"Be very quiet!" Yoko whispered as she, Kitsunemon, Brawlmon and Ryo reached a tiny hut at the edge of the village. "The Minomon would warn us from any spies, but we can't take any risks. The Green Syndicate can't be allowed to learn about the secret tunnel that leads directly to the Yellow Hive."
"This place doesn't look very well protected," Ryo whispered back when they entered a small room with a hole in the ground. A ladder was leading down into the darkness.
"They just assume that this is a storage hut," Yoko explained and gestured at a few baskets and boxes that were standing in the back of the hut. "They would never believe that the hive would be reachable through a tunnel whose entrance is within our village."
Kitsunemon walked up to the hole, peered down and flatted her ears. "I can't climb any ladders in this form..." she mumbled.
"Actually, that won't be a problem," Brawlmon smirked. "See, the shaft isn't too deep. Just jump down and you should be able to land on all fours. I've done it more than once as Kyubimon."
"Well, you should know..." Kitsunemon sighed. "I wish I could just digivolve back though..." She carefully approached the edge and after a few seconds, nimbly jumped down the shaft. Ryo, Brawlmon and Yoko climbed after her.
"This is really starting to worry me," Ryo frowned. "Ever since we reached the island, neither of you has been able to digivolve back. I wonder if this is just a coincidence..."
Yoko took a flashlight out of her bag and switched it on. "Follow me, I'm going ahead. When their guards see me, they know you're on our side."
"Have they ever thought of installing ceiling lighting in here?" Kitsunemon grumbled as they walked after the kimono-clad woman.
Yoko smiled. "Most insect Digimon can see quite well in the dark, or they can use their feelers to orientate themselves. They rarely get any visitors from the village."
"And you are sure they will help us?" Ryo asked.
"Of course they will!" Yoko said with a smile. "They are interested in the islanders' welfare just as we are."
"I'd rather worry about Terriermon, Ryo," Brawlmon pointed out. "I really wonder if he can manage the job of watching four little babies..."
"Fluffmon, come back here!" Terriermon shouted.
"Wheeeeeh!" the tiny little cub giggled as she chased a moth around the hut. Terriermon would have flown after her, but he had his hands full with the Tinymon duo.
"He took ball from me!" BlueTinymon wailed and bounced up and down. "Give back ball!"
"Nu-uh, is my ball now!" RedTinymon protested. He then bit into the tiny tennis ball the villagers had given them to play with.
"Is not!" BlueTinymon protested.
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Will you two just shut it?" Terriermon grimaced. "You two are worse than Rika was when she de-digivolved. Now just make up and share!"
"Is my ball!" BlueTinymon protested and bounced up and down more rapidly. "Wanna have! I wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna..."
"Um, I'll get another one..." one of the Ninjamon sweatdropped.
A loud crash coming from the back of the hut made Terriermon groan. "Jeri..."
"Oopsie..." Fluffmon giggled as she looked down at the broken pot on the floor. "Sowwy 'bout that..."
Terriermon felt ready to cry. 'Mou-man-tai' wouldn't help any more. "I can't take this much longer!" he groaned. "Rika, you guys better hurry up before I'm going crazy!"
"Tewwiahmon..." Pupmon said in a lispy voice.
Terriermon sighed. "Yes, Harmony?"
The little puppy looked down at the floor bashfully. "I made a poopie..."
Terriermon sobbed into his paws. "Why me...?"
"I wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna wanna..."
Meanwhile, Yoko had lead the others to the end of the tunnel. The walls were starting to look much less like ordinary dirt walls, but instead like the wall of a beehive or wasp's nest.
"Now stay calm and don't say anything that might offend them," Yoko told her guests. "I'll ask the guards to bring us to their kin and queen."
They entered a round cavern that looked like it was the main entrance of the hive. A pair of Flymon was sitting in front of the entrance tunnel and looked at them suspiciously.
But when Yoko stepped up to them, they instantly moved to the side.
"Please tell the king we are in the need of an audience," Yoko told the Flymon. One of the Flymon nodded, turned around and buzzed down the entrance tunnel. The other guard let them enter.
"Just follow me," Yoko said as they wandered through the tunnels and corridors of the hive. "I know the way to the throne room. The king will be informed about our arrival."
Kitsunemon didn't say it, but she felt very uncomfortable. Like many people, she didn't really like bugs that got this big. And walking through a giant beehive wasn't really something she would ever want to do in her free time. She glanced into a side chamber and saw how a few Honeybeemon took care about a group of tiny Minomon. More than once, they came past a Flymon that stood guard next to a room or tunnel, or one of the insects Digimon buzzed over their heads.
Finally, they reached the throne room. On a huge pedestal made of honeycombs, a huge Flymon was sitting. Its wings had an impressive wingspan, and instead of black and yellow, it was striped black and orange, similar to a hornet. It was also wearing a crown on its head.
"Welcome!" it said in a buzzing voice. "I am KingFlymon, leader of the Yellow Syndicate. I welcome you on this island, and in our hive." The then looked at Yoko. "Dear, are they here to help us or because they need our help?"
"Both, actually!" Yoko explained. "They believe the new leader of the Green Syndicate is someone they know, and they wanted to help us get rid of him."
"If that is true, we shall give them all the help they need." KingFlymon clicked his mandibles. "But first, why don't you come up and sit down next to me? You spend so much time in the village, we barely have time to even sit next to each other."
"Sure, honey!" Yoko smiled... and took off her kimono.
Kitsunemon, Brawlmon and Ryo gasped in surprise. Underneath the robe, Yoko's body was striped black and yellow, just like a bee. She also had two additional arms that ended in insectoid claws, and a pair of thin, transparent wings.
Yoko spread her wings, flew up to the second throne next to KingFlymon. Freeing a pair of feelers from her hair, she sat down. She giggled when she saw the astonished faces of her visitors.
"I guess I have to explain something," she said with a smirk. "Actually, I am QueenBeemon, queen of the Yellow Syndicate. Yoko Matsuki was just a disguise I took on while living on the surface, in the human's village. Up to now, the Green Syndicate has never suspected that I was KingFlymon's wife."
The king didn't seem too comfortable with the idea. "What if someone sees through your disguise?" he asked with worry. "What if you get captured or worse? Shouldn't I assign a few soldiers to watch you while you're in the village?"
"You and I both know that our soldiers are needed to guard the hive, honey!" QueenBeemon smiled. "And I can take care of myself. Besides, there are many loyal Digimon followers that would protect me with their lives, no matter if they know my true identity or not."
"Is that the reason why you can't win against the Green Syndicate?" Ryo asked bluntly. "Because you have too few soldiers?"
Kitsunemon was glad that the king didn't take offense in Ryo's bluntness. "That is too true," KingFlymon sighed. "We managed to hide our hive from their spies up to now, but their eyes and feelers are everywhere, and if they should one day attack us, we need every Flymon within here, so they wouldn't overwhelm us with their sheer number. We only can win a battle within these tunnels, where they can't all attack us at once. That's why we are happy for every help."
"Well, we'll do what we can," Kitsunemon said. "Unfortunately, our friends have fallen victim to some venom the Dokunemon used on them tonight. It has turned them into In-Training Digimon." She didn't mention the fact that Yoko and the villagers were forced to inject the venom.
"Yoko said you might know where their hideout is situated," Ryo spoke up. "I believe that our enemy, Millenniummon, is there too. He has taken control of the body of a dear friend of mine, so I'd do anything possible to beat him without having to harm Monodramon."
"Yes, I understand your dilemma," KingFlymon nodded. "But we all have to make difficult decisions in our lives... My wife and I had to make such a decision once, back when..." He sighed and shook his head. "Never mind, it's not important..."
"Not important?" QueenBeemon glared at her husband. "You're still saying that my daughter is 'not important'? And here I thought you loved her as if she was your own child as well..."
"Dear, I loved her as any father would love his child," KingFlymon pleaded. "But we could not let her stay. It's against the law!"
When Yoko saw the confused faces of her guests, she sighed. "You know, I have a daughter... but she isn't with us anymore. Since my husband isn't her true father, she had to leave."
"WHAT?" Kitsunemon almost barked. "What on earth could be the reason for a mother to give up her child?"
"Our laws are very strict, I'm afraid," KingFlymon spoke up. "I don't blame my wife that she had an affair all those years ago... to my shame, I must admit that I have neglected my husband duties because of my position... But since she is not my biological daughter, we had to put her up to adoption. Fortunately, there was a warm-hearted Lillymon who had always wished to have children on her own..."
"I can't say I'm proud of that affair I had with that Vegiemon myself," QueenBeemon blushed. "But I didn't want to give away my baby to a stranger, even if it was someone as nice as that Lillymon. But in the end, I convinced myself that it was for the best... in here, everyone would have looked at her strangely. A plant Digimon like herself probably wouldn't feel happy in an insect colony."
"I feel sorry for you," Brawlmon said. "Hopefully, you'll be able to see her again some day..."
"No, I think it's better this way," Yoko sniffed and wiped a tear out of her face. "I want her to be happy with her new mother. We agreed that Lillymon wouldn't tell her who her real parents are. Still, sometimes, I wish I could see Kei again..."
Silence.
"Did you say KEI???" her three guest shouted at once.
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(Posted Thu, 20 Dec 2007 09:54)
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