Disclaimer: My story. But not my anime show. So please do not steal or sue me. All this is fiction and written by me, Venursia.

Sorry about how long this took but I have been so busy lately that I had no chance to type. Plus I had to re-read all the parts again. Thanks for waiting so long. And for everyone who has reviewed or e-mailed me about this fic, thanks a bunch! Well without further ado, here it is…

Chapter Sixteen

Silence was the only thing that could be heard from Gennai's living room as pale and grim faces added to the decorum of the room. Each human is left alone with their thoughts as Gennai sheds tears from his eyes for the very first time in front of the Digidestined. His back is turned to them as he leans against the doorframe. He can vividly feel his heart tearing up inside. Never in his life could he have ever imagined that the fate of the two worlds being safe from darkness would hold such a high price…

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Meanwhile in a dark room…

A single figure covered by a blanket began to shift uncomfortably as eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal a pair of crimson rubies. The darkness of the room was overwhelming at first but soon her eyes were well adjusted. She looked around the room in confusion at her surroundings before realizing where she was. Her hand clutched at her heart as everything that had happened came crashing back in not one, but several painful blows. It was a pain, like nothing she had ever experienced before, that swept over her as tears sparkled in her eyes. Staring up at the ceiling, a picture of Matt flooded her mind causing her salty tears to slowly make their way down her pale cheeks.

All sorts of images and memories flooded her mind, causing her to turn over and bury her face into a pillow as sobs of emptiness racked her body. The one person who she truly loved…who always understand her…the only one that made her smile when she was down and made her feel like she was walking on clouds, was now gone…gone from her life…

Sora would have gone on crying for hours if something inside her heart hadn't stopped her. Deep inside, there was this slight hope that maybe he wasn't totally lost and that maybe…just maybe he somehow would come back.

"Gennai!" she gasped aloud. Her hand flew to her heart as she whispered, "He has to know something…just has to." Well, there was only one way to find out, she reasoned as she threw aside the covers and got up. Apparently she had gotten up too fast and had to steady herself by gripping the nearby wall. She took a deep breath and tried to push down feeling of dread that was forming in the pit of her stomach. Yet again she took another deep breath as she made her way to the living room, where she knew they'd all be.

As she steps into the room, her hopeful eyes look around at all the grim faces. Her gaze stops at Gennai and she shoots him a questioning stare. As she looks up into his eyes, she is able to read his eyes, but what she sees in them causes her to take a step backwards as the cold reality began to seep into her being. Gennai attempts to console her by lightly laying a hand on her shoulder but she yanks away from him speaking in a tone barely audible, "No, he can't be gone forever. Gennai?"

He couldn't help but feel the pangs of pity and pain as he looked into her watery eyes. They were so full of hope that it hurt Gennai more than anything as he opened his mouth to softly tell her, "I am sorry my child, there is no way I know of to get him back. The only way would be if he was released but that's not very likely to happen."

Her eyes closed shut as she tries to hold back the river of tears forming. Slowly, her eyes opened up as tears slowly made their way down her pale cheeks. She glanced at Tk's pale face and heard him whisper, "There's no reason to keep on hoping…" Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Kari wiping away her tears as she tried to console him.

"Come on Tk, everything will be all right," she says softly and is hurt as he jerks away from her.

"All right?! Nothing will ever be all right again," yelled Tk. I need to get away…away from them. They don't understand…they just don't understand.

Before anyone could do anything, he ran out of the house ignoring his friends, who were calling out his name as Tai jumped up and looked around at everyone, saying, "Come on, we've lost one friend already, let's make sure we don't lose another."

"Let's split up into a search party," Ken suggested.

"No!" yelled a shaky yet somewhat strong voice. Everyone turned to see who had shouted out the 'no'. They all looked at the tear stained face.

"No one understands what he's going through more than me. I'm going after him. He and I were the closest to Matt so I know more than ever what it's like to lose someone you love," Sora choked out as she turned and hurried quickly to try and catch up with Tk.

Without waiting for a response, Sora turns and leaves, in hot pursuit of Tk. She stopped briefly to catch her breath as she leaned against a tree. "Where is he?" Her head turned away from the creepy mists around her and turned upwards as her eyes took in the darkened sky with only the moon dimly shining on. An unexplainable shiver creeps up her spine as her ears pick up on a whisper. Her heart seems to pound in her chest twice as fast as she jumps away from the tree, searching for any sign of movement.

"Sora…" whispered a voice.

"W-who's there?" she asks. A sudden tug on her dress caused Sora to jump slightly. She gasped as she saw a branch on the bottom of her dress with another one creeping towards her. "No! Get away from me!" she yells as she pulls her dress away and breaks off into a run. Her skin prickles as she fights the fear surging through her body every time she hears her name being whispered. Fear starts to slowly creep up as she begins to run faster, tripping and stumbling.

"I'm going to get you Sora…I'm coming for you…Soooorrrrraaaa…." taunted a haunting whisper.

Her head whips from side to side as she pulls her dress away from the evil hands of the dark trees. The horrible sensations of panic were now beginning to surface to her legs as she picked up her pace.

Without warning, she bumped into a figure that grabbed her arms. "Sora?" asks the voice.

Her head turns to look up at the face and gasps out of relief as she envelopes him in a hug. "Oh Tk! Thank goodness!" she cried with relief as she hugged him back.

As he returns her hug, he noticed how shaken up she seemed to be and he pulls away from her. "Sora, what's the matter? You look a little pale?"

"I-I don't know what it was but it kept calling my name out and saying that it was coming for me and then there were these branches and then I was running and-"

Tk put his hands on her shoulders, saying, "Sora, calm down, you're not making any sense."

"Sorry…it's just that the branches seemed to have a mind of their own. I was running and they were trying to grab my dress. Tk, look around us. This isn't the typical forest of the Digiworld. They're so dark and misty…shouldn't they have returned back to normal? I mean Daficus is gone, right?"

She's right…something here is very wrong. "Come on, let's get out of here before something happens. I don't trust this place," he said as he grabbed her hand and started pulling her.

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The sound of a door opening and slamming rang through the entire house. Gennai smiled as he said, "They must be back." Before anyone could even get up, Sora and Tk rushed to the living room out of breath.

Kari looked at their flushed faces as she rushed to the two. "What happened?" One by one, each person got up and walked over in curiosity and worry as they looked over at their friends, who were gasping for breath.

"Are you two okay?" asked Gennai.

"Well *gasp* you see-" Sora was cut off suddenly by Mimi.

"What's going on?"

"Yeah, you guys look like you just ran a marathon," Tai added.

"Were you attacked?" asked Yolei.

"Maybe they were running for their life," Izzy said.

"Ahem! Perhaps you should give these two a chance to talk," interjected Gennai.

"Something's wrong, terribly wrong," Sora whispered.

"What do you mean by wrong?" asked Davis nervously.

"The forests…they're so dark and there's mist all around the trees," Tk whispered.

"What do you mean by dark? Shouldn't they be back to normal?" asked Ken.

"And the branches were like the hands of the trees…they kept trying to grab my dress and then there were these whispers," she said quietly as she shivered slightly.

"What whispers?" asked Cody.

"T-they were calling my name and kept saying how they're coming for me."

"I was afraid of this," Gennai whispered. He looked to see all eyes had turned to him. "Well it appears that someone wants revenge and that evil is still in this world."

"You mean the Devil?" asked Kari horrified.

"No, the Demon King. There's a difference," Gennai told her.

"Huh? What's the difference?" asked Davis.

"The Demon King is the ruler of the Digiworld's Dark Space, the place where evil Digimon have gone to instead of being reborn in the Primary Village. Once these evil Digimon go there, they become demonic and that's why we call them demons, and not Digimon," he explained.

"Does that mean that the Demon King can't be destroyed?" Izzy asked Gennai.

"I'm afraid he can't be killed or destroyed, but at least he can't come to the Digiworld's surface now that his chance was thwarted since Daficus was destroyed," he answered.

"Then why didn't the Digiworld go back to normal?" asked Mimi.

"Perhaps Daficus wasn't really killed," suggested Ken.

"No, he's gone and can't return because the portal is closed. Plus the prophecy had stated that this was the only chance Daficus had to live in the Digiworld and help his father to rise to the surface." Gennai said as he scratched his head.

"This is just plain weird," Yolei commented.

"Gennai, is there another part to that prophecy?" asked Tk hopefully. Another part of the prophecy would be nice…especially if it could help bring my brother back…

Gennai scratched his chin as he said, "Well kids, I'm afraid I can't remember the rest of the prophecy. My memory isn't what it used to be."

Sora quietly slipped away from the congregation to lie down on the couch. Her eyes were clamped shut as she felt her heart being twisted. This can't be happening! First I lose Matt and then I find out there's still evil. Why can't I just be a normal teenage girl who doesn't have to worry about saving the world…or more specifically, keeping my friends out of danger? All I want to do is crawl under a rock and die! I-I don't want to fight anymore…I just want to leave this place forever and never think about it as long as I live… And with that last thought, bitter tears of pain wove a path down her cheeks as Sora droned out the voices of her friends, and slowly slipped into sleep.

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A never-ending eeriness seemed to settle around the dark forests as a figure walked aimlessly through it. Cursing herself softly for getting lost, she wraps her arms around herself and looks straight ahead only to see more trees hidden in the mist.

"Hello! Is anyone out there?" she calls. Unfortunately for her, there seems to be no one that answers back. She then turns and bumps into a tall stranger unexpectedly. Startled, she gasps as she's nearly knocked down. Her eyes travel up to see the face of the stranger and an overwhelming sense of relief and happiness washes over her as she surprisingly yells, "Matt!" Instantly, her arms reach around him to engulf his figure in a hug. "Oh Matt! You're alive! I've missed you so much," she cried out as tears threatened to overflow. What's wrong with him? She asked herself as she noticed how silent and motionless he was. She pulled back and looked up to be greeted by a steely cold look that seemed to harden all the features of his face. Her eyes stared up into his sapphire eyes. But they weren't Matt's normal eyes…they were darker and filled with such harsh emotions that it almost made her shudder at the rage and hate that lurked inside.

The gaze was becoming a little too intense and for some reason Yamato felt something stir inside of him as her eyes stared directly into hers. He had to stop this… So he did the first thing that came to his mind. He pushed her forcefully away so that she was now on the ground looking up at him.

Her eyes were now shining with tears of shock and confusion as his eyes stared coldly back into hers, sending the shivers creeping up and down her spine like an invisible tarantula.

"Hello Sora," he grimly greeted with a chilling smile.

Sora looked up at him with betrayal and wonder swimming around her intense ruby eyes. "M-Matt? What's going on?"

"What's going on?" he laughed.

Sora looked up at him, wounded by his behavior and words. Why is he acting like this? She asked herself as she slowly got up. Her eyes watched as he went over to a tree to rest his back.

He crossed his arms and looked at her from top to bottom. "I'll tell you what's going on. You killed my brother and your damn friends stood by to help you."

With natural confusion, Sora hugged herself. "How can you say that?" she whispered with disbelief.

His eyes closed and then opened to reveal two dark sapphires of hatred, resentment, and anger. His hand fell to his waist, where he had a black sword. "Daficus offered you a place to live and then you turn around and backstab him! You and your wretched friends killed him after all the hospitality he offered you!" At that last statement, he pulled out his sword from its sheath and pointed his sword at Sora, who unconsciously took a step backwards.

"No…" she whispered. "Th-this can't be happening…Yamato Ishida, don't you remember? All those times we spent together with our friends?" She watched as she saw his hands clench into fists and took another step back.

"Stop it! They're not my friends, they're yours!" he yelled as he took a step towards her. "And don't you dear call me Yamato Ishida. The name's Matt and I've come back to avenge the wrongs done to my brother, Daficus."

Sora just stood there, with a look of betrayal gracing her features. What did they do to you? She wondered.

"You know Sora," he began as he slowly made his way towards her. "I suggest that you run. I always do love a chase before I slice into the flesh of my prey," he said as he dangerously licked his lips.

She cautiously took a step backwards. "N-No…" she whispered.

"I'll give you ten seconds. One…Two…"

She took another step back as she searched his face. "Yamato…you couldn't have forgotten…don't you remember me?"

"Three…you'd better get a move on it…four…five…"

"What did they do to you?" she whispered.

"…Six…seven…"

Tears slowly slivered out of her eyes and ran down her pale cheeks as she turned around, running for her dear life. She heard him yell, "Ten!" and began to pick up her pace. It was hard though because she had used up a great deal of energy and was still exhausted and weak from fighting Daficus. All she wanted to do was stop just for a second to rest but the taunting sound of his voice urged her on. Sora's feet frantically carried her over twigs and leaves, straight through the thick foggy mists. Breathing hard, she ran through the coverage of the dark trees and kept on going till all she could hear was the eerie silence that painfully rang through her ears. She looked around her, searching for any sign of movement, but found none. Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her from behind and she shivered, as she knew exactly who it was.

"I've got you now," he whispered into her ear. He then let go of her and threw her on the ground. He raised his sword up high and began to bring it down towards her head as she let loose a terrifying scream.

Sora sat straight up in the dark and looked around her as sweat gathered on her forehead. Her heart was pounding painfully against her chest as she took in short gasps of air. She looked around at her surroundings and noticed how someone had thrown a blanket over her after she had fallen asleep on the couch. Sora could hear her heart beating a mile a minute as she sank backwards onto the couch. Her eyes stared vacantly up at the ceiling. There was no way she'd be getting back to sleep anytime soon.

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It was now early in the morning and Gennai was now conversing with an unexpected yet welcomed guest about the events that were now unfolding in the Digiworld.

Piximon sighed as he began to pace back and forth. "With all these Digimon disappearances, I fear something dark has taken over the Digiworld."

"Yes, but the question is what or who. Has there been no one that actually has come face to face with this new evil that's lived to tell about it?" asked Gennai.

"Not that I know of. But even so, I fear that this new evil may be kidnapping Digimon to form some kind of army. I surveyed some of the towns on my way here but all I could find was nothing but debris and ashes." Piximon let out a frustrated sigh.

Gennai sighed as he said, "If only I could remember the other half of the prophecy…"

Piximon shook his head as he said, "Oh Gennai old friend, your memory isn't what it used to be. But that's okay 'cause I remember the other half of the prophecy."

"Piximon?!" exclaimed a few surprised voices.

"Hello Digidestined," greeted Piximon.

"It's great to see you and all but…uh…" Tai trailed off.

Mimi rolled her eyes at him and finished the statement Tai had started. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, we don't mean to sound rude or anything," apologized Joe.

"Hmm…perhaps we should explain after everyone's awake and has had breakfast," suggested Gennai.

"Why don't you kids wake up everyone else," Piximon added.

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In a short time everyone had changed into comfortable clothes, provided by Gennai, and now sat in the dining room. And even though Gennai had a generous supply of breakfast foods, the Digidestined could hardly eat anything, with the exception of Tk and Sora, who couldn't make themselves eat.

Afterwards, they all gathered in the living room as Piximon cleared his throat. "Okay, here's the deal. Digimon are disappearing all over the Digiworld and there are only a few villages that have not been attacked. These villages are scattered across the Digiworld. You all must investigate and stop whoever it is that is attacking these villages and kidnapping Digimon."

Gennai frowned. "We do have another prophecy that may help you."

Piximon looked around at the sober faces as he said, "Be not fooled by the new face of darkness that has come back with a vengeance. With a watchful eye, love will remain safe but keep in mind that it is the key who will melt the darkness of this world. But be warned that if the key should be destroyed than all is lost, now and forever."

"Now Digidestined, we aren't sure exactly who or what this key is but we do know this for certain. It's obvious that there is a rip that's allowed only one being to get into the Digiworld from the Underworld. Once that being is destroyed only then can the rip close up. You see, this rip was how Daficus arrived. And for the sake of this world and yours, you must find this key that the prophecy talks about," Gennai explained.

Piximon nodded his head as he added, "Whatever happens, know this. It's obvious from the prophecy that the Demon King wants revenge against you Digidestined, especially you Sora. So just be careful and make sure that no one is ever alone. The fate of two worlds lies in your hands once again. I have faith in you all that you will succeed."

"As do I. So please be careful Digidestined and make us even more prouder," Gennai said.

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Well guys and gals, I hope I have satisfied you with this chapter. Sorry it took so long but I was fresh out of ideas for quite some time and that damned writer's block kept posing a problem to me. Well, hopefully the next chapter won't take as long. Feel free to let me know what you think. Peace out!