Title: Digimon: Chaotic Evolutions

Timeline: Frontier-AU after Lucemon's defeat.

02- AU after the Holy Stones Arc. No Imperialdramon yet.

Disclaimer: Digimon is not mine in any way shape or form. I did however, come up with the designs for Akemon and Anyamon.

Chapter 1: The Summons

A queer wind blew through the sleepy darkness of the early morning. It was quiet here, far from the ever active central districts of the city. Here high rises gave way to smaller individual homes, packed together along narrow streets. Green snuck in, squeezing into window boxes, small personal vegetable gardens, and decorative shrubs. It was…peaceful. While it was not a place of great wealth, everything was clean, and well maintained. Regularly placed streetlights shone softly in the night, driving back the darkness that the moon's light didn't touch.

The pale moon floated lazily in the sky. Its image was pockmarked with the occasional cloud fleeting across its full shining face. It gave its light willingly, brightening the night to give it an almost ethereal quality to the landscape.

The wind stilled, the air charged with…something. Six children in this city might have been able to recognize it for what it was, and they wouldn't have been able to explain it to any who asked. It just…was.

The charge seemed centered on a modest, two story house. The shining light from the moon found an upper story window before pooling on the floor. The window was open, half drawn blinds still fidgeting in a breeze that was no longer there.

The light seemed to coalesce, drawing in on itself, becoming concentrated. The charge took the form of a humanoid figure, seen only out of the corner one's eye. Anyone who saw it would have never thought it more than a trick of the light.

"It is time…"

Minamoto Kouji tossed and turned in his sleep; a bead of sweat slid down the side of his face only to be absorbed by the pillow. His fists continued to clench the blanket as he dreamed. He dreamed of trains. Of battle. Of a voice he'd once heard only through a queer little machine known as a D-scanner.

His breathing was labored, chest heaving with the effort to pull the air into his lungs. In his unconscious state he was unaware of everything. Unaware of the presence standing over him now, an unseen hand reaching down to gently brush sweat slicked hair from his face. Unaware of the voiceless words that seemed to reverberate within the room, even though there was no one awake to hear it.

"Light..."

Kouji's eyes flew open, his usually bright blue eyes dull and vacant. He was still caught in a dream, even as his visitor gently pressed something into his hand. Harsh breathing echoed, with each breath his fingers twitched and stirred, blue-brown bandana tightly to his chest. He shouldn't have been able to reach it. He left it on his bedside stand every evening. A strange cross-like symbol glowed softly from between the folds, a cellphone.

"Darkness…"

Across the city, another stirred in response. This visitor did not arrive on a road of moonlight, the night claimed this one fully. This neighborhood only barely resembled the one on the other side of the city. It was cramped, worn and torn looking. One out of every street light stood dim and dead, sentinels who had long since failed on their watch. A battle for life and death was going on at this very moment. A street lamp made a valiant attempt at life, flickering and sputtering as it strove to do its duty. Then, it died. A room in the nearby apartment complex was plunged into complete darkness.

The visitor didn't so much arrive as it did appear, melting out of the shadows. It didn't have a form really, darkness in darkness, a presence that filled the room. It affected the room's occupant, even if it left no impression on the real world. It was on another plane entirely, but there was one who was just as much connected to it as it was.

Kimura Kouichi jerked out of a nightmare. A nightmare of being trapped. Of a close friend twisted and bent, broken into a horrific, ruthless servant to one out to destroy the world. He wasn't fully awake, lost to the darkness, but a weight settled into his hand, and it comforted him. It was the feel of confidence. It was the weight of black and gold armor, of his trusty staff in his hands. It was a support, the unwavering determination to do what was right, a balm to his torn soul.

Kouichi did not own a cell-phone, and he wouldn't have been able to explain how he had acquired the one in his hands, had he been awake. His mother was able to just get by, working for their home in the crowded apartment complex in this shabby neighborhood. He hadn't the heart to tell her when his last phone had breathed its last just the year before.

The stylized cross symbol cast an eerie purple glow, one which faded into the surrounding darkness, rather than illuminate it. It strengthened the presence in the room as it stood guard.

"Warriors…you are SUMMONED!"

All around the city the lights flickered, computers went berserk due to the sudden, brief, yet intense, influx of data that surged through the city's network. It just so happened, that in that one, very tiny instant, no one was outside. The surge of data briefly knocked out any camera, or instrument which would pick up the two faint streaks of light, one light blue and the other a dark purple, as they shot up from two points on opposite ends of the city, only to disappear into the night sky.

Four other children jerked awake, scattered throughout the city. Each instinctively reached for their phones, head ringing with a command they didn't understand.

Come the next morning they would call each other, and when two of their number never answered, they all knew why. Takuya would grumble, jealous that he hadn't been invited along. Tomoki would join in, attempting to cheer up his brother figure, even as he inwardly sulked. Junpei would speculate on what was going on, and why only two were summoned. Izumi would worry, and hope everything would turn out alright.

x-x-x

The three celestial digimon were gathered in the forest terminal, the ornate crystal chamber was a large contrast with their moods. The faces of each were grave, the silence oppressive. A silver winged angel digimon, HolyAngemon, had his purple visored head angled toward one of the castle windows, his unseen gaze roaming far into the digital world's night sky. Two streaks of light were fading into the distance, becoming nothing more than stars as he watched. He was the first to break the silence. "It is done."

A gloved hand rested comfortingly on his shoulder as a six-winged female angel, Angewomon, came to his side. She followed his gaze, her ungloved hand clenched tightly in her pink shawl. She gave him silent comfort, unsure of what to say, other than, "We needed a pair. None of the others would work."

"Light and Darkness…they have already done so much for us." whispered the Ultimate form of Cherubimon; Antiramon. The long-armed rabbit-like digimon stood away from the other two, preferring to be alone rather than in company. He was half shrouded in shadows, far from the shining pair of angels and the open window.

HolyAngemon nodded in response, his wings drooping. He took Angewoman's hand in his, "It cannot be helped. They ARE the protectors of our world."

"Was this the only way though?" Angewomon wondered, her breath quiet, subdued. She squeezed his hand in acknowledgement before pulling away. She turned instead toward Antiramon, it was from the rabbit digimon that the plan had come.

"Yes…" Whispered Antiramon, "We cannot pass through. We cannot help. Only the Warriors may now."

Angewomon sighed, "I wish we could have at least told them what is needed…"

HolyAngemon placed a comforting hand on Angewomon's shoulder, returning to her the comfort she had offered him, "As do I…but you heard Qinglongmon. Things are getting worse, and there was no time to explain. You left a recording, which is the most we can do."

Angewomon's wings shuffled as she turned away, her holy radiance muted, "I know…I know…I just wish…"

Antiramon ignored them as his fellow Celestial digimon took their leave, only moving when the first rays of light began to creep through the now empty window. He moved slowly, almost painfully to it, watching as the rising sun broke over the trees, blotting out the stars. So many stars. So many worlds. So many problems. There was nothing more to be said other than, "Good luck."

x-x-x

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, it was Sunday. Minamoto Satomi was humming as she collected the laundry from various rooms in the house. She'd saved Kouji's room for last, in order to give the boy the longest possible time to rest. She knew he hadn't been sleeping well for the past while, and he'd seemed so…tired. There was nothing to be done for it now, she paused in front of her step-son's room and knocked once on the door, "Kouji! Can I come in?"

There was no answer.

Satomi smiled fondly. He was probably still in bed. She knocked again, increasing the volume of her calls. Still no answer.

She listened for any sign of movement, blankets rustling, or the quiet groans of a teenager being forced to wakefulness when he did not want to. Still nothing. She frowned; worry starting to creep into her thoughts, Kouji hadn't ignored her for a few years now. Not since that summer, when he'd disappeared for a few hours. She knew that she would never replace Kimura Tomoko, and she accepted that. But she loved him. She smiled fondly, remembering when Kouji had shown up for dinner one day, holding a bouquet of flowers and an apology, as if he had never left. He had never spoken of what had caused his change of heart, and Satomi didn't pressure him. She suspected it was meeting his twin—for shortly after his return she'd met shy Kimura Kouichi. Whatever happened had, and still did, mean a great deal to the thirteen year old, and Satomi knew the value such experiences held for those who live through them.

The dark-haired woman placed her free hand on the doorknob. With what seemed like agonizing slowness she pushed opened the door. She surveyed the contents of the room intently, her expression falling as she confirmed that her stepson was nowhere to be found. The room was empty. Satomi's gaze swept the room, noting everything in the room. Kouji's bedroom was tidy and neat, not one article of clothing lay on the dark royal blue carpet. The oak desk in the corner was also clear, all the school books stacked orderly, the homework that was due Monday was laid carefully out to ensure that it wouldn't be forgotten. Leaning against the wall was Kouji's instrument, a guitar, although it seemed it hadn't been used in a while. Come to think of it, she hadn't heard him practicing lately; he'd probably been too tired.

The only thing out of place was the bed. The deep royal blue covers were crumpled and not made neatly like they usually were every morning. Memories began to well up, memories of the day Kouji left. Satomi shook her head, trying to banish the image of Kouji angrily stalking out of the house; his room had looked exactly like this then; even right down to the picture on his nightstand, once again it showed Kimura Tomoko's face.

Shei tried to push the memories to the back of her mind and consider the situation. Kouji didn't usually leave without telling anyone. Looking at all the outcomes she decided that Kouji must've already left, maybe her husband knew? She left the door open and made her way to the stairs, calling out, "Kousei, did Kouji leave this morning?"

"No." Minamoto Kousei replied from downstairs, she could hear the paper shuffling as he turned the page, "His shoes are still here, and I haven't seen him all morning. Isn't he still sleeping?"

Satomi was about to reply when she heard the ring of the phone. She hurried into the master bedroom and to the phone that was there, "I've got it."

She balanced the basket on her hip and held the phone to her ear, "Hello?"

"Minamoto-san?" A woman's voice asked nervously.

"Yes this is Minamoto Satomi."

"This is Kimura Tomoko…Is Kouichi over there?"

Satomi shook her head, though she knew the other woman would not be able to see it, "No. Why?"

Tomoko's voice cracked on the other end of the line, "He's gone…He's been missing all morning. Last I remember seeing Kouichi was when he went to bed last night."

Satomi's brow furrowed, "Did you check his friend's houses? Maybe he went to visit Takuya-kun…or the Orimoto girl."

She had been thinking of calling them herself. They were a tightly knit group, those ones.

"I-…I…I still need to check. I thought maybe he went to visit Kouji, but he usually tells me when he goes out."

"No. He hasn't been here." 'Kouji is out as well.' She added silently. A hint of panic began to grow in Satomi's voice, though she tried to suppress it. Memories surfaced. Memories that took place three years ago, painful memories of when she had believed herself to have pushed Kouji to running away. It couldn't have been that. He'd smiled at her during dinner last night, thanked her. He'd suffered through a quick hug before bed. He wouldn't run away. She was being silly.

Tomoko was silent for a moment before, "Oh, thank you…for your time…"

The phone clicked, showing that Tomoko had hung up. Satomi held the phone in her hand loosely, ignoring the dial tone. Suddenly she dropped the laundry basket, causing a large crash that sent Kousei thudding up the stairs to see if she was alright. When her husband reached the room he was greeted with the sight of her collecting the laundry that had scattered along the floor. The phone lay forgotten where she'd let it drop into the basket—half covered by one of his shirts, "Honey? You alright?"

"Yes. I'm fine. Just fine." She smiled up at him, hiding her apprehension behind it. Surely Kouji would be at one of his friend's house.

x-x-x

It didn't take long before the edge of the sun peeked over the hill, golden waves of light frolicking across a sea of bright green grasses. The long strands moved like ripples in a pond as the morning breeze teased the blades in gentle gusts, brought on by the slow heating of the morning. The dark royal blue of night receded as even more of the sun rose higher. Near invisible clouds lit up with vibrant pinks, oranges, and yellows, making the entire scene look like a painted masterpiece. Not that there was anyone nearby to appreciate it.

There was only one thing marring the illusion of a grass ocean, it was a lone grey stone which stood tall and erect in the fields, peak jutting out like an island. The rising sun caused the formation to cast a dark shadow on its westward side, allowing its two charges to continue to sleep peacefully under its silent vigil.

A disturbance in the rhythm of flowing strands was the only indication that an intruder would soon stumble upon the stone. Whether it was a lucky chance, or perhaps design, that led the small digimon out into the open plains, he made his way at a leisurely pace toward the sentinel stone. Small golden scales, packed so close that it almost looked like hide, showed quite clearly against the backdrop of green as a three clawed hand parted the grass curtain between him and the stone.

Large reptilian green eyes blinked slowly as he surveyed the two sleeping figures. He scratched his dinosaur like head in confusion, "I'd better get Taichi…"

With a flick of his golden tail the dinosaur was gone, leaving the object of his confusion behind. Laying in the shade cast by the stone was two creatures. They were huddled together, black and white, but the larger one was a sleeker, like a feline, with a long, cat-like tail twitching to and fro with each breath. The smaller one had a wolf's build, with white fur that faded to metallic-like silver near the tips of the tail, ears, and paws. Tied around the pup's neck was a blue and brown bandana; tucked into the bandana was a blue and black object.

He sniffed in his sleep and rolled over, revealing a royal blue design on the canine's left shoulder. It looked similar to the symbol that could be found on Wolfmon's shoulder guards, the symbol for the warrior of light.

The larger creature stirred, huddling further away from the steadily advancing sunlight. This one had fur as dark as the coldest reaches of oblivion, the color so deep that one felt as if they were looking into a hole in space. Only one other color could be found here; dark violet streaks were on his cheeks, one below each eye. He matched the patterning of his partner with a shade of purple tipping his ears, tail, and paws. A second symbol was on this one's flank—the symbol of darkness.

The shadows shrank as the lighter pup stirred, cracking open one bright blue eye in irritation at whatever had decided to wake him up. He raised his head, blinking sleepily. The glazed over look vanished as he got a good look at his surroundings. He stared suspiciously at the field of grass and the sky over head, as if he hadn't expected to wake up outdoors.

The pup tried to stand up, tripped clumsily, and fell over. He landed snout first in the dirt, the fall dislodging the blue and black device that had been held loosely in place by the tied cloth. The D-Scanner landed face up near his head, and began to glow and beep methodically as the wolf righted himself once more. He eyed the device, both recognition and wariness warring within him as he regarded the symbol emblazoned on the screen. The second digimon made a groan of protest at the sound and rolled over, putting one large paw over his ears to block it out.

One last glance had the lighter one sighing and nudging the device with a paw, waiting for the contact to activate the pre-recorded message he knew would be there.

"Kouji."

He remained silent, taking a few moments to recognize the voice. The pitch and tone may be different, but Kouji could hear the resemblance to Ophanimon and Salamon; he guessed that it was one of Ophanimon's other forms. Ophanimon had been the only one of the Celestial Digimon who had communicated to them via the D-Scanners anyway.

"As you may have guessed, you are indeed in the Digital World. The spirits of the Warriors never left their Chosen, and the Warriors must always be available to protect our World. You were called, and the Spirits answered."

Kouji grimaced; he should have guessed their harebrained adventures a few years ago would have such consequences. He managed to arrange himself into a seated position, trying to remember how it felt to work a four legged body. It had been so long since he'd attained his beast spirit, and that had been in the middle of battle, with adrenalin and rage and fear and all the little trappings that came along with it. This form was most certainly NOT his beast evolution. It was too small for one thing. And furry.

"This section of the Digital World is far outside the bounds of our Guardianship. Normally, only very young digimon may travel between sectors of the Digital World. The Legendary Digimon do not have a younger form, but we managed to use the data to create the forms you now wear. Your rookie form, Kouji, is Akemon. Kouichi's is Anyamon. Treat it as another level of evolution; it works in a similar fashion."

"There is one thing that you must remember. Do not reveal your spirit's capabilities. It would be better if only one of you remained human at any one time, both for disguise, and protection. Spirit evolution is unknown here, do not use it unnecessarily."

"A message has been sent to the Guardian of that sector, and should arrive soon to brief you further on the problem. I wish you luck."

Then the light on the D-Scanner died, ending the recording.

Kouji shot a glance to where his brother lay, huddled in the steadily moving shadows. He had heard the quiet snores die away during the recording, and wasn't surprised when his gaze was met with almost identical blue eyes. "How much did you hear?"

The Warrior of Darkness sighed, "Enough."

"What should we do?" Kouji quietly asked his older brother. One human. One Digimon. Kouichi realized it too. He didn't have to ask. He closed his eyes, laying his head on his paws "Just devolve. I'll…stay."

The Warrior of Light frowned, remembering their last adventure. The Digital World was dangerous. They wouldn't have been called if things were peaceful, "What if we meet danger? You don't like fighting."

"I'm also twice your size." Kouichi shifted, uncurling from the ball he'd been sleeping in. The shift revealed that his form was far more cat-like than Kouji had previously thought. It also revealed that Kouichi was completely correct, much to Kouji's disgruntled annoyance. He felt a low growl building in the back of his throat, but he cut it off. He couldn't deny that. Kouichi, with his larger size, and foreboding coloring, would definitely have an advantage when it came down to intimidation alone. Still. His brother disliked fighting. He wouldn't force that on him, especially since there was a way to keep him out of any fighting that would be done.

It didn't help that being thrust into such a role had his own fur bristling. He didn't think he would be able to handle watching his brother fight his battles for him. It was such an inefficient system.

"Younger brother." Kouji startled at both the firmness in his tone, and the blatant emphasis on younger, "For now, let me do this. We can always switch later." The edge dropped away, and his brother's soft voice came again, somewhat sheepishly. "To be honest, I like it like this. Anyamon is very…grounded. It reminds me of Lowemon."

Of course Kouichi would be more comfortable as a digimon. After returning he had confided to Kouji that he often missed Lowemon's solid presence. The confidence. The strength. He didn't feel so unsure, or worried.

Admiting defeat, Kouji reached back into his memories, looking for the feeling, the trigger that he hadn't had to use for so long. It wasn't exactly the same as releasing the spirits, returning them to the D-Scanner in order to regain his human form. This was more of a retreat, a withdrawal into himself, where Akemon curled up to rest, lying comfortably between the statues of Wolfmon and Garmmon, waiting, should he need them.

He opened his eyes to see the swirling cocoon of code dispersed, the tiny particles flying away from him like thousands of shooting stars. They traveled no more than a few feet before fading out of existence. Kouji was suddenly dizzy, the change in perspective was massive, and he didn't have one of the spirits to brace himself with. He put his hand to his head to ward it off, and realized he touched hair rather than cloth, even though the rest of his clothes were the same outfit he'd worn on the last adventure. Even though he'd grown out of them in the intervening years, he'd kept the bandana. After a few minutes to ordinate himself, his hands went straight for his neck, untying the blue and brown bandana, and replacing it in its customary spot on his head. He had to tuck away a few stray strands of hair that had escaped the confines of his pony-tail, and he hated it when they got in his eyes.

Kouichi—or Anyamon as he was now—crawled over to curl up beside him. Kouji put a hand on his brother's head, and his back to the stone, and waited.

x-x-x

The older Chosen liked the park. It was their official hang out space. They liked to get together and sit on the swings or the jungle gym, or just stand around and talk. Talk about life, the universe, and…well…everything really.

They were still a close bunch, even if Mimi had moved to America, and Joe was off to medical school. Even if Yamato was gone more than he was in town, touring and trying to make a name for himself and his band. They liked the park because it was quiet. They liked the park because of the smell of green and growing things. They liked it because the trees blocked off the sight of the road, the towering buildings, and they could just pretend they were in the digital world again.

There was only one here now, the most unlikely to be even conscious so early in the morning on the weekend—barring a soccer game. Yagami Taichi, the former holder of the Crest of Courage was sprawled out across the metal bars of the domed jungle gym, one hand over his face to block out the rays of sun that began to penetrate the trees as the day moved on. He didn't often come out here alone, but he wanted to think without his mother badgering him about work, or university, or 'by the way, how is Agumon doing?'

Oddly enough, the thing that was currently foremost in his mind was the little orange dinosaur. He hadn't seen Agumon since the BlackWarGreymon fiasco. Granted, that wasn't anywhere near as long as the time between their original adventure, and then the reopening of the Portal, but he still worried about the little guy. Yes, BlackWarGreymon had been stopped, but Arukenimon and Mummymon were still on the loose. Izzy had been keeping an eye out for more Spire Digimon, and the younger kids still kept knocking them down whenever they happened to find another. Ken was being extremely helpful, having drawn several maps of some more, out of the way spires, but there were just so many.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he barely heard the tell-tale beep that heralded the arrival of an email. The sound rang out clearly in the quiet air, leading Taichi to withdraw a small silvery-grey object from one of his larger pockets. He lifted the screen for his D-Terminal and checked the small blinking letter icon in the corner. The message popped up in a separate window, the text scrawling across as it filled the screen. It was from Izumi Koushiro, though he preferred to be called "Izzy", much to Taichi's approval. Koushiro was a mouthful, and they were buds, so there was no reason to use the last name. Izzy was undeniably the 'brains' of the original Chosen as well as their voice of logic and reason.

Taichi frowned, what would Izzy want on a Sunday morning? He swung himself into a seated position, somehow keeping his balance on the thin metal frame of the jungle gym, and opened the email.

I just received word from Agumon. He said Gennai sent him on an errand to Sector A-207, and he found some digimon he has never seen before. Will you go check it out? And make sure to bring your digivice so I can download the data!

-Izzy

Taichi grinned, finally something to do! Plus it involved the Digital World; Agumon was obviously alright if Gennai was having him run errands, but why shouldn't he be happy to see his partner digimon?

For a moment he wondered why Izzy wanted him to check on some random digimon, before he remembered the redhead's self-imposed project to add and categorize all known digimon in that database of his. He snorted and shook his head fondly—Izzy was such a dork some times.

After a moment his smile faded—how could he get to the digital world? He knew just as well as everyone else that only the new Chosen's digivices, the D-3s, could open a portal. Taichi sighed; all of the new Chosen were taking a much needed break from Spire Hunting. Iori had gone somewhere with his family, Yolei's sister had dragged her off to Yamato's current concert. Daisuke, Hikari, and Takeru were planning on going to the beach to take advantage of the warm weather. Well, Hikari and Takeru had planned on going. Daisuke had invited himself along after learning the two of them were going to be alone together. Taichi snickered, imagining Daisuke's face. It wasn't that he didn't like the twerp—he did give him his goggles, and he was a Child of Courage—but it was obvious Takeru already won this contest. Taichi didn't even mind. He'd known the kid since he was a little brat, and he couldn't think of anyone better suited to take care of 'Kari.

After pondering this problem for a few moments something clicked. It was as if a little light bulb had turned on and Taichi realized that not all the Chosen were out. He turned back to his D-Terminal and opened another email. He didn't know Ken as well, and maybe just maybe he harbored a tiny little grudge for him using Agumon like that, but Hikari swore that he was extremely regretful, and…well…He'd been a great help since.

I'm in kinda a situation here. Could you help me out?

-Taichi

Mere moments passed before a new message arrived. Why was Ken up so early? Pfft. Overachievers.

Sure. What do you need?

-Ken

A/N: Welcome to the new and hopefully improved Chaos Rising: Chaotic Evolutions! Not too many changes yet. It's just…better, I think anyway. I hate the title, but I don't want to use the same one (because…CR:CE is kind of…redundant.) but I can't think of anything. Any suggestions will be welcomed! Up to chapter six is currently rewritten, and things are just falling in to place. Updates will be once a week, chapters permitting. Hope you enjoy the journey!