A/N: Here's the latest chapter. I hope everyone had a great Christmas. Think of this as a late Christmas present to everyone. I'm also rather stunned at the sheer amount of people who like this story. About 80 favs, over 100 reviews and 76 follows at the time of this writing. You're all fantastic, thanks for the support!
A New Darkness
Sora walked at the back of the group with Biyomon by her side. It had been a few days since Agumon had managed to digivolve and quite a bit had happened.
First, Kokatrimon nearly captured them all and handed them over to Etemon; but Birdramon and Togemon quickly sent him packing. Then they managed to find Mimis crest which was hidden in a giant cactus.
Sora thought it was fitting considering Togemon was a giant cactus with fists.
Then they had been ambushed by Kuwagamon, the very same Kuwagamon that had attacked them when they had first arrived in the Digital World. It still had a bent pincer from when Tai tricked into flying headfirst into a cliff. It emerged from the sand in front of them and nearly decapitated Tai before Agumon pushed him out of the way.
Kuwagamon was then destroyed by Piximon; who suddenly appeared and told them all off for being terrible tamers. He then chose to train them and began leading them to his home, located in a rainforest, in a desert under some kind of barrier. They were currently climbing up the mountain up to Piximons massive house.
'It's weird he decided to call us "tamers", everyone else referred to us as chosen or digidestined.' Sora thought to herself. 'I'm also not sure that we can trust this guy. Every time that something comes along to help us it's been a trap.'
She looked onward to where Tai was leading the group. He seemed a bit more like his old self now; he would laugh and act more like the goof he really was at heart. Sora watched as Tai said something to Agumon causing the proud little digimon to puff out his chest and Tai to laugh. She smiled.
Whatever tension there was before between the two had faded somewhat; leaving only a strong and sincere bond between them. Sora subtly observed Biyomon beside her. The little pink bird was marching along next to her perfectly content with walking up the long flight steps, provided she was next to Sora anyway. She had been taken by surprise by Biyomons outburst against Tai a couple of days ago. Everyone had.
Sora had only gotten a glimpse of Tai afterwards and it had looked like he was having some sort of breakdown. Things worked out in the end however and now he seemed to have recovered somewhat. The whole situation made Sora realise that their partners had far deeper emotions than she had initially thought.
Biyomon wasn't just a pet that could talk, but another being just as capable of independent thought as Sora was herself. She was beginning to see Biyomon as less of a friend and more like a little sister. The pink bird was still immature and naïve in many ways; but was partly learning what to do and how to act from watching Sora. She got an odd feeling of pride when she realised that.
When they had started climbing, Tai had asked her to be at the back to supervise the others considering that he and her were the two most athletic of the group. Sora watched as some of the others struggled to make it up the never-ending stairs.
Tk in particular was taking it rather hard, being a few years younger than the rest of them. He had however refused to let Matt help him, or to let Tokomon walk. The eight year old stubbornly carried the little in-training digimon up the stairs without a word of complaint.
She really admired that. Even if sh was rather worried for him.
Izzy wasn't faring as well. Having to lug his heavy laptop on his back, not to mention being in less than peak condition, it was obvious he was struggling more than the others. He was utterly silent, trudging forward with his hands on the straps of his laptop's case with Tentomon chatting happily beside him.
Joe was coping surprisingly well, as was Mimi. Although she wouldn't stop whining about it she didn't seem too tired physically. Sora thought she was rather odd.
With Matt it was difficult to tell, his concern for his little brother seemed to take precedent over whatever his physical condition was. He hovered just behind Tk, keeping a watchful eye on him, with Gabumon by his side.
'I swear he's almost as bad as Tai is with Kari' Sora thought derisively. 'Although Tai, at least, had a good reason for it...' She and Tai were pretty close.
She knew what happened to Hikari that caused Tai to become so protective of her. He had told her amongst his tears when she had asked about the bruise on his cheek. Sora believed that that moment was what made them such close friends later.
'Although lately' she thought worriedly, looking forward and spotting his blue shirts back 'We haven't been as close as we used to be. I hope he's alright.'
"You're almost there, yup-yup!" Pixmon yelled out circling above them. The group groaned tiredly,
"We've been climbing for hours!" Mimi whined looking up at the little pixie.
"None of that!" He admonished, waving his little staff at them, "You're the digidestined! Surely you can handle a little climb?" He then turned and kept flying just ahead of them.
"Is everyone doing alright?" Tai asked the others.
"My feet hurt!" Mimi yelled back annoyed,
"I'm alright" Matt said curtly,
"I'm...ok..." Izzy panted, hands gripped tightly to the straps of his laptop carrying case.
"I've been better" Joe moaned, "But otherwise alright" Tk settled for just nodding at Tai. Sora gave him a thumbs-up. He smiled.
"You're all doing great" Tai said encouragingly, "Just a few more steps..."
A couple of hours later when the sun was hanging low in the sky, bathing the area in a warm orange glow, they finally arrived at Piximons house at the top of the mountain.
It was more of a mini coliseum than a house, with a large statue of Piximon in the centre.
'Vain much?' Sora thought to herself on seeing the three storey-tall statue.
Piximon led them up to the third floor where he instructed them to clean the floors. This would, apparently, be the beginning of their training. He conjured up some uckets and mops out of thin air and dropped them at their feet.
"Well? Get to it!" Grumbling, the children and digimon began picking up mops and soaking them in the water-filled buckets. "Not you two though" Tai and Agumon looked up in surprise at him.
"What us?" Agumon asked pointing his claw.
"I have a special training for you. Follow me!" At that the little digimon turned around and began to fly away. Sora looked on concerned. Splitting up never seemed to end well for them. Tai seemed to come to the same conclusion. Instead of following Piximon he walked over to Sora. She could see the intense look on his face, inwardly she couldn't help but relax a little. Tai wasn't taking chances like before with Kokatrimon.
"Sora, I don't trust this guy." He said to her bluntly. She gripped the mop handle tightly,
"Me neither. First he tires us out with the climb, then wants to lead you away from the rest of us." She summarised looking serious. "Every time we encounter a digimon that doesn't just try to kill us right off the bat, they betray us in some other way."
Tai nodded.
"If we're not back by tomorrow, stick together, don't go anywhere he tells you too. Got that?" He said with an intensity no twelve-year old should posses.
"You'd better come back Tai" Sora responded looking at him, "We don't want to lose you." He couldn't help smiling at that.
"Don't worry I'll come back."
"Yep, we're the best!" Agumon cheered right next to him. Sora almost giggled,
"I know you are,"
"Lets go, yup-yup!" Piximons voice called from across the hallway. Tai grimaced.
"See you later Sora." The two quickly walked off to where Piximon had floated away leaving Sora alone with her mop.
"You'd better." She murmured to herself.
"And if they don't come back?" A voice from beside her asked. Turning she saw Izzy leaning against his mop, a cloth in his other hand. "What will you do if they don't come back?" He asked again.
She thought for a second, pursing her lips together in thought. If Tai didn't return, what should they do. What would she do?
"Sora?" Biyomon asked concerned; able to sense the uncharacteristic anger taking a hold of her partner.
"We'll burn this place to the ground." She said resolutely a stern expression on her face as she looked at Izzy challengingly.
Izzy nodded accepting of this. They'd all been through quite a bit but Sora and Tai were especially close. It was only logical what the pressures of command and the loss of her best friend would do.
"Then we'd better hope he returns."
"What exactly do you have in store for us?" Agumon asked the ultimate nervously. Piximon grinned although they couldn't see it.
"It's a surprise!" He said, cheerfully giving nothing away.
Agumon huffed. Piximon let his grin fade away as he continued to lead them into the darkness of the cave.
'I can only hope that you pass.' He thought to himself seriously, 'I wonder what it will show you. What weakness will the cave perceive?' Piximon continued to fly ahead of them leading them deeper into the cave until they eventually reached a small room with a sand floor.
"Here we are!" He yelled cheerfully.
"What happens here exactly?" Tai asked on guard. His digivice was gripped tightly in his hand although the cave was a bit small for Greymon. Looking around nervously, Tai could see the bad situation they were in. The cave was too small to digivolve in and they were alone with an ultimate-level digimon. A champion against an ultimate at least had a chance, but a rookie...
Tai tried to walk forward but his foot got caught on something. He looked down and gasped.
"Tai?" Agumon asked confused, "What is that?!" A tendril of darkness had appeared from the ground and wrapped around Tai's leg. He pulled desperately trying to get it off,
"What's going on? Piximon! It's a trap!" He yelled but the little digimon had already flown out of the cave.
"You must escape the cave to complete your training Tai!" He yelled as he flew out, "Good luck!"
The darkness circled around Tais feet before collapsing the ground under him and causing him to fall.
"Tai!" Agumon screamed diving in after him.
Tai screamed as he fell into the darkness and everything went black.
A gentle creaking noise gradually woke Tai up from his sleep. He blinked confusedly then got up, the ground shifted under him causing him to fall back down.
He groaned a little and held on to the wood.
'What?' Tai thought as he gained his bearings. He was in a boat. A small wooden boat just big enough for him to lie down in.
After some difficulty he managed to sit up and look around. He was floating in some sort of ocean. There were no waves, the water was so perfectly still it resembled a dark mirror.
When Tai looked over the edge of the boat he could see his reflection perfectly in the water. The only ripples came from when he moved, rocking the boat, dissipating and warping his reflection.
On top of the water lay the fog. On all sides Tai could see a swirling mass of dirty white and dark grey above the water. The fog curled over the sides of the boat like a tarantula enveloping his sight. All was quiet. No sound of waves crashing over one another. There was no wind to howl or rock the boat or to disturb the water. All Tai could hear was that of his own shaky breathing as he looked around worriedly.
'This place is...wrong somehow' Tai thought to himself. 'Where's Agumon?' He suddenly realised with horror. About to call out something stopped him. Some inner terror at the strange place he had found himself in. As if even the sound of his voice could disturb some ancient peace, disturb the calm about this place. As if some great monster would suddenly appear from the pitch-black water and swallow him whole.
Tai gathered his courage,
"Agumon?" He said hesitantly, half-expecting the little dinosaur to appear out of nowhere.
He didn't.
"Agumon!" Tai called out, his voice the only sound in the darkness. "Agumon!"
'Did he fall in the water?' Tai wondered. He cautiously leaned over the side of the boat and looked into the water. His own reflection stared back at him looking worried. Slowly, ever so slowly, Tai lowered his hand into the water.
Quickly Tai withdrew his hand sending large ripples across the pristine surface. The water was beyond freezing. He could barely feel his fingers and they were only in there for a split second. Tai sat back in the boat and tried to think while massaging his numb fingers.
'What's happening? Where's Agumon? Wasn't I in a cave?' He sat there trying to stare holes into the fog as life came back to his fingers. 'What do I do now?'
He was drifting in what appeared to be a never ending ocean of black water. Fog swirled around him hypnotically, offering no guidance as to which direction he could take. Not that he could move the boat in any direction. There were no oars or motor hidden in the boat. He was just drifting aimlessly in a strange ocean, with no supplies or companionship. He was alone.
Utterly alone.
'What do I do now?'
Agumon sat up in panic,
"Tai!" He yelled, concerned for his partner. Agumon blinked in confusion. He was sitting in some sort of dark cave. The floor felt sandy as he wiggled his toes nervously. There were walls on all sides except for one passageway which led upwards into darkness.
Agumon squinted but his eyes could not penetrate the darkness any further. Looking up revealed a large hole in the ceiling that led upwards as far as Agumon could see.
'That was where he fell from' he surmised, 'But where did Taichi go?' Suddenly Agumon was aware of a small figure in the corner of the cave. The figure was human-like, sitting down with their knees drawn towards their chest. The small dinosaur warily approached the figure, which he could barely see in the dark.
As he got closer Agumon could pick out more details. Such as large bushy hair and a pair of goggles... 'It is Tai!' He thought shocked.
"Tai! There you are." Agumon said happily grabbing a hold of his arm, "Come on we've got to get out of he- You sure are cold Tai. Tai?" His partner hadn't reacted to him at all. He still sat there against the wall, forehead resting on his knees, staring blankly at nothing. "Tai?" Agumon removed his hand away from him. "A-are you ok?" No answer. A bolt of fear struck through the little dinosaur, 'H-He's acting just like before!' He thought with panic.
"I need to be alone now Agumon."
Agumon frantically shook his head trying to dispel the memories.
'No! Tai promised he wouldn't!' The little dinosaur grabbed Tais limp body. With some effort he hoisted as much of his partner on his back as he could. Agumon then began to slowly walk towards the passage. 'Don't worry Tai' he thought as he struggled under Tais weight. 'I'll get us out of here. Just wait!'
Maybe the sun would help snap Tai out of whatever had happened to him. Bu it was too dark in here to even see a faint glimmer of,
'Wait a minute!' Agumon realised. 'That dark thing that got Tai earlier! It must be what's doing this to him!' With this Agumon redoubled his efforts to get Tai out of here. He wasn't going to let a little darkness ruin his partnership. Not now that they had just gotten over some major issues.
'I'll look after you Tai. Don't worry! Through thick and thin, remember? We'll always be partners!'
Night had descended on Piximons palace. All the Digidestined were lying in the futons that Piximon had provided looking at one another discussing what to do.
"So if Tai doesn't come back you want to destroy this place?!" Joe asked rather alarmed. Sora nodded,
"Don't you think you're being a little over reactive? What if it just takes Tai a little longer to complete the training then Piximon thought. Plus he's an ultimate digimon, Tentomon said so. We shouldn't go out of our way to annoy him."
"But if Tai doesn't come back then we've lost both him and Agumon." Matt pointed out, "And you'd be willing to let the one responsible get away with this?!" He seemed annoyed although it hadn't quite gotten to anger yet.
"Well no...but...err..." Joe stammered.
"I know it may seem alarming but I'm sure Tai and Agumon are perfectly fine!" Tentomon pointed out. "Piximon is a well-known trainer. He won't do anything to them, he's not like the other digimon we've met."
"You guys need to relax a little more." Gomamon pointed out, lounging next to Joe. "Stop being so serious all the time, it's not like everyone's out to get us."
"Except for that Kuwagamon" Izzy pointed out calmly, "He somehow followed us across File Island, an entire ocean and half a desert because Tai bent one of his pincers."
"That's scary" Mimi murmured.
"I hope not all digimon are like that" Tk said, Tokomon still in his arms.
"We're not don't worry. I guess that one just had a chip off its shoulder" Tokomon replied looking up at the eight year old.
"Who knows what other ones could still be following us? Like Shellmon or Seadramon?!" Joe panicked.
"They're both aquatic and Seadramon was in a lake." Izzy pointed out, "How would they possibly follow us across a desert?!"
"Nothing makes sense here!"
"They still need to drink, Seadramon doesn't even have limbs!"
"Guys, you're getting off topic!" Sora pointed out. "We need to figure out what to do in case Tai...doesn't come back."
"We'll continue doing what we were doing. Find the crests and find a way home." Matt said as if he was decided.
"But shouldnt't we at least try to find Tai first? What if he's just stuck somewhere?" Sora countered.
"It's not an easy decision to make but if he can't get back then what chance do we have of finding and bringing him back!?"
"You'd just leave him, you coward!" She roared at him.
"I'm just thinking about everyone!" He yelled back. Izzy and Joe continued arguing about whether any more enemies they'd encountered would rear their ugly heads. While Tk and Mimi sat in the corner quietly watching everything.
The digimon watched all this curiously,
"Humans are so serious" Gomamon pointed out. The digimon all nodded.
"They do have a point though" Tentomon whispered quietly. "Although they don't seem to realise it."
"I hope Tai comes back soon" Biyomon said to their incredulousness.
"I thought you didn't like him. What changed?" Gabumon asked confused.
"He began treating Agumon like an actual partner." She crossed her wings in front of her looking on as her normally level-headed partner argued ferociously with Matt. "If he doesn't come back soon though. They might tear themselves apart."
"It's weird isn't it?" Palmon pointed out as they watched the humans argue. "It's like a delicate balance. They're like an ecosystem, remove one piece and the whole thing goes out of whack."
"That's very astute of you Palmon" Gabumon complimented. She blushed,
"Oh stop," she said bashfully.
"Everyone stop fighting!" Mimi yelled out silencing everyone.
"Look at us fighting like this! He's only been gone a few hours and we're already squabbling like three-year olds!" The other children all stared at her, surprised by this sudden outburst.
"I'm going to get some sleep and calm my temper. I suggest you all do the same. Goodnight!" With that Mimi picked up her futon and stormed off out of the door and into another room.
The others all sheepishly looked at one another before muttering a series of half-hearted goodnights and retiring to their own rooms.
It was much later on in the night when Izzy stepped out of his room and onto the balcony in the cool night air, his tag glowing purple, that he encountered Matt.
Walking in the same direction as him, his own tag glowing a soft blue, they both stared at one another as if they'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.
"Oh hey Matt. Your tag started glowing too?"
"Yeah..." They looked at one another awkwardly.
"Should we go find them..." Izzy asked
"Yeah I think so" Matt quickly replied. They walked together in awkward silence, following the pull of the tags. Eventually they came to the start of the stairs down the mountain.
"Should we stick together?"
"For the best." There was strength in numbers and neither wanted to admit how creepy the rainforest looked at night. In silence they followed their tags down the mountain. Even after the amount of exercise they'd done that day, going downhill was much easier.
Only the light of the moon and that of their tags guided them down the mountain. After awhile Matt broke the silence,
"So, what do you think we should do?" He asked. "About tomorrow, I mean."
Izzy looked across at the taller boy. He seemed genuinely interested in his opinion, although Izzy was wary of Matt having an outburst. He might be more willing to come to blows against Izzy then against Sora.
"I think we should wait for Tai, hear me out." He finished quickly before Matt could interject. "Tai has practically been leading us since we came here, abandoning him would just be wrong. The digimon seemed to trust Piximon and we should respect their opinions. I think it's unlikely that Tai would trust Piximon enough to lead him into a trap."
"He trusted those Numemon, and Kokatrimon." Matt pointed out.
"We all make mistakes. That just seemed to put Tai on a higher guard. We should place some trust in Tai and that he and Agumon will come back fine. That's what I think anyway" he added quickly looking at Matt. After a moment of silence, the blonde-haired boy nodded.
"Tk would be crushed if we just left him." He sighed, "I guess we'll just see what happens tomorrow." He sounded resigned rather than annoyed. Izzy decided to press his luck,
"Why do you respect my opinion so much?" He questioned. "Sora made some valid points as well." Matt snorted,
"You're obviously smarter than any of us, I thought you might raise some good ideas. Also... I don't know I guess I was just tired and stressed from the last few days." He ran a hand through his sweaty hair. "I never thought I'd miss my Dad's crummy shower but here I am."
Izzy nodded,
"I've always read that you never realise what you have until it's gone. But I never realised what it felt like to truly lose everything." Matt looked shocked at Izzy's sudden pessimism.
"Do you think it's truly possible to get back home?" Matt questioned worriedly.
"We were brought here, so I have to assume that somehow there is a way back." The red-heads face scrunched up, "As to the details, I have no clue."
"Shit." Matt said simply, looking up at the stars and concentrating on not tripping down the stairs.
"Yeah"
He had been lying in the boat for who knows how long now. Unable to escape, unable to leave. Swimming was out of the question. He'd die of hypothermia three strokes in! Yet despite the water being so cold the air, though damp, was only a little chilly. A kind of cold that rested just on the edge of uncomfortableness. There was no wind to make it worse at least. Tai thought trying to look on the bright side. A dull flash of white in the sky above him made him blink.
'Wha-'
A sudden jolt startled Tai out of his trance. He sat up, aware that his boat was no longer entirely in the water.
A grey beach spread out in front of him with cliffs and a forest further inland. Tai carefully stood up and hopped off of the boat. He stretched. It felt as if he'd been lying in that boat for hours. As Tai continued to look around he couldn't help but feel as if there was something wrong. There were no typical beach sounds. There were no birds flying overhead, no cries of people or animals nor was there the smell of salt in the air.
Just the unerring and gentle lapping of the black sea against the beach. Tai strolled well away from the freezing cold water and walked along the beach aimlessly. It was almost as if something had taken out all of the life and colour in the world, leaving just the shadows to take over. Even his clothes seemed duller and darker in this place, once more vibrant blues and yellows were now different shades of grey.
A white light went past him in an instant, the sudden light almost blinding him. Looking ahead Tai could just about make out the shadow of a lighthouse far ahead. It's powerful beam rotating around, the only sign of life in this world. It was the only clue he had so he cautiously made his way along the beach towards it.
'If there's a working lighthouse there must be someone to maintain it.' He thought about the factory, the phone booths and the trolley-car. 'Probably...'
As he made his way over towards the lighthouse, the fog seemed to thin. He could make out the full shape of the lighthouse now as it stood on a cliff, looking out into the ocean. But suddenly next to it he spotted something else. Something different to the lighthouse. As it's outline in the fog became clearer Tai gaped at what he saw.
A dark structure reached out into the sky near the lighthouse. It had no features that he could see. No patterns or windows or doors of any sort. Just a black spire reaching out into the spire.
An oppressive feel seemed to come off of the tower making Tai instinctively back away.
'This place... it's evil' he realised. He had to get out of here! Who knew what creatures could lurk in a place like this. He began to back away from the tower.
"Taichi..."
Tai stopped in his tracks, a look of shock on his face. He span around wildly trying to locate from where the voice originated.
"Taichi..."
'That way!' He realised and began to run back along the beach away from the tower. 'Please no...'Tai thought desperately as he recognised the pained voice. He picked up the pace as he approached a nearby cave on his right. Tai skidded to a stop on the sand. Facing the cave, he stopped for a moment,
"Tai..." The voice called again, causing his heart to pound rapidly in his chest. He could hear strange whispers emanating from the cave. They were just too quiet for him to hear what they were saying; but loud enough for him to notice them.
"Why did it have to be a cave?" He muttered.
Tai swallowed nervously and walked into the cave. He suddenly stopped as the darkness in front of him parted,
"I'm not feeling too good Tai..." the voice said becoming frail. Tai felt his heart constrict and his skin go cold. He could do nothing but stare at the apparition in front of him,
"Kari" he choked in astonishment. For his little sister stood in front of him, looking smaller than ever, wearing her pajamas.
'She looks just like she did when...' Tai realised, his eyes widening in horror. The whispers grew louder and louder, until their roar was all that he could hear.
Ambulance sirens, his mother screaming. "It's all your fault Tai. You nearly killed her!"
When Tai came back to the world he found himself on his knees breathing heavily. The whispering quickly receding. 'No, no I didn't mean too!' Long repressed guilt reared in his chest like a dragon. 'I didn't mean too!'
"All I wanted was for my big brother to be happy; and you tried to kill me!" Kari accused angrily standing above him. Tai flinched as if he'd been struck,
"NO! I didn't-I wasn't-!"
"You were selfish and thoughtless. But you didn't suffer for it. I did!" She yelled, effortlessly tearing down all the walls he had long ago constructed in his mind to hide from his failure. Reeling from her accusations Tai didn't see the malevolent grin form on his sisters face.
"It wasn't just me you failed." She purred, her voice dripping with malevolence, "Everyone you knew from the Digital World is dead. Zero, Gabo, MagnaAngemon, Leo, Gon and countless others. They were waiting for you to come back and save them." Tai silently gasped.
"Can you hear them Taichi?" The apparition mocked, "Can you hear their voices crying out for you to save them?" Tai clutched his head as a multitude of voices became audible to him as the whispering descended upon him with another all encompassing roar.
"Help me!" "I don't want to die!" "Save me Taichi!" "Where are you?!" A legion of voices screaming and crying out for help, help from Tai who was curled up, tears pouring down his face as the whispering again died down, leaving only him and Kari in the cave. The only sound being that of his heavy breathing.
"Now do you realise how alone you truly are?" She asked callously slowly approaching his kneeled form. "Your parents don't want you after what you did to me-"
"What were you thinking?! You knew she was sick!" The memory of his mothers near hysterical voice rose to the surface, his felt his cheek start to sting. "You can't even hold onto a partner digimon! Agumon has abandoned you and Zero is long gone."
She was standing right in front of him now. He could see her bare feet through the tears in his eyes. What Tai couldn't see was the sadistic mirth in her eyes or the grin or her face.
"You're truly useless" she surmised triumphantly. Trapped in a prison of his own guilt, alone, Tai despaired.
Agumon continued to struggle up the passageway, lugging Tais unconscious body on his back.
"Don't worry Tai. Once we get out you'll be alright. Just hang in there!" Agumon said loudly trying to boost his own confidence as well as that of his partners. The little digimon didn't know how long he'd been trudging up the passage; only that it seemed like forever.
Eventually he had to rest, so Agumon carefully put Tai down; leaving him sitting against the wall. He then sat down next to him and relaxed a little. They sat in silence as Agumon rested, waiting to regain his strength. He looked up the dark passageway which looked exactly the same as it did when he started.
'How far did we fall?' Agumon wondered to himself. 'It could take days to get out. I don't know if I'll be able to make it' he thought to himself sadly. He looked over at his still catatonic partner. Now that his eyes were more used to the darkness, he could see a little more.
Tai was still breathing, albeit slowly, but his eyes were blank staring at nothing. His normally bright clothes were utterly dark. The yellow stars on his shoulders were like black holes. Agumon blinked and looked down at his own yellow arm. Even in the dark he could tell it was yellow. He looked back at Tai's shirt. The stars were noticeably darker, almost purple.
'Something isn't right here' The digimon realised with some alarm. Agumon reached out gently to touch Tai with his claw. He was still cold. On a hunch he turned away from his partner,
"Pepper Breath!" He cried and a small fireball flew from his mouth to hit the floor. For a few moments the passage was lit up and Agumon saw. Some kind of black field had encased Tai completely. It gave him a dark aura and startled Agumon into action.
"Tai! Tai! You have to wake up!" Agumon pleading, abandoning all pretext and shaking the boy roughly. "The darkness down here, it's alive! You have to wake up!" All the shaking was to no avail, Tai remained limp in his arms like a ragdoll. Agumon froze. He had no idea what to do. His partner was trapped by something he could barely understand, he was stuck in a cave without any help from the others, he was all alone...
'NO!' Agumon thought desperately, 'I'm not alone! Not anymore. Tai's still here. I just have to wake him up! Obviously that darkness around him has to be why he won't respond.' He reasoned, 'How do I get rid of darkness?' He pondered this for a bit. 'Well light gets rid of darkness, but how do I make light?' He grinned.
"Pepper Breath!" The ball of fire lit up the cave for a few brief moments allowing Agumon to again catch a glimpse of the darkness around Tai. "Pepper Breath!" He yelled again, lighting up the cave again. The darkness did not waver. Again the cave was lit up, it stayed the same. Again, again and again. Agumon stood there panting. 'Ok, that's not working' he concluded. 'Now what?'
Suddenly Agumon small ears picked up a sound. He lifted his head trying to pinpoint the source. A quiet mumbling could be heard coming from his partner only a few feet away. Agumon decided to approach this cautiously.
"Tai?" he asked hesitantly, "Is that you?" Tai remained the same as ever but now Agumon could see his lips moving ever so slightly as if he was mumbling something. He shifted towards the unmoving boy and put his ear as close to Tais mouth as he dared.
"My fault...useless..." the boy muttered, barely audible to the dinosaurs ears. His eyes widened in surprise. "I'm sorry Kari...I didn't mean too..." Agumon was appalled. What was this darkness doing to him?! "I'm alone...I'm...scared..."
The dinosaur almost jumped away in shock as Tai continued to mumble. Agumon had seen Tai face down a lot of things. When they had fought Kuwagamon together when he was Koromon, Tai didn't bat an eye. They fought Gorillamon, Ogremon and countless others and Tai laughed along the way.
He faced down the giant Devimon and was the only one of the children not to scream in terror. What the hell was this thing that could make Tai feel frightened?
'And what did he mean by alone?!' Agumon thought with despair. He grabbed tai by the shoulders.
"You're not alone Tai! You're not!" He wailed tears in his eyes. "Remember our promise? "Through thick and thin" I'm still here Tai and I always will be!" No reaction. Agumon grabbed Tais digivice which was clipped onto his belt and forced it into his unresponsive hand.
Agumon grasped the hand as best he could, with the digivice sandwiched between their palms. "Remember Tai! You're not alone! You'll never be alone! I'm here! I'll always be here! I didn't wait my whole life for you just to be ignored when it mattered!"
Tears were rolling down his eyes now, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself and stand up and fight! Please..." He finished with nothing else he could say. The digivice flashed for a moment and then once again, all was still.
Tai sat up suddenly; startling the apparition. 'That voice...' He thought surprised and looked to his belt where the voice had come from. His digivice's screen was faintly glowing. Tai grabbed it and held it up. He could feel his hand being grasped by something although there was nothing there,
"Agumon?" He asked uncertainly He felt something resonate within him, like a confirmation. The words of his partner washed over him like warm water, soothing him.
"Your partner abandoned you. You don't deserve him" Kari said callously, "You couldn't even look after me how would you take care of a digimon?" Tai ignored her, instead focusing on his digivice, on the paw he could feel gripping his hand
"You're right Agumon." Tai said as he slowly stood up, towering over the apparition of Kari. "I'm being stupid." The being seemed shocked at his words but quickly regained her composure.
"No-one cares about you. You should just die" She spoke cooly, still dripping with malice. Yet to Tai her words seemed so hollow now.
"I've been selfish. Unable to let go of the past, even Neo would call me a hypocrite" Tai chuckled,
"You have no friends, your family hates you..." She continued anger in her voice.
"You're right. It's time for me to stop feeling sorry for myself. Accept that these things have happened and move on."
"You couldn't protect me, you couldn't protect Zero, you couldn't protect ANYBODY!" Her words seemed so hollow to Tai now.
"Everyone makes mistakes." Tai said to himself, "But true courage is about continuing on regardless. To keep looking forward, to never give up!"
"THERE! IS! NO ONE! HERE!" The thing in front of him screamed at him.
"You're wrong" Tai said calmly staring down the growing mass of darkness that had taken the form of his sister. "I have Agumon with me right here" He squeezed his hand and could feel Agumon squeeze back. The darkness had completely abandoned Karis likeness and assumed a formless pulsating mass.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" It screeched, its voice now like nails on a blackboard as it began to expand towards Tai. "YOU WOULD ABANDON THE OTHER? YOU SCUM!" It roared in one last desperate attempt to get Tai to give in. He smirked,
"Zero may be dead, but he would roll in his grave if I gave into you! We believed that the future belongs to those who never give up! I'll continue to look forward, no matter what, in honour of him." The darkness screamed and lurched forward.
A bright orange light from Tai's crest stopped it in its tracks. It shrieked in pain, recoiling in horror as the orange glow grew brighter and brighter.
"I can't believe I thought you were actually Kari. I'm such an idiot. You know she doesn't blame me for that accident at all. She blames herself for not being able to kick the ball! She's such a good person you can't even understand it, you can't even comprehend it can you? Something that selfless?!"
Tai stared down the darkness and it shrank back retreating into the back of the cave until it vanished entirely. Tai glanced down at his chest. The sun-like symbol on his tag was now glowing proudly on his chest. He smiled as the surroundings began to melt away. Tai felt his feet leave the floor,
"Don't worry Agumon. I'm on my way" he stated as he vanished entirely from that dark plane.
A bright orange light blinded Agumon for a second. He blinked and lowered the arm protecting his face to look at Tai.
"Agumon?" The boy asked weakly, looking up at the dinosaur. Agumon stared for a moment, then smiled. He launched himself at Tai, hugging him for all he was worth.
"You're back! You're back!" He cheered happily as his partner recovered.
"Yeah I am." Tai said quietly. "Agumon?"
"Yeah?"
Tai smiled at him,
"Thanks for getting me out of there" he finished sincerely.
"It was nothing" Agumon replied rubbing the back of his head. Suddenly the passage they were in trembled. Tai and Agumon quickly got to their feet in alarm as the walls vanished. They turned into data and disappeared, leaving Tai and Agumon just outside the cave they were lead into earlier.
"That's weird..." Tai managed to say after gaping in confusion.
"Isn't this the cave where Piximon left us?" Agumon realised. This startled Tai.
"I forgot all about him!" He exclaimed, "Didn't he say to make it out of the cave?"
"Yeah. And wasn't it dusk when we went in?" Agumon pointed out. They looked to the sky and sure enough the sun was at its peak height, signifying midday.
"How long were we in there?" Tai wondered. They looked out onto the lush jungle that surrounded Piximons home. The barrier that kept it separated from the desert that was Etemons domain was visible as a white dome surrounding the forest.
The dome also had a huge hole in it from where a huge red dinosaur had broken through and had begun torching the trees.
"Thats Tyrannomon!" Agumon said indentifying the digimon. "He must be working for Etemon."
"Look at the wires coming off of him" Tai noticed. The Tyrannomon was trailing large black cables wrapped around his legs and attached to his back. "That must be how Etemon spreads his dark network!" Tai realised. "We have to destroy that Tyrannomon!" Agumon nodded beside him.
"I'm ready Tai. Just say the word." A happy gin stretched across the dinosaurs mouth.
"Lets digivolve!" His digivice lit up and a bright light encased Agumon. He began to grow,
"Agumon digivolve to...Greymon!" He yelled out.
The land seemed to shake with Greymon's challenging roar. Tyrannomon halted his attack and turned curiously towards them.
He was promptly bowled by over by an enraged Greymon. He roared triumphantly as the Tyrannomon slowly got back to its feet, still attached to the cables from the dark network. It wasn't much of a fight, Greymon grabbed the Tyrannomon and like a scene out of a wrestling match lifted him above his head and slammed him back down onto the ground. He then finished off the red dinosaur with a Nova blast, scattering its data to the wind.
Not long after we find Agumon and Tai reunited with the others and Piximon, who had been shielding them from Tyrannomons attack.
"Tai!" Sora yelled overjoyed. "You're alright! We were starting to get worried." The others agreed although Matt folded his arms, annoyed.
"While you were off getting special training from Piximon; me and Izzy manged to find our crests." Izzy then spoke up much more cheerfully,
"Indeed. We found them in a well outside of the barrier." He turned to Piximon, "That was how the Tyrannomon got in. Sorry about that." Izzy apologised looking nervous.
"That's alright" The little ultimate replied, "The crests are important tools you digidestined need to find. I can handle Etemons goons no problem!"
He floated over to Tai and Agumon. "And you two! You both managed to escape the caves and as a bonus, defeat Tyrannomon. Maybe you Digidestined do stand a chance after all."
"Hold on a minute" Tai said folding his arms, "You mean all that stuff that happened in the caves was a test?"
"Yep, yep!" Piximon confirmed nodding his, well, body.
"The whole black ocean, darkness thing was all just a test?!" Tai asked anger in his voice.
It had been one of the most horrible experiences of his life. Being yelled at, blamed by Kari for everything. It was only now, when the oppressive atmosphere of that place was gone, that he could think clearly. Tai knew Kari didn't blame him for the accident. That was what hurt most of all,
"I'm sorry I can't kick the ball very well"
For the first time that Tai had seen, Piximons expression changed. His perpetual smile vanished to be replaced by a concerned look.
"Darkness? Black Ocean?" Piximon repeated. Agumon piped up,
"Yeah, Tai was covered in that black stuff. It was making him act really weird." His voice grew softer, "It was like he wasn't really there..." Silence greeted this statement. Piximon looked worried, his face had noticeably paled and he gripped his staff tightly.
"That doesn't seem right" He muttered quietly, out loud he said, "You still overcame it however, so well done!" He then turned to the whole group, "You're all welcome to stay for dinner." They all cheered up at that,
"We won't have to wash the floors again will we?" Sora asked, skeptical of the offer.
"Oh no, no! You won't have to do anymore training. You can rest up here tonight then continue your journey tomorrow. How does that sound?" Piximon asked.
"Wonderful!" Mimi gushed clasping her hands together in joy. "I could really do with a day away from the desert. That much sand isn't good for my skin." Izzy yawned,
"Yeah we could do with a good nights sleep" Matt suggested, "Me and Izzy spent most of last night looking for our crests."
"I'm fine with it" Joe said, "As long as we don't have to do anymore exercise!"
"Aw, come on Joe" Gomamon joked looking up at him, "You could do with a bit more exercise ya' know. Hey that rhymed! I'm a poet..." Joe let out a long suffering sigh,
"I wonder if I can get a gag for him" he muttered as Gomamon jabbered on.
As the sun set over Piximons hidden jungle, the digidestined finished having the dinner that Piximon had provided for them and began to settle down to have some sleep. At least they were until Piximon came in and asked to speak with them all.
"What's wrong?" Sora asked the little ultimate; noticing the grave expression on his face. They all gathered round him, ready for whatever grave news he had for them.
"Tai, Agumon. I would like to apologise to the two of you." The two started at having been addressed.
"Why's that?" Agumon asked concerned.
"Because that darkness you encountered was not part of my test for you two" Piximon said simply looking directly at them.
"Then what was it?" Tai asked worried. If that hadn't been part of Piximons test, then where did it come from?
"It is a sign." He said simply.
"What do you mean a sign? What are you talking about?" Matt asked annoyed.
"Normally, those who go into that cave are confronted with whatever aspect of them was holding them back. Such as hesitance or fear." Piximon explained, "Upon realising what it was that was holding them back and overcoming it they would be able to leave the cave. What your friend Tai experienced was not only far darker, but far more malicious."
The tension in the room was palpable. The small light in the centre of the group seemed as if to form a shield against the darkness of the outside. The darkness that seemed to crawl along the walls as Piximon spoke.
"I investigated the cave and was nearly taken by some form of evil energy. I have never before felt such despair." He looked up at all of them, "Such a thing should not be possible. For such a powerful darkness to have suddenly appeared..." He swallowed, "It's a sign that something is very wrong with the digital world. I have no doubt that whatever is causing this is the reason you were all summoned here in the first place."
"What!?" Matt asked angrily, "So whatever we were sent here to fight is in that cave?!"
He shook his head,
"No. What was in that cave was only a sign of a greater evil. A powerful entity is causing the barriers protecting the digital world to collapse. An entity far more powerful than Etemon. For such a thing to happen would mean that even the Sovereign are powerless to help." Piximon said gravely. The digimon seemed shocked yet the humans were clueless.
"Who are the Sovereign?" Izzy asked curious, yet slightly worried.
"The four Sovereign are the most powerful digimon currently alive. Some believe they are Gods, while other believe they are simply merely abnormally strong digimon. Regardless of what they are, their duty is to protect the digital world from evil."
"Then where are they now!?" Matt piped up again, "If they're so strong why aren't they helping us!?" Tai inwardly agreed, he had never heard of the Sovereign, they certainly hadn't bothered to help against Daemon. All cheer had vanished from Piximon, he spoke in a serious tone,
"I don't know. It is likely that they are locked in a battle of their own. Probably a battle that they aren't going to win," he gestured towards them, "hence your presence. You are their trump card. The only ones left who can defeat this evil. The Digital Worlds last hope, the Digidestined."
Silence reigned amongst the children as the true weight of responsibility fell on their shoulders. Tai also sat watching their reaction. He was no stranger to supposedly unwinnable odds. Daemon, Omnimon and Arkadimon were only some of the said-to-be invincible digimon he and Zero had beaten. Tai had risked his life for the digital world before; he had accepted his responsibility and was willing to fight.
'But are the others?' He thought worriedly to himself. Unlike him who had been given a choice and could have just left; they had all been practically press-ganged into saving this world.
Matt seemed angry at being forced into this, it was written all over his face.
Even Sora, Tai could tell, was confused about what to think. She was biting her lip slightly and looking at the ground deep in thought.
Izzy, like always, seemed to be thinking. Tai could only imagine what was going through the young genius's mind.
Joe was normally indecisive about what to do; it's no wonder he was struggling what to think about this.
Tk was sitting quietly next to Matt with Tokomon in his arms, confused and tired from the days events. Mimi...
"So why are we here?!" She spoke up suddenly. "We never asked to be here! We never wanted to do this!" Silence met her agrument, no-one knew what to say. "It's been months since I've had a change of clothes! We can only bathe occasionally, we have to scrounge around for food, sleep outside all the time. I want to go home!" There were tears in her eyes by the end of her speech and everyone looked sympathetically towards her. They had all felt like that before at some time or another.
"Mimi..." Palmon whispered sadly next to her. "Does that mean you wish you'd never met me?" The distraught girl hugged Palmon tightly taken aback by her question.
"No! I-I'm just... I mean..." Mimi paused unable to speak through the mists of confused feelings in her heart.
"We all miss home" Joe said sadly. The others all looked to the floor, silently agreeing.
"Maybe we should all get some sleep." Sora suggested calmly. "We're all tired and tensions are high. So lets rest on it. Ok guys?"
"Good idea Sora" Tai supported, "Lets all go to sleep and talk about it in the morning."
"Fine" Matt agreed, "Come on Tk. Lets go to bed"
"Goodnight guys" Tk said as he walked off with Matt. They all said their goodnights and walked off with their partners to bed.
Tai lay in his futon; alone with Agumon next to him. The others had all retreated to different rooms, each wanting a bit of privacy after the days revelations.
"You didn't really say much Tai." The dinosaur whispered, "do you want to go home too?" Tai looked up at the ceiling.
"I do miss home Agumon" he began as his partner looked at him closely, "but I'm glad I came here and met you." He looked back at Agumon smiling slightly. "I wouldn't give that up for the world"
"Thanks Tai." They both went back to staring up at the ceiling as they let the small sounds of the large creaking building lull them to sleep.
"Tai" Agumon asked hesitantly.
"Yeah?"
"What was it exactly you saw in that cave?" Tai thought of what to say. He was exhausted after all the emotional trauma he'd gone through that day and really didn't want to talk about it.
"Alot of stuff Agumon. Horrible stuff. I'll tell you one day, but not today. I'm too-" Tai yawned, "-tired right now."
"That's alright"
"But Agumon, it's thanks to you I got out of there. You helped me find the courage to move on. Thank you." He finished sincerely, looking straight at his partner.
"No problem Tai. You can always count on me!" Agumon said suddenly loudly.
"Go to sleep!" Yelled a grumpy Sora through the rather thin wall behind them.
"Sorry!" He yelled back. Then realising he had yelled Agumon quickly put his hands over his mouth in alarm. Tai did the same, but to stifle his laughter.
"Sleep!" Came the screeched reply from both Biyomon and Sora. Agumon scrambled back into his futon for fear of their wrath.
"I think we'd better go to sleep Tai" he said hastily.
"Goodnight Agumon" Tai chuckled before he drifted off.
The next morning the group was ready to depart. They gathered at the edge of the barrier waiting for Piximon, who had said that he had a gift for them. Most of them were sitting down, Izzy was on his laptop with Tentomon nearby. Mimi and Tk were chatting about something or other, whilst the other four had decided to start the conversation off where they had left it the night before,
"So what's the verdict then?" Matt asked while leaning against a nearby tree. His temper had cooled somewhat after a good rest a nice breakfast. The other three sat in the shade of the tree listening. "Are we gonna try and fight this super evil force or what?"
"How are we supposed to fight it anyway?" Sora piped up, looking concerned. "We don't know what it is or where it is. Not to mention that Piximon said it's even more dangerous than Etemon"
"Why should we fight it anyway?" Joe said. "If it's comfortable hanging out in dark spooky caves, then I say let it. We'll just avoid them from now on." Mat nodded, agreeing with Joe.
"Exactly. Why should we put ourselves at risk needlessly?" He spoke. Sora turned to Tai who was sitting in the grass next to her.
"Tai, you're the only one whose actually seen this thing. What was it like?" Joe and Matt remained silent. Tai had clearly been affected by whatever was in that cave. He had been far quieter than usual and unusually tense.
"Agumon says that all he could see was some dark energy. It knocked me out and vanished completely." Tai stated curtly.
"It didn't do anything?" Matt asked skeptically, "It just knocked you out?" Tai looked at the ground.
"You heard what Piximon said last night. It makes you feel despair. I'd rather not talk about what I saw" Tai said simply not meeting any of their gazes. Sora laid a comforting hand on his shoulder,
"That's alright Tai. You don't need to say anymore" She knew him pretty well and already had an idea of what he may have seen.
"So what should we do? I have no desire to go fighting something that can make you see your worst nightmares or something!" Joe said quickly,
"Well I think it's obvious" Izzy interjected. They suddenly noticed him standing behind them, his laptop packed away and ready to go.
"And what's that?" Matt asked curiously.
"We continue to search for the crests of course. We have no other objective to strive for other than to find a way home; a possibility that may not even exist. The crests will also allow us to digivolve further thereby providing more protection for any dangerous enemies we do encounter. Furthermore if in our search for the crests we do manage to come across a way home, then we can of course use it." Izzy finished abruptly leaving the four blinking at him.
Tai smiled brightly.
"Alright then. Sounds like a plan! Who else agrees?!" He looked around at the other three.
"It sounds like the best possible idea" Matt shrugged, half-heartily putting up his hand.
"Hold on! But what if gathering the crests just makes us a target for whatever this great evil is?" Joe suggested quickly, "We should just lay low and search for a way home." Tai pointed out the flaw in this.
"We already have five crests out of the seven. We're also the digidestined, so we're probably a target whatever we do. If we spend all our time doing nothing then we'll just be sitting ducks! We need to take the initative, find the crests and figure out how they work. Then we'll beat any evil that gets in our way!" He finished with a confident smirk.
"Well spoken!" Piximon said as he flew towards them, some paper tucked under one of his tiny arms.
"What are those?" Izzy asked pointing at the papers,
"These.." Piximon responded proudly whilst giving the papers to Izzy, "are the blueprints for Etemons dark network. This should lend you a serious advantage against him. Provided he hasn't changed things too much anyway." Izzys eyes lit up like a kid in a candy stores.
"Prodigious!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"What's the big deal with a bunch of papers?" Mimi asked, her and Tk having wondered over to the rest of the group.
"With these I can find out how Etemon tracks us down! We could avoid him or mislead him at our leisure!" Izzy chattered excitedly his words almost blurring together.
"Deep breaths Izzy!" Tentomon pleaded worriedly, "Please!" With visible effort Izzy calmed himself.
"We can find out the secrets to Etemons network. This could even help us find the last two crests!"
"How did you get them?" Tk asked Piximon curiously. The little digimon looked sad.
"They were given to me by Datamon a while ago" he said solemnly.
"Didn't he disappear?" Biyomon wondered.
"I believe that he was killed by Etemon. With these I'm hoping you'll be able to return the favour"
"Wow!" Sora exclaimed, amazed at their rare turn of luck. "Thank you very much Piximon" She said bowing poiltely. He looked a little confused but responded cheerfully nonetheless,
"It's no problem at all. Especially after what I inadvertently put your friend through. Taichi, once again I apologise-"
"No it's fine" Tai said holding up a hand to stop him. "You've already said sorry. And besides," He looked at Agumon, "because of it, me and Agumon are closer than ever!" His partner looked back at him happily,
"You said it Tai"
"So even if you did it in a way you didn't mean too," 'And for helping me get over a few issues' Tai added privately in his head. "Thanks for helping us anyway" Tai finished putting a hand forward for Piximon to shake. The little digimon stared at him strangely, as if reappraising him. He then put his little hand forward and shook Tais with a surprisingly strong grip.
"No problem. Now be safe in your travels. All of you!" He cried as they started to leave his shielded home. As the group of children and digimon walked onwards across the desert Piximon watched them for as long as he could, until they passed over a far-off sand dune and vanished. He smiled,
"Maybe there is hope" he muttered to himself. Piximon then composed himself and flew back off home. Afterall, he had preparations to make...
A/N: That concludes another exciting chapter of ToAT! I hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a review or a pm to tell me what you think. Thanks again for all the support.
Updates every Monday.