Disclaimer: I do not own digimon and I am not making money off this fanfic. I do not own/make money off of any companies/music/shows/etc I mention. No infringement intended.
Author's Note: Here is a small preview of Saga II. One part is from the Tamers Arc, another is from the DATS arc.
(-'10230102'-)
The Lighthouse
Saga II: The Sin Destined Preview
It was raining.
Demon pulled back his hood to feel the warm water wash through his pores. It was a welcomed sensation after the icy cold of the Dark Ocean. He couldn't bear the thought of returning to the waves— at least not so soon.
"I see you got my message," said a voice behind him.
He listened to the waves crash upon the shore. The rain tinkered as it struck the ocean surface, creating ripples in the water. The voice was such a clash against the serene sounds surrounding him that he felt irritation tug at his insides.
Slowly, he craned his neck to view the woman who spoke. She leaned her head back in a smile. Rain soaked her scarlet-colored hair and sopped her garments.
Demon looked back at the ocean. He barely registered the seven-foot-tall throne she sculpted out of sand and was now sitting on, cross-legged.
"I did," he replied. "All the way from Leviamon's palace." His voice lowered as he continued, "It was dangerous to summon me here." The Empress would be lurking, Demon was sure. If they hadn't already sensed Demon's presence rising from the waves, they would soon. If they did not speak quickly and quietly, this beach would be swarmed with the Empress's loyal subjects, all wanting the same thing from Demon... his data. And he did not have the patience to deal with such pests.
Unless she had lured him here to do away with him. Or at least try to do away with him.
"Don't be so paranoid," the woman giggled. "If I wanted revenge, I would have gotten it long ago. But that's your shtick. I don't have any emotions of my own, remember?" When Demon said nothing, she went on, "The powerful are always so touchy about losing that power... Well, nonetheless. You wouldn't be able to kill me this time. Your own fault for fusing my soul with this Goddamn human's you were so stupidly attached to. But I suppose you had to, to keep me from killing you instead. She's attached to you, too."
drpdrp
The droplets swam his vision and streamed down his chin, dripping off the tip of his nose. He looked down at the lines in his palm.
Demon once heard that rain could be a sign of fortune. In a way, it was a symbol of washing away the old. Making room for the new. Rebirth and reconsideration, new starts and new lives. How pleasant that would be if this rain was a sign of that.
But he couldn't be so sure. After all, a good sign in one person's culture was an omen in another's.
"Aw, you must really miss me... to have come all this way. We both know how atrocious a swimmer you are. And how bad wet fur smells." She gestured to the dark brown fur that encased his body, all except his face and chest. Her cocky smile almost made him attack her on the spot. "Oh, don't think I'm making fun." She smoothed down the wet shawl sticking to her hips.
"You had news for me," Demon snapped. Rain shuddered around him.
The woman paused.
Mara was always so frustrating. At least that much had not changed. She leaned her elbows against her kneecaps, her chin cupped by her palms. With that innocuous smile worn so well, Martini Spam said only two words... and two words alone were enough to make all her jabs forgotten.
"He's ready."
"Prepare your forces," Demon ordered. The shuddering rain was joined by the shuddering beach. Pillars of earth jutted out of the ground. The moon itself shook above them, filtering the Dark Ocean with silver light and gleaming against the gray lighthouse. With a crash, Demon tore open the barrier between worlds, the sucking motion thrusting gales in every direction.
Perhaps just once in Demon's life, the rain was a sign of fortune. Maybe he could get his new life, too. Everyone else got their rebirth... but Demon remained stuck in this hellhole, this unending wrath.
"Huanglongmon is there," Demon told her, his voice rising against the force of the vortex.
"I know," Mara replied, her throne of sand crumbling against the ferocious winds. "She will not be a problem."
"And the Destined...?"
Mara's head lowered. Her expression darkened. As her tone deepened, she replied, "They might be a problem. They're... stronger than before. And just as unpredictable."
Of course they are, Demon thought, glancing at the sky. The Council could do great things within months of learning Enigma Evolution. They never let anyone know their true power, but it was there. Deep inside of them. Growing like a fungus. An ability to create and destroy entire universes with a flick of their wrists... the power of gods.
Months, the power to manipulate dreams and energy.
Years, the power to bend reality.
Decades, the power to bend fate.
Centuries, unlimited power.
But he was no longer afraid.
"Make Beelzemon remember who he truly is," Demon told Mara. "Then the Destined will no longer be a threat."
Slowly, over time, the Demon Lords would gather once again. He was patient. He waited. And waited. He gathered his strength, then waited some more— he made his move, and waited... and now he could make another. Leviamon would liken it to a game of chess, Demon supposed. Either way, he had not lost the game yet. Far from it, victory was in his grasp.
Earth and the Digital World had fallen.
Lucemon and Leviamon were at his side, even if Lucemon was still a bit rebellious.
Though he could not find Lilithmon, he could feel her, watching from the distance... waiting patiently, just like him, to make her own move.
Barbamon's defiance, while aggravating, would dissolve once he saw all the Great Demon Lords assembled again.
And now he saw it in the stars, the faces he needed to find and save; the Demon Lords of old called to him from the heavens, crying for a reunion. He would give it to them. He would give it to all of them.
He would save Beelzemon and Belphemon.
And Lilithmon and Barbamon soon after.
With the wind, the rain, the sand, her scarlet hair that looked like blood in the gray light— for a moment, just one, Demon thought he saw Geneva's freckled smile flash across Mara's face.
(-'1020101'-)
"I said I'd spare ya unda only one condition— that ya'd help me wit' sometin'," Beelzemon had said all those years ago.
Davis could remember the damp smell within the cave. The way perspiration dripped down the cold walls and pitter-pattered against the ground like rain. It was cold. And there was a presence deep within that clawed at him from the inside-out, dying to grab hold of him, to shake him; he didn't know why or how or who, but his first instinct was to turn around and exit through those rancid gates.
But for the still groggy Veemon's sake, and for Cody's sake, and Chizuru's sake, and for Armadillomon and Snatchmon, Davis stayed.
Beelzemon cracked a grin. "So in there is ya salvation, and the salvation of ya partna. From me."
And so they ventured deeper. Deeper. The farther they went, the more Davis could feel that chill run him through.
About five minutes in, Beelzemon finally spoke. "I s'pose ya wonderin' why there ain't no digimon 'round. You folks don' seem ta' be very familiar wit' dis place."
Cody sullenly nodded. "I suppose it could've changed from the recent battle, but... not this much. The Digital World we remember didn't have a red sky. And there were a lot of digimon. But I haven't seen a single digimon since we've arrived... well, besides you and our partners."
"Dat's 'cause mos' digimon died a loooong time ago," Beelzemon replied. Chizuru gasped. Davis was already feeling incredibly sick, but Beelzemon's words nearly made him buckle over. Cody had gone ghostly pale.
"They're... dead?" Cody asked in a weak voice.
Beelzemon nodded. The constant smirk he wore faded. "A long time ago, we used ta have human partnas too. But dat all changed when da D-Reaper was released on Earth."
"D-Reaper?" this time it was Davis who asked.
"Twas a program designed ta keep digimon from gettin' too advanced," he answered. "Da Sovereign managed ta keep it unda wraps at first, but evenchully even they couldn' control it. It found its way onta Earth by possessing a human..." At this, his face strained, but he shook his head to clear away whatever painful memory might have returned to him. "The Sovereign and some humans, wit da Tamers' help, forced da D-Reaper to de-evolve, and trapped it back inta da center of da Digital World, where it slumbered fo' some time..."
"And then it woke up?" Cody asked. His grip tightened on Chizuru's hand. His other arm squeezed Armadillomon as protectively as it could.
"Dunno, maybe," Beelzemon grunted. "Dat's what Sakuyamon tinks."
"Sakuyamon?"
Beelzemon's grin returned. "Ohhh, she a saucy toots, she is. One of da originals, we go waaaaay back, ya know what I mean? Centuries. She mah one true love! Now if onleh she saw it that way, hahah. She was one of da digimon who helped da Tamers seal da D-Reaper. At da time, she needed a human ta reach her mega level, but now she don' need anyone."
"So get to the point," Chizuru snapped. "I'm grumpy, I'm tired, I'm upset, all I want to do is get this over with so I can find a nice place to hunker down until this all blows over. Enough with your antics. Where are all the digimon? Why did you bring us here? How's it related to this D-Reaper thing? Why is this place so Goddamn creepy?"
"Hey, no need ta cuss at me, ya fuckin' pipsqueak," Beelzemon tittered with that petulant grin. Cody had to hold Chizuru back from punching him. "Sometime after da D-Reaper was sealed away by da humans, digimon started dyin'."
Chizuru's fight immediately went out. "Why?"
"No one knew at first," Beelzemon replied. "Mostly twas eitha incredibly weak digimon or twas incredibly strong digimon. They got... infected. Some turned into viruses and mowed down otha digimon. Otha digimon just... got sick. Those dat died never got recycled. Data jus' disappeared inta thin air, like sometin' absorbed it or sometin'. In a massacre mos' of us know as da 'Digital Hazard', more t'an three-fourths of da population got wiped out. Jus' like dat. Gone." He snapped to emphasize his point. "One of mah ole amigos, Guardromon, helped develop the X-antibody ta combat da sickness. It made digimon immune to it. But by da time it was made, it was already too late for most digimon... Before we knew it, everyone we knew an' cared 'bout was dead. Even our partners."
"It infected the human world?" Cody asked.
"No," Beelzemon scratched his chin. "We digimon... we don' die of old age here. Well some of us do I guess. But mos' of us jus' keep tickin'. We outlived our partnas. So by the time the Digital Hazard arrived..." He cleared his throat. "Sakuyamon tinks twas da D-Reaper who created da sickness. Afta all, da D-Reaper felt da Digital World had advanced too far ahead, beyond its purpose— and da sickness seemed ta target t'ose twere advancin' quickly, or those dat were too weak to really fight it at all."
Cody's eyes peered side-to-side. Davis knew that look. It was what Cody did when he was piecing together a puzzle. He and Izzy shared that single mannerism; something that Davis had always appreciated about the kid... nothing got past him. No matter how much younger Cody was than the rest of them, no one could deny his brilliance and wisdom in most things. Even with the tragedy of his grandfather weighing him down, and his worry over Yolei's absence, he still processed Beelzemon's words with a calm confusion.
Davis still couldn't believe Beezemon's words. No... he was certain now, this couldn't be his world. It couldn't possibly be its future either, could it? At the same time... there was a hurt in his heart. It told him this wasn't his universe. This world was not his home. And maybe he should be grateful for that.
Cody finally looked back up at Beelzemon. "So what do you think? What started it all?"
Beelzemon grinned. "Nothin' gets past you, kid. I like it. What I tink is why we're here, ya know?" He laughed. "Ya see... it got me tinkin'... I dunno, maybe it's all da booze and data-feasts, but... da D-Reaper devoured everytin' it touched. Like I devour da data of every digimon I meet. But each o' those digimon still live inside meh. An' I keep tinkin, maybe all those souls still live inside da D-Reaper... and maybe I can get 'em back, all t'ose souls gone by da Digital Hazard an' da souls slain in da war after... and den it hit me." He spread his arms out wide, reaching for the walls. "If I got nuff power, if I devoured nuff digimon, I could do anytin' I wanted. Nothin' could hold me back! Ya see, I got my claws on some scrolls... da Devas thought dey could keep 'em from me, but dey were weak... and da scrolls said dis world is made up not only of data, but dreams too. Wishes. And if I could jus' get nuff power...
"If I could absorb da D-Reaper's power...
"Den maybe I could get da power ta bring back da dead."
Beelzemon's words echoed down the corridors of the cave and reverberated all the way down to Davis's core.
(-'10201010'-)
Drp drp drp
It was raining. Drops of water plummeted to the earth, where each one burst upon impact and splattered. It ran down Davis's cheeks, soaked into his clothes. Clouds filtered out the bleak red sunlight. Lightning broke the charcoal gray cumulus and sent scattered beams of light through the atmosphere until, a split second later, each beam died.
Drp drp
Storms like this reminded Davis of that night four years ago, a night where Heaven cried itself dry. That night had changed his life forever. Lying in bed staring up at the ceiling, he heard a sudden crackle. At first he thought it was thunder. He soon learned it was much more than that. Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he witnessed as a massive gash blew the sky wide open, depositing digimon from a dark, simmering world.
Within the heavens was a DigiPort.
His immediate reaction was to grab Veemon and meet up with the others. They too would have known about the port and would try to find him. He sent messages out to Yolei, Cody, Ken, TK, and, of course, Kari, and set course for the school where he said he would meet them. But none of them ever made it there. Instead, their destination was disturbed by the many dark digimon hordes descending from the sky, separating them.
Kari was met by the greatest force of evil. She took it on. And she was defeated. As Davis begged her to hold on, pleading her name, even pretending to be TK for her in her delirious state – giving her the person she needed most – she let him go as the Dark Ocean swallowed her whole.
He sacrificed a part of his soul to save her life. She in turn sacrificed a part of hers to save his. And then they returned to Earth, where six months later the Endless Ones devastated Earth and the Digital World... and jettisoned the DigiDestined Children from Earth and into completely separate universes from their own and each other, to make sure they never posed another threat, together... or alone.
Davis did not know where the Endless Ones sent most of his friends. But he swore to do what was best for the Destined who shared this particular world with him, whether they agreed with his decision or not.
That was four years ago. Sometimes Davis thought the Endless Ones would succeed and he would never meet with the others again. That all his struggles would be in vain.
But then... on nights like tonight, in the rain and in the boom and in the cold running down his back...
He knew he would take back everything the Endless Ones had ever stolen from him.
His life.
His future.
His present.
His destiny.
His world.
His friends.
His family.
His girlfriend.
His partner.
His soul.
Years later, those same words spoken by Beelzemon – "Maybe I could get the power to bring back the dead" – still rattled Davis.
He didn't have much time.
The others would arrive soon.
He couldn't allow that. Not yet.
His footsteps thumped against the ground as he approached the gates.
The awning of the cave entrance looked just as treacherous as it had four years ago. Even more so in the stormlight. Each blue bolt glistened against the rusted metal that bent at crooked angles, keeping what little creatures still alive at bay. "Prepare to die" was still scrawled in DigiCode atop the metal bars. Within still lingered the dead echoes of that ominous presence which haunted the last half of Davis's teenage years.
Before, even with his Enigma Evolution that allowed him to defy all laws of science and dream, Davis could not bust open the gates no matter how fiercely he pounded his fists or feet against them. It seemed only Beelzemon could open them. But now, after all these years, Davis did not even have to touch the metal to hear the hinges squeal. Now, all things, even this, bended to his will.
He did not stop until he was deep within the cave. Pressing his fingers to the same crack in the wall Beelzemon had whispered to four years ago, Davis chanted the ancient incantation that sundered the doors to the Creature's resting place...
By now, Beelzemon would have infiltrated Sakuyamon's base. His Nightmare Soldiers would scale the tall, thick barriers; surrounding the fortress with immense numbers, they would then proceed to quietly assassinate any lookouts until their progress went without pause.
Davis's footsteps echoed in the cathedral-like space. The sound went on for miles, for minutes. His eyes lied on the mammoth golden-glass case still sitting in the center of the room...
Justimon would be the biggest block. Sakuyamon would not be a problem until Beelzemon and his comrades reached the center of the fortress, and Dukemon wouldn't pose a threat unless Beelzemon threatened Sakuyamon. Beelzemon still felt too much for Sakuyamon to go through with that. SaintGalgomon would not take the threat seriously until it surrounded him; then he would try to take out the enemy from the inside-out. But Justimon... he would detect it when something didn't feel right. He had a sixth sense about these things. He could easily discover Beelzemon's plan of attack before Beelzemon planned to reveal himself... and that would cause alarm.
Davis wandered the corridors filled with decimated pews and fallen statues. Ohh, he'd forgotten all the fun that took place in this golden-glowing room...
Cody and Dynasmon might wipe out half of Beelzemon's first battalion. But they wouldn't be able to find the the other half. Chizuru and Snatchmon would easily team with Mantarou and Leomon to scatter Beelzemon's remaining soldiers; but Beelzemon was counting on that. However, it would be Jun, side-by-side with Flaremon, who would be the first to notice Davis was no where to be seen. Not long after, with Goddramon and Darkdramon watching his back, TK would be the first one to figure out Davis's location.
And then...
Squelch
Well, Davis thought as he felt a sharp pain enter his stomach. That was sooner than expected.
For a single stunned moment, Davis stopped in his trek.
Drp drp
It sounded like rain.
Drp drp
But he was sure it wasn't.
Drp drp drp
He looked down and saw the dagger that penetrated his stomach and lanced out of his back. His eyes falling half-lidded, Davis peered into the single blue eye of his attacker. "TK..."
The years in this wretched world had changed the blond boy, too. Now who stood before Davis was a blond man, his single blue eye shining with a firm, brutal, unforgiving glare. His muscled arms were strained as they held the dagger in Davis's stomach, his grip tightening. The scorch mark which marred TK's eye had permanently singed off his eyebrow and spiraled from the left side of his forehead to his bottom lip.
What had replaced TK's eye was a single, simmering orb of golden light with a bleeding corona.
But perhaps the biggest change to TK were the goggles soaked in rain. Droplets dribbled down the broken lens where what were once Tai's and Davis's goggles lied, broken, ringing not Davis's neck, but TK's.
The orb of light that replaced TK's eye was just inches from the only eye Davis had left. It was a bit like looking into a mirror. TK was his reflection, with his eye of light and blood and his broken goggles. And in TK's reflection was the older Davis, with his broken pride and a gouged eye that matched TK's. But it wasn't a golden light which replaced Davis's missing part, it was a fire...
A spherical burning blue inferno that enveloped the entire orbit of his eye.
Looking into his reflection with the fire eye, TK jerked the dagger out of Davis's stomach.
Davis fell to his knees.
Grinning in-between his bloodstained teeth, the former goggle boy looked up at TK and breathed, "You have no idea... what you're doing..."
(-102010102-)
(In the DATS world...)
The night Rei Saiba fell like a star into the DATS world, Tai was having a dilemma of his own.
"Sora!" Matt called out.
Smoke ascended in hazy coils from the surrounding rubble. Crusadermon and Mercurymon scrounged through the debris from the recent battle, searching every scorched inch for their lost friend. Tai and Examon had joined them as well, calling out her name.
It all happened so fast. One minute, he and Marcus were in the process of settling a feud between the virus and vaccine digimon in a quaint village, the next they were attacked by none other than Yggdrasil's Royal Knights. The Knights demanded their surrender, and when Marcus asked them what this was about, they said things had changed. A recent enemy had risen, and now Marcus – with his ability to stop Yggdrasil – was considered a threat, rather than a neutralizing force.
Marcus, Thomas, Yoshi, and Keenan were able to force the Knights into retreat with their partners ShineGreymon Burst Mode, MirageGaogamon Burst Mode, Rosemon Burst Mode, and Ravemon— but not before Sora's disappearance. It took a loud clatter from Yggdrasil's Crusadermon, then an explosion— and she was gone, vanished in the dust, the fire, the shrapnel.
But they knew the Enigma Evolution. Something like that couldn't have possibly harmed her to such a degree.
Unless she wasn't expecting it...
"Sora!" Matt said frantically, digging through the debris.
Tai felt his heart thudding against his chest. How could he let this happen? Sora had always been there for him... she had been one of his best friends, if not his best of all, since they were in grade school. "Sora!" he called out, echoing Matt. "Sora!"
"SORA." Matt found her lying beneath a caved-in roof. He flung the tattered remains of the walling and plaster in every direction, finally able to lift her up. She was barely conscious, her eyes open in half-lidded slits. Tai tore himself away from his thoughts to wander in their direction. He watched Matt cradle her in his arms, his eyes narrowed, one of his hands reaching up to delicately brush the hair out of her eyes.
As his warmth grazed her skin, her eyes opened wider. "Matt...?" she said hoarsely.
"Morning, gorgeous," he whispered through tears, leaning forward to peck her forehead. "You really worried us there for a minute..."
She smiled groggily. "I'll make sure to worry you longer next time."
"You better not," he said sternly. He held her tighter, but not enough to hurt her. "Sora... I love you."
The tiredness in her eyes lifted. She gave him a stunned, unsure look, which melted away almost instantly into something Tai could only describe as affection. "I love you too, Matt."
Cold. It was the only way to describe the deep feeling stirring in Tai's stomach. He felt sick.
Why?
Why did hearing those words out of their mouths suddenly hit him like that? He already knew Matt was in love with Sora... But it wasn't exactly the first time Matt thought he was in love with a girl.
But it's the first time Sora thinks she's in love with a guy, Tai thought. And the sickness lurched.
He turned away from them and stomped off. Examon gave him a curious look, but he waved it away. He needed to be alone.
"Tai...?" came Sora's sleepy voice.
He stopped in his tracks. Craning his neck, he saw her cradled in Matt's arms, the both of them looking at the former goggle-head. Tai didn't turn fully toward them. Instead, he gave them a reassuring smile and said, "I'm glad you're okay."
Then he went back to his trek, growing more and more distant from the others.
He eventually came across a grassy hillside overlooking a vibrant city. In the late dusk, the small twinkling lights looked like fireflies. He crossed his arms over his chest and scrunched up his face. This was a good place. It was a great place. He liked this place...
He didn't know how long he was there before a voice entered the equation. "Tai... are you okay?"
He saw Matt at the corner of his eye. He shrugged and looked back at the twinkling city. "I'm fine."
"I don't think you are," Matt responded.
"I wonder why that is," Tai snapped. Realizing his tone, Tai sighed and shrugged, attempting to walk away from the blond and the sanctum he'd found on the hill.
"Don't walk away from me, Tai," Matt said. "If you've got a problem, speak up. Don't just bottle it up like that. It isn't right."
"You know what else isn't right?" Tai said, spinning on his heel and glaring at his friend. "Your best friend going out with the girl you have feelings for. And you know what else isn't right on top of that?" Tai's glare smoldered. "He wasn't supposed to love her. She wasn't supposed to be the one for him. He wasn't supposed to be the one right for her."
"Tai..." Matt frowned.
"I thought you were supposed to have the Crest of Friendship!" Tai shouted. All that jealousy that built inside of him over the course of the past few years exploded. The dark place he went to every time he saw them smile at each other, or kiss, or laugh... it bubbled up, turning from dark into an insufferable, boiling heat. "But where is your friendship now, Matt? It's obvious I'm in love with Sora! It's obvious I have always been in love with Sora. I might not have always known I was in love with her... but it was there. Everyone saw it. Everyone knew it! And you...? You ask HER out? Sora, the Amazon, the warrior princess, the tomboy... with the playboy? The grunge singer of a rock band with groupies worshiping his every move? And you HAD to go for Sora? Are you KIDDING me? And the worst part... she said yes!"
He didn't know how loud he'd gotten. All he heard was the echo of Sora's name.
"She... had feelings for me, Matt," Tai said. His voice was almost hoarse. "She wanted to be with me, but I was too immature and stupid to see it until it was too late. If I got a clue just a week sooner, she and I would be together now. It's funny... if it weren't for our history, I never could've seen her with a guy like you. You used to have a new girlfriend every couple of months... falling in and out of love... and when I first heard you and Sora were going out... It hurt at first, but... I thought, 'It won't last', and I was okay with it at first, knowing that eventually she would want something more serious with someone, and you wouldn't want that."
"But things didn't turn out that way," Matt finished for him.
"Exactly." Tai stared at the lines in his palm. "Things didn't turn out that way."
Matt bowed his head. There was silence between them for a while. All that stood between them was the hill, where they could see the city blinking in and out in the distance.
Finally, the blond spoke, his voice firm but not unwelcoming. Not judgmental or angry. "I'm sorry," he said. "We didn't mean to fall for each other. It just... happened," he continued. "Sora came to me when she was down. She was tired of waiting for you. I joked around with her, telling her I'd go out with her to make you jealous. We weren't being serious. But we did start hanging out after that. And... we both understood each other, if that makes any sort of sense."
"Understood each other?" Tai shook his head. "Like she and I don't understand each other? We have everything in common. Sports, food, even music... We even have similar personalities."
"But you don't have similar insecurities," Matt replied. Tai was the one to frown then. Matt went on, "You don't know what it's like to completely give up. To let go of everything you know and love. She and I know what that's like. We've experienced that kind of pain. And... in a way, it brought us closer together, because we understand one another. Ever since our adventures in the Digital World, she and I always go to one another when we feel that darkness creeping in. Because we know. Like no one else does.
"I'm not saying you don't have a significant connection with Sora, because you do. Sometimes... I feel insecure, too. Wondering if she's ever thinking of you when she's with me. But... I'm just trying to explain to you that it wasn't something we did on purpose. You didn't want her. You broke her heart. And that is something I would never do to her."
You broke her heart...
And once that trust was gone, it could never be made whole again.
If Tai were to enter a relationship with her, how often would she question his feelings, whether or not he really wanted to be with her? How often would she second guess herself? Doubt him? How often would she wonder if he was merely settling on her?
"We both love you, Tai," Matt said. "What happened, happened. And there's no changing that. I understand if you need time to yourself. And I understand if you need to take a break from our friendship. Just know that I am always here. I will always be your friend. You're my bro, man. There's no change from that, no matter how much you are understandably angry with me. And... if it's any consolation, I didn't think you had serious feelings for her. In that way, we were both wrong about each other."
With that, Matt turned and walked away.
Tai was separated from his sister, his parents, his world and the rest of the Destined and his friends... In this world, all he had was Matt, Sora, and Agumon. If he didn't feel so alone, maybe that would have been enough. But it wasn't. He wanted more. A part of him even needed it.
But he knew he would not be able to get it.
BOOOOOM
The ground rattled beneath him. The forest just a few yards away burst into flames. Shockwaves knocked him off his feet and on his bum. With a crunch, Tai winced and sat back up. He heard tree branches snapping and crunching, crackling with fire as the explosion ended.
"What in the...?"
"Tai!" came a voice from his digivice.
The DATS headquarters had programmed it to communicate with each other. He used this communication device to answer Thomas, whose face appeared on the screen.
"An unknown signal just appeared near you!" Thomas said. "It's similar to when you, Matt, and Sora appeared! Grab Agumon and check it out. We will join you as soon as we can. Over."
With that, the screen clicked off.
Tai hesitated. Grabbing Agumon meant going back to Matt and Sora... he wasn't ready for that.
I have the Enigma Evolution, he thought with a grunt. I'll be fine by myself. And it might be Kari.
He smiled at the thought. Seeing Kari's smiling face would be just the thing he needed after this disaster of a night.
Rushing through the wreckage and extinguishing the flames with a flick of his wrist, he eventually made it to the source of the explosion. The ground was still rumbling where a girl lied within the center of a crater. She was pulsating, creating mini waves through the ground and tearing up the forest floor even more.
Tai stood still, completely bewildered.
The girl resembled Sora, but not by much. It couldn't possibly be Sora, could it? She was still with Matt.
Well don't just stand there! He scolded himself. She could be hurt!
His feet skidded against the charred earth as he moved down the crater. A part of him wondered if the girl was dead... but no, she couldn't be. Why would she still be pulsing if she was dead? And what exactly were those pulses? Tai had seen far weirder events that things of this sort no longer dazzled him, but it still made him curious.
As he approached the girl, he held out a hand. "Hey... are you o...?"
Her eyes snapped open. White light poured out of them. A tongue of white light frothed from her mouth as her palms were illuminated by the tangible heat. Tai stood more than five feet away and he could feel the power radiating off of her. What in the world was she?
He felt her gaze land on him as he stood gawking. Instantly, the light pittered, then dimmed and returned to normal. She blinked. "Taichi...?" she whispered.
"Uh..." He blinked. "Yes...?"
Tears filled her eyes. "You're..." She ran toward him, arms outstretched. "You're alive! Taichi!" She flung her arms around him and buried her face in the nook of his neck. Sobs wracked her entire body as she held him. At the last moment, she lost the strength in her legs and her knees buckled.
"Um." Tai reddened and caught her before she could fall, wrapping his arms around her to steady her. "Who... are you...?"
The girl pulled away and frowned. Her tears trickled away as she cocked her head to the side. "What do you mean 'who are you'? It's me. I thought you were dead. I was so worried... Oh, Taichi!" She sniffled and buried her face in her palms, her shoulders shaking.
"I'm okay," he said quietly, patting her on the head. "Are you one of my fans? Did you come all the way from my world? What battle did you see?" He grinned cockily.
"Fans...?" She glared up at him from behind her hands. "What the hell is wrong with you, you asshole?!"
Tai blinked. "You're... not a fan?" He half-heartedly glared. "Don't tell me you're another Matt fan. He has a girlfriend, you know!" He grumbled and looked at his shoes. "A pretty damn good one, too..."
The girl burst into tears. "It's me! Rei!" she said, sobbing. "How can you be so mean? After... After..." She collapsed to her knees. "I don't understand..."
Rei.
Rei.
Rei.
The name blossomed inside his mind like an explosion. He didn't know where he'd heard it before, but it hit him in the gut like a punch.
"REI." He heard his voice calling out for the girl. His hand was outstretched to grab her hand. But he never reached his destination... neither time that he tried it.
Tai grabbed Rei by the elbow and pulled her to her feet. He looked her straight in the eye and said, "How do I know you?"
"Taichi, it's me," she repeated, cupping his cheeks in her hands, her tearstained face raised toward his. "It's your friend."
Rei. Rei. Rei...
(-'120101'-)
The memory that played so often in Rei's mind returned to her in that moment.
"Are you one of the soldiers?" a sad Rei Saiba had asked Taichi Kamiya all those years ago. "Are you... leaving...?"
He had tried to grab her by the hand, but he never quite got the courage to do so. Instead, he lowered his hand and broke eye contact with her. "No," he'd replied a moment later. "Not this particular me."
And years later, here she was... staring into the eyes of a Taichi Kamiya who did not recognize her. Her Taichi would know her in an instant. And after all those years... he had been ready to hold her hand... only for that desire to be squashed like a bug as this Tai waited patiently for an answer she didn't know how to give.
If this was a Tai, but not her Tai, how did he somehow recognize her name? Could he sense her? Did he know her? Was he just like her Taichi, or was he different?
No Taichi could be like her Taichi...
Looking into this Tai's eyes, she knew it.
She shrugged off his hands and wiped away her tears. "You don't know me," she replied, stepping past him. "But in another reality, you and I were friends. We saved the Digital World together. But in that reality..." And as she said it, she knew it was true— "...You died."
Something inside his eyes flickered, as though processing her words. Normally, any logical human being would come to the conclusion that she was delusional, schizophrenic... But his eyes didn't say any of that. They said they believed her. Hell, they said this wasn't the weirdest thing he'd encountered. Maybe a part of this Tai even expected it.
"Great," he muttered. He threw his arms toward the sky. "Just great! This night isjust freaking awesome!" He was shouting at the stars, his face screwed-up in anger. "And now I get to be dead. FUCK YOU, Fate! Fuck. YOU. I am done with you! It's over! I GIVE UP."
He spun on his heel and marched away. Rei paused.
"Don't go," she whispered, her voice raw, slightly desperate. "Don't... leave me alone..."
Tai stopped in his tracks. Maybe a part of him wanted to tell her to leave him alone, that he wasn't interested in interacting with someone who saw another Tai through him. Maybe a part of him wanted to ask about her, or her Tai. But he didn't say anything. Instead, he simply stopped, his back turned to her, and stared up at the stars.
Rei did the same. Neither of them said a word, and neither of them knew whether or not they wanted to.
It was the pulse – one that came not from Rei this time, but Tai – that forced them apart.
(-'1201012'-)
Four years ago, while Rei met an alternate Tai than the one she knew, Yggdrasil sensed the return of the Digimental.
Ah. What a clever little beast. He was quite impressed with himself...
"Alphamon," he said in a low voice. Yggdrasil had no physical body for the Knights to see, but he knew they were aware of his eternal eye, watching over each and every one of them. Their leader, a dark knight by the name of Alphamon, appeared to Yggdrasil in a bow.
"Yes, Lord?" the Royal Knight asked.
"Did you feel the star falling from the heavens?" Yggdrasil asked.
Alphamon nodded.
"Retrieve it," Yggdrasil ordered. "It is time I end this war between gods."
(-'1201012'-)
Matt and Sora decided to return to headquarters without Tai. Their partners followed behind them, but Examon chose to wait for Tai before heading back. The two Destined went through the oscillation portals and arrived in the basement of the DATS base, doing so completely silent.
Sora had managed to regain the strength in her legs, but she was still weak. However, it was Matt's somber expression that worried her.
Crusadermon and Mercurymon – de-digivolving into Biyomon and Gabumon – chose to take the staircase while the two humans rode the small, creaky elevator up to the main floor. It wretched as it shot upward, seemingly taking forever to reach its destination.
As they ascended, Sora hadn't taken her eyes off Matt once. Then she said, "Was Tai okay?"
Matt nearly jumped at the sound of her voice. Then, torn from his stupor, he avoided her eyes. "I don't think so."
The truth she knew was always there but didn't want to acknowledge... it was finally being thrust in front of her. One question led to another in her head before she finally asked, "Is he... mad at me?"
"He's mad at me," Matt replied.
"Why?" Her heart was thumping in her chest.
"I can't tell you," Matt said back, looking at the floor. "That's... something he needs to talk to you about. It wouldn't be right if I told you." As he finished, he finally made eye contact with her. "It doesn't change the way I feel about you... but I understand if it changes the way you feel about me."
This is it, Sora thought as Matt looked her in the eye. She closed her eyes and sighed. Stupid Tai.
Kuh-THUNK
A chink in the elevator wheels caused Matt to stumble into Sora. She peered at the floor number. It was flickering between floors.
"Matt—" was all she managed to say before the elevator rattled under their feet.
Screeeeech...
A black pair of claws forced their way in-between the elevator doors.
What's going on? Sora thought as the claws sliced easily through the metal and continued peeling the doors apart.
She glowed with a vibrant red light. Matt followed her cue, illuminated with a light blue kindle. The two of them readied themselves for the force behind the elevator...
But seconds later, when the claws budged the doors wide open, they realized there was nothing they could do to save them from the force behind those doors.
"Taiiii..." said a low, growling voice.
Smoke oozed from the creature's throat. He was crouched over, needles and stitches protruding from his thick purple fur. He looked like a mutilated teddy bear, his face masked by a silver apparatus extending from his mouth to a heart design in his chest.
When the creature – standing waist-level – revealed itself, Matt gave Sora an odd look before looking back at the digimon.
"Porcupamon?" he asked.
The digimon – Porcupamon – snarled when Matt spoke. "Tai's not here," he grumbled. He looked at Matt and Sora, then each of the eight corners of the elevator, then the ceiling of the elevator, and finally the floor.
"Boo!"
Seeing it was Porcupamon, Matt and Sora powered-down. Of course it was Porcupamon. Who else would open the doors of the elevator in the middle of the shaft in order to see Tai?
Ever since four months ago when Tai found Phascomon – who had just recently digivolved into Porcupamon – the digimon had been obsessed with him. It was cute when he was a small rookie digimon tiny enough to attach itself to Tai's leg (and it amused Matt to see Tai hobble around everywhere trying to get the digimon off), but now with the rather long and sharp stitches poking out of its flesh, it worried Matt a great amount.
"Where's Tai?" Porcupamon demanded.
"He's still in the Digital World," Matt replied. "What's...?"
Before Matt could even finish his sentence, he felt it. All three of them did, pulsing through the floor of the elevator into their very veins.
Something big had arrived in the Digital World. Its crash against this reality had caused ripples throughout the worlds, sending fumes in every direction. It happened near Tai. He was there with It, with the fallen star...
And most of all, Matt and Sora could sense something else, something even more unsettling.
Yggdrasil was happy.
Porcupamon let out another snarl. He grabbed hold of Sora and Matt's hands, forcing them into the shaft of the elevator and closer to headquarters. "Must save Tai," he said.
It was a sentiment the two humans agreed with.