Yay me! I got one up today, and even with one of my fingers in a splint! That's my excuse for any grammar errors or anything like that in this chapter. I'll come back to recheck when I'm all better :)

Okay, so just in case you didn't know, I inserted a little TK sequence in the last chapter, so be sure to read that beforehand if you haven't seen it, alright?

Meeting

For the longest time no one could put together a sentence as they stared at one of TK's more treasured possessions. What in the world could have happened in the short time after sending the email and now? This definitely meant trouble. TK was officially missing, and the hat was apparently the only clue as to where he could be, but Matt had found it on the middle of the sidewalk. Did TK really just disappear into thin air, leaving only the fisherman cap behind?

Kari was the first who managed to break the silence with a shaky voice, "But…but I just sent him a message ten minutes ago…"

Matt took a much needed breath and straightened his tense body. He had to keep his cool. "I found this about five minutes ago. He wasn't that far from the school."

"Man, wherever he was going he was sure getting there crawling on all fours!" Davis said, masking his concern with yet another stupid remark. It didn't make a very good image in the others' minds, especially Matt's. Maybe there was a struggle, and that's how he lost his hat. Did he get hurt? Or is he safe, wherever he is? Or maybe...Matt shook his head. Cynical thoughts would only help increase the panic.

Tai began trying to set things in order like a leader, which naturally meant putting Izzy on the spotlight. "So, what do we do about this?"

Izzy took on a musing stance, his chin in his hand, the elbow cradled by the other hand. "First we need to find out where exactly he is and how to get there."

"The world of darkness," Ken said bleakly. "That's for sure."

"Then how to get there is the trick."

Everyone nodded, and Tai said, "So, to the Digital World?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Davis said enthusiastically. "There's got to be a clue there somewhere."

"I don't know," Kari disagreed, thinking. "When I went to the Dark Ocean, I didn't go through DigiWorld. I don't even know how it happened."

Yolei gave her input, "That's right. It seems that only those from the world of darkness can draw people in. Both times I've gone, we only found a way to escape, but not a way to break in."

"That's because you've never tried going in," Davis argued.

"Well," Yolei replied. "We haven't exactly wanted to before now."

Matt broke in, "We might as well go to the Digital World instead of sitting around here. At least there we might have a clue to where we should look."

Another moment of thought and Izzy brought up the messaging program on the computer. He explained his intentions as he typed away.

"I'm going to set up a meeting with Gennai and some of the other digimon. He's probably the only one who knows any method to get there."

A few long minutes passed of exchanging emails, finding a place, setting the location for the port, and Izzy finally turned to the group.

"It's ready."

Kari was the first there with her D3. "Digiport open!"

On the other side, they found themselves on the edge of a forest clearing, with Gennai already approaching with the four older kids' digimon. Matt smiled at his partner as he knelt to greet him.

"Hey, Gabumon."

"Hi, Matt!" The digimon tilted its head. "Boy, I can already tell something's wrong."

Matt nodded. "It's TK. He's in the dark world."

"Are you sure?" Gabumon replied with a gasp.

"There really isn't anywhere else he could be."

"So," came Gennai's wizened, gravelly voice. "We're having more trouble with the World of Darkness?"

Izzy nodded, and began the questioning of the old, digital man. "Where exactly do we find it, Gennai?"

"Well, the Dark World is certainly a separate dimension than the Digital World, but there is a Dark Area within our world that is directly connected."

"The more direct, the better," Tai commented. "Where is the Dark Area, then?"

"Now that's the hard part," Gennai replied thoughtfully. "It consists mostly of the core of the Digital World."

"Are you saying that we have to dig our way to it?" Tai asked incredulously.

Gennai made a motion that resembled a shrug. "I don't know much about the physical location of the Dark World or how to get there, but I've told you what I know about its links."

"Do you know what kind of dangers are found there?" Izzy asked.

"Well, in all honesty, that's not the most pleasant subject," replied the old man. "I know that the Dark Area is where all of the reconfigured evil digimon are expelled, but the myth is that their evil essence has leaked into the World of Darkness, giving them a form there."

"All of them?" Matt asked, deep concern evident in his voice.

Gennai turned to look at him directly. "So the myth says. Not many return from the Dark World, but that only confirms the belief."

TK walked slowly down the blackened passage, straining his eyes to pick out the form of his brother. "Where are you Matt?"

"Way down here, Teek. Come on, I can't move…" His voice was growing weaker, and TK grew more frantic in his search. Why couldn't he see anything? He glanced up, expecting to see a sliver of sky between the two buildings, but there was nothing up there. He stopped, staring upward.

His brother's voice swore, "I'm dying here, Takeru!"

TK took a shocked step back at that. Matt wouldn't curse like that, and the voice that called him by name no longer sounded pained. It was enraged. It wasn't Matt's. TK spun on his heel to flee, but stumbled. There was nothing but blackness behind him. No light to show him out of the alley and onto the street. He turned on panicky feet in every direction, looking for any sign of escape. Nothing. TK was surrounded by darkness. He stretched out his arms to feel for the walls, but even the buildings were gone. The voice had stopped it's urgent calling and anguished groans. He was alone.

And then the air began slowly growing thick with humidity.

Review please!

Update coming as soon as possible.

Alright...things should be picking up after this. The chapters may even grow longer too. Stay with me!