Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. I do not own Battle Royale. FOR THE LAST TIME!

Author's Note: Here we are. We made it. The end. There will not be a sequel. So, this is really it. Blurring Boundaries will now be getting updated once again. So, if any of you are a fan of my writing, you may want to go check out that story. But this is it. Some of you may be disappointed by the ending. Some of you may find it satisfying. And others of you may love it. I hope, no matter how you end up feeling in the end, you at least...

Enjoy!

Chapter Thirteen: Uprising

TK and Kari's eyes widened in alarm, and Kari moved to run to his side when TK saw something. The flashlight was still on, and it came to a rolling stop as it rolled away from Davis's limp hand. The beam of light shined on a figure up ahead. TK recognized him immediately, and he tackled Kari to the ground just as an arrow went flying through the air, right where her head had been. When TK looked up next, Davis was no longer on his knees. He had collapsed fully to the ground.

"Davis!" he shouted.

The gogglehead didn't stir. TK looked beyond him to see Shingo hobbling his way toward them, the crossbow in his hand and katana on his back. TK knew that they couldn't stay out in the open like this, but he couldn't just leave Davis. Shingo raised the crossbow again, and TK forced himself to his feet with a painful wince, pulling Kari up with him, before he dragged her through the trees. An arrow slammed into the bark behind them.

Shingo sneered as he missed the blonde and the girl that he was pulling along. Considering his "heroic" actions earlier, he definitely hadn't expected him to leave his friend behind, but he supposed it made sense. He had been protecting the girl all along, not the boy. Speaking of the boy, Davis was still very much alive. He was holding onto the arrow protruding out of his body, trying to keep it steady as he sucked in each agonizing breath. The orange-haired murderer smirked before deciding that if he couldn't kill the blonde, he was going to at least enjoy this moment. He dragged himself over to Davis.

"Pathetic," he muttered.

He pulled another arrow out of the quiver and moved to reload the bow in his arms. Davis, however, just smirked weakly up at him.

"I dunno," he gasped out. "TK seemed to have gotten you pretty good there."

His eyes were on the bloody stump of a foot that Shingo was being forced to drag behind him. The convict growled deep in his throat as he got the arrow in place and raised the crossbow to point it down at the burgundy-haired teenager. Davis's smile never wavered.

"Go ahead," he said. "You might have gotten me… but you'll never catch them. TK won't let you."

"They left you behind," Shingo pointed out, a cruel smile on his face.

But still, Davis did not seem concerned. "Good. They knew that's what I would have wanted."

Beyond pissed that he wasn't doing much to wipe that triumphant smirk off of the boy's face, Shingo decided enough was enough. He aimed the crossbow at his forehead and put his finger on the trigger when he suddenly heard the sound of a cocking gun. His head snapped up in surprise as he saw TK Takaishi standing there in the shadows, a small silver pistol that originally belonged to Anna Yoshida in his hands. He was pointing the gun at Shingo, and though his face was deathly pale, his hands remained oddly steady as he kept his target in the crosshairs.

Shingo moved to lift the crossbow to point it at his new target, but he never got the chance. TK pulled the trigger, and his aim was steady and true as Shingo's head snapped back with the force of the bullet. For a moment, TK swore that the orange-haired man almost seemed genuinely surprised before his body crumpled to the ground. TK's wrists jerked up violently from the gun's recoil, his fists just barely missing his face, but he never noticed it. He was already running toward Davis before dropping by his side.

"You shot him," Davis said weakly, looking shocked.

"Don't hate me," TK whispered.

Davis just shook his head. "You saved my life."

"Not yet, I haven't," TK said.

His expression crumpled as he turned his gaze onto the arrow still embedded in the top of Davis's stomach. He looked up to see Kari standing there, looking at Shingo's body with a shocked expression, before turning that same pale face to Davis. She shakily moved to kneel next to his other side and cupped his face.

"We're going to get you home, okay?" she said.

"Never mind about me," Davis said. "You two need to just go."

"You're insane," TK interjected. "We're not leaving you, so don't even try to ask us to do that."

"I don't think I can get up," Davis admitted, wincing in pain as he tried to do just that. "And you can't carry me, TK… And I know you can't, Kari… Just go. Both of you."

"Shut up!" Kari snapped suddenly. "We're all going home, and that's that!"

But TK's face was starting to read a bit of uncertainty. Davis was right. He had no idea how they were supposed to carry the soccer player all the way to the docks. TK was already injured, and Kari wasn't exactly the strong woman of the class. What were they going to do…? TK's ears suddenly perked up.

"Wait," he whispered. "Do you hear that?"

Kari and Davis stared at him for a moment before Kari's face broke out in a relieved smile.

"The ocean," she gasped. "We're there. We're right there!" She grabbed Davis's face and stared down at him. "Davis, you can do this. Okay?"

He looked like he still wanted to protest, but the determination in Kari's gaze couldn't be denied. Shakily, he gave a small nod. She gave him a watery thankful smile before looking him over, and her eyes fell on the arrow still in his chest once again.

"I… I need to, uh…" She took in a deep breath. "This is going to hurt."

Without giving him much time to brace himself, she reached out and snapped off the end of the arrow. Davis cried out in pain as the arrow was jostled from the breaking, and TK reached out to give him his hand for something to squeeze. He regretted it instantly as his teeth gnashed against the pain as Davis practically crushed his fingers in his grip.

"Sorry, sorry!" Kari said, throwing the part of the arrow away that she had broken off. "I just… I didn't want you to fall or run into anything and make it worse."

"I know," Davis hissed out, his jaw tight and his eyes watery as he tried to get his breathing back under control. "I know."

They gave him a few more minutes to rest before Kari nodded to TK, and the two of them got to work. Kari put one of Davis's arms around her shoulders and TK (ignoring his own pain, lightheadedness, and injuries) went to his other side to do the same before they holstered him up. TK gritted his teeth against the agony, and Davis cried out, unable to keep his hidden. They started through the forest, following the sound of the waves, as it got louder and louder. Finally, they broke through the line of trees and headed toward the wooden docks where they could see the boat in front of them. It was tied to the dock, practically glistening in the moonlight that shone above them, calling to them. This was their way to freedom, their chance to get off the island and get back home free from harm.

Kari led the way onto the boat where she helped lower Davis gingerly down onto the deck. As soon as Davis was down, TK collapsed next to him, sweat running down his face as he gasped for breath. Kari tried not to panic as she abandoned the boys on the deck of the boat to jump back out and untie it from the dock. Both of the boys were going scarily pale in the face, and every movement was rushed in an effort to try to get them help faster. She was trying very hard not to focus on the facts, like how she had no idea where they were going to sail to or if they would even be able to find help once they got there, but it was hard. She wished Yolei was here to freak out for her so that she could be the calm and rational one.

She ran back up to the helm and pulled out her D-Terminal to read Izzy's instructions that had been sent to her as she revved up the boat's motor and started off. She was almost shocked by her ability to steer the boat, but right now, she had other things to focus on other than her natural sailing skills. She looked over her shoulder at TK and Davis worriedly.

"Guys?" she asked, almost afraid she wasn't going to get an answer.

TK pushed himself up with a groan against the railing, and he turned to look over at Davis who seemed to be studying the stars. He almost smiled at him before he looked past the boat to the view of the island that they were leaving behind.

"It's actually almost beautiful," he whispered.

"It's a graveyard," Davis said.

TK nodded solemnly and turned to look up toward the front where Kari was steering. He smiled tiredly. "How's it coming, Kari?"

She let loose a breath. "It's okay. I'm just going to keep going straight until we hit land. Izzy's instructions were pretty good. How are you two doing?"

"I'm wondering why I never studied astronomy," Davis said distractedly. "Then, at least, I'd have a better idea of what I'm looking at."

TK craned his neck to look up at the stars as well and offered a small smile. "I know one constellation."

He looked at him. "Which one?"

"Right above our heads there," TK said, as he pointed toward it. "The stars that look a bit like a cross. You see it?"

Davis looked up at the sky for a moment before nodding slowly. "I think so."

"It's the swan," TK said. "You can see its wings, its long neck, its tail…"

"The swan," Davis repeated, a smile on his face. And then he laughed, suddenly. "Actually, I do remember something."

"What?"

"Beneath the swan, that little cluster of stars there…" He paused for a second. "It's an arrow."

TK lapsed into silence for a moment before frowning. "Is there a bullet up there, too? Because that doesn't seem fair."

Davis laughed before his laughter dissolved into painful coughs. TK watched his friend worriedly, but every limb in his body was starting to go oddly numb and cold. He couldn't even consider the possibility of going over to comfort him. He seemed so far away despite being so close. TK realized that this could very well be it. Maybe their promise to each other had been foreshadowing after all.

"Izzy just sent me a message," Kari said over her shoulder suddenly. "They know we escaped!"

But TK didn't turn to look at her. His eyes were looking over the back of the boat again where he could see a bobbing white light getting brighter and closer with every passing second.

"…And they're coming after us…" TK said.

Davis looked up and cursed under his breath as he caught sight of the boat speeding after them. He looked over at TK, and they shared a worried look. Both of them were too weak to even try to think of a plan. And from the sound of the revving engine, they knew that Kari was making them go as fast as she knew how.

"Maybe…" Davis started. "Maybe if they only find one of us on board, they'll declare them the winner…"

TK turned to look over at Davis, and he caught his eye. He knew what he was thinking, and he turned to look over the side of the boat. Did he have enough strength to throw himself overboard? Maybe… If he focused on nothing else… He and Davis had made a pact, and he knew that it was time to fulfill that pact.

"No!" He turned to look at Kari. She had left the helm and was now staring at the two boys with a tearfully angry expression on her face as she stood there. "You two don't think I know what you've been doing? Trying to protect me? Well, it's my turn, and I am not letting either of you give up your lives for me. We're going to get out of this."

From the boat's loudspeaker, they suddenly heard an announcement: "You in the boat, cut your engines now! If you do not comply in thirty seconds, we will take this as a sign of hostility and treason, and we will open fire! Cut your engines, and prepare to be boarded!"

"Kari, we can't outrun them," Davis pointed out. "This might be your only chance."

"No!" she said. "I am not cutting the engines, and I am not going to let you guys do something stupid just for me!"

"Then what do we do?" TK asked. "We can't outrun them; we can't surrender. We don't exactly have a lot of options."

Kari stood there, speechless for a moment, when the silence was cut by gunfire. She shrieked and hit the deck, and the boys pressed themselves flat to the flooring as well, both of them crying out as they jostled their inflamed injuries.

"I guess our thirty seconds were up!" Davis gasped.

They winced, hearing the bullets ricocheting off of the metal haul. Kari nodded toward the hatch next to TK and shouted over the sound of the gunfire, "Let's go below deck!"

TK didn't question it. He reached forward and lifted the hatch with his good arm before lowering himself into the small storage compartment. He crawled out of the way as Davis gingerly tried to follow, but the other boy couldn't even stay standing and he crumpled to the ground. TK winced and grabbed Davis's arm to pull him out of the way as Kari lowered herself into the compartment as well. She shut the hatch over her head, and they could still hear the gunfire echoing on haul for a minute longer before it stopped.

"They're going to board any second," Davis pointed out. He dropped his head into his hands, looking pale and shaky. "Man, what I wouldn't give for a Digital Port right about now."

Kari's face lit up. "That's it!"

TK shook his head. "Kari… none of us have a computer on us, and Izzy said the closest Digital Port was in the Philippines."

She shook her head. "That's not true. We don't need a computer, TK."

Davis blinked. "I am feeling… really dizzy right now, so maybe my brain is just moving a little slow, but what is she talking about?"

TK stared at Kari a moment longer before smiling. "When we were first taken to the Digital World… we were just swept away… And the second time, we used our digivices to open a portal in the middle of the sky…"

"Oh, I remember," Davis said. "But… the Digital World was kind of right above you. How does that help us now?"

"We've opened portals to other worlds out of thin air," Kari said. "Why not the Digital World?"

TK smiled weakly. "It's worth a shot."

Davis forced himself to sit up as he pulled out his D-3. He stared at the face of it for a long moment, the face of Veemon flashing in his mind's eye, before he nodded. "Alright, let's do it."

Kari pulled out her D-3 and TK mimicked her movement before all three of them held their digivices in front of them in a circle. They had no idea if this was going to work, but it was their only chance.

x X x

Aboard the ship that was in pursuit, several soldiers stood along the edge of the boat, assault rifles aimed at the boat. They were taking no chances. They knew that these kids had just been in a 48 hour long bloodbath, and they were not going to become their next victims if they could help it. The boat kept speeding along as the military ship lined up next to it. They could see that nobody was above deck.

"What would you like us to do, sir?" one soldier asked.

The commander in charge looked it over before nodding. "Destroy it."

Already prepared for that order, two cadets approached the side of the boat, carrying a grenade launcher. They aimed for the boat's fuel tank and waited until their boat had pulled away a bit before they fired. Later, each of the soldiers would talk about the mysterious white light they had seen just seconds before the missile hit, but they would never think much of it.

Why should they?

x X x

9:00 PM in Tokyo. Midnight on Battle Royale Island.

Nine digidestined sat around the room just staring, wide eyed, at the screen as they waited for some sort of sign of something. They had long since lost visual sighting of Davis, TK, and Kari, but they had definitely seen the military personnel chasing after them in the cruiser. All they could do is watch the digivice signals on Izzy's map as they got further and further out to sea… Until all three of their signals disappeared.

"What just happened?" Tai yelped, jumping to his feet.

Matt couldn't even seem to find his voice.

And then they heard a crackle of a radio; they were still wired into the military channel, allowing them to hear everything that they said over their internal communications.

"The threat has been neutralized, Lieutenant."

"Did you collect their bodies?"

"No, sir. The boat sank after we blew it up, but I will get a dive team out here immediately to see what we can find."

"You do that, and you report back to me with your findings."

"Yes, sir."

Tai collapsed back to the ground, silent tears running down his face as they realized what he was hearing. They were dead. All three of them, dead. Matt didn't make a sound. In fact, the entire room was deathly silent for several long moments before Ken dropped his head into hands and let out a sob. The girls started to follow his example, unable to keep it in any longer.

"What the—?" Izzy suddenly yelped.

Then, before anyone could ask what he was talking about, he leapt out of his chair just as his computer exploded with light. A second later, Kari tumbled out of the screen and hit the ground on all fours. Everybody stared until Tai finally realized what he was seeing.

"Kari!" Tai ran to his sister and pulled her into a tight hug. "What are you…? How did you…?"

"Where's TK?" Cody asked, staring at her with wide eyes.

"And Davis?" Ken echoed.

As if those questions broke Kari out of her amazed trance of being in her brother's arms once again, she pulled away and threw herself at Joe, grabbing his hands in her own.

"Joe!" she gasped. "You've got to come! You've got to come to the Digital World! I didn't… I didn't think they could survive another trip! Please! Joe, please! You've got to help them!"

The words took a moment to sink in for the shocked doctor-in-training, but once they did, he was off of the sofa. He ran to the desk and quickly scrawled out two phone numbers on the first piece of paper he could find before he pushed the paper into Sora's hands.

"Call my dad and my brother! Get them to the Digital World, even if you have to drag them there yourself," he ordered. Then, he turned to Kari. "Let's go."

Kari tearfully held her D-3 out. "Digi-Port Open!"

Not wanting to be left behind, Cody, Ken, Yolei, Matt, and Tai all jumped forward with their digivices, and they were all swept away by the digital field that exploded from the computer. For a moment, the leftover occupants of the room stood there in shock. Sora jumped into action first as she ripped the paper down the middle and gave one half to Mimi.

"I'll call Jim," she said.

"I'll get Joe's dad," Mimi said.

Izzy slowly sank back into his chair as the room emptied of the two females. "And I'll see what the government's next move is going to be…" he said to himself.

x X x

Two days later, Izzy sat in front of his computer, trying to track government intelligence on what they were going to do about this entire situation. Davis and TK were still in the Digital World, not quite strong enough to travel yet as they recovered, but Dr Kido with his sons' help were able to perform emergency lifesaving surgery on both of the boys. The digimon had been pretty furious to find out what was going on in such a dramatic fashion. They had been in the middle of a game of soccer with the babies of Primary Village when a bleeding Davis and TK had been dumped into their laps with a nearly hysterical Kari.

Now, all of the digidestined were feeling guilty. But after explaining how tirelessly they had all been working to try to help their three friends get off the island, they understood why telling them had just not come up. Well, most of them. He was pretty sure it was going to take a little while before Patamon, Gatomon, and Veemon forgave them. Not wanting to put any of them through that horror again, Mimi, Sora, and Joe had taken it upon themselves to fill the digimon in on what happened.

Izzy was pretty sure he had never seen the digimon look so frightened before. He dropped his head into his hands tiredly. He had ended up breaking down and crying to Tentomon while in the Digital World. He hadn't even realized how much the pressure had been weighing on his heart until the moment he realized that TK, Davis, and Kari were okay. It was almost enough to make him sick as he realized how easily it could have been the other way instead.

The computer genius's head snapped up when he heard his name on the television that was playing in the background. He leapt to his feet and ran into the other room just in time to catch the news story playing on the screen.

"Kari Kamiya, Davis Motomiya, and Takeru Takaishi are presumed dead after a failed escape attempt from Battle Royale Island two days ago. Their accomplices in this escape are believed to be Koushiro Izumi, Yolei Inoue, and Ken Ichijouji. All three are wanted for questioning in relation to the murders of all forty students who were selected for the BR Act as officials believe that these three may have rigged the game from the start. If anybody sees these three individuals, inform the police immediately, as they may be extremely dangerous."

Izzy stared at the screen, shaking all over. He was wanted for murder, and it wasn't just him. His friends were, too. And he knew that if they ever found out that TK, Kari, and Davis weren't dead, they would be on that list as well. They had escaped off that island where they had to fight for their lives, and now they were being accused of murder. He looked over at the picture of his parents sadly for a moment before grabbing his digivice.

He wasn't going to let that happen. He walked over to his computer and held out his digivice to it. Even if it meant that he and the other digidestined had to remain hidden until he figured out how to reverse this, he would. But until then, he would continue to do what he did best and keep everyone safe.

x X x

Two Years Later…

"I miss Mom," TK admitted quietly.

Matt sighed sadly and pulled his little brother into his arms before pressing a kiss to the top of the 16-year-old's head. Patamon and Gabumon looked on sadly, knowing that they couldn't really say much in the way of comfort to that statement. The brothers had been living in the Digital World for two years now. Matt hadn't necessarily needed to go into hiding with him, but no way was he going to force his little brother to go through this without him. Tai had felt the exact same way. In fact, all twelve digidestined now took up a temporary residence within the Digital World. Only Sora, Mimi, Joe, and Cody were able to leave the Digital World on a regular basis without causing too much suspicion as their families were the only ones not under surveillance.

"I know you do," Matt said. "But we'll get through this. I promise you we will."

TK gave his brother a grateful smile. He knew he shouldn't complain. He could be dead or incarcerated right now, but sometimes he couldn't help but think that maybe everything would have been easier if they had just died on the Island. It was a morbid thought, but it was one that he couldn't help having from time to time. He turned toward a joyful whistling coming from the kitchen, and he rolled his eyes as he saw Davis and Veemon moving in sync. The gogglehead looked happy as rain.

The digimon had been too kind in building them a home for all twelve of them. It made their stay here in the Digital World just that much more bearable, but it didn't make it any easier to forget. He caught Kari's eyes from across the room, and he looked away with a blush. After everything they had been through, how to deal with crushes still simply eluded him. Sometimes, it felt like his social skills were going down the drain thanks to his semi-isolation. Then again, that could have just been the awkwardness of puberty.

A bright flash of light from the television in the living room caught their attention, and Sora appeared a moment later with a grim look on her face.

"What is it, Sora?" Biyomon asked, running up to her partner's side.

Sora let loose a sigh before showing off the newspaper in her hand. Yolei stepped forward to take it from her before she let out a sharp gasp.

"Round 2 of Battle Royale Begins Today," she read off.

Kari and TK went pale as Davis dropped the spoon he had been holding to the floor.

Yolei swallowed shakily before continuing, "The 11th grade class from Hirano High School in Osaka has been chosen for this year's Battle Royale. Forty-two students will enter the battle zones, but only one will leave if any leave at all. Check the Battle Royale website every six hours to find out how the students are doing."

TK, Kari, and Davis turned to look at each other. The horror of the battle was hard to forget, and they knew that coming out of that battle alone would have made it a lot worse.

Izzy stood solemnly and nodded. "I think now's the time."

"Time for what?" Tai asked, looking a little shaken.

He pulled out his laptop and started to type away at it. "To give fuel to the Uprising."

The Uprising. The protests that were held around the world by the other digidestined to try to pressure Japan into social change by making their governments do something. For the most part, they had been ignored the last two years. But as the twelve isolated digidestined and their digimon gathered around Izzy's computer, they saw him bringing up the video feed of the former Battle Royale.

"You still have that video?" Kari whispered in shock.

Izzy nodded solemnly. "I knew one day it would be the right time to release it, a time when people would actually listen. I think now's the perfect time." He brought up an email to Willis and started to attach each of the files. "And in the meantime…" He smiled suddenly. "I say let's make this game as difficult as possible for the people in charge."

Yolei and Ken grinned at each other before nodding.

"Let's do it."

The End.