Digimon 2: House of Horrors Series

Part Three: Darkness Preparation

"Sora screeched as the ground below her gave way and she was falling into the cliff. Izzy grabbed her wrists and she dangled. T.K stood up and ran over to them; dropping to the ground to grabbing Sora's other wrist.

"Don't let go," Sora begged. T.K shook his head.

"Wouldn't dream of it!"

"Guys, he's coming back!" Yolei shouted.

"What do you want us to do?" Izzy snapped and the dirt beneath him started to crumble from the weight. "Our hands are full right now!"

Kuwagamon flew over them again, but this time he managed to weather away the rest of the soil underneath Izzy and T.K. The ground collapsed beneath them, sending Sora, Izzy, and T.K headlong down the cliff. B.Gatomon spun around as the ground continued to be swallowed by the black pit.

"Run for it!" B.Gatomon called, but just as Yolei and Kari took a few steps, they too were falling into the bottomless pit."

"Yolei! Sora? Thanks goodness!"

"Mmm, Matt?"

Sora opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Matt's face dimly lit by a nearby fire. Sora smiled and tried to sit up, but her body screamed and she plopped back down.

"Don't try moving," Matt said, checking on Yolei. "You must've fallen a hundred feet. It took us hours to heal."

"'Us'?" Sora asked. Matt nodded as he dragged Sora closer to the fire.

"Katrina and I. She's checking up on T.K and Izzy."

"Where's Kari?" Sora asked as Matt went to get Yolei.

"She's fine," Matt groaned as the unconscious Yolei was now lying next to Sora. "Although, she's keeps moaning and muttering to herself, but at least I know she's okay."

"Have you…heard from the other digimon?" Sora asked. Matt remained silent.

"We ran into Agumon," Matt whispered, now sitting next to Sora. "But he too was captured. Katrina and I ran for it and we ended up here. She keeps insisting we ambush Demon, but with no digimon, no known whereabouts or location, or anyway home it seemed suicidal. I managed to persuade her to wait until reinforcements came, but she kept muttering about her father and brother."

"They're both digidestined," Sora said. Matt stared at her.

"Speedy Rocket is a digidestined? That explains it…and you said their father was a digidestined?"
Sora nodded, but regretted it as her neck sent a shock of pain through her nerves. "Katrina's mom and dad were two of the original digidestined before us. I think Speedy's mom was a digidestined."

"Than that means they know about Demon, don't they?" Matt asked. Sora gave him a smile. She didn't want to risk nodding again.

"My…back hurts," Yolei moaned as she came back. Matt leaned over her and felt her head for bruises.

"You're lucky you're wearing that helmet of you," Matt teased. Yolei sat up, rubbing her back.

"Shut up. Where's everyone else?"

"Yolei, aren't you in pain?" Sora asked. Yolei looked at her.

"Sort of, but nothing serious. I guess it must be luck of the 'drobe, huh?"

"Not for me," Sora said, also sitting up. She had to ignore of the pain that were being sent to her brain to even move. "I'm wearing a tennis skirt and shirt."

"Matt?"

"Over here, Katrina!" Matt called back. Soon enough, Katrina appeared from behind some bushes with T.K and Izzy in tow.

"Is that everyone?" Katrina asked Sora.

"Everyone who came, that is," Sora said. "I thought Tai or Joe would be here."

"Aren't we good enough?" Izzy said, pretending to be offended. Sora tried to cross her arms over her chest, but nerve signals to the brain stopped her.

"No," Sora teased. "And how come you're not paralyzed?"

"I landed on Katrina," T.K said.

"And I landed on T.K," Izzy added.

"And I thought a Monochromon had landed on me," Katrina giggled.

"Are you calling us fat?" Izzy and T.K said in unison.

"I'm calling you heavy," Katrina was now laughing. "And I think I'm the one that's paralyzed!"

"Let me fix that for you," T.K said, seething. Katrina jumped away as T.K reached for her. The others laughed as T.K tried desperately to catch Katrina, but she was giggling and running out of his reach.

"You call yourself a basketball player?"

"What are you?" T.K asked. "A dancer?"

"I'm a volleyball player!" Katrina called back.

Yolei rolled her eyes. She stood up and walked over to Kari's still unconscious body.

"Ugh, it's freezing!"

Davis clutched onto Ken for support as he pointed and laughed at Adrian. Adrian clawed his way out of the 8ft end of the pool and panted as he lay on the linoleum floor.

"I'll get you," Adrian panted. "As soon as I take off all these heavy clothes."

Davis let go of Ken and started running. "Try and get me!"

Adrian gave Davis a smirk as he threw off his soggy hoodie and shorts, and caught Davis within seconds in his boxers.

"No, don't!" Davis pleaded as Adrian dragged him towards the pool. "I-I can't swim!"

"Liar!" Adrian said as he threw Davis into the pool. "Run! Davis is it!"

"Every man for himself!" Tai laughed as Ken and Adrian took off running. Davis climbed out of the pool and shivered, but he chased them.

It was no wonder they were so sick the next morning.

Katrina flinched as sunlight invaded her dreams. She rolled over and tried to block out the sun, but it was useless. Katrina opened her eyes and looked up. The sun was only beginning to rise.

"Just one more day, Tenaiko," she muttered to herself as she sat up and stretched. She looked around her and found she and Sora were sharing a small blanket. Sora was lying on her side, totally undisturbed by the light.

"Oh, Katrina you're up," Katrina's digimon, BlackGatomon, said. Katrina yanked the blanket off of Sora, and Sora stirred.

"Get up, Sora," Katrina muttered. "We were supposed to guard last night."

"Hmm?" Sora remarked as she sat up. She snatched the blanket from Katrina and wrapped it around her. "It's so cold."

"It looks like we still have time," Katrina answered. "Let's round up some food."

Sora nodded in agreement. "Okay. Um, Katrina? Are you ready to face Demon today?"

Katrina paused. Sora bit her lip, had she said something wrong?

"It'll be like looking death in the eye," Katrina said. She turned to look at Sora, and she was smiling. "I'm scared, but if it's what we have to do to rescue the digimon, I'll do it."

Sora smiled back. "Okay, let's go before everyone else wakes up."

"Too late for that," Katrina moaned as T.K woke up and started yelling at Matt for taking up the entire blanket.

Ah-choo!

"Didn't I tell you not to run around in anything but wet swimming trunks?"

"S-sorry bister Jon. Dis cold is ah-choo!"

"Save it Davis," Mr. Jon said, sighing. "The only one that's not sick is Adrian. Tell me why?"

"Because he was too quick to catch and he didn't get thrown into the pool as often," Tai answered. He wasn't as sick as Davis, but he wasn't well enough to move around too much either. Ken shivered. Jon sighed.

"I'm going to have to take Ken to the hospital. Adrian, as you're the only one that's available you're going to go to the Rice Museum with Mimi and Monty."

"Righteous!" Adrian called out. Tai, Davis, and even Ken, gave him a weird look. "What? My sister says that all the time."

"I prefer 'perfecto' better," Tai grinned.

"I dink 'prodigidous' bedder," Davis sniffed.

"It's 'prodigious,' Davis," Tai corrected. Davis looked at him.

"I know, dat's whad I sad, 'prodigidious.'"

Tai rolled his eyes. Adrian laughed at them.

"Seeing as I'm a very nice person and can't stand to see you guys suffer," Adrian said, getting weird looks from the other guys. "I'll bring you guys something."

"I knew you weren'd a bad guy!" Davis exclaimed.

"But," Adrian said, a huge grin on his face. "You'll have to pay for it. I'll bring you stuff, but you'll have to pay me."

"What?" Tai said. "But you're the son of a neurosurgeon! You have the money to pay for it."

"Well, time to go," Adrian said, pocketing a wallet and his digivice. His crest was hanging from a belt loop.

"Do you really need that?" Tai asked, frowning. Adrian turned to look at him

"Can never be too careful. Get well soon," Adrian waved at them and left the room. He ran down two flights of stairs and down a long hallway to room number '201.' He cleared his throat and then knocked on the door. It opened and a girl poked her head out.

"Are you the only one?"

"Yes, I am," Adrian answered. "You're Mimi Tachikawa, right?"

Mimi smiled at him. "Yes, let me get daddy and we can go."

"Take your time," Adrian said. He hoped Mimi couldn't hear his heart pounding in his chest.

"Okay, so Kari knows where his lair is, why don't we go?"

"Because it could be a trap," Matt answered Yolei. "We don't know if he wants us to come."

"The only option we have," Katrina said. "Is to go storm his hideout, conquer our worst fear, and get the hell out of there with the digimon."

"Watch your mouth!" Sora snapped.

"There's just one problem in your plan," Matt tested. "One: we have no clue what to expect in his headquarters, Two: we have no clue if we'll ever find it, Three: what if one of us gets killed, and Four: the plan could just get us captured instead of saving the digimon."

"Oh, really?" Katrina snapped at Matt. "And what do you suggest me do, pretty-boy? Wait and get captured? Try to find a way out, even though we have no clue where we are?"

"I was stating we shouldn't be rash," Matt shouted at Katrina.

"Well, be more specific!" Katrina shouted back. They were shooting daggers at each other through their eyes. "And you don't have to yell at me!"

"How about I let my fists do the talking?"

"Enough you two!"

Matt and Katrina turned to look at Izzy. He was looking at his digivice.

"Katrina's right, we can't just sit here in wait," Izzy stated. "But, Matt's right too. It could very well be a trap."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Izumi?" Matt rounded on him. Katrina pushed Matt.

"Lay off, Ishida," she growled. "He's trying to help out!"

Matt sighed. "Whatever."

"She fills in Tai's spot pretty well, doesn't she?" Yolei whispered to Kari. Kari giggled.

"She has the temper and attitude. All she needs is the goggles!"

"Well, some of us are going to stay here," Katrina said, finally. "The rest go into the castle."

"Both ideas are scary," Yolei brought up. "Either way, we can be victims of Demon's attack."

"I'm not too sure about the people who go in the castle," Katrina said. "But the rest of us who stay out here will have to find a screen to get back home."

"Well, who goes where?" Kari asked.

"I'm going to go into the castle," Katrina said.

"I'll go with you," Izzy said, seriously.

"Great, Yolei and I are coming too," Kari said. Yolei frowned but said nothing.

"No," Sora said. "BlackGatomon, and T.K will go with Izzy and Katrina."

Kari opened her mouth to protest, but Yolei beat her to the punch. "What! But, we can handle it!"

Sora raised an eyebrow. "Yolei, Kari, Matt, and I will stay behind."

"But, I know where the lair is!" Kari argued. Sora sighed.

"Fine, Kari you go with them. And," Sora said as Yolei opened her mouth. "We need a strong leader in our group."

"You call Yolei a strong leader?" Matt teased. "As opposed to me?"

"We're going," Yolei said, pulling Matt by his ear. "C'mon Sora!"

Sora gave Katrina, Izzy, Kari, T.K, and BlackGatomon a wave of good luck before following Matt and Yolei. Katrina sighed and turned to the remaining three digidestined and her digimon.

"Ready? Let's go!"