Hi everyone! This was a fun chapter to write – a little bit more positive than my previous ones somehow.

Davis: You normally don't write T.K. and I interacting that often.

I know! I should though, you two actually have quite a nice friendship. I really like exploring your bonds with everyone. It's kind of fun. That said, T.K. fans you will love this chapter. I know maybe a lot of T.K. fans are not reading this story due to the pairing tag but for those of you who have made it this far, this chapter is a really good one for T.K. fans!

TK: I'm not sure Gennai would agree.

Meh, he had it coming! Enjoy the chapter, everyone!

10. Rekindling of Hope

Having his friends by his side and feeling Kari's smaller hand firmly in his own, the uncertainty lessened. Davis knew he had managed to make the Digimental of Miracles glow before but today when Izzy had asked him, he felt as if he was missing something to make it glow again. He couldn't explain it – even in his own head what it was but it felt like something had changed when his friends surrounded him.

It was in that moment, they all heard it. A voice, a very familiar voice, one they had all heard before.

Kindness will release the golden radiance.

"Wizardmon," Kari whispered, eyes watering slightly. Davis returned the pressure, now squeezing her hand in return. He didn't get the chance to say anything, to even open his mouth to reassure her because they were suddenly surrounded by a blinding light.

He could hear Izzy shouting something along the lines of "brace yourself!" however it did nothing to prepare him as Kari's hand slipped from his. He felt the familiar pull of the digital portal, only this time, it felt he was being yanked into the digital world by force and then falling freely.

There was no cushioning to break his fall. He landed on grains of soil that felt like burning charcoal into his back. That hurt, dammit and he immediately sat up. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the surroundings but this did nothing. It still didn't make it any easier to see where he was.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his D-3 and used the natural light of it to look around. It wasn't much of a sight to see. The beauty that had once been in the forests of the digital world was now gone. All he could see were fallen trees, possibly burnt but it was hard to tell in the limited amount of light. He suddenly stepped on something else. It was wet, like it had been freshly spilt. Looking at it a little bit closer with the light, his stomach nearly dropped, realising that it was blood. Someone had been hurt here.

"Davis?" Chibimon's voice broke him out of his thoughts. He looked down at his partner who was staring at him with wide eyes, clearly concerned. "Are you okay?"

Davis opened his mouth to speak but then closed it, scowling and shaking his head before speaking again. "No. I hate it. I hate seeing this kind of pain. It makes me understand a little on where T.K. is coming from when it comes to the powers of darkness." He could see it even if he didn't entirely agree with it – because darkness could affect good people like Kari and Ken too in ways he couldn't even begin to comprehend. He knew T.K. somewhat understood that too now. As long as there was light, there would always be darkness.

"Good to know we agree on something," T.K.'s voice came from behind him, sounding slightly amused despite the situation they were currently.

Davis turned around, moving the light of his D-3 onto his friend, hearing Patamon lightly scold T.K. for making light of things. It was then that Davis noticed that his friend was limping slightly as he walked, causing his eyes to widen. Without thinking twice, he moved to wrap around his friend's shoulder.

"T.K.!" Davis scolded his friend, forehead creasing. "Dude, you're injured. Patamon's right. This isn't the time to make jokes." He may try to look on the bright sides, usually agree on breaking the tension with a joke, but there was a small gash running down the side of T.K.'s leg down to his ankle. He was no Joe but even he knew that wasn't good.

T.K. sighed at this. "Sorry. It's just…I didn't want this to happen again."

Davis's frown deepened at these words, helping his friend walk while he looked for a place to hide before they were attacked. "Again? What are you talking about?"

T.K. frowned, averting his gaze. He didn't speak but Davis could feel his friend's body trembling and somehow, he knew it wasn't from the injury.

"T.K., what is it?" Davis asked, stopping for a moment. Logic told him that he needed to find a safe place to hide but his heart didn't agree. He couldn't keep moving when his friend looked like that.

"Back then, I was smaller, younger," T.K. admitted. "Devimon wanted to kill me. He had seen a prophecy that the youngest would destroy him and Kari wasn't part of our team then. If I…if I had been stronger, if I hadn't been so weak…Patamon wouldn't have died. Now I'm doing the same thing to you. I'm burdening you. We're out in the open. You could be hurt…we could be killed. It'd be my fault this time too." His voice shook as he explained all of this.

Davis's heart sunk a little – T.K. sounded like Ken. While he knew the two had some similarities, T.K. usually remained a bit more positive than Ken did. But now, it felt like he kept a lot of the darkness locked inside just like both Kari and Ken did. Only while Kari depended too much on her brother at times and Ken relied on him for that kind of brotherly support, T.K. tried to take that on all on himself. In a way, the independence reminded him a lot of Miya too. Feeling burdened but not wanting to burden others. At least that was the vibe he had gotten from her the little time he had come to know her. But that wasn't important right now – T.K. needed him, he shouldn't have to face all this by himself.

"T.K., it wasn't your fault," Davis insisted firmly. He saw T.K. open his mouth to protest this but cut him off because he wasn't done. "You were eight years old, T.K., you were just a little kid. And some weirdo was trying to kill you. Heck, even at the age I became a DigiDestined, that'd kind of freak me out. I know Veemon would do what he can to protect me, no matter what it costs. I wouldn't be able to stop him. Would that make me a burden?"

"Would that make me a burden?"

The question made T.K. stop, not even sure how to answer that even though he knew the answer. The immediate answer that came to his mind was that of course it did not make Davis a burden. That even the thought of it was ridiculous. But in saying that, didn't it make him a hypocrite?

"You're not a burden," T.K. said honestly. "Even if that situation did happen. I don't know. I guess, maybe I got so stuck in my own head, it was hard to see it from anyone else's perspective but my own. But when you put it like that…it made sense." He pulled Patamon closer to him. "It was easier to blame myself."

Davis chuckled. "Yeah. I get that. I've been there before once or twice. Ken and Kari can get the same way. Heck, Tai too even though he seems all composed and that on the surface. That said, not to cut the moment short but we probably should find a place to hide before we're attacked."

T.K. was about to reply to that when an evil laugh echoed through the place. A laugh T.K. never thought he would associate with this person – because it was familiar in a way he wished it weren't. Gennai appeared in front of them. He looked nothing like the friendly face they had come to know. He was donned in a purple cloak and his eyes were as cold as ice.

T.K.'s fists clenched and before he could think about the consequences of his actions, he limped forward and punched Gennai across the face. "You bastard! How dare you betray us?" His hands shook as he said these words.

Gennai placed a hand on the cheek where he had been punched, expression almost amused. "It was a matter of survival. Nothing personal. Just as it is now." A small black cube appeared in his hand, and he smacked T.K. aside, causing him to fall back in the soil and wince.

Before T.K. could even attempt to get up though, Gennai through the black cube towards Chibimon. Davis moved quicker than T.K. had ever seen – probably those soccer skills coming into play and pulled Chibimon into his arms protectively. The black cube hit a broken branch, trapping it in a bubble. If that had hit Chibimon…

Gennai simply laughed though. "You don't think I can try again?"

Davis scowled, clutching Chibimon closer. "I won't let you! You'll have to get past me!"

"You'll have to get past both of us," T.K. said, a little unstable on his feet but he didn't care. This couldn't go on. "You're helping those who are trying to destroy the beauty of this world. Trying to take away their hopes and dreams by capturing what gives them faith that things will be ok. Imperialdramon gives them that hope. I will never let you take that way. I meant what I said back then. Everyone's hopes are my hopes."

The pain in his leg was beginning to really hurt him, and he was beginning to get out of breath the more he spoke. Davis tried to pull him back, insisting he take it easy, but he pulled away from his friend as a white glow surrounded T.K. and Patamon. He could feel the familiar pull of digivolution, of sending his energy to give his digimon partner the strength. He knew he was overdoing it but at the same time, he needed to. This world was filling with despair and a world with no hope could be easily crushed.

"Patamon digivolve to…Angemon!"

T.K.'s D-3 was flashing wildly as the evolution did not stop there.

"Angemon digivolve to…MagnaAngemon!"

As MagnaAngemon stepped in front of Davis and T.K. to defend them, T.K. allowed himself to collapse, letting his friend support him. It would be okay now. Chibimon would be safe.