CHAPTER 11: New Hope

"Fine," Izzy said between gasps. "Kill- me if- you think- it's the- best- thing…" His body went limp. Everyone stopped. Time seemed to slow to a stop. No one dared to breathe. Tai looked at his hands. "Oh my gosh… I… I killed… I killed Izzy…!"
"Tai, what have you done?!" Sora cried.
"I, I didn't mean to!" A single tear rolled down his cheek. Everyone mourned the loss of their friend, Mimi especially. She was being hysterical. No one could comfort each other. It came as a shocking reality to all of them; this is what is going to happen. This horrific scene is just the beginning. Suffering, pain, all of which were to come. No one knew what to do. Akira looked at her friends. Tears were falling to the floor everywhere. She suddenly spoke. "I…" she whispered. "I never got to tell him…" everyone looked at her. "…that I… forgive him…" She started sobbing harder than ever. Everyone nodded in agreement. Through the barred window, a faint light began to glow. But no one noticed at all. "And, and you know what, Tai?" Akira continued. "Don't talk to me…" was his faint reply. He seemed to be grieving more than anyone. Sora had never seen him like this. Tears were streaming down his face, head in his hands. Akira ignored the comment. "I, I forgive you too. It's… what Izzy would have wanted…" Tai lifted his head. "You, you do?" he asked.
"Yes. And I think I speak for everyone when I say that I want you back. The way you were." Everyone nodded. She continued. "I know this is hard for all of us, maybe to some more than others…" She looked at Tentomon and Tai. "But I think right now we need to worry about how to get out of here and save the world." The light grew brighter. "Huh?" Rick stood up and walked over to the window, closely followed by the others. "What's going on?"
"Let me see!"
"Tai, lift me up! I can't see!"
"Move it!"
"What's going on out there?"
"What is it?"
Everyone started pushing and shoving to get a chance to look. Mimi had to yell over all the commotion to be heard. "Hey," she screamed. "There's something moving out there!" This caused even more noise. "Quit shoving!"
"Move, Matt!"
"I was here first!"
"Stop it!"
"Ow, that's my face!"
"Oops, sorry Sora!"
"STOP IT!!!!!!!!!" Akira screamed. "JUST STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!" Everyone stopped, looked at her, then kept on. "No, move!"
"I wanna see!"
"Quit poking me, T.K.!"
"Hey, watch the feet!"
Suddenly, Ashmon decided he'd had enough. "Ash Beam!" Everyone was burnt, turning black. "Thanks, Ashmon." Akira stepped over the others and looked out the window. Something immediately flew through it, knocking her down. "Whoa," she said, standing up and brushing herself off. "What's this?" She looked at it. Her eyes grew wide. "It's my crest! Look, guys! My crest!" Everyone jumped up, and the pushing and shoving began. Ashmon sighed. "Do I have to remind you of last time?" Everyone quickly moved away from Akira, standing in a straight line, patiently, or in Tai's case, not so patiently waiting for his or her turn. The crest was strange, just a bunch of squiggles, or so it seemed. One straight line, vertical, then a wavy one right through the middle of it. The ends were twirled into two neat spirals. "Which crest is it?" Akira wanted to know. Tentomon, almost afraid of touching it, brought Izzy's computer to her. "Here," he said between sobs. "Go ahead. Open it. You need it." Akira did as she was told, and scanned the crest into the computer. The word "SEARCHING" flashed onto the screen. "FOUND" suddenly flashed, then a link popped up. Akira clicked on it, and a picture of her crest was opened. She clicked on it, and the words "CREST OF FORGIVENSS" were displayed. "This can't be right. Me? Forgiving?!" Tai nodded. "Yeah. You just forgave me and... Izzy." He glanced at his friend, lying on the cold floor. "I miss him already..." Kari tugged on her brother's shirt. "What?" Kari pointed at Rick. He was obviously confused, for he was shaking his head and his eyebrows were furrowed. "I don't get it. What is making us do all this? I mean... We're all of a sudden fighting, and..." He looked at Izzy. Tai's shoulders sagged. Matt spoke for him. "It's something called evil, Rick. It tries with all its might to keep anything good from coming about. And it seems to be succeeding." Rick still didn't understand, but he went with them anyway. "So what do we do?" he asked, hoping to change the subject. "I can use my crest to help Fernamon digivolve, then we can get outta here!" Akira jumped to her feet. "Fernamon digivolve to... Zenmaimon!" Zenmaimon looked up at her partner. "Now I do that again, right?" Akira nodded. "Zenmaimon digivolve to... White Rosemon!" Mimi jumped up. "Wow! That's so cool! Palmon digivolves to Rosemon! This is really cool!"
"Ok, White Rosemon, do your thing!"
"Right! Sunshine Beam!" When the dust had cleared, everyone saw that the wall was blasted to nothing but rubble. "Wow," Akira said. "That's some strong stuff." Everyone climbed through the hole. Outside, the sky had become overrun by dark, menacing clouds. A mysterious fog loomed over everything. Hardly anyone could see a thing. "Oh man!" Rick called out. He sounded like he was ahead of everyone. "I can't see my hand in front of my face!" It was true. Slowly, barely moving because of the lack of visibility, everyone crept forward, hands extended in front of them. "Ow!"
"Oh, sorry, Joe," Yuuki said. "Couldn't see you."
"It's ok. Ow!" Joe walked into Shouri.
"Hey!"
"Man," Rick said, almost in a whisper. "This is some dense fog! This is becoming a prob- Whoa!" Akira went berserk. "Rick! Rick, where are you? What happened? Rick?!"
"Down here, guys! I fell in a hole!" Tai started searching as best he could.
"What hole? Rick, where- Aah!"
"Tai? Tai, where'd you go?" Kari began searching for her brother. "Ow..." Tai said. "Oh, this hole..." He stood up, and looked at the top. "Hey, anybody near us! Get us out!"
Rick stood up. "Hey, can anyone hear us? Oh, I wish Izzy were here..." Tai gave him a strange, sad look. "Hey, Tai, it's not your fault."
"What do you mean, not my fault? Of course it's my fault, I STRANGLED HIM WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!" He buried is face in his hands and sobbed. Still leaning against the wall, he slowly slid down until he was sitting on the floor of the hole. Man, Tai, you're really torn up about this, aren't you? Well duh, Rick! He just killed someone, how would YOU feel? Never were to good at being understanding, were you? Rick sighed. This isn't getting us anywhere... Where were the others? They should've been able to hear them. Then, something fell on Tai. "Ow! What the...? Agumon!"
"Hi, Tai! Long time no see!"
"Where are the others?"
"I dunno." Agumon shrugged. Tai groaned. "Oh man! We'll never get out of here!"
"Uh, Tai?" Rick tapped him on the shoulder. "Why don't we stand on top of each other to get out?" Tai's eyes opened wide. "Now why didn't I think of that? Ok, who's on the bottom?"