Tai was excited by the prospect of his party, and rightly so. Everyone had to agree he'd put a surprising amount of effort into it, having tracked down decorations fitting his chosen theme, and even having rented out a small building as a venue. It had been quite a find, a two-floor building with a large basement. Renting it for one night had been cheaper than Tai had expected, even though he'd had to rent the whole thing instead of just the basement like he'd hoped.  The building had been a shop once, and this had been the store room. A small courtyard at the back had once been where deliveries came in, and through a window looking out onto it, some sunlight came in. The basement was mostly dark without the lights on even with the windo, but to help the atmosphere Tai had rigged up different lighting so that during the party, things would be a little darker than the strip lighting that was supposed to be used. Upstairs, the former shop had once served as a small office, and was still partitioned into various rooms. But now the building was empty, and Tai had it for the night.

The idea for the party had been simple. It was halloween soon, it had been a while since all the Digidestined had really been together as a group, and with most of the older Digidestined soon leaving high school to college, and the younger ones just starting, this could really be the last shot at a group party, maybe for good.

"Why dragons?" his younger sister Kari asked, as she helped him move some of the decorations into the basement he had chosen to be the dragon's den.

"Why not? Besides, you know how imaginative everyone else is. If it was just a costume party, Mimi would show up as a fashion model, Matt would show up as an astronaut, Yolei would show up as a mage and three guys would show up as Dracula. And you, little sister, would be a cat. As usual." he replied.

"I say go with what you know and I know cats." Kari said defensively.

"So that's why you've been a cat about nine times in fourteen years..."

"I was supposed to be Gatomon last year, she's not a cat, she's a digimon." Kari corrected him

"Digmon or not, still pretty cat-shaped. Just so long as you're not some kind of dragon with cat ears though."

"I'm not that unoriginal. I have a great costume..." His sister said smugly.

"You'd better go and get it ready then while I set up these decorations, I'm going to be fair and impartial with the prize. Family or not I have to judge your costume on how good it really is..."

"Fair enough, it's not like I have much use for bragging rights and money-off vouchers..."

"Hey! There's no vouchers at all!" Tai corrected her.

"Oh, good. So considering that Matt is supposed to be the one who'll help you set up the food after you do these decorations, all we can look forward to is no prize and food poisoning. It'll be so much fun..." Kari said.

"Are you going to stay here and complain or go get your costume ready?"

"Okay, fine, I'll go. See you later, Tai." Kari said, leaving to let Tai set up the decorations himself.

Tai looked at the room again, the bare grey walls and concrete floor before . It wouldn't take too long to set up his decorations, or his "entranceway". The basement's shape was mostly square except for the stairwell entrances, and the small l-shape formed by the alcove for the doors. This alcove couldn't be seen from the window when the doors were closed, meaning that with curtains across it, it would let everyone change in privacy. The idea was that the partygoers would enter through the courtyard, go in the old delivery door, and then change into their costumes inside, before going into the basement proper and awaiting everyone else. He hoped that the fact some of their fellow Digidestined would be unrecognisable in their costumes would add some fun to the proceedings, plus it let Matt's joke work a lot better...

***

The decorations were in place now, all except the last few touches. The walls were now covered fake cobwebs, pumpkins,  and other symbols expected of a Halloween party as well as some more dragon-like decorations, pictures of them and fake scorch and claw marks. On the floor, he had put down paper versions of huge  clawed reptile footprints, actually dinosaurs, but close enough. Tai had also decided to add dragon's treasure, with a number of inexpensive, but pretty-looking, baubles and trinkets for extra effect. Scattered gold plastic coins on the snack tables, a few pile of cheap trinkets like fake genies lamps, crowns, and plastic skeletons in a  few corners, and in the one window, he placed a ruby-red orb in a silver base. It looked good at a distance, but up close, it was obviously plastic entirely. The orb wasn't even a gemstone texture, and the silver base was chipped exposing the white plastic below the paint. But in the dark, it would look fine.  The net curtains over the window, with their rubber spiders, would also make sure the chips would be hidden by casting it into shadows. The laptop to be used to provide music sat on another table, also surrounded by gold and silver trinkets.

He looked at the room once more. The  once bare basement was now draped in fake cobwebs, dragon treasure, and looked like the lair of a dragon... Well, maybe a dragon with a few too many carved pumpkins, but Mimi had insisted there be at least some pumpkin lanterns. Battery powered fake candles were inside, giving a fake flame glow that looked convincing enough, and safe enough.

"Looks pretty good." A voice said behind Tai. Matt had arrived, carrying the box of party snacks.

"Yeah. I'm not too pleased with the pumpkins myself but you know Mimi..." Tai said.

"Oh, yeah, she'd never stop if you hadn't gave in. Good thinking using fake candles though."

"Well, I remember the last time Davis was near a naked flame in a party. And I think the Fire Department do too..."  

Matt set down the box beside the tables.

"These coins and things, they can be moved around, right?" He asked.

"Sure, if there's no room just throw them into one of the piles. That skull with the crown on is actually a bowl, by the way."

"Oh, nice touch... What were you going to put in there?" Matt asked, somewhat fearfully...

"Potato sticks."

"Oh. Why potato sticks?"

"It was gonna be bug-shaped candy but I couldn't find any." Tai confessed.

For food and drink, there would be the skull-bowl of potato sticks, plus various other smaller nibbles including other bowls of potato snacks. The spread was a mix of western and japanese snack foods, with rice balls and sandwiches side by side along with other finger food. For drinks, Tai had made sure to get a mix of bottled water, fruit juice, soda, and because Mimi had once again insisted, a punch bowl. For that bowl, he'd put in a fruit juice powder mix, knowing that some would prefer the bottled fruit juice. Any other party and food would have been the main headache in making sure everyone was accomodated, but the older digidestined at least had learned from their time in the digital world to eat whatever was there for eating without fuss.

***

It wasn't long until the food was set up, and the time for the others to arrive neared. Matt and Tai had put the finishing touches to their jokes in the middle of the room, and went to the courtyard, finding TK, Davis, and Kari had already arrived. All three carried their costumes hidden in bags. Tai noticed that TK's bag was quite small, and hoped that his losing a bet wouldn't result in anything that could not be unseen...

"Hey, Matt, Tai." Davis greeted them.

"Tai, TK's costume won't be that scary, stop staring at the bag like it's a demon." Kari sighed, while Davis grinned.

"Since it was Davis who made this dare for winning the bet, I wouldn't be so sure it isn't." Matt added, noting his brothers glum look.

"Don't tell me what it is. I don't want to find out until I have to." Tai grinned.

"I think he'll pull it off great..." Davis said innocently.

The others soon arrived, including Davis's sister Jun, invited mostly to give Davis an easier life and the only non-digidestined present. She was followed by Mimi, Izzy, Sora, Joe, Ken, Cody and Yolei,

"Okay, I go in first to put my costume on, then Matt, then I guess we'll go by the order everyone else arrived in..."

"I was here earlier, shouldn't I go second?" Kari pointed out.

"You came back with TK and Davis though, but ladies first, so you go third."

"TK can go in before me then." Davis grinned. TK made a rude gesture in response.

"So, I'm sixth then it's Mimi?" Jun said.

"Yeah. Then Izzy, Sora, Joe, and then since Yolei came here with Ken and Cody she goes first and, I dunno, maybe you two can fight to solve it..." Tai said.

"No thanks, Tai, Cody would kill me." Ken joked, though it wasn't too far from the truth even if Cody was the youngest of all the digidestined and the only one still in Middle school, but he was accomplished with Kendo and even without a shinai Cody would likely have the upper hand.

***

Matt and Tai had entered in turn to change, and Kari followed suit when Matt shouted through the open door she should enter in a minute. She did so, putting on her own costume in the dressing room made from the drapes across the alcove. It didn't take long for her to change into her dragon costume, a golden one-piece swuimsuit, white leggings, gold shoes, and white gloves Each of these were coated in small feathers. Around her shoulders she wore a harness to carry the feathery wings, much larger than any of the other feathers. Each feather was white in colour but with multicoloured glitter hidden within so they danced many colours when they caught the light. On her head, she wore a winged headband, and painted makeup around her eyes to make them look more like those of a serpent. As the finishing touch, she put in contact lenses to change the colour of her eyes. Her intention was to be a holy winged serpent, basing her idea on the winged serpent Quetzalcoatl, with some considerable liberties taken.

Inside though, she found to her surprise, three other dragon costumes rather than two. Since Tai had done his research and she'd had to help him at points, she recognised one as a red chinese dragon, something that looked like a westernised dragon from a role playing game... or rather, it looked like a pantomime horse that was dressed as a dragon. The thrid was a more mundane short green dragon in the western style

"Okay, guys, which one is the fake one?" She asked.

"Did you tell TK to come in next?" Tai's voice said from somewhere. Kari realised she hadn't, and went to summon the next "dragon".

"What was her costume anyway?" she heard whispering behind her, but she couldn't tell if it was Matt or Tai. It sounded muffled thanks to whatever costume was worn.

"Not sure. A lot of rainbowy feathers though." another whisper said back.

"I'm not sure what that is..."

Kari walked up to the red dragon as she heard the door open and TK enter.

"Take a look for yourself!" the second whisper said back

"How? I'm..." a whisper said, but the other silenced it.

"Shhh! She'll figure it out too soon!"

Silence. She paused and looked at the largest dragon. Bahamut, she recalled.

"Okay, Davis, you can come change in a minute, I'm done." TK shouted outside. Kari's attention was lost as she turned to see that TK...

...Was apparently a female dragon. He was wearing sandals with paper claws, skin almost entirely coloured in green and yellow bodypaint, what looked like a pair of black bike shorts, and very fake looking clawed golves. Up top, he wore a fake dragon-head hat, just a pair of goggly eyes and pointed ears on a baseball cap. But what caused Kari to laugh the most was the fact that over the bike shorts, TK wore a green and gold bikini bottom. On his chest, he wore the matching top, leaving him with very little modesty.

"What are you wearing, TK?!" Kari said as she stopped laughing.

"What is he wearing?" A whisper asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's pretty unique..."

"The bet I lost, Davis told me to dress as a dragon with just bodypaint, sandals, gloves and a pair of bike shorts. But, uh, he said they had to tight ones... " Tk explained, looking suitably embarresed, though his blushes were hidden by the green paint.

"Oh. I'm guessing you were worried about, ah, bulges?" Kari asked, grinning.

"...Yeah. So I asked about adding something else and he picked the bikini." he sighed.

"And you just went along with this?"

"I lost the bet." TK said indignantly, as if this justified anything.

"Boys." Kari said, sighing.

"He lost the bet, if he backed out he's a wuss!" Matt said from wherever he was.

"Did that come from the big Bahamut?" TK asked, noticing the three other dragons other than Kari for the first time.

"I think so. But which end?" Kari replied.

"Well, we're not telling." Tai said, from whichever end he was. TK and Kari sighed.

"Either way, one of our brothers is a dragon's ass..." TK sighed.

"They're both horses asses, that's for sure." Kari said, earning a glare from whoever was in charge of the head. As it moved, it became apparent that the rear legs weren't in sync with the front, and that the tail was being dragged along.

"So I guess these two others are dummies or something?" she continued

"I thought the dummies were in Bahamut?"

"Ha ha." Bahamut's head said.

***

Davis and Jun both in turn found TK's costume hillarious, both liked the joke Matt and Tai had played with the dummies, and both had comments of praise towards Kari's costume. For their own, each had shown the remarkable originality of most siblings everywhere by having decided to both dress in similar costumes. Each wore a similar-looking costume resembling a red Fire Drake. At least, Jun claimed they were called Drakes. Their faces peeked out from the necks of the dragons, the heads perched above them in light foam.

"It's an old English work meaning dragon." She said, after Tai had asked her to explain. Asking Davis had led to being told to "Ask Jun"

"I thought that was a tool for gardens..." Matt said, from whatever end he was.

"That's a rake." Kari said.

***

Mimi naturally had picked a cute costume. Her costume, she explained, was meant to be a Fairy Dragon. What it looked like was a Lillymon with plantlike parts replaced with Dragon-like ones instead. She had taken her time to actually realise there was at least one extra dragon in the room until the head of Bahamut had been forced to point it out to her.

Izzy unfortunately had chosen something geeky, a Ouroboros. It mostly consited of a circular piece of foam, looping around from the base of his back to a head that was "biting" its own tail. Izzy's face peered out from below this spot, while his arms and legs somewhat spoiled the idea by breaking the symmetry of the self-eating creature.

"I don't get it..." Jun said, causing others in the room to sigh. They hadn't wanted an explaination. Izzy didn't explain. He lectured.

"Well, the Ouroboros is a common symbol of a dragon or serpent that forms a circle by swallowing its own tail. It often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality. It has many historic and modern references and..." Izzy began, but was cut off.

"Okay, Izzy, we get it, it's a snakey dragon thing that eats its own tail and turns itself into a hula hoop." Mimi interrupted.

"Well no, I think you're referring to a Tsuchinoko or Hoop Snake..."

"She's referring to that we get what it is now!" Tai said, from wherever in the Bahamut he was.

***

Sora's costume meanwhile was of a red-and-orange feathered fire dragon. It consisted of a feathered bodysuit, long feathered tail, and ankle-length boots in the shape of clawed feet. The costume also had a mane of feathers, as well as clawed gloves. Unlike most of the others, her face wasn't visible, hidden behind a veil of feathers.

"Nice costume, Sora." Tai said.

"Aha, he's the head!" Mimi said, thinking Tai had betrayed that he was the one with the ability to see.

"No... He and Matt have both seen it." Sora said.

"Oh. I still can't figure out who's at what end..." TK said.

"Well, TK, since you're the girliest dragon here why not try and use your new feminine charms?" Sora joked.

"Not a good idea, we don't want him laying an egg..." Davis noted.

"Why did I go along with this..."

"You lost a bet." Sora, Tai, Matt, Jun, Davis, and even Izzy said together.

"Boys..." Kari sighed.

"And tomboys." Mimi added.


***

Joe was next to enter, wearing a blue sea serpent costume. It consisted of a tubular costume, most of it a long tail dragged behind his legs, with his hands hidden below fin-like wings on the front. The neck of the costume had gill-like markings, but the head of the serpent also had a nose.

Yolei entered, wearing her own costume, that of a wyvern with very small wings. Her face peered out from within the mouth of the green-brown Wyvern costume. Cody meanwhile, was dressed simply as a traditional Japanese dragon. Ken however, had put an intresting idea into play.

"Ken, where's your head?" Davis asked.

"I've got two of them..." Ken waved his arms.

His actual head was concealed below his costume, but on either arm, he wore a dragon-headed glove puppet. Each puppet had an opposing half of a yin-yang symbol on its foehead.

"What's it meant to be?" Mimi wondered.

"A Hydra. It was a mythological..." Izzy began.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it..." Mimi halted him.

***

The party had begun mere monents before, timed well to coincide with the sunset. The guests did not mark the setting sun in any way, with such a poor view of it they barely noticed as what little sunlight there was reaching the basement faded. A decoration however did. The silver-based Orb would have been seen to shimmer had anyone observed. The chipped plastic and fake paint would have seemed to now be more realistic that before. The plastic orb would have looked far more like real glass. And the faint, brief red glow within the ruby crystal would have been found surprising.

Had anyone noticed, that was.

***

As the song changed, Kari wondered for a moment if the golden coins around the laptop had been shimmering like that before. Picking one up, she was surprised by the weight. It felt like plastic to the touch, but also like it was cooling down and getting heavier...

TK wondered for a moment where the zipper on Sora's costume had gone. It also looked a lot more realistic in this light, he felt, as he absent-mindedly scratched his leg. These shorts were so tight they were chafing her scales... she wished she wasn't the youngest one here too. Everyone else seemed to be more intrested in each other than playing...

Joe sighed, feeling very thirsty. He picked up a bottle of water from the table, and drained the full half-litre in a few seconds.

Izzy rolled around as he and Yolei tried once again to have her small wings help her gain flight.

Davis yelped as someone trod on his tail. Sky turned and apologised. She glanced at Yamachi nervously, but Draco was already accepting the apology and was looking towards Light.

Yamachi found himself amused as his sisters studied the gold coins. Hope and Light both seemed to have only just discovered how enthralling gold and treasure could truly be as it glinted in the light of the laptop screen.  This farewell gathering was going well already. He had concerns that so close to this pivotal time in dragon seasons that the large number of dragons could have led to tension, but as predicted, his comrades were willing to share anything. Even each other...

***

Both of Ken's heads were enjoying the snacks until a tail nudged him.

"Maybe you should leave some for later, even if you do have two mouths to feed you only have one stomach." The Japanese dragon told him

"Of course, you're right, Tatsu."  The right head said, bowing apologetically.

"You fool! We have twice as large a stomach as any other!" The left head growled.

"Ni Osamu, you have eyes four times the size of your belly." The Wyvern said.

"And that's why you love me, Wye."

"I tolerate you for Ichi Ken." Wye said in reply.

"If only all three of us could ignore that left head..." the Japanese dragon said.

"This left head can easily ignore you!" Ni Osamu growled.

***

"Have we no more water for these proceedings?" Leviathan sighed, regarding the empty bottles littering the table. The Sea Serpent's tastes were particular.

"Ooh, we've got an empty bowl and there's a water tap upstairs! I could get you some!" Orchid said. The cute fairy dragon fluttered around gleefully.

"Draconathes, are you sure you can carry a bowl of water and fly at the same time?" Infinity asked.

"It's Orchid, Orchid is cuter, And I'm as sure as you're sure your butt tastes good..." she taunted the Ouroborus, who sighed and rolled away...

***

"It's an impressive pile of treasure." Light said.

Draco beamed. His pile of gold and jewels was second only to Yamachi's. Yamachi of course had the two dragon statues, the stone effigies of dragons long departed, but a reminder of their heritage. Not to mention his own vast pile of loot.

"I though so too. You need a lot of fighting strength to get this kind of haul..."

"Pfft, you just need to be good at stealing." Hope muttered.

"Be nice, Hope. Someday you'll want to have your own big pile." Light scolded her sister.

"Yeah, at least I won't want to merge it with someone elses..."

***

While Orchid was fluttering away to fetch some more water for Leviathan, who still stood sheepishly beside the drinks table, Infinity regarded the spread of food. There was a mixture for all tastes. Coal for the fire-breathing dragons, ice cubes for the water-based dragons (a target mostly of Tetsu and Leviathan), raw meat chunks, vegetable chunks, bags of sugar for the more energetic dragons, even some human food, the potato sticks inside the crown of the skull. Hope and Orchid liked those especially, and Infinity knew both would greatly miss that human snack.

"Looking for a snack?" Tetsu asked as he picked up more ice cubes.

"I have no need for sustinence." He replied.

"No wonder, quit eatin' yourself..." Ni Osamu remarked.

"It would appear that to be a comedian is common this evening." He said. The other two moved away, and then Hope approached. The young dragon began eating potato sticks.

"Hope, I have an iquiry for you." Infinity said to her.

"Huh?" The youngest dragon said, mouth still full of chewed potato.

"Why is it that you wear human clothing?"

"I... I dunno. We've been raised alongside humans and I guess I wanted to fit with them..."

"I see. I thought it was a sign of rebellion or immaturity, to go against your dragon heritage." Infinity said bluntly. Hope looked shocked.

"What?! No way! I can... I can go around without clothes! Look!" she said, and tore the articles off. She felt embarresment for a few seconds as Infinity looked at her.

"Most intresting. I was unaware you had a tail..." he said, then rolled off. Hope twisted, to look at her tail. Her pathetic little stub of a tail . She sighed and remembered the real reason she'd worn the shorts and bikini bottom now...


***

The party went on, the dragons chatting idly, dancing to the music, discussing their fighting power, and other matters. Some of them elected to trade items of treasure, seeking to trade some duller items for more valuable ones.  Hope had been given free reign to control the playlist of the laptop, ceasing her complaints about anything and everything she could moan about.

Eventually Yamachi, who had called this gathering here in his lair, spoke. It neared midnight, and though his clan mates were enjoying themselves, he knew they had to rest, and the party had to end.

"My kin, this night has been most enjoyable, but alas, it comes to an end. I invite you all to stay within my lair. This room is my main lair, but the building above has many small rooms. I am sure each of you can locate suitable accomodation there for a night's rest. We shall bid farewell in the morning, but for tonight, rest!" He proclaimed. The other dragons nodded, and began filing up the stairs, seeking a room that suited their personal tastes, or would at least do the job of letting them have a decent night's sleep.


***

Kari blinked awake, and wondered why she felt so cold. She reached for her covers...

...and her hand scrabbled on something like concrete. She bolted upright as she realised she was sleeping on the roof of a building and still dressed in her costume from the party! Standing up, and hoping no one saw her, she looked for the way she'd got here before trying to figure out why. She found a skylight, climbing back down carefully.

"What was I doing up there?" she muttered to herself, then realised this room wasn't empty. Luckily, the other occupant was in a more embarrising situation than her. TK stood, covered still in his green bodypaint... and nothing else. He hid his modesty behind his hands, but for a moment, the two looked at each other in embarresed shock, before Kari broke the silence by giggling.

"What happened to your clothes?" she managed to say as TK tried to avoid her gaze (and hide from it!)

"I... I don't know. I woke up down here like this... Why were you on the roof?" TK replied.

"I've no idea. I had a weird dream though, that I really was a dragon..."

"Wait. Do you hear that?" TK said.

"What?"

"From that wall. Like someone's... snoring?"

The two left this room and found that the next room held not one, but two snorers. Jun and Davis lay at opposite ends of the room, the siblings in their costumes.

"Oh... right. Okay, let's go, I need to get to the basement and get some clothes..." TK said, but Kari had an evil thought...

"Hey, wakey wakey!" She shouted. Jun and Davis both bolted upright. Confusion crossed their faces, they scanned the room... and then they noticed TK.

"I hate you..." TK muttered as the Motomiya siblings both erupted in laugher. Kari merely grinned.

***

The four of them had decided to spare TK's blushes and head downstairs, but TK became very mindful of the fact Jun seemed to be trying to lag behind him.

"I wonder if the others are all still here..." Davis wondered aloud as they entered the basement. An answer lay on the ground. The Bahamut costume, oddly posed, as if the two occupants were trying to lie down and sleep...

"Uh, do you think we should wake them up?" Davis said, as TK quickly raced behind the curtain.

"I think we should just unzip the costume..." Jun replied.

"Why?"

"Because Tai and Matt are in there sleeping together!" Jun squealed. All three concious occupants of the room reacted far less favourably to this revelation than her. As did the two individuals in question after waking up as a result of her squeal...


***

Everyone was now downstairs, mostly still in costume, but TK was now redressed (over his bodypaint of course) and each was taking turns to change back.

"So, what happened anyway?" Asked Mimi, who had found herself inside an empty storage closet when she had awoken.

"Was the punch spiked or something?" Yolei pondered. She had awoken in a small room on the first floor, covered with fake gold coins.

"I only drank water..." Joe said. The others regarded him. He had woken in a sink. A full one.

"So we see." said Tai as he left the "changing room". He and Matt were now out of the costume, but both remained tight-lipped as to who was which end.

"Okay, I had this weird dream. It was like I really was a dragon..." Sora said. She had woken lying up against a radiator turned up full.

"Me too..." said Izzy. He had woken inside an air vent, curved around a circular portion. His costume was largely buckled and he still couldn't understand how he had even got in there.

"I don't think it was a dream, guys. Does anyone even remember the party?" Kari noted.

No one replied.

"Well... Not really. " TK said.

"Okay, but we all had some kind of dream about being a dragon?"  Kari continued. Everyone nodded.

"Why though? Oh, wait, uh... Maybe there was something up with... the rice balls. Yeah, they weren't the usual kind I buy..." Tai said. They were, actually, but it seemed a good excuse.

"Yeah, makes sense, I think I remember them tasting a litle odd..." Yolei agreed.

"Yup. Definetly the rice balls..." Matt nodded. Everyone but Kari had soon accepted the rice ball explaination.

"But, it all seemed so... real."

"Well, I guess maybe it was all just a coincidence we'd all have similar dreams, huh? But apart from all that and the waking up in weird places... It was a good party, right?" Tai said.

Everyone glared at him.

"If we all say yes, can we all forget everything weird that happend?" TK offered.

"I'm cool with that. So long as we remember you waking up naked..." Matt said.

"Oh, well how about we remember you and Tai waking up inside your costume together as well then?!"

"Okay, guys, guys. We'll pretend it never happened, we had a good party... and never speak of any of it again, okay?"

Everyone nodded agreement, deciding that rather than figure out what had really happened, it was best to pretend nothing had.

The orb sat on the chipped plastic-silver base. The red plastic seemed as harmless as it had before sundown...