CHAPTER 10: Betrayal

"What happened?" Shouri looked around. Kari was crying. "Where are we, Tai? Tai, I'm scared!" She clung to her brother. T.K. was also scared. His eyes were wide, and his whole body was shaking. He was holding Matt's hand, and his knuckles were white. Akira was lying motionless on the floor. Yuuki was struggling not to cry. "What happened to her?" She inched closer and she grabbed her sister's hand. "Is she ok? What happened, Shouri?" She looked at him hopefully. "I don't know, Yuuki," was all he could tell her. Rick was rather quiet, and he and Joe were sitting in one corner. Sora and Mimi were shaking, not as much as T.K., however. Still, one couldn't happen but notice the look on their petrified faces. Akira's eyes fluttered. Slowly, she sat up and put her hand to her head. "Where...?" she said, still not fully awake. An evil voice came out of no where. "Ah, your friend is awake." The Digidestined and their digimon were transported to another room. "She should've stayed asleep. It would have prolonged her life, I should guess." The voice laughed. A figure appeared on the other side of the room. It was a man, with short black hair and an evil smile. His eyes were red, and he was wearing dark clothes. His cape flew out behind him. "So, as soon as the other boy arrives, we'll begin."
"Other boy? Oh no! He means Izzy!" Joe exclaimed. As if he'd heard his name called, Izzy and Tentomon fell on top of them all. "Ow!"
"Get off!"
"Hey, that's my face!"
An evil laugh brought them all back to the present problem. "Oh, I get so happy when you fight! But enough horseplay. Let's begin, shall we?" He motioned to Akira. "Come here, my dear."
"Are you crazy? I'll do no such thing!"
"I think I told you to come here!" Akira began to glow with a dark light. She was slowly lifted off the ground and carried to the end of the room. "Much better. Now, where was I? Oh, yes!" He took a lock of her hair. "Now, we just need to add this... There!" He held up a cornhusk doll, one that looked like Akira herself. On its head was Akira's hair. "I don't believe in those things! There is no such thing as voodoo!" Akira looked knowingly at the man. "We'll see about that. Hmm... dance for me, my dear!" He began to wiggle the doll. Strangely enough, Akira began to dance. "Hey, what the... I can't control my body!" Akira's face was the only shred of evidence of mind-control. The evil man laughed again. "Oh, this is so much fun! It's just like playing with dolls! Hmmm..." He looked from Akira to the rest of them. He kept going back and forth until he finally picked up a few more dolls. They looked like Rick and Shouri! "No! Leave them alone!" Akira cried. The evil digimon ignored her cries. Soon, the two boys were standing next to her. "Hmm, let's see... I've got it!" He pointed to Shouri. "You're 'her boyfriend,' but this guy-" He pointed to Rick. "Wants her too. But she likes you both and doesn't want you hurt. Boo hoo! You both ignore her, and start fighting. Perfect!" The three friends looked at each other, helpless against his power. And just like he said, the boys were fighting each other in the next second. Akira, tortured by the scene before her, was being torn apart inside. "Why are you doing this?!" she cried.
"Because I'm evil, my dear. What'd you expect?" He was growing tired of the fighting. "I'm finished with you, boy. Thank you for the entertainment." With a thrust of his hand, Rick was sent tumbling backward to where the others were sitting. He was dazed, trying to cover his black eye and bloody lip. "You too," he said. Shouri was also thrown back with the others. He, also had a black eye, and his right cheek was bruised badly. "As for you," he said to Akira. "You are just beginning to feel my full power." Tai had had enough. "Why are you picking on her? Leave her alone!"
"What, can't handle it? That's what I like about people who care for each other. It's so easy to cause pain among you. And would you rather destroy you first? As I always say, 'ladies first!'" He held up his hand, preparing to strike. "No!" Fernamon ran forward. "Summer Bweeze!" With a wave of his hand, he sent Fernamon flying into the wall. "Fernamon! You leave them out of this!" Akira tried to punch the figure, but he grabbed her wrist and squeezed it hard. "Foolish girl! Don't you know whom you're dealing with? I'm the all-powerful Jakimon! Nothing can stop me!" With his free hand, he made a few small circles around her head.. He threw her to the floor. She was soon covered by a dark shadow, and she began to shiver violently. "Wha- what's hap- hap- happen- ing- to me?" Akira couldn't even talk straight, she was shaking so much. Over her stuttering, Jakimon cried out, "Let it be known to you this day, evil has rightfully gained control of this world!" Akira suddenly fell to her knees, clutching her head and screaming. The others watched helplessly as their friend struggled to survive. To her, the world was falling apart. Her head was spinning, and the noise, wherever it was coming from, seemed to be splitting her head open. She screamed, over and over. She screamed for the pain, she screamed about her friends, she screamed about everyone and everything. She let out one last shriek and fell to the ground.
Yuuki watched the whole scene in horror. It seemed like time itself had slowed to a stop. Shouri and Rick, who knew her best, couldn't believe their eyes. Could their friend, their BEST friend, really, truly be DEAD? Rick was the first to speak. "What have you done to her?!" Jakimon smiled an evil smile. "She's just been temporarily disabled. More is to come... For all of you!' He laughed evilly. The Digidestined were transported back to the cell. No one spoke for a long while. Everyone seemed to be thinking the same thing: "We're doomed." Without their crests, their digimon couldn't digivolve high enough. All seemed lost. Shouri wasn't worried about himself, he was worried about the others. If it means saving the world, I'll do anything, as long as the others are ok, he thought to himself. Izzy had other things on his mind. This was a stupid idea. How could I have been such a fool?! I'll never forgive myself... Akira stirred. Suddenly, she shot up. "Who? What? When? Where? What?"
"Hey, take it easy. You just went through the most evil-" Shouri was interrupted. "What do you mean, take it easy! The fate of the world is at stake, and you want me to take it easy?! I was just about killed out there, and you say take it easy?! What's the world coming to?!" Akira was going ballistic. Tai whispered to Matt. "I think that last knock went to her head." Sora pinched him. "Ow, what'd you do that for?"
"The world as we know it is coming to an end and you're joking about it!"
"Good grief, I merely said that-"
"Exactly. Your mouth gets you into more trouble than anything does! Now keep it shut!" Izzy finally spoke. "Guys, this is really hard, so please, hear me out the first time." Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him, puzzled. "I... I, I have a confession to make." Rick seemed intrigued. "Well, spit it out, Iz," he said.
"You're not making this any easier. Ok..." He paused to make sure everyone was paying attention. "This is my fault." Tai had to laugh. "What do you mean, your fault? What could you do to cause this?"
"You don't want to know."
"Well," Tai said. "If you really feel like it is your fault-"
"It is, Tai. You have no idea what I've done." There was silence for a moment. "You, you really think this is your fault, huh?"
"I don't think, Tai. I know." Everyone looked at him in aw. "I..." Izzy's eyes filled with tears. "I... I betrayed you all. I'm so sorry! I don't know what I was thinking!" Tentomon was the most shocked. "What do you mean, Izzy?" he asked. "I'm sorry! I don't know why I did it! All I know for sure is that I did it! I told him that there were new Digidestined, that they were ignorant to the digiworld, for what reason, I don't know! I was such a fool! I caused all of this! I'm so sorry!" Akira glared at him. "You mean to tell me that I almost died out there because of YOU?! You're so...! So stupid!" She turned away from him, arms crossed. Tai looked angrier than a bull in the rodeo. "You what?! I'm gonna kill you!" He jumped on top of Izzy and started to strangle him. Everything happened so fast. Izzy and Tai, fighting; Matt, Sora, Mimi, and Joe trying to break them up; the younger ones crying; and the three friends just watching, not sure what to do. The digimon began to follow they're partners, and soon the whole cell was filled with noise. Screaming, crying, threats, all were flying through the air, where they seemed to mix into a puddle of mush. The Digidestined were destroying each other. And there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.