Gatomon

"Gatomon, you know she didn't mean it," TK assured me for the umpteenth time that night. He had convinced me to stay at his apartment tonight, but I would've rather been with Kari. Tai was still on her good side though. He was the only one who could possibly deal with her right now.

Patamon was beside me. "Don't worry. TK and I had some spats ourselves in the past, but we're okay now. Friendships sometimes have to be tested. That's how they grow stronger."

"Exactly," TK agreed. "Kari loves you. Remember that."

I nodded. "I know, but I don't like this new Kari. He's changed her. It's like . . . she's not even here anymore. She comes back now and then, but for the most part, she's not Kari."

TK nodded. "Something is also happening with her eyes. Did you notice how black they were? I saw it earlier, but after she finally talked to me, it mostly went away. Now, after they . . . " He looked down, a lone tear rolling down his cheek as he shook his head. "Her eyes were completely covered in darkness."

I looked out the window, frowning. "He's doing something to corrupt her mind, but how is he doing that?"

"We've seen Digimon corrupted by darkness," TK said. "Like with Ken and the dark rings."

"And those black gears," Patamon added.

TK tensed. "Yeah, don't remind me."

He looked down at the floor. His hands shook as more tears threatened to fall. I hadn't really seen him cry since he was a little kid, and the fact that he was about to lose it over Kari . . . he must've really loved her.

I put my paw on his knee. "She . . . loves you, too. Remember that." I never wanted to spill Kari's secret, but he needed to know. "No matter what you saw between her and Malik, you need to understand that she only has real feelings for you. So don't be upset over what you saw. It wasn't real."

He looked stunned for a moment, but then his lips formed a hard line. "It's not about the kiss. It's about what he's doing to her. If he managed to get her that far, what will stop him from going even further?" His shaking hands balled into fists. "If he hurts her, I won't forgive myself."

"Just calm down and call Tai," I said. "It's his turn now."

TK called Tai and told him to make sure he kept an eye on Kari. She hadn't gotten home yet, so Tai was going to look for her.

None of us slept that night, but we did last down for a bit and try to rest. TK lay awake in his bed, with me on his legs and Patamon beside him. He stared at his phone, waiting for it to go off with news of Kari. After about twenty minutes, he suddenly pulled himself up and buried his head in his knees.

I put my paw on his hand. "TK, we can do this. She's counting on us to save her. We can't let her down."

"But what if we can't? What if she's too far gone this time? What if Malik really is who she wants?"

I sighed. "So this is it? You're afraid she moved on from you? TK, I-"

"It's the least of our concerns," he interrupted. "I know, but I feel that I've lost her, and I just realized I had feelings for her. It's new to me, Gatomon, and I don't know what to do."

"I remember the day Kari first told me she had a crush on you," I said. "She was afraid, too. Still is. But, no matter how many girls you tried to date, she never gave up on you. Don't give up on her."

He stood up. "Maybe we should call Tai, see if Kari made it home."

"Good thinking," I agreed as he grabbed his phone. It rang a couple times, and then he picked up. TK put it on speaker phone.

"Tai, has Kari come home?"

"No." He sounded out of breath. "I went out looking for them, but I can't find them."

"We'll help," he said. "Let me go talk to Yolei. She might not even know Kari left."

TK ended the call and put his phone back into his pocket. He turned to me and Patamon. "Let's go see Yolei."

At Yolei's apartment, TK pressed the doorbell and we waited anxiously for someone to answer. One of her sisters finally did.

"I know it's late, but is Yolei home? It's an emergency," he asked her.

She nodded. "She's in bed. I'll go wake her up and she can call you. Yolei's not very pleasant when she's woken up like this."

He nodded. "Could you just tell her that TK came by and really needs to talk to her?"

"Sure thing."

"Thank you." TK turned around and we headed back to his apartment. I couldn't stand just sitting on our hands until morning, and I could tell TK didn't, either.

As soon as we got back to TK's room, his phone went off.

"Think it's Yolei?" Patamon suggested.

TK didn't respond as he answered his phone, "Hey, Tai."

"Kari's not here." Tai's voice was frantic. "I don't know where she is. I came back home thinking maybe I missed her, but she's not here."

"Do you think she went to the Digital World?" TK asked.

Digital World? Without me? She would never!

"I don't know, TK, but I don't like this. She shouldn't be there without Gatomon, and I don't think she'd even try." Tai paused, and the voice of the leader of the digidestined took over when he spoke again. "I say we split into two groups. One goes to the digital world, and the other stays here and searches for her and Malik. As soon as we find that guy, I'd like to give him a piece of my mind . . . and fist."

I wasn't sure where TK would choose. He was usually good about guessing her whereabouts, but the Kari we were dealing with was unpredictable. It was hard to say where she had gone.

"Tai, if you don't mind, I need to do this on my own," TK said. "This is personal."

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea," Tai said. "She could be anywhere, and there's strength in numbers."

"Tai, you know by now if anyone can find her, I can," he said. "I'll have Patamon and Gatomon with me. We'll bring her back. I promise."

Tai sighed. "You have until morning, and then I'm calling the others. You find Kari and bring her back, and I don't just mean physically."

"You can count on me." TK ended the call, and just as he did, there was a soft knock on the main door. Patamon and I ducked under his bed.

"Come in," TK said.

Yolei stepped inside. "TK, what's going on? Where's Kari?"

Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes when he looked at her. "Kari disappeared, and I really don't know where she is."

Yolei wrapped her arms around him. "TK, it's going to be alright. We'll find her."

He shook his head. "I need to do this alone."

"No, you don't," she said. "You're not the only one who loves her, you know. Your love for her is just different from ours."

Normally, TK would've probably blushed, but he seemed too upset to be embarrassed.

"I don't think she's here or in the digital world," TK said.

I came out from under his bed. "She's in the Dark Ocean again. She's been having dreams about it for weeks."

TK's face paled. "How are we supposed to get there this time? She reached out to us last time. I really don't think she would this time."

"Don't give up, TK," Patamon said, also emerging from under his bed. "We'll find her."

"Everyone can help by finding that Malik creep," TK said.

"But, you can't. He's with her," I said.

TK and Yolei looked at me, stunned. I continued, "In her dreams, there was a mystery guy with her who made her unafraid of the dark ocean. It was Malik. I'm sure of it."

TK's hands clenched into fists. "This changes everything."

Kari

"Maybe I shouldn't have yelled at Gatomon like that," I said as Malik walked me home.

"She deserved it," he said. "She has to learn the truth sooner or later."

"I hope she's okay."

Malik touched my cheek. I stopped and looked him in the eyes. I felt a weird tingling under my skin, and I kind of liked it. He pulled his hand away after a few seconds.

He didn't speak until we got back to my apartment. "Why don't you go inside and meet me on the balcony? I have a surprise for you."

I nodded and went inside. Tai was gone, and my parents were in bed. My only focus was getting to the balcony. What was Malik's surprise?

I opened the sliding glass door and found Malik and Tsukaimon.

"I want to take you somewhere," Malik said. "So you can forget about all your friendship drama for a little while. What do you say?"

I nodded, and he took my hands.

Something black was creeping up from the ground, and soon it engulfed us. The city started to fade away. In its place was a grey fog. Looking further, I saw a dark and dreary ocean. The source of my worst nightmares.

"What are we doing here?" I asked, pulling my hands away from him.

"Don't worry, Kari. There's nothing to fear. This place is more peaceful since the last time you were here."

How did he know I had been here before?

"Now, I need you to do something for me," Malik said. "Tsukaimon is my friend, not my partner. Unlike you, my Digimon came to me but my digivice never did. Tsukaimon has always wanted to digivolve, and he said the touch of your digivice will help him. Could you do him this favor?"

I wasn't so sure about this, but I didn't hesitate to nod. It was like my body was on autopilot. I took out my digivice, and Tsukaimon pressed his ear against it.

A bright yet black light surrounded him, and it came from my digivice. Since when did it shine black? When it disappeared, my breath hitched. Before me was a Digimon in mostly black. He had long arms, and there were holes all through his wings. He looked like a demon.

A maniacal laugh emitted from the being, sending chills down my spine.

"Foolish child. You fell right into my trap easier than I thought you would," he said. "Thanks to you, I will soon have control over this world and the digital world once again."

What did he mean again?

He laughed again, as if reading my thoughts. "And don't worry about the pesky child of hope coming to your rescue. After what you did to him, I wouldn't count on it. And even if he was foolish enough to, thanks to you I'm stronger than the last time Angemon and I fought, and last time he died along with me. This time, he won't be so lucky."

I gasped. This was Devimon?

It was like snapping out of a trance. For the first time in days, I could think clearly, and all my thoughts were on TK. Devimon had put him through enough.

"Don't hurt him," I pleaded. "Do whatever you want with me, but don't hurt TK again."

He chuckled. "Foolish girl. It's not him I want. It's you. Once I kill you, I can plunge the digital world into eternal darkness." He paused for a moment. "On second thought, maybe I should track down the Child of Hope first. Then, he can watch as I kill you, and then I'll kill him, too."

I looked frantically at Malik. "You set me up!"

Devimon smirked and smacked Malik from behind, and then I noticed dust particles flying through the air, starting with the top of his head. He stood as still as a statue as the particles came off his body. He was dissolving.

"He wasn't real?"

"All part of my plan," he said. "Now there's no one here to save you."

His giant hand shot out and wrapped around me, crushing me. I shrieked.

"Unless you call for them. Why don't you go ahead? Summon your little cat and the Child of Hope. Do it now."

"No!" I yelled. "Go ahead and kill me. I won't let you hurt them!"

He smirked. "I figured you would say that, which is why I have a plan B."

With his free hand, he gathered more of the dust particles, only this time, I saw someone else. Me.

"If you don't call for them, she will go find them."

I struggled in his grip, but it was useless. "No! Leave them alone."

He chuckled. "You're in no position to make demands."

Devimon snapped his fingers, and my double vanished. I gasped.

"They will be tricked as easily as you were into coming here. You silly humans, fueled by your emotions. You make it too easy."

A tear slid down my face. Now more than ever I wished TK could read my mind. TK, don't come for me. I'm not worth it. I'm sorry. I love you.