Author's Notes: God, school's getting very busy. Hardly have any time to write. Anyway, last chapter of first person. Yatta! Things are supposed to get much better from here on, in terms of Taito developing anyway… Reviews are always appreciated. And I apologize if the level of writing is as crappy as I think it is…I'm really trying to get it to an acceptable level.
Thanks to nEo-cHaN, JoJo LieLie, Becc 'D, Fordina, Romulana, Sarri-chan, ToriS.
Disclaimer: No, no no! *swatting away copyright lawyers* Get away! I don't own Digimon and I don't make any money off of this story!
ReoccurrenceChapter 5: Circling the Drain
It's come again, the chosen, the battle against good and evil, this time against the Kaiser as he likes to be called. I haven't been summoned as I feared I would, but I know I'll still have to go. I have to protect them; I can't let TK or Kari or any of the new digidestined get hurt, not like Tai. This all comes with knowing I'll be in that barren land again, reeking of with Tai's memory. It's not such an adventure anymore is it? I stand up from being deposited from the gate. It's been a couple of weeks since the egg incident; I'm with the new chosen children, so out of place. I see Gabumon huffing up over the hill when he stares down and waves at us. Trusty old Gabumon…
"Hey Gabumon, what's going on?"
He takes a quick concerned look over his shoulder at the hill. "The Kaiser's capturing digimon in the town. He's got black rings around two Monochromon already."
We all jump up, instant enthusiasm, the kind that makes you do brash things, the kind that gets you killed. It makes me sick to my stomach. We get ready to follow into battle, trotting after the new leader. I hang back for a moment thinking that there's someone else here, but clearly there isn't, only the sparse trees and well-worn footpaths. We trudge up the hill to find ourselves overlooking a city in ruins, a giant arena raised from the crumbled ground. A low groan escapes from underneath us as a tremendous crash splits the air around us. From the dust comes a Monochomon, black ring collared around its neck. It roars with a terrible intensity, thumping its hoof on the ground as a threat. Daisuke and Flamedramon seize the moment to stand up to the digimon, taking the ground between the rest of the group and Monochromon. I give a sharp nod and signal for the rest of us to get to the arena. Behind us the sounds of fighting come loudly and horribly reminiscent, like the roar of the waterfall. I run faster, finding myself in the shade of a giant stone archway. The same fighting sounds come from inside, a crunch and crash. TK and Kari nod and run off to my right while Iori and Miyako take my left. I call for Gabumon and scramble up the thick steps, higher and higher into the dark interior.
The wind whips around a little at the top, the ceiling falling away to reveal a raised platform. The Kaiser stands with his back turned to me, cloak rolling in the breeze. Beyond him, two digimon are battling, throwing dirt and rocks upward with each strike. "Ken!"
He turns around to face me, dark glasses reflecting myself. "Oh, if it isn't one of the old digidestined." I growl at his sneer, calling Gabumon to digivolve. Garurumon haunches on my left baring his teeth, but the Kaiser only smiles wider. "Come now, give me a challenge."
I raise a fist to attack him but he cracks his whip, three Airdramon rising up from behind him. Jumping onto one of the digimon's back, he hovers in front of me, smirking his superiority. I yell at him over the roar of battle in arena. "You can't keep enslaving digimon. You can run now, but we're going to get you eventually!" Great, I sound like a fucking action hero.
He gives his trademark enigmatic half smile, eyes narrowing. "You fool. I'm not retreating, quite the opposite. Airdramon attack." A flying digimon claps its wings, diving for me. Weregarurumon leaps up to attack the digimon but the Kaiser lashes his whip across his skin. "Stupid; you think your worthless digimon can even hope to stand up to mine?"
He's right. Weregarurumon can't digivolve anymore and fight three Airdramaon. None of the other digidestined are in sight. I dive to my right, rolling over the level flagstones, the Airdramon sweeping upward. It hurtles down toward me again, Kaiser on its back, sneer fixed on his face. Weregarurmon slams into them midair, sending them all to the ground with heavy thuds. I scrabble quickly to devolved Gabumon's side, but before I can even form a question, there's the sound of cracking and crumbling beneath us, the ground shifting and quivering. I struggle up quickly, Gabumon in my arms and stumble towards the stairs, taking them four at a time down, barely able to keep myself balanced. I look behind me and pause, Ken's still lying on the stones. A flagstone from above crashes at my feet and I stop hesitating and run faster, the steps disappearing under me as I jump onto the landing. The levels of stairs disappear in a frenzied blur as I keep pushing myself to go faster. On the ground level, the arch ahead has collapsed, the ceiling above us looking dangerously brittle. I run for the next arch, plowing into the open sun just in time to see our exit come down in a torrent of stones and dust. Rising from the dust, there's the blurred silhouette of an Airdramon, someone on its back.
I scan for the rest of the group. Dasiuke rushes up from a cluster of trees, carrying Veemon in his arms. An army of footsteps signal the rest of the group as they appear from the darkness of one of the vast arches in the arena.
"What happened?" TK asks distractedly, still looking curiously at the airborne dust that rises from the semi-demolished coliseum.
Everyone shrugs, myself included. "Don't know. I found Ken on the top level. Then there was a sudden rumble and everything started to come down."
Hikari is looking around us, probably noting the absence of sound. The crashing and fighting in the arena has stopped and the coliseum stands quiet but for some random falling stones. "What about the Kaiser?"
I shake my head negative. "He got away." We all decide to head back, hurry home before we're found gone. Just before the portal swallows me up, there's a rustling of leaves somewhere close by. But I ignore it and turn to give Gabumon a good-bye wave.
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(Tai's POV)
I can feel my heart pounding away in my chest, hard like if it was a soccer game. But this isn't a game and I could feel the sweat on my palms, a sticky reminder of really how serious this all was. Above me somewhere was the Kaiser, enjoying the destruction of digimon, and somewhere out there were the digidestined running up the stairs, flying through the halls, inching closer. But I don't have time to worry about them. "Again, Agumon." He let's out another pepper breath, the fireball striking against a stone overhead, already blackened by previous attempts. "Closer, to the left some more. Aim for the keystone." Another breath of fire strikes upward, closer to the target. In the interspersed silence, there's the sound of running feet, two pairs on the stairwell. We're in the shadows, hidden as a blurred figure and a digimon scramble upward. Agumon gives me a silent question, a mixture of curiosity and questioning. I shake my head and point to the keystone, a silent order. His face sets itself and he throws another fireball up. This time he hits the right stone, one step closer. "Again."
Agumon takes a rest, heaving a deep breath and then looking up again at the charred keystone. He can't let it grow cool again. "Pepper breath."
Over the sound of his exertion, the arena echoes with the sound of combat, crunching and colliding. The Kaiser plays his 'pets' against each other, a firm control over their actions. I hate working against him indirectly, lurking underneath and sabotaging like a coward. I'd like to have it out with him, one person against the other, but as Gennai pointed out, that's the job of the new digidestined. I'm already out of a job before I remember it. Funny isn't it?
Leave it to Gennai to be vague. 'You must help the digidestined stop the Kaiser.' And how exactly? I guess this is as good as any, these little obstacles, small annoyances. Maybe he'll be bugged into submission. "Pepper breath." Agumon's claws poke me to catch my attention. "Tai, I think it's coming down."
I look up at the archway, watching pieces of the keystone crack and break off. There's the sound of a warbling creak above us. "Good job Agumon. Let's get out of here." We run into one of the stairwells as the sounds of cracking intensifies. The archway and the levels above start to crumble and shake just as we find ourselves in the open sun. We take instant cover in the nearby woods just in time to see two figures coming from the falling stones and rising dust—one of the digisdestined and a Gabumon. Soon the tall blond boy is joined by five other people and their digimon. They talk to themselves, no one voice loud enough to be intelligible, like low mumbles.
Agumon makes a move to head out from the bushes but I stop him. He gives me a questioning look but I keep my hand gripped on his arm. "This isn't the right time," I whisper. He nods his surrender and takes his seat next to me. The group looks around quickly and activates the portal, each shuffling in. The last one in is the tall blond boy who takes a last look around. I start to back away quietly but accidentally step on a pile of dead leaves. I freeze, but he hasn't noticed. The portal seals itself and the Gabumon is trotting back up the hill.
"Why didn't you go talk to them?"
I look over my shoulder to Agumon, abandoning the sip of stream water rapidly draining in my cupped hands. "I just couldn't, not yet. I don't even have a clue who any of them are."
"Well, that's no reason not to go talk to them."
"Now don't get all like Gennai on me. I'm sure to hear a mouthful from him when we get back." Agumon sighs and relapses into silence while I go for another sip of water. I don't think he understands the fear involved. It's one thing to re-emerge after a four-year separation but to do it when you don't even remember your life with these people? It's one hell of a step.
"Tai?"
"Look Agumon, I know you think I should contact them, but I'm not ready yet."
"No Tai, I meant…"
"I mean it's four years Agumon."
"No Tai, you have a big spider on your back."
"What?! Ah! Get it off!" I hop around wildly, looking probably out of my mind and pulling and stretching my shirt until the hairy thing drops to the ground and scurries away. I let out a shaky breath. "Stupid spiders…"
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Agumon and I are resting on a sofa while we wait for Gennai to return from his 'research.' This means we have quite a wait. "Hey Agumon?"
He levels his green eyes with mine. "Hmm?"
"Who were they? At the arena?"
He considers awhile. "They've changed in four years. Did anyone seem familiar?"
"Uh, it felt like I knew one of the girls, the one with the brown hair. And that tall blond guy looked familiar."
"Yep, the girl's your sister Hikari. She looks so different than when I last saw her."
"Really…? That's my little sister. She seems nice." I find myself smiling stupidly, maybe a little closer at reconnection. "Who was the guy?"
"Yamato, one of the old digidestined. I wonder why he's here…"
"Yamato? He's got different hair. So who's the short blond boy?"
Before Agumon can answer Gennai shuffles in with dinner. "How did the mission go?"
"Fine. We collapsed part of the arena."
He strokes his chin, laying down the chopsticks. "Good. Eat up."
I dig in, mouthful after mouthful. "What's next?" I ask mouth stuffed and words probably impossible to understand.
Somehow he gets the gist and produces a rolled up map from his sleeve and lays it on the table. He traces a finger across the expanse of the adjacent desert. "There are reports that there is spire construction in this area. It's very craterous and mostly barren. It's also nearly a week's walk from here, but I think it's worth a try to get there and put a 'monkey wrench' in the Kaiser's plans." I choke hard on a mouthful of rice. It's probably the first time I've heard Gennai use such a cliché. It's sort of disturbing and I hope he doesn't ever try one again.
But I nod anyway. "Okay. Then we'll leave tomorrow morning."
Agumon nods in agreement as he finished off dinner.
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The bedroom's dark as it's way past bedtime, but I can't sleep. I think about how confusing everything is. There're some new memories floating in my head like one time where I'm fighting with Yamato, or when Hikari fell ill. But it's so irritating that I can't connect them. When and why am I fighting with Yamato? Where did Hikari get sick? How did she get better? I hate these stupid flashes. They should just be clear or not come at all, but I know I'll ultimately need them. Gennai, Agumon, they're both trying to get me to go back, to 'where I belong' to quote either one of them. It's like that step into a dark room, without knowing what's on the floor in front of you. Just take that step and introduce myself to them again, and go off with them to who knows where. So I can meet parents I don't know, and friends that thought I was dead. It all seems so wrong.
That's one side of it. The other is simple curiosity. Deep down I know they wouldn't do anything to hurt me, or even shun me. I may not remember what exactly told me this but it's a feeling I get. And the more I learn about myself, the more I know that I've a reputation of being brave to live up to, which means no hiding forever, no running away. But luckily I've still got time. I get time to study them, the digidestined, to know them a little more from afar, to understand them. And then when the Kaiser's gone maybe I won't make a complete idiot of myself when I try to rejoin them. But as people say in these god-awful novels Gennai makes me read, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. I yawn deeply, frowning at the prospect of trekking across the hot desert for a week and probably surviving on berries and water.
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Author's Notes: Finally… Next chapter is the *dramatic pause* meeting between Taichi and the rest of them. I'll try to get working on it soon.