Author's Note: Me sooo tired right now. *sighs* Welcome to the next chapter of my story. Sorry, I'm too tired to write a disclaimer, you'll just have to trust me on this one. ^_~
Rating: R….*smacks head on keyboard* Eep! Dozed off there for a few seconds…
Tai and Sora walked hand in hand down the street, bathed in the glow of the streetlights overhead, while Kari skipped along ahead of them.
"Come on slow pokes! It's almost 9:30pm!"she informed them.
Tai glanced down at his watch and then gazed longingly into Sora's deep brown eyes. "I hope you had a good time tonight." He said.
"I always have a good time when I'm with you," she cooed. That remark made Tai slightly blush. They both stared into each other's eyes, caught up in the moment, until Kari's frantic shouts broke the mood.
"TAI!" she screamed.
Tai shifted his gaze towards his little sister, "What Kari!?" he said, almost annoyed.
"Behind you!!!" she cried, her arm outstretched and her finger pointing in the direction behind her brother.
Tai tilted his head to look over his shoulder, but was knocked off his feet before he could even see what had attacked him. He raised his head and blinked a few times, trying to regain his focus. He felt a great weight pinning him to the ground and tried unsuccessfully to get up. He heard Sora scream and watched as his little sister came barreling towards them.
"No Kari! Stay back!" Tai yelled, afraid of what the attacker might do to her if she tried to interfere.
Kari skidded to a halt, "But Tai, I can't! He's hurting Sora!" she sobbed, fresh tears brimming her eyes.
That was all Taichi needed to hear. He violently pushed himself up, sending whomever it was standing on top of him, sprawling to the ground. Tai got back into a standing position and gritted his teeth. His fists were clenched and ready for action.
"Tai!" Sora cried as she ran to his side. The vampire stood back up and eyed the defiant young boy. He had already been thwarted once that night, he would not stand for another failed attempt. His long, spindly arm snaked out and he clutched Tai by the throat. Tai's hands reached up and tried to pry the icy cold fingers off of his neck, but were unsuccessful. The vampire drew his arm back and thrust Tai forward, sending him flying into Kari, both landed in a heap several feet away.
As the demonic creature smiled at his handiwork, he was caught off guard, when a well-executed kick connected with his stomach. He doubled over in slight pain and his eyes shot up into those of his assailant.
Sora looked down at him insolently. Her fists were balled up and she was in a fighting stance, prepared for whatever assault he was about to unleash upon her. There was something about this one, he thought.
Yes, she definitely possessed some sort of attraction. He couldn't take his eyes from her.
"Come on ya big goon!!" she yelled at him. He smiled seductively at her, revealing a pair of canine-like fangs. Sora was taken aback by the sight and her concentration slipped. She was suddenly confused, and glanced back over at Tai and Kari, to see if they had witnessed it too. Unfortunately, they both lay still, having not recovered from the last attack.
When Sora shifted her gaze back to the creature, she let out a startled gasp. He was right in front her. An icy cold, white hand clamped over her mouth, preventing another scream. The vampire wagged one finger in front of her.
"Ah, ah, my dear. No more screaming for you." He confirmed.
Sora's eyes widened in terror. There was that look again, he thought, that look that so entranced him. The look of fear in his victim's eyes. His mouth opened wide, and Sora winced at the sight of his fangs glistening in the glow of the streetlight. He inched ever so closer to her, his hot breath causing beads of sweat to form on her chest. Tears rolled down her soft, pink cheeks, as she helplessly awaited impending doom.
That's when the sound of screeching tires alerted the vampire a second time. He turned his head to see the same car, carrying the same people who had stopped him before.
"Damn them!" he shrieked and grabbed Sora by the wrist. "I will not be foiled again!!!"He hollered. He swept the frightened girl up into his arms and ascended into the sky. His task would have been easier if Sora had not been flailing her arms and kicking him every chance she got.
T.K. jumped out of the car and ran towards Tai and Kari, who were groggily coming to.
"Sora?" Tai weakly asked, scanning the ground for her presence.
"Up there Tai!" Kari shouted, sitting up next to him and pointing upwards.
Tai gazed up into the night sky to see his girlfriend in the clutches of the vampire fiend.
"NO!!! SORA!!" Tai screamed with every ounce of energy in him. He stumbled to his feet and stared up helplessly at the dark figure holding his beloved hostage.
"SOOORRRAAAA!!!" he wailed as the creature vanished into the pitch-black heavens. Tai felt as though his heart had been ripped into shreds. How could he have let this happen?! He collapsed to his knees and began to sob uncontrollably. Kari crawled over to him and put her hand around his shoulder.
"Tai?" she said, trying to get him to focus in on her.
"He took her Kari! She's gone! This is all my fault!!" he whimpered.
"No Tai, no. This isn't your fault." She pleaded. "Please, listen to me!"
Tai wiped a few tears from his eyes and looked at his sister, awaiting her explanation.
"If he was going to kill her, he'd have done it by now. He wouldn't have just taken her. That means we can get her back!" Kari encouraged.
"But what if we're too late, what if he does kill her…what if…" he started, but was interrupted by a voice coming from inside Mr. Ishida's car.
"You know Tai, if I was able to, I'd get up and sock you in the face." Matt said weakly.
T.K. and Kari covered their mouths, trying hard not to smirk. Tai swiped at a few more tears and allowed a small grin to show itself.
"You're right, I am overreacting…but…" he stammered.
"It's okay Tai." Mr. Ishida said, helping the boy up from the ground, "We'll help you get her back."
Kari flew into her brother's arms and gave him a big hug, which made him feel a little better, but not much.
"We'll do this together Tai." She assured him.
"Uh, I hate to ruin the moment here," Matt interjected, "But can we go to the hospital now? I'm starting to feel a little queasy."
"Nice to see you got your strength back." T.K. commented, as the three children and Mr. Ishida piled into the car.
As the vehicle sped off, Tai pressed his face against the window and looked out at the stars.
"Hang on Sora. Don't give up. We'll be there soon." He whispered.
A light beeping sound roused the sleeping boy. When he opened his eyes, his vision was slightly blurred and it took him a few seconds before he could distinguish the objects in his room. As far as he could tell, he was in a hospital. The clock on the wall read 5:25, but whether that was A.M. or P.M. he did not know. He shifted around uncomfortably, as something cold and damp drew his attention. With the hand that wasn't hooked in to any intravenous system, he reached back behind his head and produced a defrosted ice pack. He lightly pressed one finger to the back of his head and squeezed his eyes shut. The area was still tender, but the swelling had gone down, and there wasn't nearly so much pain as before.
He started to roll his shoulders back in order to get into a more comfortable position, but abruptly stopped when a surge of pain shot up and down his neck and part of his left shoulder. Matt almost didn't want to know the extent of his injuries, but gritted his teeth, and slowly peeled back a layer of gauze underneath his hospital gown. He pulled off his oxygen mask to get a better look, but from the angle he was looking at, he could scarcely make out a few stitches. He wished he'd had a mirror.
Outside the hospital room, Tai paced around nervously up and down the hallway. He had been there all night. T.K. and Mr. Ishida were sound asleep in a couple of waiting room chairs. Kari had gone home hours ago, when their parents came to pick them up, after being telephoned the news. Of course Tai had refused to leave. It wasn't only that his best friend was there, it was also because he wanted to hold Mr. Ishida to his promise, but he had decided not to relinquish that little bit of information to his parents. He was determined to find Sora, at the same time he was concerned for his friend.
Nancy Takaishi, Matt and T.K.'s mother, had also been by that night. She became very worried when she drove by to pick up her son, finding nothing but Matt's battered guitar case and a puddle of blood. That would have any mother worrying. She was on her way to the police station when she received a cell phone call confirming that her son was in the hospital. T.K. absolutely refused to go home until he knew for certain that his brother would be okay. So she left him in the care of his father, seeing as she had to go to work in the morning. She promised to call and check up on Matt's condition the minute she woke up.
Mrs. Takenouchi was another matter entirely. She became hysterical when she found out that her only daughter had been kidnapped. Despite efforts to calm her, she drove out of the hospital parking lot in a desperate rage. Tai felt completely horrible about this. He kept telling himself that he could have done more, but in actuality there was nothing he could do, and he was unwilling to admit it.
He didn't even know where to look or what to look for. The situation seemed entirely out of his hands. Tai let out a deep dramatic sigh and finally sat down in one of the empty chairs. One of the nurses walked by and gave him a concerned glance.
"Thank goodness you've finally sat down. You've been pacing these halls all night. I was about to offer you a sedative." She lightly chuckled.
Tai managed a weak smile, as he watched her enter Matt's room. A few minutes later, she came back out. Tai stood up and seized her by the arm, a look of concern written across his face. The nurse faintly smiled at him.
"He's perfectly fine now, you can go in and see him if you want. I think the doctor will release him this morning. There was extensive bleeding, but he's had a transfusion, so he should be ready to go." She explained, hoping this would soothe the young man's nerves.
Tai was satisfied at the moment, but the fact that he had lost Sora still ached in his heart. It would take more than that to put his mind at ease. Tai loosened his grip on the nurse's arm. He slowly shuffled over to the door and gently pushed it open.
The first thing that came to mind were the white walls. He had always disliked the white walls of the hospital. It brought back awful memories of when he had almost lost Kari to illness, but that was a long time ago, when they were both very, very young. Matt looked peaceful in his present condition. He was sound asleep and the only sound in the room came from the I.V. drip, and that of the oxygen tank. Tai watched the steady rise and fall of Matt's chest. Matt's eyes flickered open and he looked up at Tai who gave him a more or less, forced smile.
"How you feeling buddy?" Tai asked.
Matt reached up and pulled the oxygen mask away from his face. "I've seen better days." He replied. "And you?"
Tai's bottom lip trembled; he did not want to cry. "F-fine." He stuttered, blinking back tears. "I'll be fine."
Matt had seen the hurt expression in Tai's face, and his eyes scanned the ground, trying to think of something to say to his friend. Something that would comfort him, but he knew nothing he said would make Tai feel better. So instead, he offered a suggestion.
"Maybe, our best plan of action would be to call Izzy." He proposed, watching for Tai's reaction.
"Izzy?" Tai thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, Izzy would know what to do. He'd know exactly what to do." Tai smiled, for once that entire night, he had felt confident about something.
Matt smiled and placed the mask back over his face, as he slowly drifted off to sleep.
"Thanks Matt." Tai said to the now sleeping form of his friend.
Tai anxiously pulled the door open and fumbled around in his pocket for Mr. Ishida's cell phone. As he was exiting the room he bumped into T.K. who looked like he had been on his way into the room.
"Sorry T.K." Tai apologized, holding the cell phone firmly in his grasp.
"Can I…?" he started to ask if it was all right for him to see his brother. Tai nodded.
"The nurse said it was fine and he'll probably be released this morning."
T.K. smiled at this news. As he was about to enter the room, he stopped and curiously glanced back over his shoulder.
"Hey Tai, who are you calling?"
"Izzy." He stated simply. T.K. nodded and proceeded forward.
Hmmm…what did ya think? I'm really fighting back efforts not to fall asleep until I'm finished w/ this closing note…Do you think I made Tai a little too melodramatic? Or is that how you'd picture him responding to something like that? Anywho, R+R please. And thanks to all the ppl who've reviewed so far. I really didn't think this fic would be very successful, but it seems I caught the attention of a few ppl and that's all that matters. *smiles*