ch.11- Break On Through to the Other Side Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I do own Trikmon©, and the concept of this story. If you want to see past chapters and/or fanart for this story, go to http://www.crosswinds.net/~filldnothingness. My poor site, after being eaten by Crosswinds' RAID system, is back up, with new pictures, too. My Kenyako site is also back up. You can find it at "http://www.crosswinds.net/~filldnothingness/addiction" Hey, send some stuff in!

Author's Notes: Wow, everyone seemed to have missed the spoiler in the past chapter! Actually, I'm glad. Wanna save it for later. ;) I just want to continue to thank everyone who's been reviewing this story faithfully. It's really become my baby, and I'm glad you're enjoying it as much as I am.

And for those wondering why this chapter disappeared for a while, I erased it after only having it up for 20 minutes. I realized there were quite a few errors around, and it was WAY too late at night for me to fix them properly. So, rather than keep the messy chapter up, I erased it to repost it the next day. Sorry if I made anyone angry. Just wanted to give you the best edition of the chapter I can!

Japanese lesson of the day:
onii-chan: informal way to say "big brother."


The Meek Shall Inherit the Earth

Chapter 11: Break On Through to the Other Side

Ever since she was a little girl, Hikari Kamiya had strange things happening to her. She was a regular magnet for the unusual. However, her present predicament was something Kari could never had predicted in a million years.

"I'm right here!" Mimi repeated.

At least, Kari thought it was Mimi; it certainly looked like her. There was, of course, one problem with that. Mimi Tachikawa was presently lying in the bed behind her in a coma. Kari's brain went into overdrive. Mimi was in the bed, completely unaware of the world. Mimi was also standing less than two feet away from her, looking pale and... see-through, of all things. Kari could handle this. Of course, she could.

"Mimi?" the brunette whispered.

The girl with cotton candy hair stopped her frantic movements, and watched the Kamiya girl. "You can see me, can't you, Kari?"

"You can?" Palmon demanded, her slender fingers suddenly grabbing on to Kari's shoulders with surprising strength. "Where is she?"

Kari looked at the green girl, finally breaking her eyes away from the ghostly figure. Almost mechanically, she pointed. "Right behind you."

Palmon let her go, and twirled around. "Where? I can't see her!"

Unfortunately, neither could Kari anymore. The instant Palmon had let go, Mimi had vanished.

"I'm still here. Right beside you, Palmon," Mimi said.

"I can't see you at all," Palmon moaned. "Kari, where is she?"

"I... " Kari narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I don't know. I can't see her anymore. I can't even hear her."

"But you saw her, right?" Palmon looked at her. "She's here."

"Right here!"

"Yes, I saw her," Kari nodded. "Only for a moment, though. When you let go, I... " Her eyes widened as understanding dawned. "Palmon, come here."

"What? Why?"

"Just humor me." Kari reached her hand out. Hesitantly, Palmon walked over, blinking questioningly when Kari placed her hand on the green girl's shoulder. The instant Kari made physical contact with the gijinka digimon, Mimi phased back into view, and it sounded like her ears crackled for a moment.

"Can you see me?" Mimi asked.

Kari nodded. "I can hear you, too. I get it now."

"I still don't see her," Palmon said, frowning.

"I don't get that," Kari admitted. "But I think I need to be touching you to see Mimi."

"Why?" Palmon questioned.

"I don't really know," Kari answered, eyes focused on Mimi. "Maybe because you're her digimon. Mimi, where are you?"

"Here," Mimi said, a slight scowl on her pale face. "I've been saying that this whole time!"

"No," Kari shook her head. "I mean, have you seen anything else but this room? Have you been here since you... " she gulped, carefully choosing her words. "Since you were a-assaulted?"

"Well, actually," Mimi bit her lip, "now that you mention it, I think I remember something. It's all fuzzy, though. Like it's right behind my eyelids. Does that make any sense?"

"Describe what you can remember, please?" Kari requested.

"Let's see... Um," Mimi closed her eyes in thought. "It's dark. I can't really see anything. Just this strange darkness, and it's really cold. I'm... I'm really cold," her voice faltered.

"Mimi?" Palmon called, concerned.

"I'm okay, Palmon. Really," Mimi reassured her friend, though Kari could see how suddenly ragged she looked. Mimi closed her cinnamon eyes again. "There's really nothing to see. It's kinda like space. I can't feel anything. Well, I can feel cold, but it's like my legs and arms aren't here. I thought I'd never be able to talk to anyone! But then I heard Palmon, and...
"But I can still see the place I'm in. Not here. It just won't get any clearer. But it... it has this familiar feeling to it. I think I know this place, but I can't recognize it."

"Focus," Kari demanded.

"I'm trying!" Mimi stated. "But, I just can't do it. I don't... " she gasped, her eyes snapping open. "I don't feel very good."

"Mimi, what's wrong?" Palmon asked, looking frantic again.

"I'm not sure," Mimi placed a shaking hand to her forehead. "I feel strange. Like taffy. Ya know? Being pulled all over the place. I don't like this!" she declared, trembling. "I... all weird, a... -ake it stop!"

Kari blinked. "Mimi, I can't hear some of what you're saying. Palmon?"

"No," Palmon shook her head. "She's fading on me, too."

Mimi looked even sicker at that, if it were possible. She hugged herself, teeth clenched. "I just wan... home! Why is th... so scared, Palmon."

"It's okay, Mimi," Palmon said, comfortingly, even though her eyes were filled with worry. "I'm here."

But even as the gijinka girl was trying to calm her frazzled partner, Kari was watching Mimi's form begin to waver, becoming less and less opaque. Kari never liked feeling helpless; she had always wanted to protect and care for her friends. Being emotional support had been her contribution to the group. Not like Sora; no, Kari was no mother figure. But she did try to uplift everyone's spirits when the occasions to do so arose.

However, this was a situation where Kari had no idea how to help. And she hated every moment of it.

"Mimi, I... " Kari's voice trailed, her mind unable to come up with anything intelligible.

"Tired... " Mimi murmured, almost completely gone from view. " ... very tired."

And she was gone.


In the cold darkness, the old man's head hung as limp as the rest of his exhausted body. He barely had the strength left to breathe evenly. How long had he been strung up? Days? Weeks? A full month now, maybe? His arms and legs had all gone through the stages of losing feeling, 'pins and needles,' and back to the numbness. Now, they just seemed eternally sore, like he had been in a marathon that his old body could've never been able to handle.

And, of course, to make matters worse, Gennai still didn't know where he was.

But that problem seemed to become more and more trivial as time went on. The safety of the Digidestined was his top priority on his Worry List. They had to survive. They had to realize there was a way to defeat the enemy. It might mean the ultimate sacrifice for one of them, but if that's what it took...

"Oh, Gennai... " the creature across the room sighed with a voice like a skipping record. "Sincerity is causing a few waves. I can feel her. The little piece of cotton candy thinks she can spoil my fun. Tut, tut! What rudeness.
"But, I suppose it is my fault that she's in such a position, " he admitted, flashing a few rows of gleaming fangs. "I was supposed to get the boy of Knowledge and Reliability. My sloppiness is the cause of this whole mess. What a shame. I guess... I'll just have to fix it, won't I?" Trikmon looked over at his 'guest' with a strange expression. "Do make yourself presentable, Gennai. We're about to have a visitor."


"She was standing right here," Kari pointed to the empty space in the corner. "It was strange, but she was there."

"But you couldn't see her, Palmon?" Izzy asked, eyes narrowed at the place in thought.

"No," Palmon sighed. "I could only hear her."

"And you could only hear and see her when you were in physical contact with Palmon," Izzy continued. "Correct, Kari?"

"Yes," the brunette nodded.

"What the hell is going on?" Tai muttered darkly, reflecting just about everyone's thoughts out loud.

"It's quite curious... " Izzy murmured, his black orbs going slowly around the room, as if he could somehow see something everyone else couldn't.

Tentomon occupied the door, gazing on silently, storing everything they said for future reference. Maybe there was something they missed that he'd realize later on. He watched as Tai paced the room, every so often throwing a question out to Kari that he had already asked a few times over. Palmon sat on the bed, one hand grasping one of Mimi's, another reaching out and holding onto Agumon's shoulder as he sat down next to her.

"Tell me again, Kari," ordered Izzy. "What exactly was the description of the place Mimi said she was in?"

"Well," Kari thinned her lips, "she said it wasn't very clear to her. Dark and cold, that was all she could think of. She said it was like space. And then she got really tired really quick," she said, softly. "It was like all her energy just drained."

"It's actually somewhat logical," Izzy nodded, hand on his chin. "If it's her mind, or her essence making contact from another plane, it must've been pure willpower that helped her do it. I'm sure that would expend a great deal of energy in a small amount of time."

"Then, if it's a different plane, is it the Digital World?" Tai questioned.

"Doubtful," Izzy stated. "When we were in the DigiWorld, we had solid, digital forms, and we were well aware of our surroundings. And when we crossed back to our world, our minds weren't separate from our real forms."

"She did say it was familiar, though," Kari mentioned. "She just couldn't remember why."

"What type of place like that could possibly be familiar to Mimi?" Agumon asked, eyes on Palmon.

The green girl shook her head, distraught. "I don't know! Mimi likes bright places. Parties and such. Dark and cold... I can't imagine any place Mimi would go to like that!"

"Neither can I," Tai admitted.

"There has to be a catch somewhere," Izzy pondered. "There are so many unanswered questions. Where is Mimi right now? How is it she was able to contact us through Palmon?"

"Well," Tentomon spoke up for the first time, "if she was using her energy, then it would make sense that she could make contact through Palmon. After all, we do tap into your energy to digivolve. Uh, we used to, anyway," he amended.

"Yes, I see," nodded Izzy. "You all tapped into our specific energies when it was necessary. It is logical that, in certain situations, it could be used in different ways. In Mimi's case, pinpointing Palmon as a form of satellite to relay a message.
"But, that still leaves where Mimi is," he added, frowning. "Also, why Palmon could only hear her, but when Kari was in physical contact with Palmon, she could hear and see Mimi. And most importantly, how we bring Mimi back into her body."

Tentomon fell silent again, his brain in overdrive. There had to be some sort of clue. Mimi's familiarity with her new surroundings. There was something big in that. If he could make the connection, maybe they could make some progress.

Tentomon's light green eyes fell upon Palmon, who was drooping her head onto Agumon's shoulder. Poor thing. Tentomon couldn't imagine what it would be like if something happened to Izzy. He didn't want to imagine. He could feel his resolve strengthen as he watched his miserable friend. He would find a way. He had to.


"Iori," Armadimon whispered. "Get up, Iori. If you're going to fall asleep, let me put you to bed."

"No," Iori murmured, stubbornly rubbing his eyes. "I'm staying until she wakes up."

"It's all right, Iori," Hawkmon assured him. "If Yolei wakes up, I'll make sure you know immediately."

"That's not good enough," the small boy shook his head. He reached out, and grasped one of Yolei's cold hands. "I want to be here for her."

"You will be," Armadimon insisted. "She knows you care. But you're going to make yourself sick if you keep this up. You haven't slept for almost two days."

"She hasn't woken up in two days," Iori needlessly reminded them. "So, we're even. I have to be here when she wakes up. I want... " his voice trailed, and his bottom lip trembled just slightly. Closing his deep green eyes, he inhaled, shakily. "I just have to be here."

Armadimon sighed, resignedly. "Okay, Iori. But I'm staying as long as you are."

"You need your sleep," Iori argued.

"And so do you," Armadimon retorted, a brow raised. "I can stay up as long as you can."

Hawkmon did his best not to snort at that remark. "Fine, fine," he rolled his blue eyes. "You're both staying. Just don't fuss over her!" He sniffed. "That's my job."

His joke was meant to make Iori smile, but the boy did not. He simply sat beside the bed, holding onto Yolei's hand, as she slept on. He understood that Armadimon and Hawkmon were worried about his health. Iori even appreciated it. A great deal, in fact. It was just that they didn't understand. They could never really understand.

Iori could still remember the night it had happened. He was only five, and his mother had burst into his room, telling him he had to get up. He hadn't understood what was going on, as his mother put his shoes on his feet, and put him in his jacket while he was still dressed in his night clothes. All through the car ride, Iori had watched his mother's pretty face. The usual calm, smooth features were tense and drawn with worry. Her lips were a thin line, and the unnatural headlights of oncoming traffic in the next lane revealed her eyes were red with shed tears.

When they had arrived at their destination, Iori hadn't realized it was a hospital until after they had gotten inside. He had been in his mother's arms when the doctor had talked to her. His memory of the conversation was sketchy, at best. The doctor had been speaking so quickly, and with medical jargon that Iori couldn't quite grasp. But some words did stick out. "Bullet wound... ruptured... internal bleeding... coma... your husband... " Your husband. His father. His father and pain did not belong in the same sentence, let alone in a hospital.

When his mother had been allowed to see his father, Iori had stubbornly gone with her, even though by that time his grandfather had arrived. He had to see his father for himself. But when he did see him, Iori had barely recognized him. The once tall, strong police officer, the man who used to jokingly bench press his son to hear him laugh, was lying prone in a hospital bed. Tubes and monitors were attached to him, some making strange, wind like sounds, others beeping off key. The sounds were an eerie symphony, and that in of itself had made Iori want to run out of the room.

But he had stayed next to his mother, and followed her lead to pray. He couldn't help but to look, though. His father had looked so surprisingly small lying there. So horribly vulnerable and weak. His chest rose and fell with painful slowness, and his skin was clammy and pale. He barely looked like the man Iori knew.

He had prayed so very hard that night, along side his mother. For his father to heal, to wake up and walk around as if nothing wrong had happened. Iori had shut his eyes so tightly, tears formed, and he had pressed his forehead hard against his entwined fingers. But he was only a little boy. And little boy's needed their sleep. So he had fallen asleep next to his father, praying.

But when he had woken up, Iori was no longer in his father's hospital room. He wasn't even at the hospital. He was home, in bed, the morning sun shining in. And when he rose, he found his grandfather waiting for him in the living room. His father, his incredibly strong, vital father, had passed away while he had slept. There were no words to describe the guilt and shame Iori had felt at that moment, regardless of how his grandfather had insisted that there wasn't anything any of them could've done, and that his father was now at rest. Iori had been sleeping when his father had needed him. And he had never fully forgiven himself for it.

So now, Iori refused to make the same mistake with Yolei. He was going to stay awake and at her side until she woke up. He would not let his best friend down. He could not. Not again. Even while his body rebelled against him and ached for rest, Iori kept his vigil, green eyes fixated on his fallen friend, never wavering. He'd make good his promise, even if it made him sick. He owed it to Yolei, and to his father.


"Now, just get comfy, Ken-chan," Wormmon ordered, albeit not forcefully. "You'll feel much better with some rest."

Deciding it was pointless to argue with his personified digimon, Ken settled back into his bed. "I'm just a little dizzy, that's all," he said. "It's nothing to worry over."

"That's not what I saw," Biyomon said, leaning against the wall, a slight smirk on her face. "You were barely able to walk."

"I tripped," Ken bristled. "Even I can't be graceful all the time."

"Of course," Biyomon nodded, sagely. "Onii-chan."

Wormmon blinked, and looked at his partner. "You're her brother, Ken-chan?"

"No, I'm not," Ken grimaced. "She's crazy. Don't pay any attention to her."

"Oh, yes," Biyomon rolled her eyes. "Heaven forbid somebody willingly act nice towards you, besides Wormmon and Yolei. What's wrong, onii-chan?" she grinned, impishly. "You worried Yolei might get jealous?"

Wormmon raised a brow, confused. "Eh?"

Ken's scowl effectively covered his blush. "Annoying, bird-brained digimon."

Biyomon giggled. She had to admit that Ken was an awful lot of fun to pick on. And she supposed he wasn't so bad, even if he did have a tendency to be defensive. It was hard not to smile when you saw how he treated Wormmon.

The door creaked open, and a familiar white head peaked in. "There you are, Wormmie-kun!" Gatomon declared, skipping into the room and nearly pouncing on the green boy. "I've been looking all over for you. Patamon and I are going to try to learn our new attacks. And you're coming with!" she beamed.

"I-I am?" Wormmon stuttered.

"Yup," Gatomon grinned.

Shell-shocked and blinking repeatedly, Wormmon turned to Ken, a silent question in the air. Ken's mouth twitched in amusement, and he waved his hand, dismissively.

"Have fun," he said.

"Bye now!" Gatomon waved, dragging Wormmon out of the room behind her before the boy could say or do anything.

"Smitten," Biyomon remarked after the two were gone.

"Completely," Ken agreed.

"Cute," she stated, lips upturned.

"Strange," he retorted.

"Hmph!" Biyomon huffed. "Puppy love is cute!"

"She drags him around like a rag doll," Ken looked at her, incredulously. "You think that's cute?"

"Yes," she shrugged. "You follow Yolei like a lost puppy. That's cute, too."

"What?" he fumed, blushing furiously at the accusation. "I do not!"

"Well, no, not really," Biyomon conceded, grinning. "But it would be cute if you did. Onii-chan."

Ken's eye twitched, his arms slowly crossing over his chest as he stared the pink girl down. After a long moment of thin-lipped glaring, he grumbled, "Annoying, bird-brained digimon."

Biyomon's grin only widened.


She wasn't with Palmon anymore. But she wasn't in the dark, bitterly cold place, either. It was dark, yes, but she could see in front of her. A black, stone prison was the first thing that came to her mind. There were no windows. She reached out, touching the ice-cold walls, and pulled her hand quickly away. It was so cold it burned! Where on earth was she?

"Mimi... "

The girl spun on her heals, red-brown eyes eyes darting around to find the source of the voice. She barely saw him, so deep in the shadows he was. Dangling by string like a Thanksgiving turkey, his old head hung low from exhaustion.

"Gennai!" she called, running over to him. "You can see me? What happened to you? Are you okay?"

Normally, her rapid-fire questions would make the old man smile. Sincerity always did have a lot of energy in her. But right now he wanted her energy to be put to better use. "You... you have to leave this place, child," he wheezed, his lungs betraying him with sickness. "You're not safe here."

"No, I won't leave you," Mimi stated, stubbornly reaching up to pull on the deceiving strings. It struck her that she could actually feel them, but her need to help outweighed her pondering. "I'm going to get you out of here."

"You don't have time!" he shook his head. "He's coming. Hide. Run! Just stay away from him for a little while longer, until the others have figured it out."

"Figured what out?" she asked, pulling harder, making the strong stuff cut into her hands.

"No time," Gennai repeated. "Go, child. Run away!"

"I'm not leaving you," Mimi said again.

"It's too late, anyway, Gennai." The pink haired girl didn't even have time to gasp, as long fingers curled around her head and yanked her back. She was spun around until she was looking directly into incredibly pale blue eyes. "Sincerity! I've been expecting you."

Mimi whimpered, too scared for anything else to pass between her lips.

"I have to say, your form here is much more solid than in your world, isn't it?" Trikmon commented. "It was supposed to work so that you couldn't break the barrier to your world at all. I guess that's what I get for not creating perfect Ghastlymon copies."

"C-copies?" she managed to squeak, the wheels in her head turning at full speed.

"Why, yes. You didn't actually expect me to bother with real digimon, did you?" he asked, flashing his needle-like teeth. "They're so unreliable. Making copies seemed the best solution. If Father could create Chimeramon, then certainly I could use the same knowledge he did to create duplicates of actual digimon."

"What?" Mimi's eyes widened further, if possible. She could feel her chest contract in horror. "Chimera... Ken's your father?"

"Hn? Oh, you weren't... awake when that nibble of information became available, were you?" Trikmon pulled her struggling form closer to him, his long fingers twirling her soft hair. "Yes, I'm afraid it's true. But don't hold that against me, Sincerity."

"You're a creep!" she screeched, as his fingertips brushed her neck. "A big creep!"

He ignored her, seemingly enjoying her form pressed against his. "Copies are so much easier to control. And you don't have to deal with silly rings and spirals. Of course, I did have to manipulate the Ghastlymon poison so it had this particular affect on you, instead of a common coma." He sighed, frowning. "Obviously, it wasn't as perfected as I thought. A setback from my being so... young, I suppose.
"I wasn't even trying for you, dear Sincerity." Mimi shuddered as his fingers skipped across her lips. "The child of Knowledge and Reliability had been the target. So much easier to manipulate the young. But you'll have to do."

"Leave the girl alone!" Gennai demanded as best he could. "She can't help you in any way."

"On the contrary," Trikmon chuckled, with a voice like twisting metal, "Sincerity is going to be a great help. Pretty piece of bait, don't you think, Gennai?" He forced Mimi's chin up, making her gag. "Yes, I think she'll do quite well."

"I'm not doing anything for you!" she squealed, struggling as hard as possible.

"I don't think you quite understand this, Sincerity," he grasped the sides of her head, making her face him. "You don't really exist right now. You are nothing more than your mind in solid form. You are here because I will it so. Total manipulation," his fingers slipped into her hair, and she flinched as he placed his face closer to hers. "Do you understand yet? I'm manipulating everyone like puppets on strings... Like Gennais on strings," he softly laughed at his own joke.

"You can't do this!" Gennai argued. "It will never work. You can't destroy the balance!"

"Was I a destruction of the balance, old man?" Trikmon snarled, looking away from Mimi for a moment. "My creation proved your theory wrong."

"Your creation was a fluke!" Gennai stated, harshly. "An anomaly that will never happen again."

"Wha... ?" Mimi tried to pull away again, her mind spinning. She didn't understand what they were talking about. What balance? What theory?

"We'll see if I was a simple fluke," Trikmon growled, and dug his fingers into Mimi's scalp, causing her to scream out. "Ah, don't worry, Sincerity," he crooned, his face once more cool and confident. "It will only hurt for a minute. And then, you won't even know what's happening."

Something was on fire in her head, Mimi was sure of it. It was roaring in her ears, and she wanted to fall back, but Trikmon's hands wouldn't let her. Her eyes closed shut in vicious pain, and she could feel the tears well up as sharp jabbing seemed to penetrate her skull. Mimi opened her mouth to scream once more, only to find her throat too constricted to even make a moan. The feeling began to throb in her skull, pounding on the sides of it as if demanding to be let out of its flesh and bone prison. She thought her eyes were going to burst from it all.

And then, it was over.


Palmon sighed into Agumon's shoulder, her heart sinking once more. She had been so close to Mimi! And then she was gone. What was wrong with her best friend? What if they never found out? What if she never got her back?

"What if I never get her back?" Palmon whispered.

"Shhh... " Agumon cooed, stroking her hair comfortingly.

She closed her green eyes, keeping the tears from falling. Slowly, she inhaled, trying to calm herself. Getting hysterical would do her no good.

Something quivered in one of Palmon's hands, ever so slightly. She didn't notice it until it happened again, this time more insistently. Her eyes cautiously opened, staring at the hand that held Mimi's. It seemed like forever that nothing happened except for Tai's continuous grilling of Kari on the other side of the room. Then, Mimi's fingers began to twitch, this time not stopping.

"Mimi?" Palmon said, hushed. Then louder, "She's waking up! She's moving!"

Tai turned away from his sister, surprised etched on his face. "What?"

"She's waking up!" Palmon repeated, a smile lifting her face as she watched her friend's eyelids tremble.

From the doorway, Tentomon looked on, observing everyone huddling around Mimi's bed. Without a single moan, Mimi's eyes fluttered open.

"Oh, Mimi!" Palmon exclaimed, wrapping her arms about her best friend. "I should've never doubted you. I'm so happy you're awake!" she sobbed. "I've missed you so much!"

"Yeah," Tai nodded. "Welcome ba-"

"Tai," Izzy placed a warning hand on his taller friend's shoulder. Leaning up, he whispered, "Look at her eyes."

"Hn?" Frowning, Tai did what he was asked. At first, there didn't seem to be anything wrong to him. They were the same red-brown they always were. But the longer he stared, the more he realized there was something definitely off. They were dull, her pupils almost indistinguishable, and there was no reflection. They were dead.

Kari had noticed it, too, and could feel the dread creep up her spine. She didn't realize how tense she was until Mimi suddenly sat up. Kari jumped back, jumping again when her brother placed his hands protectively on her arms. She looked at him for a second before turning back to Mimi.

"You okay, Mimi?" Palmon asked, finally pulling away to get a better look at her friend. But when she saw her face, Palmon's smile disappeared. "Mimi... What happened?"

Mimi's expressionless face didn't falter. Without a word, she pushed Palmon hard enough to ram the green girl into Agumon. She pulled the covers off herself with a strong tug, swung her legs off the side of the bed and stood up.

"Mimi?" Palmon questioned, stunned.

"Now, Mimi, just lay back down," Tai ordered, taking gentle hold of her shoulders. "We're going to see what's wro-"

His sentence was abruptly cut short when Mimi punched him full force across his face, causing both Palmon and Kari to cry out. Tai staggered back, a hand to his stinging jaw, and wide-eyed with shock. And still, Mimi did not seem to show any hint of feeling, her face as placid as a death mask.

"I'm sorry, Mimi," Agumon apologized, coming up from behind her to wrap his arms around her. "But we have to keep you here until you're better."

She didn't make a move to struggle for a moment, and then, with no more effort than one would use to raise their hand, she gripped Agumon's arms, pulled them away from her, and casually flipped him over her shoulder, making him land in an undignified heap.

"Mimi, why are you doing this?" Palmon demanded, distraught.

Mimi didn't even turn, but instead went straight for the doorway, where Tentomon was unfortunately located.

"Get out of the way!" Izzy warned his partner. "She's dangerous."

Tentomon did his best to back up, not wanting to harm Mimi, but also not wanting to be harmed himself. But he was far too slow, and had the dubious pleasure of being slammed into the wall and out of Mimi's way while she passed him, and continued to make her way down the stairs. Izzy, Kari and Palmon rushed out of the room, after her.

Matt was in the living room, idly plucking at his guitar, when Mimi's lithe figure caught the corner of his eye. He practically dropped his instrument when she walked down the stairs.

"Mimi, you're awake," he stated, placing his guitar down so he could stand up. "I don't believe it."

"Watch it, Matt!" Izzy yelled from the top of the stairs. "There's something wrong with her. She's attacking everyone."

"What?" Matt turned to the pink haired girl who had left the steps, and was quickly making her way to the front door. "Mimi, stop! You can't go out there. It's not safe!"

He strode quickly over to her, and reached out to grab hold of her shoulder. Mimi spun around, her fist colliding with the side of Matt's head so hard he rammed into the wall. Her other hand easily found his throat, and she squeezed just hard enough for him to choke. His blue eyes widened, pupils dilating in disbelief.

"Let him go, Mimi!" Palmon yelled, running down the steps.

Matt found himself staring into cinnamon pools that used to glitter with every moment, and yet were now devoid of any life whatsoever. He used to be able to see right down into Mimi's soul when he looked into her eyes. Now there was nothing; he couldn't even see his own reflection. It was as if he was looking into a dirty mirror.

It nearly broke his heart. "Mimi?" he gasped, hoping that maybe she'd snap out of it.

She didn't even blink.

Letting him go as if he were nothing, Mimi opened the door of the house and walked out.

"Oh, stop her!" Palmon pleaded, running out with Izzy and Kari right behind her.

But Mimi had quickened her steps, and she was almost at the firewall's edge when Palmon reached her. The green girl grabbed onto her partner's arm, tugging at it fiercely.

"Mimi, listen to me!" Palmon begged. "You have to wake up now. Please, Mimi! Stay with me!"

Without a second's hesitation, Mimi turned, smacking Palmon square across the face, before hauling back and kicking the gijinka digimon in the stomach, sending her flying.

Palmon landed at Kari's feet. Kari bent down to check on her, but Palmon pushed her away, her green eyes focused on her best friend, who stared back at her mercilessly. Disbelief, physical and emotional anguish, pain so great there wasn't a word created for it, flooded Palmon as she watched Mimi's cold countenance.

Knowing full well that whatever had a hold of Mimi wouldn't allow him to subdue her, Izzy watched, waiting for Mimi's next move. A move which was to simply walk out of the safety of the firewall, the thing not even fizzling as she did so. She continued to walk, across the street, around the block, and out of view.

"Why didn't you try to stop her?" Kari asked, helping a stunned Palmon to her feet.

"How?" Izzy retorted. "She stopped Tai, Agumon, Tentomon, and Matt. There's no conceivable way I would've been affective on her."

"Where's she going?" Kari wondered out loud. "Should we follow her?"

"I don't know," Izzy answered. "It's a trap of some sort, obviously."

Palmon didn't listen to either of them, still focused on the acute pain that was stabbing her heart.

"She hit me," whispered, more to herself than anyone else. "Mimi hit me."

Kari looked at her, and comfortingly rubbed her shoulder. "There's something wrong with her, Palmon. Something controlling her. You know Mimi wouldn't hit you on purpose."

Palmon nodded, numbly, but her face was still one of shocked horror.

From the upstairs window, Tentomon watched it all, holding his now throbbing back. He never realized Mimi had that sort of strength in her! He'd have to pay more attention to her from now on. If he ever got that chance. From his vantage point, he could still see the pink haired girl walking in the dark, the street lamps illuminating her figure. He continued to watch, trying to see where she was going.

Then it caught his eye. Something in the distance. It was a dark thing, so it was difficult to distinguish it in the eternal night. But it was also large, larger than anything Tentomon had ever seen. A massive, black building, squared and featureless, reaching to the sky and seemingly above.

And right behind it, so small Tentomon wasn't quite sure he was right, was what looked to be a small tear floating in the air.

A tear to the Digital World.

Next Chapter: Rise to the Occasion