a stubborn fighter, but still not worthy of dealing with me."

Winching from his place, Cody turned his head as Blackwargreymon moved in and smashed Angemon into a tree truck, the sudden move followed by the dark dinosaur like man using the humanoid digimon as a punching bag. "TK, call him off or Blackwargreymon's going to delete him."

Next to him, TK didn't answer as his eyes were smoldering with anger, the dark digimon's brutal beating of his partner making the blond haired boy grit his teeth as the scene sent far to many memories of digimons getting hurt by Devimon, Etemon and all the other evil digimons he had faced in the past back to life. "No, Angemon can do this, he can defeat Blackwargreymon if he just digivolves once more."

"Digivolves again? But TK, I thought you and the others had given up on that power?" Cody added as he pulled on TK's arm, the feeling of dread once more growing inside of him. "Wait, maybe, Armadillomon?" Turning to see his partner staring back at him, Cody held up his digivice. "Go help Angemon, but try not to get Blackwargreymon more angry then he already is, we're too outnumbered for a longer fight with him."

Nodding once, Armadillomon rushed forward, light already spreading out over his body as he triggered the digivolution to his champion level. "Armadillomon digivolves too, Ankylomon!" Rushing forward and causing a small earthquake in the process, the large digimon didn't even slow down as Blackwargreymon turned away from beating up Angemon. "Tail Hammer!!"

Grunting negatively as the large well armored tail hammer came rushing at him, Blackwargreymon shot up into the air, leaving Angemon half dazed on the ground, and a tree to be smashed by Ankylomon behind him. "Another one, and just as worthless as the Angemon if I remember it correctly."

Staring down at both digimon below, Blackwargreymon didn't feel anything as his formed another attack, aiming right at the two digimons, aiming to end the fight before it got to boring. "Terror Destroyer!" The red sphere of energy ripping into the ground as both Ankylomon and Angemon dived out of the way, tree chips and dirt flying everywhere along with red arcs of energy. "Enough, this fight is over, Terror Destroyer!!!"

Gasping loudly at the words, Cody grabbed onto TK and pulled him down, the boy letting out a surprised yell as he met a cold ground roughly. Then a shockwave of hot air rushed over him, along with a red light that made the hairs on his arms stand up. "What, what happened?"

Next to him, TK opened his eyes and sat up, one hand feeling like it could need some medical attention after he had landed on it. "We lost, that's what happened." Standing up and holding his hurt hand, TK watched the place where Blackwargreymon had been just a second, now nothing more then a burnt forest clearing. "Angemon!"

Groaning in response to the call, a small pink digimon wobbled up along the ground, his body looking like it had been run over a few times. "I'm okay TK, but he knocked me back into Togemon."

"Upamon!" Cradling the small digimon in his arms, Cody noted that TK were staring at him. "Are you happy, if you hadn't provoked him into fighting this wouldn't have happened."

Stumbling back at the accusation, TK bit his lip as he couldn't help but agree with it, Blackwargreymon hadn't wanted to fight them, but because of his stubbornness he had forced them to fight. "I'm, I'm sorry. I just."

Losing the angry glare, Cody shook his head to silence TK. "No, I should be the one to say I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you." Looking around the destroyed forest, Cody sighed as he shook his head once more. "Come on, we should try and get out of here, the others must have been lured into a fight as well."

Watching the younger boy walk away, TK still felt bad. No matter how friendly Cody put it, it didn't excuse the fact that he had messed up beyond anything else. "I'm sorry, I just didn't want another dark digimon to destroy everything."

In his arms, Togemon stared at his partner and offered up a small assuring smile. "I know you meant well TK, but you do have a anger problem." Feeling TK staring down at him with a more hurt expression, Togemon felt like slapping himself. "TK, I didn't mean it like that, look, next time, try not to let your emotions get the better of you okay."

Not answering at first, TK finally nodded just once and began to follow after Cody, but still feeling that he had messed up more then ever before in his life.

Not a single gust of wind had moved inside the chamber for a very long time, not since the door into the place had last been opened. But on this day, the door into the room did open as two humans and a plant type digimon walked in.

As they reached the foot of a massive dais, both of them stopped walking and instead began staring up at the dragon statue before them. It's stone body giving off a sense of the sheer power that had to belong to this digimon, even if no proof existed beyond a small glowing sphere stuck in one clawed up hand.

Pulling back his hood, Gennai, last of the guardians stared up at the face of the stone statue and gave off a rare smile at it as he took one step up onto the dais. "I apologize for my intrusion into your current sanctuary, but I've come in search of your guidance, Azulongmon."

As it a spell of life had been cast on it, the four eyes of the dragon statue began to glow with a faint white and blue light, its glow illumination the room far better then the light coming from the door. "You seek my knowledge, Gennai of the guardians."

Behind them, Catherine and Floramon kept their emotions under control even as they met the only one of the soverns that Gennai had ever personally met himself, the sovern digimon of the eastern part of the digital world, Azulongmon.

Next to her, Floramon's mind was running in circles as she wondered if falling to her knees before one of the four legendary digimons was required of her. Of if it would insult him to have as lowly a digimon as her bowing in this dingy chamber instead of inside the temple built to him.

"I understand Gennai, events are growing out of control again." Speaking more urgently, Azulongmon's statue came a slight cracking sound as its clawed up hand moved slowly and released the sphere held there. "The barrier around the virus is weakening, as it the one keeping out its avatar."

Nodding in agreement, Gennai sighed as he felt the sphere land safely within his hand, the power inside of it clearly felt by him. "If I do with this as you wish, won't the barrier fall anyway?"

Slowly losing their glow, the statues eyes dimmed as Azulongmon's voice faded as well. "The barrier is already too weak, a new one will have to be made, but before that, the old one must fall. Tell the digi destined to seek out my temple, and I shall explain it all to them there."

Behind them, Catherine slowly turned her head as a faint sound of footsteps reached her and her partner's ears. "Gennai, we're getting visitors." Pulling out her crest and digivice, she stared harshly into the darkness, as two figures slowly became clearer and clearer. "It's them, Babel's elite corps."

"Did you hear that, she knows us." Speaking in a heavily sarcastic voice, a female figure stopped right outside of the room exit, one hand reaching up to point right at them. "And so you also know that it is hopeless to defy us and our master."

Moving up to stand besides her, the second one laughed darkly as he moved a jagged staff into an attack position, his body looking more evil then the female digimon, even with the darkness covering it somewhat. "Hand over the sphere Gennai, and we will let the girl and her Floramon go free, if not, they will be deleted and you dragged off to Master Babel's base anyway."

Lifting up her second arm, the female digimon's eyes flashed bright red as she cast a deep and dark look over the figures before her. "Well Gennai, do you surrender, or shall we end this stand off with a messy death."

Gritting his teeth at the command, Gennai stared over at the two digimons before him, then over at Catherine as he gave a small nod in agreement. "I don't have much of a choice do I, but there is one thing I must do first." Seeing the two digimons turned their attention over onto him, Gennai grinned as he suddenly ripped out a small round object from his robe and tossed it at the doorway, the device breaking in half as it landed, allowing a thick smoke screen to form. "Catherine now!"

Reacting as fast as she could when Gennai gave his order, the French girl pulled out her digivice and crest, both of them glowing brightly in the dark room as Floramon gave a loud giggling sound as power rushed through her. "Floramon digivolve too, Kivimon, Kivimon digivolve too Blossomon!"

Pushing through the smoke screen, the female digimon had almost reached the other side when two of Blossomon's vines shut out and grabbed her, a quick toss sending her flying into the other digimon hard, knocking both of them over. "Spiral Flower!"

Splitting apart, the two digimons snarled as the area they had been in just a split second before were hit hard by Blossomon's attack, the ground getting cut up a bit. "Fool, you had your chance, now die!" Moving to rush forward, the female digimon screamed out in surprise as part of the doorway fell down, followed by another part and another one. "She broke the support for the roof, retreat!!"

Glaring at them as the doorway collapsed completely, the second digimons let out a dark hiss as he moved his staff up into an attack stance. "We shall meet again, flower brat." Then he turned and left as well, but in a less rapid pace then his female partner.

Inside the room, Gennai sighed as he watched the only way out, now covered in a mountain of rubble. "Catherine, you did well, but now, it is time for the second part." Holding up the sphere for her to see, he slowly moved it down to another device pulled out form his robe. "I entrust this to you, get it the Digi Destined, and tell them to meet me on the locations described in the files I attached to this data unit."

Watching as the sphere was sucked into the device, the blond haired girl nodded as she was handed over the device. "And what shall I have done that, return to the house?" Her voice a bit strained as she watched Gennai stand up in his full height. "Gennai, you're not thinking off going to meet Babel are you?"

Shaking his head, Gennai smiled over at her for a few seconds, then he turned around. "I won't be doing that, no, I will doing something much worse." Walking over to a nearby wall, he stared at it for a minute. "Those new helpers of his, they were real digimons, but I can still sense that something is off about them, like they don't really belong in the digital world, and I must find out why that is."

Holding out a hand to stop her from asking any more questions, Gennai looked over at her with a grim expression. "You are progressing nicely in your training, but there are things you are not yet meant to know off, now go, I will use the gate after you have left to reach my own destination."

Nodding, Catherine kneeled down to pick up her other item, a small laptop used only as a gate device. "Till we meet again Gennai, good luck." Holding up her device, she gave off a real smile as she vanished into the gate, the laptop buzzing a bit before landing on the ground.

Walking over to the laptop, Gennai's smile vanished as he looked down at it. "Thank Catherine, I will need it." Pushing a few buttons, Gennai watched as the gat code opened up, his quick fingers adding in the changes to the gate he needed to enter another part of the digital world. "I just hope that he is in a good mood, otherwise things will really be looking down for me."

Flying low, but still rapidly across the digital plains, Paildramon and Silphymon kept a firm hold on their partners as they followed the traces left behind by Seadramon. "He went that way!"

Staring in the direction that Yolei had pointed out, Kari and Davis nodded and urged their partner digimons to head on a bit more.

"Davis, we should be more careful, something about this doesn't feel right." Muttering out the warning as he kept staring at the far to obvious signs left behind by the other digimon, the dark purple haired boy kept a firm grip on Paildramon's arm as they continue onward. "I think it's a trap."

Glancing over at Ken, Davis nodded in agreement as he too had been thinking the same thing, but still knowing that. "We have no choice, Seadramon might know something, and to find out we have to follow him even if its." Sopping his talk, Davis stared right ahead as Seadramon came into view, or rather what looked like Seadramon circled up around a rock pillar.

For one thing, he was much larger, and with a bright red body with black strips on it, a dark gray metallic mask over his head, a large jagged sword like horn protruding from it, and to finish it off, dark orange mane of hair moving lightly in the air.

Held tightly by Silphymon, Kari took in a deep breath of air as she could feel the darkness coming from this dark version of the sea dragon like digimon. "Davis, Ken, keep your distance, he's not the Seadramon we know."

Even before she had stopped talking, a dark laughter had filled the area as a figure with a tattered cloak came into view on the very top of the stone pillar. "We meet again Davis, Kari, Yolei." Briefly glancing at Ken, the figure grinned a bit darker as he turned halfway around to stare at five tied up persons lying out cold on the hard ground. "I already dealt with the others, all I need to do now, if wait for your brother to show up Hikari!"

Taking in a deep breath as she finally recognized the person standing before her with a tattered cloak whipping madly in the wind around him, Kari closed her eyes as Yolei gave loud gasp next to her, then she reopened them and asked the one thing she could think of. "Why Michael!! Why are you doing this?!"

Smirking up at them, the blond haired boy spread out his arms and grinned even more darkly. "Come now, isn't it clear to you, I'm using you and the others to lure Yagami here." Lifting up a hand, he traced a finger down over his chin in a slow way as he let out a dark hiss. "You Hikari, and that traitor Mimi will serve to bring him out into the open, and the rest of you will pay for siding with him as well."

Clenching up his fist as he finished talking, he grinned even more as he turned to leave. "Now, I suggest you surrender peacefully, or my new friends will be forced to; hurt you." Almost whispering out the last part, he quickly turned it into laughter as several dark shapes moved up from behind the stone pillar.

Smirking as both Kari and Yolei let out a hiss of surprise, the blond haired boy lifted up his arm in a commanding way. "Neodevimons, on my command, attack them!"

Frowning deeply, Davis quickly looked around for a place that Paildramon could dump off him and the others, for even if they had been able to stay on his back doing the last fight, this one wouldn't be the same. Not to mention that the place was already occupied by Jun at the moment.

Staring over at his friend, Davis gave off a halfhearted attempt at a smile. "So, got any ideas, I could really use one right about now."

TBC:

AN: There; that should have dealt with most of the older villains, and made room for the last batch to show up in this story. An end is coming, but it's still a good deal away.