Nooooo! I missed a day! Here's a nice, long chapter to make up for it.
Btw, just in case you're wondering, there is a reason why Matt is one of the MAIN characters and not Kari.
Tourists
The boy and his partner were standing before an eight-foot-high wooden fence. It ran from the water's still edge all the way up to the cliffs that marked the abrupt end of sand. The only way past it was the gate that stood in the middle, and it was this gate that the two were looking through, scepticism on their faces. There was no beach on the other side of the fence, just a narrow, wooden, roofed corridor.
"What do you think, Patamon?" TK asked, doubt in his voice. The digimon shrugged in reply.
"I have to say, it's better than the beach."
TK thought about walking along the shore, risking MarineDevimon attacking again. He nodded, but was understandably fearful of walking down a dimly lit hallway in the Dark World. An encouraging nudge came from his partner, and he decided to give it a shot. TK stepped in cautiously, not wanting to disturb whatever might be lurking in the dark. The hallway went straight for some ways, until it came to a small intersection lit by soft grey light though a little hole in the roof. Left or right. TK didn't ask his digimon before choosing left. He wanted to be certain they were heading further from the water that he was sure lay to the right, outside of the corridors.
As they walked along, the passageway began making abrupt turns. So abrupt that, in the darkness, TK ran into the wall in pitch darkness, unable to see the ninety-degree corner. He collected himself and continued on like a blind person, one hand along the wooden wall, the other stretched in front. Presently, a noise other than TK's steps and the flying digimon's beating wings could be heard. It took some time, but the sounds slowly grew more distinct. TK recognized something like gurgling, and then discerned it to be groaning. He slowed the pace as it grew louder, and around one last corner the two found the source.
There was another small window in the ceiling, letting the overcast light in. It was a dead end, but the red-eyed, moaning figure that sat there caught the attention of the two. TK stared at the grey creature, recognizing the round, tadpole-shaped digimon.
"Otamamon?"
The figure turned its head and focused its red gaze on TK. Then, without warning, it lunged for him, the sound of clanking metal filling the corridor at its movement. TK backed quickly out of its reach, noticing that the rookie was bound in chains anchored in the ground. He spotted a black ring also binding the digimon. TK knelt in front of the Otamamon, confused.
"Hey, Patamon."
His partner replied by landing on his shoulder.
"Where do you think he got this Dark Ring?"
"No idea. I thought we'd heard the last of the Digimon Emperor," the little rookie replied.
"Same here. It doesn't make sense." TK reached out for the ring, but the moaning Otamamon responded by lashing out again, swinging with a clawed foreleg. The boy gasped, jerking away the injured arm with a wince and falling back, off his heels. He sat there for a moment, gazing at the grey Otamamon. TK felt along the spot where he was scratched, and realized he was cut and bleeding from his forearm. His own digimon hissed in his ear.
"What were you thinking? Remember the 'Scubamon' from that time we came here after Kari?"
TK didn't take his eyes off the groaning digimon, but memories of that day when he first encountered the Dark World passed before him. And then he saw the nightmare. The shady beings taking Kari and Patamon. Himself being restrained by the darkness. TK shuddered.
"Let's get out of here."
He stood and made his way quickly back the way they came, taking care not to hit any more walls. His partner rested on his head, which proved to be a reassuring presence. It wasn't too long before they reached that first intersection, and went the opposite direction, hoping it was the right path. Another dilemma eventually presented itself. Their path divided into three directions.
"Great," TK moaned. "Any idea which is the right way?"
His partner replied, "No, but we should probably avoid the voices."
TK understood his meaning, and absentmindedly felt his arm. The wound was already beginning to dry and clot up, stopping the bleeding. He picked a direction, but hadn't been walking long before they heard the tell-tale sound of guttural groaning. TK stopped and turned, retracing the path and choosing a different corridor. He muttered to his partner.
"I don't mind solving puzzles every now and again, but I'm not really in the mood to get lost in a maze. Especially here in the Dark World."
TK got silence for a reply, and things stayed that way as the two wove through the dim passages. It wasn't long before they lost track of time, and TK wondered how dark night time got in this world. He hurried on, eager to get out of the cursed maze before the moans of tortured creatures drove him mad. They seemed to be getting louder and more frequent. It soon became hard for the two to even discern which way led to the noises and which didn't.
It may have been three hours, it may have been forty-five minutes, but at long last they saw light coming from a source that seemed more than just a window in the ceiling. The two rounded that last corner and came upon the doorway out. TK beamed at the welcome sight while his digimon sighed contentedly.
He stepped into the open and stretched his arms out wide, realizing how claustrophobic the corridors had felt. He got a good look at his surroundings, trying to get his bearings. They had come pretty far inland, and were on the outskirts of a small, tourist-like town. TK searched the distant streets and buildings, but there was no apparent sign of life other than the existence of the town itself. And a lone figure striding towards them.
Again, TK was dismayed when he recognized who it was. Couldn't the Dark World send a digimon like DemiDevimon for them to deal with instead of these megas? The boy glared at the approaching evil one, whose specialty as a clown was being annoying.
"Well, well, well! If we don't have visitors to our humble village! Please, make yourselves at home!" Piedmon opened his arms in a welcoming gesture, and then motioned for the two to follow him to the town. TK stayed where he was, and was ready to retreat back into the corridors if he hadn't heard the distressed wailing of the creatures growing behind him. Piedmon dropped his arms when TK didn't move, and tilted his head. "What's wrong? You don't like it? Don't worry, there's no one there to disturb your peace. Not even your little friend will have a chance to bother you!"
Piedmon leapt forward, drawing his blades out to attack.
"Trump Swords!"
TK dove to the side, crying out, "Patamon! Look out!"
He heard the thumping sound of swords driving into wood, and felt little stings on his exposed skin from the splinters that were scattered from the impact. He looked up to see the blades struck deep into the fence wall, almost to the hilts. And then TK noticed Piedmon grabbing his partner, and roughly throwing him high, singing like a maniac.
"Dickery, dickery, dare!
"The pig flew up in the air
"The big bad clown
"Soon brought him down!
"Dickery, dickery, DARE!"
Piedmon finished the last syllable by jumping up to meet the rookie, and with a firm swat, drove him back to the ground. TK leapt up and sprinted to his companion's side. He picked up the rookie. "Patamon! Are you alright?"
The boy tensed as he heard the mega land behind him. "Well, this is too bad..."
TK spun his head to glare at Piedmon. Was there anything he could do? As he watched the mega, he figured the best thing was to let his enemy monologue. Piedmon took the invitation as he calmly walked towards them.
"Once there was this Digidestined. And then he abandoned his friends for the Dark World. The end!"
The statement took the boy by surprise. He forced himself to talk back. "That's not how it goes."
"Oh? How then?"
When he had knelt beside his partner, TK had felt the hard edges of the D-Terminal in his pocket. With Pegasusmon, if he couldn't defeat his enemies, at least he could escape. TK had thought the device was in his backpack this whole time, which was probably left back in that dark alley in the Real World. They could have done this a long time ago, but it wasn't too late. Armour digivolving may be their last hope, and was worth the shot. He looked up at Piedmon.
"He fights back." TK stood and looked at his digimon, holding out his D3. "Digi-armour energise!"
The digivice flashed, and the boy's heart raced in anticipation, but his partner stared blankly. Nothing happened. TK blinked confusedly. Not even armour-digivolution worked? He heard Piedmon snicker, and then found a large hand snatch a fistful of his shirt. TK was lifted up by the mega until his feet were far off the ground and he was face to face with the evil digimon. Piedmon grinned mischievously.
"Boom Bubble!" The rookie attacked again, but got the same, typical results of a digimon like himself attacking a mega. Piedmon didn't even look away from TK.
"He can't fight back!" The clown laughed crazily, and threw the boy in the direction of the town. TK hit the ground hard, but was up in an instant, sprinting towards the cover of the buildings. Piedmon didn't follow, and let the two flee. His laugh rang through the air.
TK didn't stop running until he reached what he assumed was about the centre of the village. He went up to one of the nearest houses, and checked the door. It was unlocked. Inside, no one was apparently home. The house wasn't even inhabited for that matter. TK locked himself in one of the inner rooms and sat in a corner, his partner beside him. Neither spoke; both were recuperating from the encounter with the mega. It wasn't long before the rookie had fallen asleep, but TK had no such luck in resting. His mind was plagued by the words of Piedmon that seemed to branch off of what Daemon had told him.
He wouldn't abandon his friends. He couldn't. He shouldn't. TK knew he would let them abandon him before he even thought about leaving their company. They were a group he should be able to count on. He wanted to leave it at that, but his racing mind wouldn't let him.
He didn't really count on them for everything. Why not? He had secrets, like the deep pain the divorce of his parents actually caused him. Why were they secrets? Every day with his friends was spent with a façade masking his simmering feelings. Why? He'd prefer to be known as the cheerful one. Why? It made it easier for the others to relate their feelings to him. Why did he want that? He would rather help them than be the one in need of help. That was the bottom line.
TK put his head in his hands. So many why's, but the one that bothered him most was why the world of darkness was after him in the first place, preying on his doubts and hidden secrets. What did it hope to accomplish? The boy glanced at his partner curled up on the hard floor, an encouraging reminder that they might make it through in one piece.
On the other hand, this only meant that the darkness had other plans than killing the two.
Forgive me for the wait?
Moving on