Z: Another fun filled chapter. er...well...ok, let me know what you think regardless. just try to be nice, eh?

Disclaimer: yet again i DO NOT own digimon nor the characters. blah.

Chapter 10

"Gennai!" Matt cried out, jumping to his feet. "It is good to see you. I think. But it seems like that everytime you show up. . .you have bad news to share." He said, and folded his arms across his chest. "So, how deep are we?"

"Not as deep as you think," Gennai answered. He turned to Davis. "You lost your voice because you were starting to lose yourself. You did help the mist come back, but you were so miserable that you were starting to lose yourself."

"Oh." Davis said and shifted his weight, nervously, realizing that all eyes were on him. "I'm sorry--"

"Gennai, will you stop making him feel bad again?" Matt asked, irritation showing in his voice. Everyone swiveled their gazes from Davis to Matt, surprised that he snapped at Gennai.

But Gennai simply smiled. "You've come a long way, Matt. I do think you are going to be a great influence on young Davis." He said, softly. He then turned back to Davis. "You do accept that you are responsible for this, correct?"

Davis nodded.

"Then you also can accept that you are only human and it is human to make mistakes?"

Davis nodded again.

"Then you should be able to control your emotions a tad bit better, eh? So, when I make a statement about how you were. . .You shouldn't start to feel bad." Gennai said.

"Oh, ok. That does make sense." Davis replied. "I'll do my best."

"Good. Now, Matt, will you ease up on me?" Gennai said, and laughed when Matt blushed. "You are rather protective of this one. But then again, you would know better than anyone else on what he feels."

"I'm sorry, Gennai but. . .yes, you correct on that." Matt said, narrowing his eyes. "Now, is there something that you should be telling us anyways? Some looney prophecy that we have decipher?"

"Whoa, Matt, since when did you become leader?" Tai teased.

Matt smiled. "Since I just want to have a normal summer." He replied shortly.

"Good idea. I came back to visit Matt and you guys--"Mimi agreed.

"Nah, just Matt." Sora cut in teasingly.

"--and yet, here we are saving the digiworld and our world, yet again." Mimi finished, as if Sora didn't speak.

"Ok. . .so tell us Gennai, do you have a clue as to why we have two copies of Kari's D3?" Ken asked, stepping up and standing next to Davis. "And why does the original copy burn everyone but Davis? It isn't his D3."

"Good question, Ken." Kari asked. "I was going to ask that same question."

Gennai smiled but it had a touch of seriousness in it. "You have to split up into two groups. One group stays here. . .the other goes back to earth." He explained. "An event will occur and the two groups must time it. . .whoever has the original and the duplicate must send it off at the same time."

"Send what off?" Tk asked, puzzled.

"The light."

"For the mist to go away. . .?" Kari asked.

"Correct."

"Oh. Well, that's informative." Davis said quietly. "But who gets to stay here and who gets to go back to Earth?"

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances. It was obvious that Davis had to stay in the digiworld but the question that Davis asked weighed heavily on their minds. But before they could decide, Gennai added more information.

"But before that could happen, you all have to go to that mysterious building and destroy Metal-panthamon." He told them and everyone groaned. He looked at Matt. "You've been there, Matt, so it'll look familiar to you."

Matt's face became neutral and he nodded. "Tai and Davis know as well." He added, shifting his weight. "But. . .when we were walking, we were nowhere near a building."

"That is because it moves," Izzy said, quietly.

"Izzy is correct. And you fell into the ground, correct?" Gennai asked, and received a confirmed nod from both Matt and Tai. He turned to Davis. "How did you get in?"

Davis smiled. "I just. . .pried my way in," he answered and shrugged. "I had Agumon and Veemon's help of course."

"You all slid down, right? And entered a labyrinth?"

"Wait, how do you know all of this?" Tai asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Because he's Gennai and he knows all!" Matt answered, somewhat serious and somewhat sarcastically. "Never mind how he knows, he just does. Sheesh, Tai, haven't you learned by now?"

"Whatever." Tai rolled his eyes. Yet he knew Matt had a point. "But yeah, and it was a tricky labyrinth. . .if it wasn't for Gabumon, I'd probably still be wandering around, looking for Matt and the others."

Matt blanched. "Ok, well, let's not speak of that, ok?" He said, quickly.

"Oh, yeah, good point, Matt," Tai said, but he hated how Matt would just keep pushing it aside and not deal with it. He knew his friend was upset but sooner or later, they'd have to see and defeat Metal-Panthamon. . .and deal with it.

Gennai gave a nod in Tai's direction and Tai understood. "That is all I can tell you, Digidestinied. Go to the mysterious building and Metal-Panthamon, and when the time is right half of you return to earth-- and where you have to go, I am not sure. That is something for you to figure out." He told them.

"Of course we'd have to figure it out," Mimi said quietly and smiled.

"Good luck, Digidestinied." Gennai said and disappeared, leaving them all staring at one another.

Tai frowned as he poked the fire with a stick, lost in his thoughts. They had decided to walk about a day's worth in the direction of the mysterious building--providing it did not move-- and rest at night. His thoughts lingered to his blonde friend and wondered how much longer Matt was going to keep pushing the kiss away. Sure, it wouldn't be his idea of fun, either, but he'd accept it, deal with and move on.

Exactly what Matt was not doing.

"So, Davis, did it take a lot of energy to think your replies to the others?" Ken asked, quietly as he sat down next to his friend.

"Actually, yes it did." Davis replied and yawned. "It took more energy to think at all of you than it did with one person."

"Are you ok, Dai?" Kari asked, concern in her voice.

Davis smiled. "I am now, Kari." He replied. He yawned again. "I'll be fine." With that said, his eyes suddenly closed and he slumped against Ken, falling asleep. Ken laughed softly and held his friend up.

"I do believe he is tired." Ken declared. "Now could someone please help me move him. . .?"

"I'll help," Matt offered, coming back to wherever he went off to and with ease, picked Davis up. "Wow, he's pretty light." He paused and frowned. "So, wait, what are the sleeping arrangements?"

"We decided to set up camp over there," Tk said, pointing. "I'll show you, Matt," He offered. He stood up and led the way, with Matt on his heels.

"He is rather light," Matt said, as Tk showed him where to put Davis. "But he is a soccer player with a lot of energy to boot."

Tk nodded. "Hey, Matt, could I talk to you for a second?" He asked, as they slowly walked back to the fire.

Matt stopped and faced his brother. "Okay, about what?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Metal-Panthamon and his kiss." Tk answered promptly. And expected the response he and Tai had expected.

Matt took a step back and had stiffened. He folded his arms over his chest and said, flatly, "I'd rather we not."

And went to turn away but Tk grabbed his arm and spun him around. "Matt, you're not dealing with this very well. You cannot just shove it in the back of your head and hope and think that it didn't happen, when you know very well that it did." He snapped.

Matt froze. "Tk, just leave me alone and I don't. . .want to talk about it, ok?" He shot back angrily.

"Why not?" Tk retorted, getting fed up with his brother. He glared at his brother and placed his hands on his hips, waiting.

"Because I don't want to!" Matt shouted. "Because I don't want think about! Fine, I do put it in the back of my head but why do you care?"

"Because, we all know that you hide what troubles or bothers you, Matt," came the quiet reply from Tai, as he walked into the conversation. "And that usually pushes you away from everyone else and puts us in a situation."

"Oh? What kind of a situation?" Matt snapped.

"You do rash things," Mimi answered, coming up besides Tai, her face full of worry. "Impulsive things."

"Whatever." Matt rolled his eyes.

"Matt!" Tk exploded and for the first time ever, punched his brother, who staggered back into Tai, who caught him. Tai mirrored Matt's surprise face and Mimi gasped.

"Tk!" Mimi cried, but she wasn't that surprised. She knew that Matt had made his brother angry.

"Wow. . .ow. . .that hurt, Tk," Matt said, his voice soft and a tone of hurt in it. He pushed off of Tai, muttered a thanks to his friend and without a second look back, spun on his heels and took off.

"Maybe. . .maybe I shouldn't have done that," Tk said, after a few minutes of silence.

"Maybe, maybe not," Mimi said. "He was being stubborn. And difficult."

"Meems, what do you see in him?" Tk asked, raising both of his eyebrows.

Mimi laughed. "A whole lot but. . .I think Metal-Panthamon kissing him shook him up pretty badly." She paused. "I think he's had dreams abotut him since we supposedly distroyed him." She glanced at Tai and Tk, and both were staring at her. "What?"

"Dreams?" Tk said, uneasily.

"Yeah. He only told me once, but I have a feeling he's had it more than once." Mimi replied.

Tai snorted. "He didn't tell me! I'm his best friend!" Tai said, hurt.

"He wanted to, but. . .he didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Mimi told him gently. "And he didn't want to tell me either, cuz he knew I would make a deal out of it. I had to promise not to say anything."

"Well, him and his stubborness. And difficulty." Tai grumbled. "I wonder what I see in him, too."

Tk and Mimi laughed.

"Well, maybe he'll come to his senses and come back. I think he needs some time alone." Tai said, quietly. "So, let's head back to the fire, I'm sure everyone is wondering where we're at. . .And let's hope that Davis isn't awake. I mean, let's hope we didn't wake him."

Tk glanced over and saw that Davis was sleeping peacefully. He jerked his head and whispered, "Yeah, let's go. He is sleeping but . . .he needs his full rest."

The three of them made their way back to the others quietly and as soon as they were out of sight, Davis' eyes shot open. He sat up carefully and yawned. He blinked and looked around. He had a feeling that Matt wouldn't be coming back. In fact, at the moment, he had a feeling that he knew Matt best. He knew that Matt went to look for Metal-Panthamon by himself.

"Not by himself. . ."Davis whispered and stood up and stetched. He made sure that no one heard him get up and then headed in the direction Matt went, hoping to catch up with him.