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.