Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.

Ch. 30 Reunion

Tai shouldn't have been surprised to learn that Mohawk had an actual name. He just assumed that when he was born, he came into this world sporting that ridiculous spiked head and his parents decided to call him that then and there. It was really hard to think of him as "Jumonji-san" although he had been told to drop the suffix or any honorary titles because "me and Taichi are equals now!" At least he wasn't demanding that he be called "aniki" like his underlings addressed him, not that Tai would have done it anyway. He liked to think he had some pride left even after having his face smashed into a brick wall and being dragged here blindfolded.

"I told Kurokawa to go easy on you, but to bring you here by any means necessary," Jumonji said taking in the sight of the purple ring around Tai's eye. "Quite the shiner you got there. Looks like you didn't surrender right away—that's good!" he gave Tai a hearty clap on the back. "Always fight back! We're men of action not just words, haha!"

Tai suppressed the rueful grin that his lips tried to curl into. Any sort of smiling just made the swelling hurt more. He pressed the can of soda to the right side of his face and sighed in relief as the coldness numbed his sore cheek.

"Are you sure you don't want any sake?" Jumonji asked offering his own cup which no doubt was a gesture of high honor going by the gasps and envied looks his underlings were throwing at them.

"We're underage," Sora frowned at him on Tai's other side of the park bench all three of them were sitting on.

"Never stopped me before, Sora-san," Jumonji laughed winking at her, before tilting his head back and downing the cup's contents in one shot. "Come on, Taichi, drink up! Let your woman try some too. It'll loosen her up—and you'll thank me for that in the morning."

Her face flaming red, Sora kicked Tai in the ankle when he hesitated and he got the distinct impression if he drank anything illegal, even for appearance's sake, she would no doubt take vindictive pleasure in ratting him out to his mom, sister, Matt, Takashi-sensei at school, and in general, anyone who would guilt-trip him over this for the rest of his life.

"We, um, prefer to have a clear head when running from the law," Tai said, thinking he owed some explanation at least.

"Sometimes a little liquid courage goes a long way," Jumonji shrugged, but he stopped pressuring him at least. "Where's your Digimon anyway? That devil lady didn't hurt him too bad, did she?"

"What? Oh… no…" Tai said, shoulders slumping. "He had somewhere to go… do some… Digimon things…" he winced at how pathetic that had sounded but the truth was far too complicated to explain.

For a newly bonded pair like Jumonji and Gazimon, the last thing he wanted to do was frighten them from having a positive partner-sharing experience.

Jumonji rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "I wanted to apologize for calling him a freak and threatening you. I understand now," his eyes lingered on Gazimon who was having a lengthy conversation with Biyomon by the edge of the trees. "He cares about you. He was only protecting you. I feel that. I only had Gazimon for one day but if anything happened to him I would beat the shit outta everyone here and then myself!"

Okay, so maybe the pure possessiveness between partners wasn't solely a default of Agumon, he just chose to manifest it louder than others.

"How'd you and Gazimon meet?" Sora asked curiously.

"Me and the boys were patrolling our turf yesterday. Saw you on tv," Jumonji motioned at Tai. "Thought everything you said was bogus… except when the ojii-san mentioned the convention center, I started to remember things. There were ghosts… they dragged me and my old hag out of our home and held us captive there. There was this intense Dracula cosplayer as their leader… only he wasn't really a man, was he?"

Tai and Sora both shook their heads, refusing to even utter the name as if just speaking it out loud would bring misfortune upon them.

"Yeah, well, he gave me a look over—didn't seem too interested in the older kids. Then everything is a blur. I woke up and like that news lady said, there was this upside world in the sky and the rainbow beam of light." Jumonji leveled a thoughtful, heavily eyebrow-pierced glance their way. "You two some of those kids that got sucked up into it?" He slapped his leg with a loud guffaw at their twin nods, refilling his cup and taking another shot of sake. "Trouble makers then, trouble makers now! That's us! Three peas in a pod!"

"Speak for yourself," Sora muttered under her breath.

"Anyway, I had to go somewhere by myself to sort out all these memories so I was walking to one of my hangouts and I saw some other punks picking on this stray animal," Jumonji puffed out his chest and snorted heavily through his nostrils in anger as he remembered. "They were intruding on my turf anyway so I kicked their asses and then went to see what they had been doing. They had cornered it in some dead end alley. It was hiding behind some trash bags, but its tail was sticking out. They had tied a bunch of cans with nails sticking out to it."

Sora stiffened beside him and Tai knew she was as angry as Jumonji just imagining.

"I couldn't tell if it was a dog or a cat. It kept crouching in the shadows and growling at me, but it never tried to attack. It must have been too tired. I spent a good ten minutes untangling all the knots in the string. I could've used by pocket knife but I didn't want to frighten it any further. I left it alone after that and went on my way. Those punks I beat up earlier came back with reinforcements. Ambushed me like the cowards they were and did me a number."

Jumonji paused in his retelling to tilt his head to the side and show them the freshly stitched scar under his jaw. "I would have been a goner for sure but then Gazi was there laying into them thick! We made an unstoppable duo—knuckles and claws, teeth and knives, fists and fur—we sent those losers packing!" He pumped his fist into the air reliving the memory. "WINNERS NEVER DIE!"

The Gazimon looked up at the war shout from his partner and raised a claw in response. "CHEATERS ALWAYS PROSPER!" He cried in a raspy voice.

"I don't think that's how those sayings go," Sora said.

"Not at all," Tai agreed.

"He's still learning,' Jumonji remarked fondly, crossing his arms. "He's got the itching claws. Had to teach him you don't steal from your own gang. Can't keep from hoarding any shiny tricket that catches his eye."

"Yeah, I know a guy like that," Tai grumbled. He let out an "oof" when Sora elbowed him in the ribs.

"When did your digivice appear?" she asked.

"Is that what this gizmo is called?" Jumonji said holding up his digivice to the glow of the streetlamp and squinting at it. "Right after we beat the living snot out of those chinpira losers. We had just made a pact—an unwavering oath of loyalty that we would always have each other's backs in the future—and we shook on it. It appeared then, just hovering in midair and glowing. I didn't know what it was, but it seemed important so I snatched it. What's it for if you know?"

"It's symbolizes all the trust and love you share with Gazimon," Sora explained, her copper eyes shining brightly. "It proves your partners—that you're meant to be together!"

"But Gazi and I already made that pact before this showed up." Jumonji didn't seem impressed by her pretty words.

"Basically, it's a device that allows Gazimon to level up and become even stronger in battle," Tai gave the short, macho version.

Sora shot him a tired look when Jumonji leaped up and whooped in glee. Drawn by his partner's excitement, Gazimon ran over to him and together they began to do a mad little victory dance in a circle, fingers and claws laced together.

"We're gonna be the ultimate dynamic duo, Gazi!"

"Is it time to cook up knuckle sandwiches now, Jumonjimon?"

"To every single bonehead who sets foot where they don't belong! What do we say?"

"YOU'VE YEED YOUR LAST HAW!"

Jumonji pulled Gazimon to him, laughing uproariously. "We'll work on your banter later. Just focus on your punches for now!"

"He calls him Jumonjimon?" Tai snickered. "Awww."

"What did you learn, Biyomon?" Sora asked as the pink bird flounced over to the bench.

"Gazimon said he came through one of the portals. He doesn't remember how," Biyomon said. "There were other Digimon with him but they got separated. He doesn't seem too concerned about being stuck here anymore. He says he likes being with Jumonji."

"Of course he does, they're a team now," Sora smiled as she gazed at them.

Gazimon's hind legs were stretched taunt as he stood on his tiptoes to wrap his arms around his partner's waist in a hug and Jumonji was ruffling his tufted ears in obvious affection. Gazimon's stringy tail was flicking to and fro in happiness.

A warm reptilian snout snuffling contentedly into his chest… a low, gravelly thrumming coming from within the throat in a dinosaur-rendition of purring…

Tai shoved the memory away, standing to his feet abruptly and jamming his hands into the pockets of his coat.

"Tai?"

"It's getting late," Tai said. "We better head out before the others get worried."

oOo

Jumonji and Gazimon insisted on escorting them to their destination. Tai and Sora agreed, thinking there might be better security in numbers if they had another run in with the police, though they did not disclose the exact address but just the street itself. Even though Jumonji had a Digimon partner and digivice, the situation with Oikawa and the Dark Spores was a mess too convoluted to thrust on someone. It was best to let their new bond strengthen on its own without any outside stress or complications.

Gazimon is a Virus type, Tai thought as they walked along.

Jumonji and Gazimon were ahead of the group. The gang leader was showing the Digimon how to properly jab a right hook; Gazimon was mimicking his movements and mouthing off more incorrect idioms very enthusiastically.

Virus types were already possessive in their nature. Tai didn't want to see what Gazimon was capable of if Jumonji got injured in any way.

He wondered if everything that happened so far between him, Agumon, and BlackWarGreymon would have still happened if Greymon had never been infected with DarkTyrannomon's virus.

Maybe it would have. Maybe Agumon's recent overprotective temperament was also due to the world-shattering realization that humans were mortal—so very different from Digimon who could be reborn…

Tai was so deep in his thoughts he nearly collided into the back of Jumonji who had stopped walking.

"This is the street right?" Jumonji asked surveying the location and letting out a long, low whistle. "You two must have really stomped on some toes tonight. Those badegecaps are never this vigilant unless their pride gets kicked to the curb."

Tai and Sora peered around the side of the building that stood on the corner of the block and were greeted with the sight of two police cars parked on opposite sides of the street not too far from the storehouse. Another police car was idling down the road towards them as if doing a patrol. Perhaps they had been informed that the storehouse might be a feasible option for the children to hide out in due to familial ties and decided to stake out the location; or maybe the police were just being extra alert on their patrol duty and had chosen this street to have their night break on, who knew. Either way, it was going to be very difficult if not impossible to get to the storehouse without being seen.

"Well, there may have been a slight case of stolen, expensive, top secret government tech in our run-in with them," Tai admitted sheepishly, scratching the side of his cheek with one finger.

"And the fact that Japan's Most Wanted summoned Satan probably to trigger the apocalypse isn't making them slack off any," Sora added helpfully, biting back a dry smile aimed at him. Biyomon was tittering behind her wings.

"It was a Digimon and you know it," Tai hissed, wishing people would stop blaming him for that. "It probably slipped through the portals like Gazimon did, but something pulled it back."

"What did?" Jumonji asked.

"I don't know…" Tai said remembering the chain and the sparks of blue electricity—and the monster's message. There was so much to analyze. Time was ticking away and their friends so close, but as always there was one more obstacle to overcome.

"Me and Jumonjimon will lure 'em away for ya," Gazimon said, red eyes glinting with a keen desire to cause mischief.

"But if they catch you—" Sora began.

"Don't worry, Sora-san, Gazi's full of tricks and I've had years of practice avoiding being taken into police custody. They can't touch us with our super ultra moves!" Jumonji declared striking a power pose and Gazimon copying the motion.

"Alright…" Sora said not looking entirely convinced, but it seemed she wanted to meet up with everyone else as soon as possible too. "Just be careful."

Jumonji laughed his cheeks spotting pink slightly and threw an arm around Tai's shoulders as he spun them both around so their backs were turned to her. "Man to man advice: stick with this one, Taichi," Jumonji whispered to him behind a cupped hand. "Sora-san is lot nicer than the spiky haired abazure! And cuter too."

Tai felt his ears burn and thought that was a mere matter of opinion, but decided it was best to just nod and act like he had taken the words to heart. Jumonji grinned roguishly before giving him a comradely punch in the arm and taking off down the street toward the police cars, Gazimon close on his heels.

There was a screeching of metal on metal as Jumonji keyed the slow-cruising police vehicle in his wild rush past yelling like a maniac.

"MY MIDDLE FINGER SALUTES ALL YOU DONUT-CHOMPERS!"

Gazimon bounded on all fours not far behind, leaping up to kick the now stalled police car's bumper with one hind-claw and then hopping on top of one parked police car to turn and shake his rump in the windshield before leaping over to do the same to the other parked car.

"KISS MY DUST! EAT MY ASS!"

Blaring sirens split the air as the two parked police vehicles took off after the two disrespectful renegades in hot pursuit, while the police car Jumonji had keyed did a crazy U-turn right there in the street and sped out of sight with tires burning rubber.

Tai and Sora gaped at a loss for words at the chaos that had just unfolded.

"Jumonjimon really needs to work on their catchphrases," Biyomon said filling in the silence.

They bolted around the corner, hurrying down the sidewalk then across the street towards the storehouse's front entrance. They had almost made it to the door when Tai's vision wavered and tilted sideways. He stumbled as the world spun dizzily and Sora reached out an arm to steady him.

"Are you alright?" she asked in concern.

When Tai brought his head up the threads swarmed into focus floating in the air like delicate strands of spiderweb; not their usual golden hue but a myriad of iridescent colors: pink, blue, purple, green, and yellow. He stretched out his hand and watched mesmerized as the strands flickered along the length of his fingertips. The sensation felt soft and ticklish, like when his cat Miko would lick any leftover residue from dinner. His feet moved of their own accord as the threads pulled him forward in a gentle yet urgent beckoning.

"No, not the front," Tai murmured staring at the strands as they curved around the side of the building. "The back..."

"What?"

"Come on!" Tai said darting down the narrow side alley of the building following the fluttering, multihued threads.

The door was at the bottom of a stairwell which they very nearly missed due to the trash cans, plastic pallets, and broken down cardboard boxes partially obscuring the entrance from sight. The threads guided Tai, twisting into one thick rainbow stream and dropping down the stairwell, disappearing beyond the door.

"How did you know this was here?" Sora asked behind him.

Tai ignored her, hurrying to the door and banging harshly on its metal surface. "Matt, let us in! Kari, Davis, someone open the door!"

There was a few seconds of silence then the door flung open wide and all Tai could do was gawk incredulously at the person he least expected to be standing there.

"Jun?!"

They stared at each other across the threshold neither one moving. The folds of her mouth curved upwards soft and slow until her lips had morphed into a beautiful beaming smile. Happiness and relief welled out of her brown eyes as she reached out her arms and wrapped them around his neck, drawing him close so that their chests were flush against each other. Her face was buried somewhere between the vicinity of his neck and collarbone. Tai pulled her even closer, pressing into the warmth of her embrace, arms circling around her waist as he dropped his head down onto her shoulder, his mind blissfully blank.

It really hadn't been that long since he had seen her last. Less than twenty-hours if he was counting, but after all that had happened since, it felt like an eternity had passed. He felt exhausted, not just physically from all the running around they had been doing, but mentally burned out as well. He was tired about worrying over everything: Oikawa, the dual bond, the new monster's appearance, the entirety of Japan's military and law enforcement out to get them, and his disturbing lapses of time.

Tai didn't know how long they stood there. He just basked in the comfort of her presence—at the way her thumbs rubbed soothing circles in the nape of his neck and her soft, almost inaudible whispers into his ear. Most of it was garbled gibberish. He only caught "so worried" and "missed you" between the anxious babbling, but he didn't mind. There was a happy sort of buzz dancing in the back of his head that was currently sweeping away any traces of weariness or apathy that had begun to fester.

Feeling oddly giddy, he mumbled a haiku into material of her sweater.

My life changed with you
Let's continue this journey
Share with me forever

Jun stiffened in his arms and Tai crashed back down to earth from his dreamy floating state of mind as he realized the gravity of the words he had just uttered. He brought up his head quickly. Jun was staring at him incredulously, spots of color blossoming in her cheeks and highlighting her freckles, but he couldn't tell if it was from embarrassment or pleasure.

"Wait, I didn't—not like forever forever!" Tai bleated panicking. "Just as far as we both want to go as partners—I mean couple—in this bond—ah, relationship that is. Look, I'm really tired and I all had to eat since yesterday was a bag of pretzels!"

But Jun was laughing now, arms that were wrapped loosely around his neck tightening, crushing him back to her as she dragged him inside, spinning them both into an energetic circle.

"You're hopeless!" she cried, bringing her hands up to cup his face between them. "You are so lucky I'm me and not at all fazed by your overly-emotional word vomit! You really need to work on that."

"So… that's a yes?" Tai asked, his stomach doing nervous flip flops.

Jun smirked at him. "Ne, did you hear that, twerp?" She called over her shoulder. "You can officially call him Taichi-nii now!"

Tai felt the blood rush to his head when he remembered suddenly that he and Jun were not alone and that all his friends had just played witness to this little spectacle.

Hardly daring to look, he lifted his eyes to view the basement of the storehouse until they landed on everyone. Joe just looked relieved to see him back in one piece and waved at him. Mimi had both her hands over her mouth, muffling small squeals of delight. Izzy was sitting on a cushion on the floor busy typing away on his laptop, but he paused long enough to throw him a weary look that read "really, right in front of my hacking?" T.K. and Kari wore matching devil grins that promised endless amounts of teasing later on. Yolei had her hands clasped in front of her, her eyes shining dreamily behind her glasses. Cody gave him a short, curt nod of acknowledgement. Davis was busy crying into Ken's scarf while his friend patted him awkwardly on the back, but Tai wasn't convinced it was entirely out of happiness.

Sora had found her way over to Matt's side and had linked her arm with his, clasping their hands and lacing their fingers together. Matt gazed at her like she had brought the sunshine in, reaching out and tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear with his free hand. They both flushed pink in the face and averted their eyes.

Pathethic, the both of them, Tai thought briefly, making a note to take Matt aside and give him some pointers. He might be bad at his flirting game, but at least his haikus were still better than Matt's cheesy love songs any day.

oOo

Once everybody had settled in, Tai really wanted to ask Izzy what was so important about the facial scanner that he had to steal it, but other matters were more pressing.

Joe had given Jun some salve, gauze, and adhesive tape out of his medical bag to which she tended to Tai's open cut under his eye. It really wasn't that bad—the wound was a shallow one and already starting to scab over. Tai decided to enjoy having Jun fuss over him though, making the appropriate cooing noises of concern and pressing her lips to the bandage once she had taped it over the gash. Kari and T.K. had their heads bent together and were whispering conspiratorially behind their hands as they cast sly glances their way. Davis pulled disgusted faces and made little gagging sounds in his throat until he was elbowed by Yolei in the ribs and told to stop ruining the "beautiful moment". She cast Jun a look of pure gratitude.

Jun told him she knew there might be a chance she could find everyone here because Momoe had shared the storehouse's location with her, her friend having the same mindset as her sister. Yolei had teared up when Jun had handed her a note from her family expressing their best wishes her way and how they would stand at her back for whatever she was fighting for even if they did not fully understand. Tai liked to imagine it was the same for everyone's family: that they would support their children even if the entire world was against them.

There wasn't much choice in food with the store being shut down for a year, so they had to make do with the select overstock supplies available to them. Most of it was dry, processed food and boxed snacks. The children's late supper consisted mostly of chips, candy, and granola bars. Hardly healthy or filling but in the moment it sufficed. The children settled around in a circle as they ate and filled each other in with what had happened so far in each group.

The younger kids had already shared their day adventure with everyone, but they briefed him and Sora after they had come in late. They hadn't managed to find Oikawa at all, but they had tracked down several of the Spore children and tailed them. They were already showing signs of ice-cold hostility and cruelness in their mannerisms from what they had observed and poor Ken looked wretched over it. One girl Noriko had even noticed her stalkers and had taunted them openly, saying that tomorrow they would all have their wishes granted. She had mentioned a meeting place but had been secretive about the location. The only thing the Digidestined could think of to do was to follow her and the other children there the next day and stop whatever Oikawa was planning.

Everyone was curious to learn the reason for Tai and Sora's late arrival. There was a flurry of alarm at first when they heard they had been taken captive briefly. Jun had been surprised to hear Jumonji, aka Mohawk, was behind it. She grew oddly subdued when she learned that he too had acquired a Digivice and a Digimon for a partner. Tai slipped his hand into hers knowing the negative thought that was running through her head at that moment.

An image of her standing in the rain appeared in his mind: white-faced and trembling, clutching at his coat and sobbing, "Why am I never good enough?!"

Jun didn't say anything and her face revealed no emotion, but she shifted closer and leaned her head on his shoulder taking the comfort he silently offered.

"You were kidnapped by yakuza?!"

That was Matt. He was glancing back and forth between Tai and Sora like he couldn't tell who to be most worried about. He also looked really, really angry. Tai felt touched that he cared so much, but honestly, he wasn't going to score any brownie points with Sora if his attention was split two ways. Maybe he was too concerned over hurting Tai's non-existent romantic feelings towards his girlfriend that he was damaging his own relationship by putting it on hold. Tai shot him a significant look and motioned with his eyes at his and Jun's clasped hands, then nodded.

Matt's expression looked like a light bulb went off over his head. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" he asked Sora in a soft voice, placing his hand over hers lightly.

Sora seemed pleased by his protective manner and turned her hand palm up so they could hold hands too. "No, Jumonji was actually really nice. And I don't think they were yakuza. He mentioned chinpira rivals, so they were yanki at the very least, right, Tai?"

"What makes you think I would know the difference?!" Tai yelled a tiny bit offended.

Everyone had a good laugh though.

"We tried to reach you two through the digivices when you guys didn't show, but couldn't get through," Matt said.

"Yeah, we couldn't through to anyone either. I'm glad everyone made it here safe though," Sora smiled at him.

"No, just you two," Izzy cut in, looking up from his hacking. "We could communicate with everyone else fine. All we got was static from your end."

"And we couldn't leave to go search because the cops were outside!" Davis cried. "How'd you get past them?"

"Oh, how did you know to go down the alley around the back instead of right to the front?" Yolei asked as if the thought had just struck her. "It's been so long since I've been here, I'd forgotten about that entrance, but once we realized it was the safest route in, we let everyone know via the digivices. We sorta panicked when we couldn't reach either of you."

"Well, Jumonji and Gazimon led the police away… and Tai just found the door on his own," Sora said elusively, looking at him from the corner of her eye. Tai knew she was remembering his odd behavior earlier and how he had rushed down the alley without an explanation. Thankfully, she didn't question him on how or dredge the situation up any further. "I don't know what to tell you about the digivices. We tried multiple times. They just weren't working like we had practiced."

"Wait, I want to try something," Izzy said, a familiar glint in his eye that screamed 'for science!'

He had Tai and Sora stand in the farthest corner of the basement and then had them try to use the digivices as communicators again. Then he did Tai by himself, then Sora. Then he had the others test the digivices out again too. This time everyone received the same strange static.

"Well, this is perplexing," Izzy huffed irritably. "They were working fine before. Perhaps the frequency to communicate is now glitching due to more of the portals opening."

Which brought them to the topic of the new monster's appearance.

"It was all over the news earlier," T.K. said pointing to an ancient tv with tin-foiled antennae in the corner. "The alien sympathizers terrorizing Shimbashi Station and Starlord Galaxeo summoning a demon."

"When did you form a pact with Satan, brother?" Kari giggled, trying to make the mood a bit lighter.

"When he started dating Satan's right hand succubus," Davis muttered under his breath, arms crossed irritably. He let out a sharp bark of pain when Jun clonked him on the head with her fist.

"Izzy-sempai said he has no data on him," Yolei said.

"I am sincerely sorry I was not able to get a clear shot with my Digimon Analyzer," Izzy apologized looking appropriately guilty. "I was a bit preoccupied and wasn't expecting him to just pop up like that."

"Wait!" Mimi cried suddenly. "Why don't you try using the Analyzer on a video clip of that creature? It should work the same, right?"

Izzy stared at her as if she had spouted ancient Greek poetry. "That would…." He said slowly as if the gears in his brain had just now begun turning. "Work because the video would be digital, the same as the Analyzer—Mimi, you're a genius!"

Mimi beamed at the praise, laughing and twirling a lock of hair around her finger in an almost bashful fashion.

Oh, no, wait…

Tai locked eyes with Sora before darting his gaze between Mimi and Izzy—at how close their heads were bent together over the laptop's screen; at how their shoulders were touching without either one noticing. He looked back up at Sora for confirmation. She only raised her eyebrows at him as if to say "you're only now realizing?"

Tai glanced over at Joe who didn't seem concerned or overly distressed at how comfortable the two appeared next to each other. Tai remembered how upset Mimi had been at their meet-up when he had accidentally spilled the beans about her and Joe's outing and how insistent she had been that it hadn't been a date. Izzy hadn't seemed too distraught over the assumption though. Wait, was Izzy even aware…?

"Prodigious!" Izzy exclaimed as the Digimon Analyzer began to sync up and decode the video of news clip that contained the creature. His left knee began bouncing in excitement, brushing against Mimi's skirt. She seemed to notice then how close they were, but a determined expression dropped over her face and she refused to pull away. Izzy only had eyes for the computer screen.

Ah, great, Tai thought dryly. He still had yet to instruct Izzy in the great art of name-calling and throwing shade. Now he had to find some way to tell his friend that his other friend liked him more than just a friend.

His struggles were never-ending.

"Daemon," Izzy said, reading the name the Analyzer was showing him. "That's all it says. No other information on him at all."

"Daemon…" Jun said, gripping Tai by the wrist. "Why do I feel like I've heard that name before…"

He started to ask her how, but then the memory hit him like a brick.

"Insects! All of you!" LadyDevimon sneered as she started to dissolve into a shower of data. "Lord Daemon will avenge me! Wait and see! Your precious world and everything you hold dear will cease to exist!"

"Yes, you mentioned that LadyDevimon spoke that name that day in the park," Izzy said looking at Tai before he could say anything. "I had almost forgotten." Now he appeared even more guilty. "I should have made it a priority to look further into that."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. We had enough on our plate already to chase down another rabbit trail at the time," Matt said.

"Well, now that rabbit trail has become a pitfall," Izzy proclaimed heatedly pointing at the silver chain wreathed in electric blue lightning that was holding Daemon back from emerging fully from the portal. "The Digimon Analyzer says that is Azulongmon. He's fighting against him right now. I'm guessing that's what has caused his delay from entering this world so far. Knowing our luck, he'll break free and come through soon enough. It's not that I don't have faith in Azulongmon… it's just the last time I saw the state of the Digital World, it didn't look too stable."

"What about his message?" Tai asked impatiently, wondering why no was bringing that important detail up.

"What message?" Izzy sounded confused.

Tai sighed. "Guys, I know you've been having fun with the whole 'demon summoning' thing at my expense, but can we not joke for a few minutes please."

"It's not a joke, Tai, there really was no message," Mimi said, turning the computer around so the screen faced him.

Tai watched the news clips play out with a sinking sensation in his gut. It showed the portal opening right after his theatrical performance; it showed him and everyone around the near vicinity frozen in place just gaping at Daemon; even the Digimon's dangerously soft laughter before Azulongmon dragged him back down. There was no audio whatsoever of Daemon speaking out loud.

"No, no, the video's just edited," Tai said trying to think logically and not panic. He looked at Sora. "You were behind me. You heard him, right?"

"Tai… he didn't say anything." Sora's eyes reflected pity and worry, like if she was able to lie to ease his mind she would have.

Tai shook his head still in denial. His mouth felt dry all of a sudden and a sickly bitter aftertaste was clawing at the back of his throat. He stared at the video that was stuck on an endless loop, replaying the same scene over and over. Except this time the threads reappeared: pulsing crimson red with a violent, hypnotic aura. He tore his gaze away and jerked his head up at Ken.

"He said… he said…" Tai didn't finish.

Because there were threads uncurling from the back of Ken's neck, the same vibrant crimson, reaching over the boy's shoulders towards the video playing on the screen as if answering some unheard call.

Ken didn't seem to be aware of them. "What did he say?" He asked, the cold mask of ice and indifference snapping into place to hide his true emotions.

Tai opened his mouth.

The last thing he remembered were the knotted, pulsing threads surging forward from the computer screen.

His vision flashed red then black.

oOo

It was raining.

The damp grass on the soccer field squelched noisily under his shoes, but Tai continued practicing his dribbles, uncaring of his clothes getting wet. The downpour was not that heavy anyway, more like a light drizzle. He had played under worse weather conditions than this before. This was nothing. After successfully herding the ball through a row of cones, he scored a solid shoot into the goal net with a well-aimed kick and threw his head back whooping in delight, taking pleasure in the raindrops that splattered down on his upturned face.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Tai turned around at the voice. A small black dinosaur stood behind him, its eyes shining gold in color.

"Hello, who are you?" Tai asked, cocking his head to one side.

Golden irises narrowed as they eyed him speculatively. "I'm Agumon, of course," the dinosaur finally answered.

"Agu…mon," Tai said, rolling the name around on his tongue. It sounded familiar. "Agumon… Agumon, oh!" The recollection came back to him with a snap abruptly. He wasn't sure how he had forgotten in the first place, but he was extremely happy to see his partner now that they were together again. "Where have you been? Did you get lost?"

"Do all humans lose more of what little sense they have when they revert backwards?" Agumon scoffed. "It's you who got lost."

"Did I?" Tai scratched his head puzzled at how he kept forgetting things. "How did you know where I'd be?"

"Because as much as you humans are so frustratingly obstinate, you are also creatures of habit: seeking comfort in times of trauma," Agumon spoke, issuing to the soccer field with a wide sweep of his claw. "You have lots of memories of this place and that checkered ball. It's important to you—you're happy here, perhaps the most."

"You came to look for me," Tai smiled, a warm sensation kindling in his chest. "I'm sorry if I worried you."

Agumon's golden eyes widened, casting a vulnerable expression over his features as he stared at the boy in front of him. "We're… partners, aren't we? I can always find you." He held up the palm of his claw and Tai placed his gloved hand flat against it, noting how his fingers were considerably shorter than the Digimon's clawtips.

"He's searching for you too," Agumon murmured. "In all the wrong places. You think he would know to seek out his favorite version of yourself first." He took a step closer. "His fondest memories are of you in this younger form. And you prefer him best when he's Agumon, don't you?"

"But you're Agumon," Tai said, not fully grasping what his partner was saying. His head was beginning to hurt like someone had kicked a soccer ball into the back of it.

"Tai!"

A small orange blur tackled him from the side and hugged him tightly around his middle. Tai glanced down only to feel more confused when he saw another Agumon clinging to him, one with orange skin and green eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Tai, I'm sorry!" the other Agumon wailed. "I should have noticed sooner! But the threads, they're so tangled—it's my mistake! I won't let him get through to you again, I promise!"

The black Agumon had let his claw drop from Tai's hand, a veil of contempt fixed fast upon his face now as he gazed at them both.

"Why are there two of you?" Tai asked, struggling to remember, trying to understand why the word 'threads' struck such an intense chord of fear inside him.

The green-eyed Agumon threw a betrayed look at his counterpart. "Why didn't you alert me that you found him?"

"I thought it would be obvious enough to know where he was, so I assumed you would have come sooner." The black Agumon said in a condescending manner, smirking at the other Agumon's stricken expression. "Why does he never fully remember the facts in these places?"

"This is just a dreamscape. Sometimes knowledge gets all distorted," the orange Agumon said, tucking his face under Tai's chin and breathing in the boy's scent as if to console himself that he was really there.

"Strange how it only affects him."

Tiny trembles shook the orange Agumon's small form. Tai placed a hand on the top of the dinosaur's head because he seemed so distraught. With a jolt, he realized he was not that much taller than Agumon. Yet, hadn't he been able to carry him in his arms not too long ago? An image of a bruised and battered orange dinosaur cradled in his embrace flashed across his mind's eye.

"I'm sorry… I'm not s-strong anymore, Tai," Agumon gasped as a rainbow-colored radiance seeped out of his skin. "It's all I can do… I can't even protect you anymore."

Tai's teeth began to chatter at the ice-cold sting of the raindrops nipping into his skin. He fell to his knees in the soggy grass struggling to grasp the tail end of the memory, but it was floating away out of reach like kite ripped from its strings.

"No, don't think about that!" Agumon cried throwing his arms around Tai's neck making little snuffling sounds of comfort into his ear. "It wasn't your fault, Tai. I was just so frustrated at not being to help like I used to and then the Virus made me think those terrible thoughts!"

Tai stared with eyes unfocused across the field until the black Agumon stepped into view. They were almost nose to snout now. "I've seen that memory too," he said, his tone thick with reproach. "And the one at the park with that devil witch. You humans are selfish and weak, always putting yourselves in harm's way that it becomes a hindrance. Even this night—so pathetically susceptible to outside forces, you did not last long without our aid."

"Don't say such things in front of Tai!" Agumon snarled, tightening his embrace almost painfully so. "We're trying to save you!"

"You don't even know how to do that. All you're doing is stitching me into half dreams and muddled memories in the hopes the bond will take hold. But it won't. I'm an infection, a disease, a foreign object that must be eliminated." The black Agumon was growing in size at every self-loathing word, changing form until he stood tall and imposing in his suit of monochrome armor.

"Don't think of yourself that way. Stop rejecting us! If you would only allow us in—"

"Perhaps it is not working because a human cannot handle a dual bond." The silver horned helmet tilted sideways and slanted a brooding golden-eyed gaze down upon them. "Why don't I take the burden off your hands?"

Trapped in Agumon's smothering hold on him, Tai felt the small dinosaur's body seize up. "What?"

The next words came rumbled, threatening and possessive. "What would you do if I said I do not wish to share?"

There was a giant, clawed hand with a silver vambrace strapped to its forearm reaching towards Tai's head.

Then Tai was shrinking. No, Agumon was growing, glowing golden, transforming into WarGreymon and then clashing blows with a dark, mirrored version of himself in answer to the opposer's challenge.

"You can't have Tai all to yourself! He belongs to both of us!"

The golden manacles had manifested around his wrists, tight and constricting. He stared numbly at the twin, gleaming fetters that locked him to the fighting Digimon overhead, feeling the brilliant flashes of molten fury resonating throughout the length of them at every hit landed.

A pair of cloth-wrapped feet padded soundlessly across the soaked field. Young Gennai was there suddenly, eyeing him like he was an unwanted insect snared in a spider's web.

"A linchpin can be either a savior or a destroyer in the tide of events." He leaned forward, casting a searing, incomprehensible down upon him. "It began back then, you do realize? They were looking for a way to keep the balance in check. There are other dimensions besides this one. Call it a fluke, but they found you and your sister. All your friends, your entire world might have been excluded if not for that whistle. You blew on a spark of tinder and you ignited a wild fire. Even now so close to the finish, you are still a distraction. Take on some responsibility."

The tips of his index and middle finger touched Tai's forehead and pressed…

oOo

Tai woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling on a hard, cold floor, every muscle in his body feeling like it had been stretched to the limit like an elastic band worn thin. His first thought was that he felt bruised on the inside and his second thought was that the pillow his head was resting on was very soft and warm… and moving. He lifted his head up from it in alarm only to lay it back down the next instant when a pounding headache socked him square between the eyes at the sudden motion.

A hand reached out in the darkness and touched his forehead.

"Are you awake?"

"Jun?" Tai said, recognizing the voice.

There was a click and then her face was hovering over him, silhouetted by the dim lighting of the small flashlight she had turned on. Tai realized why he thought his pillow was moving. His head was resting on her lap. He would have moved away out of embarrassment if he didn't feel so horribly lethargic.

"What… happened?" he asked, trying to collect all the thoughts swirling around the inside of his skull. He grabbed at the last memory of consciousness, lining up the order of events and tried to make sense of it, but it was incomplete.

There was worry reflected on Jun's face as she gazed at him. "You really don't remember?"

"Should I want to?" Tai asked. He tried flexing his fingers to shake some of the stiffness out of the joints. His knees ached too like he had banged them on something. "Did I get into a fight? I feel like somebody's been using me as their punching bag."

"Just a moment," Jun said before shining the flashlight directly into his eyes.

Tai yelped, turning his head sideways and squinting at her, eyes watering at the bright light. "What are you doing?!"

A hand grabbed him by the chin and held in place. Jun stared down at him with a peculiar, pensive expression as if she were scrutinizing him closely.

"Mmm," was all Jun replied, but she did stop using the flashlight as a blinding laser beam at least. There was the crinkling sound of plastic as she rummaged for something in the darkness close-by. "They told me to try and get you to drink something. You did throw up after all."

"I… what?"

"Don't worry. You only got a little on yourself. Most of it went all over my sweater. You can thank Sora for dressing in extra layers so she gave me hers," Jun tossed him a sardonic grin along with a water bottle. "Here, hydrate yourself."

Tai wasn't embarrassed, no, not at all. He was mortified.

"Did I throw up and faint?" he cried dumbly, half-relieved he couldn't remember.

"Ohohoho," Jun forced a laugh. "You're stuck with me now! First flashing me with your half-naked self in the locker room and then the ultimate dishonor of upchucking all over your girlfriend. There's no escaping from the person who's seen you at your worse and still stands by you."

Tai wasn't fooled by her subtle shifting of the conversation. She was trying to draw his attention away from thinking too hard about his most recent lapse of memory. Not that she needed to—his splitting headache was making it difficult to focus.

"You're not telling me something," he said, rubbing his sore temples.

Fingers brushed back his bangs reassuringly. "It's late," Jun said as if she hadn't heard. "Everyone's asleep. You should be too. You had a slight fever earlier."

"Did you stay awake to watch over me?" Tai asked, reaching up to take her hand in his own. Her palm burned with all the heat of an ember against the skin. No… it was just that his hands felt like blocks of ice. He gripped her hand more tightly, trying to soak in as much warmth as possible.

Then because his head felt fuzzy and he was not thinking clearly, he blurted out, "Do I snore?"

Jun blinked at the random question, but her lips curled into a simpering smile, "Adorably so."

One heartbeat passed. Then another.

It was oddly quiet in the basement. Faintly, he could hear the slow, deep breathing of others as they slept.

Jun continued to run her fingers through his hair in gentle strokes, humming a soft melody under her breath as if she were trying to calm a skittish kitten.

In his mind, Tai kept seeing the crimson threads creep out of the computer screen, bleeding together until they formed one thick, braided shackle. There was nothing else after that except an ominous wall of darkness. He felt detached, like he was standing at the edge of an abyss and the ground was crumbling away at his feet, threatening to send him plunging into the void.

"Jun," He whispered her name like a plea, squeezing her hand to ground himself in the present.

Tell me.

Lie to me.

"Not yet," Jun shushed him. "Izzy said to wait until morning. If they try to chicken out of it, I'll tell you myself." She bent down and kissed him on the forehead in an unusually tender gesture. In the dim light of the flashlight, her brown eyes were burning with a fierce protectiveness. "You did nothing wrong. Rest now."

Tai didn't want to sleep. The very thought made the sickly aftertaste return to his mouth. Afraid he was going to throw up again, he reached for the water bottle and gulped a few mouthfuls down. His heart was pounding rapidly in his chest like he had run several kilometers.

"Are you worried about Agumon?"

Tai seized up. "What?" he asked hoarsely.

"I wondered why I hadn't seen him, especially after you fainted and he wasn't there. No one gave me any clear answers. Just more secretive Digidestined stuff, I take it?"

"Yeah," Tai said closing his eyes, too tired to give her the long, winding explanation. "You're right. Let's talk about everything in the morning."

Jun didn't say anything else. He thought he might have offended her, but then her fingers were back in his hair, soft and caressing until her hand dropped away as sleep claimed her.

Tai didn't sleep. He just stared into the darkness trying not to think, occasionally checking his digivice for the time every now and again. Finally, about an hour before sunrise, he had enough lying still and pretending to sleep. Grabbing the tiny flashlight, he got up and made his way as quietly as possible to the basement's bathroom where he had seen it the night before. After doing his business and washing his hands, he inched over towards the basement door.

He was just going to step outside for a little bit. He needed fresh air. He needed out of the stifling darkness. The sun wasn't out yet, but the moon still had light. He just wanted to breathe and try to remember…

Gatomon leaped in front of him as he reached for the door handle, wary blue eyes boring into his own with a terrible urgency.

"We need to talk," she said.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Yet again, this chapter is far longer than I imagined and now I am splitting it up and having to do another interlude, but I'll make it a mini one. On one hand, yay, you get to see what happened in that missing time frame bc Tai was out of it, haha. On the other, hmm, I see no downsides to this, I guess. I could go into the whole younger kids tailing the Spore Children, but I'm not gonna. This fic is 02 timeline and events but it's solely from Tai's POV. Well mostly, except when it requires others to inform the audience what happened.

I had fun writing Jumonji and Gazi and all the cheesy memes. I don't care if they're years early in this fic, maybe they invented them, idk! XD You'll see more of Jumonji later, I'm not done with him yet. (Kudos to anyone who can guess where I took his name from. P.S. think sports anime).

Aniki: honorable name for older brother but also used by gang underlings for their boss

Chinpira (yanki): small time thugs and criminals seen around red light district.

Abazure: crazy bitch

Oh god, I loved reuniting Tai with Jun this chap. I was tearing up while typing. They mah bbies and I love them so much. *sniffles* Actually, this chapter was pretty shippy wasn't it? I've been on a Digimon rewatch kick: 01, 02, Tri, the reboot, you name it. It's feeding my muse so well.

Speaking of which, the reboot ep where MetalGreymon went absolutely FERAL over losing Tai. My frakkin HEART YA'LL. And then Agumon was crying and calling his name. Does Toei want to kill me?!

Anyhoo, I heard ya'll like dem weird dream sequences I write. *slides one more over to ya*

Ya'll: Wait, does Tai remember the dreams or not?! What is Agumon doing? When is he coming back? You never explained Izzy and the scanner. Why are the digivices glitching as communicators? WTF is up with Daemon and the red threads?!

You'll get your answers next chap, kiddos. But you can speculate and leave your own theory in a review! Or tell me your favorite scene. Until the next update, my lovely readers!

P.S. Gonna start x-posting this to ao3 finally. I'm updating frequently now, so I don't feel like a schlemiel anymore, haha! Gonna do a few chapters every week, not in one big chunk. I need to edit some older stuff.