Intertwined Destinies

Previously, in Intertwined Destinies:

The digidestined were reunited in the Human World and began the battle against Myotismon. With Wizardmon's brave sacrifice, Jade's life was spared and she was able to continue the fight with the digidestined and purify Myotismon's data. Gatomon digivolved into Angewomon, the female version of Angemon, and the three angels worked together to defeat Myotismon. Myotismon revealed that he was just an unfortunate digimon who was controlled by an even greater evil. Unfortunately, she was unable to gather all of the data, but there were more important things to worry about at the time. Gennai emailed Izzy a prophecy detailing how to defeat Myotismon, despite the children already believing that they had won. They decided to regroup at Big Sight after they had changed their clothes, gotten something to eat, and tended to their wounds.

After regrouping, and learning that the prophecy was coming true, the digidestined met the Mega form of Myotismon...VenomMyotismon. The final line of the prophecy: "Then angels will let fly the arrows of Hope and Light at the loved ones of those they are to protect, and a miracle will happen" ended up with Angemon and Angewomon shooting arrows at Tai and Matt.

The arrows connected, and a flash of light burst from the two boys. There was a short scream as power rushed through them, diverting towards their digivices and crests, before entering their digimon partners. The two cried out as their power level increased exponentially and they digivolved to a higher form than what they had been able to achieve before.

"Agumon, warp-digivolve to...WarGreymon!"

"Gabumon, warp-digivolve to...MetalGarurumon!"

Chapter 27: I Just Want to go Home!

Tai could have sworn that he blacked out for half a second, just enough time to catch himself as he dropped to his knees. He was breathing heavily, and Matt didn't appear to be better off than him by much, but the other boy was still standing semi-upright. His eyes drifted to where his digimon partner had been standing before the arrows hit, but instead of seeing the small dinosaur, there was a two legged, golden armored, dragon-type digimon. Gabumon had also digivolved to another level, becoming a metal wolf with weapons scattered across his body ready for easy use.

WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon.

Kari appeared at his side again and helped him to stand, and he grinned at the new look of his partner. Phoenixmon landed just before them as WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon took off to fight, but she didn't say anything about the new forms. That was left up to Izzy who had his Digimon (Analyser) [Analyzer] open and was reading what he could see aloud.

"They're both Megas," he muttered. "They're at the same level as VenomMyotismon."

"I feel there's a big gap the rest of us can't jump over now," Tentomon admitted as the fight continued.

"Yeah…" Matt muttered. "You're right."

"You'll be able to reach Mega one day, Tentomon..." Phoenixmon reassured him. Then she smiled and looked over her shoulder. "...but not today."

WarGreymon flew through the air and crashed into VenomMyotismon's stomach, causing the giant digimon to hit the ground heavily. The remains of the Fuji TV Station were flattened, sending the circular ball-type room flying through the air like a huge soccer ball. Many adults winced at the damage, their minds briefly focusing on how much money the repairs would probably cost, but the children didn't even consider what the economic damage would be. MetalGarurumon released what looked like hundreds of missiles towards the enemy, freezing him in a block of ice.

"We need to be closer," Phoenixmon suddenly announced.

"I'll drive," Hiroaki stated instantly. He started to rush towards his van before anyone could stop him, and several digidestined followed him. Joe, Mimi, and Sora remained behind to keep an eye on the unconscious people at Big Sight still, but Tai, Matt, TK, Kari and Izzy followed Hiroaki. Izzy's parents went with him, but Yuuko and Susumu waited with Phoenixmon. Shin announced that he would stay as there was nothing he could do to help, walking inside to check on the victims, but Michael and Akili stood behind Phoenixmon as they waited for orders.

VenomMyotismon chose that moment to break free of the ice encompassing his body. The flames that erupted, blanketing him in a fiery cape, enhanced his demonic appearance and sent shivers down everyone's backs. The van was driving closer to the fighting, and several bystanders screamed as VenomMyotismon decided to go on the attack. A building in the path of the van crumbled, the rubble crashing down towards them. It was only through Hiroaki's skill that the van wasn't squashed. The van did roll however, and the people inside were forced to make a run for it before something happened to the van. From what Phoenixmon could see, no one appeared to be too hurt from the roll, though Masami, Izzy's father, looked like he needed help to run in a straight line.

"He is too strong," Phoenixmon said, her voice carrying over everyone present. "Even for WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon as they are now. The power of the digidestined needs to be harnessed in order to defeat him."

"There is no change from the adults inside," Shin suddenly stated, appearing from behind the group.

"We'll have to beat VenomMyotismon if we ever want them to turn back to normal," Gomamon stated.

"We can't do much as we are now," Yuuko said sadly. "We have the powers of our crests, and our digivices, but that's all we can offer at the moment."

"Our partners are trapped in the Digital World and will not be able to help either," Michael added. "But we can use our crests to help again."

"So we'll surround VenomMyotismon," Joe decided. "We'll use our crests to trap him and leave his final defeat to WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon."

"We can help distract him so that you can get into position," Gomamon agreed, proud of his human partner for taking a more proactive role.

"I'll fly ahead to help the others," Phoenixmon stated. "I'll explain the plan to them, but it will be up to you to defeat VenomMyotismon. I am not strong enough at this moment. The Shadow World is being repaired as we speak, but something has happened to the Digital World in our absence that almost negates all that Tom has done to fix things."

"Then we'll do this quickly and go back to the Digital World," Mimi said firmly. "It's important to us too."

Phoenixmon nodded and took flight, mentally filling in the other children as she flew. Her attacks didn't have much of an effect, much like Angemon and Angewomon's attacks weren't very successful. At one stage, WarGreymon managed to plough a hole through VenomMyotismon's stomach, but it didn't have an effect greater than sending him to his knees. A ball-like 'thing' grew out of the hole, much like how Ogremon had become a part of Devimon in his final form.

All the other digimon had now digivolved to Champion and with their attacks they managed to injure VenomMyotismon, but it still wasn't enough. Phoenixmon barely had enough time to cry out before a blast of pure darkness impacted against her and sent her crashing to the ground painfully, her wings breaking under her. Her cry of pain echoed in the minds of her Protectors, but she ordered them to continue attacking. They needed to use their crests to trap their enemy, for the light would weaken him just enough to defeat him.

It didn't really surprise her when Tai's crest began to glow first. Each child grabbed their crests and held it in their hands, staring up at VenomMyotismon, and watched as a beam of light from each crest wrapped around a different body part. Phoenixmon forced herself to her feet and walked towards the others instead of flying. Bells sounded for every step she took, and the purple bell on her staff almost sung as VenomMyotismon's power started to decrease. Twelve beams of light all together were used to bind VenomMyotismon, and Phoenixmon smiled as the ball-like Viewing Platform from the former Fuji TV Station was used as a soccer ball to hit the ball-like 'thing' in VenomMyotismon's body.

"Terra Force!" WarGreymon screamed, forming a ball of super heated flames above his head to throw.

"Metal Wolf Claw!" MetalGarurumon cried, a cold wave of ice spewing from his mouth to connect with the superheated ball of fire to create an unstoppable and powerful attack. VenomMyotismon screamed out once in denial before the ball connected, and his body vaporized in front of them. Cheering sprung up as they realized that they had finally won, but Phoenixmon was more concerned with the scattering of the former digimon's data. She tried to collect it, to force it into something harmless, but the data still had a mind of its own and escaped her touch.

It distressed her to know that the corrupted data was still out there in the world, but she convinced herself that in the Human World it would have a long way to go before it could become a true threat once more. Plenty of time to train up others to help, and to fix the Digital World first. She released her transformation, becoming Jade once more, and walked up to where the digidestined were gathering. She kept the knowledge of the escaped data to herself, there was no need to add more worries to what they were already experiencing.

Her Protectors wasted no time in crowding around her, and a startled laugh escaped her as Tai lifted her into the air in a delighted twirl. She received hugs from each of the humans and digimon, most of them reverting to the In-Training or Rookie forms. Izzy also took the time to hug his parents, and Kari rushed off to bring her parents into the group so that Tai wouldn't need to leave Jade. Michael and Akili just smiled at the joy the children were expressing, but both of them had spotted an expression on Jade's face that had them slightly concerned. It was never any good when the Sovereign of another world didn't completely share in the joy of a major victory.

"Hey, look!" Sora suddenly called, pointing up at the sky. "The sky is clearing!"

Eyes focused upwards, but the joy on their faces soon became alarmed as the night sky was not the sight that greeted them. Ribbons of an upside-down land greeted them, rippling in the sky, and that only meant that something really bad had occurred in another world. Jade gasped as she recognized the Digital World, and stumbled forwards a few steps as if mere walking would get her there faster.

"Is that a mirage?" Susumu asked, a bit of hope in his voice.

"No," Yuuko muttered. "That's no mirage."

"It's the Digital World!" Jade stated with horror in her voice. "There's so much darkness there!"

"We have to get back there, and soon," Tai stated.

"But what of the state of everyone here?" Sora asked. "I'm not saying that I don't want to go, because I do, but I also want to know how my mother is doing."

"Me too," Mimi admitted. "Is everyone at Big Sight alright? Are they all safe?"

"With the fog gone, it stands to reason that everything else Myotismon inflicted on us is gone as well," Izzy stated.

"And there are the people who have been trying to get through the fog since yesterday," Joe added. "Including your mum, TK. Can you imagine what they're going to think as soon as they see this mess?"

"Do you kids actually have everything you're going to need?" Yoshie asked concernedly. "Jade, dear, do you have a change of clothes? Going to this other world with a hole in your shirt doesn't strike me as the best idea."

"My clothes will probably fit you," Kari spoke up. "Can you teleport us both, mama?"

"Yes," Yuuko said with a nod. "We'll be quick."

Jade nodded and with a loud crack the three girls were gone. Everyone else chose to remain where they were, and those who had bags were comparing what had been brought so they could determine if they needed anything else. Food was a bit of an issue, and Michael offered to disappear to collect a few small food items that could be used in a pinch. Joe had all the medical supplies covered, and the girls were impressed with the walkie talkies Izzy had brought.

"It's a shame that we can't bring body armor with us," Sora joked.

"I don't think even body armor would protect Tai from being stupid," Mimi quipped back at her. The two girls giggled while Tai looked affronted.

"I'm not that bad," he said with a frown.

"Of course you're not," they said in sync.

Behind them they could see a water taxi arriving at the shore, and hundreds of people disembarking. A few looked bored and just wanted to head home, but the vast majority were staring around at the rubble in shock and horror. Their voices could be heard by the digidestined, and the adults were relieved that they weren't responsible for the clean-up.

"I wonder what the excuse will end up being this time?" Hiroaki muttered with intrigue.

"Excuse?" Matt asked him. The children turned from the arriving people to the Japanese magician, each one of them curious about his statement.

"Well, the Magical World has been hidden for a very long time, and whenever something big happens in the Mundane World they usually cover it up with something ridiculous or plausible," Hiroaki explained. "Gas leaks are a fairly common cover-up when explosions in areas with gas lines are involved, but I have no idea how they'll be explaining the weather phenomena. Mass memory charms wouldn't really work in this situation."

"Terrorist attack," Tai and Matt said simultaneously. Tai was the one who continued when everyone changed their focus of attention. "That's what they used to cover up the attack in Hikarigaoka four years ago. It wouldn't be so much of a stretch to say that again, and maybe give the praise to the adults in Odaiba who held off the enemy for just long enough that the army or police were able to interfere."

"A hallucinogenic drug in the form of a gas could be blamed for seeing another world in the night sky," Izzy added as he looked away from their supplies.

"We'll definitely have to think of something," Hiroaki agreed. "One thing for sure, however, is that you kids won't be mentioned in the final report. I'll have to talk to Natsuko about it. She could run the 'official' story once we have one, and no harm will fall back onto you or your families."

At that moment they all heard a female voice calling out for TK. The children turned, most of them not recognizing]the woman, but TK grinned in delight and ran forwards, arms outstretched for a hug, while Matt seemed to have a faint grimace on his face born from awkwardness.

"Mama!" TK cried. Tai smiled at the sight, and his grin widened when his father slung an arm over his shoulders in silent support. Matt didn't seem as excited, but he did walk further away from the group with Hiroaki to have a rushed family reunion. TK did seem to be the only one excited about it, the other two males uncomfortable, but Tai focused on other things. Sora and Mimi were still worried about their families, Joe was worried about his parents but distracted himself with their supplies, and Izzy was talking with his parents to convince them of his need to return to the Digital World.

"Someone's coming," Sora suddenly stated. She was looking off in the direction of Big Sight, and as everyone else turned to look they realized that it was Joe's brother Shin racing towards them on a scooter.

"All of your families at Big Sight are safe," he said as an introduction. "They're all back to normal!"

Mimi cheered and threw her arms around Sora's neck in delight. The two girls started to laugh, and as soon as Yuuko, Kari and Jade returned the cheering increased. Jade was glad that everyone who had fallen asleep had woken up again, and she was just as glad that she had different clothes to wear.

She had been able to keep her dark green skirt and shorts, thankfully, but the top she had borrowed from Kari. It was a white t-shirt, and over that was a black vest. At the back of Kari's cupboard had been a dark green jacket, something that had surprised Jade as the younger girl didn't really strike her as a green person. Still, she now had a jacket for the Digital World when it got cold, and before returning they had taken a quick stop to the school for her bag. She was as ready as she could possibly be, and was looking forward to returning to the place she saw as her primary home.

Shin smiled at the joy in the group but he was concerned with the state of the sky. He couldn't see an end to it, but as the fog was gone he was positive that there would once more be reception for his portable radio. He pulled it out slowly, adjusting the antenna as he spun slowly on the spot to find the best signal. Joe and Matt appeared at his side as they noticed what he was doing, and very slowly the rest of the digidestined followed.

"-you! Those continents up there are not an illusion! They really exist! No one knows what could have happened to cause this! But all of us are wondering if those spooky continents that no one has ever seen before, will permanently take the place of our blue skies all throughout the world!"

"What in the world is going on?" Joe asked. "This is world-wide? How the heck is that going to be covered up? Hallucinogenic gas won't cut it!"

"Is this a part of Myotismon's plan, too? Revealing digimon to the world if he loses?" Matt asked.

"No," Jade said, shaking her head. "Myotismon is not responsible for this. This, is the Digital World begging for our help, even if it means risking revealing the secret of it's existence. Things must be getting pretty desperate if it's willing to risk that."

"Then there's not a minute to lose!" Tai decided. "Do we have everything?"

Michael had returned during the talk with an armful of food for the children, food that Jade put into her bag for safe-keeping. No one else had anything else that they needed to do, they had everything that they needed, so they all stood around Tai and Jade as they waited for instructions. Michael, Akili and Yuuko stood just off to the side, wondering what the children were planning as Izzy had put his computer away and that was the only sure way they knew of crossing over to the Digital World.

"How are we going to get there?" Sora asked.

"Last time, it was our digivices," Joe stated. "They led us to the Digital World. Maybe the same thing will happen this time?"

"Ah! It's a plane!" TK suddenly yelled. He had been watching the sky while the older kids talked, and as such was the only one to see a plane fly right below the upside-down strips of Digital World, and then begin to fall to the ground.

"It's going to crash!" Tai cried out. It was like watching a car crash: terrible to watch but impossible to look away from. Sora turned to Biyomon and the pink bird digivolved into Birdramon in order to catch the underside of the plane, keeping it airborne. Tentomon also helped out as Kabuterimon, but it was still too much for them so Birdramon digivolved again to Garudamon. Jade became Phoenixmon and flew over to the downed flight, landing on the nose so that she could see the panicking pilots. She smiled at them reassuringly, and shortly after that the digimon set the plane down safely in the bay.

"My Lady," Garudamon began as she flew up to return to the digidestined. "Kuwagamon came through to this world, but we're unable to touch him. Whatever he touched became solid and immovable."

"That's not good," Phoenixmon muttered as the three of them landed again, de-digivolving as they hit the ground.

"What's not good?" Tai asked, not having heard Garudamon's explanation.

"Kuwagamon," Yokomon explained. "He flew in from those continents."

"He froze whatever he touched," Motimon added. "That's why the plane ended up coming down as rapidly as it did. Kuwagamon touched its wing."

"Hey! Take a look at this!" Shin suddenly ordered. The group crowded around him as he brought up a local news station that was reporting on the strange things happening.

"Please take a look! These images are not special effects!" the news reporter was stating. The images displayed were of digimon across the world interfering with the day-to-day life style of humans everywhere.

"We can't touch these digimon," Yokomon continued. "If we do, we'll solidify."

"My Electro-Shocker went right through him too," Motimon added.

"We don't have time to stand around and decide what we're going to do!" Jade told them sharply, looking at each of them with determined eyes. "I'm going to the Digital World, if you're coming with me, now is the time to go. The longer we stay here, the worse things will become! Every second here counts!"

"She's right, digivices out everyone!" Tai ordered. "We're going back!"

Eight digivices were thrust forward to create a circle. Jade stood in the middle to act as an anchor, and to achieve a connection. Surrounding the digidestined were the original three, each with their digivices out and ready to help. Jade closed her eyes and focused her energy as if she were to turn into Phoenixmon, but prevented the transformation by sending the energy up. She glowed for several seconds before a bright light with all the colors of the rainbow landed on her, within the circle of digivices. She smiled as she felt the digital energies wrap her up in their embrace, and when she opened her eyes everyone noticed that they were glowing white.

"This path of light with transport us to the Digital World," Tai stated.

"No more delay," Michael stated. "Let's go."

"Be safe," Susumu begged of his family. "I love you all."

"We'll be home before you even realize that we were gone," Tai said with a grin. "Don't worry about us."

"Bye daddy!" Kari said with a wave.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure we all come back safely." promised Yuuko.

"Takeru!" Natsuko suddenly called. TK turned to look at his mother. He studied her seriously for a few moments before smiling.

"I'm sorry we have to leave just when all of us are together again, mama," he told her. "But we'll be back soon!"

"You can't!" Natsuko protested before he had even finished talking.

"Natsuko, let him go," Hiroaki told her. "We've made some pretty selfish decisions of our own, remember? And besides, these children are doing something pretty selfless, and I couldn't be prouder of both my boys for doing this."

"Dad," Matt sighed. He looked back to his mother. "If we don't do something, Earth will be doomed. That's why I'll…we'll protect you and everyone else, Mum!"

"Yamato," Natsuko sighed, tears dripping down her cheeks. She made no move to wipe them away, content to stare at her children as if she would never see them again.

"We're counting on you guys!" Shin stated, cutting into the emotional farewell. "We thought it was normal for morning to come after every nightfall, but we may never see the dawn come again this time."

"Don't say such morbid things!" Yoshie scolded. "I believe in them!"

"No! I mean…I do too!" Shin backpedaled desperately.

"It'll be fine, Shin," Joe said, confidence brimming in his eyes. "We'll make darned sure that the sun does come up!"

"Looking good, Joe!" Sora praised.

"My hero!" Mimi added with her own little laugh. Joe went beet red in embarrassment, but before he could attempt to make a comeback comment Jade pulled him into the light bridge as she could sense that it wouldn't be open for much longer. The other children and three adults jumped in just after, and the twelve of them and the eight digimon started to rise into the sky.

Sora and Mimi still looked fairly upset, having not had the chance to see their parents, but that soon turned to joy as they noticed their loved ones running towards the group, calling out their names. Jade smiled at the joyous, if short, reunion, before her eyes were drawn to Dudley. His appearance at the danger sight surprised her, but not as much as the rest of her classmates following behind him. Dudley looked exhausted from having run the distance, and she felt something warm grow in her heart at the fact that he had cared enough to come to see her.

"JADE!" he screamed up at her. "YOU MAKE SURE YOU COME BACK SAFE!"

Jade smiled brightly and waved at him. At the very least there would be one person to greet her semi-happily. It was an odd feeling, knowing that there was someone waiting for her to return. The other children shouted out their own goodbyes as they flew further and further away. Jade turned away from the sight, and up towards the Digital World. The smile slid off her face as she prepared herself for what would probably be a living hell for her. The darkness was already very strong, she just hoped that she would be able to endure it in order to bring back the light.

With one last glance at the Human World, the digidestined and their Sovereign burst through the barrier and into the darkness of the Digital World.

They'd been knocked unconscious, again. Unlike their first arrival though, Tai hadn't woken up with Koromon sitting on his chest and staring at his face. This time, Koromon was also unconscious and lying next to him. He forced himself to sit up and do a quick headcount of everyone, just to make sure that they were all present and accounted for. He was the only conscious person at that moment, and it felt weird counting his mother and the two other adults as a part of the group.

"Are we alive?" Joe asked. Tai looked across to the older boy, and grinned at him.

"Nope! We all died and this is our eternal damnation," he said. Joe gave him a look that could have peeled paint.

"You're absolutely hilarious Tai, no, really," he deadpanned before looking over everyone. "Are we all here?"

"Yep! Time to wake up the troops! Koromon, open your eyes buddy."

Slowly, the digidestined and digimon opened their eyes and more or less regained consciousness. The only person who couldn't be roused was Jade, and truthfully, Tai was glad that she remained asleep. He could feel the oppressive darkness, and being as sensitive to the dark forces as Jade was, she would probably be in agony the moment she regained consciousness.

"Are we back?" Matt asked, staring around at the changed landscape with confusion.

"I think so," Mimi told him.

"Oh, this is bad," Michael muttered. "Really, really bad. There's very little Light around."

"Is it night time?" Kari asked.

"It looks that way," Matt muttered. "I really hope that it's night time."

"Guys! Look up there!" Sora suddenly ordered. Eyes drifted upwards, and gasps of shock echoed throughout the group. Just like it had been when they were in the Human World, staring at the upside-down land of the Digital World, they could now see the upside-down Human World, the exact spot they had left from.

"Is that Hokkaido?!" Tai spluttered.

"We're able to see our world from here, just like we could see the Digital World on Earth earlier," Izzy explained, one of the few not really surprised about the situation. Jade chose that moment to start waking up, and she did it in the most violent way that she could.

She screamed.

The children all flinched as her cry echoed through the silence, and within the space of a few heartbeats Tai was by her side and holding her against his chest. Jade started to cry as she clung to his chest, her hands wrapping around his crest in her desperation. Yuuko knelt down in front of the two children, resting her hand on Jade's head sympathetically.

"She must be in a lot of pain," Michael observed. The others looked at him and asked him to explain his statement. "Well, it's sort of something we noticed with Lord Lucemon, back when we were children here. The darkness manifests itself in different ways, but when there was an overwhelming sense of darkness, Lord Lucemon was weakened until he took his alternate form to filter the darkness so that it wouldn't hurt him. The Little Princess doesn't have an alternate form, aside from Phoenixmon, but Phoenixmon is a digimon of the Light, all that darkness would hurt her."

"It must be like when we were being chased by digimon with Black Gears in them," Matt realised. "She said they made her cold, and the feeling was around her heart. She would 'push' away at the darkness and destroy it, but…"

"But this isn't like the Black Gears, or even Etemon's Dark Network," Joe cut in. "There's no center to this darkness."

"I can feel how much darkness there is," Tai muttered. "I'm nowhere near as sensitive as Jade, but surely that means that it's really bad?"

"I can feel it too," Kari admitted. "It's really heavy."

"Hikari, come over here please," Yuuko requested. Kari did as her mother asked and knelt with her brother. Yuuko brought out Kari's crest and twisted Jade's hand around it, causing it to glow. The change was amazing. Jade stopped panicking and calmed down as the glow of the crest revitalized her. She was still holding onto Tai, but as her eyes looked around, they were relieved that she appeared to be aware of what was going on.

"Of course," Sora realized. "Kari has the Crest of Light, that alone should be enough to anchor Jade so that we can fight back against this darkness."

"Are you feeling better, Little Princess?" Michael asked as he knelt down so that he was closer to her height.

"Yes," Jade muttered. "It's so Dark here though. It almost feels like the Shadow World, but without Tom to protect me from it."

"You may need to call him here," TK told her, leaning over Kari's head so that he could see her. He grinned. "Unless you don't mind gluing yourself to Kari's side?"

"Huh? Gomamon?" Joe suddenly called, walking off from the group and brushing aside the grass curiously. "What are you doing down there, Gomamon?"

"Joe! I'm over here!" Gomamon called from where he had made himself comfortable inside Joe's bag. He and the other digimon hadn't moved since Jade woke up, too worried to move off and explore their world.

"Then who's this?" Joe muttered, leaning further down. Seconds later a pink blur rushed at his face, scratching it slightly, before running off to hide in another area of long grass. The ground beneath Joe rose up suddenly, and the boy soon found himself hanging off the edge of a cliff they hadn't been anywhere near seconds ago. Gomamon called out in alarm, and the digimon who were already on edge leapt forward to battle, the In-Training digimon digivolving as they did so.

"Koromon digivolve to – Agumon!"

"Tsunomon digivolve to – Gabumon!"

"Motimon digivolve to – Tentomon!"

"Tokomon digivolve to – Patamon!"

"Yokomon digivolve to – Biyomon!"

"Wait!"

Noticing what everyone was doing, and panicking slightly, Kari called out to the charging digimon to bring them to a sudden halt. She apologized to Jade as she rushed off, but Jade just wrapped her hand around Tai's crest so that she wouldn't be overwhelmed by the darkness again. The adults didn't move, and whether or not that was because they trusted the children to act appropriately, or that they hadn't been in the Digital World long enough to interfere, or they didn't want to interfere until they found their partners…they didn't say.

"Don't be scared," Kari said as she knelt before the hiding pink digimon. "There's nothing to be scared of. I won't hurt you, so come out."

There were a few moments of hesitation, before a pink mouse digimon stepped out of hiding…before promptly collapsing from exhaustion. It was Palmon who recognized the digimon first, having met him before during the time she and Mimi had been separated from the other children on File Island.

"It's Chuumon!"

"You're right!" Mimi agreed, rushing forwards in concern.

"Michael, Akili," Jade muttered, pulling their attention from the little reunion and speaking in English so that they could both understand her. "Could you pull Joe up? He might fall if he stays hanging there."

"Sure thing Little Princess," Akili responded instantly.

"Mimi? Palmon?" Chuumon squeaked. "Thank goodness…you came back!"

Mimi lifted up the digimon and held him to her chest, before everyone's attention was directed Joe. He had yelped as he looked down, before Michael and Akili pulled him up onto solid ground again. Izzy pulled out his laptop with the intention of contacting Gennai, but there wasn't any success. Yuuko frowned as Izzy admitted he couldn't get in contact at that moment, before she pulled out her digivice. Kari returned to Jade's side and allowed her to hold onto her crest again, and Jade sighed in relief. It wasn't that Tai's crest didn't help, it was just that Kari's was more effective with the surrounding darkness.

"Trust, you better respond or so help me when I find you I'm going to turn you into a mouse and release you into a snake enclosure," Yuuko stated, speaking into her digivice clearly. The children all looked at her in shock, but Michael and Akili winced at the tone she was using. This was the same tone that informed them that they should have their wills updated. There was a few moments of silence before something happened.

"Compassion? You're back in the Digital World? Never thought I'd see the day," came the small voice from the digivice. Everyone recognized Gennai's voice. Izzy was intrigued at the idea of using the digivice as a walkie talkie, and had to physically restrain himself from asking questions on how it was done.

"I am," Yuuko confirmed. "I followed with my children, and I brought the other two with me. I will have words with you, but not now. Where is Guilmon?"

"My sanctuary," Gennai replied. "He and the others gathered there when the Dark Masters grew in strength."

"Dark Masters?" Jade asked fearfully.

"We'll make our way there," Yuuko told Gennai. "Prepare for our arrival and tell our partners we're coming."

She put her digivice back into her pocket, and returned to the situation at hand as if she hadn't just threatened one of their only allies with death by being eaten by a snake. Chuumon, who had passed out after seeing the digidestined, was slowly waking up, and he told them about how he and Sukamon had been minding their own business when the land around them began to warp and shift. The land spiraled together forming a new mountain known as Spiral Mountain. This would have been after the digidestined left through Myotismon's Gate, and as he spoke Jade couldn't help but feel extremely guilty. She stood up, leaning against Tai, and walked over to where Chuumon was crying into Mimi's chest.

"Chuumon, I'm so sorry," she whispered, resting her hand on his head. "I have failed you, and all the digimon in this world."

"Jade," Sora breathed sadly.

"That's not true," Agumon protested. "You haven't failed anyone."

"Haven't I?" Jade asked him, pulling back from Chuumon and meeting his curious gaze. "I am the Sovereign of this world, each being who chooses to live here is my responsibility to care for. By allowing this to happen, by allowing the terror of the Dark Masters to once again spread throughout this world, I have let everyone down."

"You're just a kid," Matt told her. "You can't be expected to do everything."

"But it's my responsibility!" Jade protested, turning to him with desperate eyes. "Lord Lucemon chose me to succeed him! When I was six years old! When Tom and I imprisoned him we were given full responsibility of the Digital and Shadow Worlds! And then a few years after I became the Sovereign I left this world! I forgot all about it and left everyone to fend for themselves for tens of centuries! And then after I come back, after I start to make things right again, I leave again! This time an old enemy of mine returns and reformats this world into something dark and ugly! I should have stayed! I'm not wanted back in the Human World! It would have been better for everyone if I stayed here forever!"

"That's not true!" Tai snapped at her, his tone harsh. The others kept their silence, though they were stunned at how much Jade had been bottling up about being the Sovereign. She had seemed to accept it so easily after her memories returned to her, but now it was apparent that it was causing her a lot more stress than they had realised.

"You were so young when you were chosen," Tai continued in a softer tone of voice. "That's not fair to begin with, but from what I've heard, everyone loved you. You cannot be put at fault for something beyond your control. Not one single digimon seemed to hate you, aside from Devimon and Etemon, but they don't count. Everyone else was over-joyed with the fact that you were alive and had come back to them. And as for staying…you would have been killed instantly."

"I've fought them before," Jade told him.

"But that was when the Shadow World was actually whole, and not a world so broken that its darkness has drifted here. And didn't Andromon say that the Dark Masters cast you from this world originally? You would have been so much stronger back then, now…you would have slaughtered and then there would be no hope for this world."

"Tai's right, despite being a little harsh in how he said it," Agumon spoke up. "While you live, there is hope for our world. You dying would accomplish nothing, and besides, we're your Protectors. We weren't there for you when you were younger, for that we're sorry, but we are now. We'll fight the Dark Masters for you, and together we'll return the Light to the Digital World."

The other digimon voiced their agreement, and Jade smiled at them gratefully. Tai placed both his hands on her shoulders, giving her the support she needed. One by one, the other children echoed Agumon's vow to protect her, and Jade felt something solidify in her mind. Where before she had sensed the digidestined's feelings, and seen the colors of their crests in her mind, all of a sudden it was like a solid chain of light connected her to each child.

An unbreakable bond.

She thanked each of them, but despite their reassurances and knowing that they were right about how quickly she would have been killed, she still believed that she should have stood by her subjects, and protected them as much as she could. She was grateful that the others were with her, and she knew that they would be able to win. Chuumon escaped from Mimi's grasp for a moment, jumping into Jade's arms with a hug of joy.

"I know that we'll be alright now," he said through his tears into her shoulder. "Our Sovereign has come back to us, and she has brought the Protectors with her."

"Right," Tai said, hands still resting on Jade's shoulders from behind. "Don't worry any more. We'll help. All we have to do is climb, what did you call it, Spiral Mountain?"

"The Dark Masters are at the top where they can see the whole world stretched out below them," Chuumon confirmed.

"What happened to the other digimon?" TK asked curiously. "Like Leomon and Elecmon?"

"I don't know," Chuumon admitted. He rubbed his cheek once more against Jade before returning to Mimi's arms. "But I have heard that anyone who goes against them is defeated."

"That's going to change," Tai stated firmly. "From what I can figure, the Dark Masters belong in the Shadow World. This is not their world to control, and it's time to make them understand that. As long as we're together, we can save the world."

Yuuko smiled proudly at her son. She had never seen this side of him before, and she had to agree with something he had said earlier. The Digital World was where he belonged, it had pulled him out from behind his mask of false bravado and had given him a purpose. It truly was the best thing that could have happened to him…not that that would stop her from severely scolding everyone that took part in the choosing process for not making more of an effort to contact her.

Harsh, cold laughter echoed around the clearing. Jade leaned against Tai, recoiling from the new form of darkness and the dark humor it was feeling. Everyone turned to where there was now a deep and bottomless cliff, and a large metallic serpent-dragon digimon burst into view.

"Digidestined," it hissed at them. "I've been waiting for you."

"It's MetalSeadramon!" Chuumon cried in panic. Tai ordered them to run deeper into the forest, and without hesitation everyone obeyed, running as fast as they could. Jade stuck as close to Tai's side as she could, clinging to his shirt, and mentally lamenting the fact that she was so dependent on the crests of her Protectors to keep her from getting lost in the Dark. Her grip lasted until MetalSeadramon charged at them, forcing them to the ground painfully as his body rushed through the center of them, separating them on either side of the path. She lost her grip on Tai's shirt, and instantly the Darkness began to overwhelm her mind.

Her body curled into a ball automatically, her hands gripping her head, but when someone other than the digidestined lifted her from the ground, someone who oozed darkness from every pore, she opened her eyes and stared into the eyes of a digimon who had haunted her nightmares for as long as she could remember. A mask half black and half white, a scar over the white side eye, blood red eyes, dark red lips and pointed ears. She had a mere moment to scream in sheer horror before she was knocked out.

Tai had heard her scream, and he had turned towards her before he even realized that he was turning. He could not help but panic for a moment as he saw a brief burst of black light, and then from his mind he suddenly felt the huge distance between them and Jade. The others flinched the moment she disappeared from nearby, their eyes focusing on the place she had been seconds previously, before they turned their attention to MetalSeadramon. They needed to defeat him as quickly as possible to go after Jade. Even those who weren't as strong in mental communication could feel how afraid Jade had been.

"Agumon!" Tai called. The little dinosaur leaped forward, digivolving into Champion as he did. The other digimon copied him immediately, and they all fought together in order to rescue their Sovereign. Unfortunately for them, MetalSeadramon was stronger than anticipated. He crushed them all without much effort, and their attacks had no effect on him. The adults in the group had their wands out to create shields, but even they knew that MetalSeadramon would barely blink at the appearance of a shield before destroying them.

The children rushed towards their partners, their hands resting on them as they tried to understand how eight Champion digimon had no effect on their enemy. MetalSeadramon laughed cruelly as they scampered around below him, flying in a large circle as he did so. He had seen the disappearance of the human Sovereign, and the reaction of her Protectors amused him. They were devoted to her, that he could tell easily, but Horcruxmon's reaction to her death still held the top spot in his memories…despite coming close to being deleted right afterwards.

"As if you can win against me," he told the children.

"Why?" Mimi asked desperately. "It's eight against one!"

"MetalSeadramon is a Mega digimon!" Izzy stated. He had pulled his laptop out and was using the Digimon Analyzer to get as much information on their opponent as possible. "Our digimon can't win against him at this level, no matter how many of them there are!"

"He's a Mega?" Tai questioned, his hands clenching into fists in annoyance.

"Why does our first opponent when we got back have to be the same level as Venomyotismon?" Joe asked as his eyes roved over Ikkakumon looking for injuries.

"I remember Gennai telling me about the Dark Masters," Michael stated, staring up at the metal serpent-dragon. "Four digimon who didn't like the change in leadership over the Shadow World, and four digimon who detested the thought of their new leader being bonded to a Sovereign who wasn't even a born digimon. They caused quite a few skirmishes before being driven to the brink of death by the Lord of Darkness."

"And Jade's terrified of them," Tai added.

"You're finished!" MetalSeadramon roared as he finished circling the group. He dove right at them, blue energy focusing from his metal snout. "River of Power!"

A beam of energy hit the ground not far from them, and then moved across the land and shredding it like scissors through paper. The ground fractured explosively, and all the group truly had time for was to grab a hold of their partners and scream. The adults were too far from the children to grab them, but they could hold onto each other as they descended into the dark abyss below.

Jade made herself as small as possible, her hands clutching her head, eyes clenched shut, and knees pulled as close to her chest as she could bring them. Piedmon had dropped her as soon as they arrived at their destination, his laughter echoing around the chamber. She was utterly frozen in fear, this digimon terrified her more than any other, and that included the time Lucemon had tried to kill her and Horcruxmon during his insanity phase. What made it worse was that her Protectors were nowhere near her and the Darkness surrounding her was making it almost impossible for her to do anything on her own.

"It really is good to see you again, Little Princess," Piedmon suddenly told her, his tone turning mocking at her title. "I could have sworn that I had ended your life once already, and as a pathetic human, you shouldn't have been reborn."

"Wasn't…reborn," Jade stuttered, forcing her eyes open to stare at the insane clown. "Was returned…to the Human…World."

"And now you're back, and the former Lord of Darkness has returned to being a nuisance again," Piedmon sighed and landed gently on the ground before her. He knelt down and rested a hand on her head, ignoring the flinch and instead grinning darkly. "And not only that, you brought the Digidestined with you. Do you have any idea how much of an inconvenience you are causing me and my brethren?"

"You shouldn't…have attacked…this world," Jade told him, her shivers getting worse the longer Piedmon remained in contact with her. "My…Protectors…will stop…you."

"They will try," Piedmon told her. "But I have gotten stronger in your absence from this world. There is nothing living that can defeat me, or the other three. And as soon as the Digidestined arrive, I'm going to make you watch as I snuff out their lives one…by…one. You have failed, Little Princess, and I'm going to make you watch as this world is reformatted in our image."

He leant in close so that his mouth was right by her ear, and his cold breath chilled her more than the Darkness did. The words washed over her like a never ending nightmare, and would continue to haunt her for far longer than he ever did.

"Long…live…Lord…Lucemon."

Her body was lifted into the air abruptly, and a startled scream escaped her before she could stop it. She flew backwards and her body collided with something hard. A grunt escaped her lips, but before she could pull her arms into her body, two long nails flew at them and pierced through the flesh on her wrists. A true scream of sheer agony erupted from her as blood began to flow down her arms, but the more she struggled the more it hurt. Tears gathered in her eyes but she didn't let them fall.

Piedmon stood before her and laughed at her expression, before directing her attention to the large screen right behind him. A picture of the Digidestined facing Machinedramon, and then Puppetmon was on display, and through the pain Jade realized that he had been watching their progress from the moment they had arrived in the Digital World again. She closed her eyes, feigning despair, and instead tried to contact Tom. There was a barrier between them, but she broke through and called on him for help. She managed to get a positive response before Piedmon realized what she was doing and distracted her by using one of his swords and plunging it into her body and into the wall behind her. She was now stuck by her wrists and stomach.

"Now, now," he said in a disapproving tone. "You're going to ruin the fun we're about to have. You are going to be my masterpiece, and something to bring out near the end of my show. So sit here tightly, and I'll call when it's time to make your debut."

Jade struggled to breathe as Piedmon left, and the picture on the screen became an arena made of brick. It was similar to the colosseum from earlier in their adventure, but also smaller. There were brick columns in the center, but otherwise it was pretty flat. As Jade was watching, she saw the Digidestined arrive through a portal in the air, and land somewhat painfully in the seating area. She was glad to see that everyone was still there, including the adults. It made her feel better about their chances, but also scared because Piedmon wouldn't lie about killing them. Having them all together just made it easier to kill them all.

Just then a clown of the likes seen in the Human World appeared in the center of the arena, balancing on a ball. He was dressed in a baggy green jumpsuit with pink polka dots, yellow cuffs and bright orange hair. He also had an idiotic grin on his face as he greeted the children and adults, and the speaker system allowed Jade to hear everything that was going on. Piedmon started to talk to his audience.

"Hello, good children. Let me tell you all a funny story today," he held up what appeared to be a hand drawn picture with the digidestined detailed on it. "A long, long time ago, there were eight Digidestined, their digimon, and three adults. Those eleven humans and eight digimon were stupid enough to climb up Spiral Mountain, to rescue the fair Princess, where they were killed by the Dark Masters. The Princess cried out at their demise, before her death at the hands of her tormentor. The End."

"What was that?" TK demanded. "That wasn't funny at all!"

"I just told you what sort of destiny awaits you," Piedmon stated with a silly grin on his face. "You should be grateful."

The clown then morphed into Piedmon, and Jade flinched at the sight. The movement caused her more pain, but the visage of the clown was truly terrifying. The Digidestined screamed, and it was Chuumon who informed the others the identity of the Dark Master before them.

"There's no way we'll lose to you guys!" Tai yelled. "We'll end you and free Jade! Agumon!"

"Gabumon! I'm counting on you!" Matt added. Both boys turned to their Rookie partners, and they warp-digivolved into WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon. Jade didn't want to watch this battle, but she forced herself to watch as the two Mega digimon were defeated within moments of reaching their final form. She could only faintly sense her Protectors, and strained her mind to connect with the one closest to her, which was Tai's.

He could sense her, judging from the flinch at her touch. Some of her pain must have been broadcasting, but she couldn't reign it in all the way. She felt selfish and needy, almost begging for them to save her when they couldn't even save themselves, but she was scared and wanted at least one of her Protectors with her in the Darkness. She could feel some of Tai's panic at her pain, and his strong desire to take her pain away.

"Even if we're at the same level," Piedmon began mockingly. "You have only recently gained your new powers. You are greatly mistaken if you think that is all it will take to win. Permit me now to introduce the members that make up the Dark Masters:

"MetalSeadramon!" From the opposite side of the arena a fountain of water erupted, and the metallic dragon/snake digimon who had provided the diversion for Jade's capture appeared. He curled around himself, creating a spiral, with his head coming to rest facing the digidestined.

"Machinedramon!" This digimon burst out from a wall to the right of the digidestined, his cannons on his back reflecting the light.

"Puppetmon!" Finally, the smallest Dark Master appeared from directly above Piedmon, hovering around him like a child to an adult.

"Personally, I wish I could have had a little more fun with you," Puppetmon told the children.

"And myself, Piedmon," the clown concluded. "Time sure does fly when you're having fun. But, I haven't introduced the final character of this play, please give a warm welcome for the lovely Princess herself!"

Jade rose into the air, still attached to the wall, and ended up in the centre of the arena, surrounded by the Dark Masters. She locked eyes with Tai, her fear plain on her face, but didn't make a sound. The children started to call out to her, asking if she was alright, while the adults had turned pale at her state. Each had their wand in their hands, but despite their clear desire to use their magic, they couldn't with the danger around them.

"Now then," Piedmon continued, a grin on his face. "Which one of you would like to die first in your failed rescue of Princess Jade here?"

There was silence for only a brief moment, before Mimi took several steps forward to yell. Jade's eyes widened, she wanted to tell Mimi to stay back and save herself, but Piedmon prevented her from yelling with a piece of white cloth wrapping around her mouth, chin and neck. She couldn't open her mouth to make a sound, and the more she struggled the greater the chance that she would strangle herself in the process. The action against letting Jade talk made Mimi angrier, and she pushed aside the others who had tried to stop her in order to get her point across.

"What did Jade ever do to you?!" Mimi screamed out. "She's just a little girl! You have no right to tie her up and do that to her! She's in so much pain because of you! She should be back home, with a loving family, and only worrying about school and homework! She shouldn't need to fear for her life every day, and you're only making it worse!"

"Mimi," Joe stated, stepping towards her as if to stop her from speaking.

"A volunteer," Piedmon stated. "I do love it when the cast follows their orders. Child of Sincerity, you shall perish first!"

A small dagger appeared in his hand moments before he flung it at Mimi. The girl's eyes went wide in fear, and Jade mentally cried out her denial, but the hero of the moment was Chuumon. The little pink mouse leapt from Mimi's arms and intercepted the dagger with his body. Jade still cried out, even as Mimi gathered the mouse in her arms with fresh tears flowing down her cheeks. Jade felt her own tears start to pool over her eyes as she felt the moment Chuumon's life ended. His data flew upwards, and in that moment Jade knew that it would remain there until the world had been fixed.

There was nowhere for Chuumon's data to go…the Primary Village wasn't there to collect it. So until the world was righted, there would be no digimon being reborn.

"What a stupid digimon," Piedmon observed. "There's no need to cover for others when you will all end up dying anyway."

Little Princess! I'm coming!

Piximon? Jade thought, blinking once in her shock.

We all felt the disturbance, and I'm coming for you.

Get the others, Jade ordered. The digidestined need to grow stronger to win. You can't save us both.

I can certainly try.

No, and please send the adults to Gennai. They need to be together in order to help us win against this Darkness. And besides, Tom is coming for me too.

As you wish, Little Princess.

Jade looked away from Piedmon and back at Tai. His mum was standing behind him and Kari, her hands resting on their shoulders, while Michael and Akili were subtly protecting the other children. They were ready to leap in front of them if Piedmon tried to throw another dagger at them. But Tai looked alarmed, his fear easy to see, and Jade apologized with her eyes.

"We'll never let you get away with this!" Tai yelled at the Dark Masters. They laughed at his statement.

"Pixie-Bomb!"

There was a bright flash of light between the Dark Masters and Jade, and the Digidestined. Jade closed her eyes seconds before the flash, and was able to sense the retreating digidestined in the retreating cloaked bubble. There was alarm coming from each of them, mainly from the fact that they were leaving her behind, so Jade send soothing thoughts to them as best as she could. Through Tai she was able to say that it was her idea, and that she wanted her friends to be strong enough to save her.

But we've abandoned you! Tai protested.

If you stayed, you would have died, Jade told him. This way, you can get stronger and end the Dark Masters properly. They've already told me that I will be the last one to die, so that I can watch you all die before me. Please don't make me watch that.

I promise, Tai swore to her. I won't let you watch us die, and we will come back for you.

"How inconvenient," Piedmon muttered. "Don't move, Little Princess, we'll be right back."

Jade watched as they left, explosions echoing from the direction they disappeared into. She closed her eyes and concentrated, and as soon as the Digidestined were discovered she felt Piximon separate the cloaked ball into two smaller balls, one with the children and one with the adults. The adults would make their way to Gennai, and the children would end up somewhere where they could get stronger to combat the Dark Masters. Tai had promised that they would.

Then Piximon died.

The Dark Masters returned to her, and she looked up at them trying to hide her fear. She wondered where Tom was, and why he was taking so long to find her. He may not be able to best the Dark Masters, but she hoped that he would be able to free her and they could retreat together.

"Now what do we do?" Puppetmon asked. "I'm getting bored. Can I play with the Princess?"

"No," Piedmon told him. "We're waiting for one more guest, you all remember Horcruxmon, don't you?"

"He's coming here?" MetalSeadramon asked excitedly. "I can't wait to see the anguish on his face when he truly understands his failure."

"He approaches," Machinedramon stated in a monotone. "Time till arrival…ninety seconds."

"Excellent," Piedmon decreed. "Go wild, just don't kill him. I have plans for him. Other than that, anything goes."

Puppetmon cheered, and the fear within Jade grew. She hoped that Horcruxmon could handle what they threw at him, but with the way they were acting her hope for survival was decreasing every second. And then Horcruxmon burst into the arena with an explosion of sound. Jade knew the moment he landed eyes on her, for the temperature dropped rapidly and his anger made the air thick and heavy.

"Release her," he ordered, ice dripping from his tone.

"No," Piedmon said mockingly. "I don't think we will. Destroy him."

Jade screamed through her gag as three overpowered attacks rushed towards her partner. He managed to dodge most of them, but every position he ended up in resulted in another attack aimed at him. His reaction time wasn't fast enough to dodge every blast, but he was still able to return his own attacks.

Puppetmon was the first knocked back with his right leg blown off, and the little puppet complained at how much work he would need to put into fixing it. MetalSeadramon received a slash to the nose, which caused him to recoil as the bladed attack had pierced the sensitive flesh underneath. Machinedramon remained undamaged, and was able to land the blow that disintegrated Horcruxmon's legs.

No! Jade mentally cried. She fought to get free, ignoring the pain and the fresh blood dripping onto the ground below her. Horcruxmon struggled to move without legs, his red eyes staring up at Jade apologetically. Piedmon landed on the ground just before the dark digimon, a smirk on his lips as he appraised him.

"You were much better than I thought you would be," he praised. "Clearly your work in the Shadow World has done wonders for your strength, but it is too little too late. You will never defeat us, and I know the perfect way to ensure that you never interfere with us again, while at the same time you're able to watch without being able to act."

A white sheet materialized over Horcruxmon, and Jade felt something strain within her mind as the sheet disappeared. Piedmon laughed again and turned back to Jade, revealing a keychain in his open hand. The keychain was of Horcruxmon, missing legs and all. The horror in her eyes as she understood what had happened to her last chance of rescue sent Piedmon into even greater hysterics, his laugh revealing the insanity within his soul.

"You are doomed, Princess!" Piedmon told her. "And you don't even realize how doomed you are! You may have sent your Protectors away to get stronger, but it won't help."

The clown came close to her again, insanity in his eyes as he rested his hand on her head as if she were a pet.

"Our Lord will rise again," he whispered. "And it is he who will free Lord Lucemon. You haven't won anything, and defeating us will only hasten your demise."

As the clown walked away laughing, and the other Dark Masters faded away to the room Jade had been in originally, she felt the last of her hope shatter. She had a suspicion as to who Piedmon was talking about, and really hoped that she was wrong. The 'Lord' the clown spoke of should have been defeated years before Jade had first entered the Digital World. The original digidestined had been tasked with his defeat, and if he was still alive it meant that they had failed.

And this time they might not have the strength to defeat him permanently.

In the silence of the arena, Jade broke down and cried.

I know, it took a really long time for me to get to this point. My only excuse that Real Life forced my muse to run away and I got hooked into different stories on fanfiction, not just digimon. I'm almost ashamed to say that I started to write other digimon stories that probably won't be uploaded until I have finished season 1 of this story. This story is planned out to the end (and currently that is when Voldemort is defeated hint:Goblet of Fire). It's going to take a really long time to get there, but I am so grateful to every person who has reviewed or sent me a PM to keep writing. You guys are amazing!

To reviewers with questions:

Impstar: It's not that he took the form deliberately, it's just that he's spent centuries surrounded by Myotismon's data, so VenomMyotismon is the form that he would take until he could take his "true" form. If he hadn't been defeated he would definitely have ended up with a "grander" design.

EvanderAdvent: It is my intention to get the others to Mega as well, just not all of them. Some of them will have to wait for season 2, but there will be more Mega digivolutions than in the cannon story.

MoonlightBushido: I had been iffy about letting the adults return to the Digital World, as you're right, the mind of an adult is less open. But these adults were digidestined, and they do have digimon partners. In the final episode of season 2 we see all the digidestined as adults in the Digital World with their children, so why can't these adults get that same privilege? Also, Apocalymon was their fight, and they failed. So they need to help fix that. And it is definitely my intention to give Davis more respect. He has such a hard time with the new group, it's unfair.

DalekDavros: You know what, no, I hadn't actually considered that. The timeline difference was just to get Jade to a similar age as Tai and the others, but the line up for both epilogues is pretty cool. I also haven't thought about the Xros Wars episode, though I have seen some clips of it. I'll have to keep it in mind.

Miz636: Thanks for your review, it's the longest that I've gotten in a while and it definitely made my day. I have Hogwarts planned out, and it will be interesting to see how many people can guess what I plan to do, as at the moment no one has gotten it right that I know of. But that's still a while off. I need to get through season 1 first. XD

Next up in Intertwined Destinies:

Chapter 28: The Dark Masters...