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.

Chapter 4: Poisoned Hearts

Alone... All alone, save for his partner, who sleeps above him. He walks to a small sphere, stood up in a shrine near the center of the room on the right side wall and touches the orb carefully. The orb glows in various colors.

"It's working." Moving his hand away, the sphere's glow faded, removing what he wanted to see. "Soon, Lei... Soon I will extract my revenge on you for what you have done to me..." He places his left hand over his injured left eye, remembering that fateful day on his homeworld. Lowering his hand, he walks back to his chambers to rest, for a new day was coming and he wanted to be ready for it.

*********************************************************************************************

Darktailmon was sitting near the Castle's dried up fountain, cleaning her Digizodium Helmet with a special metal cleaner she found in server on her trip there. As she was cleaning it, the cat Digimon was thinking of things.

~I never did find the one who gave this to me. Maybe if I stay with her, I can find...~ She stopped in mid-thought as she remembers how she obtained the helmet...

******************************Flashback = 5 Years Ago*******************************************

She was in her Salamon form. Her energy almost completely drained from her. She had ran away from Primary Village because many digimon were taunting her. She told Electmon, the leader of Primary Village, and he did help her out by punishing the other In-Training and Rookie Digimon that were teasing her. Once their punishment was over however, that's when things turned bad. There were four Rookies that attacked her severely for telling on them. She barely managed to escape from them as she retreated to the surrounding forest, weak and nearly drained from what they did as she struggled to continue through. Salamon came to a creek and before she could get to the water, she fell to the ground, her eyes half open.

"Little girl..." A low voice gently called. "I sense your weariness... and your sorrow..." Salamon didn't even have the strength to move her head, all she could do was lie there, pant, and listen. She felt a sharp pain come from her back legs. "...And your pain..." She moved her eyes, to try and find the source. "I can take that away from you... and give you the power... to set things right." The voice said. Salamon's eyes opened a little at the words that the voice said. "If you wish... I could give it to you."

With the last bit of awakened strength, she replies. "Yes... I want... it...." She fell asleep, no more energy to keep her moving, but enough to keep her form.

When she awoke, there was a silver-looking helmet next to her. A note was next to it. Slowly, her limbs still recovering, she picks up the note and opens it. "` Put on the helmet, and your questions shall be answered. -Friend `" Salamon looks at the back of the paper. A Black and Grey Dragon-shaped picture surrounded by light purple flames was on the back of it. Remembering what the voice had said before, she puts down the note and picks up the helmet. It was made of metal with two holes on the top of it, the front of the helmet pointed down a couple of inches to a point giving it a menacing look. She slowly puts it on, fitting her small ears in the holes easily. Once it rested on her head, a surge of energy came through her.

"Sa... Salamon Digivolve to...!" Her body was covered in a black aura as her body began to grow in size. Her fur turned black. Her arms and legs grew longer. Her tail began to grow behind her, a black and purple fur pattern showing on it. A set of large, purple tipped ears grew from her head. The aura dies as she stands in her new Champion form. "Darktailmon." (A.N: After the power boost from the helmet, she can still take it off and she won't revert to her weak Salamon form. )

*****************************************One Year Later****************************************

Darktailmon has been traveling the Digiworld to find her partner, whom she decided was the one who gave her the helmet. During her travels she has found a crest with a Black Crystal on it with a tag inside an old castle filled with statues of dragons and tapestry of a giant flaming bird, and was using it to find her partner. She learned about the Control Spires, Black Rings and Spirals from watching the humans that destroyed them, and followed them secretly, thinking that they would lead her to her partner using her stealth abilities.

One day, she was hiding at a nearby TV when her crest began to glow brightly, as well as the TV. A black-haired girl wearing a traditional school uniform, a sash around her waist with a pole strapped behind her, and two sets of metal claws on the back of her hands, came through. She also noticed that she had a eye-patch over her right eye. Darktailmon leaped down the tree and onto the grassy ground in front of her. The girl grabbed one end of the pole and pulled out what looked like to be a long knife and crouched into an attack position, left hand in front, the knife hand in the back ready to strike. Darktailmon just watched her as she moved, also seeing that she was a couple of feet shorter than the girl.

-So graceful, yet deadly.... Maybe my search is over.- She thought to herself.

"What kind of cat are you?" The girl asks, not flinching a bit. A glow from the girl's sash distracted both of them. Standing straight, she moves her left hand and reaches inside to take out a diamond-shaped device. Instantly, the crest on Darktailmon's chest glowed and it's light went to the girl's device as a new power flowed through Darktailmon.

"Darktailmon Digivolve To..." Her small form grew to adult size as the girl took a step back, surprised herself by this. When Darktailmon was through, she said the name of her new form, which resembled Angewoman, but she had more of a gothic look to her.

"ChaosAngewomon." The girl put her weapon back into it's holder and walks slowly up to ChaosAngewomon, amazed at her transform ability.

"So, you're my partner?" The girl asks.

"Yes, my long search is over... I am your partner." ChaosAngewomon said to her, her voice slightly lower.

"My name is Sari Kasita." Sari walked up to ChaosAngewomon and shook her hand, being careful with her claws.

***************************************Flashback End******************************************

Darktailmon smiled at the memory of finally finding her partner. Unfortunately, Sari wasn't the one who had given her the helmet, so Darktailmon has always kept an eye out for clues that could help her. -Yeah...-

From above her, a black dragon flew by. "Hello kitty!" Vampveemon landed next to her. "What cha doing?"

"Thinking." Darktailmon sighed.

Vampveemon gave her a cautious look. "Hey, you're not thinking of---"

"Quitting? Not on your life, even if yours was long past gone. No, I was just thinking on how much better my life has become now. With Sari, and the power I gained from this helmet..." Darktailmon rested the helmet back onto her head as Vampveemon sat next to her.

"Well, do you remember what I said a while ago about that? That power never lasts?" Vampveemon asks her. Darktailmon turned her head and looked at him.

"Yeah, I remember." Darktailmon responded.

Vampveemon moved closer to her. "But there was another thing I came to talk to you for." Darktailmon looks at the bottle of metal cleaner in her hands.

"Sure. Go ahead." Vampveemon's face turned a little red.

"Well, I've kind of read about how one loves another and..." Vampveemon turned his head. "Acts as protector for his love." Darktailmon raised her head and looked at Vampveemon.

Darktailmon chuckles. "What? You like someone?" Vampveemon's face went another shade of red. Darktailmon could see this, even with his head turned. "Don't be embarrassed Vampveemon, it's not like you..."

Vampveemon returned her gaze, smiling. "It's funny though. I'm a creature of Darkness, yet I still have feelings for… her." he said.

Darktailmon continues to polish her helmet. "You know, Master Sari told me that if you have feelings like that, it could end up deleting you." Darktailmon stopped for a moment, turned to look at Vampveemon. "You best get rid of those feelings. If Lord Coren finds out about it, you'll never hear the end of it."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Vampveemon said, shaking his head. "Last thing I need to hear is that Floramon's scream again." Vampveemon spreads his wings, stretching his body.

Darktailmon was reminded of something. "That's why you asked me that. Because you were curious of what that Floramon felt about you, right?"

"Something like that... " Vampveemon said. "Because, when Floramon was deleted, I felt like a part of me went with her, like a portion of my heart. I still can't kill off that feeling." Putting the final touches on her helmet, she gave Vampveemon a small smile.

“Maybe it’s not a feeling, but…” Darktailmon seemed to have caught Vampveemon’s attention because he was looking at her. “… Maybe, …” Darktailmon looks up at the sky, Vampveemon following her gaze to the dark orange glow of the approaching sun.

"I think we better go back inside now." She replies.

"Yeah, sunlight isn't a good thing." Vampveemon replies as Darktailmon got her helmet and went with Vampveemon inside, leaving the ancient courtyard bare again.

*********************************************************************************************

Palmon gave another small sob as she sat on the couch next to Yolei and Davis, Lei was still unconscious on the couch in front of them. She hadn't said a word for hours and the sun was coming up. Izzy came in with a cup of hot tea and handed it to the distraught Digimon. She nodded in thanks and sipped it. Davis fell asleep, his head tipped back and his mouth ajar. He was snoring slightly. StarRenamon moved from the window and back to Lei's side, his chest still pulsing that small, purple light. Yawning, he sits down next to him on the couch and closed his eyes. FlamePalmon lies down on his lap and nuzzles against his armor. StarRenamon saw who it was and puts an arm around her and they both doze off.

"There's a cute couple." Yolei remarks to herself.

"Palmon what happened?" Izzy asked softy.

"We didn't expect her... she just appeared at the door and asked for something to drink. Mimi was asleep but I was-"

"Wait, slow down, who was at the door?" Yolei said.

"Gatomon. When I got her drink, she knocked me down and nearly knocked me out. I tried to fight back and smashed the glass in her face. But... her scars... they just... healed..." StarRenamon's ears twitched when he heard this and listened to her story for a while. "Then she got one of the kitchen knives and..." Palmon shuddered and closed her eyes, tears filling them, "She said something about how my wounds would heal after I was accepted. She looked to the door and I did too... Hawkmon was there. She said something to him... I couldn't understand."

"What do you mean?" Izzy asked. "It was some sort of language... I don’t know... then Hawkmon went into.. went into Mimi's room. Gatomon followed him. I guess she didn't think I was strong enough to move. Before I could get out, though, I... heard Mimi... scream... I went back to try and help her but... Hawkmon saw me and started chasing me. The last thing I remember seeing before running out of there was... Gatomon... lunging at... Mimi..." Palmon buried her face in her hands and sobbed heavily. Yolei compassionately rubbed her back.

"Wait... Gatomon?" StarRenamon said looking up at Palmon, trying not to move so he wouldn't wake up FlamePalmon.

"Yes..." Palmon nodded.

"Are you sure? Gatomon would never do something that extreme."

"Neither would Hawkmon, or so I thought." Yolei sighed.

"Veemon… " Davis said, lost in his dreams. "Where are you..."

*********************************************************************************************

After some time, Izzy continued to talk to Palmon. "What did you mean by `her scars just healed'?" Izzy asked Palmon, rubbing his head in thought.

"I mean what I said. Some green goo came out of her wounds then sucked back in and her scars-"

"Green goo?" Yolei lifted and eyebrow, "When I threw Hawkmon into the coffee table, he was covered in cuts... and... the same thing happened."

"Green goo." Izzy nodded, "Yolei, I think something's inside your Digimon. If I could get a sample of their blood, I could run it through my computer and we'd have the results in ninety seconds flat."

"How?" Yolei asked.

StarRenamon lifted FlamePalmon's head up and puts a pillow under her head and gets up. She stirs a little, but goes back to her sleep. StarRenamon went to Lei to check on his condition.

Izzy grinned. "A little something I got from Joe. It's a program from America designed to isolate damaged or virus-infected cells in an organism. It's not even suppose to be known by the public."

"How did he get them?" Davis asked, a little more awake.

"Where else? I thought you knew he was there doing some research with the Americans."

"Oh, yeah, he brought Cody along too." Yolei nodded.

"We're getting off the subject, we need to find Hawkmon, Gatomon or Veemon and somehow get a sample from them."

"But... I'm not sure it's possible to even get NEAR them." Yolei said, "You heard what they did."

"Hmm..." Izzy nodded in thought. A casual knock at the door interrupted them and he got up to answer it, looking out the looking hole on the door.

"It's Gatomon."

"Don't let her in!" StarRenamon shouted. FlamePalmon woke up to StarRenamon’s shout. Unfortunately, with the damage from the previous night done to the door all she had to do was kick it open. The door knocked Izzy back as Gatomon casually walks in.

"Oh, I see you remember me..." Gatomon gave an eerie smile. Izzy tried to get up, but the cat Digimon was too quick and leapt on top of him before he could, knocking him to the floor. The others stood up as Izzy wrestled with Gatomon. Yolei ran up to them but Gatomon knocked her back with her claws. Palmon didn't dare go near her and cowered on the couch next to Lei. StarRenamon didn't know either to help Izzy or protect Lei and Palmon. Noticing some movement from the kitchen, he smiled. Izzy tried desperately to push Gatomon off of him.

"Don't resist..." She hissed, "Join us!" Her eyes glowed white slightly as she said that, but Izzy wasn't looking at her when it happened. She dug her claws into Izzy's chest.

"Lava Vine!" FlamePalmon shot out her vines and quickly bound up Gatomon. She didn't let go and her claws ripped off Izzy's shirt and scratched his chest up some when her arms were pulled back.

"What the...?" Suddenly, Gatomon went stiff and suspended by the vines. Izzy quickly stood up. Davis was bouncing a frying pan in his hands, looking down at the bound cat digimon.

"You've got your specimen, Izzy." He nodded. A few minuets later, Gatomon was tightly tied to a chair with duct tape, her head limp from unconsciousness. Davis leaned against the wall next to her, the frying pan tightly gripped in his right hand.

"Nice thinking Davis. You too FlamePalmon." The blue fox commented. Davis just grinned.

"Never mess with a girl when she's half asleep..." FlamePalmon responded, looking down at Gatomon, retracting her vines, then turning around she went back to the couch and to her nap.

"That was cold..." Davis mumbled to himself.

*********************************************************************************************

One hour later...

Izzy was at his computer. "It will take a while for the program to boot up, we'll have to be patient." Izzy said, leaning back in his chair from the glowing screen.

"You shouldn't have lost that disk to begin with." Davis said, holding the kitchen tool ready if Gatomon wakes up.

"It couldn't be helped, I didn't know that I would be using it this early anyhow." Izzy said with a yawn. FlamePalmon was awake and atop StarRenamon's shoulder, sitting there and watched what was going on. Yolei volunteered to keep watch at the makeshift door (They took off the bathroom door and replaced it for the front door, a blanket replaced it.) A small gurgle came from Gatomon and she slowly woke up, bound to a chair. Shaking her head slightly, she strained against the duct tape.

"Inferior beings! There is no resisting us! You will all be one of us and under our control." She growled. She looked around and set her eyes on StarRenamon. "Even you, little foxy." She snickers. "Who couldn't even compare to Master Veemon!" StarRenamon glared at her angrily and growled slightly at the insult just as Davis moved in front of her.

"What's going on? What have you done to Veemon?!" He shouted.

Gatomon sneered. "He is one of us."

"I don't care what he is! What did you do to HIM?!" *CLANG* Davis smacked her across her face with the frying pan.

"You won't get anything out of me!" Gatomon spat in Davis' face. Enraged, Davis lifted the frying pan for a fatal swing.

"WAIT! Davis, we need her alive!!!!" Izzy held him back with some help from StarRenamon and Yolei. Gatomon laughed evilly at the four.

"Damn you! I'll kill her! Let me go! One hit! That's all I want!!!" Izzy looked at him and gasped. The spit Gatomon had planted on Davis' face was glowing a bright white/green color.

"Wait!!" He ran to the computer and retrieved an eyedropper. He came back and extracted the spit from Davis' face. Using her vines again, FlamePalmon slipped the frying pan away from Davis.

"Like Izzy said, he needs her alive so watch your temper, Davis." FlamePalmon told him cheerily. Davis, now weaponless goes mumbling in to the kitchen, anger still showing in his face. FlamePalmon gave the pan to StarRenamon with a little smile. StarRenamon picked up a sound from the living room. Worried for his partner, StarRenamon went there to check up on him. FlamePalmon jumped down and stayed to see what she could also learn about this new creature, so she walked up to the computer where Izzy was.

"Now, let's see what we have here..." He said, opening a tray in his computer. He pushed it back in and a time bar on the computer appeared. He watched it move for a second before a message came up.

"Yes! Foreign anomaly found! Now all the program needs to do is try and recognize it's DNA." After a few more seconds, the computer beeped in annoyance. Izzy leaned forward in his chair. His mouth was slacked open.

"What? Anomaly not found?" He pressed a few buttons on the computer then growled.

"What's going on?" Davis looked over at him from the kitchen, washing off his face.

"I don't know. The computer had the sample... then it... just disappeared." Izzy shook his head.

As Izzy was trying to figure out what's happening, Gatomon decided to find a way to get herself free.

"Hey, Red." FlamePalmon looked to the taped-up Gatomon.

"My name is FlamePalmon." FlamePalmon said calmly, smiling, looking at the possessed feline, her voice still bearing a resemblance to a little girl. Gatomon's eyes narrowed as she set out an evil grin across her face.

"How does it feel to know that Demirenamon still loves me?" Gatomon asks her.

"That's not true anyhow so I’d advise you to stay quiet." FlamePalmon said as she turned away, a little rustled at the comment.

"That's not what I know. We were together just a few nights ago, me up on top and him beneath. Demirenamon said that he will always stay with me, love me, and...." The red digimon snarled. One constant trait of fire-types in anything is that they always have short tempers. Somehow, Gatomon knew this. "...he will never give himself to a Digimon like you."

FlamePalmon turned again, slightly growling, her eyes seemed to have a fire inside. Izzy noticed a moment too late.

"LAVA SLAM!!" FlamePalmon screeched. Entwining her vines, she makes a big one and smacks Gatomon across the face. Something on Gatomon snapped as she was knocked senseless. FlamePalmon's vines retracted and she stood there panting.

"Maybe that will keep you quiet." She told her, her peaceful exterior no longer there. Her voice could cut titanium from the edge it had and she looked like she was about to explode with anger. Izzy and Davis looked at each other as FlamePalmon attempted to calmed herself down.

"And I thought Yolei had a short temper..." Davis murmurs to himself from the kitchen.

"Heh Heh..." Izzy chuckled nervously. "This might be a good time to try a blood sample." Izzy walked over to Gatomon with a needle.

"MAGATI!!!! TORA MAGATI SOR KA MIRO TORI TARISU !?!?!?” Gatomon suddenly came back to life, yelling in a strange language with renewed energy. Davis and Izzy looked at each other for a moment.

“What the hell was that?” Davis and Izzy ask eachother.

“What’s going on in there?!” Yolei called from the living room. Seemed like she was having a bit of trouble.

“… You got me on that one, unless you hit her too hard or something.” Izzy said to Davis. They both heard a cry from the living room as Gatomon continued to shout out in that language.

*********************************************************************************************

“Calm down Palmon.” Yolei said, trying to calm her, kneeling down next to her. Palmon had panicked when she started to hear that same language from the previous night and was cowering in a corner of the room.

“No!!! Don’t let her get me!” Palmon shouted out, lashing out at Yolei to stay away, panicking.

*********************************************************************************************

“’Never. I… will never give… in to your ways…’ is what I think she is saying.” StarRenamon says to Izzy.

“You can understand her---” CLANG! Everyone looked to see Davis, frying pan in hand, over Gatomon. After the second blow, Gatomon was finally KO 'ed and silenced.

“She was giving me a headache.” Davis said, shaking his head, looking down at her.

“You know, if you use the syringe on the counter, she’ll stay out longer.” Izzy told Davis, pointing to a needle on his dresser. Davis looked over to it and shrugged.

"This way is more fun." He grinned at the group. FlamePalmon nodded her head and grinned alongside him, her eyes still had the fire look to them. She calmed down after a while and the fire left her eyes.

Hours passed but there was still no good news. StarRenamon went to go check on Lei again, except this time FlamePalmon went with him. Yolei came into Izzy’s room to see how the search was going. Izzy watched anxiously at the computer screen. With a short beep, He growled in frustration.

"DAMMIT!" He hit the table, “Every time the computer gets a hold of this damn thing it disappears before proper tests can be taken." He sighed, calming himself, "It just keeps dying before I can get specific information." He looked at Gatomon, who was slowing awakening, "It's almost like it can't survive if it leave-DAVIS WAIT!!" He barely stopped Davis from knocking the Digimon out with a fierce blow to the head. FlamePalmon took the pan again with her vines.

"What... Hey quit that!" Davis said.

"Uh-Uh-uuh" She replied, waving a vine finger. Izzy waved a needle in front of him.

"What?" He turned to Izzy, irritated.

"Use the anesthetic. She'll stay out longer." Izzy glared. Davis sighed in defeat. He injected Gatomon and she was out for the third time. Izzy stood up and stretched before walking over to Gatomon. He didn't want it to come down to this, but he had no choice. Drastic measures had to be taken for the protection of the Digidestined.

"Davis... can I... speak with you for a second?" He pulled Davis into the kitchen. Lei walks to the group, StarRenamon behind him, and sees a bound, sleeping Gatomon. Lei stared at her sleeping form as he sat down next to Yolei. FlamePalmon walked to StarRenamon’s side.

"You alright? I thought I heard some commotion earlier?" StarRenamon asks his fire friend.

"Nothing I couldn't handle. Tee hee!" FlamePalmon giggles. Lei looked down and shook his head.

"You ok?" Yolei asks him.

"Yeah, thought I saw something." Silence filled the room for a moment. "Fun night this turned out to be, eh Yolei? About matches that big battle we all had a few months back with that Floramon." Yolei looked at Lei.

"Yeah. You hear about Palmon?"

"StarRenamon told me, and I guess my little secret is out now." He puts his hand onto his chest, over where his Crest of Time is.

"But what is... your 'Power' that StarRenamon mentioned?" Yolei asked.

"I'm not quite sure how I got it, just that it comes natural for me. I've tried to figure it out, but no luck. Now... " Lei shrugged. "I never worry about it." Silence stood for a moment.

"So.. how did you become a Digidestined?" Yolei asked. Lei took off his pendant and showed it to her. It looked like a normal stopwatch, except twelve arrows outside of two circles. "I was working on my computer one day, the first day of my abilities research, when this crest shot from it."

"That's how I got my..." Reaching inside a side pocket, he takes out his Digivice.

"Wha... How...?" Yolei took out hers and compared it with his. Yolei's was shaped like an oval with a screen and two buttons, while Lei's was star shaped and had eight buttons around a square screen in the center.

"This is what I found. With what I already knew of computers, I quickly learned how some of the features worked, as well as with certain cards I've made for StarRenamon, which I‘ve designed in accordance to my own abilities." He puts the Digivice away as Yolei did hers. Izzy yelled something at Davis from the kitchen, but they didn't notice. "I kept it with me after that. I soon learned how to activate a Digiport and often traveled the Digiworld, seeing it's sights and ... learning a few things." Yolei remembered something about that.

"I thought I saw someone that time in those woods, before you entered that Digimon town."

"Yeah, that was me. If you or the others were around, I would follow and see what was going on... well, while I was walking through a forest that no one had come around for a while, I found a strange egg, with clock designs on it, near what looked like a rotting ancient Temple. When I touched it... well, you know with yours." She nodded. "It was a bit difficult at first but since the MaloMyotismon attack, we've been partners, looking out for one and another." Lei finished.

"Well, what about your partner's friend, FlamePalmon." Lei looked back and saw that FlamePalmon was on StarRenamon's shoulder at a recliner, behind where Gatomon was, talking to him.

"That one is a friend of mine's partner. She's ill at the moment..." Lei turned back and lowered his head. "Well, StarRenamon found her about the same time after you all beat MaloMyotismon." Yolei nodded in understanding. Lei looked up to her. "They are close friends now." Yolei smiled as Lei put the Crest back under his shirt. Lei smiled back.

There was a startled yell from the kitchen, "No... OHHHHH HO HO HOOOO NO!" Then the sound of Izzy holding a laugh.

"Something's up." Lei murmured as he and Yolei looked at the closed kitchen door. Another yell came from there. It was slightly muffled, but everyone heard it good enough to know what it was. A few minuets later, Izzy lead Davis back into the computer room in front of Gatomon. They looked at each other then at Yolei, Lei, and Palmon, sitting on the couch laughing quietly. Even StarRenamon and FlamePalmon were snickering a little.

"Did you really have to tell them?" Davis whispered. Izzy shrugged,

"I didn't do a thing. They must have heard us."

"Hey, can I have a little privacy?" Davis looked to the girls.

"What if Gatomon... hee... wakes up and tries to... pftt, heh heh... attack you?" Palmon giggled.

"Come on, Davis." Yolei chuckled, "Go ahead and work your magic." Lei had to will himself to keep from laughing at Davis' situation. StarRenamon and FlamePalmon just kept to themselves, laughing.

"I might just use up so much magic I won't have enough left for YOU." Davis hissed. Yolei immediately fell silent. The others got the hint from his look he made at Yolei and stopped as well. StarRenamon got up from the chair and went to Lei.

"Well, you guys have your fun, I'm going to the other room for a while." Lei said as he got up and left Izzy’s room. He went into the living room. StarRenamon along with FlamePalmon followed him. FlamePalmon dropped from StarRenamon's shoulder as he sat down next to him on the couch, FlamePalmon next to StarRenamon. Lei was thinking hard about something.

"I still think that all of this is familiar for some reason. As if I..." Lei stopped in midsentance.

"What?" StarRenamon asked, FlamePalmon listening to the two.

Lei chuckled a little. "As if I had seen this happen before." He shakes his head. "Well, what all happened while I was out?"

"Gatomon has a slimy thing in her, green and sick looking..." FlamePalmon tried to explain.

"Well... basicly, after we got you here last night, Yolei told Izzy what happened and I also told my part with Gatomon. Palmon came rushing in with Hawkmon chasing her, probably under the same thing as Gatomon, so that's why she's here. Gatomon tried to get Izzy earlier, but with Davis and FlamePalmon's teamwork, they caught her."

"Ha ha!" FlamePalmon cheered, raising her vine-fingered hand in victory.

"Izzy had been trying to get a sample from her and now, this is where we are. Sitting here and..." He raised his paw up a little before lowering it back onto his leg.

"Hmmm... That's good to kno---"

A LOT of swearing and laughter came from the computer room, breaking Lei's train of thought.

"Let's see what's going on here?" StarRenamon asks.

"Of course." Lei said as he got up with the other two. Before they could make it to the door, Davis ran out at high speed and went to the kitchen sink and hastily washed his mouth out and his hands.

"Find anything Davis?" Lei said with a smile. Davis got so mad that smoke began to appear, which was from the sink because he turned the hot water up too high.

"YEEOOWW!!! Hot Hot HOT!!!" Davis screamed as he turned the hot water down.

Lei looked into the computer room, seeing everyone laughing and Izzy at the computer.

"Learn anything Izzy?" Lei asked as the three took their spot next to Yolei.

"It... uh... SUCCESSFUL!! THE COMPUTER TARGETED THE ANOMALY!!" Izzy leapt up.

"Yippee..." Davis groaned from the kitchen, rinsing his mouth out thoroughly. Izzy stood in front of the others, holding a long sheet of computer paper. After looking it over, he looked up at Davis.

"First, I'd like to thank you for getting the successful speci-"

"Just tell us what the damn thing is." Davis sulked angrily. Lei stifled a laugh. Davis glared at him.

"Something funny?" Davis shots at Lei, who got quiet.

"Sorry." Lei muttered. Davis turned back to Izzy.

"Um... okay." Izzy cleared his throat,

"Well... the computer got as much information as it could from what I could get and... uh..."

"And what?" Yolei leaned forward, "You act like you've stumbled upon a new... a new..." Izzy smiled.

"The computer doesn't even recognize the element it's made of. Apparently we've discovered an entirely new... well... everything! Now, from what the computer is telling me, it's very parasitic and cannot last for more than thirty seconds without a host."

"That's why it was so hard to get a sample. But how did we manage to get one from Gatomon?"

"Simple." Izzy grinned, "This parasite attaches itself to glands throughout the body by it's own secrations, thus the 'green goo' effect when injured. To control the body, or host if you will, the organism… “ Izzy looked at a blinking part on his computer screen. “Hmmm, it looks like it wraps itself around the body’s spinal column and sends tendrils up to the brain, like strings on a puppet. It regulates the electronic messages each brain cell sends to one another and redirects. Therefore, it has complete control of the host, using it's own electricity against them. Not only does it have complete control, but it gives the host supernatural abilities, increasing them ten-fold. It seems that this one is a independent parasite, where usually ones like this have a leading organism to give commands like how ants are. This is quite a clever little anomaly.”

"That would explain the language Gatomon and Hawkmon were using." Yolei nodded.

"Okay, but how does it get around?" Palmon asked.

"By Mouth-to-Mouth contact, as Davis here found out." Davis gave a little shiver from that experience that he went through. Lei glanced at StarRenamon, the blue digimon's head down, his face showing a slight trace of fear.

"She could’ve converted me into one of..."

"Don't worry about it. She didn't did she?" Lei reassured.

"True..." StarRenamon replied.

"Then don't worry about it." Lei said. StarRenamon nodded to him.

"Did she now? She did mention something about a few nights ago…" FlamePalmon said in a little girl voice.

"Flames! Nothing happened. I got away before she could do anything!" FlamePalmon looks into StarRenamon’s eyes, a spark of fire appearing in FlamePalmon's eyes.

"Honestly!" FlamePalmon stared at him a moment longer, then turned away. "At least you could’ve told me..." FlamePalmon had her arms crossed and eyes closed. StarRenamon was worried about what she was thinking.

-I hope she doesn’t hate me for not telling her.- StarRenamon thought to himself. Lei was deep in thought about what Izzy was saying.

-Something's wrong with this... It can't be parasitic...- Very faintly Lei saw a silhouette of a white snake seemingly to appear then disappear from Gatomon's lower body, spiraling up to her head.

"You got to be kidding me..." Lei whispered and stared wide-eyed at Gatomon for a moment. "Did anyone noticed that?" Lei asked everyone. A round of whats went around. "There was a ... snake coiled around her for a second.. then disappeared." Almost everyone was confused except for Izzy. Recognition appeared in his eyes, but he didn't say anything and looked back at his results. "Maybe I'm still seeing things..." Lei said to himself. Yolei spoke up before anything else erupted.

"Well, so far all it sounds like it does is control people... or Digimon to kiss a lot." She shrugged.

"There's more..." Izzy swallowed, "This parasite feeds off of... electricity. Digimon, being such large providers of this source, are primary targets. But what gets me is why is it only using Digimon..." Suddenly, Davis spoke up.

"Uh, hey, there isn't going to be a quiz on this, is there? Because... you lost me."

"I'll tell you later." Izzy sighed.

"So how do we stop this thing?" Yolei asked.

"My computer is looking a common weakness for the organism, but it will take some time. After all, this IS a new element and all. Oh, speaking of which, I've decided to call this thing's element Izzium... for obvious reasons." Izzy beamed with pride.

"Hey, hey, hey, buddy." Davis stood up, "I was the one who kissed the cat here." Izzy simply rolled his eyes.

Lei glanced at StarRenamon and then murmured, "Hope he don't regret that..." StarRenamon nods as FlamePalmon fell asleep beside him.

End of Chapter 4