Defenders Keep III 

 "Give me my cape Tai. Please." Raven said patiently. He had known that this would come out eventually  and it was better that they know now than later.

"No." Tai said. "Not until you explain yourself.

"Please Tai. Give me my dignity. Return my cape and you have my word,  I will tell you everything about myself." 

"N-no." Tai stammered uncertainly.

Suddenly Shadowmon swooped past Tai and grabbed the cape from his  hands. 

"Thank you, Tai." He said gently, folding it over his arm. "How'd it go?" > 

"Not good." Shadowmon said settling into a tree. "He got away."

"What did he look like?" Izzy asked reaching for his computer.

"A bowling ball with bat wings." 

"Damn. Demidevimon." Raven grunted sliding into a sitting position. "This is definitely not good." 

"Why not?" Tai asked hunching beside me. 

"And didn't Myotismon eat him back in the real world?" Mimi said.

"I take it bat boy got a good look at you?"

"I nearly roasted him twice. Guess I messed up, huh?" Shadowmon said meekly

"Don't worry about it. I just got some unplanned downtime." He said  coughing up blood. 

"What is it?" Shadowmon asked. 

"Vipermon venom." He said casually, as though his life was of nominal importance in the grand design. 

"I'm interested to know what makes this vipermon venom so inimitable ?" Izzy asked curiously.

"Once it enters the body, the venom changes forms constantly so it's  impossible to form an antitoxin." Shadowmon snapped worriedly. "What  could have possessed you do that?" 

"I'm tired of death." Raven replied cryptically as he leaned against the tree. "Please, don't let this spoil your appetites. Eat up." 

"Is there anything we can do about that venom?" Joe asked. 

"Joe, if I was anything other than what I am, I'd probably be dead  already. Don't worry." Raven said trying to focus on who was sitting  where. The young girl, what was her name? Katie? No. "Kari right?" 

"Yes." She said looking perplexed.

"Can you bring me my bag? It's right... right..."

 "Right where, Raven?" Izzy said. "Focus."

"Behind?" He muttered closing his eyes. 

"Here it is." Kari said bringing the simple black backpack around and  crouching by Tai. "What do you need?" 

"I... can't..." Raven muttered. His brain was on fire. 

"What were you thinking?" Izzy said taking Joe's place beside  Raven. "You offered us dinner." 

"Dinner." Raven said drawing back on the cool canteen of water Izzy  provided. "Salad, I could really go for a salad. Too bad there's no  dressing. Joe said... Joe said..."

"We know what Joe said." Izzy said gently. "Then what?" 

"Field dressing." Raven said taking another mouthful of water. "Not  good for salads, but I should clean up this arm. Did that dart have a  serrated tip? Oh I can't remember. I've got alcohol and bandages in  my bag. Oh who's closest? Tai's sister , the young one, what's her  name? Katie, Kallie? Damn it, I've watched them for years and I can't remember a simple name like.. Kari." Raven paused to take  another mouthful of water as Izzy nodded to Tai, who rolled back  Raven's sleeve to reveal a ragged gash where he had ripped the dart out. As he applied alcohol to the bloody ragged wound, Raven hissed in pain.

"We're all interested to know exactly what you are, Raven." Izzy said deftly drawing Raven's attention away from the pain. 

"And I am honor bound to tell you." Raven said drawing a ragged  breath. "Has anyone eaten anything yet?" 

"How can you think about food at a time like this?" Mimi exploded.

"I'm not thinking about food. I'm thinking of all of you. I don't start my  story until everyone gets some food." Raven said firmly leaving no room for argument.

"All right." Mimi grumbled as the others shot her dirty looks.

"I'm afraid I don't have any plates." Raven said closing his eyes.

"We can use leaves." Palmon said. Izzy moved to stand up when Sora  brought him a leaf with a roasted fish and a foil wrapped potato.  Izzy nodded in thanks. Ever the mother hen. He thought. 

"Kari can you hand me that ointment there?" Tai asked. 

"How bad is it Tai?" Raven fought to force the words out. 

"Pretty shredded." Tai said as he smeared some antibacterial ointment on the wound. "Why don't you get some food Kari? I can handle this." 

Kari nodded and turned, but as if on cue, TK presented her with a  sloppy but effective leaf plate. "Thanks TK." 

"Here lil' bro'." Matt said handing him a leaf of his own. 

"Kari. At the bottom of the bag..."

"What am I looking for?" She asked. 

"Paper..." Raven said weakly. 

She looked perplexed for a moment then did as he asked. "I found it." She said unwrapping a plain brown wrapper. Inside were  twenty-four six-inch long pieces of sugar cane. 

"That's it." Tai said making a last pass with an ace bandage. 

"Thank you, Tai. One less thing to worry about." Raven replied as  Mimi sat down. "There's some cups in the bag for the drinks." He  handed Tai the canteen he had brought back from the river. "And now  to my tale." 

"Wait Raven." Sora said placing a leaf in his lap. 

"Thank you Sora. You're a dear." He said as Izzy tipped more water  down his parched throat. "By now you've surmised from the wings, I am  an angel." 

"You don't conform to the stereotypical image of an angel." Izzy said. 

"Chubby little kid with wings, right?" Raven asked. 

"Well, yes." 

 "Damn cherubim." Raven muttered with a smile. "I want you to take everything you think you know abut religion and God and forget it. It's all wrong."

"And I expect you're going to set us right?" Tai sneered.

"Yes, but tell me something Tai. How did you know?"

"Your attitude. You have this whole too good to be true aura that got me thinking. When you saved Mimi, I saw a flash of your wings. That on top of of everything else made up my mind."

Raven nodded slowly. "Very good. I didn't think you of all people would get it that fast. I shouldn't have underestimated you. Now to my story. The Christian bible says that the world was created from a void."

"It didn't happen like that?" Matt said wryly.

"Not even remotely. The universe started with a war that is still being waged to this day. A war between the forces of Chaos and Order. The war raged until it stalemated resulting in the first balance and the creation of all that is."

"Fascinating." Izzy said. "The imposition of Order by a higher power and the destruction of Chaos."

"Chaos was never- can never- truly be destroyed. It has a life force all it's own. It changes, grows, warps and shifts into whatever it wants to accomplish it's goal."

"Which is?" Joe asked.

"No one knows, not even the Alpha's." Raven said frowning.

"What's an alfalfa?" TK asked stumbling over the word.

"An alpha," Raven said carefully pronouncing the word for the younger boy. "are the first beings that would later be known as angels, each representing something that had been spawned by the war. Life, death, love, light, hope, vengeance, justice, joy, power, and the Prime Alpha who would later become known as God."

"What about Lucifer?" Sora asked. "Wasn't he cast out?"

"No!" Raven exploded more sharply than he intended to. "Lucifer elected to leave to maintain the balance. Angels are not strictly good or 'bad'. Some may favor one extreme over the other. Lucifer and the other volunteers left Heaven to live in the newly forming Earth, anchoring it together underground in the molten rock. They weren't 'banished' or any of that other ballyhoo."

"What about angels?" Mimi asked. "What kind of angel are you?"

"There're several types  of angels. You have your archangels, God's top lieutenants. When they  speak, their word is as good as His." 

"Are you one of them?" Tai asked returning from the fire with another  helping of fish. 

"No. They have plenty of power but they're just like normal people.  Then you've got your cherubim. The oldest of them is about your age,  TK.." 

"What do they do?" TK. asked. 

Raven smiled and closed his eyes. "They're the ones that make heaven  a happy place. All they do is play all day, and in heaven a day can  be as short as a heartbeat or as long an eternity." 

"Well, you're too old to be one of those." Matt said. 

"Am I?" Raven said slowly chewing on a bit of fish with a mischievous gleam in his eye. 

"Well, logically they never get to leave heaven, right?" Izzy said. 

"With the exception of Cupid, you're right Izzy. No cherubim has ever  left heaven, so I can't be one of those." Raven swallowed some water  before continuing. "Then you've got your seraphim, the messenger  angels. And no, Sora I'm not a seraphim." 

"Can angels read minds?" Joe asked. "I mean, you gave us that little  demonstration earlier." 

"No we don't read minds." Raven said chewing up another bit of  fish. "Those were just suppositions based on what I know of you and your actions. And to answer your question Izzy, Gennai told me." 

"Actually." Kari said around a mouthful of potato, "that was my  question." 

"See, I'm not perfect." Raven said finishing his fish and turning his  attention to his potato. "Now that I've told you what I'm not let me  tell you what I am. First, I'm an angel of Death." He swallowed and  opened his eyes to gauge the other's reaction. Tai looked shocked.  TK. and Kari looked puzzled. 

"Well..." Sora said. 

"Ah, certainly explains the taste in clothes." Mimi said nervously. 

"Did you ever kill anyone?" Matt asked bluntly. 

"No. Angels of Death were- are strictly escorts. Going from living to  dead is quite traumatic and most souls don't want to make the change.  My kind are strictly for comfort."

"But you're not an angel of Death anymore, are you?" Kari asked. 

"No, not anymore." He said sadly, erupting into a coughing fit and spitting up blood. After carefully wiping the blood away, Raven  continued. "I got an order I couldn't execute. An order to kill. It was a little girl  about your age Kari."

"But I thought you just had to escort them." Tai said. 

"Usually yes. But this job had an entirely new set of circumstances  that I'd never seen before or since." Raven said. 

"What kind of circumstances?" Kari asked.

"I can't tell you. I'm honor bound to secrecy, even as I am honor  bound to tell you this." He paused to take a painful rattling breath  and draw back on more water. "For disobeying orders, I was the first and only angel cast out  of heaven."

"A fallen angel." Sora said. "A denizen of hell." 

Raven nodded. "Heaven and Hell are having a little fight and mortals  are caught smack dab in the middle, again for the sake of the Great Balance. Based on their intentions at the  moment of death souls are ferried to one or the other. Hells angels  warp good intentions into bad ones and black angels-" 

"Black angels?" Joe asked.

"It's a generic term for a fallen angel, but more specifically it  applies to fallen angels of death. Black angels do kill." Raven  explained. "I refused and was cast out of hell."

 "Oh gee." Matt said quietly a rare sliver of emotion showing through his icy facade.

 "You sure got moved a lot." Sora said. "Through no fault of my own, I assure you." Raven said, his chuckle  degenerating into a vicious painful cough which Izzy quieted with his  own canteen of water. "Thank you. So, barred from heaven and hell, I  was forced to become an earthbound angel .I traded in most of my  powers, keeping only my speed and agility, small energy manipulation,  my wings, and The Sense." 

"What's The Sense?" TK. asked. 

"It's two fold. First it still lets me sense and commune with angels.  I can even see the outline of an angel of death." 

"Is that why you kept staring at me?" Sora asked. "It was giving me the creeps." 

"Perhaps." Raven said. "The second use of The Sense got a little  warped, but I've found it useful." 

"How do you mean?" Mimi asked. 

"As an angel, I could touch a person or possession and know beyond a  shadow of a doubt the circumstances of their death. As an earthbound,  I found that instead of that finality, it changes so I see what fits  the most likely probability. I've found I can change fate." 

"That's what happened with my hat." Mimi said recognition dawning in  her eyes. 

"Yes. Would you like to see how it ends now?" 

"Um... Okay." She said. 

"Give me your hand." Raven said. 

 Mimi complied and gasped as an image of a wrinkled old woman laying  in a pink bed flashed into her mind. "Was that me?" She asked gasping  as she let go. 

"Mmm hmm." Raven said. "Looks like you die peacefully in your sleep  of old age if nothing changes." 

 "But things are always changing." She complained.  

"'Fraid so." Izzy said. "It's probably changing now." 

"Was that why you wanted you us off the beach?" Tai asked. 

Raven nodded finishing off his potato. "If you had camped on that beach, one of you wouldn't have seen the sunrise." 

"Which one?" Sora said paling. 

"No one should know their own fate." Raven said. 

"Who was it?" She growled grabbing his shirt and hauling him into a  semi-standing position.

"Sora!" Izzy shouted springing to his feet and trying separate them  with no effect. 

"You already know." Raven said calmly, though he was impressed at her  strength. 

"I want to hear it from you." She snarled shaking him. 

"As you wish. It was you Sora." 

Sora stared in shock as Raven's shirt slipped from her numb fingers.  Izzy hastily helped Raven slide back into his seat. 

 "No! No, no, no, no, no!" She sobbed beating on his chest before  breaking down into racking sobs. "I'm too young to die." 

Raven sat calmly absorbing the blows though each one set off bolt  after bolt of fresh pain. When she finished, he calmly wrapped his  wings around her. "Shush. You're not going to die." 

"Yes I am." Her sobs were muffled by Raven's feathers. "You can't  fight death." 

"Yes you can." Raven said stroking her hair despite the protests of  his own aching body. "You can't fight it indefinitely, but you can  fight."

"Really?" She sniffled looking up at him. 

"I give you my word. Your life is your own, so live and die on your  own terms." 

 "All right," Sora said drying her eyes. "But if I die, I'm going to  kill you."

"Fair enough." Raven said joining the others in a mild  laugh. "Besides nothing annoys Death more than a stubborn refusal to  expire." He took a draught of water before continuing. "I've already  intervened on your behalf." 

"On the beach." Kari said. "I felt..." She trailed off uncertainly. 

"I felt someone walk over my grave." Sora said. "Twice." 

"When?" Raven prompted.

"When you got us away from the beach." She said slowly  realizing. "What's out there?" 

"I've never seen it myself, but Gennai calls it a Krakenmon." Raven  said. "A large underwater digimon with an attitude." 

"Mr. Caine?" 

"Yes, TK?" 

"What's your name?"

"Well TK, an old teacher of mine once told me, 'If you have to lie,  tell the truth.' Do you understand?" 

"No." T.K. looked puzzled." 

"The name of Raven Caine is close to my real name. Raven is the truth, and Caine is the lie." 

"I still don't understand." T.K. said looking petulant. 

"Think about it and you will." Raven assured him. 

"What are you?" Kari asked.

"Hmm?" 

"Do you favor good or bad?"

"I'm a neutral. I prefer to observe, as I've observed all of you for the past two years. I've seen you destroy Etemon,  Devimon, Myotismon, the Dark Masters, and Apoclymon. I saw you make it home only to choose to return here and finish what you had started. But this is the real reason I was here." He said tapping the black digivice. "I was there the night you were chosen for your crests. You  were, of course, all much younger then so I doubt you'd remember. The  next day Gennai approached me and requested my help. I gave it freely  and spent the next few years preparing. I kept tabs on all of of you  and when I heard about the strange goings on at camp I knew the time  had come."

"Come for what?" Joe asked. "And what's so important about that digivice? And why come to us now?"

"Gennai can explain himself that in the morning." Raven said closing  his eyes 

"Are you sure you can survive that venom?" Izzy asked. "It could kill  you." 

"No it can't." Raven said with a smile. "Angels can not be destroyed  unless they freely and knowingly give up their immortality. They  can't be tricked out if or coerced, or forced in any way. And I never  gave mine up." 

"What if an angel were tricked or forced?" Tai said.

"Null and void. The angel is still immortal. This does complicate  things slightly. Certain parties don't know exactly what I am yet,  but if I survive that's going to push their suspicions through the  roof."  Raven explained. "Everyone done with dinner?" Murmurs of  assent rippled through the group. "Well try some dream berry juice.  It's good stuff. Half a cup full will have you sleeping like a baby  all night."

 "I'll take a cup." Izzy said. "I haven't had a good nights sleep in  weeks." 

 "Here you go." Tai said handing Izzy a small metal cup filled halfway  up. 

"Are you sure this diminutive quantity will have the desired  soporific effect?" Izzy asked dubiously. 

"Say what?" Mimi asked taking a cup of her own. 

"Will this little bit put me to sleep?" Izzy translated. 

"Trust me Izzy. You'll be out like a light in no time." Raven said  taking a cup of his own. "The juice tastes different to everyone."  Raven explained taking a small sip. "Ah. Perfect as always." 

"Mine tastes like a sweet syrup." Tai said making a face. 

"Better add water." Raven said. "How about yours Izzy?" 

"Rather good, almost carbonated." Izzy said. "I rather like it." 

"Good, good. Sora what about you?"

Sora closed her eyes and took a sip. "Heavenly. No pun intended." 

"Very good." Raven said as he saw Kari pull a piece of sugar cane  from the bundle. "Problem Kari?" 

"No." Kari said biting down on one end of the cane and stirring with  it. Taking a sip, she brightened. "Not anymore." 

"Can you pass me some water?" Mimi asked. "This tastes very sweet to  me." 

"Mine tastes fine." Matt said, leaning against a tree and pulling out  his harmonica.

 "Ack! This tastes like battery acid." Joe complained. 

"Bite and stir." Kari said tossing him a piece of sugar cane. 

"How's yours T.K.?" Raven asked, looking across the fire to see T.K  carefully warming his cup. 

"Whatcha up to lil bro'?" Matt asked before starting a mellow tune on  his harmonica. 

"Just thought I'd have something warm." T.K. said taking a cautious  sip. 

Raven looked over at Kari who was having a conversation with Sora.  Without missing a beat, she grabbed a piece of sugar cane, and  flicked it across the fire where it dropped into TK's waiting hand.

"How'd you-?" Tai, Sora, and Matt asked simultaneously.

"Just had a hunch." Kari said.

"Just knew." T.K. shrugged.

 Ten minutes later the camp was silent, save for the deep steady  breathing of the digidestined. Raven was woken by a violent coughing  fit. Satisfied that it had passed without disturbing the others, he  raised his arm and pushed a button on his digivice.

"Gennai it's me. I found them, but I've got to disappear. Can you  find me a place to go to ground for a while? I need food, water, and  above all secrecy. You owe them an explanation. It's time they know  the truth. Tomorrow." He exhaled sharply and touched another button > to send the message. Then he nestled into his fathers and dozed off.

Tomorrow they would know all.