NOTE: haha, this was the first fanfic i ever, ever wrote. i just had the bravery to repost it now. lol, i posted it before, but i removed it, and then posted again. hope you enjoy. i dont own digimon, btw. oh yeah, this may b familiar, cuz i accidentally removed my other account. lol.
Matt shivered once again as the icy wind bit into his sleeveless arms. He was tired, freezing, and miserable, but the thought of TK made him continue walking. Step by step, he reached Gabumon, but suddenly stumbled.
"Matt! Are you alright?" Gabumon asked, helping him up.
"Yeah!" Matt snapped angrily, pushing Gabumon away. "TK may be in worse shape than I am in now! We have to find him! TK! TK!"
"Matt!" Gabumon interrupted. "You must save your energy. You must rest. There is a cave over there. Let us go there."
"A cave!" Matt exclaimed. "That's where TK is! He must have gone in there."
Matt ran as fast as he could in the heavy snow. His heart raced faster, in hope that TK was there. He had to be there!
But he wasn't.
Matt fell to his knees in despair.
"TK," he moaned. "TK where are you? Have I failed you again?"
"Hush, Matt," Gabumon said. "Rest first."
"But I have to find TK!" Matt argued.
"You rest," Gabumon replied. "I will go look for TK."
With those words, he set off into the howling blizzard.
Matt stared at the floor of the cave. It wasn't right. TK was his brother. Flashes of memory came to mind.
Gabumon was tired. He couldn't find TK. He continued on though; Matt would be so happy! He had to prove himself to Matt. Matt wasn't too cool for him; Gabumon knew it.
Matt was remembering. The anger in TK's eyes as Matt spoke for him.
"TK can't go! He's too young!"
TK had turned on his older half-brother in fury.
"Matt! Let me just go! It's not too dangerous! Just leave me alone! I can take care of myself!"
Matt felt the pain once again as the memory came back to him. He had known all his life that this would happen, but he couldn't stop caring. He needed TK more than TK needed him. TK was the only purpose in his life. He went without food, just to give it to TK. He did anything he could, risk his life for his little brother. And to be pushed away like that. Those word meant, "Go away! I don't need you! Just drop out of my life!"
But Matt couldn't let that happen.
He stepped out into the swirling snow.
Gabumon was tired. He had walked long and hard and the snow was getting through his fur and into his skin. He was cold. He had to get back to the cave.
"No sign of TK," he told himself. "Matt will be so disappointed."
As he thought of his Digidestined, he suddenly stumbled over something. Turning back, he saw that it was a body.
"Matt," he gasped.
His Digidestined lay limp in the snow, his lips blue, snow covering his frozen body, and his eyes closed. Gabumon approached Matt slowly.
"Matt! Are you okay?" Gabumon said.
No answer.
"I told you to stay in the cave!" Gabumon exclaimed in desperation as he picked up Matt's limp body in his arms. He slowly trudged back to the cave, hoping that his Digidestined would make it through the night.
Back at the cave Gabumon lay Matt on the floor on a bed of leaves.
"I have to get him warm," he thought. "Or else he might d- no I must think positively. But how can I warm him? There is no fire. And all I have is my own fur. I can't take it off though. What can I do?"
Gabumon spent a sleepless night, warming his Digidestined the best that he could.
Matt opened his eyes slowly, feeling a great weight on his chest. Looking up, he saw Gabumon, snoring. As he eased his arm out from under one of Gabumon's four paws, Gabumon suddenly jerked upright and looked at Matt with wide eyes.
"Are you ok?" Gabumon asked.
"I guess," Matt croaked. "I have a monster headache though."
"I told you to stay in the cave!" Gabumon scolded. "Why don't you listen?"
"Hey," said Matt, ignoring the question. "Do you have a blanket or something? I'm freezing."
He shivered.
"That's a bad habit wearing sleeveless shirts you tank-top lover," Gabumon retorted. "It's your fault!"
Matt looked over Gabumon's head and exclaimed, "Isn't that Tai and Agumon? And it's not a tank-top."
"Sorry," Gabumon replied sarcastically.
"It's ok buddy," Matt answered in a champion sarcastic voice dripping with honey.
Matt and Gabumon ran over to where Tai and Agumon were. There was a joyful reunion until Matt and Tai got into one of their usual fights, for although Tai was Matt's best friend, he was also his worst enemy.
"Where are we going now?" Matt asked.
"We're going to that island where Devimon was," Tai said.
"Shouldn't we go find our friends first?" Matt asked.
"We'll do that later," Tai replied.
"No!" Matt retorted angrily. "The most important thing to do now is to go find the rest. Mimi, Joe, Sora, Izzy, and TK need us!"
"I already told you!" Tai screamed shoving Matt. "We'll do that later!"
"We have to find them first!" said Matt, shoving him back.
Soon the two teens were angrily tearing at each other, rolling on the ground in the falling snow. Matt threw his fist at Tai's face in fury, but missed as Tai dodged. Tai slammed his knuckles into Matt's leg as they crashed into a tree. There was the sound of cracking as Matt's leg broke and he screamed out in pain. Tai was about to throw a fist into Matt's face when he noticed that Matt was crying, tears streaming down his face.
"It's TK," Matt whimpered. "I'm really worried about him. He told me to stop caring so much, but I can't. I love him so much. I know he's growing up and I'm the one who really needs him, but I can't give up. I need to find him."
"Hey Matt, calm down," Tai said. "Are you alright? Sorry about your leg. We'll go find the others…"
"It's ok, Tai," Matt answered. "You can make it up to me by helping me find TK. Ok?"
"Sure," said Tai, grabbing Matt's hand and pulling him up.
Matt gasped in pain as his leg twisted under him, deep into the snow. He collapsed into the hands of Tai and Gabumon.
"Steady, steady," Gabumon said. "It's ok, take your time."
Gabumon slung Matt's arm over his shoulder and helped him walk. Matt limped along, often stumbling and moaning.
"Hey," Agumon said. "You know what you said about finding the others? It looks like they found us! But they're kind of in trouble!"
Matt, Tai, Agumon, and Gabumon stared at the scene below them. In the frozen water filled with glaciers, there was an island, with the other Digidestineds and their Digimon. There was a Seadramon circling in the water, coming closer and closer to the Digidestined and the Digimon.
Tai and Agumon jumped down onto a frozen ice piece and leaped, step by step to reach the island. Gabumon and Matt were left struggling down the snow-covered hill that led to the freezing water. As Matt surveyed the scene below, he watched in horror as the Seadramon used his tail to slam TK to the ground.
"Help!" TK cried out. "Please! Help me! Matt, where are you? Anybody?"
As Matt heard these cries of terror, new energy came into his bones. Here was his chance to prove himself! He stumbled and slid down the hill, ignoring the screams of pain he longed to cry out as his leg twisted under him. Matt fell into the water and gasped at the shock of the sudden change in temperature. Ignoring the cold that numbed his entire body, Matt began to swim with powerful strokes. As he came closer to Seadramon he cried out, "Leave him alone!"
Seadramon turned around and saw Matt swimming clumsily through the icy water. He reached down and grabbed Matt with one powerful lunge of his jaws. Matt whimpered as Seadramon closed his jaws tight, squeezing Matt's ribs.
Suddenly the torture subsided but a new one emerged as Seadramon picked Matt up with his long scaly tail. He squeezed Matt and brought the tip of his tail around Matt's throat. The last thing Matt saw before Seadramon plunged his tail into the ocean was TK, lying on his back with a deep gash on his forehead and a broken arm.
"I've failed him," Matt thought, before plunging into the swirling water. "Gabumon, please help me, I need to get to TK."
As if Gabumon had heard Matt's thoughts, he digivolved into Garurumon. Plunging into the water, he began to attack Seadramon.
Matt was under water. He had to use all of his willpower not to breathe. Suddenly Seadramon's tail flew up and Matt took a breath. He saw Garurumon fighting desperately, trying to save him. Garurumon looked terrible with long scratches everwhere. Matt wondered what he could do to help his Digimon and his half-brother. Before he plunged into the water again, he had thought of an idea. It was risky, but it might just work.
TK was coming to. As he opened his eyes, he felt a prickly feeling. He widened his eyes and saw Tai, Mimi, Sora, Joe, and Izzy staring at him in horror and fascination. TK saw his arm repairing itself and felt the gash on his forehead melting away.
"W-what's going on?" he asked. "Where's Matt?"
"Seadramon is out there, drowning him, and Garurumon is trying to help. Matt had to save you from Seadramon, I guess," Tai said, eyeing TK in a peculiar way. "Did you tell him to drop out of your life or something?"
Suddenly, the impact hit TK. He realized why his wounds were healing. He gasped. This couldn't happen!
"Matt, stop!" he shouted. "Don't do this!"
Garurumon was in agony. But he felt a strange sensation creeping down his body. He gasped. His wounds were disappearing. As Seadramon lunged forward and sunk a tooth into his fur, Garurumon felt no pain and saw no wound. What was happening?
Matt was hurting. There was agony as he accepted every wound from Garurumon and TK. He felt his arm collapse, useless, and scratches appearing one by one. He felt as if a huge tooth sunk into his chest. Did he have to do this? He answered the question himself.
"It's the only way," he thought, before he blacked out.
"What's happening?" Mimi asked.
"Matt has the power to take away other people's pain," TK explained.
"What's so bad about that?" Tai said.
"Because the only way he can do that is by accepting the pain himself," TK replied. "Like my broken arm… Matt's going to have a broken arm. He seems to have used his gift for Garurumon. He doesn't seem to be injured. See! Just like that. Seadramon just tried to bite Garurumon! But nothing happened – don't you see! Garurumon doesn't get hurt, Matt does!"
"Do you mean Matt is suffering because of you and Garurumon?" Izzy inquired.
"Yes," TK answered. "I remember the first time he ever did this was when I was being beaten up by a couple of bullies. He just wanted to help me, but he ended up in the hospital right after."
"What's a hospital?" asked Tanemon.
Ignoring her question TK continued, "Emotional pain is even worse for him though. One time Colette, his girlfriend, was suffering because of her parents' divorce. Matt helped, and for a month, he wouldn't make eye contact, wouldn't eat unless we forced him to. He shut himself up a lot. I remember it was like this when I visited him. When Colette got over it, so did he. I just hope he knows we care about him or else it will be so harsh on him."
Garurumon struck Seadramon and he collapsed. Diving down to save his Digidestined, Garurumon prayed that he wasn't too late.
TK and the others stared as the enormous Seadramon collapsed. As Garurumon dove into the water to save Matt, TK screamed, "Save him! Please!"
Garurumon looked around into the swirling water, filled with little pieces of ice. He glanced down and saw Matt, held in Seadramon's tail, pinned to the ocean floor, his long hair floating everywhere, his eyes closed. Using his long claws, Garurumon ripped the long slimy tail off Matt, being especially careful with the part around Matt's neck. Garurumon then gently picked Matt up in his mouth and began to swim up, to the surface.
TK hoped in desperation that Matt would be ok.
"If only Garurumon would hurry up," he thought to himself.
Garurumon blasted up above the surface and swam to shore. He lay Matt on the ground and then began coughing up water while TK ran to his older brother.
"Matt," TK said comfortingly. "You have to get better. We need you here. I want you to know that… I love you… I don't want you to stop caring, to drop out of my life. I need you."
Then, he stepped back as Tai and Joe picked Matt up and dragged him, up the snow-covered hill, up past the trees and back into the cave he had been just the night before.
TK watched as Joe and Tai gently laid Matt on the bed of leaves where he had been before. Then, the Digimon ran to get wood and stacked up a huge pile. Using 'pepper-breath' Agumon set a blazing fire, to warm Matt. Using a rather large piece of wood, Sora tied Matt's leg to it with several bandages from Joe's first aid kit. Matt let out a cry of anguish when this happened, but he fell back after. He seemed to be in a nightmare, a large black hole and he couldn't get out.
He kept on moaning, "TK, I need you… where are you?"
TK tried to comfort him, but Matt didn't seem to realize that he was there. He cried out as his arm was put in a splint, and as they put the ointment on his bleeding cuts. He continually shivered and whimpered. Then, he became silent, not moving, not squirming, no noises.
Matt was in a different world. A dark, deep world and he couldn't get out. It hurt; where was TK? Where was Gabumon? Where was Colette even? Where was anybody? Had they forgotten him? Had they left him in his greatest hour of need? Or had he failed them all?
TK worried as he looked at his older half-brother. What if Matt couldn't make it? He hadn't moved in a long time, a day or so. He hadn't made any noises at all. But, Joe said that he was still breathing, therefore he was still alive. But if Matt didn't know that he cared, he might not have the will to get better. What had Tai asked him before – 'Did you ask him to drop out of your life or something?' – had he?
Then, flashes of memory began to piece together. The Digidestineds had been debating whether or not they would continue on to Infinite Mountain or rest. TK remembered Matt – 'TK can't go, he's too young.' Then TK remembered what he had said to his older brother – 'Matt! Let me just go! It's not too dangerous! Just leave me alone! I can take care of myself!' Looking back, he saw just how cruel he had been to his older brother. He had meant to hurt him on purpose. Now, he looked down at Matt and saw him suddenly shiver and moan in pain, calling for him.
Matt was delirious. He eyes were open but he didn't see anything. He moaned and flinched as though someone was about to hit him.
"Please don't hate me! Please, it hurts so much! Please, I need you. I need to know that you need me! Please…," Matt's voice slurred in a whimper. "TK, please, don't leave me. Don't leave me in an empty hole. Don't tear me away. Please…"
His voice trailed off and Matt began screaming in pain and desperation. He kicked and slammed the ground with his arms and legs; screaming when his broken arm whacked the surface.
Tai rushed over to the entrance.
"What's happening?" he asked. Looking at Matt, he screamed, "Holy frijoles! Holy guacamole! Oh my gosh! What's going on with him! Matt, calm down! I'm here… TK's here… you're ok!"
He ran over to Matt and attempted to push his flailing arms down to the ground.
"Come on buddy, it's ok," he said, soothing Matt.
Matt shuddered and then fell limp again, silent.
TK stared at his brother in horror. He remembered what Matt had said in his delirium. 'Please don't hate me' – Matt didn't think that TK hated him did he? He couldn't. Matt was one of the most valued people in TK's life.
"But I didn't treat him like one," TK realized. "Matt, I love you more than anybody in the entire world. You need to get better. We all need you. Please, believe me. If you go, then I go, just remember…"
Matt felt as if a light had touched him. He felt the black hole disappearing, slowly. He felt himself climbing out…
It had been a week now, and Matt still hadn't woken up. TK had stayed with him everyday, sleeping next to him, not moving from his side during the day. During the night, the Digidestineds had taken turns, taking watch.
Finally, Matt woke.
Matt felt himself waking up. He lay resting though, not opening his eyes. Were they there, waiting for him? Was TK there or had he d-? The thought was so terrible that it made tears come to his eyes.
"TK," he whispered, with every ounce of his strength and hope, wishing that TK would be there. Perhaps TK wouldn't be there, maybe he was still angry. Matt realized that he had been protecting TK too much, keeping him away from the rest of the world that he wanted to know.
"Matt," came a high-pitched voice. "You're back"
Matt opened his eyes, using all of his effort to see his brother, filled with joy, waiting at his side. Seconds later his brother started screaming, making Matt flinch at the noise.
"Everybody!" TK screamed. "Matt woke up! He's ok!"
There was a loud clamor as all the Digidestineds and their Digimon crowded around. Matt felt himself twist in pain as there was a huge bear hug from Gabumon.
"Matt! Yeah! You're alright!" Gabumon cried.
Matt managed to croak out, "Would you please stop strangling me?"
Gabumon pulled back and looked at his Digidestined with eyes brimming with tears of joy.
Tai slapped Matt on the back and said, "You had me worried back there old buddy, but you're ok! Hip hip hooray!"
As everybody celebrated, TK told Matt, "Um, Matt… I don't know how to stay this… but I really… um… love you… and I really need you more than anybody in the world. I don't want you to get out of my life… but you're kind of… overprotective… no offense."
Everybody listened as Matt whispered, "No offense taken, bro."
Everybody began screaming again. Mimi hugged Joe, who blushed and gently tried to push her away. Sora gave Tai a big kiss and Tai blushed deeper and deeper until he was the color of Gomamon's hair.
Then, they all began to laugh as TK innocently asked, "Matt, why is Tai turning into the color of a tomato?"
Matt said in his big-brother voice, "Um… be quiet TK," not wanting to embarrass Tai and Sora any more than they already were.
The celebration went on and on and the noise could be heard out into the galaxy, out of Digiworld.
THE END
Review, Please?
FiNnGrl.