*Disclaimer* - I don't own the characters, never have done, never will do. Sueing me will earn you all of $5.36 and if you're really that desperate for cash then you can start saving money by getting the hell off the internet. Unless you have a completely free server of course. In which case I envy you greatly. Anyway, on with the fic...

A Love Born of Hate (Part Ten)

Alone Again

"Tai..." It hurt to talk now, after three days my throat was so dry and parched it felt like sandpaper when I swallowed. "Please... I'm sorry..." I stumbled and fell to my knees. "Help, me Taichi... I don't want to die..."

"Matt... it's okay..." I felt strong arms supporting me. "I'm here, Yama-chan, it's all right. I'll look after you. You just rest."

"Tai?" My eyelids fluttered weakly. "You came back..."

"I had to. I couldn't let you get hurt. Matt, I'm sorry. I was such a jerk, I just -"

"It's okay." I struggled to speak. "I really do love you, Taichi."

"Oh Matt..." Tai opened his mouth to say what I'd waited so long to hear, to tell me that he loved me too, but the sudden crack of thunder jerked me awake. I was alone, it was dark, it was raining and it was cold. I shivered.

"Where are you, Tai?" I whispered to the forest. But Tai was long gone. It had only been a few hours, not three days, but he was gone nonetheless. It hurt like nothing before, like someone had taken my heart right out of my chest and stamped it into the mud. A lightning flash illuminated the forest in black and white for a split second, then plunged me back into darkness, hiding my tear-streaked face from the world. But I wasn't crying anymore. I couldn't. The tears just wouldn't come.

Lightning flashed again; ominous thunder rumbled. I wished Sora was there. I frowned - why in the hell would I want Sora? Just someone to talk to, someone who understood. I didn't care about being big tough Yamato and not needing anyone. I just wanted to die.

"TAI!" I howled suddenly, grief burting from me in a torrent. "COME BACK! I NEED YOU!" There was no answer. I didn't expect one. Rain spattered against my upturned face, cleansing it and washing away the teartracks. Lightning froze my image staring skyward, arms outstretched with palms turned up, beseeching the world to give him back, to GIVE MY TAICHI BACK DAMMIT.

The world didn't.

I beat my fist helplessly against a tree, now consumed by rage and fear and pain. The rain beat down, the thunder and lightning shattered the sky and tore the landscape apart. My hair was plastered against my cheeks and my clothes were soaked through by the onslaught, the rain fell in fat droplets from my eyelashes, nose and chin.

And still the world did not give me my Taichi back.

I wrenched myself to my feet and staggered across to another tree. "STOPITT!" I screamed, this time at myself. "GET A GRIP!"

It worked. I began to feel much calmer, and the rage drained out of me to be replaced with a resolute stillness. Takeru still needed me. It seemed a million years since I had last seen Takeru. I had been wrong, to go after Taichi and practically abandon my own otoutochan, but now I could put that right. If it wasn't already too late. I began to walk through the forest, a lone figure in the storm battling his way to rescue his younger brother. He was all I had left now.

The sun was rising now, pinky-red light filtering through the green leaves to create a crimson and brown effect. But it was still cold. Faint heat fell on my cheek when I passed through sun-dappled patches. I wrapped my arms around me and hunched my shoulders over a bit for warmth.

"Maaa-aaaatt! Yaaaa-maaaaa-tooooo!"

I stopped short. It couldn't be. It wasn't. There was no way...

"Matt... wait..." Patamon tumbled to the earth at my feet, de-digivolving to Tokomon as he fell. "Takeru's in trouble," he panted with his last remaining energy. "Kelimon's not a Digimon. She's a Magimon. She's... going to kill Takeru."

"What?" I shook the little white creature as hard as I dared. "Tell me what happened!"

"She's from another world, the Magiworld, created the some way as this one, back when humans used magic instead of computers. She wants... to... to take over all the di... mensions she can find. To open... a portal... she needs digital energy from the... crests. Lots of it. To release it all at once... she has to kill... the child. Starting... with Takeru." Tokomons eyelids fell shut. "We have to help him..." he whimpered, before passing out completely.

Takeru. Takeru-chan. Oh my God Takeru is gonna die.

"No," I said aloud, quite calmly, although I had never felt less calm in my life. "No, Takeru is not going to die. I won't let him. I don't care if Kelimon's a Digimon or a Magimon or a Spawn of Hell, she's not going to lay so much as a finger on my otoutochan. And that's final." I hefted Tokomon onto my shoulder and began walking with a sharp pace in the direction he had come from. "That's definitely final." Then it sunk in and my heart dropped into my boots and I started to run, pelting through the forest as though the hounds were after me. "TAKERU!!" I yelled. "WHERE ARE YOUUU?"

I stopped, panting for breath, and cocked my head to listen. The forest was eerily silent. "TAAKEERUUUUU!!!" No reply. Tears of rage and frustration pricked my eyelids, and I blinked them back furiously. "Damn you, Tokomon, wake up! Tell me where to find him!" I shook the little white creature hard, but he just flopped over in my arms. "TOKOMON!! Curse you, beast, open your goddam eyes!"

Deja vu slammed into the pit of my stomach, I could almost feel the slaps and hear Tai screaming:

"MATT, DAMMIT, WAKE UP! DAMN YOU, ISHIDA, OPEN YOUR GODDAM EYES!"

I snarled the memory into submission and concentrated on the task in hand. Why did every little thing remind me of Taichi? I just wanted to forget about him! "Tokomon! WAKE UP!"

"Huh?" He turned over sleepily and cracked an eye open. "What?"

"Tokomon, where is Takeru?"

"She's got him again... he'll be back at the Glass Tower again by now. And it's my fault... I led her to him..."

"What the heck are you on about?" He was drifting off again... "Tokomon! Where is this Glass Tower? Tell me!"

"It's in the center of the forest, where the trees are thickest... Hurry, Matt..."

I began to run again.

* * * * *

"This is HOPELESS!" I yelled. "Just as the trees seem to get thicker, they suddenly thin out again. How in the blue fuck am I supposed to know where the center of this stupid shithole forest is?"

I wiped the back of my hand across my head and scowled down at the gently snoring Tokomon. Fat lot of good his instructions had been. And the more I searched, the uneasier I became. It wasn't just that I couldn't find this dumb Glass Tower, either... I just couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. I kept looking round to check but I couldn't see anybody. It was giving me the heebie-jeebies.

"Stupid Tokomon," I muttered. "Stupid Kelimon. Stupid Forest. Stupid Digiworld. I wish I'd never gone to Summer Camp at all. I should've just stayed home and watched TV with a big bowl of -"

*SNAP* went a twig.

I spun round so fast I got my feet tangled round eachother, and I fell flat on my face in the dirt on top of Tokomon. A splash of blue streaked across the corner of my vision and was gone. By the time I scrambled to my feet, it was already hopeless to try and follow. Leaving Tokomon to snooze where he lay on the ground (the little bastard hadn't so much as raised a murmur at his unexpected tumble), I meandered over to where I had heard the noise, eyes trained on the ground.

There it was. A gert thick dry twig, snapped clean in half. No wonder it made such a loud cracking noise. It hadn't been more than a few yards behind us.

Somebody was following me.

I glanced suspiciously at Tokomon. What if he wasn't really Tokomon? I mean sure, he was A Tokomon, but what if he wasn't THE Tokomon? How did I know the little twerp wasn't going to digivolve to Angemon on the spot and drag me kicking and screaming to Kelimon?

Because he would have done it already.

The simple and obvious reply calmed my nerves somewhat, and I scooped Tokomon back up and continued searching for the Glass Tower. I didn't have time to deal with my mystery stalker. Takeru was more important, WAY more improtant. Still, I kept a watch-out from the corner of my eye. Just in case.

After that, my nerves were so highly strung it was impossible to tell whether the prickly being-watched feeling was real or imagined. I was constantly looking behind me, but there was never anybody there. Gooseflesh ran along the tops of my arms and all down my sides, meeting in the small of my back with a little shudder.

Less and less light was filtering through the trees now, as they became more and more tightly knit. Glancing back over my shoulder, I still saw nothing but still felt uneasy. I turned around and walked on backwards, scanning the forest behind me.

Sudden strong sunlight poured onto my back, making me jump with surprise. I whipped round and was forced to squint against the bright light reflecting from a huge tower of glass in the center of the clearing.

The Glass Tower. I had found it.

I backed hurriedly into the thick foliage again and peeped through the bushes, poking Tokomon gently. "We're here, Tokomon... Hey, Tokomon!"

"Huh? Oh, you found it. Right. Umm..."

"Well? Now what?"

"I'm not exactly sure..."

I snorted. "Well, that's a good start."

Tokomon sat up and took a good look round for the first time. "Isn't Tai with you?"

"No," I replied shortly, turning away. "He's not."

"Why not? Didn't you escape together?"

"Yeah... we, uh, got separated. By accident," I lied. Tokomon seemed to accept it.

"Why don't I go look for him?" he suggested. "We need all the help we can get, after all."

"No."

Tokomon blinked. "Have you been fighting again? Because I really don't think that -"

"I said NO!!"

Tokomon quailed away from me and sniffed. "Okay," he squeaked in a tiny little voice. His eyes filed with tears. "I was just trying to help..."

"Well don't," I snapped. I knew I was being really mean, but I didn't care. "Don't try to help and DON'T poke your nose into stuff that doesn't concern you." Of course, the notion that the well being of a DigiDestined human didn't concern a DigiDestined Digimon was absurd, but Tokomon didn't dare argue. He just nodded.

"O-okay, Matt. I'm sorry."

"Whatever." I scowled and studied the Glass Tower intently. "Suppose you tell me exactly what happened, Tokomon. Go on."

Tokomon took a deep, shaky breath and began his story.

* * * * *

"GRRRAAAGH!" All seven in-training Digimon flinched as Myotismon paced up and down outside their cage, snarling furiosly. "Gone!" he spat. "All of them, gone! And *her*..."

Yokomon and Tanemon exchanged glances, and Tokomon scooted a little further behind Tsunomon. Koromon stepped forward.

"That's right!" he yelled fiercely. "Kelimon's working against you! Always has been! That's probably why she left so suddenly, she was frightened you might find her out. And she's taken the DigiDestined children with her too!"

"QUIET!!" Myotismon roared. Tokomon whimpered. "I was going to give her those kids anyway..."

"Why?" asked Motimon.

"Yeah, why?" demanded everyone else. Myotismon scowled some more and turned away.

"You don't have a reason, do you?" Bukamon said bravely. "You don't want to admit that she's controlling you."

"RRRrrrrRRrrrrrrr... *CRIMSON LIGHTNING!*" Bukamon froze in terror as the red whiplash which would so easily crush an in-training Digimon snaked towards him with deadly speed. At the last minute, it flicked off to one side and smashed into the wall behind him, spraying tiny splinters of brickwork in all directions. Bukamon gasped in relief.

"Nobody. Controls. Me." Myotismon turned his back on the Digimon and swept angrily out of the room, slamming the heavy iron-braced door behind him with terrifying ferocity. The Digimon looked at eachother.

"I hope Sora's okay," said Yokomon sadly.

~ * ~

"Tokomon..."

Tokomon raised his head sharply. All the other Digimon were still asleep. "Who's there?" he whispered nervously.

"Tokomon..." The lock on the door was shimmering gently. As Tokomon watched, it unlatched and the door swung open. The crest and digivice of Hope appeared in the open gateway. Tokomon gaped.

"Tsunomon," he whispered. "Wake up, Tsunomon..."

"No, Tokomon," the voice commanded. "Just you."

"Just me?" Tokomon struggled with confusion. "But why?"

"Tokomon! Matt! To-ko-mon!" Takeru's voice floated to Tokomon's ears from what seemed like a million miles away. "Where arrre youuuu?"

"Takeru!" Tokomon scrambled to his feet and bolted for the door, grabbing the crest and digivice on the way. "I'm coming! Wait for me!" Even the outer door opened for him, the iron-studded one, and Tokomon pattered down the corridors as fast as his short legs could take him. It was the middle of the night, and nobody stopped him. He squeezed out of a grate amd found himself free. He looked around him, then went with his instincts and headed west.

Tokomon trotted away and began his search for his partner, never once questioning the force that had set him free, or what intentions it might have.

~ * ~

"Takeru!"

"Tokomon!"

They fell into eachother's arms, hugging and rolling over on the ground. "Tokomon, I found you!" Takeru cried happily. Tokomon dropped the crest and digivice into Takeru's hand and promptly digivolved to Patamon. Then he laughed and flapped up onto Takeru's helmet. Looking around, he frowned.

"Where's everybody else?" he asked.

Takeru sat down on the floor and began to cry. "Kelimon took us away in a carriage, and when I woke up Matt and Tai were gone!" he wailed. "I jumped out the back, because the doors were open, and I thought I could find them on my own, but now I'm lost and I don't know where anybody is... ohhh..." He burst into fresh sobs, and the orange Digimon patted his fringe comfortingly.

"I'm sure we'll find them, Takeru -"

"Or not."

They both looked up and Patamon squeaked in surprise at Kelimon. "You really are a little fool," she snarled. "Led me right to him. Now all I need is to get his brother and that annoying leader." Takeru tried to run, but a whole army of blank-faced Kuwagamon surrounded them. Takeru gulped, then fixed his face resolutely.

"I won't let you get away with this!" he cried, jumping up and fisting his hands. "We'll show you! Patamon, digivolve!"

"Patamon, digivolve to... Angemon!"

"Oh please," Kelimon sighed, slapping away a Hand of Fate with one light flick of the wrist. "Your puny digi-powers can't possibly hope to harm a fully evolved Magimon."

"A what?" Takeru gave her a funny look. "What's a Magimon?"

"A being from the Magiworld, of course," Kelimon laughed. Angemon stopped short.

"The Magiworld is just a legend!" he rumbled. "It doesn't exist."

"Oh, it does. And I'm going to prove it by enslaving every Digimon on this miserable world and taking them back there with me. And after that..." She smiled cruelly. "I'll start on the human world. Razor Shards!"

She caught Angemon off guard, and he plummeted to the ground, de-digivolving back to Patamon. "Patamon, run!" Takeru squealed, as Kelimon dragged him up into the sky. "Find Matt! Find Tai! Get help, Patamon! Go!"

Patamon hesitated, wanting to go with Takeru, but he decided that he had better do as Takeru suggested if he wanted to save him. The Kuwagamon came after him, but he flew into the forest nearby and lost them Then he began searching for hope for Takeru.

* * * * *

"...and then I found you," Tokomon finished sorrowfully. I sighed, and for a moment I caught myself wishing Tai was here to help me. I brushed the feeling off. Tai was a jerk and he'd only mess things up.

"Tokomon, this is going to take everything we've got, and then some," I said, by way of a pep talk. "Are you ready?"

"Sure, Matt! But... what are we going to do?"

"What do you mean, you haven't FOUND them yet?" a familiar voice roared from nearby. I quailed behind my bush. Kelimon... and it sounded as though she was barely feet away. "I NEED those kids! I've worked out my plan, and to keep the portal going we need seven sacrifices, at regular intervals! How am I supposed to do that if I don't have seven kids?"

"Of course, your most amazingness, we're trying our very best," a second voice groveled.

"Try harder," Kelimon answered shortly. "For now, I'm going to sacrifice the first kid. The Child of Hope. You'd better not keep me waiting with the other two."

"No, no, your excellence, of course not..." The groveler scurried away into the trees on the other side of the Tower. I peeked over my bush with my heart in my mouth. Takeru...

Kelimon approached the Tower, and one side of it shimmered and vanished. She swept regally through and, grabbing Tokomon, I scurried in after her. I was practically right on her heels, but it was the only way to get in and I had to save Takeru. There was nobody left to do it but me.

It was dark inside the Tower. I flattened myself against the wall until Kelimon had vanished around a corner, thanking my lucky stars she never looked back. Then I proceeded to follow her.

Keepng to the shadows, ducking round corners, I somehow made it to our destination without any other Digimon seeing me. There weren't that many around to be truthful, but there were enough for it to be a miracle that I never got noticed.

"Hello, kids," Kelimon purred.

I stopped short, still clutching Tokomon tightly. I could hear raised voices, some angry, some upset. I picked out Mimi's high whine and Koushiro's steady, reasonable tone. I could hear Takeru sobbing. I wanted to go in and hug him so much it hurt, but I would condemn both of us to death by doing that. This had to be a discreet operation.

"You, with the helmet. You're with me."

"She's going to do it now!" Tokomon whispered in a panic. I wracked my brains. *Think, Ishida! There must be something you can do!*

"There's no time," I hissed. "We have to get him out now! Can you digivolve?"

"No," said Tokomon miserably, "I think she has Takeru's digivice."

"Then we're gonna have to do this the old fashioned way," I said resolutely. Pressing myself into the shadows, I waited. I could hear Sora's voice rising above the ruckus.

"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" she cried angrily. There was a thud and a small cry, and the sound of a gate clanging shut.

"Don't get in my way next time," said Kelimon harshly, sweeping out of the room and straight past me with Takeru. Seizing the element of surprise, I sprang from the shadows and grabbed him.

"Matt!" he squealed. I tucked him under my arm and began to run, Tokomon grimly hanging onto my brother's leg. We were half way down the corridor before Kelimon even realised what had happened.

"Razor Shards!" She missed us by a mile. I kept running. I could hear her yelling at the Digimon she commanded to stop us, but this was Takeru's only hope. If I didn't get him out now, he'd never get out alive.

So many corners... each time I turned one, there were a hundred more. I could see no signs of an exit, and each breath rasped up and down my throat as I continued my frantic search. I could hear voices all around me, from every turning, closing in. I rounded a corner and bumped into something huge, and went sprawling on my back.

"How *dare* you!" Kelimon was glaring down at me from beside an enormously fat pink Digimon. "Cretinmon, take the brat back to the keep," she ordered coldly.

"Takeru!" I grabbed for him, but Kelimon dragged me back by my collar and I fell at her feet, choking for breath. Takeru was taken kicking and howling away.

"Your bravery amuses me," Kelimon said, tapping her foot. "I'm not going to sacrifice your brother first, you troublemaking little runt. I'm going to sacrifice *you*. Get up off the floor," she commanded. "Or I might just change my mind."

I stumbled up and followed her down the corridor. I was too out of breath to try and run, and besides, Kelimon's steely grip on my ear somewhat discouraged the idea. She threw me through a grand set of double doors, and tied me to a post in the center of the room. My heart thudded painfully as she blew on her fingertips, smiling coldly at me the whole time. "Let's see," she murmured. "How much can we make this hurt?" Standing back, she took one of seven plain pearly orbs from the shelf. "This," she said, tapping it, "is going to absorb all your digital energy when you die. I made it myself," she added proudly. "Too bad you won't get to see it in action."

I closed my eyes and breathed very slowly. I was at least going to die with dignity.

Takeru...

His face floated behind my eyelids, accompanied by a flood of tears that I determinedly kept at bay. Kelimon wasn't getting the damn satisfaction.

Tai...

I refused to think about Tai.

"Any last words?"

"Go to hell," I growled through clenched teeth. I didn't trust myself to say anything more without bursting into tears.

Kelimon laughed. "I admire your spirit. To bad I'm about to crush it. Permanently."

I drew an uncontrollably shaky breath. Goodbye, Takeru... Sorry I couldn't protect you. I'll always love you...

"Razors Shards!"

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!"

One shard scraped past my cheek as the main swarm rushed past to imbed itself into the wall behind me. I flicked my eyes open just in time to see a shape hurtle into Kelimon, sending her sprawling across the room and into the wall. I heard the solid *thump* of a fist connecting solidly with someone's face. Kelimon slumped into the corner and lay still. My rescuer climbed back to his feet, nursing his hand.

"Should have done that a long time ago," he said, looking at the floor. "Much easier than mucking about with Digivolutions and stuff."

I could only gape.

"Hi, Yamato," Taichi said softly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It's finished! Finally! *dances* I'm really sorry to all who were waiting for ages. Especially Meg-sama (glomps), Imouto-chan (huggles), Lexx (give my love to Cunomon) and Sarah-chan (love & rhubarb!). Also many thanks to all those who have emailed me and poked me to write more. This wouldn't be finished now if it wasn't for youuuu! - Ti x