Note: This happens right after "Domino and Dice" Which you should read to
understand
some of it, otherwise it's pretty much self-explanatory.

Also, you might find the jumps from first person to third a little
confusing, this is an
experiment on this type of writting style.

And... if the list recieved this twice, I apologize, I recieved a message that
indicated it hadn't been posted.

Anyway, here's the story:
--------
Dice's Story
--------

Immediately after leaving Primary Village I regretted it.

But I couldn't go back, not now that I could reach Leomon and ask him to
train me, so I could
become as strong as he is.

I'm gonna miss everyone, specially Domino.

Come to think about it, this is the first time I've been truly alone, and
that thought scares me
like nothing else I've felt before. At least, from what I heard from the
other Digimon, this road
will take me to the beach, where Leomon was going to build a boat to get to
the other
containment, or whatever it's called. I really wonder what's so important
about these kids,
but I gather that the best way to find out is going with him!

* * *

Leomon was adding the finishing touches to his boat, namely a veil, when the
bushes behind
him rustled. He stopped working and watched amused as a black puppy-like
Digimon struggled
out of the bushes.

He was all black, except for two white patches, one on the tip of the tail,
and another on the
right eye. Leomon knew who he was, since he was partly responsible for his
Digivolution, but
what he didn't know was what it was doing here of all places, when it
should've been at Primary

Village.

"Dice? What are you doing here?" he asked.
Dice looked up at him and smiled, shaking a little to get twigs free of his
pelt. "Well, what do
you think, Leomon? I came here to help you!"

"Help me?"

"Yes! Remember you told me you'd go to that containment and help the
Digidestined?"

"Containment? Ah, you mean Continent!" Leomon clarified. "Yes, but I don't
know, Dice..."

Dice ran up to him, and looked up. "Listen, Leomon, I want to grow up and be
as strong as you
are! Will you teach me how to fight?"

Leomon thought about it for a moment. It seemed that Dice had decided to
make a life of his
own, and although he was still not strong enough to face larger Digimon,
Leomon had trained
him to be stronger than the average Salamon. But, if he wanted to fight, it
would be for the
best that someone responsible took care of him. Otherwise he might end up
like Ogremon.

"Okay, Dice, but you have to promise me you'll follow orders."

"Yes! I promise!" Dice answered, jumping around happily.

Leomon smiled.

"Well, let's gather food, and we'll be on our way!" the Lion Digimon
ordered.

Dice nodded and started into the forest, in search for food.

* * *

The next few days were a thrill, Leomon taught me many things, including
some of his
fighting style. He explained that the way you fought was your 'style' and
that he used
techniques that other Digimon didn't know.

Most of my endurance training was done by swimming, and the rest was
meditating, and
fishing. Leomon turned everything I did into training, and seemed to be
happy with my
progress. We even stopped for a day at a small island and there he taught me
how to fight
better. It wasn't that easy, but I'd never had so much fun... except perhaps
with Domino.

I couldn't help but wonder what had become of her.

My distraction didn't escape Leomon, and after explaining it to him, he said
he understood,
but that I should learn to control these emotions... and so I started yet
another meditation as
we took to the sea again.

With any luck, we would reach the Continent in a few days.

* * *

Leomon stared at the clouds for a moment, judging their altitude. With the
small boat he
would be unable to change course in time. He just hoped that the storm
wouldn't be that
strong.

* * *

My head hurt... what had happened? Where was I now?

I could hear the comforting sound of waves hitting the shore close to me...
but shouldn't I
be in a boat? I was afraid to even open my eyes, even when I felt the
sunlight hitting me
relentlessly. I could wish for a cloud... but... wasn't a cloud... there was
something about
clouds... yes, I remembered something about clouds.

But... there's another noise...

* * *

Dice opened his eyes and looked around. He was lying next to the water, in a
strange beach.


A jungle could be seen a little beyond the sand, which was powdery, white,
and warm in the
sunlight while, the water in front of him, was clear as crystal up to where
the horizon met it.

A little confused, he got up and stared at the flotsam that had washed
ashore next to him.
Dazed, he started walking along the shore. Then, when he found what seemed
to be
a piece of the boat he and Leomon had been in, he sat down and stared at it.
He suddenly
stood up and stepped back from the water, looking fearfully at it. Turning
around, he ran
into the jungle.

He stumbled through it in a panic, not letting roots or other nuisances stop
him. He ran and
ran, until he couldn't hear the sound of the sea, or feel the sunlight,
until he stumbled and
fell, face first, to the ground.

The black Salamon couldn't feel his legs, and the fear and panic that had
taken control of
him had been changed for simple tiredness. He ignored the aching, and the
weird position
he had ended up and just closed his eyes.

* * *

"What have we here?" Was the first thing I heard in who-knows-how-long, then
felt
something hard poking at my head. Opening one eye I noticed a stone-like
Digimon
holding out a branch and poking at my head.

"Hey! Cut it out!" I said, as I tried to stand up.

He poked me again. "Why?"

"Because I don't like it!" I said, finally giving up.

"Oh, leave him alone, Gotsumon." Someone said. I looked around and found a
Pumpkinmon
looking at me.

"He shouldn't be resting around!" Gotsumon said. "He should be up and about,
having fun!"

"I don't want to have fun..." I said, remembering for the briefest of
moments Leomon.

"I just want to be left alone!"

The Gotsumon and Pumkinmon shared a look, then picked me up, each by one
leg.

"Hey!" I shouted, but as much as I tried to struggle I was too weak to get
free,

"We're taking you with us!" Gotsumon announced, as they started marching. I
noticed that
after a few minutes we reached a trail.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked.

"We're going to the city!" Pumkinmon said. "You'll get better in no-time and
you'll be able
to play with us!"

* * *

The city was like no place I had ever seen before. There were structures
here, like those at
Primal Village, but different. Digimon lived in there and there were places
for food, and
shops and clothes and even places to sleep!

Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon dragged me into one of these and let me sleep in a
small room
for the rest of the day, and by nighttime, I was almost completely rested.
Pumpkinmon came
for me and we both walked out to where Gotsumon waited.

"Hello, there!" Gotsumon greeted.

"Um... hello," I answered. I felt bad about mistreating them that morning,
and decided to let
them know. "Listen, about this morning..."

"No problem!" Pumpkinmon interrupted.

"Huh?"

"That's right! We're always glad to have new friends!" Gotsumon added.

"Even if I treated you like that?" I asked, unable to believe my ears.

Gotsumon shrugged. "Come on, let's get some Ice Cream!"

My stomach grumbled. Back at Primary Village, Frigimon had appeared from
time to time
bringing Ice Cream for everyone, and boy, did I like Ice Cream!

"Sure! Let's go!" I shouted, and started running after them. We passed
several parlors,
which was a little confusing, since we could have gotten it there, instead
of crossing half
the city!

Finally, they turned a corner and we stopped inside an alley. From there, we
could see
another parlor. There weren't any other Digimon in the area, and the
Veggiemon that was
tending it looked a little distracted.

"Okay," Pumpkinmon started. "Here's the plan, I will ask for three ice cream
cones, and
when Veggiemon gives them to me, you and Salamon run around, as if you were
playing,
confusing him and I make a break for it."

I looked from the stand to them. "Are you serious?!" I asked.

Gotsumon nodded. "Yeah! We need to eat, you know?"

"B-but that's stealing!" I said accusingly, taking a step back.

Pumpkinmon looked at me. "It's okay, Veggiemon has lots of parlors around
town, this
is just the only one he manages. We would've bought them, but we had to pay
for the
rooms too!"

I suddenly felt a little guilty, since I had slept all day in the rooms they
had paid. Well,
even if I didn't like it that much, I'd help them out. After all, I owed
them. "Dice." I said.

"What?" Gotsumon asked in chorus with Pumpkinmon.

I smiled. "My name is Dice, not Salamon."

Understanding crept into their faces and they smiled back. "Well, Dice!
Let's go!"

* * *

Gotsumon walked into the small room he shared with Dice and Pumpkinmon. The
two of
them had become real good friends with the black Salamon. This time, like
many others, he
didn't find him.

He sighed. How was he supposed to organize tonight's raid if Dice stayed at
the forest all
the time? Giving in to the inevitable, he decided to go look for him at his
favorite training
ground.

* * *

Ok, concentrate, breathe. breathe. feel the heart beating. call the strength
inside, the
spirit of the beasts, the ancestral power of your predecessors. breathe.
there's the
target, don't blink! Focus the rage, the fear in one point. in the center.
breathe. and.
attack!

* * *

Gotsumon walked out of the jungle into the rocky area. He looked around,
trying to find
Dice when suddenly large rock standing next to him blew up.

He dove for cover with a surprised shout, then looked up at the place where
the stone used
to be. There, amidst the rubble, was Dice, with a goofy smile and..
unconscious. if he were
dead he'd become Digidust.

Gotsumon sighed and picked the Salamon up, looking askance from his goofy
smile to the
rubble. "I guess he finally did it." He murmured, walking into the jungle
opposite of the rock.

* * *

I woke up with a splitting headache, but still. as the last memories of the
destroyed rock
entered my mind, I couldn't suppress a smile. I had finally managed what
Leomon had told
me I would achieve after sufficient training. True, it was still to
uncertain and required too
much power, but still. hey, I had finally done it! My first secret
technique! This is so cool!

I looked around and spotted Pumpkinmon.

"Hey!" I said.

He looked at me and nodded. "Hey. It's about time, you know! I say, if I
didn't know better
I could swear you like being unconscious!

"Not so!"

He just shrugged. "If you say so. Anyway, tonight's the big one! We've
finally managed to
do it after the last few weeks of effort!"

* * *

Dice's eyes brightened. "You mean we got the job?"

Pumpkinmon nodded just as Gotsumon entered. "Well, not exactly."

"What do you mean 'not exactly'?" Dice asked, eyeing his friends closely.

"Well. you see. remember that place we 'jumped' last time?"

"You mean that place you and Pumpkinmon. wait a minute."

Gotsumon nodded. "It's owned by Chronomon."

"And he wants us to find the 'brigands' that did it as our first job."
Pumpkinmon added.

". but since it was you." the Salamon ventured.

"Well, we couldn't tell him that!" Gotsumon argued. "So we told them it had
probably been
one of those loose Modoki Betamon that started trouble last week!"

"And?"

"Well. um, our first job is to capture those Modoki Betamon." Pumpkinmon
finished.

"But. those are more than a dozen!" Dice shouted.

Both Digimon cringed.

"We know! We know!" Pumpkinmon said.

"But, we've got a plan!" Gotsumon insisted.

"Ok, shoot."

"First." Pumpkinmon said as he and Gotsumon stood closer to Dice. The Black
Salamon
nodded as he listened, and after a moment smiled. This might just work!

* * *

"HEEEEEY! I WAN'T MOOOORE OF THISSSS thing." one of the Modoki Betamon
shouted drunkenly.

"On it's way!" Shouted the black Salamon that was transporting the trays on
his back.

He stopped next to them and carefully set them down by letting it slide from
his back with
a paw keeping balance. The 13 or so Modoki Betamon dug into the plates full
force.

"I hope those two move it." Dice thought as he grabbed the tray with his
mouth and took
it back to the bar. "Those guys are pretty drunk. and they might leave soon
enough."
he concluded. He left the tray in the bar just as Gotsumon came out wearing
an apron.

"It's done. He didn't even know what hit him. I mean." Gotsumon stopped and
faced the
glaring Salamon. "Um.."

"Didn't you ask his permission?"

"Ah. yes. I mean. sorta."

"What do you mean sort of? I don't see that net on the roof!" Dice muttered
looking
around and up.

"Well, we decided that there was a better way of capturing them. with the
net."

"Really? How so?"

"Well." Gotsumon started, when suddenly Dice raised an ear.

* * *

What was that sound? It was almost inaudible. but it seemed to be like a
soft scrap against
wood. I concentrated on it as I looked around, ignoring Gotsumon for the
moment.

Then, as I looked to the area where the Modoki Betamon were drinking, I
caught a glimpse
of something shiny moving around them slowly. then I noticed what seemed to
be a thin
black line going around the place they were standing.

I stared for a moment, then turned around for confirmation, ignoring a huge
Monochromon
that passed right next to me. "Surely that is not."

"A saw!" Gotsumon finished proudly, and gave me a 'thumbs up'. "What's the
case of
working as Digimon Hunters if it's not fun!"

"But." I didn't finish as the Monochromon walked up to the Modoki Betamon.

" Here you are!" He shouted, drawing everyone's attention.

The Modoki Betamon stopped their drinking immediately. "Boss!" One of them
squeaked.

"You know there's a price on our heads and yet go out in public!? We're
leaving! Now!"
He shouted.

The wooden floor creaked.

I groaned. "This can't be happening." I muttered just as it gave in and all
the Modoki
Betamon fell in, along the Monochromon. which was a little too heavy for the
net.

Just as the first crash registered into the minds of the present Digimon, a
surprised shout
and another crash emanated from within the hole.

Gotsumon and I exchanged worried glances. That shout had been Pumpkinmon.
and
those other shouts were also his. and from the Modoki Betamon. and the roar
was
probably the leader Monochromon.

"He's dead.:" Gotsumon muttered worriedly as he and I ran towards the hole,
the rest
of the Digimon gathered around and peered down.

* * *

The gathered Digimon laughed and cheered as Dice and Gotsumon pushed their
way to
the edge of the hole, and looked down.

Pumpkinmon was jumping and running around as the confused Modoki Betamon
tried to
shock him, but only ended shocking each other. However, Monochromon managed
to hit
him full force, and Pumpkinmon went sprawling, as the Modoki Betamon
organized under
their leader's orders.

"Great." Dice muttered as Gotsumon jumped down to help Pumpkinmon.

"So, you are the ones that were paid to get us?" Monochromon asked,
sneering.

Gotsumon helped Pumpkinmon up and looked at the group defiantly. "NO!"

"huh?" was the general consensus.

Everyone looked at each other as Monochromon looked slightly confused. "No?
What do
you mean no?! Did you just try to kill us for hobby?"

"No, actually, we were contacted to get you, but we haven't got paid,"
Pumpkinmon
clarified.

"Riiiight," Monochromon muttered. "My fault for the confusion. I hope I didn
't offend
you in any way."

He was dripping sarcasm and Dice just hoped that his friends would just get
out.

His hopes however were broken by Gotsumon's answer.

"Nah, none taken."

Monochromon smiled. "Good. Kill them."

* * *

I sighed.

This was just getting better.

As Monochromon stepped forward I jumped down and landed on his head,
covering his
eyes. and grabbed on for dear life!

Monochromon shouted and started shaking his head, I almost lost my grip but
hanged on
harder. I looked at Gotsumon and Pumkinmon who were laughing their heads
off.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" I demanded.

"You're doing great, Dice! Keep on!" Pumpkinmon shouted back.

"WHAT?!" I shouted as Monochromon shook his head from side to side, sending
Modoki

Betamon flying all around us. "THIS ISN'T A GAME, YOU KNOW!"

"This is most unsettling," Monochromon said suddenly, stopping. What was
with this
guy and proper talking? Suddenly, he stood on his back legs and stomped down
hard,
moving his head down. and sending me flying towards the wall.

I guess that I would have laughed at the expressions on Pumpkinmon and
Gotsumon's faces
if I hadn't been about to crash against the wall!

* * *

Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon dove to the sides as Dice flew past them and crashed
against
the wooden wall, cracking it and bringing it down on him.

They were about to go help him when the Modoki Betamon jumped at them.

Dice struggled out of the wooden pile in time to see Monochromon hit
Gotsumon with his
tail. Gotsumon also sailed through the air and landed next to him.

"I see your plan is working along nicely!" Dice shouted as five Modoki
Betamon attacked
them.

"Well, I didn't know they had a Monochrome for a leader! Did you?!" Gotsumon
shouted
as he used his power to let rocks fall on top of the Modoki Betamon,
stopping them for a
moment.

"What are we going to do?!" Asked Pumpkinmon grabbing his axe. The attacking
Digimon
stepped back as axes started falling on them.

"Do something!" Gotsumon shouted at Dice.

"Like what?! BARK?!" Dice shouted back. He tried to analyze the situation,
like Leomon
had told him to do. Of course, he had never fought these odds. There were
about four
unconscious Modoki Betamon, which left nine being held back and Monochromon,
who
was organizing them. That gave him an idea. He started jumping on the heads
of the

Modoki Betamon.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Gotsumon shouted.

"Just handle the MB's!" Dice shouted over his shoulder, as he landed in
front of

Monochromon.

* * *

Monochromon looked at me askance. "Don't tell me you intend to fight me
alone, little
Salamon."

I didn't bother to answer, and that seemed to be enough for him. He charged,
and I dove
to the right, barely missing him, when he passed next to me, I slammed his
ribs with a
head butt.

The Digimon above us cheered as he turned around and looked at me. "Nice
try, Salamon,
but you're too weak to really harm me!"

"That's what you th-" I was cut short by a tail slap that sent me rolling. I
slid painfully to a
stop, then stood up defiantly. There was one thing I could do. but I would
probably kill
him.

Again he charged, and I tried to avoid him, but a pain in the ribs slowed me
down, and he
hit me full force. I slammed against the other wall. This one was rock, not
wood like the
other three, since this one was to the side where the street would be.

It was painful. I felt rage inside me, I wouldn't let him kill me! I would
become the strongest

Digimon ever and protect Domino.

That stopped me short. I couldn't die. Not because of being a warrior. But
because I had
promised to protect her if she was in danger. I stood up and concentrated.

Monochromon sneered. "Still trying, Salamon?"

I ignored his words as I felt the power inside me and focused my
concentration on his
armored forehead.

"It's about time you die, my dear boy!" Monochromon shouted as he charged at
me.

I could hear shouts from above and from Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon shouting at
me to
dodge, but I had reached the point of no return.

* * *

As Monochromon raced towards Dice, the black Salamon suddenly shot forward,
a defiant
shout escaping his lips. Suddenly, Dice's form seemed to waver and he became
three
colored shadows that slammed Monochromon.

The sound of the impact broke the windows, and a flash prevented everyone
from seeing
exactly what had happened.

When everyone could look again, they gasped. Monochromon was slowly standing
up,
but his armor was cracked all along his body, and his horn had been ripped
off. The
gigantic Digimon could barely stand up, and stumbled a little before
regaining his balance.

Just in front of him was Dice.

Dice could barely stay awake, he had spent all his energy on that last
attack, but it hadn't
been enough.

Monochromon kicked the Salamon across the room, and buried him under a
wooden box
full of fruit. He then turned around and signaled the Modoki Betamon. The
remaining
Betamon surrounded Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon as Monochromon walked up to them.

"Okay, you could've given up, but you had to insist on fighting us and now I
really have
to kill you." He said.

Dice, on the other side of the room, heard the announcement, and felt again
the rage
building inside him. He wouldn't let him kill any of them! He struggled to
get up, but the
weight of the boxes was too great.

"If I were stronger. like Leomon, I'd be out of here and kicking their
hides." he muttered.

But he didn't give up, and kept on struggling.

Monochromon and the others noticed the light coming out from under the
boxes, and
looked at it a little unsettled, until it was lifted and thrown aside, then
they stared in
surprise.

A black Gatomon stood amidst the debris. The only things he had different
were white
patches of fur on his right eye and the tip of his tail.

Dice smiled as he pulled his arm back, closing his paw into a fist.

"Fist of the Beast King!" the Gatomon shouted, punching forward. A ghostly
image of
a lion slammed into Monochromon, and slammed him against the wall.
Monochromon fell
forward and became Digidust.

Everyone stood in quiet surprise.

"He. killed him!" someone said.

Dice stared at the place where the Monochromon had been. The Modoki Betamon
shouted and ran away from him, as his two friends stared at him.

* * *

Three days have passed since I killed Monochromon. The Modoki Betamon
surrendered
and we took them in, but still. Gotsumon and Pumkinmon have treated me much
more
differently since I Digivolved and killed my first Digimon.

And I hate myself for that.

I hate myself because I don't feel bad about it. And I think I should.

What would Leomon think? Heck, Domino would hate me if she ever found out!

Now, I fear Gotsumon and Pumkinmon won't even want to come close to me. The
other
Digimon treat me with respect, although it's more the kind of respect I get
from fear, not
out of merit.

I even retired to my training grounds for a couple of days, and although I
knew they came
from time to time, they never spoke to me. They just stayed in the shadows
while I meditated,
then when I started my training, they would leave.

I've got far, since turning into a Gatomon. My special technique takes much
less energy
than before, and I can still use the 'Fist of the Beast King', curiously
enough, and have
trained for hours to perfect it, and I feel I've managed to do so. Time will
tell.

Now, I have decided to talk to Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon and see what happens.

* * *

Dice walked down the path to the city silently thinking about his actions.
Why didn't he
feel bad about Monochromon?

He couldn't get the thought out of his head and it bothered him a lot more
than he dared think.

When he got to the room they shared, he stopped for a moment outside the
room, breathed
hard and went in. Gotsumon and Pumpkinmon weren't here. But another Digimon
was.

He had a blue suit, and a red cape, his face was covered by a red bat-like
mask and he had
two protruding fangs.

His eyes half closed as he looked at Dice.

"You. you're not the Gatomon I'm searching for." he said.

"Gatomon?" Dice asked incredulous. Could it be that Domino had Digivolved
too?

The man turned around as if considering. "Well, it's strange enough to find
another
Gatomon around."

Dice snapped back to reality. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"My name is Myotismon. Tell me, Gatomon, are you interested in joining an
army?"

"An. army?" Dice asked. "Why would someone need an Army?"

Myotismon smiled. "Well. I have discovered another world, and in that world
creatures
called humans live."

"Humans. like the Digidestined?"

Myotismon's eyes narrowed. "Where have you heard that name?"

"From." Dice looked away. "Leomon. before he."

Myotismon's eyes flashed. Leomon, dead? Hardly, but it seemed this Gatomon
believed
so, and Gatomon seemed to be strong soldiers, if his own Gatomon was any
indication.

Perhaps he could use him.

"Hmm. I don't know if he's dead. maybe we can find out."

Dice's eyes lit up as he nearly jumped in excitement. "You can do that?"

Myotismon nodded. "But first, I will need your help, Gatomon."

Dice nodded eagerly. "What?"

"Well, I'm looking for another Gatomon," Myotismon looked curiously at Dice'
s coat.

"Only. she's white."

Dice nodded. "I can find her! I hunt Digimon for a living!" Dice said
without thinking.
The idea of hunting evil Digimon and bring them to justice for a price had
been his, and
so far they had found and captured quite a few Digimon. The Modoki Betamon
had been
the last job. and he'd screwed that one when he killed Monochromon
unintentionally.

Myotismon seemed to like the idea. "Okay, Gatomon, if you find my friend
Gatomon and
bring her to me, I'll show you what happened to Leomon with my magic. Do we
have a deal?"

"I accept." Dice said, walking up to Myotismon and shaking his hand. "By the
way, my
name is Dice."

* * *

After Dice had left Myotismon slowly flew out. He was intrigued by this
'Dice' Gatomon,
he would have to look for more information about him.

* * *

Okay, so I now had a new job. I considered looking for Gotsumon and
Pumpkinmon, but.
well, I don't know what they thought of me now. So, I decided to go on my
own.

I asked a few people about Gatomon sightings, and ironically, my new renown
helped me out,
since no one wanted me to hurt them. This hurt me instead, but I thanked
them and left
without another word.

Apparently, the friend of a friend of Red Veggiemon had seen a white Gatomon
on the road
heading north just a few days ago. Since it's the only lead I have, I'll
follow it.

* * *

Dice walked alongside the empty road. He had left the city a few hours ago,
and by now,
all traces of civilization were gone, aside from the road that is.

It wasn't much of a road anyway, so it didn't count.

He had been walking for a few days already, and according to the map he had
purchased,
he would be arriving to yet another town in a few hours.

He decided to rest for a while. Walking out of the road he finally found a
nice place by a
river. Smiling at the memories it brought, he made a small fishing rod from
nearby sticks
and a small string he had on hand, and started fishing.

* * *

The next day I found the trail soon after I had left the river.

When I arrived at a nearby town, I heard talk of a white Gatomon having
helped a Wizardmon.

That rumor was met with signs of incredulity.

These days you couldn't trust anyone, it amazed most of them that someone
would lend
a helping hand to a stranger in need.

I remembered the sentiment of camaraderie present in all the Digimon that
helped Elecmon,
Domino and I to get Primary Village working again, and was again reminded of
the very
different life I was leading.

What would Domino say? She would probably be disappointed by many of my
actions.

Yet... what would've she had done, if her friends were in danger?

Well, she was different, she'd probably had found a way to stop Monochromon
other
than killing him.

Still, I think that's enough of mind wandering. I asked them where the two
had gone,
and they indicated north, so I left the small place and went after them.

* * *

Dice walked out of the small bar he had been investigating for rumors, and
started towards
the northern exit of the town, never noticing a few Veggiemon looking at
each other.

When he was about one hour from the town, he stopped and looked around.
Suddenly, various Veggiemon dropped around him, surrounding him. He stepped
away
from them, and eyed them warily. "What do you want?"

The leader of the Veggiemon, who was particularly bigger than the rest,
stepped forward.

"I noticed that you carry a rather big bag with you," he said. "And I wanted
to take a look
at it, if you don't mind."

* * *

I looked around and weighed my chances. Six against one wasn't one of the
best options I
could have. Still, they were Veggiemon. If all Veggiemon were the same,
these wouldn't be
as fast as I was.

"I do mind." I said tensing slightly.

The Veggiemon frowned and stepped forward. I jumped, stepping on his head
and tried to
make a run for it. However, the Veggiemon was faster than I anticipated, and
grabbed my
left foot with vines.

* * *

Dice only had a few moments to realize what had happened, before he was
slammed against
a tree.

The other Veggiemon laughed at his attempt to escape. The leader, however,
didn't lose
his frown.

"You look familiar... I think I've heard of a Black Gatomon with a white
patch of fur around
his eye..."

The black Gatomon, stood up slowly, his back aching and regarded the
Veggiemon.

"I have a name. It's Dice." he said coldly.

The Veggiemon stopped laughing and looked at him with hatred.

"Dice?" The leader asked. "I know of you, you were the one that killed
Monochromon in
Byte City."

* * *

I flinched slightly. News traveled fast, apparently. And I was starting to
imagine I was getting
quite known around for that.

"I had a few deals with him, myself," the Leader commented. "but he was an
ally, and you're
going to regret putting your paws on him."

The familiar coldness was starting to get a hold on me. I managed to hold it
back, however.

Well aware of what could happen if I lost it.

The Leader moved again with impressive speed, and I couldn't avoid his vines
as he picked
me up and threw me to the ground. Again, the coldness tugged at me, and this
time it was
harder to control myself.

The Veggiemon laughed again and hurried towards me. I jumped at them and
attacked.

The others were not as fast or good as their leader, and I made short work
of the two first
before the others got the idea and jumped back.

Adrenaline running, I didn't reconsider making a run for it, this time I
would show them
what a real fight was.

I barely registered the whip-like sound the vine made when it slammed
against my face,
and sent me sprawling and hurting to the ground. I lost it, the coldness,
pumped by
adrenaline, got hold of me and I stood up.

* * *

The Veggiemon had regrouped around Dice, minus the two that he had thumped
with his
previous attack. Their snide smiles disappeared when Dice smiled back,
showing his fangs.

Faster even than the vines of the Veggiemon Leader, Dice shot forward,
stretching his paws
and slicing a Veggiemon's 'throat'. The Veggiemon gurgled and fell, becoming
Digidust.

The others took a step back as he savagely tried to slice them.

The leader used his vines to grab him and pulled him up. He held Dice away
from him as
the later struggled to get free.

The two remaining Veggiemon looked frightened as their leader struggled with
the Gatomon.

Confident that Dice couldn't get free, the Veggiemon pulled him just in
front of him.

"That was impressive, but now I'll kill you for trying to get rid of me."

Dice struggled, seemingly ignoring him, until he managed to release one arm.
The Leader
Veggiemon's eyes opened wider in surprise. He tried to scream but Dice's
shout drowned
his with his own.

"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!!" Dice shouted shoving his fist forward, and
shooting the
energy into the open mouth of the Veggiemon.

The other two didn't have enough time to run, and became Digidust mere
seconds later.

* * *

Then the calm returned to me. What I had just done ran through my mind with
a sickening
combination of speed and repetiveness.

The two Veggiemon that had fallen unconscious at the beginning of the fight
were looking
at me with so much fright in their eyes, I almost thought they'd die of it
right there.

They backed away and ran as fast as they could towards the town.

I ignored them.

The same had happened before, I didn't feel bad about killing them, yet... I
felt good about
defeating them.

I shook may head and walked away. I had to find those two.

* * *

My search finally gave fruit that night, as I walked still by the serpentine
road.

As I walked and night settled itself, I spied a small campfire near the
road, and decided that
maybe I should get there, talk a little, gather info and even spend the
night with Mon
company for a change.

* * *

As Dice approached, he could hear two voices next to the fire, and he
couldn't believe his
luck when he walked out into the open, and met face to face the white
Gatomon Myotismon
had sent him looking for.

She was talking to the Wizardmon he had heard she'd saved. They stopped
talking when
they noticed him.

For a moment, he didn't know what to say. Somehow the vision of that Gatomon
seemed to
stop his heart for a brief moment.

She broke the silence for him , though.

"What do you want?" She asked rather harshly.

Dice seemed to gain his voice back. "I... I was hired to find you, so you
could go back."

Gatomon's eyes turned to slits. "By whom?"

"Myotismon."

"I don't want to go back yet." Gatomon answered defiantly.

Dice sighed. "It's okay, I won't force you to go back."

Gatomon blinked at that and seemed to relax a little. "Hmm... you're not
like the others."
she said.

"Others?" Wizardmon asked.

"Yes. The rest of Myotismon's goons would have tried to make me go back."
Gatomon
answered.

"If you don't mind my asking..." Dice said. "Why don't you want to go back
yet?"

Gatomon looked at him defensively. "I'm... looking for something."

Dice nodded. "Then, if you don't mind, I'll stay with you until you find
whatever you're
looking for. Then we'll go back to Myotismon so he can tell me something."

Gatomon looked at him askance, then seemed to consider. "Okay," she said.
"Just don't
get in the way."

* * *

The next few days I got to know Gatomon and Wizardmon better.

At first they were a little unwilling to talk. But after a few tries, they
did tell me some of their
stories. I, in turn, told them up to where I had lost Leomon in the storm,
and didn't say much
about my life afterwards.

Gatomon told me that she was looking for a meaning to her wanderings, and
that she had
heard about a temple that revealed secrets somewhere in the area.

We decided to go into a nearby town and get as much info as we could.

* * *

As soon as Dice entered the small town, he knew he was in his element. As
the other cities,
this one worked the same way, and to further make things easier, he was
received with
knowing glances.

After they had decided to go to the local bar to get news, a seat and
something to drink,
Dice was visited by his annoying renown.

"You're Dice, right?" a Goburimon asked a little nervously, approaching
their table.

Dice nodded as the other two looked at him a little amused.

"My boss has a job for you." the Goburimon said, putting a rather large bag
on the table.

Wizardmon took a look inside, as did Gatomon, and they gasped in surprise,
then looked at
Dice.

"I'm not working right now." Dice answered, rather testily and pushed the
bag back.

"That is only half of it." Goburimon answered. "The rest will be paid when
you finish your job."

"And what kind of job would that be?" Asked Wizardmon, a little curious.

Goburimon looked around, then leaned closer. "The Boss heard how you took
care
of Monochromon and Veggiemon's bands," he said. "He wants you to kill a
Greymon
that has been causing him trouble, just like you did them."

There was a sharp intake of breath and both, Gatomon and Wizardmon looked at
Dice
with a little anger.

"I don't know what you've heard, but I only capture them." Dice answered and
pushed
the money back to him. "Tell that to your boss."

Goburimon grunted and nodded, leaving them alone.

Gatomon and Wizardmon looked at him sharply, and Dice explained. "We fought
and I
accidentally killed them."

They seemed to believe him. From the time they had spent together, they knew
he wasn't
cruel or violent.

* * *

At last, after a few hours of looking around, they managed to get more info
on the Temple's
supposed location, and decided to leave for the next morning.

* * *

When we left, I had the feeling we were being watched, but I didn't say as
much. I was
growing accustomed to that.

We traveled northeast through the forest and came out into the desert. It
wasn't an easy
walk. We traveled between dunes, the best place to get attacked, but also
the only place
to get some shadows to cover us.

By midday there wasn't much of a shadow, but Wizardmon used a spell that
slowly cooled
us down. It was strange to be walking in the sun but having our fur covered
in small water
drops.

"The place should be around here..." Wizardmon muttered.

I looked around but couldn't make out anything. "Let me see that map we
bought..." I asked
Gatomon. She nodded and opened it, allowing me a view of the area. The place
where the
temple should be was marked with an 'X'.

And where the temple should've been was here. Or at least in the immediate
area. As I ran up
one of the dunes, and Wizardmon flew to another opposite mine I ran through
several
possibilities in my mind. Maybe they had lied to us, maybe the place had
been covered by
sand... speaking of which...

I ran back down shouting for Wizardmon. He heard me and turned around,
noticing what
I was so worried about.

"What?! What is it?" Gatomon asked as I skidded to a stop next to her.

"Sandstorm!" I shouted. "And it's coming this way! We have got to find a
place to take
cover!"

As I said this, the first bursts of flying sand were starting to shoot past
over the dunes.
Wizardmon managed to get to us and placed a small sphere around us just as
the storm
hit. When I looked ahead, something got my attention, before we were
surrounded by
wind and sand. We could only see each other because we were inside
Wizardmon's
sphere.

"We still have to fins a place to stay!" Wizardmon shouted. Even if we were
protected
from it, the roaring wind still made everything under a shout hard to hear.

"I think I saw something up ahead!" I shouted back.

"But there was nothing but sand an air in front of us!" Gatomon shouted
back.
I nodded and signaled them to follow me. They shared a look and shrugged. It
was
better than standing here until the spell broke.

We walked towards what I had thought I had seen and after a few minutes we
bumped
into air. There was nothing in front of us, and yet we couldn't move.
Wizardmon's eyes lit in comprehension. "So this was why we couldn't find
it!" He said.

Gatomon nodded. "Let's follow the wall to where it ends and use the back for
cover."

We did as she had suggested, and I was glad they had understood what I had
meant, when
we reached the corner and doubled it we found out just how large the temple
seemed to be.
If the area free of sand was any indication of it, the temple was about 500
meters long in the
area we were, and the wall was about one fifth of it up. Still, the area
free of sand was big
enough for us to rest comfortably and wait for it to die.

I had heard this things could last quite some time.

* * *

The storm lasted for various hours, and during that time, the three Digimon
explored what
they could, but found no entrance. The storm ended just as the sun was
beginning to set.

Once the sand was gone, they couldn't see anything of the temple. They
thought they
would have to find their way in by touch alone, when the first ray of the
moon shone over
the dunes.

It was an impressive sight, as soon as the moon ray passed through the
transparent castle,
it became visible.

The three Digimon exchanged looks, then started running around the huge
complex, trying
to find the entrance.

It was on the side that had received the brunt of the storm, but the
entrance was strangely
clear of sand.

Wizardmon was the first to approach the closed wooden doors. Giving the
other two a look,
and receiving no response, he knocked on the door with his staff.

They waited for a moment before the two doors slowly opened. In the
entrance, a small
bearded Digimon awaited.

Dice blink-blinked. "And who are you?"

"My name is Jijimon." The Digimon said, bowing a little. "And you are Dice,
Gatomon
and Wizardmon, am I right?"

The three adventurers looked startled, and Jijimon laughed good naturedly.
"It's okay, you
can come in. You have found the place you were looking for. Now let's see if
you'll find
what you want."

They followed Jijimon into the castle.

* * *

Jijimon took us to a rather large room. It was decorated with a white marble
floor, and
columns reached up to a high domed ceiling.

"The sacred stone is beyond that door." Jijimon announced, pointing to the
other side of
the room with his staff. "but I must warn you, only one can enter at a time.
And you'll have
to exit through the other door. I will await you on the other side."

He paced a little before continuing.

"When you enter that room, think of the question you want answered. The
sacred stone
will answer your heart's question, so be sure this is what you want. If
you're ready for it,
you'll receive a full answer, if not, maybe nothing. Only the stone knows."

With that, he disappeared.

"Well, this is it, Gatomon," I said. "Go for it."

Gatomon nodded and walked to the door, opened it and went through. The door
shimmered and disappeared from view.

"What do you think she wants?" I asked Wizardmon.

He looked from the door to me. "You remember that she wandered around when
she
was younger, looking for someone. I think, she wants to know why she was
abandoned."

I sighed. "But that wont happen again, will it, Wizardmon?"

"What?"

"I mean... I won't abandon her, or you. You're my friends, you became my
friends

during our journey, and I won't leave you guys."

Wizardmon nodded. "Gatomon saved me, and I owe her that, but... what is
important is
that she became more than my savior. She became my friend." He looked back
at me and
stretched his hand. "I believe you're my friend too, Dice, and I'll always
help you two if
you need me."

I shook his hand. Noticing that the door had reappeared. I motioned at it
with my head.

"After you, my friend." I said.

Wizardmon nodded and went through the door.

I waited for a few moments before it appeared again, then I walked into the
small room
where the sacred stone was.

As I crossed the doorway, I couldn't help but ask myself what was my heart's
question...

* * *

Dice looked at the strange stone protected by a Golden Ring. He couldn't
make out what the
writings on it said, but he didn't need to. He was curious as to what this
thing would say to
him.

He took a step closer, and the Ring started spinning. The rock started
glowing, until it was
so bright Dice had to raise his paw to protect his eyes.

And then everything was white.

For a moment he didn't know what to do, but a pair of voices made him turn.

He wasn't sure how he turned around, since it seemed he was floating on the
whiteness, he
only felt like he did.

He saw two strange beings, being confronted by another unknown creature.

"Who are you?!" The bigger of the three asked. He was obviously a Digimon,
with a strange
outfit. He had a mask covering half his face, it was half black and half
white. Everything in his
costume was made of contrasts, he was dressed like a clown. He had green
hair, and four
swords crossed his back, still sheathed.

"Stay behind me, Debbs." One of the other two said. They didn't look like
Digimon, however.

Maybe these were Digidestined?

The clown, who had two eggs in his hands, growled. "How dare you interfere
with me,
humans!" He hurled a ray at them, which the two were almost unable to avoid.
One of the
humans, the taller, stood up and threw something at the clown, hitting his
hand.

Startled he let the Digi-egg fall to the ground. The kid was fast enough to
grab it and put it
in front of them, as if trying to protect them.

"Stay away from us!" He shouted. "Or this egg, whatever it is, will break!"
he threatened.

"David..." the girl whispered, scared.

The clown's eyes turned to slits. "I don't care." He charged another blast,
and shot it,
hitting the egg and the human. The boy cried in pain as he and the egg
slowly turned to
Digidust, which fell on the girl.

"DAVID!" The girl shouted, and her shout seemed to bend into light.

The whole world went white again, and Dice looked around.

Nothing had happened. It seemed that the supposed sacred stone was nothing
but a
light show. Still... why did he feel a sense of loss? Probably because he
had hoped too
much. Oh, well, it was time to go back to the others.

As he walked out of the room, he felt a small tear fall from his eye. He
cleaned his face
with the back of his gloves. Why had he cried?

He looked over his shoulder, to the stone, which was gray and cold, with
it's rusted
ring around it, and shrugged.

* * *

They stayed the whole day in Jijimon's castle, and by morning, they were
ready to part.

"I hope you found what you were looking for." Jijimon said.

Wiizardmon nodded absently, while Dice grunted in answer. Gatomon, however,
was a
little depressed.

"I didn't see much, I just saw my past as I looked for something." She
complained.

Jijimon nodded. "Maybe the answer to your quest is there."

Gatomon looked at him with a deadpan, then shrugged.

As they left the temple, she looked at Dice. "I think it's time for us to go
back with

Myotismon, right?"

Dice nodded. "I have to keep my part of the deal."

Gatomon looked at Dice for a moment, before continuing. "We won't see much
of each
other after that, will we?"

Dice looked at Wizardmon then back to her. "You will." he smilled. "I just
have to talk
to my friends before I go with you."

Gatomon smiled slightly and turned, leading them back to the city.

* * *

It took us almost a week to get back to Byte City. Once I arrived, I found
Gotsumon and

Pumpkinmon at the entrance, goofy smiles on their faces and all.

They jumped at me and started patting my back and hitting my shoulder
playfully.

"Hey! I thought I'd never see you again!" Gotsumon shouted happily.

"..." I opened my mouth to speak, but Pumpkinmon interrupted me.

"Why did you ever leave without us?"

That was the question. I looked at them both. "Well... you stopped talking
to me... and I
thought..."

At that, they both looked a little guiltily at me.

"Yes well..." Gotsumon started.

"We tried... several times, when you were training... but you looked like
you didn't want to
talk to anybody. You even destroyed things faster than before!" Pumkinmon
finished, with
a nod from Gotsumon.

I took a step aside and let Gatomon and Wizardmon step forth. "Let me
introduce you to
some new friends," I said. "Gotsumon, Pumpkinmon, meet Gatomon and
Wizardmon."

The others talked a little as we walked into the city. As I walked, Digimon
stopped and
stared, then hastily went back to work when they noticed I had noticed them.

The others seemed to notice it, too, and I looked questioningly at Gotsumon.

"Well... we got news that you were attacked by the Vegiemons... and that
only two came
back." Gotsumon answered levelly.

I shrugged. Let them think what they wanted to think. I had better things to
do than worry
about my image right then.

* * *

He looked for the place Myotismon had said would be their meeting place once
he arrived
with Gatomon. They made their way to a small alley, where another Digimon
was
already waiting for them at the entrance.

Dice and most of the others didn't recognize him, but Gatomon was another
story.

"Demidevimon!" she growled.

Demidevimon, who had seemed to be asleep opened one eye to look at us.
"About time you
got here. Master Myotismon is wating for you two."

Dice and Gatomon shared a look. "Listen guys," Dice said, "I'll be right
back, don't worry. Ok?"

Gotsumon and Pumkinmon looked at each other before nodding uncertainly.
Wizardmon
shared a look with Gatomon and Dice, before he too, nodded.

* * *

They followed Demidevimon into the alley, and when they had reached the
farthest end they
found the alley was empty.

As Dice turned around to demand an explanation to Demidevimon, the ground
under him and
Gatomon glowed with the sudden appearance of red flames, and before he could
shout in
surprise he, along with the other two Digimon dissappeared.

* * *

We reappeared in a large room with a throne, where Myotismon waited.

"Ah, Dice," Myotismon smiled. "I see you found my stray Gatomon." He looked
for a
moment at her.

"Could you excuse us for a moment? I need to talk to her." Myotismon said.

I looked at Gatomon, and she nodded slightly. Nodding back, I followed
Demidevimon
out of the room. The doors behind me closed and I was left with the little
Digimon waiting
in the hall.

"I don't think Master Myotismon was very happy with Gatomon running out of
here
without warning." Demidevimon comented. I already didn't like him.

"But I hear she's always been like that, I don't know what Master Myotismon
sees in her.
There are better and stronger Digimon around here, right?"

I grunted in response. Was that a distant explosion I heard? I ignored
Demidevimon's
continous whinning about serving 'Master Myotismon' and tried to hear
anything else.

But I couldn't. It was probably my imagination.

Shortly after, the doors opened and I followed Demidevimon back to
Myotismon's
throne room.

Gatomon was there. And there was something different about her, but I
couldn't put
my finger on it, however I tried. I did notice she looked much more serious
than before.

They had probably got into a discussion. I looked at her questioningly, but
I was only
met with a shrug.

"Well then," Myotismon said as he stood up and walked down the stairs. "I
think that
it's time I repaid you, Dice."

I nodded. I was eager to know what had happened to Leomon! If he was still
alive, I'd
have to go for him and introduce him to my friends.

"Let's see," Myotismon muttered, as he stopped in front of me. Extending his
hands
he created a ball of fire. "Look at the fire and concentrate on Leomon. You
will see what
happened after you got separated."

"I thought you'd look yourself..." I asked, more than stated.

Myotismon shook his head. "No, I didn't know Leomon quite as well as you
did."

Well, it did sound logical. I stared at the flame and saw it turn into an
image...

* * *

While Dice concentrated on the fire, Myotismon's eyes seemed to glow white
and Dice
fell to the ground, unconcious.

"What did you do that for?!" Gatomon asked, before she too fell to the same
attack.

Demidevimon watched transfixed as Myotismon cast a spell over both Gatomon.

When he had finished, a voice said, and Phantomon materialized, floating
next to Myotismon.

"We will benefit from these two being in our army." The later explained.

"Are you sure?" Phantomon asked. "Gatomon I know to be powerfull, but
this... Dice, as he
calls himself..."

Myotismon used his hands to create a sphere of energy, and inside it,
Phantmon was able
to see dice stricking down Monochromon, and later all the Veggiemon.

"Anyone that can kill their enemies so coldly is worthy of merit." The
vampire digimon said,
smiling.

"What will you do to him, then?" Phantomon asked.

"I will place in his memory an image of the Digidestined killing Leomon." He
answered. "As
for her," he said, pointing towards Gatomon. "She won't remember any of
this."

Phantomon nodded, slowly dissapearing. Dice and Gatomon both stood up and
blinked,
as if waking up from a long dream.

"Damn them!" Dice shouted, hitting the ground. "Damn them all!"

"Dice!" Gatomon shouted kneeling next to him. "What happened?"

"They.. they killed him!" Dice answered, sobbing. "They killed Leomon!"

"Who?" She asked.

"The Digidestined."

* * *

I hated them. I replayed the scene again and again in my mind. Leomon lying
on the beach,
weak from surviving through the storm, until the Digidestined arrived.

"Humans are like that." Myotismon said, and I looked up from the ground to
him. "They only
care if you're usefull to them."

"They must die!" I shouted and took a step forth, but Gatomon held my arm.

"They will pay." Myotismon answered. "But we must be ready for them."

I nodded. My mission was clear now: Avenge Leomon and stop the Digidestined
and other
humans from harming my friends.

"You and Gatomon will search for strong, loyal Digimon to come with us, I
will investigate
the whereabouts of the Digidestined, and prepare for the final battle."

I nodded again. My mind was set. They would pay.



[END]

I humbly ask for feedback on this story. You can answer to my mail above, if
you want to. I'd also
appreciate all the honesty you can muster about it.

Thanks!

WD



             .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'