tk had been brought to puppetmon's mansion a few hours ago, and had been forced to play puppetmon's dangerous games. but while puppetmon was distracted, tk planned to escape. puppetmon had been using dolls to move the digidestined around the area outside the mansion, and tk wanted to make sure he could get out, find everyone else, and then come back to defeat the marionette dark master. first though he had something to do. puppetmon's playroom had the dolls he'd be using, and the lock on the window had looked broken. he quickly grabbed the small effigies of the digidestined, and was going to trash this room to stop puppetmon being able to move everyone around. then he heard footsteps approaching.panicking, he climbed out the window, not noticing as one figure fell from his pocket. he just managed to get out and hide in a bush when puppetmon neared the window

puppetmon had tried to find tk everywhere after tk had challenged him to produce a friend. he correctly assumed that the open window meant tk had run away.

'so he doesn't want to play? i'll just bring him back here and tie up the rest so he wants to stay!' he said, and reached down to the map. something was missing.

puppetmon was puzzled, but then noticed the absent dolls. he frantically searched the room, wondering where they had gone, when he saw the figureine tk had dropped on his way out. puppetmon picked up the small figure. it was female, with pink shorts and a yellow shirt.

'well, since he's run off and stolen the rest, i might as well bring her here as a playmate.' he said, placing the figurine of kari on the map near his mansion.

***

the others had regrouped in the middle of the forest, worried about the absent tk, when kari suddenly vanished. the rest expected they would soon all be randomly moved around the area again, but when nothing happened to anyone else, they realised both of the youngest digidestined were in trouble, especially since their digimon were with the group.

kari was disorentated to find herself move again, and tried to gather her surrounds first. it looked like the rest of the forest, but she saw something between some trees. as she neared it, she realised it was a mansion.

'do you like it? do you want to see the inside?' a voice said behind her. she turned and saw puppetmon right behind her, less than three foot away. she screamed and tried to run.

'hey, no running!' the demented marionette yelled, throwing a red ball of string at her fleeing shape. it hit her in the back and almost instantly spread out to mummify her from head to toe in the red ropes. he picked her up by the string, carrying her away even as she cried out in fear and tried to fight her way out of the claustraphobic coccoon of string,


***

tk heard a scream from nearby as he was running. he froze, realsing it was a girl. either kari, sora or mimi was in trouble. or izzy screamed more girly than he though. either way he had to try and help whoever it was. he soon found the source of the scream. puppetmon was carrying someone away, wrapped up in red string, like puppetmon had done to matt earlier, but completely wrapped. the unlucky victim was writhing around and letting out muffled cries of fear. whoever it was, they were too small to be matt, so who was it?

when he'd took the dolls away everyone was in the middle, and he'd figured that had been miles away from the mansion. did puppetmon have spares? just in case he checked the figures in his pocket. all of them were there except kari. he must have dropped the figure of her!

'tk you idiot.' he cursed himself, realising that kari was the one struggling to free herself from the red string coccoon. he then decided he needed to help her, and the easiest way was to find someone else and go help. after all, puppetmon couldn't move anyone but kari around and she was already caught.

***

night fell, and tk hadn't managed to find anyone, even though the others had actually split up to try and find the two missing kids. knowing kari had been caught by puppetmon he decided he had to try and help her himself. he hoped that the darkness made it easier to sneak back in. after all, he'd snuck out in broad daylight. but in broad daylight there weren't as many shadows, and it occured to him as he got close to the mansion the same ones he was hiding in could hide anything else.

there were no lights on at all, and he found every way in was locked up tight. one window lay open though, the window of the playroom. tk neared it, and looked in. the map was still there, and the wooden figurine of kari was there too. at least he hadn't lost it. maybe he could move her away and try to go get help. or he could bring everyone else here. he placed the figures down and looked out of the window where he expected them to be, but nothing happened. it seemed only puppetmon could use it, or there was some kind of trick. he looked around the room thinking maybe he might spot whatever trick it was.

he then the shadowy shape of a puppet hanging on the wall and froze on the spot. he stood for a second, frozen in fear, and then he tried to get away quickly and quietly, fearing that he'd just walked into a trap. he fled, but nothing chased him, no puppetmon and none of his minions. when he calmed down and realised he wasn't followed, tk eventually went back and realised the puppet shape wasn't moving, and it also looked a little smaller than puppetmon. he went in the window quietly, and cautiously poked the shape. it rattled, but it didn't respond to it by moving suddenly.

'i don't remember a puppet hanging up in here.' he muttered to himself. he carefully picked up the wooden marionette, realising that it was actually about the same size as him. he carefully pulled it over to the window to see it in what little light there was, even though there was a feeling at the back of his mind that he wasn't going to like what the windowlight would reveal. that feeling was right.

he couldn't help but cry out in fright and almost drop the puppet when he saw the face. staring back with glassy eyes and a literally wooden expression was kari.

'wait, maybe it's not her. maybe puppetmon has her somewhere else and made this to freak me out.' he told himself.

the puppet wasn't going to tell him what had happened, even though it knew what had happened a few hours ago.


***

kari yelped as she was dumped on the floor of the playroom. when she opened her eyes she saw a model map of the area, with a crude figurine version of herself lying there.

'okay, so i had someone else here to play, but i think he ran away. so you're my new playmate!' he said.

'can you untie me? i don't like this!' kari pleaded. puppetmon moved to release her and paused.

'how do i know you won't run away?'

'i wont!'

'yeah, but maybe you don't like the games i want to play. like war or hide and seek and destory.'

'what are they?' kari asked. puppetmon explained, and when she had calmed down from hearing the word 'gun' and not once hearing 'toy' in front of it, she stammered a reply.

'i don't like violent games.'

puppetmon sighed.

'so there's nothing you'll do then. what use are you?' he said. she turned pale.

'um... maybe we could just play with toys?' she said in desperation. she felt a flutter of hope when he seemed to consider it. she'd accidentally given him an idea instead.

'hmm, you know, when i get bored with some of my toys i smash them up. maybe you can help me make a new one.'

'i'm no good at that kind of thing, i couldn't even make a stuffed bear kit properly!' she lied.

'that's not what i mean at all. you'll be the toy.'

'what?' kari asked in surprise, as puppetmon produced two wooden crosses.

puppetmon replied by raising the two crosses up, and red strings shot out, attaching to her wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. where they touched, her skin became hard. she looked in horror for a moment, seeing as her skin changed to wood painted flesh tone. she tried to squrim away and shake the strings off, but the first thing to happen was her joints converted into ball joints, and she lost control of them. she flopped to the floor with a yelp as she was slowly transformed into a marionette. puppetmon tugged her up with the strings to make her stand. she stared at him with wide eyes, unable to speak with fear.

'why are you so afraid? you should know i'd never smash a toy puppet up.'

most of her below the neck was now flesh-coloured wood rather than real flesh, and all the joints of her body were now wooden ball and socket joins. her knees and elbows only moved back and forward but a join just above span her lower arms and legs around, with a similar arrangement with her two-way wrists. her neck became the same, the join of head and neck becoming a two way joint with the spinning joint just below. her mouth froze into a painted o open in surprise, and her eyes changed from fear-filled but lifelike to blank glass with a hint of shock. finally, her hair became slightly less fine as it changed into something closer to horsehair than human, and kari was now a puppet.

'don't worry, i think you'll be a lot of fun. maybe if you're really good and i catch the rest of you i can turn some of them into puppets and you can play together.' puppetmon said.

i don't want to be a puppet and i don't want anyone else to be one! kari yelled out in her thoughts. then puppetmon began making her legs and arms spin around.

whoa, that feels really weird

'the only part of you that can spin all the way is your head.' puppetmon continued, spinning it around to demonstrate. even though she was solid wood entierly kari still felt dizzy and a little queasy as her head span around and around. even when her head stopped, she had the sensation of spinning for a while.

puppetmon began playing around with her, making her feel more and more dizzy and unsettled, as well as more frightened. he might have claimed he'd never smash a puppet but the brutal way he was playing said otherwise.

***

tk stared in shock at the puppet, trying to convince himself it was just a mind game. he was interrupted by the light coming on. he nearly jumped out of his skin.

'hey! where were you all day?' puppetmon demanded. he then saw all the figurines back.

'what's going on here? why are they back and why are you playing with my new toy?'

tk thought fast.

'well... hide and seek and destory is more fun at night.' he said, trying to sound sincere.

'huh?'

'the shadows and stuff, anywhere's a hiding spot, it's more fun, so i hid all day so we could play it now.'

'why did you take my figures?'

tk smiled nervously, hoping it came off as embarrsed rather than terrified.

'i didn't want you to bring anyone else along to play and tire yourself out.'

puppetmon frowned, completely forgetting that tk's taunts about him having no friends had little connection to the way he was acting now.

'well, you could have told me that. i did bring someone else, but she didn't want to play war.'

'who?'

'you're holding onto her. she wouldn't play so i turned her into something else i could play with.'

tk fought the urge to drop kari and run, knowing that would not only be rude but also result in him becoming a puppet too.

'well, duh. she doesn't play when there's only one person. i should have told you my idea, you're right. sorry.' tk lied.

'well, okay. maybe we can play. give her to me.'

tk hesitated for a second and then handed kari over.

***

kari didn't like this at all. she couldn't move herself, she felt sore all over from puppetmons rough treatment, and she was afraid that she'd be like this forever. and now she was being hung up on a wall by her strings and left in the dark. if her eyes weren't plastic or something she'd have cried.

after hanging in the dark for a while, a shadow moved through the window. she wanted to run away, but of course, couldn't.

what's that? go away whatever you are! she tried to tell the shape as it did something to the odd map. it was dropping more figures.

no, don't do that! i don't want to see tai or anyone become puppets too! she tried to scream out.

the shape suddenly seemed to see her. it froze, and then quickly fled away. kari was suddenly glad she wasn't able to speak. if she'd screamed, it might have just attacked rather than been spooked when it saw her. her heart was racing. then she realised it wasn't. she was wood. she didn't really have a heart just now. as she was sidetracked into wondering how she could see and think and feel even if she was just a wooden dummy, she almost didn't notice the shadow come back until it poked her arm.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! she thought, panicking in her mind as the poke registered. then the shape picked her up and took her towards the window.

what are you doing?! where are you taking me?!

the light shone on her and the shape, and if they weren't already open wide, she'd have stared at the shape with wide eyes. it was tk! he cried out in surprise just like she tried to.

you jerk, you scared me! she admonished him as he muttered something to himself. she realised he looked scared, and then the light came on.

she screamed again as tk jumped. puppetmon had found him!

after a moment, she calmed down and realised puppetmon wasn't turning tk into a puppet too or anything. they were talking about something.

'well, duh. she doesn't play when there's only one person. i should have told you my idea, you're right. sorry.' tk said.

huh? what? doesn't play what?

'well, okay. maybe we can play. give her to me.' puppetmon said.

what?! tk i'm not a toy! don't give me to him!

but of course, tk didn't hear her.


***

tk looked on nervously as puppetmon held kari up by the cross shaped paddles. the strings turned red, and vanished. kari then collapsed to the floor like a ragdoll, and tk tried not to be too freaked out. but the slightly shiny flesh paint on her was growing a little less shiny, and the ball joints were changing. puppetmon carefully and quickly put her tangled limbs into a more natural shape, having her lying down with arms and legs straight. slowly, she began to turn back to normal, and eventually her eyes fluttered.

'okay, she's back to normal, let's play.'

kari moved her fingers first, and then bolted up. she was about to run when tk walked over.

'trust me, just play along.' he whispered.

'what do you want to do then since she's so fussy about the rules?' puppetmon said.

'you go count downstairs, we go hide in seperate places.' tk said. puppetmon nodded and left. after a few seconds, tk grabbed kari's hand.

'okay, now we run and make sure we've got all these figurine things!'

'you took them before? how come you left me?!' kari demanded

'it must have fell out of my pocket, sorry.'

'sorry?! i should get him back to turn you into a doll, see how you like it!' kari fumed.

'kari, we don't have time for this! we have to get out of here!' tk said quickly. she relented.

'okay, you're right. you'd better not screw this escape up though or i'll get tai to beat you up.' she grumbled.

they were well away by the time it hit puppetmon what tk had really been up to.