Author's Notes: So, this came about because I've always wanted to write an evil Takeru fic (uh...spoiler alert?). Don't ask me why; I have no idea what it says about me because he's always been my favorite character. If you hadn't gotten that by now. This is one of those throw you into the car and drive off cause I'll explain later sort of stories.

As for pairings...I'm not sure on this one. Probably only hints at my favorite Takari, because they are only fourteen. Maybe hints of others, but probably nothing too definite.

Before I begin, I would like to state that some of the basic themes and ideas for this story came from "This is NOT what we Predicted!" by DeathLadyShinigami. I asked and was given permission to run with some of the ideas presented in that one-shot.

This story is AU from around the time that Ken stopped being the Emperor in Season 2. A certain event was changed at that time that caused this story to come into being. So, everything is canon up until then.

Quietly, Taichi Yagami crept through the wooded area, all his sense on high alert. His partner, WarGreymon, came along with as much stealth as the giant mecha dinosaur could. But they had no choice; it was too dangerous for them to come without being at full power at all times. It was for that reason that Taichi had forbidden the others except Yamato from coming anymore. Gennai would prefer if they didn't come at all. But the digital man's opinion had lost all sway over Taichi when, two years ago, he revealed how he'd lied to them for so long.

Though, it was true that Taichi wouldn't allow himself or Yamato back here again either, if they didn't have to search.

"Taichi," WarGreymon growled low in warning.

"I see it," Taichi replied. A tendril of darkness was creeping out from between two trees a few yards from where they stood. Experience told Taichi they would be safe enough for the time being, but that they shouldn't linger. His Digivice would be able to ward off the darkness for a time, but they couldn't afford to draw attention. They'd been lucky enough not to encounter anyone this time as it was.

As much it pained him to admit it, there was nothing he could do except continue The Search. Taichi hated this helpless feeling. For the past six months since he'd given the order, he and Yamato were searching alone. He knew this meant the chances of them finding them had plummeted. But he couldn't do nothing. Searching every day was the only option they had left. They couldn't go to the Dark World now for any kind of frontal assault. Koushiro had been trying to find a way in for three years now. And Taichi was convinced that if his genius friend couldn't find a way in that time then it was impossible.

Nor had the enemy, whoever or whatever that was, revealed themselves yet. No, they had no way to combat this slow deterioration of the Digital World. All they had was The Search.

"Taichi Yagami, Guardian of Courage, Leader of the so-called Chosen Children." The voice came from the same darkness that was still crawling out along the forest floor. It was strange because it sounded like two voices speaking together: one of a young man overlaid by a deeper, darker voice.

In that instant, Taichi was on edge and moved his body into a defensive stance. He turned halfway with his arm up in front of him. He could feel his muscles tightening and tensing up. WarGreymon, at the same time, came in front of his partner, leaving the tiniest space for Taichi to see beyond him. His Digimon partner also looked ready to fight at a moment's notice with his claw-armored hands up in front of him. "Who's there?" WarGreymon growled. "Show yourself."

They had a right to be wary. It had been a long time since they had encountered anyone who could still recognize who they were. Longer still since they ran into someone capable of sane speech. His eyes narrowed as a figure appeared, just enough for him to make out the shape of it. Taichi cocked his head to the side. The figure was definitely smaller than him and human shaped. And not in the way that some Digimon were humanoid like. This was like an actual human being. But he knew he was the only human in the Digital World. So he didn't know who it could be, unless…

As his mind finally caught up with what he was seeing, Taichi's eyes widened. He could feel his heart begin to pound in his chest. His body relaxed the tension in his muscles as he straightened. "...Takeru?" he asked. His voice trembled as he spoke the name. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught WarGreymon's brief glance back at him in shock.

"Don't bother," the figure replied, still in that strange two-toned voice. He stepped closer as he spoke. "He's dead." Taichi tried not to think of what that meant as he came out of the darkness. For the first time in three years, Taichi got a look at Yamato's younger brother. And he tensed again as he wondered how he was going to tell his best friend.

Not only was he worried about what he said, Taichi knew instantly that this was not the Takeru Takaishi he'd known. He was recognizable to be sure. It was expected that after three years he would be a little taller and look older than Taichi remembered. The familiar mop of blond hair was the same as ever, but that was where all the similarities ended.

His entire ensemble was black, a color Taichi had not seen the young man wear with great frequency. His skin was a paler white than before; his face, usually so full of expression, now empty and blank. But the most obvious change was his eyes. No longer were they the bright blue he'd known, but now they were a blood red. Taichi was so shocked by his appearance that he was struck speechless. "We merely thought to return something to you," the not-Takeru continued.

Out of the darkness behind him, tendrils of darkness reached into the space between them. Taichi slid back a step, and WarGreymon shifted his stance as well. They were moving quicker than he'd ever seen before. But they stopped about halfway and coalesced into a dome shape that was more than twice as long as it was wide. Suddenly, it occurred to Taichi that it was the right size for a person to fit under. The words the boy had spoken moments before ran across his mind again. Because there was only one thing, one person, they were still missing. His heart stopped as the dome dissipated, and the darkness retreated back beyond Takeru. "Hikari." Her name breathed through his lips, and he found himself taking a step forward before he thought about it.

His way was blocked by WarGreymon as his partner put himself in his path. "Taichi, wait," WarGreymon said. For a moment, he was annoyed that his partner would stop him, but then he looked into his green eyes and understood. The Digimon could be rational as Taichi had never been when it came to his little sister. But WarGreymon was right; he could read in his eyes the thought that this could be a trap.

He gritted his teeth in frustration. If it was Hikari before him and not some trick or illusion, she looked in worse shape than he'd ever seen her. Her clothes were the same ones she'd been wearing when she disappeared, albeit now too small and tattered. She looked far too fragile, thin and bony, skin sallow and cheeks sunken. There were dark black marks wrapped around her arms and legs, and her feet were completely bare. Hikari looked worse than that time she'd almost died from pneumonia. In fact, she looked dead.

Unable to hold back, he placed his hand on WarGreymon's arm and then stepped past him towards his sister. His partner came alongside him. After two steps and no reaction from the Takeru look alike, Taichi lengthened and quickened his stride until he was close enough to kneel at her side. The Drs. Kido had insisted they all learn the basics of first aid, so Taichi felt for her pulse. Sagging in relief when he found it (though it was too faint for his liking), he felt for her breath to be sure and was glad to find she was breathing. This was his sister. He had Hikari back.

Narrowing his eyes, Taichi's gaze found the boy in front of him again. If he had any doubt that this was not Takeru, it was eliminated at the sight of what state his sister was in. Taichi was sure in the knowledge that Takeru would have died before he allowed this to happen to her. And he certainly wouldn't stand there with blank indifference. "Who are you?" Taichi asked.

The mask of indifference disappeared as the boy's lip curled upward. But not into any sort of semblance of a smile or even the smirk so reminiscent of his older brother that Taichi had caught on his face a couple of times. No, it was a sneer accompanied by a haughty glint in his eyes that broke through the blankness. A look that Taichi decided he neither liked nor wanted to see on the younger boy's face. "Does it matter?" he goaded. It reminded him too much of Ken in his Kaiser days.

"Of course, it matters," Taichi bit out in retort, glaring at him. "You're not Takeru." And he needed to know what had happened to the boy.

Folding his arms across his chest, the boy's sneer morphed into an arrogant, smug smirk that held none of the warmth or teasing behind a usual Ishida smirk. "No, we are not the Guardian of Hope," he replied. A feral, triumphant gleam entered his eyes that almost had Taichi flinching back. "We defeated that sorry excuse for a Chosen." But Taichi latched onto what was left unsaid there. To be defeated, one had to fight back. Considering the state he'd been told Takeru had been in when he disappeared, that was amazing. It brought back the memory of the eight-year-old boy he'd been ready to storm the castle to save (though it was more of a giant demented playhouse) only to find the boy had saved himself.

His sister attracted his gaze once more, and the state she was in. A rush of pride and gratitude surged through him as he wondered if this could have been the reason he caved. Then, his brows furrowed in confusion as he realized he was getting his sister back. The Digidestined would now be stronger with her on their side again. It made no sense to return her. "Why are you doing this? Why give her back?" he demanded.

"Having her with the other Chosen will make things...interesting," he replied, as if he was so sure of his victory that it would be boring otherwise. As he spoke, he extended his hand out to the side. Another tendril of darkness came from behind him and formed into a shape under his clenched fist. Moments later, it changed into a black drawstring bag that he tossed in their direction. It landed near Hikari's side with a thump. The resulting small clangs from inside indicated that there was more than one object inside.

Suddenly, all trace of smirks or sneers disappeared from his expression. Instead, a look of deadly seriousness replaced it; a look so fierce that a chill ran down his spine. Taichi finally understood what he'd never been able to wrap his mind around since Ken had told them. Takeru could be terrifying. "Be on your guard, Chosen. We will begin soon." With those ominous words, the boy that was not Takeru turned and began to walk back into the darkness.

As the boy began to get swallowed by the black, Taichi jerked up. He'd completely forgotten to tell him. They'd all agreed that it would be the first thing they said to the boy if any of them encountered him. And even though it was clear that it was not exactly the boy he knew, he had to hope that he would hear him anyway. "Wait, Takeru!" he called, coming to his feet and almost tripping over himself doing so. "Patamon is…" he trailed off as he realized it was too late. The boy had already disappeared. Taichi heaved a sigh, livid at himself for forgetting.

But he steeled himself, knowing that for now he had to focus on Hikari. Even Yamato would understand that. He bent down and grabbed the black drawstring bag. Opening it, he found a green D-3, a pink D-3, two D-Terminals, and the camera Hikari used to wear around her neck. Even though he knew he still had his moments where he was pretty thick, no one had to tell him the symbolism of that. His mouth turned down into a grim line as he drew the bag close and tied it to a belt loop on his pants. "Let's get back to Headquarters," he said.

Then, he cradled his sister in his arms as he lifted her up off the ground. Alarmed by how light she was and fragile she felt, Taichi wasted no time in getting back to the gate, no longer bothering to hide his footsteps. WarGreymon tromped behind him, but again they were lucky enough to have no encounters.

Exiting the Digital World, they arrived in what Koushiro had dubbed the Gate Room; WarGreymon once again back down to Koromon. Monitors and computers lined the walls of the room. Taichi had no idea what the information on most meant. Koushiro had been sitting in front of one of them with Motimon at his side but came to his feet as the trio appeared. The redhead spent most of his spare moments in this room. Andromon was beside him, wires connected to some other computer. The Digimon only called out a monotone welcome from where he stood.

Koushiro's steps slowed as he and Motimon came closer. "Taichi, is that-"

"Koushiro," Taichi interrupted holding out his hand. Perhaps it was a sign that they'd all been doing this for too flipping long that Koushiro immediately shut up. Without another word needed, Koushiro reached out and grabbed the intercom microphone. Turning, he handed it to Taichi, following his unspoken order. Taichi set down his sister's legs but kept her head cradled against his chest as he spoke into the intercom. "Infirmary, this is Courage." Koushiro had insisted on the code names in case anyone intercepted their transmissions. The Digidestined had pretty much cut themselves off from the rest of the world for a reason. They wanted to keep it that way. With the Digital Barrier around Headquarters full time, it should be impossible to find them, but there was always room for caution.

He continued, "I need immediate assistance in the Gate Room." Taichi paused, looking down at the girl in his arms, still hardly believing it himself. "I brought back Light from the D World. She...she looks bad," he broke off from the near military speech they'd developed since starting to live here. Remembering again how she looked like she was dead, lying there on the ground. "Chosen to the Conference Room for immediate debrief."

When he handed the intercom back to Koushiro, he said to him, "Go on. I'll join you as soon as I see Hikari to the Infirmary." Now that he had her back, Taichi wasn't about to let her out of his sight until he knew she was okay.

Of course, Koushiro understood it all, both that which was said and that which wasn't. He only scooped up Motimon in his arms and nodded his agreement before turning back to Andromon. "Alert me if there is anything."

"Affirmative."

As Koushiro and Motimon left the room, Jyou's mother and older brother, Dr. Mizuki Kido and Shin Kido, arrived rolling a stretcher between them. Taichi was not surprised by their quick arrival; they'd all had a hand in designing Headquarters. Jou had pointed out that having the Infirmary next to the Gate Room made the most sense as most injuries were bound to happen in the Digital World. Picking up Koromon, he followed them after they laid Hikari on the stretcher. Gatomon was waiting at the door when they arrived, her great blue eyes shined with unshed tears. They all stayed out of the way as the doctors moved her onto one of the beds. Nothing was said as Gatomon hopped onto the end of the bed where her human partner lay. It was likely she'd come from the Shrine, as she spent much of her time there and it wasn't far from the Infirmary either.

Taichi could only watch as the doctors began to hook his sister up to various things. "Let's get the IV in her," Mizuki ordered. With practiced movements, she put the heart monitor on her finger and an oxygen tube around her face. Shin nodded and wheeled over a hook and bag. "It's most important to get her hydrated and get some nutrients in her first."

"Dr. Kido," Taichi said, looking away as Shin stuck a needle in his sister's arm to prepare for the IV. And she stopped and turned to him, following the command in his voice. It struck Taichi, as it sometimes did, with the thought. Sometimes, he had to wonder when exactly he, a teenager who hadn't even graduated high school yet, had become the leader of this entire complex. A complex of not only the Digidestined but their families and Digimon, too. His own parents followed his orders now. Pushing those thoughts aside, Taichi focused on the task at hand. "What can you tell me?"

The doctor sighed and looked back at her patient. "Only what I can see on the surface at the moment," she told him. "She's probably severely underweight and suffering from dehydration and various nutrient deficiencies. Those bruises on her arms and legs look particularly nasty, too." As each word was spoken, Taichi felt his heart drop further and further in his chest. He did not miss how Gatomon's ears drooped down as well even though her gaze did not leave Hikari. He knew she was hearing every word. "But," Mizuki added and Taichi perked up at that word. She turned back to him. "All of those things can be treated with time and proper care. I hesitate to promise anything, but unless I find something more serious, I think she'll pull through just fine."

A great rumbled of relief rolled through him. He wanted nothing more than to stay at her side until she woke up, yet he knew that the others were waiting for him. And out of them all, Taichi had to tell Yamato what had happened. Hurried, pounding footsteps sounded in the hallway, drawing him to turn around. He looked to see his mother come barreling through the sliding doors, breathing hard. She paused, one hand gripping the doorway and the other pressed flat against her chest, gazing at the scene wide-eyed. But the pause was only for a second before she came all the way into the Infirmary.

Before she passed him, Yuuko reached out and wrapped her arms around Taichi, eliciting a muffled protest from Koromon still nestled in his arms. Taichi had grown taller than his mother, though he still had yet to match his father's height. "Thank you," Yuuko whispered in his ear, and she pressed a kiss to his cheek. He flushed in embarrassment but didn't even try to push her away. Yuuko had not taken to her daughter's disappearance well. Lingering a moment longer, he heard Mizuki give Yuuko the start of the explanation she'd given him. With Gatomon and his mother to look after her now, Taichi was less worried to leave her.

The Conference Room was in the same part of the complex as the Gate Room and the Infirmary. (That whole part was called the Business Quarter by their fathers and the name sort of stuck). So, it didn't take long for him and Koromon to reach it. The din of conversation he'd heard as he had been approaching cut off when he opened the door and stepped into the room. Eighteen pairs of eyes trained their gazes on him, some more heavily than others. A quick cursory glance around the room told him everyone had arrived. His seat at the head of the long oval table was empty and waiting for him. In the original plans, Taichi had wanted a round table to give the room more of an equality look and feeling. But Yamato had talked him out of it. His friend said that they understood his view, but an oval table was more practical and took up less room.

Around the table, there were twelve chairs, one for each Digidestined. On the far wall in front of his seat was a screen for the projector on the ceiling. A box that folded out into a shelf where Koushiro could hook up his computer was attached to the wall beside it. Chairs lined the other three walls of the room, in case anyone else besides the Digidestined was there. Two of the chairs around the table were always empty. They all had agreed for that reminder of why they were there.

The silence of the room remained as Taichi walked to his seat. He pulled out his chair and moved in front of it but did not sit down, though he did set Koromon down on the table in front of him. Their Digimon partners remained in their In-Training forms while in the Real World for the simple reason that they took up less room. Not to mention it was easier to fit them all in the Conference Room and the Residential Block.

In that moment, with his friends looking at him, he didn't know where to begin, so he took a moment to survey his group. Yamato sat on his right with Sora next to him. The two empty chairs followed with Iori seated after that. Daisuke was next, seated across from him at the other head of the table. On his left, starting from himself and going to Daisuke, were Koushiro, Mimi, Jyou, Miyako, and Ken. The Digimon each sat on the table in front of their human partners. For the first time in a while, expressions that were almost hopeful showed on many faces. Taichi struggled with how to begin, unwilling to have to tell them everything. Telling them about Hikari was easy; the fact that she was back with them was cause for celebration. It was telling them about Takeru that would be difficult.

"Don't bother. He's dead."

"No, we are not the Guardian of Hope. We defeated that sorry excuse for a Chosen."

"Be on your guard, Chosen. We will begin soon."

A cold feeling of dread slid through Taichi, and he locked gazes with Yamato. In response, his best friend narrowed his eyes, and Taichi knew Yamato had figured out something was up. But, his eyes moved past him as Sora spoke, breaking the silence. "Did you really find her?"

"Yes," Taichi replied, actually grateful for a question to answer. Around the table, a great sigh seemed to run through the group accompanied by a couple murmurs of relief. Some smiles even cracked out a quite a few faces.

In his high voice, Koromon piped up. "Yeah, we did. She didn't look too good, though. She looked like she'd been...what's that word, Taichi?"

"Tortured."

Dead silence fell in the room as all eyes landed on Koushiro. "What?" Mimi choked out in a breathless whisper. She looked on the verge of tears, and she was not the only one. The rest had looks of varying amounts of shock and disbelief.

Koushiro had not wavered in his locked gaze with Taichi. "She looked like she'd been tortured," the redhead stated in his blunt way. And Taichi could not disagree with him.

From the far end of the table, Daisuke asked, "Is she really that bad?"

All eyes returned to Taichi for his answer. He had to nod because it was the truth. Without going into too much detail, he gave a quick description of how she looked when he found her. "But Jyou's mom said she'd be okay," Koromon added. The somber silence returned as everyone contemplated their friend's state. Eyes exchanged glances. Taichi could see it. He could see them wondering in what condition they would find their other missing member.

"And?"

The terse question from Yamato needed no more elaboration. For a moment, Taichi closed his eyes to brace himself. The time had arrived for him to tell his best friend. "And Takeru was the one who handed her to me," he replied as he opened his eyes again to look at Yamato. He could see the blonde's mind working, figuring out what he meant by that. As the two friends stared in silence at each other, the room around them erupted into questions. Everyone spoke over each other, and Taichi couldn't make what anyone was saying.

By far one of the loudest of the group, Daisuke roared above the cacophonous, "Oi! Everyone shut up and let Taichi explain." It helped that he rose to his feet and slammed his hands on the table. DemiVeemon let out a squeak, whose tail Daisuke missed hitting by less than an inch. It took a few moments, but everyone did stop talking and returned their attention to Taichi. Daisuke gave him a nod before sitting down himself again.

On the other hand, Taichi was trying to figure out exactly how to explain it. "I mean," he began. "It was Takeru but at the same time, it wasn't." A bunch of blank looks met him at that. "It was like…" He snapped his fingers and turned to Yamato as an idea occurred to him. "Do you remember that fight we had?"

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific than that," Yamato said after a moment. There was a small smirk playing on his lips despite the situation.

"Puppetmon."

While the younger generation looked confused, one by one, the original Digidestined had realization dawn in their eyes. There had never really been a moment when the older generation had told their entire story to them. They only knew the brief overview. "Uh...someone's going to have to explain that," Miyako said at last. "What do the Dark Masters have to do with anything?"

Koushiro, who could always pull out an explanation at the drop of a hat, was the one who answered. "During our battle with Puppetmon, Taichi and Yamato had a difference of opinion." Taichi almost snorted at Koushiro's description of WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon (not to mention the boys themselves) duking it out. "As it was happening, Hikari was...possessed, for lack of a better word, by a spirit of the Digital World and showed us how we'd been chosen to become Digidestined." After he said that, his dark eyes moved back to Taichi. "I assume something of a similar nature has happened to Takeru."

Grateful as he always was to have Koushiro on his team, Taichi nodded his agreement. "Yeah...except Hikari had a spirit of light in her. I don't think he does. And before you ask how I know, the thing inside him was giving him this weird two-toned voice. And it told me he wasn't Takeru. The red eyes were kind of a dead giveaway, too."

"His eyes were red?!" The incredulous, almost panicked disbelieving outburst from Iori gave Taichi a small start. Iori was almost always quiet during their meetings, in part due to his nature and partly because he was the youngest. The kid looked stricken, as did Miyako and Daisuke and their partners. Most of the rest had varying degrees of the same, but more grim acceptance played on the older generation. And Taichi was reminded again of the wide experience gap between them.

Two of the Digidestined stood out by having completely different reactions from the rest. Yamato's reaction he expected. The older brother was gripping the arms of his chair with white knuckles. He looked livid, ready to storm into the Dark World to rescue Takeru by any means necessary. The other surprised him, though it probably shouldn't have. Ken looked somewhere between understanding, resignation, and regretful. It was hard to tell as his eyes stayed trained on the table. He, more than the rest of them, knew what it was like to be on the other side. Though his days as the Kaiser where long forgiven, they unfortunately could not be forgotten. Not that anyone blamed him. A kid, alone and vulnerable, had no chance against the influence of the Dark World. There was a reason that there were so many of them. The Digidestined needed each other. And Ken was another reason Taichi was very much unimpressed with Gennai at the present.

"So, unlike that time, you think that this is some kind of spirit of darkness that has possessed Takeru," Koushiro inquired. Taichi could already see it in his eyes. The wheels in his head were turning and analyzing the situation. He would already be trying to come up with possible solutions. Sometimes, Taichi had to wonder how he could think so much all the time without frying out his brain every other day. Then again, he supposed that was why Koushiro had been chosen for the crest of Knowledge.

The leader could only shrug in answer to Koushiro's explanation as again the not Takeru's words fluttered across his mind again. Don't bother. He's dead. A part of him thought that he should tell everyone about it, but he'd already decided to keep it to himself. They didn't need that kind of despair on them now. As the leader, he would shoulder the burden of this knowledge himself. Besides, he refused to believe it; it was not too late for Takeru. "I'm not sure, but at least something like that. Someone is using him. And one last thing, guys," he added, and he could see them all tense at his words. They'd been at this too long not to always expect the worst. It was times like this that Taichi missed Takeru's almost unwavering optimism the most. Taichi continued, "He gave me a warning. Told me to be on guard because they will begin soon."

"Who?" Mimi asked with the tiniest tremble in her voice.

"And begin what exactly?" Jyou added.

Again, Taichi shrugged, unsure what the exact answer was. "I don't know," he said. "But I think this might be it. The end we've been waiting for."