Zara: eh long time, no write, huh? Well…sorry everyone. Terribly. But I do have this chapter, as well as 7 and 8. That should give you something to do while I find more time to write.
Disclaimer: don't own digimon, nor will I ever own it. Sad, eh?
Don't forget to review! Thankies!
Chapter 6PRIVATE
Tai wasn't sure what had happened. All he could remember was Matt disappearing into the ground. He knew that he had rushed to try to save his friend-- as did Gabumon-- but, as he found himself falling into the deep, never ending hole, he was starting to rethink his actions.
"Whhoooooaaaa-ahhhhhh!" Tai yelled as he slid down at a fast speed.
Then without a warning the slide ended abruptly and he found himself flying into the air-- and suddenly he slammed into the ground.
Tai groaned and squeezed his eyes in the pain he had suddenly felt. He rolled over onto to his side to see that Gabumon staring down at him with concern.
"Tai, are you all right?" He asked, helping him sit up.
"Yeah, I think I am...." Tai answered. He moved his arms and legs. "Nothing feels broken . . . so I'm thinking I'm ok. Just badly bruised."
He looked around to see that they were in a round room. He got up, holding onto his right side gingerly. "Where are we Gabumon? . .?" He asked. Then he spun around the room, remembering why they were down here and his eyes searched frantically for Matt.
"Where's Matt?" He asked, fear setting into him.
"I - I don't know, Tai," came the answer and Tai could hear the worry in Matt's digimon. "But he might've slid down a different room. I've only left you for a minute to go search . . . there are more paths."
Tai sighed. "Well, Gabumon, let's get searching then. Cuz I really don't like this." He told the digimon. "And I don't have Agumon to digivolve and . . . well, I can't make you digivolve-- you're not my digimon." He paused, a grim look appearing on his face. "And if we get attacked as we are--well, it wouldn't be good."
Gabumon didn't reply. There was nothing to say to that. Instead he turned around led Tai to one of the many paths in the labyrinth that they had fallen into.
"I want Ken back," Yolie demanded. "Give us back Ken. And not some psycho!!"
Ken grinned even more wickedly. Or rather it was, Metal-Panthamon. And Yolie was vivid to find that her boyfriend's body was taken over by a digimon that they thought they had destroyed earlier in the year.
But apparently not.
"Why should I do that?" came the reply--it wasn't Ken's voice. It had a distorted sound to it, and it made Yolie wince, with everyone else. "I came to warn you."
"Warn us? Why would you warn us?" Tk asked, both of his eyebrows raised.
Metal-panthamon smirked. "To give you a fair chance of trying your best to beat us." He answered.
"Us?" Mimi had caught that. She frowned. "Wait, wait just a second. . .just what the heck is going on? And how did you come back? And why?" She paused. "Who are you working with?"
A blink and a grin. There was a look of approval on his face. "I can see why my Mattie likes you. There is more to you than the eye cannot see." He said quietly.
"He is not your Mattie. He is mine." Snapped Mimi. "Now tell us now, why you are giving us a warning and a 'fair' chance of beating you." She narrowed her eyes. "Just how do we know that you aren't playing us? What if this is all a set up?"
He laughed. "You are bright indeed." He shrugged. "Well that is up to you to listen or not."
"I will not listen to you and your lies." Mimi flared. She directed her gaze onto the rest of her friends. "I will not listen. I don't care if you give him a chance or not, but I won't listen."
"I'm with Mimi," Yolie agreed.
"Anyone else?" He asked, a frown becoming on the borrowed face.
They all exchanged glances. Without a word, Yolie stepped up and slapped Ken's face. Gasps were heard from behind her but she didn't care--Metal-panthamon was starting to irk her.
"Ow!" came the reply from the slap--only it wasn't the distorted voice, it was Ken's.
"That hurt--but thanks. He -- he just took over and threatened to kill me and did I faint?" Ken stammered, taking a step back from everyone else.
"Wait, where'd he go?" Sora asked suspiciously. "We were just talking to him."
Ken winced. "Well, he was getting very angry that you weren't listening to him. That and I was fighting to gain control of my head back- and Yolie's slapped help, cuz I almost had it but...that slap did it in the end." He explained. He sighed and sank to the ground.
"Ken are you alright?" Yolie asked concerned.
"I am tired. He took my energy and it made me hungry." He answered.
Sora knelt down next to Ken and touched his forehead. "Ken, why did you faint?" She asked. She gave him a cookie she had in her pocket. He took it and nodded his thanks.'/
"I . . . don't know. I've not felt like myself for awhile." He frowned. He glanced around to see that they had some sort of expression on their faces. He grimaced. "Why do I get the feeling that you all have a theory?"
"Well, we do." Mimi nodded. She squinted her eyes, and tilted her head a bit. "But are you sure you are ok?"
"I am but what is this theory you all have?" Ken answered.
"Well, it seems like you and Davis have exchanged some...traits." Izzy informed him. "He has become . . .smarter than usual and you, ah, you've been a smartass."
"Oh." Ken replied, frowning. "Wait, what?" He blinked. "I remember ---oooooh. Oh. Oh."
"What??" Yolie asked, noticing the distraught expression on Ken's face. And she wasn't the only one who had noticed.
"What are you not telling us, Ken?" Sora demanded.
"I don't know much . . . but Davis did talk to me only a little. And I think . . . I know why he's down. He didn't say it outright but it --I read in between the lines." Ken said rather quickly. He lowered his eyes. "But he -- I promised I wouldn't tell."
"Look, Ken, if it can save Davis . . . and not only Davis but Tai and Matt as well, I'm sure he'll forgive you." Kari said reasonably.
Tk laughed.
"It isn't funny, Tk," Kari scolded.
"No, no it isn't but . . . Kari think about it. Where have we heard these words? Or at least Sora and Izzy have heard. . ." Tk said, glancing at the two.
Izzy nodded and Sora showed a flicker of a smile.
"Hmm, about you making a promise to Matt not to tell? And in the end, Matt understood and forgave you anyways." Sora replied.
"He would've forgiven me anyways." Tk retorted.
Ken blinked and only Tk, Sora and Yolie noticed he was fighting back tears. Sora sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. She leaned forward and whispered, softly, "He will understand. Sometimes we have to break a promise in order to help."
"He . . . doesn't feel like he belongs with us. He thinks all he does is mess up and is just there to be cheerful when others aren't." Ken said softly. "Or least, that is what I had picked up between the lines." he picked at the grass and sighed. "I tried to argue his point, but, you know, he is rather stubborn."
"Oh . . . no." Tk moaned. "This is totally and utterly my fault."
Everyone stared.
"How so, Tk?" Cody asked.
"I--we--uh, we got into a --an argument." Tk stammered. "It was a bad one. We both lost our tempers."
"You --lost your temper?" Kari asked, amused.
"Yes. And I said some rather harsh things." Tk admitted ruefully.
"When did this happen?" Yolie asked, curious.
"Um, about a month ago." Tk answered thoughtfully.
"Hmm." Sora bit her lip. She turned to the younger digidestined and asked, "Is that when Davis started acting a bit odd?"
They all nodded.
She then turned to Ken. "And when did he confide in you, Ken?" She asked, trying to sort it all out in time wise.
"A few weeks ago." Ken answered. He shrugged. "But honestly, his odd behavior started a few weeks before he and Tk went at it." He paused. "I know this cuz we are, after all, best friends and I hate to say this, but I think I know him better than anyone of you."
"You're probably right, Ken." Mimi nodded. "But, look at Tai and Matt." She shrugged her shoulders. "Ok, now we have some clues as to why Davis is being like this, but . . . we don't really have enough . . . to know everything."
"Ok, so we don't know what is going to happen." Sora admitted. "But we do know that Metal-panthamon is back. And he is after Matt. That and the mist is back...but this time Davis has a little part in that. But it does have a sense of revenge for Matt."
Silence.
"Also, only Matt, Tai and Davis are in the digiworld. And they have the original copy of Kari's D3, where as we only have a duplicate. As to how that helps, no clue." Mimi added, shrugging her shoulders. "The mist is in our world . . .,"She peered out into it, "and its thick and hard to see, and as to why that is here we don't know that either."
"So now what?" Joe asked. "We don't know what to do about this mist here. We can't even see ten feet in front of us. Why are we here?"
"Maybe it'll go away if certain even happen." Yolie suggested.
"Hmmm." Izzy said. "Let me look at my laptop." He said, sitting down on the ground and taking his back pack off. Luckily he was at the end of the line so when they all fell, it wasn't damaged. "I haven't a chance to look at it."
"Good idea. It would give us a chance to sit down and talk this out more." Sora agreed, sitting down next to Ken, who looked like he was deep in thought.
"That and I'm tired." Yolie yawned, taking the other spot next to Ken. She looked at him and noticed Sora watching him. Sora noticed she was being watched and locked eyes with her.
Yolie raised her eyebrows. Sora simply patted Ken's knee and said, "It'll be okay, Ken. Just you see."
"Sora's right," Yolie said softly, glad that Sora could say things that she sometimes couldn't.
"Oh no." Came Izzy's cry of dismay. "This--this isn't good, not at all!!"
"What?" Joe and Mimi cried in usion.
"I can't pull anything up on the digiworld!" Izzy answered, looking up and his eyes wide. "Nothing. It's a blank, as if . . . it never had existed!"
Davis sank to his knees, yet cautiously crawled to the spot in which his friends were seen last. He squinted, trying to focus his eyes a little. He waved a hand to Veemon and Agumon that it was ok to follow. The digimon slowly came up behind him and looked over his shoulder to see--
--solid ground.
The trio gaped and Davis slowly leaned back but only to stick his foot out, tapping the ground. But it was solid, as if it had never happened. As if he had seen nothing, as if his friends were never with him in the first place.
This . . . this doesn't seem right, Davis said to Veemon and Agumon. We need to find them . . . I hate being separated. He directed his gaze onto Agumon and told him, I'm sure you agree.
"I can't digivolve without him," Agumon nodded his head. "So, let's get going."
"The sooner we search, and the sooner we find them!" Veemon exclaimed.
Davis grinned. Sounds like a plan, Veemon! He agreed and stood up, stretching. He yawned, scratched his head and nodded. He took a step forward, bracing himself. Yet he did not fall.
He took another and another--yet the ground held and Davis sighed.
That's weird, it's not falling, guys, He thought, puzzled, as he walked slowly and tried to mull things over. It doesn't make any sense. Like it was only meant for Matt--but Tai and Gabumon were quick and fell down as well.
"You don't think its--?" Veemon left the question unasked, bumping into Davis, whose eyes had widened. He spun around to face the digimon, his face grim.
You could be onto something, Veemon. It could very well be Metal -panthamon trying to capture Matt. A pause. We need to hurry before something drastic happens!