Hotaru Tajiri
In Rei's mind
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I opened my eyes to a familiar sight: the entrance to Lucemon's palace. I carefully walked in and through the halls, the sound of my steps echoing through them. Digimon, slaves to Lucemon, brushed past me but didn't give me a second glance. I walked up the main staircase and eventually into the kitchen. That where I found her.

She was two years younger with tattered clothes and a sorrowful expression. She carried dishes from the table into another room, not noticing me at first. I watched her and then grabbed her shoulder as she was returning to the table. Rei looked at my beastly form and opened her mouth to scream but stopped when I put a finger to my lips. "Please don't. I'm not going to hurt you," I quietly told her.

"Who are you?" she whispered, still looking fearfully at me. "Are you a Digimon?"

My bear ears drooped at her questions. In her mind it was two years ago, before she had met me. "Yes and no. I'm your friend."

"I don't have any friends."

"You have me." I smiled warmly and let go of her shoulder. "I came to get you out of here."

"I-I-I can't. Lucemon will be mad at me. He'll hurt me." She showed me a bruise on her right arm and turned to leave.

"Lucemon won't hurt you. I won't let him. You come with me and you'll have a whole bunch of friends. Even a mom and dad."

Rei turned to me with tears in her eyes. "Mom and dad?" I nodded. "But Lucemon..."

"Don't worry about him. You're with me."

"WHO IS THERE?" Lucemon's voice thundered from somewhere else. Rei hid behind me and shuddered.

"Come and face me, Lucemon!" I yelled out in spite of the fact that I was terrified of facing him alone.

Lucemon's true form appeared right before my eyes. He wasn't that frightening; he looked like a child about Rei's age. But he was a powerful Digimon that shouldn't be taken lightly. "You. Get away and leave us alone," Lucemon growled at me.

"Run," Rei whimpered.

"No, Rei. I'm not running again." Her eyes went wide as she realized that I already knew her name. I glared at Lucemon and spoke to him. "You're the one who's trespassing, Lucemon. Leave Rei alone or I will personally throw you out myself."

"Do you actually think you can defeat me?" Lucemon said, amused at my attempt at being bold.

"I sure can try!" I pulled out my Digivice. "Spirit Evolution: Polarmon!" I went from being half Digimon to full Digimon and held my staff out to Lucemon. "I will protect Rei as best as possible."

Lucemon laughed and closed his hand into a fist. My air was suddenly cut off and I dropped to the floor gasping for it. "You don't seem to be doing a good job protecting her." He started to step towards the cowering Rei.

"Rei!" I cried out breathlessly. "This isn't real! None of this is real! It's just in your mind! You can banish him from here, free yourself!"