I was walking down the streets towards the Kamiya residence. Just a few hours ago, Kari called me and asked if I would come over to have dinner with her family. I said yes, happy to see her again. But that wasn't the only reason I wanted to see her
I've been getting strange feelings whenever I would think about the ninth child, and that feeling would grow whenever I was near Kari. That's when I knew for sure that Kari was the ninth child we've been looking for. What's crazier was that Gatomon, the digimon I've been seeing in my visions and dreams, was her partner digimon.
It was crazy, and I knew that it true, but Gatomon was on the wrong side of this battle and Kari didn't have a digivice.
"Raya?" I heard someone say my name. I was torn from my thoughts and looked down at Luna in my arms.
"Luna, is something wrong?" I asked. She shook her head.
"Not with me, but I'm worried about you. You've been quiet for a while. What are you thinking about?" She asked.
"I was just thinking about Kari." I said, "She's the ninth child, I know it. But she doesn't have a digivice. And that crest..."
"Don't worry, I'm sure that Kari has a digivice. She must've misplaced it or it was lost." I smiled and nodded.
After a few more minutes of walking, we made it to the Kamiya's door and knocked.
"Coming!" I heard Kari's voice shout from the other side of the door. The door opened and I saw Kari smiling happily.
"Raya, you're here! I'm glad you were able to come!" She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the apartment.
"Tai, Raya's here!" She said. Kari pulled me into the living room and sat me down.
Tai came out of his room and gasped when he saw me on the couch.
"Raya? What are you doing here?" He asked.
"Aww, are you not happy to see me?" I joked with a fake pout, "Kari invited me to spend the evening with you all."
Luna chuckled softly and jumped out of my lap, almost instantly, the Kamiya family cat, Meeko, jumped into my lap and curled up comfortably.
We sat watching the news, at some point, Mrs. Kamiya brought us a plate of watermelon. I grabbed one of the slices and ate happily as Tai joined us on the couch and watched tv.
"Hey, Raya?" Kari said, a little shyly.
"What is it, Kari?" I asked.
"Do... do you think I could see your leg? It's been a while since I've seen your leg." I was a little surprised.
"Kari, you can't just ask a question like that." Tai scolded, but I smiled.
"Its okay, Tai, I'm not as insecure about my prosthetic as in the past." I said, turning back to Kari, "Of course you can my leg."
Meeko quickly jumped off my lap as I bent down and pulled up my pant leg. Kari gasped in amazement when she saw the sleek plastic and metal.
"So cool! It makes you look so awesome." She said as she jumped off the couch and crouched down to touch my leg.
I smiled, remembering that she had a similar reaction to the first time I ever showed her my leg when we were at the hospital together.
"Now back to our top story." The news channel reporter said, "Several more strange monsters have been sighted earlier today in and around the Tokyo area. In the same community, more reports of young girls being struck down by what doctors call sudden anemia. Investigators say that the incidents may be related."
Tai grabbed the remote and turned off the tv.
"Sudden anemia?" He said.
"Do you think it's possible that Myotismon may be the cause?" I asked.
"Why would you think that, Raya?" Agumon asked.
"Well, think about it, Myotismon is a vampire-like digimon. It's possible that he used to suck data from digimon, and now he's doing the same thing with humans."
"That's pretty clever, Raya." Kari said, smiling at me with that lovely smile of hers.
Suddenly, the phone rang and Tai picked it up. He gasped and ran with Agumon into his room for privacy.
"Meeko!" Kari shouted. She got up and ran after the cat out onto the balcony. I walked up behind her with Luna in my arms as she picked up the cat.
"What are you doing? You know you're not allowed to come out here at this hour. Go back inside." Kari said, letting the cat go and watching him go past me and back inside.
I chuckled, "Very mischievous, isn't he?" I asked.
"Yeah, but we love him anyway." Kari said. She walked up to the balcony edge and stood on her toes to look out at the city. I closed the door behind me and joined her to look out at the lit up city.
But just then, I felt something strange come towards us. I looked up into the sky and saw something fly down to us.
"Kari, stay behind me." I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her behind me. When the strange shadow came closer to the lights of the apartment, I saw that it was a digimon. A wizard looking digimon.
"Who are you?" Kari asked as the digimon hovered in the air.
"I am Wizardmon." He said.
"How are you able to fly like that?" Wizardmon chuckled, amused by Kari's innocent question. He didn't seem to want to harm either of us. He actually seemed quite friendly.
I let go of Kari's hand and set Luna on my shoulder.
"I sense no darkness inside you. Are you here to take Kari to Myotismon?" I asked.
He shook his head, "No, no, no, I would never do Kari any harm. And I would never want to try. After all, I wouldn't want to fight against you, Digi-mage."
Just then from the balcony wall, a white digimon appeared and landed in front of us. It was Gatomon.
"Oh, it's you, hello again. You're Agumon's friend, aren't you? How come you ran away the last time we saw you?" Kari asked.
Wizardmon took something from his pocket and placed it in Gatomon's gloved paw, then pushed her closer to Kari. I backed away with Luna, making sure that the two could meet eye to eye.
But when I got a closer look at the object in Gatomon's hand, my suspicions were confirmed. Gatomon was holding a digivice. Kari was the ninth child.
Kari stared at the digivice with curiosity and reached out to touch it.
"What is that thing? Can I see it?" As soon Jari touched the digivice, it reacted glowing and beeping with life.
I smiled at the sight while the digimon and Kari gasped in surprise.
"Wizardmon, tell me, is this girl the ninth digidestined?" Gatomon asked.
"Yes." Wizardmon replied, taking the digivice back.
"So, who is her digimon?"
"I think we both know the answer to that, Gatomon." I said, walking up to the cat digimon and kneeling down to her height.
I grabbed her left paw and held it gently in my hands, smiling happily.
"Its been a very long since we've first met, Gatomon. Laet time I saw you, you were still a Salamon." I said, "I believe Kari is the one you were looking for all this time."
Gatomon stared at me for a moment, looked over at Kari and then back at me.
"We've met before?" She asked. Then, she gasped when a memory flashed through her mind.
~~~~Gatomon POV~~~~
The sun was high in the sky, with clouds periodically appearing to cover it.
I was walking along a dirt road, thinking and searching for someone, but I felt somewhere in my heart that I would never find the person I was searching for.
I grew tired from my walking and sat down beside the road on the grass. I sat there for a few hours when I heard someone sit beside me.
"Is something wrong, little digimon?" A voicw asked. I looked up and saw a human child. Her hair was cherry red and her eyes shining as brightly as her smile. Next to her was a bundle of white cloth with a digi egg sitting on top of it.
"Who are you?" I asked asked.
The girl smiled at me, "My name is Raya. What's yours?"
"I'm Salamon." I said.
"So, what's the matter, Salamon?"
I looked down sadly and sighed, "I'm waiting for someone, but I can't remember who it is I'm waiting for?" I looked back up at her, "Are you the one I'm waiting for?"
She hummed in thought then shook her head, "No, I already have a digimon partner waiting to hatch." I sighed and looked away back towards the dirt road.
"But," my ears pricked up, "I think I can help you find the person you're waiting for."
"You can?" I asked asked, jumping into my lap, "Can you really find the one I'm waiting for?"
She smiled brightly and nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure your partner is out there somewhere, and when you meet them, you'll be happier than you could ever imagine."
We stayed together and traveled with each other for days, sleeping in caves and trees at night and had fun during the days.
I was never more happy, but when Raya would tell me about how I would find the person I was waiting for, I would help but be excited. But soon, she said she had to continue her travels on her own.
I wanted her to stay, but she promised me that when we met again she would help me find the person I was searching for. It was a promise I wished she would keep. But instead, I only found darkness.
Myotismon.
~~~~~Raya POV ~~~~~
"I remember now." Gatomon said, "We met when I was just a little Salamon, and you gave me hope. But that hope was shrouded in darkness when the days of fear and torture under Myotismon's thumb came. I started to forget, I forgot that I was waiting for someone. I even forgot about the girl who gave me so much hope for a brighter future."
I smiled, "Don't worry, your search is over. The person you've been searching for for so long is right here."
Kari looked at us confused, "Wh-- what are you guys talking about?" She asked, "What does any of this have to do with me?"
"Kari, Raya, get away!" We heard someone shout from the other end of the balcony. We turned towards the voice and saw Tai and Agumon.
"Tai, what's the matter?" Kari asked.
"What do you digimon want?" Tai shouted angrily.
"Calm down, Tai, it's not as it seems." I said.
"Please, listen to what I have to say." Wizardmon said defensively. But Tai didn't listen to either of us.
"Kari, Raya, get over here! Those two are evil digimon."
"No they're not evil, Tai." Kari said, "Gatomom has been searching for me. For me and the ninth digidestined child."
Agumon launched one of his fireballs to attack the other digimon behind us. But his aim was off, almost hitting Kari if not for Gatomon quickly pushing the girl out of the way.
"Agumon! What's the matter with you? They're not dangerous." I said angrily.
"Oh, no, Gatomon." Kari shouted in fear and worry, running up to her partner and checking for any injuries.
"Are you all right?" Kari asked. Gatomon slowly picked herself up and looked up at Kari.
"I'm fine. This is nothing compared to what I've been through." She replied.
I looked over at a stunned Agumon and Tai.
"Now that you remember, do you understand what you must do, Gatomon?" Wizardmon asked.
"Yes." Gatomon said as she stood up, "I was waiting for the digidestined human I belonged with. That's you, Kari. You're the ninth digidestined."
"You were waiting just for me?" Kari asked in disbelief.
Gatomon nodded, "I've been searching for ever and ever for you." She ran up into Kari's arms and the two hugged each other tightly.
"You could've just called." Kari joked, looking up at her brother, "Guess what, Tai. Gatomon's my digimon, now I've got one, too."
"Don't be silly, Kari, that doesn't make any sense." Tai said.
"It makes perfect sense, considering that she's the ninth digidestined." Wizardmon said.
"That's right and I'm her digimon, so no matter what happens, I'll always protect her."
"How do I know you're not making this up and Kari's real digimon partner is out there somewhere elsw?"
"If you won't trust the words of a digimon, Tai, then trust mine." I said, "I've been seeing the ninth child in my dreams and Gatomon was by their side. Every night the child has been getting clearer, and whenever I'm near Kari, I feel the same way as when I found the other's crests'. She's a digidestined and Gatomon is truly her digimon." I explained.
Tai nodded, "But then, why are you in Myotismon's army? And just who is this guy?"
"He's called Wizardmon." Gatomon answered, "He put himself in great danger to bring me this digivice. He's my friend."
"But how can I know if I can trust him or not?"
"Frankly, I don't care whether you do trust me." Wizardmon said, "But I'm going to follow Gatomon as l ok my as she needs me." He handed the digivice to Tai, "Here, you take the device."
"Why give it to Tai? It belongs to Kari." Agumon asked as Tai took the device.
"She can't be seen with it. If Myotismon finds out she's the ninth child, and Gatomon is her digimon, then he'll destroy Gatomom and he won't rest until he finds Kari. If you have the digivice then her secret will be safe."
"Okay, we understand." I said, "Thank you for bringing the device and Gatomon here, Wizardmon. It must've been really dangerous to betray Myotismon."
"Anything for the peace of the digital world, Lady Digi-mage." He said, "But there is one more thing Kari will need. She needs her Crest, the real one."
"The real one?" Tai repeated. Gatomon held up a fake crest identical to the one Luna and I found in the river when we came back to our world.
"This crest is just a copy that was created to find the digivice. Myotismon is the only one that has access to the real crest. We've got to get it back." Gatomon said.
"Leave everything to us." Wizardmon said before the two turned around to leave.
"Wait." Tai said, stopping them, "Where's Myotismon's hideout? We'll come with you and we can help you."
"No! It's too dangerous." Wizardmon said, and then flew off with Gatomon into the night.
"Be careful Gatomon." Kari yelled as they disappeared into the dark sky.
"Can we trust them?" Agumon asked.
"We have to. We've got no choice." Tai said.
"Don't worry," I said, "If the crest is anywhere nearby, I'll be able to feel it."
"Raya, why did Wizardmon call you and Digi-mage?" Kari asked.
"That's a long story. But to make it short, I was brought to the digital world four years ago and was shown that I had the ability to share power with different digimon. I can transform and take on their appearances an powers."
All of a sudden, thunder roared and lightning flashed nearby. My chest tightened when I felt great pain, coming from where the lightning flashed.
It was Myotismon, I could tell it was him. Tai and I left with our digimon and ran towards the source of the storm.
We ran and ran, the feeling of dread growing in my heart.
"He's somewhere near the river!" I shouted, "Lunamon, digivolve now!" Luna nodded, jumping out of my arms and into the air as she digivolve into Lekismon.
Agumom did the same, changing into Greymon and placing Tai on his shoulder. The two followed me and Lekismon as we made it to the source.
There by the river, we saw Gatomon and Myotismon, but Wizardmon was nowhere in sight.
"We've come to help you, Gatomon!" Tai shouted.
"Tai! Raya!" Gatomom shouted.
I grabbed Lekismon's hand and transformed, wearing her armor and my long hair turning white with my eyes changing to a light lavender-pink.
"Nove Blast!" Greymon shouted.
"Double Tear Arrow!" Lekismon and I shouted, laughing our attacks. However, Mytosimon was able to repel the attack.
"When will you digidestined ever learn? Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon shouted, attacking us with a red whip of pure lightning.
I flew away to dodge the attack, but was hit slightly on the arm. As I groaned in pain, Greymon digivolved again and attacked, knocking our digimon out.
I landed on my knees in the soft grass as I held my arm and transformed back to normal with Agulon and Lekismon.
"Raya, Lunamon, Agumon, are you all okay?" Tai asked as he ran up to us with Gatomon by his side.
I smiled with a twinge of pain in my grin.
"I'll live, Tai. Nothing too serious." I said.
Myotismon laughed evily, "If the digidestined and the Digi-mage are coming to defend Gatomon, then they really just think she is the ninth digimon."
"What they think is no business of you." Gatomon shouted.
Then he looked down at me and grinned, "The blood of normal human girls is beginning to numb my taste. Perhaps the blood from a Digi-mage would taste more exquisite." I backed away, Luna standing in front of me in a protective stance.
"You won't get a single drop." She said.
"You will pay for your impudence, Gatomon." Myotismon said. Just then, a cloud of bats rushed up to us and grabbed Gatomon.
"Hahaha! I hope you like fishing, Gatomon, because you're going to be the perfect bait for luring out the ninth child. Now I dont need the crest to find that cowardly, puny human."
"That's not fair, Myotismon!" Tai shouted.
"I don't play fair." He said and flew off with Gatomon into the night.
Gatomom screamed for help, but she was too far away for us to help her. And I couldn't help but think that Kari had a large target on her back.
And wouldn't allow any dark digimon to touch her.