Hey guys! So I decided to go with combining the next two chapters and updating Kari and TK, since they turned out to be short enough.

One more chapter after this and then things will get interesting again...wooooo

(Chapter title prone to change...it's kinda late for me to be thinking of anything clever right now)

Dark Waters

Kari opened her eyes slowly, grimacing at the pounding in her head. It took her several moments to gain her bearings as she stared off to the horizon. A vast desert stretched before her, meeting a strangely textured, dark grey sky. The curious sound of gentle waves on sand greeted her ears, which didn't fit in with the barren land she saw before her. She proceeded to lift her head from the sand, and as she did something clicked in her head. The change in perspective revealed to her that it wasn't long miles of desert that stretched before her, but mere feet. The grey sky was actually the stone cliff in front of her, and the waves were that of the inlet behind her.

She pushed herself up so she was kneeling, and gazed at her surroundings. It was the same cove, only now she wasn't looking down on it. She gazed back up the cliff, trying to measure how high it was. She didn't try too hard though; it was apparently not high enough to kill. The only thing that really mattered was what why she was here. Kari knew she was here to find TK, but that wasn't the only side to the question. Why was she here, in the cove? The memory of that dark creature pushing her over the edge came to mind. What was down here? Perhaps the cove was like a prison, keeping her confined and useless to the others. Or maybe it was more than that. The creature had said something about meeting the Master. What did it want?

Kari had still been staring at the rock wall in front of her, but she felt the impulse to look back at the waves. After all, last time she had been here, the ocean was uncannily still. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a being standing there a few metres off. A moment passed before she put a name to the shadowed face. Daemon. How long had he been there? Kari sat still, waiting for the digimon to speak. Silence reigned for several minutes.

Daemon was the first to finally break it. "You know why you're here, don't you?"

Kari thought for a moment, reflecting on her first visit to the Dark Ocean. Something about being queen of those dark creatures and leading a rebellion against the undersea Master. Daemon spoke before she replied.

"We have been waiting a long while for this moment. It's about time."

"Why hasn't it happened sooner?" Kari ventured to ask, recalling her previous encounters.

"Let's say you've been fortunate. A few obstacles have presented themselves along the way. There's no need for us to worry about them now."

Kari felt a lump rise in her throat. "TK...what did you do to him?"

"Oh? The boy, is it?" Daemon said with venom in his voice. "Nothing drastic. He was simply getting in the way too many times, so he has been put where he can do no more trouble. Annoying kid. Foiled the first plan to attack. He was warned after that, and we made no secret about it. And then he goes and attacks my prized puppet. Foolish move on his part. Then once again, when another of your friends' time had come, he interfered. Three times too many."

"But what's going to happen to him?" Kari was getting bold in her concern, and stood up in front of Daemon.

"Let's just say his life is forfeit. But as it turns out, his captors want to drag out his demise as long as possible. Honestly, I like the idea, and I have been giving them a hand in it."

Kari was speechless. Daemon continued.

"So now him, not to mention that four-eyes who saved you last time, have been brought to live their last hours in our world. It's been quite enjoyable, so much so that we included a few other guests, and one of them being a very special person to me. He'll receive some distinct attention once you are dealt with."

The girl backed away from the mega. "Me?"

"Of course, did you think we were chasing you for the fun of it? It so happens that you are Light; and Darkness cannot exist in the Light. So we decided that it is about time your little beacon is snuffed out. Then we can move on to conquer the others, spreading darkness throughout the whole of two worlds. Without Light as fuel, Hope and Kindness will fall, and then our job will practically work itself out as the others will crumble away without anything to hold onto. The chain reaction starts here."

Daemon finished and a cloud of black came, obscuring him from Kari's sight. The digimon was gone when the fog dispersed. She stood very still, staring out into the black waters. Small, rolling waves continued to wash gently over the shore in strangely uniform movements. She gazed hard at the splashes of the water, and then it occurred to her that the tide seemed to be rising. Several minutes of watching proved the revelation. The cove was flooding. The water was slow in rising, but it was rising nonetheless.

Kari spun to face the rock wall that she had pressed up against. Setting her hands on the stone in front of her, she lifted her eyes to search for any way up. She found herself constantly distracted, however. The sound of the rising ocean was getting louder, and every time she glanced back, the waves were higher.

Her heart began to race in a panic as she walked along the cliff wall, looking for a place to begin an ascent to safety. She had no luck. Erosion over decades carved the rock wall into a smooth stone face. There was nothing to grab onto for her to climb up. The high tide mark was well above her head, almost halfway up the cliff. Kari spun to face the ocean again.

Something else was in the water, slowly approaching the shore, indiscernible underneath the surface.

TK sat motionless, oblivious to anything going on around him. The world was shut off to him, no matter how dire his situation was. There was nothing he could do. He had turned over his partner to the darkness, and it in turn stole away his friend. TK was helpless to rescue Ken, and he doubted Stingmon could even defeat Devimon. After all, the demon digimon had home-field advantage. TK sat with his legs drawn up to his chest, his arms wrapped around his knees and his face hidden. He felt so small and vulnerable.

It was a cloud of darkness that had come to him, and he was unaware as it slowly circled above him. TK was too absorbed in his hopelessness to even look up. It drew closer as he sank further into his despair, successfully blocking out any awareness of anything but his helpless state.

All this time, his partner could have digivolved, as Stingmon's appearance proved. What had he done differently than Ken? Was it their situation? TK longed to know what Ken and Wormmon were doing when they had to digivolve, but that wasn't an option now. Devimon had carried Ken off, and Stingmon was far behind. TK's own partner was a helpless rookie from the beginning, through each meeting with Daemon, MarineDevimon, Piedmon, and even the Shades. What was he supposed to do?

"You're not supposed to do anything."

TK snapped his head up to look for the source of the voice. He didn't see the black fog now descending on him in a swirling manner. He only saw barren rocks and sinkholes showing how hollow the ground was. There was no speaker.

Even so, the voice spoke again. "I meant it when I said you belong here. At least for your last couple days."

The voice rang within his head. It was Daemon's, and TK shuddered as he realized the digimon was speaking directly to his mind. With the words, the aching in the boy's chest rose in intensity to stinging throbs that kept time with the pumping of his heart, which was beating fast.

"Solitude," Daemon's voice said in a thoughtful tone. "You should be thanking me. You like solitude, I'm gracious enough to let you die in it. It won't be for a little while though. I don't believe Devimon is quite finished with you."

TK shivered and placed his head back down on his arms. Daemon had finished speaking, and as far as TK knew, he was gone. But the words spoken were ringing in his head for a long while. The harder he tried to root them out and think of something else, the deeper they dug into his mind. He couldn't shake Daemon's words. But that was only because they seemed truer and truer with each passing hour.

Review! I'm addicted to reviews, heh.

Appreciate your input, let me know if anything can improve.

Moving on!

PS...have a good thanksgiving?