DISCLAIMER & AUTHOR'S NOTES: Digimon is the official property of Saban, Toei and Bandai. I make no financial gain from this fic, and am ultimately v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v.v. poor, so there would be little gain 2B had in suing me. Better to save your money and sue somebody worth it if you really want a legal battle.
If I catch even one person passing my work off as their own I will set the pack of rabid dogs I got 4 Christmas on them! This is an entirely original piece; so I expect everyone else to leave it alone and come up with his or her own stuff (!)
Legal blurb done with, here is the largest chunk of my fic to date. When I disappeared over Christmas, this is what I was doing - put it this way, imagine a teenage girl hunched over a notepad scribbling furiously whilst nearby several family members coo about trivial jabber and you'll see me. I've worked really hard on this, so be gentle please, but DO let me know what you think, and whether or not you want me to post the next instalment. It's a race against time now as I have mock exams coming up and would like to have posted the whole thing before they start, but I'll discontinue the whole thing if that's what people would prefer.
This instalment features a sequence from 'Digimon: The Movie' so it's probably a good idea to have seen it, but not absolutely imperative.
Remember the three R's - Review, review, and review!
Danke.
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"The Darkness Within" By Scribbler
Chapter Eight ~ "Shattered Moments (Part One)"
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"The now, the here, through which all future plunges to the past." - James Joyce
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The sky swelled, colours playing across the surface of the curved object literally bulging from the clouds. As Tokyo watched, the giant shape slowly emerged from what could only be described as a rip in the very fabric of space. Swirling hues shifting wildly in the moonlight, gradually accumulating along a narrow fissure appearing in the phenomenon's side. White light filtered from this rapidly increasing crack, growing brighter and brighter, until finally the exterior shattered in a flash of blinding brilliance.
The digi-egg had hatched.
A large green bird floated effortlessly down, past the tallest skyscrapers in Japan, to glide along the highway before circling round and up, up into the air. It revelled in the power of its wings, at the same time flexing and stretching its newly formed arm muscles with glee. Its massive beak opened, releasing a hacking caw of pure delight, which smashed the glass of windows nearby with its sheer force. The winged behemoth's pale blue eyes danced at this destruction, relishing the ease with which it destroyed the flimsy things.
Suddenly, three identical balls of fire flew toward the monster. It blew past, the trio of glowing spheres barely even touching its feathery tail, instead smashing into a nearby building and sending several floors up in flames. The massive creature beat its oversized wings, turning in mid-air and alighting on the concrete surface of the Tokyo highway. Its emotionless eyes stared down the tarmac river at a small orange dinosaur standing beneath a bridge, which stretched over the road. This was the one who had dared to attack? Well, he would pay dearly for his insolence.
Halfway between these two monsters, a little boy stood. He watched them through wide hazel eyes, not quite believing what he was seeing. His unruly brown hair waved frantically in the breeze created by the bird-creature's wings, as did the flimsy pyjamas he was clothed in. A pair of goggles were slung round his neck, and these too swayed in the wind billowing past him. Another ball of fire flew at the green giant, again missing its target completely and blowing up a similar bridge further down the highway. The little boy turned towards the source of this attack, mouth opening as he did so.
"Koromon? Kari!" he called, running towards where the dinosaur-creature stood hunched over the form of a little girl - no more than a toddler. She was facing away from the green bird, pummelling the dinosaur's chest with her tiny fists, her voice high and scared as she desperately yelled at the orange lizard.
"Koromon, please don't fight!"
The little boy reached them, grabbing the girl's shoulders and spinning her round to face him. He was a few years older than her, and by his discourse it was obvious that they were connected in some way. His voice was strained, fear clearly evident below the surface, but beaten down by his strong will not to show weakness.
"Kari!" He shouted over the noise of the battle. "Come on, we gotta go!"
But Kari simply threw off her brother, turning back to the dinosaur and renewing her insignificant beating and yelling at him. The little boy fell back in shock at her actions - was she mad? She was going to get them both killed! Uselessly he tried again to dissuade her, but she shrugged him off once more.
Above their heads, the dinosaur unleashed yet another fireball from the depths of his cavernous throat. This time it hit its goal directly, dissipating as it struck the bird-creature's wide head. Despite the palpable power of this assault, the larger monster remained unaffected, hideous laughter permeating the smoke surrounding its gigantic body.
"Now it's my turn!" It cackled maliciously, blue electricity crackling between the two outsized red feathers protruding from its skull. "Sonic Destroyer!"
The little boy turned a split-second before the attack struck, watching helplessly as a surge of blue energy rushed towards them. Tai Kamiya crouched over his little sister, protecting her the only way he knew how. He waited for the blue power to hit them, incinerating the hapless trio as easily as a boy at school burned up ants with his magnifying glass.
However, it seemed that whatever these two monsters were, it wasn't accurate. The bolt of blue smashed into the bridge above, reigning down debris and dust in equal measure. The small dinosaur stood over the frightened children, shielding them from the brunt of the falling objects with his considerably larger form. Kari screamed, terrified, and Tai clutched onto her to prevent her from doing what all kids do when panicked - running away. Grit and dirt got into his mouth and lungs, causing him to cough and retch despite himself. His grip on the toddler weakened as violent coughs wracked his small body. This momentary lapse was all Kari needed, and the terrified child broke free from her brother's embrace and began streaking away as fast as her short legs could take her. Tai scrambled to his bare feet, calling desperately after her.
"Kari, no! Stop! Wait, you'll be killed!"
But the scared little girl didn't heed his words. Rather, she ran faster at the sound of them, her young mind a fuddled mess at what was happening around her. Tai stumbled after her, the ground abnormally hot against his nude soles. He dashed after his sister among the shattered, angular slabs of concrete rising up around them, out into plain view of the bird-creature, protecting her the only thought in his mind.
Above them, in the gaping void left by the bird-monster's egg, a presence began to emerge. An entity, so old it defied the laws of time and space, curious about this new world it now found on the other end of its portal. Liquid blackness oozed from the rip, as the very essences of the Powers of Darkness surveyed what was to become their new domain. Yes, this place was ripe for picking. Unprotected and filled with everything needed for Darkness to fester and grow, it presented the perfect opportunity for germination.
But wait! Something caught the attention of this evil entity, and with neither eyes nor sight it looked down to where its creation battled with another Digimon. An Agumon, of all things. But it was not the orange reptile that interested the entity. Near to the puny creature, a small child was running. The Essences sensed something in this insignificant individual. The existence of their greatest nemesis - light! The only thing capable of subduing Darkness' power. Without lips or speech they hissed their fury at finding such a bearer of light in this dimension. It must be removed at once, else the light contained within that insubstantial body would pose the worst threat possible to the Powers' designs for this world.
Tai tackled his sister to the ground, sending them both facedown into the choking dust. They hadn't gotten very far away from the orange dinosaur, but were far enough to merit fear of becoming the bird-monster's new target. Tai struggled to haul them both upright, but Kari chose that moment to grab at him, latching onto his waist like a limpet on a rock. He stumbled, sent off balance by her added weight, twisting around to fall heavily onto his back.
Suddenly, a bolt of pure black lightning burst from the swirling mass of clouds, rushing towards its prey with unimaginable speed. The hazel-eyed boy saw its approach from where he lay, also noting where it was headed. Wrenching his body around, he pushed Kari to the ground, covering her trembling form with his own.
Unlike natural lightning, this bolt of blackness didn't simply strike a random tall spot on Earth. Instead, it lanced downward in a near perfect arc, spearing the young boy through his back and impaling his heart with faultless aim. Tai's eyes widened as the javelin of Darkness passed right through him, before melting into the wound it had created. He slumped forward, blood leaking from the twin wounds in his chest and back. Kari screamed as the body of her dying brother pressed against her, red stains smearing across her pale jumpsuit.
"Tai! Tai!" She yelled, tiny mind close to breaking point. But her sibling only stared at her, supporting himself weakly on arms placed either side of her head. Dark liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth, as he painfully sounded his last words.
"K...Kar...i...Ru...run..."
His arms gave way, and he collapsed on top of the toddler, silently willing her to move. To escape this battlefield. Behind them, the little dinosaur was nearly completely buried in pieces of fallen debris and chunks of concrete, almost certainly dead. Tai began to feel himself drift on a sea of nothingness, the only remaining sensation that of burning inside where the strange darkness was spreading through him, seeking the light which it had been sent to destroy. So this was what death felt like. It felt...empty.
"TAIIIIIIIIII!!"
Suddenly, a light exploded from within his lacerated chest. No, not from his chest. But close by. Tai gasped as the blinding light flooded into him, becoming tangible before his pain-wracked gaze. He marvelled at the fact that he was able to gasp, to draw in air to his ruined lungs as if they were whole. But...but suddenly there WERE whole, and undamaged. Strength flowed through his aching muscles, driving back the darkness consuming them like the Red Sea for Moses. He felt the waves of blackness recede - but not completely. A core of impenetrable darkness still sheltered in an alcove next to his heart, burying itself in the folds of existence it found there. Yet, amazingly, Tai felt his lungs begin to expand, felt the open gashes in his flesh close up and heal all by themselves. No, not by themselves, with help from the light. The light coming from....
He raised his hazel eyes to his sister's face. Kari gazed back at him through the phosphoresce illuminating her body. The light pouring from her into him. Healing him, retrieving him from the brink of eternity he was balancing precariously on. Tai stared at her young face, so determined, and felt something stir within him. Admiration for the courage she was showing....
Suddenly he threw back his head and yelled. A wordless shout, designed with the sole intention of giving the strength of the light to those who needed it. Kari's light rode on Tai's courageous shout, streaking across the open highway to envelope the still form of a certain orange dinosaur, infusing him with their combined power. Green eyes flashed open, accompanied by a roar that deepened considerably as it vociferated. A maelstrom of colour surrounded the small lizard, until another creature emerged from the rubble, sheltering the two children with its expanded bulk.
Tai gazed up at the huge creature, whose ruby eyes focused on him with an unreadable gleam. Curiously, the boy's body was now completely uninjured, and he stared up at the towering monolith of flesh and fire with wonder in his hazel eyes. Already the memory of his near-death was beginning to fade, as had been pre-ordained by the Powers of Light.
"Koromon?"
The huge lizard growled softly, almost gently at the small child clutching protectively at his sister. "I'm Greymon, now."
"You can be whatever you want...big guy." Tai whispered, confidence in this new ally's ability to defeat their enemy clear in his husky voice. With a blood-curdling roar, Greymon charged at the giant bird-monster, releasing a blast of blue fire from his serrated maw.
"Nova Blast!"
The Powers of Darkness recoiled at this turn of events. Despite its appearance, the bearer of the light was deceptively strong. Yet, the entity didn't shy away from this world, although they didn't embrace it either. They simply dissipated, waiting for the right moment they were sure would come in the future. The time when they could finally defeat the light and take control of both this and other worlds like it. That time would come, they were sure. All they had to do was wait.
Beneath them, feathers flew and flames burned as the battle began anew. Giant monsters clashed among the buildings of Tokyo, fighting each other with renewed vehemence, unaware that at that moment, the Digidestined were being born.
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The crowd outside the large green tents bustled happily, laughter and chatter filling the frosty air. Every now and then a cry of "merry Christmas" could be heard, followed by the appropriate response from the person it was directed at. Everywhere, people were smiling, jostling and giggling in the spirit of the season.
A group of teenage girls carrying armloads of presents hurried past, eager to join the rapidly growing queue to the ticket booth. They nudged each other good naturedly, handing over their money and entering the biggest of the tents - which was in fact an arena of sorts - to sit as close to the stage set up there as possible. Already the seats around them were swelling with people - mostly teenagers, although there were a few parents trying to look 'hip' by accompanying their embarrassed offspring to a rock concert - even though the entertainment wasn't due to start for quite a while yet. All were wrapped up warm against the cold, gloves and brightly coloured scarves becoming the latest fashion statement.
Tai, however, wasn't part of these throbbing masses. Instead he was outside the canvas constructions, walking around the 'backstage' area - or whatever could be constituted as such when dealing with tents. At his heels trotted Agumon, the ever-faithful little Digimon paying a visit to the real world for the holidays. The brown haired boy strode purposefully among the ropes and pegs, looking for someone. Finally he saw her, standing outside a closed door, which led into the band's rehearsal building. His heart performed a little flip-flop inside his chest. She was wearing her brand new blue winter coat with matching gloves, a pink scarf muffling her face from the sharp breeze ruffling her chestnut hair. Tai smiled knowingly. That scarf was a constant source of amusement for him, or rather; the wearer was when she complained about her mother's copious, but none-too-subtle attempts to make her more feminine, or as she put it, 'soppy'.
At the teenage girl's feet was what appeared to be a large pink bird, striped here and there with splashes of bright blue. Biyomon's colouring was the only instance when her partner wouldn't complain about an overdose of pastel, instead admiring the Digimon's plumage as pretty. Girls could be so hard to understand, Tai mused thoughtfully. Always changing their minds about things.
He called out loudly, in an effort to be heard of the strumming of instruments coming from inside the building. Matt's band rehearsal must be still going on, the hazel-eyed youth realized. They'd better get a move on; they're due on stage soon.
"Hey, Sora! Wait up!"
The girl by the door turned at his voice. As she did so, Tai saw that she was clutching a box covered in green wrapping paper and red ribbon in her hands. Idly, he wondered what the package contained, but didn't worry himself too much about it. Not so Agumon.
"Mmm! Something smells good!" He cried, lifting his squarish snout and inhaling deeply at the scent emanating from the box. A globule of saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth to splash on the ground by his clawed feet - Agumon had never been one for hiding what he was thinking, and right now he was obviously thinking about the freshly baked cookies he could smell in Sora's hands.
At that moment, the door into the rehearsal building creaked open to reveal a small wolf-like creature in a badly fitting blue fur coat. Gabumon's claws clacked on the concrete as he took a step outside, shivering at the cold despite his hairy attire.
"Matt's busy getting ready, but I'll take those to him." He offered, gesturing to the cookies with one paw. The appetizing aroma reached his nostrils, and he breathed it in deeply. "Mmm."
Biyomon's expression was scornful. "I bet you will! No way! You'll eat the whole thing yourself!"
Gabumon's ruby eyes took on a feigned insulted look. He raised one furry paw to his yellow chest, laying it across his heart in mock shock. "Why, I resent that!" Mischief glowed in his gentle eyes and he patted his rather rotund belly with his other paw. "I'm on a diet!"
At any other time, Tai would have laughed at this kind of comment. However, now only jangling nerves filled his body. He turned to Sora, taking a lungful of air for strength.
The teenage girl looked blankly at the boy's face, then down at the floor. Tai wasn't sure, but he thought he could see something in her hazel eyes. Embarrassment? Guilt? Whatever did Sora have to feel guilty about? Dismissing these concerns, he began the question he'd been waiting to ask all day. The request he'd been constructing ever since he found out about Matt's concert...and the fact that she would be going.
"So, um, Sora..." His mouth was dry. Come on Kamiya, pull yourself together! His inner voice berated. You're supposed to have the crest of Courage; something like this shouldn't be too difficult.
Easy for you to say, Tai replied mentally, and then stopped. He was talking to himself. Worse, he was arguing with himself too - and losing. He halted his flow of words, composing himself slightly. Sora glanced up from staring at the floor, her expression quizzical, and perhaps even a little frightened. What's she afraid of? Tai wondered fleetingly, before renewing his attempts at coherent speech.
"Sora...are you going to the concert with anybody? I mean...not that it matters to me...uh, just wondering." He added hastily, tripping over his words as he tried to get them out.
Sora just kept on staring at the ground, her expression unreadable. "No, I want to be available in case Matt is free afterwards." A tiny, half-hearted laugh accompanied this statement.
Her words cut through his nerves like a knife, slicing away until only hollow disappointment reverberated inside him. Tai gulped, Matt? She'd...she'd chosen Matt?
She'd chosen Matt.
The phrase echoed through his mind, bouncing off the crevices of his mortified brain like a bell's toll. All saliva evaporated from his mouth, and he croaked almost inaudibly.
"Oh...I see. Matt, huh?"
Another weak giggle, tinctured by...shame? Culpability? Regret? Or was that just his wishful thinking?
"Uh huh."
Tai stared at her rosy face. How could she? How could she pick Matt over...
Over who? Him? They'd never been a couple, so why should he feel so jealous of the blonde boy? His friend. He should be happy, shouldn't he?
Shouldn't he?
Sora gazed at him, her hands trembling slightly. Tai read in her hazel eyes that she hadn't wanted to tell him, but the situation had forced her to do so. She hadn't wanted to hurt him. He was her friend.
So why did he ache so?
Her gaze averted, she'd seen the pain of rejection in his eyes. Tai mentally slapped himself. Look! Look at what you're doing. So she's not with you, so what? She's happy isn't she? Isn't that enough for you? Don't be selfish, Tai.
Drawing himself up, he took a tentative step forward and laid one hand on her shoulder. Sora's chestnut head jerked up, surprised at the action.
"You're not...mad at me, Tai?" She asked timidly. Tai plastered a fake grin upon his face. It wouldn't be right for him to spoil her Christmas. He was supposed to be her friend, after all. With that, Tai did one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do.
"No, of course not." He gently pushed her towards the yawning door. "Now get in there and say 'hi' to Matt for me."
"Thanks Tai." A spark of what he'd thought was regret still burned in her grateful hazel orbs, but the teenage girl swivelled her head away from him before he could properly discern whether he'd seen or imagined it.
Agumon took a few steps forward, waving long arms above his head to emphasize his displeasure at having the delicious cookies removed. "The least you could do is leave us the cookies!" He cried in his high-pitched voice.
Sora smiled, a breath of almost-laughter brushing of over her soft lips. "Tell you what, I'll make some special ones for you." Then the teenage girl turned away - not waiting for his answer - and walked soberly into the building, Biyomon following loyally behind her. Tai's heart splintered a little more with every step she took...away from him. But his strong façade never faltered. Never slipped. He wouldn't let it.
"I'll be waiting...Thanks." He whispered quietly, watching her go.
Agumon gazed up at his partner, and saw the pain mixed with forced happiness in the brown haired boy's expression. The orange lizard placed his claws on his hips, something resembling pride in his green eyes.
"You know what, Tai?"
The boy looked down at him, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. "What?"
"You've really grown up."
Tai smiled at his little friend, grateful for his support.
"Look out!" A whiney voice suddenly rang out behind them. "Incoming!" The pair barely had time to turn around before what seemed like a miniature tornado blew past, knocking them both over. June Motomiya thundered into the building, a huge pile of brightly covered gifts balanced in her arms and a determined look glued to her face.
"Watch where you're going, June!" Tai yelled after her retreating form.
"Sorry!" The teenager's voice floated back, sounding not in the least bit apologetic. "I'm in a hurry to see Matt. All the girls think he's the cutest!" She couldn't resist adding.
Tai's face twitched. June's flippant words stung him. He didn't care about all the girls, just one. One who wasn't his, and now never would be...because of Matt. Jealousy flared in the brown haired youth's gut, coupled with anger. Anger at his best friend for the pain he'd inadvertently caused him. Anger at fate for creating emotions in the first place. Anger at himself for being too weak to let her know how he felt sooner, and now it was too late.
A small rock sat nearby, silent and unassuming. Tai's angry gaze fell upon it, and without really thinking about what he was doing, he picked it up and hurled it as hard as he could at the side of the building. All his pain, all his anger went into that throw, as if he could somehow relieve himself of his errant feelings with physical exertion. The missile struck with a vacant thud, leaving a small dent in the brickwork, before falling impotently to the ground, a meaningless rock once more.
Agumon stared at it for a second, then looked at his partner, jaws slightly open with surprise. "Tai?"
Tai knelt; arm still outstretched from his throw, breathing harshly. Resentment bubbled inside him like a boiling broth, fanned by the flames of his disappointment and hurt. Suddenly he bent forward, clutching at his stomach. A small groan of corporal pain escaped his lips as a burning sensation lanced through his midriff. Agumon darted forward, alarmed at his friend's patent distress.
"Tai? Tai!" He repeated, rubbing the boy's back with one thickly clawed hand. Another moan emitted from Tai's mouth as a wave of intense nausea washed over him. He felt like he was about to throw up, and could vaguely taste bile at the back of his throat. He covered his mouth with one hand, coughing and gagging at the inexplicable queasiness.
Gently, the small orange reptile caressed his back, not really knowing what was wrong or what to do. He felt helpless, and was considering running to fetch Sora and Matt when, abruptly, Tai straightened up. The boy drew a deep breath, sighed, and turned to his puzzled companion. Agumon simply looked at the hazel-eyed youth, who now seemed completely healthy and comfortable. His green eyes widened as Tai stood - albeit shakily - and smiled down at him.
"Um, what was that?" The Digimon demanded.
"Oh, nothing." Tai replied.
"It sure didn't look like nothing to me!" Agumon protested, but stopped when his partner bent down and scratched him on the back of his head, just where he liked to be scratched. His remonstrations died in his gullet as adept fingers created a tickling sensation on the crown of his flat skull.
"Really, it's nothing, Agumon. It get these attacks sometimes, it's nothing new. The doctor says it's probably just some virus I picked up at school that won't leave my system. But I'm fine, really."
"Well...if you're sure." Agumon reluctantly conceded.
"I am." Tai answered, effectively closing the subject. "We'd better get going, or else all the best seats will be gone."
Agumon nodded, and dutifully followed the brown haired boy back through the maze of tents to the stage entrance. They walked slowly, having no need to hurry. Friendly silence stretched between them, as each contemplated his own thoughts.
Contrary to what he'd told his Digimon, Tai was a little worried. It was true that these strange episodes were nothing new - they'd been plaguing him inexplicably for months now. But recently they'd become much more frequent, and potent. Where before had been only minor discomfort now felt like someone gouging out his gut. He hadn't told anyone about this, least of all his family. Both Kari and his mother shared the gene for worrying, and no doubt if he informed them of these odd happenings then he'd be quarantined in his room until college!
He sighed. Now was not the time to be worrying. After all, it was Christmas, the time to be merry. Now was the time to be enjoying yourself with your friends, partaking in the spirit of the season and generally having a good time. He drove all thoughts of sickness from his mind, concentrating instead on the evening of entertainment he was about to embark on.
Yet still, at the back of his mind, a face floated. A face that caused him both misery and delight in equal measure. A face he wished to look upon, but at the same time never wanted to see again. A kind face. A face framed by chestnut hair and gentle, hazel eyes....
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Tai hung over the toilet bowl, retching the last of the bile from his craw. He spat greenish saliva onto the white porcelain, groaning slightly as it burned his tongue. He'd barely made it this time. Even so, the bathroom carpet would never be the same again - nor would his tracksuit, for that matter. His knees were damp where they'd touched the vomit sprayed liberally across the floor, and his front was stained an ugly yellow.
The room span slightly when he righted himself, flushing the toilet as he did so. That was the fifth time this evening. He'd never had so many attacks in such a short space of time. His gut felt empty and cramped, having nothing left to give. Yet filling his aching belly was the very last thing on Tai's mind at that moment. His mind was cloudy, a result of the continuous vomiting, he surmised.
Staggering slightly, he hauled himself upright by the rim. He would have told somebody about these numerous attacks sooner, but the apartment was silent and vacant except for him. Kari was at a friend's sleepover, and his parents were out having dinner at a restaurant with some friends. The pallid boy glanced at the tacky fish-shaped clock on the bathroom wall. 10:30pm, they should be back soon. Another searing pain manifested in his chest, and he doubled over in agony. As swiftly as it had appeared, the pain vanished, leaving him breathless and sweaty, clinging to the sink for support.
What was happening to him? Along with the vomiting, tonight he'd been experiencing intense chest pains, like heartburn but much, much stronger. He'd never had these before, and they scared him. He'd scolded himself for being frightened of such things, but his fear remained unabated. Something buried in his memory told him that he'd felt this before, a long time ago, and that it was very, very dangerous. Yet, the exact information lingered tantalizingly out of reach to his questing mind, playing about the fringes of his recollection like dancing smoke-wisps. Insubstantial and teasing.
He tottered back to his bedroom, all but collapsing onto his bunk. The room spun around him, and black spots pattered across his vision. There was no doubt about it, something was seriously wrong with him. But what? He'd been completely fine this morning when he bade goodbye to Kari, and never healthier than when his parents left that evening for dinner. Why was he feeling this way now, of all times?
It had been four months since MaloMyotismon's defeat in the Digital World. In all that time Tai had never experienced such violent attacks as these. Groaning slightly with the effort, he tried to remember what might have sparked them off this evening. He'd been sitting at his desk, doing some geography homework due in at least two weeks ago. No, no he hadn't. He was meant to have been doing the homework, but instead he'd been looking at something. A picture...a photograph of him and his friends. The one that Sora took in the Digital World - last week, was it? Not long ago, anyway. She'd given copies to all of them, and Kari had bought a frame for theirs and positioned it on the desk where they could see it no matter where they stood in the bedroom. He'd been looking at that picture. Studying it. But....what had interested him so much?
Tai's head pounded like a thousand tiny sledgehammers were beating the inside of his skull. He remembered, he'd been looking at them again. Matt and Sora. Even in a picture featuring the entire Digidestined team and their Digimon, those two were still together. Still so close. It had been months since they began going out - Christmas last year, if he remembered rightly - but their relationship still hurt Tai. He never let it show, but whenever he saw them his heart felt like it was being forcibly ripped from his chest. They had each other, and seemed so happy, but whom did he have? Nobody. That was what he was looking at in the picture. Her. And Matt. With him, and yet not with him. A couple, and a spare.
Suddenly, Tai's gut contracted again, and he was forced to scramble off his bed and rush to the bathroom. The sounds of empty retching could be heard, followed by pained moans as the teenager's stomach constricted upon itself, sending naught but burning broth up into his gullet. He crouched on the tiled floor, rubbing his gut in an effort to pacify it. His labours were in vain, however, as another bout of nausea swept through his throbbing body, reducing him to a foetal position, laying in his own vomit on the cold floor.
Dully, he recognized the faint sounds of keys in a lock. His parents were finally home. His voice croaked impotently in his throat as the adults' chatter filtered through the apartment to his ears. He hadn't even the strength to call to them any more.
A bang. The door closing, probably. His father's curses at the sticky lock. That was normal. Then his mother's voice.
"Tai? Tai, honey, are you still up?"
He didn't answer. Couldn't. Hadn't the power.
"Tai? Are you in bed?"
Silence. Murmured shufflings between the married couple, then Mrs. Kamiya's exasperated tone, loud and clear.
"Oh, he's gone and left the bathroom light on again. Honestly, our electricity bill will be through the roof!"
The padding of slipper-clad feet on the floorboards, followed by the creak of the bathroom door and his mother's horrified gasp.
"Oh my God! Tai! Tai, what's wrong?"
Someone knelt beside him, their shadow darkening the blackness behind his closed eyelids. Hands slid around his back, lifting him clumsily to a sitting position. He groaned, as his already aggrieved midriff was jolted, green bile inadvertently sliding down his chin. His mother's voice again, hazy and indistinct despite her close proximity.
"Hurry!" She seemed to say. "He's collapsed, and...and the bathroom's...well just come and look at it!"
More footsteps, then his father's gruff baritone. He was further away than his wife, probably standing in the door. Tai vaguely heard the words 'ambulance' and 'hospital' through the dark fog clogging his senses. He struggled to pierce this cloying blackness, but it had formed an almost impenetrable shield around his wits, rendering his body virtually useless to his disorientated mind. Mentally he slumped back into the nest of comforting numbness manifesting itself at the very back of his brain. It was too much effort. Simply too much effort to open his eyes and try to move his aching limbs. Why bother when he could just rest here. Here in the sweet darkness, where he was safe. Where nothing could touch him. He sank back, opening his very soul to the darkness, asking it to come and numb him from the pain his body was experiencing, and felt it rush in like a waterfall, surging into his psyche like the tide of a dark sea. Answering his request with actions rather than comforting words.
Tai was vaguely aware of his mother's face. Her usually soft eyes were expanded and staring, disbelief and fear clearly evident in their hazel depths. But the image was nebulous, as if in a dream....or a hallucination. Yes, that must be it. A hallucination brought on by this strange sickness and the sound of his mother's voice. Tai's perception faded in and out, supporting this theory.
Drifting between the waking and dreaming worlds, Tai experienced strange and disturbing visions. He dreamt he saw his own hand, talons like that of an eagle affixed to his fingers, stained with a dark, sticky liquid. Another time he thought he could hear growling, underscored by a wet ripping sound. His grip on reality was tenuous, and more times than not, he viewed only the blackness of oblivion.
Finally, he glided into the harbour of consciousness, senses returning to him one by one. As his hearing manifested itself once more, he became aware of the intense silence surrounding him. Faint dripping could be heard, but nothing else. Tai thought he must be in the hospital, such was the quiescence - memories of his father's words resurfacing in his cloudy mind. With enormous effort he forced his eyelids open.
The room was dark, and for a moment he was blind. He waited, allowing himself to become accustomed to the gloom and his night-vision to kick in. Gradually, indistinct shapes became clear, illuminated by a shaft of moonlight filtering through the half-drawn curtain at the window. Tai realized with a jolt that he wasn't at the hospital, but was in fact at home, still in his own apartment. His eye's adapted themselves to the shadows, and he gasped at what he beheld.
The living room was a mess. Everything was smashed, burned, destroyed. Photographs and ornaments lay shattered across the floor, and the slashed curtains billowed inward, blown by the breeze coming through the splintered windowpane. The stench of smoke permeated the air, accompanied by that of burnt meat. Tai coughed as the evil reek flowed into his nostrils, reflexively sitting up to escape it. His head reeled, but what he saw next wasn't any hallucination.
The body of his mother lay stretched out before him, her flesh torn and bloody. She lay on her back, hazel eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, her throat an open wound. Around her on the carpet were dark stains. Blood. Her blood. Tai backed away from the corpse, crawling rearward on his backside. His spine suddenly struck something soft, and he twisted round to see another corpse behind him. This one was missing huge chunks of its body, including a hand and foot. These lay nearby, next to the small furry body of their family cat. The feline's belly spewed forth ruptured entrails and vital organs, red fluid leaking improvidently across the rug. His father and Miko.
Tai's stomach lurched, and his hands flew inadvertently to his mouth. However, before they reached his face he saw something, and abruptly froze in shock. Scarlet juice ran freely across his palms, almost black in the poor light. It dripped onto the floor as he stared at it, trembling. Was this his blood? Or...or...
Memories of his semi-conscious visions sprang to mind, and he scrambled to his feet before whipping round to look into the mirror, which hung lazily by one corner on the opposite wall. Distorting cracks latticed the glass, but his reflection was clear nonetheless.
A pair of red eyes stared back at him, set in a canvas of tanned skin. Jutting into the lips of this visage were wickedly pointed fangs, crimson saliva dribbling around them. Tai took a step backwards, and so did the image. It was him! That monster in the mirror was him! His glowing eyes darted down to his hands again, studying them more closely. Sure enough, as he'd suspected, talons speared from his fingertips like tiny, razor-sharp javelins. Tai's airway constricted as the horrible realization of what had occurred came to him.
Those visions, the strange imagoes he'd seen, they hadn't been dreams at all. They'd been the half-conscious sights of him murdering his parents. And the odd noises - the growling and ripping - that had been him...tearing them apart. No! No, it couldn't be! But all the evidence pointed towards it. Everything around him - the devastated apartment, the bodies, himself - indicated that somehow, someway, he's transformed into this hideous beast and slaughtered his own kin.
Tai turned away from the mirror, sickened by what he saw. How had this happened? What was going on? But his gaze came instead to rest upon the carcasses of his kith and kin. Their lifeless eyes stared up at him accusingly, and the boy could almost hear them indicting him with their deaths.
He spun around, crying "No!" But all that came out was a hacking growl. His vocal chords were no longer human, and at the sound of his mutated voice the teenager's nerve snapped and he bolted for the door.
Down the corridor he sped, feet thudding on the metalwork, and then on the concrete when he reached the ground. Away he ran, away into the night. His grief and guilt driving him onward into the dark alleys surrounding his apartment block. Tai's brain was a maelstrom of words and images. What? How? When? Where? Why?
Why?
Why had he done this terrible deed?
Why had he become this awful monster?
Why had it been his parents he'd killed?
Why had he even been born?
Just...why?
Tilting his warped face heavenwards, the brown haired youth howled his fury at the moon and stars, who shone down on him with luminescent indifference. Tai roared impotently, anger clouding his already hazy mind.
He hadn't gone far when he saw a figure a little way in front of him. A teenage boy, walking with his hands delved deep into the pockets of his coat. Through the fog enfolding him Tai noticed almost laughingly that this young man was dressed in an almost identical tracksuit to his. Except his wasn't smeared with blood and vomit. This seemingly insignificant fact burned into Tai, causing resentment to froth inside him. This boy didn't know what it was like to lose your family by your own hands...no, claws. This boy wasn't going home to a wrecked apartment. This boy didn't know pain and death like Tai knew it. This boy didn't know how darkness could seep into your soul with grief and remorse.
The foreign teenager's head jerked up at the sound of Tai's footsteps, and his green eyes widened as he saw what was coming towards him. He stopped, then turned and ran away; back in the direction he'd come. Tai's tongue lolled, slavering, from his jaws, his crimson eyes fixed on the new boy's retreating back. Even as he ran, he felt his wits slipping, his mind being pulled from under him by some unknown force. A ring of blackness appeared around his field of vision, looking to encase this part of his brain and let loose another. But Tai fought it. With all his heart and all his soul he fought this inexplicable darkness looking to release the monster within him. Yet he was fighting a losing battle, and despite his efforts he sensed himself falling, falling into the same numbing blackness he'd nestled within in the bathroom. The determined boy refused to leave, however, clinging onto his sight if nothing else. A strange presence rushed to fill his other senses, crowding the small part of Tai that was left cowering next to his eyes. But still he repudiated its attempts to remove him completely, and watched impotently at what happened next.
With a swiftness not its own, Tai's body careered down the narrow alley, pausing only long enough to gather its muscles and leap upon the boy at the other end. It held the squirming teenager fast by his throat, lifting him bodily off the ground. His feet kicked helplessly at empty space, and his hands pawed at the talons clutching his neck in an iron grip. Tai's body smiled, its fangs glinting evilly in the pallid moonlight. Around them, sparks of blue began to fill the air, like those of visible electricity charges. The boy's body began to vibrate, and his mouth grew wide as his lungs were deprived of the life-giving oxygen they needed. Blue flashes lanced through his young body, sizzling the tender flesh as they passed through. If Tai had been in control of his stomach he would have heaved at this ghastly image.
Tai's body laughed. A growling, coughing laugh out of a voice box no longer designed for such sounds. The terrified boy clasped before it emitted choking noises, his face beneath a substantial black fringe turning purplish-red. Around them the shadows seemed to swirl and move, dancing a jig of pain and death. Tai was suddenly aware of a change in the presence controlling his body, as if it were dividing its attention between its victim and something else. With a start he realized that....whatever the thing might be, it was somehow controlling the shadows around it, causing them to twirl in their macabre ballet. Faster and faster they moved, enveloping the gruesome spectacle in a veritable whirlwind of darkness.
Finally, with a resounding screech like that of a stricken animal, the tangible blackness became as a spear, hurling itself down the new boy's throat. He gasped with pain as it flowed into his open mouth, eyes widening as it spread caustically through his system. Tai could only watch, unable even to close his own eyes, as the youth's body jerked and thrashed from the entity inside him. At length there was a hollow explosion signalling the demise of the boy. Wetness splattered onto his killer's face, accompanied by liberal amounts of gore and mangled tissue. Tai's body released the decapitated corpse, turning its eyes downwards to see it crumple unceremoniously to the cold ground. The flesh was still smoking, sending waves of noxious fumes into the frosty air. Tai's body slid out its tongue, licking a driblet of blood from where it had splashed onto its lips. The crimson liquid spread its coppery tang across the taste buds it touched, and Tai became aware that he could taste it. Gradually, the presence receded from Tai's body, storing itself away again from whence it had come. Tai perceived that it seemed considerably weakened by the outbursts of the evening, drained especially by the incident which had just taken place. Heartened by this, he strove to regain control of his body, finding little resistance from the feeble entity.
In a few seconds which felt like eternity, Tai found himself once more very much in charge of his limbs and senses. He stared down at the headless carcass laid across his feet, and promptly turned to throw up. His stomach, however, was still empty from its exertions earlier that night, and he fell to his knees in the sparkling dark fluid staining the concrete as a burning pain wracked his midriff instead.
"I didn't mean to." He whispered, as his body slowly returned to normal. He had no explanation for why it chose to do this now, just as he had no explanation for anything else that had happened this evening. Silent tears coursed their way down his blood-spattered cheeks, mixing to become scarlet rivulets as they fell. Tai grieved for that nameless boy in the shadows, whose life had been so abruptly and violently taken from him this night. He hadn't asked for this. He hadn't even known the brown haired youth who now wept for him.
As those rarely seen tears splashed onto the pavement, Tai came to a decision. He had to leave. Had to get out of Tokyo. He had no idea what had happened to him, but he was aware of the fact that he had murdered three people tonight. Maybe this would never occur again - and he dearly wished that this be so - but still the weight remained heavy on his soul that he'd snuffed out the existences of three human beings. Innocents. And that their blood was still fresh on his hands. He couldn't stay, not after what he'd done. He couldn't face anyone, not any more. Not knowing the sins he'd committed by the light of the moon.
Struggling to his feet, clothes still damp with sweat and other bodily juices, Tai stumbled off into the night. His mind was fuzzy - thoughts unclear - but his resolve was strong. He would never return to this place. Never. Fleetingly, a face billowed across his mind's eye, a face framed by chestnut hair with gentle hazel eyes...
He pushed the thought away. Never!
As the stars ceaselessly beat down their pale white light, the boy known as Tai Kamiya silently disappeared from the lives of those who knew him. All that was left to signal his departure was a bloody corpse laying unrecognisable in a dark Tokyo side street, and the stench of death riding on the frosty night air.
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TO BE CONTINUED....
If I catch even one person passing my work off as their own I will set the pack of rabid dogs I got 4 Christmas on them! This is an entirely original piece; so I expect everyone else to leave it alone and come up with his or her own stuff (!)
Legal blurb done with, here is the largest chunk of my fic to date. When I disappeared over Christmas, this is what I was doing - put it this way, imagine a teenage girl hunched over a notepad scribbling furiously whilst nearby several family members coo about trivial jabber and you'll see me. I've worked really hard on this, so be gentle please, but DO let me know what you think, and whether or not you want me to post the next instalment. It's a race against time now as I have mock exams coming up and would like to have posted the whole thing before they start, but I'll discontinue the whole thing if that's what people would prefer.
This instalment features a sequence from 'Digimon: The Movie' so it's probably a good idea to have seen it, but not absolutely imperative.
Remember the three R's - Review, review, and review!
Danke.
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"The Darkness Within" By Scribbler
Chapter Eight ~ "Shattered Moments (Part One)"
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"The now, the here, through which all future plunges to the past." - James Joyce
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The sky swelled, colours playing across the surface of the curved object literally bulging from the clouds. As Tokyo watched, the giant shape slowly emerged from what could only be described as a rip in the very fabric of space. Swirling hues shifting wildly in the moonlight, gradually accumulating along a narrow fissure appearing in the phenomenon's side. White light filtered from this rapidly increasing crack, growing brighter and brighter, until finally the exterior shattered in a flash of blinding brilliance.
The digi-egg had hatched.
A large green bird floated effortlessly down, past the tallest skyscrapers in Japan, to glide along the highway before circling round and up, up into the air. It revelled in the power of its wings, at the same time flexing and stretching its newly formed arm muscles with glee. Its massive beak opened, releasing a hacking caw of pure delight, which smashed the glass of windows nearby with its sheer force. The winged behemoth's pale blue eyes danced at this destruction, relishing the ease with which it destroyed the flimsy things.
Suddenly, three identical balls of fire flew toward the monster. It blew past, the trio of glowing spheres barely even touching its feathery tail, instead smashing into a nearby building and sending several floors up in flames. The massive creature beat its oversized wings, turning in mid-air and alighting on the concrete surface of the Tokyo highway. Its emotionless eyes stared down the tarmac river at a small orange dinosaur standing beneath a bridge, which stretched over the road. This was the one who had dared to attack? Well, he would pay dearly for his insolence.
Halfway between these two monsters, a little boy stood. He watched them through wide hazel eyes, not quite believing what he was seeing. His unruly brown hair waved frantically in the breeze created by the bird-creature's wings, as did the flimsy pyjamas he was clothed in. A pair of goggles were slung round his neck, and these too swayed in the wind billowing past him. Another ball of fire flew at the green giant, again missing its target completely and blowing up a similar bridge further down the highway. The little boy turned towards the source of this attack, mouth opening as he did so.
"Koromon? Kari!" he called, running towards where the dinosaur-creature stood hunched over the form of a little girl - no more than a toddler. She was facing away from the green bird, pummelling the dinosaur's chest with her tiny fists, her voice high and scared as she desperately yelled at the orange lizard.
"Koromon, please don't fight!"
The little boy reached them, grabbing the girl's shoulders and spinning her round to face him. He was a few years older than her, and by his discourse it was obvious that they were connected in some way. His voice was strained, fear clearly evident below the surface, but beaten down by his strong will not to show weakness.
"Kari!" He shouted over the noise of the battle. "Come on, we gotta go!"
But Kari simply threw off her brother, turning back to the dinosaur and renewing her insignificant beating and yelling at him. The little boy fell back in shock at her actions - was she mad? She was going to get them both killed! Uselessly he tried again to dissuade her, but she shrugged him off once more.
Above their heads, the dinosaur unleashed yet another fireball from the depths of his cavernous throat. This time it hit its goal directly, dissipating as it struck the bird-creature's wide head. Despite the palpable power of this assault, the larger monster remained unaffected, hideous laughter permeating the smoke surrounding its gigantic body.
"Now it's my turn!" It cackled maliciously, blue electricity crackling between the two outsized red feathers protruding from its skull. "Sonic Destroyer!"
The little boy turned a split-second before the attack struck, watching helplessly as a surge of blue energy rushed towards them. Tai Kamiya crouched over his little sister, protecting her the only way he knew how. He waited for the blue power to hit them, incinerating the hapless trio as easily as a boy at school burned up ants with his magnifying glass.
However, it seemed that whatever these two monsters were, it wasn't accurate. The bolt of blue smashed into the bridge above, reigning down debris and dust in equal measure. The small dinosaur stood over the frightened children, shielding them from the brunt of the falling objects with his considerably larger form. Kari screamed, terrified, and Tai clutched onto her to prevent her from doing what all kids do when panicked - running away. Grit and dirt got into his mouth and lungs, causing him to cough and retch despite himself. His grip on the toddler weakened as violent coughs wracked his small body. This momentary lapse was all Kari needed, and the terrified child broke free from her brother's embrace and began streaking away as fast as her short legs could take her. Tai scrambled to his bare feet, calling desperately after her.
"Kari, no! Stop! Wait, you'll be killed!"
But the scared little girl didn't heed his words. Rather, she ran faster at the sound of them, her young mind a fuddled mess at what was happening around her. Tai stumbled after her, the ground abnormally hot against his nude soles. He dashed after his sister among the shattered, angular slabs of concrete rising up around them, out into plain view of the bird-creature, protecting her the only thought in his mind.
Above them, in the gaping void left by the bird-monster's egg, a presence began to emerge. An entity, so old it defied the laws of time and space, curious about this new world it now found on the other end of its portal. Liquid blackness oozed from the rip, as the very essences of the Powers of Darkness surveyed what was to become their new domain. Yes, this place was ripe for picking. Unprotected and filled with everything needed for Darkness to fester and grow, it presented the perfect opportunity for germination.
But wait! Something caught the attention of this evil entity, and with neither eyes nor sight it looked down to where its creation battled with another Digimon. An Agumon, of all things. But it was not the orange reptile that interested the entity. Near to the puny creature, a small child was running. The Essences sensed something in this insignificant individual. The existence of their greatest nemesis - light! The only thing capable of subduing Darkness' power. Without lips or speech they hissed their fury at finding such a bearer of light in this dimension. It must be removed at once, else the light contained within that insubstantial body would pose the worst threat possible to the Powers' designs for this world.
Tai tackled his sister to the ground, sending them both facedown into the choking dust. They hadn't gotten very far away from the orange dinosaur, but were far enough to merit fear of becoming the bird-monster's new target. Tai struggled to haul them both upright, but Kari chose that moment to grab at him, latching onto his waist like a limpet on a rock. He stumbled, sent off balance by her added weight, twisting around to fall heavily onto his back.
Suddenly, a bolt of pure black lightning burst from the swirling mass of clouds, rushing towards its prey with unimaginable speed. The hazel-eyed boy saw its approach from where he lay, also noting where it was headed. Wrenching his body around, he pushed Kari to the ground, covering her trembling form with his own.
Unlike natural lightning, this bolt of blackness didn't simply strike a random tall spot on Earth. Instead, it lanced downward in a near perfect arc, spearing the young boy through his back and impaling his heart with faultless aim. Tai's eyes widened as the javelin of Darkness passed right through him, before melting into the wound it had created. He slumped forward, blood leaking from the twin wounds in his chest and back. Kari screamed as the body of her dying brother pressed against her, red stains smearing across her pale jumpsuit.
"Tai! Tai!" She yelled, tiny mind close to breaking point. But her sibling only stared at her, supporting himself weakly on arms placed either side of her head. Dark liquid dripped from the corner of his mouth, as he painfully sounded his last words.
"K...Kar...i...Ru...run..."
His arms gave way, and he collapsed on top of the toddler, silently willing her to move. To escape this battlefield. Behind them, the little dinosaur was nearly completely buried in pieces of fallen debris and chunks of concrete, almost certainly dead. Tai began to feel himself drift on a sea of nothingness, the only remaining sensation that of burning inside where the strange darkness was spreading through him, seeking the light which it had been sent to destroy. So this was what death felt like. It felt...empty.
"TAIIIIIIIIII!!"
Suddenly, a light exploded from within his lacerated chest. No, not from his chest. But close by. Tai gasped as the blinding light flooded into him, becoming tangible before his pain-wracked gaze. He marvelled at the fact that he was able to gasp, to draw in air to his ruined lungs as if they were whole. But...but suddenly there WERE whole, and undamaged. Strength flowed through his aching muscles, driving back the darkness consuming them like the Red Sea for Moses. He felt the waves of blackness recede - but not completely. A core of impenetrable darkness still sheltered in an alcove next to his heart, burying itself in the folds of existence it found there. Yet, amazingly, Tai felt his lungs begin to expand, felt the open gashes in his flesh close up and heal all by themselves. No, not by themselves, with help from the light. The light coming from....
He raised his hazel eyes to his sister's face. Kari gazed back at him through the phosphoresce illuminating her body. The light pouring from her into him. Healing him, retrieving him from the brink of eternity he was balancing precariously on. Tai stared at her young face, so determined, and felt something stir within him. Admiration for the courage she was showing....
Suddenly he threw back his head and yelled. A wordless shout, designed with the sole intention of giving the strength of the light to those who needed it. Kari's light rode on Tai's courageous shout, streaking across the open highway to envelope the still form of a certain orange dinosaur, infusing him with their combined power. Green eyes flashed open, accompanied by a roar that deepened considerably as it vociferated. A maelstrom of colour surrounded the small lizard, until another creature emerged from the rubble, sheltering the two children with its expanded bulk.
Tai gazed up at the huge creature, whose ruby eyes focused on him with an unreadable gleam. Curiously, the boy's body was now completely uninjured, and he stared up at the towering monolith of flesh and fire with wonder in his hazel eyes. Already the memory of his near-death was beginning to fade, as had been pre-ordained by the Powers of Light.
"Koromon?"
The huge lizard growled softly, almost gently at the small child clutching protectively at his sister. "I'm Greymon, now."
"You can be whatever you want...big guy." Tai whispered, confidence in this new ally's ability to defeat their enemy clear in his husky voice. With a blood-curdling roar, Greymon charged at the giant bird-monster, releasing a blast of blue fire from his serrated maw.
"Nova Blast!"
The Powers of Darkness recoiled at this turn of events. Despite its appearance, the bearer of the light was deceptively strong. Yet, the entity didn't shy away from this world, although they didn't embrace it either. They simply dissipated, waiting for the right moment they were sure would come in the future. The time when they could finally defeat the light and take control of both this and other worlds like it. That time would come, they were sure. All they had to do was wait.
Beneath them, feathers flew and flames burned as the battle began anew. Giant monsters clashed among the buildings of Tokyo, fighting each other with renewed vehemence, unaware that at that moment, the Digidestined were being born.
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The crowd outside the large green tents bustled happily, laughter and chatter filling the frosty air. Every now and then a cry of "merry Christmas" could be heard, followed by the appropriate response from the person it was directed at. Everywhere, people were smiling, jostling and giggling in the spirit of the season.
A group of teenage girls carrying armloads of presents hurried past, eager to join the rapidly growing queue to the ticket booth. They nudged each other good naturedly, handing over their money and entering the biggest of the tents - which was in fact an arena of sorts - to sit as close to the stage set up there as possible. Already the seats around them were swelling with people - mostly teenagers, although there were a few parents trying to look 'hip' by accompanying their embarrassed offspring to a rock concert - even though the entertainment wasn't due to start for quite a while yet. All were wrapped up warm against the cold, gloves and brightly coloured scarves becoming the latest fashion statement.
Tai, however, wasn't part of these throbbing masses. Instead he was outside the canvas constructions, walking around the 'backstage' area - or whatever could be constituted as such when dealing with tents. At his heels trotted Agumon, the ever-faithful little Digimon paying a visit to the real world for the holidays. The brown haired boy strode purposefully among the ropes and pegs, looking for someone. Finally he saw her, standing outside a closed door, which led into the band's rehearsal building. His heart performed a little flip-flop inside his chest. She was wearing her brand new blue winter coat with matching gloves, a pink scarf muffling her face from the sharp breeze ruffling her chestnut hair. Tai smiled knowingly. That scarf was a constant source of amusement for him, or rather; the wearer was when she complained about her mother's copious, but none-too-subtle attempts to make her more feminine, or as she put it, 'soppy'.
At the teenage girl's feet was what appeared to be a large pink bird, striped here and there with splashes of bright blue. Biyomon's colouring was the only instance when her partner wouldn't complain about an overdose of pastel, instead admiring the Digimon's plumage as pretty. Girls could be so hard to understand, Tai mused thoughtfully. Always changing their minds about things.
He called out loudly, in an effort to be heard of the strumming of instruments coming from inside the building. Matt's band rehearsal must be still going on, the hazel-eyed youth realized. They'd better get a move on; they're due on stage soon.
"Hey, Sora! Wait up!"
The girl by the door turned at his voice. As she did so, Tai saw that she was clutching a box covered in green wrapping paper and red ribbon in her hands. Idly, he wondered what the package contained, but didn't worry himself too much about it. Not so Agumon.
"Mmm! Something smells good!" He cried, lifting his squarish snout and inhaling deeply at the scent emanating from the box. A globule of saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth to splash on the ground by his clawed feet - Agumon had never been one for hiding what he was thinking, and right now he was obviously thinking about the freshly baked cookies he could smell in Sora's hands.
At that moment, the door into the rehearsal building creaked open to reveal a small wolf-like creature in a badly fitting blue fur coat. Gabumon's claws clacked on the concrete as he took a step outside, shivering at the cold despite his hairy attire.
"Matt's busy getting ready, but I'll take those to him." He offered, gesturing to the cookies with one paw. The appetizing aroma reached his nostrils, and he breathed it in deeply. "Mmm."
Biyomon's expression was scornful. "I bet you will! No way! You'll eat the whole thing yourself!"
Gabumon's ruby eyes took on a feigned insulted look. He raised one furry paw to his yellow chest, laying it across his heart in mock shock. "Why, I resent that!" Mischief glowed in his gentle eyes and he patted his rather rotund belly with his other paw. "I'm on a diet!"
At any other time, Tai would have laughed at this kind of comment. However, now only jangling nerves filled his body. He turned to Sora, taking a lungful of air for strength.
The teenage girl looked blankly at the boy's face, then down at the floor. Tai wasn't sure, but he thought he could see something in her hazel eyes. Embarrassment? Guilt? Whatever did Sora have to feel guilty about? Dismissing these concerns, he began the question he'd been waiting to ask all day. The request he'd been constructing ever since he found out about Matt's concert...and the fact that she would be going.
"So, um, Sora..." His mouth was dry. Come on Kamiya, pull yourself together! His inner voice berated. You're supposed to have the crest of Courage; something like this shouldn't be too difficult.
Easy for you to say, Tai replied mentally, and then stopped. He was talking to himself. Worse, he was arguing with himself too - and losing. He halted his flow of words, composing himself slightly. Sora glanced up from staring at the floor, her expression quizzical, and perhaps even a little frightened. What's she afraid of? Tai wondered fleetingly, before renewing his attempts at coherent speech.
"Sora...are you going to the concert with anybody? I mean...not that it matters to me...uh, just wondering." He added hastily, tripping over his words as he tried to get them out.
Sora just kept on staring at the ground, her expression unreadable. "No, I want to be available in case Matt is free afterwards." A tiny, half-hearted laugh accompanied this statement.
Her words cut through his nerves like a knife, slicing away until only hollow disappointment reverberated inside him. Tai gulped, Matt? She'd...she'd chosen Matt?
She'd chosen Matt.
The phrase echoed through his mind, bouncing off the crevices of his mortified brain like a bell's toll. All saliva evaporated from his mouth, and he croaked almost inaudibly.
"Oh...I see. Matt, huh?"
Another weak giggle, tinctured by...shame? Culpability? Regret? Or was that just his wishful thinking?
"Uh huh."
Tai stared at her rosy face. How could she? How could she pick Matt over...
Over who? Him? They'd never been a couple, so why should he feel so jealous of the blonde boy? His friend. He should be happy, shouldn't he?
Shouldn't he?
Sora gazed at him, her hands trembling slightly. Tai read in her hazel eyes that she hadn't wanted to tell him, but the situation had forced her to do so. She hadn't wanted to hurt him. He was her friend.
So why did he ache so?
Her gaze averted, she'd seen the pain of rejection in his eyes. Tai mentally slapped himself. Look! Look at what you're doing. So she's not with you, so what? She's happy isn't she? Isn't that enough for you? Don't be selfish, Tai.
Drawing himself up, he took a tentative step forward and laid one hand on her shoulder. Sora's chestnut head jerked up, surprised at the action.
"You're not...mad at me, Tai?" She asked timidly. Tai plastered a fake grin upon his face. It wouldn't be right for him to spoil her Christmas. He was supposed to be her friend, after all. With that, Tai did one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do.
"No, of course not." He gently pushed her towards the yawning door. "Now get in there and say 'hi' to Matt for me."
"Thanks Tai." A spark of what he'd thought was regret still burned in her grateful hazel orbs, but the teenage girl swivelled her head away from him before he could properly discern whether he'd seen or imagined it.
Agumon took a few steps forward, waving long arms above his head to emphasize his displeasure at having the delicious cookies removed. "The least you could do is leave us the cookies!" He cried in his high-pitched voice.
Sora smiled, a breath of almost-laughter brushing of over her soft lips. "Tell you what, I'll make some special ones for you." Then the teenage girl turned away - not waiting for his answer - and walked soberly into the building, Biyomon following loyally behind her. Tai's heart splintered a little more with every step she took...away from him. But his strong façade never faltered. Never slipped. He wouldn't let it.
"I'll be waiting...Thanks." He whispered quietly, watching her go.
Agumon gazed up at his partner, and saw the pain mixed with forced happiness in the brown haired boy's expression. The orange lizard placed his claws on his hips, something resembling pride in his green eyes.
"You know what, Tai?"
The boy looked down at him, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. "What?"
"You've really grown up."
Tai smiled at his little friend, grateful for his support.
"Look out!" A whiney voice suddenly rang out behind them. "Incoming!" The pair barely had time to turn around before what seemed like a miniature tornado blew past, knocking them both over. June Motomiya thundered into the building, a huge pile of brightly covered gifts balanced in her arms and a determined look glued to her face.
"Watch where you're going, June!" Tai yelled after her retreating form.
"Sorry!" The teenager's voice floated back, sounding not in the least bit apologetic. "I'm in a hurry to see Matt. All the girls think he's the cutest!" She couldn't resist adding.
Tai's face twitched. June's flippant words stung him. He didn't care about all the girls, just one. One who wasn't his, and now never would be...because of Matt. Jealousy flared in the brown haired youth's gut, coupled with anger. Anger at his best friend for the pain he'd inadvertently caused him. Anger at fate for creating emotions in the first place. Anger at himself for being too weak to let her know how he felt sooner, and now it was too late.
A small rock sat nearby, silent and unassuming. Tai's angry gaze fell upon it, and without really thinking about what he was doing, he picked it up and hurled it as hard as he could at the side of the building. All his pain, all his anger went into that throw, as if he could somehow relieve himself of his errant feelings with physical exertion. The missile struck with a vacant thud, leaving a small dent in the brickwork, before falling impotently to the ground, a meaningless rock once more.
Agumon stared at it for a second, then looked at his partner, jaws slightly open with surprise. "Tai?"
Tai knelt; arm still outstretched from his throw, breathing harshly. Resentment bubbled inside him like a boiling broth, fanned by the flames of his disappointment and hurt. Suddenly he bent forward, clutching at his stomach. A small groan of corporal pain escaped his lips as a burning sensation lanced through his midriff. Agumon darted forward, alarmed at his friend's patent distress.
"Tai? Tai!" He repeated, rubbing the boy's back with one thickly clawed hand. Another moan emitted from Tai's mouth as a wave of intense nausea washed over him. He felt like he was about to throw up, and could vaguely taste bile at the back of his throat. He covered his mouth with one hand, coughing and gagging at the inexplicable queasiness.
Gently, the small orange reptile caressed his back, not really knowing what was wrong or what to do. He felt helpless, and was considering running to fetch Sora and Matt when, abruptly, Tai straightened up. The boy drew a deep breath, sighed, and turned to his puzzled companion. Agumon simply looked at the hazel-eyed youth, who now seemed completely healthy and comfortable. His green eyes widened as Tai stood - albeit shakily - and smiled down at him.
"Um, what was that?" The Digimon demanded.
"Oh, nothing." Tai replied.
"It sure didn't look like nothing to me!" Agumon protested, but stopped when his partner bent down and scratched him on the back of his head, just where he liked to be scratched. His remonstrations died in his gullet as adept fingers created a tickling sensation on the crown of his flat skull.
"Really, it's nothing, Agumon. It get these attacks sometimes, it's nothing new. The doctor says it's probably just some virus I picked up at school that won't leave my system. But I'm fine, really."
"Well...if you're sure." Agumon reluctantly conceded.
"I am." Tai answered, effectively closing the subject. "We'd better get going, or else all the best seats will be gone."
Agumon nodded, and dutifully followed the brown haired boy back through the maze of tents to the stage entrance. They walked slowly, having no need to hurry. Friendly silence stretched between them, as each contemplated his own thoughts.
Contrary to what he'd told his Digimon, Tai was a little worried. It was true that these strange episodes were nothing new - they'd been plaguing him inexplicably for months now. But recently they'd become much more frequent, and potent. Where before had been only minor discomfort now felt like someone gouging out his gut. He hadn't told anyone about this, least of all his family. Both Kari and his mother shared the gene for worrying, and no doubt if he informed them of these odd happenings then he'd be quarantined in his room until college!
He sighed. Now was not the time to be worrying. After all, it was Christmas, the time to be merry. Now was the time to be enjoying yourself with your friends, partaking in the spirit of the season and generally having a good time. He drove all thoughts of sickness from his mind, concentrating instead on the evening of entertainment he was about to embark on.
Yet still, at the back of his mind, a face floated. A face that caused him both misery and delight in equal measure. A face he wished to look upon, but at the same time never wanted to see again. A kind face. A face framed by chestnut hair and gentle, hazel eyes....
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Tai hung over the toilet bowl, retching the last of the bile from his craw. He spat greenish saliva onto the white porcelain, groaning slightly as it burned his tongue. He'd barely made it this time. Even so, the bathroom carpet would never be the same again - nor would his tracksuit, for that matter. His knees were damp where they'd touched the vomit sprayed liberally across the floor, and his front was stained an ugly yellow.
The room span slightly when he righted himself, flushing the toilet as he did so. That was the fifth time this evening. He'd never had so many attacks in such a short space of time. His gut felt empty and cramped, having nothing left to give. Yet filling his aching belly was the very last thing on Tai's mind at that moment. His mind was cloudy, a result of the continuous vomiting, he surmised.
Staggering slightly, he hauled himself upright by the rim. He would have told somebody about these numerous attacks sooner, but the apartment was silent and vacant except for him. Kari was at a friend's sleepover, and his parents were out having dinner at a restaurant with some friends. The pallid boy glanced at the tacky fish-shaped clock on the bathroom wall. 10:30pm, they should be back soon. Another searing pain manifested in his chest, and he doubled over in agony. As swiftly as it had appeared, the pain vanished, leaving him breathless and sweaty, clinging to the sink for support.
What was happening to him? Along with the vomiting, tonight he'd been experiencing intense chest pains, like heartburn but much, much stronger. He'd never had these before, and they scared him. He'd scolded himself for being frightened of such things, but his fear remained unabated. Something buried in his memory told him that he'd felt this before, a long time ago, and that it was very, very dangerous. Yet, the exact information lingered tantalizingly out of reach to his questing mind, playing about the fringes of his recollection like dancing smoke-wisps. Insubstantial and teasing.
He tottered back to his bedroom, all but collapsing onto his bunk. The room spun around him, and black spots pattered across his vision. There was no doubt about it, something was seriously wrong with him. But what? He'd been completely fine this morning when he bade goodbye to Kari, and never healthier than when his parents left that evening for dinner. Why was he feeling this way now, of all times?
It had been four months since MaloMyotismon's defeat in the Digital World. In all that time Tai had never experienced such violent attacks as these. Groaning slightly with the effort, he tried to remember what might have sparked them off this evening. He'd been sitting at his desk, doing some geography homework due in at least two weeks ago. No, no he hadn't. He was meant to have been doing the homework, but instead he'd been looking at something. A picture...a photograph of him and his friends. The one that Sora took in the Digital World - last week, was it? Not long ago, anyway. She'd given copies to all of them, and Kari had bought a frame for theirs and positioned it on the desk where they could see it no matter where they stood in the bedroom. He'd been looking at that picture. Studying it. But....what had interested him so much?
Tai's head pounded like a thousand tiny sledgehammers were beating the inside of his skull. He remembered, he'd been looking at them again. Matt and Sora. Even in a picture featuring the entire Digidestined team and their Digimon, those two were still together. Still so close. It had been months since they began going out - Christmas last year, if he remembered rightly - but their relationship still hurt Tai. He never let it show, but whenever he saw them his heart felt like it was being forcibly ripped from his chest. They had each other, and seemed so happy, but whom did he have? Nobody. That was what he was looking at in the picture. Her. And Matt. With him, and yet not with him. A couple, and a spare.
Suddenly, Tai's gut contracted again, and he was forced to scramble off his bed and rush to the bathroom. The sounds of empty retching could be heard, followed by pained moans as the teenager's stomach constricted upon itself, sending naught but burning broth up into his gullet. He crouched on the tiled floor, rubbing his gut in an effort to pacify it. His labours were in vain, however, as another bout of nausea swept through his throbbing body, reducing him to a foetal position, laying in his own vomit on the cold floor.
Dully, he recognized the faint sounds of keys in a lock. His parents were finally home. His voice croaked impotently in his throat as the adults' chatter filtered through the apartment to his ears. He hadn't even the strength to call to them any more.
A bang. The door closing, probably. His father's curses at the sticky lock. That was normal. Then his mother's voice.
"Tai? Tai, honey, are you still up?"
He didn't answer. Couldn't. Hadn't the power.
"Tai? Are you in bed?"
Silence. Murmured shufflings between the married couple, then Mrs. Kamiya's exasperated tone, loud and clear.
"Oh, he's gone and left the bathroom light on again. Honestly, our electricity bill will be through the roof!"
The padding of slipper-clad feet on the floorboards, followed by the creak of the bathroom door and his mother's horrified gasp.
"Oh my God! Tai! Tai, what's wrong?"
Someone knelt beside him, their shadow darkening the blackness behind his closed eyelids. Hands slid around his back, lifting him clumsily to a sitting position. He groaned, as his already aggrieved midriff was jolted, green bile inadvertently sliding down his chin. His mother's voice again, hazy and indistinct despite her close proximity.
"Hurry!" She seemed to say. "He's collapsed, and...and the bathroom's...well just come and look at it!"
More footsteps, then his father's gruff baritone. He was further away than his wife, probably standing in the door. Tai vaguely heard the words 'ambulance' and 'hospital' through the dark fog clogging his senses. He struggled to pierce this cloying blackness, but it had formed an almost impenetrable shield around his wits, rendering his body virtually useless to his disorientated mind. Mentally he slumped back into the nest of comforting numbness manifesting itself at the very back of his brain. It was too much effort. Simply too much effort to open his eyes and try to move his aching limbs. Why bother when he could just rest here. Here in the sweet darkness, where he was safe. Where nothing could touch him. He sank back, opening his very soul to the darkness, asking it to come and numb him from the pain his body was experiencing, and felt it rush in like a waterfall, surging into his psyche like the tide of a dark sea. Answering his request with actions rather than comforting words.
Tai was vaguely aware of his mother's face. Her usually soft eyes were expanded and staring, disbelief and fear clearly evident in their hazel depths. But the image was nebulous, as if in a dream....or a hallucination. Yes, that must be it. A hallucination brought on by this strange sickness and the sound of his mother's voice. Tai's perception faded in and out, supporting this theory.
Drifting between the waking and dreaming worlds, Tai experienced strange and disturbing visions. He dreamt he saw his own hand, talons like that of an eagle affixed to his fingers, stained with a dark, sticky liquid. Another time he thought he could hear growling, underscored by a wet ripping sound. His grip on reality was tenuous, and more times than not, he viewed only the blackness of oblivion.
Finally, he glided into the harbour of consciousness, senses returning to him one by one. As his hearing manifested itself once more, he became aware of the intense silence surrounding him. Faint dripping could be heard, but nothing else. Tai thought he must be in the hospital, such was the quiescence - memories of his father's words resurfacing in his cloudy mind. With enormous effort he forced his eyelids open.
The room was dark, and for a moment he was blind. He waited, allowing himself to become accustomed to the gloom and his night-vision to kick in. Gradually, indistinct shapes became clear, illuminated by a shaft of moonlight filtering through the half-drawn curtain at the window. Tai realized with a jolt that he wasn't at the hospital, but was in fact at home, still in his own apartment. His eye's adapted themselves to the shadows, and he gasped at what he beheld.
The living room was a mess. Everything was smashed, burned, destroyed. Photographs and ornaments lay shattered across the floor, and the slashed curtains billowed inward, blown by the breeze coming through the splintered windowpane. The stench of smoke permeated the air, accompanied by that of burnt meat. Tai coughed as the evil reek flowed into his nostrils, reflexively sitting up to escape it. His head reeled, but what he saw next wasn't any hallucination.
The body of his mother lay stretched out before him, her flesh torn and bloody. She lay on her back, hazel eyes staring blankly at the ceiling, her throat an open wound. Around her on the carpet were dark stains. Blood. Her blood. Tai backed away from the corpse, crawling rearward on his backside. His spine suddenly struck something soft, and he twisted round to see another corpse behind him. This one was missing huge chunks of its body, including a hand and foot. These lay nearby, next to the small furry body of their family cat. The feline's belly spewed forth ruptured entrails and vital organs, red fluid leaking improvidently across the rug. His father and Miko.
Tai's stomach lurched, and his hands flew inadvertently to his mouth. However, before they reached his face he saw something, and abruptly froze in shock. Scarlet juice ran freely across his palms, almost black in the poor light. It dripped onto the floor as he stared at it, trembling. Was this his blood? Or...or...
Memories of his semi-conscious visions sprang to mind, and he scrambled to his feet before whipping round to look into the mirror, which hung lazily by one corner on the opposite wall. Distorting cracks latticed the glass, but his reflection was clear nonetheless.
A pair of red eyes stared back at him, set in a canvas of tanned skin. Jutting into the lips of this visage were wickedly pointed fangs, crimson saliva dribbling around them. Tai took a step backwards, and so did the image. It was him! That monster in the mirror was him! His glowing eyes darted down to his hands again, studying them more closely. Sure enough, as he'd suspected, talons speared from his fingertips like tiny, razor-sharp javelins. Tai's airway constricted as the horrible realization of what had occurred came to him.
Those visions, the strange imagoes he'd seen, they hadn't been dreams at all. They'd been the half-conscious sights of him murdering his parents. And the odd noises - the growling and ripping - that had been him...tearing them apart. No! No, it couldn't be! But all the evidence pointed towards it. Everything around him - the devastated apartment, the bodies, himself - indicated that somehow, someway, he's transformed into this hideous beast and slaughtered his own kin.
Tai turned away from the mirror, sickened by what he saw. How had this happened? What was going on? But his gaze came instead to rest upon the carcasses of his kith and kin. Their lifeless eyes stared up at him accusingly, and the boy could almost hear them indicting him with their deaths.
He spun around, crying "No!" But all that came out was a hacking growl. His vocal chords were no longer human, and at the sound of his mutated voice the teenager's nerve snapped and he bolted for the door.
Down the corridor he sped, feet thudding on the metalwork, and then on the concrete when he reached the ground. Away he ran, away into the night. His grief and guilt driving him onward into the dark alleys surrounding his apartment block. Tai's brain was a maelstrom of words and images. What? How? When? Where? Why?
Why?
Why had he done this terrible deed?
Why had he become this awful monster?
Why had it been his parents he'd killed?
Why had he even been born?
Just...why?
Tilting his warped face heavenwards, the brown haired youth howled his fury at the moon and stars, who shone down on him with luminescent indifference. Tai roared impotently, anger clouding his already hazy mind.
He hadn't gone far when he saw a figure a little way in front of him. A teenage boy, walking with his hands delved deep into the pockets of his coat. Through the fog enfolding him Tai noticed almost laughingly that this young man was dressed in an almost identical tracksuit to his. Except his wasn't smeared with blood and vomit. This seemingly insignificant fact burned into Tai, causing resentment to froth inside him. This boy didn't know what it was like to lose your family by your own hands...no, claws. This boy wasn't going home to a wrecked apartment. This boy didn't know pain and death like Tai knew it. This boy didn't know how darkness could seep into your soul with grief and remorse.
The foreign teenager's head jerked up at the sound of Tai's footsteps, and his green eyes widened as he saw what was coming towards him. He stopped, then turned and ran away; back in the direction he'd come. Tai's tongue lolled, slavering, from his jaws, his crimson eyes fixed on the new boy's retreating back. Even as he ran, he felt his wits slipping, his mind being pulled from under him by some unknown force. A ring of blackness appeared around his field of vision, looking to encase this part of his brain and let loose another. But Tai fought it. With all his heart and all his soul he fought this inexplicable darkness looking to release the monster within him. Yet he was fighting a losing battle, and despite his efforts he sensed himself falling, falling into the same numbing blackness he'd nestled within in the bathroom. The determined boy refused to leave, however, clinging onto his sight if nothing else. A strange presence rushed to fill his other senses, crowding the small part of Tai that was left cowering next to his eyes. But still he repudiated its attempts to remove him completely, and watched impotently at what happened next.
With a swiftness not its own, Tai's body careered down the narrow alley, pausing only long enough to gather its muscles and leap upon the boy at the other end. It held the squirming teenager fast by his throat, lifting him bodily off the ground. His feet kicked helplessly at empty space, and his hands pawed at the talons clutching his neck in an iron grip. Tai's body smiled, its fangs glinting evilly in the pallid moonlight. Around them, sparks of blue began to fill the air, like those of visible electricity charges. The boy's body began to vibrate, and his mouth grew wide as his lungs were deprived of the life-giving oxygen they needed. Blue flashes lanced through his young body, sizzling the tender flesh as they passed through. If Tai had been in control of his stomach he would have heaved at this ghastly image.
Tai's body laughed. A growling, coughing laugh out of a voice box no longer designed for such sounds. The terrified boy clasped before it emitted choking noises, his face beneath a substantial black fringe turning purplish-red. Around them the shadows seemed to swirl and move, dancing a jig of pain and death. Tai was suddenly aware of a change in the presence controlling his body, as if it were dividing its attention between its victim and something else. With a start he realized that....whatever the thing might be, it was somehow controlling the shadows around it, causing them to twirl in their macabre ballet. Faster and faster they moved, enveloping the gruesome spectacle in a veritable whirlwind of darkness.
Finally, with a resounding screech like that of a stricken animal, the tangible blackness became as a spear, hurling itself down the new boy's throat. He gasped with pain as it flowed into his open mouth, eyes widening as it spread caustically through his system. Tai could only watch, unable even to close his own eyes, as the youth's body jerked and thrashed from the entity inside him. At length there was a hollow explosion signalling the demise of the boy. Wetness splattered onto his killer's face, accompanied by liberal amounts of gore and mangled tissue. Tai's body released the decapitated corpse, turning its eyes downwards to see it crumple unceremoniously to the cold ground. The flesh was still smoking, sending waves of noxious fumes into the frosty air. Tai's body slid out its tongue, licking a driblet of blood from where it had splashed onto its lips. The crimson liquid spread its coppery tang across the taste buds it touched, and Tai became aware that he could taste it. Gradually, the presence receded from Tai's body, storing itself away again from whence it had come. Tai perceived that it seemed considerably weakened by the outbursts of the evening, drained especially by the incident which had just taken place. Heartened by this, he strove to regain control of his body, finding little resistance from the feeble entity.
In a few seconds which felt like eternity, Tai found himself once more very much in charge of his limbs and senses. He stared down at the headless carcass laid across his feet, and promptly turned to throw up. His stomach, however, was still empty from its exertions earlier that night, and he fell to his knees in the sparkling dark fluid staining the concrete as a burning pain wracked his midriff instead.
"I didn't mean to." He whispered, as his body slowly returned to normal. He had no explanation for why it chose to do this now, just as he had no explanation for anything else that had happened this evening. Silent tears coursed their way down his blood-spattered cheeks, mixing to become scarlet rivulets as they fell. Tai grieved for that nameless boy in the shadows, whose life had been so abruptly and violently taken from him this night. He hadn't asked for this. He hadn't even known the brown haired youth who now wept for him.
As those rarely seen tears splashed onto the pavement, Tai came to a decision. He had to leave. Had to get out of Tokyo. He had no idea what had happened to him, but he was aware of the fact that he had murdered three people tonight. Maybe this would never occur again - and he dearly wished that this be so - but still the weight remained heavy on his soul that he'd snuffed out the existences of three human beings. Innocents. And that their blood was still fresh on his hands. He couldn't stay, not after what he'd done. He couldn't face anyone, not any more. Not knowing the sins he'd committed by the light of the moon.
Struggling to his feet, clothes still damp with sweat and other bodily juices, Tai stumbled off into the night. His mind was fuzzy - thoughts unclear - but his resolve was strong. He would never return to this place. Never. Fleetingly, a face billowed across his mind's eye, a face framed by chestnut hair with gentle hazel eyes...
He pushed the thought away. Never!
As the stars ceaselessly beat down their pale white light, the boy known as Tai Kamiya silently disappeared from the lives of those who knew him. All that was left to signal his departure was a bloody corpse laying unrecognisable in a dark Tokyo side street, and the stench of death riding on the frosty night air.
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TO BE CONTINUED....
