T.K. set down his stuff carefully in a corner. He turned on the lights to an empty apartment and looked around. Of course no one was there, however there was a small part of him that wished to be greeted with a smile when he entered through the doors. His mother's work always kept her busy, he didn't mind. It was her life, he had no business getting in the way. He didn't need anything else, at least that's what he told himself.

He walked over to his fridge and opened it. Pulling out a microwavable dinner and setting it on the counter. He looked at it and frowned. He wasn't particularly hungry. He warmed it up and placed it on the table. "Patamon come eat"

Patamon stood up lazily from the couch and flew over there with a smile. Patamon began to eat and T.K. looked at him with a smile.

"Aren't you gonna have some?" Patamon looked at him and T.K. shook his head.

"I'm not hungry" T.K. smiles at Patamon and wipes his face. His partner had always been a messy eater ,but he didn't mind because Patamon looked so happy eating, it made him happy to see him there. Happy. That's what Patamon deserved to be….not in pain like how he was back then. He took a step back and walked away and went to the sink. He could see his own reflection, he looked at it and sighed. His own reflection felt abrasive to look at, he could only see someone powerless reflected in it.

The thoughts began to flood his mind once more. Even if he had a good day when night came he couldn't stop the memories of the darkness creeping back onto him. The memories that made him angry, angry at what was taken from him, angry at himself for what he couldn't do. He clenched his fist and looked away. He didn't want to look at that pathetic person any longer.

Patamon stops eating and looks at him. He hated seeing his partner like this. Even though he had a smile on, he could always tell when it wasn't a real one. Patamon flew over to him and cuddled up to his neck and smiled.

T.K. smiled back at the little guy and softly patted him. He was glad Patamon was there…sometimes it was the only thing that kept him together. Without Patamon where would he be? Life would be so lonely without him. In the Digital World he had met Patamon, met all his friends, and mended his relationship with his brother. He was grateful for it really because without it he would be alone. Yet he couldn't change the fact that time had hurt him, scared him, broken him, and now he stood there with all this pain he wasn't sure how to let go, no matter how hard he tried.

A part of him wasn't sure who he was anymore. Was he that weak coward who couldn't do anything for anyone? Or was he the person that always had hope and a smile? Maybe he was both, but he didn't want anyone to see the pathetic side of him. That side wasn't one worth fighting for.

His mind continued to wander on and on like the waves crashing against the shore when suddenly he was startled by a knock on the door. He looked at the door and wondered who it could be at that hour. He peered through the door and saw a familiar face, "Kari..?" Frantically he opened the door and immediately spoke.

"What's wrong?" When he saw her worried face he slowed down his breathing and attempted a still face. He needed to stay calm for her sake. She was clearly panicking, clearly…scared. The look of fear he had seen her had very few times in his life.

"Tai's missing and so is Izzy and I called Sora and she didn't answer.'' Clearly panicking she scrambled her story and attempted to explain it to T.K. as if he understand why she showed up at the doorstep he nodded and spoke determinedly

"Let's go check on Matt"

~~~

"Hey Matt" T.K. knocked aggressively on the door ,but there was no reply. He searched around the area for a place he knew hid a spare key however he could not find one. Maybe Matt had gotten rid of it or their dad took it and lost it…he was always kind of clumsy, from the few memories he had with him. He turned around only to see that Kari's expression began to look more worried by the second. He felt despair begin to ache in his heart, but he shook it off and decided that he'd have to get this door open no matter what. He observed the door, noticing it was unlocked. He moved the door, it was jammed. There was still a way inside There was still hope.

"I'm going to have to force it down, Patamon, Gatomon. Can I count on you two?" The two digimon nodded as they began to lunge themselves towards the door as well.

"Hey you're all going to get hurt" Kari attempted to stop them however the three of them seemed very determined to get the door down. All of a sudden the door clicked open and unjammed itself allowing entry. T.K. observed the apartment. It was messier than his own ,but surprisingly well kept.

"Oh uh I guess it's your first time here…Welcome?" T.K. said and Kari softly laughed. Surprisingly his plan managed to work. He smiled, feeling warm inside, it was always nice to see her smile. Seeing her worried or sad, it broke him.

"T.K." a shocked expression painted her face as she stared at the kitchen.

"Is it that messy-"he turned around and stopped himself in his tracks and saw the very thing that brought her expression.

There were glass shards all over the floor and a fire growing from the stove. Kari began to make her way towards the stove in an attempt to turn it off, however T.K. stopped her and quickly dashed toward it and turned it off. Nearly avoiding a catastrophe.

"I don't think Matt is the type to leave the stove on is he?" Kari worriedly looked at T.K. and he nodded. For as long as she had known Matt, he had always been cautious so it was concerning to see this sight.

"Glass shards are a huge no too, I could already imagine him cleaning them because he's worried Gabumon will get scratched" T.K. smiled gently as he spoke of his brother. Speaking of, it looked like Gabumon wasn't there. It seemed to match Kari's story about Agumon being gone too.

Kari looked at him as he spoke. She couldn't help ,but find the affection T.K. had for his brother endearing. She smiled back fondly, his warm smile somehow made her forget the reason they committed a borderline felony in the first place.

They both investigated the apartment and found no trace of anyone in sight. Kari sadly looked at the apartment, she could feel so much just from being there. Just like T.K.'s it was vacant. There was a sort of brokenness that could be felt in the atmosphere. Broken with no attempt to fix it. She couldn't help ,but feel sad that neither T.K. nor Matt had felt the warmth of a home. She couldn't imagine how painful it would be if she rarely saw her brother. It would be very lonely…

"Is something wrong Kari?" her partner digimon looked at her with eyes full of concern and she shook her head. She bent down and began to pick up pieces of glass.

"Hey be careful you'll cut yourself" T.K. looked at her a bit frantic as he moved her hand away from the glass.

"Oo scary glass" Kari teased him as she moved a piece of glass closer to him.

"Hey!" T.K. looked at her with an amused look as he tried to snatch it from her hands.

"Be careful. You could cut you-" She stopped herself as soon as she saw the grin on his face. The kind of grin that looked victorious.

"Scary glass huh" T.K. winked at her and she sighed.

"Yeah I guess so" She admitted defeat with a small laugh.

Patamon and Gatomon looked at each other and sighed. They had their work cut out for them with these two. They picked up the glass and threw it away. Making sure there wasn't anything there. Maybe it wasn't a good thing to clean the evidence, but they didn't want anyone to get hurt.

They walked out of the apartment and closed the door and stopped walking a little bit away from the complex. They both pulled out their phones. Looking for anything they could do.

"Joe never answers his phone…" T.K. sighed.

"Neither does Mimi." Both called multiple times to no answer. Even if they were not missing they knew calling them was futile.

Kari sadly looked down and spoke in a broken tone. "They're all gone…aren't they?"

T.K. placed his hand on her shoulder and met her eyes. She looked sad and worried. He had to do something for her. "We'll find them. I know we will."

A warm feeling washed her face as he spoke. There was a certain tenderness to those words that put her at ease. His eyes were gentle and honest as they glimmered at her. A look that said everything is going to be okay and it set her at peace despite the situation around them. At that moment she was reminded yet again how much he had grown. It was the second time something similar to this had happened ,but she couldn't help it. She wondered when the change had happened; it was as if it was in the blink of an eye. Awestrucked, she could only nod as they began to walk off.

The walk was mostly silent, it wasn't an awkward silence, but a comforting one. It was as if nothing needed to be said even if there were things that had yet to be said. Only the two digimon chatted away as their two partners stayed in silence. Even though they were both making their way back home, neither had noticed that their legs had carried them near the ocean.

"Let's let the others know tomorrow so we can meet up." T.K. said, finally breaking the silence. "We can't waste any more time." He was starting to feel anxious for some reason. He really did think they'd find them, but something felt off.

Kari nodded at the idea. It had to be their next course of action. Maybe this had something to do with why that digimon had attacked the festival today. There was a destiny they had yet to fulfill.

A sudden ring filled the once silent night. Hoping that it would be one of the chosen children, Kari quickly pulled her phone out and looked at the caller ID. T.K. leaned in to take a look as well, he squinted at the name and did not recognize the name. In fact it wasn't even a name. The ID was a concerning mesh of ones and zeros almost like a code. Patamon flapped his wings and moved closer, sliding T.K.'s hat down as he looked.

"Who is that?" T.K. asks as he pushes his hat back up.

"I don't know…" Kari answered honestly as she looked at it again. She began to move her finger to answer the call however she felt a firm grip hold her back. A firm grip that was shaking as it held her wrist. She halted her movement and looked at T.K. who had a worried look on his face.

"Sorry…" He let go of her hand, hoping he hadn't hurt her when he grabbed her so suddenly, but he couldn't help it. He didn't want to even fathom the thought of something happening to her because she answered the call. Right now they didn't know where anyone else was and he didn't want to risk losing her too.

"T.K. …what if it's them? Or someone that knows where they're at?" Kari responded gloomily. He frowned, he knew that she was right ,but the risk…he didn't want something to happen to her again. He would lose his mind if she disappeared too. The bitter taste of abandonment lingered as he spoke his next words.

"Let me answer…please" he was practically begging her for the phone. She looks at him, noticing his once calm demeanor had changed to one that was stressed. Patamon looked at his partner with concern as well sensing the tension in the air rising. She nods and hands the phone over to him.

"Hello?" A sharp pain seared through his fingers causing him to drop the phone. The pain was horrible, he hadn't expected such a thing. It was a pain that he could feel in his very veins, it was like they were being scorched.

"T.K., are you okay?" Patamon flew off his head and approached his partner and looked at him sadly.

"I'm fine." T.K. forced a smile, it was a very strange pain indeed. He could still feel it searing through his fingers and making his hand go numb. Gatomon looked at the phone and picked it up, she decided to hand it over to her partner.

"Thanks Gatomo-"

Static filled the air. Kari felt a strong force overcome her and suddenly she collapsed. T.K. quickly lunged at her and grabbed her before she hit the floor. "Kari!" He called her name ,but there was no response. He looked at her unable to catch his breath or stop the anxiety filling every bone in his body.

"We need to get her out of here,Patamon can you digivolve or something?!" he asked frantically. They had to do something, take her someplace or just anything, he didn't know what ,but he had to do anything he could to make sure she didn't vanish like the others did.

"No I can't," Patamon sadly tilted his head. He could see T.K. looking more worried each second that passed. Patamon looked at him, frustrated in his eyes. He wanted to do something for them ,but he just couldn't.

"Why not?" T.K. asked, his tone was drowned in fear and despair.

"You're starting to despair, I can't," Patamon shook his head, his voice cracking. He didn't like seeing his partner like that, but there wasn't anything he could do if he kept panicking like this.

"T.K. please calm down she'll be back in no time" in truth Gatomon was panicking as well ,but she knew that someone had to keep a calm head and the way he was now, T.K. was completely incapable of it. T.K. looked down at her unconscious face. He felt so scared, so sad ,but he knew Gatomon was right.

"I hope you're right" T.K. softly spoke. Noticing her begin to tremble he removed his coat and placed it over her and brought her closer to himself. There was nowhere they could go at the moment so they decided to wait till she came to.

He felt his eyes begin to tear up. He was back to feeling so powerless, the feeling he could never escape no matter how hard he tried.