Hey, I'm still managing to update once a day! I'm so proud of myself.

Hope you like!

Btw, people do get ooc in this fic, but that is for a reason

Shoreline

TK opened his eyes before realizing they were closed. The darkness had finally lifted somewhat, and he slowly took everything in. He was standing on a grey beach, looking over a boundless black ocean. The air was thick and sticky, making him rather uncomfortable. The scent of stale water was prominent, and the sand beneath his feet was coarse. He didn't move; he was still in a slight shock after the incident in that alley. TK had been tricked by a façade, and though it did bring him some comfort that Matt was okay, he still had his worries. If that wasn't his brother's voice, whose was it?

Wondering what he could possibly do, TK chose a direction, and began walking along the shoreline. It didn't help that he left Patamon in hiding after school. There was no telling if the digimon knew where he was. Or if he did, no one knew a way to get to the dark world unless they let it pull them in itself. He looked back over to the dark waters now on his right. As far as he knew, however, no one else was being targeted. The darkness seemed to have gotten over Yolei for the time being.

Someone spoke on his left. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

TK stopped and turned quickly, recognizing the deep, booming voice. Daemon stood there, watching him, waiting for an answer. The boy tried his best to stammer out an intelligent sentence as he stared at the mega. "Ah, well…I…"

He looked back out at the ocean, as he couldn't even think straight when looking at the evil face.

"It's a little dark for me."

The cloaked digimon chuckled. "Is that so? Come on now. I picked this place out just for you. I thought you would appreciate it."

TK frowned and built up the courage to face Daemon. "Why do you think that? I have to be honest; I don't feel at home here."

"But it suits you perfectly." The digimon began moving forward as TK turned to look again at the dark sea. "It's such a solitary place. It's obvious that's what you really want. Solitude."

"No," the boy said firmly, looking back from the waters. His eyes widened slightly when he saw Daemon coming closer, and instinctively took a step back.

"Be honest now, Takeru. After all, we wouldn't have come to you so easily if you weren't alone."

Every word brought Daemon nearer, and TK backed away more, closer to the ocean's edge. He froze once his feet hit the icy water, but didn't take his gaze off Daemon. He had no immediate reply to the digimon's last statement. Not even when the black water began seeping into his shoes.

TK ventured a glance down. He was wearing tennis shoes instead of his boots, and wore blue jeans with a dark green t-shirt. The clothes seemed almost black in the grey-scale of the dark world. The water had begun rising at his very touch as if reacting to the new prey, and swirled around his shoes. It passed his ankles, thoroughly soaking his feet, and didn't reach much higher before TK leaped out of the water.

And into the waiting claws of Daemon.

The digimon had him seized by the arms and held him still, face to face. His grip was tight, and TK could already feel the circulation draining from his forearms and hands. Daemon's voice came calm, however, and yet his words were still menacing. "This is where you belong."

An anger burned in defiance, and TK replied heatedly. "I do not!"

"Boom Bubble!"

The new, high-pitched voice came from behind Daemon, and the blow to his back seemed to only be a tap on the shoulder of the mega. Nevertheless, the evil digimon released TK and turned to the rookie.

"Patamon!" TK cried with a smile, and then returned a glare to Daemon. "There's no way you're keeping us here now!"

Daemon shook his head, ridiculing the boy's remark. "One pesky rookie won't tip the balance in your favour, boy. Looks like you need a little more time to get used to your new home."

Then, in a strange tornado-like motion, the low clouds overhead swirled down and around the evil digimon, thoroughly cloaking him in a black fog. TK backed away from the mass of darkness, fearing the worst. However, as the clouds dispersed and the landscape returned to normal, Daemon had disappeared.

"Where did he go, Patamon?" TK asked nervously, glancing around. The little digimon flew over.

"I don't know, but I can't even sense him anywhere near."

TK calmed down slightly and allowed himself to breathe at the statement. "Well, I'm not exactly here to defeat him on my own. Go ahead and digivolve and fly us out of here. I'm ready to go home."

The rookie's face fell, "I can't digivolve."

TK turned to his partner suddenly. "You can't? What do you mean, Patamon?"

"I mean that I can't." The flying digimon made a face. "You think I would attack Daemon with a Boom Bubble if I had anything stronger?"

"You're right." TK lowered his head. "How can that be though? We were able to digivolve last time even with the darkness."

"Maybe it's Daemon's fault? He has a lot more control over the darkness here. I'm sorry, but we're not getting out of here flying up and through the clouds."

TK looked up and down the ocean shore, as if the answer would be etched into the landscape. He returned his look to the little rookie, whom he suddenly snatched out of the air and hugged tight. "Thanks, by the way, Patamon. I have no idea what he was about to do."

"Yeah, well, whatever it was, I wasn't about to let him do it." The digimon roughly squirmed his way free and pointed off towards the horizon. "There's something that looks like buildings over there."

TK nodded in acknowledgement. "It's as good a clue as any. Let's go."

More than anything, the boy was glad he at least had his partner back with him. The rookie had flown over and rested on TK's head, his little body rigid as he did so. The darkness of this world made both of them rather tense, especially concerning the involvement of Daemon in everything. TK wondered if Devimon would play any part in this as well. Despite his confidence, he still knew that he wouldn't be able to manage facing that horror of a mega, as well as the object of his own nightmares, alone. There had to be a way of getting to the others and their help.

As they walked TK gazed up at the overcast sky. The way the clouds were so low, and the air so cold, it felt like it was going to snow. He doubted it though. In spite of everything about it, the cold and wetness, snow was still pure and had no place in a dark world like this.

I sorta felt that was a lame ending...but oh well. On to the next chapter.