Note: I just wanted to say that I know Tai's real surname is Yagami but since I started writing Kamiya in the story before this I decided to stick with it. Just letting everyone know this so you won't think I'm an idiot for using his full first name with Kamiya. And I can't help it, I love the dub ^_^
Chapter Fifteen- The Looking Glass
"Davis, just admit it, we're lost," Matt growled.
"Dude! We are NOT lost, I know exactly where I'm going!" Davis said.
"Listen, we've passed that same stupid tree THREE times, we are LOST!"
"Well at least I got us off that mountain," Davis said smugly.
"Of course we got off the mountain, there were only two ways to go, up or down!" Matt yelled.
"Matt, stop it," Kari said quietly. "You're going to make your head hurt more."
Matt sighed and clenched his fist, barely being able to hold back from punching Davis. "I'm sorry Kari..."
"We'll find him soon." Kari instinctively knew that Matt was frustrated they hadn't found Tai yet, and probably didn't have anything on his mind besides finding him.
"I know..." Matt grumbled. They trudged on, never knowing that right on the other side of the mountain...
"Mimi, just admit it, we're lost," Tai said angrily.
"We are NOT lost, my woman's intuition tells me the others are this way!"she replied.
"Your stupid woman's intuition almost led us straight into a swamp a little while ago."
"Well at least I got us out of that forest!" Mimi said.
"Yeah, and right into a different forest except this time it's freezing cold!" he yelled.
"Tai, please stop," Sora said. "You know that fighting isn't going to get us anywhere."
"Well if Mimi says we should go this way then I'm going the other way!" he shouted, and began marching off in the other direction.
"Tai! Stop, come back!" Sora called, and began hurrying after him. Mimi had no choice but to follow.
Fortunately for them, the two groups were now headed directly towards each other.
"What the heck? I though all the ice and snow disappeared, how can this pond be frozen over?" Matt said. He looked down at the surface of the large pond they had come to the edge of.
"Matt, look," Kari said. She bent down and touched what Matt thought was ice. "It's not ice at all," she said, "it's glass."
"What? A pond covered in glass?"
"Hey, it's the digital world," Davis said, "anything can happen!"
Suddenly they heard shouting coming from the opposite side of the pond.
"I hate you Taichi Kamiya! You're such a huge jerk!"
Mimi was whining and running after Tai and Sora, who were headed directly towards the pond. Tai was about to insult her back, when he looked up and saw the figure standing on the other side. Even though he was at least a hundred yards away, Tai could make out his features perfectly. His blonde hair, pale skin, defined jaw-line, and he swore he could see those blue eyes sparkling even from this distance.
"No way... Matt!" Tai called out.
Matt squinted at the person calling him from the other end and could clearly make out his boyfriend's tan skin and huge mass of fluffy brown hair.
"Tai!!" Matt stepped out onto the glass surface of the pond, never even thinking it might break.
"Matt, be careful!" Kari shouted.
Tai and Matt both ran towards the center of the pond, skidding on the smooth glass surface, which was almost as slippery as ice.
When they reached each other, Tai pounced on Matt, knocking him flat on his back.
"Yami! I missed you so much!"
Matt hugged Tai tightly and pulled him as close as possible.
"I missed you too, angel! I wasn't sure if we'd ever be able to find you!"
They both sat up and held each other's hands.
"I've never been so happy to see anyone!" Tai smiled. Then he noticed the gash on the side of Matt's forehead.
"Yami, you're hurt, what happened?" he said as he gently ran his fingers over the wound.
Matt winced and Tai pulled his hand away quickly. "I guess when I came out of the Digiport I landed on my head, at least that's what Kari told me, I don't remember what happened." Matt took Tai's hand in both of his and kissed his fingertips.
"Kari's with you!?"
"Yes, and Davis, unfortunately."
Matt didn't need to ask who Tai was with, because Sora and Mimi had made their way out into the middle of the pond.
"Matt! It's great to see you!" Sora said happily.
"Yeah! It's great to finally see someone besides stupid Tai who's been doing nothing but screwing everything up since we got here!" Mimi grumbled.
"Has she been like this the whole time?" Matt asked, getting to his feet.
"Yes..." Tai sighed.
"Tai!" Tai looked up to see Kari hurrying over to them with Davis at her heels. Tai stood up and hugged his little sister tightly when she got there.
"Kari, are you ok?" he looked down at her and asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, Tai. Do you know where TK or the others are?" she asked.
"No...you're the first ones we've seen."
"Hey, guys it's getting kind of dark, I think we should find a place to spend the night." Matt said.
"How can you tell?" Mimi sighed, looking up at the darkening grey sky. "Everything is just so...blah."
"Well what's left of the sun is going down," Tai said. "Come on, we can stay in that forest, it'll give us a little shelter."
"Very little..." Mimi mumbled.
As they walked off the pond and back into the forest, they had no idea that below the surface of the glass, someone was watching...and listening.
"Matt...I'm cold. I think the fire's going out."
Matt got up and started adding some twigs to the diminishing flames and blowing on the embers. They had managed to start a fire with some matches Sora had packed in her knapsack, just in case. The girls and Davis were already asleep, and Matt and Tai had decided to stay up and keep watch in case any hostile digimon decided to find them. They really weren't sure what they would actually do if a digimon did find them, but they felt it was their duty as men, (well...technically they are, right?) to protect the others.
When the fire was blazing again, Matt sat back down next to Tai and wrapped his arm around him.
"Things can never just be simple..." he sighed.
"Come on Matt, if things were always simple life would be so boring." Tai said. He reached down and rubbed Matt's thigh tenderly.
"I guess..." Matt gazed into the fire, remembering the night he kissed Tai for the first time, when they had all been camping on the beach. That kiss must have been the most perfect moment in his life.
Matt took Tai's chin in his hand and tipped his face up. He closed his eyes and leaned over, and slowly kissed Tai's beautifully soft lips.
"What was that for?" Tai asked when they had finished.
"Do I need a reason to kiss you?"
Tai smiled, "I guess not."
Tai inched over and sat himself down in Matt's lap. Matt slipped his arms around his slender boyfriend and rested his head on Tai's shoulder, letting his hair fall over his eyes. Tai gently brushed it away.
"I think your gel is starting to wear off, Yami."
"I'll live."
Tai ran his fingers through Matt's silky hair and sighed.
"You're worried about TK aren't you?"
Matt didn't respond, but Tai already knew the answer was yes.
"Matt...I know you're hurting, so why don't you just tell me what's going on? I promise I won't tell anyone else."
Matt didn't answer.
"Please?"
"I want to...I really do, but something's holding me back," he said quietly.
"Come on, I want to help you but you need to tell me what happened first."
"You would hate me if I told you..."
Tai was shocked Matt could think such a thing. He tipped Matt's head up gently and looked into his eyes.
"Matt, nothing you could ever tell me would change the way I feel about you."
"And what way is that..." Matt said. Just the way he spoke...the expression on his face, it was so sad.
"Do you really need to ask?"
"Remind me."
"Yamato Ishida, I love you with all my heart and you know that. And, I mean, I know I'm not the smartest person in the world but there's one thing I'm sure of. No matter what happens I'll always love you more than anyone else and I'll always be here for you."
Matt blinked a few times and Tai could see tears were starting to flow out of his eyes. Even after all this time, he still felt ashamed when he cried, and Tai was the only one besides Gabumon who had ever seen him do it.
Tai kissed each and every teardrop off Matt's cheeks until he was done crying. Matt dried his eyes with his shirt sleeve.
"Well...when you're ready, promise you'll tell me what happened, ok?"
Matt nodded. "I love you too Tai..."
"I know." Tai smiled at him. "So, wanna sneak off into the woods and do the wild thing while the others are sleeping?" Tai grinned.
Matt smirked and actually couldn't help but laugh.
All through the next day, they marched through the dense forest looking for some sign of the others. The temperature had become warmer and Sora was pretty sure they were approaching the desert. Mimi announced she didn't care where they were going as long as there was a soft bed and a beauty parlor there.
That night they all sat around the campfire again and wondered how many miles they had covered during the day.
"Matt, my legs are so sore from walking all day," Tai complained.
Matt simply pulled Tai into his lap so he was seated on Matt's hands and began rubbing the back of his legs, which were quite muscular.
"Mmm...Yami, your hands are so strong..." Tai smiled.
"It's from playing bass and guitar so much."
"When you're done groping Tai's butt can we please try to be serious here?" Mimi said, glaring at both of them.
"At least I'm not groping his crotch," Matt said, narrowing his eyes at her.
Mimi made a look of disgust and just turned her nose up at them.
"Mimi, try to be a little more understanding," Sora said.
"Well while we're here stuck in this crummy old forest all those two care about is making out!"
"We're not making out, I was just rubbing Tai's legs because he said they hurt, you bitch!" Matt shouted.
Mimi gasped and got up. She marched over and raised her hand to slap Matt when Tai stood up and blocked her.
"Don't touch him," Tai growled. He grabbed hold of Mimi's wrist and twisted it until she lowered her hand. Mimi looked up at Tai in horror and her face twisted up in pain.
"Tai stop!" Sora yelled. "You're hurting her!" Sora ran over and yanked Mimi out of Tai's grasp.
Kari and Davis's eyes were open in shock. They both looked up to Tai but were now too afraid to speak.
Mimi looked down at her bruised wrist and burst into tears.
"What happened to you Tai!? You're a monster!" she cried, and ran off into the forest.
"Mimi! Come back!" Sora called. She quickly raced after her.
"Wait! I...I'm....sorry." Tai sat back down and stared at the ground. He could barely believe what he had just done.
Matt wasn't sure what to do, he knew Tai was only trying to protect him but...
"Tai...are you ok?"
"I can't believe I just...I don't know what to do anymore."
Matt sighed and knew this was his fault. Tai had been worrying about him so much, he was at the end of his rope. More than that though, there was something about this place. It was as if something in the air itself was affecting everyone, making them more hostile, more jumpy. Matt took Tai's hand and stood up.
"Come on," he said softly.
"What? Matt, we can't leave Kari and Davis here alone."
Matt just smiled at the youngest members of their group. "They'll be fine."
Tai stood up and allowed Matt to lead him deeper into the forest. They sat down in the shadow of a huge old tree on a bed of moss, there were thick bushes and brush all around them. Although the sun and stars were faded and grey, the silver moon was just as beautiful as ever and its light made Tai's face look even more angelic.
"What do you want, Matt?"
Matt quickly silenced him by pressing their lips together and slipping his tongue into Tai's mouth. Tai closed his eyes and began to relax as they exchanged kisses.
"Matt...we can't, not right now," Tai said a few moments later.
Matt laid Tai down on his back and lifted up his shirt, kissing his stomach over and over.
"Yama...we can't just...ng...while Mimi and...ooh..." Tai's blabbering was quickly replaced by quiet moans. Matt slid his hands up Tai's sides and under his arms and pulled his shirt over all his hair. He ran his tongue up Tai's chest, and could feel his breathing becoming heavier. Tai's hands were making their way down the back of Matt's pants and slowly pulling them down.
A gentle breeze blew the scent of the dry desert air through the forest and for some reason Matt began to feel so safe, so comfortable. His ran his hand over Tai's smooth stomach and started removing his pants.
"I see you gave up wearing boxers," Matt whispered.
"Yeah, I just don't like them, they're uncomfortable," Tai responded.
"I guess in a few minutes it won't really matter..."
Tai could feel the palm of Matt's hand moving over his now bare hip. Matt moved completely on top of his beautiful boyfriend and kissed him again. Tai slid his arms around Matt's waist and closed his eyes. He felt like asking Matt if he was sure about this, he wanted to ask if he was ready, but was afraid speaking might ruin everything. He decided Matt's actions right now were speaking louder than any words possibly could.
Tai stayed quiet as long as possible until a quiet gasp escaped him. The sudden moment of pain passed and was replaced by the wonderful sensation he had missed so much. Soon, he could not help but begin moaning softly.
"Are you sure Kari and Davis said they went this way?" Mimi said angrily as they walked through the woods. She was getting more and more frustrated as they tripped over vines and were continually hit in the face with branches.
"Mimi, I really think we should just leave them alone..." Sora said.
"No way! If those two jerks think they can just go and leave us all alone like that they have another thing-"
Suddenly Mimi heard a loud moan coming from behind a huge tree several yards away that sounded suspiciously like Tai. She started pushing through the brush towards it.
"Now they've gone and gotten themselves into trouble!"
"Mimi wait!" Sora knew automatically what was going on.
Mimi stopped and glared at her. "You heard that didn't you? Tai's hurt, you must have heard him!"
"I heard it, Mimi but, stop! Stop, they're not hurt!" Sora rushed after her in a desperate attempt to avoid a moment of extreme embarrassment for all four of them. "Mimi! You don't understand!"
Sora tried to catch up but Mimi had evidently made up her mind and was not going to listen to anything Sora had to say.
Mimi pushed away one last branch standing in her way and then,
"Oh my god!"
"Matt!!"
"Mimi, what the hell are you doing here!?"
"Uh oh..." Sora stopped and realized she was too late. Mimi spun around quickly with her hands over her eyes.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know!"
Luckily for Matt and Tai, the forest was so dark it was hard to see more than a foot or two away. But unfortunately for all of them there was just enough light showing through the canopy from the moon that Mimi had gotten a fair glimpse of what was going on.
Matt stood up and stepped out of the bushes with nothing but his boxers on and his pants halfway down his hips. Even in the darkness Sora could see his trademark furious scowl plastered on his face as he started screaming at Mimi.
"What on earth is wrong with you, you stupid ditz!?"
Mimi was shaking and still had her hands covering her eyes.
"I had no idea!! I just heard Tai moaning I thought you were hurt!" she whimpered. After what had happened before by the campfire with Tai, she was afraid Matt might actually start hitting her.
"Of course he was moaning! We were having sex!!" Matt screamed loud enough for the entire forest to hear. He was yelling so loud in fact, Kari and Davis were no doubt getting an earful back at the campsite.
"Matt!" Sora tried to calm him down. Tai now stepped out from the brush, pulling his shirt over his head.
"Matt, stop it," Sora went on. "Please don't be so mad, she didn't mean it!"
"I would have expected you to know better, Sora!" he yelled at her.
"I tried to stop her! You need to control your temper!"
"I need to control my temper!? HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF IT HAPPENED TO YOU!?"
Sora was about to answer, but was surprised by Matt falling suddenly to the ground. Tai's fist had impacted with the side of his face and sent him flying.
"Matt! What's done is done and there's nothing you can do to change it by yelling at everyone!"
Matt rubbed his cheek and licked a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth. He lifted himself up on his elbow and looked up at Tai. He did nothing but breathe heavily for a few moments and stare at Tai. He was glaring down at him and didn't appear angry, just serious.
"Thanks Tai..." Matt said at last. Tai reached his hand down and helped Matt to his feet.
Sora was trying to comfort Mimi, who had begun sobbing. Sora now shook her head and sighed. Those two certainly had the strangest relationship she had ever seen.