Fire and Ice
Confrontations
By Empress of the Eclipse

Disclaimer - I still don't own Digimon. It's not mine.

The Digidestined were slowly walking though the forest. Tai was watching Kari who was walking along with Yolei.
"Tai, stop staring at me," Kari said "I'm okay."
She was. Her face was its normal colour and she wasn't shivering anymore. But Tai couldn't help worrying.
"Sorry Kari," he said "I'm just nervous, that's all."
Kari shrugged.
"Stupid," she said fondly "I'm fine now."
Tai touched his pocket where the small amount of antidote that Gennai had given them was. He didn't want to lose it. It was all they had.
"It seems so quiet," Sora said "It's hard to believe that there are such evil Digimon around."
"I know. It's weird," Tai said.
"How can new Digimon just appear anyway?" Yolei said "It just doesn't make sense."
"There's something familiar about them," Izzy mused "If I could just remember...."
"You've only seen one of them," Joe said.
"Not them personally," Izzy said "Just them as in their names. I'm sure I've heard them somewhere before."
"Well we aren't gonna get anything done standing round here. Gennai said to go this way," Davis said cheerfully "So let's get moving!"
Tai scanned the group, checking that they were all okay. He noticed that Matt was walking at the back, his shoulders slumped, lost in his own little world. Gabumon seemed to be trying to talk to him but Matt didn't even seem to notice. For a second, Tai nearly went over to talk to him. Then he stopped himself.
"Come on everybody!" he ordered "Hurry up."
They continued walking.
* * * *
"So those are the Digidestined?" Helmon said, looking at them scornfully "They don't look much of a problem."
"They're a walkover," Fenrirmon said "Although they've healed the girl. It must have been that wretched Gennai person."
She flexed her claws.
"We have to kill him," she said.
"Do you know anything about any of them?" Helmon asked, not interested in Gennai.
Fenrirmon shrugged (in as much as a wolf could shrug).
"Friendship is good," she said thoughtfully "You'll want him. Kindness will be another good one. Courage is a slightly interesting case. They're all useful really."
"So for sharing?" Helmon said.
"We'd better give Bartlebimon and Father the two extra," Fenrirmon said sounding a bit sad "I want Light. I nearly had her and I want her again. I also want Kindness."
Helmon looked sulky.
"I'm generous," Fenrirmon said, smiling, revealing huge fangs "You can have Friendship."
Helmon's face brightened up. Her eyes glittered unpleasantly as she looked back at the Digidestined and at the one walking slowly behind them, his shoulders slumped.
* * * *
"We'd better take a break!" Davis announced.
The Digidestined slumped down gratefully. Kari gave Tai a glare, daring him to ask if she was okay. Tai took the hint and didn't. TK suddenly tugged at his arm.
"What's wrong TK?" Tai asked.
"I think something's up with Matt," TK said "He won't talk to me."
Tai scowled.
"Oh," he said.
TK gave him a puzzled look.
"Will you go and talk to him?" he asked hopefully.
"No," Tai said.
TK looked shocked.
"Why not? Matt's your friend!" he said.
Tai shrugged. He didn't want to tell TK what had happened. But there was no way that he was going to go and talk to Matt.
"Did you two have a fight?" TK asked.
"Ask Matt," Tai said, deliberately turning his back on TK. He heard TK walk off.
"Tai, what's wrong?" Agumon asked.
"Nothing," Tai said, folding his arms stubbornly.
Agumon looked puzzled but didn't press. Tai glanced at Matt who was staring off into the distance. He saw TK talking to Davis who stood up.
"Right. What's going on?" he asked, with his usual lack of tact.
Everyone looked up.
"Between Tai and Matt," Davis added.
"Nothing," Tai said haughtily.
"Then why won't you talk to him? And why have you been avoiding him?" Davis demanded.
"And why did you two start fighting before?" Sora asked "You haven't fought like that since we first came to the Digiworld."
Matt said nothing. He seemed to be drawing further into himself.
"C'mon you two, we have to work together here," Davis said "What's wrong?"
"Ask Matt," Tai said "I'm not the one with a problem!"
"I don't have a problem!" Matt yelled, leaping to his feet. Tai got up too and they glared at each other.
"So what do you call it then?" Tai said cruelly.
"It's not a problem!" Matt shouted, his face turning red "Why can't you understand?"
"Understand what?" Davis demanded "What. Is. Going. On?"
The two of them completely ignored him.
"I do understand!" Tai yelled "You're a sick freak!"
"I'm not a freak!" Matt yelled again. Tai could see tears glimmering in his eyes but he was too angry to even care.
"You kissed me! What the hell do you think that makes you?"
There were gasps from all the Digidestined. Matt's face went from red to white.
"Tai....."
"You're a freak!" Tai yelled "A disgusting, perverted freak!"
"You kissed Tai!" Davis said, sounding startled "Wow."
"I'm not a freak," Matt said, almost beggingly now "I can't help how I feel! It doesn't make me...."
"What?" Tai demanded "You are a freak Matt! Boys are made to like girls, not each other!"
Matt looked around. All the Digidestined were staring at him, expressions of shock on their faces. Even TK didn't say anything in his defence.
"I...I..."
"You're disgusting," Tai said, his voice filled with scorn.
Matt turned and ran. No one called him back.
* * * *
There was silence after Matt ran. The Digidestined were all standing round, looking shocked and confused.
"I don't understand," Agumon spoke up "What's wrong with Matt kissing Tai?"
"It's disgusting, that's what!" Tai snapped.
Mimi smacked him. Hard. Tai stepped back, blinking in shock.
"Ow! What was....?"
"That's a horrible thing to say!" Mimi shouted angrily "I never thought you were so bigoted!"
"I'm not bigoted!"
"So what do you call all that homophobic ranting then?" Mimi demanded.
The others were beginning to wake up from their shocked silence now.
"You shouldn't have said those things," Ken said.
"There's nothing wrong with Matt," TK said.
"He kissed me!" Tai said.
"Tai," Kari said "Is that really what's making you so mad?"
There was a pause. Tai looked at them.
"When he kissed me, Fenrirmon attacked," he said "If he hadn't kissed me, I'd have heard and come back quicker. Kari wouldn't have got hurt. Thanks to him, Kari nearly died!"
"That wasn't Matt's fault," Kari said "Even if you'd been there, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. And I didn't die anyway, so what's the problem?"
Tai said nothing.
"See?" Mimi said "You are bigoted!"
Tai said nothing. He could feel blood coming into his cheeks.
"But it's wrong for guys to kiss other guys," he said "It's unnatural."
"I don't understand. Why is it unnatural?" Biyomon asked.
"Because it is!" Tai yelled "Guys are supposed to like girls and have reproduce!"
"Wow, you've actually been listening in science class!" Joe said sarcastically "Tai, that doesn't make homosexuality wrong!"
"You've know Matt for years Tai," Izzy said "Why does him being gay make any difference?"
Tai said nothing. He didn't know what to say. Some part of him knew that the others were right and he was wrong but he couldn't admit it.
"I didn't hear any of you sticking up for him back there!" he snapped.
"We were surprised," Yolei said "We didn't know what to say."
Tai turned away.
"Someone needs to go and find Matt," Davis said.
"I don't want to work with him," Tai said icily.
"Well that's your bad luck because not only do we want to, we need him!" Izzy said "He's a Digidestined remember?"
Tai noticed that Davis looked a little reluctant to trace Matt even though he was rallying the troops. Obviously this bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
"I'll go," Mimi said "TK, maybe you should come."
"We should all go," Iori said "It's dangerous to split up."
"I'm not going anywhere near him," Tai said.
Joe grabbed one arm. Sora grabbed the other.
"Come on," Davis said.
The group frog-marched Tai along in the direction that Matt had ran.

Part 3 ends.