TK

Patamon, Gatomon, Yolei, and I stayed up trying to figure out how we would get into the Dark Ocean. Yolei had given up on talking me into letting her go along, but she still wanted to help us at least get there, which I appreciated.

"Ken might be able to open it again," she suggested.

I shook my head. "I'd rather not put this on him again."

She sighed. "TK, I don't know how else you would get there."

"There has to be a better way."

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a text.

Kari just came home.

Tai

My hands shook, though I was flooded with relief. "She's home. We don't have to worry anymore."

Another text came through.

She wants you to meet her here before school tomorrow.

A small smile crept across my face. Did this mean Kari was back to her usual self?

I knew that nothing was definite, but at least she wanted to see me. That was better than when we had last seen each other.

"Yay! So it's fine and no one has to go to another dimension," Yolei said, standing up. "I'm going back to bed. Let me know how tomorrow goes."

I sighed after she left, looking between Patamon and Gatomon. "At least this means we can finally go to bed, too."

Of course, as luck would have it, I fell asleep but it was far from peaceful. I thought that, after everything, maybe I could escape with a dreamless night, but I couldn't. And it was the worst dream I had had in a long time.

I knew the setting, the overall dreariness of the atmosphere. I knew this mountain. I knew the evil I would find the second I turned my head.

He was there, looking over me like a dark cloud, only he was much bigger than I last remembered. I expected to look up and find Angemon, but he wasn't there.

This wasn't my usual nightmare. Devimon had something in his hand, crushing it with a vindictive smile.

My thoughts immediately flew to Patamon. In this dream, had Devimon gotten Patamon before he could digivolve?

Hot tears stung my eyes as I fell to my knees. "Let him go!"

A limp body fell from his hands, and my heart twisted in pain. The body wasn't Patamon's tiny figure, nor Angemon's angelic one. It was human.

Kari.

"No!" I shot up in my bed, immediately alarming Patamon and Gatomon.

"Tk, what's wrong?" Patamon asked, getting in my lap.

Sweat dripped from my face. "It was a nightmare. That's all."

They didn't seem convinced.

"What happened?" He pressed.

I looked away. "I can't talk about it." I forced a smile. "It's not real. It could never happen."

I didn't fall asleep again after that. Thoughts of Kari and Devimon flooded my mind. I was lucky enough that Patamon came back to me, but if I lost Kari . . . .

Picking up my phone from the nightstand, I started to text Kari. I was going to wait until morning to talk to her, but I couldn't wait that long.

Promise me that we're going to be okay.

She didn't answer, but I figured she was asleep. I put the phone down and tried to focus on happier thoughts. Kari's smile filled my mind, and I did my best to keep it there. I didn't sleep, but at least the image calmed my nerves.

As soon as I caught a glimpse of the sun, I threw on my uniform. Patamon and Gatomon waited for me at the door. I was so focused on where I was going that I didn't pay any attention to the walk there. I just had to see Kari.

When I got there, she opened the door before I could even knock. She wrapped her arms around me. I quickly returned it. Something felt off, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Maybe I was imagining it. We had gone through a lot lately, and maybe that was why it felt different.

"I'm so sorry, TK," she said, pulling back and looking me in the eyes. I studied her face, but I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Where were you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm with you now."

I pulled away completely. When Kari and I were on good terms, she never hid things from me if she knew I was worried. That and the weird feeling was how I knew this wasn't Kari.

I had to think fast about how I was going to approach this. Either something had taken over Kari, or this wasn't Kari at all. But, even if this was Kari's body, touching her should've been familiar, not off. This led to my conclusion that this wasn't Kari at all.

Where was Kari if this wasn't her? What had Malik done with her? I gritted my teeth, looking at the clone who seemed unaware of my internal debate. She had to know where the real Kari was. If I played along with this charade, maybe the clone would lead me to her.

It took all my willpower to make eye contact with this creepy Kari look-alike. "Listen, Kari, I'm sorry for hurting you, and I promise I'll never do that again." I took a deep breath and pressed my palm against her cheek. Her cheeks didn't turn pink like Kari's would have.

She studied my face, and I wondered if she could sense that I knew her secret. Then, she smiled. "I'm so happy to hear you say that, TK. I missed you."

I felt a tugging on my pants, and I looked down at Gatomon, who looked at me, worried. I could tell that she saw through her as well, so I gave her a wink and a smile. Her eyes lit up and the worry vanished. She looked up at the clone, and then she looked down at her too. The clone's eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "Oh, Gatomon! I'm sorry for everything too! Could you ever forgive me?"

Gatomon looked at me and I nodded.

"Of course, Kari." Her voice seemed as strained as mine was. Playing along with this was going to be hard.

The look-alike only smiled at her. The real Kari would've been smothering her in a hug by now.

"TK, will you walk to school with me?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Okay, just let me finish getting ready." She headed back inside, closing the door behind her.

I turned my full attention to Gatomon. "We know this isn't the real Kari, but we have to pretend and hope she leads us to our Kari. Right now, it's our only chance."

"Aren't you even the least bit curious to know where this clone came from and why it was needed?" Patamon asked, landing on my head.

"I hadn't really thought about it," I admitted. "Gatomon, you need to stay with her the way you would Kari. Watch her every move."

She nodded. "But, TK, how are you going to pretend? Are you going to be able to keep this up if she tries to get close to you? She probably knows everything about Kari. She'll try to get to you."

"I know it's not her. I won't forget that."

The door opened again and she smiled at me. "Okay, let's go."

She grabbed my hand, and my eyes widened. This clone wasn't wasting any time.

During the walk, she prattled on about things like ice cream and classes, the things Kari and I used to talk about. It was like she knew everything about her and us. Gatomon was right; it would be hard to not get swept up in the moment, but I stayed grounded.

After a little while, I asked her something different. "Where's Malik?"

She looked confused. "Probably on his way to school. Why?"

"Just wondering." I wanted to change the subject, but she continued.

"I'm done with him. I only want you."

I swallowed the lump in my throat. This wasn't Kari, but what would happen if I rejected her? Then, I thought about Malik. The way he manipulated Kari . . . This clone would do the same to me, and if I let it happen, or if I pretended to, she might take me to Kari.

And then whoever was behind this would tell Kari if it worked. Whoever it was would want to hurt her the way seeing the kiss had hurt me. As digidestined, we've all seen our fair share of cruel and vindictive villains, but this one seemed especially hellbent on destroying Kari and I in every way imaginable.

"TK, you remember Devimon, right?"

A chill shot down my spine. The real Kari knew better than to bring this up unless I brought it up first.

"Dumb question," I said. "Why?"

"What would you do if he were to ever come back?"

She sounded so innocent, but that question felt like a knife through my chest. "I don't know. Why are you talking about him?"

She shrugged. "No reason."

There was a reason, and I was sick of these vague answers. But, we were getting closer to the school now, and Devimon really wasn't something we could discuss in public.

The clone pulled her hand away, and relief washed over me as we got swept into the mass of students.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out.

Come to my place after school. Important. Tell no one.

Izzy

Izzy? He wasn't someone I was expecting it to be from, but I figured he must've found out something. I hoped he didn't invite clone Kari. Apparently, though, he had only asked me, or a select few. What could this be about? Didn't I have enough to deal with?

All day, I avoided the clone, at least until last period. I braced myself as I slid into the seat behind her. She instantly turned to me.

"You know, Davis isn't here yet. Why don't you take his seat? I'd rather sit beside you."

"The seating chart has been made. We can't," I answered, suddenly thankful for dumb school rules.

She placed her hand on top of mine. "Did I upset you when I mentioned him earlier?"

"Why do you keep bringing it up?"

She shrugged. "I just wonder, if he came back, would he be stronger? And if Angemon died the first time, would he be able to hold his own against a stronger Devimon?"

I swallowed back the images that threatened to resurface. "We're all stronger now. We would handle it as a team, and no one would die except him."

"I see." She ran her slender fingers along my hand. "And, what if you were alone with him and it was just Angemon. Then what?"

Our teacher started talking, and I was glad I couldn't answer her. But, her questions haunted me all throughout class. Why was she asking so much about Devimon? He couldn't possibly be playing a role in this. Whoever was behind this had to be just messing with me and trying to get inside my head.

After class, she grabbed my hand again. "You're going to walk me home, right?"

I shook my head. Rather than tell her the truth, I went to an easy answer. "Sorry, I can't. Matt wants me to go to his band rehearsal."

"Oh." She looked disappointed. "Okay, then. I'll talk to you later."

Gatomon followed the clone home, and Patamon flew into my open bag.

"What are we doing now?" he asked.

"Going to Izzy's. He said it's important."

"I heard the clone asking you about Devimon before school," he said. "You don't have to worry, TK. He's long gone."

"We said the same about Myotismon, and then look what happened." I sighed. "Anything can happen."

At Izzy's apartment, I rang the doorbell. Tai opened the door, indicating that it wasn't just me Izzy had invited.

He didn't speak, which was unusual for him. Maybe he knew about Kari's clone, too. Was that what this was about?

Tai led me into Izzy's office. Matt and Sora were here as well. I sat down beside my brother while Tai sat across from us.

The door opened again, and Ken walked in. He stood beside Izzy.

"The reason why I called you here is to discuss a recent sighting," Izzy started. "Ken, you start."

Ken cleared his throat. "I saw someone with a Tsuikaimon in the digital world. I assumed the person was digidestined, but when I did further research on Tsukaimon, something didn't add up."

"What's a Tsukaimon?" Sora asked.

Ken clicked a couple buttons, and a picture of Tsukaimon appeared on Izzy's big screen.

"He looks like a purple Patamon," Matt said.

"Davis told me he had seen him here," Ken continued. "He was apparently with a human Kari had . . . grown attached to. He said that they're already causing problems." Ken looked at me, then at Patamon. "Davis doesn't think this guy is digidestined. What about you, TK? What do you think? I'm sure if Kari and Davis know him you do, too."

My hands clenched. "I don't even know if he's a real person . . . ."

Ken and Izzy stared at me, wide-eyed.

"What do you mean?" Izzy asked.

I looked away. "We'll talk later. Just continue."

Izzy cleared his throat. "We also discovered something else that's a bit troubling. If this guy is digidestined, Tsukaimon has the capability of turning into Devimon."

All the blood drained from my face. Matt put his hand on my back.

"It is the rookie version of two other digimon as well, but none of them sound very pleasant," Izzy said.

My hands clenched into fists. "It's Devimon. That's why she was talking about him."

Everyone looked at me, confused.

I looked at Tai. "That thing you let in your home wasn't Kari. It was a clone. Somehow, he must've made her. He has her, and he wants me, too."

"Back up, TK. What's going on?" Matt kept one hand on my back and the other was keeping me from crashing to the floor.

Tears stung my eyes, and I made no attempt to hide them. "That's not Kari. I know it's not. Gatomon senses it, too. The clone . . . she kept asking hypothetical questions about Devimon all day. I should've known there was a reason for it." I raked my hands through my hair. "Malik is probably something he created, just like this clone, to drive a wedge between Kari and I so he could get to us alone."

"Tsukaimon would've probably already digivolved if Malik was actually his partner," Tai said. "And if Tsukaimon wanted to digivolve, he would need to be touched by a digivice of someone who was digidestined. Like what happened to Leomon after he was touched by a digivice back on File Island. But, for him to digivolve that way, wouldn't that person need to be wrapped in darkness themselves?"

Ken nodded. "Exactly."

Wrapped in darkness. I remembered Kari's eyes. They had been pitch black. And, she kept telling me the darkness was inside her . . . .

Tai and I looked at each other, as if both realizing the same thing at the same time.

He's using Kari.

A sob escaped from my lips and I buried my head in my hands. Matt's arms formed an embrace, and he held me against his chest. Sora moved to my other side and wrapped her arms around me as well. They couldn't comfort me though. The only one who could wasn't there.

"We'll save her, TK, don't worry," Matt said. "She'll be okay."

"You don't know that! She could already be dead by now." My hands clenched into fists. "He'll kill her, just like he did Patamon, only Kari won't come back."

There was a sharp intake of breath, and my eyes locked on Tai. He studied me hard, looking deep in thought.

"He's not going to kill her, TK. Not yet. He has no witnesses," Tai said. "He'll want you to see her die. He'll want to see your grief for himself. Killing her alone wouldn't be satisfying enough."

I wiped my eyes and shrugged off Matt and Sora. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you find Kari and save her," he said. "The clone only wanted you. She barely spoke to me or anyone else. She was created with the sole purpose of getting to you. Use this to your advantage."

I nodded.

"But, you don't have to do this alone," Matt said. "We're right here."

I shook my head, looking directly into my big brother's eyes. "I have to do this on my own and put an end to the nightmares about Devimon. If I can stop him from killing Kari, hopefully they'll stop."

"But, TK, don't kill yourself in the process," Matt said. "Think logically. There's strength in numbers."

I shook my head. "If the clone only wants me, that means she'll only lead me to Kari, not everyone else. This is my fight. The rest of you need to accept it."

"Matt, I don't like this anymore than you do," Tai said. "Kari is my little sister. I want to save her, too, but TK needs to do this. I trust him."

I met Tai's steady gaze and felt a newfound confidence. Unlike Matt, Tai never treated me like a little kid, even when I was one. Matt had gotten better about it, but times like these, I knew he still wanted to protect me. Though, if the roles were reversed, I knew I'd be the same way.

Matt hesitated, but then he nodded. "Fine, but be careful, and don't hesitate to ask for help."

I took a deep breath. "I'll try."

AN: So, I just realized as I was trying to add page breaks . . . I didn't need page breaks. I'm thinking this is the only chapter told in just one POV and I didn't even notice it.

Anyway, thanks again for reading, and even more so for reviewing :) Next chapter gets into the real "fun" part of the story. It's pretty much ready to go and I plan to post it at some point in the next couple days. Unless I get some whacky idea that draws the story out for 10 more chapters, I think there's only 3 chapters left, maybe 4.