Tainokou

I'm warning you…

…The Digital Destiny stood around, conversing on splitting up. Jyou and Mimi had decided on heading off for themselves… well, Mimi had decided to head off and Jyou had volunteered to go with her for protection purposes.

Sora was trying to talk Mimi out of her decision while Koushiro stood in thought near Hikari and Takeru, working out the most logical thing to do, obviously.

Jyou wandered over to where Taichi was looking at a loss to what was going on around him, grabbed the chestnut-haired boys arm and tugged him to the trees.

"Huh? Jyou! What is it?" Jyou kept his hand on Taichi's arm, looking the 'leader' in his eyes. Jyou's eyes were completely serious, trusting, yet… determined.

"Taichi, I want you to promise me something."

"Sure, what?"

"I want you to keep an eye on Koushiro for me,"

"Uh… yeah, Jyou. Sure." Taichi was starting to become uncomfortable. It was an almost normal request. Jyou and Koushiro were pretty close.

"He's my best friends Tai, and I don't want anything happening to him, okay?" Taichi could only nod. What was Jyou trying to get at? "I don't care if you're all going up against Piedmon, and really need his help. Just tell him 'no', understand?" Okay, this was getting strange.

"Jyou…"

"I mean it Yagami! I swear if he so much as a bruise I'll hunt you down and have your head on a stick, do you understand?" Jyou's grip had hardened, his gaze had narrowed and burned, burned into Taichi.

Anyone who looked at Jyou would instantly presume he'd never make a threat, of any kind. And even if he tried to, it would fall far from its mark. Jyou, along with many others gave off that impression, that they couldn't raise their fist even for the thrill of it. But Jyou was acting in a why, talking in a way that he could have threatened Taichi with something as dumb as: 'I'll throw sand in your shoes and hope you don't notice' and whatever reaction, whatever nerve he'd been aiming for, would get the full blow of the words. Each syllable was aimed true and stung like a hot poker. There was only one response you had in a situation like this, only one way to stop whomever was threatening you from filling out your death certificate where you stood…

"Promise me, Taichi."

"Jyou! Come on!" Mimi's irritating voice broke through the strange deep tension surrounding both boys. Jyou loosened his grip and turned to look over his shoulder.

"Coming." He muttered something under his breath, which sounded like a curse… upon himself. He glared at Taichi once more.

The goggle-clad boy suddenly shook himself out of a strange funk, which he'd fallen into, the feeling of being afraid under Jyou's gaze. He slowly nodded, finding himself aware that his mouth was hanging open with shock. Snapping his jaw into place he watched as Jyou smiled, the darkness around him rising, and the emotion in his eyes and voice slowly disappearing back into whatever neat spaces they'd crawled out of.

"Good." The 13-year-old turned and went after the pink stalk, which called itself Tachikawa Mimi, and smiled, to Koushiro and Sora. They waved as the headed off. Leaving everyone hoping they'd meet up again, preferably on this plain. All except Taichi, Taichi, who stood gaping after the clumsy boy with the glasses, the holder of the crest of Reliability, wondering if he had really seen what he thought he saw in the older boys eyes.

"What was that?" He managed to mumble. But he already knew. Glancing at Koushiro he kept the promise on the edge of his mind, yet not quite out of sight. When Jyou made a threat, you listened; you listened for all you were worth.

'…Keep an eye on Koushiro for me.' Taichi found himself still nodding in agreement to the promise. Friendship was friendship, but Jyou was convincingly concerned.

"Taichi, come on!" Jumping out of his thoughts, literally, Taichi turned to see Takeru, Hikari, Sora and the Digimon all waiting for him, to lead them on their way. He gave a nod and headed after them.

"All right then. Lets go!" He exclaimed.

A/N: I just wanted to write yet another explanation why Taichi wouldn't let Koushiro fight. Kawaii ne?