A/N: Here's a third chapter for all of you that like this story. This is the only story that I actually need to finish right now...er, except for my Takesuke project, but I haven't uploaded any of that one. I will when I'm done with this fic...anyways, hope you enjoy this. Oh, and don't panic over the end, everything'll be all right. Really. And I knowwww that it's short. It's supposed to be short. Sorry for the shortness.
Disclaimer: Don't own Digimon or...anything.
Losing One
"What do you mean a renewal of our loyalties?"
"I've requested to have it again, and Sirius says I can, so..."
"Forget it. I'm not going."
"If you don't go with me, then he's going to send Cyrus to...escort you."
Tai cringed. He knew that 'escort' meant Cyrus would chase him down and drag him to the procession, probably after beating him up some.
"Listen, Tai, I'm doing this for your own good. You've been getting a little wild lately-"
"What?! Wild? That's funny, Matt, really funny. I'm *always* wild, Matt. You've never had to go this far over it."
"This is different, Tai. This has only happened once before, eighty years ago. Do you remember what you did back then, Tai?"
Tai looked away from him. He didn't want to remember that night, years ago. Daisuke was watching the exchange with growing uneasiness. He didn't want to go through with that whole procession again. The first time was hard enough. He had a scar on his back that would never, ever leave him.
In their vampire clan, whenever a group of three or more vampires wants to form a "pack" and live together, they have to establish a leader, and they do this by having a "procession" overviewed by at least two elder vampires. The three or more vampires all are pitted in a fight against each other, and whoever is the last one standing is the leader. Matt had won years before because Tai had yet to harden and become the vicious, cunning vampire he became. If the leader ever felt that one or more of the other vampires of the group is "forgetting" who the leader is, or becoming wild or feral again, he may choose to hold the procession again. However, this time, the fight is between the leader and everyone else. If the leader can catch and bring down all of the other vampires, then he remains leader. If he cannot, then he will continue trying until he does.
No matter what, whoever goes into the fight as the leader *must* come out as the leader, and usually, while fighting, the other vampires won't dare to overtake their leader, but they all put up a good fight anyways, to show that they are strong. If one of them runs away, the leader has to chase them down and make them give up.
Another important note would be the fact that all of the vampires present at the procession shift from vampire to wolf during the opening of the procession, when one of the elder vampires commands them to, and through the entire fight the vampire must remain in the wolf form. It is tradition that they use their wolf forms to fight against each other.
The sign of submission, if a pack member does not want to fight their leader, or to show that they give up before they are knocked out or bloodied too badly, is to roll over onto their backs and show their bellies, and in a sign of true trust, expose their throats.
Eighty years ago, they had to have a second procession, after only ten years of being a pack. Tai had become feral. Snarling, vicious, almost rabid, Tai had done something unforgivable. He had become overcome with the carnal lust for the kill that vampires get when exposed to raw, immense fear from a target. It gets them on a high. Sometimes, if the smell of fear is combined with the smell of blood, it can take control of a vampire's mind. Tai was messing around downtown, out of his territory, being the rebel of the group. He had run into a vampire of another clan, and they had gotten into a fight. Tai was able to bloody the other vampire, and the smell of the blood so close to him had driven him crazy. If human blood smelled delicious, then another vampire's blood was like ambrosia. Tai killed another vampire that night. It is one thing to slay a human, it is completely another to slay another of your own kind.
The elders found out, and they knew what the sentence for that sort of a crime was. Tai would have to receive the death punishment. It was an unforgivable crime.
But Matt wouldn't allow any of it.
When he heard what would become of Taichi, Matt went berserk. He was not going to allow anyone to lay a hand on his mate, regardless of what he did. Sirius, having been the leader of the elder vampires even back then, knew that it would be like suicide to allow Tai to be killed. Tai, whether they liked it or not, was going to have to run the clan alongside Matt and Daisuke one day, and if he died, then none of them would. Sirius allowed Matt to have a second procession a week later, and Tai was quick to turn his belly up.
Sirius was not so sure about what would happen this time. It seemed as if, since Tai was a hell of a lot more independent, strong, and smart now, that he would know he had a good chance of running away, leaving the pack, and going off on his own to start his own pack and be his own leader. The question was: Did Tai still trust and love Matt? Would he allow himself to roll onto his back for him again?
Tai, Matt, and Daisuke reached the place where the procession would be held, slightly surprised to see that everyone was gathered there already. Matt instantly began walking a little ahead of Tai and Daisuke and Daisuke obediently dropped behind. Matt hoped that Tai would stay in his place and not embarrass him in front of all of these people by walking along ahead of him and mocking Matt's position as leader. Luckily for him, Tai truly did *not* want to be there, and he lagged far behind the other two.
As the three walked into the center of the procession, the other vampires gathered there in a circle bowed their heads slightly. The elders, lined up in front, stepped up, and the three boys stood in front of them. Sirius had gotten Rufus, Cyrus, Sora, and Ikarus to attend. Among the regular vampires gathered around, Matt saw Takeru and Ken, watching them intently. He returned his attention to Sirius, who had stepped up to them.
"As you all know, we are gathered here tonight to witness the *third* procession for this pack. A renewal of trust usually is not called for, and it is rare to have one more than once, but permission has been granted, as this is a special case." His soft eyes twinkled as he winked at Matt, and Matt found himself blushing. Sirius may have been old, but he still looked young, vibrant, and now, outlined in the moonlight, damn sexy.
Sirius turned to look at Sora, another elder vampire, and she nodded and stepped up also. Sirius stepped back in line and Sora walked in front of the three boys. They all eyed her, and she smirked at them.
"You all know the rules. You've been through this before. It's time to pay our respects to the moon shining above."
At this, all of the vampires began to remove their clothes. Shirts, pants, underwear, and other items of clothing flew off into the grasses surrounding them. Once they all stood naked and gleaming in the moonshine, everyone present began to shift into four-legged, shimmering, beautiful wolfen creatures, falling forward onto all fours and wagging tails excitedly. All of the wolves present howled at the full, gorgeous moon.
As soon as the howls ended, Sora leapt backwards out of the way and the fight began. Matt immediately turned on Daisuke and tackled him. Daisuke felt a moment of panic where he contemplated rolling over right away or putting up a fight before rolling over. This was a mistake, for it caused a hesitation in his movements and gave Matt time to strike. He swiped at Daisuke's muzzle and Dai howled, turning away, and Matt crashed into his side. Dai fell onto the floor and made sure to land on his stomach, not yet ready to give up, but he didn't dare attack his leader. He took a few more swipes along his back and thighs, and then sighed loudly, turning over and exposing his belly. Matt got off of him as he watched Dai tilt his head back, exposing his long, sleek throat of red fur, and his chocolate brown eyes shimmered in trust and a sort of apology for being too frightened to fight back and too proud to back down at once. Matt gave him a reassuring look and then spun around quickly, his eyes darting around to look for Tai.
He turned to look at Sirius, as if he knew the elder vampire would know the answer, and the large, sleek, black wolf turned slightly saddened eyes towards the white wolf with gleaming blue eyes. He tilted his head towards the woods and the white wolf's, Matt's, eyes turned to follow the imaginary path. He immediately understood and his heart caught in his throat. Tai had run away from the fight.
He sprang past the huddle and sprinted through the woods, determined to find Tai. He tried not to feel betrayed by Tai's running from the fight. If Tai had felt the need to run without so much as *trying* to fight him, he must really want out of the pack. No, no, no! Matt thought, panicked. He wouldn't, not Tai. He ran through the woods until his leg muscles screamed at him to stop and rest. He ran until his eyes were dry from having unleashed all of the tears they could hold. He ran until his heart threatened to beat its way out of his rib cage, but he never found Tai. Howling in frustration, anger, and pure sorrow, Matt fell out of the wolf form and onto the floor, curled up and naked, feeling vulnerable, though comforted slightly by the moonshine bathing his tired, crying body.
When Matt felt he had gathered enough strength, physically and emotionally, he wandered back to the procession. There were no longer wolves gathered there, only vampires. Matt didn't want to see the pity in their eyes. He didn't want to be patted on the back in reassurance, didn't want to hear whispers about how they all knew Tai wouldn't want to give in that easily, that they knew Tai would run from him. He reached Daisuke, looked into his eyes, and then Daisuke knew the truth. Tai had run away from them.
Matt caught Daisuke as he fell forward in a silent sob and held him for a while. He watched feet enter his field of vision and slowly looked up the body standing a few feet away. Sirius smiled gently.
"It happens," he said simply.
Matt looked away from him. He didn't care if "it happens." He just wanted Tai back. He just wanted to know why Tai had run away. He just wanted to be a pack again. He began to regret his decision to hold another procession, but then remembered that Tai was becoming wild anyways, and that Tai would have run away eventually. He held onto Daisuke as if his life depended on it as they trudged out of the woods the procession had been held in.
Takeru and Ken came over to offer words of comfort to them before they separated to go to their respective homes. Matt didn't feel as if he were going home, though. Home was where he could have his two loving mates laying beside him in his bed. It wasn't that he felt more for Tai than he did for Dai, it was just that he needed both of them there for him to feel complete. He felt as if a third of his soul was missing, and he knew that Dai felt the same way.
The two broken-hearted boys fell asleep curled up, clutching each other as if their lives depended on it, in a bed far too empty for comfort. They fell asleep to uneasy dreams that night.
~ ~ ~ ~
A/N: Ack! Tai's gone! O.o' Where'd that boy run off to? Really, nothing but trouble...eh? Oh, anyways. Aren't you glad I actually got off my lazy butt and posted this? Review, please, if you want to know what the hell Tai thinks he's doing. I want to know, too...