Fire and Ice
Separation
By the Empress of the Eclipse
Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon.
"Matt? Matt!"
Tai was woken from an uneasy slumber by TK's voice.
"TK, what's wrong?" he heard Iori asked.
"Matt's gone!" TK gasped "He's disappeared!"
"Maybe he went for a walk?" Davis suggested uncertainly.
"He's blind you fool!" TK shouted "He can't walk!"
He raised his voice.
"Matt! Matt! Matt where are you?"
Tai gulped. He'd completely forgotten that Matt wouldn't be able to find his way back to the group when he woke up.
"I....I know where he is," he mumbled.
Everyone turned to look at him. Tai gulped.
"I took him to get a drink," he muttered "He.....we fell asleep. I....I forgot...."
"You LEFT him there?" TK screamed at him.
Tai gulped.
"TK, I....."
There was a sharp crack. Tai fell back clutching at his cheek, pain smarting through it. TK stared at his hand in shock, as though it had moved without his permission. Then he swallowed.
"Tai, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you," he said, his voice icy "You make me sick. You are going to get a grip on yourself NOW and you will stop hurting people. Where did you leave Matt?"
Tai pointed mutely. TK turned and ran. The others followed him. Tai slowly stood up and followed. His brains were in turmoil but to his guilt, one thought was sticking out.
'Please don't let Matt tell the others about what we did.....'
* * * *
Matt lay, curled up on the floor. Helmon stood over him, her hand extended over his head. TK raced up and froze.
"MATT!"
"Oh," Helmon said "It's you."
"What are you doing to him?" TK screamed at her.
"Nothing much," Helmon said. She sighed "You had to interrupt. Oh well. I'll see you soon - if my brother doesn't get you first."
She disappeared with a whoosh. TK raced to his brother's side.
"Matt! Matt, please wake up! Matt are you okay?"
Matt didn't move. His eyes were closed, his face plastic, pale.
"Matt, wake up!"
The others gathered round. Tai lingered on the edge, staring down at his friend.
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know," TK said tearfully "Matt, wake up!"
Matt's eyes flickered.
"It's cold," he whispered. He shuddered "Tai? Tai, where are you?"
TK gave Tai a filthy look.
"It's okay," he said soothingly "We're all okay Matt. You'll be fine."
"I still can't see," Matt whispered "I heard a voice....she came for me again. She keeps coming back.....it's so cold!"
TK swallowed.
"What are we going to do?" Davis asked quietly "One of our team is out for the count. We're fighting five Digimon who we haven't a clue how to fight. We've got a damn big problem and no one knows what to do!"
There was a silence, only broken by Matt's quiet sobs.
"I don't know," Sora said at last "I've never tried to cope with anything like this before."
"We could take the fight to them," TK suggested "They've hurt my brother!"
"But what's the point?" Ken demanded "We don't know what they really are!"
"Something keeps niggling at me," Izzy said slowly "Something...but I can't remember."
Matt frowned through his tears. Something was niggling at him too. He did know something but it wouldn't come. It wouldn't come.
He wiped his face.
"I should stay here," he said softly "You lot need to keep going to fight. I'll just get in the way. I should stay here."
He knew everyone was staring at him.
"But...but Matt...."
"What else can I do?" Matt asked bitterly "I'm useless."
There was a silence.
"I'll stay with him," TK said.
"No!" Matt said sharply "You're needed to DNA Digivolve with Iori."
"Then I'll stay," Joe said.
"The others need you," Matt said.
"I'll stay," Sora said quietly.
Matt didn't complain.
* * * *
"Sora, look after him," TK said softly "Please make sure he's okay."
"I will," Sora said firmly "Don't worry TK."
Tai wasn't speaking. He was standing a little way away from everyone saying goodbye to Sora and Matt, watching Matt. Eventually he stepped forward and pulled Matt aside. Matt jerked.
"Matt," Tai whispered.
"Tai!" Matt whispered "Tai, I...."
"Sh," Tai said "Matt I....I want you to promise that you won't tell anybody about....about what we did."
Matt's face crumpled.
"But....but didn't...Tai, why'd you run away? Didn't it mean anything to you?"
"It was an accident," Tai said harshly "I didn't mean to do that. I'm not like that!"
"But...but you...."
"Matt, I don't want you!" Tai snapped "Can't you accept that?"
He looked at Matt. The pale face was shaking, like it was going to shatter into a thousand pieces. Tai felt an odd flutter inside him.
"Maybe I could accept it," Matt said in a low voice "If you'd stop playing with me! Why are you playing with me Tai? Why are you making this harder for me?"
Tai swallowed. He didn't have an answer.
"I'll see you Tai," Matt said. He laughed bitterly "'See you'! That's a laugh! I'm blind!"
He turned away. Tai suddenly wanted to hug him, apologise, make everything okay.
But he couldn't.
"Are we going?" he asked, his voice sounding strained.
"Bye Tai," Sora said softly.
Tai dumbly waved at her. Then they all walked away slowly. Tai twisted round as they kept moving, suddenly needing to see Matt one last time. But Matt and Sora were only little specks now and he couldn't tell one from the other.
* * * *
"They're gone," Sora said quietly.
"I know," Matt said.
There was a silence. Then Matt burst into tears. Sora wasn't even surprised. Reaching out, she held Matt tightly in her arms as he sobbed bitterly into her arms. Eventually, his sobs slowed. He drew back, guiltily wiped at his face.
"Sora, I'm sorry to hold you back," he whispered.
"It's all right," Sora said. She took his arm "Come on. I'll take you back to the cave."
* * * *
"Those brats have split up!" Helmon said amusedly "How stupid."
"Friendship and Love," Fenrirmon said "Awwwwwwww. Maybe they can start a happy little family!"
"Friendship being helplessly in love with Courage might cause problems there," Helmon said "I think I shall finish Friendship actually. I'm tired of playing."
"All right," Fenrirmon said "Then I shall go for Light. Good luck."
"I shall attack with you," Jormungandmon hissed "I want to make my prey mine!"
The three separated from each other, each planning the demise of a Digidestined.
* * * *
"Tai, lets stop!" Davis yelled at him "We're all shattered!"
Tai abruptly stopped. Davis gave Ken a frustrated look as Tai sat down without saying anything.
"I'm going to murder him," he hissed.
"No Davis," Ken said quietly, cradling the exhausted Wormmon in his arms "Tai's screwed up right now."
"So are we!"
"Not as much as him."
Ken left the others to make a fire to keep them warm and walked over to Tai.
"Tai?" he said softly.
Tai glanced at him, then looked away.
"Sorry."
Ken shrugged, suddenly wishing he knew what to say.
"Tai," he said at last "I can't make you understand. But you're behaving like an idiot. If you think, you'll see that."
He moved away. Tai stared dully after him. Then he put his head in his hands and tried to think.
The End of Part 7.
Yes, I know Matt's crying a lot recently. It's part of Helmon's poison. He'll get over it. Review me! This is one of my most difficult fics to write and I apprciate the feedback. Please review.
Disclaimer - I don't own Digimon.
"Matt? Matt!"
Tai was woken from an uneasy slumber by TK's voice.
"TK, what's wrong?" he heard Iori asked.
"Matt's gone!" TK gasped "He's disappeared!"
"Maybe he went for a walk?" Davis suggested uncertainly.
"He's blind you fool!" TK shouted "He can't walk!"
He raised his voice.
"Matt! Matt! Matt where are you?"
Tai gulped. He'd completely forgotten that Matt wouldn't be able to find his way back to the group when he woke up.
"I....I know where he is," he mumbled.
Everyone turned to look at him. Tai gulped.
"I took him to get a drink," he muttered "He.....we fell asleep. I....I forgot...."
"You LEFT him there?" TK screamed at him.
Tai gulped.
"TK, I....."
There was a sharp crack. Tai fell back clutching at his cheek, pain smarting through it. TK stared at his hand in shock, as though it had moved without his permission. Then he swallowed.
"Tai, I don't know what the hell is wrong with you," he said, his voice icy "You make me sick. You are going to get a grip on yourself NOW and you will stop hurting people. Where did you leave Matt?"
Tai pointed mutely. TK turned and ran. The others followed him. Tai slowly stood up and followed. His brains were in turmoil but to his guilt, one thought was sticking out.
'Please don't let Matt tell the others about what we did.....'
* * * *
Matt lay, curled up on the floor. Helmon stood over him, her hand extended over his head. TK raced up and froze.
"MATT!"
"Oh," Helmon said "It's you."
"What are you doing to him?" TK screamed at her.
"Nothing much," Helmon said. She sighed "You had to interrupt. Oh well. I'll see you soon - if my brother doesn't get you first."
She disappeared with a whoosh. TK raced to his brother's side.
"Matt! Matt, please wake up! Matt are you okay?"
Matt didn't move. His eyes were closed, his face plastic, pale.
"Matt, wake up!"
The others gathered round. Tai lingered on the edge, staring down at his friend.
"Is he okay?"
"I don't know," TK said tearfully "Matt, wake up!"
Matt's eyes flickered.
"It's cold," he whispered. He shuddered "Tai? Tai, where are you?"
TK gave Tai a filthy look.
"It's okay," he said soothingly "We're all okay Matt. You'll be fine."
"I still can't see," Matt whispered "I heard a voice....she came for me again. She keeps coming back.....it's so cold!"
TK swallowed.
"What are we going to do?" Davis asked quietly "One of our team is out for the count. We're fighting five Digimon who we haven't a clue how to fight. We've got a damn big problem and no one knows what to do!"
There was a silence, only broken by Matt's quiet sobs.
"I don't know," Sora said at last "I've never tried to cope with anything like this before."
"We could take the fight to them," TK suggested "They've hurt my brother!"
"But what's the point?" Ken demanded "We don't know what they really are!"
"Something keeps niggling at me," Izzy said slowly "Something...but I can't remember."
Matt frowned through his tears. Something was niggling at him too. He did know something but it wouldn't come. It wouldn't come.
He wiped his face.
"I should stay here," he said softly "You lot need to keep going to fight. I'll just get in the way. I should stay here."
He knew everyone was staring at him.
"But...but Matt...."
"What else can I do?" Matt asked bitterly "I'm useless."
There was a silence.
"I'll stay with him," TK said.
"No!" Matt said sharply "You're needed to DNA Digivolve with Iori."
"Then I'll stay," Joe said.
"The others need you," Matt said.
"I'll stay," Sora said quietly.
Matt didn't complain.
* * * *
"Sora, look after him," TK said softly "Please make sure he's okay."
"I will," Sora said firmly "Don't worry TK."
Tai wasn't speaking. He was standing a little way away from everyone saying goodbye to Sora and Matt, watching Matt. Eventually he stepped forward and pulled Matt aside. Matt jerked.
"Matt," Tai whispered.
"Tai!" Matt whispered "Tai, I...."
"Sh," Tai said "Matt I....I want you to promise that you won't tell anybody about....about what we did."
Matt's face crumpled.
"But....but didn't...Tai, why'd you run away? Didn't it mean anything to you?"
"It was an accident," Tai said harshly "I didn't mean to do that. I'm not like that!"
"But...but you...."
"Matt, I don't want you!" Tai snapped "Can't you accept that?"
He looked at Matt. The pale face was shaking, like it was going to shatter into a thousand pieces. Tai felt an odd flutter inside him.
"Maybe I could accept it," Matt said in a low voice "If you'd stop playing with me! Why are you playing with me Tai? Why are you making this harder for me?"
Tai swallowed. He didn't have an answer.
"I'll see you Tai," Matt said. He laughed bitterly "'See you'! That's a laugh! I'm blind!"
He turned away. Tai suddenly wanted to hug him, apologise, make everything okay.
But he couldn't.
"Are we going?" he asked, his voice sounding strained.
"Bye Tai," Sora said softly.
Tai dumbly waved at her. Then they all walked away slowly. Tai twisted round as they kept moving, suddenly needing to see Matt one last time. But Matt and Sora were only little specks now and he couldn't tell one from the other.
* * * *
"They're gone," Sora said quietly.
"I know," Matt said.
There was a silence. Then Matt burst into tears. Sora wasn't even surprised. Reaching out, she held Matt tightly in her arms as he sobbed bitterly into her arms. Eventually, his sobs slowed. He drew back, guiltily wiped at his face.
"Sora, I'm sorry to hold you back," he whispered.
"It's all right," Sora said. She took his arm "Come on. I'll take you back to the cave."
* * * *
"Those brats have split up!" Helmon said amusedly "How stupid."
"Friendship and Love," Fenrirmon said "Awwwwwwww. Maybe they can start a happy little family!"
"Friendship being helplessly in love with Courage might cause problems there," Helmon said "I think I shall finish Friendship actually. I'm tired of playing."
"All right," Fenrirmon said "Then I shall go for Light. Good luck."
"I shall attack with you," Jormungandmon hissed "I want to make my prey mine!"
The three separated from each other, each planning the demise of a Digidestined.
* * * *
"Tai, lets stop!" Davis yelled at him "We're all shattered!"
Tai abruptly stopped. Davis gave Ken a frustrated look as Tai sat down without saying anything.
"I'm going to murder him," he hissed.
"No Davis," Ken said quietly, cradling the exhausted Wormmon in his arms "Tai's screwed up right now."
"So are we!"
"Not as much as him."
Ken left the others to make a fire to keep them warm and walked over to Tai.
"Tai?" he said softly.
Tai glanced at him, then looked away.
"Sorry."
Ken shrugged, suddenly wishing he knew what to say.
"Tai," he said at last "I can't make you understand. But you're behaving like an idiot. If you think, you'll see that."
He moved away. Tai stared dully after him. Then he put his head in his hands and tried to think.
The End of Part 7.
Yes, I know Matt's crying a lot recently. It's part of Helmon's poison. He'll get over it. Review me! This is one of my most difficult fics to write and I apprciate the feedback. Please review.
