Well... here's the next chapter! Please R&R if you can!

Disclaimer: Digimon Tamers (c) Yukio Kaizawa
Claimer: Anything else

Chapter Eight: DemiDevimon's Proposition

At the hideout, Guilmon, Takato, Kazu, Kenta, Renamon, Rika, Jeri, and Leomon sat waiting for Henry and the others.

"How was Kori when you found her?" Kazu inquired Takato. He and Kenta were up in the classroom with Ms. Asaji and the others during the fight, so he was less informed.

"Bleeding badly," he replied, "She was deeply cut in the side, and I think she broke a few bones."

"I hope she's okay," Jeri said, her eyes filled with worry.

"MarineAngemon and I can go to the hospital where MarineAngemon can heal her," Kenta suggested.

Rika shook her head. "It's too late. Since Henry already took her to the hospital and the doctors are operating on her, bursting in there with MarineAngemon would be a terrible idea. We'd have to claim that a miracle occurred and Kori's wounds just happened to have disappeared without a trace."

"Rika's right," Renamon agreed, "We have no choice but to let her wounds heal on their own now."

Guilmon looked around. "By the way, where's Ryo?" he implored.

"Still in school, I guess," Leomon replied, "The rest of you left early, remember?"

Rika crossed her arms and smirked. "The doofus doesn't even know about his old friend getting hurt. And he's supposed to be the 'brother-she-never-had'? What kind of good brother would he be?" she hissed.

Takato blinked. "Rika… you sound like you like Ryo," he commented, "You talk about him an awful lot."

She turned on him, raising her hand to hit him. Immediately, Guilmon went in front of Takato and waved his arms frantically. "No! No! Rika! I'm sure he didn't mean it!"

"Speaking of which, why are you usually so defensive every time Ryo is brought up?" Kenta asked curiously.

"Am not!" she snapped back.

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late!" Henry shouted as he ran over to them with Terriermon, Gatomon and Patamon.

"Hey! It's about time you came!" Kazu teased, "We were getting old here."

"Did the paramedics say anything to you when they took Kori to the emergency room?" Takato inquired.

The blue-haired boy shook his head. "No. I think some doctors talked to Yamaki though. He told me that he would be notified after the operation and when we can go see her," he replied, "I feel so guilty…"

"Aww… come on, Henry," Patamon reassured, "It's not like you were the one who hit her in the first place."

"No, but I was the one who nearly got us both killed," he reasoned, "If it wasn't for Angewomon's Celestial Arrow, Kori would have been instantly killed."

Gatomon forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "I had to do something, you know. She is my tamer, after all."

"I'm sure she'll be alright," Leomon reassured.

"Oh yeah, Henry," Takato said, picking up and handing Henry his backpack, "Here's your backpack. I picked it up from your teacher, seeing as you left."

"Thanks, Takato," he replied, placing the bag over his shoulder.

"By the way," Kenta began, "why did Ogremon suddenly turn on you when your necklace started glowing?"

Henry decided to pull out the necklace and show them. "If you read the Digimon Adventures series by T.K. Takashi, you'll remember the Crest of Hope, right? Well… this necklace has the crest on it. Kori has the Crest of Light, and together they form some sort of key that will release the Digi-eggs of Light and Darkness. Serena, the Digimon Empress, wants the Digi-egg of Darkness to take over the entire Digital World," he explained.

The others blinked in confusion.

"Dude… you've lost me," Kazu said.

He sighed in frustration.

"How about you let us explain this one?" Gatomon suggested, grinning.

"Give it a shot," Terriermon said, floating onto Guilmon's head.

"Within Kori's heart lies the Digi-eggs of Light and Darkness. Don't ask us how they got there, they just are," Patamon began, "Not long after she arrived at the Digital World, she received a necklace with both the Crests of Light and Hope on it, one crest per side. That necklace is the key to unlocking the Digi-eggs that reside inside her."

"The Digimon Sovereigns gave her the power to separate and unite the key," Gatomon elaborated, "so that in times of danger, Kori could separate the key so no one could unlock the Digi-eggs. Just recently, Kori found the need to separate it, and she gave the Crest of Hope necklace to Henry, who was the only other DigiDestined with her at the time."

"Now, the Digimon Empress wants Kori and the Crest of Hope so that she can force her to reunite them and take the Digi-egg of Darkness to rule the Digital World," Henry concluded, eyes suddenly sad. "Either way, Kori's going to die releasing the Digi-eggs, either to save our worlds, or destroy them."

"Aww…" Jeri sighed, "That's so sad."

"I'm so sorry, Henry," Takato apologized, "I know how much you love her."

He forced a grin. "I'm not giving in that easily," he retorted, "I'm trying to find a way so that she won't die, despite her protests."

"You got a plan then?" Rika asked.

"Not quite," he admitted, "I'm just going to wing it, I suppose. I don't know how I'm going to save her, but I know I have to."

"That's sweet of you, but she'll die anyway," a new voice cackled.

They all looked up into a tree and saw a small bat-like Digimon perching on the tree.

Jeri looked at the info on her Digivice. "DemiDevimon, Rookie virus Digimon. Special attacks, Demi Darts, Bat Flutter, and Evil Whisper."

"Heh," DemiDevimon cackled, flapping down next to Henry, "So you're the tamer with the Crest of Hope necklace. Kori's faith was put in the wrong hands. I hope that miserable girl dies in her sleep."

"You take that back!" Terriermon yelled, jumping onto Henry's shoulder, "You take that back you terrible creature! And you call yourself a Digimon!"

"How dare you say that about our tamer!" Gatomon hissed, claws ready.

The bat Digimon laughed. "I'm here to make a proposition to you, Henry."

"Whatever you want, we're not giving it!" Kazu shouted.

"Oh, I think you'll see otherwise," DemiDevimon replied, unfazed, "I come on behalf of my master, Myotismon, and of his master and ally, Digimon Empress Serena. The proposition is that if you give up both Kori and the Crest of Hope necklace, Serena will spare you, your Digimon, and your families lives from her wrath."

"And you expect us to agree to that?!" Gatomon growled angrily.

Henry narrowed his eyes. "I'll never agree to that," he hissed acidly, "I made Kori a promise, and I intend to keep it."

"You're an annoying little Digimon, you know that?" Renamon commented.

"Oh, and I forgot to mention, if you don't agree, you'll all die," DemiDevimon added, grinning evilly.

"I don't think so," Leomon replied, drawing his blade and rising up to meet the Digimon, "Tell your master that we'll take our chances with defending our friends."

DemiDevimon immediately backed off, flapping in the air. "Okay… your loss," he said, and left.

Leomon put away his blade and sat back down with the others.

"I can't believe him," Terriermon muttered, "Does he honestly think we'd give up one of our friends' lives just to save our own? Hmph, proves how much he knows about friendship."

Suddenly, Henry felt some sort of amplified heartbeat in his chest, and at the same time, Patamon and Gatomon felt it too. He had no idea what it was as it stopped, but Patamon and Gatomon did. Immediately, tears started to form in their eyes.

"No…" Patamon whispered.

"What's wrong?" Guilmon inquired.

"It's Kori…" Gatomon choked.

"Wait, what about her?" Jeri pushed.

The two Digimon blinked, and tears streamed down their faces.

"She's… gone…" Patamon muttered, "We can't feel our bond with her anymore. And there's only one reason how that can be…"

Henry shook his head in disbelief. "No, it can't be," he said, "It just can't be! Why did I feel it too?"

"You hold the Crest of Hope," Gatomon explained, "Kori gave it to you to protect, and she loves you. You would feel it too."

"No," Takato said, "Kori can't be dead. H-Her wounds couldn't have been so serious."

"W-wait…" Patamon said, scrunching his eyes, "I-I feel something… just a flicker, but it's still there."

"I-I feel it too," Gatomon agreed, wiping away tears.

Renamon looked up into the sky towards the hospital. "I still feel her presence. It hasn't left us," she added.

All of a sudden, Rika's phone rang. "H-Hello?" she answered, a bit shaken with the sudden news. She blinked, holding a few tears back, then handed the phone to Henry. "I-It's for you," she stammered.

He sniffed, "H-Hello? Yamaki?"

"Henry, I've got some news for you. First of all, Kori survived the operation, but gave the doctors all a scare after her heart stopped after the surgery. She's been revived, and she's resting right now. She probably won't leave the hospital for the rest of the week at the least. She's healing remarkably well," the agent told him.

He sighed in relief, "Thank goodness." Then he covered the mouthpiece and told the rest of them, "Kori's alive."

They cheered for a moment before allowing Henry to listen to what Yamaki was saying.

"I can see you have the others with you," Yamaki stated, "Anyway, you and the others can visit her tomorrow. She's been transferred to Room 794 on the 7th Floor and I can pick you and a few of the others up tomorrow after your school ends."

"Thanks Yamaki, that would be great," the half-Chinese boy replied thankfully, "I'll bring Patamon and Gatomon along too."

"Also, do you know Ryo Akiyama?" he suddenly asked, "I suppose you do, considering he came back with you guys in the Ark. Yeah, anyway, he's with Kori right now. He and Monodramon are helping to redirect Kori's healing powers so her wounds won't cause her as much pain. They're with her in her room. He's going to be staying with her for the night, in case anything should happen, especially if a Digimon turns up."

"Could you please thank him for me then?" Henry requested, "He has no idea how relieved we all are over here on our end."

"I'll pass on your message to him. I'll talk to you later, Henry," Yamaki said, "See ya."

"Thanks Yamaki," Henry said. They hung up, and he returned the phone to Rika. "That was Yamaki. He says the operation was a success, and she's resting. He also said that Ryo and Monodramon are with her right now, helping her heal. He's staying with her for the night in case a Digimon shows up."

Kazu laughed in Rika's direction. "It seems Ryo is a better 'brother' than you give him credit for," he commented, earning a glare from the fiery girl.

"That jerk," she muttered annoyingly, "Anyway, when can we go visit her?"

"Tomorrow, after school," Henry answered, "Yamaki can pick Kazu, Kenta, Jeri, Takato and myself up at the school."

"I'll probably visit her later then…" she said, "She'll need her rest."

"Yeah, Kenta and I won't come along. She needs to be with people she trusts more," Kazu said.

Jeri sighed, "Yeah… I don't think I can go with you guys. I kinda promised Ms. Asaji I'd help her out after school."

Henry looked at Takato. "I guess it's just you and me."

"And us too!" Patamon said.

Gatomon grinned. "You can't forget about us."

Guilmon blinked at Takato. "Can I go?" he implored.

The brown-haired tamer paused. "I don't know. Can you keep yourself hidden at school for the whole day?"

"I'll stay on the roof the whole time! I promise!" the Digimon swore.

"Okay, you can come," he replied simply.

"Hey! How about me?" Terriermon chimed.

"Yeah, yeah. You too," Henry said, "I hope she's doing okay…"

His partner grinned, climbing onto his head. "Momentai, Henry," he reassured, "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I just wish we could do something to help her," Patamon said, "We had almost lost her once before in the Digital World, and we don't want to lost her again."

"It was thanks to Ryo that she lived through that day," Gatomon added, "Kori had been caught and captured by one of Serena's henchman, and had been fatally wounded. If it wasn't for Ryo, Kori wouldn't have had the chance to bring back your Digimon. Ever since, Ryo's looked out for Kori like an older brother. Of course, she repaid him by saving his life when Cyberdramon could not. He was mortally wounded, and she healed him. They've been really close ever since."

A ring came from Rika's phone. "Again?" she said, and she picked it up, "Hello? Kori!? Oh my gosh! Are you okay?!"

"Rika… please… not so loud…" Kori cringed, "Yeah… I'll survive."

The rest of them were surprised. Kori was calling!

"Rika… Can you please hand the phone to Gatomon and Patamon," Kori whispered weakly, "I need to talk to them."

Rika handed the phone to Gatomon, and Patamon flapped beside her, also listening to what Kori was saying.

"Gatomon, Patamon, I need you two to do me a huge favour while I'm here in the hospital: Protect Henry. Has anything happened since Ogremon attacked?" she asked.

"DemiDevimon came to pay us a visit. Myotismon wants you and the Crest of Hope. Of course, we resisted," Gatomon explained.

"Good," she replied, "Now it's crucial that you protect Henry, seeing that DemiDevimon knows that he's the second child. I'll talk to you two tomorrow when I'm feeling a bit better. Please, I need to talk to Henry."

"Okay. Get better as soon as you can. You've no idea how much we miss you," Patamon said, then Gatomon handed the phone to Henry.

"Kori, are you okay?" Henry demanded.

"I'm weak, and Ryo was completely against me calling you guys, but I knew I had to. Even now he's a bit annoyed that I'm using the rest of my strength to call, more or less speak," she replied,

"He's right, you should be resting," he agreed.

"Do me a favour, if you will," she asked him, "Take good care of Patamon and Gatomon while I'm, 'benched', let's say. More like 'bed-ridden', I suppose." She tried for a small chuckle.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of them, I promise," he reassured, "Take good care of yourself, okay?"

"One more thing, Henry. Whatever happens, don't fall for any of DemiDevimon's tricks. Don't give up hope. I'll be fine. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Remember Henry… I love you…" Then he heard the phone drop to the floor.

"Kori? Kori!?" he yelled.

Suddenly, another voice went on the phone. "Henry? It's me," Ryo said, "Don't worry about Kori. She just fell unconscious. She's lost a lot of blood."

"Ryo, thank you so much for watching over her," he sighed in relief, "What's the damage to her body?"

"Deep cut in her side, head trauma, bruised windpipe, 29 broken and or fractured bones. Don't worry, only 16 of them are serious. Plus, she's received quite a many cuts," Ryo listed, "Monodramon and I have done all we can to help her heal, but there's not much left we can do for her. We'll try again later after we've rested a bit."

"Please, take good care of her," Henry requested, "I love her."

The older tamer sighed, "I know you do, and I can tell she feels the same. So do me a favour and don't break her heart, okay? And if she comes crying to me because you did, I'll break your arm."

"Uh… Don't worry, Ryo. I won't," he replied, a bit frightened by the 16-year-old's threat.

He laughed, "Okay, well… take care of yourself and the others. I'll see you tomorrow! Oh, and say hi to that wildcat Rika for me," he said, then he hung up.

Henry closed the phone, and handed it back to Rika, blinking.

"What did he say near the end? You seemed a bit taken aback," Kenta inquired curiously.

"Oh… um…" he stammered embarrassingly, "Ryo said that if I broke Kori's heart, he'd break my arm."

They were all silent for a moment as they let it sink in.

"Wow…" Takato commented, "I never thought he'd be so protective of her."

"Of course," Patamon replied, "What did you expect? They act like they're real siblings. Kori's late-birthday present for Ryo is still in her room, considering he only turned 16 about a month ago." And knowing her, she's probably going to somehow dig up info on everyone's birthday so she could get them presents too. I wonder how… oh wait… she works with the government. She could just hack into the data files… right… he thought, mentally sweat dropping.

"That's really sweet of him though," Rika noted, unknowingly showing a bit of her softer side.

"D-Did you just say something nice about Ryo?" Kazu inquired, eyes wide in surprise.

She blushed furiously. "O-Of course not! I-I was just saying how it was nice of him to stay and take care of Kori!" she retorted.

"You likeeeee him," he teased.

"I do not!" she protested loudly.

"Don't worry, Rika," Jeri reassured, "You don't have to be afraid to admit who you care for, right? Not to mention show it, right Takato?" She wrapped her arms around his and leaned on him, smiling.

Takato blushed and said, "Y-Yeah."

"So, Rika, Kazu, Kenta, and Jeri isn't going with me, Takato, Guilmon, Terriermon, Gatomon and Patamon to the hospital tomorrow, correct?" Henry summarized.

They all nodded.

"That's about right," Leomon agreed.

Guilmon looked up at the darkening sky. "I'm getting hungry, Takatomon," he told his tamer.

"It is beginning to get a little late," Kenta agreed, "I think I'm gonna go back home now."

"Same," Kazu said, "I'm going to go hit the sack."

"We'll see you all later then," Rika said, and the group left and went their separate ways.

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When Henry, Terriermon, Gatomon and Patamon arrived home, Suzie bounded up and hugged Terriermon. Lopmon was back in her room.

"Welcome back, Terriermon! Henry!" she exclaimed. Then she noticed the guests. "Patamon! Gatomon! What are you doing here?"

Henry smiled at his younger sister. "They're staying over tonight," he told her.

She blinked, cocking her head in confusion. "Why? Where's Kori?"

His smile dropped a bit. "She's in the hospital…" he replied quietly, "But she'll be okay."

Suddenly, Henry's father ran over and hugged his son tightly in an embrace. "Thank goodness you're alright, Henry," he breathed.

"Uh… dad?" Henry choked, "I… can't breathe!"

He let go instantly, laughing shakily. "Oh, sorry. I got a little ahead of myself. Your mother phoned me and told me what happened? Are you and your friends alright?" he implored.

"Not all of my friends," Henry replied, a little guiltily.

He nodded gravely. "Yes, your mother told me that Kori's in the hospital. Have you heard anything yet?"

He dipped his head. "She gave my friends and I a call. She's healing well, but she's lost a lot of blood," he explained, "My friend, Ryo Akiyama, is staying with her for the night to take care of her if she needs anything."

"And you're not jealous that another boy is comforting her?" his father implored, causing him to blush. His father grinned sheepishly. "Your mother told me you like Kori, and that she likes you in return."

"Ah great," Terriermon commented, "Now almost everyone knows."

Suzie's eyes sparkled. "Yay! So it's Kori you have a crush on?!" she cheered.

Henry nodded, his cheeks red. He knew he couldn't lie to his little sister, considering his father and mother already knew. "No, Ryo's relationship with Kori is more of a brother/sister kind of thing. I've seen it myself. Anyway, Yamaki offered to pick myself and Takato up after school tomorrow to go visit her."

"And we're going with them!" Patamon added.

Mr. Wong nodded. "Well… you're welcome to stay here until your tamer gets better," he told them, "Actually, you two and Kori are welcome to come and stay here anytime."

"Thank you, that is really thoughtful of you," Gatomon thanked politely.

He shook his head. "Not at all," he replied coolly, "Now, are you all hungry? Your mother's got dinner ready."

"Yay!" Suzie exclaimed, and with that, ran off to get Lopmon for dinner.

Henry turned to Patamon and Gatomon. "Now come on, you two. I think you'll probably be pretty hungry after all that's happened today," he said.

"Thanks for taking care of us, Henry, Terriermon," Patamon thanked gratefully.

Gatomon grinned. "You really didn't need to do this for us. We can take care of ourselves."

He shrugged. "I did make a promise to Kori that I would take good care of you guys," he reasoned.

"So that's what you two were talking about," Terriermon said, "I was wondering what you two were saying. Hmm… and I thought you two were going to go all mushy on each other too…"

"Terriermon," he scolded, then he shook his head, "Never mind. Come on, let's go to dinner. The others are probably waiting."

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Meanwhile, Ryo sat by Kori's bedside, quietly watching her sleep while holding her half-cold hand. Gently, the Crest of Light pulsed a gentle pink light. He knew that the crest was helping her heal, soothing her pain so that she could rest in peace, and he smiled, brushing away a few of her black bangs away from her face.

"Isn't there anything more we can do, Ryo?" Monodramon quietly asked as he sat beside him, "I know how much you care for her, and I feel like we haven't done enough."

He shook his head. "We've done all that we can. Now we just need to let her sleep. She needs her rest now more than ever, if she is to recover. We've done all we can," he replied, letting go of her hand and getting up. He gently kissed her on her bandaged forehead and told his partner, "I'm going to go get us something to eat. Watch over her till I get back, 'kay?"

"Got it," the rookie Digimon said.

Ryo dipped his head once at him before he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Monodramon cocked his head at the Crest of Light hanging around her neck. Ryo never told me why he refastened that necklace around her neck after she was transferred here.. Not to mention what it is and what it's doing to her, he thought, Hmm… I'll have to ask him later after he comes back.

He then laid down quietly beside her and wiggled under her hand so that it lay on his head. He closed his eyes, resting until his faithful tamer returned.

Wow... Ryo's rather protective. lol.

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