Alright, get ready for the *longest* introduction to a story *ever*!

^ ^;

I think I'm the first person to write a Digimon/Labyrinth story, probably because Labyrinth is a bit too old for the crop of Digific writers to remember.

There have been two seasons of Digimon: Digital Monsters on the TV so far, but I'll be going by the _early_ season 02 storyline. If I go by the _later_ storyline, I'd have to add two or more kids to the mix, and, well, I'm lazy, and don't want to make things even *more* complicated than they already will be. From time to time, I may refer to the 'second' and 'third' group of Digidestined kids. The second group is the older group (season 01), and I'll have their vitals listed first. The third group is younger, for the most part, and they are the stars of the current (02) season. Confused yet? (The reason that they are the 2nd and 3rd, and not 1st and 2nd is because there has already been a group that saved the Digiworld, a few years ago, that is only mentioned occasionally.)

I suppose this little tidbit (taken directly from foxkids.com) may be necessary to explain the concept of Digimon:

"Seven kids at summer camp are unexpectedly transported by "digivices" to a colorful and enigmatic world. Lost and alone, they are befriended by small digital monsters, Digimon.

The kids and their Digimon partners quickly become inseparable, and the little creatures guide their human friends through the wondrous DigiWorld, protecting them from the hordes of evil Digimon.

The group soon discovers that some of the giant Digimon they encounter are not evil Digimon but good Digimon gone bad. A dark power is corrupting even the most gentle of Digimon by embedding Black Gears into them, turning them into vicious monsters. Creating chaos and destruction wherever it goes, the evil power threatens all of DigiWorld.

As they try to find their way back home, the seven kids are drawn further and further into the mystery. Through teamwork and trust, they help their newfound Digimon friends digivolve from "monsters in training" to giant champions that must save the DigiWorld from the powerful evil intent on destroying it. With an unbreakable bond between them, the kids and their Digimon companions embark on the adventure of a lifetime!"

And this, to explain the second season:

"Four years have passed since the original eight DigiDestined kids defeated the evil forces that threatened the DigiWorld.

Now T.K. and Kari must lead three new DigiDestined on a quest to conquer another dark force that puts both the DigiWorld and the real world in great danger.

The kids lead secret double-lives, as they leave the real world and enter the DigiWorld each day after school. When the five young heroes first arrive in the DigiWorld, Kari and T.K. reunite with Gatomon and Patamon and the new kids meet their own new digimon friends.

Together with their Digimon, the kids must unveil the mystery behind the new villain and stop him before it's too late!"

For this story, I will *not* be including any of the Digimon. For a couple of reasons: 1) It would double the already high number of characters I'd have to work with; 2) It would be too easy for the Digimon to simply break through walls or fly straight through the Labyrinth; and 3) I like to focus more on the relationships between the characters without the li'l critters getting the way of things. I also have a feeling that SQB would moider me if I did, since I am very familiar with her dislike of Japanese imports and cute little
monsters that talk. ^_~

I think I had better start off with some character stats, because I'm not sure that anyone except Jade has even *seen* Digimon, and I know that she had questions for me about the characters.

** Taichi "Tai" Yagami (His name was changed to Kamiya for the US version of the show, supposedly only because Yagami spelled backwards is 'I'm a gay.' The producers at Saban were already cutting out all of the scenes between Tai and Matt anyway.) is the leader of the second group of the Digidestined kids, but that doesn't mean he can always be counted on to do the right thing. Tai is a born leader and very aggressive (usually the first one to spring into action), and he used to act before he thought. The results often spelled danger for the other kids. However, he's grown up a bit, and has a much clearer head on his shoulders now. He has a little sister, Kari. He is about 15 years old, depending on who you ask. His Crest is Courage. His Digimon's name is Agumon.

(The Crests are basically the qualities of each kid that he/she exhibits the most. Tai, obviously, is very brave. The Crests will be shared by the second group of kids as well. So, both Tai and Davis will have the Crest of Courage.)

** Yamato "Matt" Ishida is rebellious, quiet, and aloof. He likes to do things his way, and isn't very keen on others' suggestions, which has led to many clashes with Tai in the past. Although he's lost his share of battles, he can always be counted on with a joke when the times are tough. Matt's cool, alright, but he used to be very overprotective of his little brother, T.K. He is 16 in the second season, and spends most of his time with his band, Alter Ego. (Hey, they played the halftime show in the Digibowl!) He is constantly being chased by girls in the show. Matt's Crest is Friendship. His
Digimon is called Gabumon.

** Koushiro "Izzy" Izumi is the ultimate computer whiz. He spends most of his time trying to figure things out on his PineApple laptop. He has theories about everything and everyone. The Digiworld should have been the perfect place for someone as curious as him, but Izzy was too wrapped up in his own thoughts and projects that he hardly noticed the danger around him. Izzy is 14, and carries the Crest of Knowledge. His Digimon's name is Tentamon.

** Sora Takenouchi has a down-to-earth maturity that contrasts with Tai's rambunctious love of adventure. She is a tomboy whose first duty is making sure that those around her are safe. She plays soccer with Tai and Izzy on their school team, and also plays championship tennis. She's 15 years old. She has the Crest of Love and her Digimon is Biyomon.

(I don't like Sora very much, and this will show in the story.)

** Mimi Tachikawa is an airhead. She's led a very spoiled life (Daddy's little Princess) and has a hard time adjusting to new surroundings. Although she whines a lot (a LOT) and appears to be incredibly selfish, she's actually a very sweet person. And although in 02, she's living in America, I've dragged her back for this story. ^_~ Mimi has the Crest of Sincerity. Her Digimon is called Palmon.

(I hate Mimi. With a passion. Watch for possible character death!)

** Joe (or Jyou) Kido is Chicken Little, always running around screaming that the sky is falling. He is a pessimist and a hypochondriac and so much more; he's convinced that if anything can go wrong it will (and more than half the time, he's *right*). He often threw himself into unnecessary and mindless panicks during his stint in the Digiworld, but, fortunately, has mellowed out a bit over time. He's studying to be a doctor. Joe is the oldest of all the kids, topping out at 17, and he feels more than a bit responsible for everyone. He has the Crest of Reliability, and his Digimon is Gomamon.

** Takeru "T.K." Takaishi is no longer the baby of the group like he was in 01. He's a mature 11, the star on his school's basketball team, and contentedly accepting of Kari's advances on him just to make Davis jealous. T.K. is Matt's little brother, but since their parents are divorced, they don't see much of each other, and, in fact, haven't lived together for eight or nine years. His Crest is that of Hope. His Digimon is Patamon (a.k.a. Flying BatPig).

** Hikari "Kari" Kamiya used to be a sickly little thing in 01, but, thankfully, no longer suffers from chronic illnesses. She is Tai's little sister, and he has finally stopped being too *much* of a Big Brother to her. Kari's hobby is taking digital photographs. She's 11, has the Crest of Light, and her Digimon is Gatomon.

Kari and T.K. are also part of the third team of Digidestined kids.

** Daisuke "Davis" Motomiya is the leader of the new group of kids. He's put Tai on a very high pedestal, even wearing the older boy's goggles. Davis is thick-headed, and, just like his idol, doesn't often think before he acts. He's got it bad for Kari, but she flirts relentlessly with T.K. whenever Davis is around. He is 11, and has the Crests of Courage and Friendship. His Digimon is Veemon.

** Iori "Cody" Hida is mostly an emotionless little pipsqueak. Although the youngest of the group (I couldn't find his exact age), he's the most sensible. He studies the traditional art of Japanese fencing, known as Kendo. I say that he is emotionless because he has only two facial expressions, and the lesser used one is "pissed off." He has the Crests of Reliability and Knowledge. His Digimon is the equally lame Armadillomon.

(Can you tell I don't like Cody? ^ ^;)

** Miyako "Yolei" Inoue is the oldest of the third group of Digidestined. Like Izzy, she's a computer nerd and also an electrical genius. She resembles Mimi in many aspects, and has even declared that the older girl is her soulmate. Yolei is a boy-chaser, though (so no yuri in this story – sorry!). I don't know how old she is, but I'm guestimating that it's 12 or 13. She has the Crests of Love and Sincerity. Her Digimon is Hawkmon (who I *love*, because he speaks with an English accent! ^_^;).

In this story, I've paired Kari and T.K. together, which follows both the US and the Japanese shows. However, I've also put Tai and Matt together, which only agrees with the Japanese version of Digimon. Saban (the company/name of the producer) cut out all of the 'questionable' scenes from the show which showed the *true* nature of the boys' relationship. *sigh* It's okay, though. True fans know the truth! "Taito" is the term used to describe what Tai and Matt have. It's taking the first half of the name of the masculine (or more dominant) person in the relationship and putting it with the last half of the more feminine (less dominant) person in the relationship (in this case, it's Matt's Japanese name, Yamato). Matt is more feminine – he has long blonde hair, a pretty face, and he's skinnier than Jareth! ^_^ I thought I should put this in here in case I slip up and say Taito, and someone says "WTF is that?!"

How's that for just an introduction?

*ducks flying peaches*

The DigiDestined in the Labyrinth

Prologue: The Stage

(Dedicated to Gem, Lisa, and Touchnotthiscat)

"Come on, T.K.! Hurry up! The others are already waiting!" Kari yelled from outside the apartment. T.K. quickly zipped up his backpack and slung it over his arm, then sped off toward the front door.

"Bye, Mom!" he called over his shoulder. He let the door slam shut behind him, and returned Kari's impish grin.

"Usually it's Davis who's late. You're going to ruin my image, T.K.," she said playfully.

"Then let's get going! Wouldn't want them to leave without us!" he replied, grabbing her hand and running down the stairs toward the sidewalk outside of the apartment building.

"Where are they? It's almost noon!" Davis shouted, pacing back and forth in front of the two vans parked on the street. His wild brown hair danced with every impatient step he took.

"Relax, man. Kari only went in there two minutes ago," Tai said, attempting to soothe the younger boy's nerves.

"That's more than enough time for those two to make out! No matter how many times I tell T.A., he still doesn't get it that Kari is my gi-"

"Hi, guys! Sorry we're late!" Kari called cheerfully as she and T.K. came to a stop by the vans.

"It's about time you two showed up," Cody said, poking his head out from inside the van in front. "We should have left five minutes ago."

"Hey, we're sorry. I just had some last minute packing to do, that's all," T.K. apologized. Cody simply ducked back in the van. Yolei's head replaced his a second later.

"Let's get going already! I've got four bags of marshmallows just waiting to be roasted!"

"Let's go!" Davis exclaimed, jumping into the front passenger seat of the van that contained Cody and Yolei, as well as Matt and Tai. Kari and T.K. quickly clambered aboard the other van, situating themselves beside Izzy, Sora, and Joe.

"This is going to be the best camping trip *ever*!" Davis said excitedly, as the two vans began to move down the road and make their way to a campsite miles out of town.

~~~~~~~~~~

The DigiDestined in the Labyrinth

Chapter One: Gremlins!

(A/N: Boring tidbit: I found out that Cody is nine years old. If anyone wants to see pics of the kids, check out http://www.fantasyanime.com/digimon/digimon.htm It has screen shots from the first season of the show.)

"Bye, Dad! Bye, Mr. Kamiya! Thanks again for dropping us off!" Matt called, waving to the retreating vans.

"Yeah, see you in two days!" Tai added, standing beside his friend and waving as well.

"Well, should we get the tents set up?" Kari asked, surveying the pile of gear on the ground.

"I've had my tent set up for the last *hour*," Tai murmured, low enough that only Matt heard him. The tall blonde blushed at the comment, and lightly punched the brunette in the arm.

"Wait a minute!" Davis cried. "I thought that we were going to be staying in cabins! I didn't bring a tent!"

"There's only one cabin, Davis," T.K. explained. "And it only has four beds. The girls are going to sleep in it, and us guys will pitch tents outside." He grinned and mock-bowed at Kari.

"A perfect gentleman," she said with a giggle.

"We've got enough tents, Davis," Izzy added. "It was unnecessary for you to bring one, so it was deemed best not to even mention it to you. Now, I think we should delegate tasks to everyone, so as to coordinate our efficiency and optimize our chances of entertainment tonight."

"Huh?" Davis asked, scratching his head.

"We should split up chores so we can get everything done quicker," Yolei explained.

"Oh. Why didn't you just say that in the first place?"

Everyone but Davis sighed.

"I *did*," Izzy said through clenched teeth, "But the density of your skull makes it impossible for anyone to carry on an even vaguely intelligent conversation with you!"

Kari and T.K. hid their smiles as they began collecting firewood. Yolei, Tai, and Matt laughed out loud.

Davis flushed, but stood his ground. "Yeah, well, same to you! *I'm* going to go find rocks for the fire pit! So *there*!" He stomped off into the bushes.

"It's going to be long weekend," Cody remarked. The others nodded.

An hour later, there was a nice fire going in a depression in the ground several feet from the cabin, three tents were neatly arranged to the left of the log building, and the DigiDestined, new and old, were lounging around the fire.

"When is Mimi going to *get* here?" Yolei whined.

"She had to catch a flight from Los Angeles to Tokyo this morning. We should see her taxi coming up the road any minute now," Sora replied helpfully. "I'm sure she'll be here very soon."

"Ah, this is the life," Joe remarked, stretching his legs out in front of the fire and folding his hands behind his head as he leaned back. "No worries, no crises to deal with, no tests to study for, no strange lights coming out of the sky to suck us into another world . . ." He trailed off, then took a fearful look up. "I hope," he added quietly.

"Relax. This program on my computer should alert us to any disturbances in either our world or the Digital World," Izzy said, typing away on his ever-present laptop.

"Hey, Izzy, this is supposed to be a camping trip. You know – get back to the basics for a couple days, let your inner beast out," Tai called, a smirk on his lips as he said the last part. Matt blushed and stared steadfastly at the fire. "So put away the computer for a little while and just relax!" he continued.

Night was slowly descending on the campsite and the kids had quieted down for the most part. Davis was needling T.K. about his hat, but that wasn't anything new. A horn honked close by, and everyone jumped.

"What's a taxi doing out here?" Joe asked, standing up and peering into the twilight.

"That must be Mimi," Sora said with a smile.

The car slowed down and stopped, and a back door opened to reveal the tall, pink-haired, pseudo-American vixen in a white mini-skirt stepping out.

"Mimi! You finally made it!" Yolei called.

"Sorry I'm late guys! The traffic in the city was awful!" she said with a smile.

"Aw, that's okay. You haven't missed much anyway," Tai replied.

"So who's going to help me with my bags?" Mimi asked after she'd hugged Sora and Kari in greeting. Joe and Izzy had declined an overly-affectionate greeting from the friendly girl.

Davis volunteered. When he opened the trunk of the car and saw the volume of Mimi's luggage, he tried to un-volunteer himself. "How many bags do you need for a two-day camping trip?" he grumbled unhappily.

Tai laughed. "She's a girl, remember? I think all girls have a built-in need to bring their entire wardrobe with them!" He cast a sly glance at Matt. "Say, didn't you bring about four or five bags of –"

"Tai! I did not!" Matt snapped. His tormentor only grinned mischievously.

"Okay, who wants marshmallows?" Cody asked, holding some sharpened sticks and two bags of the sweet in his arms.

After an hour of roasting the little white bits (and Davis attempting to roast T.K.'s hat), the kids were once again stretched out around the campfire. Izzy had even put his computer down, although it remained within easy reach. Cody, Yolei, Davis, T.K., and Kari had, by some unspoken accord, situated themselves a bit apart from the older kids. Joe and Izzy were playing a card game in front of their tent, Mimi was telling Sora about her life in New York, and Matt and Tai were . . . nowhere to be found.

"This is boring!" Davis said out of the blue. "I thought we were going to have some fun this weekend, not just lay around and get fat!"

"You mean risking your life in the Digital World every day isn't enough fun for you?" Cody remarked sarcastically.

"I've got an idea," Kari interrupted before Davis could throw an insult. "Let's tell ghost stories. Let's see who can tell the scariest ones."

"That's a bad idea," Joe said shakily. "Ghost stories only give me – I mean, what if someone gets a nightmare tonight?"

"What kind of stories are we telling?" Mimi asked, breaking off her talk with Sora.

"Ghost stories," Yolei told her. "Probably set in scary haunted houses, or in the woods late at night."

"Let's not talk about being in the woods late at night, okay?" Joe requested, looking around wide-eyed.

"Well, can I tell a story about goblins instead?" Mimi pressed. "In New York, I heard this crazy story about a Goblin King that lives Underground. He has a castle in the middle of a creepy maze, and he steals little children to turn them into goblins!"

Izzy blinked. "That's not scary. That sounds like a classic pedophile."

"A classic *what*?" Davis screeched. "There he goes again! Using big words just to confuse me! I ought to –"

"A pedophile is someone who's attracted to kids, Davis," Tai explained, pushing his way through the bushes into the campsite. "Like that nerdy camp leader we had a few years ago. Remember him, Sora?"

"Hey, where have you been, Tai?" Kari asked. Just as she finished speaking, Matt appeared beside Tai, his shirt untucked and his hair a bit mussed.

"We were, ah," Matt stammered, blushing and looking at Tai.

"We were making sure that there aren't any pedophiles lurking around our campsite!" Tai declared easily.

"Can I *please* finish my story?" Mimi whined. She looked around. No one spoke, and Izzy nodded to her. "Okay, then. This Goblin King sends his goblins out to take the children, but only if someone wishes them away."

"Why would anyone wish a little kid away?" Sora asked.

"Maybe because some kids wear stupid hats," Davis responded smugly.

"Damn it, Davis! My hat is not stupid! You keep making fun of me, but you're *still* not the one that Kari likes!" T.K. exploded.

"Oh yeah?" Davis yelled, standing up. T.K. followed suit, and the two boys stood nose to nose. "We'll see who she likes once you've been turned into a gremlin!"

"That's *goblin*," Joe corrected.

"Hey! What are you talking about? You're not going to wish T.K. away, are you?" Yolei asked worriedly. "That's just a story!"

"The girl who told me about the Goblin King seemed to really believe in him. Maybe the 'Underground' world is actually the DigiWorld!" Mimi said, standing up as well.

"Prodigious!" Izzy exclaimed, reaching for his laptop. "I wonder if it's not just a part of the DigiWorld we haven't seen yet. I bet if I look in . . . and then open up this . . . and cross-reference that . . ." He began typing away, once again oblivious to his surroundings.

"I wish the gremlins would come and take you away, T.K.!" Davis yelled, shoving the blonde into the bushes. "Right now!"

Will the goblins take T.K. away? Is the Underground just a part of the Digital World? To find out, tune into the next installment of The DigiDestined in the Labyrinth!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~