The Demons
Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon or "The Crown of Stars" by Kate Elliott
Taichi had returned home shortly after his conversation with Anna not letting anyone in, even Kari when she got home. He tried to forget what had happened or to make sense of the sorceress's words but all he felt was uncertain and scared. He finally fell asleep and Hikari slowly snuck into their room glancing worriedly at her brother as she set a tray of supper for him on the dresser and changing for bed.
Taichi woke up around midnight as his stomach refused to let him sleep anymore; he slowly got up and discovered a plate of cold food on his dresser. He cursed under his breath and glared sullenly at the cold soggy food. Suddenly the plate it was sitting on simply burst into flames Taichi gave a strangled yelp and stumbled back covering his mouth and catching himself on the bed hoping that he hadn't woken Hikari up. He heard her groan and shift but she slipped back in to sleep. When he turned back to the food the flames were gone but the food was warm, although slightly charred. He glanced around checking to see if Agumon was there and simply playing a practical joke on him, but there was no sign of the little yellow dinosaur so Taichi quickly gobbled up the food before his mind could protest the strange event and clambered back into bed.
Outside a minor demon smirked and flew off to tell its masters that he had found the half demon child they had been searching for. The fire demon who received the message smirked and gazed down to where his half mortal brother slept.
"Tai? Are you feeling okay today?" Hikari said leaning over him. He slowly opened his eyes and paused a moment to blink the sleep from his eyes.
"Yeah," Tai mumbled as he sat up scratching his head and yawning. His stomach rumbled as the smell of breakfast wafted in through the open door.
"The other digidestined were worried about you yesterday," Hikari said as she led her brother to the table. Taichi mumbled something but Hikari couldn't understand what he said since Taichi was still half asleep. "What did you say?" Hikari asked as she began to eat her eggs.
"They shouldn't have been, it was just a cold, I'm fine now," Taichi said. And it was true, he felt perfectly fine but he had the strange sensation that someone was watching him, and he didn't like it.
"Okay then! We all planned to go to the beach and this means you can come so hurry up!" Hikari stated pushing her empty plate away and rushing back into their room. Taichi smiled to himself at the prospect of a day at the beach with the warm sun to relax him. He quickly finished the rest of his breakfast and joined Kari in getting ready to go. "Bye mom we're leaving!" Hikari shouted and she and Tai hurried out the door. Kari waved as the other digidestined came into sight and Taichi quickly forgot the feeling that someone was watching him, the strange events from the night before, and all that the sorceress had said.
"Come on Tai, Mimi, Ken! Aren't you going to come in the water?" Takeru shouted as the other digidestined paused in their water volleyball game. Taichi shifted uncomfortably and waited to here what the others would answer.
"Sorry guys, I sunburn to easily," Ken said uncomfortably rubbing his extremely pale skin.
"I just got a perm and can't get it wet for another hour," Mimi stated as she turned over in her sunbathing.
Tai came up with the perfect stuck-up comment and smiled "sorry but I got to get a tan, you know girls dig guys with dark skin these days." This caused a round of arguments from the others but soon they stopped and returned to their game. Taichi sighed, in truth the very sight of the water terrified him but he couldn't explain why. He turned his face back up to the warm sky and smiled letting his eyelids droop. Suddenly he felt himself get soaked and let out a choked cry of alarm and terror as he attempted to dodge most of it rolling onto the burning sand but not feeling it. "What!" Taichi managed to get out. He looked up to see an enraged Mimi chasing the younger digidestined, minus Ken who was laughing at the scene from the shade of the umbrella.
"Hey Tai, you look like you just saw Myotismon, what are you afraid of water or something?" Yamato teased. Taichi was about to deny it saying the very thought was silly and stupid when with a start he realized he had been terrified and the very feeling of the beads of water clinging to his sent chills of fear down his spine. "Hey man, you don't look so good, maybe you should lie down," Yamato said worriedly noticing Tai's pale face.
"No! I'm fine, really," Taichi stated hurriedly grabbing his towel and drying himself off.
"Okay… Whatever you say, but you know if you need someone to talk to I'll be here," Yamato said before going back to join the others. Taichi shook his head and turned away from the others angrily he asked himself 'what's happening to me?!' He decided that perhaps the beach wasn't the best place for when things started to heat up, literally. Now even Taichi felt hot and the others seemed to be crying out in agony from the heat.
"Yamato! Hikari! Guys!" Taichi called hurrying over them and wiping the sweat from his brow. He tripped on the burning sand and screamed as he fell into the icy cold water. He realized then what he was feeling, the water was completely unaffected by the extreme heat. "Hikari!" Taichi shouted running to her first. Ken was standing nearby clutching his blistering skin and Taichi grasped him at the same time he grabbed Hikari. He quickly threw them down into the water. Not even pausing to make sure they were alright he reached for the others and pushed them down into the icy water. Soon everyone was safe and relatively cold he turned to see who could have caused this heat. He had even forgotten the strangeness of not being affected by the heat.
"I knew it was thee, but I had to make certain," came a slow voice behind him. He whirled around to find him facing a man completely cloaked in flames, he was so startled he fell back into the cold water and let out a sharp cry of pain. The water seemed to burn and eat away at him until he finally blanked out slipping under the surface, not hearing the startled cries of his friends and the soft chuckles of the fire demon.