Author's notes: Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter I'm glad you liked it. And hopefully things will be better explained in this one.
Disclaimer: First chapter.
Hope to Despair. Chapter Three.
"What?"
"Devimon is back. He had consumed to much power to be completely destroyed. He hid under the ocean, a mere shadow of his former self. But he bid his time slowly taking life after life of helpless digimon and beginning to regain his strength. Recently he gained enough of his power back to be able to control digimon, he took control of me and Ogremon. He sent us to capture Tk because he decided to steal his powers and take them as his own."
"I don't understand" Mimi said fiddling with a strand of hair, "What do you mean take them as his own?"
"He made us build an alter" Ogremon whispered, "Devimon put a lot of his power into it once we had built the structure. The alter basically converts your special trait to the opposite of what it was so if Tai was placed on it his courage would be turned into cowardliness. Now Devimon is the opposite of Angemon and Tk he is despair, so if he turns Tk's hope to despair and takes it for himself he will become stronger. The more of Tk's hope he takes the stringer he gets, he took enough to reach ultimate."
"So what happens now?" Matt whispered, he stopped trying to hide his fear. If this got any worse he didn't know what he would do.
"The hope will slowly be sucked out of Tk. If all his hope leaves him, he dies."
A deathly silence filled the room. Everyone trying to process what they had just heard.
"How long have we got to beat him?" Leomon glanced over at Matt. The blonde had his head down and his fists were clenched so tightly that he was drawing blood.
"I'd say a week maybe even less."
Matt buried his head in his hands, and his body started shaking. Matt Ishida was crying. Tai pulled himself up and sat down beside the blonde, resting a hand on his back. That was all it took, Mimi raced over and pulled the blonde into a hug while the other first set of digidestined came over as well giving Matt a huge group hug. The younger digidestined looked over at the as they tried to make Matt feel better. It struck them that there was something special about them that they would never understand or be a part of. Maybe it was the fact that they had been the first and had been through so much pain a lot more than the younger ones had gone through to save their world. Their friendship was something unbreakable, they were connected to one another and completely loved each other. They were one big family.
Matt wiped his eyes on his sleeve and looked up at his friends, "Thanks."
"Any time Matt anytime!" Tai said a sad smile finding it's way across his face.
"Now I think we should get some rest and then leave first thing in the morning and kick his butt!"
Matt nodded and glance over at Gennai who now had Tk in his lap. The younger blonde was incredibly pale and a slight frown covered his face. The boy suddenly moaned and clutched his head, he curled himself up into the ball as if protecting himself from an invisible foe. Matt darted over, he knelt beside his little brother gently running his finger through his hair and whispering words of comfort to him. It seemed to do the trick as he released his head and uncurled from his ball. He opened his eyes to stare at Matt. The elder nearly cried when he saw the pain laced in his brothers look. Tk reached out with a shaking hand and it took Matt half a second to pull his little brother into his arms. Tk slowly began to focus as he looked up at his brother's tear stained face.
"What . . . what's go . . going on?"
Matt slowly began explaining to Tk about Devimon and what was going on to the digital world. Tk nodded showing he understood and slowly closed his eyes again. He felt Matt pick him up and carry him somewhere.
Tk stared at the swirling darkness that surrounded him. He was floating in nothingness. But he knew what was going to come next.
"Tk!"
"Help!"
"Help us!"
"He's destroying us please we need help!"
Their calls of help slowly turned to screams of pain, echoing in his head again and again. HE brought his hands over his ears, praying that he would wake up soon. The calls stopped and Tk opened one eye, then both. He was still floating in the dark. This wasn't right, he always woke up after they started screaming. What was wrong? The darkness around him started to get lighter slowly turning to a greyish colour. Tk's body jerked as if he had been attached to a line of rope and somebody had pulled the other end. It happened again and Tk found himself being dragged through the swirling colours as a light appeared before him. Tk shielded his eyes as the light got brighter. He stopped moving abruptly and he dropped to his feet found solid ground. Pulling his arms away from his face Tk looked round. He was somewhere in the digital world, the sun was just beginning to rise and the rays were hitting the surrounding green hills. Tk sighed and slowly began to walk forward to the top of the hill where he had heard movement from. Stopping on the top, a smile graced his lips as he gazed at the village below. Small digimon were beginning to wake and start their days work. Tk felt as if he should be waiting for something so sitting down he pulled his knees to his chest and started at the small village. He glanced down at his hands and frowned suddenly, he was glowing. A dull yellowish colour but the edges of the light were black and as he watched he began to realise that the black was growing. Devimon was sucking his hope out of him. He shuddered and turned his gaze back to the village when he saw a digimon slowly climbing up the hill. The digimon looked like a brown teddy bear he was the size of Tk and had a small greyish beard. He was bent over and clutching a walking stick as he walked up the hill dressed in a brown cape. He came and sat beside Tk but didn't say anything strait away, he sat there looking at the village.
"You're a digidestined" Tk knew it wasn't a question it was a statement. Tk needed to know who this strange digimon was, for most digimon were wary of people since the digimon emperor.
"So I am, but who might you be?"
"My name's Kumamon, I'm a friend of Gennai's."
"Really?"
"Yes, the pair of us worked together for years helping the digital work."
"So what are you doing here?"
"I travel sending help to those who need it, while Gennai stays and calls you when in trouble."
Tk laughed that would sound about right, if anything ever went wrong in the digital world they would be pulled out of whatever they were doing to save it.
"What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question" Kumamon croaked, as he raised his walking stick and shoved it strait through Tk, "Spirit."
Tk yelped and jumped to his feet finding that he had jumped to high and was floating above the ground slightly.
"What?"
"Only your soul is here, your body is back with Gennai."
"But that's impossible this is a dream."
"No it wasn't. Every time you heard their voices you were witnessing their deaths. They were trying to bring you there but you were to strong and resisted. But now that you are weaker they can pull your soul to wherever they want."
"But why?"
"They need hope. Devimon is killing their hope and they call you because of that."
"Why do they call me? What good can it do?"
"To show you what is going on so that you can stop it and –
The digimon didn't finish as a gigantic cry reached their ears. Tk shivered as he looked back over the village. A pained cry tore itself from his throat, Devimon stood at the edge of the village. He was coated in silver armour and his black wings had silver tints to them. He pointed his palm forward towards the village and a ball of black fire shot out as he whispered, "Devil's rage."
Tk started moving towards the village, he couldn't bare to see the poor digimon run screaming for their lives.
"No don't!"
"Why not?" Tk hissed turning around and facing Kumamon, anger flashing in his eyes.
"He'll kill you."
"I don't understand."
"Your body can't live without your soul, if you get to close he will be able to suck the hope out of you."
Tk glanced back at the digimon, pain and anger filling his whole being. He trembled slightly.
"I know you wish to help Anryoku village, but you can't. Go now before it's too late."
"What about you?"
"I will be fine!"
Before Tk could reply he was pulled backwards and the picture started to fade and darkness once again surrounded him.
Tk sat bolt upright sweat covering his face. He rolled over onto his side and looked over to see Matt on a bed beside him. Looking up Tk noticed the sun flittering through the window. He would have to find Kumamon tomorrow had too. He sighed, and shut his eyes ignoring the pain in his head. He couldn't sleep, the pain in his head refused t go away and he felt so pathetic lying here when he could be helping stop Devimon. He threw his bed covers off and placed his feet on the cold floor shivering slightly. Forcing himself up the boy wobbled slightly he turned and gripped onto a bedside table for balance. His eyes scanned the room. It was smallish, it had two beds on opposite sides of the room, there was a bedside table beside each bed and a desk underneath a window. Tk nearly cried out when a fish like digimon swam passed. He had wondered why the light had rippled like water it was shining through the water. Shaking his head he took a shaky step towards the door, and upon finding that he didn't fall over he carried on. Stepping into the corridor Tk looked round, just one long passage with lots of rooms and corridors turning off it. Turning right Tk began picking random direction and hoping they would lead somewhere interesting. Tk was still wondering around the corridor ten minutes later when he bumped into Gennai.
"Now what are you doing up at this time?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"How are you feeling?"
"A bit worse for wear. But Gennai I saw Kumamon in my dreams." Gennai frowned at this, fear was written all over his face.
"Come with me to my study and we'll discuss this in more detail."
Tk nodded and followed the man down the corridors until they reached a huge room. It had a domed ceiling high above their heads. The walls were lined with books apart from the occasional window and the fireplace. In the corner beside the fireplace there were some red armchairs. Sitting down he gestured fro Tk to do so as well, the blonde did and after another gesture Tk began his explanation of his dream. Gennai sat there with his fingers laced mulling over what Tk had said. He sighed and shook his head, and pulled his fingers apart as he stood up.
"We shall go tell the rest of the digidestined and then you will all set off for the Anryoku village and see what had happened. If Kumamon is still there please bring him back."
Tk nodded and the pair stood up and headed for the door.
Tk wiped the sweat from his brow and carried on walking. After waking everyone they had looked up where Anryoku village was. It was very far away and so after being flown a lot of the way by their digimon they were now walking. And had been doing so for the past hour and a half. Sighing he pulled his top over his head and tied it around his waist and carried on walking. He was surprised that the plants around here were still alive. He guessed that was something to do with the Anryoku village. He dug in his pockets for his water with shaking hands. He cursed his weakness, he hated the fact that he needed medicine every few hours for his aches and pains and now he was beginning to have the shivers. Yes it definitely felt cooler, he brought his bottle to his lips and let the water slide down his throat. He was shaking badly know, he felt the cold wrap around him like a blanket. Looking over at Matt and Tai he realised he was perhaps the only one that felt it. Kari who had been watching him ever since he removed his top walked over to him. The blonde's head snapped to look at her as she placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Something bad has happened hasn't it Keru?"
"Yes I can feel it something bad very bad."
Tk's eyes darted around worried that the evil that was tugging on his soul had not yet left. They came to the top of the hill they were climbing and stopped. Before them lay a once large and loving village, it was now in ruins burnt out completely. A mist seemed to cling to he remains, a shadow of evil lingering to show what it could do. Tk paused for a second then broke into a sprint, the blonde tore down the hill and strait into the deserted village. He could hear his friends cry put and ell him to be careful, but he didn't care. Where was Kumamon?
"Kumamon where are you?"
No reply, panic began to fill Tk. He hated the fact that innocent digimon had to die, but for that kind digimon that had helped him and could help everyone it seemed wrong for him to be deleted. The feeling of death was surrounding this place, pressing on him making him feel physically sick. He ran stumbling slightly as he reached the hill that he and the digimon had stood on before. He raced forward, he didn't care that he felt like his lungs were about to burst for the lake of oxygen. He had to find him.
"Kumamon!"
Tk dropped to his knees, pain was filling him emotional and physical. He feeling of despair settled over him for a second. But he shook it away, he knew that was Devimon tugging at his life essence and he had to fight it. A pair of arms pulled him into a hug.
"The others are searching the place for well anything. Come on Keru we can do this."
Tk nodded and Kari helped him to his feet. Smiling at him the pair started to walk down the hill.
"Where do you think you are going? I hope you weren't planning on leaving me here?"
Tk and Kari spun round to see Kumamon coming over the top of the hill.
"I'm sorry I didn't answer I was just waking up from being thrown sky high."
"What do you mean?"
"I tried to stop him of course, but he defeated me and threw me over here were I was knocked out. I only just woke up."
"Well I am just glad you are alright."
"Why thank you young hope. Shall we." The teddy bear gesture down the hill and they set off towards the waiting Matt. When the ground started to shake. The digidestined found themselves sprawled on the floor. Tk glanced up and his breath caught in his throat, this wasn't happening!
Hee hee, me and my cliff-hangers! Please read and review ~ MM
