{words - 3490}

{Beta Reader mellra.}

Chapter 6

"Fate leads the willing and drags along the unwilling. Wouldn't you agree Gaomon, Gomamon?" Wizardmon said with a small smile on his hidden face while watching the children gathering over near the soccer field down below them. The Champion knew they'd find him soon enough if he stayed around the school where all the human children gathered.

"Depends on who fate feels like dragging into fix it's mess, really." Gaomon replied walking forward to stand beside Wizardmon, his eyes zeroing in on Naruto and Suzie mixed in with their class as they tried getting a look at the strange graffiti all over the soccer field. "What are you doing here Wizardmon? You'd never leave Ebonwumon's side for longer than a day if you could help it, so why are you in the Human World?"

"Ebonwumon was starting to get worried when you two didn't report in and I didn't feel up to losing another student, so when he was looking for somebody to check up on you I volunteered." The Champion explained with a sad look in his eyes that was only there for a few seconds when he glanced back at them. "Zhuqiaomon's been too quiet lately and we think he's up to something big since the Twelve Heavenly Generals aren't responding to any messages we've sent them." Gaomon's eyes gained a hard edge to them at the thought of any of the twelve Digimon turning against Ebonwumon while Gomamon's smile dropped at the prospect of fighting some of his former friends. Vikaralamon, Kumbhiramon, and Vajramon trained alongside them growing up and to hear they might have turned on Ebonwumon after everything he did for them hurt the seal like Digimon.

"We've even tried sending messengers to Azulongmon, but the dragon won't respond to anything so Ebonwumon is going on their arguments to form a plan. He thinks Zhuqiaomon is after the Light of Digivolution or something just as powerful to give him the edge over the other Sovereign but with both of them playing their little secret war there's little we can do but wait right now."

"Is he recalling us for war?" Gomamon asked trying not to sound too fearful at everything his old teacher just said. Sure, he had no problem dealing with a wild Digimon every once in a while that wanted to start trouble, but if two of the Sovereigns were in the middle of a secret war… Shaking his head, Gomamon didn't even want to begin thinking about what something like that could cause to the Digital World if war really did break out between the eastern and southern areas.

"No, nothing like that thankfully." Wizardmon replied causing the seal like Digimon to release the breath he was holding. "They haven't done anything big yet to warrant anything like that but Ebonwumon has been meeting with Baihumon to decide what they can do if it does come to blows between the two." There was a pause where the three of them just watched everything going on below them only to be broken by their teacher's sigh. Gomamon glanced over at Wizardmon. He looked tired almost defeated at the very thought of losing anymore of his students to fighting and they both knew it was killing the aged Digimon knowing that some of the In-Trainings he raised might be involved in another areas not so secret war. "For now though I was ordered to make sure the two of you were still alive and then start searching the Human World for whatever Zhuqiaomon is hell-bent on finding so badly he'd send his troops here instead of having them nearby in case fighting did break out."

"What do you need us to do?" Gaomon asked, a scowl on his face after hearing everything Wizardmon reported to them. 'Traitors!' Rage clouded his thoughts at the very thought of trash like that working against them leaving only the knowledge Naruto needed him from storming back to the Digital World to end their lives.

"Nothing for now. I don't even know what I'm looking for since Ebonwumon and Baihumon know either one of them could have altered whatever it is they're fighting over. For now though just keep doing what you normally do while your Tamer is at school but keep your eyes open for anything strange by our standards at least." Wizardmon told them still watching the younger children playing down below while the teachers watched them from a nearby bench. "So are you happy with a human that young being your Tamer?"

"Yeah Naruto's the best Tamer out there!" "He has a lot to learn but there's plenty of potential there to work with." Both of his students said at the same time causing the Champion to smile happy for the both of them after everything that happened to their team in the past.

"The girl Suzie Wong he always hangs out with during school could be a perfect Tamer if partnered with the right Digimon from what I've seen. She has a lot of skill with the card game the children play even though I don't think her nii-san's noticed yet and we've seen her beat Naruto every three out of five games they play." Wizardmon spotted her chasing Naruto around the field and chuckled when Suzie kissed his cheek getting the blond to scream about cooties while acting like he was dying. She was a cute little girl to the aged Champion with her lightly tanned skin, dark purple hair pulled to the sides in two small pigtails, and dark purple eyes. The dark yellow coat with buttons running up its center and pockets on the side were open letting him spot the deck of cards she had poorly hidden. That along with the dark purple shorts, white socks and yellow shoes with white laces and soles she had on had him chuckling as he watched them play around without a care in the world.

"What about the three older kids that have partners and the Impmon we ran into a few times?" Gomamon spoke up, gaining Wizardmon's attention since he didn't know about any of that yet.

"Takato Matsuki is Naruto's self-proclaimed big brother figure and is easy to adapt compared to the others. His partner is Guilmon, a Digimon I've never heard about before he showed up and somehow has a piece of the Digital Hazard inside of him." Wizardmon eyes went wide in alarm after hearing that bit of news as Gaomon sighed but kept going. "I've been keeping an eye on him whenever I can spare the time and he acts more like an In-Training Digimon than a Rookie, getting curious about every little thing that catches his attention."

"Henry Wong is a pacifist who tries avoiding fights unless he has no other choice while his partner Terriermon is laid back and relaxed about everything." The puppy Digimon smirked letting Gomamon take over where he left off. "The few times we've been able to hang out were fun but thanks to Henry avoiding most fights he isn't able to deal with all the power that comes after Digivolving.

"We don't know that much about Rika and her partner Renamon other than she's angry at the world for some reason. Other than that she treats us like we're not even sentient beings who can feel pain and orders Renamon to absorb the data of every Mon they beat." Gomamon finished, frowning at the knowledge that not all of them were looking for fights since they've even come across a few Digimon who stumbled through a Digital Field on accident.

"What about the Impmon you mentioned?" Wizardmon asked as he processed the fact there were at least four Tamers living around town and two more with potential.

"That, that's complicated."

{Flashback}

"Is that what I think it is?" Gaomon sounded out in disbelief drawing his partner's attention to the pair of kids in the nearby window. They were sitting together under a pillow fort drawing on a bunch of construction paper and even Gomamon looked alarmed at the object around the girl's neck. The girl had lightly tanned skin, brown eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair tied up with ribbons into a pigtails. She was wearing a pink shirt with long sleeves under a wine-colored dress, and yellow socks that could be seen under a pair of pink sneakers with white soles. The purple Digivice that first drew their attention hung around her neck by its white strap but looked damaged with a small crack running across the screen.

Her twin brother looked the same as her with light skin, brown eyes but his brown spiky hair was cut shorter. He was wearing a light blue shirt with long sleeves under a dark blue jumpsuit with pockets on each side stuffed with crayons, and green socks that could be seen under a pair of green sneakers with white soles.

"They're even younger than Naruto!" Gomamon blurted out, shocked at the pair of twins that looked around four maybe five if they were lucky played in their room unaware of the Digimon watching them.

"Bada Boom!" A blast of fire engulfed the roof they were standing on forcing the pair to jump back as an Impmon of all things jumped down from his hiding spot. The Digimon was a small humanoid imp like creature with a tail and large pointed ears. He wears a pair of red gloves and a matching red bandanna and right now looked ready for a fight of the scowl on his face was any indication

"This is my part of Shinjuku! I thought you idiots would have learned that by now but I guess there's always some Digimon that thinks he can take my turf!" Impmon growled out even as they recalled the Digimon's information. 'Impmon, Rookie Level: Is an Evil Digimon whose name and design are derived from the mythological imp. It has an appearance like a demon's child. It loves pranks, so it enjoys seeing the embarrassed appearances of its opponents.'

"We aren't looking for a fight with you." Gomamon said trying to defuse the situation while Gaomon noticed the way their opponent placed himself between them and the building the children were in.

"Yeah like I'll fall for that load of crap!" With a war cry he charged, gloved fist coated in fire only for Gaomon to meet him half way. Both Rookies tearing apart the roof they were on with nothing but brute force behind their blows

"Machine Gun Kick!" Impmon yelled out, his feet striking out faster with each kick.

"Gao Rush!" While Gaomon moved like a boxer weaving in-between the blows that were shattering concrete, countering each kick with his own equally powerful punches.

Each and every attack they traded were rapid at speeds most Rookies couldn't keep up with and only getting faster the longer the fight dragged on. It was like the fights Gaomon saw on T.V. but with Digimon taking the humans places as the trained boxer went up against a determined kickboxer that refused to back down. Even Gomamon was starting to pick up the way Impmon moved as he tried to direct the fight away from the building the twins were living in while trying his best to avoid drawing any unnecessary attention to them by sticking to only physical combat.

"Double Backhand!" With a spinning strike he finally managed to land a direct hit on the elusive Rookie, slamming him into the nearby air condition unit almost ripping the machine out of the ground from the force he put behind it. "Stay down! If I wanted it you'd be dead already!" Gaomon barked out slightly impressed with Impmon for winding him even slightly.

"Y-you'll have to kill me then before I let that greedy brat anywhere near my ki- territory!" Impmon grits out through the pain using a bit of fire to blow away the metal around him. "Pillars of Fire." A wall of fire appeared behind him blocking the pair from going any further. Impmon locked gazes with Gaomon letting the pair see the resolve burning in the Rookie's eyes. "Y-you'll have t-to k-kill me first!"

With ice covering his left hand and fire covering the right Impmon took a staggering step forward before gaining his balance and rushing Gaomon again. They were trained for the purpose of taking on the lower level Ultimate Digimon in their base forms and yet Impmon didn't back down even when his left arm fell limp after receiving a vicious blow to the shoulder. His fires still burned, shining brighter than the sun to match his resolve as he continued to stand up no matter how many times Gaomon knocked him down. Over and over again even when repeatedly beaten and bruised Impmon forced his body to move refusing to let them get past him

"Wild Echo!" The blast of air from his cry echoed across the rooftop slamming into the dazed Digimon. When Impmon moved to stand up again cradling his now limp arm there was only silence as he took a step forward still looking ready to fight to the bitter end only for the Digimon to crash to his knees as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

{Flashback End}

The puppy dog Digimon looked away ashamed and angry unable to meets his teacher's gaze. "Gomamon stayed behind to look after him after he passed out from his injuries and was able to find out the reason for Impmon's open hostility to us. He thought we were Rika's Digimon after seeing how strong we were and hearing rumors about all the other Mon's that were getting picked off before they even had a chance to return to Digital World." His teeth clenched at the thought of being that brat's Digimon and the very thought they would harm another Mon that wanted to go home left a bad taste in his mouth. "Impmon thought we were going to attack those kids since Rika went out of her way to target Takato twice just so she could delete his Digimon."

"Impmon's really strong though if he could keep up with Gaomon for as long as he did." Gomamon added since he knew the most about the Rookie in question. "He won't tell me what happened between him and those kids he watches over, but they've got to be his Tamers judging by the way Impmon keeps a three block radius around their home clear of all Digimon. The best part though is that he's like us and refuses to absorb the data from the Digimon he defeats. I asked him about it once and Impmon said he wasn't about to rely on some cheap power boost or anyone's help to keep his 'territory' safe from the wild Digimon that wanted to try their luck." The Rookie was a prankster like him and Naruto once you got to know Impmon better but neither of them needed to know that little fact just yet.

"Hmmm." Wizardmon hummed turning back to watch the children playing. "I know of only a handful of few reasons why a Digivice would wind-up broken like that but if he's staying around the area to watch over them from a distance then that means there's a chance to repair the damage before it gets any worse."

'And hopefully we won't need to drag young children into a war between two Sovereigns if I can help it.'

42-42-564

It was midnight when the figure of Impmon could be found staring at the twin children from across the nearby roof with a look of guilt clearly visible on his face. His eyes zeroed in on the girl's bandaged hand making the guilt eating away at him grow larger knowing he was the one who hurt the pair even if Impmon didn't mean to. 'Stupid. I'm such an idiot.' The Rookie thought with a scowl as he watched the pair of twins sleeping. It had been a few months since he arrived yet to the Rookie it felt like another lifetime. 'It's amazing I was lucky enough to even find a Tamer let alone two and what do I do? I go and scare them thinking they'd act like In-Training Digimon do when you needed them to stop fighting.'

Everything was his fault. He should have known baby humans were different from baby Digimon. He should have known they couldn't handle even the smallest amount of fire even if it was only meant to stop their fighting. He should have let some other Digimon take his place then maybe the pair of twins would have a real partner instead of a screw up like him who could never do anything right.

Spotting Mako's teddybear fall off the boy's bed Impmon moved to stand only to wince in pain from all the injuries that still weren't healed completely. 'He'll have another nightmare if his bear isn't nearby to keep him safe.' Jumping down to the window Impmon hesitated for a second before sliding it open as quietly as possibly so he could slip inside. "Ai, Mako?" The Digimon called out his voice barely above a whisper as he limped over to where the bear was on the floor nearby.

'Sovereigns what am I doing?' Placing the bear within arm's reach of Mako, Impmon's heart was split in two. On one hand he wanted them to wake up and hit him, hate him even for scaring them the way he did. The other part however was still clinging to the small hope that they'd forgive him and hopefully give the Rookie a second chance at being the perfect partner.

But he wouldn't do that to them. They deserved so much better than a prankster like him that would only drag them down and he'd give it to the pair. He'd gain the power to stand on his own two feet without anyone's help and show both worlds that Impmon was the strongest Digimon there ever was. Then and only then would he return to beg them for another chance but until tha day he'd stand guard over the pair of twin Tamers that were once his and trash any Digimon stupid enough to even get near their home.

Limping back over towards the window Impmon passed by Ai's bed when her hand shot out grabbing his gloved hand. "Don't go." The young Tamer muttered in her sleep making Impmon feel like he was just hit by a hammer with just those two words. They were still asleep thankfully otherwise he'd be bolting for the window injuries or not.

"I'm sorry." Carefully prying his hand free Impmon hurried to the window never noticing the teary eyes of Mako watching him leave while holding the beat in his arms.

Author's Notes -

I'm sorry about the wait to everyone that sent me a message asking about the latest update.

There isn't that much to tell this chapter but Wizardmon is like their retired teacher/sensei that got pulled in for one last job. He's powerful but old and is facing the possibility some of his students might have turned traitor.

Impmon is something I have planned since like I said in my notes on chapter 5 Naruto will have his own little adventure with the chibi crew. It won't happen right away but when things start shifting to the Digital World the four of them will get their very own adventure while Takato is pulling his hair out trying to find the group of chibis. He is still Impmon though so the prank loving stubborn side is still there but so is pride to where he wants to gain strength without any help and guilt for scaring the twins.

Response - (Thanks for your reviews.)

drago123: I wasn't planning on it but it might happen in the future. But the only other person I might bring in would be a chibi Hinata.

dog sama: Yea I had plans for Calumon to be hanging around Naruto and the other chibis for a few chapters. I also had a few funny ideas on older women finding him cute and wanting to hear him purr.