Ronald owns only the air that he breaths.
Spirits of Ages
Chapter 9
Joe was pleased. He got rid of the old man with the pimple on his behind and he was currently on his way to his favourite patient. Off course he preferred it when she wasn't here.
He hated the fact that she was here but he did prefer a friendly face over people's behinds every day.
He got to Mimi's room, supported on his cane and knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Another familiar voice answered. Joe opened the door and walked in. "Hey Kari." He said as he saw her.
"Daddy!" Hinata ran up to her father. "Hey princess, have you been a good girl today?"
"Yes." She said, though Joe could have sworn he saw something mischievous in her eyes.
"I don't know… somehow I find that hard to believe." Which was true, considering who she hung out with during the weekends and Wednesdays.
"Relax Joe, she's been good." Kari said. 'As far as I know.' She added mentally.
"Okay then, how's my favourite patient…"
Joe's eyes popped out of their sockets. "No way."
On the bed, next to Mimi's head laid a black puppy. One he instantly recognised. "So that's why you wanted to ask about your uncle, huh?" Taichi nodded.
"How did he end up here again?" Joe asked, keeping his voice a bit low as Mimi and Tai had fallen asleep.
"Funny story." Kari said. "Apparently Taichi here got his own uncle as his partner digimon."
Joe deadpanned.
"Okay… interesting development." He commented. "Anyone ask Gennai about this? I mean it must have happened for a reason, right?"
"I hope not." Kari answered, getting up from her seat. "I think we've all had it with saving things, right?" Kari said, before thinking that over a bit. "Except you off course."
"Off course." Joe said as he walked up to Mimi and Tai. He brought his cane up to bed level, supported himself by putting his hand against the wall and began poking Tai with the wooden cane.
"Five more minutes…" He muttered. "It's Tai alright." Joe said. "Hey wake up hairball!"
Tai's eyes shot open. "He? What's going on?" He looked up to see Joe standing over him. "Hello!"
Tai sweatdropped. "Oh it's you Joe."
"Twenty-five years and that's all you have to say?" Joe acted hurt.
Tai sighed. "Okay fine. Hi Joe, it's been so long, how have you been? There, happy?"
"Yes. And I've been fine. Somewhat that is." He motioned to his leg with his cane. "Haven't felt anything in this leg for three years."
"What happened?" Tai asked as he sat up, trying not to wake Mimi up. Joe just waved the question off. "That's for another time little man."
"Who are you calling little!" Tai yelled and did an attempt to attack Joe, only failing miserably as he dropped off the bed. "Ouch." He complained from the floor.
"Should have seen that coming." Kari said as she rubbed her forehead.
Tai got back to his feet after a minute or two and glared at Joe. "So Joe, did you stay away from the booze? If not I will have to kill you." Tai threatened, which was rather hard, the fact being that he was barely thirty centimetres tall and rather cute.
"Relax Tai. I stopped drinking….somewhat." Tai's eye developed a tick-mark above it. "Then I'll have to somewhat kill you." Tai's eyes burned brightly as he charged Joe again.
Quite some time and a lot of failed attacks later.
"Well we're off." Kari said. "Else they'll come chase us out like last time."
"Awww. Do we have to go?" Tai complained.
"Yes." Kari said. "Besides, they'll ban us from coming again if they find out that you're here."
"Why is that?" Tai asked, apparently not aware of the fact that he was small, fluffy, looked like a dog and banned in most hospitals.
"Also a question." Joe started. "How is your 'relationship' going to work out?" He pointed at Mimi and Tai. "Cause I think this is still illegal here."
"We eh…" Joe was, a usual, right. He was currently a digimon. He had his champion form Lowemon but he probably couldn't maintain that, as he was linked to his nephew now. "Dammed!"
"Relax Tai." Mimi said to the pup. "We'll figure something out. Maybe Gennai knows something."
On the way home Tai started thinking.
"Hey Kari?"
"What is it?"
"What's wrong with Mimi? I mean, she has to be in the hospital for some reason, right?" He hadn't thought of asking it before, mostly because he was to nervous about seeing her again.
"Well… you know that virus I told you about? The one that reacted to stress?" Tai didn't like this at all. "It has no real name but they call it '21' because it broke out four years ago. (AN: I'm putting this in the year 2025. Much easier for me.) Mimi was one of those who were infected."
"So she…" Tai didn't know how to continue that sentence as he remembered what his sister told him about the disease. "She isn't in immediate danger." Kari reassured him. "She was only exposed to the minor form. She can life a normal life, as long as she doesn't overdo it, develop to much stress and goes to the hospital regularly for her medication."
"I'm starting to dislike this future." Tai said as they arrived back home. "Doesn't Gennai have a time machine or anything?"
"Ask him tomorrow evening." Taichi said once they were inside the house. "Me, Heero and Joni are going to the Digital World then."
"Okay." Tai said. He wasn't really looking forward to spending time with his nephew or his insane girlfriend but at least he'd be able to go and see Gennai. Perhaps he knew how to get away from the copycat.
'Bang!'
"What the hell was that?"
The sound came from outside. Moments after it the door was unlocked and TK walked in. "TK? What happened to you?" Kari pointed at the man, currently covered in minor burns, some strange green stuff and god knows what else, that was her husband.
"Trust me, you don't want to know. All I'm saying is that I have new inspiration for my book!"
"Damn, he survived."Tai scowled. He then pulled a notebook and a pen out of nowhere.
"Next time, more explosives." With the minimal manoeuvrability he had in his paws he wrote that down. "Maybe some gasoline will help too."
TK's eye twitched. "Does that voice belong to who I think it does?"
Kari grinned but didn't say anything.
TK marched over to the living room and picked the puppy up by the scruff of his neck, before dangling him in front of his face.
"What?" Tai asked cutely, trying to hide the notebook behind his back. TK took it with his other hand.
"You can't be him, can you?" TK was practically sure it was Tai. That smile of his all but confirmed it. He opened the notebook.
'Killing and/or horribly maiming your brother in law in ten easy steps.' Was the title.
'Written by Tai Kamiya.' Stood as the author.
TK's eye twitched some more. "Long time no see. Tai."
"The same here TK." Tai's smile faded. "What did I tell you about touching my sister?"
"Not to do so."
"Actually I said that I'd run you through the sides with my spear if you did." Tai corrected.
TK smiled. "But since you weren't around…" TK let that sentence hang and put the pup down again, dropping him a bit harder then you'd normally do to an animal his size.
Tai responded by biting down on TK's leg.
"So…what's the story?" TK asked his wife, ignoring the puppy trying to bite his leg with those pathetically dull teeth.
"We're stuck with him." Kari said. "Apparently Tai is Taichi's partner digimon. And he's Gatomon and Patamon's adopted son, remember?"
"That does explain why he tried to bite me every time I tried to pet him on the head." TK mused, thinking about all the times Tai tried to bite off a finger.
"I told you he didn't like you." Taichi supplied lazily from the couch. "hor honce we hahee." Tai muttered, teeth still clenched on TK's leg.
"Listen dearest brother in law." TK started, looking down at the puppy. "You'd best let go now, because I'm getting myself some other clothes. Space-monster snot isn't something I like on me, you understand?"
Tai immediately let go and gagged a few times. "Kind of tastes like mom's cooking."
"What was that about space-monsters?" Kari asked, looking wearily at her husband. "Nothing!" He said immediately. "I'll tell you about it later."
"We're home!" A voice announced. Patamon flew in through the window, with Gatomon not far behind him.
Tai's eye twitched much like TK's before.
"Hey son." Patamon said as he flew into the living room. "Wow, you've gotten big."
"What are you talking…" Gatomon started as she walked into the living room, only to see Tai sitting on the couch.
"They grow up so fast." Patamon commented. "One day they're fresh level, the next they're destroying worlds as a mega level." A tear formed at his eye. "Beautiful in a way."
Tai was incredibly annoyed by his adoptive parents. He was about to voice his complaints as Gatomon charged him and wrapped him in a bone crushing hug. "He's so cute!"
"Mmmphh!!" Tai couldn't breath as he was smothered by Gatomon.
"So son." Patamon waited till his son was able to breathe again. "What's your name, as we never got around to naming you."
"My name… is TAI!!"
Patamon and Gatomon deadpanned.
"You can't be serious." Patamon said once he regained his ability to do so.
Gatomon remained in a shocked state for a while. Before bursting out in laughter. "Good one, but seriously. You're not supposed to lie to your mother. Actually, you're not supposed to lie, at all!"
If only Tai had a hammer right now. And opposable thumbs, so he could wield it.
"I am Tai." The digimon repeated. "And be glad I don't have my spear right now."
Patamon and Gatomon deadpanned again. They had seen what old Tai could do with that spear of his. More so, how could he know about this? Unless...
"So, you're back?" Gatomon asked. "F yeah." Gatomon fainted."Son, you're not supposed to swear, it upsets your mother." Patamon joked before heading over to the unconscious form of his beloved.
"You can stop the whole parenting thing now." Tai said. "It annoys me."
"I know." Patamon said happily. "I'm just glad to see you again."
"Same here." Tai replied. He and Patamon were somewhat friends before, mostly because of Patamon's attempts at getting to his sister's digimon.
"We thought you'd never get back." Patamon continued. "You got deleted fighting Legionmon after all. That thing was worth more then thousands upon thousand of digimon." The blob wannabe digimon had tried and succeeded in absorbing almost every digimon in his path.
"That was some battle." Tai said as he did an attempt to help bring Gatomon to the couch. Taichi was there as well but he was half-asleep on the couch, so he wasn't much help.
"Yo hairball!" Tai yelled. "Eh what?" Taichi looked around, trying to find where the voice came from. "Down here."
Taichi looked down to see his partner digimon/uncle, his other uncle and his unconscious aunt. "Did I miss something?"
"We call it the Tai-syndrome." Patamon said. "Usually when someone discovers that Tai is either alive again or back in this case, they faint." He thought for a second. "Most of them that is."Patamon quickly added.
"So this happened before?" Taichi asked as he picked up his aunt Gato.
"Oh yeah." Patamon said. "Lets see there was the first time, twenty-five years ago." Patamon thought deeply. It had been quite some time since the last time the Tai-syndrome struck.
"I think about four people fainted back then."
"Five." Tai said, clearly annoyed. "That damn bet cost me five dollars."
"Who won?" Taichi asked, actually curious about that ancient history. "Phoenix." Tai stated. "Damn dog. What ever happened to him?"
"Kari adopted him." Patamon answered. " He died quite some time ago but he had a good life."
Patamon smiled as an idea formed in his mind. "How many casualties till now?" Patamon asked, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Three. Me, Mimi and Gatomon."
"Anyone interested in placing a bet?" Patamon grinned.
Coming soon: TK's amazing voyage! A one-shot, possibly two-shot sidestory about what happened to TK on his trip through the galaxy.
Also, don't kill me for almost killing Mimi. I needed it for the story to work. 'Gets hit by stick thrown by Mimi fan.'
And: DAMN! already 110 reviews! You guys are the awesomeness!
Reviews
Lord Pata: I'll tell you when the side-story's on, okay?
WolfSummoner93: indeed, poor Tai and thanks.
Princessjaded: that will be told sooner or later ;)
Beth: She is. She's safe right now because she's unconscious but when she's back amongst the living? Well…
Super garurumon: I only do it because I care. 'laughs evilly' Also, I know exactly what to do about that problem. 'Is actually clueless.'
Depthmon: Indeed we do, that's probably the only thing we're known for. Also: you poor thing! Four more years? That sucks. I've been enjoying the beverage of the gods since I was sixteen.
Vigatus: Woot! Tintin! In Belgium we call him Kuifje
Firehedgehog: Indeed, he's doomed. 'fetches dictionary to look up stable'
Martiny the one and only still: I'll blow him up at the end of the fic, just for you, okay? 'is seen placing TNT on Taichi.'
Minwolf: He will. Just read TK's amazing voyage when I put it up.
anime25: yeah he lives. But Tai will not give up! And the main rule of digimon fanfic writers is: either torture Tai, kill Tai, both or turn him into something else. Just follow that rule and anyone can write a good fic
A.YamiYugi: Don't worry, more people will faint. They always do.
Takari4ever3012: He lives, don't worry.
Iceclaw of WindClan: Don't worry, I rarely kill main characters, except Tai off course.
R&R please!