Defender's Keep VII

"GOOD MORNING DIGIDESTINED!" Gennai shouted.

Izzy opened one eye before going back to sleep. T.K. and Kari nestled deeper into Raven's feathers while Raven himself made a disparaging remark about early risers that would best not be repeated here.

The others were shocked awake immediately. "Hey Gennai, what's the big idea?" Matt asked.

"Hey Raven why is it I pop in twice in two days and both days these kids are out like lightmon?"

"Maybe you just show up too early."

"And maybe you got them drunk on dream berry juice." He retorted. "On your feet everyone. Places to go and crests to find. My congratulations to Joe, by the way."

"Wow." Gomamon said. "Now I can digivolve to the extreme stage."

"Let's not be in any great rush." Joe said. "No need to ask for trouble." Especially if I'm not there. He finished silently.

"Kari." Raven said. "Go say goodbye to Tai."

"Do I have to?" She yawned petulantly.

"Yes. You can go back to sleep once they're gone. I want to talk to Sora alone."

"All right." She muttered standing up. 

"And take T.K. with you." Raven said bouncing a small rock of Sora's leg.

"What is it?" She mumbled. 

"A final reading before you go."  He said. As he took her hand his mind was flooded with an image of Sora's broken body crushed beneath a tree. "Timber."

The image had shocked the last vestiges of sleep from Sora. "Tell me about it. You look like death himself."

"I'm better looking." Raven quipped. "Stay away from trees in lightning storms."

"Are you sure Tai will be able to protect me?"

"Sora, courage and love have both been known to override common sense separately." Raven said. "Together Tai would probably brave Hell itself for you and vice versa without batting an eye."

"Okay." Sora said slightly reassured. "Besides, how soon could I possibly get into a forest?"

"Sooner than you think Sora." Gennai said. "Mimi's crest of sincerity is in a forest about two miles from here. If you leave now, you can make it there in a couple of hours."

"Does that include rest breaks?" Palmon asked yawning.

"Who's the guardian?" Sora asked.

"A particularly bad seed called Cherrymon." Gennai said. "He may not seem like much, but his stock and trade are lies. That's why he's so dangerous. He has the power to destroy Mimi's crest."

Mimi nodded. "I'll be careful." she said yawning. 

"All right." Gennai said. "Pack it up and clear it out. Visiting hours are over."

"Goodbye Tai." Kari said with a tear running down her face.

"Hey don't cry." Tai said. "It's only twelve days. We'll be back together in a flash."

"You know what, " Matt said. "I can't shake the feeling there's something important about today. Like, oh I dunno a certain someone turning nine."

"But we don't know anyone who turns nine today do we?" Raven said going along with the joke. 

"I do." T.K. said. "I'm nine today."

"No, I don't think so." Kari said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she dropped T.K a sly wink. "Izzy do you know anyone like that."

"Negative." Izzy replied. "I know of no one matching those parameters. Gennai?"

"Hmm. Nine years old today you say? Maybe it's in a prophecy."

"I'm nine!" T.K. squealed laughing.

"Of course." Matt said. "How could I be so stupid? Happy ninth T.K.!" Matt said ruffling his little brothers hair. "You know what I'm gonna do for your birthday?"

"What?"

"I'm going to leave you alone. I don't even want you to think about what I'd do. This is your time T.K. Enjoy it."

"Really Matt?"

"Sure thing little guy." He said pulling T.K.'s hat back on. "You're sprouting like a weed. I won't be able to call you little for much longer."

"Happy birthday, T.K." Tai said crouching down to hug him. Leaning in close he whispered, "Can you keep an eye on Kari for me big guy?"

T.K. nodded. "Sure thing." He said.

Near the mouth of the cave, Matt was having a similar conversation with Kari. "Can you keep an eye on T.K. for me?" He whispered.

"Sure." She said shrugging. She would never admit it but she was going to do that anyway.

"Thanks" Matt said standing up.

Izzy met them at the mouth of the cave. "I don't know what disappoints me more, your lack of faith in me, or your failure to notice the obvious."

"What do you mean, Izzy?" Matt asked.

"You each just asked one to watch the other. That in and of itself speaks poorly of my child care skills. What makes it worse is it's unnecessary. Those two like each other. I wouldn't call it love yet, but one day you two are going to be brothers in law." 

"You really think so?" Tai asked.

"I'd bet my computer on it." Izzy said pulling Tai into a hug. "I'm gonna miss you guys."

"Me too." Tai said squeezing him. 

"Hey," Izzy said hugging Matt. "Don't get dead."

"Sure won't man." Matt said squeezing his friend. "Don't have to many adventures without us."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Izzy said smiling.

"You guys stay safe." Raven called as T.K. and Kari curled up in his wings. "I'd hate to have my ex-employer look you guys up. He's worse than a IRS audit."

"Sure thing man." Matt said. "You just get well."

"Yeah." Tai said. "This trip is just starting to get interesting."

"All right, all right!" Izzy said. "He's still sick and I'm still tired. Twelve days." He said hustling them all out of the cave."

"See you Izzy."

"See you soon Joe." Izzy said staring him in the eye.

"Hey Gennai, any word on Stephan?"

"I'm working on it, so you can get some rest."

"I intend to."

"Say what did you, Tai and Sora do last night? The energy levels of their crests dropped, spiked, and then leveled out in perfect sync. And your personal energy level almost bottomed out. I've never seen anything like it." Raven explained briefly about binding Tai and Sora. "You shouldn't have expended your energy like that." Gennai said frowning. "You're data here. If you burn off your energy before you get more..."

"Relax Gennai." Raven muttered. "I have no intentions of being a self deletion. Tai needs to understand what Sora means to him and Sora needs a bodyguard. Now if you don't mind." He finished dozing off.

"Will he be all right?" Izzy asked yawning.

"Well he is immortal, but the venom is changing very rapidly now. He's fighting against the clock, and the clock is winning."

Izzy was about to respond when a crunching sound made him whip his head towards Raven., who had a crushed rock in his bleeding left hand. "His muscle spasms are getting worse."

"We should move the children. They could be seriously hurt."

"They're as safe there as anywhere." Gatomon said. "There's something between them that protects Kari and, by association, T.K.. I know they're safe but don't ask me how I know. I just know."

"All right." Izzy said, wetting his handkerchief and wiping the blood and grit out of Raven's hand.

"Good luck." Gennai said fading out.

"We'll need it." Izzy said. "Come on in, Joe."

"How-" Joe began shooting a look at Raven.

"No, Raven didn't tell me." Izzy said. "I'm a habitually light sleeper. T.K. kept squirming under Raven's wing and the feathers tickled my face. That's how I heard everything."

"Oh. I'd better dress that wound." Joe said digging supplies out of Raven's bags.

"So how'd you get away?"

"I slipped my digivice into Mimi's bag last night, then I told them I was going to use the bushes. They're too drunk to notice for a while."

"You know that Gomamon can't digivolve without you and the others have no way of contacting you."

"I know." He said as finished wrapping Raven's hand. "That's how I want it. If you need me I'll be in a small cave up the slope, behind the thorn bushes."

"Why don't you stay here?" Izzy said. "The kids don't take up much space and-"

"No." Joe said flatly. "I have to work something out. Alone."

"Joe." Izzy said grabbing the taller boy's arm. "You're my best friend. If there's anything I can do to help, I'm here for you."

Joe nodded and disappeared up the trail.

~*~

A half a world away a weary Stephan landed only to start walking.

"I wouldn't even be out her if it wasn't for Raven." He mumbled. "I don't even know where I am." He fumed slumping down at the base of a tree.

"That's easy." A quiet voice said. "You are where you are."

"Who said that?" Stephan asked jumping to his feet and gripping his cane like a baseball bat. "Show yourself you little Zen master!"

"There is no need for anger." The voice said as a white kabuki mask with emerald eyes floated around the tree to face Stephan.

"Okay." Stephan said drawing a deep breath. "Besides the obvious fact that you are a disembodied kabuki mask, what are you?"

"I am a digital monster or digimon for short. I am called Nijamon."

"Well Nijamon." Stephan said sinking to a sitting position again. "I'm Stephan. I used to be an angel, but now I'm not sure what I am."

"I know who you are, and I know we are meant to be together."

"Why?"

"This world, the digital world is not without its dangers." Nijamon said. "I exist to protect you. Do you have a digivice?"

"A digiwhat?"

"I'll take that as a no." Nijamon mused. "You are behind. You'll need a digivice, a crest, a tag to hold it, then there's your cloak, and your ring and your-"

Steve held up a hand. "Is there any chance all of my toys are in one place?"

Nijamon thought a moment. "No way, Jose."

"You know this 'digital world' better than I do. Where would be the best place to start?"

"There might be a clue at Defender's Arch." Nijamon said. "It's about fifty miles from here."

"I'm beat. We can start tomorrow." Stephan said wrapping his white wings around himself.

"As you wish." Nijamon said.

~*~

"Des'! This is the fifth time you've been suspended for fighting." Faith Castillano said.

"I know, lil sis." Destiny Castillano said. "But that Foxe... oooh! Just thinking about her makes my blood boil.'

"She plays mind games sis." Faith said. "She fights with her head as well as her fists."

"What steams me is she gets a dusting on her records-"

"And the backhoe on yours?" Faith asked. "It doesn't look good when you pull out sharp objects. Hell,  I didn't even know you still had that boot knife."

"I haven't had to use it since that time the school bully put glue in your hair." Destiny laughed a moment before sobering. "Mom's going to go postal. What do you think this one will rate?"

"One to five, five being the worst, four point seven, I'd say. If they  had left you together a while longer maybe you'd have hospitalized her."

"Again." Destiny said. "Look, I don't want to think about Foxe Martinez, or ten day suspensions, or any of that. I just want to get home, get out of this dorky uniform and hit the asphalt."

"Race ya!" Faith said exploding in a burst of speed.

"Why you little rodent!" Destiny cried breaking into a run

~*~

Foxe Martinez lay on her bed with an ice pack nursing a bruised jaw. If nothing else, Destiny Castillano had a wicked right cross.

Changing out of her uniform, Foxe pulled on a pair of jean shorts and a white t-shirt, and a pair of hikers. "I'm going out, dad." She called. "Be back in a few hours."

"All right Foxe. Be careful."

"Always." She called shouldering her bag and slipping out the door.

Ten minutes later Foxe was alone on a wilderness trail. She had ten whole days to think up some new torment and this was as good a place as any. 

Foxe didn't really have anything against Destiny,  but when she got to going on about her mother, it just made her so furious. Her own mother had died when she was born so the only parent she had ever known was her father, not that he wasn't great but it just wasn't the same. 

Foxe reached for her bag when a flash of light in the corner of her eye caught  her attention. About a hundred feet away the subdues shadows of the forest were shattered by a brilliant beam of light

"Hello. What have we here?" She murmured to herself shouldering her bag and striding quickly to the beam of light. "Definitely paranormal." She mused looking at the the device in the middle of the beam. "Let's see. Strange beam of light, mysterious device. I'd be crazy to reach in there and take it." She thought aloud. 

"Mental instability must be in mom's side of the family." She said grabbing the device...

And screaming as she was pulled up to the sky.

~*~

"Do you have any smokes?" Destiny asked.

"You know I'm not supposed to smoke because of my asthma." Faith said.

"And that's never stopped you. Hand 'em over."

"Damn. Don't you trust me?" Faith said handing over a pack of generic cigarettes.

"Sis, I don't trust anyone. You wanna go for ice cream?"

"Sure." Faith said dropping her skateboard at the top of the hill. "Graveyard Run. Loser buys."

"You're on!" Destiny said launching her own board down the hill.

"Cheater!" Faith said plunging down Cemetery Road after her sister.

"What the-" Destiny stopped suddenly only to lurch forward as Faith  hit her from behind.

"What's the- whoa!" She exclaimed staring at the mysterious pillar of light. "What do you make of it?"

"I dunno." Destiny said. "But it look's like there's something in the middle."

"Don't touch that! It could suck into some strange parallel world."

"Faith that's got to be the dumbest thing I've ever heard." Destiny said grabbing the device.

Then Faith grabbed Destiny as she was sucked into the sky.