Title: The Courage Child
Author: angel zeniko-chan
Email: zeni24@hotmail.com
Pairing: definetely Taito, a bit of Takari, Koushiro/Sora, and Mimi/Jyou
Summary: Back in the digital world. Takes place after their fight with Piedmon
Author's Notes: read and review, onegai!! This is the fourth chapter (or part if you want to call it that)
Disclaimer: ...I wish digimon was created by me, but it wasn't. So NO flaming!
*** change of POV or time gap
"speaking"
'thinking'
Italics: letter
The Courage Child
Part 4
Taichi Kamiya, our favourite leader, was taken to a very... silvery and blackish room.
"This is your room, Courage." Miliramon said.
There was a comfortable silver and black bed, with two pillows and mattresses. Beside it, stood a black drawer and a closet filled with clothes fit for a king. 'Figures...' Tai thought. 'Since now I'm the king...'
There was a desk with paper and pens for Tai to write in his spare time. There was even a bathroom with a giant full-sized mirror.
Miliramon waved to everythihng in the gigantic room. "Everything you want will be given to you. Just ring this bell." She indicated to a small bell at the double doors and rang it. Two lion-like digimon came in. "Yes my lady?" They asked in unison.
Miliramon waved to Tai. "This is your new king."
The catlimon bowed low to Tai, who blushed. "Welcome, my lord."
Tai smiled, although it was a sad smile. "Hello..." He was already missing the others.
Miliramon caught on and she led him towards the closet and opened it. She looked inside then pulled out a set of clothing for Tai. It was silver and black, just like his new room. The black pants were long and kind of baggy, with pockets down at the knees, while the silver shirt was a tank top, which showed all the muscles that Taichi got from playing soccor during the summers.
There was also a matching cape, which showed his rank and a headband to replace the goggles he had left behind.
Then taking his hand, Miliramon led him out of the room and down the hall to the room just beside his. It looked exactly like his room, except it was red and black. "This is my room. If you need me, you can come here."
Next she showed him the pools, the kitchen, even the gardens, where Tai found many different kinds of flowers growing. It seemed that the only reason Miliramon had hurt Tai, was because she was lonely. And he could see it, now that she showed him around. Miliramon only had servants to serve her.
Understanding this, Tai smiled. He was lonely too, so maybe this would actually work out. Perhaps they will rule happily.
The queen then left Taichi in the dinning room, where he was made and fed a huge meal. He had slept for so long that he missed many meals, and to make up for it, the cook filled the tables with food to satify Tai's stomach. Tai didn't wait, but dug in immediately.
***
Back at the campsite, Agumon and the others who had gone off looking for a cure came back to find a distressed Yamato and 5 sleeping smaller ones.
"Yamato? Where's Tai?" Koushiro asked.
"And why are you crying?" Biyomon asked. Sora put her hand over her partner's mouth. She could tell that something bad had happened because Yamato was holding Tai's goggles. The goggles that he never took off.
"Yamato?" Mimi said quietly, inching close to the sobbing Yamato. It shocked her when she had seen that he was crying. She had never saw Yamato show any emotion to anyone ebfore. Except maybe TK, Gabumon and very few times to Tai. "What's wrong?" She asked.
"He... he..." Yamato tried to say, but he couldn't. Just thinking about what had happened made him cry again.
"There, there." Mimi hugged her friend comfortingly, making Jyou jealous. She caught the glare that he gave Yamato and glared back. Jyou looked away sheepishly. "Sorry..." He mumbled.
Little by little, they were able to get the story ot of Yamato. He told them everything. How mean he had been to their leader, how he loved him, how Tai eran away and joined Miliramon to rule her kingdom because he had made a stupid mistake of yelling at him when he was sad.
By that time, Kari, TK and their digimon had woken up and hearing what Yamato had to say, she started crying again.
Sora hugged the little girl and tried to comfort her, but the little sister of Taichi just wouldn't let herself be comforted. "He promised me he wouldn't leave me..." She kept saying. "How could he break his promise?"
"I'm sorry..." Yamato finally stopped crying and sai.
"Why?" Gabumon asked. He didn't want his human partner to blame himself so much.
"It's all my fault!" Yamato yelled out.
TK ran to his brother and hugged him. "No it isn't." He said softly.
"It is!" Yamato protested. "If I hadn't-"
Koushiro interupted him. "It's all our faults. We should've seen that he wasn't happy."
Everyone nodded, their heads bowed down. Without their leader, they weren't much. Tai was always the one that kept them out of trouble, and if they did run into trouble, he was always able to get them out in one piece. He was the best leader that anyone could have. Especially for one that was new to the digital world.
"We've got to get him back!" Palmon said.
Then Agumon spoke up. He had been silent the whole time, trying to sink everything in. If Miliramon came to get him, then she probably didn't know that he was going to die soon. So he voiced in out. He told them his reasons in believing so.
Koushiro and Tentomon nodded. They were the brains in the group and it all made sense to them. "We have the cure and we know how to use it. But without Tai here, it won't work and Tai might die."
"Then we have to get him back soon." Kari wiped away her tears. Everyone nodded to this. Everyone except Yamato.
"Yamato?" Gabumon asked his partner.
"There's one problem." Yamato started. He raised the hand that held Tai's crest and digivice. "How do we find him?"
***
After eating all the food he could fit in his stomach, Tai was led to the palace healer. "Magimon." Kalimon said to the ragged creature who wore a black cape. His face was completely covered up by the hood and the only part of his body which showed was the long, bony fingers.
"What can I do for you, my lord, my lady?" He asked. There had already been talk that Miliramon, their queen, had brought home a human boy for a king.
"Can you heal the scratches?" She asked, pointing to the wounds on Tai's back.
Magimon nodded and took out a pouch from his robes. He told Tai to lay down and then he spread the power on Tai's back first. Tai was amazed. The scratches healed right away. He didn't even have a scar! Magimon spread some more on every other part of Tai's body, making all the scrathes disappear. Then he gave Tai the pouch to keep. "Just spread a bit over the wounds. It should be gone in a few seconds."
Tai thanked Magimon and Miliramon teleported him to his chambers. There, the two took time to pick out what Taichi should wear for the celebration Miliramon had prepared for everyone in the kingdom to see how their new king was.
They finally decided on what Miliramon had first pulled out. She helped Tai put it on since he still felt a bit sore.
After Taichi placed the dark headband on, his dark brown hair fell over it, making him look absolutely adorable in Miliramon's point of view, and probably anyone else who would see him.
"Come." Miliramon kissed his cheek. She placed her hand on his arm and Tai remembered all the etiquette classes that his mother had forced him to take. At that time, he didn't thinik he'd need them, but now his mom proved him wrong.
After being announced to everyone, to Tai's embarassment, Miliramon also had to introduce him to all the nobles, who treated Taichi way better then they would have if he was still a digidestined.
Then he hung back and tried to look like he was enjoying himself. He ignored the small voice in his head that said he would enjoy it much more if Yamato had been there with him.
***
"Miliramon, huh?" Gennai stroked his short beard. "No one knows that much about her." He told the seven digidestineds. They had travelled many hours just to reach Gennai's house and when they finally reached the little house, they were very disappointed to find out that Gennai knew not that much more then they did.
"We have to find him!" Kari cried. "I can't let my brother die!"
"There, there, Kari." Gatomon said soothingly, trying to comfort her friend.
"Is there any way that we can find him?" TK asked. He was like another brother to TK and he would miss him terribly.
Gennai absentmindedly nodded while searching through his draawers for something. "Now where did I put it? Here? No... There?" He muttered under his breath.
The digidestineds and their digimon partners watched as the old man ziopper through his house like a tornado on a sugar high.
Finally the Gennai-tornado stopped and he sat down, holding a very old scrap of paper. "This is a map for Miliramon's kingdom. But to get there won't be so easy." He pointed to everything they needed to be aware of. Cliffs, waterfalls, and many other things.
Yamato and the others were determined to get Taichi back. They thanked Gennai for the map and began on their way.
"Goodbye and good luck!" Gennai called to them.
Everyone but Yamato, who was distracted in his thoughts, waved goodbye. Then they followed their designated leader for now, Yamato who was also the one clutching onto the tiny parchement of the map. 'I'll find you, Taichi Kamiya, even if it takes me my life, I'll find you... my love.'
***
Back at the castle, Taichi was having a bad dream. It seemed so real. Almost like a vision. He dreamed that Yamato and the others had come to save hi. Then the catlimon appeared, led by Miliramon, who shot their most powerful attacks at the group. All he saw, was that he ran in the middle of the battlefield and there was a weird light... then nothing.
At that time, he woke.
Tai sat up in his luxurious bed. 'What does it mean?' He asked himself. Then a thought came to him. 'I can't let that happen... They can't find me... or something bad will happen...'
He took out his silver flute, which he had neglated for a few days already and started playing. A sad mellody echoed through the kingdom and anyone who was awake, cried for the pain they felt in every note.
Early in the morning, Tai sent the Griffonmon captain (captain of the guards) and two catlimon to find and deliver a letter he had taken a long time to write.
'Just as long as you don't come to find me...' Tai thought, watching the digimon fly/run away. 'Please don't come...' But in the bottom of his heart and mind, he wished that they would come.
***
"Oh no." Koushiro suddenly cried out as his digivice activated. "Two, no three large digimon are heading our way." Everyone looked to their digivices while the computer obsessed boy turned his laptop on. It was true.
Some digimon were coming.
The three digimon weren't speeding at them, so they knew that they were not going to get attacked by surprise. But just in case, Yamato had some of the digimon digivolve.
Yamato stood in front and watched as a griffon-like creature landed while two lion-like creatures stopped as well. "What do you want?" Yamato asked after Koushiro found out who they were. "They're Ultimates." Koushiro whispered, typing on his laptop.
"As you already know, I'm Griffonmon. I am the King's guard captain." He said in a deep, bass voice.
"What king?" Sora asked, holding onto Kari and TK tightly.
"The new king that our lady, the queen has brought home for us." Griffonmon stated. The two catlimon, upon hearing mention of the rulers, bowed. Then Griffonmon smiled slightly. "I believe you know him pretty well."
The griffon cleared his throat and one of the catlimon stepped forward, bearing an envelope. "He asked me to bring this letter and to tell you to heed the warning inside." Then with a low growl, the catlimon to turn and ran off, with their gurad captain flying behind.
Yamato stared at the envelope on the ground. He couldn't make himself move. The only person he could think of that he knew very well in the Digital World was... Taichi.
Mimi stepped forward and took the letter in her pink gloved hands. "Well, " She started to say, "who wants to open it?"
Everyone looked at each other.
But no one moved, Kari stepped up and took the letter from Mimi. She bravely held her tears and opened it. It was a letter from Tai. She recognised his handwriting. The letter said:
Dear everyone,
It's me, Taichi. I guess you woujld know that by now. I'm not sure why I chose to go with Miliramon, but... she seemed lonely. She didn't actually want to hurt me and I guess I've made her pretty happy by ruling with her. Don't worry, nothing much happened. Althought I think it mostly has something to do with my flute.
Can you believe that they've never heard of music before? It's amazing, but that's beside the point.
At this, Kari smiled. Even in the saddest situations, and even in a letter, her brother could still make her smile. After wiping her eyes, she continued reading from the letter that held the answer to Tai's leaving.
I'm really sorry for making you all worried, and I hope that you'll forgive me. But if you don't... then... well I don't expect to see you again.
To Kari, I'm really sorry. I love you lots. Tell mom and dad not to worry, I'm doing fine here. Tell them not to blame themselves for anything that they thought they did to make me leave. Don't blame yourself either, Kar. This is my decision. It's my path in destiny and I don't regret ever being your big brother. I'm sorry that I won't get to see you grow. I love you. Take care.
To Agumon. Since the first day we met, I knew that we'll be the best of friends. Watch Kari for me. I love you lots and hope to see you again someday.You have the courage. You don't need me there to help you digivolve. Protect everyone for me, k buddy?
To Sora. You're the best friend that anyone could have. Keep up tennis. Maybe I'll come back to the reeal world someday and hope to see you a tennis champ.
To Jyou. You're the best doctor ever. Thanks for all the times you've helped me when I was sick. I'll never forget what you've done for me.
To TK. You're like the little brother I never had. Take good care of Kari for me. And never give up hope.
To Mimi. You'd love the fashion here and I would describe what I'm wearing right now, but this letter would be way too long for my liking and probably for yours as well. Althought we've had our share of fights and arguements, you're a really good friend. I can't predict the future, but I bet that you'd be a model when you grow up. Don't forget to keep Jyou in line!
Jyou was about to protest, but Mimi just laughed while sniffling.
Koushiro, I think you're really smart and intellectual (yes I do know big words). You're a great friend as well, and maybe (I stress maybe) I'll come and see you once more. Oh! Most likely when you and Sora get married.
Here, Sora and Koushiro blushed wildly.
And to Yamato... I've only got one thing to say to you, and please don't hate me for this... I love you. I've loved you since... well, since we've first met and I always will love you. Even if we are not meant to be.
To all the rest of the digimon, your jokes, your support, your comfort, they've all helped me throughout bad times and good. You were the ones who protected us, protected me many times and also saved our lives, especially when I did stupid things. I'm glad to have met you all.
Don't forget me, cuz I sure won't forget you all.
Love you all,
Tachi Kamiya.
PS: I know you will be able to survive without my constant nagging. Jyou, since you're the oldest, you're in charge from now on. Love you, and please don't come for me. I don't want anything to happen to any of you. Goodbye.
Everyone wiped their eyes. Tai was on all of their minds, not only because he was the leader, but because he was a part of the group, a very close friend. And no matter what any of them said before, he was the one who pulled them through all the bad times, all the fights, he led them through the digital world in one piece and they won't be able to survive without him.
"We're coming after you, no matter what!" Yamato decided for them. No one protested. They too, were determined to get Tai back at any costs.
They took a glance at the map and decided to walk North.
Yamato walked ahead. He was the silently made leader, and Jyou didn't mind only because he would be too nervous to lead them anywhere. "Let's go then." He said.
Everyone nodded, then wiping the tears from their eyes, they set off, their minds and hearts set on finding their leader and returning him to where he belonged. With the group.
To be continued...
angel zeniko-chan: ohh... no cliffhanger here... at least I think there isn't one... I'm thinking that since you got this far, you read the whole chapter, right? well, review k? Thanks a lot!!! Hang on for the next chapter of the Courage Child!!!