THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER.
The story took an odd turn, but it shall be MOST AWESOME at the end.
So...yeah....the story...
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The giant oak doors closed behind him as he entered. The church was immense and dark; windows, hundred of feet up, cast lines of white light into the room. He cold marble floor glittered. Stone gargoyles glared at him with lolling tongues from the higher floors. Broken shards of statues littered the floor. A giant silver cross hung before the farthest window, above a velvet-covered altar. And on the alter lay crimson eyes, chocolate hair, his Angel.
Gatomon called her name and tried to run towards her, but something bright and sharp shot out of the ground. TK stepped forwards and saw his reflection.
He looked around, seeing his shadow in a thousand mirrors, the same pair of blue eyes over and over. He looked back at Kari, but more mirrors shot up, blocking her from view. His rage simmered.
"LET HER GO," he screamed. The words echoed emptily, through the rafters of the chapel.
The mirrors began to swirl. TK, distracted, found himself staring into the nearest one.
It was his mom, huddled in a corner, sobbing. Shattered glass and broken furniture surrounded her. Her hands and feet were cut and bleeding. His father had punched a hole in the wall. It took TK a moment to realize that his mother was on the phone with her best friend, Rumi Akaita.
"But he never touched me, never, Rumi...he just broke things...no, I can't....TK, it's TK...no, not Matt, Matt is with his dad..."
TK felt a stab inside him. He clutched his chest desperately at the sudden surge of guilt, but his eyes were still on the mirror. His mother nodded and hung up suddenly. A young blond boy had walked into the room, clutching a stuffed animal. His eyes were red and wet.
"Mommy? Is Daddy gone?"
"Yes, Takeru, he went out. Go to sleep."
"But Mommy, there's a bad man..."
"Alright, TK, I'll come with you, I'll protect you from the bad man..."
I should've been the one protecting her.
"Will you check that he's not in my room?"
I should've been checking that dad never came back.
"Of course, Takeru. I'll make sure he's not there, he won't hurt you..."
I should've made sure dad didn't hurt her...
"NO. STOP." shouted TK, gripping his hair wildly, tearing his white eyes from the mirror. But he could catch the gleam, from the mirror on his left...his head spun before he could stop it.
He was awakening with a yell. His was drenched in cold sweat. He leapt out of bed and stumbled over to the window, pressing his forehead to the glass...it was raining, hard, outside the apartment, running down the streets in muddy rivers, sliding down the stair railings. A person was huddled underneath an overhang outside a closed shop. A car drove by its white eyes glaring through the downpour...and there he stood, alone and cold, his eyes closed as he ran a hand through his hair...always on stormy nights...
"Please..." Please stop...he thought....
There he was, in the cave, and there was Davis. The spiky-haired boy screamed something and punched him across the face. TK stumbled back and hit the wall and Kari gripped his arm. Davis was yelling, held back by the others...he ran forward, slammed the goggle-headed boy against the wall with his arm at his throat...Davis was choking, scrabbling at TK's arm, trying to breathe...TK was speaking slowly, his arm strong and immobile, shoulders shaking with anger...
No..no..I didn't mean too...he spun desperately, but the next mirror was just as horrible...
He was outside the cave, yelling at Matt, whose eyes were filled with worry. The rain was pouring down on him, soaking his hair...Matt tried to get an answer out of him, but TK's heart was filled with anger, with despair, with anguish...
TK turned despairingly, seeking escape, but all the mirrors seemed to be rotating around him...
There he was, huddled beneath his blanket as his father screamed outside the door. Matt was all alone in the bathroom, crying tears into the sink...tears that turned red when they hit the white edge and dripped down into the drain...you could've helped him...
He was awakening in a dark plain, his head throbbing...he could feel it...he staggered back at the cold voice, his eyes wide with fear. The plain ignited slowly around him in a white fire.
"No...you can't...I stopped, it's over -"
"Its never over, Takeru..."
Pull down your neckline, roll up your sleeve...
Leave me alone...
Kari was struggling in a sea of dark waves, her beautiful eyes terrified, black hands groping at her ankles...the tide was rising, trying to drown her. He reached out to her but the length was too far...she was being consumed by the black water, her fingers trembling as she reached towards him, her lips mouthing his name, but she was too far in, and now he was slipping underneath, the darkness devouring him...you're too weak, you can't save her...
Spun again and met a vision of Angemon disappearing into a thousand shards. Devimon laughed as he vanished and TK's eyes flowed. Angemon smiled at him, but TK was crying out for him, asking why...why did he have to go, why did he have to sacrifice himself...why did he have to go and destroy Patamon....just like he'd destroyed his family...
Tai was fighting with a fearful Izzy, grabbing him fiercely by the collar, ripping it as Joe and Matt dragged him away. Mimi was near tears. Tai fumed and Matt's hands clenched, his body shaking. They were fighting because of him, because he had been too bold and led them all into it...you're tearing them apart...
He was driving the car, on their way to the Digital World, as Davis stuck out his tongue at Kari...she laughed and closed his mouth...TK looked at her, but she faded away...you don't deserve her...
Joe was huddling under an overhang with Cody trying to tend to his ankle. Izzy was holding a bleeding side. Gommamon limped up, digivolving into Ikkakumon, but was thrown back. Digmon was against the ground with Irguimon's foot pressed against his neck. Tentomon sent and Electro Shocker at him to no avail...you left them there...
Mimi was bending over Palmon, who was struggling to keep her eyes open. The pink-clad princess winced as her arm throbbed from a second-degree burn. Garudamon was still attacking, but losing badly. Sora and Yolie both held each other, crying, as Halsemon shielded them from Ordramon's attack...you should be the one defending them...
The Digimon Emperor punched Ken across his jaw just as the Reflected Stingmon barreled into the real one. Ken stumbled in the shallows and water dripped off his bloody face as he struggled to stand. The Digimon Emperor kicked him hard in the stomach and he doubled over. Stingmon was sent hurtling back into the waters...help him, coward, he's hurting, he's all alone...
Tai dragged a wounded Davis behind the nearest boulder as Raidramon took a hit. Augumon digivolved desperately into Greymon, while MetalGarurumon gave his last effort and de-digivolved back to Tsunomon. With one swipe, the two remaining Digimon were hurled backwards. The demon roared in triumph...this is all your fault...
And then he froze at the next mirror.
The other images floated around him, endless, taunting...but this one he saw most of all.
Standing, feet spread apart, over the sink. Took off his shirt. Rubbed the salt into his skin. Picked up the shard of ice. Burning...
TK screamed louder than he had ever screamed before. The rafters shook from the force of it. Kari woke with a start and her head spun towards the blond.
He doubled over, fell to his knees, pressed his forehead to the floor. His trembling hands tore fiercely through his hair. He cried, trying to drown out the pain through the flood of his eyes, the stabbing in his heart a never-ending torture....Patamon was tugging his shoulder but he couldn't feel it, couldn't feel anything....
IT'S YOUR FAULT.
IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT.
FACE IT, COWARD.
TK yelled, picked up the nearest piece of statue and hurled it at the mirror.
It shattered and the other mirrors went dark.
Kari stared into his eyes from the altar. She spoke his name and ran to him.
He shook, stumbling over broken glass, and grabbed her in a fierce embrace.
"Don't let go, Takeru," she whispered into his ear. "He's watching us, he's watching..."
But even with his arms around her, she pulled away so suddenly that his grip was lost. Kari struggled with the black arm around her throat. TK took a step.
"A twist is all it takes, Takeru," spoke the voice. TK froze.
"Let...her...go..."he started. His back blared with pain. Something had just hit Cody.
"You wish that, don't you?" snarled the voice. TK's leg trembled. Sora staggered with a cut on her thigh.
"I know who you are," said the boy quietly. Patamon winced as Armidillomon fell. Gatomon held her shoulder as Wormmon struggled through the water.
"Liar," hissed the voice. TK fell to his knees as Tai collapsed beside Augumon.
"I know...why...I know..." TK's throat stuck as the wind was knocked out of Izzy. Tears formed in Patamon's eyes as Biomon took a hit in the chest.
"No..." whispered the shadow. TK reached for the edges of his tattered shirt. The back of his head throbbed as Yolie's hit a rock. Gatomon clutched her stomach as Gabumon doubled over. Patamon dropped from the air as Hawkmon fell with a broken wing.
TK swallowed the pain and stood, slowly. Both inside and out, the torture ruled. But as he pulled off the torn shirt, it began to lose its power.
He opened his eyes and stared down the white gaze. The scars on his body glared dangerously in the light. Kari stopped struggling and watched him. The shadow trembled.
"You wanted revenge, Devimon," he spoke, his voice trembling, "but vengeance comes at a price."
Then he yelled. Devimon dropped Kari to the floor as Angemon and Angewomon flew forth, shining with a holy, inextinguishable light. Kari stumbled onto her feet and caught TK as he collapsed, his body searing. As she held him against her, the pain flowed into her as well, and the swirling disease of guilt and memories entered her mind. But she did not let go of her hold, but battled with him, fought tirelessly against it while TK breathed faintly against her shoulder.
"Celestial Arrow!"
"Hand of Fate!"
Devimon fell back. Ordramon screamed. Irguimon stumbled. The shadowed Stingmon fell from the air. The flaming demon on the shore of the island convulsed.
Kari gripped TK's hand and he opened his eyes. He smiled faintly at her crimson gaze.
"You are so beautiful," he mouthed. Kari stroked his hair. The faint echoes of battle thundered around them.
"No matter what happens...I love you," she whispered. TK took her hand and she pressed her forehead to his.
"I love you, my Angel," he said, trembling. Tears fell slowly from his eyes.
Kari leaned in and kissed each one from his cheeks.
Together, they waited for the end.