Disclaimer: All TOEI Digimon and such belong to them. Any other characters, well, they belong to me, Chaos Knight Matthew. I did used a few ideas that were used from Trillermon's Infection Story, which motivated me to try this one out... I hope he doesn't mind... I'm not really too keen on the geography of the Digimon world or where the Digidestined live so if there is something that doesn't seem right with placement, let me know at chaosknightmatthew@hotmail.com. Thanks.

Anyhow... Enjoy the story.

In the Digiworld, peace was restored once again. The Battle against Malomyotismon is over, the Digidestined ending his reign. Digimon and humans start to repair their homes, and their lives. Yet in a remote, and unknown, part of the Digital World, a new power has begun to grow.

Lost Digidestined: The Snake Curse
Chapter 1
Strange Happenings

In a remote castle in the Digital World, two years later,

Daylight was approaching. It's morning glow casting it's soft light over the forest before settling along the stone walls of a castle. Inside the main tower, a black furred feline was walking up a set of winding stairs, her Digizodium helmet and tail ring glittering in the torch lit path. Although she is a Gatomon type, her form is more human than feline. Bats littered the ceiling, watching her pass. She was thinking of a story she was told recently, of a Dragon King who, like a certain Mega-Digimon tried to do, perished by the forces of light.

~He was weak in controlling his power...~ She thought to herself as she reflects on the story. ~... and too hungry for it. That was his weakness, and he paid for it with his life.~

An eerie smile came across her face for a moment at what she was told about it and what was about to take place.

~Now... Everything will be set right.~

She reached the top and entered the door that followed. Inside was a throne room. In the center chair sat a figure with short light brown hair, having on a black trench coat with what looked like various purple symbols on the shoulders leading down the sleeve, black pants and black shoes. Above him, a Bat-like Digimon glares at her then closes it's eyes, the horn on it's head glittering in the torchlight. As the door closed, the figure raised his head, his red eyes meeting the bright yellow eyes of the new arrival.

“Is everything prepared?” He asked in a calm voice.

“Yes, the trial is currently underway as we speak.” An odd smile came across the shadowed face.

“Perfect... and without, 'him' here, it cannot be stopped. Ha ha ha.” He chuckled. Reaching inside a pocket in his trench coat, he pulls out two black jars and tossed them to her. She caught them with open paws and looked at them, and smiled. The figure stood up and walked to a door to the left of where he was. He stopped halfway to address the cat-like Digimon.

“You may go now, DarkTailmon. I await the results of the trial.” He then continued and left the room. When the door shut close, another figure walked from one of the columns and into the torchlight of the nearby torch. The black skin of the Digimon almost made it seem invisible as he stepped out. The red V mark on his head shown first before his eyes, which were also red. The black wings on his back almost give him the appearance of a dragon.

“Boy, you're gettin' special attention, aren't you.” He said in a slightly high voice, his fangs showing a little as he did. She turned her head, her yellow eyes meeting his red-on-black ones.

“Well...” Her eyes narrows and glows a little. “Maybe there is something I could give you, VampVeemon ” Turning her body around she slowly starts to walk toward the dragon Digimon.

“No, don't worry about it. Ya did the job, ya earned it. I'll be in my area if you need me.” She passed him as she went to the main door.

“Hey.” DarkTailmon called out. The black-winged figure turned around and she tossed one of her rewards to him. He caught it with to hands and looked at it. A small smile came across his face, his fangs protruding a little.

“You didn't have to, you know.” He tossed it up once and then catching it. “But thanks anyhow.” DarkTailmon didn't respond as she left the room, to go and get some sleep.

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“It certainly was a good day to come out here.” A silver-haired boy said to a standing blue fox. The young boy had on a blue jean jacket with purple flames across the arms with matching pants and a plain-white shirt. The fox was a little shorter than him, having black fluffed fur on his chest, tip of the tail, hands and feet with a blue face, bright purple eyes scanned the forest area they were in. They were walking down a forest path, one that they have came upon many times before to do their training or rest.

“Ok DemiRenamon, let's train here.” Lei said to his partner as he set down his backpack. He was pointing to a clearing in the forest that they have been traveling in the Digital World.

“Alright Lei, but let's aim up to do it, I don't want to damage any of the trees here.” Lei's partner said to him, the shuriken-star design on his gloves over his hands glittered a little from the sun. Lei took off his purple-flamed blue jacket and matching backpack. Taking out a card he had in one of the jacket pockets, one with a fireball on it, he swipes it over his Digivice. It glowed a little then he puts the two up. They walk out a ways, into the center of the clearing, then stand next to each other, Lei brings his left hand back as DemiRenamon brings his right.

“Ready?” Lei asks. DemiRenamon nods as he begins to focus.

“Inferno...Flare....”

They say it together and fire begins to form within their hands.

“BLAS--”

“RRRAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” A piercing scream from their right disrupted their concentration and they lost their fire.

“What the heck...“ Lei started. They looked at their right, where the sound came from. Lei grabs his things, backpack and jacket, and puts them back on as he goes to the source, DemiRenamon behind him for a moment, before tripping over a rock and falling down. Passing through the trees, Lei come across another clearing. The Digidestined Digimon, Veemon, walked out of some nearby bushes.

"Hey Veemon." Veemon didn't even look at him as he walked passed him, down the path. DemiRenamon caught up with him as Lei watched Veemon go, curious to why he didn't respond to him.

“What happened?” DemiRenamon asked, a little out of breath.

“Found Veemon over here. Where were you?” Lei asks.

“Just got here, tripped over a rock.” DemiRenamon pants. They stared down the trail for a moment longer.

“Well, let's get back to the training.” DemiRenamon heads back to the other clearing. Lei didn't follow, still looking to where Veemon went.

“Yeah.” Lei stood a moment longer and then followed DemiRenamon, still wondering what was so different about him.

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It took the rest of the afternoon and into the night to complete that day's training. The moon in the clear, star-filled sky casts its white glow over the forest. Halfway down the nearby forest path, a boy and his fox Digimon were resting after training all day.

“We did good today.” Lei said to DemiRenamon as he was looking through his backpack.

“Yeah, that new attack did turn out well.” DemiRenamon added. “FlamePalmon was suppose to meet me later on.”

Lei moved his picture book aside as he continued his search. “Any improvements with her partner?”

DemiRenamon looked up to the sky. “No... Although I can tell she is very worried about her, as I am of FlamePalmon.”

Lei looked up from his backpack, seeing his partner gazing at the sky. Lei smiled at DemiRenamon, and then went back to his search.

“Why were you wondering?” DemiRenamon asked.

“Haven’t heard anything for a while, thought you might have heard something. Where is that card box!?” Lei said, furious that he can’t find what he is looking for.

"How are you and Gatomon getting along? I heard you was in a fight with her..." Lei asks DemiRenamon, catching the fox Digimon off guard.

"How did you know that!?" DemiRenamon asks, surprised to hear this from his partner. Lei looked up from his backpack, seeing the surprised expression on his partner's face.

"I came across Kari yesterday and asked her how the two of you were doing. Don't worry, unless Gatomon told someone else, only me and Kari knows." Lei went back to his search.

"Whew... How mad is she at me?"

"Gatomon? I'd say `don't go near her for a week if you value your 'friend' type of mad. Where is that confounded card box!"

DemiRenamon shivered a little at the thought. "That bad huh... she never showed it when I told her--"

“Ah-ha!” Lei found what he was looking for, and puts the Fire Card back inside. He stopped for a second, in thought about the blue dragon Digimon.

“Lei?” DemiRenamon asked.

“Hmm?” Lei looked to DemiRenamon.

“Something else bothering you to?”

“Well... It's Veemon. I still don't think he was himself this afternoon. When do you ever see him not talking?”

“Well, he did seem a little strange... now that I think about it. I’d say let’s go to Davis’s place and ask him. ”

“Might be the best thing at the moment.” Lei held his right hand in front of him, grasping his purple Star Digivice, and press a button on the bottom.

~I hope she will be ok...~ DemiRenamon thought as he puts his hand on Lei's shoulder.

“Time Gate... Appear before me!” Two purple circles appeared before the Digivice. A silver aura covered both of them and they disappeared, the circles also disappearing, leaving the clearing as it was before.

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From an alley between two apartment buildings, two purple rings appeared three feet in the air. Two beings appeared from it. Lei puts the Star Digivice back into his backpack, the purple-flame design now gone because he was back in the real world. Leaving the alley and walking down a ways, the two soon found Davis's apartment building. Upon their approach there was movement near the main door. Lei and DemiRenamon moved to a darker area so they would not be seen. Lei parted his silver-grey hair away from his left eye so he could see better. They see Jun, Davis' sister, leave the apartment with Veemon. With it nighttime and away from a street lamp, the leaving two didn't see the approaching two.

"Jun and Veemon... walking together?" Lei said lowly to DemiRenamon, taking caution so that only he could hear him. "Something doesn't add up... If they separate, follow Veemon. Just keep an eye on him. I'll follow Jun." The blue fox nodded. They left to follow their targets. While they were following the two, DemiRenamon points something out.

"Since when have you ever seen these two ever get along?" DemiRenamon asks Lei. "I was about to ask you the same thing." Lei responds.

Jun and Veemon stopped at a crosswalk. Jun went left, while Veemon went straight ahead. Lei followed her, leaving his companion to deal with Veemon. Veemon turned to an apartment about a mile down. DemiRenamon recognized it as Kari and Tai's apartment. He felt reluctant to get even in seeing distance of the building, due to Gatomon living there, but if Veemon is different in some way...

~What is he doing here...~ Veemon turned around. DemiRenamon did his speed ability that makes him look like he vanishes and swiftly hid in a tree, hoping that he wouldn't be discovered. Veemon looked around a moment longer, then went to the door and let himself in. DemiRenamon peered from the leaves of the tree as Veemon entered. DemiRenamon saw, prior to Veemon entering, a slight white light around his hand before he touched the doorknob.

~That was...!~ DemiRenamon recognized what Veemon did. ~But how could he have learned that ability?~

Looking over the apartment building, he sees Gatomon curled up at the open window in Kari's room, asleep and a few stories above him.

"Gatomon! Gatomon, over here!" He called to her. She opened her eyes and brought her head up at the call. She sees DemiRenamon in the tree near her window and narrows her eyes.

"What? Oh, it's you..." Gatomon said to him, her voice edging with venom. DemiRenamon shimmies forward.

"You have to get out of there." DemiRenamon said to her, stopping at the very edge of the limb.

"And why should I listen to you after what you said?" She snapped.

"You're in trouble. Something seems wrong with Veemon and--"

"You think if you can't have me then no Digimon can!? Is that it!?"

"It's not like that!"

"You know what? Just leave me alone!" Gatomon snapped back at him and closed her window.

"Gat-- Damn." ~Ever since she found out about me and FlamePalmon she's been mad at me. Lei was right about her.~ He hastily tries to figure out what to do next before Veemon could get to her.

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Meanwhile, Lei was following Jun, after separating from DemiRenamon. He was using his Vanish Spell, one that would make him invisible to noticing eyes. Jun stopped at a house ten blocks and another turn down. She went to the door and knocked on it hard. Lei stopped to watch her, not worried about finding a hiding spot because of the Spell. After a few minuets, the door opened, reveling Matt Ishita, one of the original Digidestined, and he looked rather sleepy. He got agitated when he saw who it was and began to close the door when Jun stopped it with her fist and pushed herself inside, closing the door. Lei took this as a sign to get closer and find out what's going on. He goes past a yellow greenish bush to get to the front window, and peers in. He saw nothing at first, then he heard moaning near the door. Lei moved to the far left of the window to get a better look near the door. Taking a quick glance inside, Lei lowered himself back down, blushing slightly.

~Must be something going on between Sora, Matt and Jun... I think my mission is done here. I'll head back to the meeting spot and wait for DemiRenamon.~ Renewing his Vanish Spell, he gets out of the bush. He tripped on a branch. Lei fell with a crashing "Ooof!".

From inside, he heard Matt's voice... "Hey, why'd you stop?"

~Uh-oh!~ Lei turned around and sees Jun approaching the window.

"Sonic Speed!" Lei quietly said and quickly left the yard, and almost the neighborhood, dispelling his Vanish spell in the process as his Speed Spell took it's place before Jun could learn who was there. When he stopped, he looked around. This part of the area was different from what he knew.

":groan: I overshot the spot... " Lei said to himself. "... but it might be worth it." There were different houses, though all the lights were out on them, the people inside asleep. To his left was a construction site. The ground was wet from the kids playing that day with water balloons. Lei knew this because he walked over there and saw the rubber balloon shreds. Turning around, he goes back the way he came, almost tripping over something. He looked at it, and liked what he saw. Taking out a notebook he keeps in his jacket and scribbles something down. Bringing his Digivice up, he calls forth his teleportation portal, knowing where this could go.

"Time Gate open." The twin purple rings appeared. Lining the object with it, he pushes it through till it was completely through. Then he tore the paper from the notebook and threw it through. The Portal disappeared. Turning back, he leaves the construction site and heads back to the waiting spot.

End of Chapter 1