Welcome back! This chapter contains spoilers for A Fading Hope. Read up to chapter 10 of that, or don't, it's up to you :) You can read this by itself, but it refers back to A Captive Light and A Fading Hope, as it is a companion piece.

Oh my gosh, I keep wanting to write this in present tense, not past, but I wrote the first chapter as past. grr. Ah well.

Chapter two: Together.

Izzy drifted in and out of consciousness for hours, or for what he thought was hours. It might have been longer. Devimon did not return.

The first time he woke, still in the same black room, he felt hungry.

The second time, his hunger was stronger and thirst burned at the back of his throat. He counted again, and tried to remain calm. His nerves were frazzled, though, and he was alone. He paced for a long time, until his head started to ache. With his back to the wall, he fell into blissful sleep.

After several more cycles of sleep and waking, he was used to the feelings- the dull ache in his stomach no longer hurt exactly.

The human body, he knew, could last several days without food, but only two or three at most without water.

How much longer did he have until then? He wasn't sure of how much time had passed- his internal clock was a mess.

In his corner. he felt himself sliding back into unconsciousness. He welcomed the Dark.

"Izzy! Izzy!"

Izzy opened his eyes- and saw someone kneeling next to him. For a moment he wondered if he was still dreaming, then wondered how he could see anything in his dark prison. He sat up.

Joe held a small but powerful flashlight, aimed at the ceiling. The older boy set it down, then rummaged in his shoulder bag. He held out a full water bottle.

"They- Devimon's minions- took my digivice while I was out, but they left everything else." He explained as Izzy drank greedily, consuming half the bottle. He put the cap back on- he had to save it for later- then asked" Joe? How?"

Joe sighed. " We got captured. Again."

"Sora, Tentomon, what happened to them?"

"Sora hurt her leg, we found her after you vanished, she's here-"

"Oh, Izzy, We were so worried!" into the circle of light came Mimi, her pink hair full of glittering hair clips that caught the flashlight beam and reflected it. Yolei followed.

"Sora's still out." She reported. " And there's no sign if the ."

from across the small and slightly crowded room Izzy could hear the familiar voice of Davis muttering and the sound of fists on rock.

"Davis, you're going to hurt yourself." Joe informed the boy, then turned back to Izzy. "Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

Izzy shook his head. Davis came over. "There's no way out and I don't have my digivice. Sir Creepy's goons must have it. Oh, hi Izzy."

"That's the best you can come up with?" Mimi asked "Hi?"

"He said he was fine!"

Izzy laughed, then sobered. " What happened? Where's everyone else? Is Tentomon ok?"

"Well, we were on our way to come save you. It didn't work out so well." Yolei grimaced.

"The others- Tai, Cody, T.K. and Kari- got away. We've only been awake for a few minutes."

Davis muttered something about T.K. and Kari always getting adventures together. Izzy ignored him. "Tentomon?" he prompted.

"Tentomon's fine. Well, He's Motimon at the moment, and he was pretty shaken up, but he's fine. He's with your parents. We don't know about our Digimon, though. they were with us when devimon's shadows got the drop on us." Joe said, looking around in his bag and pulling out a handful of granola bars, a bag of gummy bears, another water bottle, and three more flashlights. "More supplies. These'll have to last us a while, though. I wish I had more water, but that's all there is."

"What don't you have in there?" Mimi asked with a playful shove. Being captured hadn't dampened her spirits-much. she was worried about Palmon, but had to believe her Digimon was fine. Otherwise, devimon was in for a world of hurt. Davis resumed his probing of the walls.

"My parents. I told them I'd be fine." Another thought occurred to him "How long?"

"Have you been here? A day and a half." Yolei answered, looking in her own bag. "Dang. He took my digivice AND my DTerminal. No, wait, I dropped my DTerminal in the woods. And he's got Hawkmon! Oh, what are we going to do?" Her eyes grew wide in the dim light.

"They'll come." Sora, awake at last, said. "Tai and Kari and T.K. and Cody, they'll come and get us out of here." She got to her feet, but crumpled- her leg wouldn't support her. Joe and Davis caught her and helped her sit. She looked at her bandaged leg and sighed.

Davis flopped onto the floor and Joe followed, leaning against the wall next to Izzy. Mimi and Yolei joined him so they made a rather lopsided circle with the flashlight in the center.

"So. What now?" Mimi asked, looking around the tiny room.

Izzy shrugged. "I've mostly been asleep. At least, I think I have been. It was pretty dark."

Yolei sighed. "The one day I didn't have a book with me. I think the Universe hates me."

"You're a Digidestined." Joe replied. " Of course the Universe hates you. I think it's in the job description."

"The Universe can't hate you, Joe." Sora said. "You'd be dead otherwise, remember the Bakemon? or when you almost drowned in the Bay? Or that time when-"

Davis groaned. "If you're going to do this, can you at least explain? Please. I'm so sick of hearing little bits about your epic battles and stuff. You guys never tell the full story, and then I says something and Kari flips out, or you look at me funny. Not all of us were there!"

"Uh, sorry?" Joe blinked. " Though to be fair, T.K. was the only one around when I almost drowned. Wait, how did you even-?"

"I have my sources. Patamon is easily bribed." Sora smirked.

"Story time?" Yolei asked, drawing her knees up to her chest. It was cold inside this little prison.

Izzy shrugged. "Um, What did you want to hear about first, Davis?"

"Everything!"

There was a loud crack and a pale darkness, like black fire shone near the spot in the wall where gears were imbedded, and Izzy yelped, turning off the flashlight.

"Devimon," he hissed.

"I brought you a friend." came the Demon King's harsh voice, and a shadow carelessly dropped a figure on the floor. Tai. Mimi jumped up and raced to him, joe only a second behind her. after a moment or two of shaking, the two woke Tai up. He swore under his breath- Mimi swatted his arm. "Language. What happened?"

"The portal shattered- some Gears hit the TV. I was hiking to the nearest Tv, when- wait, where's Agumon?"

" None of the Digimon are here." Joe said softly. " We don't know where they are." Tai opened his mouth, but closed it again when Mimi raised her hand.

" The others?" she asked, for everyone.

"They got through. But- Matt."

"What?" Izzy asked, standing. He felt stronger, after a drink and a few gummy bears.

"Tsunomon emailed. They think he's- dying."

"NO!" Sora cried. "He can't be, he-"

"T.K. did something with his digivice- it was really powerful, when we were fighting. He and Kari and Cody probably went to the hospital, to see if they could help. And- we've got to have hope- that he'l be ok, and that they'll find us soon."

Mimi balled up a fist. "Oh, Devimon is going to pay-" she sounded very unlike the pacifist Mimi that had gone on so many adventures. She hit the wall. "Ow. Ok, that hurt. I'll wait until I can hit him. Ow."

After a minute or too and hugs all around, Davis asked, as calmly as he could, "Story?"

they all laughed, and Joe started the story of "That Time I Was Almost Eaten By Bakemon" with some help from Sora. After Mimi explained, Tai told his version( corrected multiple times) of their first encounter with a hostile Digimon.

During a pause in stories, while Davis and Yolei asked questions, Mimi turned her flashlight around the room, stopping on the corner where Izzy had been sleeping.

"Hey, guys, look."

On the floor, surrounded by the dark grey rock and dust, was a line of white stone, making a small, awkward circle. Izzy's eyes widened. "I...No. That's not possible."

"What's not possible?" asked Tai, looking at it.

"Remember that legend from 3rd grade, the Sanskrit one?"

"Yeah- wait, you were in my class?"

"Yes, Tai, I was. Well, last night- I think it was last night- I... I didn't think it worked."

"What worked?" Joe asked.

Tai grinned. "Izzy believes in Magic."

"I do not. It has a logical explanation."

"Like?" Tai asked, rocking back on his heels.

"I don't know. But it has one."

"What are we talking about?" Davis asked, eager for another story.

"It's Indian. Well, Sanskrit. In third grade, our teacher- yes Tai, OUR- told us a legend, we studied myths from around the world. It's the Aranya Kanda. There's a magic circle in it, a protection. It's got to be a coincidence, or- I don't know, to do with the Spirit of the Digiworld, or something. It was not magic. But I drew it- I didn't think it was real, it was just a way to ... to concentrate on something." Izzy didn't want to say to stop being afraid.

"If you say so, Iz. I still say it was magic. I mean, think about it. We're practically "Chosen Ones", why not magic?" Tai laughed. He felt strange, to be laughing in this place, in this situation, but it also felt right.

Izzy facepalmed. "I forgot! How could I forget? There's something I discovered a-"

"Prophecy?" Davis offered, still hoping for another story. Stories were good ways to forget to be worried about Veemon( not that he wasn't terrified for his friend) and a good way to stop being afraid Devimon was going to come in and kill them or something terrible. " We found it. On your computer, I mean."

"Oh. Then you know. Good."

"Yeah, the Smallest. T.K., right?" Yolei said.

"I've been thinking, and it is highly likely Kari." Izzy said. " there are several reasons, chiefly-"

Tai groaned. "My baby sister gets herself into so much trouble. Great. First the Eighth Child, now the Small One. Just great."

"Why shouldn't it be Kari?" Davis wanted to know. "She's awesome, and pretty and-" He stopped.

"Someone's got a crush!" Sang Mimi. Tai looked away. Davis looked mortified.

Yolei decided to save her teammate from himself. "How about you tell us about some time Joe got into trouble?" she asked.

Joe protested.

Tai started another story.

Hours went by. By Joe's watch it was just before two AM. Izzy had fallen asleep again, and Davis had paced for ages before curling up not unlike a cat and going to sleep as well. Yolei lasted a bit longer, swapping more stories with the older kids, but she hadn't slept well the night before, and had been up, working, since dawn. Somewhere around one she drifted off mid sentence.

Tai had worked himself into a tizzy, quietly panicking about his sister's wellbeing, and that had worn him out. He slept nearest to the Gears, as if he could shield the others from Devimon if the digimon should return. Joe also guessed it was so he could be the first to great his sister when- not if, when- rescue came. With her leg re-bandaged- score one to Joe for being prepared- she too dozed. Only Mimi and Joe were awake, now, at just passed three AM. Joe was used to pulling all nighters, and Mimi had 'slept late'. Part of her alertness had to be the time difference, though Joe couldn't recall exactly what that difference was.

Mimi leaned into him. "Hey." she said, softly. "You ok?"

He nodded. "It doesn't look good, but-"

"They'll be here. Everything's going to be fine."

"I know."

They sat in silence for a time, then Mimi started to hum, then sing, a song she'd learned in America. A lullaby.

" There's a faraway land

So the stories all tell

Somewhere beyond the horizon.

If we can find it

Then all will be well,

Troubles there are few,

Someday, we'll go to...

Solla Sollew

Solla Sollew"

She continued, her alto voice soft and warm. Joe closed his eyes and listened. The song was unfamiliar, but soothing. Calming. He drank it in, trying to imagine the place in the song.

"Troubles will be through

And I'll be home with you.

Solla Sollew."

After a moment she finished, then leaned her head against Joe's shoulder and fell asleep.

"Goodnight, Mimi." He whispered, and switched off the flashlight. He envied her abilty to fall asleep so quickly, then carefully position himself against the wall, and let the darkness- not so bleak or grim with Davis's snores, and Tai's, and the sound of his friends's breathing to fill it. He closed his eyes, imagining a bright circle of Tai's "Magic" surrounding them all.

It was only going to be a about Izzy but then it got away from me! I hope you all enjoyed it. Leave a review and let me know, pretty please?

The song is "Solla Sollew" from "Seussical"