Disclaimer: I don't own digimon.
A/N: Okay, I was motivated and managed to churn this out relatively quickly for me. It's a somewhat short chapter, but quite a bit happens.
Remember, any plot holes as of yet will be explained later on. Enjoy!
Shift
"NO!" Kari screamed and ran forward, grabbing TK by the shoulders and shaking him uncontrollably. "What are you thinking, you can't!"
A few feet from her, Matt, still pale, looked down at the ground amidst the glares of the other Digidestined and digimon. "That was basically my initial reaction too," he mumbled.
Sora gave him a pointed look. "And yet you decided to let him," she stated, very much looking like she wanted to smack her boyfriend.
"I..." Matt tried to speak, but seemed overcome by another emotion, and instead sank to the ground, burying his head in his hands.
Sora turned to TK in turn, hands on hips and a mixture of concern and anger across her face. "Why didn't you tell us sooner, TK?"
Kari stopped shaking TK long enough to look at him with a pointed glare of 'I told you.' At the moment, faced with the group's mother figure, TK found himself unable to speak, and willed his mouth shut for fear of blabbering incomprehensibly. Slowly, he caught eye contact with Kari, trying to convey everything to her in a look.
Kari groaned, releasing TK and turning to Sora. "He didn't want to worry us, and was afraid that everyone was going to get hurt if they got involved." Then she turned back to TK. "You can't be giving in, weren't you the one who told me not to give up?" she asked, implying to when she had first been taken to the Dark Ocean.
TK sighed, finding his voice again. "I'm not giving up, I'm trying to use this figure out what it is in the Dark Ocean that's after us," he stated, trying to defend his position.
"During which, you've forgotten a pretty important question," Joe interjected, folding his arms over his chest and glancing over his glasses in a very stern, professor-like manner. "HOW are you going to get back?"
TK paused. He actually hadn't thought about that, and began to realize how rashly he had made decision without thinking through everything with a plan of action. Then he shook his head. "Okay, I haven't actually decided yet, but I'm still going."
Patamon flew over and landed atop TK's head, as TK still had his hat gripped in his hand. Gently, the digimon poked his partner's forehead. "TK, you've been trying to stay away from it, and suddenly you're saying you want to go?"
TK let an indignant breath escape him. "No!" he exhaled, "I'm confronting it!"
"And here's the other question," Izzy replied, having his laptop open on one hand and typing with the other. He seemed to be trying to write something quickly. "How are you going to confront it? There's a lot of logical planning that goes into something like this, and you're missing most of it."
At the still shocked stares of everyone, TK finally lowered his eyes to the ground. Slowly, he answered, "I'm just tired of dealing with it. I want to know why the Dark Ocean is after me, why it's gone after other people, and how to stop it. It's become harder and harder to fight it off – I was able to do it alone for a while, and then people had to smack me to get me out of trouble. I can't fight it forever; I might as well go to the source and figure out the cause of all this."
A moment's pause brought an iron, musky scent to TK's attention, and he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. A few Digidestined gasped, as did a few digimon; Patamon flew up off of TK and banged his little fist on the boy's forehead.
However, nothing changed, and TK was suddenly aware of a cold feeling tingling up his spine. He winced, trying to will it away, but it only came stronger than before.
For the time being, he decided to ignore it, and turned his attention back to the others. He blinked in surprise when he saw that Matt, Ken, Sora, and Yolei had gone white. Wormmon and Hawkmon had turned equally pale. Kari turned to the others in mild shock. "You saw it?" she asked, voice shaking.
Wordlessly, they nodded, Matt standing up again as he stared at his brother.
At that, Davis shook his head. "Okay, what's going on? Did it start up again?"
Yolei suddenly rounded on Davis. "You knew?" she shrieked, staring at him in disbelief. "You knew that all this was going on and didn't say it to anyone?"
Davis held up his hands defensively. "What was I supposed to do? TK's my friend, I can't tell what he doesn't want me to! And as much as was going on, we don't know enough about all this stuff either! I don't think any of us knew what to do!"
Yolei opened her mouth to yell at Davis again, but TK interrupted by saying, "He's right, you know."
She glared at him. "And now what's come of it? You're turning fuzzy and grey and see-through, that's what's happening!"
The rest of the Digidestined and digimon, minus those who had known about TK and those who could see something different about him, turned to stare at her. "Huh?" Cody asked, confused. He also had somewhat guilty and concerned look on his face. TK couldn't blame him; the younger boy was his DNA digivolving partner, and TK had desisted from telling Cody what was happening.
Yolei blinked. "You can't see it?"
Mimi shook her head, practically speaking for everyone. "No, we can't, and I don't know why."
Izzy brought a hand to his chin. "Hmm... I wonder why it is that only a few people can see it and others can't..."
"Forget that," Ken answered urgently, trying to bring everyone's attention to TK. "We have an emergency right now!" He turned to TK, unsure of what to do. Beside him, Wormmon shuddered as he glanced from Ken to TK, apparently thinking about Ken's past and trying to think up some way to help TK at the present.
Kari nodded in agreement with Ken, glancing at the blond boy who was still standing and feeling very out of things, and now seeming to shift in and out of reality. "TK, can you hold on? We still need to talk. Try to fight it!"
TK didn't answer. He knew he still had to talk to everyone, and had been trying to keep his senses on the Digiworld and everything around him, but the sounds of the ocean kept coming clearer to him. He tried to utter a warning, but only a strangled gasp escaped from his constricted throat.
Kari ran forward to place her hands on his shoulders again, to keep him from fading, and sharply inhaled when her outstretched fingers went right through him.
Everyone else gasped at that. "Okay, that I definitely saw," Joe stared, now extremely concerned and running up to TK as well.
Kari tried to keep grasping him, to make him solidify back into reality again. Each time, her hands passed through his body, and she choked back some tears as she continued with her efforts.
TK focused his attention of everyone in front of him, trying with all his might to stay where he was, standing on the grass of the Digiworld, to ignore the coldness and mist that threatened to cover his vision. He knew Kari was trying to touch him, and in turn he imagined himself solid again, the image of her in her light, shoving away all darkness.
Although the cold feelings and the distant sounds of the ocean continued, he found the mist dissipate somewhat. Kari's hand made contact his chest, and he stared sorrowfully into her eyes as he breathed hard after his sudden exertion of energy. Slowly, he sank to the ground, and Kari came with him, her arms suddenly wrapped around him as she tried to comfort his shaking body and numb mind.
"I fought back," he mumbled, "But it's still there. I don't know if I can do it again..."
Kari's warmth flooded him with some reassurance, but his throat still felt somewhat choked by a heavy, humid mist that none but he could see. "You're still fading though," she whispered, a tear dripping down her cheek.
At this, Tai finally came up to the forefront of the group, stopping briefly at Joe, who stood looking defeated and helpless. He placed a hand on the older boy's shoulder, nodding for a moment before releasing and continuing forward, before he came to a stop one he was only a few feet from TK. He looked over the younger boy carefully as Kari held on. TK could see a definite sense of concern, yet sadness at the same time in Tai's face, and inwardly knew that the older boy was thinking about what should be done. The others stayed silent, watching their first leader stare sorrowfully at the one who had once been the youngest member of the group, the one everyone had protected throughout the first adventure.
Finally, Tai glanced over at Matt, who was shaking in horror at what had just happened. Then he closed his eyes, gulping as he spoke. "If you can't fight back any more, then you're going to have to do what you were planning to," he stated softly, with a voice that almost broke with emotion. "Confront it, find out what's going on, all of that. But..." his voice became slightly stronger, and he opened his eyes, gazing at TK with a determined look. "We're still with you. We'll find a way to the Dark Ocean and get you back, no matter what the cost. And we'll find some way to end all of this business with that world."
Some of the others gasped in shock. "Tai, you can't!" Mimi cried, taking quick glances at TK, still huddled up on the ground.
"It's his right," came a quiet voice.
Everyone turned to Cody, who was slightly surprised at his own statement. Then Cody turned his head to look at TK, who had also lifted his attention to the younger boy. "If this is your enemy, the darkness, then you have every right to fight it," Cody said solemnly, motioning at his DNA digivolving partner. "If you're being drawn into conflict, then take up the fight."
TK nodded, glancing at Matt again. The elder blond seemed to concur with Cody, but was also at a loss for words, staring at his younger brother. TK could guess what sorts of emotions ran through Matt at the moment; his wish to protect, yet an understanding of his charge's maturity, inner strength, and the request to break free.
Finally, Matt walked forward, maneuvering himself carefully around Kari, also embraced TK. "It'll be all right," he said, playfully brushing aside one of TK's clumps of hair. "You've grown, kiddo. You can make it through all this. After all," he added, "You are the Child of Hope. Don't ever forget that."
TK smiled, thankful for everything. However, despite all the support, he could feel a chill creeping up on him as a light salty sea wind blew past his face.
Slowly, Matt and Kari let go, both noticing the sudden change in TK and his shifting. Kari glanced at him fearfully, still somewhat unable to accept that TK was about to enter the world of the Dark Ocean.
TK smiled sadly, knowing what sorts of things might come, and understanding a fear of the unknown – neither of which seemed very promising. More to convince himself than anything else, he quietly stood and glanced at his hat. Then he placed it into Kari's shaking hands.
She blinked and gazed at him quizzically. "Why are you giving me your hat?" she asked, puzzled.
TK closed his hand around hers. "A token, I guess. Just so that you know I'll be fine and I'll come back."
As the mist began to return, circling around him, he suddenly found that his hand couldn't feel her any more, and seemed to be grasping thin air. When he looked down, he saw that Kari's hand was partially running through his hand where his flesh should have been; more evidence that he was shifting between realities.
He dropped his hand, sighing. Even as the fog clouded his sight, making it so he could only see dark outlines of the group, he nodded, speaking. "I'll come back."
With that, TK let down his weakening mental wall, the last resistance against the forces of the Dark Ocean.
Cold flooded his body as the shapes before him vanished completely, covered by the grey mist and fog. He could taste the iron of blood in his mouth now; the sensation made him want to gag. The heavy atmosphere pushed down on him, moisture from the humid, yet cold air soaking his skin and clogging his airways. And with it all came blackness from something besides the absence of light – something far more sinister that made him shiver involuntarily.
His hair whipped about his face as a chill wind blew from all directions, but he felt very little of it, his numb body unable to sense such a cold feeling any more. The fog had entered his mouth and now choked his throat, shutting out any cries of pain or horror. TK could only feel and perceive what he knew was the world of the Dark Ocean, a place he did not want to enter but knew he had no choice but to. In the back of his mind, he wondered if he had gone mad for deciding to let himself be taken, yet the force of his anger against whatever was the reason for his harassment kept him firm in that he had to confront it.
Without warning, he felt all his senses shut off as he was plunged into darkness, with some force pushing down upon him from all sides. At this he panicked, not knowing what to do; he could see, hear, feel, and smell nothing, and any cry of shock he tried to release came out as a silent breath that never left his throat. All that was left was a feeling of void and emptiness.
Then another sensation came about him, one of wetness and liquid. He attempted to wave his arms, trying to make some sense of what was happening, and found his movements clumsy, as though being held back or traveling through some resistant aqueous material. Some current pushed him forward, and for the first time he realized that he could not breathe. And at that moment, he knew where he was.
As salty water poured into his mouth, he tried to kick to the surface, but found the Dark Ocean pulling him in. Although he knew it was life threatening, somehow it was impounding on him a strange compelling desire to give up struggling and lay limp, letting the current pull him down into darkness. He refused to give in, trying to seek the hope within him to keep going.
Yet even that was not enough as the darkness overtook him.
And somehow, he heard echoing voices from far away, each speaking different things, as though remnants of conversations from more that one world.
"He'll never be the same. He'll have changed."
"The innocence is gone. He has to face his own darkness."
"He will survive. He has to. He's the light of hope, remember?"
And yet, those seemed much more comforting than the last thing he heard.
"The boy has arrived. Send the Spawn to fetch him... and to make the preparations. We want our guest... comfortable... until the time comes.
And then, we will forever be assured victory against the Light."
