Title: The Courage Child

Author: angel zeniko-chan

Email: zeni24@hotmail.com

Rating: Taito, a bit of Takari, Koushiro/Sora, and Mimi/Jyou

Summary: In the Digital World, Tai is targeted by a powerful digimon who wants our favourite leader to rule with her.

Author's Notes: second chapter! Hope you're up to it!

Disclaimer: Digimon doesn't belong to me....

*** change of POV or time gap

"speaking"

'thinking'

Italics: letter

The Courage Child

Part 2

"Tai! Tai!" Kari cried, running after her brother.

Tai turned around. "Hey Kari." He reached out his hand and Kari took it. Then he knelt down beside her, looking into the deep pools of brown. "What's up?" He asked, giving her a goofy smile.

Kari looked up to her brother, seriously. "Why didn't you tell the others about what happened?" She asked.

Tai sighed and sat down on the grass, pulling Kari down with him so that she sat in his lap. He hugged her close. "I don't want them to think I'm weak or something. As the leader, I have to be strong for everyone because they look up to me for advice and strategies. I have the crest of Courage, and I can't let anyone think that I didn't deserve it..." He broke of, thinking of Yamato.

At this Kari almost cried. Her brother was crying. She couldn't remember the last time Tai had cried. But then she couldn't remember the last time when someone really asked Tai if something was wrong. Everyone naturally looked up to him to be the strongest and it shocked her greatly to find out that he was just like any of them.

"Don't cry, onichan..." She hugged him tightly, as if she never wanted to let go.

"I need to tell you something, Kari." His tear-filled eyes looked in Kari's deep chocolate, understanding ones. Brown looked into brown. "What..." Tai hesitated. "What would you say... if I told you I like boys...?"

Kari smiled. "That's ok." She said, not quite understanding what Tai meant.

Tai looked at her. "Not just liked. What if I said I love a boy?"

Kari looked confused. What was wrong with loving another boy? "Is it wrong? You love daddy, don't you?"

Tai smiled at his little sister's innocence. He was sorry for being the one to marr that innocence, though. But Kari had to understand. If she didn't, then Tai didn't know where he would turn to. Who he would ever confide in. "I'm gay. Loving daddy is different... but... don't tell anyone this... I love Yamato." The last part was whispered so softly that the little girl almost didn't catch it.

Kari squealed when she finally heard it. "That's great!"

Tai looked at the green grass, miserably. "No it isn't. Yamato's not gay. I know it. People in the world hate gay people..." He lay on his back, forgetting his wounds for a moment. "I won't be able to take it if Yamato hated me..."

Kari hugged her brother, lending him her strength and comfort. She knew that he needed something to cheer him up. Something to distract him. "Play me something." She asked, putting on the famous 'Kamiya-puppy-face', taught by Taichi himself.

Tai laughed and sat back up. He knew that he couldn't refuse that face. In truth, he did need something to take his mind of Yamato... and his wounds, but he didn't want Kari to know that they were hurting again. She would panic. He careful took out his flute and wiped the mouthpiece with the corner of his shirt. Then placing his fingers on the keys, he trilled a few notes, testing the pitch and then began to play a sad melody, pouring his feelings into the tune.

It echoed off every branch, from every tree. Everyone in the area heard it. Especially Yamato and the others who had stopped to listen to the sound.

*** Yamato jumped up. 'That's what I heard last night!' He thought as he quickly got up and ran towards the source of the music. Everyone picked his lead and followed.

Then, as sudden as it began, the music stopped. This only made Yamato run faster though.

***

Something happened that made Tai stop. Kari had fallen asleep in his lap so he didn't want to wake her. He gently moved her aside and pushed away the hair from her closed eyelids as he crawled a little further so he wouldn't accidently wake her. Something in his stomach was acting up. There was the same bubbling in his throat and he started to cough violently, softening the sound only by a bit from his sleeve.

He gripped into the grass, still covering his mouth, trying to make it stop, but somehow it only made it worst. He fell to his side and clutched his middle. Whimpering softly, he tried to take the pain off his mind, but nothing happened.

Taking his flute, he tried to play, but with every note, it seemed to make the pain worst.

Finally, Taichi couldn't take all the suffering and he blanked out, his shiny flute falling from his grasp.

***

"Tai! Kari!" Yamato yelled as he and the others ran all over to find them.

"They can't have gone far." Jyou said, panting heavily from all the running.

Upon hearing someone cough, Yamato panicked even more and ran faster. There was only one person who could be coughing so badly. Tai...

"That's Tai!" He yelled to the others, making them run faster then ever.

"TAI! KARI!" Everyone shouted, but no one answered. Then the coughing stopped aruptly.

"Tai!" Mai yelled desperately. "Answer me please!"

But nothing...

Then finally, as if after hours of running, they reached a clearing.

Kari was curled up in front, sleeping like a baby.

"Kari!" TK cried as he and the girls ran up to her. They took a hold of her shoulders and shook her until she woke up. "Tai... What?" She asked when she finally did. "Where's Tai?" She sat up. She knew something was wrong when she didn't feel a body under her. She knew that she had fallen asleep in her brother's lap, but where was he now?

Sora looked at her confused. "You mean you don't know?"

Kari thought for a while. "We were talking then he played his flu-" She stopped suddenly, then hit herself over the head several times.

"Kari?" What's wrong?" Mimi asked the frantic girl.

"He told me not to tell!" Kari cried. She had betrayed her brother's trust, so she sat down and refused to talk to anyone, while staring at the ground.

Yamato looked around. While the others were busy with Kari, in his opinion they should be looking for Taichi. He moved his head to each side, looking for any sign of the soccor boy, when he saw a glint of silver.

"Tai?" He asked. "Is that you?" Yamato cautiously walked over.

It was Tai.

He was slumped on the ground, in the dark shadows of the giant willow trees. If Yamato haden't seen the sun reflecting of the metal, he would have definately passed him.

Right now, his best friend was lying on the ground, his tanned skin looked almost white, which was very close to impossible. He seemed to have trouble breathing because he was gasping heavily. His silver flute lay beside him, most likely fallen from his grasp.

Yamato knelt down beside the smaller boy. 'What, no who could have caused this?' He thought. He blamed himself though. 'If I had only watched him better, then Tai wouldn't be like this.'

Reaching one hand out to touch Tai's face, he felt his forehead burning up.

"Hey, Jyou! Koushiro! I need some help here!" He called out. Tai had a fever. And by the looks of it, it was a pretty bad one at that.

Jyou rushed to Yamato and Tai's side and the each put one of Tai's arms around their shoulders. Holding onto his waist, they walked back to the others. But not before Jyou saw the blood on the ground. "What?" He asked, trying to get a closer look.

Yamato looked at him, holding Tai up. "What?"

Jyou pointed to the ground with one unoccupied hand. "Look."

Yamato looked to where Jyou pointed. Right where Tai had lain was a tiny pool of blood. "Huh?" He asked. Then he remembered Tai coughing up blood this morning. He told Jyou about it. It was hard to keep it a secret anyways, and Tai needed help, which only Jyou could give.

"Why didn't he tell us before?" Jyou threw his hands up in frustration.

Tai's arm fell from his shoujlder and Yamato desperately tried to keep him up. His arm slipped up to Tai's back. He took it away when he felt something liquidy on it.

Blood.

He stared at it. Then realizing that Tai need help, he lifted Tai up easily in his arms and cradled him to the campsite, where he gently placed him on top of the giant leaves that the digimon had collected. Then he rolled Tai on his stomach.

Kari came over to see her brother. Taking his flute, she held it tightly, and cried. "I soory Tai..." she kept repeating over and over, as if by magic Tai could be restored by these words.

Yamato gently peeled Tai's soaked shirt off his back and lifted it up over Tai's head. It was caked in blood.

Jyou handed him the scissors, knowing that even if he tried to pry Yamato away to finish the job, the blond wouldn't leave. He was the oldest of them all, and he understood the most. He could see all the mixed emotions in Yamato's eyes, but one emotion stood out the most. Love.

Yamato took the scissors and cut the bandages off. Kari had done a good job wrapping up the wounds and it was easily taken off. What all of the digidestined saw on Tai's back horrified them to no end. Yamato was especially shocked. Tai. HIS Tai had five deep gashes one his back. Yamato could hardly speak. "What... what happened?" He asked in a shaky voice.

Jyou took over his spot and bound Tai's wounds again.

Kari told them everything she knew. About Miliramon coming for Tai and how she tried to take Tai away. About her going into Jyou's bag and wrapping Tai's wounds. By that time, everyone had crowded around their fallen leader. The digimon were sitting a bit further away, trying to comfort Agumon who wouldn't look at his partner because he felt as if he had failed him. He had let Taichi be hurt while he was sleeping.

"Does he play the flute?" TK asked.

Kari nodded tearfully. "He taught himself how to, a while ago. No one knew, not even our parents, but one night when I couldn't sleep, he played for me. He's been playing for me everynight after that."

Sora started. Now that she thought about it, she really didn't know much about her best friend and she's known Tai the longest out of everyone there, but Kari. "Why didn't he tell us?" She asked, hurt. Koushiro placed one arm around her, letting her know that she should calm down.

"He thought that you would laugh..." Kari said quietly, looking at her brother's flute.

Mimi nodded. She knew that the little girl was right. If Tai had told them that he played the flute, Mimi was sure that even TK would have laughed. At that time, picturing Taichi playing a flute was impossible. He seemed like the type who would love to lead and would always disobey anyone. The type to rebel.

But after getting to know him better, Mimi was confident that Tai didn't like leadership at all. He was down to earth, and somehow he always knew what others were thinking and knew how to comfort them and make them smile. That's what she missed most of all right now. Tai's smile.

Everyone felt the same. Taichi was the strongest person they knew, and if this Miliramon could hurt Tai that badly, then they would be safe.

Yamato was hopping mad inside. This Miliramon had caused his best friend, his love to hurt. And he was hurting badly. Yamato vowed that she would pay. And pay dearly. But one thing nagged him in his mind. Digging your nails into someone's back wasn't supposed to make them have a fever and cough out blood.

"There is a perfectly good explanation for this." Koushiro said when Yamato said this outloud. He had taken his arm from Sora's shoulder when he thought that she was okay again. Taking Taichi's digivice, Koushiro placed it in the slot where Gennai had made so that they could see the digimon each other saw. There, after typing a few computer sentences, he was able to access info the the digimon Tai had seen.

Yamato looked over Koushiro's shoulder as the computer freak pointed to a picture. Clicking it, a short biography of Miliramon showed up.

"Claw of Poison. Makes the opponent..." Sora stopped, unable to continue.

"...die slowly by the poison seeping into the veins." Koushiro read slowly and solemly.

There was silence while everyone tried to think of something to say. What could they say? Their leader was going to die.

"Why Tai?" TK was crying along with Kari. The girls were drying as well and Yamato thought he saw Jyou and Koushiro wipe something from their eyes as well.

There was a groan of pain and then a voice. "It was because she wanted me to rule with her..." Taichi said as he slowly tried to sit up. His back was throbbing again and something in his head was hurting a lot. But he had woken up to find everyone crying. Crying for...? He couldn't tell. Then he heard TK's question so he tried his best to answer it. He had not told Kari as to why Miliramon had come because he thought that she was a bit young to understand, although now he knew that she was wrong. The youngest would always be the wisest.

"TAI!" The girls cried. Yamato saw that Sora and Mimi had to restrain themselves from jumping on their leader and hugging him to death. But Kari didn't have that kind of self restraint. She flung herself onto Tai, sobbing loudly. For a split second, Yamato saw the pain flicker through Tai's chocolate brown eyes, but then it was replaced by Tai's goofy smile.

"Yup! It's me! Why's everyone crying?" He asked, hugging his sister back.

"Cuz you're gonna die!" Mimi cried out. Jyou gave her a hug and she sobbed on his shoulder, making his shirt all wet, but he didn't mind.

The goofy expression was replaced by a comical hurt one. "Thanks for having confidence in me." Taichi said wryly. Then he smiled brightly. "It's only a few scratches. It doesn't hurt one bit and it's gonna have to take something more then that to kill me."

Yamato couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice. Seriously, sometimes Tai was wayy too annoying to put up with. "Not even poison?" He asked.

Tai smiled. "Not even poi- what?" He asked looking into Yamato's blue eyes. There he saw his answer.

He sat there, dazed. Poison... He was going to die from poison... 'I need to get outta here.' He suddenly thought. He pried Kari's hands from his arm and gently stood up.

"Tai, wait!" Kari tried to pull her brother back down, but even when he was hurt, he was still much stronger. "You're still hurt!"

Tai smiled distractedly at his sister while taking her arms off his. "Don't worry. I'm fine. It doesn't hurt anymore." He took his flute from her tight grasp and patted her on the head. "Stay here. I need to think for a while."

Everyone watched as he walked away. Or rather limped away.

Yamato was regretting saying those words out loud now. He hadn't meant to hurt Tai, just to knock some sense into him.

"Maybe someone should watch him." Sora said. "Make sure he doesn't get hurt." Everyone nodded at her suggestion, but no one moved from where they were sitting.

***

Taichi walked away from his friends. 'Poison...'He kicked a stone that was in his way, ignoring the pain that shot through his stomach. His eyes watered as he thought about it. 'Why me? Why not anyone else?... No. Better me. I rather it be me then Kari... or Yamato... or anyone else...' He wiped his tears away on a giant leaf. His shirt was soaked with blood so he wasn't wearing it.

'I can't cry...' He thought. 'Kari will be sad if I leave her. I promised I wouldn't...' Then he sighed. 'But no one else needs me...'

Raising his flute to his lips, he blew softly into the holes and gracefully moved his fingers around. He didn't care if anyone heard anymore. They all knew anyways and he was glad that they did not laugh.

Leaning against a tree, he poured his heart and soul into the notes. Everything that came out seemed so calm. So different from what he was feeling inside. He closed his eyes, still playing. Even though he felt the pain in his stomach, he continued to play.

"I'm back!" He heard a voice say. Opening his eyes, Tai was met with the face of Miliramon. He continued to play, not wanting anyone else to get hurt.

Miliramon glided up to him and placed one hand on his bare chest. Tai shuddered at the touch and at the chill which ran down his spine, but still he continued.

"You know," she said seductively, "I need someone like you." She scratched his cheek with the hand that wasn't drawing invisible designs on his chest. Then she pulled her head close to his and licked the clood off his cheek. "Someone strong and determined..."

She took one finger and traced a line down his bare chest, to the zipper of his shorts. She leaned in towards Tai and started to bit him in the hollow of his neck.

Taichi winced with the pain, but he didn't stop playing.

Miliramon marked him almost everywhere before slowly unzipping the metallic zipper to his shorts.

To be continued....

angel zeniko-chan: I swear I think I'm evil....