"So, how long has it been?" Eric looked at his watch/communicator which continued to count the time, oblivious to everything around it. "Lets see.... how many worlds have we been through in the last.... week and a half?" "Well," Sora said, flopped on the grass, exhausted, "there was the Bubblegum Digimon world, as dubbed by Lopmon. Seeing Mimi, Hikari, Miyako and myself as the Knight Sabers was something else." "Glad we got out of that world before it became a bloodbath," Lopmon remarked. "What did we dub the other world as?" "Um.... Digi-Earth, where everyone we met was a chosen child in some form or matter." Ken said. He was leaning on the tree, hair plastered to his face, days of dirt, soreness and tiredness clearly shown on his face. "That world was too tiring," Wormmon said. A long two months had passed the small group, having been traveling the lands of Digi-earth. The Fellowship whom they had accompanied from Rivendell had consisted of Taichi Baggins, Sora Gamgee, Daisuke Took and Koushiro Brandybuck, the hobbits. Then there was an alternate Ken, this one being known as Ken, son of Arathorn who was romantically entangled with Miyako Undomiel, the daughter of Jyou Halfelven. The rest of the party was stranger enough, with Susan, Lady of Gondor, a girl they had never heard of named Ruki the Elf from the forests of Mirkwood, Eric the Dwarf (a fact that sent people into giggles as the Dwarven version of Eric tried to teach the human Eric how to fight with an axe at every chance he could. It was well quoted by Eric, Son of Gloin that he said, "You were made to wield an axe, not a nansy little sword like that. Or even a bow for that matter." Which would quickly provoke a three way argument between the sword users, the female elf and both Erics). The last member was old Gennai, bent and carrying a sword called Glamdring. He was their leader throughout the first part of the journey. The travelers were given elven swords, long and graceful as well upon leaving Imaldris. Ken and Sora rarely relied on them but it was quite the help during fights, especially during the fight in the Mines. After the tragedy in Moria, after Old Gennai fell into Shadow fighting Demon, they had reached the woods of Lothlorien. There they had met more people, some of them recognizable from California as Kyle, and a strange elven version of Chuck of England along with a few other elves that apparently had French accents to them. The small group of elves lead them to the heart of Lothlorien, mostly blindfolded. There, they had met Lord Takeru and Lady Hikari, strangely appropriate substitutes for Lord Celeborn and Galadriel, Lady of Light. It was soon afterwards, a month later of mourning for Gennai that they had returned to the quest. It was then that they were whisked to another world, never to see them again as their boat had vanished with them in it. The boat of Lothlorien was sitting in a nearby fountain currently. "At least we got some things to help us on the way," Sora said, picking at her dusty Elven Cloak and adjusting the long hilted Elven Sword that hung from her belt. "We're going to have to hide these swords you know." "Stupid sword laws," Eric grumbled. "It keeps us safe," Ken replied, amused. Eric sighed and peered into his bags. His face scrunched up in a scowl. "I do believe we're out of food save for some Lembas from Lothlorien." "Great, I don't feel like surviving on Lembas for the rest of the trip," Lopmon grumbled. "At the rate you and Wormmon eat those things, we'll be out in two more days." Sora put in. "What did Ruki say; one bite can fill a grown man's stomach? And how many did you two eat?" Wormmon went pink. "I only ate five! Lopmon ate seven!" "Anyone want to find a public washroom to clean up?" Eric asked, leaning back on the tree. One hand was still curled around his elven sword, live steel in case he lost the ability for his sword to appear from his D-3. "It looks like we're not leaving this world for a while." "No," the others ground out in unison. "We're happy sitting here," Ken added. "Besides, once we get up, something is bound to happen in this world," Sora said. "No thank you." "Fine." ------------------------------ D^3 : Digital Diaries Dimentions Variations 1.4 : Lost Ones and Family Disclaimer : All characters belong to their owners. And if you don't like it, shaddup and let me write. ------------------------------- Thump. Eric blinked as he sat up. "Did you hear that?" "What?" The others chorused. Thump. Thump. "Sounds like a car stereo," Eric said. Thump Thump Thump. "Catchy beat," Wormmon remarked. Thump Thump Thump Thump "POSITRON LASER!" A building exploded in a flash of energy, raining debris in a shower of twisted steel and melted glass. "Not him again!" Lopmon exclaimed, looking up where Imperial Dramon hovered menacingly overhead. "I've about had enough of this guy!" "He's got more lives than a cat!" Wormmon added. "I thought we killed him a few worlds back!" "He's back, obviously," Ken said, standing up. "We should really stop him." "Right. Lopmon, you ready?" "I can't," Lopmon said from the ground. "I'm so hungry..." "Argh," Eric growled, picking up his partner. "Ken, is Wormmon still hungry?" When he didn't get a reply, he waved his hand across Ken's face. "Ken? Hellooo?" "I think we're in good hands, Eric," Sora said, pointing to where Ken was staring. Eric turned to see six kids run down the road, digimon in their arms or following close behind. His eyes bugged out. "Daisuke and company? Are we home then?" "I don't think so," Ken said. "Look." As the chosen across the park evolved their digimon, there was a black haired boy in a tan sweater and pants. He had a Wormmon that evolved to Stingmon. "Who's that?" Sora asked. "Akiyama Ryo," Ken said. "But he doesn't have a Wormmon." A blast ripped over the land, impacting several meters away. Sora winced as rubble rained down on them. "Lets get out of here, preferably out of the line of fire." Eric and Ken nodded as they ran for cover. ----------------------------- "XV-mon!" "Stingmon!" "Jogress Evolve!" The pair merged into a half insect, half dragon creature with weapon pods. "Paildramon! Desperado Blaster!" Imperial Dramon was showered by blasts as their partners watched from below. "Yeah, go for it Paildramon!" Daisuke shouted. "They should beat him, right, Ryo?" "I don't know," Ryo replied. "Imperial Dramon is an ultimate. Paildramon is a perfection, a strong one yes, but not invincible." "Should the rest of us Jogress then?" Takeru asked Ryo. "I think it would be for the best. Go for it," Ryo said. Two sets of digimon jogressed with a flash and joined the battle as the huge Shakkoumon and the small Silphymon joined the fight. Imperial Dramon fired his Positron Laser as Shakkoumon was hard pressed to absorb it all. Steam hissed from his ears as he advanced on Imperial Dramon. "Shakkoumon, hit him now!" Takeru shouted as Shakkoumon loosed his eye beams. Imperial Dramon staggered a bit but did not fall as he aimed and fired again. The battle raged on when finally, Paildramon got a lucky shot in, gouging one of Imperial Dramon's eyes. He bellowed in pain and with the oath of "I'll be back!", he vanished into thin air. "Well, that's something you don't see every day," Miyako remarked. Ryo nodded absently as he checked his watch. "Damnit! I gotta go guys, gotta help my bro!" He scooped up the now devolved Minomon and rushed off. "See you later!" ------------------------------- Ken opened the door, noting that his key still worked. "I guess some things don't change over the universes," he remarked as he let Sora and Eric inside. "Lets clean up before heading out again." "Can we get some food, Ken-chan?" Wormmon asked, his belly growling. "Sure. Just stay out of sight of mom. We don't know if I'm a chosen in this world since Ryo is around." Slipping off his shoes and ditching the backpack, elven cloak and elven sword acquired from Digi-earth, Ken made a sharp right turn and headed into the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of running water was heard. "I suppose we can relax for a while," Sora said, plopping down into the nearest easy chair. "Yeah," Eric said, sitting down as well. "Lopmon, Wormmon, you guys can go and get some food." "You saying something, Eric?" Lopmon asked, his mouth full of food. Wormmon sat at the table, eating food like he was half starved. Eric sighed as he leaned back on the chair as Sora curled up in a light slumber. Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a wafer of Lembas, unwrapped it from the golden leaf and bit into the delicate yet filling food. Lopmon looked up and made a face. "Hey, Eric, stop eating the Lembas or we'll run out before the travels are over." Eric put away the food as he unhooked the leaf broach of his elven cloak, setting it aside to shed the cloak he wore. "I'm gonna do some laundry. I'm sure Ken won't mind." ----------------------------- Osamu looked up at the sound of water running. "Strange," he remarked. "Ryo shouldn't be back by now." Pushing the door open, he wheeled out into the living room and blinked at the pair who was sleeping on the couch. His gaze then went to Wormmon and Lopmon who slept soundly on the table, full and content. Then, the bathroom door opened and out came a ghost from the past. Osamu went sheet white. "Ken?" Osamu whispered. Ken froze as he looked up from toweling off his hair. He trembled, disbelieving who he saw before himself. "Osamu?" A long pause was heard before the pair of Ichijoji brothers flew into each others arms, tears streaming down their faces. "Don't you ever leave me again, Ken," Osamu whispered. "Osamu," Ken whimpered as he sobbed freely. The door then opened as Ryo walked in. "Hey, bro, what's going... on?" he stared dumbly at the pair of Ichijoji's who wept and scratched his head. ----------------------------- "And that's what happened for the last month or so," Ken finished, sipping at a glass of water. "Since then, we've been trying to get home." "Wow, that's just totally unbelievable," Ryo said shaking his head. "But it explains a lot why Ken is here." Freshly cleaned and their clothing laundered, Eric shook his head. "The day gets weirder and weirder, I'll tell you that much. And that's why we're here." "Can I see this Gate?" Osamu asked curiously. Sora pulled it out of her backpack and showed it to Osamu who adjusted his glasses to peer at it. "Oh, I see. Quite interesting." "Do you have an idea of how to get us home with it then?" Eric asked, excited. "Not a clue." Osamu said, causing Eric and Lopmon to collapse. "You said once you fulfill a quest, it sends you somewhere else?" Ken nodded. "Yes. We have no control over when it does send us somewhere. That's why in every world we visit, we restock on supplies before continuing on. Right now, this is all we have." Ken set down several packets of Lembas, along with three long and very nasty looking elven swords on the side of the table. "The last few worlds have been quite adventure filled." Ryo nodded. "So what now? Are you going to stay around for a while?" "It looks that way," Ken replied. "I guess until we defeat Imperial Dramon or do something close to that, we'll be here." "It's late," Osamu said, looking at the clock. "I'm sure we can let you guys sleep here. Mom and dad though... it's gonna be hard to convince them that you're not a ghost. They're working the late shift and won't be back until tomorrow morning." "Mom works?" Ken asked, surprised. "I would have thought she was just out for a while." "Due to Osamu needing treatments and you... well, Mom had to work to fill in the rest of the bills. We're kinda in debt." said Ryo. "Oh," Ken said. Sensing awkwardness, Eric yawned and said, "Boy, am I bushed. I think I need to crash for the night." "You guys go on ahead," Ken said, his eyes riveted on Osamu. "I... need to talk to my brother." Sora looked like she wanted to say something but stopped and nodded. "All right." Standing, she went and began to help Ryo gather things for them to sleep. ------------------------------- "You're not telling me everything, little brother," Osamu said, confronting Ken who froze. "I know you. You're a horrible liar." Ken sighed. "Well, you are too. You didn't tell us anything, except that I died somehow and Ryo took my place. Please, I have to know how it happened." "Promise not to use that sword on me?" Ken looked down and found that he had reattached the blade to his side and was gripping it tightly. Relaxing his grip, and reminding himself that this was his brother, Ken settled down. "Well, it was two years ago, after you had returned from the digital world. We were walking down the road... and then..." Ken went pale. "The drunk driver..." he breathed. "You know about it?" Osamu looked up, locking eyes with Ken. A moment passed as Osamu nodded sadly. "I should have known. It was how I died in that world, right?" Ken nodded, stifling a sob. He had to be strong. "Dead on impact." "I see..." Osamu reached over, broke off a piece of lembas and munched on it. "Well... in this world, we were both struck. But... you threw yourself in front of me and took the full force of the blow." "I did?" Ken realized with a start that this was how he died in the current world. "Yes. I lost the use of my legs, but I remember... being covered in blood as you lay over me." Tears were flowing freely from Osamu's face now as he wheeled up to Ken and laid a hand on Ken's leg. It was quickly covered by Ken's own hand. "You said, you wanted me dead, and you hated me. But... you said as well, that you loved me too." Ken sobbed freely, his tears wetting their joined hands. "I'm sorry. I wanted you dead, and it was my fault you died in my world." "No, no..." Osamu enfolded Ken in a hug. "It wasn't your fault. I love you, Ken. And I know that in my heart, that my Ken, would have admitted that he loved and hated me in the same way. It's like all brothers; we go through jealous phases, phases where we love each other, life is a roller coaster." Osamu looked at his brother who's tears were falling heavily to the ground. "You love me, and I love you. Nothing, not even worlds or death can separate that love. Ken, please, for my sake, and yours, stop blaming yourself." "Osamu..." And then there was nothing but the sobs of two brothers as they held each other. ---------------------------- "Eric?" "Hmm?" Eric looked over at where Sora lay, staring into the roof of the guest bedroom. "What's up?" "I... well, you know, Ken and Osamu and stuff and I was just wondering... what's the whole story behind them?" Eric closed his eyes and sighed. "I don't know much about it, but in my world, Ken lost his brother at a young age, though I don't know him so well that he's shared his secrets with me. I'm guessing it was a traffic accident or something like that, cause it really left a permanent emotional scar on him." "I see," Sora said. She turned over, propping up on one elbow. "Eric, is there anything else?" "Not really," Eric replied, turning to look at her in the relative darkness of the room. "I know Ken hasn't put it behind him, but it was partly because of Osamu's death that Ken became the Kaiser. I dunno, I'm not that close to him to learn everything." "A few months and you still haven't gotten close to him?" Sora asked, amazed. "I couldn't go that long without making really good friends with someone, kinda like what we're like now." Eric flushed, grateful that his blush was hidden in the darkness. "I'm glad I've gotten to know you better, Sora. We couldn't have gotten this far without your help." "You two did all the work." Sora giggled softly. "I guess we're a team now. Friends?" "Friends." Eric said. Sora smiled as she patted him on the shoulder. Eric gripped her hand and said, "Friends. Definitely friends." Sora then settled down with a mummer of, "Good night, Eric." "Good night, Sora." ------------------------------- ".... and that was Night of Fire, from the soundtrack of Initial D. This is Anime Radio, and your host, Shiyabara Junpei with Orimito Izumi on the Good Morning Show." Ken cracked an eye open as he stared at the radio/alarm clock that read "7:45 AM". "Ugh.... morning already?" Sitting up, he straightened the borrowed pajama top that had twisted in his sleep. Ken realized that it was the same setting as his old alarm clock was set on. It usually got him up for the next day when it sounded off at roughly the same time. Wormmon commonly just turned over and muttered something about food when the radio began to blare. Some similarities, however, almost hit too close to home for his liking. Ken smoothed down his wild hair as he wandered out of the room where the digimon slept, originally a spare bedroom, but was cleaned up by Ryo. It had taken some coaxing on his part, but he had gotten the story from Ryo why he was part of the Ichijoji family now. Most of it anyway. Apparently, they had failed to seal Millenniumon away, and thus, Millenniumon killed his family. What happened after that was unknown to Ryo, but Wormmon seemed evasive about the whole situation from years ago. Ryo, an orphan, was adopted by the Ichijoji's as their families had been close in this dimension as with in his own dimension. But shortly after, the native Ken had died, and Ryo had taken up his stead. Thankfully, both boys were spared the horrors of the Kaiser, but had encountered Arachnemon and Mummymon. When Ken had told this to Sora and Eric the night before they had bedded down, Eric remarked offhandedly that the local Demon would probably come to mess things up, and Ken had to agree with him. It had taken quite a roundabout effort, but Ryo and Daisuke had achieved Jogress Evolution with the rest of them Jogressing afterwards. Ken had yet to tell the others the whole story of Osamu yet to the others. Ken had kept the thought of Oikawa to himself, as the diabolical man would most likely make plans in this world, but it was unknown of what the pale man was capable of. "Good morning Ken-chan," the two Wormmon's chorused as they looked up from the table where Ryo sat with Osamu in his wheelchair. Eric and Sora looked bleary, probably from lack of sleep in the last couple of worlds. "Good morning Wormmon, Niisan, Ryo-san. Good morning to you sleepyheads." "Morning Ken," Eric said. He then yawned so big that a fly tried to run suicide down his throat. Eric coughed and sputtered for a moment while Sora pounded on his back. Osamu finished his juice as he pushed away, piling his plates on his lap. "That hit the spot. Lets get going, Niisan." Ryo nodded as he picked up his own plate. "Hold on there, where are you two going?" Lopmon asked with his customary lack of tact. "Class, of course," Ryo said, dumping the dishes into the sink. "It's Monday." "It is?" Eric asked, counting on his fingers. "Gawd, I thought it was the weekend. Heh, there goes my internal clock." "Maybe I should stop in at my mom's shop," Sora said, looking distinctly uncomfortable with the idea. "She might not be my real mom, but still..." Ken sighed as he bolted down his food. "We'll meet you two after class. Where do you two go to?" "Ryo and I attend Tamachi High," Osamu said, and Ken then realized how much farther along the pair really were academically. "We can meet you guys after class, is that okay?" "Sounds good to us, right guys?" The others nodded in agreement. "Then it's settled." Ryo got up as he shouldered his book bag. They noticed he was dressed in a standard Japanese high school uniform, Osamu sporting the same clothing trend. "We'll see you after class, little brother." The pair headed out the door and then were gone. ------------------------ "Oooh! Duel Monsters!" The small group sighed as Eric flitted into the store with the excitement of a child on Christmas. "Get him within an inch of Duel Monsters and he acts like a two year old," Lopmon said, a wry smirk on his face. They were dressed in clean clothing now. Sora wore her Elven Cloak, as not to give people staring pauses at the young Takenouchi who was undoubtedly older at the current world. Ken and Eric had long since been wearing clothing from Rivendell, sturdy tunics, bracers, pants and boots. Eric still sported his goggles. A bit outlandish, but their previous outfits of formal dress had gotten shredded during the fight against the Nazgul and everything afterwards and had nothing else to wear. Ken had suggested they go get some new clothing, and they were currently headed to Tamachi's local mall. Eric poured over the cards and his eyes alighted on one. "Hey, I don't have a Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon yet.... and it's an Asian-American set with English printing...." "The set is worth 5000 yen," the shopkeeper said blandly to the young man before him in the strange clothes. "Five thousand?" Eric cried. But then blinked and grinned as he reached to a pouch hanging from his side and pulled out three golden pennies. "Here. I dunno how much this is worth, but that's pure gold there." The man sucked in a breath as he called out another man. After a short conference, the men turned and the first one said, "Well now sir, do you want some boxes as well? After all, you paid us in gold, right?" Eric just grinned widely as the others sighed. "It's going to be a busy afternoon," Ken remarked. "Lets hope he has the sense to pick up something to carry all these cards in," Wormmon put in. "What's the point of collecting these things?" Sora asked curiously. Lopmon paused to think about that. "Well, if we like go into a Yu-Gi-Oh world, it could help." "Somehow I doubt that," Ken remarked with a chuckle. "Besides, what makes you think they'll work in the Yu-Gi-Oh world if we ever encounter that place?" Eric paused and sighed. "Damnit. I guess I'll just get the Ultimate Blue Eyes then." He then paused and then pointed to a couple other cards. "Then, that Black Skull Dragon, the Five God Dragon, Black Luster Soldier, Polymerization and Master of Dragon Knight." Paying for his purchase, he slipped them into a hard case and said, "Well, lets get some clothes." ---------------------- Eric examined himself in the mirror. Simple black t-shirt and jeans. It wouldn't get dirty easily if things came down to fighting with swords or anything else. He adjusted his goggles and gave himself a wink. Stepping out, Lopmon gave him a thumbs up. "Spiffy." The rustle of a changing room curtain made Eric turn. "Looking good," Eric said, nodding to Sora who stepped out of the changing room. She wore a red t-shirt, jeans and she still had her helmet like hat but it was folded up and stuck out of her jeans pocket. She had also forgone her gloves. Slung over her shoulder was the thick and warm Elven Cloak, the Broach secure in her pockets. "You think it's me?" Sora asked, looking at herself. "Oh yeah, it's simple and functional," Eric replied. Ken stepped out from the other side of the changing rooms. He wore a long sleeved gray shirt, black jeans and let his, by now, long hair fall to the upper part of his back and tied with a simple elastic into a functional ponytail. His Elven Bracers were tied around his forearms, securing the sleeves in place and he held a folded up Cloak in his hands. "I really need a haircut," he muttered, running his hand through his long hair. "You need a haircut?" Sora snickered. "Eric's looking like Taichi." Eric gripped his head defensively, giving them a look. "So what if I have Taichi hair now?" "With those goggles, you look too much like him," Lopmon remarked. "There's barely enough room for me to sit on your head." Eric chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'll get it cut," Eric said. "True enough," Wormmon added. "Though I like Ken-chan with long hair." "It feels so heavy," Ken said, reaching back to tug on his ponytail. "I think I'm going to get it cut." After paying for the clothing, the trio plus digimon stepped out into the busy mall. "So...." Sora said, "What to do now?" "Lets go to Odaiba," Eric said. "I'd like to look around there before we head out." "Works for me," Ken said. "Sora?" "I'd... like to stop by my mother's store," Sora said, hesitantly. "You know, just to see it before I leave." Eric nodded as he grabbed his pack. "Okay then. We'll catch the train there." ----------------------- "Closed....." Eric looked over at Sora who was scuffing the ground with her new sneakers. "Sorry." "It's okay," Sora said, sitting down on a nearby bench. "What now?" Ken paused in thought. But then, a throat was cleared behind them. The trio turned to see a man in a suit standing behind them. His left arm had a red band that read, "Truant Officer." The officer looked down on them disapprovingly. "And what are you three doing out of class?" "Would you believe we're on vacation here?" Eric asked lamely. "I doubt it. Where's your parents?" the man asked gruffly. "They're with family in Tamachi," Ken said after being subtly elbowed by Eric. "Really, officer." "Well, I don't have proof of that," The officer growled. "Come with me." With that, he hauled the trio and digimon towards the school. Eric groaned. "What else could go wrong?" After a couple of blocks, the Truant Officer set down the trio inside the office of the Odaiba Elementary where an elderly secretary sat. "These three were found outside the school grounds." The woman nodded and sent the Truant Officer away. Eric, Sora and Ken shuffled uncomfortably as the woman stared them down. "So.... what are your names?" she asked, shuffling a few papers on her desk. "Um...." The trio looked at each other. The digimon didn't budge an inch, but there was noticeable sweat pouring down Lopmon's head. "Eric," Eric finally said. "Eric Gloin." Ken caught onto Eric's plan as he answered, "Ken Strider." "Ruki Greenleaf," Sora added, barely keeping the smile off her face. "Well Mister Gloin, Strider and Miss Greenleaf, I'll place you all into 5th grade for the day. But tomorrow, try to avoid the Truant Officers, especially if the three of you are vacationing here with friends or family. Now, where are you from?" "Canada," Eric said, as Ken said, "America," and Sora also said at the same time, "England." The woman looked at them curiously. "You are all from Canada, America and England?" "Well...." Eric grinned lamely. "We all met over the net and wanted to visit Japan. We're staying with the Ichijoji's who's another netfriend of ours." "Osamu the super genius? I remember him well." The woman had a fond smile on her face as she handed them passes. "This will get you out of homework since you three are not registered students. And it will also keep the Truant Officers off your backs." Taking the passes, they thanked the secretary and escaped to the class. Luckily, Sora was in the 5th grade and had attended the school previously. Eric expelled a long held breath from when they had left the room. "Wow, I thought we were caught there for a moment." "I don't think she fully believed us," Ken said thoughtfully. "She was a sharp lady." "Well, lets get to the class before another Officer tries to shove us into another school." said Sora. "I know the way; I was in this class before getting sucked into the digital world." After climbing a few stairways, Eric halted in mid-step and looked at Sora. "Hey Sora, do you have a rubber band or something to hold hair up?" "Yeah... what are you planning?" Sora asked. "Well, you said that you attended the same class, right? What's making them not recognize you?" Eric reasoned. Ken nodded in agreement. "Eric's got a point. The teacher may have had you before, and if you go in there with the same old hairstyle, then who knows what's going to happen." Sora blinked. "I hadn't thought of that. So what's with the rubber band?" Eric grinned. "We're going to adjust your hairstyle. I mean c'mon, it looks the same since the time we picked you up." "You have a point there." Sora dug into her pockets until she found a small elastic. With Eric's help, she pinned up her hair in the same style Ruki Greenleaf had worn, with a warriors braid going down either side of her head. Looking at herself in the glass, she giggled. "Boy, I sure do look a bit like Ruki now." "Yeah. Now remember people, don't blow it," Lopmon said from Eric's head. "And you," Eric said, tapping Lopmon on the head, "should stay a stuffed animal." "Yeah yeah," Lopmon said dismissively. "We could just hide out in the school computer lab," Wormmon said thoughtfully. "That sounds like a good idea." Ken said. Wormmon leapt out of his hands with Lopmon as the pair headed for the lab just down the hall. Entering the room, the teacher looked up in the middle of the lesson. "Ah, the temporary students. Please take a seat." As Ken, Eric and Sora did so, the teacher said, "They are here on a temporary basis, just for today. Please make them feel at home." Daisuke who had been doodling in his notebook, leaned over to Takeru and whispered, "Hey, the guy with the big hair. Doesn't he remind you of Taichi somewhat?" "Slightly. The hair is right, but the face isn't suited for the big shock of hair. And he's blocking my view." Takeru answered. Eric flushed red as he tried to flatten his flyaway hair and sunk down in his bench. --------------------- "I'm SO glad that it was near lunch time," Eric remarked as they wandered towards the computer lab. "I'll bet anything that Lopmon's hungry again." "I have half a lemba," Ken said, digging into his pockets. "I doubt that's enough to feed both Wormmon and Lopmon." "Hikari was staring at me," Sora said as they moved past a couple of girls who were gossiping in the hallway. "I think she recognized me even with the new clothes and hairstyle." Eric made a grunting noise. Suddenly, a crash came from the computer lab. Exchanging worried glances, they ran over and slid the door open. To their surprise, Wormmon and Lopmon were playing tag with three digimon, belonging to Daisuke, Iori and Miyako. Patamon had joined the chase as Tailmon watched them from atop a computer desk. An upturned cart of tapes and other assorted media lay scattered on the ground in their mad chase. "Guys!" Eric exclaimed. "What's the big deal?" Lopmon looked up and grinned cheekily. "Hey Eric! What's up?" "What's up? Lopmon, you guys are causing havoc in here!" Eric made a grumbling sound in his throat as he upright the cart. Upamon bounced towards Sora who caught him neatly. "Wow, you look so much like Sora!" Upamon exclaimed happily. "She smells like her too," Chibimon exclaimed from the top of a desk. He was immediately chased off by Poromon who was "It." "I'm surprised they're still in their baby stage," Ken remarked, rubbing his chin. "Wouldn't it be by now that they've grown enough so that they could remain in their child forms?" "Not enough time perhaps?" Wormmon asked as he climbed Ken's shoulder with a few bounces. "Could be," Ken mused. "Or they still revert to baby form when they jogress evolve to perfection." Sora put Upamon down on the nearby desk as she looked around. "So who do you three belong to?" "I'm with Daisuke!" Chibimon said, looking up at her, expression wide eyed and adorable. "Iori!" Upamon cheered loudly. "And I'm with Miyako," Poromon added. Just then, the door slid open again and there was a collective groan. "Chibimon, did you knock over the tray again?" Daisuke asked, scooping up Chibimon in his arms. "We were playing Tag, and I was 'it'." Chibimon said. "Daisuke, that girl smells like Sora!" Sora stiffened as the local chosen looked at her. Miyako examined her features and said slowly, "She DOES look a lot like Sora, doesn't she?" "I... er... well..." Sora stammered. "I knew it," Hikari said, walking over to look the other girl in the eye. "Who are you really? No games Ruki. Or should I call you Sora?" "Oh boy," Lopmon remarked from Eric's head. ----------------------- "Detention in the school lab. Ugh." Daisuke leaned his head on a keyboard as the others served their punishment in the lab. "Shoot me now." "You can't possibly expect us to believe that you three are from another dim ention," Miyako said skeptically. "Well we are," Eric insisted. "Sure," Miyako drawled. "Right, I believe you." "What's there to believe, besides you found a younger Sora?" Takeru asked suspiciously. "Is there any proof that you can back up?" "Well...." Eric said slowly. Then, the door slid open again to reveal Ryo and Osamu. "Hey," Ryo greeted as he and his brother walked into the room. "Ryo!" Daisuke exclaimed. "What are you doing here?" "Osamu-san," Iori greeted. Osamu nodded in reply. "To answer your question, Daisuke, Ken phoned us." "They were saying that they're from another world," Takeru said, pointing to the three sitting with their digimon. "is that true?" "It is," Ryo said. "We were told last night. Everything is true." "Yep," Eric nodded. Suddenly, there was a sound like rushing air as something huge blew by the school, rattling glass. They rushed towards the windows, dreading the cause of the huge thing that could have rattled the school windows. Outside, a huge recognizable dragon roared angrily, flailing his head. "Come out chosen!" he shouted angrily. "Or I will vaporize this school and everyone in it!" "Man, can't he even give us a break?" Lopmon exclaimed. "Lets do this," Eric said as he made for the stairs that lead for the rooftop. Ken, Wormmon and Sora were right behind him, along with the rest of the chosen. ---------------------- "Any ideas?" Sora asked, looking at Imperial Dramon who hovered just before the school. "Yeah, don't get killed," Lopmon said morbidly. "Can it," Eric said, holding out his D-3. "Lets do this!" "Lopmon evolve!" The digital egg encased him and exploded, the humanoid dog in it's place. "Wendigomon!" "Wormmon evolve!" A pillar of light shot up briefly, revealing a tall green armored warrior. "Stingmon!" Eric tossed Wendigomon his sword. "Go for it!" Wendigomon leapt into the air, and came down on Imperial Dramon's back. He raised the sword and jammed it into his neck. "Lights out buddy!" Imperial Dramon roared in pain and flicked him off, sword and all. Wendigomon went soaring into the wall. "Spiking Finish!" With a serious backhand, Stingmon went flying backwards, only to catch himself before smashing into the wall. Helping Wendigomon out of the wall, he grunted, "Are you okay?" "Peachy," Wendigomon remarked as he sprung off the wall, sword outstretched. "Here's a poke in the eye!" he bellowed, jamming his weapon deep into Imperial Dramon's unprotected eye. Imperial Dramon cried out as he flailed, stumbling backwards in pain. Eric grimaced as his sword went all the way into his eye. "I ain't getting that out later on." Imperial Dramon reached up and removed the sword, tossing it to the side. It bounced once and reverted into a D-3. Eric made for the stairs, shouting, "I 'm getting my D-3! Watch them!" "Like there's any other choice?" Sora remarked, watching from the school top. As Stingmon and Wendigomon delivered a blow to the jaw that made a satisfying crunching sound, the shout of "Desperado Blaster!" echoed in the air as energy rained down on Imperial Dramon's unprotected backside from Paildramon. The rest of the chosen had decended to the ground level and had evolved their digimon. Imperial Dramon swiveled around angrily and his weapon whined with energy. "Positron Laser!" Shakkoumon moved in front of the blast and the smaller Paildramon, absorbing it with a shake. Steam hissed from his ears as Silphymon lanced upwards towards the dragon, sending its attack straight into the bare chest of Imperial Dramon. Imperial Dramon thrashed about, slashing with his foreclaws angrily as he was slowly drawn away from the school, and into the middle of the street. "You will all pay!" he growled, blasting small energy bits into the air where it rained down on the chosen digimon. "Hit him from all sides!" Ken shouted to the digimon who moved around the enemy, raining their attacks onto him. He had descended the stairs and had burst through the front doors of the school. Suddenly, Imperial Dramon lashed out without warning, catching Paildramon on the chest. Paildramon cried out in pain as he reverted into two small digimon, V-mon and Wormmon. Ryo and Daisuke ran up to gather up their digimon. "Are you okay?" Daisuke asked V-mon who weakly replied, "I've been better." Ken grimaced. Without Paildramon, their edge was lost. And Imperial Dramon was quickly gaining ground with several attacks that knocked the smaller perfections and two adults back. "Ryo!" Ryo looked up to see Osamu waving at them from the door of the school. "Pull them back! He's too powerful!" Imperial Dramon swiveled and grinned menacingly. "Well, a little boy! Time to fry! Positron..." "OSAMU!" "Laser!" Ken felt the searing heat from the attack pour over him. He felt his back burn and his hair sizzle as the attack lanced overhead. As it died down, he got up, wincing in pain from the burns as Osamu lay underneath him, protected and out of harm. "Are you okay?" Ken asked his elder brother. "Ken-chan," Osamu said, gripping his brother. "How sweet. But this time, I won't miss!" Imperial Dramon loomed overhead as he pointed his weapon down on them. "Say goodbye!" "You won't... hurt my BROTHER! STINGMON!" Ken shouted. Suddenly, light burst from his chest, specifically his crest. A similar light burst from Ryo's digivice and his Wormmon who evolved to Stingmon. "Stingmon!" "Stingmon!" "Jogress Evolve!" The pair merged and landed with a crash. A towering shiny green warrior with several golden nodes on its body appeared from the jogress, holding a arrowhead pointed lance. "Jewel Beemon!" "WHAT THE HELL?!" Everyone chorused as the Jewel Beemon went to work. In a voice that sounded exactly like Stingmon's, only deeper, he shouted, "Spike Buster!" The end of his red ended lance glowed and he thrust it deep into Imperial Dramon's forehead. Imperial Dramon wailed as he thrashed about, trying to dislodge the insect warrior. He only succeeded in tossing the weapon away as data flowed from the open wound. Jewel Beemon flew backwards and aimed his claws at Imperial Dramon's exposed neck. "Lights out! Shot Claw!" His claws lanced out, and ripped into Imperial Dramon's neck. The Ultimate gurgled as his legs gave out. With a groan, a circle of data formed around him. Scooping up his D-3, Eric slashed the screen through the free flowing data. It flowed into him as Imperial Dramon vanished into nothing but a few fragments of random data. On the screen, the Mask of Heart appearing on his screen. He then let out a long held breath. "Damn, that was almost a bad situation." "If that was a bad situation, I'd hate to see what would be a terrible situation," Daisuke quipped. ----------------------- "Pocky.....pocky...." Lopmon droned as he Zombie-walked towards the pile of food set aside for the digimon. Chibimon tackled him from behind and things went on from there. As the digimon fought over the chocolate and other assorted food, Daisuke shook his head at their explanation of the situation at hand. "Dimensional Travel, clones, crazy bunny digimon, elves and Imperial Dramons. Boy am I so glad we only go to the Digital World and back," Daisuke said, grinning easily while reaching for a pocky stick. "It's a long time in doing so, but we're hoping the next leap will take us home," Eric said as he sipped on a packet of prune juice Iori had supplied him with. "And that home is quite a ways away, isn't it?" Miyako asked. Ken nodded. "We're hoping to keep a low profile in every world we go to, but sometimes it isn't possible. Sometimes, we find ourselves fighting for our lives. And sometimes, it isn't pretty." A cleared throat drew their attention. Standing in the doorway was the native Sora. "Can I speak with Sora, please?" she asked. The younger Sora got up and rounded the corner. Following the elder to an empty classroom, the elder turned to face her. Scrutinizing the younger, she smiled. "We do look alike, don't we?" Younger giggled. "It's because we are the same person. More or less." Elder giggled in reply. "I guess you're right." An awkward silence passed between them before younger said, "Sora? Go for it." Elder looked at her younger self curiously. "What do you know about that?" The younger shifted nervously. "It's something I've noticed with the worlds I visited. The other versions of me didn't wait for Taichi to be ready. And when Taichi was ready and was interested, it was too late." "Is that true of their world too?" questioned the elder skeptically. The younger shook her head. "From what I understand. Their Sora didn't wait and took control of their relationship and have been lovers for some time. Ken never gave me any specifics, but Eric seems to think they're living together even though they're only fifteen." "I don't know...," the elder trailed off. "Trust me. Take a chance. It'd hurt more if you didn't," the younger insisted. "Well, it couldn't hurt to give him one more chance," the elder replied reluctantly. "Thank you," the younger elated. "No problem." ---------------------- It was dawn when the Jade Gate glowed, signifying their travel time. Making sure nothing was left, the travelers clustered around the gate. It slid open, and flared with a blue color. Without a word, they vanished from sight. When Osamu and Ryo awoke later that day, they found nothing but a leaf broach left over in reminder of their brother they had lost again. But in their hearts, they kept him. ----------------------