Everyone, thank you! You've all been so supportive! This chapter is going to get a bit worse but keep hanging on ok? Things will get better eventually. This is based on the prompt 'helpful'.

Chapter 9: The Power of the Hunters

Tagiru was surprised when Hideaki allowed him outside the room he and Gumdramon were imprisoned in all the time. Although it didn't do much, considering he couldn't walk at all and had to have Gumdramon support him.

"You ok Tagiru?" Gumdramon said, concerned as he saw his partner wince.

Tagiru managed a small smile. "Yeah...I'm just a bit sore."

Gumdramon bristled. "I really need to kill that guy."

Tagiru laughed. "Try not to do that. I really don't want to see any more blood at the moment."

Gumdramon sighed. "I know you're hurt Tagiru…I'm sorry."

Tagiru blinked. "For what? It's not like you hurt me."

Gumdramon shook his head. "But I couldn't stop him. If I had been stronger, you wouldn't have gotten kidnapped and hurt by him like this. If I had just…"

Tagiru tried to bend down and put a hand on Gumdramon's head. "Not your fault. H-Hideaki was after me anyway. Besides, I chose this to protect Yuu remember? I really hope he's alright."

Gumdramon frowned. "Well, Damemon wasn't captured in that room so I'm assuming he's kept Yuu safe."

Tagiru's eyes widened a little. "What room, Gumdramon?"

Gumdramon blinked, surprised at Tagiru's sudden change in tone and looked at his friend. "The room I was trapped in before I came to you."

If Gumdramon had been trapped in a room, was it possible that there could be others there? Maybe...maybe he could get out of here or at least contact Yuu somehow. Yuu would help him right? If he still cared...

Tagiru's shoulders sagged as he thought of Yuu. Why wasn't he here yet? Why wasn't he there to help him? He knew Yuu didn't know about the horror Hideaki had put him through but he should know. He should know that he was being hurt. Was he mad about the kiss? Maybe Tagiru shouldn't have been so forward and kissed him like that but still.

"Tagiru are you ok?" Gumdramon asked, noting the look on his face.

Tagiru didn't reply. He didn't think he could say he was with a straight face. The physical pain suddenly seemed like something in the sidelines. Hideaki had said no one was coming was him...was he right? Would he be trapped here, a toy to Hideaki's pleasures forever? The thought shook him so much that his entire body began to tremble.

"I wanna go home," Tagiru whimpered, tears cascading down his cheeks. "I don't wanna stay here forever."

"Oi Tagiru," Gumdramon wrapped his tiny paws on his shoulders. "Look at me. Tagiru, look at me!"

Tagiru managed to look at Gumdramon. "I wanna go home, Gumdramon. Even if my feelings are never returned, even if Yuu never loves me back, I just wanna go home."

"You will," Gumdramon promised, his eyes shining with determined. "I don't care what I have to do, I'll get you out."

"Really?" Tagiru said hopefully. "You'll protect me from him?"

Gumdramon smiled. "I'll protect you. You're my partner and my best friend and I won't let him get his slimy hands on you again!"

Tagiru wiped away his tears, trying to smile albeit it wasn't very convincing. "S-sorry, I seem so pathetic right now. I...just...Yuu didn't come for me. He didn't come to help me when I really needed him. Doesn't he care about me as his friend anymore even?"

Gumdramon frowned. "Yuu isn't like that, Tagiru. He and Damemon would never give up on you. Damemon told me he was really worried about you when you ran off with..." He bristled a little before continuing. "Hideaki to hunt Volcdramon."

Tagiru winced a little at the memory before trying to focus. "Then why isn't he coming for me?"

Gumdramon sighed. "Tagiru, you think they'll make it easy for him to get to you? I aint logical but you said so yourself that Hideaki's working for someone right?"

Tagiru would have understood where the logic was coming from if he hadn't been through hell itself. "Logic isn't really very comforting now, Gumdramon." He sounded tired but forced himself to stand back up. "But anyway, let's do what we can before that guy pulls us back in. Can you show me where that room is?"

Gumdramon looked him over, concerned. "You need to sleep right now. Tagiru, you look exhausted!"

Tagiru laughed weakly. "Yeah well, the sooner I can find some help, the sooner I can sleep." He needed to get out of here. He didn't want night to come and for Hideaki to hurt him again. Not only was his body not recovered from the last time, but he hated the feel of Hideaki's hands. He hated that his body seemed to want more. His mind and heart were at conflict with one another and he had no idea what to do about it. Thinking about it all the time and living in the fear that Hideaki would continue to take what he wanted from him was exhausting.

"Tagiru..." Gumdramon made to protest.

"Gumdramon, please," Tagiru said. "I don't want night to come. Please help me!"

Gumdramon sighed. "Ok, let's go."

He led Tagiru to the room. Tagiru felt every muscle in his body protesting as he helped Gumdramon push a few tables and chairs aside. The room was quite small with a bunch of small rectangular tables blocking something. In front of the tables, were a few chairs. It took a few minutes for the two of them to move them aside but they managed to do it.

Tagiru's eyeballs almost popped out of his sockets at what he saw. Hiroya...Mizuki...Kiichi...Kaoru...Miho...all of them were trapped in what looked like ice crystals. Tagiru shivered a little. Was all this Hideaki's doing or the person he worked under? He didn't know. He turned to Gumdramon. "Think you can melt the ice?"

Gumdramon nodded. "I'll do it."

It was a slow process, but they managed to have the ice melted. Tagiru kept an eye out for Hideaki but he didn't see him coming. He moved to help Hiroya who was shivering.

"Hiroya-kun, are you ok?" Tagiru asked, pushing aside his own pain to focus on the injured. "Mizuki-san, everyone, are you guys...? What happened?"

"Some scientists captured us," Hiroya explained, being the first one to be able to talk. "Then your friend Hideaki had us crystallised. What's wrong with him?"

"I'll tell you that once I figure it out myself," Tagiru muttered. "I'm glad you guys are alive."

"That's not all," Mizuki said, managing to speak up now that she had stopped shivering from the cold of being trapped in ice. "We may have been trapped but we could still hear and see everything that was going on. There's a backdoor exit in this room."

"A backdoor exit?" Tagiru said, his eyes lighting up. They knew where the exit was. They knew. His heart soared with hope. "Where?"

Kiichi peered at Tagiru. "Tagiru, what happened to you? You seem different."

Gumdramon shifted protectively in front of Tagiru. "He just wants to get out like the rest of you do! Is that so wrong?"

Tagiru winced. "Gumdramon, it's fine. I've been trapped here for awhile too, Kiichi that's all and some things happened. But it's ok. Let's just focus on getting out. Mizuki-san, please...lead us to the exit."

Mizuki nodded and they moved forward towards a back door.

"Come on, go before someone comes here," Mizuki said hurriedly, gently pushing Kiichi and Miho out. "Hiroya-kun you too. Tagiru-kun."

Tagiru moved forward, eager to escape and get out of here. As Hiroya went through, Tagiru made to follow but suddenly a cloth clamped over his mouth.

"Tagiru!" Kiichi cried, making to run back for him.

"Go!" Tagiru cried, feeling his vision blurring. "Hiroya-kun, please tell Yuu where I am and that Hideaki's hurting me!" He struggled a little more before falling limp.

Gumdramon struggled. When Hideaki had come in, he had thrown something at him, holding him down with ice crystals on either of his paws. He hadn't even had the time to shout out a warning. "Tagiru! Let him go you bastard! Oi, why are you guys just running away?" He saw the Hunters and Hiroya running. Tears from his frustration and helplessness welled up in his eyes but he pushed them back. "God, Yuu had better hurry up...or even I'm gonna start doubting the kid's loyalties." *Can you somehow make the scene more dramatic, add more angst at Tagiru not being able to escape, maybe even show Kiichi (whose closest to Tagiru out of them) struggling to help but the other Hunters are scared and run away, not wanting to be captured again?*

Hiroya knew this was cowardice but Tagiru had wanted them to tell Yuu right? So it wasn't really that bad...was it? They were currently in a forest which was a little further away from where they had escaped from.

"Tagiru needs us!" Kiichi wailed, tears falling from his eyes. "Hideaki's a bad person now, he could be hurting him!"

"Hey calm down," Miho said, going over and gently placing her hands on Kiichi's shoulder. "I didn't want to leave him either, he helped Yuu-kun save me after all. But we need to tell Yuu-kun. Kaoru, Hiroya and I aren't Hunters or Generals so we would have been useless."

Kiichi whimpered, more tears falling. "It's still wrong...Tagiru wouldn't have given up on us that easily."

Mizuki sighed. "If I had Subarimon with me, I would have stayed to help him out."

Kaoru squirmed, looking quite guilty herself. "We should try finding Yuu-kun or one of his friends. It was wrong to leave him behind but we should make up for it by trying to have him rescued."

Hiroya nodded, before hearing screams nearby. "Hide, something's coming this way."

The others all moved to find hiding positions in the bushes.

Yuu watched the digimon screaming from afar from the torture Tsuwamon and SkullKnightmon were giving them. A small part of him squirmed and wanted to stop it, but he pushed it aside. However, he did stop as he saw someone familiar move in the bushes. "Whose there?"

Hiroya almost flinched but heard the familiar voice and peeked out. "Yuu-kun? Guys, it's ok! It's only Yuu-kun!"

The others slowly came out of their hiding spot.

Yuu scoffed. Like they needed any extra baggage on them. A lot of these people weren't even Hunters. They'd just be a burden. "Why did you guys come here? Some of you aren't even Hunters and Kiichi's useless even when he could be a valuable one."

Hiroya bristled. "What's with that attitude? We were captured by those creepy scientists that were behind everything! That's right, captured right out of our own homes."

Yuu stared at him coolly. "Is that meant to strike sympathy inside me?"

Hiroya was about to retort when Kiichi stepped in front of him timidly.

"Yuu-san, we're not asking for your sympathy," Kiichi said quietly. "But Tagiru does need it."

Yuu stopped as Kiichi mentioned Tagiru. His heart and head hurt all of a sudden. "Tagiru? Do you know where he is?"

Hiroya raised an eyebrow at this but Kiichi simply nodded.

"We were crystallised in ice crystals," Kiichi said. "Tagiru is the one that saved us. He was going to escape with us too but Hideaki came and captured him. He told us to get out so we could come find you. He's hurt, Yuu-san. I don't know what's going on with you, but if you care about Tagiru, save him before there's nothing left to save."

Fear struck Yuu like a case of whiplashes. What did Kiichi mean? "Kiichi, what did Hideaki do to him?"

Kiichi shook his head. "Tagiru just mentioned he'd been trapped there for awhile. We could tell it was more but he seemed a bit uncomfortable about it."

Yuu closed his eyes. "I need to get to him. SkullKnightmon-sama..."

SkullKnightmon frowned. "We haven't conquered this area yet."

Yuu shook his head. "I need to get to Tagiru. I told you I'd become your demon as long as Tagiru remains safe. I need to go to him now."

SkullKnightmon sighed. "I'm afraid I can't have that." He fused with DeadlyAxemon to become DarkKnightmon again.

DarkKnightmon brought his sword towards Yuu making to knock him out but Tsuwamon blocked it.

"Don't touch him," Tsuwamon said. "Yuu go! Go find Tagiru!"

Yuu's eyes widened. "I can't leave you!" He could feel the euphoria from earlier fading away, the desire to want to be cruel, to hurt people. Kiichi was right, Tagiru's safety was more important. He began to feel sick with himself, with the things he did. Would Tagiru forgive him? Or would he look at him with disgust? He felt like he would throw up. He looked at the all the bodies lying there and knew he had done all that. *Feel free to add more to his thoughts and him slowly changing back to his old self*

Miho looked at Yuu. "Don't you have Blossomon?! You hunted her, right?"

Yuu shook his head miserably. "I didn't hunt her. Tagiru did." He had no other forces other than SuperStarmon. He cringed as Tsuwamon took another blow for him. If this kept up, he could...he could...the thought of losing Damemon too horrified him.

"Tsuwamon!" Yuu cried, rushing forward.

"S-Stay back, Yuu," Tsuwamon said, gritting his teeth and offering Yuu a smile to hide his own pain that he was feeling. "I'll always fight for you, remember that."

Yuu's eyes watered. Tsuwamon's condition wasn't good and it was all his fault. Again. There had to be something he could do to help! It was worth a try at any rate.

Yuu grasped the Darkness Loader and saw it beginning to change colour. It flickered between yellow and black, before settling into it's original bright yellow colour.

"Reload RookChessmon!" Yuu said. "Reload SuperStarmon! Please use your Star Army, SuperStarmon!"

"Got it!" SuperStarmon gave Yuu a thumbs up.

Yuu watched his partners warily. He hoped they could handle this...his fists clenched at the thought of anything otherwise.