Mistakes
by Laura Kamida
Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language
by Laura Kamida
Rated PG-13 for Violence and Language
He screeched to a halt right before he reached the shore of the lake. He saw blinding red light, unholy brightness overpowering him. He instinctively lifted his hands to shield his eyes. As suddenly as they had arrived, the light disappeared. There was nothing. Nothing but the dismally calm waters, not stirring at all, and a soft breeze that pervaded, insisting that nothing had happened at all.
His mind shifted back and forth. The lake. The rock. The breeze... The kids. Where are they??? His heart raced, worry and adrenaline shooting through him. He tossed his head back and screamed to the air --
"TK!!!"
~*~
AIR!!!
Kari's eyes snapped open, and she inhaled deeply, her lungs greedily sucking in all the surrounding air. Wonderful, life giving oxygen. Her lungs had been deprived for so long that she had actually fallen unconscious. But somehow she had lived without oxygen. She had survived her brush with asphyxiation. But had Takeru?
But now she was awake. She regained her senses, and she slowly started to comprehend her situation. It was very dim, but ut wasn't too dark to see around her. But perhaps this was because it was daytime, and the light of the sun penetrated through the window. She couldn't be sure, since she didn't know what time it was, or how long it had been since she had been captured.
Where was Takeru?
Where was she, for that matter?
This place... it's a... dungeon... she told herself, her eyes darting around the small chamber in fear, surveying the cold stone walls, floor, and a crude wooden door that had bars of metal crossing it. I'm trapped in a dungeon.
She thought she heard a soft voice calling her name, but it was too quiet to be real. "Great," she muttered to herself. "I'm going crazy now..." But she still heard it. It couldn't be her imagination. It sounded too familiar. Finally she placed it.
"Takeru!!!" she called back, searching desperately around the room for the owner of the voice.
"Over here! There's a crack in the wall!" She looked around and finally saw a crack in the wall to her left. She ran over to it and put her face up to the crack.
"I'm here!" She exhaled deeply in relief.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"A dungeon of some kind," she said.
"It must belong to --"
"-- Mimi."
~*~
"You LIAR!" Tai roared furiously, turning to Lillymon and grabbing her by her slim shoulders. The fire of anger coursed within his blood, and he wanted to strangle this traitorous Digimon until she felt the way he felt when he had first figured out what had happened.
Like his body had gone limp, and the blood had been completely drained from him. Like his brain and heart were only dead weight, utterly useless.
Tai was not, and had never been, a man of feelings, only of actions. So when feelings did hit him, he had to act quickly upon those feelings. And if it involved killing Lillymon, who had once been his friend, that didn't matter. What mattered was that he had to not only avenge his blind faith, but also his faithful, selfless little sister too. And Takeru.
"Tai! I promise you I had nothing to do with this!"
"How do we know you're not just lying to us? Like you're 'lying' to Mimi?" His whole body shook with rage. He was ready to attack. He just needed a breaking point, and that Digimon would have no hope. It was her fault Kari was captured.
"Tai..." Sora said quietly. "That's enough." She put her soft, caressing hands on his shoulders. And he calmed down. All the tension building up inside of him was washed away with the feel of her skin. Oh, how that woman had powers over him! How many times she had brought him back from the brink of insanity, rage, hopelessness with only her sweet touch and the utterance of his name, like angels singing! How he responded to the aura of her love and peace!
The others looked on as Tai turned around, the fiery wrath drained from his eyes, all the color gone from his face. "I'm sorry for that outburst," he said, looking at everyone. He looked at Matt, who's frigid blue eyes narrowed at him... Izzy, who's frightened and confused expression simply expressed what everyone felt... Joe, who's face, as was normal these days, showed no emotion at all but thought... And Sora, who always showed him nothing but unconditional love. Tai was always the one to do the wrong thing, and then realize his mistake and apologize for it. One day, he realized, looking at their stunned faces, they wouldn't forgive him. They would believe he was just like Mimi.
He turned back to Lillymon. "You know where Mimi is. The only way to redeem yourself is to take us there. We have to save Kari and Takeru."
Lillymon nodded slowly. "I understand what you are saying, Tai. But I promise you, I had nothing to do with this. If you think I was sent to be a distraction so Mimi could capture them, you're wrong. I came to warn you about her, not to help her or harm her. Mimi is my friend, and although I will not help her and support what she's doing, I wouldn't dare hurt her in any way. And that includes leading you to her."
"Then why did you come here?" Izzy inquired.
"I told you..." she said. "I wasn't harming her, I was just trying to keep you safe. But now I have to go back, or else she will suspect my purpose."
Sora nodded. "Just promise us that you will not hurt us in any way."
"I promise." And with that, she flew away, her wings humming, the only sound in that fake tranquility.
~*~
Her fiery fists were clenched with anger. "WHERE IS SHE!?" she bellowed. Had she been betrayed? If so, the traitor would pay. If her plans were ruined, that traitor would pay for what they had done. Even if it meant death. Even if it meant killing her best friend.
Her cold eyes narrowed as she watched her "friend," the betrayer, the liar, approach her quietly through the doorway.
"Where have you been." It was not a question, it was a demand. A statement. "Tell me now, or you die. Tell me now, traitor. Where have you been. You've been there, haven't you. HAVEN'T YOU!" Her eyes glowed dangerously with fire.
"I haven't been anywhere! I'm not a traitor, I promise!" she said innocently.
"I'm tired of your careless promises, LIAR. It has to end now. By my hand." She thrust her fists forward, and they started to glow with fire.
"No, no, please! Please!" But it was too late for the betrayer. The fire from her hands was pushed forward, and the traitor that she had once called her friend, with fires glowing all around her, fell from the window to her certain death.
She smiled sinisterly and chuckled. Now only the Digidestined stood in the way of her ultimate goal. And they had nothing to save them.
~*~
"Kari, no matter what happens, I promise to protect you," Takeru pledged. But he had already failed at it. He hadn't protected her at the lake, and he wasn't protecting her now. If something happened to her at this very moment, there wouldn't be anything I could do to save her, he mentally reminded himself. He scowled to himself. He had to be the strong one, and protect her, but he couldn't help her. They were trapped in this dismal dungeon with no way out, at Mimi's mercy.
"I believe you, Takeru," she replied softly. But he could tell she didn't believe him. She was disappointed. She was hopeless. She didn't believe him.
How can I protect Kari when I can't even protect myself? Takeru thought, frustration creeping into his mind. "No you don't," he said quietly.
"I believe you," she repeated. "You're my best friend. Of course I believe in you."
"That's just fine..." he said dejectedly. "You're the only one who does. This was all my fault. I should have protected you!"
He could hear Kari sigh from the other side of the wall. "It wasn't your fault that we were kidnaped, Takeru. There was nothing you could do. It was my fault." He could hear her crying. "It was all my fault and now someone's going to die for it."
"What!? What do you mean, someone's going to die?"
"I had a dream that Mimi had returned. And in my dream, she killed a man. One of the Digidestined. It's all going to come true, and Joe, Matt, or even Tai, is going... to die. And I told Tai, but it's too late... we've been kidnaped. This is all my fault. I should have known she would come after us. I mean, not only are we the youngest, but I am the only one that knows about her... She would have to get rid of me first. I'm sorry you got caught up in this, Takeru, I'm so sorry..." she broke off into sobs.
"No, Kari, don't be sorry. I'm your friend, and we are in this together until the end."
She sniffled, and there was a long silence after that. "I... I... I..." she began, trying to get out what she was going to say. "I -- thank you. Together until the end, that's us."
His heart fell as he wondered what she was going to say to him. But there was time enough for whatever was going to happen... after they escaped from Mimi.
Takeru leaned back and a grin spread across his easily smiling mouth as he imagined what life would be like with Kari as more than just his best friend.
~*~
Joe took his seat again in the dining hut where everyone had been before the kids had been captured. There was a tension that loomed over them. It was evident in their faces, their curt words with each other, and the way they sat. Tai and Matt stared at each other coldly. Matt was angry at Tai because of his uncontrollable temper and the way he acted when he was angry, and Tai was angry at Matt because of his "lack of initiative."
"You're just too afraid to go and get your own little brother, Matt! What kind of brother are you, anyway!?" Tai yelled, jumping up and pushing his chair back violently. He slammed his hands down on the table.
"I refuse to have this argument with you again, Tai," Matt said, with exasperation evident in his quiet voice. "Do you want to be stupid? Do you want to fall right into Mimi's trap? Do you really want all of us to be captured just like TK and Kari? Is that what you want? Then go right ahead. The smart ones in this group will stay behind and plan our attack, while you go off and get yourself killed."
"And in the meantime, Mimi is torturing and killing our family! How can you just stand there and say we have to wait for that!?" Tai yelled. Now Matt stood up.
"Tai, Matt, stop it, right now." The crystal clear, yet soft and sweet voice of Sora pervaded through as she slowly stood up. Matt and Tai slowly sat back down as if her voice had put them both into a trance. Joe found it strangely humorous how these two large men: Tai, who had to be 6'4" and Matt, who was at least three inches taller, weighing together over 400 pounds could be mellowed and calmed by this one amazing woman, who was barely 5'8" and hardly 175 pounds (and that was only because she was pregnant).
But it had happened. Joe wondered if the community would have survived had it not been for Sora. He doubted it seriously. She was certainly one incredible woman.
He had considered it many times, but no, Joe did not love Sora as anything more as a friend. Sure, he had feelings for her when they were little, but he had feelings for Mimi too. He hated his childhood, when he was just a nerdy older kid. He watched as Mimi and Sora blossomed and they only flirted with the cute boys, Matt and Tai. And even Izzy, just a little bit, before he was taken back to the real world. His heart had broken many times as he had seen Tai, Sora, Mimi, and Matt sitting by the campfire, talking, and doing other "couple" stuff, and had taken refuge in the woods with Gomamon so no one would see him cry and swear that things would soon be different.
It was evident from the start that Tai and Sora would be the ones that would make it through the long haul. But Mimi and Matt just weren't compatible. They were too different. Still, it wasn't until Odaiba had been built and Joe had started to show his rugged side that Mimi started to fall for him. They became really close friends, but were only friends, until one night, when they had confessed their pent-up feelings for each other.
"And we have to destroy her!" Tai said loudly, snapping Joe out of the memories he had been sinking into, although the words were not directed at him.
"...And we have to destroy her..." the words echoed in Joe's mind. They had to destroy Mimi. The only girl he ever really loved.
~*~
Sora brushed her hair back with one hand and picked up the pillow in the other hand. She fluffed it, dropped it neatly on the bed, picked up the other, did the same, and made up the bed.
"Honey, I made the bed this morning," Tai gently reminded her.
"Yes, I know, dear," she said quickly. "But... I just feel better when everything is perfect." She didn't feel like explaining everything to him. When she was nervous, she straightened things up. And at the moment, she had plenty reason to be nervous.
Tai snorted. He watched with a fascinated look on his face as she whirled around the bedroom, straightening everything up. She turned away from him and a pained grimace painted her face. She bit her lip to keep from crying out and looked down at her stomach. It's too early... she told her stomach. Too early!
She turned around, trying to make herself smile as she adjusted a mirror hanging on the wall.
"Sora, what's wrong with you?" he questioned, genuinely concerned with her. He placed his hand on her arm softly, turning her toward him gently.
"Nothing!" she lied. She kept telling herself that she was keeping it from Tai because she didn't want him to worry... but the truth was she didn't want to admit it to herself that her stupid, horrible body was doing it again... This baby was going to be born early again and it was going to die, just like before. Some omen, she mentally scolded herself, thinking of the shooting star she had seen a couple of days before. How could I possibly think that it would mean anything about the baby?
"Are you sure you're okay? You seem... jittery..."
"Really, nothing's wro -- ... Oh -- oh..." she moaned, a cramp taking her by surprise. She started to fall down, but Tai rushed around her and caught her.
"Sora!? What's wrong!?" He supported her and helped her up to the bed where she sat down, breath rapid.
She looked at the fear in his big, beautiful, brown eyes, and realized she was mistaken in not telling him how she felt. It was his baby as well as hers... He deserved to know. "I'm sorry," she said. "For not telling you earlier..."
"What!? What's wrong!?"
"Something's wrong with the baby."
~*~
Matt leapt out of bed, awakened suddenly as he heard the voice of a man desperately cry out --
"JOE!"
Matt, heart racing, knowing there was an emergency, ran to the hut belonging to Tai and Sora. He didn't bother to knock on the door, just threw it open, Joe hot on his trail with his medical bag. Izzy was just behind Joe, all running into the bedroom where Sora was laying back on the bed.
"JOE!" Tai began to cry again, his voice cracking in the middle. He spun around to see the three of them screech to a stop. Joe tried to get beside Sora to do an examination, but was hindered by the fact that Tai was stubbornly planted by her, his hand gripping hers tightly. Matt scowled, thinking what an idiot Tai was, knowing he was obviously in Joe's way. So, doing what first came to his mind, he moved behind Tai and roughly pulled him by the shoulders, to help Joe and Sora as best he could.
At least, that's why he told himself he pulled the other man back.
"Let go of me, Matt!" Tai yelled, shaking loose of his grip.
"Man, don't you see you're in the way!" Matt yelled back. "I need to take care of my wife!" Tai spat. Matt quietly stared into Tai's angry face for a moment, and Tai turned away, getting on the other side of the bed and holding Sora's hand.
"Sora," Joe began, "as far as I can tell, there is nothing wrong with the baby, and you're not going into labor. These are just false labor pains."
Tai and Sora both sighed in relief. She put her hands on his face and kissed him firmly, on the lips. Matt watched the two, comfort and gratitude washed over their faces. They gazed into each other's eyes longingly, and Matt turned away, starting to walk out.
"Look, Matt, I'm sorry," Tai said to his back.
Matt turned around. "Yeah, no problem. I understand." He still walked away. "One more thing. If Sora feels up to it tomorrow, maybe she and Izzy could fly around on Kabuterimon and Birdramon to see if they can find Mimi's hideout. And if they can, then we can go and attack."
Tai smiled. "Great."
Matt turned his back on the happy couple. He heard Sora sniffle. "Tai... you told Matt that... I'm your... wife!" she exclaimed. Matt felt a twinge of... he couldn't decide what... in his heart as he remembered that it really hurt Sora to only be Tai's "girlfriend".
His heart hurt as he walked back to the hut.
"Where's my love?" he whispered to himself, as he had so many times, wondering where the girl was that he deserved. He knew that somewhere, someday, he would find who he was destined to be with... but not in the stupid Digital World. He thought about how he had tried, tried so hard, to make it work with Mimi... but it just wasn't right. He desperately wanted love... but it was impossible. Sora had been taken from the start -- she and Tai had something very special between them. Mimi and he just weren't right for each other. She couldn't be herself when she was around him, and he couldn't be himself. They didn't have personalities that meshed together, and they didn't have the physical chemistry, either. Tai and Sora, however, had both. Matt bitterly resented Tai.
For all the reasons possible.
"We just have to get rid of Mimi as soon as possible," Matt muttered to himself. "So I can get home."
~*~
Joe had stayed behind with Sora and Tai to do a little further examination, Izzy saw it as the perfect opportunity. He had been separated from the others for six years; what was a couple of days? He had luckily grabbed his laptop before he had been transported from his bedroom back in the real world to the outskirts of Odaiba in the digital world.
"To Everyone:
I am going to examine the Digiworld and what has changed in my absence. I hope to be back as soon as possible. Please do not follow me and do not make any kind of attack on Mimi until I return.
-Izzy"
He strapped his computer to his back and started to walk away from Odaiba.
"Izzy?"
Izzy flinched and turned to the voice. It was Tentomon. "Don't you think it would be helpful if I digivolved and flew you to Machinedramon's city?"
Izzy tilted his head to the side. "But -- how did you know that's where I wanted to go?"
"Because that's the only place I know of that has a properly-working Internet connection!"
Izzy smiled. "OK, you can come along."
Tentomon digivolved into Kabuterimon and Izzy jumped on his back. Kabuterimon's wings buzzed steadily as they flew through the air. Izzy had hoped to get in some deep thinking while he was traveling, and the wind whipping into his spiked red hair cleared his brain of all the jumbling thoughts that bounced around.
He really wanted to get online to do some studying. He wanted to log on to a mental health website and study insanity and manic depression. There had to be some sensible explanation of Mimi's activity.
And Izzy had to find it. After all, he couldn't save her if he didn't know what he was up against. And he really, really wanted to be the gallant hero for once, the knight in shining armor, instead of just the brain. Especially for Mimi.
~*~
Kari jumped awake. "Takeru!" she said urgently. They had promised each other that one of them, if not both of them, would be awake at any given moment. Takeru was supposed to be awake now.
"Yeah?" He was awake.
"Did you hear that? I think someone's coming."
"I didn't hear any --" A door slamming open from his side of the wall shattered the timid silence. "AAAAH!"
"What!? What!? TAKERU!!!"
"M -- M -- M -- MIMI!"
Her muscles tensed. Mimi? Her heart raced as she heard Takeru say, in the bravest voice he could summon (she knew that voice, she had heard it many times when they explored together), "Mimi, you don't scare me. Do what you will. I will protect Kari!"
She heard a sinister laugh...
And suddenly the wall between their cells, and the wall opposite her door, were disintegrated in a burst of flames.
~*~
Tai climbed onto Birdramon's back and she took off silently. There was no way he was going to let Sora go, in her condition, off by herself into the enemy's territory, and there was no way he was going to sit around and wait for Izzy to come back when that horrible maniac had a hold of his sister. "Quiet," he whispered into Birdramon's ear.
He dismissed it as his mind playing tricks on him because he only saw it for a second, as he saw the silhouette of a man standing outside of one of the huts out of the corner of his eye.
~*~
It was nighttime. She could tell that because the wall behind her had been blown away, letting in the tranquil darkness of the evening.
The second beach ball-sized blast of fire careened toward her before she had even gotten over the shock of the first one. She didn't realize until the fireball went past where the wall had been and was pulled down by gravity that Takeru was being pushed off.
"Takeru!" she yelled, her mind racing, as she dove and hit the ground, barely grabbing his hand. She looked down, fear tracing up her spine.
The cliff was so high that she could not see the bottom. She knew if she let Takeru go that there would be no hope for him.
"TAKERU! HOLD ON!" she shrieked. "Just hold on... just hold on..." she sputtered, trying to pull him back up, but their hands were slipping.
He tried a last ditch effort to pull himself up, but it only resulted in wrenching his hands loose from hers.
"KARIIIIII!"
"NOOOOO!" Kari uttered, a primal scream of fear. She lowered her head in defeat. This couldn't happen, he was gone, she had failed, her best friend was dead, she had failed, she hadn't protected him like he had protected her so many times.
"NOOOOO!"