k2: (still hiding due to the fact that none of the next chapters are any better and or worse)

MK: Hmm…still can't find her! Grr! She really is scared'a you guys! Well, here it is, part 2 of chapter 9. Please let her, or us, rather, know if the titles work. It's kinda, well…important. I guess. Yeah, it is. Okay, hoe ya enjoy and please do review! Thank you.

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What Now?

Ch.9 pt2-Corupts

PG-13

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TK stared at the unconscious form of Kari on the stone floor next to him. HE sat with his legs curled to his chest, his arms wrapped around them. His chin rested on his knees and every so often he would rock back and forth, muttering to himself. Beside him was Angemon, as impassive as he was before, not moving or speaking unless he was told to do so.

What…what have I done? What is happening to me? Matt…I'm so sorry…. I can't…I can't….

Calm yourself, my pet.

TK's eyes widened and he gabbed his head, shaking it as if to shake the voice out.

"I told you to get out of my head!"

In due time, child, in due time. I must make sure you pull through with your part of the deal!

"I…I can't I …Matt!"

"Yes, yes. You failed to deliver him to the stone but you did, however, get him out of the way.

"No…No I…I…" Pain bean to gnaw at TK's skull and he whimpered.

"IT hurts!"

Yes, it does. But the pain will go away in time. Part of you is still insistent on remaining chained to a fate that will forever bind you, taming your potential. Just give in and your freedom will be at hand.

Freedom…." TK murmured. From what?

From the bonds that cause you pain of course. The way you suffer in daily life, the tragic life you live, living up to others expectations. A golden boy with no real value except to fulfill others plans for a life only you should have control of. And yet you don't. They wish to control you; they wish to keep you under lock and key.

Why else has it taken you so long to live up to your own potential? Why else has it always been you to find yourself last amongst all your allies? Why else would your own brother neglect and ignore you, shunning you in preference for his own egotistical glories?

TK began to rock back and forth again, his mind numbing to the pain as the dark master spoke through his broken defenses to his mind.

And then Kari began to stir.

Take her now! Before she is aware of what is happening!

"Kari…."

Kari groaned as she slowly began to wake up and TK seemed to regain himself again as he stared at her in horror.

"Kari…no! Stop this!"

You WILL obey me! Take the child of light into your power! You WILL enter her mind and deliver her soul to darkness!

"STOP IT!" TK cried out as he began to pull on his hair.

A sharp jolt of dark power shot out of the darkness, hitting TK in the back and slamming him to the ground. The master of the void slowly stepped forward out of the shadows and approached TK, a red crystal in his hands.

"You are indeed a formidable mind, but you will succumb to our power! Now take her now!"

AS if nothing had happened at all TK raised himself from the ground, his eyes a dull glaze once again, and walked over to Kari. HE knelt down as she slowly raised herself up, rubbing her head, and looked around in a days. When her eyes fell on TK she stared at him in confusion s he helped her to sit up. She still didn't fully comprehend anything as he leaned in to her, dark aura once again overwhelming his figure as he brought her in for a silent kiss.

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"Gabumon!" I looked down at my digimon partner as I felt my grip beginning to slip. "I…I don't' think anyone is coming Gabumon!"

"What happened? Where is everyone?"

"I'd rather not ask that right now. Not with…not with TK acting the way he did."

"You don't think…."

"HE tried to do it to me didn't he?" Matt snapped. "If he tried to kill me think of what he would have done to the others without a second thought!"

"So you're…giving up on him?" Gabumon sounded horrified and my anger grew.

"Of course not! I would never give up on TK! I jus know that right now…right now he's in danger from himself as much as anything else. We have to get up there, but I don't think…." I trailed off. I couldn't' tell Gabumon that I was about to drop him. He was my best friend next to Tai and Sora. And there was no way; no way I was going to let him down now! Not when he needed me the most!"

"Gabumon. Do you see any ledges near your feet?"

"No Matt. None."

"Gabumon slipped in my grasp slightly, I knew he felt it but he remained silent and I cursed. I couldn't' believe this was happening, not now.

I looked up towards the cliff, wondering if I could manage to swing Gabumon up and over. But with the weight on my arm, his weight, I knew I wouldn't' be able to. Not one handed. And if I let go we were both doomed. MY only option was to hang on and pray. And my left hand wasn't the only one beginning to slip.

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"That's the last one Haslemon!" Yolie shouted triumphantly.

She and the others had left Ken at a lower level when he got trapped by two Dokugumon. HE had told them he could handle it and that they had to get to the top. After that they were attacked by three flymon and a snimon that had gotten lost so Yolie decided to take them on while Tai and Sora headed to the top.

"Ken and the others must have run into more trouble," She murmured as she looked at the direction she had come, seeing no one. "I haven't seen them come up yet."

"I am sure they are fine Yolie." Halsemon assured hr, "they are strong."

"Yeah." Yolie murmured, "Yeah, your right!" Come on, we're almost at the top!"

Just as she turned towards the top she heard her name being called and Halsemon turned back around. Yolie's face brightened as she saw Mimi, Joe, Cody and Izzy coming up from the side of the mountain, Kabutarimon carrying Izzy, Joe, and Gomomon.

"Of course!" Yolie laughed, "Of course it would take them awhile to get this high! HEY! MIMI! JOE! WHATS THE WORD?"

"THEY STOPPED!" Cody cried distantly.

"Stopped?" Yolie wondered, "But…why?"

When the other four finally reached Yolie she questioned them.

"I don't' get it." She started, "Stopped?"

"Yeah." Mimi replied, "They just stopped coming at us."

"It was as if a ceasefire was issued by their leader." Izzy continued, "A couple of snimon called a retreat and the five digimon that were left disappeared."

"But then that means…." Yolie's' eyes widened and she looked at the top of the cliff. "We gotta get up there!"

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Davis groaned as he began to feel the pain in his throbbing head. Waking up after getting slammed around and kicked was not very fun, especially when the one doing it to you was supposed to be a friend. Well, sorta.

Davis raised himself slightly and looked around. HE seemed to be the only one there. He saw no sign of Kari, Tai, or Sora….

"Gatomon!" he saw the small form of the white and purple-stripped cat-mon laying, unconscious, on the ground. HE started to get up, but a wash of dizziness hit him and he had to brace himself on his hands and knees.

"Ugh! My head!"

His hand, automatically, went to rub his temple and the presence of a sticky substance made him groan again. He frowned as he brought his hand down to eye level to exam it and was irritated to find out it was dry blood.

"Great!" He hissed as his stomach churned. "I hate seeing my own blood."

Strange though. HE thought silently, Normally I would be panicking right now….

Shaking the thought off he crawled over to Gatomon, not wanting to experience another bout of dizziness, and began shaking her.

"Hey, Gatomon. Wake up!
Kari!" Gatomon cried, jumping up in frenzy. "Where's Kari?"

"Gone." Davis muttered, "And I don't; know where anyone else is."

"Have you tired calling them?"

"Uh…no?"

"Figures."

"Hey! Gimme a break, I just woke up!"

"Obviously."

Davis crossed his arms irritably but his irritation was only short lived. Gatomon was right; he should of at least tried calling out to someone.

"Hey! TAI! Sora? Where is everyone! MATT!"

"DAVIS!"

Hearing Matt's voice Davis turned around quickly, dizziness attacking again, and tried to locate the older teen. But he saw no one.

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Ken rubbed at his shoulder as Stingmon blasted the Dokugumon into digidust, irritated at himself for allowing the monster to snag him with her webbing. She had slammed him into the side of the mountain and tried using him against Stingmon, but that old trick was only good if you knew how to use it properly and she didn't. Stingmon had easily rescued Ken and taken her out and now it looked as if they were finally free to rejoin the others. During their battle he had thought he'd seen Joe and his group pass by, but he was too busy to pay much attention. The single Snimon that had been in the fight retreated quite awhile back but the last Dokugumon had really wanted to finish them off.

Too bad for her.

Climbing back onto Stingmon's back the two took off, heading up towards their friends.

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"Davis!" I waited, listening. He had to hear me, he just had to!"

"MATT?"

Yes!

"Over here!" I cried, "The edge of the cliff!"

"You're kidding me!" Davis cried out.

"No! Hurry it up!" My hand slipped again and I felt panic surge through me. If it were to slip anymore I would loose my grip indefinitely. "DAVIS!"

"I…I'm coming!"

"Matt, he sound disoriented." Gabumon stated

"I know." IF it was true then we had a problem.

"Matt!" Gatomon shouted and I looked up to see her staring at us.

"Get Davis over here!" I shouted at her. "I'm about to loose Gabumon!"

"Right!" Gatomon disappeared and I heard a brief struggle.

Just as my grip slipped all together.

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AS Yolie's group reached the top cliff her eyes widened in frightened disbelief. Tai and Sora were on the ground, unconscious, and there was no sign of anyone else. There was a rocky barrier where the tiptop of the mountain had been blown away and she saw Agumon, Biomon, and V-Mon on the ground as well.

"This is not good." Cody murmured as he jumped off digimon and surveyed the scene before them,

"Sora!" Mimi cried. She ran to her friend and nudged her, trying to wake her up.

"This doesn't look good." Joe murmured as he knelt next to Tai, checking his vitals. At least he's still alive. How's Sora Mimi?"

"She's breathing, but she has a nasty bruise on her head!"

"I think Tai was closest to the blast." Joe murmured, "He's scratched up pretty bad, but nothing seems broken. All in all I think it's safe to assume their pretty much okay."

"So then…where are the others?" Yolie asked

"Yolie!" Ken cried as he jumped off Stingmon, "What happened here?"

"Don't' know." Yolie replied, "We just got here. Where were you! You should have gotten here before Mimi and the others!"

"Dokugumon drug me off, forcing Stingmon to follow. They must have passed me while she was trying to kill us."

A groan from Tai broke into their discussion as he began to wake up. When he opened his eyes memory flooded back to him and he sat up quickly.

Kari!" HE cried, "TK!"

"You found TK?" Joe asked

"No." Tai replied darkly, "I mean…wait. I'm not sure what happened exactly but…TK attacked us! Oh, no…Davis! Matt! Where are they?"

"We don't know." Izzy replied, "We were hoping you could tell us."

Tai rubbed at his head as he tried to remember what happened. As he did Sora and the Digimon also began to stir and it was Biomon who spoke up.

"Sora!" She cried, "Matt and the others are still on the other side of the rocks!"

"Davis! V-Mon cried as he ran towards the barrier, "TK was trying to kill him!"

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"GOTCHA!" I felt something grab my wrist and I saw Davis holding on with both hands. "Gatomon, drag us back!"

"Your…too…heavy!" She cried, "I can barley…hold on!"

I looked down and saw Gabumon, my hand barley keeping a firm grip on his horn. My palm was sweating and I was desperate to hold on. I just didn't know for how long I could.

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"Get on Tai!" Yolie shouted as she jumped back onto Halsemon.

Obliging her Tai hopped onto the back of her Digimon and they took to the air again, flying over the barrier and seeing a sight they hadn't expected. Davis was half over the edge of a cliff, Gatomon holding into his legs with as much strength as she could muster. They were both holding Matt, keeping him and Gabumon from falling to their doom. She swooped down with Halsemon and Tai jumped off, running to help Davis and Gatomon while Yolie headed towards Matt.

"Matt!" Yolie shouted.

"Yolie! Grab Gabumon! I'm about to loose him!"

"Right!"

Halsemon flew down and Yolie plucked the digimon out of Matt's grasp. Matt sighed with relief and threw his other hand up to Davis who was being pulled up by Tai and Gatomon.

"Thank you." Gabumon stated, rubbing his horn.

"That thing sure is strong." Yolie replied with a smile.

"Actually, I was quite afraid it would fall off any second."