“KiSunemon Takes a Stand”

By

Jennufer Morton

and

Shelli Jo Pellitier

* * *

~~~ Foximon's P.O.V. ~~~

Well, we finally got back together and it seemed like things were going to be okay. Wouldn’t you know it? The Digimon Queen finally decides to show her face! Talk about bad timing. She and her minions captured me, Jenn, Erica, Cheekomon, Alex, Nerimon, Emily and Huntermon, and used us as hostages to persuade Skye into coming with her. Now our Digi Princess is trapped in the Queen’s evil gem, and we’re stuck having to fight these nasty Devidramon before we can rescue her! Honestly, is it really too much to ask for a little quiet time?

* * *

Total darkness surrounded Skye. She could not see nor speak. It was as if all her senses had been paralysed. All but one. She could hear faint laughter coming from beyond the dark atmosphere. The dark place in which she was trapped stretched on for miles, as though it was the universe or perhaps even purgatory. Skye could only stare mindlessly out into the open. Her zombie-like expression never once looked up to see where the laughter had been coming from.

Queen Sonomi stared down at her dark gem. What a productive day it had been, she thought. To think, if she had taken matters into her own hands before, this all would have been over a long time ago and she could continue to rule the Digital World in peace.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Digidestined continued to fend off the Devidramon.

"Rolling Spines!" Cunomon roared, lunging at the enemy.

"Plasma Blast!" Yazumon spat, hitting the Digimon successfully.

The rest of the Digimon attacked one by one, over and over again.

Jennifer, however, was still not responding to any of it. Foximon worried since Jenn hadn't ordered her to digivolve yet. "Jenn! Come on, we have to fight!" She nudged her partner's arm in an attempt to push her upward, and failed. Jenn just plopped back down to the ground, causing Foximon to tumble backwards.

The Digimon kept trying to get her friend's attention. "Jenn!"

She was suddenly interrupted when Jenn began to mutter a few understandable words. "Foximon, I-I failed . . . I can't . . . believe . . . she's really gone. . . . I was suppose to protect her and I didn't . . . it’s all my fault." The girl winced as the tears began to fall. "Oh GOD! Why did I let her go!" she screamed up to the sky.

One of the Devidramon noticed the helpless red head and extended its claws towards her. "Back off!" Foximon barked, leaping in front of Jenn. "Hurricane Blaster!" It was enough to disorient the Devidramon for a few moments at least. The other Digimon also lent their attacks to help Foximon out.

At this point it became clear that the only way out of this was to digivolve.

"Foximon digivolve to . . . Glorymon!"

"Cunomon digivolve to . . . Sartomon!"

“Pandamon digivolve to . . . Kombatmon!"

"Diratimon digivolve to . . . Dracomon!"

"Yazumon digivolve to . . . Djarumon!"

"Cheekomon digivolve to . . . Cheetormon!"

"Jaymon digivolve to . . . Skylamon!"

"Huntermon digivolve to . . . Agurimon!"

"Nerimon digivolve to . . . Nedikismon!"

Magimon was the only one unable to digivolve, since her Digidestiend was no longer with them. She did the best she could with what little power she had left.

While the nine Digimon attacked, Glorymon swooped down and scooped up Jenn, who was still not responding to any of this. The fox Digimon set Jenn down behind a nearby bolder and stayed with her until the battle was over. She held her partner close, resting her chin on her goggles, sheltering her as if she was one of her own cubs.

Together, while Glorymon protected Jennifer, the remaining nine Champion Digimon were able to destroy the Devidramon. One by one they were deleted, until the last of the trio vanished in a flare of pixels. The nine Champions surrounded their partners, scanning the area for any new, unpleasant surprises.

The Digi-Destined children were now free to turn their attention to their frozen leader. The question was . . . what would they do now?

* * *

Dazed blue eyes caught the low light of a single candle and shone in the darkness of the room, but they were flat and unfocused. They belonged to a silent person with a blank, unresponsive face. She no longer was trapped in a black gem, but chained to a wall in a room thick with shadows. She was not alone, but she did not acknowledge the person standing in front of her (or really anything at all).

Sonomi’s smirk was full of triumph. “Too easy,” she said yet again, reaching toward Skye and yanking the star-shaped locket from her neck. Skye did not react. “You know,” she mused aloud, “this is all I need to give me the power to control this world forever. You really had no idea what you’ve been wearing, did you? And now it’s mine.” She tossed the locket in the air and caught it again directly in front of Skye’s face. The blue-haired girl didn’t even blink. Still elated, Sonomi left Skye and went to the desk against the far wall. There she pulled a box from one drawer, place the golden locket within, and replaced it back in the desk.

Sunemon huddled in the corner of the room, and a thick rope tied around her neck kept her from moving more than two steps. Her large red eyes went slowly between her mistress and the captured princess as the drama unfolded. But she didn’t share any of the Queen’s joy. This constant fighting, constant rage and destruction made her heart feel heavy in her chest, as if each time another creature was hurt it was a strike against her as well. The small fox didn’t know how much more of this she could stand. It seemed like this was the end, the final victory for the Digimon Queen. Why, then, did she have a horrible feeling that it was really just beginning?

Maybe her mistress could help her understand and be a better partner. Sunemon was desperate for any word to ease her suffering. “Um, Samee? May I speak?” she asked softly.

The robed girl froze, her hands clenched, and slowly turned to the corner of the room. “. . . .What did you just call me?” she growled.

Sunemon backed up, bumping into the wall, her ears flat against her head as she realized her error. “Oh! I . . . I meant-”

The Digimon Queen stalked forward, fury blasting off her in dark rays. She continued across the room until she towered over the Digimon, and even then she did not stop but kicked out her foot, sending the helpless creature into the wall. “I am SONOMI!” she shouted, voice bouncing off the walls of the room until it echoed violently. “There is no Samee! She is DEAD! Do you understand?! I am your QUEEN!” She struck her Digimon again, and again. Silently, but for a faint whimper escaping her clenched jaw, Sunemon took the abuse.

Astoundingly, they both heard the faint groan from the other side of the room despite the Digimon Queen’s screams. Immediately Sonomi’s hand stopped before it delivered another blow. She whirled around, her partner now the furthest thing from her mind, and advanced now on the princess regaining her senses.

The first thing that came to Skye was that she no longer was trapped in the dark gem, but her new surroundings were hardly much of an improvement. She focused on the darkly smiling figure in front of her, glaring at the evil Queen with all her strength, since she quickly found that she couldn’t move. She scanned her body, looking at the chains holding her captive, and that was when she noticed.

“My locket!” gasped the girl. “Give it back!”

This was apparently exactly what Sonomi hoped to hear, for she was glad to talk about it. “The locket is no longer your concern. It now belongs to me,” the dark-haired girl was happy to say.

Realizing how hopeless the situation was, Skye’s voice was desolate. “Why are you doing this?!” she cried.

“Because it should be mine!” the Queen snapped back. “They owe me! The whole world owes me, and I’m going to take back what I deserve! For every Digimon who has dared to stand up to me! To every one that humiliated me in battle! I’m going to make them all pay. I’ll destroy their entire world and do whatever I want with it!”

As her captor ranted, Skye’s brows drew together and she stared. The more Sonomi said, the less evil she seemed. As a matter of fact, she sounded more like a child having a tantrum, shouting to her mother about how unfair it was. There was something child-like and innocent about her that Skye couldn’t really place. And along with that came another feeling: familiarity. How did she know this Digimon Queen?

It struck Skye all at once, and she could barely hold in her gasp. Sonomi . . . Samee! Sonomi was Samee! She wasn’t a being from this dimension at all, but a child pulled from the real world just like them! Now Skye remembered the e-mail she got from Jenn before she was pulled to this world, about Samee going missing. She remembered it being on the news on television. How could she have not made the connection sooner?! Oh, she had to get to Jenn and tell her!

But seeing the fury in Sonomi’s face as she declared her hated of all things, Skye kept her mouth closed. She wouldn’t say anything about it. She had to wait for the right moment, and this wasn’t it.

* * *

Meanwhile, Glorymon (still holding her almost oblivious partner) sniffed the air as she flew over the ocean. Sartomon, Dracomon and Skylamon all followed, each carrying a group of Digidestined and rookie Digimon on their backs. The scent of Devidramon hung fresh in the air, which meant they wouldn’t have to go much farther. Just then, Sartomon grunted, "Glorymon, I see something up ahead!" Sure enough, a large castle, looking like something out of the Middle Ages, stood on a rocky mound in the middle of the ocean, surrounded by darkness and gloom.

"That's gotta be it!" assumed Kristina.

"Hang on tight guys, this landing could get rough," Dracomon warned, noticing the jagged landscape below.

* * *

Sonomi stopped in her tracks as she felt something tingle her magical senses. She could feel the presence of the Crests nearby. "Perfect," she grinned, knowing that the Digidestined had finally arrived to rescue their beloved princess, just as she had hoped. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat a bit more, Princess, but I have a meeting. Tah tah." With that she left the room, leaving Skye alone once more.

A shaky voice from across the room suddenly caught Skye's attention.

"It was never meant to be this way, you know?" Sunemon sat in her corner, bruised and shivering. When she looked faintly up at Skye, the girl could see the desperation in the Digimon's soft red eyes, something she had never noticed before.

"Why don't you do something about it, then?"

"Because. . . ." Sunemon paused, choking back sobs. "She's my Digidestined. I have to be loyal to my Digidestined."

Well, that explained a lot. But maybe this was the break Skye was looking for! "Sunemon, I know you can break through those ropes. If you free me, I promise I can help you set things right."

For a moment something like hope sparkled in the Digimon's eyes, but it quickly faded. "I don't think I can trust you," said the little fox sadly. "My mistress has done so much to hurt you. . . . Why would you help me?"

"Because I don't want anyone else to be hurt," Skye said earnestly, letting Sunemon hear the sincerity in her words. "Not any Digimon in this world, or my friends or even your Sonomi. I just want everyone to be happy! There must be a way for everyone to be happy. People don't have to hurt one another. We can all live in peace if we work hard to compromise, and I'm going to make sure that happens. I will bring peace back to the digital world!" As she spoke her voice grew more and more intense, and Sunemon could see the Digi Princess standing there, not the helpless and chained girl named Skye.

For some reason, Sunemon believed her. Maybe she was desperate, maybe she knew how much her partner really hurt inside, maybe she had seen enough of the Digi-Destined to know their true intentions. She wasn't sure. But almost anything would be better than the ways things were now. Enough was enough. Sunemon stood up slowly and unsheathed her claws. But then she paused. "Swear to me you won't hurt my Digi-Destined in revenge for what she has done to you," said the Rookie Digimon, piercing Skye with her deep red eyes. "Swear what you just said is true."

"I give the word of the Princess of the Digiworld," intoned Skye seriously, still using the voice of the Digi Princess. "I swear that I will bring peace to this world and end the suffering of all beings that I can."

Sunemon nodded, satisfied. With one swipe of her claws the rope holding her parted, proving to Skye that she could have freed herself at any time she wanted to. Even the chains holding Skye didn't stand in her way. In moments both of them were free and searching for the golden locket.

* * *

The Digi-Destined and their Digimon traveled deeper and deeper into the castle, not meeting a single soul. The silence was heavy and suffocating. No one spoke much, and when they did it was only to confer about which direction to go in or to mutter that it felt like a trap.

By luck or design, they eventually found themselves in what appeared to be a massive throne room, big enough for the Champion Digimon to fit inside with plenty of room to spare (unlike the hallways, which had been a tight squeeze). Here they stopped, because they finally found another living being in this desolate place.

Queen Sonomi stood upon the black stone throne, looking down on them all an expression on her face that said she wasn't the least bit worried, even facing ten Champion and Rookie Digimon and their partners. She smiled slightly and gave a mocking bow. "Congratulations in making it this far. Too bad you won't get any further."

"Where is she?" Magimon hissed.

"Not to worry, she's safe. . . . For the moment, that is," Sonomi replied in a taunting manner. Her attention then turned to the leader of the group. "So tell me, Goggle Girl. How does it feel knowing that you have just lead you and your friends into my little trap? You are a poor excuse for a leader. Maybe you should have given the task to Ms. Hunter while you still had the chance."

Jenn winced, trying hard not to let the queens hurtful words get the better of her. "Shut up," she mutterd through grinding teeth.

Sonomi walked closer to her as Jenn remained still. The Queen leaned towards her, noticing the rage rising up through girl's green eyes. "Say it again, I dare you."

"You heard me, Sonomi. I'm not afraid of you! None of us are! There's nothing you possess that we haven't already dealt with. Your little lackeys were just target practice and now, if you don't mind, we're gonna finish what we came here for." Jenn waved to her Digimon. "Glorymon, lets dethrone this Digimon Queen!"

"Oh, it will be my pleasure." Glorymon readied her attack, when suddenly an urgent cry cut into the suspense.

"NO! Don't attack!" Sunemon skidded across the floor, between Sonomi and Glorymon. Skye ran into the room after, but stopped a couple feet in front of the door.

"Skye!" Magimon cried.

"Sunemon! You let her escape!" Sonomi lashed out. "So, it's finally happened? You've turned on me as well!" she snarled at the fox Digimon.

Though she was frightened by Sonomi's temper, Sunemon stood her ground. "Listen to me! Your name is not Sonomi!" she began.

"Sunemon is telling the truth," Skye cut in. "Think about it Jenn. Remember? The day we were sucked into the digital world?"

Jenn’s eyes opened wide as she remembered what she saw on the news that day, about Samee missing, the clips of Samee’s upset mother replaying in her mind.

**Flashback**

"News of the shocking disappearance of a young California girl," was the first thing I heard when my mom turned on the TV. The news anchor continued, "Young Sammie Tayag disappeared mysteriously last Friday." Sammie’s mother spoke out, as the reporter held the microphone in front of her.

"I heard a scream," she cried. Tears were rolling down her face. "Then I opened her bedroom door and she was gone."

**End Flashback**

And then earlier that that day, when they all met with Sonomi face to face. . . .

**Flashback**

Jennifer’s mind took another moment to process the girl. There was something unnerving about her, but also . . . oddly familiar.

**End Flashback**

"No, it can't be. . . . How could I have not seen it?" Jenn shook her head in disbelief. But it all fit together so perfectly. After that, there was no other explanation. Should she dare attempt to call the girl by her real Digidestined name? "S-Samee?"

"SAMEE IS DEAD!" the dark-haired girl screamed, throwing a magic fireball attack at Jenn. Sunemon pushed Jenn out of the way, taking it in her place, falling to the floor with a cry. Jenn rushed to the Digimon's aid. "Sunemon, thank you!"

"I'm use to it," she coughed.

Meanwhile, Sonomi turned her sights back to Skye and began throwing punches her way. Skye gracefully dodged each one. She then put up her hand, blocking Sonomi's fist and looked deep into the enraged queen's dark brown eyes. "Please Samee, try to remember. Remember what happened!"

Samee just screamed, "I remember nothing! I was destined to be ruler of the digital world! That’s all that matters!" She ripped her hand away from Skye's grip and grabbed the locket off Skye's neck. "I am the Digimon Queen!" she cried, holding the locket to the sky, then placing it around her neck.

A surge of energy suddenly arose from the locket, and Sonomi collapsed onto the floor. She began holding her head and curled into a fetal position, as if she was suffering some kind of pain. The Digidestined watched and waited anxiously to see what would happen next. From their view it looked like she was struggling to regain self-control. "No! Stop, stop doing this!" she cried. This wasn't the plea of a defeated queen, but an innocent girl whose thoughts and memories had been terribly altered.

* * *

When Sonomi next opened her eyes, she was not surrounded by her enemies in her throne room. She stood in a normal kitchen of a normal house, staring at a normal woman. The woman was not looking at her, but instead was speaking to someone sitting at the kitchen chair. From her expression it was a serious discussion, perhaps she was even scolding the person at the table. Sonomi looked.

The girl at the table was herself . . . and yet she wasn’t. Her face was twisted in misery and, as Sonomi watched, she stood up and ran from the room. The woman called after her, but Sonomi ignored her and followed the girl to her bedroom, where the girl threw herself down in front of the computer, blinking tears from her eyes.

Curious, Sonomi stepped closer. This felt like a dream, and neither the woman nor the girl had paid her any attention. Now she peered over the girl’s shoulder. She was chatting, the two names on the messenger service being Samee and Mikki. The names meant nothing to her. Other than an intense, blinding hatred felt whenever she heard the name, Sonomi had no idea who “Samee” was. For the first time ever, Sonomi wondered to herself, “Just who is this Samee?”

The Internet conversation continued, the girl in front of her (Samee?) bitterly complaining about her mother’s cruel rules. “If I had a chance to get out of here, I’d take it in a second.” Those were the words the girl typed into the screen just before it suddenly changed.

The chat program disappeared and the screen went black, then began to glow with a faint blue light. A voice came from the speakers. “If what you say is true, come with me,” enticed the voice. Sonomi jumped slightly. The voice was her own, though she couldn’t remember this conversation ever taking place.

“W-who are you?” the girl in front of the computer asked.

“I am your ally,” said the sinuous Sonomi-voice. “If you accept my kind help, you’ll never have to feel as bad as you do right now.”

“What? I don’t know. . . .”

“Don’t you want someone who can truly appreciate who you really are?” asked the voice from the computer. “A loyal friend? A best friend?”

The girl hesitated. “Well . . . yes . . . I do. . . .”

“Then join me and see your wish come true!” the voice was almost hypnotic as it persuaded.

Very slowly, the girl nodded. Her voice came out as the merest whisper as she said, “All right . . . I’ll try. . . .”

Sonomi had to squint her eyes as the faint blue light from the computer became a blinding flash, and the girl’s frightened scream tore through the room.

* * *

“No, no!” the Digimon Queen wailed, her hands pressed against her head as if to force something out. The locket around her neck pulsed with bright light. The Digi-Destined and their Digimon stared in confusion and shock. No one moved as the black-haired girl began to shake, wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s not true, it’s not true. . . .” she whimpered in pain.

Finally Jenn, a look of pity on her face, took a step forward. She reached one hand cautiously down toward the girl, offering assistance. “I do know who you are,” said the redhead gently. “You’re Samee Tayag. You’re one of my best friends!”

Suddenly the Digimon Queen leapt to her feet with a snarl, shoving Jenn’s offered hand aside. “SILENCE!” she screamed, her voice taunt with rage and agony. Her arm and leg shot out like a martial arts expert, tripping Jenn and hurling her to the ground. The Queen stood over the goggle-headed girl as a ball of bright red fire formed in her hand. She pulled back her arm to hurl it at the fallen Jennifer, who flinched away in fear.

Above them, Glorymon’s face curled into an angry glare and she prepared to dive, to protect her partner. Wind circled around the Champion Digimon, fluttering her long red hair and green garments. She was about to unleash her attack on the Digimon Queen.

Sunemon stood away from everyone, watching her partner in shock, but now she felt something flowing through her. Seeing the Champion Digimon about to attack her mistress, Sunemon leaped to her feet as she began to glow!

No one noticed, as they were too caught up in the confrontation between the Queen and their Digi-Destined leader. Before the fireball in Sonomi’s hand could be loosed at Jenn or Glorymon, an urgent beeping and a flash of light came from beneath the Digimon Queen’s dark robe. With her face a mask of surprise, Sonomi reached into her robe and withdrew her dark crystal. The fireball in her other hand vanished as the crystal began to crack. Amidst a collective gasp of amazement, the crystal shattered into a thousand particles of fine purple dust, revealing a digi-vice in the palm of the Queen’s hand!

The stunned silence was broken by Sunemon’s energetic yelp, bringing all attention to the corner of the throne room where she once stood. Now a pillar of light blossomed, and when it died it revealed a new Digimon! She looked like a dusky-skinned human woman with long black hair, but on the top of her head were black fox ears. She wore a black and red Chinese outfit, and had three large pink peacock feathers for a tail. “KiSunemon!” shouted the Champion, leaping into the air to land before Sonomi, separating her from Glorymon.

Rather than look amazed or shocked (like everyone else looked), the Queen’s face was twisted in fury. “Get out of my way!” she hissed at the Champion Digimon.

KiSunemon ignored her partner. “Stop fighting!” she pleaded to the assembled Digimon and Digi-Destined. “If you continue to fight, this will never end!” Her dark eyes shone with her sincerity. “I am so tired of fighting,” sighed the Champion.

“You’ll be tired when I say you are!” growled the Queen, delivering a solid punch to her Digimon’s midsection. The Digi-Destined and their partners gasped as KiSunemon fell forward several steps from the blow. The Champion Digimon whirled around and narrowed her eyes, taking in her raging Queen.

“Is that all you can understand?” spat the fox-woman. “Then fine! I shall teach you in a way that will sink in!” The Champion leaped forward and grabbed her partner, hurling her against the throne room’s stone wall. Sonomi crumpled to the floor like a lifeless doll. KiSunemon stalked over to the fallen girl, a snarl on her pretty face. “You are possessed Samee! If beating it out of you is the only way to save you, then I have no choice!”

“We’ll see about that.” The Digimon Queen coughed and painstakingly climbed to her feet. She held up her hands, prepared to fight her own Digimon as the rest of the children and their partners watched in horror.

TO BE CONTINUED. . . .