The Illness

BY: Dol Daughter of Light

--Chapter I--

"T.K., wake up." Patamon nudged his sleeping companion. T.K. coughed, rolling onto his back. It was late in the day already, the boy realized, though the group was concealed in a cave. "What is it Patamon?" He asked, sitting up. "What''s wrong?!" His first instinct was to fear for the worse.

"I don't really know. The others aren't looking to well." He told him. T.K. stood up, moving to the closest digi-destined, Tai.

Patamon was right. He was pale, and sweaty. His face was light red. "Hmm." T.K. murmured. Thinking of what his mom would do if he were sick, T.K. placed his hand, palm down, onto Tai''s forehead.

"What? Oh, T.K." Tai asked in a weak voice. To T.K's dismay, his forehead was really hot and clammy. He had a fever. "What is it?"

"Um, nothing." T.K. told him. Tai immediately went back to sleep. Slowly and quietly, He went from person to person, digimon to digimon, feeling identical fevers. Patamon watched with interest. A pit formed in his stomach, wondering what to do. "What 's wrong with them, T.K.?" Patamon asked.

"I don''t know. They're sick, I guess." T.K. told him. "I don''t know what to do."

"Me either." Patamon told him.

"Well, when I'm sick, mommy used to keep me in bed and make me drink yucky ginger-ale. I guess we need to get them warm." T.K. suddenly remembered. "Come on. We need some sticks." Feeling a whole lot better, they gathered dry sticks and leaves. T.K. was sure if they got warm; they'd get better. Patamon trusted whatever T.K. thought.

"Ok. Now what?" Patamon asked.

"Now we rub the sticks together, and it'll make a fire." T.K. told him. He did just that, except no fire developed. "It ain''t working." T.K. whined. "Keep trying, T.K." Patamon urged. Agumon was lying beside them, half-asleep. He watched the boys. Once again, no fire developed. "Oh, It's still not working, Patamon!" T.K. said, frustrated.

Agumon coughed a well-aimed flame, lighting the fire. "Agumon, you shouldn't waste your strength." Patamon told him. "I'm okay." He insisted, sitting up. "Are you sure, Agumon?" T.K. asked. Awakened by their chatting, Gabumon sat up, groaning. "What is going on?" He asked. He was apparently fine. "I thought you said that they were sick?" Patamon asked T.K. "I don''t know a digimon temperature. I was guessing." He informed. He turned to Gabumon. "Hi. I thought you were sick like the others."

"What do you mean, sick?" He asked. Not waiting for an answer, he nudged Matt. Groggily, Matt sat up. "Oh, man, I feel awful. What is it, Gabumon?" His voice was flemmy and weak. "Are you okay?" T.K. asked. A clap of thunder suddenly echoed. The ''digi- forest'' was getting dark and scary. "Yeah, just a little woozy." Matt told him. He actually felt awful, but didn't want his little brother to worry. Another thunderclap beckoned. T.K. shuddered. "Looks like rain."

"Will you guys shut up? I'm trying to sleep." Biyomon demanded. She was sitting up, watching them. Matt sneezed, getting up. He half walked half ran to the cave entrance. Suddenly vomiting sounds filled the air. "Eww." Patamon commented. "Matt, are you alright?" T.K. moved beside his older brother. Matt shrugged, wiping his mouth. "You're sick, huh?" Matt hesitantly nodded. "So are the others. But don't worry. I'll take care of you guys. The digimon too." The small boy sounded confident, but inside he was confused and scared.

--Chapter II --

Hours had gone by. Mostly the kids slept the whole time, but every now and then someone would wake up and puke, or move closer to the fire. The rain pelted the cave roof. T.K. pulled the digimon aside, making a group.

"Okay, I guess those guys are sick." He whispered. "So we have to take care of them. We need to get food, and water, and-and more sticks for the fire. Kay?" The eight digimon nodded solemnly.

"I know it's raining, but we gotta go and get stuff. Someone hasta stay with them incase a bad digimon comes. Any volunteers?" T.K. asked. He was uncomfortable giving orders, and uncomfortable being the only one not sick. "I'll stay." Biyo piped. He nodded. "Okay, let's go." They split up. T.K. hesitated, but entered the pelting rain. It was cold and wet.

________________________________________________________

"Oh. Hi." Kari woke up, finding Biyo standing in the cave entrance. "Hi. How are you feeling?" Biyo asked, sounding cheerful. "Kinda yucky." She looked around. "Where's Gatomon?"

"They're out getting food and stuff. You guys are sick." Biyo informed. "Oh. I'm going back to bed. Night." Kari layed back down sighing. She knew something was going wrong.

T.K. walked in the trees, dampened and grumpy. He found a patch of berries, and began picking them. Suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder. "Whoa!" T.K. yelped. He turned, facing a weird little digimon. It was a little shorter than T.K., And looked more or less like a upright dog. "Hi. I'm Perromon. You''re a funny looking digimon." It said in a squeaky voice. "Oh. Hello." T.K. stammered. "What's your name?" It asked. "Oh. I'm T.K." The nervous boy stated. Patamon entered the clearing. T.K. turned to his friend. "T.K.!!"

________________________________________________________

Hours Later

Slowly the digimon returned with the supplies. The digi-destined were awake, and worried. Patamon and T.K. still hadn't returned. "Where are they?" Matt asked nobody in particular. "Don't worry. They probably stopped and hid from the rain." Sora said, optimistic. No one answered. They all knew in the digiworld, usually if something happens, it's bad.

Another hour passed. The rain stopped. "I'm sick of waiting. We need to go find him!" Tai said loudly in frustration. He looked over at Matt, who was deep in thought. Tai was thinking as if it was Kari out there, how bad he would feel. "Come on" Matt, Izzy, Joe, Sora, and Tai all got up. The digimon were all at their sides in seconds, telling them no. "Your sick! No." Agumon ordered. "Matt, I know your worried, but you'll get even more sick." Gabumon reasoned. "We''ll go find him!" Gatomon reasoned. They all agreed. "But" Matt started. "We''ll be find. We'll have T.K. and Patamon here in no time." Tentamon reassured. The digimon left, leaving eight worried kids in a cave, in a world they don't belong too. ________________________________________________________

--Chapter III--

"Ohhhh." T.K. groaned. He felt the warmth of a fire close by. His head was pounding, and his wrist was hurting like crazy. His hat was gone. He cautiously opened an eye. "Hi." Perromon said cheerfully. He was sitting across from the laying boy. T.K. quickly sat up.

"Who are you?! Where are we?! What do you want?!" He asked. The digimon giggled. "I''m Perromon, we're in a cave, and I want to help you and your friends."

"Oh." T.K. didn't trust it just yet. "Where's Patamon?"

"Who?" It asked. "Patamon. The orange guy, with wings?" T.K. repeated. Perromon shrugged. "Never heard of him." It said innocently. "But I have heard of you digi-destined! Did you really defeat Myotismon?!" It asked excitedly. "Well, yeah." T.K. was unsure.

"Anyway, I know the other guys are sick, and I know how to save them." Perromon said happily. "You do?" T.K. asked. "Uh-huh. But I need your help. It may be dangerous." It lowered its voice to a low whisper. "But it will save the others?" T.K. asked, ignoring the fluttering in his stomach. "Hmm-Hmmm." The boy listened to the weird digimom's plan carefully. When finished, T.K. solemnly agreed. Matt, Tai, and the others sat silently, waiting.

Finally they heard their digimon's shouts coming in their direction. They entered the cave, carrying a tied and beat up Patamon. Kari quickly untied the poor digimon. "Patamon! What happened?!" She asked soothingly. "T.K..... T" The poor thing never finished its sentence. It passed out.

"Takeru." Matt echoed, turning to the cave door.

"You sure this will work?" T.K. asked. They stood about twenty feet from the cave''s entrance. "Sure I'm sure." Perromon said perkily. He pulled up a long rock up, implying for him to lie down. "It will go right from them to the stone. They won't be sick anymore."

"O-okay" T.K. laid on the damp stone, holding his digivice in one hand, digi-crest in the other. He knew he was sacrificing himself for the others. It wasn't something he didn't know about. But if they die, two worlds would die, and he would live. That's how T.K. was analyzing it. "Perrogate!" Perromon yelled. A blast of light came from it's yellow coloured paws, landing in the cave entrance. A gate made of light cris-crossed , trapping the others inside.

"What the?!" Tai yelled. They all came to the gate. "T.K.!" "Okay, now close your eyes. " It ordered. T.K. obeyed, starting to tremble. Inside the cave, digi-destined were fighting the bars, unsuccessfully. Matt and Kari watched at the gate, Matt clenching his teeth. Suddenly pain erupted. It happened to all group. Perromon leaned close to T.K.'s body, humming. T.K. felt his body begin to tingle, slightly painful. He gasped, holding the items in his hand tightly in sweaty palms. He was going numb. "It's hurting." T.K. murmured. "It's almost over." Perromon said tensely. He continued to work. Unable to hold it in any longer, T.K. began to cry out in pain. Matt watched, holding himself, as T.K. began to float above the stone. Tears streamed down the crying boy's face. He knew it was almost over. He could feel it. He could see memories, of when he was little, when his family wasn't divorced.

How he and Matt used to play in the apartment's hallway, playing basketball. The pain was climaxing.

"T.K.!" Matt yelled. Izzy watched as Matt's crest began to glow, making Gabumon digivolve to Garurumon. The gate was gone in seconds. "Get away from him!!" Tai yelled. Perromon was shocked at them escaping. Garurumon slammed the small digimon. T.K. slammed into the stone, still glowing a fluorescent white light. Matt kneeled in front of his little brothers body, ignoring the chaos around him. T.K.'s crest was creating the light, the rest of the small boy, pale and shaking. Matt touched his forehead, scared.

--Chapter IV--

"T.K.," The rest of the group formed a circle around the boy and the stone. "What did you do to him?!" Tai demanded. Agumon and Gomamon, with Garurumon were holding Perromon behind just in case. "It was his choice. I just made it bias." He growled. "What did you make bias?" Tai repeated. Garurumon growled. "I made you guys sick, and I told him if he would cooperate, I would make you better by giving the illness all to him. Happy?" Perromon said, sarcastic. Matt advanced, ready to pound him.

Tai held him back. Patamon landed next to T.K.'s head, scared his companion was dead. He, too, began to glow. The light engulfed their bodies. T.K. began to float. Perromon laughed. This time Tai advanced to pound the jerk. Izzy and Joe grabbed him. "Look!" Sora gasped. They all turned to the light. Patamon had digivolve to Angemon, and was holding T.K. The boy was limp, small in the angel's arms. Each of the crests suddenly began to glow. Beams connected from the crests to the weak child. They all held their breath. Slowly, the light faded. Sun broke threw the storm clouds above.

Setting T.K. down, Angemon reversed to Patamon. Garurumon changed to Gabumon. They all gathered around the boy. "T.K.. . . " Matt started. Before he could say anything else, his brother coughed repeatedly, turning to face the ground. Finally, he returned to laying position, gasping. "Hi." He said weakly.

The whole group began laughing, Patamon flew over, holding T.K.'s cap. They all gave him hugs, and head rubs, and more hugs! He was all right! It was amazing. Kari gave him a kiss, and T.K. turned beet red. "Hey, where did that little jerk digimon go?!" Tai suddenly asked. The group looked around. He was gone. "You almost got yourself killed for us." Sora said softly.

"So? You'd do the same for me, right?" T.K. shrugged. The pain was fading from his memory. Matt rubbed his head, adoring his brother's honesty. "You bet." He told him. A bruised and weak T.K., had brought the group closer than ever before, almost losing his life. Will Perromon ever show up again? Who knows . . . . . .