“They’re angels..” Kari breathed. 
   “Kari?” T.K. looked down at the sleeping form in his arms.  Except, she wasn’t sleeping anymore.  Her eyes were open, but they didn’t seem to be seeing anything.  Suddenly, Kari’s face contorted into a horrified expression and her hands came up to her ears, as if to block out something. 
   “Nooooo,” she moaned, sitting up and rocking, “please stop.  Stop this now.  I don’t want to see anymore,” she pleaded.          “Kari,” T.K. took hold of her shoulders, trying to snap her out of the waking dream that she was trapped in.  Unfortunately, she couldn’t seem to hear him. 
   “T.K.!!!!!!!!!!!!” she cried out, her eyes wide in terror, her arms reaching out, clutching, trying to find something real.  T.K. didn’t know what to do.  He was scared now.  What is happening to you?  Why can’t I reach you? 
   “Gatomon! Help me!”  Kari screamed in sheer terror, trying to get away from some invisible monster that existed only in her own mind.  Her scream brought Sora and Tai running into Kari’s room.  Tai immediately ran to T.K. who was trying desperately to hold on to her flailing body.  Tai took hold of her hands and tried to talk to her, but she only screamed louder.  Sora, standing at the door, was seething in fury.  She walked up to where Tai and T.K. were trying desperately to hold Kari and slapped Kari across the face.  Hard. 
   “What are you doing!” T.K. exploded in rage. 
   “Look,” Sora pointed at the now silent girl in his lap. 
   Kari looked up at Sora, and for the first time, was actually aware of her surroundings.  Holding her hand up to her face, she rubbed at the spot were she had been slapped. 
   “Thank you, Sora” she whispered. 
   Tai and T.K. both stared on in astonishment.  Tai was the first to regain his voice. 
   “What?” he stammered, “What just happened here?” 
   Sora didn’t answer, she just stomped out of the room, her very being emanating with barely checked fury.  Once in the living she started looking for something.  The other two boys, helping to support Kari, followed Sora into the living room. 
   “Winter?!” she yelled, ripping a pillow off the couch and flinging it at the wall.  “Where are you?!  Show yourself, you lying, conniving little–" 
   "There’s no need to be rude,” a small voice answered from behind her.  The four of them whirled around to find Winter standing there with a slightly amused, slightly annoyed look on her face. 
   Sora screamed towards her at an unbelievable speed, pinning the little girl to the wall with her arm under the girl’s neck.  Tai was shocked.  He had never seen Sora act like this.  He didn’t know what to think. 
   “It’s time for the truth, Winter,” she seethed through clenched teeth.  Winter let out a hard, ugly little laugh, her eyes becoming as angry as Sora’s.  Tai actually flinched at the angry energy radiating from the two. 
   “Truth?!” she snorted, “you already have my truth.  Talk to the serious one.  He knows about truth now,” she was almost spitting the words out in rage, her little body hanging at least a couple of feet off the ground where Sora was pinning her to the wall. 
   “What’s that supposed to mean?  More stupid puzzles,” Sora spat out in response. 
   “Put her down.” 
   “Gatomon?” Kari whispered, looking up to see her digimon partner sitting in the living room window, glaring at the scene in front of her. 
   “I told you to put her down, Sora,” Gatomon said again, her voice deceptively calm. 
   “Why should I?  We were all better off before this little bit—" 
   ”That’s enough Sora, put her down,” this time it was Tai who had interjected.  Feeling betrayed, Sora looked around the room before removing her arm and letting the girl drop to the floor with a thump.  Gatomon quickly ran to where the little girl lay, leaning up against the wall. 
   She looked up at Sora, her gaze softening, “I’m sorry, Sora, but your anger is misdirected.  Winter cannot help who she is or what she does.  Her life is not her own anymore.  She is as much a victim in all of this mess as all of us.” 
   Sora’s eyes were filling with tears.  “But–but what about Biyomon?” 
   “Biyomon?” Tai asked, shaking his head in confusion, “What does she have to do with any of this?” 
   “Everything,” Sora sobbed, collapsing on the floor and curling up into a ball of anguish and despair.  Tai quickly ran to her and held her in his arms, trying to soothe her, though he was still confused, he was starting to understand Sora’s deep hatred of the little girl. 
   “Tai?”  Kari asked, softly, T.K. half carrying her towards him, “We have to go see Koneko.” 
   Tai looked up at her in frustration.  “Can’t this wait, Kari?” 
   “No Tai.  You don’t understand.  We have to go see Koneko.” 
   There was something about the way that she said it that made Tai pause.  He picked up Sora’s still sobbing form and brought her down to the car.  T.K. helped  Kari down to the car.  He was getting a little concerned.  How did a dream leave her so weak?  Nobody spoke as they drove to the hospital, Kari curled in T.K.’s arms and Sora in Tai’s.    

   “Thank you, old friend.” 
   “You’re welcome.” 
   “This isn’t working the way it was supposed to,” Winter muttered, still sitting on the floor in Kari and Tai’s living room. 
   “It never does, though, now does it?”  Gatomon said quietly, her heart heavy. 
   Winter smiled a small sad smile, “No, I guess it doesn’t.  But it was supposed to be different with me.  I’m Destiny’s tool now.  But even Destiny is not immutable,” she sighed. 
   “The time for secrecy is over,” Gatomon said, her eyes troubled. 
   Winter nodded in response.  “Do the other chosen ones know what to do?  Glynna-vyre did something unexpected when she taught her guardian the secret magic.  We were not prepared for the consequences,” she shook her head sadly. 
   “So you really believe that we are alone?” Gatomon asked suddenly. 
   “I don’t know anymore,” Winter answered truthfully, looking as innocent a child as she was supposed to be. 
   “People do really care about other people, it’s not all a lie.” 
   Winter shook her head, her eyes brimming with tears, “Maybe for you,” she whispered, her voice cracking, “but never for me.”  
 

---

   The Watcher was concerned.  Only one crest left, only one more piece to the puzzle.  But will music, truth and loyalty be enough?  He was pacing back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back.  The change was already beginning.  Already, people were rethinking their lives, wondering, despairing.  Looking for the point.  The time of innocence was passing and a time of knowledge was beginning.  Would the worlds be ready for it?  The Watcher shook his head, they would need powers they did not even know they possessed in order to overcome what Destiny had in store for them.     

---

   Glynna and Mishka floated together above the circle.  The air around them hummed with building energy.  They were surrounded by such an intense light that they could see nothing outside of it.  Suddenly, they felt their consciousness become one and expand and become free.  Their bodies were no more, they were pure consciousness now.  Truths came to them and they communicated directly with the gods and the angelicae, for they played a role in this as well.  Glynn smiled when she felt a third mind join them.  It was the girl from the other world, one of the dreamers.   
   “It is time...” she whispered. 
   Glynn and Mishka felt their minds become their own and their bodies resolidify.  The light faded and they stood again on solid ground in the middle of the circle.  The felt a fourth mind touch theirs, just before the transformation was complete.  This mind was different, unlike even that of the gods.  It was Winter. 
   “I’m sorry....” it whispered and was gone and they stood together in the circle.  Mishka smiled down at Glynn. 
   “I know,” Glynn whispered back. 

---

That's the end of this Chapter folks!!
Please let me know what you think...believe it or not...your income is really important to this story...in this chapter alone I was really influenced by what two people said to me about it...
I'd love to hear from you..anyone who read how discouraged I was at Chapter 4 and wrote to me...it's because of you that I'm all the way at Chapter 9...and raring to go for Chapter 10...which I hope to have up in a few days...
l8r
Luv Takari
takarigato@lycos.com

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