Disclaimer: I own…..the voices in my head and absolutely nothing else.
Warnings: Nothing you have not seen before.
A/N: This is Taichis story from the time him and Yamato split ways and we followed only Yamato.
(WHEN AND WHERE) Taichi and Yamato say their goodbyes in the cave, still hiding from Myotismon.
"Come back to me." Tai heard his voice falter and shake but it didn't matter, he had to make sure the message got across, make sure Yamato returned to him. But it didn't work, Yamato made no acknowledgment of the fragile plea and with nothing more than a cold acknowledgment of their parting he was gone.
"Goodbye Tai."
He did not stop to bid the others farewell, he never even looked back. And there was certainly no promise of return.
Tai slid to the ground, leaning against the cold unrelenting stone wall in the surrounding darkness. One day, for one day Tai had done the impossible and brought Yamato back to him and in that one day done the unthinkable and let him go. This beautiful golden haired creature of the night had crushed Taichis heart as if it were nothing and left him with an air of a tragic hero so Tai could not say a word in defense. Yes, Yamato had gone to save them all, gone to assure Myotismon that everything was as it should be because the blond would not see his friends harmed. Yamato would not let the others fall pray to Myotismon either for food or dark company. When Yamato told him he would not allow another to become like them, a vampire, Tai could hear the pain and anger in the others voice. Tai had forced Yamato to give this life to him, completely against Yamatos wishes, he was the reason Yamato lost his life in the first place and Yamato had no delusions about who the blame fell to.
Taichi tried not to think about all the little reasons Yamato had to leave him, all the pain he had caused Yamato, all the mistakes he had made. Instead he told himself to believe what he knew to be a beautiful lie. Yamato had gone only to save the others, to save him, from Myotismons wrath and soon they would be together again plotting against this evil.
Blood tears streamed down his face, leaving trails of crimson across his face. It almost comforted him, this act of crying, it was familiar and warm, not a completely uncomfortable act because it was not deep heaving sobs but silent tears that do not yet have a reason to be spilt, after all they were all still alive, in a way. Soft padding footsteps were coming close to him, one of the others. Taichi was glad for the darkness; he knew he must look like a monster, blood rivulets streaming down his face.
"Yama? Tai? I can't see anything." Takerus sweet child like voice filled his ears.
"I'm here Tk, what is it?" The young blond was only a step away, aided on his way over to Taichi by a lazy and thankfully tear free hand.
"The storm outside is getting worse and bats are everywhere, the others think Myotismon knows we are here. They sent to me to tell you and ask if we should move."
Myotismon knows. Taichi knew in his heart it was true the moment it came from Takerus lips but he had to see for himself. With inhuman speed taichi was at the mouth of the cave. Myotismons faceless black bats whirled in the air just above the cave, they had been found.
A million worries for Yamato erupted in Taichis mind but he suppressed them all. There was nothing he could do for Yamato right now and he had to trust that the other was still alive. He had to get the others out of the cave and as far away from here as possible, he would not prove himself an incompetent leader once more, he would save the others as he had failed to save Yamato.
"No one say a word, be as quiet as you can and follow me." Taichi spoke softly but commandingly to the little group. He could not carry them all to safety, it would take to long and he was not willing to part with any of them for any length of time.
Tai led the way out of the cave as quietly as possible and the bats took no notice of them at all; for one glorious second it looked as if they would escape. Everyone was out of the cave, Tai keeping count and watching for enemies when the sky turned black with the wings of bats.
Myotismon appeared in whirl of bats so thick that even Taichi could not see if he was made of the swirling creatures or ran with preternatural speed into their mists. Tai took a step forward and motioned for the others to move behind him. As they all ran into position Myotismon just looked on. He seemed even paler than he had before, his cheeks slightly sunken as if he had gone through much toil as of late and fed very little.
"What do you want Myotismon?" Taichi yelled across the little distance separating him from the one bringing them all of this pain. He wanted to scream at him for taking Yamato, to demand Yamato back and leave them alone but he did not want to offer any information so he bit his tongue and waited for the other to speak.
Myotismon watched the little group thoughtfully, mainly the nearly hysterical brunet that led them. "So my little fledgling did not do as badly as I had feared." He spoke more to himself than anyone but Taichi took it upon himself to respond anyway.
"None of this was his idea, I made him do it, and if you so much as touch him for it I will kill you personally." Taichi stepped forward again, eyes blazing.
Myotismon smiled, letting his fangs glint in the dim light. Maybe there was use for this boy after all. "You are a spirited one, stupid but brave. What makes you think you could even harm me? Or that I have not already killed Yamato for his impudence?" This seemed to shock Taichi as the fire in his eyes flashed with something that was gone to quickly to define.
"He is alive I can feel it, otherwise you would already be dead." Taichi growled but to his dismay Myotismon laughed.
In all Myotismons long years he had no problem killing to keep himself alive. The creatures he took where dim witted and rarely even knew that they were in deaths cold embrace and thought it all a lovely dream until their least breath. This was the way he planned to dispose of the child of courage. Take the boy into himself until there was no blood left in the fragile newly dead body and Yamato would be irreversibly his. But here he ran into a small hitch. Myotismon had never expected to feel this sudden attraction to the boy. When he looked on the brunet he did not see Yamatos betrayal but his own blood perfecting this human body, making it more like himself. This was not one of his mindless victims; this was a living ball of fire. This was not the nearly broken spirit of Yamato whom he had chosen; this one could last through the ages with a fire unsurpassed. This was a creature of substance, no, not a creature, a vampire of his lineage, this child was his very own.
"Yamato did very well in making you, hardly as weak as I would have thought." Myotismon circled taichi slowly, examining him as if he was something of value to be bought or traded away. Tai stood his ground, glaring at Myotismon as he walked slowly around him. Myotismon stopped and looked for the first time into Taichis eyes.
"Leave and never come back. I will give you and these children passage to the real world just as Yamato waned it. In return for sparing your lives I will come and go as I please without a word of retaliation from anyone." Myotismon stopped and carefully read Taichis mind. He wanted to bring the others home, that was true enough but not without Yamato.
"I don't care what you want or your stupid deal. You are going to give Yamato to me now!" Taichi fumed, trying desperately to keep his mind even as his heart felt as if it would burst.
"Yamato has agreed to rule with me in return for your safety. I can take much better care of him here where he will never miss the light of day and will never know the pain of feeding on humans as you will suffer nightly. I can take away all of his pain as you cannot, would you rob him of this peaceful life so he could suffer with you? All the pain you have given can be taken away if only you release him and go live your own life. Make new vampires if you like, you will all feel the pain he will never have to." Myotismon ripped the thoughts from Taichis mind and laid them out in a beautiful illusion, with a little push of his mind Myotismon knew the boy would agree, he was still too young to protect himself from mental attacks.
Taichi nodded slowly, completely unable to speak. Myotismon on the other hand was happier than he had been in all the long ages of his life. He possessed his beautiful dark prince in the castle in which they would live forever, ready to be manipulate into loving him, and now he possessed his beloved ones polar opposite, a fiery beauty who would suffer like none other, engulfed in love and self hatred he would live for eternity while Myotismon watched over them both, no longer alone.
"You will be dropped in a warehouse in the city you once lived in. You will stay there until nightfall because this sun will cut down your immortal life in a ball of fire. Stay in the shadows and sleep there, the others may go as they please." Taichi nodded mutely, his eyes empty, the fire that made everyone who saw him fall in love with him gone for the moment, lost in confusion and pain due to the mental manipulation and constant reminders of how he hurt Yamato.
Before anyone could move a muscle, before another breath could be taken they were standing in a dark musty room that felt undeniably like the real world. The mortal children blinked furiously, confused by the change and blinded by the darkness but Taichi could see everything. But Tai did not need to see anything because he could hear it. Myotismon spoke into his mind as if he was whispering it in his ear.
'I will return someday.' Then he was gone, back through the portal he created for himself because he would not linger in this world, just a minute here meant ages to those in the digital world.
The second Myotismon disappeared the fog in Taichis mind lifted and he had no desire to be home. The others could stay here if they wished but he would not abandon Yamato to the darkness of the digital world. He would put his life on the line if need be but he would rescue Yamato.
"I'm coming Yama!" The suffocating darkness was broken by a stream of light coming from Taichis hip, his digivice was glowing as it did before Agumon digivolved but this time the light did not surround the little digimon but shot straight outwards.
"I'm coming too!" Takerus sweet voice chimed in as he found his way to Tai and held out his glowing digivice in the palm of his hand. The beams found each other in the dark and mingled to form one beautiful column of light. The rest of the digidestined looked down at their own glowing digivices and knew without a doubt among them they had to return. It was not yet time to go home, if they returned now both worlds would be destroyed, what use could returning to a doomed home do any of them?
Taichi grinned and watched the others surround the tunnel of light, this time he would do things right. He would return each of these children home alive and well, he would not let anything befall them this time around.
It was nothing like traveling to the digital world the first time from their summer camp. There was no falling or waking up in a strange land. Color surrounded then with such vigor none of the world around them could be seen and when they opened there eyes it was not a lush green tropical forest they stood in, it was a little wooden room and they were not alone.
"Hello Digidestined!" A familiar voice called softly to them, drawing the attention of the group. "I'm glad to see you have all returned of your own free will." Gennais voice had a somber note to it where it usually rang with unfaltering joy, he knew everything that had happened, Tai saw it in his eyes.
"We have to find Yamato, do you know where he is?" Taichi couldn't be bothered with greetings and niceties, there were far more pressing matters on hand. "Or Myotismon…Yama will be with him." Tai growled out the last part as if the words hurt him to say but Gennai paid this no mind.
"Currently both Myotismon and the child of friendship are inside Myotismons castle." The old man answered easily with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Great! Which way is it to the castle, we leave now." Tai felt the first spark of hope in his chest.
"I don't know." Taichis entire figure slumped, Joe even took a cautious step forward so he could catch Tai if he collapsed. "The moment all of you left this world Myotismon put a mental barrier on the castle, neither I nor my equipment can find him, the building itself rose into the air and found a new resting place so if your planning on finding your old trail don't bother."
"No, he can't do that! Its imposable!" It was as if Myotismon was changing the rules half way through a game, the physical restrictions of reality should have prevented this.
"Don't be foolish. Myotismon can throw up a mental barrier around himself, its not much more work to through it around his castle." Gennai waved at them all to sit down on waiting cushions and politely they all did so, except of course Tai.
"I don't believe you! He can't pick up a building and run away with it! Its not possible!" Taichi gestured a little franticly with his hands, begging them to understand and tell him he was right, that Yamato was still within reach.
"In the digital world anything is possible, especially with powers such as he has and you may someday posses." Powers, undead, inhuman, Tai did not want to think about it, this was the core of all the evil that had been done by his misguided hand. In a completely human reaction he chewed his lip self consciously only to sink his fangs deep into his bottom lip and yelp in pain and surprise.
"We need to discus what happened Taichi. It is crucial to the survival of both worlds you succeed and to do so you need to know your strengths and weaknesses more thoroughly." The children watched silently, feeling as if they should not be witnessing this but not being able to leave.
"Is there no way to find Yama?" Tai said softly, his head hung low as if in defeat.
"Only to search for him." The man responded gently.
"Then I have to go look, you understand don't you?" Tai forced himself to look back up.
"I expected as much but I hoped you would stay longer."
"What is happening, what are you talking about?" Takeru stood up and walked over to taichi, pulling on his shirt questioningly.
"He is trying to leave us." Sora said before the others could reply. "He wants to go look for Yamato himself." He did not bother to repress the frustration and even anger in her voice.
"Its not true is it Taichi?" Takeru tugged even harder at the cloth, begging not to be left alone. "You promised that my Onii-chan and you would always be here for me."
Taichi knelt and took Takeru into his arms. "I'm sorry Tk but I have to go. I cant risk taking you all with me, not when Yamato gave up so much to keep you safe. Besides I will travel faster alone, at night when he will be awake as well, I cant ask you to give up the sun." Taichi forced back the tears, Tk always did this to him, made him think off all the painful truths in life and bring him to the edge of sorrow. He could not spill out all the reasons Tai had to go alone and let them be dissected by the group. Was it not enough that he took full blame of what happened to Yamato, that he alone was responsible for finding his lost love, that even now Tai went against Yamas wish in trying to find him and could not completely undo all that Yamato had given them. Tai could keep his little family safe if they stayed here with Gennai, out in the darkness of the unknown there were no such beautiful assurances.
"But you said you would look after me!" Takeru cried, huge crystalline tears falling down his face.
"But I am Takeru, and so is Yamato. It was his gift that sent us to the real world and that keeps you safe now. I have to ask you to be brave for Yamato, he is protecting you and the rest of us as well and has completely forgotten how to return to us, I need you to be strong while I go find him." Takeru pulled back until he was an arms length away from Taichi and nodded bravely.
"I will be a good boy for my Onii-chan!" Takeru sniffed and tried to wipe away the rest of his tears. The child seemed satisfied if a little saddened but he dealt with it well. Sora on the other hand was no so easily dissuaded.
"Taichi we will not be left behind! You can't go off on your own like this it's dangerous! Yamato is our friend too!" The red head stomped for emphasis as she spoke.
"You will only slow me down, I need to find him now and that wont happen if I am watching after you all." She going to retaliate, Tai knew it so he turned back to Takeru before she could get a word out.
"While I am gone you are going to be the leader all right? You have watch out for the others while I am gone alright?" Tk nodded, trying so hard to be brave. "But first you need to look the part hm?" Taichi reached into his pocket and produced his little compass, the compass he had since the very first day in the digital world. "I want you to have this until I return for good alright?" Again Takeru nodded, so proud to be helping the older boys.
That was it, the time to leave was most defiantly now before the others could protest as well but he had to make sure one last time.
"Gennai, you will take care of them wont you?"
"They are safe here, this house has a cloak as well, not as good as Myotismon but it will suffice. Our talk will have to wait until another day then?" Tai nodded.
"Until then." The children didn't even know when he disappeared, one moment Tai was standing there with them and the next he was gone. Taichi thought it best this way, no messy goodbyes to make it any more painful than it had to be.
For ages Taichi would roam the digital world, feeding on Myotismons evil minions and scouring the land for any sign of Yamato. Hordes of minions would be stumbled on interrogated and left, digimon would be stalked and lead not to the castle but to more nothingness. Nights melted into one another and Taichi not once missed the light of the sun, the sun was for living and happiness but without Yamato there was no happiness, there was no life.
…..will the lovers be reunited? Find out next time on Digimon Digital Monsters! Anyway, hope you liked the chapter and that anyone out there that was confused is less so now. I know I say this every time but please review! It makes a huge difference (so I know if I am too far into lala land and should revert back to normal human writing)! Everyone who reviewed….THANK YOU! you guys are my HEROS! (and Taichi and Yamatos heros of course)