I don't own Digimon.

The Fall of Harmony

Chapter One: Visitors

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The large red bird watched in disgust. "Those insufferable insects," growled the bird through its beak. The small screen that glowed softly in front of the bird flickered as it jumped to the next electromagnetic frequency to watch the next broadcast. "Always fighting, always arguing, always thieving and conniving…" The bird's eyes glowed red. The air around him wavered with the intensity of the heat. "They are not worthy of my subjects…"

"Yet, Lord Azulongmon thinks they are," said a whispered voice. The bird's eyes flashed in surprise, he was sure that he was alone.

"Who dares to interrupt, the Master of the South, Zhuqiaomon?" roared the bird angrily. The bird lifted off the floor of the temple's throne room and looked around. The temple was dimly lit and many shadows filled in the periphery of the room. A pair of glowing sapphire eyes looked out from one of the shadows.

"Only a mere mortal," replied the voice. The figure stepped forward. It was dressed in a humble sackcloth robe and a hood hung on its head. The shadows of the hood barely hid most of its face, only the eyes that glowed a ghostly sapphire showed in the dim lighting. "I am a humble servant willing to bring greatness to Lord Zhuqiaomon, to teach humanity a lesson….and to make the Lord of the South the ruler of the Council of Harmony…"

Zhuqiaomon narrowed his eyes. "You speak vaguely, stranger, and you yet do not identify yourself!"

"My name is not important to a being as august as you, Lord Zhuqiaomon," replied the figure quietly. It kneeled down before the bird and bowed. "I will give words of precision if you wish them, but you will not like their sound upon your ear, my lord…"

"Stand and speak!" roared the bird angrily.

"The humans…" said the figure. It stood. It flicked the arm of his robes up. The screen shifted. It showed one of the meaningless little fights the humans were endeavoring in... "They are using digimon in their battles…soon they will bring their wars here to this world…" The screen showed an Airdramon gliding over the battle field snatching up refugees and the wounded. The human's metallic flying machines were wheeling around the dragon sparks of fire shot from the nose of the machines. The Airdramon bucked and fell to the ground and reverted to a Betamon. "As you can see, first it will be the meek, the injured those searching for sanctuary…then the humans will send their machines of destruction to route out the meek…Will we stand for such intrusion, my lord?"

"No, my servant," growled Zhuqiaomon. He flicked his eyes up to the screen and watched as men now tied the Betamon up and locked it in a cage. "No, we will not!"

"Good…" The eyes shined brightly and Zhuqiaomon had the unnerving feeling that this servant was smiling. "I will have to go forth into the human world…to find more evidence…I will not disappoint you, my lord," the robed figure bowed deeply. Zhuqiaomon nodded ever so slightly to the servant. The robes swept in a circle and the figure turned and disappeared into the shadows.

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"Papa!" TK turned slightly from his computer. His son was hopping up and down at his side, "Is it time yet? Is it time for us to see Patamon and Tokomon!"

"Not, yet Kitai," said TK quietly. He caught the sad look on his son's face. He looked at the clock. A soft smile came across his face, "but if we stop at the ice cream shop first…"

"Oh can we!?" asked the child. He looked up at his father happily.

"I don't think a little ice cream will hurt, after all today's special," smiled TK. He had forgotten how he used to look forward to getting a weekend to Digi-port to the Digital World, but with the advent of his son and the digi-egg, that happened to turn into Tokomon, it renewed his memories, and had helped him decide to fictionalize the adventures he had had in the Digital World. TK stood slowly. "Well, let's go get our shoes and tell Mama, where we are going."

"Ok," smiled the boy and he walked behind his father happily.

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TK looked down at his son. He was often surprised how the boy was a spitting image of how he was when he was a child. It made him contemplate the circular path the universe took. The child was rambling on about how Tokomon was getting more and more powerful and that he couldn't wait for the In Training Digimon to digivolve. TK gave a smile. He was always amazed by the sheer hope and vigor of his son. The child was licking on his chocolate ice cream cone, and for a second was silent. TK licked the twisted vanilla and chocolate ice cream on his cone.

They came to the port station. TK put his hand around the boy's. He looked down at the child, "Now, there are going to be a lot of people so you have to hold my hand."

The boy nodded and finished his ice cream as did TK. They wiped their hands with napkins and tossed them in the waist receptacle. They went into the station.

"Ok, they are coming from the File Island port," said TK quietly. "Look up at the board; do you see any arrivals from File Island?"

"Yep, there it is!" pointed the boy quietly, "Port 7!"

"Ok, well we better get down there, you know how Patamon is…" smiled TK. Kitai giggled.

"He'd probably end up in China if we left him here alone!" giggled the boy. TK chuckled.

"You're probably right Kitai…" smiled TK and they giggled all the way up to the port.

They stood there, the two of them. It shocked TK at first. Two Patamon stood on the chair. They were talking quietly.

"Two Patamons?" asked Kitai.

"KITAI!" one of the Patamon leapt up and hugged the child. Kitai nearly fell backward.

"TK!" The other Patamon hugged the father.

"I see Tokomon digivolved," smiled TK.

"Yes, it was quite a surprise. Elecmon was surprised as well," said Patamon. He looked at the other Patamon quietly, "Elecmon expected him to digivice digivolve like I did…but I suppose that without the danger to Kitai, Tokomon's digivolution took a more natural course."

"Must have," replied TK. He looked down at his partner and then turned his head to his son, "I am sure, Mama, will be getting…."

"Let me through, guard!" hissed a voice loudly. The commotion came from one of the ports down the corridor. "I am on special business from Lord Zhuqiaomon!"

"What…" whispered TK. He looked down at his Patamon. The winged hamster looked up. "Did that voice just say Lord Zhuqiaomon?"

"Yeah…" Patamon's eyebrows furrowed, "but Zhuqiaomon has not opened his quadrant to the free movement of humans yet, why would he send an envoy to the human world, he won't even come here, for fear of soiling his wings with the air of the Human World…."

"I can't believe one of the Harmonious Ones could be so prejudice against humans," said TK. He walked with his song, the child's hand in his own. The two Patamon were perched on their heads.

"He is not the only one…" said TK's Patamon. TK looked up. "Baihumon is also very disdained by humanity but…he hides it better."

"Oh…" said TK. He furrowed his brow. They were slowly passing the digi-port where the commotion was. A boy was looking up at the guard. His hair was slightly messy and blonde and his eyes were a bright sapphire. He wore a white shirt and cream colored pants.

"Look, boy," growled the guard, "I don't know how you got into the Digital World without a pass, but I'm going to find out!"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "I told you, I am on business from Lord Zhuqiaomon! I am very sure he will not be pleased with this, interrogation!"

TK stopped. He furrowed his brow, his mind leapt back to their only communication from the Lord of the South, "this is not making any sense…he's human, Zhuqiaomon didn't even wish to see the rest of the digi-destined and I in person, and he only sent an email thank you, and a begrudging one at that…Now he is working through a human to converse with the human world…? Something isn't right…"

"Papa?" Kitai was tugging on TK's arm. "Is something wrong, Papa?"

"No," TK blinked as he was shook from his thought. "Let's get going; mama will be interested in seeing Toko…err Patamon, and I think I'm going to have to have a talk with Uncle Tai…"

"Ooo, can I talk to Uncle Tai!" asked the child with an unbridled gleam of hope in his eye.

"We'll see," said TK. He looked at his son and chuckled, Kitai was always interested in Tai…if only because Agumon could warp digivolve to War Greymon. "Uncle Tai may be very busy so he may not be able to talk long."

"Ok!" cheered Kitai, nearly knocking his Patamon off of his head.

They walked on. TK turned his head back and just caught in the corner of his eye a light blue glow from the port with the boy in it. The next thing TK knew; the child was pushing through the crowd.

"Definitely going to have to talk to Tai…" whispered TK quietly.

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"What did you say!?" yelped Tai over the net cam. The man nearly fell backwards out of his chair. "The boy said what?"

"I don't remember exactly," said TK. He looked at the man in the screen, "It was something about being on business with Zhuqiaomon."

"No way…" said Tai quietly. His usually wild hair was still somewhat in place, suggesting he hadn't been home long. "Zhuqiaomon? No way, he won't even let his digimon come to the Human world. We've tried talking to Azulongmon, and Ebonwunmon, but they can't seem to turn Zhuqiaomon…I guess Azulongmon and Zhuqiaomon almost came to blows…but Ebonwumon stopped them…"

"Wow…" TK was speechless. The Harmonious Ones were some of the most mysterious digimon out there. As far as TK could remember, Azulongmon was the only one of the Harmonious Ones the Human World ever fully got to know, even Ebonwumon, who was over all a very gentle and understanding digimon, was not very communicative, but TK was assured that that was due to the turtle digimon's age and relatively sedentary life style, rather than his dislike of humanity. "What about Baihumon?" TK caught a sigh from Tai.

"I don't know, Agumon has tried to talk to him," said Tai quietly, "but Baihumon only ever claims an indifference to humanity, though Agumon keeps saying that it felt like he was unwelcome due to his relationship with humanity."

"That's what Patamon said…" said TK quietly. He narrowed his eyes. "What was really weird was that I think I saw the kid do something to the guard…"

"He could have been a digimon," said TK's Patamon. TK looked down at the winged hamster in his lap. "Like the Bakemon."

"Good point," said TK, quietly.

"Or Mummymon or Arukenimon," said Tai. He looked pensively, "but why would Zhuqiaomon be sending anyone here? He doesn't want anything to do with humans."

"Maybe he's changed his mind…" said TK.

"I don't know Takeru…He was pretty clear in the past that he didn't even want to have humans getting their breath on his territory," said Tai. He narrowed his eyes and looked off screen. "Well, I have to go. I have some papers I have to fill out, for that whole Betamon war criminal debacle…"

"Oh, ok…" whispered TK. The cam flicked off.

"Papa," it was Kitai.

"Oh shoot…" TK bit his lip. "I'm sorry, Kitai, I forgot…we got talking and well time got away from me…"

Kitai looked up at his father. A sad expression came over his face. "It's ok, Papa, I understand…" The child then gave a smile, "We'll just have to see Uncle Tai some other time!"

TK smiled softly. "Yes, that is right." He stood up and patted his son on the head. "You should be in bed. Come on, let's get you ready for bed and I'll come in and read you and Patamon a bedtime story…"

"Ok, Papa…" smiled Kitai and the boy ran off into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

"I wouldn't let this Zhuqiaomon thing worry you," said his Patamon quietly. "It's probably was just some digimon that lost their pass…"

"Maybe…" said TK. "Maybe…"

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AN: This is a bit of a prequel to In the Shadow of Chaos. I don't know how well it's going to go. At the end of the epilogue '02 I remember hearing, something like, "We'll be ready for darkness to return…" And that got me thinking, it's been twenty years of peace. It would be interesting to see how ready they would be. As to Zhuqiaomon's characterization, I'm going to base the Harmonious Ones on the Sovereigns of Tamers…Using the wonderful idea that the Tamer's TV people some how got the Digimon TV show off of the Adventure's Universe, so thusly when they created the Sovereigns they based the Sovereigns' personalities on the personalities of the Adventure's digi-gods…