Chapter 10

NOTE: THERE WILL BE VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER.

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In the real world

Tai leaned against the doorframe, watching Joe take care of Izzy´s injuries.

"His wounds aren't infected, you did a good job."

He nodded slowly at the praise, but didn't smile.

"Don't blame yourself, Tai. You weren't in any position to help him."

"No, I knew what would happen if he ever went to the Digiworld. I should have warned you all so you knew not to call him."

"It is no use to blame yourself for what happened, Tai. Neither you or I could have done anything and sooner or later they'd have found a way to get to him."

He squeezed Tai's shoulder and moved past him to join the others, pausing in the door opening to glance back at Izzy's unresponsive form.

"Please let this work."

Tai resumed his spot beside Izzy and brushed the hair out of his eyes.

It had been four days since he'd lost consciousness and they hadn't been able to wake up again.

Who knew what they were doing to him right now, Tai thought as tears ran down his cheeks.

"Please let Joe's idea work…please."…

In the Digiworld

Everything was dark when Izzy opened his eyes again and he blinked a few times to let his eyes adjust to the darkness.

"Tai?" he asked confused.

"There is no one else here except the two of us, Faith."

Hearing a familiar laugh behind him, Izzy tensed and tried to move away from her. Only to be stopped by the raging pain pulsing through his body and the chains holding him up.

"No..." he whispered, tears welling up.

"Had a nice little dream, Faith? Why don't you tell me about it?"

"It wasn't a dream," Izzy cursed, recognising the cave now.

"It was. Did you really think your little friends would have come for you?"

Izzy shook his head. "They came. Tai, Joe and Matt came; they saved me and took me away from you."

Finally Arukenimon walked into sight. "Oh Faith, I thought you would have given up hope by now. Your little friends are never coming for you. They've moved on."

"I don't believe you," Izzy growled, holding tightly onto the feeling he'd felt when he'd seen Tai.

Arukenimon laughed. "I can prove it. Do you want to see for yourself?"

A sliver of doubt slid into his thoughts and Izzy swallowed. No, he didn't want to see.

"See? You know I am telling you the truth. There is no one who will ever come for little old you."

Tears slipped down Izzy's eyes as he realised it had indeed been a dream. No bandages covered his injuries and he was wearing the same clothes he'd been wearing for as long as he could remember.

"They left me alone, why?"

"Because you are worth nothing to them, you are useless."

Izzy couldn't find it in himself to contradict her anymore, it didn't matter and so he slowly nodded. After so many years surely she knew better and was telling the truth if no one had come to help him.

"I'm worth nothing," speaking the words out loud broke something inside of him and he let the little flame of hope he'd held onto shimmer and die.

"That's the truth boy, you are nothing," Arukenimon smiled evilly and a shiver of fear ran down Izzy's spine.

A few Gazimon appeared with material in their claws. "Boss, what do you want us to do?"

"The usual."

"But his shields are already broken."

"That doesn't matter. It is just fun to see him in pain."

The Gazimon's eyes lit up with glee in the darkness and Izzy tried to shift backwards as they approached.

"Please don't...just leave me alone, please," his pleadings were no more than whispers as they came near him with lashes and stinging nettles, screaming out in pain as they set to work.

Tears sprang into his eyes and he didn't bother to stop them as he concentrated on trying not to scream again.

He turned his hands into fists as the lashed hit him full force, over and over again.

After a while they had their fun with the lashes and they moved closer to place the stinging nettles against his body, causing him to try and shift from the burning feeling and bit his lip hard enough that he tasted blood in his mouth.

"Stop it, we don't want him dead!"

Immediately they stopped and Izzy drew in as much of a deep breath as he could, not having the strength to look up to see who'd stopped them, consciousness wavering now that they weren't constantly hurting him.

He didn't know if he'd passed out or not, but when he became aware of his surroundings again it hurt to move.

Why...why had his friends left him here? Why were they doing this to him?

He didn't understand what he'd done wrong, what he'd done to deserve this.

A laugher told him he'd whispered his question out loud, but he couldn't bring himself to care as emotions slammed into him, making his head burst out with white hot pain.

"You know what you did, Faith. You survived when you shouldn't have."

Izzy looked up to Arukenimon. "Why don't you just kill me?"

"Because you have something we want. And we'll keep you alive until you give us what we want."

"Will it stop if I do?"

"Yes, when you've given us your powers I will make it stop personally," Arukenimon smiled and Izzy could almost believe it was motherly.

Mother.

The Tai in his dream had told him his parents were gone, died in a car crash when he'd not been there to protect them. Died like his biological parents had.

He didn't know if it was true or not, but the him in the dream had believed Tai and new tears slid down as he thought about the wild haired teenager he'd fallen in love with.

Had Tai truly moved on like Arukenimon said? Had he forgotten about Izzy?

The thought made him sad but it also gave him some comfort. If Tai had moved on then he surely he was happy and that was all Izzy had ever wanted for the one he loved.

If Tai had forgotten about him, if they'd all forgotten about him then surely he didn't have to keep on fighting anymore.

For what?

"Do you want it to stop?"

Wearily, Izzy nodded. He was in pain and tired...so, so tired. He closed his eyes and slowly nodded.

"Yes."

TBC

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