Part 7: Darkness Falling
Matt raced through the trees, holding his right arm tight against his side. Ignoring Gabumon's pleas for him to slow down, he ran on, pretending not to feel the branches that tore at him and covered him in blood...ever so much blood. Finally the pain became too great and he fell to his hands and knees.
"Matt! Are you all right?" Gabumon asked, finally catching up with his digidestined.
"I--don't--know!" Matt gasped, burying his face in his hands. "I just don't know! I thought T.K. just didn't need me, but if he hates me, well, that's something completely different!"
"He didn't mean it."
"Yes he did! Couldn't you tell? I'm alone in this world, more alone than I was in my world, Gabumon." He struggled not to let his voice shake as tears sprang to his azure eyes. It hurt so much, physically and mentally. He held his aching arm even closer as he sobbed uncontrollably. "And it's my fault we met up with Gavinmon and Tigreromon in the first place!"
"Calm down, Matt!" Gabumon begged.
Matt didn't say anything else, and darkness fell on two small figures. Matt was quiet, trying to get rid of the pain, and the memories. Gabumon knew better than to argue with his digidestined child.
"Sh-should we go back to the Master?" Matt finally asked.
"Matt! No way!" Gabumon cried.
~*~
Far away from them, the rest of the guardian children sat around a fire, not speaking to anyone, alone with their thoughts.
Tai bit his lip. ~I just know Matt's gonna turn on us again. Could be any time now...so we have to be prepared. And I for one want the answers. Why on Earth--um, why in Digiworld--would Kari think that way?~
Kari stared into the crackling fire. ~We defeated another Dark Master, so why do I feel all cold inside? What do the others think of me now? I can't stand this waiting for something. Something happen, please!~
Mimi sighed and gazed away into the trees. ~Together, nope. Divided, yup. All the time. I wanna sing a song...a song to get us all together again...what is happening to us? We always split up. I don't like it. I wonder if the others like it.~
~Matt!~ T.K. thought desperately, wishing his brother could hear him. ~Matt, I'm so sorry. I didn't really mean it. Please come back. We need you to defeat Piedmon! And I need you, too...please, brother. I love you.~
Joe watched the others, wishing something, anything, would happen. He fingered the small gray pebble. ~What are these stupid things good for? Oh, yeah...I forgot about Machinedramon...can't Matt just answer a few small questions before he disappears?~
Izzy typed quickly on his computer. ~Where is Tentomon? He disappeared...oh, well. He won't be gone for long. I wonder what Kari was talking about earlier. Wait a second...~ Izzy sat up much straighter. ~ALL the digimon are gone!~
Sora noticed the same thing and leapt to her feet. "Bi, Bi, where are you?"
"Gatomon? Gatomon, come here! This isn't funny!"
"Agumon! This can't happen, it just can't...where *are* they? AGUMON!"
"Palmon? Where'd she go?"
"Tentomon! This is inconceivable! Tentomon!"
"Gomamon? Hey, where is he? He left without even giving me a sarcastic remark!"
"This isn't like Patamon. Where is he?"
The frightened kids searched for their digital partners. Not one of the little monsters was found.
~*~
Matt curled up against Gabumon, trying to stay warm. He didn't know what was happening to his friends. Then his eyes flew open and he scrambled to his feet. Beside him, Gabumon yawned and blinked. "I heard something..." Matt whispered. "Somebody's out there...
~*~
"AGUMON!"
Seven of the digidestined were digimon-less, and they certainly didn't like it. The night was cold and starless, and they had no light except for a handy pen-light Joe had. And that was hardly of any help to them whatsoever, as the beam was very small. Suddenly Tai stopped walking and listened. "Did anyone else hear that?" he asked.
"That high-pitched whistle?" Mimi responded. "Because if that's what you mean, I heard it!"
Suddenly Sora screamed as something touched her foot.
~*~
"Patamon? Why are you HERE?" Matt asked as the small digimon flew over. "T.K. isn't with you, is he?"
"No. We all left because something bad was out here, and we had to stop it before it could get too close to them," Patamon explained. He sighed. "BUT now we're all separated from each other, so I guess our plan backfired."
Gabumon shivered. "Something very bad could happen. Let's get you back where you belong--with T.K.!"
Matt, Gabumon, and Patamon headed into the forest that Patamon had come through. Sure enough, a beeping noise soon signaled that the digivice had picked up their friends. They raced in that direction.
"Go," Matt said as the weak beam from Joe's light came a bit too close for his liking. "We'll keep an eye out for the other digimon."
"Thanks, Matt," Patamon said.
"Gabumon, digivolve to...Garurumon!" Matt clambered onto Garurumon's back and rode in the opposite direction while Patamon headed over to T.K. "The Crest of Friendship won't glow if we keep running," the blue wolf said.
"It wouldn't glow when we were with them, either," Matt said. "In case you had forgotten..." An image popped into his mind.
Kiwimon. That weird bird with no wings. And Gabumon, running forward to join the fight and help find T.K. But the digivolving process just wouldn't work. "What's wrong, Matt? Why can't I digivolve?" Matt stared at his crest, a look of shock and fright on his face. The digivice wasn't working, the crest wasn't glowing...
"I'm pushing everyone away..."
Matt shook his head and leaned forward on Garurumon as they rode into the cold night. Bitter air made Matt shiver, and moonlight was soft and silver...not to mention rather dim. The darkness enveloped the two as they rode farther from the digidestined kids.
Much later they finally stopped to sleep. Garurumon became Gabumon again, and Matt curled up next to him in a vain effort to stay warm. The moon slipped behind a cloud and the following darkness made even Gabumon wonder if something evil was lurking about.
~*~
"Sora!" Tai shouted as she was yanked into the air.
"Oh, help me! What is this thing?"
"MetalOctamon, one of Machinedramon's helpers! He must have escaped the disappearing city!" Izzy shouted.
Sora's cries of fear were heard by Biyomon, who was really quite close. "Sora!" the little pink bird called. She ran to find Sora.
"Biyomon! You're here!" Sora said in relief when her friend appeared.
"Spiral Twister!" The green fire hit MetalOctamon straight on, but it didn't do much harm. "Spiral Twister!" Biyomon shouted again. And again. And then one more time, just to be sure.
It was at that moment that Patamon returned. He let loose with a Boom Bubble aimed straight at the tentacle that was holding Sora. She fell to the ground.
"Biyomon, digivolve to...Birdramon! Meteor Wing!" MetalOctamon hissed and fled into the forest. T.K. ran to hug Patamon while the others cheered. "Patamon! I'm so glad you're back!"
"Oh, Bi, where on Earth--I mean, where in Digiworld WERE you?" Sora asked as Birdramon dedigivolved into Biyomon.
"We had to go...something evil was out there...I don't know where the others are..." Biyomon said.
"Taiiiiiii!"
"Izzy! Izzy! You're okay!"
That was obviously Tentomon and Agumon, who ran up to the group a moment later. Tai laughed and ran to meet his little dinosaur friend. "Guess ya didn't find that danger, huh?"
Agumon shook his head. Tentomon was buzzing around Izzy. "Glad to see you're in one piece, Izzy," he said.
"I'm glad to *be* in one!" Izzy said. "MetalOctamon attacked..."
"Not him!" a female voice cried as Palmon ran over to them. "Oh, Mimi, I'm sooo glad you're all right."
"I'm a big girl, Palmon," Mimi said.
Joe sighed. "And, as usual, Joe is the *only* one without a digimon..."
Kari shook her head. "Gatomon is still out there."
Twenty minutes later there was no sign whatsoever of the two missing digital monsters. "Gatomon! Gomamon!" they all shouted.
Joe suddenly yelped as a claw swiped his leg. He whirled around to see two green eyes staring up at him. "Sorry, Joe, couldn't resist," Gomamon said with a smile.
"Gomamon! For all we know you could have been MetalOctamon again..."
"Again? Whadya mean 'again'?" Gomamon asked, a look of pure terror on his face.
"They ran into MetalOctamon, but Patamon and I saved Sora and sent him running!" Biyomon said happily.
"Joe...wow...you could've been killed..."
"No, duh! And *you* weren't there to protect me! As usual!"
Suddenly Kari screamed and ran to the right. The others soon reached her and gasped.
The badly beaten form of Salamon lay before them, scratched and covered in mud. Kari fell to her knees beside her little cat. "Please, please, Salamon, get up. PLEASE!"
The cat coughed and slowly opened her eyes. "I--I'm sorry--"
"For what? Please, Salamon, just be okay," Kari pleaded.
Tai stepped forward and knelt beside his sister. He picked up Salamon and walked back to the path. "We've gotta go. And I mean it!"
None of the others disagreed.
~*~
Matt stood up and stared into the trees. There WAS something out there. There had to be. Why else would he feel so jumpy?
Then two extremly familiar eyes stared out of the darkness. Matt had no time to move away or close his eyes. He had to look, and see the evil. His eyes closed and he slumped to the ground.
Gabumon's brown eyes fluttered open and he gasped. "Matt! Get up!"
As if answering Gabumon's prayer, Matt raised his eyes to Tigreromon. "Let us go find the Master," he said in a low voice. His eyes had turned as black as night, but an odd red glow flashed around them.
Gabumon sighed as the cold and darkness flowed through his bond with Matt. "Why? Why, Matt? The digidestined are your *friends*!"
Matt turned to stare at Gabumon. "Friends? The digidestined? Yeah, right."
Then the darkness overcame Gabumon and his eyes, too,
filled with a shadowy darkness. Before being
completely taken, he whispered, "Darkness
falling...heaven's calling..."
Mask to mask, fear to fear,
Broken faith, unseen tears,
Darkness falling,
Heaven's calling,
But I see you here.
Always near.
I'm not alone.
Time flies,
And then--no need to endure anymore...
Time dies...
Gabumon followed his digidestined, the Guardian of FRIENDSHIP, of all things, into the darkness that soon enveloped them.
"Servant Child, I knew I could win you back," Tigreromon hissed as Matt obediently followed. The words still rang through Gabumon's mind--Darkness falling...darkness falling...
Mustering all his strength, Gabumon managed to whisper, "Beware, digidestined." And it wasn't a threat.
It was a warning.
