Chapter 13
A stream of morning light flowed through the room and landed on the eyes of a rousing young man. Tai sighed into his pillow as he rolled over on his side. Griff just had to leave the windows open every morning, didn't he? Tai cracked an eye open to see what time it was only to find a blank stonewall instead of the usual blue, painted wooden one. Both of his eyes snapped open as he realized he wasn't in his room. As he slowly lifted himself into a sitting position the covers slid form his bare chest, drawing his attention to his nakedness. Suddenly, the activities of the night before came racing back to him so fast he almost felt ill. Peeking over his shoulder confirmed his fears; Moira lay next to him sleeping, equally as naked.
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...' Tai thought panicking, 'Gennai is going to kill me... aargh... forget Gennai—Shiva's going to kill me!'
Slowly, taking care not to wake the other occupant of the bed, Tai swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. He glanced over his shoulder after he shakily stood up from the bed to make sure Moira was still asleep. A few strands of her crimson locks fell over her face and her features lost their usual impious look, leaving her looking more innocent (and quite appealing to him). He knew he had to leave, but watching her sleep so peacefully left him yearning to get back in bed with her, cradle her to his chest, and run his fingers through her long, soft hair.
'No! Bad Tai!'
Tai shook all inner 'Taro' thoughts from his mind as he pulled on his discarded boxers that were thrown on the floor. He then went in search of the kaki pants he was wearing as a human and the dark blue t-shirt. After running his hand through his hair he realized, with amusement, that his hair tie had come out sometime during the night and was most likely somewhere lost in the ruffled bed sheets. He glanced back at the sleeping beauty and quickly erased any thoughts of attempting to search for it after picturing how she would react to being woken up. Nope, not worth the risk.
He was just preparing to leave he briefly remembered the heavy object that Moira placed on the dresser the night before. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tai quietly tiptoed over to the bureau for a peek. His eyes widened as the unknown object turned out to be none other than the prophecy. This was too easy. Tai stole another glance at Moira to make sure she was still asleep before carefully lifting it from its resting place and creeping towards the door.
Biting his lip Tai slowly opened the door, just enough for him to slip through. Once on the other side he shut it just as slowly, hoping against hope it wouldn't-
CREEEAAAAK
The squelching noise bounced along the stonewalls, echoing and making it ten times as loud. Without even looking to see if anyone was disturbed by it, Tai shut the door the rest of the way and sprinted towards the exit. As he raced down the halls he noticed that the usual guards were not at their posts and figured it must have been too early in the morning be on duty. In about five minutes flat Tai found himself at the main doors at which he entered. After one last glance around him to ensure his lack of company, he stepped outside.
The rising sun was the first thing that Tai saw after he closed the massive, yet silent, door behind him. Hovering his left hand over his eyes to shade them while cradling the prophesy in his right, Tai scanned the area for any resistance to his departure. He smiled in satisfaction as he strode across the property of Bastion hall without any interference. This may be too easy—but he wasn't going to complain. He knew he looked like hell. His mussed hair was down from its usual ponytail, his clothes were wrinkled and haphazard, he was still sore from the abuse he took from Matt the previous day (since his human body didn't allow him to heal quickly), and he was cold as hell!
His train of thought led his trek through the snow right to the portal. Tai let out a chilly breath of air.
'Leave it to Moira to pick out a lair in a frigid setting.' Tai thought rolling his eyes. 'Of course last night she was anything but cold.'
He allowed himself one self-satisfied smirk before he stepped into the portal bound for his home.
BREAK
To put it lightly, Gennai was not happy about their return without the prophecy, especially when he heard the guardians' excuses as to why they couldn't fight.
"What do you mean you were stuck as humans?" Gennai snapped as he stared down three of his four successors.
"She put up bloody wards! They turned us into humans!" Griff answered back angrily. Angela put a soothing hand on his arm to keep his temper in check.
"So why didn't you take off the damn rings?" Gennai said exasperatedly as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
"What the hell does this have to do with the rings?"
"They're the only things that keep you human. No wards can keep you from your natural selves!"
"Well you're the dumbass who didn't explain the inner workings of these bitches!" Shiva said scowling at him and not one to be left out of an argument.
"Don't take that tone with me young lady—"
Angela, seemingly oblivious from the controversy around her began mumbling logic, "She must have found out about our rings... and used the wards to turn them against us..."
Gennai took a deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing slowly.
"Yes, she did. All we can do now is wait and hope Tai makes it out of this okay. I'm going to check on the digidestined."
When first arriving at the coliseum, the Guardians and Gennai had made a show of displaying confidence in Tai's abilities to make it out of his captured state while the digidestined were in their presence. They shooed the lot off to guest rooms where they would undoubtedly spend the rest of the night in an uneasy slumber wondering about their former leader. But that confidence was gone the moment the digidestined left the room.
As soon as Gennai left Shiva jumped from her seat at the kitchen table and began pacing the room.
"I just don't like this... leaving him there." Shiva said frowning.
"Me too, but I know Tai—he's smart. If anyone can make it out of this it's him. And I know that he'll take advantage of this strange connection between him, Taro and Moira and use it to his advantage."
"That's what I'm afraid of—oh! —If only we had taken off the rings!" Shiva continued, completely ignoring Griff, "At least then Tai wouldn't be stuck there with that—that—bitch!"
"Look Shiva, Tai can make it out of this alive-" Angela started.
"-Oh I know he'll make it out alive it's the means I'm worried about!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You don't get it, do you?" Shiva half yelled, finally looking them in the eye, "Why do you think he has such a hard time controlling himself around her—and vise versa? It's because of Taro! It's because of Taro and Moira's relationship before everything happened. They were mated!"
Griff looked at her confused, "What do you mean mated? Like as in married? What the hell does this have to do with Tai's fierce Moira- jumping routine?"
"It's a... uh... demon thing," Shiva said absently.
"Well? You wanna explain it to us?" Angela asked impatiently. Shiva wore a pained expression on her face as if stating she'd rather not. But one look at the resolute stares she was receiving from her friends and she knew she had no choice in the matter.
"okay.... well... when a demon chooses a mate, regardless of their lineage, their souls become bonded and as long as one of them lives the other will as well. That's how demons can choose human mates, not that many would. And if one dies the other will suffer for the rest of their life. They'll sort of feel incomplete and shortly after they'll die as well. And once they choose a mate, they're stuck with them forever. There's no such thing as a divorce with demons." Shiva shuddered as though the mere thought of being stuck with someone for the rest of his or her life was unspeakable.
"But your demon too! Does that mean you can only choose one mate for the rest of your life?" Asked Angela aghast. She knew Shiva was about as indecisive about men as Tai was about women.
"Pshh—hunny- that's why I have a human side. I have the option of marriage or mating."
"Wait! Hold up a minute. So you're saying Moira's a demon?" Griff asked completely confused, "I thought she was a cambion?"
"A cambion is a demon! Remember? She's half succubus and half ice spirit?" Angela informed her boyfriend.
"Uh- right..." Griff said. Clearly he had not remembered. Angela rolled her eyes and muttered 'men' before looking expectantly at Shiva.
"So, explain how Tai got dragged into this."
"Oh yes, well Moira and Taro were mated so when Taro was killed Moira suffered a lot, obviously. And when she was sealed away she was sort of frozen in time and space, that's why she didn't die. As soon as she was reawakened, and Taro's soul was reborn, they were still bonded. Now Tai has the reincarnated soul of Taro so..."
"...It's almost as if Tai and Moira were mated. Tai's soul was bound to Moira's at birth." Angela concluded, "Oh, poor Tai, no wonder he can't control himself around her."
"Damn..." was Griff's only input.
"Oh my god! But don't we have to kill Moira at some point? Won't that end up killing Tai as well?" Asked Angela as she began to panic.
"Heavens no girl," stated Gennai from the doorway. The three guardians turned to look at him. "But Taro's spirit will die away within him; it will still cause him pain."
"How long will the pain last?" Griff asked concerned. Gennai sighed; his age showing as he warily made his way to the table and lowered himself into a chair.
"To tell you the truth I don't know. It will be more of an emotional pain I can tell you that. That feeling of incompleteness which Shiva described to be more exact. For all I know it may linger within him for the rest of his life."
"This isn't fair." Shiva grumbled moodily.
"No, it's not fair, but life's not fair now is it?"
BREAK
Sora woke up from a restless sleep early in the morning. It took her awhile to register where she was. After remembering the events that took place yesterday she felt her chest constrict with anxiety. They had left Tai there, completely unprotected and alone. She remembered the long hours she, Yolie and Mimi spend consoling a sobbing Kari with tears of their own. Looking around she noticed the other girls were still in their beds asleep with the exception of Angela and Shiva. She looked at the clock to see it flashing 6:17 at her in glowing, red letters. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she pulled herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later she came out fully dressed and ready to start the day. She left the room just as Kari was starting to stir. She walked down the deserted hallways, following the scent of brewing coffee to the kitchen. Sora hoped it was Gennai in the kitchen because she was hoping to talk to him.
Much to her disappointment it was the Shiva girl—not Gennai—who was bustling about the kitchen, pulling out mugs from the cabinet.
"Shiva-" Sora started but was silenced when Shiva turned around and put a finger to her lips while frantically pointing towards the table. There, Angela was sitting forwards in one of the chairs with her head in her arms sleeping. Leaning back, sleeping in the chair next to her was Griff; his mouth was open and a little bit of drool was seeping in the corner of his mouth. Both were still in their wrinkled clothes from yesterday.
"Do you need help?" Sora continued her sentence in a whisper. Shiva shook her head and pointed the table, demonstrating that she should seat herself. Sora did so and a few minutes later Shiva brought over a mug of coffee and set it in front of her before taking a seat herself.
"Did you guys stay up here waiting for Tai?" Sora whispered trying to make small talk. Shiva nodded and sipped her coffee.
"I didn't sleep much either. Do you think he's ok?"
Shiva regarded her for a moment.
"He'll survive." She replied quietly. There was something ominous about the way she said it that made Sora want to push the subject further but before she could do so Shiva began talking.
"It won't work between you two."
The abrupt statement left Sora blinking for a moment.
"I don't understand."
"You and Tai. It would never work out."
"I don't want—"
"But you're thinking about it."
Sora remained silent. The truth was, she kept wondering how things would have been if she had chose Tai. Maybe she would have been happier with him than with Matt.
"Tai is not how you think he is. You're looking for a long relationship; a more personal one. Tai couldn't give you that. He's used to flings and one night stands. And he has too many 'friends with benefits' if you know what I mean."
Sora smiled as she realized that she didn't make a mistake after all. She would have been happier with Matt.
"So, I chose right when I chose Matt over Tai that Christmas?" she asked, wanting confirmation.
"Well, I don't know about that..."
"But you said it wouldn't work-"
"-it wouldn't work now, back then Tai was a different person."
The smile fell off Sora's face.
"Wait, are you saying that Tai and I could have been happy together?"
"It's always a possibility." Shiva replied serenely.
"Well, maybe I can help bring out the old Tai? You know, give us another chance." Sora asked hopefully.
Shiva smirked. "Pshh, not gunna happen while I'm around."
Sora scowled at the girl across from her, almost unable to believe the nerve she possessed. She was stealing her best friend from her. It was Shiva who had changed him and Sora had every intention of telling her to back off.
"Hey."
Both girls looked up to the doorway where Matt stood. He walked into the kitchen and put his hands on both of Sora's shoulders from behind. Sora looked up at him innocently.
"Hey hunny" Sora beamed, hoping he didn't hear any of the previous conversation. She looked across the table to see Shiva giving her a knowing look. She got up from the table and came back a second later with three other mugs. One she handed to Matt and the other two she placed in front of Angela and Griff, who were stirring.
"You sleep o.k.?" she asked him.
"No, I'm just too worried about Tai."
"Us too."
Davis, Yolie, Cody, Izzy and Ken walked into the kitchen. A couple seconds later Mimi walked in with an arm around a red-eyed Kari.
"Damn you people..." Shiva grumbled as she went to get even more mugs. It took a couple of trips but she managed to bring seven cups of steaming hot coffee over to the table.
"T-tai's still not here?" Kari asked mournfully. Mimi rubbed her back soothingly.
"I'm afraid not." Angela replied. Kari's eyes filled up with tears again just as Joe walked into the room with his nose in a book closely followed by T.K.. As soon as T.K. saw Kari's sobbing form he rushed to her side. Kari threw herself in his arms and began crying into his chest. Everyone at the table gave her sympathetic looks.
"Jeeze, at the rate we're going we're going to have to start using the decaf." Shiva said disbelievingly as she poured two more cups of coffee.
"Well I hope you have enough for one more cup."
Every head in the kitchen jerked towards the door where a lean figure rested against the frame. His clothes were crinkled and damp from trudging through the snow and his face was lined with weariness. Dark, unruly locks fell over his chocolate, jovial eyes and brushed down to his shoulders. He cast them a rogue smile, drawing attention to the dark stubble coating his jaw.
"Hey Gennai—I left you a present in your room." Gennai, who had been walking past him from behind, gave him a suspicious look and proceeded to his room.
"TAI!" Kari screamed. She sprang from her chair and flew at her brother. Tai wrapped his arms around her sobbing form, thoroughly confused.
"Hey, what's all this?" he asked her quietly ignoring the questions of 'what happened?' and 'are you okay?' from his other friends.
"I thought you were hurt or d-dead." Kari choked out.
"DEAD?" Tai asked in astonishment, "who told you that?"
He automatically glared at Shiva who mustered the most wide eyed, innocent look she could. Kari sniffed and pulled away from him.
"No one, I just didn't know what to think. You were gone all night..."
Tai gulped and looked to the rest of the digidestined. From the hallway a faint cry of 'YES' could be heard form Gennai's room. No one seemed to take note of it.
"Yea Tai, just what took you so long anyways?" Ken inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, it's funny that you mention that...I...uh..." Tai began to stutter as he nervously ran a hand through his hair.
"SCRATCHIES!" Shiva screamed as she leaped upon Tai and began rubbing his chin. Not for the first time in his life, Tai was thankful Shiva was so eccentric. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Griff, Angela and many of the digidestined laughing at her behavior.
"Alright Shiva, I gotta go take a shower." Tai said.
Shiva stopped rubbing his face, looked at him for a moment, and gave him a wicked grin. She glanced back at the crowed behind her deviously.
"Oh, here she goes..." Griff said, reading the warning signs.
Shiva suddenly jumped up and wrapped her legs around Tai's waist forcing him to support her by grabbing her thighs.
"That's because you got real dirty last night, didn't you?" Shiva whispered huskily in his ear. She leaned in and crushed her mouth against his. Tai was far too used to this by now and simply kissed her back. Seconds later Shiva hopped down and playfully shoved him in the direction of the showers. Tai walked down the hallway suddenly realizing he didn't care what his friends thought of him after that.
Laughing, Shiva turned to face the stunned expressions of the digidestined. She delightedly noted the scowl on Sora's face.
"Man he's a good kisser" she breathed, adding insult to injury.
BREAK
After Tai got cleaned up the digidestined decided to stay a couple of more hours before they returned home. They all sat comfortably in the living room with separate discussions going on. On one couch were T.K., Kari (Kari in his lap), Cody and Davis having their own conversation. Across from them were Ken and Izzy in separate armchairs talking about god- knows-what. Angela, Mimi, and Yolie were sitting on a couch discussing boys. Sora was also a part of this conversation although she was sitting on an adjacent couch holding hands with Matt. Also on this couch was Tai with Shiva sitting on his lap sideways, randomly kicking her legs in the air like a showgirl; she seemed absolutely fascinated with her legs (as was Tai). Across from them Joe had an open book in his lap, but was disregarding his studying in favor of conversation. Comfortably reclining in a chair next to him was Griff who had taken it upon himself to fill Tai in on what he missed while he was with Moira. At the moment he was trying to describe how they had to get around a random mammothmon without drawing its unwanted attention.
"...So dumbass (he gestured to Shiva) goes running in the wrong direction. We're running to the forest- following the plan—and we're all like 'yea, we're good'—we turn around, and Shiva—hehehe—Shiva's half way across the God damn plane—hahahahaha—running like mad—HAHAHAHA—" Griff couldn't talk anymore due to depletion of oxygen. Shiva sat on the couch, head in hands, shaking in dastardly laughter.
Matt, grinning, decided to take over.
"So Angela just grabs a gun from Griff's belt, aims it at this running figure in the distance and BAM! Down she goes..."
Griff, Matt, Joe and Tai all had tears in their eyes as they roared with laughter. This drew the attention of the other occupants of the room.
Shiva mock scowled at Angela.
"I can't believe you shot me."
Angela rolled her eyes, "You're the one who can't follow directions."
"Yes, well...I have A.D.D." Shiva replied lamely.
"We are /all/ well aware of that." A voice said from behind her. Shiva turned in Tai's lap and tried to yank at his ponytail, but Tai grabbed her arms and leaned his head back. Frustrated, Shiva settled for whipping her head around and whacking him in the face with her hair, which she had left down. Tai appeared a little dazed for a moment. He gave her a calculating look before leaning in and smelling her hair.
"Mmm, new shampoo?"
Shiva blinked at him.
"Yea, how'd you know?"
"You smell like strawberries. You normally smell like cocoanuts." Tai said knowingly.
"See," Shiva gave him a sardonic smile, "that's why I keep you around, to complement my odor."
"I never said I liked it" Tai replied smartly.
"You didn't need too, I know you love strawberries."
"Ah, my secret weakness is out." Tai grinned, "In that case I may just have to confiscate that shampoo next shower."
"Since when were you interested in ladies hygiene products, Tai?" Matt snickered from besides him. Tai gave him a weird look.
"Why would I be looking at her hygiene products when there's a naked girl in front of me?"
The guys all roared with laughter again. Angela shook her head in disgust.
"Chauvinistic pigs. All of them."
Mimi, Yolie, and Sora all nodded dolefully.
BREAK
"Bye Tai!" Kari threw her arms around her older brother, "please visit soon, mom really misses you."
"Yea, alright." Tai said gruffly, not really knowing when he'd find the time to do this. He loved his sister dearly but the digital world and its inhabitant's safety was first priority for a guardian.
The digidestined were gathered in the control room saying their good- byes to the hosts of the coliseum.
"I'm telling you, pineapple will naturally moisturize you skin" Mimi was telling Angela as the girls all exchanged hugs.
"Adios niños!" Shiva sang as she threw her arms around T.K. and Davis' shoulders. T.K. looked a bit uncomfortable while Davis laughed.
One by one the digidestined disappeared into the portal after hugs and handshakes. Tai was especially shocked when Sora walked up to him and gave him a hug.
"Take care of yourself, ok?" Shiva whispered. Tai, blushing, only managed to nod. His ears picked up a low growl from where Shiva was standing.
Sora let go of him and stepped into the portal. The blue light ended as the last of the digidestined left the digital world.
"Finally..." Griff murmured as he grabbed a giggling Angela's arm and pulled her into a lingering kiss. As much as he enjoyed the guests' company, Griff felt he was in serious need of some 'alone time' with his girlfriend.
"OUT!" Gennai commanded while pointing at the door as he had done many times before. The couple all but ran out of the room and strait into the boy's bedroom.
"Come on." Shiva remarked. She grabbed Tai's hand and pulled him towards her and Angela's room.
BREAK
As soon as they were both in the room Shiva shut the door behind her and turned to face Tai, who had seated himself on the closest bed to her.
"Tai hunny, I think we need to have a little tête-à-tête, if you know what I mean."
"Look if this is about that hug Sora gave me—" Tai started. Shiva burst out laughing, shaking her head.
"No, no, this has nothing to with her, although, now that you mention it..."
"Uh, let's get back to this 'tête-à-tête' shall we?"
The last thing Tai needed was to hear all the reason's Shiva wanted Tai to stay away from Sora.
"So," Shiva said conversationally, "How was she?"
'Always to the point, this one' Tai thought.
"Pretty damn good actually." He answered just as casually.
"Oh yeah?" Shiva was examining her fingernails now, "better than me?"
Tai rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry. I have yet to meet anyone better than you." Shiva raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you trying to flatter me?"
Tai sighed and shook his head.
"No, I'm serious. Last night was great and all, but Moira totally thought I was Taro."
"Wait... You mean the whole night, she actually thought she was having sex with Taro?!"
"Well, it /was/ his name she was screaming."
Shiva's eyes threatened to pop out of her head.
"She... WHAT? You let her get away with that?"
"Hey, I promised her Taro, and Taro's what she got."
Shiva gave a small laugh at that.
"Sounds like she did."
"And besides you there were just those cheerleaders and those were just flings, you know that."
"So that makes me the best right?" Shiva asked skeptically.
"Yep."
"What about Sora?"
Tai blinked at her, "what do you mean? I've never even kissed her, let alone had sex with her. Although there was that one time in the sandbox..."
"That's not what I mean! I meant... I mean... arrgh!"
"Don't strain yourself!" Tai joked. Shiva glared at him.
"Sora wants you now." She said bluntly.
Tai almost fell off the bed.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she was thinking about breaking up with Matt to get with you."
Tai could tell Shiva wasn't lying. Although he hated to admit it, Sora was not the same girl she was when he wanted a relationship with her.
"Well she's a bit late now isn't she?" Tai said coolly. Shiva beamed.
"So you're over her then?"
"You know... I think I am." Tai said confidently.
"Oh good. You had me worried that you'd get with her and forget all about little old me."
"I would never." Tai gasped dramatically, throwing a hand over his heart. "Besides, she's too skinny for me anyway."
"Oh? Are you saying I'm fat?" Shiva laughed.
"No. Actually I think you're quite... wholesome." He moved his hands downwards in a wavelike motion, indicating her curves. Shiva laughed again.
Tai sobered up and looked at Shiva. Shiva stopped laughing as she noticed him staring at him.
"What?" she asked smiling.
"Can you... turn into you're demon form for me?" Shiva regarded him for a moment before complying. Tai found himself captivated by her mysterious black eyes and for the first time saw them as anything but dark. They seemed to possess a knowing sparkle. She was really quite pretty like this, Tai realized as he gazed at her. The tattoos gave her a somewhat exotic appearance, and her appealing black hair lie softly against her shoulders. Tai bit his lip as his eyes traveled to Shiva's mouth; the tips of her ivory fangs poking out.
He looked back up to her eyes while she just cocked her head to the side cutely.
"Shiva," he said slowly, "I want to see something."
"Alright." She replied unsurely.
Leaning forward, Tai gently pressed his lips against hers. She responded by adding her own presser to the kiss. Tai's tongue cautiously slid out of his mouth and darted across Shiva's lower lip. She complied by opening her mouth for his entrance. Tenderly, Tai allowed his tongue to lightly slide up and down Shiva's fangs. Shiva gave an involuntary gasp and her tail twitched slightly. After a few more seconds of exploring her canines, Tai pulled back. Shiva opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"That was nice." She said almost shyly.
"Yeah," Tai agreed, "I really liked your fangs."
Shiva giggled.
"Care to find out what else my fangs are good for?" Shiva challenged him. Tai grinned and leaned forward once more.
"Wait!" She stopped him with a hand over his mouth, "Change into a demi-god."
"Why?" Tai asked, even though he changed anyways.
"I just want to test out the stamina of a god." Shiva grinned. "Unless of course, you're too tired from last night..."
"Like hell I am!" Tai yelled as he tackled her to the bed.
BREAK
Once again, I apologize for it taking so long. I've been busy as hell.
Don't forget to review!
A stream of morning light flowed through the room and landed on the eyes of a rousing young man. Tai sighed into his pillow as he rolled over on his side. Griff just had to leave the windows open every morning, didn't he? Tai cracked an eye open to see what time it was only to find a blank stonewall instead of the usual blue, painted wooden one. Both of his eyes snapped open as he realized he wasn't in his room. As he slowly lifted himself into a sitting position the covers slid form his bare chest, drawing his attention to his nakedness. Suddenly, the activities of the night before came racing back to him so fast he almost felt ill. Peeking over his shoulder confirmed his fears; Moira lay next to him sleeping, equally as naked.
'Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit...' Tai thought panicking, 'Gennai is going to kill me... aargh... forget Gennai—Shiva's going to kill me!'
Slowly, taking care not to wake the other occupant of the bed, Tai swung his legs over the edge of the mattress. He glanced over his shoulder after he shakily stood up from the bed to make sure Moira was still asleep. A few strands of her crimson locks fell over her face and her features lost their usual impious look, leaving her looking more innocent (and quite appealing to him). He knew he had to leave, but watching her sleep so peacefully left him yearning to get back in bed with her, cradle her to his chest, and run his fingers through her long, soft hair.
'No! Bad Tai!'
Tai shook all inner 'Taro' thoughts from his mind as he pulled on his discarded boxers that were thrown on the floor. He then went in search of the kaki pants he was wearing as a human and the dark blue t-shirt. After running his hand through his hair he realized, with amusement, that his hair tie had come out sometime during the night and was most likely somewhere lost in the ruffled bed sheets. He glanced back at the sleeping beauty and quickly erased any thoughts of attempting to search for it after picturing how she would react to being woken up. Nope, not worth the risk.
He was just preparing to leave he briefly remembered the heavy object that Moira placed on the dresser the night before. Curiosity getting the better of him, Tai quietly tiptoed over to the bureau for a peek. His eyes widened as the unknown object turned out to be none other than the prophecy. This was too easy. Tai stole another glance at Moira to make sure she was still asleep before carefully lifting it from its resting place and creeping towards the door.
Biting his lip Tai slowly opened the door, just enough for him to slip through. Once on the other side he shut it just as slowly, hoping against hope it wouldn't-
CREEEAAAAK
The squelching noise bounced along the stonewalls, echoing and making it ten times as loud. Without even looking to see if anyone was disturbed by it, Tai shut the door the rest of the way and sprinted towards the exit. As he raced down the halls he noticed that the usual guards were not at their posts and figured it must have been too early in the morning be on duty. In about five minutes flat Tai found himself at the main doors at which he entered. After one last glance around him to ensure his lack of company, he stepped outside.
The rising sun was the first thing that Tai saw after he closed the massive, yet silent, door behind him. Hovering his left hand over his eyes to shade them while cradling the prophesy in his right, Tai scanned the area for any resistance to his departure. He smiled in satisfaction as he strode across the property of Bastion hall without any interference. This may be too easy—but he wasn't going to complain. He knew he looked like hell. His mussed hair was down from its usual ponytail, his clothes were wrinkled and haphazard, he was still sore from the abuse he took from Matt the previous day (since his human body didn't allow him to heal quickly), and he was cold as hell!
His train of thought led his trek through the snow right to the portal. Tai let out a chilly breath of air.
'Leave it to Moira to pick out a lair in a frigid setting.' Tai thought rolling his eyes. 'Of course last night she was anything but cold.'
He allowed himself one self-satisfied smirk before he stepped into the portal bound for his home.
BREAK
To put it lightly, Gennai was not happy about their return without the prophecy, especially when he heard the guardians' excuses as to why they couldn't fight.
"What do you mean you were stuck as humans?" Gennai snapped as he stared down three of his four successors.
"She put up bloody wards! They turned us into humans!" Griff answered back angrily. Angela put a soothing hand on his arm to keep his temper in check.
"So why didn't you take off the damn rings?" Gennai said exasperatedly as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
"What the hell does this have to do with the rings?"
"They're the only things that keep you human. No wards can keep you from your natural selves!"
"Well you're the dumbass who didn't explain the inner workings of these bitches!" Shiva said scowling at him and not one to be left out of an argument.
"Don't take that tone with me young lady—"
Angela, seemingly oblivious from the controversy around her began mumbling logic, "She must have found out about our rings... and used the wards to turn them against us..."
Gennai took a deep breath to calm his nerves before continuing slowly.
"Yes, she did. All we can do now is wait and hope Tai makes it out of this okay. I'm going to check on the digidestined."
When first arriving at the coliseum, the Guardians and Gennai had made a show of displaying confidence in Tai's abilities to make it out of his captured state while the digidestined were in their presence. They shooed the lot off to guest rooms where they would undoubtedly spend the rest of the night in an uneasy slumber wondering about their former leader. But that confidence was gone the moment the digidestined left the room.
As soon as Gennai left Shiva jumped from her seat at the kitchen table and began pacing the room.
"I just don't like this... leaving him there." Shiva said frowning.
"Me too, but I know Tai—he's smart. If anyone can make it out of this it's him. And I know that he'll take advantage of this strange connection between him, Taro and Moira and use it to his advantage."
"That's what I'm afraid of—oh! —If only we had taken off the rings!" Shiva continued, completely ignoring Griff, "At least then Tai wouldn't be stuck there with that—that—bitch!"
"Look Shiva, Tai can make it out of this alive-" Angela started.
"-Oh I know he'll make it out alive it's the means I'm worried about!"
"What are you talking about?"
"You don't get it, do you?" Shiva half yelled, finally looking them in the eye, "Why do you think he has such a hard time controlling himself around her—and vise versa? It's because of Taro! It's because of Taro and Moira's relationship before everything happened. They were mated!"
Griff looked at her confused, "What do you mean mated? Like as in married? What the hell does this have to do with Tai's fierce Moira- jumping routine?"
"It's a... uh... demon thing," Shiva said absently.
"Well? You wanna explain it to us?" Angela asked impatiently. Shiva wore a pained expression on her face as if stating she'd rather not. But one look at the resolute stares she was receiving from her friends and she knew she had no choice in the matter.
"okay.... well... when a demon chooses a mate, regardless of their lineage, their souls become bonded and as long as one of them lives the other will as well. That's how demons can choose human mates, not that many would. And if one dies the other will suffer for the rest of their life. They'll sort of feel incomplete and shortly after they'll die as well. And once they choose a mate, they're stuck with them forever. There's no such thing as a divorce with demons." Shiva shuddered as though the mere thought of being stuck with someone for the rest of his or her life was unspeakable.
"But your demon too! Does that mean you can only choose one mate for the rest of your life?" Asked Angela aghast. She knew Shiva was about as indecisive about men as Tai was about women.
"Pshh—hunny- that's why I have a human side. I have the option of marriage or mating."
"Wait! Hold up a minute. So you're saying Moira's a demon?" Griff asked completely confused, "I thought she was a cambion?"
"A cambion is a demon! Remember? She's half succubus and half ice spirit?" Angela informed her boyfriend.
"Uh- right..." Griff said. Clearly he had not remembered. Angela rolled her eyes and muttered 'men' before looking expectantly at Shiva.
"So, explain how Tai got dragged into this."
"Oh yes, well Moira and Taro were mated so when Taro was killed Moira suffered a lot, obviously. And when she was sealed away she was sort of frozen in time and space, that's why she didn't die. As soon as she was reawakened, and Taro's soul was reborn, they were still bonded. Now Tai has the reincarnated soul of Taro so..."
"...It's almost as if Tai and Moira were mated. Tai's soul was bound to Moira's at birth." Angela concluded, "Oh, poor Tai, no wonder he can't control himself around her."
"Damn..." was Griff's only input.
"Oh my god! But don't we have to kill Moira at some point? Won't that end up killing Tai as well?" Asked Angela as she began to panic.
"Heavens no girl," stated Gennai from the doorway. The three guardians turned to look at him. "But Taro's spirit will die away within him; it will still cause him pain."
"How long will the pain last?" Griff asked concerned. Gennai sighed; his age showing as he warily made his way to the table and lowered himself into a chair.
"To tell you the truth I don't know. It will be more of an emotional pain I can tell you that. That feeling of incompleteness which Shiva described to be more exact. For all I know it may linger within him for the rest of his life."
"This isn't fair." Shiva grumbled moodily.
"No, it's not fair, but life's not fair now is it?"
BREAK
Sora woke up from a restless sleep early in the morning. It took her awhile to register where she was. After remembering the events that took place yesterday she felt her chest constrict with anxiety. They had left Tai there, completely unprotected and alone. She remembered the long hours she, Yolie and Mimi spend consoling a sobbing Kari with tears of their own. Looking around she noticed the other girls were still in their beds asleep with the exception of Angela and Shiva. She looked at the clock to see it flashing 6:17 at her in glowing, red letters. After rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she pulled herself out of bed and headed to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later she came out fully dressed and ready to start the day. She left the room just as Kari was starting to stir. She walked down the deserted hallways, following the scent of brewing coffee to the kitchen. Sora hoped it was Gennai in the kitchen because she was hoping to talk to him.
Much to her disappointment it was the Shiva girl—not Gennai—who was bustling about the kitchen, pulling out mugs from the cabinet.
"Shiva-" Sora started but was silenced when Shiva turned around and put a finger to her lips while frantically pointing towards the table. There, Angela was sitting forwards in one of the chairs with her head in her arms sleeping. Leaning back, sleeping in the chair next to her was Griff; his mouth was open and a little bit of drool was seeping in the corner of his mouth. Both were still in their wrinkled clothes from yesterday.
"Do you need help?" Sora continued her sentence in a whisper. Shiva shook her head and pointed the table, demonstrating that she should seat herself. Sora did so and a few minutes later Shiva brought over a mug of coffee and set it in front of her before taking a seat herself.
"Did you guys stay up here waiting for Tai?" Sora whispered trying to make small talk. Shiva nodded and sipped her coffee.
"I didn't sleep much either. Do you think he's ok?"
Shiva regarded her for a moment.
"He'll survive." She replied quietly. There was something ominous about the way she said it that made Sora want to push the subject further but before she could do so Shiva began talking.
"It won't work between you two."
The abrupt statement left Sora blinking for a moment.
"I don't understand."
"You and Tai. It would never work out."
"I don't want—"
"But you're thinking about it."
Sora remained silent. The truth was, she kept wondering how things would have been if she had chose Tai. Maybe she would have been happier with him than with Matt.
"Tai is not how you think he is. You're looking for a long relationship; a more personal one. Tai couldn't give you that. He's used to flings and one night stands. And he has too many 'friends with benefits' if you know what I mean."
Sora smiled as she realized that she didn't make a mistake after all. She would have been happier with Matt.
"So, I chose right when I chose Matt over Tai that Christmas?" she asked, wanting confirmation.
"Well, I don't know about that..."
"But you said it wouldn't work-"
"-it wouldn't work now, back then Tai was a different person."
The smile fell off Sora's face.
"Wait, are you saying that Tai and I could have been happy together?"
"It's always a possibility." Shiva replied serenely.
"Well, maybe I can help bring out the old Tai? You know, give us another chance." Sora asked hopefully.
Shiva smirked. "Pshh, not gunna happen while I'm around."
Sora scowled at the girl across from her, almost unable to believe the nerve she possessed. She was stealing her best friend from her. It was Shiva who had changed him and Sora had every intention of telling her to back off.
"Hey."
Both girls looked up to the doorway where Matt stood. He walked into the kitchen and put his hands on both of Sora's shoulders from behind. Sora looked up at him innocently.
"Hey hunny" Sora beamed, hoping he didn't hear any of the previous conversation. She looked across the table to see Shiva giving her a knowing look. She got up from the table and came back a second later with three other mugs. One she handed to Matt and the other two she placed in front of Angela and Griff, who were stirring.
"You sleep o.k.?" she asked him.
"No, I'm just too worried about Tai."
"Us too."
Davis, Yolie, Cody, Izzy and Ken walked into the kitchen. A couple seconds later Mimi walked in with an arm around a red-eyed Kari.
"Damn you people..." Shiva grumbled as she went to get even more mugs. It took a couple of trips but she managed to bring seven cups of steaming hot coffee over to the table.
"T-tai's still not here?" Kari asked mournfully. Mimi rubbed her back soothingly.
"I'm afraid not." Angela replied. Kari's eyes filled up with tears again just as Joe walked into the room with his nose in a book closely followed by T.K.. As soon as T.K. saw Kari's sobbing form he rushed to her side. Kari threw herself in his arms and began crying into his chest. Everyone at the table gave her sympathetic looks.
"Jeeze, at the rate we're going we're going to have to start using the decaf." Shiva said disbelievingly as she poured two more cups of coffee.
"Well I hope you have enough for one more cup."
Every head in the kitchen jerked towards the door where a lean figure rested against the frame. His clothes were crinkled and damp from trudging through the snow and his face was lined with weariness. Dark, unruly locks fell over his chocolate, jovial eyes and brushed down to his shoulders. He cast them a rogue smile, drawing attention to the dark stubble coating his jaw.
"Hey Gennai—I left you a present in your room." Gennai, who had been walking past him from behind, gave him a suspicious look and proceeded to his room.
"TAI!" Kari screamed. She sprang from her chair and flew at her brother. Tai wrapped his arms around her sobbing form, thoroughly confused.
"Hey, what's all this?" he asked her quietly ignoring the questions of 'what happened?' and 'are you okay?' from his other friends.
"I thought you were hurt or d-dead." Kari choked out.
"DEAD?" Tai asked in astonishment, "who told you that?"
He automatically glared at Shiva who mustered the most wide eyed, innocent look she could. Kari sniffed and pulled away from him.
"No one, I just didn't know what to think. You were gone all night..."
Tai gulped and looked to the rest of the digidestined. From the hallway a faint cry of 'YES' could be heard form Gennai's room. No one seemed to take note of it.
"Yea Tai, just what took you so long anyways?" Ken inquired with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, it's funny that you mention that...I...uh..." Tai began to stutter as he nervously ran a hand through his hair.
"SCRATCHIES!" Shiva screamed as she leaped upon Tai and began rubbing his chin. Not for the first time in his life, Tai was thankful Shiva was so eccentric. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Griff, Angela and many of the digidestined laughing at her behavior.
"Alright Shiva, I gotta go take a shower." Tai said.
Shiva stopped rubbing his face, looked at him for a moment, and gave him a wicked grin. She glanced back at the crowed behind her deviously.
"Oh, here she goes..." Griff said, reading the warning signs.
Shiva suddenly jumped up and wrapped her legs around Tai's waist forcing him to support her by grabbing her thighs.
"That's because you got real dirty last night, didn't you?" Shiva whispered huskily in his ear. She leaned in and crushed her mouth against his. Tai was far too used to this by now and simply kissed her back. Seconds later Shiva hopped down and playfully shoved him in the direction of the showers. Tai walked down the hallway suddenly realizing he didn't care what his friends thought of him after that.
Laughing, Shiva turned to face the stunned expressions of the digidestined. She delightedly noted the scowl on Sora's face.
"Man he's a good kisser" she breathed, adding insult to injury.
BREAK
After Tai got cleaned up the digidestined decided to stay a couple of more hours before they returned home. They all sat comfortably in the living room with separate discussions going on. On one couch were T.K., Kari (Kari in his lap), Cody and Davis having their own conversation. Across from them were Ken and Izzy in separate armchairs talking about god- knows-what. Angela, Mimi, and Yolie were sitting on a couch discussing boys. Sora was also a part of this conversation although she was sitting on an adjacent couch holding hands with Matt. Also on this couch was Tai with Shiva sitting on his lap sideways, randomly kicking her legs in the air like a showgirl; she seemed absolutely fascinated with her legs (as was Tai). Across from them Joe had an open book in his lap, but was disregarding his studying in favor of conversation. Comfortably reclining in a chair next to him was Griff who had taken it upon himself to fill Tai in on what he missed while he was with Moira. At the moment he was trying to describe how they had to get around a random mammothmon without drawing its unwanted attention.
"...So dumbass (he gestured to Shiva) goes running in the wrong direction. We're running to the forest- following the plan—and we're all like 'yea, we're good'—we turn around, and Shiva—hehehe—Shiva's half way across the God damn plane—hahahahaha—running like mad—HAHAHAHA—" Griff couldn't talk anymore due to depletion of oxygen. Shiva sat on the couch, head in hands, shaking in dastardly laughter.
Matt, grinning, decided to take over.
"So Angela just grabs a gun from Griff's belt, aims it at this running figure in the distance and BAM! Down she goes..."
Griff, Matt, Joe and Tai all had tears in their eyes as they roared with laughter. This drew the attention of the other occupants of the room.
Shiva mock scowled at Angela.
"I can't believe you shot me."
Angela rolled her eyes, "You're the one who can't follow directions."
"Yes, well...I have A.D.D." Shiva replied lamely.
"We are /all/ well aware of that." A voice said from behind her. Shiva turned in Tai's lap and tried to yank at his ponytail, but Tai grabbed her arms and leaned his head back. Frustrated, Shiva settled for whipping her head around and whacking him in the face with her hair, which she had left down. Tai appeared a little dazed for a moment. He gave her a calculating look before leaning in and smelling her hair.
"Mmm, new shampoo?"
Shiva blinked at him.
"Yea, how'd you know?"
"You smell like strawberries. You normally smell like cocoanuts." Tai said knowingly.
"See," Shiva gave him a sardonic smile, "that's why I keep you around, to complement my odor."
"I never said I liked it" Tai replied smartly.
"You didn't need too, I know you love strawberries."
"Ah, my secret weakness is out." Tai grinned, "In that case I may just have to confiscate that shampoo next shower."
"Since when were you interested in ladies hygiene products, Tai?" Matt snickered from besides him. Tai gave him a weird look.
"Why would I be looking at her hygiene products when there's a naked girl in front of me?"
The guys all roared with laughter again. Angela shook her head in disgust.
"Chauvinistic pigs. All of them."
Mimi, Yolie, and Sora all nodded dolefully.
BREAK
"Bye Tai!" Kari threw her arms around her older brother, "please visit soon, mom really misses you."
"Yea, alright." Tai said gruffly, not really knowing when he'd find the time to do this. He loved his sister dearly but the digital world and its inhabitant's safety was first priority for a guardian.
The digidestined were gathered in the control room saying their good- byes to the hosts of the coliseum.
"I'm telling you, pineapple will naturally moisturize you skin" Mimi was telling Angela as the girls all exchanged hugs.
"Adios niños!" Shiva sang as she threw her arms around T.K. and Davis' shoulders. T.K. looked a bit uncomfortable while Davis laughed.
One by one the digidestined disappeared into the portal after hugs and handshakes. Tai was especially shocked when Sora walked up to him and gave him a hug.
"Take care of yourself, ok?" Shiva whispered. Tai, blushing, only managed to nod. His ears picked up a low growl from where Shiva was standing.
Sora let go of him and stepped into the portal. The blue light ended as the last of the digidestined left the digital world.
"Finally..." Griff murmured as he grabbed a giggling Angela's arm and pulled her into a lingering kiss. As much as he enjoyed the guests' company, Griff felt he was in serious need of some 'alone time' with his girlfriend.
"OUT!" Gennai commanded while pointing at the door as he had done many times before. The couple all but ran out of the room and strait into the boy's bedroom.
"Come on." Shiva remarked. She grabbed Tai's hand and pulled him towards her and Angela's room.
BREAK
As soon as they were both in the room Shiva shut the door behind her and turned to face Tai, who had seated himself on the closest bed to her.
"Tai hunny, I think we need to have a little tête-à-tête, if you know what I mean."
"Look if this is about that hug Sora gave me—" Tai started. Shiva burst out laughing, shaking her head.
"No, no, this has nothing to with her, although, now that you mention it..."
"Uh, let's get back to this 'tête-à-tête' shall we?"
The last thing Tai needed was to hear all the reason's Shiva wanted Tai to stay away from Sora.
"So," Shiva said conversationally, "How was she?"
'Always to the point, this one' Tai thought.
"Pretty damn good actually." He answered just as casually.
"Oh yeah?" Shiva was examining her fingernails now, "better than me?"
Tai rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry. I have yet to meet anyone better than you." Shiva raised an eyebrow at him.
"Are you trying to flatter me?"
Tai sighed and shook his head.
"No, I'm serious. Last night was great and all, but Moira totally thought I was Taro."
"Wait... You mean the whole night, she actually thought she was having sex with Taro?!"
"Well, it /was/ his name she was screaming."
Shiva's eyes threatened to pop out of her head.
"She... WHAT? You let her get away with that?"
"Hey, I promised her Taro, and Taro's what she got."
Shiva gave a small laugh at that.
"Sounds like she did."
"And besides you there were just those cheerleaders and those were just flings, you know that."
"So that makes me the best right?" Shiva asked skeptically.
"Yep."
"What about Sora?"
Tai blinked at her, "what do you mean? I've never even kissed her, let alone had sex with her. Although there was that one time in the sandbox..."
"That's not what I mean! I meant... I mean... arrgh!"
"Don't strain yourself!" Tai joked. Shiva glared at him.
"Sora wants you now." She said bluntly.
Tai almost fell off the bed.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean she was thinking about breaking up with Matt to get with you."
Tai could tell Shiva wasn't lying. Although he hated to admit it, Sora was not the same girl she was when he wanted a relationship with her.
"Well she's a bit late now isn't she?" Tai said coolly. Shiva beamed.
"So you're over her then?"
"You know... I think I am." Tai said confidently.
"Oh good. You had me worried that you'd get with her and forget all about little old me."
"I would never." Tai gasped dramatically, throwing a hand over his heart. "Besides, she's too skinny for me anyway."
"Oh? Are you saying I'm fat?" Shiva laughed.
"No. Actually I think you're quite... wholesome." He moved his hands downwards in a wavelike motion, indicating her curves. Shiva laughed again.
Tai sobered up and looked at Shiva. Shiva stopped laughing as she noticed him staring at him.
"What?" she asked smiling.
"Can you... turn into you're demon form for me?" Shiva regarded him for a moment before complying. Tai found himself captivated by her mysterious black eyes and for the first time saw them as anything but dark. They seemed to possess a knowing sparkle. She was really quite pretty like this, Tai realized as he gazed at her. The tattoos gave her a somewhat exotic appearance, and her appealing black hair lie softly against her shoulders. Tai bit his lip as his eyes traveled to Shiva's mouth; the tips of her ivory fangs poking out.
He looked back up to her eyes while she just cocked her head to the side cutely.
"Shiva," he said slowly, "I want to see something."
"Alright." She replied unsurely.
Leaning forward, Tai gently pressed his lips against hers. She responded by adding her own presser to the kiss. Tai's tongue cautiously slid out of his mouth and darted across Shiva's lower lip. She complied by opening her mouth for his entrance. Tenderly, Tai allowed his tongue to lightly slide up and down Shiva's fangs. Shiva gave an involuntary gasp and her tail twitched slightly. After a few more seconds of exploring her canines, Tai pulled back. Shiva opened her eyes and smiled at him.
"That was nice." She said almost shyly.
"Yeah," Tai agreed, "I really liked your fangs."
Shiva giggled.
"Care to find out what else my fangs are good for?" Shiva challenged him. Tai grinned and leaned forward once more.
"Wait!" She stopped him with a hand over his mouth, "Change into a demi-god."
"Why?" Tai asked, even though he changed anyways.
"I just want to test out the stamina of a god." Shiva grinned. "Unless of course, you're too tired from last night..."
"Like hell I am!" Tai yelled as he tackled her to the bed.
BREAK
Once again, I apologize for it taking so long. I've been busy as hell.
Don't forget to review!