Firstly, I'm not dead! Yay. Second, I'm really trying to get through this part the best I can. It's a tricky stage in the game and I have needed to go through it, OVER AND OVER again. And again. And I'm not 100% sure it's going exactly how I had first envisioned. But that isn't always a bad thing. I've been working on it a lot, and future chapters too, so it doesn't FEEL like it's been as long since I last posted, as it actually has been. So I apologize for that. Hoping that this chapter can lead into the next properly. It's been weird trying to find a good transition between. But I hope you like it. Also, thank you all for the motivating reviews. It's definitely kept me writing through the past few months. They make my day every time I get a new one.

Since I've been working on future chapters, I'm hoping I can get back into a more routine posting schedule, but no promises. I was trying to upload every other Sunday at least, but that might be too ambitious. But if I have a chapter ready and I'm happy that I'm confident won't be changing it later on, I'll get it to you guys asap.

Also, I started a Tumblr account under the name Raikyra. I'll try and post on there and let people know what I'm up to, let you know I'm not dead! Stuff like that.

And lastly, I posted a new fic a couple week ago, called "Lost in the Dark." It's a T.K./Matt centered fic that I'll update once in a while. But if you want to check it out and let me know what you think, I'd love to read the reviews.

Okay, I'm done. Go read.


"Ken?" Yolei's worried voice sounded muffled, like she was behind closed doors. He shook his head and ignored her, even as she reached up to touch his shoulder. He shrugged her off, finally getting the key into his apartment door after way too much fiddling. Shoving his way into the apartment, he left Yolei to close it behind them.

As he stepped inside, he stopped just inside his kitchen, his mind whirling. He still had blood on his clothes and hands.

"Ken…" Yolei's voice was clearer, closer. He flinched at her touch.

"I need to go clean up." He walked away from her toward the bathroom. Shutting the door behind himself. He stopped. Seeing himself for the first in hours. His reflection showing him someone whose arms were caked in dried blood, whose clothes were covered in bloodstains. There was so much blood. Somehow it had even managed to get on his face. Tears he didn't know he was shedding were falling down his cheeks. He didn't recognize this person he was staring at. He didn't want to know this person. Suddenly all the numbness he'd been feeling washed away, leaving him exposed. He pressed his back against the wall and closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands.

T.K.'s actions today had only solidified all the guilt he'd been struggling with. Now it was staring him in the face. T.K. had needed them… needed him, and he wasn't there for him. He'd walked away, not knowing that T.K. was on the verge of taking his own life more times than they could fathom.

He had pushed them away, and they let him. They let him. "Damn it, damn it…" His voice broke. "Damn it!" He bit back a sob, gasping for air.

The words 'This is all my fault' repeated in his head, again and again.

Yolei had her back pressed against the bathroom door, her eyes closed tightly, arms wrapped around herself firmly. She could hear Ken muttering to himself until the muttering turned into crying.

After a while he fell silent. She knew he wanted to be alone, but she also knew she couldn't do that. She knew he blamed himself. She knew he was burying himself in guilt and shame. She knew she couldn't leave him to suffer alone.

She stood and reached for the doorknob, sighing in relief when she found it unlocked. Slipping inside, finding the room dark, she could barely make out his form sitting on the floor. Only a few rays of moonlight faded into the room from the window, showing her his downcast eyes. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, eyes void of emotion as he stared at his lap.

"Hey…" she whispered, hoping not to startle him. He didn't react to her voice. She sighed and sat down beside him. "Ken?" She set her hand on his knee gently.

He twitched at her touch, blinking and looking over at her blankly.

She saw that his eyes were red and tear streaks stained his face. He swallowed and looked down at the ground, closing his eyes, ashamed. "I…"

"Ken." Yolei looked concerned. "You can't blame yourself."

He didn't respond.

"Can you please talk to me?" She pressed lightly, nudging him.

He looked up, trying to wipe the fresh tears that stung at his eyes, more emotion returning to his expression. He turned away from her, but she shifted onto her knees and grabbed his arms, planting herself directly in front of him. "Ken. This isn't your fault." Her voice was firm.

"Yes, it is." His voice trembled.

She felt her own chest pounding, the guilt in his voice making her heart ache. "He pushed you away. I watched it, Ken."

He closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Yolei…" his voice cracked. "He almost killed himself…"

"He didn't. He's alive. He'll be okay, Ken." She leaned in closer, pressing her forehead to his. "You stopped him. You were there for him."

"Yolei, this entire time, he's been contemplating…" he grimaced. "…I abandoned him. I told him I was done. I…"

"Ken, we didn't know. What else could you do?" She tried to reason with him. "He pushed and pushed. He wouldn't let you in."

"I didn't try hard enough." Ken shook his head and tried to pull away from Yolei, but she wouldn't relent. "What if we hadn't heard the glass break? What if I hadn't gotten there in time?" His voice quivered.

"Ken—"

"I knew he needed me. I knew he did." He swallowed hard. "But I just watched him walk away. Over and over…" He buried his face in his hands. "I can't forgive myself…"

She wrapped him in her arms, trying to soothe him as he silently cried. "You can't do this, Ken." She murmured into his hair. "He's alive. We won't let him push us away anymore. We won't let him die."

Ken lowered his face and cried silently, tears streaming down his cheeks onto the floor between them. She gently pulled at the hem of his shirt and worked it up to his chest. He mindlessly obliged to her silent request, allowing her to undress him slowly. She stood and turned the water on in the shower, coaxing Ken up to his feet while the water warmed.

Soon the room filled with steam, and Yolei was guiding him into the shower. The hot water felt soothing, but so undeserved. Yolei ran her hands over his face, arms and torso, helping to remove the dried blood from his body. It took a moment for him to realize she was in the shower with him, his pants still on, and she fully clothed. He frowned at her, seeing she had taken her glasses off and was staring at him sorrowfully. "Yolei…"

Her palms pressed lightly against his chest, lips pursed and tears running down her cheeks. "I know this is hard…" she whispered, voice shaking. "But as much as he's needed you until now, he'll need you even more going forward. So, you have to pull yourself together. Okay?"

He reached up and took her hands in his, pulling her close, kissing the top of her head. He inhaled shakily. "I love you." He murmured lightly.

She smiled and rested her head against his chest. "I love you too."

#

T.K. sat upright, gasping sharply. Matt's firm grip took hold of his shoulders, bringing him back to reality abruptly. The tension in his muscles eased, and he took in a slow, deep breath.

"T.K.?" Matt's worried voice came from behind him. "What's wrong?"

T.K. shook his head, swallowing hard. He'd felt Wisemon. He was close. He couldn't form the words he needed to tell his brother—like he knew if he verbalized that Wisemon was coming, that would solidify it—that all his fears were moments away from coming true.

"T.K.!" Matt said his name forcefully, gripping him and shifting his body so they were face to face now. "What is it? Tell me."

T.K. felt the panic rising in his chest, and he wanted to just bury himself and make the world around him disappear. He didn't want to go with Wisemon, he didn't want Matt or the others to get hurt. He didn't want this. His mind spun and he couldn't help but look down at the bandages on his arm, wishing more than anything they hadn't stopped him from… tears blurred his vision and Matt's scared voice jolted him from his thoughts.

"T.K., breathe!" He inhaled suddenly, realizing he had been holding his breath, his dulled senses coming into clarity. Hearing his brother's shaking voice, feeling his hands trembling as they gripped his shoulder's painfully.

"Matt…" T.K.'s shaking voice was barely above a whisper.

"T.K., what's wrong?" Matt's voice had lowered, but the panic had not left.

The door slid open abruptly, making them both look up at the intrusive light streaming in from the hall, seeing Tai and Davis staring worriedly at them.

"Matt, what's going on?" Tai said, slightly winded. "We heard you yelling."

Matt swallowed hard. "I don't know. He won't tell me what's wrong. He just woke up in a panic."

"He's close…" T.K. strangled out. "…He's coming…"

Matt's grip on T.K. faltered, his eyes widening. "T.K., that's not… Gennai said—"

"I felt him." T.K. closed his eyes tightly. "Matt…"

He heard someone take off down the hall, and then suddenly Tai's voice was next to him. "Hey, calm down. T.K., look at me."

T.K. opened his eyes just long enough to see Tai kneeling in front of him, he could feel Tai gripping his shoulders tightly. "I don't want this…" his voice broke. "I'm scared…"

"Hey, listen to me…" Tai's voice regained some of its normal confidence. "…I don't know how this will turn out, but we're the Digidestined, right? We won't just give up. We won't stand idly by and watch you struggle by yourself. We're never going to grow so far apart that we don't care anymore. We're never going to turn a blind eye if one of us is in need. We're together, no matter what. Got it?"

T.K. couldn't open his eyes, he couldn't look at them. Gritting his teeth, he tried to pull away from Tai, but he wouldn't allow it. "I…" his voice shook. He was ashamed of himself, he had nowhere the level of strength that his brother and Tai had. He had given up before it started, and he still wanted to give up. He couldn't help the thoughts that ran through his mind.

You hurt them…

You're the reason they're in danger…

You'll get them killed…

You're going to die…

You're going to bring darkness to the world…

GATE

The next sound T.K. heard was crashing and the next feeling—pain, and then nothing.

#

"Damn it!" Davis hissed under his breath as he ran down the hall. Veemon, Gatomon and Patamon were the only digimon there. The other three had gone to collect the older kids' partners.

As he rounded the corner, he almost ran into Kari. "Whoa!" He grabbed her shoulders to keep her from running headfirst into him.

"Davis!" She raised her hands, resting them on his chest. "Sorry!"

Sora and Mimi were following her, Gatomon stopping beside Kari's feet and Patamon swiftly flying past the group, undoubtably looking for his partner. "Kari, what's going on?"

Sora answered for her. "She just woke up in a panic."

"Davis!" Veemon rounded the corner behind them, just as Davis turned his head to look back at his digimon, he heard a thundering crash and the lights went out, and the light of Davis' and Kari's digivice's lit up just in time for Davis to see the entire house crashing down around them.

ExVeemon grabbed up Davis and Kari swiftly and slammed through the collapsing ceiling. Angewomon must have gone for the girls. Before Davis could open his eyes and look to see what was happening, something bright shot ExVeemon, sending him, along with Davis and Kari in his arm's, crashing down to the ground.

#

T.K.'s chest ached, he felt like he could barely breathe. The crest of light activated. He knew from both the pain coursing through his body and from the faint glow of the wristband. The panic steadily rose inside of him, making him nauseated. If Gatomon evolved, it was because Kari was in trouble too—they all were. He tried to move, stopping as he realized Matt was on top of him, trying to shield him. His brother's chest pressed against his back. He could feel Matt's chest pounding, his arms shaking on either side of him—something was on top of them, and he was trying desperately to keep it from crushing them both.

"Matt…" T.K. moaned. "Matt…"

"T.K., are you hurt?" His voice strained, speaking through clenched teeth.

T.K. was silent for a moment. "I'm fine…" He lied. "What about you?"

Matt groaned a little. "I'm fine. Don't worry T.K." If his voice wasn't a dead giveaway, the hot liquid T.K. felt dripping on his neck from above was.

"You're bleeding." T.K. tried to shift so he could look up at Matt, but it was too tight and dark. What little he could make out was that they were buried beneath splintered wood.

"Matt!" Tai's muffled call came from nearby. "T.K.!"

"Here, Tai!" Matt cried out, desperation in his shaking voice.

Crisp air and the night sky welcomed them as Angemon lifted the debris, no doubt once part of the now missing ceiling, off them.

Matt relaxed and rolled off the side of T.K., leaning back on his arms. "Are you alright?"

T.K. didn't move, the pain of the crest burning inside of him. "Yeah…" He managed to answer without too much strain in his voice.

"Tai?" Matt's voice sounded weak.

"I'm fine." Tai's voice shook, a few cuts and bruises on his arms and face, but otherwise he looked unharmed. "Angemon got to me in time." He noticed Matt's injury and kneeled beside him and T.K. "Better than you, anyway."

Matt reached up and wiped the side of his face with the back of his hand, smearing the blood across his cheek. "It's not that bad…" his gaze moved toward T.K., looking him over now that his eyes were adjusting to the darkness.

Tai shoved himself up, his voice etched with panic. "We need to find the others."

T.K. pushed himself up, wincing.

Matt's own voice mirrored Tai's. "Angemon?"

T.K. looked up at Angemon, who was looking around warily, tall enough to see over the mountain of destruction around them. T.K. couldn't muster the strength to speak. He knew this was going to happen. He warned them. And now it was happening, and he was so exhausted he couldn't even react.

Angemon tensed, his gaze fixed on the east, a purple glow glazing over Angemon's towering form. T.K. knew he'd found the culprit. In that same moment, Tai yelled out. "There! I see them! It's ExVeemon and Angewomon!" They're—" A burst of energy cut him off as it shot right through the building ruins.

Angemon grabbed them all, barely making it into the air in time. The weight of all three made him land rather ungracefully, just out of the wake of the attack.

Angemon haphazardly dropped them onto the ground, Matt ensuring he had a grip on T.K. before they hit the ground.

T.K. closed his eyes and tried to block it all out. This was it. This was the end. His friends were hurt. He had tried so hard, and now it was all for nothing. All control over his fate inadvertently ripped from his hands by the people he'd tried so desperately to protect.

"T.K.!" Matt's voice made him open his eyes. His gaze fixating on the large gash on the side of Matt's face, near his hairline, and the thick streaks of blood running down the length of his face and down his neck. It wasn't a minor injury, and he was sure it hurt. "T.K.!"

T.K. blinked hard and finally met Matt's eyes. "I told you…"

"Don't." Matt spoke between clenched teeth.

T.K.'s calm demeanor shattered at the sound of Tai yelling at them. He turned just in time to see another blast of energy directed at them. Matt shoved T.K. down onto the ground, just barely clearing the attack himself.

Angemon took off into the air, striking Mephistomon with his staff—however the digimon deflected the attack, sending Angemon back to the ground, sliding to a stop just before the ruined house. He straightened his stance and took a firm step forward. "What are you doing?!"

Mephistomon chuckled.

Angemon growled, pointing the end of his staff at the dark digimon. "I won't let you touch him!"

#

Kari opened her eyes. She was lying on the ground next to an unconscious Davis—she must have lost consciousness as well, because she didn't remember hitting the ground, and her head throbbed.

ExVeemon was weakly kneeling over them, protectively. "Is Davis alright?" He groaned.

Kari pushed herself up and shook his shoulder, a large gash on his forehead. "Davis?" She winced, reaching up to her own head.

"Kari?" Angewomon's worried voice came from behind, a mostly unharmed Sora and Mimi laying on the ground behind them.

Sora was shaking, but she staggered quickly to Kari and Davis. "Are you two alright?"

Kari shook her head. Each second that passed, the more she noticed another part of her body that hurt. Her shoulder ached, she was noticing cuts on her arms and hands, her ankle burned. "I don't know."

Sora moved to kneel next to Davis to assess the cut on the side of his forehead. "It doesn't look too deep…"

ExVeemon shifted into a standing position, revealing their surroundings. "What happened?"

Kari looked around for the first time. The entire house had been destroyed. Her eyes widened, and her breath hitched. "No…" She struggled to her feet and staggered a few steps. She felt simultaneous relief and panic at the sight of her brother, Matt and T.K. just outside of the smoldering rubble. They were alive—but they were hurt.

She took another step forward, barely acknowledging Mimi's worries about Izzy. She felt dizzy, she couldn't breathe. "No…" she lifted her shaking hands to her mouth slowly. She took a step forward, and another. She opened her mouth to call out, but an ominous pulse of energy made her stop in her tracks. A purple glow shimmered from behind them, making her slowly turn to face the digimon behind them. Angemon was charging toward Mephistomon, barely dodging the digimon's attacked. ExVeemon and Angewomon looked up. The tension was nearly visible as they watched them begin their fight.

#

T.K. had hit his head. Hard. Everything went dull and muffled with a deafening ringing in his head. Tai's panicked voice made him open his eyes.

"Matt!" Tai was shaking his brother. "Matt…!" His voice broke.

Despite the suffocating fear that was bearing down on him, he forced himself to sit up.

He couldn't speak.

He couldn't.

He couldn't do this…

Matt…

Why couldn't they have given up on him as easily as he gave up on himself?

Why were they here?

Why?

WHY?

He finally made eye contact with Tai. His trembling, desperate voice pulling T.K. out of his haze. "T.K.!"

T.K. stared at Tai, blinking. "Matt…"

"He's just unconscious." Tai shifted, wincing painfully. "Can you help me?"

T.K.'s gaze drifted down to Tai's arm, blood running down from beneath his sleeve.

"T.K." Tai let out a shaky breath. "Please, help me get him up. We need to get to the others and get out of here."

No… no… no…

Every nightmare he'd had since coming to the digital world was meshed into this chaotic, disorienting mess, and he felt so numb.

In all his panic, in all his fear, all he could do was stare blankly at his unconscious brother and injured friend.

He could feel his chest rising and falling with each breath, but it didn't feel like he could breathe.

Suffocating.

Numbness.

It was too much.

Too much.

GATE.

A pulse of pain vibrated through his entire body, making him wince. "I can't do this anymore…" his shaking voice was barely audible. T.K. stood, staggering to keep himself from falling back down.

"What?" Tai looked at T.K., confused. "T.K., are you alright?" Matt stirred, groaning, pulling Tai's attention from T.K. "Hey…"

Barely conscious, Matt asked groggily. "T.K.?"

Tai looked to T.K. "He's right here."

T.K. shifted, ignoring the pain coursing through his body. Between the physical injuries and the pain from Angewomon, he wasn't sure how he could move. He looked up to Angemon, a lone champion facing Mephistomon—an ultimate stronger than most.

Angemon needed to digivolve. He couldn't possibly stop Mephistomon, not in his current condition. Not worrying about the consequences of digivolving to ultimate himself.

Angemon looked ready to strike, his grip on his staff tightening. T.K. clenched his jaw, fear tightening his chest. He had to stop him. "You promised!" Everything stopped. Everyone turned to look at T.K., including his partner and Mephistomon. "You… promised me…!"

The look of bitterness on Angemon's face grew as the silence continued. "T.K." he said his name between clenched teeth, clearly struggling internally.

Angewomon stood next to Angemon, resting her hand on his shoulder. "This isn't over yet. You're not alone."

ExVeemon nodded, coming to his right side. "We're not giving up yet."

"Give me one more chance, T.K." Angemon turned back to Mephistomon. "We're not going down without a fight."

T.K. grimaced, lowering his face. "He promised…"

Tai looked up at T.K. wearily. "T.K., what are you talking about?"

"Matt!" Sora dropped to her knees beside Tai and took hold of Matt's hand. "Tai, is he alright?"

"I'm not sure." He grimaced at his friend, who was loosely coming in and out of consciousness. He looked back up at T.K., frowning—he was walking away.

Tai stood, staggering after him. As soon as he caught up, he stepped in T.K.'s way. "What are you doing?" T.K. gave Tai a look, a look that sent a chill down his spine, that made him hold his breath. "T.K.?"

"I'm ending this…"

Tai fought back a grimace, staring sternly at the boy. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, I won't let you."

"I have to…" T.K. shook his head, his voice breaking. "Before anyone else gets hurt. Before anyone dies."

"Anyone?" Tai snapped. "Except you, right? You do this and you're the one who's going to die."

"Tai, please." T.K. shook his head. "I can't watch the people I care about die because of me. What would you do if it were you, that they were after?" T.K.'s eyes welled with tears. "Would you choose to protect yourself and sacrifice Matt? Kari? Any of the others?"

"That's not… It's not…" Tai's voice caught. "…T.K., it doesn't matter what I would do, I won't let you—" Tai winced, pulling his arm closer to his torso, hissing in pain.

T.K.'s body ached with remorse. He stared at Tai, covered in wounds. Slowly he looked around himself. His unconscious brother on the ground, Sora trying desperately to wake him. Mimi huddled over an injured Davis. A destroyed house where Gennai and Izzy were last seen. Finally, his eyes stopped on Kari as she stared at him nervously.

"T.K." Tai growled. "Don't…!" Tai winced again, leaning forward.

T.K. reached for Tai but recoiled—the guilt overwhelming him. His voice a whisper. "You'd do the same thing if it were you."

T.K. took a step to walk around Tai, but Tai reached over and gripped his forearm with his shaking grip. "T.K., no—gah!" Tai's grip slipped from T.K. as he kneeled to the ground, gasping in pain. "Damn it!"

T.K. moved past Tai, toward Mephistomon—he was going to end this. Now.

You hurt them…

You're the reason they're in danger…

You'll get them killed…

You're going to die…

You're going to bring darkness to the world…

GATE

#

Kari stared as Angemon struggled hopelessly against Mephistomon. Their enemy may only be an ultimate, but the powers of darkness were pulsating off him in waves. Enough to make her sick to her stomach. He wasn't anything like he had been before when they saw him in the forest with Wisemon. He was oozing with darkness comparable to that of the dark ocean. A cold aura sending chills down her spine.

"He's too strong." She whispered, taking a step back, staring wide eyed at Mephistomon.

Suddenly T.K.'s voice silenced the battle. "You promised!" Slowly Kari turned to see T.K. and her brother standing between her and where Matt and Sora were. He was looking up at Angemon desperately. "You… promised me…!"

Davis groaned from behind her, stirring. "What… happened?" he murmured.

"Are you alright? Can you sit up?" Mimi's worried voice asked gently.

"We…" Kari swallowed hard. "We did this…" She couldn't take her eyes off T.K., watching her brother's grip slip from T.K.'s arm.

Mimi looked up at her. "What?"

"He told us…" Her lips quivered.

Davis pushed himself up. "Kari…"

"We can't just give up." Mimi's voice shook, despite the forced confidence. "We just need to get out of here…"

"How?" Davis snapped as he stood up, staggering. "Gennai is the only person who can get us out of here."

Kari's heart sunk as she watched T.K.'s gaze fix on Mephistomon, walking slowly toward him.

Davis' hand gripped Kari from behind, making her take her eyes off T.K. "Hey…" Her knees went weak, and he had to grab hold of her shoulders to support her. "Whoa! Hey, I got you, I got you…" He lowered her to her knees, kneeling in front of her.

Kari looked up at him. "I was wrong, wasn't I?" Tears ran down her face.

"I…" Davis looked at her, uncertain. "No… I don't know… I…" Davis looked up, his frown deepening. "What is he doing?"

Kari turned her head back to see T.K. walking past them, the look on his face defeated.

She turned, trying to force her legs to carry her weight. "Stop!" She hissed. "T.K.!" She finally managed to shove herself up and ran after him, grabbing his arms and planting herself in front of him, her legs shaking violently beneath her. "T.K.!" Her gaze fixed on the blood dripping down the side of his face.

T.K. looked like he was in a daze, staring expressionlessly toward Mephistomon. His gaze slowly shifted down to her and then off to the side, seeing Davis standing close by, the gash on his forehead dripping blood down the side of his face. He grimaced slightly, the only flicker of emotion to reach his eyes.

"T.K." she said his name sharply.

He looked down at her, regret filling his eyes. He lowered his face down and pressed his forehead to hers.

Her breath caught. Her grip on his arms tightening. "You…"

Silence.

"T.K." Her voice shook with fear and anger. "Don't."

"You're hurt…" He murmured; pain clear in his voice.

Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. "You're hurt too."

He pulled away from her and looked up at Mephistomon. Blood slipped from the corner of his lips.

"No one is listening…" He whispered through clenched teeth. "No one is hearing me… I just want to end this…"

Kari's eyes widened and tears ran down her cheeks. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

T.K.'s expression darkened. "I give up!" He shouted so loud his voice almost went shrill at the end. Kari winced from the sheer volume. "I'll go!"

All four digimon turned to face them, a deafening silence washing over them yet again.

He spoke again, quietly, his lips quivering. "I'll go…"

"T.K., no!" Angemon growled.

ExVeemon growled and charged right for Mephistomon. "Not… while I'm still… standing!" He slammed his fist into the distracted Mephistomon's face, sending the digimon spirally toward the ground, hitting the barrier that was keeping the lake at bay. The deafening thud echoed throughout the area.

Everyone blinked at the scene in disbelief.

Silence.

Davis burst out laughing, making everyone look his direction, startled. "That's my partner!" He pumped his fist. "Damn straight! We ain't givin' up yet."

"Hurry!" Angemon hollered, and all three digimon attacked the billowing cloud of dust. "Hand of Fate!"

"Celestial Arrow!" Angemon cried.

ExVeemon leaped into the air. "Vee Laser!"

The dust cleared and Mephistomon dodged most of their attacks, his speed unreal. However, Angewomon was already releasing another arrow, which struck the digimon in the shoulder.

Angemon took advantage of the hit and he and ExVeemon were on Mephistomon before he could recover, knocking him back down.

"How do you like that"! ExVeemon bellowed victoriously.

Angemon didn't look as pleased, grimacing. "We're not done yet."

T.K. closed his eyes, he couldn't watch. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

Kari's grip slipped from his arms, making him open his eyes. His breath hitched as a fist came flying at his face, knocking him onto his back.

"Davis!" Kari's screamed. She ran to T.K.'s side, gripping his shoulder tightly. "T.K.?" Her voice shook.

T.K. blinked a few times before his vision focused and he saw Davis reaching a hand down to him. "Did I knock some sense into you yet? I can do it again, if not."

T.K. closed his eyes. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me…" hot tears slipped out from under his eyelids.

Davis kneeled beside him. "You need to listen to me, T.K." He reached down, grabbing T.K.'s arm to help him sit up. "For however much you want to give up, I'm that much more determined to keep fighting."

Just then a wave of dark energy knocked all three of their partners back. Angemon struggled back to his feet, leaning on his staff to keep himself upright. Angewomon on her hands and knees and ExVeemon staggering, barely keeping himself standing.

T.K. saw the look on Davis' determined face and he could feel it. He could feel Davis' crest. "We'd need a miracle…"

Davis raised an eyebrow at T.K. "Huh?"

Just then Mephistomon struck Angemon with his enormous fist, making the digimon kneel before him in pain. "Ngh…" Angemon groaned between clenched teeth, trying to stand again, but Mephistomon grabbed Angemon by the neck, lifting him up into the air.

Davis's hand tightened around T.K.'s arm. "No!"

"Angem—gah!" T.K. choked, another pulse of energy painfully coursed through him—Angewomon was already taking a toll on his body. He cursed under his breath.

Davis looked down at his hand, still tightly gripping T.K.'s forearm. "What's this feeling…?"

T.K. winced. "He's going to kill him." He breathed, inhaling sharply.

"T.K.?" Davis let go of his arm suddenly, like he'd realized what was happening, but it was too late.

"What?" Davis looked panicked, instant regret filling Davis' eyes. "What's happening?"

T.K. groaned, shaking his head. "Don't fight it …"

A surge of power pulsed through him and he could feel it, his crest. "Wait, this is…"

Mephistomon laughed darkly. "He'll watch you all die before I take him."

"I won't let you!" Angemon strangled out.

Mephistomon chuckled. "You can't stop this."

Angemon clenched his teeth. "I'll die trying!"

"Please, do." Mephistomon's voice darkened and his eyes glowed a dark purple.

Just as Mephistomon rose his other hand over Angemon, a bright golden light burst from behind Angemon. Mephistomon released Angemon and retreated a few steps, raising his arms in front of his chest to block the oncoming attack.

"Magnum Crush!"