k2: Sorry, guys. I had to rewrite almost the entire chapter to fix errors and make it more compatible with DDNA. I made some mistakes I wasn't aware of at first and didn't notice them until chapter 8 and 10 of DDNA (Matt, Sora and Tai's chapters. Originally one chapter, but I split it into two)

Mewkit: Trust us, they were important changes. This chapter makes a lot more sense now too!

k2: Err...yeah. I also had to erase a plot element that I threw away for Misshra, so her part is also revised.

Mewkit: Since it's such a huge change we are hoping you guys can tell us what you think.

k2: Yes. Please review the rewrite, I want to know how you guys feel about the changes. Thank you.

What Now

Ch.12-The End?
PG
111break111

Dreams are premonitions.

Of a future that might be true.
A future that will not last.
A future that will not end.
I am Destiny. I now of the future and what it holds. I am the first of the new. I am the last of the old. Unless we are successful, we are doomed.

Misshra saw light beyond her closed eyelids and recognized the fact that she was awake. Although that meant she had passed out in order to 'wake up' in the first place. She also noted, due to the fact that she could see light through her lids, that it was obviously still daylight. Or new daylight, considering how long she may have been out for in the first place.
She slowly opened her eyes waiting for any stinging sensation that may follow and closed them again against the glare of the midday light. She moaned and drew the attention of her keeper, a very sufficient one, mind you, who had nothing but harsh words for her in return.
"Glad your finally awake," The digimon growled. "Now I can yell at you properly."
Misshra moaned again, more about the oncoming onslaught then the lack of strength in her body, and managed to lift herself with her elbows. She noted the light blanket her partner had placed over her and wondered if it really had been more then a few hours since she passed out. When she looked up, however, and saw the disgruntled look her partner was giving her, she rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious Missy." Enera stated with none of her usual wit and cynicism. "This is no joke and you know it." This for your own good. You know what can happen when you over exert yourself. It's too dangerous!"
"Past experience teach you this?" Misshra drawled. The moment the words left her mouth she immediately regretted it. Enera's eyes flashed. Not dangerously, mind you, but they flashed nonetheless. For a brief instant Misshra saw an over powering sense of guilt in her eyes; a sadness that reached out for comfort.
And then it was gone. Replaced by crossed arms and a frown of disapproval.
"Do you wanna die?" the question was so blunt it caught Misshra off guard. It wasn't so much a threat as it was an honest question. She looked up at the digimon, realizing that even though she wasn't really showing it she was still thinking about it. That past experience. And she would bring it up if she had too. Misshra didn't want her to.
"No!" She answered quickly. Before she could get another word out, Eneramon continued.
"Cause you will you know. And I know you know. I don't want to loose another friend. Not like before. Not because…." She paused, as if thinking, before continuing with a sharp eye. "You said it was imperative to bring that boy back because there wasn't time for the avatar to be reborn, right?" Before Misshra could ask the digimon how she knew that she continued again, "Well the same goes for you. Avatars aren't cheep and you know it."
"What would you have me do?" Misshra asked, lowering her eyes. Enera hadn't once yelled at her through the entire lecture like she said she wanted to do. Enera never yelled at her, but she was good at lecturing and it always hurt to be lectured for her own incompetence. Especially if that incompetence was the only way out. "I had to risk it."
"Sure ya did." Enera murmured half sarcastically. She knew that the girl did have to risk it. She just didn't want to admit it. "look. I don't know everything that went on in there, but whatever it was you got a huge boost of negative energy. I think that's why you passed out."
"Yeah." Misshra glanced at Eneramon and frowned. "You shouldn't have slipped off like that you know."
Eneramon quirked an eyebrow, not recognizing the subject change quite so quickly but when she did she waved the statement off haphazardly.
"I felt it was best, what with your lips and complete so pale and the complete loss of consciousness."
"Well…it wasn't!" Misshra's voice rose an octave that startled the nonchalant digimon and Enera stared at her, shocked." I'm the only one here right now!" Misshra continued, "No one else can get in or out! The only one that can tell them anything, enlighten them on anything, is me! I'm the only one that knows what's truly at stake here! They're clueless! They probably think they won right now, not even realizing that the current void master is still out there, waiting, plotting, and what about Matt? I still haven't' figured out how he managed to extend the power of the crystal!"
"What?"
"Everything is falling to pieces here-!"
"Hey, slow down girl!" Eneramon shouted, as she waved her hands at Misshra, breaking her off mid tangent. "What was that about about a crystal? You don't mean that crystal, do you?"
"Matt's sou l was trapped." Misshra replied, a little confused. "If it hadn't been for his sub consciousness and subsequent latent abilities... I think he would have been absorbed before Sora and I found him."
"That's impossible." Eneramon murmured.
"I know, right?"
"The only way that could happen is if the intended victim is within close proximity," Eneramon murmured. "but it obviously wasn't there."
"then they must've found a way to extend it." Misshra stated
"If they have, then we have a major problem."

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"This is nuts." Joe murmured as he examined the hole in Matt's shirt where, moments before, a matching hole had been in his flesh. Now, however, it was gone. Vanished without a trace, not even a hint of a scar was there. "There is absolutely no possible medical way to describe this. To explain it! It's just impossible!"

"A lot of things are impossible." Matt replied with a grin, "We work with the impossible, the unexplainable, all the time, remember?"

Joe rubbed his head and stood up, a sigh escaping him. "Yeah, I know." Joe murmured, "But we've never encountered this before. I mean…you were dead. Yet she brought you back to life like…like it was…I dunno, something she did everyday!"

"Maybe she does do it everyday." Tai replied

"She doesn't." Everyone turned to look at Sora. She shrugged her shoulders and gave a faltering smile. "She told me she had done this only once before, that it is a last resort thing for her. In fact, she barley knew what she was doing, but at the same time had no choice other then to do it."

"You're kidding me!" Tai exhaled. "You mean she risked your soul on less then half a chance of success!"

"No!" Sora shouted, "Besides, what else were we going to do? Matt-."

Sora stopped abruptly and looked around.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked

"We're talking about her like she isn't here." Sora murmured, "Yet…."

"Where did she go?" Mimi asked as she too realized the girl had disappeared.

"The least she coulda done was wait for a thank you." Davis stated bluntly.

"I hope she's okay." Sora murmured, "She looked really…pale. Tired. Her mind was a bit muddled…."

"I'm sure she's fine." Tai reassured Sora, yet he had to wonder himself. Why hadn't the girl stayed? Was she really okay?

"Sooo…now what?" Yolie asked as she moved away from Ken.

"Good question." Davis agreed. "How do we get back home?"

"First off, there is something way more important that we have to deal with." Matt stated darkly

"What's more important then letting your mom know TK is okay?"

'What's more important', he asks' Matt grumbled silently

He can't possibly be that oblivious. Just when I think he's got his priorities straight-

Next to him Sora gasped. Everyone turned to look at her and she stared at Matt quizzically.

"I...I thought I just..." she squinted curiously before silently voicing her thoughts. I thought I heard you just now. In my head. Did I?

Matt's eyes widened. He heard her, yet her mouth wasn't moving. It felt like a light brush from a gentle hand against his mind, comforting and disconcerting at he same time.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"What?" Tai asked. "What's going on?"

TK and Kari exchanged looks.

"You don't think...?" TK began

"Yeah," Kari nodded. "I do."

"What?" Davis asked in exasperation

"It seems like Matt and Sora can read each others minds like Kari and I can." TK replied

"What!" Tai and Davis cried simultaneously. TK couldn't help but cringe.

"Well, she did say we would be linked." Sora murmured

"Well, that I can understand." Tai stated before rounding on TK. "But what do you mean by you and Kari having one?"

"Well..." TK looked guiltily at Tai. "That would be my fault. Things are still a bit foggy, the details I mean,but I know that I forced the link open."

"You did what?"

Matt, knowing this wouldn't end well, quickly interceded.

"Easy Tai. You know it wasn't completely his fault."

"That doesn't excuse what he did!" Tai argued before focusing back on TK "Here I thought that what happened to Kari was the same thing that happened to you! But it wasn't, was it? You did it! What did you do to my sister!"

TK looked at the ground shamefully. He couldn't answer Tai because he couldn't remember what he did. He wasn't sure he wanted to remember. Luckily Matt came to his defense again, placing himself between his best friend and his brother.

"Back off Tai. He told you already that everything's foggy. You're only making him feel worse, so stop it."

Tai looked from Matt to TK, his anger unabated. Jabbing a finger at the younger boy he said, in no uncertain terms, "I don't want you anywhere near my sister, got it?"

TK looked up, wide eyed. He glanced at Kari and saw her looking at her brother with her arms crossed. He knew that look. He knew what it meant. This was something Kari was going to fight against.

A light brush against TK's mind preceded Kari's thoughts as she said, Don't worry. He can't stop me. We go to the same school after all.

Yeah. Tk replied quietly. He wasn't really sure that using the mind link was very appropriate considering the situation in which they received it.

"Enough!" Mimi nearly shouted "You can sort this all out after we get home! We have more important things to worry about right now. Such as what Matt thinks is more important than getting home."

Matt and Tai shared an angry face, but relented their argument. To Mimi, nothing was more important than getting home after a big battle and a few days spent in the digital world without a shower. Plus, Tai knew Matt was right. There was something more important. Whether or not she was thinking about that, Mimi was currently staring at Matt expectantly. Matt nodded and said firmly, "The portal that leads into the Dark World. We have to close it permanently somehow. Make sure they can't use it again.

"Wouldn't they just make another one?" Cody asked

"Actually, no." Izzy spoke up "The way non-terminal portals are made isn't that easy. They are rather hard to create. As for this particular non-terminal portal, if we do what they did and close it from this side, block up the end here, they won't be able to use it. However, depending on the amount of power they have, which is probably more then us right now, they could eventually 'break the lock', so to speak. I believe that what Matt is suggesting is that we deconstruct the portal. Am I right?'

"Yeah." Matt agreed, "I guess, if that does the trick."

"It will. And we can do it even with our limited power. It's something Gennai and I discussed some time ago. It's all theory at the moment, but I have a definite idea of how to do this. We even started working on the program for it. Just let me get my laptop set up and I'll get to work on it.

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"No."

"But Enera-."

"My answer is no and that's final!" Eneramon shook her head emphatically, her eyes narrowed in fierce determination and her arms crossed in an uncanny imitation of the way Misshra's mother would have said no.

"But-."

"Misshra, they are smart kids. They won't need your help on this. Besides, what are you going to do to help anyway? It's not like you know how to solve the problem yourself. And even after they do figure it out it won't do us any good since I am making sure you stay put until your lips turn to their original pink coloring. You're weak and not fit for travel, especially through the terminals."

"But that could take days!" Misshra cried, horrified.

"S'Why I'm counting on Amanda to come find you sweetheart. Soon as the terminals are open again I am absolutely sure she'll come looking and, when she does, she'll find you and get a message to your parents.

Misshra stared at Eneramon, wide eyed, and gapped. Her own partner was now holding her hostage in the digital world! It was outrageous!

Eneramon continued to look at her sternly.

"I'm your guardian. It's my job to make sure you're safe. Plus, your mother and father are trusting me to keep you from over extending yourself. They put me in charge of your health Mis, I ain't stupid enough to let them down."

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A full forty-five minutes had passed since I woke up. Well, maybe not a full forty-five considering I didn't look at my watch the moment I woke up. Or the past ten minutes after I had woken up either. Or at all until Izzy actually started….

Okay, so full forty-five minutes had passed since I last checked my watch. Anyway, I stood watching Izzy anxiously as he continued to work on his laptop. We were way to close to the portal for my liking, being right next it and all. I could sense the darkness seeping through, indicating that it really was still there even though the door I saw before was gone, and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I hadn't been able to sense it before and I wondered if it had anything at all to do with what had happened before with TK. My thoughts were strengthened by the fact that TK and Kari refused to come anywhere near this area until they absolutely had to. They refused to talk to anyone about it, though. Everyone kind of understood why. Currently they were sitting on some rocks a good deal away from Izzy and I, though they were about ten feet apart with Tai sitting close to his sister. He was making sure TK didn't go anywhere near her. Because of that I had asked Sora to keep an eye on TK for me just in case. She and TK were currently talking with Cody and Mimi.

I look down at Izzy and wondered, not for the first time, why he had insisted on working on this alone. He had ensured both Yolie and Ken that he didn't need their help with this so they decided to preoccupy themselves with each other until Izzy decided he needed them. They were just talking to each other, but for some reason Joe was standing close by looking all the world like a chaperon.

"How much longer Izzy?" I asked once more, hoping to get more then a 'just a moment' this time. Luckily, I was spared that single statement as Izzy looked up at me with a grin.

"I think I got it figured out."

"What? I thought you already knew what you were doing."

"I told you already, Gennai and I theorized about this. Neither of us had actually tested the theory yet.

"Then why didn't you want Ken and Yolies help with it? Wouldn't it have helped?"

"Not really." Izzy replied "They don't know the antilogarithms. It would have taken too long to fill them in on the details."

"Is it really that complicated?" I knew it was complicated for me, but Ken and Yolie were smart and good with computers.

"Yes, they are," Izzy replied solemnly "Portals are complex in and of themselves. The terminals give easier access to the Digital World then none terminal portals because it's a digital link to a world created by the advancement of digital technology and are now networked together through the world wide web. That is is what actually gives us direct access from any terminal wherever we are."

"Okaaay." I wondered if this was all he had to explain to Ken and Yolie but Izzy continued before I could ask.

"The portal at Heighten View Terrace is in relation to the weakening of the plains between the Digital world and the real world. The barrier separating the two worlds had basically weakened. Our digivices were easily able to manipulate the weakness with aid of our crests to open a portal."

"Is this what you would have needed to explain to Ken and Yolie?"

"Yes and no." Izzy replied "It's only part of it. Didn't you hear me when I mentioned the algorithms?"

"Yeah, I did." I admitted "That's the hard part then?"

"Yes." Izzy said patiently

"Sooo...how does that help us hear?"

Izzy sighed. Thinking for a moment he began to explain.

"It's basically the fundamentals, but with a twist. This portal was created from the other side. That means that there's a lock. They have the control of it. A portal itself takes time, lots of time I should say, to create if it isn't created in an already weakened spot. It's a case of spatiall distortion. There are several scattered around. You remember when Digimon started popping everywhere? You know, when Yolie went to Kyoto."

"Yeah, I remember."

That was a case of spacial disruption being manipulated."

Uhuh. I think I get it."

"It all boils down to the fact that our current enemy took advantage of the weak spot here on Infinity Mountain left by Myotismon. They managed to construct a portal on their side. They made it, they control it. They can close it off to prevent us from using it, but they can still open it whenever they want. Since the lock is on their side there is nothing we can do to open it. That means that even from their side they can still use it influentially."

"What do you mean by influentially?"

"They seem to be sending some sort of signal through the door. I am guessing that is why the terminals don't work and why we are currently stuck here for the moment. It's a signal I can't seem to lock onto, though. It's almost like it isn't even digital. I can't analyze it."

"Is that a problem?" I asked pensively

"It's troubling, but no. It's not a problem. Once we deconstruct the portal it should stop the signal all together. What I've been doing all this time is going over the data that Gennai and I collected about the weak spots, the spacial distortions, and adjusting them to coincide with the digital aspect of this portal. The one on this side. Since it was originally created on this side we should be able to deconstruct it."

"But...I thought you said they created it."

Izzy sighed. "No. They created the gate on their side. The initial gate was created here, on this side, using the natural spacial distortion as a focal point which then connected directly to the Real world. Our new enemy then took advantage of the already created gate and linked theirs to this one. That's why they have control of the gate, because the link was created there. But since the source is between the Real world and the Digital world decunstructing the natural spacial distortion here should negate the third gate created in the dark world."

By this point I was beginning to feel irritated. Izzy's explanation was long, detailed, and confusing and still didn't answer the more pressing question. "So how do we do that?"

"With this." Izzy held up his digivice. "We still don't fully understand the power of these yet. It wasn't our crest powers that made them work, they still worked even after we lost them. That best these new crests can do is to amplify our digivices power. However, if Gennai and I are correct, not only can we access the distortions, but we should be able to prevent them from being being used by deconstructing them. Thus the reason he made new crests in the first place.

"I see." I rubbed the back of my head. "With how much you just told me, wouldn't it have been the same amount of time to explain it to Ken and Yolie?"

"No. The algorithms take much longer to explain. They're more complicated. Besides. No only would I have to explain those, but I would have had to explain everything I just told you first."

"Oh."

Just gather everyone over her." Izzy stated as he plugged his digivice into his laptop.

As I gathered everyone together I warned them not to ask any questions about what Izzy had done. Otherwise they would be subjected to a long, confusing explanation. Luckily they headed my advice. And when we were all gathered together Tai took the initiative and asked, "Okay. What do we do?"

"Well, first things first." Izzy began as he unplugged his digivice. "I need to share information with you guys. Can someone hand me their digivice please?"

Tai held out his digivice and watched as Izzy took it and held it face to face with his. The screens started to glow at that point and a beam of light and what looked like glowing computer code streamed from Izzys digivice to Tai's. We all watched curiously, wondering what was happening. When the beam of light finished Izzy handed the digivice back to Tai and said, "Do the same thing to the others. This is a sort of information sharing. We've opened portals before and we've also closed them, but we never deconstructed them them. This should help us do that."

Mimi opened her mouth to ask him but remembered my warning just in time. "Never mind."

"Now what?" Tai asked

"Same thing as before." Izzy replied "We point our digivices at the portal and let the current program do its job. However, it's a big job so we'll need our crests to amplify the output."

"That's going to be a problem.". Tai stated "Matt and TK don't have their crests anymore. They lost them when they were fighting."

"Can we do it without heir help?" Cody asked

"Most likely not." Izzy replied "It's always taken all of use to to do this sort of thing in the past. I doubt that's changed any."

"That might not be a problem" I said slowly. And indeed it might not be. I had been thinking about what happened on that rise. It was strange, something that went beyond the crests.

"What do you mean it might not be a problem?" Tai asked

"Well, TK didn't have his crest when he and Kari began spreading that dark energy over everything. Energy that seemed to be the opposite of their strongest attributes. Hope and Light."

"Are you saying they regained their crest powers?" Tai asked

"Maybe. I think I might have as well during my fight with TK."

"How is that possible?" Joe asked "We gave up our crest powers for the sake of the digital world."

"That's a mystery for another time." Izzy stated"Right now we should get down to business before something else happens. Once the portal is closed everything should return to normal."

"Right then!" Tai took command "Lets see if this is gonna work."

Everyone raised their digivices and pointed them at the the place the portal should be. As I held mine outa feeling I hadn't felt in a long time began to spread through me and I noticed a soft blue glow surround me. However, the feeling was weaker then I remembered. After a few seconds of that the blue glow started to isolate into the hand holding my digivice. Suddenly a beam of light shot out of my digivice along with the others and they all joined together in the same spot. Dark tendrils extended from the portal as it began to destabilize and then a bright flash of light exploded from it causing us to fall back. When I looked back at it there was no longer any sign of he portal, just an empty broken wall wall where it used to once stood.

"It worked!" Izzy crowed

Both Ken and Yolie quickly gathered around around Izzy's laptop and examined the the data he hd been working on. Ken gave a low whistle and Yolie had only one word to say.

"Wow."

"Now I understand why you didn't want our help." Ken stated "It must have taken you weeks to put this together."

"Pretty much." Izzy replied

"You would have had to-." Yolie began. However Mimi interrupted her before she could finish.

"Can we go home now? I need a nice long, hot bath after this little 'excursion'."

"As soon as the terminals start working again, sure." Izzy replied "The spatial distortion in this area has been nullified, therefore eliminating any possibility of opening a portal to the real world and vice versa."

Mimi gave him a strange look. "A spatial what?""spacial distortion." Izzy repeated

"Let's just say it's a tear in the air and leave it at that for now." Ken interjected

I silently thanked him.

111break111

Artemon watched the children silently, knowing full well what it meant now that the portal was gone. In her extended right hand was a silver rimmed a mirror with a swirling yellow vortex. At the end of that vortex was another silver rimmed mirror. This one, however, was the size and shape of a dinner tray. Within this vortex was a scene of the children moving about as they waited to return home. The battle was an utter failure, he lost the two strongest avatars and he lost the use of their most convenient portal. However, he had managed to redeem himself only by his last order to Artemon and with that he now had an ace up his sleeve. The evil master, whose machinations were only just starting, was contemplating the newest turn of events. He had been fortuitous that the chosen ones still knew nothing and that the chosen of life was still nothing but a nieve girl, unprepared for her crucial role in the upcoming war.

A slow smile spread across his face and his hand washed over the vortex. It focused solely on the bearer of friendship, the one in which he had tried desperately to get rid of this day and his smile grew just a tad more. The focus grew hazy then, focusing on the boys abdominal region. A soft glow only he could see through the use of his mirror ewmenated from a tiny shard buried buried deep within the boys abdomen. With this in mind the monster began to hcuckle darkly to himself which then turned into a morbid laugh. It then escalated into a loud cackle that reverberated through the dark halls of this cold dark castle.

111break111

k2: Oh, joy. I am so dead, aren't I? This being the last chapter, and all, right?

MK: Prolly a good guess.

k2: It prolly wouldn't be so bad, I suppose, if I hadn't added that knew element in, huh?

MK: You put a piece of crystal that absorbs souls and inside his body and left it there. I think it is safe to assume that yeah, the new added element is quite important and cause to make peeps worry.

k2: Aheh. I'm dead.

MK: Yeah.