Chapter 25: Leader's Roles

Hello people of the world. Many thanks for the reviews of the last chapter. I really appreciate the feedback and suggestions. I need them to help evolve my writing so please keep them coming.

You all know the disclaimer routine by now ... I still don't own Digimon or any other copyrighted material that is mentioned in this story.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Sora asked quietly with her concern lacing her tone. Her gaze was fixed on Noriko as the two girls along with Tai, Matt and Mitsuo stood outside of a full meeting room. The group were waiting on Joe to return from the bathroom. "You can go back to your hospital room and rest. We'll let you know what goes on."

Noriko shook her head as she gave the older girl a weak smile. "I have to do this. They are ... were my team. It is my duty so I have to be here. Besides, I guess Tai will be doing most of the talking."

"Ok," Sora offered an understanding smile as her eyes remained fixed on the short-haired brunette next to her who had been kept in this hospital during the previous night. Noriko was wearing a sling that stopped her from moving her bandaged right arm and her yellow shirt covered up the dressings around the wounds on her chest and stomach.

Sora could tell that Noriko was trying her best to hide the pain that she was in. The older girl could tell that she was struggling both physically and emotionally after what had occurred during the battle of the previous day. It was rather obvious on the shorter girl's face, but Sora had decided not to ask too many questions in case they upset her. The auburn-haired young woman guessed that Noriko was probably doing this to not let down her fallen comrades while at the same time trying to impress her peers in the Digidestined. Sora had to wonder if the teen girl to her right was specifically trying to impress Tai.

Her gazed moved onto the Leader of the Digidestined. He had his back to her so it was difficult for her to gauge his feelings on what he was about to do. Mitsuo stood next to Tai while Matt was standing in front of his best friend. The solemn expression on Matt's face was impossible for Sora to miss and she guessed that it was a reflection of everyone else's emotions at that moment too. The fact that Tai was staring at the floor suggested to Sora that he was also in a sombre mood, in deep thought or some combination of both.

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Mitsuo asked Tai the same question that Sora had just asked Noriko about the forthcoming speech. "I've already spoken to their families in person about what happened and I've begun making plans to move them out of Tokyo to somewhere safer."

Tai balled his fists and took a deep breath. Sora watched her friend removed his gaze from the floor and glance up at Mitsuo. "I have to tell the families of those who died that their loved ones didn't die in vain. I have to let them know that they were heroes. Besides, I'm the leader and it is my duty to do things like this."

The group fell back into silence as they waited for Joe to return. Their minds were replaying the events of the previous day or thinking about the grieving families on the other side of the door. It wasn't long before they were brought out of their thoughts as Joe rejoined them. That was their cue to finally enter the room.

Tai was the one who opened the door and led the group in. He was followed by Mitsuo as Matt and Joe held the doors open for Sora and Noriko. Sora noticed that everyone in the room was staring in their direction. There were a few murmurs and whispers but no individual words could be easily picked out. Some of them were focusing on Tai, others on Noriko while Mitsuo had the most attention. It was hard for the group entering not to notice the expressions of the people in front of them.

They made their way over to an area that had been left clear on one side of the room. Everyone was facing them as Tai and Mitsuo stood at the front with Sora and the others off to one side behind them. Their gazes fell on Mitsuo as they expected the tall blonde man to speak because as far as they knew he was the person who called this gathering. He was also by far the oldest and wearing a suit so it was only logical that everyone was waiting for him to begin. They were a bit surprised when Tai let out a low cough to get the attention of the room before he took a deep breath.

"I'm Taichi Kamiya, the Leader of the Digidestined. I believe most of you have spoken to Mitsuo Yamaki," the wild-haired brunette gestured to the man standing next to him before pointing in the direction of Sora and the others. "I also believe that most of you know Noriko Kawada and the other three Digidestined are Yamato Ishida, Sora Takenouchi and Jyou Kido."

Tai paused for a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. He cast his gaze across those before him sat in the chairs provided by the hospital. "I'm sorry to call you here under these circumstances but ... but I felt that this was the best way. I know this won't mean much, but you have our condolences and deepest sympathies. We know just how much this hurts. They were our teammates and friends and it hurts us too."

Sora had to wonder as Tai paused again if he had a speech planned out or if he was doing this off the top of his head. She hoped that it was the former and that he was just trying to remember his words instead of formulating them. However, she knew Tai well enough to know that there was a good chance that he would try to do these spiels from the heart. If that really was the case then she hoped he wouldn't mess this up and make things worse for the families than they already were.

"I'm also sorry that you have to leave Tokyo on such short notice," Tai continued in his sombre tone. "I know a week doesn't give you much time for funeral ceremonies, but it is what your loved ones would have wanted. They wanted you to be safe and free from the dangers that have come with these recent attacks. They wanted everyone in Tokyo, Japan and the whole world to be safe. They died in the line of duty as a Digidestined trying to protect everyone."

Sora noticed Tai's fists clench tighter as he stared at the ground. He took several deep breaths that were the only sound in the completely silent room. "They are heroes. They died trying to save thousands ... no sorry ... millions of people here in Tokyo. They bravely fought to the end to protect everyone with honour and pride. Despite the odds, they didn't give up and wouldn't quit no matter how bleak the situation was for them. As I said, they are heroes and you can be proud of your loved ones. It's a shame that what they have done and their sacrifice cannot be known by everyone. They deserve a full war hero ceremony. So please don't ever forget their heroics and bravery because I know that I will never forget it."

A murmur rose at those words as Tai glanced around the room. His eyes finally settled on Mitsuo and remained there for several seconds before moving back to the people in front of him. He opened his right hand and brought it up in front of him before clenching it back into a tight ball. "I will not let their sacrifice be for nothing. It will not be in vein. Myself and the rest of the surviving Digidestined will make sure that the world is safe again. And most importantly, we will bring those responsible for this to justice. We will avenge those lost and make sure that everybody is recognised for what they did yesterday. I will not rest until the monsters responsible are dead."

The silence returned to the room as Sora surveyed it. Some people had their heads down, staring at the floor in thought. Others were staring at Tai with empty gazes, others with tear-filled red eyes, some looked angry and others reflected the pride that the Digidestineds' Leader had suggested that they should recognise in their loved ones. Sora's eyes then landed back on Tai and noticed the tenseness of his body. This was probably the most intense and emotional that she had seen him for some time.

After a minute or so of silence, Tai finally let his fist drop back down to his side. He took several deep breaths and appeared to relax a little. "Thank you for listening and I'm sorry if I made things worse. Does anyone have any questions?"

The room remained silent for several long seconds as some people glanced around to see if anyone was going to ask anything. Sora had to wonder why Tai would allow them to ask any questions because she knew that could lead to some very difficult situations. She hoped that he could deal with those questions if some of them came their way.

"Did they suffer?" One man asked in a solemn tone, opening the flood gates for more questions to flow out freely.

"How did they die?" Another woman with streaked makeup and sore red eyes asked quietly.

"Did you see what happened?"

"Why did it have to be them?"

Another more angry sounding man got to his feet. "Why did my son have to die?"

"Why couldn't you have saved them?"

Tai simply raised his hand in a gesture for them to be calm and, to Sora's surprise, it worked. He took a deep breath before running his hand through his hair. "I guess you have the right to know. After all, they are your sons, daughters, brothers and sisters. They were trying to protect people when a very powerful Digimon targeted them. They were ... were hit by his most powerful attack. We couldn't reach them in time to save them. They didn't suffer. "

A sigh escaped Tai's lips as several people began crying. He let his head drop as he stared at the floor once more. This is what Sora had been worried about. She knew that some parents wouldn't have wanted to know what happened while others did. It was always going to lead to a fresh wave of tears.

"Are you willing to give your life like my daughter did?" The father of one of the dead Digidestined stood up and stared with serious eyes directly at Tai. Everyone's attention turned to him before moving to the Leader of the Digidestined.

Tai raised his head once more and met the gaze of the other man. "I am always willing to risk or give my life to ensure the safety of not only Earth but the Digital World too. All of the Digidestined are willing to die to protect both worlds and the people and Digimon that we care about. This time is no different and we will defeat this evil or die trying."

A yawn escaped Tai's lips as he rubbed his eyes. The events of the previous day had really drained him of his energy and it wasn't helped by the fact that he had only a few hours sleep. He couldn't get to sleep during the night because his mind kept going over what he would do in the meeting he had earlier with the parents of those lost Digidestined and then, when he did finally get some sleep, it was time for him to get up to go to that meeting.

After that said difficult meeting with the parents of the dead members of Noriko's group and checking up on the conditions of the surviving members, Tai had called the main Digidestined to a meeting. They had discussed a few things over lunch and had come to a unanimous agreement on their decision. That led them to where they were now this evening.

Tai glanced up and looked around the room. Yuuko Kamiya, with the help of Toshiko Takenouchi, was handing out drinks and other refreshments to the parents of the main Digidestined as they packed the Kamiya apartment. Most of the brothers and sisters of the Digidestined were there too, making the apartment full to the seams. Tai had to wonder if it was such a good idea to hold the meeting here instead of a larger place like Mimi's.

Most of the main Digidestined and their Digimon were with their families, waiting for the meeting to begin. The exceptions to that were Kari, TK and Sora who were helping out by preparing the refreshments for all of the guests. The other exception was Matt who was standing by Tai's side in his pace as the second in command. They both shared a quick glance and they didn't need to exchange words to know that what they were about to do was potentially very difficult.

It wasn't long before the remaining refreshments were handed out and TK, Kari and Sora joined Tai and Matt at the head of the room. Tai wondered for a moment why they were joining him but then he realised that they would be part of the same extended family one day so it kind of made sense. It wasn't long before Yuuko and Toshiko were with their husbands too, meaning everyone was ready to begin.

Tai coughed to clear his throat before pushing himself off the wall that he was leaning on. "May I have your attention?" The occupants of the room ended their conversations and their gazes fixed onto Tai. "Thanks for coming on such short notice. I'm glad that you all could make it because we have some very important things we need to discuss this evening."

"Does this have something to do with ... with what happened to ..." Mr. Motomiya paused for a moment as he gestured with his hand. "With what happened yesterday?"

"Kind of. The events of yesterday were what made us agree that this needs to be done," Tai sighed and ran his hand through his wild brown hair. "I understand that you have plans in place to move out of Tokyo if things began getting too dangerous for you to stay. Well, we think it is getting too dangerous now and we would like you to put those plans into action. All of the Digidestined agree that we want you, our families, to be safe and away from these attacks. We don't want to lose anyone else who we care about."

Murmurs spread around the room as the family members began whispering amongst themselves. It was Cody's grandfather who was first to ask the obvious question that was on everyone's minds. "Will you be staying to fight the evil Digimon?"

"Yes," Tai nodded as he confirmed what those in front of him already knew. "We have to stay and fight to end these attacks. We need you to be in a safe place away from them so you aren't hurt and so we don't worry about you being hurt."

"But what happens if you end up in a situation like those other kids were in yesterday?" Jun asked as her eyebrows furrowed.

"Don't worry about that. We have come up with a few ways of getting out of that situation," Tai quickly replied in a very confident and reassuring manner. "The first is that we are going to group together. Once you have evacuated, we will move into the Izumi apartment, the Inoue apartment and this apartment. Being in larger groups will give us some extra protection. Mimi, Sora, Matt, Joe and Hiroshi will be staying with Izzy. Davis, Ken, Cody and Yolei will be together while Kari, TK, Noriko, Keiko and myself will be staying here."

"Keeping ourselves grouped together will give us enough Digimon to allow us to battle and escape an attack," Matt took over from Tai before he pointed in Izzy's direction. "However, if it still looks like we are going to be over run then there are several other options. Izzy is working on some solutions that look very promising."

"Gennai and I have been working on modifying the digital barrier software that he gave me eight years ago," Izzy announced as he opened his laptop to show the room even though he knew that most of them probably had no idea what he was talking about. "I now think that it can successfully hide us from all of the creatures that have come from the Dark World. That means we could hide together in a room with the field set up during an attack and not be spotted by the Deep Ones or evil Digimon. I'll make sure this is on everyone's laptops over the next two days. We're also working on a version for our D-Terminals so it is even more portable as well as a version that would allow us to protect entire apartments or even buildings."

"In addition to that, we have decided that anyone caught in an attack must try to escape and meet the others at the assigned point," Tai added to further convince their parents that they would be fine. "We've decided that the best escape route is straight up. That is the quickest route to clear air."

Matt took over and added the final part of their escape plans in case they were ambushed. "In addition to that, we are all going to have our laptops with us every time we go somewhere. That means we can escape to the Digital World if things are looking bad and we need to get out of there. That will allow us to come back through another digital gate and team up with the others to stop the attack as a group."

"The fact that we can get out of here via the Digital World means that we can easily escape an attack if we are in trouble. However, we can't take non-Digidestined into the Digital World," Tai paused for a moment as he glanced around the room at the families. "That means if you don't evacuate and are caught in a trap then we would have to stay and defend you on our own while hoping that the others would be able to reach us in time to save us."

Tai thought about continuing and stating his point in simple words, but he realised that he didn't need to. The room was silent and everyone knew what he was hinting at. They knew the reality of the situation whether they liked it or not. The silence remained as the parents tried to force themselves to accept the truth and this moment that they knew had been coming for some time.

Hiroaki was the first to break the silence after a minute or so. "We understand. I've been expecting this so I've already packed a few things. I can have the rest of the stuff I need packed and I'll be ready to go this time tomorrow."

"It might take a few days for me and my family to be ready," Mr. Inoue sighed and gave his wife's hand a squeeze. "We have to close the shop and all."

Each of the families spoke up one by one to let the others know when they would be ready to leave Tokyo. Tai could see from their body language and from their tones that they didn't really want to leave their children behind so that they could fight. He couldn't blame them for thinking that way as well. He was certain that he wouldn't like to have to leave a family member behind as he was forced to evacuate from a warzone.

"Thanks for understanding," Tai spoke as he watched several of the parents hug their kids like this was going to the last moment even though it wasn't. "And thank you for realising that this moment might come and organising your plans yourselves. You've saved us a lot of time and stopped us from worrying about it."

"And of course, we will have our phones so you can still speak to us when you want to," Matt added, reminding their parents that it wasn't going to be like an adventure in the Digital World. They could still contact them every day if they felt like it.

Kari placed the bags in her hands onto the back seat of her father's car. She stepped back and allowed TK to place some more of Yuuko's bags on the seat. They were the last ones that they needed to carry down to the small silver Mazda. The couple took one another's hand as they stood next to TK's suitcases. They were packed full of his clothes so he wouldn't have to make regular trips back to his apartment to get them during the time he would be staying at the Kamiya apartment.

Nancy stood waiting next to TK's bags with a worried expression on her face. The blonde woman had brought both Kari and TK to the Kamiya apartment after Kari had been helping TK to pack his stuff. Now Nancy was waiting for Susumu and Yuuko so they could meet up with Hiroaki and Sora's parents. They were going to be staying in the same large four-roomed apartment in Osaka that Hiroaki had chosen for them. Kari did not miss the dark expression on her boyfriend's face when he found out that his parents would be staying under the same roof.

Kari glanced around to try and take her mind off the coming moment when her parents would have to leave. The sun was setting over the evening Tokyo skyline and the air was filled with the normal city sounds. It was warm enough for her to only need to wear a short sleeved shirt after another hot summer day where there had been no clouds in the sky. It was weather that contrasted the mood of the Digidestined.

A hand gently landed on Kari's shoulder, making her turn and come eye to eye with Nancy. "Look after Takeru for me. Keep him out of trouble and danger."

Kari's throat dried and she felt a knot form in her stomach as Nancy's words made the reality of the situation sink in. She had no idea how long it would be before she would be able to see her own parents after this. It fuelled Kari's resolve to get the war finished as quickly as she could. At least the Digidestined would be able to communicate with their families on this adventure unlike their original one eight years earlier.

Kari tightened her grip on TK's hand and used it to pull him closer. She glanced at him before answering Nancy. "Don't worry, I will."

"I know." Nancy awkwardly shifted her weight onto her left foot. "I know how important you two are to each other so I guess I didn't really need to say that."

"That's the last bag," Susumu announced as he closed the car door and joined Yuuko and Tai. They stood next to the silver vehicle, trying to avoid what they had to do next. A silence filled the air as Kari, TK and Nancy joined them.

The knot in Kari's stomach only tightened further as the moment that she had been dreading arrived. The silence was making it worse because nobody wanted to say their goodbyes and none of them were willing to make the first move. Kari tried to think of a way that her parents and Nancy would be able to stay and remain safe from the attacks. She tried to see if there was something that she and the others had missed, but nothing came to mind. The truth was that this was the best thing for their families' safety and for their own safety.

"I guess that we should get going," Susumu finally spoke as he turned to Tai. The man opened his arms and pulled his son into a tight hug that was readily returned. "Make me proud of you once more and save the world."

That started the chain reaction. Kari and TK released one another, allowing them to enter into embraces with their parents. TK wrapped his arms around his mother and shared some quiet words that Kari couldn't hear. It wasn't like Kari was that interested in those words anyway as she stood in front of her own mother, studying her.

The tears in the corners of Yuuko's mahogany brown eyes looked like they could burst free at any moment. Kari felt her heart strings being pulled even more as she opened her arms to give her mother a tight hug. Yuuko returned the embrace by wrapping arms around Kari's back as they rested their chins on each other's shoulders.

The sound of sniffles reached Kari's ears and she knew that her mother was trying her best to be strong for her and Tai. She obviously knew that the last thing that they would have wanted at this moment was for her to become very emotional. Instead she was just standing there holding Kari as tightly as she could, conveying her feelings better than any words could.

Kari fought against her own emotions too as she felt the warmth of the embrace. She didn't want to let go because she knew what it meant. The hug felt like it was lasting for ages and the brunette teen was very happy about that. It was exactly what she wanted and needed at that moment.

"Take care of yourself, Hikari," Yuuko whispered before she reluctantly released her daughter from the embrace. Kari unwillingly pulled back from her mother and stood in front of her. A tear rolled down Yuuko's cheek as they stood there.

Kari glanced back at TK and then at Tai before her eyes returned to her mum. She forced herself to give Yuuko a reassuring smile before she replied. "I will. Besides, I have TK, Tai and our Digimon with me so we'll be fine."

Yuuko nodded in agreement and with that she moved over to Tai. That allowed Kari to hug her father, who had been patiently waiting for her and Yuuko to finish. Susumu's strong arms gave Kari a feeling of security as he wrapped them around her. She placed her arms around his torso and rested her head against his chest. They remained there silently for several moments.

The embrace with her father was shorter but it still managed to get across his feelings. It didn't matter that Tai and her multi-time heroic savour, TK, were going to be with her. It would always be hard for any father to let his precious daughter do something like this. Kari felt her dad unwillingly pull away from the hug as she released him. He patted her shoulder before she turned and made her way back to TK. No words were needed between Kari and Susumu as their actions had managed to successfully convey their feelings. Neither wanted to do this but they both knew that it had to be done.

TK, who had finished saying his goodbyes with Nancy, opened his arms for Kari and she had to restrain herself from jumping straight into them. Instead she placed her right arm around his back and wrapped the other around him. She felt her boyfriend place his strong left arm around her shoulders as he pulled her into a tight embrace. TK slid his spare arm around her waist as she rested her head on his shoulder.

Tai joined the couple who were back standing next to TK's suitcases as they prepared for their final farewells. Their parents made their way to their car doors, which was where they paused. Tears were rolling silently down Yuuko's cheeks as she opened her door and it was clear just how hard that she was trying to not break down at that moment. Even Nancy's eyes were beginning to well up at the thought of leaving TK behind.

"Behave yourselves and don't do anything stupid," Susumu gave them his final thoughts. "And look after each other."

"Save the world again," Yuuko almost choked on her tears as she forced her words out.

"We'll throw a heroes party for you once this is all over," Nancy finished with obvious elements of forced optimism in her tone. She then sighed and pursed her lips. "I have no doubt that you will deserve it."

Moisture began to build up in Kari's eyes as she, Tai and TK exchanged their final goodbyes with the parents. The three teenagers watched as their parents stepped into the two cars. The engines of both Susumu's Mazda and Nancy's black BMW started and the doors were shut. Yuuko's sobs finally broke loose and Kari could hear them over the sounds of the cars. The teen brunette had to double her resolve to make sure she didn't begin crying as well.

Tai lifted his hand into the air and began waving. He was soon joined by Kari and TK as the two cars turned around in the courtyard of the apartment block and headed for the exit. Their parents gave them one last wave before they drove off down the street and towards safety. The three Digidestined continued to watch, waving all of the time as the cars head off into the distance and then turned the corner.

I was thinking of having the parents of the main Digidestined argue more about leaving, but it didn't really make that much sense. After all, they were the ones that had made plans to leave so the Digidestined could fend off the attacks from the Dark World. They knew it was coming and planned for it so they didn't argue like they might have done under different circumstances.

On a different note, I've just used a different editing process on this chapter and I'd like to know if it has worked. It's a bit faster than the method that I've been previously using so it might free up some more time for me to write other things. Are there more errors and typos compared to normal or is there the normal amount of mistakes? I doubt that there are fewer errors because some always slip through the net. Please let me know in your review along with your other thoughts on this chapter =D