Chapter Two is up! This story is going to take place from T.K.'s and Ken's POV's, just to let you know. The next chapter after this is going to have lots of suspence so stay tuned!

I don't own Digimon or any of its characters.

One World Away From Darkness

Chapter 2: Dark Dreams

T.K. Takaishi

T.K. entered the computer room and sat down in one of the chairs, glancing anxiously at the door. The others had not managed to catch up to him yet, and he was grateful for a few minutes alone. His head ached, and he felt exhausted. Last night had not been a good one for sleep. He had spent the whole eight hours tossing and turning, often waking up to find himself tangled in the blankets. Every night, for the past two weeks, he had been having the same disturbing dream. Despite his efforts to find out why, he still had no clue. At first, about a month ago, it had only been once a week. Then it became twice, and now it came everytime he closed his eyes at night.

"T.K.? Are you alright?"

T.K. turned towards the door and managed a week smile for Kari, who had just entered. The petite brunette's amber eyes were filled with concern, and she looked worried. "I'm fine. What makes you think there's anything wrong?" I can't tell her. It'll only make her worry. There's no reason to get Kari upset when it's probably nothing. I'm just stressed because of basketball tryouts. When I accepted the position for captain, I never realized there was going to be so many things I had to be involved in, including choosing new teammates. It's a tougher job than I thought, especially considering how much I hate cutting people.

Kari was giving him a look that plainly stated she did not believe him. He sighed, and this time a genuine smile crossed his face. If there was one thing he loved about her, it was the fact that she was always concerned about other people. How often had she put herself at risk to help someone else? It was too many times to count, and that was one of the reasons he respected her so much. "Come on, T.K.," she said softly, "I've known you longer than that. You're a terrible liar, so what's going on?"

"I told you, it's nothing. Don't worry about me, I'm fine." He quickly lowered his eyes to the floor, sure that his face was red with guilt. It's not a lie. At least...not really. There's nothing wrong! It was just a dream. That's not something I need to get worked up about. Oh yeah? If it's just a dream, then why won't it go away? T.K. shook his head to clear it and pasted what he hoped was a convincing smile on his face. "It's basketball again. Nothing new. Tryouts are starting this year, and you know how I feel about shooting down other peoples' dreams." He winced at his last words and managed to keep a straight expression on his face. Luckily Kari did not seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. She came forward and sat down next to him, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Oh, T.K., if you could keep everyone you would, wouldn't you?" She gave him a warm smile that was filled with affection.

He shrugged, feeling embarrassed, and stared at his hands. He could not help it. That was just the way he was, and he did not think anything could change how he felt. "I can't help it," he murmured.

Kari wrapped an arm around him and kissed his cheek. "I know. That's what makes you such a wonderful person."

T.K. blushed. Thankfully, Kari's head was resting against his shoulder and she missed seeing his expression. Normally he did not blush very often, except when it came to Kari. She always made him feel as if there were butterflies flitting around in his stomach. To top it off, his heart was pounding so hard, he was sure it was going burst out of his chest, and goosebumps popped out on his arms. It never failed to happen whenever she came near him. Even after all the years they had been friends, the feeling was still there. If anything, it had grown stronger with each passing season. He had thought it might fade as they grew up, but he had been mistaken. The years were only making him care for her even more. Smiling softly, he rested his cheek against her hair and closed his eyes. She smelled like wildflowers, and for the first time in weeks he felt a sense of peace wash over him.

"T.K., if you do want to talk, I'm always here," she said, breaking the comfortable silence between them. He glanced down at her face, and she smiled up at him, her honey brown eyes sparkling in the sunshine coming from the window.

"I know that, and thanks," he said quietly. He still wasn't sure exactly how she felt about him, but he had always believed patience was a virtue. Someday she would let him know how she felt and he would deal with it, whatever her decision was, when the time came. Until then he was content to remain hopeful that she felt the same way he did. If you trust her, then why didn't you tell her? How could you lie to her face like that? It wasn't a lie. There's nothing wrong with me. I'm just tired. Sometimes that can affect peoples' dreams. Kari would understand. I won't have her worrying about me over nothing. Even though what his mind had reasoned out made sense, it did not stop him from feeling guilty.

Loud voices at the door made him jump, and he almost fell off his chair. Quickly he and Kari pulled apart and turned to face the others. Is she blushing? Interesting. Maybe she feels the same way after all!

Ken Ichijouji

Ken and the others stepped inside the computer room, which Davis had dubbed DigiCentral. Now that they were no longer in elementary school, they had needed to find a new central location they could use to travel to the Digital World. The computer room in their highschool had been the most logical choice, and Digicentral was born.

They walked in and found Kari and T.K. already seated. Both looked suspiciously flushed, and Ken hid a smile. It was obvious the two liked each other, and he was happy for them. Now if only they would both wake up and realize it, too.

"So, how are we planning this trip?" Kari asked. She smoothed out her short, white skirt and folded her hands neatly in her lap. She gave them all an expectant look, as if waiting for a suggestion.

"Well, it has got to be after our soccer game tomorrow," Davis insisted. He sprawled backwards on the chair next to T.K., staring defiantly at Yolei, as if daring her to disagree.

"Don't worry," T.K. laughed from his seat across from Ken. "We won't jeopardize your championship dreams!"

Davis glared at him, but T.K. just rolled his eyes. Ken discreetly studied T.K.'s face, frowning thoughtfully. Is it just me or does T.K. look paler than usual?

Normally by the end of summer break, the blond would have managed to aquire a golden tan. You would not know it gazing at him now. If anything, he looked as if he was coming down with the flu.

Why does he appear so uneasy? I've never seen him like this before.

Ken glanced at the others, but they were too busy chatting and did not notice the nervous expression on the blond's face.

Why don't you ask him what's wrong? The thought made Ken's heart sink, and he stared miserably at the floor. The truth was, he was afraid to. Out of all his Digidestined friends, T.K. was probably the one he knew the least. Though they had been friends for four years, Ken could not help but feel that there was something missing in their friendship. Sometimes they seemed more like acquaintences than friends. It was strange, but during their past adventures he and T.K. had, for whatever reason, remained distant from one another. Their paths had never crossed in any significant way. Except that one time...the time he and T.K. had fought in his old base when he had been the Emperor. If there was one moment he regretted most in his life, it was that moment. He had a horrible feeling that that incident was the reason he and T.K. weren't very good friends. Who knew that a few minutes in time could alter the future so drastically. Who knew that one mistake could ruin everything. It's all my fault. I'm the reason we're not good friends, and I have know one to blame but myself. Some things are better left unheard. He knew about Devimon, and he wished with his whole heart and soul that he didn't. Back in May, Tai had celebrated his twentieth birthday. To honour the occasion, Kari had thrown a huge surprise party. All of the Digidestined had been there, and it was a night that had changed his life forever. During the party, he happened to overhear Matt talking to Kari. They had been talking about T.K. Embarrassed to be caught eavesdropping, he had turned to make his escape and heard the name Devimon. Everything he had heard after that had made his heart sink like a rock. Suddenly he understood why T.K. kept his distance. Devimon. As the Emperor, he had used a part of Devimon to make Kimeramon. The reappearance of the fallen angel must have brought back horrible memories for T.K. That was something Ken was sure the blond could never forgive. T.K. had not protested when he had joined the Digidestined, but Ken still had a feeling the blond could never fully accept him for that one mistake. Ken knew what it was like to lose a Digimon and it felt as if someone was ripping out half your soul. It had been bad enough for him, but for T.K. to lose Patamon at such a young age was something he could not even imagine. The thought alone was enough to make him sick to his stomach. He had forced T.K. to relive that pain all over again, and he hated himself for it.

Since their fight, T.K. had not shown any strong emotions towards him, whether good or bad, and Ken could not blame him. A few times he thought he caught a glimpse of something, but most of the time T.K. did not seem to realize he existed. Even now, T.K. did not appear to sense that he was watching him.

Davis' loud laugh interrupted his miserable thoughts, and he looked up in confusion.

"You're so immature, Davis!" Yolei snapped at the goggle-headed Digidestined.

Apparently Davis had been chewing up spit balls and shooting them at the chalkboard. The goggle-headed leader paused in mid spit and gave Yolei a sullen look. "Why are you always raining on my parade? Can't you go bother someone else for once?"

"No one else is as big of a jerk as you are!" she retorted, crossing her arms over the green star on her t-shirt.

"You never want to have any fun," Davis grumbled.

Yolei looked ready to start shouting again, but Kari hastily changed the subject. "I think it's time we headed out of here. Why don't we meet back in the computer room after school and go to the Digital World then?"

"Fine." Davis stretched and stood up with a yawn. Glancing in Yolei's direction he muttered, "I still think you're a computer geek who doesn't know how to have any fun!"

"You're nothing but a pig headed Neanderthal!" Yolei shouted back at him, her glasses sliding dangerously close to the edge of her nose.

"You're a nerd, Yolei. Face it," Davis smirked at her.

"At least I'm not a brainless oaf!" Yolei shot back. "And I'm not a computer geek!"

Ken sighed. Here they go again. Davis and Yolei would keep it up for at least another hour if they did not stop them. In the last four years, the two had grown famous at school for there constant fights, usually over something stupid. Sometimes it wasn't even over anything at all. In Ken's opinion, they were both to hot-headed for there own good. There biggest problem was that they were too much alike. Neither one of them was anything like him. He was often quiet, thoughtful, and soft spoken now that he had given up his Emperor ways. Ken had often wondered if this, too, had affected his friendship with T.K. The blond was very outgoing (the complete opposite of his brother Matt) while he was more reserved. Unlike Yolei and Davis, T.K. had not really pushed to be friends with him. Why would he have? All I've done is bring him pain. I deserve to have him treat me like I don't exist.

"It never ends with them, does it?"

Ken glanced up to find Kari shaking her head at Davis and Yolei.

"Nope," T.K. replied with a grin. He stood up and held out a hand to Kari, which she accepted with a smile.

Ken watched them head out the door, and his face fell. T.K. had stepped past him, close enough to brush his shoulder, and the blond had not even acknowledged him. I don't know why I feel so hurt. It's not like this is the first time he has shown me no more interest than he would a rock next to his foot.

"Uh, Ken? Are you coming?"

Ken jumped and turned to Cody who was staring at him. The younger boy's face was filled with curiosity, and he was frowning slightly. "Are you okay? You seem really out of it today."

"Do I?" He tried to make his face blank, but he could feel a blush creeping into his cheeks.

"Well, you have been staring at the wall. Didn't you hear what Kari said?"

"Of course I did. Come on, let's go." He let his eyes fall on T.K.'s back, but the blond never looked in his direction.