Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon. Toei Animation does.
Ch. 31 Revelations
"Tai?"
Tai glanced down at Gatomon in his arms then at Ken who were staring at him hesitantly and realized they were both waiting for his response.
"Give me a minute," Tai said feeling like someone had just handed him a stick of dynamite and then ran off without telling him how to diffuse it. "I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I was possessed by Digital World Satan and then my partner, sorry, partners, and I have no freaking memory of it whatsoever. I know I've been missing time lately, but you think I would be able to remember that at least."
His expression must have looked troubled, one out of many emotions that Tai was experiencing in that moment, because Ken spoke up presenting a theory as if trying to solve one small problem at the very least.
"Sorry, I woke up when I heard the door opening and saw you two leave so I followed you. I couldn't help overhearing earlier," Ken said. "Your time lapses might not be due to the dual bond itself, but the after-effects of WarGreymon severing the connection in the first place before restoring it." Seeing Tai's confusion, he elaborated. "When Wormmon was deleted…" A brief flash of pain and regret swept across his face before Ken took a deep breath and continued. "I had temporary amnesia. I couldn't remember my parents or my own name. I don't even know if I was aware I existed. It was like I was surrounded by fog and knew I was searching for something but didn't know what. Everything came back when I found Wormmon again."
He nodded at the glint of familiarity in Tai's eyes. "I think it's damaging to a human, not just to their body but to their very soul… to have a connection that runs so deep be cut off so quickly."
Unbidden, Tai had a vivid flashback at his reuniting with WarGreymon at Fujiyoshida City, and his partner spouting Greek mythology like some dinosaur philosopher."Humans were originally created with four arms, four legs, and a head with two faces. Fearing their power, Zeus split them into separate parts, condemning them to spend their lives in search of their other halves."
Had WarGreymon been trying to give him a hint to what he was planning to do? Had he been trying to gauge Tai's reaction to the idea of a dual bond? Had he ever wondered if in doing so, what kind of repercussions there would be for his partner?
"Fucking Plato," Tai muttered under his breath. Ken and Gatomon shot him weird looks and he cleared his throat. "Well, I don't have amnesia. I just randomly blank out whenever I feel like it."
I also am pretty sure I've had very strange, disturbing dreams but can't remember them either and I'm not sure I even want to, Tai thought but neglected to reveal this little detail.
"Your connection wasn't severed as long as mine was," Ken pointed out. "The side effects might different so you get time lapses instead. It's only been a day. Keep track of them if they happen again and let us know. They should start to diminish soon and you might even remember events you had forgotten before the time lapses started."
"Is that what happened to you?" Tai asked eyeing Ken thoughtfully.
Just like that, the boy's neutral mask snapped down without warning. "Perhaps," was all he said.
Tai didn't press any further. They all had personal things they didn't want to share with others.
"That's all that happened last night, right?" he asked just to be sure. "I didn't open a portal to hell and try to throw anyone in, did I?"
"You didn't harm anyone else," Ken clarified seeing right through his carefree façade.
"Matt got too close. I should have known he would do that," Gatomon said, guilt welling up anew in her eyes. "I should have told Palmon to bind him in place—"
"Enough with the 'what-if's," Tai cut her off. "That's not going to change anything. What you can do is tell us all the information you know about these 'threads' so we won't be caught off guard next time. They're interfering with our main mission. We can't let them trip us up anymore, not if we need our full focus on stopping Oikawa."
Gatomon straightened in his arms, her expression hardening into purposeful resolve. "You're right," she said, some of her normal confidence leaking back into her voice. "I have explained about the threads to you though… mostly."
"Mostly?"
"It'd be best to explain the rest of it when everyone else can hear too," Gatomon said, her tail twitching nervously. Clearly, she was uncomfortable talking about such a taboo topic, but she knew it was also necessary. It was also clear she wanted to speak about it as little as possible.
"Alright," Tai said not wanting to put any more pressure on her. "We'll wait 'til the sleepyheads wake up." His stomach let out an angry growl, reminding him that it had been devoid of nutrients for a very long time now, considering before he had thrown up what little food he had eaten last night, he only had one packet of pretzels to sustain him. Maybe it wasn't just the mental stress of him being possessed that had made him faint.
"Let's go get breakfast," he said.
"What?" Ken and Gatomon voiced in unison.
Tai looked up at the brightening sky. The grey morning light was painting over the blue of night, erasing all the darkness and despair that lingered. He stamped his feet in place trying to shake out the numbness that had set in from the cold. "Let's get breakfast," he repeated feeling restless. "You know, real food, not stale chips and dried ramen packets."
He saw the want on Ken's face before the boy pushed it away. "The police are still on the look-out for us."
"This early in the morning they're getting their coffee and donuts," Tai said thinking fondly of Jumonji. "Come on, I smell pork dumplings."
The savory scent of pork, ginger and fried cabbage filled the air, making Tai's mouth water. There must be street vendors nearby readying their stall.
"It's too dangerous for us to go out alone," Ken said though it looked like he was forcing himself to play the safe card. The smell was obviously getting to him by the way he licked his lips.
"We won't be alone," Tai grinned before looking at Gatomon. "Will we?"
"What?!"
oOo
"I don't think she's very happy with us," Ken said as they walked along the sidewalk, heading for the food truck that was parked next to the curb where the delicious smell was emanating from.
Above them, Gatomon leaped from lamppost to lamppost, occasionally landing on top of a mailbox or fire hydrant. With a final bound, she flung herself into a tree planted into the sidewalk and glared down at them as they walked under its branches, looking more like a mad vulture than a cat.
"She's not, but this is retribution for not giving us the full rundown on the threads when she had the chance instead of hinting about vague dangers of a dual bond," Tai said with a grim smile. He liked that about Gatomon. She wasn't allowing this risky expedition out of pity, but out of a debt to be paid. His stomach was taking full advantage of it.
He pulled Ken aside when they got within ten feet of the food truck. "How much money do we have between us?" he asked searching his own pockets for loose yen. He had brought a small amount along to buy a burger and some fries at the older kids' meet-up the day before yesterday. He should still have it all since Matt had bought his food for him before he arrived. He thought it was only fair he return the favor especially considering last night.
"Well, I have my own personal banking account," Ken said flipping open his wallet open, the top half of a shiny blue credit card peaking out of the billfold. "But we can't use a card here. That will definitely give away our location to anyway monitoring the system." He pulled out a ten-thousand yen note. "Do you think they have enough change for this?"
"Forget it," Tai said sourly taking out two one thousand yen bills. "We'll use this. Two kids paying with that much this early in the morning will cause too much attention. You keep that in there for emergencies or if your card doesn't work?"
"No, this is my allowance," Ken said blinking in pure naivety.
Tai just stared at him, resisting the urge to ask if it was weekly or monthly.
"I keep telling my parents I don't need it," Ken said squirming uncomfortably under his gaze. "I make enough money on the side from private tutoring and professional chess matches, but I think they just feel the need to try and be normal parents."
Sometimes Tai forgot Ken was a certified genius and got paid for that too.
"Are you sure we should do this?" Ken said glancing over at the food truck. "Our faces have been all over the news nonstop. How can we be sure they won't recognize us?"
"We don't," Tai said, unwrapping Ken's scarf from around his neck and cording it around his head and face until most of his hair was obscured and only his eyes showed. "But we can't defeat evil on an empty stomach and our partners need to be in top shape to digivolve so we take our chances." He handed him one of the thousand yen notes and gave him a soft shove in the back. "You go first. Buy a dozen dumplings. I'll wait a little and go after you and buy another dozen. That way it won't look so suspicious."
Ken paused to look at him, an unreadable expression in his eyes that Tai wasn't quite sure what to make of, before he turned and walked up to the food truck's open window.
Tai pulled his hood over his hair and stood back, stepping momentarily out of view behind the tree's trunk that Gatomon was perched in just in case the food vendor had roving eyes.
"You're strong," Gatomon's voice floated down to him, a purr of approval in her tone. "Even with all that's happened, when things get rough you still get up and carry on."
"Learned that in soccer," Tai said crossing his arms. "You don't win victories by staying down when you fall over."
"I think… I think your dual bond might stabilize after all," Gatomon relented cautiously. Tai looked up at her at that. She was sitting on a limb directly above him, her hind paws swinging back and forth. "I had my doubts before. I'd only seen the horrible aftereffects of it with… but the thing with dual bonds is they're tricky. The partners need to suit each other's nature. BlackWarGreymon is drawn to you. He was before this was forced on him."
Tai was silent, remembering his first encounter with him in the Digital World. It was a vast place, even in its deteriorating state. What had he been doing in the same location that he and Izzy had been? And Fujiyoshida City… maybe it was true BlackWarGreymon had only been there to seek out Oikawa, but he had stayed and helped them round up the rogue Digimon; had saved his life twice in doing so. Three times if rescuing him from the crumbling beam of the tv station could be counted, even if BlackWarGreymon had only done so to use him as leverage.
"Kari told me before you children were pulled into the Digital World, you and she encountered another Agumon in this world." Gatomon's eyes were narrowed and assessing as she looked down on him. "She said that Agumon digivolved into a Greymon to protect you both. Then years later, which one of you Digidestined gets an Agumon for a partner? You."
That restless drumming had returned inside Tai's head as soon as she had mentioned the Hikarigaoka Incident. He remembered it now, they all did, even if they had forgotten before, pushing it away like some childish nightmare. But the memory rose familiar and fresh in his mind as if he had thought about recently, even though he was sure he hadn't. Perhaps it was another piece of his missing time.
"Agumon said it wasn't him," Tai said, digging the palm of his hand into his forehead as he felt the beginnings of a headache. "He says he never met me before I first came to the Digital World."
"I'm not saying it was your Agumon. Just that your nature, your very essence itself, creates some enticement to the Greymon line of evolution, and the Sovereigns acted on that. Now BlackWarGreymon is tied to you, willingly or not." Gatomon was half way down the tree trunk now, flakes of bark falling off as her claws dug into it. Her blue eyes clashed with his, burning with the truth she spoke. "But he came for you when Daemon seized you by the threads. If he didn't care at all about you or the bond, he wouldn't have come. Your paths are entwined now for better or for worse."
"Sounds an awful lot like Destiny," Tai laughed bitterly.
Ken came around the side of the tree holding a plastic bag that was steaming slightly from the closed carton inside. "Your turn," he said.
oOo
They walked back the way they had come, the sky lightening brighter above them with each step. The pork dumplings smelled so delicious, Tai was tempted to take a bite then and there, but he decided it would be better if he ate his share with everyone else. Gatomon rode his shoulder this time. Whether she was being protective or just tired of playing ninja kitty atop of the lampposts, he didn't know, but her presence was comforting. If the threads caused another issue for him, he felt she would take care of it swiftly.
They were a block away from the storehouse when a voice drifted out from Ken's digivice.
"Ken, Ken, are you there? Can you hear me?"
Ken stopped and pulled his digivice from his pocket. "Davis?" he asked.
"Ken!" Davis sounded relieved. "Where are you?"
"Outside," Ken said.
Tai had to swallow a laugh. Ken wasn't even being sarcastic. Puzzlement was evident on his face as he stared at the digivice in his hand and shook it a little. "Are these working as communicators again?" he asked.
"Obviously!" Davis cried. "Listen, everyone's freaking out because you and Taichi-sempai were gone when we woke up. Is he with you?"
"Present," Tai said into his own digivice as if he were answering a teacher's row-call.
"T-Taichi-sempai!" Davis sputtered. "Is that—are you…"
"Tai? Tai," Jun's voice cut him off. "Where are you? Why didn't you wake me up?" She sounded breathless and a bit hurt.
"I needed some time alone to think," Tai said. Not that he had been granted any time alone since he had woken up first with Gatomon and then Ken sticking to him like glue, but he wasn't as upset as he should have been. Gatomon had promised to explain everything when they returned which would be soon enough.
"Tai," a new voice came—Izzy, his voice leaking through the digivice terse and serious. "Can you say something to let us know you're really you?"
Tai wasn't offended. Izzy was only taking precaution. Just visualizing the events of last night as Ken had told him was scarring enough. He could only imagine how haunting it must have been for everyone else to see him possessed, only to wake up and find him missing along with Ken who had been Daemon's original target.
He cleared his throat and recited a haiku, one of his personal favorites:
I'm the Haiku God
Bow before the wonder of
My divine poetry
There was a long pause before Izzy finally spoke again, his voice carrying a note of exasperated relief. "That last line had six syllables instead of five, Haiku God."
"Shut up, Izzy," Tai snarled into the digivice. He could hear smothered laughter on the other end in the background.
"It looks like you guys are close by on the digivices," Davis said. "Do you need us to come get you?"
"No, stay there, we're almost back," Ken said as they started walking again in a faster pace than before.
"And we brought a surprise," Gatomon chimed in, sounding happy for the first time in a long time.
"Gatomon?!" Kari's voice cried in surprise from Tai's digivice.
"Kari, I'll explain everything, don't worry," Gatomon swore. Her voice was calm but her tail had curled nervously around Tai's neck like an elegant striped scarf.
"Just sit tight," Tai said as they cleared the end of the block that was thankfully still devoid of police cars and darted down the alleyway to the back entrance of the storehouse.
Ken went through the basement's door first and was immediately tackled by Wormmon who flung himself at his chest, crying anxious tears. "Ken, Ken! You can't go off like that, Ken! Not without me!" he scolded. "What if something happened to you? I wouldn't forgive myself!"
Tai watched as Wormmon nuzzled his head under Ken's chin, concerned and possessive at the same time, as if comforting himself that his partner was truly back safe. With a jolt, Tai recalled a small detail that he had never deemed important before.
Wormmon was a Virus type.
"Tai!" Kari was there suddenly at his side hugging him. She looked at Gatomon still perched on his shoulder and smiled. "You kept him safe, thank you."
"Someone had to keep an eye on his big bushy head," Gatomon said as she leaped from Tai's shoulder and onto Kari's. She cast a smug look at him. "He thinks more with his stomach than his brain."
"Is that what I think it is!" Davis shouted excitedly grabbing hold of Ken's bag and inhaling deeply.
"We brought breakfast," Tai said, shrugging off the odd feeling surrounding Wormmon. It shouldn't matter that he was a Virus type. He would never do anything to hurt Ken. At the very least it brought to light why he was always so over-protective and worried about his partner all the time. It wasn't just due to Ken's dark past.
Virus types were just like that. It was sealed into their very nature.
"If he didn't care at all about you or the bond, he wouldn't have come. Your paths are entwined now for better or for worse," Gatomon had said.
Tai pushed her words away to reflect on them later. He approached his friends who looked both relieved and wary at the sight of him. His eyes sought out Jun who stood in the back apart from the others as if she didn't belong looking unsure and upset. He tossed her a small smile which she returned even though hers looked more shaky and strained.
Tai stopped in front of Matt, his gaze drifting down to his arm which was strung up in his scarf in some make-shift sling. The skin around his wrist was an angry red, puffy and swollen. When he finally could bring himself to look his friend in the face, any kind of apology died in his throat. Matt was glaring at him with cool, blue eyes. He knew that expression all too well. That was the "go-ahead-I-dare-you" intimidation stare he leveled at bullies at school, but most often aimed at him when Tai decided to steal his bento because it looked more appetizing than his mom's cooking. If he said he was sorry or put any kind of blame on himself in this moment, Tai was certain Matt would punch him in the nose with his good hand hard enough to draw blood.
"That's going to make it a lot harder for you to put me in your death grip headlock when I upload pictures of you to your fansites," Tai said pointing at Matt's wrist.
He heard the others gasp in shock and wondered if he had gone too far, when a genuine grin cracked across Matt's face.
"Not if I do this instead!" Matt declared jamming a tightly-knuckled fist square into ribs with enough force it knocked the air out of Tai's lungs.
"Not fair," Tai wheezed, stooping over slightly to catch his breath.
He heard his friends' quiet laughter around him, saw their tense body postures relax, and knew despite all obstacles thrown their way, everything would be okay.
oOo
There was only one dumpling for each child and Digimon but the vendors had not shirked on the size. They were fluffed up and round, about the size of an apple, and steaming hot when bitten into, full of flavored cabbage, spices and juicy shreds of pork. Tai watched as Jun poked at hers through the parchment paper not appearing to be hungry at all. With a start he realized he had forgotten to include Jun in the headcount for the amount of dumplings purchased. Twelve children and twelve Digimon was what he had done the math for… except he had briefly forgotten Agumon was not with him, physically that is.
It was strange but he still felt his partner's presence humming slightly in the back of his head like a soft, warm flame whenever he let his mind wander. It must be his recent attunement to the threads. He thought if he focused hard enough he might be able to reach along the golden light to the other end where WarGreymon was. Tai didn't want to poke the spider's web though. Not at least without understanding more about the threads and what they were.
Gatomon repeated what she had told Tai on the top of the stairwell earlier this time for everyone to hear, although she left the part out of her wanting to have created a dual bond between Kari and Wizardmon in the past. Tai didn't call her out on it. It was brave enough of her that she had confessed such a dark secret to him in the first place.
"That's what a dual bond is. The threads themselves…" she struggled to clarify better. "They're a connection—from beginning to end and the space in-between and they tie everything—everyone together. They tap into the human's essence and we Digimon use that energy to digivolve." Her expression darkened. "Their pathways can be rewritten if forbidden knowledge is gleaned."
"Is that why the threads are different colors? Why most are gold and some are red?" Tai asked remembering the crimson, knotted strands that had surrounded Daemon.
Gatomon stared at him for an uncomfortable space of time not speaking, until Tai realized his error.
"Oh, right… you don't know that I can see them, because I didn't tell you that I can," Tai admitted sheepishly. "So, yeah, that's also a thing, my bad." Off to his side, he heard Sora sigh and Matt scoff in disapproval.
"Anything else you'd like to share?" Gatomon bit out, her tail lashing agitated behind her.
Tai thought for a minute. "Nope, I think that's about it. Yep, pretty sure," he said, neglecting to tell her about the vague dream fragments that drifted back every so often. He didn't see any point. Not when he couldn't even remember the full dream itself. From what Ken had said, they were most likely caused due to the severed bond before it was restored, not the threads themselves actively at work. If he actually remembered the entire dream next time, then he would tell Gatomon but until then… well, dreams were just dreams, weren't they?
Gatomon didn't look convinced but continued. "I have to concentrate to see the threads. They're there, just not visible to the eye like a rainbow in the human world. You don't see them all the time, do you?"
"No," Tai answered. "They just come and go whenever they please. It's how I found the door down here last night." He caught Sora's eye, a gleam of understanding dawning on her face. "And when Daemon first came through that portal, his threads were bright red and tangled…" he trailed off remembering. "And cold… they felt so cold."
Again, Gatomon said nothing and Tai knew he wasn't supposed to be able to feel the threads either then, but her gaze darted to Kari and he saw the rebuke die in her throat. She didn't want her partner to worry anymore than she already was.
"Gold is the threads' natural color. If they're red, they've been manipulated to serve a darker purpose. Daemon probably attached one of his threads to you to follow back to the rest of us when he had the opportunity," Gatomon chose to divulge instead. "That message only you heard was an enthrallment spell to notify him when you finally were in proximity to his objective." She turned her head towards Ken, her eyes glazing over slightly as she peered. Then blinking a few times she seemed to relax.
"You shouldn't worry," she told him since a pinched, anxious expression had fallen across his face. "The Dark Spore is dormant. You've squashed the control it had over you with your own free-will and change of heart. You may not like to hear it, but the safest place right now to store that thing is inside yourself for the time being."
"Maybe if we just get a chance to talk some sense into them, we can get those kids to understand the dangers of the spores and they'll do the same," Yolei said, placing a hand on Ken's shoulder reassuringly.
"We tried to do that yesterday and got shot down," Davis interjected dryly.
Ken shook his head. "We don't have time. Oikawa is acting today. Those kids' heads are too filled with longing and desire to listen to reason. Even if we did have time, they only have copies not the original." He exchanged glances with Gatomon. "Why would Daemon come specifically after mine now that there are so many others spawned? There's a difference, isn't there?"
An odd shudder passed through Gatomon's body as she responded in a dull, hollow voice. "There are always defects in lower-class specimens. They are an insufficient means to an end goal." The words came out as if she were reciting a line that had been ingrained into her head over and over many times before.
Kari picked her up and hugged her close. Gatomon buried her face into her paws and released the breath she had been holding tightly inside. The silence stretched thick for several seconds before she lifted her head up, her eyes shining overly-bright.
"I've seen what damage monsters can inflict on the even the thinnest strand and how tiny a ripple can create a tidal wave of destruction. Threads should not be tampered with at all, even if someone thinks they are doing it for a good cause." She declared looking at Tai, her brow furrowing pensively. "However, you seem to be faring better than most... for the moment."
"Is Tai safe?" Jun asked her voice tight and urgent. "That thing won't be able to get to him again, will it?"
"His partners are guarding his threads. That way is blocked to him now."
Partners.
"The partners need to suit each other's nature," Gatomon had said.
"He can still come through the portals then?" Ken asked.
"If he breaks away from Azulongmon long enough…yes," Gatomon conceded reluctantly.
"So we put an end to Oikawa's scheme and we put an end to it all!" Davis proclaimed. "He won't have any way to cross over when the portals stop glitching."
"Will they?" Matt challenged. "We all heard what Gennai said. It's BlackWarGreymon's appearance here, his very existence, that's causing the glitches." Cool blue eyes bored uncompromising into Tai as he waited impatiently for a response. Maybe it was the faint echoes leaking through their frayed bond, but Tai knew what Matt was implying. He wanted Tai to tell Gatomon to cut his and BlackWarGreymon's threads so he wouldn't be affected when they took the Mega out.
Unbidden, another half-forgotten dream fragment swirled up in front of his eyes.
Gold eyes wide and vulnerable as they stared at him. "We're… partners, aren't we? I can always find you." A small hand pressed up against a large claw. A warm, kindling sensation in his chest.
oOo
"BlackWarGreymon is drawn to you. He was before this was forced on him."
oOo
"Agumon's right. We can save him," Tai stated firmly, a surge of protectiveness swelling up that surprised even him.
Matt's jaw muscles clenched and blue eyes flashed in anger. Tai stared back refusing to yield.
"Oikawa needs to be stopped first before anything else," Ken said. "We need to find him before those kids meet up with him."
"The city is too big. He could be anywhere," Cody protested. "Our best chance is to let the other children lead us to him."
"No, it's too dangerous that way," Ken's voice twisted in desperation. "What if he uses them as a shield against us and they end up getting hurt?"
"He wouldn—" Cody's eyes slid over to Tai, the words dying on his lips.
Oikawa had before and would again use any immoral, underhanded tactic to ensure his objective was in the clear.
"Which is precisely why we need this!" Izzy announced slamming the facial scanner down in front of him. There were dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and he had spent the majority of the morning typing away on his laptop, occasionally fiddling with pieces of the disassembled scanner, while Gatomon had explained things. Now the facial scanner was back together and Izzy was positively vibrating with a nervous rush of excitement.
Tai perked up interested. "Oh, please do tell," he said leaning forward eagerly. "I was beginning to think you just had a bad habit of 'hoarding any shiny trinket that catches your eye'," he said quoting Jumonji on Gazimon.
"Don't be ridiculous. I have standards!" Izzy said looking offended.
"Top-secret, military-grade tech standards?" Tai asked not batting an eye.
"The point is," Izzy ignored him, although a red bar of color had ignited over his cheekbones. "I spent most of last night deciphering the encryption on the hard drive and reconfigured the software so that this device can be synched into differing access terminals in which the data can be bounced off multiple wifi hotspots and rerouted back—"
"In Basic, Izzy, so anyone who is not a computer geek will understand!" Tai shouted.
The only people in the room who looked like they had comprehended all that gibberish were Ken and Yolei. Whatever Izzy had been trying to say must have been good news because both their faces were glowing with hope.
Izzy glared at him as he explained. "I've taken some digicode data and adjusted the scanner to Oikawa's facial features in the news interview and programmed its tech to seek out only his face in the crowds. I've broadened its scanning range as well so it doesn't have to be so up close and personal like they were using it at the station. It sends out an ultraviolet laser beacon and can profile people as far as an entire city block!"
"That sounds terrifying!" Mimi gasped.
"The government has that type of technology available and is keeping it under wraps? That's borderline obstruction of civil rights," Cody criticized eyeing the scanner in slight revulsion.
"That little gizmo was an annoying threat before you stole it and now you've only amplified its power so it's downright menacing," Tai said wondering if he should feel admiration or worry that Izzy had all the finesse of a mad genius. "What's going to happen when the military gets the upgraded version in their hands? You're going to have to return that, you know."
Even if they did save the world and were acknowledged as saviors and Digimon were understood better, it wouldn't change the fact that Izzy had committed a felony of military technology theft.
"Calm down, I can revert it back to its original state," Izzy waved their concerns aside. "But we need to break a few basic human rights laws to apprehend Oikawa and this is the fastest way to locate him."
Cody didn't seem entirely pleased by that statement, but he didn't voice a counter-argument.
The looming threat of Oikawa and his unknown agenda was weighing heavily on everybody's minds.
Izzy went on to explain he had created a temporary program on his computer that would alert him if the scanner picked out Oikawa from the crowd from the various traffic monitoring cameras he had hacked into and sent the signal out from. They decided unanimously that they should split up, half of them tailing the Spore children just to be safe and keep them on their radar and the other half of the group spread out to be on the ready whenever Oikawa decided to show up. No one voiced the option of them remaining inside the storehouse basement away from police patrols and just monitoring the scanner program. That would be the safe, logical route. The Digidestined didn't do safe, especially when there were potentially other kids' lives on the line.
"Abandon any hopes on saving them. They're not long for this world…" Daemon had told them ominously. "Return what is owed to me and I'll tell you how to put them out of their misery before they are consumed by darkness."
Tai noticed the worried glances thrown his way by his friends when they thought he wasn't looking, knew it was the damn threads' fault for putting him at risk for the same demise and yet found he wasn't as troubled as he should have been.
Gatomon's words from earlier kept echoing in his head on a loop. She seemed so confident that the dual bond would stabilize.
"BlackWarGreymon is tied to you, willingly or not. He came for you when Daemon seized you by the threads. If he didn't care at all about you or the bond, he wouldn't have come. Your paths are entwined now for better or for worse."
Tai's hand went to his digivice clipped on his belt. They were working as communicators again, able to reach both the humans and Digimon if desired. Izzy had speculated it might have been Daemon's threads interfering with Tai's signal and then infecting the others when they got in close enough range. If he could speak to his partner now, what would he say?
"Where are you?"
"I miss you."
"Please come back."
Would BlackWarGreymon be able to hear his voice too even if he was focusing on WarGreymon? Should he say hello to him as well so he wouldn't feel left out?
"Hi, DarkBroodingmon, what have you been up to for the past day? Not destroying anything I hope."
"I think all three of us should enroll in a partner bonding therapy class. I think I can convince Sora to be the counselor. She likes giving advice and is good with dealing with emotions."
Or maybe…
"Do we share the same dreams? Can you tell me what I've forgotten?"
In the end, he took his hand away and said nothing.
Around him, his friends were pairing off, deciding who would be on standby for the signal from the scanner and those who would tail the Spore children. Tai didn't care which role he was assigned—he knew his partner would be Matt. Stubborn and steadfast Matt who had remained behind for his sake at the risk of his own well-being. Sometimes Tai doubted he deserved the amount of devotion Matt granted him. He felt like he had caused his friends nothing but trouble ever since the news interview.
Beside him, Jun stood to her feet, a carefully guarded expression on her face. "I'm going home now," she announced.
Around them, all conversation ceased. Jun motioned her head towards the basement door and Tai stood up to follow her outside, the others giving them space as they passed. Tai making sure the door was shut firm behind them, and stood at the bottom of the stairwell neither of them speaking until Jun finally broke the silence first.
"I c-can't," she stuttered, her eyes glazed with distress as she looked at him. "Last n-night… y-you… that monster… I can't bear to see you like that again!" she burst out, her voice rising in panicked desperation. "I couldn't do anything then to help and I can't do anything now either! I feel completely useless!"
There was moisture welling up in her brown eyes but she blinked hard several times refusing to let any tears fell. She placed her hands on her hips as threw her head back sucking in a sharp, watery breath in an effort to compose her spiraling emotions.
When Jun finally spoke, her voice was steady again. "Do you remember when I first said I wanted a Digimon for myself too? You told me being a Digidestined wasn't a wild hobby or an adventure you did for fun. I understand now."
It seemed so long ago with Jun pursuing her motivations for the purely selfish reason of being closer to the object of her affection, which at the time had not been him. With a start, Tai realized most of Jun's interactions with Digimon had been completely negative, the end result of them being her getting attacked and hurt alongside him. It was a miracle she didn't despise or blame Digimon for all the harm and havoc they wreaked in their wake like most of the population of Japan.
"I know you all will look out and support each other. I know Agumon will keep you safe like he did before, wherever he is," Jun said reaching her hand out and sliding her thumb gently across Tai's cheek. "I don't want to leave you, not really, but I have to."
Tai wrapped his fingers around her hand on his cheek and shifted the position slightly so that his lips were grazing her knuckles in the faintest whisper of a kiss.
Then don't. Stay, he wanted to say, but he couldn't. Because she was right.
Jun pulled her hand free, brown eyes clear and determined. "If I stay, I'll only be a burden, or worse, a distraction. You need to end this, whatever that man is planning. You need to show the world that Digimon aren't brainless monsters. Just try not to put yourself in danger… more than necessary."
A hoarse chuckle escaped Tai's mouth, relieved she wasn't asking the impossible of him. "Being a Digidestined… danger is an underlying clause in the contract," he joked.
"I know I don't fit the qualifications required on becoming one. All that blathering about threads and dual bonds and checks and balances—I'm still confused about the facts," Jun admitted with a hint of sadness. "But if they are greater forces at work trying to keep both worlds safe and in harmony, I don't think they could have chosen any other saviors better than all of you."
She smiled at him softly, standing near enough that it would be easy enough to bend his head down slightly to kiss her, but Tai made no move to close the gap between them. He felt that such an act now would cheapen the moment—one simple kiss would not be able to wipe away all the worry and frustration and doubts that Jun was trying to squash for his sake.
"You're wrong thinking that about yourself, you know," Tai corrected. "If other people like Jumonji or Mimi's friend Michael in America, or the other children all over the world have encountered Digimon and received digivices, then who's to say you won't be next, if not soon then someday. You do have a partner, Jun," he said with a surety that was hard to explain. "They're out there. You just have to be patient."
"So certain of that, are you? Speak then, O Oracle," Jun commanded, her eyes lighting up as if she wanted to believe him. "What kind of Digimon would I have?"
"Well, the partners need to suit each other's nature. You're pretty crafty and sly. Maybe a Kitsunemon," Tai teased. "Or a Tanukimon…"
"How 'bout a Pandamon?"
Tai pulled a wry face at that. "You're never gonna let me live that down, are you?"
"Nope," Jun smirked playfully at him. "And when you get back from saving the world, we're going to polish up on your flirting game. Among other things." She looked him over from head to toe with a heavy gaze that made Tai's skin feel both hot and prickly.
"Y-Yeah?" he said, cursing at how squeaky his voice had sounded just then.
"Yeah," Jun echoed, leaning forward and poking him hard in the chest with her finger, the sudden physical contact making Tai's stomach swoop. "Rein in that Foolish Hero Complex of yours some and put it to good use. The sooner you end all this craziness, the sooner we can go on normal couple dates instead of secretly meeting like two star-crossed lovers in the Feudal Era."
"Sora wants us to go on a double date with her and Matt," Tai blurted out, feeling his heart thunder in a wild rush of giddy excitement.
"Karaoke," Jun decreed faster than he could blink. "It'll be a team competition and face off. Winners gets stuck doing losers' afternoon school chores for a week."
"We'll wipe the floor with them," Tai swore, ignoring the fact that Matt was a pop star vocalist and Jun sounded like a drunken parakeet from the karaoke rendition on her voicemail.
Jun smiled, brown eyes filled with warmth and something else. She reached out for his hand again, entwining her fingers with his own and Tai felt the small tingles of pleasure shoot across his skin at their touch, similar to that of the golden light that hummed in his head.
It was him. It was her. It was just the two of them finding comfort in each other on the stairwell as the sun crept higher in the sky above them.
oOo
They went back inside together, shoulders bumping and hands brushing but not-quite touching. Tai saw some of the tension dissipate from his friends when they noticed his and Jun's calm demeanors.
"Okay, twerp, I'm heading home," Jun called out to Davis as she pulled her overcoat on. "Any messages you want me to tell Mom and Dad?"
Davis chewed his lip for second looking conflicted before steeling his expression. "Tell them… tell them I'm sorry for running off without explaining things first, but the world needs its defenders! Tell them I'll make them proud!"
Jun cuffed him softly across one ear as she walked over. "Don't let those goggles get to your head. They were proud of you before you decided to be a hero."
She bent slightly down to look at the small blue dragon standing at his partner's side. "It's Veemon, right? Here," she took out the wrapped pork dumpling from her coat's pocket and placed it in the Digimon's upturned palms. "Keep him safe, Veemon."
"You can count on me!" Veemon saluted her before swallowing the dumpling whole in one bite.
"Thanks for lending me the sweater," Jun said to Sora. "It was a life-saver."
"Tai has a proficiency in throwing up on other people's belongings," Sora replied.
Tai rolled his eyes. She was never going to let that hat incident go, was she?
Jun turned to give him a small wave before leaving, which Tai returned from a distance. They had already said their goodbyes outside. Then the door closed and she was gone.
They started packing supplies for the day, unsure how it was going to end but morning was waning fast and they had to hurry if they wanted to get a head start on their targets.
Joe caught Tai before he slipped on his coat and whisked him off to the small bathroom to do a routine checkup. Tai didn't even bother arguing with him this time. In the span of twenty-four hours his poor body felt like it had been soundly thrashed in a sumo wrestling match. Joe had bags under his eyes probably from stress and lack of sleep, but he was exceedingly patient in examining him.
"You didn't tell Jun about this, did you?" Tai asked lightly tapping the small puncture wounds caused by the taser gun. The skin around it was tender but not inflamed. The medical salve seemed to be doing its job.
"You getting tasered by Oikawa?" Joe remarked with a raise of his eyebrows. "No, we never got around to mentioning that, and after last night… well, I don't think there was any need to worry her further."
"Thanks," Tai said feeling grateful. He was sure if Jun had known about that little tidbit, she would have decided to stay if only to slap Oikawa in the face later on.
"I understand girl troubles, believe it or not," Joe professed, looking a little hot around the collar. "It's tricky beginning a relationship with secrets."
Tai remembered Joe hadn't been too pleased upon finding out that his personal life had been intruded on and then revealed to the rest of their friends under the false assumption that he and Mimi were a couple.
"I'm sorry I ratted you and Mimi out on your little expedition together," Tai felt the pressing need to apologize. "I know you're not really dating."
Joe heaved a tired sigh not bothering to question on how he had come to this epiphany on his own. "Mimi felt left out when she first transferred back here from America. She hadn't joined any clubs yet and you all had your own activities and other friend groups. She would come over to my school and walk with me to my cram lessons. She likes to gossip a lot and would talk a lot about how sweet Matt and Sora doted on the other and how oblivious you and Jun were when it was obvious you liked each other, and somehow the topic came up on whether or not we had our eyes on anybody special…" Joe paused and shot him a significant look over the top of his glasses. "That day you stalked us in the bookshop, we were giving each other tips on how to make the other person aware we liked them. She said it was someone close to her."
Well, if Tai hadn't already felt like the scum on someone's shoe, he certainly did now. He had been so caught up in his Fifth Grade Flirtation with Jun he had neglected to see how lonely Mimi had been at the start. Maybe if he had paid more attention, he could have dropped a few hints around Izzy to assess how his feelings ran towards her if he had any.
Suddenly Joe's eyes bugged out wide and all the color drained from his face. "W-Wait!" He sputtered, seizing Tai by both arms in a panic. "It's not me, is it? She doesn't really like me like that, does she? This isn't one of those crazy twists where she was only helping me under the guise to help me because she actually does like me, because I don't feel the same way! I have someone I'm truly interested in and it's not her! She can't like me like that, Tai, because I can't return her feelings! What am I going to do?!"
Tai thought his brain might turn into a scrambled egg at how rough Joe was shaking him. "Calm down!" He snapped, trying to break free. "It's Izzy she likes not you!"
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!" came Izzy's high-pitched, strangled voice as the door swung open behind them.
Tai didn't blame himself. Nope, not at all.
"Fucking Plato."
To Be Continued…
A/N: I'm not entirely pleased with this chapter, but I've taken too long on it so here it is. I don't know a thing about the internal workings of a computer. I'm sorry to all amazing tech ppl who had to sit there and read me spouting bs thru Izzy's mouth, haha. The entire time writing that scene, I felt like that tiktok video: "Sir, he's hacking the mainframe!" "What even is the mainframe?!" "I don't knoowww!"
Ah, Jun left again. Don't worry, it won't be forever, but the plot must go on! I'm not saying we will get to see a certain black dinosaur next chap, but that is exactly what I am saying, lol. I also wanted more Ken and Tai interaction (there was more I wanted them to talk about), but hopefully, I can squeeze it in later.
I tried not to make this chapter so dark after the last one, yeesh. So yeah, hopefully it was just the right amount of lightheartedness with a touch of seriousness. I hope I explained everything about the threads and dual bond. Feel free to leave me any questions if you are still confused. I may have forgotten something in all these plot threads dangling about.
TL; DR Crack version of threads explanation
Tai: *nodding* I see. The threads are sorta like the Force. And I'm someone who just had their latent force sensitivity split open. *to Gatomon* I'm like Luke and you're Yoda, no… Ahsoka.
Matt: Can someone explain that who's not a huge sci fi nerd please?
Izzy: The threads are like the coding in a computer program. If you twist them the wrong way, you can crash the web page or even the hard drive itself!
Joe: None of this is helpful.
(I may or may not have been greatly distracted by starwars when writing this chap heheh).
If you have a favorite scene you can tell me that in a review if you don't know what else to say. (Really, I could use some positivity in my life right now, please). Until, the next update, my lovely readers!
