Falling Inside the Black
Summary: Yamato, Hikari, and Ken find themselves being drawn back to the world of Darkness. There, they must traverse the Digital World's Hell to take down the Demon Lords and Dagomon while overcoming their personal dilemmas.
Warnings: Heavy violence, mentions of abuse, incest, and rape.
Pairings: Taishirou, ex-Sorato/ex-Jyoumato, hinted Takari, hinted Kenyako. Also DaemonxLilithmon.
A/N: This chapter is, admittedly, filler, but it gives an idea of whats going on IRL. Hope this tides you guys over! I had a lot of fun writing about Taichi. :) I hope to have the next chapter up by the end of July... I've been dealing with sickness, lack of sleep/PTSD, and a couple of anime conventions, so I'm just worn out and super busy. I apologize for the wait... If anyone's still reading, leave me a message!
10 (Part 2) – Home
"H...Hikari's missing." Taichi stated it more than asked.
"So is Ken," Daisuke chimed in.
"And my brother," added Takeru. "I'm sure it's all his fault."
"Don't jump to conclusions," Taichi demanded. He didn't want to speak hypocritically with his next thought, so he kept it to himself, Is Hikari with Yamato...? But then, what of Ichijouji?
Taichi was as mad at Yamato as anyone since the disaster at Mimi's party, but he wasn't going to stab his friend in the back. After all, outside Sora and Takeru, he didn't have his best friend's side of the story at all.
"Do we know where they went?" Sora wondered. She hadn't spoken until now, huddled into Koushiro's desk chair. Koushiro himself was huddled closer to Taichi.
"Ken's mother said they went to the beach," Daisuke whispered. "They left Ken's place in some kinda rush after Hikari collapsed and awoke again... I'm worried about Hikari..."
"The beach?" Takeru demanded. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"I didn't think it mattered, TB!" Daisuke barked.
"Didn't think where they disappeared matters?" Takeru growled.
"I didn't mean it like that," Daisuke hissed, crossing his arms. "I mean I already checked. There's nothing there."
"...Takeru?" Sora asked. The two exchange silent, worried glances.
"Think about it. Where would Hikari, Ken, and Yamato go that no one else would?" Takeru asked, resting his forehead in his palm. "It isn't even odd that they didn't take you, Sora, considering how Yamato's been treating you, despite the fact that you're connected with this as well."
"Me? What does this have to do with me?" Sora gasped, sitting up. She thought quickly. "No, I don't understand."
"The Dark Ocean," Jou said. He stood in the doorway, rubbing phantom pains from his once-broken elbow. "It's the only thing that makes sense."
Miyako and Iori twisted their lips. "What does that have to do with you guys?" Iori turned to Takeru. Once again, the older generation had hid something from them. "What aren't you telling us now?"
Takeru fingered the rosary at his side. Sometimes he wondered... if not for his crest, then... would he have been pulled in, too? Takeru tried to ignore the memory of Devimon's claws, Ken's base, and Blackwargreymon. "The Dark world appeared before."
Koushiro winced as Taichi squeezed his hand tight. He squeezed back, hoping to reassure the worried older brother. Koushiro was a little anxious himself. Apparently Yamato, Sora, Jyou, and Takeru were aware of this Dark world and failed to mention it to anyone, including the younger kids.. and even then, it seemed Hikari, Ken, and Miyako had some experience with it. Koushiro was almost angry—the knowledge may have been more useful when dealing with Daemon back when BlackWarGreymon...
"Why the Hell didn't you say anything?!" Daisuke demanded. He glared down at Takeru who was sitting between Miyako and Iori on Koushiro's bed.
"Calm down. It wasn't a big deal, right Sora?" Takeru asked.
"I guess not..." Sora replied. She didn't want to worry everyone. At the same time, a part of her felt left out. Ignoring the danger, she felt she had the right to find her own closure, too, and had been denied it.
"I guess not if you kept it from us. What the Hell?" Taichi hissed. "Takeru, where is my sister and how can we get to her?"
"I don't know," Takeru defended.
Taichi growled, "What? You're going to lie to my face? Just because you're upset with Yamato over... over, whatever! Fuck, I don't know! Get over it! He's your brother."
"You're welcome to go do some hand-holding, I'm tired of it," Takeru replied. He stood and started out the door, stopping near Taichi. Takeru glanced at the once-leader's bundled fists and then back to the hall. "I'm as worried about Hikari as you are. I... love her, you know." Then he left.
"Koushiro, I'm going to kill him," Taichi seethed.
"Now, Taichi..." Koushiro warned. "Let's look at this logically. Sora, can you tell us anything?"
"Hey!" Miyako barked. "I've been to this Dark whatever once, too!"
"Really, Miyako?" Taichi asked, slumping at the base of Koushiro's bedroom door. "Please tell me you have something that can help."
"Well... it was with Hikari and Ken... I wasn't there long. As in, I wasn't the one being pulled there, I just kind of hitched a ride. Is that what happened with you, Sora?"
The redhead huffed. "Not at all. If it wasn't for Jou..." Sora avoided her senior's glares. "...and Yamato, I may have never willed myself from it. This force isn't something to be reckoned with."
"God damn it, I want to know what happened to Hikari," Taichi demanded. "...and why she never told me about it. Yamato, too, for that matter. Did this have something to do with the Dark Masters, too?"
"No," Sora whispered. "I mean, not really. This was when you sent Takeru and I to get Yamato. Jou got there first, he would know more."
Jou sighed. He didn't even want to be here. Even when Yamato was missing he caused quite the shitstorm. "He only told me about it later. He was already out of this dark cave or whatever when I arrived to return his harmonica."
Sora felt as if her ears burned with that somber blues melody. "Then we found you two and I... I was just so worried about the battle with Piedmon. I... didn't think we would win. I thought that everyone, my mother, Yamato... I thought we were all doomed. Those thoughts fueled the darkness to pull me in."
"There was also that time Ken opened the dark gate!" Iori cried. "That must be how they went to that world."
"Alright," Daisuke said with a grin and fist pump. "So, how do we get there?"
"Maybe Miyako and I could try. The darkness has gone after us once before."
Jou coughed. "Should we really trust you two to go get Yamato back?"
"Jou," Koushiro warned. The young man was fully aware of the tension in the room. He wondered how they all had become such a clusterfuck of friends. Then, he remembered Tentomon and had to resist the urge to cry.
"No, I'm not going to stand here and let you people sit in the dark—forgive my pun—and just blame Yamato for all your problems."
"No one is blaming him," Taichi stated.
Jou's ears perked at the sound of their leader shifting into gear. Taichi continued:
"We want to save all of them, including Yamato. Our differences must be set aside when the world is at stake."
"So, again, what are we doing people?" Daisuke barked.
"Koushiro," Taichi asked, placing a hand on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Can you find a way into that world somehow?"
"I wish Gennai were here to help, although I doubt he knows much more. This is another dimension, Taichi. It really isn't the Digital World itself."
"Damn it..." Taichi's voice cracked. He was doing his best to hold his life together as it was and in the back of his mind he wondered... did Hikari blame herself for letting it slip about Koushiro to their dad? Was that what drew her there in the first place? Then there was Ken... Taichi heard rumours about the boy genius losing his academic luster. Would that be enough for him to turn on the group? Then, Yamato... Taichi wasn't sure where to begin with Yamato. He had to admit, they hadn't talked much. Sometimes, Taichi wondered if they were still friends at all, except for the fact that anytime Taichi beckoned, Yamato always came running. It didn't matter what bullshit he was going through, whatever happenings between him and Sora that spiraled out of control, Yamato was always there. Loyal. A best friend. Taichi felt so helpless. He didn't want to think of the darks Yamato could go to, above the others. Hikari would always be pure, even if corrupted by the darkness. Ken had fought it before, on a higher level than anyone. Taichi could sense Daisuke's faith in him and it eased his mind, but Yamato... Taichi very well could have lost that fight all those years ago and the world itself would be very different... Taichi often wondered if Yamato would have made a more maniacal Kaizer... and that thought sent shivers down his spine. This wasn't some toy world... not that the Digital World was, but in comparison. Daemon was nothing to be second-guessed.
"Taichi?" Daisuke whispered.
"Let's give Koushiro some time to think this out. Miyako, Sora, Jou... I don't care what your fucking problems are. Go down to that beach with Daisuke. Find anything you can."