A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out you guys. I'll be doing the chapters shorter now so they will hopefully come out faster. ~_^ R & R, Rihatsu
Odaiba's foggy horizon began to smear with pink as the sun rose over the sleepy town. A dark monster darted to the shadows. He had stayed out too long, and now the light had caught up with him. He zoomed up the side of a gray stone building, and into the room of a sixteen-year-old boy. It stopped at the foot of the teen's bed, and bowed slightly.
"I have done your bidding, as you do mine." Then, the black monster gently laid himself on the boy, and melted into his skin with nothing but a moan in response.
**************
Something... something in the distance...was pounding... There was...yelling, cursing...and more pounding...It was getting nearer...and louder.
Tai bolted up, immediately aware of the chaos that seemed to be going on behind his door.
"Tai! Open up you I3 @ S t A R l)!!"
That was Matt, he sounded on the verge of tears, and Tai was almost too scared to open the door. For not only was Matt one straw away from sobbing, but his voice also carried a searing hatred and rage that he never heard before. And for once in his life, he didn't know *why* Matt was mad at him. Tai thought that he could hear the other Digidestineds in the background, trying to calm Yamato down.
He hesitantly opened the door, and braced himself.
He was knocked to the ground, and hit his head so hard that his world spun. Matt was on top of him, bringing his fist back so he could knock Tai's brains out. Tai pushed his fists up, hitting Matt hard in his chest. There was no effect, but his fist didn't come down. Jyou was grasping Matt's punching arm.
"Lemme go Jyou!!" Matt sobbed. "He killed Izzy!! I'm gonna kill that ungrateful slut!!"
Tai gasped. "What are you guys talking about??"
Jyou frowned sadly. "You should know Tai."
Tai bit his lip. "Izzy's dead?"
He nodded solemnly. "Like I said, you should know."
Tai gasped. "You think *I* killed him??"
Jyou didn't say anything, but instead focused on restraining Matt.
Yamato stopped fuming for just a second and glared at Tai. "Where's your wings and claws Tai?" he sneered. "Did you decide to get rid of the evidence?"
"Evidence?" Tai said weakly. His world was fading in and out, he was still in shock from learning Izzy was dead.
Matt snarled at him. "Don't play stupid with me Tai!!"
"Hunh...?"
Tears began to sting Tai's eyes. Jyou lost grip of Matt, and the blonde boy sprang on Taichi, squishing him into the ground. His mind became really hazy, and it was suddenly swelteringly hot. He no longer saw anyone, just heard the low droning of their voices.
He stood up; he was in some sort of empty space. There was nothing but blackness. Taichi took a few tentative steps forward, and froze. There was heavy breathing on the side of him, and two red orbs slowly got bigger as someone approached. He gasped and stumbled backwards, tripping and slamming into the ground.
"Who are you?" he gasped.
The creature laughed. An amused laugh, full of pleasure. "I am your worst nightmare, and yet, the Granter of all Your Wishes."
"All my...wishes?"
"Yes, and in turn, I get to live in you and feed of your energy."
"What?? No! You can't!!"
"Aaaahhh. But I already have."
"Well... what about my wishes??" Tai demanded angrily.
"That has been done as well, and it will continue to be done."
Tai trembled. "What do you mean?"
"Watch..."
The red points of light representing the demons eyes slowly grew larger, enfulging Tai and causing his heart to race almost painfully. The blaze of color dulled and sharpened, and Tai found himself in Izzy's room. The auburn haired boy was sleeping peacefully in his bed. Tai couldn't have been happier.
"Izzy!! Your alive."
Izzy didn't stir. Tai rolled his eyes, and walked over to shake Izzy awake, but he was stopped dead in his tracks. There was a scratching at Izzy's window. :; scritch;; ;;scritch;; Tai gasped. ~Someone's trying to break in!~ Finally, the sounds stopped, only to be followed by the shattering of glass. Tai shrank against the wall. ~Oh no Oh no Oh no~ Someone, or something, was crawling through the window. First there was just a leg, and then the other leg. Now the figure slipped the rest of his body in, and Tai gasped. ~Those wings! That-that's me going through the window!!~ Tai mentally shook his head. ~No. I was sleeping last night. It-it must've been that evil dude... Yeah, that's it.~ He then realized that Izzy was in great danger, and he hurried to the foot of his bed and took a fighting stance.
"Don't come any closer!!" he shouted threateningly.
The demon ignored him, and continued forward. Tai tensed. The monster walked towards him, and then disappeared. Tai whirled around. Now the figure was at Izzy's bedside. ~He-he went right through me.~ The creature turned in Tai's direction, fixing his glowing red orbs on him, and then slashed at Izzy.
Izzy's dark eyes snapped open, as red blood blossomed on his shoulder. He fixed his pained eyes on the monster. "What are you doing Tai?" he asked weakly.
Tai felt he had been shot in the heart. That *was* him. He was the one who had just attacked Izzy, and Izzy recognized him. Before he could think more, the monster took another swipe at Izzy, and the boy screamed. "NO!!" Tai lunged for the animal, but only fell through him and hit the floor. Izzy began sobbing, and the monster slashed him again, with more ferocity. This time, the computer genius could only groan; he was losing strength
~OH MY GOD!! Stoppit!!~ He punched the monster, praying that it would do some damage, but he was just a helpless ghost in this vision he had received. Tai's view was beginning to sway. ~There's so much blood...~ He snapped his eyes shut, and huddled on the floor where he sat, willing it to all go away. But no matter how hard he closed his eyes, or how fiercely he held his hands against his ears, he couldn't drown out the sounds of Izzy's death; the ;;shhhiiiinnggg;; of claws piercing air, the ripping sheets, and his friend's death cries.
********************
Matt glared at Tai with hatred, and then to his surprise, Tai passed out. He punched him in the jaw, just to sate him for the time being.
"Hmph. Stupid M***ER FU*K**R murdering baka."
"Watch your language Matt." Sora said firmly. "Besides, we don't know if Tai even killed Izzy."
"Oh puh-lease!! Don't be such a sap!"
Jyou left them to argue, and gently picked Tai up and set him on the bed. The younger boy's face was grimaced with fear, and sweat began to add sheen to his pale complexion. Jyou sighed. ~Why did you do it Tai? Kari told me you wanted to kill him, but it was just an argument. A stupid argument!~ Jyou drew away, and put his head in his hands. Then he wept silently as the others continued to argue.
All attention was brought to Tai as their "leader" started mumbling. At first, it was too low and they couldn't pick it up. But it gradually got louder, and more pronounced.
All my wishes....
No....you can't....
What do you mean....
Don't come any closer...
Stoppit...
No...
No...!
NO!!!!
He bolted up, thrashing around blindly until he slumped against the wall and started sobbing. "It was me.... You guys were right. I...killed Izzy. I-I didn't know... I didn't mean to... God, I'm so sorry..."
Each Digidestined that was present regarded him differently yet silently.
Matt: "I knew it! Stupid b***h. I knew he would 'fess up."
Kari: "Tai, you wouldn't do this. What happened?"
Sora: "We'll never see Izzy again, and Tai's to blame. Some leader *he* is. I can't believe I ever liked him."
Jyou: "I can't understand you Tai..."
TK: "This isn't right... there's someone, or something else to blame here. I don't think Tai did this willingly."
Suddenly Tai gasped, and his face twisted in pain. He groaned, and his hands shot to his back. "No..." he moaned. "They're coming back."
Two soft bones sprouted from his shoulder blades, and they quickly grew into their full splendor. He groaned softly, and leaned against the wall. He was exhausted. His fingernails began to melt away, and his fingers screamed in protest as claws drove through the tips of his fingers.
Seeing that he was "ok," Matt was once again attacking him. This time, he leapt for Tai's throat, and jammed his fingers into the hollow of the fatigued boy's neck while the rest of his fingers pushed forwards from the back. Tai could only groan hoarsely and shift under Matt's grip. With some difficulty, Jyou and Sora managed to pry Matt off of Tai, and calm him down.
Tai coughed again, and his eyelids got unbearably heavy. With a sigh he slumped backwards and fell asleep.
The other Digidestined reluctantly left, with nothing to do but mourn Izzy's death. Why they had just left the killer sleeping soundly on the bed they didn't know.
***************
Taichi's eyes fluttered open. He was instantly aware that every muscle in his body ached. A few moments later, all the horrible memories flooded back to him, drawing tears from his eyes.
~I can't stay here.~ He thought once he had calmed down. ~But where can I go?~
The answer came to him almost instantly. ~Where there aren't many people. Where there are lots of places to hide. Where's there food... and... friends. The Digital World.
Odaiba's foggy horizon began to smear with pink as the sun rose over the sleepy town. A dark monster darted to the shadows. He had stayed out too long, and now the light had caught up with him. He zoomed up the side of a gray stone building, and into the room of a sixteen-year-old boy. It stopped at the foot of the teen's bed, and bowed slightly.
"I have done your bidding, as you do mine." Then, the black monster gently laid himself on the boy, and melted into his skin with nothing but a moan in response.
**************
Something... something in the distance...was pounding... There was...yelling, cursing...and more pounding...It was getting nearer...and louder.
Tai bolted up, immediately aware of the chaos that seemed to be going on behind his door.
"Tai! Open up you I3 @ S t A R l)!!"
That was Matt, he sounded on the verge of tears, and Tai was almost too scared to open the door. For not only was Matt one straw away from sobbing, but his voice also carried a searing hatred and rage that he never heard before. And for once in his life, he didn't know *why* Matt was mad at him. Tai thought that he could hear the other Digidestineds in the background, trying to calm Yamato down.
He hesitantly opened the door, and braced himself.
He was knocked to the ground, and hit his head so hard that his world spun. Matt was on top of him, bringing his fist back so he could knock Tai's brains out. Tai pushed his fists up, hitting Matt hard in his chest. There was no effect, but his fist didn't come down. Jyou was grasping Matt's punching arm.
"Lemme go Jyou!!" Matt sobbed. "He killed Izzy!! I'm gonna kill that ungrateful slut!!"
Tai gasped. "What are you guys talking about??"
Jyou frowned sadly. "You should know Tai."
Tai bit his lip. "Izzy's dead?"
He nodded solemnly. "Like I said, you should know."
Tai gasped. "You think *I* killed him??"
Jyou didn't say anything, but instead focused on restraining Matt.
Yamato stopped fuming for just a second and glared at Tai. "Where's your wings and claws Tai?" he sneered. "Did you decide to get rid of the evidence?"
"Evidence?" Tai said weakly. His world was fading in and out, he was still in shock from learning Izzy was dead.
Matt snarled at him. "Don't play stupid with me Tai!!"
"Hunh...?"
Tears began to sting Tai's eyes. Jyou lost grip of Matt, and the blonde boy sprang on Taichi, squishing him into the ground. His mind became really hazy, and it was suddenly swelteringly hot. He no longer saw anyone, just heard the low droning of their voices.
He stood up; he was in some sort of empty space. There was nothing but blackness. Taichi took a few tentative steps forward, and froze. There was heavy breathing on the side of him, and two red orbs slowly got bigger as someone approached. He gasped and stumbled backwards, tripping and slamming into the ground.
"Who are you?" he gasped.
The creature laughed. An amused laugh, full of pleasure. "I am your worst nightmare, and yet, the Granter of all Your Wishes."
"All my...wishes?"
"Yes, and in turn, I get to live in you and feed of your energy."
"What?? No! You can't!!"
"Aaaahhh. But I already have."
"Well... what about my wishes??" Tai demanded angrily.
"That has been done as well, and it will continue to be done."
Tai trembled. "What do you mean?"
"Watch..."
The red points of light representing the demons eyes slowly grew larger, enfulging Tai and causing his heart to race almost painfully. The blaze of color dulled and sharpened, and Tai found himself in Izzy's room. The auburn haired boy was sleeping peacefully in his bed. Tai couldn't have been happier.
"Izzy!! Your alive."
Izzy didn't stir. Tai rolled his eyes, and walked over to shake Izzy awake, but he was stopped dead in his tracks. There was a scratching at Izzy's window. :; scritch;; ;;scritch;; Tai gasped. ~Someone's trying to break in!~ Finally, the sounds stopped, only to be followed by the shattering of glass. Tai shrank against the wall. ~Oh no Oh no Oh no~ Someone, or something, was crawling through the window. First there was just a leg, and then the other leg. Now the figure slipped the rest of his body in, and Tai gasped. ~Those wings! That-that's me going through the window!!~ Tai mentally shook his head. ~No. I was sleeping last night. It-it must've been that evil dude... Yeah, that's it.~ He then realized that Izzy was in great danger, and he hurried to the foot of his bed and took a fighting stance.
"Don't come any closer!!" he shouted threateningly.
The demon ignored him, and continued forward. Tai tensed. The monster walked towards him, and then disappeared. Tai whirled around. Now the figure was at Izzy's bedside. ~He-he went right through me.~ The creature turned in Tai's direction, fixing his glowing red orbs on him, and then slashed at Izzy.
Izzy's dark eyes snapped open, as red blood blossomed on his shoulder. He fixed his pained eyes on the monster. "What are you doing Tai?" he asked weakly.
Tai felt he had been shot in the heart. That *was* him. He was the one who had just attacked Izzy, and Izzy recognized him. Before he could think more, the monster took another swipe at Izzy, and the boy screamed. "NO!!" Tai lunged for the animal, but only fell through him and hit the floor. Izzy began sobbing, and the monster slashed him again, with more ferocity. This time, the computer genius could only groan; he was losing strength
~OH MY GOD!! Stoppit!!~ He punched the monster, praying that it would do some damage, but he was just a helpless ghost in this vision he had received. Tai's view was beginning to sway. ~There's so much blood...~ He snapped his eyes shut, and huddled on the floor where he sat, willing it to all go away. But no matter how hard he closed his eyes, or how fiercely he held his hands against his ears, he couldn't drown out the sounds of Izzy's death; the ;;shhhiiiinnggg;; of claws piercing air, the ripping sheets, and his friend's death cries.
********************
Matt glared at Tai with hatred, and then to his surprise, Tai passed out. He punched him in the jaw, just to sate him for the time being.
"Hmph. Stupid M***ER FU*K**R murdering baka."
"Watch your language Matt." Sora said firmly. "Besides, we don't know if Tai even killed Izzy."
"Oh puh-lease!! Don't be such a sap!"
Jyou left them to argue, and gently picked Tai up and set him on the bed. The younger boy's face was grimaced with fear, and sweat began to add sheen to his pale complexion. Jyou sighed. ~Why did you do it Tai? Kari told me you wanted to kill him, but it was just an argument. A stupid argument!~ Jyou drew away, and put his head in his hands. Then he wept silently as the others continued to argue.
All attention was brought to Tai as their "leader" started mumbling. At first, it was too low and they couldn't pick it up. But it gradually got louder, and more pronounced.
All my wishes....
No....you can't....
What do you mean....
Don't come any closer...
Stoppit...
No...
No...!
NO!!!!
He bolted up, thrashing around blindly until he slumped against the wall and started sobbing. "It was me.... You guys were right. I...killed Izzy. I-I didn't know... I didn't mean to... God, I'm so sorry..."
Each Digidestined that was present regarded him differently yet silently.
Matt: "I knew it! Stupid b***h. I knew he would 'fess up."
Kari: "Tai, you wouldn't do this. What happened?"
Sora: "We'll never see Izzy again, and Tai's to blame. Some leader *he* is. I can't believe I ever liked him."
Jyou: "I can't understand you Tai..."
TK: "This isn't right... there's someone, or something else to blame here. I don't think Tai did this willingly."
Suddenly Tai gasped, and his face twisted in pain. He groaned, and his hands shot to his back. "No..." he moaned. "They're coming back."
Two soft bones sprouted from his shoulder blades, and they quickly grew into their full splendor. He groaned softly, and leaned against the wall. He was exhausted. His fingernails began to melt away, and his fingers screamed in protest as claws drove through the tips of his fingers.
Seeing that he was "ok," Matt was once again attacking him. This time, he leapt for Tai's throat, and jammed his fingers into the hollow of the fatigued boy's neck while the rest of his fingers pushed forwards from the back. Tai could only groan hoarsely and shift under Matt's grip. With some difficulty, Jyou and Sora managed to pry Matt off of Tai, and calm him down.
Tai coughed again, and his eyelids got unbearably heavy. With a sigh he slumped backwards and fell asleep.
The other Digidestined reluctantly left, with nothing to do but mourn Izzy's death. Why they had just left the killer sleeping soundly on the bed they didn't know.
***************
Taichi's eyes fluttered open. He was instantly aware that every muscle in his body ached. A few moments later, all the horrible memories flooded back to him, drawing tears from his eyes.
~I can't stay here.~ He thought once he had calmed down. ~But where can I go?~
The answer came to him almost instantly. ~Where there aren't many people. Where there are lots of places to hide. Where's there food... and... friends. The Digital World.