An: Just a quick warning. This chapter is a bit dark. Especially with Ryuhei and Vamdemon. If you don't like that I suggest not reading it. If not, have fun reading.

Pico Devimon's schemes caused the children to scatter. They decided to regroup once again once the truth behind his intent was revealed. Only Sora, Chihori, and Ryuhei are still missing...

It was a nice day in the digital world and on the open sea was the swan boat moving. Filled with enormous baggage, which Mimi and Palmon are now also passengers on the roof together with Koromon, it was amazing that this swan boat could take it. As the gentlemen they were, Taichi and Jyou were once again at the pedals, making the boat move towards their destination. The shore on the other side of this tedious lake. At least seen from the boys' viewpoint.

"All right, we're here!" Taichi exclaimed cheerfully. Jyou let out a distressful cry. Paddling over to this side of the shore had been hard.

"I am tired" he complained.

Taichi was the first to set foot on the shore. Then their Digimon partners soon followed. Taichi was holding a hand towards Mimi so she could get down from the roof. Talk about a gentleman.

"Come down Princess. Give me your hand" he spoke almost like a knight.

"Don't call me Princess!" Mimi uttered annoyed.

Her time as a princess at the Geckomon castle was still a sore spot for her. She had after all been very commanding and outright rude and selfish to her friends. She just wanted to forget that it ever happened.

"I'm just kidding," Taichi said and grinned. He was however still holding out his hands to help Mimi get down from there.

"Hey!".

The sound of Yamato's voice could be heard from far away. It made the children turn towards it and saw Yamato, Takeru, and Koushiro standing at a hill a bit away from them. They were waving to let them know they were there.

"Oh, it is Yamato!" Jyou exclaimed and finally got out of the swan boat.

Soon they were all assembled at the shore along with their respective Digimon Partner. Palmon was blinking surprised at the now small entourage of Digimon. Besides it, Patamon and Gomamon the rest of the Digimon were still in their baby forms.

"You've turned smaller since the last time I saw you" Palmon commented.

"Leave us alone!" Tsunomon, Koromon, and Motimon shouted in unison.

"Where is the rest of the gang?" Taichi then asked. "We are still missing Sora, that good for nothing knows it all, and his sister".

"Yeah, but we didn't see any of them" Yamato mused.

"I see. Where could they have gone?" Taichi questioned and went silent. Something had been bugging him ever since the events with the stranger in the forest. It was an experience he has yet to tell his friends about.

"I... I might have seen them. Or well I think I saw Sora and perhaps Gazimon..." Mimi then said.

"Eh? Where?" Taichi questioned bewildered.

"At the Geckomon's palace," Mimi said and went thoughtful. "But then again it might have been a dream...".

Then she began explaining everything that happened in the castle and how Sora had visited her in her dreams. The other listened carefully to the story. Everyone was pondering about what that meant.

"Actually, the voice that told me not to eat the mushrooms... I did have a feeling it sounded a lot like Chihori's" Koromon confessed.

"Really?" Taichi questioned and went thoughtful again.

"But if that is true, why haven't Sora-san and Chihori-san come to us?" Takeru asked. That was indeed the mullioned question.

"Not to mention Ryuhei. Where is he?" Yamato asked.

"Ah, that knows it all is always with Chihori. If we find her and Sora, I am sure he will pop up as well" Taichi claimed and placed his hands behind his head. It was like he had no care in the world.

"Yeah, that is true. They seem to be inseparable" Jyou nodded in agreement. "I just don't understand...".

"It is no use thinking about it. We are not them," Yamato interrupted him.

He was holding up his Digivice and was turning it around in different directions. Soon a beeping sound could be heard. It was turned towards the forest.

"I guess we will have to catch them first" Yamato then stated.

"Ah, I see. It is like playing hide and seek" Taichi mused with a grin.

"Yeah, it is indeed coming from that direction" Koushiro mused as well.

He was holding up his Digivice too. They all began walking towards the forest in their attempts to catch their remaining friends. Only Taichi stayed behind along with Koromon. He was once again pondering.

"Taichi?" Koromon then asked.

"What is it Koromon?" he replied to his partner.

"Why didn't you tell the others about the stranger we encountered in the forest?" Koromon asked. "Is it because they almost beat you?". It made Taichi grimace.

"No Koromon. That is not it" Taichi replied with a sigh. "That guy... It has been bothering me for a while now, but...".

"You think it is Ryuhei, don't you?" Koromon responded truthfully. It made Taichi instantly cover Koromon's mouth. Or tried to.

"Don't say another word Koromon!" Taichi demanded of him.

"But, but... it just has to be!" Koromon uttered. "Those leaves that attacked me remind me of Renamon's Diamond storm. You know without the glittering...".

"I know Koromon! I know!" Taichi uttered and hissed annoyed. "It has been bothering me ever since that mask shattered and I saw his face. There are just so many questions. Why was he attacking me? Why was he acting so weird?"

Not to mention he spoke of a Master. Over and over again. Why? Not that Taichi was going to mention that to Koromon.

"Do you think he is in some kind of trouble?" Koromon then asked.

"I don't know. Perhaps. But that is why we have to gather everyone else. If Ryuhei really is in trouble, we need everyone's strength to help him" Taichi replied determined. "And you can't tell everyone else about this Koromon. It would worry them too much and... and we could be wrong. Maybe that guy wasn't Ryuhei at all".

"Taichi! What is taking so long? I thought we all agreed we would go look for the others?" they could suddenly hear Yamato yell from somewhere in the distance.

"Ah! Right! We are coming!" Taichi shouted back and began walking forward with great speed. He did however have some final words with Koromon.

"Not a word Koromon. Not a word" he reminded the Digimon.

Around the same time.

Screams could be heard from a castle on a faraway mountaintop. Inside, the Digimon, Pico Devimon fell down the steps of a long staircase in the hallways. It was bruised and beaten. It had just finished its punishment. At the top of the staircase were two individuals standing. One was still clouded in mystery while the other was holding a whip. His blond hair, blue eyes, and human appearance stood out instantly. Though his blue eyes were dull and lacking warmth and life.

"Very good Ryuhei. You did an admirable humane effort". The silhouette behind him praised.

It made the boy shutter. It made him remember that he was to blame for Pico Devimon's condition. It had been an order from his Master and Ryuhei had easily complied. He didn't even feel bad about it. The Digimon had deserved it. It had failed their Master. Claws hit his shoulders and reminded Ryuhei that he had yet to reply.

"Thank you, Ma...". The nails stuck even deeper, and he quickly corrected: "Thank you...Vamdemon-Sama". The being behind him chuckled darkly.

"You are welcome, Pet". Then they walked out of the shadows and down the stairs for everyone to see.

Vamdemon.

Perfect.

Undead Digimon.

Type: Virus.

Special attack: Night Raid. Bloody Stream.

Vamdemon. An exceedingly brutal and sly undead Digimon. His special attacks are Night Raid and Bloody Stream.

Ryuhei let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Sometimes it was difficult to figure out what his Master wanted from him. Especially now after he had returned to the castle. Things had changed drastically. The undead Digimon had been extremely clingy. Or wait, was it him that was clinging to the vampire for powers and favors? He couldn't quite recall. Not that it mattered. He was ordered to never leave Vamdemon's side. Unless the Digimon said so otherwise. Ryuhei complied easily enough. Obeying him was never an issue. His master needed him to rejuvenate himself among other things. It was common knowledge. Along with his sharp teeth hitting his... Ryuhei shook his head. A throbbing headache was entering his mind. Why couldn't he recall what had happened to him after his master had brought him here? After his failure at the Geckomon castle. Had he slept or eaten anything since then? His mouth did taste strange and... and what about Renamon and... His sister?

"I've grown quite tired of your incompetence," Vamdemon said, huffing.

His cold eyes lingered on Pico Devimon for a sec, before they met Ryuhei's blue ones. It made the boy jerk in surprise. Something inside him screamed obedience, while a tiny part wanted the opposite. They were wrestling for unending control. Then the vampire's gaze returned to Pico Devimon.

"P-Please forgive me...Vamdemon-Sama," Pico Devimon begged.

"Courage, Hope, Friendship," The vampire mused in a cold tone. "The children's crest has regained their light one after the other...".

"I am most ashamed of my failures, but Vamdemon-Sama...".

"Only this little pet of mine, with the most delicious blood, will remain in the darkness with me. Isn't that right Ryuhei?" the vampire interrupted the bat Digimon. His attention was once again solely focused on him.

"Yes... Vamdemon-Sama" was Ryuhei's go-to response.

He had no clue if this was true or not. He just wanted to please. The tiny part within him did hope that was not true. He would not stay here forever. He would find a way to escape and...

Familiar bats covered his vision and began lifting him over to the vampire. Red eyes were glaring at him now. Ryuhei's heart skipped a beat.

"Do not fight against me Ryuhei. Or shall I remind you what happens if you do?" the vampire whispered in his ear. His sly smile was ever so present throughout the whole ordeal. It made Ryuhei shutter.

"Of course... not... Master."

He knew. He didn't need to show him. He had been told several times throughout his... captivity? His head throbbed again. Why was it so hard for him to focus?

"You seem uncertain Ryuhei. Let me remind you".

Vamdemon made his familiars create an image into the floor beneath them and Ryuhei's heart skipped yet another beat. Chihori! She was standing there inside a forest beside Sora along with their partners. The distressed look they were having...

"I could kill them in an instance" Vamdemon continued. "I could kill Her in an instance. Is this what you want me to do pet".

"No of course not...I will... I will behave," Ryuhei replied in an almost whisper.

The vampire of course still heard it. He could hear him laugh. His chin got lifted and their eyes met. Whatever resistance Ryuhei held on to was buried deep within him when their gaze met. His skull felt hollow. His head was throbbing and what had he been thinking about just now?

"Good. Now hold still. I am...".

"But Vamdemon-Sama!" Pico Devimon suddenly uttered and got the ire of their Master. It made both Ryuhei and Pico Devimon shiver.

"What?! Can't you see I am busy!" he yelled at the little bat.

"I know, but you were so occupied that I never finished my report," the bat said, quickly adding "Vamdemon-Sama...".

"Fine. Do it quickly. I am in a hurry" the vampire sneered. Hungry eyes lingered on Ryuhei, and it made the boy extremely uncomfortable. That gaze could only mean one thing. He was going to...

"Hai! It is just... not all the crests have been activated" Pico Devimon said. "Besides that, pet of yours, those two girls have still not activated their crests...". He pointed at the image Vamdemon had created earlier.

"Especially the girl with the helmet" he continued, pointing at Sora. "Her crest of love will never glow. The truth is it's because I have given her some advice."

"I see. Anything else?" Vamdemon brushed it off as nothing.

"Ah eh yes." Pico Devimon uttered rather quickly. "The other six chosen children should be joining them soon. If we wait for that...".

"When that time comes, call for me. I'll personally send these children straight to hell" Vamdemon then interrupted and chuckled darkly.

"Yes sire" Picodevimon replied and bowed down to the ground in respect.

"What about me Vamdemon-Sama?" Ryuhei dared to ask. "Can I... can I be of any help against the chosen children?".

He felt the bats around him move. He was still caught up in their grip and soon followed the Vampire as he exited the hallways.

"Are you hungry pet? I have not fed you anything since last night" his Master just said instead. It left Ryuhei a big question mark.

"Eh... I guess?" Ryuhei replied confused. He didn't exactly feel very hungry, but he couldn't deny a meal from his master. That would be rude.

"Excellent. I have a special treat for you tonight" the vampire said. "Something that will benefit the both of us".

A sly smile was on his lips. It made his heart, beat rapidly. There was just something over the way he said treat that had alarm bells ring inside his head. Along with a weird feeling of Déjà vu. Had this happened once before he wondered.

Time skip.

"Hey, Sora!".

"Chihori-San!".

"Ryuhei-Kun, where are you?".

The children's voices ran as echo throughout the whole forest. Their attempt in reaching their friends did fall on deaf ears though. To the annoyance of everyone. They had spent most of the day in this forest, looking for their missing friends, but were left empty-handed and now the sun was about to go down.

"Hey, let's stop for today and find someplace to rest," Jyou said and let out a distressful cry. They had been walking all day after all.

"It is too dangerous to wander around in the dark" Jyou continued.

"I'm tired too" Mimi proclaimed, falling to the ground rather tired.

"But they should be around here," Yamato said. His Digivice was beeping rather loudly. Taichi could only agree. If they just continued a bit further...

"Huh?" Patamon then uttered as his ears were vibrating. Right now, the pig was resting on Takeru's head, which also meant he was higher than any of the others.

"What's wrong?" Takeru asked his partner.

"I can hear something" the Digimon claimed.

"Eh? Maybe it is Sora and the others?" Takeru questioned.

As the sound Patamon could hear became stronger, it was soon revealed to be a bee-like Digimon instead, and it was flying toward them at a fast speed.

"It's a Flymon!" Koromon uttered.

With fast steps Flymon flew past them, only to return and fire its stringer at them rapidly. They had to dodge it rather quickly or they would have been stung. Koushiro quickly hid behind a tree and pulled out his pc.

"I can bring up his stats by using the Digimon analyzer that Gennai sent me," he said, and were soon having Flymon's data on the screen. The others quickly gathered around him to hear what he had to say.

"Here it is," Koushiro said and began reading out loud. "Flymon. An Insect Digimon. Adult level. He's a virus type. His special attack, Deadly Stinger, sprays poison stingers". Then it dawned on him just how dangerous this opponent was.

"Wait poison stingers!" he exclaimed fearfully.

In just that moment, Flymon had found their hiding spot and once again fired his Deadly Stingers at them. The children once again had to run for cover. Though those stingers were extremely close to both Yamato and Taichi now.

"Taichi!" Koromon yelled up.

"Yamato!" Tsunomon exclaimed as well. Light from both Digivices made the two Digimon light up. They were about to evolve.

"Koromon Shinka Agumon!".

"Tsunomon Shinka Gabumon!".

In their places were now Agumon and Gabumon which only could be an improvement. Agumon fired his 'Baby flame' at Flymon and Gabumon followed that up with his "Petit fire". None of which sadly were able to hit the flying Digimon. Flymon was just too fast. Something Motimon of course pointed out.

"Marching fishes!" Gomamon shouted as it made its fish try to capture the Digimon.

Palmon followed up with its 'Poison Ivy' too. They did not succeed either. Flymon instead reciprocated and fired its Deadly stinger at them again. All which Mimi and Palmon barely dodged. Taichi hissed annoyed. They were barely able to survive. If they didn't find a way to stop Flymon soon, it would only be a matter of time before one of them got hit by its poison.

A loud screech could be heard as Birdramon suddenly entered the scene from who knows where. With its swift moments, it dodged Flymon and soon delivered its special attack 'Meteor Wing' whose flames burned Flymon to a crisp.

"Since Birdramon is here..." Taichi concluded and noticed the direction Birdramon was flying towards. It could only mean one thing. Sora must be in that direction.

"Sora!" Taichi exclaimed and began running after the giant bird.

Yamato soon followed along with Takeru and their Digimon partners. Just as predicted they could soon see Sora on the horizon, but when Taichi spoke or waved at her, Sora instead ran in the other direction. It was like she didn't want them to find her. Instead, she began crossing the river, using the small stones in between, and were soon at the other side. Taichi and the others could see her run into the forest. Yamato and Taichi quickly shared a look, and a quick plan was created between them. Yamato continued to pursue Sora, while Taichi took a shortcut through the trees and cut her off from the other end. Soon Sora was caught in between them with no way out.

"Sora?" Taichi questioned bewildered.

"Why are you running away?" Yamato asked.

"Explain yourself, Sora!" Taichi demanded to know.

Sora, however, didn't say anything and was only staring at her own feet. It puzzled both boys. In the meantime, Takeru and their Digimon partners had finally managed to catch up to them. They were all catching their breaths.

"Sora-San, do you... hate us now?" Takeru then asked. "And where is Chihori?".

"Not to mention Ryuhei" Yamato added.

"They are... Chihori is..." Sora was hesitating. Piyomon appeared flying down from the sky. It was looking worriedly at its partner.

"I don't think we can keep it a secret anymore, Sora," Piyomon said. "Why don't you tell them everything before we go get Gazimon and Chihori?".

"Oh, so it is true. You are together with Chihori and..." Yamato began, but Sora interrupted him rather quickly.

"Yeah, we are traveling together. Chihori and I along with our partners and... Ryuhei was with us for a while, but..." She was hesitating again before continuing. "When Piyomon and I left to look for Taichi... Ryuhei and Chihori had somehow caught up to us and at some point, we saw them. We saw Pico Devimon talking to someone."

"What were they talking about?" Takeru asked curiously.

"Our crests" Sora admitted with a sad tone of voice.

"Our crests?" Taichi questioned surprised.

"Yes. Each of us has a different meaning" Sora began explaining. "For example, you have the crest of courage, Taichi".

"The crest of courage?" Taichi questioned surprised. Then it dawned on him. He recalled the events of how his crest glowed for the first time. He had indeed been courageous. "I see. So that's why my crest glowed back then".

"Yamato-kun, yours are the crest of friendship," Sora told the boy.

"Friendship?" Yamato questioned surprised.

"What about mine?" Takeru asked.

"Yours are the crest of hope" Sora replied. "Koushiro-kun has the crest of knowledge. Jyou-sempai has the crest of sincerity. Mimi-chan has the crest of purity and...".

"What about that knows it all to Ryuhei? What is his crest?" Taichi asked.

"His crest is the crest of justice," Sora said. She sounded sad.

"Ha! That crest doesn't suit Ryuhei at all!" Taichi declared with a huff.

"Taichi! Don't be rude!" Yamato sneered. He had after all interrupted Sora twice.

"Nah it is okay. I guess I have just been drawing things out" Sora admitted. "You see after we discovered the meaning of the crests, we were also found out. By Pico Devimon and whomever he was talking to. We were soon surrounded by a herd of Digimon and for us to escape... Ryuhei...Ryuhei stayed behind with Renamon to battle them". Sora looked completely heartbroken.

"Wait, are you saying Ryuhei got kidnapped by them?" Yamato uttered shocked. "Does that mean we have new enemies?".

"I don't know" Sora admitted. "Chihori and I did escape, but I felt so bad about leaving him there, that we went back to help him. But Ryuhei was gone. Just like that. We looked everywhere trying to find him, but...".

Taichi hummed thoughtfully. Maybe that guy he fought really had been Ryuhei. But why, Taichi had no clue. What he did know was that Sora was hurt over this somehow. Or was that the whole truth? With that facial expression Sora was having, Taichi just felt like there was more to it.

"But there is more to it, isn't there?" Taichi then questioned. It made Sora look down at the ground now.

"We also ran into Pico Devimon" Piyomon clarified. "When we returned, he was there, and he said some mean things to Sora".

"Like what?" Taichi asked.

"My crest. My crest of love. It will never glow because I don't know how it is to feel loved" Sora finally admitted with a tear-filled cry.

Then Sora began to share a story from her childhood, where she had been the ace striker on a soccer team and how she had injured her leg just before a big match. Her mother had refused to let her go to that match. No matter how much Sora had told her how important it was to her. But then again, her mother never liked her having this sort of hobby. Her mother was working as a flower arranger and had her own school devoted to this. A school, Sora knew her mother wanted her to take over one day. Besides, it was more ladylike than her boyish hobby of soccer. It caused a fight between them, and Sora ended up yelling "Why can't you understand?", before running out of the house. It also did not help that her team lost that match because she was not in it. Sora felt guilty and had to switch clubs. It was something she always blamed her mother for.

"My mom doesn't see me as anything beyond the daughter of the flower arrangement school. She thinks our reputation is more important than I am. That's the kind of woman she is" Sora finished her story. She was looking at her crest now. "Even if I am raised without love, there is nothing I can do about it!".

She let out a tear-filled cry as she attempted to toss her crest away. However, Taichi was not letting her.

"Stop it Sora!" he told her. "Weather that is true or not, you cannot believe what Pico Devimon said."

Sora looked at him with sad eyes. It looked like she was about to cry when Yamato suddenly uttered.

"Huh wait a second, you haven't told us what crest Chihori has".

This was indeed true, but Taichi believed there had been another reason for asking this. Maybe Yamato was just doing this to change the topic so Sora wouldn't end up crying?

"Oh, eh right. Chihori's crest is...".

"...Is the crest of faith you know!" a new voice chirped out and interrupted Sora completely. Taichi would lie if he hadn't got a heart attack from the surprise of it.

"Gazimon, Chihori? What are you doing here?" Sora asked the pair who had just now jumped out of the bushes somewhere.

"You took so long, we decided to go look for you" Gazimon replied dutifully.

His paw was holding Chihori's hand protectively. It was like the Digimon was afraid she would disappear if he let go of her.

"Have you found my brother?" was the only thing Chihori asked. She looked extremely depressed for unknown reasons.

"Ah, not yet, but I am sure we will soon" Sora tried to reassure.

It did not go so well, because soon Chihori were crying like crazy. She was mumbling words about how the bad guys took her brother and might have done something terrible to him.

"Ah don't cry!" Taichi uttered rather confused. "We will find your brother. I am sure we will. Just don't cry".

But that didn't help at all. None of the others could make her stop crying. Including her Digimon partner. Not until...

"Chihori-San. Thank you so much" Takeru then suddenly said as he stood in front of her with a reassuring smile. Chihori looked at him with a perplexed facial expression.

"You're the one who told us not to eat the mushrooms right?" Takeru explained further. "You and Gazimon". It made Chihori nod before drying her eyes.

"We followed Pico Devimon in hopes of finding her brother" Gazimon clarified. "Sora, Piyomon, Chihori, and I. We saw all the schemes he had created and tried to prevent them from happening. Like the ones at Digitamamon restaurant."

"Ah I didn't know" Yamato mused slowly.

"But you didn't have to hide from us" Taichi then said.

"Sora wanted to be alone with her thoughts" Piyomon explained. "But we just couldn't leave the rest of you completely. Please understand". At that, the others nodded. It must have been a difficult burden to carry.

"I really like you Chihori" Takeru then said and took her hand. Then looked up at Sora. "And you two Sora. So please, don't leave us anymore, okay? I don't like it when my family... no I mean when everyone gets separated."

"Takeru-Kun" Sora muttered at first, but then nodded in agreement.

"Okay, okay we won't" she promised.

Then a lot of things happened. The other chosen children managed to catch up with the rest of the group. Pico Devimon, who had been trailing the group, instantly flew away to inform Vamdemon of everything. The vampire Digimon soon left in his carriage at his castle, which was driven by an unknown Digimon.

It was nighttime, and the children and their respective Digimon had made camp for tonight. They had found a nice clearing that suited their purpose just fine. Right now, they were all resting around the warm campfire. After the news that Ryuhei might be held captive by unknown evil forces, they all decided to gain their strength with a meal and a good night's sleep. That was where Pico Devimon found the children and decided to act on his own.

"They're all sleeping. I'll pick off a few before Vamdemon-sama arrives. I am sure he will be pleased" the little bat digimon said and summoned one of its 'Pico darts' in its talon.

He approached Sora because she was the one closest to him and intended to fire its syringe-shaped darts at her. Unluckily for it, Piyomon sensed there was something amiss and woke up only to find Sora in danger.

"Sora, look out!" Piyomon shouted and with fast steps, it shielded Sora from the attack with its body. Sora who heard Piyomon's warning woke up and found her Digimon injured in her arms.

"Piyomon, Piyomon!!" Sora uttered rather shocked and removed the syringe from her partner's body. "Piyomon! Hang in there!".

"But Sora... I have to protect you" Piyomon told her rather weakly. Luckily her cry of distress woke up the others to take care of the impending danger.

"Ah, it is Pico Devimon!" Takeru uttered and made everyone focus on the little bat digimon who was slowly hightailing out of there.

However, before anyone could do anything about it, the sky got covered in darkness. This of course spooked the children. What was going on here? As this dark cloud, which had been covering the night sky, disappeared, they found out the moon had turned bright red.

"Something is moving in the sky" Chihori then pointed out. It was first now the others noticed this strange medieval carriage that was flying in the sky and was being pulled by a strange digital creature.

"Wha-what is that?" Taichi uttered fearfully.

Surprisingly enough, the carriage never landed. Instead, it tossed out what looked like a coffin. That itself was creepy enough at first, but when it opened and revealed a strange-looking creature, it just amplified that creep factor. It was shrouded in a mysterious cloak and landed gracefully on this meadow a bit away from them. If Taichi wouldn't know better he would say this creature could resemble a vampire.

"Chosen children" the vampire spoke and chuckled darkly.

"That's him! He's the guy Pico Devimon was talking to" Sora uttered shocked.

The wind blew around them and in front of the vampire was a whirlwind of leaves appearing at first. Then this hooded individual was standing there. It almost looked like they were protecting the vampire. What was even worse was that Taichi recognized this person somewhat. It was the same cloaked individual he fought in the other forest some days back. It could only mean one thing.

"Don't call him by such rude terms!" the individual sneered at them and introduced to them all "This is Vamdemon-sama." It made the vampire chuckle darkly.

"Vamdemon?" Taichi questioned. He had wanted to say something more, but the stranger wouldn't let him.

"Vamdemon-sama!" the being corrected for him.

"I see" Taichi huffed annoyed back at the stranger. "And who are you supposed to be? Or better yet, show them who you are, Ryuhei. I know it is you!".

Silence lingered after that declaration. Half of the children were taken completely aback by this, while some others, like Chihori and Yamato, were trying to get this confirmed. Chihori even asked if the stranger was her big brother. However, the stranger stayed silent. They were barely moving a muscle and just stood there almost like a puppet. Or that was at least how Taichi saw this as.

"Go on pet. Show them your true face" the vampire surprisingly encouraged.

"As you wish" the stranger responded dutifully and removed their hoodie.

Several gasps confirmed what Taichi already knew as Ryuhei. The same blond hair. The same height and Taichi was even sure he was wearing his usual clothes underneath his cloak. The only difference was his blue eyes. There was something wrong with them. They looked dull and indifferent. It was like he couldn't recognize them at all.

"Onii-Chan you are all right!" Chihori uttered happily and ran towards her brother. Only to be stopped by her Digimon partner, declaring that there was something wrong with him. It of course confused the girl.

"Chihori..." Ryuhei then said.

His eyes glazed over but there was still some recognition in them, Taichi noticed. His head had tilted to one side. His one hand was at his temples like it was holding his head. It looked painful. Then he let go and were holding the same hand towards Chihori now. Footsteps soon followed as he began with lingering steps to approach her.

"Come with me. Come with me Chihori. You will be safe" he encouraged. Taichi was not having any of this as he rushed forward and decided to stand in between to protect her. Just in case.

"I don't think so. Ryuhei what has he done to you?" he asked and turned towards the vampire. "What have you done to him?!". At that, the vampire chuckled.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing much" the vampire admitted with a sinister grin. "But then again maybe he shouldn't have been trying to meddle in my affairs or taste so delicious". The vampire was surprisingly having a longing look in his eyes.

"You should be grateful. Had it been anyone else, I would have killed them already. Which is exactly what I intend to do to all of you. Your journey ends here" Vamdemon declared.

He was however sharing a look with Ryuhei that made the boy shiver slightly. Then he nodded.

"I will not get in the way. I promise" Ryuhei said.

He grabbed his sister's hand and pulled her with him to the sidelines. Taichi's eyes lingered on the vampire. Then at Ryuhei and soon back at the vampire again.

"Agumon I am counting on you," he said and rushed after Ryuhei and Chihori.

"You got it Taichi. Let's go everyone" Agumon encouraged and rushed forward to engage with the vampire.

That had been the right call since Vamdemon also decided to attack them with his "Night raid" attack. Familiar bats appeared to battle for their master and soon began surrounding the children and their Digimon. Agumon fired its "Baby flame" at the bats. Gabumon its "Petit fire".

"Motimon Shinka Tentomon!" the now evolved Tentomon uttered and hit the bats with its "Petit thunder" attack.

Patamon also fired an "Air shot" at one of them. Sadly, they just kept coming, as Koushiro also pointed out. So much in fact that some of the bats were now attacking Jyou and Mimi.

"Mimi!" Palmon uttered worriedly and light emitted around it.

"Palmon Shinka Togemon!".

Togemon rushed out into battle and told everyone to get down since it was firing its "Chiku-Chiku bang-bang" attack. Needles were flying everywhere killing all the familiar bats that had been summoned.

"Now it is my turn!" Gomamon uttered as the light emitted around him too.

"Gomamon Shinka Ikkakumon!". Right away, he fired his "Harpoon Vulcan" attack and of course, made the harpoons hit Vamdemon.

"You got him Ikkakumon!" Jyou cheered at first.

However, as the smoke cleared, Vamdemon was still there.

"You think you have won?" Vamdemon said and of course, now decided to retaliate.

With fast speed, he jumped up in the air and attacked with his "Bloody Stream" attack. It was like this bloody energy whip he summons in his hands, and he quickly made a quick process with all the Digimon facing him. Everyone was tossed for a loop by the sheer power Vamdemon was holding.

"Taichi... he's... strong" Agumon groaned before collapsing to the ground.

"No way!" Taichi exclaimed fearfully.

"Way to go Master!" Ryuhei surprisingly cheered and made weird fighting punches with his hand to mirror the vampire's movements. "Give them a left. Give them a right. You can do it, Master!"

What was weird though was that there was still no light in Ryuhei's eyes when he said this. Was Vamdemon making him say all this stuff?

"Snap out of it Ryuhei!" Taichi uttered and tackled the distracted boy to the ground.

Soon Taichi was above him looking down at the pitiful boy who was not at all fighting back against him. He was just lying there looking at him with dull eyes.

"Why are you not fighting back?!" Taichi demanded to know.

"My master has not ordered me to do so" was Ryuhei's only response. It infuriated Taichi to no end. He could not believe his rival and friend had been reduced to this.

"Maybe I need to knock some sense into you!" Taichi then claimed and cracked his knuckle.

Though his hand never collided with Ryuhei since something had, in fast movements, tossed him off the boy completely. Taichi groaned as he was now lying on the ground, staring up at a very familiar face.

"Renamon!" Gazimon exclaimed. They had, he and Chihori, been staying out of the conflict altogether, but now that a familiar Digimon had appeared before them, that changed. At least for Gazimon.

"Renamon, why are you helping him?" the Digimon demanded to know. "Ryuhei is... Ryuhei is not himself. You must see that". Renamon's eyes were filled with sadness. Then the fox Digimon nodded.

"I know. I know all right. I know what the vampire is doing to him, but even so... he is my master. My partner. I have to protect him regardless of what. I am his Digimon" Renamon responded dutifully.

In the meantime, with the others, Sora and Piyomon were watching the battle unfold.

"I have to go..." Piyomon said weakly. It was still lying in Sora's arms, as she was trying to nurse her Digimon partner back to health.

"Eh?!" Sora uttered rather shocked.

"I'm the only one left..." Piyomon said in a weak voice.

"You can't! How do you plan on attacking him with your wounds?" Sora questioned worriedly. Piyomon however wouldn't listen.

"Please understand Sora! I have to go!" Piyomon uttered and was now fighting Sora's tight grip.

They went back and forth. Piyomon yelled that Sora should let it go so it could fight, while Sora wanted it to stay here where she could protect it.

"Sora, why can't you understand?!" Piyomon ended up screaming at her.

Those words hit her hard. It had been the exact same words she had yelled to her mother in the past. Mother. She was really... she was really thinking of me first. However, that distraction enabled Piyomon to get free of her grip and was now facing Vamdemon.

"Piyomon Shinka Birdramon!".

Sora looked in horror as her Birdramon charged at the vampire. With fast steps, Birdramon fired its "Meteor wing" attack at Vamdemon. However, the vampire used his cape to protect himself from the flames. When Birdramon ran out of energy, Vamdemon attacked it with his Bloody Stream attack. It hit Birdramon right in the stomach causing it to fall from the sky.

"Birdramon! Birdramon!!" Sora exclaimed as she ran over to her Digimon partner.

Because of the loving gesture Sora had shown Piyomon, made her crest glow in all its radiance. Her Digivice took on a red color and Birdramon was glowing with light.

"Birdramon Chou Shinka Garudamon!".

Fire erupted around her partner, but when it faded away, this giant birdman-sized Digimon had taken Birdramon's place. Light was of course emitting around the bird as its evolution had happened. It had even blinded the vampire a bit.

"Wh-what is that light?" he groaned.

"Master!" Ryuhei uttered as he was trying to make up his mind in rescuing him.

However, the orders given to him were contradicting itself and Ryuhei had grabbed around his head to try and make sense of it all.

"Now!" Gazimon shouted as it suddenly tackled Renamon away from Ryuhei.

Taichi however caught on pretty fast as his fist collided with Ryuhei's chin. It had an instant effect, and the distressed boy went unconscious.

"Onii-chan!" Chihori uttered in distress and rushed to her brother's side.

"Hey, will someone give me a hand here?!" Taichi shouted to his friends.

In the meantime, Garudamon had descended from the sky and landed beside Sora. With gentle steps, it swooped her up in its big hands.

"Sora, your love. I felt so much of it" Garudamon reassured.

"Piyomon, you look so cool" Sora exclaimed happily.

Garudamon.

Perfect.

Birdman Digimon.

Type: Vaccine.

Special attack: Shadow wing.

Garudamon. A Birdman Digimon that evolves from Birdramon. They are the guardian deity of justice and order who loves the natural environment. Its special attack is the shadow wing.

"Grr, the crest of love just had to activate at the most crucial moment" Vamdemon sneered in annoyance. Garudamon of course turned toward the undead Digimon.

"I will protect Sora!" it uttered in pure determination.

It accented into the air again, holding Sora close to itself, as it fired its special attack "Shadow wing". A bird-shaped fire enigma emerged from its core and went for Vamdemon. The vampire of course responded using its night raid attack to protect himself. The familiar bats collided with the shadow wing and created a highly concentrated blast of energy. It caused the vampire to use his cape as a shield, so he didn't get blinded.

"Come let's run while we still can," Garudamon said and appeared in front of all the chosen children and their Digimon.

With its enormous hands, it carried everyone, including Ryuhei whom Yamato and Taichi were carrying, to safety. As they did, the sun was about to rise on the horizon.

Time skip.

"See, there was nothing to worry about. Your crest glowed after all." Taichi said and smiled. Right now, the group was assembled at a lakeside where they could freshen up and catch some fish for dinner if needed.

"Before I knew what I was doing, I was acting just like my mom," Sora said with a reassuring smile. "That's when I understood my mother loved me all along".

"I felt it too. I felt your love. Sora" Pyocomon said.

After the battle with Vamdemon, Garudamon alias Piyomon had returned to its baby form because it had used too much power. Not that anyone cared. They were just happy they escaped Vamdemon.

"Yeah. I am sorry about what happened before" Sora apologized. She couldn't believe how down she had been.

"I am just happy that you are back to your usual self," Pyocomon said cheerfully.

"But..." Jyou said and finally addressed the elephant in the room. "What do we do about Ryuhei? We all saw how strange he behaved".

He pointed at the closest spot to the riverbed where Chihori was determined to nurse her brother back to health. Gazimon was helping her and had already gathered strange-looking herbs and food for him.

"I know what you mean. Vampire enthrallment is serious business" Koushiro mused thoughtfully.

"Enthrall what now?!" Taichi questioned bewildered. He was sure he was not the only one wanting to know that.

"Vampire enthrallment" Koushiro repeated. "It is when a vampire takes a human being from its familiar surroundings and forces it into enslavement".

"What?!" almost everyone yelled in unison.

"I see. That makes sense. Vampires do have their unresisting charm and can control their victim's mind" Yamato replied casually which made the others stare at him. "What? Can't a guy read vampire stories once in a while".

"Poor Ryuhei" Mimi sniffed.

"I am more worried about us. The moment he wakes up..." Jyou began.

"But we took him away from Vamdemon. Wouldn't that mean he is back to his usual self now" Sora questioned.

"Not always. It comes down to how strong their connection is and how much Vamdemon has intruded on his mind" Yamato mused. "In the end, it comes down to Ryuhei's willpower".

"That and Vampires are very possessive over their things" Koushiro mused. "Or at least I think they are. I don't think Vamdemon is going to be happy about us taking Ryuhei away from him".

Everyone was having a dull expression on their face now.

"What's with all the dullness and gloom you guys? If Ryuhei wakes up and attacks us again, we just have to knock him out again." Taichi said and was having a carefree expression on his face. "I am sure at some point he will see reason...".

"Taichi! You can't just hit everything and expect it to work!" Jyou lectured. "Besides it can cause Ryuhei a lot of head traumas!".

"I will try to contact Gennai. Maybe he would know what to do" Koushiro concluded and began tapping on his computer.

"Good idea, but I suggest we watch Ryuhei 24/7 until we know he is all right," Yamato added.

"I will make dinner" Sora added with a smile. "I am sure we will find a solution someday".

Then the children began doing their daily activities. None of them noticed that they were being watched.

AN: And that was that chapter. It was a bit longer than usual, but considering everything that had happened, I am sure you can understand why. The next chapter is another extra chapter. That is the reason for the unusual ending. It had to fit somehow. I am sure you guess what the chapter is about. Ryuhei and Chihori will star in it. More or less. Hope it intrigues you. Please comment on what you think. I would like to know how I am doing so far.