Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. All rights and characters, themes, and art is owned by the respective companies, as Toei and Bandai.

This is not for any profit whatsoever. This is all for the enjoyment of myself and anyone who may read this fanfic. Please keep all of this in mind. Now, on with the fanfic!

Digimon: Chronicles Of The Bleak Digidestined

Episode 1: Corruption

******************************

A Digimon Fanfic by Wizardz199

Chapter 1: Tai's anxiousness & Matt's Anger

Tai: "It's been a long time since we have first made it into the digital world and met our digimon partners. Agumon is the best buddy a guy could ever

have! and the rest of my crew... Well I wish I could say the same about the rest of them. We have fought alot of enemies and jumpes through alot of hurdles,

but we are in for the biggest hurdle of them all; The Dark Masters. Frankly, I am worried about our morale, our team is breaking apart and it could not be

the worst time for us. I am especially worried about my friend... Matt, Especially because... He disappeared, and at the time we needed him the most."

******************************

Matt sat down in the field to gather his distorted thoughts together and try to make sense of his feelings of inadaquecy. Matt felt torn between

being a strong big brother and a strong team mate. Gabumon felt like lost himself, not knowing how to help his companion walk himself through his problems.

He just wanted to see his friend become the "cool guy" agian. Gabumon felt like he was a wet match in a dark cave. Not knowing how he could help light the

way for Matt.

Matt: "T.K., you've grown so much since the first time we ever came into the digital world. I thought that you needed me to remain strong, to be

your rock in times of hardship in this confusing world. However, now I have began to realize that it is the other way around; I need you. I guess that is

only way I could ever even begin to feel useful, is if I am guiding someone else, or even being the savior of someone else. But who am I fooling, I cant

even save myself!, I have no control over anything in my life at all!"

Matt rubbed his itchy eye which was proof of a pre-equisite to shedding tears. He repressed the urge to weep and decided to walk down the field some more. Gabumon had no other choice but to follow his companion. Matt walked faster and faster with each step he took, until he began to sprint with a

frenetic pace. Gabumon began to quicken his pace with both feelings of confusion and pain, because his friend without the use of words had feelings of

remorse, self-loathing but most easily recognizable was the emotion of anger written upon his expression.

All of these emotions mixed in a twisted array which seemed like a cruel symphony which was silent yet at the same time, to Gabumon;

had the most explosively sorrowful melody. Gabumon began to gasp the only words that he could even begin to think of concerning the time and

place along with the fact that he was running at a manic pace trying to keep up with Matt's stride.

"Matt! where are we going!?"

Gabumon pleaded to a pain struck ed Matt, one which could only think of one thing; trying to escape his

own cruel self realization through the only means that could come into his feeble mind at the moment. Running. Matt wanted to run away from it all; T.K.,

Joe, Sora, Mimi, Kari, Izzy, and especially of all, Tai. Hearing that name play over and over in his mind like some wicked propaganda, only fueled his anger

even more causing him to bite on his lip harder and harder as he thought of Tai more and more. Biting and pressing down until he began to taste a copper

like flavor in his mouth. Blood. Matt was quickly shocked by his action that he lost his balance and tripped and stumbled into what appeared to be a body

of shallow water.

Gabumon quickly caught up with Matt;

"Matt, are you Okay!?"

Gabumon squeeled as he tried to help Matt up from lying in his pool of humiliation. As he tried to extend a helping hand to his comrade,

Matt fiercely slapped it away.

"Don't Touch me!"

he screamed as he wiped the blood off of his mouth.

"Don't...Touch... Me..."

Matt said again, this time trying to hold back tears. Matt paused for a moment, and turned around to look at himself in the water only to

see his reflection staring right back at him in the water. He began to glare at himself, followed by a sudden thrashing at the water in a sense of self

disgust. With each thrash he began to feel more angry and knew it was futile to try and get rid of the image that stared right back at him, but he did it

anyway because he hated the image of himself more than anything right now.

Gabumon could do nothing but watch, along with an intense feeling of

anguish because there was no way he could help his friend in this dire predicament. Matt gazed at his reflection on the rippling water that slowly began

to subside because of Matt's lack of thrashing movement. Matt looked at his own petty reflection in the water for a quite some time and suddenly, like a

crash of a symbol, he began to weep bitterly.

"Geez Kid, what is with the waterworks?"

Matt quickly cut off from crying mode and directed his attention to the smug voice that interrupted his weeping. Gabumon began to snarl at who

appeared. Matt directed his attention a digimon that appeared, it looked like a giant cherry tree. Matt stood up and took a somewhat defensive position.

The gargantuan slow moving digimon began to open it's mouth again:

"Hey kid, come on, I'm on your side big man! I heard the whole thing..."

Matt began to become indignant at the giant digimon and began to turn his back on the 'supposed" kindness of the big digimon. Gabumon began to

confront the digimon with some simple yet very harsh words.

"What do you want Cherrymon?!"

"Whoa, whoa, Gabumon; hey, come on, where buds right?"

Cherrymon began to gesture a sense of self defense when it came to Gabumon and his distrusting tone. Matt began to turn his head towards Gabumon.

His eyes were filled with sorrow as he turned towards Gabumon and made a quick glance towards Cherrymon's way. Cherrymon quickly had a glimmer in his

eye. Matt then began to slump his shoulders and walk away slowly with Gabumon by his side.

"Hey kid, you look bummed out, anyway I could help Kiddo?"

Matt then yet again made the same expression toward Cherrymon. The same sad stricken face. Cherrymon however, could notice and even more latent

emotion that was held within Matt. Anger. But the emotion that was the least apparent and yet the most strongest was a twinge of a lust for power.

"There is no way you could understand..."

Matt said those words with such sorrow and a tad bit of confusion that Cherrymon could not help but be sadistically interested in what he had to say.

Cherrymon then extended a branch toward Matt and decided to give him some of his own personal "guidance."

"Kid, there is nothing that I don't understand. I have been through these forests for centuries now and have met all sorts of kooks and weirdo's

that whatever a normal looking kid like you has to say pales in comparison. Trust me my man, there is nothing I have not heard before."

Matt began to stare angrily at the huge Digimon. He paused for a moment and stared at the ground.

"You really think you can help me with my problem?" Matt said.

"Kid, I already know what's going on with you! I can see it in your eyes. You look like the kind of guy who wants to become stronger but something is

holding you back from reaching your goal."

Matt's expression of anger and sorrow changed to that of interest in what the hulking digimon had to say. Matt began to take steps towards Cherrymon.

At the same time he wiped the tears from his face and and sniffed his nose.

"What do you know about me?"

Cherrymon began to smirk and put his long branch hand around Matt's shoulder.

"Kid, I am an old and wise digimon and I have the answer to your problem. All you gotta do, is listen to what I have to say."

Gabumon could not bear to hear anymore of what he considered to be sanctimonious garbage on the part of a digimon that has a sketchy past, let alone

have his best friend and closest companion become corrupted by the words of Cherrymon. Gabumon began to tremble. But a part of him wanted Matt to come to

a conclusion upon using his own reasoning abilities, so he decided to just wait it out a little while longer. What scared Gabumon the most however is the

fact that he was intrigued and intensely interested in what the Cherrymon had to say. So Gabumon decided to just remain quiet a little while longer. For

Matt's sake.

"Kid, do you have anyone who always seems to push your buttons who always seems to get in your way?"

Matt pondered on the words of Cherrymon and he knew exactly who came to mind.

"Yes... His name..."

Cherrymon leaned forward in a sick form of anticipation. Gabumon recognized this and had to even strive harder to keep himself composed.

"Kid, talking about it will make it better, it's common sense, everyone knows that. So do yourself a favor, tell me who gets your goat?"

Matt paused for a moment, and then finished what he had to say.

"There is someone who aggravates me, who tests me, he always gets in the way and everyone seems to like him instead of me! His name... Is Tai!"

Gabumon felt a sense of sadness sweep over him like a gust of wind on an ocean, but Gabumon could tell that, more than anyone, that Matt's anger

could quickly turn into a typhoon if he would let this continue. Gabumon was still scared to intervene. Cherrymon continued his almost dark counseling

session with Matt.

So, this Tai, he's a real Jerk, thinks he's better than you huh?"

Matt began to tremble. He than let out all of his repressed emotions into a swirling vortex of loathsome reasoning and words.

"He's always getting in my way, he always holds me back! He doesn't care about me and he always treats me like I'm a kid! Everyone seems to love him,

even my little brother T.K.! And after everything I do for him, he still clings to Tai! I...I...I KNOW I AM BETTER! I AM STRONGER! I will do anything to

gain some respect, and win back my little brother!

Matt fell to the ground letting out a breath of exhalation.

"I...am...the only one...who can protect...T.K."

Cherrymon began to laugh causing Matt to become quite flustered.

"What's so funny you worthless piece of firewood!"

Cherrymon put his branch-like hands up in defense.

"Whoa kid, I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because if you come with me to where I will take you, I know you will find the answer to your

problem and you will become even better than this so-called Tai that you will look back one day on this and you will laugh."

Matt glared at the Digimon and continued his words but calmer this time.

"What are you saying, Cherrymon?"

Cherrymon let out a final chuckle.

"Kid, what if I told you there way a way you could become the strongest Digidestined in all of the digital world?"

****************************

Tai began to pace around nervously. "Tai, stop pacing its making me nervous!" Sora pleaded as she could do nothing but sit there and watch as

the self proclaimed leader pace anxiously. Tai stopped and gave sora a long sad look in the eye.

"Matt... That douche bag! he left us, and to top it all off, he did it during the time we needed him the most. Right when we were about to fight the

Dark Masters! Why did he?!"

And before Tai could continue what he had to say. Sora's face began to wrinkle like she was about to weep. Tai stood motionless for a moment only to

worry about what she was going to scold him on. He knew it had to do with Matt, and that he felt that she thought that it was his fault that Matt left the

group like that. Tai began to cringe inside himself, each passing second only caused more negative emotions bolster inside of his heart. More than anything

that he had to endure as a digi-destined, no, as a leader of the group. No matter hoe many things hurdles he had to leap or barriers he had to obliterate,

it still is nothing compared to seeing a girl, let alone Sora, even so much as shed a tear.

Tai was to afraid to move closer, and to concerned to move back. It seemed to him as time moved forward, that it has become harder and harder to make

decisions. Sora began to breathe heavily followed by a red color melting over her face. She then buried her face into her hands like she was trying to dig

into her eye sockets, from that action, she began to bawl. The sound of her crying bitterly was like a dirge, and with each second she cried it was like a

knife being dug into Tai's heart deeper and deeper until he tried to embrace the distressed Sora.

He was then rudely interrupted by a swift slap to his cheek. Sora than began to send a swirling rampage to emotional words toward Tai.

"IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" Tai went with his first reaction. "Me? how is it my fault!"

Sora then did the unthinkable, she punched Tai, so vigorously across his face that he fell to the ground. More in shock than in anger,

Tai got up from the ground and grabbed Sora by the arms and shook her vigorously like a distressed parent would towards an unruly child.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Tai exclaimed at the top of his voice.

Sora then began to cry again. This time however it was more like a helpless whimper mixed with words that could barely be heard.

"Don't touch me..."

Tai dis acknowledged those words, and began to violently shake her again.

"DONT YOU EVER HIT ME AGIAN!"

"I SAID, DONT TOUCH ME!"

Tai pushed her aside and ran away from the unpleasant event that just transpired. Tai ran. That was all that was on his mind, like a raging bull.

"Don't look back, and don't go back! You've had enough of this!" Tai said to himself as he continued to sprint.

"I'm going to escape it all! no more digital world, and no more human world either!"

All sorts of other negative thoughts began to swirl in Tai's brain and caused him to bite on his lip. As he bit harder and harder, he ran faster and

faster until Tai began to notice the faint taste of copper in his mouth. Blood. He stopped. It began to drip towards the ground like a faucet, Tai wiped

his mouth with his hand. He than gazed at the red stain upon his white glove and than began to weep bitterly and fell to the ground in a fetal position.

"Its all my fault..."

**********************************

Sora dropped to the ground a felt a cold chill run down her spine. It then began to feel like mental nerve was struck, only to cause her to feel

nothing at all. Sora felt in her mind that she was glad that Biyomon was not there to see what was going on between her and Tai.

Both Agumon and Biyomon were with the other digidestined trying to help figure out what they're next plan of action should be. Tai wanted to be left

alone to sort his thoughts out, but Sora insisted that she join Tai in helping him. Tai reluctantly agreed. A few moments ago Sora regretted doing such a

thing but now she feel void of any emotion at all.

"What a waste..." Sora looked toward the ground, slowly tilting her head upward like a possessed child looking up at the digital sky that looms above

her. Sora knew the urgency that was at hand for both herself and her comrades, but she quickly brushed aside those thoughts.

"I...just don't care right now." Sora said with a cold bite in her tone.

**********************************

"There in lies your answer kid." Cherrymon said, gesturing towards a be darkened cave. A long gangly wooden finger pointed towards the abysmal opening

which filled Matt with both a sense of morbid dread and also excitement, swirling inside him like a torrent of whirlpool in both his stomach and heart.

"Okay, you hunk of wood. Is this some kind of bad joke?" Said Matt with a tone of indignation, Cherrymon smiled at the distraught youth.

"Kid, to your eyes, as a human, you see nothing but a miserable old cave. But to a digimon as old as the hills, such as myself, it is much more than

that. I see; a voyage into the unknown. Who knows what you will find in there; Hey, ya might end up dead, torn apart by a ravaging Ogremon, or you might

find something that only the darkness reveal to people who are willing to go into it. Or you could remain the sniveling wuss you are right now."

Matt turned abruptly toward the hulking digimon and had a blazing look in his eye. So strong that it even made Cherrymon jump back slightly. Never

before has the scheming digimon seen such a flare before in both the eyes of a digmon or a human. He sensed a concoction of both anger with a twinge of

sadness mixed in, but the emotion that was worn the most on the sleeve of the angered young digi-destined was lust. But unlike most males his age, it was

not of a carnal nature, but Cherrymon sensed something of more weight. This desire was not going to be sated quickly, no. Cherrymon noticed that this

desire, this lust was going to only be fulfilled by power. It was not the desire for power that made Cherrymon fear Matt, the old digimon has seen every

crackpot digimon want the same desire.

What scared the digimon the most is that it was a HUMAN lusting for power, and that made the made the matter all the more weighty. There was

something about a human wanting power that filled Cherrymon both with a sense of dread and also made him want to bubble over with wretched glee. Cherrymon

knew that Matt wanted to be the most powerful and that he secretly was desperate to gain a sense of self empowerment. He knew Matt hated Tai and knew that

he is better than him. Although hid did not want to admit such a wretched self-realization.

Gabumon could not listen to the words of the lumbering digimon anymore, he had to intervene.

"Don't listen to him Matt, you are not a coward or a wuss, you are just as good as others and this cave is not the answer to any of your problems. The

answer lies deep in your heart already! Believe in yourself!" Gabumon pleaded with the angered digi-destined, but to no avail. Matt said a few words to hiss

companion which cut Gabumon deeply.

"Gabumon...I want you to wait outside. I must find the answer alone."

Gabumon began to release tears from his eyes. And he could not comprehend why, he felt like he lost a true friend. No, he knew that such a thing was

going to happen and that he could not do or say a thing about it. Cherrymon cracked a mini smirk and said a final word to Matt and Gabumon;

"Well kid, I gotta go, I hope you find your answer. Can you do one favor for me though?"

Matt turned his head and nodded with a frustrated look in his eye.

"Remember your old pal Cherrymon when you find your answer."

Matt continued to walk forward and ignored Gabumon's pleads to listen to him.

"Wait Matt! WAIT!"

"Let him go flea bag, if you were really his "friend" you would understand that he has some business to take care of. Or are you 'fraid of somethin'?

afraid that he might find the answer without ya! grow the hell up!" Cherrymon blasted at Gabumon with a scolding tone as if he knew the digmon's

intentions.

Gabumon let out a angry voice and began to fight fire with fire using his words.

"Now, listen here you hunk of firewood, I see through your bad plan, you want Matt to turn from his friends and become their enemy!"

"So what if I do you piece of digital scum! no skin off your nose! Don't act so high and mighty, like you haven't had the thought to do the same

thing."

Gabumon let gave indications that he was about to strike Cherrymon. Until Cherrymon said some parting words.

"See, you're not as good as you make yourself out to be, all I did was point something out, and you raring to go and destroy me. I did nothing to

harm you and yet you are ready to attack me. Typical."

Gabumon stops his plan towards an assault, and has a solemn look in his eye.

"Ya know, you and I aren't so different after all. Caio!"

As Cherrymon trudges away, he lets out a chuckle causing Gabumon to drop to his knees, and let out a plaintive cry. As Cherrymon crawled off into the

distance, Gabumon let out a distressful, wailing cry.

"Why Matt? Why...?"

********************************

Authors Notes: Well, there you have it, the first chapter of my first Fanfic. I would greatly appreciate any comments you have about my work and any

questions at all. This is my first fanfic ever and I decided to do a fanfic based upon an anime I remember enjoying immensely as a child and one I immensely

enjoy today. Digimon has always had a special place in my heart and I hope that this story will be enjoyed by non-fans as much as fans. I would greatly

appreciate any comments about my work. And I hope to do even better for my next chapter. Get ready! because its going to be a bumpy ride and a long journey!

^_^ Wizardz199