Tai felt his eyes droop. He could see the sky lighten. He had kept watch the entire night. A part of him knew he should have woken someone but every time he looked at his friends, he felt the urge to protect them grow stronger. He wanted them to have at least one night of sleep. He saw Gabumon kick out his leg and Matt roll onto his back. Tai looked out over the river silently thinking about TK. TK had been like a little brother to him ever since their first time in the digital world. He remembered how close he held Kari and TK to himself when Scorpiomon had attacked them and put them to sleep. He thought about how much TK had grown. He looked at Kari a moment. He knew she had grown just as much but it was harder for him to picture her as a teenager. He still could see his five year old sister whenever he looked at Kari. He sighed wondering just where Pythmon was hiding their digimon and TK. Tai stood and was about to go get wood. His head started to feel light and he could hear someone talking.
"Tai." Tai's eyes widened,
"Agumon! Where are you buddy?" Tai said aloud. He couldn't see his partner but felt he was near.
"Don't-win!" Agumon's voice was in and out like bad cell reception. Tai yelled out to his friend.
"Agumon?! Tell me where you are?!" Then Agumon faded and Tai felt he had lost his connection to his partner. A low chuckle could be heard inside Tai's head. He knew this wasn't his digimon. He stayed quiet wondering who it could be.
"Courage." The voice was like a snake, slithering it's way through the cracks in Tai's brain. It was uncomfortable. Tai winced,
"It isn't fair. Everyone looks to you for the answers. No one ever seems to tell you when you've done something good. They only harp on you when something bad has happened." Tai looked from his right to his left. There was no one around. He went wide eyed knowing this voice was in his head.
"Who are you?!" Tai asked sternly. The voice laughed,
"It isn't fair, Matt got Gabumon back without a scratch on him. Meanwhile you haven't found Agumon yet and he has been severely beaten." Tai gasped,
"Hey! How do you know what's happened to Agumon?!" The voice was smiling, Tai could feel the corners of its mouth tugging upwards as it continued to explore his mind.
"Get out!" Tai said out loud.
"You see Courage, there is a way for you to win. A way for you to get Agumon back and a way for him to be stronger then ever before." Tai suddenly wasn't with the others by the river. He was standing in a dark room. Tai could see Waregreymon standing tall.
"You could be stronger then ever before." Tai stood in silence looking at his evolved partner.
"There is a greatness inside of you. One that hasn't been touched in a long time. The digital world needs a leader. Someone to rule it. It could be you Tai. No longer do you live in fear of your father, no longer will Matt cast a shadow over you. You can be selfish. Protect yourself and only care about you. No more will you have to fight to defend those to weak to defend themselves. Look at your so called friends." Suddenly an image of Izzy appeared,
"He may have intellect when it comes to data but he lacks any physical ability." Tai was stunned and then Joe appeared,
"Frightened and always expecting the worst. He holds you back from exploring more daring conquests." As Joe faded Mimi appeared,
"Self centred, only ever thinks how she can gain in a situation." Tai knew these were lies but a part of him was hanging off of every word this voice was saying. Sora appeared,
"Only ever nags on you and all the mistakes you have made. Only seems to care for Matt leaving you alone." Tai's lips parted. TK appeared.
"Once looked up to you like a brother. Now a competitor who feels he knows the digital world better then the rest." He saw his sister appear and Tai's eyes went round,
"Your sister, the one person who should follow you no matter what. Her weakness weighs you down and means you always need to come to her rescue." Finally Matt appeared,
"He wants your title. He wants to be the leader. He wants nothing to do with you. He got his partner back while yours still suffers. He is only looking out for himself." Matt faded and Tai was left alone in the dark room.
"You know what must be done Courage. How to tap into your abilities. How to be the one who comes out on top." Tai blinked and he was now back by the river. He turned to look at the fire. The sun was starting to rise. He saw Matt exhale and suddenly his feet were moving towards his friend. He narrowed his eyes only looking at Matt. He hated him. He really hated him. How could he sleep while Tai had to keep watch? How come his father never laid a hand on him? How come his partner didn't have to suffer? He clenched his fists he knew what he was going to do. He was going to kill Matt. He heard a gasp but kept his focus on Matt.
"Tai no!" Someone yelled and Tai was knocked to the side. Tai aggressively punched the person in the face and shoved them off of him. He could see Matt slowly sitting up rubbing his eyes.
"Marching Fishes!" Tai heard Gomamon and smirked, they were under attack. Tai then yelled out and lunged towards Matt. Again Someone pounced on Tai and his world went sideways as he hit the ground. He rolled towards the river and could feel someone rolling with him. He wanted them gone. He needed to get to Matt. He tried to push them but the closer he got to the river, the steeper the ground inclined towards the water. Tai was slipping. He growled and knocked the person away. He saw the group awake attacking something or someone. He tried to grab at the grass to pull himself onto even ground. He slipped and his lower half went into the water.
"I got you!" Someone yelled. He could feel someone hanging onto his arm. His head started to feel warm. Something pink was moving through him but instead of the slithering invasion he felt earlier, it was like a blanket soothing him. Tai blinked and suddenly opened his eyes. He couldn't understand where he was. He started to loosen his grip on the grass and the person holding onto him.
"Tai hang on!" Someone yelled and Tai realized he was dangling in the river.
"Ah!" Tai yelled and he started to fall deeper into the water. He heard a scream and suddenly he was in the water. His head went under and he felt a wave of cold shock flood through his body. He quickly surfaced and inhaled. He tried to get his footing on the ground but the water was rushing too fast and was pushing him too hard. He was at the mercy of the rapids and started to tread water just hoping to stay upright. He saw someone in the water with him. They went under and came back up their head bobbing like a buoy. Tai swallowed water as he was forced under. He found his way to the surface and yelled out as he blew water out.
"Tai!" He heard someone yell and Tai could see the person bobbing in the water. The person who had tried to save him from falling in.
"KARI!" Tai yelled and he tried to swim to his sister. Her hand was extended towards him. Tai tried to reach for it. She then went wide eyed
"NO!" She screamed and Tai then felt his head collide with something hard. His hearing started to fad as his ears were immersed in the water. He felt his mouth hang open and his limbs grow weak. He saw water coming and he relaxed allowing it to rush over him.