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

Ch. 33 Growing Pains

The distant blaring of police sirens cut through the late afternoon sky, disrupting any further discussion on the bizarre and unexplained appearance of BlackWarGreymon's new form.

"We need to get outta here," Matt said hauling Tai to his feet. "They probably tracked me on my way over."

"Well, DarkBroodingmon wasn't exactly subtle either," Tai said glancing at the giant crater in the port's concrete berth. "I'm guessing they didn't come sooner because they were waiting for some backup with bigger armor."

In the air, the faint whirring of approaching helicopter blades sounded in their ears.

"Time to go," MetalGarurumon urged. Matt nodded and leapt onto his back.

The ground fall away from Tai as he was picked up effortlessly by a pair of strong arms and held tight against a metal breast plate.

"I've got you," WarGreymon said and Tai felt a sharp twinge in his chest; wondered why it was that those few words made him feel like crying.

"Let's move," MetalGarurumon growled out.

They took the sky, soaring to dizzying heights into the golden splendor of the sunset and leaving their pursuers behind at their swift pace.

In Tai's arms, the black Agumon squirmed restlessly trying to see sparkling water below them so very far away. "We're flying!" he cried excitedly. "Can I fly too?"

"Ummm," Tai said, feeling his stomach drop as he realized only then that the black Agumon appeared to have no memories of his past incarnation. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

"We shall fly together when the time arises, all three of us," WarGreymon spoke above their heads, looking down at the two of them with a fond gleam in his eyes.

The black Agumon nodded happily, shifting his body slightly until he found a better position he liked, head tucked under Tai's chin and claws slung across his shoulders, squeezing his grip on him more firmly and making familiar thrumming noises in the back of his throat.

"We need some place to lay low for awhile!" Matt called out from beside them. "Someplace the police won't ever think to search for us. Any ideas?"

The answer sprung to the forefront of Tai's mind faster than it should have.

"I know a guy," Tai said reaching for his digivice.

oOo

Jumonji was super stoked on "unlocking a new level on the digi-gizmo" when Tai had hailed him and ecstatic upon seeing WarGreymon's tall and imposing figure up close.

"Gazi, you can evolve into a powerful form like that too someday!" he exclaimed as he and Gazimon fist-bumped each other.

Tai wasn't sure what Gazimon's higher form was and was too tired to think about the probabilities. He had his hands full as he kept having to chase after the black Agumon as he scampered all over the interior of what looked like to be an abandoned shopping mall. It was dusty and dark inside, the only light source was the setting sun coming through the partially-broken windows and the little dinosaur kept tripping over his own feet as if he were still getting used to his awkward, gangly limbs.

Jumonji led him and Matt to what looked like the center of the ground floor of the building and stopped in front of two dead escalators. Off to one side, gathered around a trashcan that had been built into a fire pit warming themselves stood the other members of Jumonji's gang. Kurogawa leered at them and raised one hand in greeting. Tai felt the cut below his eye throb in response.

"Be nice to our guests, boys," Jumonji told his underlings giving Tai a hearty slap on the back that would have sent Joe into a worried tizzy over the vibrations it sent across his spine. "They're giving the badgecaps a run for their money today!"

"Try the past few days as well," Matt snorted situating himself closer to the fire and cradling his right wrist carefully so as not to jostle it.

"Call the rest of your friends, bring 'em here. Meanwhile, I'll get my personal leech to come look you over," Jumonji said taking note of Matt's injury.

"Leech?" Matt asked confused.

"I think he means doctor," Tai said to him not sure how he understood, but it sounded like a slang word the street punks would use.

Jumonji nodded. "We can't just waltz into any hospital after one of our brawls can we, boys? They'd throw us in the clanker for sure. Rest up," he told them before strolling off whistling a jovial tune, Gazimon following and humming off-key beside him.

Matt contacted Izzy first who sounded extremely relieved that Tai had been found and said he would spread the word of to regroup at their location to the others. Tai wanted to know what had happened with Oikawa after his time lapse and Matt couldn't tell him much except that Oikawa's plans had folded through halfway after running into the younger team. He wasn't sure of the exact details except that T.K. had sounded upset relating the news to him and if they wanted a clearer version of events they had to wait until the others arrived to explain.

They waited mostly in silence, munching on a few snacks the gang members had shared with them. Well, Matt and Gabumon ate. The black Agumon seemed more interested in trying to touch the flickering flames that blazed from the trash can and Tai kept having to slap his claws away to keep from being burned.

"But… pretty!" the black Agumon huffed, his bottom teeth jutting out from his lip in a pout.

"Yeah and they're pretty hot too so don't touch," Tai said feeling like he was revisiting his younger years as an older sibling and explaining the rules of life to Kari.

Matt's eyes widened as he realized. "He doesn't… remember?"

Tai shook his head. "I don't know what happened in the portal, but it's like he's been reset."

"What did happen down there?" Matt asked looking curious.

Tai shrugged not wanting to talk about it. The portrait within the tunnel still frightened him thinking on it. How their bond had wanted to unravel and reach through it…

"It was just really dark," Tai said evasively. "How did you get me out?"

"WarGreymon said for us to call out your name. He said it would strengthen the connection—I assume it had something to do with the threads. I didn't see anything but all of sudden WarGreymon thrust his arm down into the portal and then dragged you both out. And he was like that…"

Matt's gaze fell to the black Agumon who had found a bottle cap on the ground and was busy rolling it away before pouncing on it like some over-enthusiastic puppy. The gang members laughed at his antics and dug in their pockets for other trinkets to amuse him with. One pulled out a yo-yo and demonstrated a few tricks before handing it over for the small dinosaur to try. He ended up limbs trapped in a tangled ball of string and letting out a distressed keening cry. Tai tried to unravel him but couldn't find the starting point to all the knots so Gabumon had to cut through the string entirely.

The black Agumon took off without a word of thanks setting out to explore the broader expanse of the floor on his own. Tai didn't feel like going after him so he decided to just keep an eye out and hope he didn't get into any more trouble.

"Is WarGreymon not going to join us?" Gabumon asked looking up past the escalators to the upper part of the building.

Tai followed his line of sight to see WarGreymon standing like a sentry on the second floor. He thought about calling out to him but stopped. If had wanted to be down there with them, with him, he would have already done so. Tai wasn't sure he understood WarGreymon's thought process. Hadn't he created this dual bond to bring them all closer? Why did he feel further away now than before?

"Matt! Tai!" Sora's voice echoed across the vast, empty space. They both jerked their heads up at the sound of their names to see her and Mimi making their way over to them, Joe and Izzy trailing not too far behind them.

Matt got up to greet her, meeting her halfway and surprising her by reeling her in with a one-handed hug. Sora leaned into his embrace, petting the back of his hair softly.

A strangled cry erupted next to his ear that had Tai near jumping out of his skin as Jumonji appeared from behind him sputtering incredulously. "Are you just gonna let him steal your woman like that!?"

Tai cracked a wry grin, grateful he had something to truly smile over. "Sorry, I wasn't entirely truthful before. Me and the abazure are still together. I'm addicted to crazy."

"You are a very brave person, Taichi," Jumonji said in a serious tone after he had recovered from the shock.

"Yes, I am."

Tai watched as Jumonji's eyes darted from Sora to linger over Mimi for a few moments too many. "Don't bother," he advised. "She's not your type. She likes nerdy boys who speak binary and sleep with their laptops clutched tight."

Jumonji only looked disappointed for a brief second before his expression cleared. "Well a woman may be beautiful but she still only ties you down in the end. Me and Gazi are blazing a path to achieving a higher power! We don't need any more obstacles!"

"Good for you."

"My leech says he's on his way over, so sort out which of you have battle-wounds. He's a busy man." Jumonji turned to his gang who were loitering about the fire. "Alright, gear up, you lazy louts! Shindou's been talking shit about us and we gotta put him and the rest of his minions in their rightful place!"

A chorus of excited cheers shook the walls of the abandoned mall as the gang members thirst for blood was stirred up. Tai was a bit relieved to see them leave especially with the amount of switchblades and aluminum bats they pulled out. They would have intimidated the younger kids who had yet to arrive.

"Aozaki, you stay behind," Jumonji ordered one scruffy-haired youth in an oversized maroon hoodie. "Keep a look out over this place."

Aozaki scowled obviously displeased at missing out on the action. "You want me to baby-sit?"

"I don't want any of Shindou's spies sniffing around while we're away and finding our hide-out," Jumonji corrected him. "Don't worry about our guests. They can take care of themselves. You contact me if you spot anything suspicious. Your job is just as vital as us bashing some heads in."

Aozaki's chest puffed out in pride. "You can count on me, boss!"

Jumonji clapped him heavily on the arm and winked at Tai. "Don't summon any demons before I get back, Taichi, haha!"

Tai forced a weak smile at that, reminding himself Jumonji had no way of knowing what had happened and glad the others were half-way across the room too far away to hear because he felt Matt would have jumped him for that comment, injured wrist and all.

"Don't kill anyone," Tai responded flatly.

"I can't beat them up again if they're dead," Jumonji replied just as serious before he turned and left.

"Was that Jumonji?" he heard Mimi say as she and the others drew closer. "I would have liked to meet him. Oh, Tai!" she cried throwing herself down on the ground next to him and hugging him. "You're alright! You had us so worried!"

"I'm fine," Tai said, struggling to remove her arms. He felt too mentally exhausted to handle her high-spirited emotions right now.

Mimi got the hint and let her arms drop. "What happened? We looked for you forever!"

The others had stopped in front of them waiting for an answer. They didn't know about the time lapses, Tai realized. He looked at Matt who nodded. Tai took a deep breath before he explained.

They were concerned of course, but seemed just as confused about the whole ordeal as he was, most especially because he had vanished off the digivices for almost eight hours straight.

"You had to have gone somewhere," Izzy frowned. "You can't have just stayed on the harbor for hours. It's winter. You would have froze."

"Well, I don't remember," Tai snapped at him. "I blinked and I was there. I have bigger things to worry about than missing pieces of time right now."

Izzy looked skeptical at that. "Like what?"

Then a small black shape melted out of the darkness, barreling through his friends and the other Digimon to skid to a halt in front of him and to drop of all things, a dead rat into his lap. The small dinosaur's lips curled into a crinkly-toothed grin as he head-butted him in the chest and rumbled low in his throat seeking praise.

"Is that BlackWarGreymon?" Sora asked in a strangled voice.

"I told you it was complicated," Matt said.

Tai sighed and tossed the rat to one side by its tail wincing at Mimi's shrill shriek as he touched it. He placed one hand on the black Agumon's head, this simple act seeming to please the small dinosaur who leaned into his touch and closed his eyes in pleasure. Tai looked at his friends who were all wearing similar expressions of astonishment minus Matt who just looked as drained and weary as he felt.

"Please tell me you've brought some good news because I've had a freaking day."

oOo

They did in fact, not bring good news. Or rather, they brought no news at all as it were the younger kids who had the jarring task of explaining their disturbing encounter with Oikawa when they at last stumbled in looking upset and exhausted.

Cody made a beeline straight to Izzy and lips curled down tight, demanded in a strained voice that he needed to call his grandfather.

"I told you already, we can't call anyone," Izzy began the same old speech again. "The authorities are probably monitoring any incoming calls to our families. They will find out our location based off the ping from the nearest cell phone to—"

"Oikawa knew my dad!" Cody exploded effectively silencing the tirade. The boy's face was pinched and white and his hands were clenched into small fists at his side. "He said they were best friends. I need to kn-know…" he stuttered on the last sentence as if he were ashamed. "I have to know if my dad was g-good person… because what Oikawa has done is unforgiveable!"

T.K. stepped up behind him and laid a consoling hand on his shoulder. He filled the rest of the older kids on the blank slates of the day. T.K. and Cody had been following one of the Spore Children, a girl called Noriko. They had already encountered her before and she was the one who initially bragged about the secret meeting place. They had tried to convince her to tell them where it was and she had only laughed at them. It all started to go downhill when Oikawa had showed up seemingly out of nowhere, his usual mocking jests cut off when he spotted the surname etched onto Cody's bag. Then had come the unlikely revelation that he had been friends with Cody's father growing up before he had warned them to turn around and leave. Oikawa never had given them leeway for retreat before, seeming all too happy to watch them chase after him and struggle heedlessly of any repercussions. But this time he seemed different, distracted or maybe disturbed by the notion of them sticking around for whatever plan he had concocted. Their very presence appeared to shake him, even if he quickly brushed it off as the Dark Spore inside Noriko's body blossomed into a Dark Flower that Oikawa harvested before throwing the girl aside.

"She was in pain," Yolei hissed angrily. "She was screaming and in pain and he just used her to get what he wanted and discarded her like a piece of trash!"

"I ran at him," Cody said, his gaze distant remembering. "I just wanted to hit him for what he had done, the lies he had told me about my dad. But then…"

"He screamed at him not get any closer," T.K. spoke up when Cody trailed off. "That he didn't want him to get hurt. Then he started clutching at his head and talking to himself… it was weird… like he had split personalities…"

"Then all these portals started popping up around us and Oikawa looked really frustrated by them," Kari said. "He started shouting something about 'all this interference will not hinder me from my objective' and then just took off."

"We tried to follow him but it was too dangerous with all the portals," Davis admitted reluctantly, one arm slung around Ken's shoulders. "It was like a game of whack-a-mole: they were everywhere! We got Noriko home safe though. And I guess whatever Oikawa had planned for today never happened because we ran into some other Spore Children later and they weren't exactly happy to see us."

Then Tai realized Davis didn't just have his arm around Ken for friendship's sake. The boy was leaning heavily against him, head lolling slightly with a dark liquid trickling from beneath his hairline down his cheek.

Joe was at his side in an instant, sweeping the bangs away from his face to reveal a nasty gash across his forehead.

"They called him a traitor and threw rocks," Wormmon supplied from his perch on the back of Ken's sweater, nuzzling his partner's neck. "Poor Ken."

"I deserve it," Ken said softly, eyes downcast.

"How many times do we need to go through this? No you don't!" Davis exclaimed.

"They're suffering now because of me, because of this cursed thing in my body," Ken sounded utterly wretched. "It'd be better if I never existed—"

"Did you really just say that?" Yolei shrieked enraged. "Davis, smack him for me!"

"No, don't!" Joe barked as Davis raised his hand whose angry expression matched the rest of his teammates. "No sudden movements of the head at all! I don't know how deep the gash is and he might have a concussion!

"If he's not yet, we'll give him one," T.K. muttered under his breath, before raising his voice. "You can't change past mistakes. You can only change the future. So bear through the pain and your guilt and let us fix things together."

Ken peered at his friends through unfocused eyes and nodded once, the abrupt motion enough to make him buckle to his knees dizzily, dragging Davis down with him.

"I said no head movements! Look, you're bleeding more now!"

Cody turned back to Izzy, his expression determined. "I really need to call my grandfather."

Tai thought it was possible that the younger kids might have had a worst day than he had.

"Is that BlackWarGreymon?!" Davis shouted catching sight of the small black dinosaur curled up in Tai's arms.

It might be a tie actually.

oOo

Izzy gave in to Cody's relentless persistence on a phone call. Aozaki had given him one of his several burner phones and told him to throw it away after use. T.K. had vouched to go along with Cody and the two were going to ride on Pegasusmon to a safe enough distance away to make the call. It was evening now and dark enough that they could probably avoid being spotted by the casual onlooker if they kept to the shadows of the taller buildings.

Matt wasn't a huge fan of the idea obviously, but Izzy insisted perhaps they could uncover some information on Oikawa this way. If what the man claimed was true, if he had been friends with Cody's father, perhaps Cody's grandfather would give them some insight into the inner workings of his mind. That, and Izzy was concerned over the fact that Oikawa was not registering on the facial scanner programs he had rigged around the city. No pings had been set off since Oikawa had vanished after harvesting the Dark Flower from Noriko. It was like the man had vanished completely off the radar for the past few hours. Like Tai had.

T.K. had promised his brother they'd be careful and then they had took off into the night. Matt didn't have too long to fret over their absence because soon after that, Jumonji's leech finally showed up.

The man looked to be in his late twenties, with a thick and bulky build pronounced through his clothing even before he took his winter coat off exposing the brawny muscles in his arms. He told them to call him Kuma, and with his wiry brown hair and scraggly beard, he did resemble a bear close enough. He had a gruff voice but seemed to have a soft spot for children as he spoke more gently once he noticed how young they all were.

"Jumonji just said to come over and patch his new friends up," Kuma said around the butt end of the cigarette in his mouth as he eyed them over. "I thought he meant new gang members that got initiated. He didn't mention shearing any sheep."

"Sheep?" Mimi repeated.

"Sheep," Kuma said again pointing around at the older kids. "Lambs," he said, his finger sliding across the younger children before circling around to Aozaki who was skulking in background. "Trash panda."

"Oi, watch yourself, old man!" Aozaki hissed red-faced.

Kuma ignored him, his gaze dropping onto Matt's arm that still strung up in his scarf, the most visible injury. "Broken?" he inquired with a smooth exhale of smoke.

"I don't know," Matt said quietly. "It hurts to move it too much."

"Mmmm," the man grunted. "I'll save you for last. Anyone bleeding?"

"Here, here!" Wormmon waved both antennae at him frantically, brushing Ken's bangs back to reveal the bandage Joe had wrapped around his head in an effort to stop the flow of blood. Even now, the red was seeping through the cloth.

Kuma showed no sign of alarm at the sight of Wormmon. Perhaps he had already met Gazimon or now was too fazed by the so-called alien invasion going on around the world that he just accepted the fact that talking monsters were the new normal.

He set his black medical bag down beside Ken and gently started to peel away the bloodied bandage. He paused half-way through, his eyes darting towards the female members of the group. "Anyone squeamish over open wounds better make themselves scarce. I suspect this one will need stitches."

"Who's hungry?" Sora said in a falsely bright tone as she got up and walked across the room to the far end, carrying the bag filled with food and supplies. The rest of girls and their partners followed her. Izzy waited three more seconds then mumbled an embarrassed "excuse me" and bolted after them, Tentomon buzzing alongside him.

Kuma had removed the bandage now and busy inspecting the gash, dabbing at the blood with a compress as it continued to well out. "Who wrapped you up?" he asked Ken.

"I did," Joe spoke up, face flushing red nervously. "I didn't know what else to do. I know it's not the best, the wound is really deep, but I'm not experienced enough—"

"You did a good job," Kuma commented, putting his cigarette out on the ground. "You cleaned it and wrapped it up tight enough to stop any serious blood loss. You've made my job one step easier. All I have to do is numb the area and sew him up. You ain't scared of needles and thread, are you, boy?"

Ken managed a weak smile. "There are worse things in the world to fear."

"Out of the mouth of babes," Kuma said looking impressed. "Right, hold still. This will only sting for a little bit."

Time seemed to slow down after that. Tai stopped focusing at on the present moment and allowed his mind to wander. He tried making sense of everything that had happened. He still didn't know how BlackWarGreymon had reverted to this Rookie form that lay now sleeping in his lap. He didn't know why the small dinosaur had lost his memories or when or if ever he would gain them back. He didn't understand why WarGreymon was purposefully distancing himself from them both. Even the small flame at the back of his head now felt more like a cooling spark of ember than a warm glow. He thought of reaching across the golden line that stretched between them but the fear that WarGreymon might refuse to reach back outweighed the idea.

He was jolted out of his reverie by Joe exclaiming praises over Kuma's performance on the stitching. There was a lot of medical jargon thrown around that sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie but Kuma appeared delighted that there was another person that understood his lingo.

"Anyone else hurt besides blondie here?" Kuma asked.

Joe halted his shower of admiration to shoot Tai that Evil Glinty Glasses stare that would make a weaker man quake in his shoes. "Do you have another injury to add your collection today?"

Wow, rude, Tai thought. "No."

Of course Kuma still have to give him a quick physical once Joe explained. He had a couple of questions naturally.

"The back brace?"

"Got thrown into a support column."

"These puncture marks?"

"Got tasered by a psychopath."

"This beauty mark under your eye?"

"One of Jumonji's goons said hello. "

Kuma laughed, tousling a meaty hand in his hair. "And you're that kid who was on the news and summoned that demon! No wonder Jumonji likes you! Trouble-makers, both of you, haha!"

Tai saw Matt tense and shook his head at him from beneath Kuma's hand, hoping to deter him from any irrational acts of defense on his part.

That was put to the test when Kuma found out how Matt had injured his wrist.

"Nothing wrong with a friendly tussle between friends," Kuma remarked when they gave him the rough version of events minus the whole possession thing. "One time me and my high-school buddy were brawling for fun and I cracked his jaw in half. He had to get surgery and sip liquid food through a straw for months. We still laugh about it today." He ran his hands gingerly over Matt's wrist up his forearm. "It feels like a clean break. It's almost like the bones were snapped at the exact joints."

Tai shuddered feeling sick all of sudden. "Please don't phrase it that way."

Matt looked really furious now, like he was refraining from launching himself at Kuma through sheer will-power. It wasn't Kuma's fault though. He didn't know all the details.

Kuma sat back on his heels debating internally before speaking. "Still, I can't reset the bones back in place until I see the x-rays. You'll have to come with me."

"I'm not going to a hospital!"

"Of course not. I have a medical safe-house around this area. Sometimes Jumonji's gang gets beat up in a bad way. I can't carry thousands of pounds of machinery in this black bag. Joe here tells me you're an aspiring musician. If you want to pursue that career then don't endanger your cash cow any longer," Kuma said pointing to Matt's wrist which was now twice its usual size and the red skin had morphed into a mottled purple color.

The angry expression slipped off Matt's face replaced with a conflicted, worried one. He didn't want to leave, Tai realized, but it was ridiculous to think that only he could prevent any further mishap from befalling his friend.

"I'll be fine, Matt. I have extra protection now, remember?" Tai said issuing to the black Agumon slumbering in his lap and then to WarGreymon who was patrolling the second floor.

"Okay," Matt conceded reluctantly.

"Please allow me to go with you!" Joe cried, offering his services with no humility. "This whole underground doctor scene is something that is quite intriguing and a field that I think deserves to be observed for practices in real life when the unexpected overwhelms the norm!"

"Like the aliens invading?" Kuma said, finally calling out the elephant in the room as he looked around at all their partners.

"They're called Digimon," Davis bit out stiffly from beside Ken.

"So this one says," Kuma jerked his head towards Tai before standing up. "Right, let's go before the night disappears. I have other patients to see after you."

Matt headed over to Sora to explain where he would be going and Kuma followed to make sure none of the girls were injured either. Joe stood among those who remained: Tai, Ken, and Davis, and gave them the weary stink-eye of disapproval and pleading.

"Just… don't move for the next hour, alright?" He walked away, bag slung over his shoulder and rubbing his temples with both hands. "Sedate them. I should sedate them all…"

Joe was going to wield so much power as a doctor it would be downright scary.

It was quiet after they left. The girls and Izzy didn't return to their side of the room. Aozaki had dragged another trash can from the back and turned it into another roaring bonfire for them. They were all situated around it now chatting with him and warming their hands by the flames as their partners scrounged on snacks. Perhaps they thought it best to give the wounded time alone to rest.

Ken's face was a pasty white color contrasting sharply with the dark of his hair. The black line of stitches gleamed in the fire's light not inconspicuous at all. If they ever were cleared of all charges of treason and came out of hiding, the genius boy's fangirls were going to cry at the sight of his perfect polished face being marred.

"Hey, you doing ok?" Davis whispered as Ken drew his knees up to his chest so he could lay his head across them, his stitched side tilted upwards.

"Could you bring me something to eat?" Ken mumbled, closing his eyes.

"On it!" Davis said springing to his feet. "Want anything, Taichi-sempai?"

Tai shook his head watching as Davis bounded over to the girls with Veemon fast at his heels.

"I'm sorry," Ken said so quietly that Tai almost didn't hear him. When he turned back to him, Ken was sitting cross-legged and head up, face still white but not looking nearly as fatigued as before.

An act, Tai thought.

"For what?" he asked. Did Ken still blame himself over the whole Daemon incident? He had no control over that.

"For what I did to Agumon back in the Digital World when I was Emperor… I'm sorry."

Tai blinked. Honestly, this confession would have been soundly well-received maybe a couple of months ago, not that it wasn't now, it was just… he had far too many other things on his plate to hold grudges on by-gone errors in moral judgment.

"If I were still angry with you over that I guarantee your face would have felt it by now, not that I think it can take much more punishment," Tai tried brushing the apology off as a joke. Maybe the numbing injection had made Ken a little loopy and he had forgotten the current flow of time.

Ken started to shake his head before catching himself with a wince. "I wanted to apologize for a long time now, even when we last talked, but there were more important things to discuss then."

"Um, I'm not sure how to break it to you, but things haven't changed much since then. You are forgiven, by the way," Tai said not having the energy to hear Ken ramble on another pent-up guilt trip. "I don't know if Kari or T.K. told you yet, but believe it or not, you're not the only person who thought the Digital World was one massive video game and forced their partner to digivolve wrong."

Ken's eyes widened slightly at his words, but that could have just been the lidocaine pulsing under his skin.

"That… not it…" he was slurring a little, struggling to get the point across. "If you hadn't gotten the Dark Ring off, things could have gone bad. Really bad. You've felt it before. We're the only ones who know how it feels…" his half-lidded eyes darted to the black Agumon then at Wormmon both who were sleeping. "The severed connection…"

That horrible moment of aching loneliness, the gaping void growing larger inside of him every waking second, the sheer despair at the knowledge he would never be happy again… the memory came rushing back all too vibrant and Tai swallowed the bile in his throat and sub-consciously hugged the small dinosaur in his arms more tightly.

Ken noticed the motion. A brief flash of pity passed over his face. "If it must be done…"

"It won't come to that," Tai cut him off quickly, not liking where this conversation was headed.

"You don't know that. My connection was restored and I recovered. But BlackWarGreymon is different. He's made out of Control Spires—"

"He's as real as you and me! As real as Agumon and Wormmon! How can you say that?"

"Don't you see?" Ken burst out. "I can't afford to think of BlackWarGreymon as a living Digimon! Because… because… if all Control Spires have a spark of life in them… then, then what have we been doing all this time?!"

Ken was breathless, looking on the verge of a panic attack. The younger kids had only felt comfortable destroying Control Spire Digimon, Tai reminded himself. Ken seemed mortified at the thought he and the others had been heedlessly destroying what they had assumed were brain-dead Digimon.

Then BlackWarGreymon had come along, and with him nothing but reasoning and anguish and fucking Plato.

Tai had no problems believing BlackWarGreymon was anything less than intelligent. Ken looked like he believed it too, he was just in denial.

"I understand the need to take out truly evil ones like SkullSatamon and Daemon, but the others…" Ken took a breath to compose himself. "What if they were on a lower level of consciousness than BlackWarGreymon? He's made out of a hundred Control Spires. Perhaps that's why he's so high-functioning and possesses rational thought processing. What if they were still capable of mental growth but we never gave them a chance to develop?"

Ken's head swayed slightly and he turned a shade even whiter if that was possible. It didn't look like he was acting now. "I don't know why I was chosen," he clutched at his head careful to mind the stitching. "I should have never been a Digidestined. I've caused you all nothing but trouble. I've brought chaos and ruin down upon the Digital World; opened gateways that should never have been touched and led us all here under these circumstances."

Tai couldn't help but feel sorry for him, at how much guilt he must be burdening himself with every day. Yet he also understood how exasperated T.K. and the others felt if he went off on tangents like this sporadically.

"Don't try playing the martyr now. You can't undo what's been done. This chain of events has been set into motion and we have no other option than to put it back on track. Help him." Tai placed a hand on the small of the black Agumon's back. "We can find a solution without destroying him. You of all people should be in favor of giving others second chances."

If he had wanted to jar Ken out of his morose gloom, he had succeeded. An odd sort of calmness crept into Ken's eyes. The weariness in his voice seemed to fade as he spoke in a brusque tone and stared straight into his soul. "I should know better than anyone when recognizing something with utter darkness in their origin. I'm not afraid to make sacrifices to ensure any such creations of evil are forever destroyed. At the very least, we could conduct this act of mercy in the Digital World—"

"SHUT UP!"

Tai was on his feet in an instant, the small dinosaur tumbling out of his lap with a confused grunt. His hands dug into the material of Ken's sweater as he hauled the boy off the floor. Wormmon fell off his partner's shoulder with a surprised 'oof!' Tai's fists shook slightly as a cool rage swept over him.

Ken made no effort to break free. He simply stood there arms dangling limp at his sides, that perfectly stoic mask plastered tightly over his face.

"The portals need to be sealed off. If he truly has a spark of life within him then he would regenerate there, wouldn't he?"

Tai hated that mask, hated everything about Ken in that moment, because every word he had spoken rang with an air of truth in it. Had Ken wanted some physical retaliation from his end earlier? He would gladly punch him now…

"Hey, what's going on?"

Davis appeared over Ken's shoulder, concern etched into his voice as he look between the two of them nervously.

Tai let go of Ken abruptly and shoved past them without a further word, his face dark and furious.

"That looked intense. What were you guys talking about?" he heard Davis ask behind him.

"I was speaking the truth," Ken said cool as ever. "He didn't want to listen."

oOo

Tai strode through the depths of the abandoned mall not sure where he was going just that he couldn't bear to be in the same vicinity as Ken one second longer. He heard the sounds of shuffling behind indicating he was being followed but since it was accompanied by the click-clack of claws on the tiles, he didn't rebuke his pursuer.

He finally stopped when he reached the end of the mall and was faced with the metal gate pulled down on the empty store in front of him. He sat down the edge of what looked like it used to be a pool-bed of water. There was still some one-yen coins and green-crusted algae at the bottom.

Tai lurched forward slightly as he was head-butted from behind from his small shadow. He didn't budge or turn around so the black Agumon finally sidled around to his front to stare up at him with inquisitive golden eyes.

"It's not so sparkly anymore," the small dinosaur said touching one claw-tip to Tai's forehead. "In here."

Tai thought he knew what he meant. "I'm upset," he said, feeling the cooling ember at the back of his mind grow dimmer. "I don't know what to do anymore."

A low rumbling spilled from the black Agumon's throat as he rested his chin on Tai's knee. "Will the sparklies come back if you did know?"

"Probably not. I'd just feel worse," Tai admitted. If they had to destroy BlackWarGreymon and he was forced to make that decision… it felt better to wallow in his anger right now than reflecting on what the correct course of action would be for the greater good.

"Hmmm, we should go flying again. It was all warm and golden back then!"

WarGreymon, BlackWarGreymon and him, the three of them with nothing but a clear horizon and bright sunlight, with no worries that waited for them back on the ground to thwart their flight together. Tai felt the ember rekindle into flame for a brief moment at the thought.

"See?" the black Agumon thrummed feeling the sensation as well. "You feel better!"

Tai stroked the smooth skin of his head fondly. "You're smart for a little guy! Hey, you should have a name. Do you have anything you prefer to be called by?"

A frown-line creased between the small dinosaur's brow. "Gazi said I'm an Agumon, but the others don't seem comfortable calling me that."

Tai could relate with them on that. If felt weird to think of this chibi version of BlackWarGreymon as Agumon or even BlackAgumon.

"Well, how 'bout a nickname?"

"Don't need one," the small dinosaur sulked pressed his face into Tai's chest. "I'm yours, you're mine. That's all that matters."

Tai felt his heart skip a beat as he paused his stroking. "But it will get confusing when we need to address each other…" he finally said with a strange hitch in his voice.

Auuuggghghauuurrghghrr…

A gurgling sound erupted from the dinosaur's stomach breaking the spell and Tai laughed. "Yeah, like that! Agu-Agu!"

The black Agumon lifted his head to think about it before his lips curved into a smile. "I like it."

"Does this mean you're hungry, Agu-Agu?"

"My tummy is hurting. The furball didn't taste very good."

What? Oh, the rat, Tai thought trying not to gag.

"I guess we could head back to the others and see what they have to eat."

Tai would have preferred not to. He wanted to be alone for a bit longer, but he was also afraid that in his absence Ken might sway more of the group to his side of thinking. He stood up with a sigh.

"Gazi calls his partner 'Jumonjimon'. Should I call you 'Taichimon'?"

Tai looked down to see Agu-Agu giving him a sly stare like he understood the concept that humans and Digimon were two separate species yet found the idea extraordinarily funny.

Tai snorted. "Sure, if you want."

Actually he was sort of relieved. The memory of a small orange dinosaur gazing up at him with adoration shining in his green eyes and uttering a soft "Tai" made his chest hurt. He pushed the thought away quickly and began retracing his way back to the others.

"Oh, and Agu-Agu?"

"Yes, Taichimon?"

"No more eating rats."

oOo

T.K. and Cody had returned from making their phone call. They were huddled around Izzy speaking in low tones. Tai supposed they would let everyone know what they had found out sooner or later. Matt and Joe still hadn't come back. Davis and Ken had moved to join everyone else as their own fire had died down. Tai made a wide berth around them to slide in next to his sister who handed him a granola bar without a word. Tai stared at it, his stomach unimpressed, before un-wrapping it and handing it to Agu-Agu.

The small dinosaur ate one bite before spitting it out. "The furball was better."

At least it made him laugh.

"How did he get this way?" Kari asked.

"We fell into a portal. He came out like that," Tai said giving a vague reply. He really didn't know how to explain it when he wasn't sure himself. "He has no memories."

"Maybe it's for the best," Kari said her eyes traveling over to Gatomon who was conversing with Patamon. "Sometimes I've wondered what she'd be like without her darker past. I'd think she'd be happier… smile more."

"Taichimon," Agu-Agumon cried, tugging at his coat. "My throat is all dry! My tongue feels heavy."

"It's called being thirsty, buddy."

"I thought my name was Agu-Agu?"

"Taichimon and Agu-Agu?" Mimi cooed pressing in closely. "You two are so cute!"

"You two seem to be getting along well, at least," Sora said offering them their choice of drinks from her bag.

Tai was glad no one knew that BlackWarGreymon had tried to cause him serious bodily harm hours earlier.

"Little guy has a better temperament than his other form," Tai said, taking two bottles. "Hey, Agu-Agu, does the name Plato mean anything to you?"

Agu-Agu tapped his chin with one claw as he thought. "No, why?"

"Nothing," Tai said as a choir of angelic voices began heralding inside his head. "It's just this day is maybe not so bad after all."

He untwisted the cap from one of the bottles to check if it was fizzy. When no air bubbles escaped, he knew it was safe. "Ok, here you go."

Agu-Agu took several greedy gulps before eyeing Tai's own drink he had opened. "Yours is… hissing."

"Yeah, it sort of burns you while you drink it," Tai said through a swig of melon soda. "You could choke if you're not careful."

"Why take that chance?"

"Humans are attracted to danger. Also it tastes good."

"Let me try!"

Tai already knew what would happen. But it had been a long day for everyone and he felt any small measure of amusement would be greatly appreciated. So he knelt down next to the small dinosaur, handed him the soda and waited for the inevitable.

"Burns, it b-burnsss!" Agu-Agu wailed after spewing out the fizzy liquid all over Tai's face and getting a good cackling fit out of Sora, Mimi and Kari.

Tai felt bad though when tiny beads of moisture collected in the corners of Agu-Agu's eyes and the trapped fizzy liquid that had not escaped his mouth began dribbling out of his two nostrils mingling with dino-snot. Gathering the small dinosaur in his arms, he took a corner of his coat and started wiping at the sticky mucus from his partner's snout.

"Big breath and blow," he said.

He might have forgotten that his partner was capable of breathing fire which also shot from the nostrils if the mouth itself was closed. His coat went up in a blazing glory of flames. For once in his life, all those redundant stop, drop, and roll fire drill sessions his school had made him sit through were put to good use.

"My coat," Tai squeaked in disbelief holding up the tattered, smoldering remains.

Kari poured a water bottle over head to douse the strands of his hair which were still singeing.

Then everybody laughed themselves silly while Tai had a private pity party because dammit, he loved that coat!

Agu-Agu sniffled and shuffled over to him like a repentant dog and circled his claws around his waist. "Sorry," he mumbled, burying his face into his chest.

Tai rubbed the small of his back without hesitation offering him the comfort he sought. A familiar thrumming vibrated over his skin as Agu-Agu expressed his pleasure. A warm touch, feather-soft and bright reached across the golden link in a gesture of affection.

Tai looked up to where WarGreymon was on the second floor, seeing no visible difference in his stance, but feeling the ember in his mind burst into little darting flickers of flame.

"The sparklies are back," Agu-Agu hummed happily.

Why did Tai still feel so somber then like a piece of himself was missing? Why did WarGreymon still not come down to them?

Sudden movement to his right made him let his gaze drop. Gatomon stood only a few feet away to stare at him and the small, black dinosaur, pity reflected in the blue of her eyes which were hazy as she peered at something he could not see.

When a question formed on Tai's lips, she only shook her head.

"Ask me tomorrow," Gatomon said before slinking back into the shadows.

To Be Continued…

A/N: It's been a couple of months, aaaahhhh! Now it's not so crazy and I can write more often. This chapter had more scenes but I had to cut them to put in the next one or else this chapter would be very, very long, and while I'm sure you all wouldn't mind that, I would like some feedback from you all on what I have so far.

More Tai and Ken talks! I had wanted them to talk more a couple of chaps again but it didn't fit there. Ya'll they have so much similar experiences they need to bond over. Don't be all mad at Ken. As close to a mental breakdown he was having, he was trying to be logical about their whole situation. As for 'creations of evil' don't be so quick to assume he was referring to BlackWarGreymon if you catch my drift. Poor kid needs therapy. Friendship is great and all, but he needs actual therapy over many issues.

Also, last chap, I received several reviews something along the extent of "thank you for the happy conclusion to the BlackWarGreymon arc!" Oh you sweet summer children… did I say it was over? The Tai angst train has just gone off the rails and ain't gonna stop until this fic ends.

If you have any questions or theories, just voice them in a review. Or if you have a favorite scene you can tell me that or what made you laugh if you don't know what else to say. I love knowing what parts you liked best. Until, the next update, my lovely readers!