Chapter 7:
Prelude to Destruction
When Tai opened his eyes this time, he noticed that his room was filled with a variety of toys and video games. In fact, his bed was larger then it normally was. "I must be young in this time again," he said, jumping out of the bed. He walked over to the mirror on the side of the door, and gasped.
"Hey, I've got short hair" he said, running his hand through it,"Hmm, it looks like I'm five or six. Well, it wasn't the youngest I've been. At least I don't need diapers now!"
He smiled slightly, then opened the door into the hall and saw a much younger version of his mother grin at him,"Good morning, Tai."
"Mom, is that you?" he thought,"Wow, she's really young."
"How did you sleep, son?" she asked,"Anymore bad dreams?"
"No," he shook his head.
His mother sighed,"That's good, I was really getting worried."
Tai just shrugged and started to walk into the kitchen, but past the small stand that contained framed pictures. Tai saw that one of the pictures had his mother holding a baby in her arms while she was standing under a large banner that read HAPPY GRADUATION!
"My mother had me when she was still in high school?" he whispered, glancing towards the kitchen,"No wonder she looks so young. Do I even have a father in this world?"
"Taichi!" his mother called,"Breakfast is ready."
In any event, he was able to spend most of the morning watching shows he had not seen since he was really little, before he found himself being lead by his mother out to an extremely new car.
"Maybe my father is some super rich millionaire," he thought as his mother strapped him into the front seat. "Um, where are we going, Mommy?"
"To the beach, remember?" she said, driving out of the parking lot.
"The beach, that's pretty cool.How long am I going to keep shifting through worlds like this?" he thought, watching the scenery fly by,"Will I keep going through worlds, until the end of time? I have got to figure out a way out of this, but how? Maybe if I wait long enough, I'll end up in a world where I'm super smart or something...but, I don't change, just the world...Jeez, I'm really confused now."
He knew that the car ride was going to take much longer, so he decided to drift off to sleep.
He opened his eyes when he felt the car slow to a stop."We're here," his mother said, jumping out of the car. She ran around to the other side and helped Tai out of his seat. "Now stay here," she said, "I've got to get something out of the trunk."
"Wait a second? How come I'm still in this world? Why haven't I changed....unless it needs to be at night, but why?"
As his mother was reaching inside the back of the car, he turned around in the mall parking lot and saw two older teenage girls walk past them, both wearing jeans shorts, unbuttoned shirts and carrying bags over their arms, one with red hair, and the other with brown hair. "Sora, Kari!" he shouted out without thinking.
The two girls turned around and saw Tai staring up at him. "Oh, hello," they both said.
"You're such a cute little boy," Kari said, kneeling down and lightly pinching him on the check. Tai was surprised to see that Kari was wearing a very revealing pink bikini, she never wore anything like that.
"Where's your Mommy?" Sora asked, picking Tai up. Tai enjoyed the feeling of Sora's body against his, separated only by her yellow bikini.
"Over there," Tai pointed to where his mother was just closing the trunk.
"Excuse me, Miss," Kari said, running over,"Is this your son?"
Tai's mother twirled at them,"Oh my...Tai!" she shouted, lifting him away from Sora,"I told you to stay right there. I'm sorry, I hope he didn't bother you."
"Oh, it was no bother at all," Kari giggled,"I wish I had a little brother as cute as him. All I've got is a sister."
"She means me," Sora nodded,"I'm Sora, and this is my younger sister, Kari."
"It's nice to meet you," Mrs. Kamiya bowed,"Enjoying a day at the beach? Trying to find some guys?"
"Yeah," Sora grinned,"And a little fun too."
"I don't even want to think about what that means," Tai thought, enjoying the ride in his mother's arms. Tai kept this eyes on Sora and Kari and until he lost them in the sea of people on the beech.
Tai was surprised how much fun he was really having. His mother had set up near a spot not too far from the water, which gave the sand the most malleability. Every time he had gone to the beech before, he always had to be older, an adult, but he was a little five-year-old boy this time, he could do stuff like playing in the sand and building castles. He found that he didn't outgrow it as much as he thought, all he had to do was 'forget' he was really sixteen years old, and just really play, like only a kid would. Only he couldn't keep his eyes off of Sora and Kari.
He had found them again in the people, both were sunbathing, lying on their backs. Tai didn't like the idea of Kari wearing something like that bikini, but he was enjoying Sora's swimsuit. He just wished that he would be able to return to his own world and return to his Sora.
"You can, you know."
He twirled around and saw a very familiar five-year-old girl with blond hair smiling at him. "Sara!" he shouted, jumping up. He ran over and grabbed her by her swimsuit,"I want answers, now!"
"Alright," she said.
Tai dropped her,"Start talking."
"You realize, I can't tell you everything yet," Sara explained, sitting down to help him build the sandcastle,"But, I can tell you that another you has stolen your world, and that creates a time warp, in which reality is trying to repair itself. You are being shunted from world to world because reality is trying to repair the gap."
"Why do I only change at night?"
"You can travel through worlds at night, or when the sun starts to go down, because, the break in realty is stronger."
"Why would another me, do this?"
"I can't tell you, but, you will find out for yourself."
"What do you mean?"
"You must travel through that reality," she sighed,"Before you return home."
"Can you send me there?" he asked.
"Yes, but..."
"Then do it!" Tai said, standing up,"I want to get home!"
Sara sighed,"I can't...it's too dangerous...and.."
"Please!"
She sighed,"I....."
"What?" he asked, turning around. He saw an adult Derwood standing on the boardwalk, staring at them before walking on his way.
"Isn't he one of your friends?" Tai asked.
"No," Sara growled,"But any questions will have to wait, as your mother is here."
"What?" Tai turned around and, indeed, so his mother walking towards them.
"Come on, Tai, I'll take you into the water!" she grinned.
"I..." he turned back around, but saw that Sara was gone.
Tai wasn't able to find her, Sam, or Derwood for the rest of the day, so he had to make do with simply pretending to be his five-year-old counterpart. The good news was that at the end of the day, Sora and Kari went home alone without any boys, which made him happy.
"Did you have fun today?" his mother asked, as they drove home in the car.
"I guess," he muttered, watching as the sun started to set. He felt his eyelids start to grow heavy, but he was slightly afraid to sleep. He didn't know where Sara would help him through reality, or not. He finally decided that he had to face what made his enemy his enemy, before he could fight him.
He glanced to his mother and said a silent good bye, then closed his eyes.