Chapter Five of "Tai's Downfall"
By Melinda Cadarette
Correction: I incorrectly said that June (Jun) was Davis' younger sister in Chapter Four: Part Two. She is in fact his older sister. I apologize for the error.
I know that Tai tried to kill me
I know something is wrong with him
I am so scared now
But what can I do?
"The police in the Tamachi district are warning citizens to look out for an Octomon that has been robbing jewelry stores the past week. So far five have been hit. If anyone has any information, please call your local police post or go to one-" Ken heard the news reporter as he watched TV. All of a sudden the phone rang.
"Ken, it's for you!" he heard his mother yell.
"Thank you Mother!" Ken said as he ran and took the receiver from his mother. "Moshi moshi. This is Ken Ichijouji speaking."
"This is Matt speaking," Matt spoke. "Um, are you busy?"
"Not really," Ken answered. "Is something wrong?"
"Oh yeah. I think so at least. You did see what Tai was doing before I fell down the stairs?" Matt asked.
"I did. He seemed to be in the action of pushing you forward-"
"That's what I thought. I couldn't sleep last night. I keep wondering whether I really fell or was in fact pushed" Matt told him.
"Actually his head was looking at me when you fell but his hand was definitely on your back when it occurred," Ken said. "It-it could be a combination of both."
"That does not comfort me," Matt said. "Before you came, he said that he wanted Sora. But his voice seemed unnatural."
"You don't suppose a part of him still want Sora?" Ken asked.
"He told me that he was okay with me and Sora when we first started dating" Matt said. "Maybe I was wrong that he really meant that."
"He seemed to be concerned for you after you fell" Ken noted. "I don't understand this at all."
"Maybe it was just a cover-up. I mean, what was he suppose to do once he realizes you were there? Try to push me down again?" Matt said.
"Does he know where you now live?" Ken asked.
"I invited him over a few days ago" Matt answered. "I think he tried to kill me there too."
"What?" Ken asked in disbelief. "No, don't tell me now. We should meet soon to discuss this. I am going to get a notepad and pen. You should prepare to give me all the details, including the date and time of the incident."
"Are you going to get Tai arrested?" Matt asked. He sounded uneasy.
"If he truly attempted your murder, we cannot let him go off that easily" Ken told him. "I don't know what is going on with Tai but if you truly think he is after your life, he would probably not stop until either you're dead or something happens to him."
"I thought so," Matt said. He sounded gloomy.
"Do you want me to go to your place?" Ken asked.
"I don't think so. I don't want to get Sora worried about me. She has enough problems" Matt told him.
"I suppose we can go to my place to talk" Ken suggested.
"I am going to go alone," Matt said. "Biyomon and Gabumon can protect her so I don't have to worry about her."
"You seem to be more worried about Sora's safety than for your own," Ken remarked.
"I am just concerned. Sora has been shaken quite badly the past couple days and I do not want anything else to make it worse," Matt said.
"I see. Why don't we meet in my place then? What time do you want to meet me?" Ken asked.
"Well, Sora is going to a school for a tour-she wants to take fashion design-so I got an hour to kill tomorrow" Matt replied.
"When?" Ken questioned.
"Two o'clock to three o'clock. But it would probably take longer than that" Matt answered. (Note: Matt really said "Fourteen o'clock to fifteen o'clock" since Japan uses military time but most of North America, with the exception of Quebec, probably wouldn't be familiar with it).
"You do mind that she is going to be alone for a long time?" Ken asked him. He heard Matt sigh.
"She is going to be in a public place so I hope that nothing happens" Matt said. "And she got Biyomon and Gabumon with her too."
"I can arrange my classes but I might have to do some classes at night to make up" Ken said.
"I don't want to mess up your schedule-" Matt started to say.
"If Tai is trying to kill you, then it is very serious" Ken said. "It is quite obvious that a part of Tai has not accepted your relationship with Sora. I am not saying there is a Jekyll-and-Hyde thing going on, but I want to know everything. Do you get that, Matt?"
"I think I do" Matt answered. "I better get going. I'll see you later."
"Sleep well Matt," Ken said. He then realized what he said. "I mean for tomorrow."
"I heard you" Matt said. He then hung up. So did Ken. He turned to Wormmon.
"Wormmon, you did see what Tai did too?" he asked his Digimon.
"I did. He had his hand on Matt's back when you yelled. But he did seem to push him" Wormmon told him.
"I hope that whatever Tai was thinking was not serious," Ken said. "But I can't give any guaranteed hope for Tai yet."
"If Tai does want to kill Matt, what can we do?" Wormmon asked him.
"We have no choice but to call the police and lay charges. But we need to collect enough evidence so we can convict him or he might be released and who knows what may happen next" Ken told him.
"Do you suppose something could be wrong with Tai? I mean his mind," Wormmon said.
"He could be so distorted in his mind that he doesn't know what he's trying to do," Ken said. "I know from our own past that if you can't let go of your dark feelings they can take over and turn you into a monster."
"We should get this over with as fast as possible" Wormmon said. Ken nodded.
"I have to do some reading and research," Ken said. "If Tai has gone obsessed with killing Matt and wanting Sora, I need to know what we are up against."
"Can Tai get help?" Wormmon asked.
"I don't know but I do know that a lot of psychopaths end up in psychiatric hospitals or jails or killing themselves to avoid getting convicted or serving their time for their crimes" Ken answered.
"You really think that Tai is beyond hope?" the Digimon asked.
"I hope not," Ken said. He looked down at the phone. "I got to go to my computer. I need to check in a few search engines for articles." He then left for his room. Wormmon sighed.
The doorbell rang the next day. Ken was ready. After putting a file folder and notepad in his left hand, he went to the door and opened it.
"Come in!" Ken said. Matt walked into the apartment. Ken provided him with house slippers.
"I told Sora that I was going back home," Matt said. He sounded unhappy. "She said that she'll wait for me inside if the tour ended early."
"You wanted Sora not to know, right?" Ken said.
"Yeah" Matt said. "It's for her own good. She still thinks Tai as a friend. I dare not do anything too drastic until I have solid proof."
"You didn't bring Gabumon with you?" Ken asked.
"I told you that it'll be best if he's with Sora" Matt told him. "She thinks a stalker is after her." Ken's eyes went wide. He then closed the door.
"Go to the living room" Ken said. "I'll bring a drink. Do you want anything specific?"
"You got any alcohol?" Matt asked. Ken looked at him for a long time.
"I'll bring a soda," Ken said. He then went to the kitchen. Matt went to the living room, sat down at the couch and waited.
"My parents don't drink at home," Ken explained as he put down a can of soda on the low table in front of the couch. Matt leaned to reach it.
"That's okay. I guess not everyone is like my father" Matt said. Ken decided to ignore the subject. He threw down the file folder onto the table.
"I managed to get information on a few articles. There are not a lot in Japan compared to America so I had to go to English sites too" Ken explained. Matt looked on with the can of soda in his right hand as Ken opened the file folder. There were articles in English and Japanese. "They are mostly articles on psychopath behaviour. It is not good."
"Anything I need to do?" Matt asked.
"Get Tai locked up forever," Ken said. Matt stopped drinking.
"He is beyond hope?" Matt asked.
"If he's a true psychopath, he'll keep on trying to kill you until he succeed or is put behind bars" Ken said. "I knew from what I heard that psychopaths do not have a concept of good and evil, but from what I read, it is far more complicated and disturbing."
"What can you tell me?" Matt asked.
"You said that you think Tai wants to kill you for Sora?" Ken inquired. Matt nodded.
"Before he pushed me, he grabbed my right shoulder and said into my ear, 'I want Sora, period.' It was a few seconds later that you yelled, which prevented him from pushing me with full force. That probably saved my life," Matt said.
"It seem he feels he has to kill you to get Sora" Ken said.
"Well, it's not like we are going to split up" Matt told him.
"I am surprised he thought he could kill you by pushing you down the stairs," Ken said. "I know that people can die from falling downstairs but they're usually old people or people with frail bones."
"I could have gotten a severe blow to the head or broke my neck-" Matt started to say.
"Well I guess it could be possible," Ken said. He found a collection of paper that was held by a paper clip. "This is from one website called Cassiopaea. I found it very informative and a little disturbing, considering I had displayed some of the characteristics that the website said that would mark a psychopath." Matt finished the rest of his soda.
"Like what?" Matt asked, putting the soda on the table.
"As I said before, the lack of a conscience, but also the ability to manipulate and deceive people," Ken told him. "In some cases the psychopath manipulate and deceive so thoroughly that they convinced themselves that they are the innocent victim."
"Are you saying that Tai may not be aware what he is doing is wrong?" Matt asked.
"It could be the case," Ken answered. "I did observe a couple of mood changes in Tai after he tried to push you down. I still do not know whether that is a good sign or not."
"I cannot believe that Tai would be like that," Matt said. He then looked at Ken. "But that's not the first time he tried to kill me."
"You said that on the phone. Can you tell me what happened that time?" Ken inquired as he got out his notebook.
"It was three days ago when I invited him and Agumon to my place. We talked a bit. I wanted to know if Tai wanted something to drink. He wanted coffee. I went to the fridge and I thought I saw his shadow had a knife in his hand and was about to thrust it into my back. I turned around and I saw him just smiling. But I also noticed that he had his hands behind his back." Matt leaned back on the couch. "Later, I realized that my steak knife was missing." Ken wrote every word down.
"First of all, don't say 'I thought'. That would indicate a measure of doubt. Now tell me the time when this occurred," Ken told him.
"Two o'clock" Matt said. "I didn't really notice the time but it occurred after two."
"Would 'around 2:20 in the afternoon' be appropriate?" Ken asked.
"Fine with me," Matt answered. "Nobody will be able to contradict me." Ken wrote it down.
"What about the knife that he used? Do you know what type was it?" Ken asked him.
"It was a steak knife" Matt replied. "You know, the type that chefs use in steak houses." Ken put his left hand on his face.
"I mean the brand of the knife," Ken told him.
"I don't know" Matt answered. "I never paid any real attention to the brand name." Ken groaned.
"Will you be able to recognize it if it was shown to you?" Ken asked.
"Of course," Matt answered. Ken wrote it down. He then put the pen to his mouth as he read his notes.
'Agumon probably wouldn't help us' Ken thought. He then spoke out loud. "I should talk to Kari too. Maybe she can help us. Tai still lives with his family so she probably would be able to notice any changes in his behaviour."
"So until we can get enough evidence, what am I suppose to do?" Matt asked.
"Keep on your guard. I don't want Tai to get too suspicious. That might make his behaviour even worse," Ken told him. "Bring Sora with you everywhere if you can. You don't know where Tai might show up or what he will do. I don't think he would do anything bad when she is around, but you can never know. A psychopath's behaviour is unpredictable and he may have motives that even he may not be aware of."
"I was afraid of that," Matt said. "I mean Tai and I used to be real friends. But I do remember I used to hate him. He was such a natural leader. He was also brave, able to put people at ease and well, a people person. He was everything that I wanted to be. He was so, so-"
"Perfect?" Ken said. "I know how you feel. I thought my older brother Sam was perfect. He was a genius. Everybody adored him. I became jealous. I wanted to replace him. By the time I realized it was stupid and changed my attitude, it was too late to reconcile with him. He was already dead."
"I am so sorry," Matt said. "I didn't want to bring up a bad subject."
"It's not a bad subject," Ken countered. "I learned from it and moved on. If you can't, you might as well crumble." He then took out some more papers from the file folder. "I hope you can read them all. Most of them are in English so I translated some on the sides of the paper when I can."
"Thank you Ken," Matt said, picking the papers up. He then thought of something. "Um, Ken, can psychopaths stalk people?"
"Those with an obsession can," Ken explained. "Very frankly, unless threats are made or an attempt at murder or bodily harm is made, the police really can't do a thing about it. But once a charge is made, you can use all the evidence to make a conviction."
"I hope it doesn't have to come down to that," Matt said. "I just want him to have a big mental problem that can be treated. I don't want to think what could happen if Tai has a deeper problem."
"I think that anyone that does not have a concept of good and evil has a problem. But I still think that Tai may not be a total psychopath. You said that Tai tried to stab you on the back, right?" Ken inquired.
"Yeah" Matt answered. "I didn't exactly see him do it but I did see his shadow do it. He was about to stab me but then I turned around. I didn't see a knife but his hands was behind him and I did discover later that my steak knife was missing."
"But he could have killed you anyway. Agumon probably wouldn't have said anything and no Digimon is legally able to give a witness at court anyway. So why did he not complete the act?" Ken asked him.
"I don't know" Matt replied. He looked at the file folder. "Thanks for the information. I don't want to think Tai is a psychopath but I do appreciate what you did for me." He picked up all the papers and put them in the file folder.
"We both know what our dark side can do," Ken said, smiling. "He probably doesn't know it yet. But if he truly loves Sora, he'll not do anything that would hurt her."
"I know he loves her. When he told me that he was okay with us together-" Matt said, thinking. "-I knew that he only did it because he wanted Sora to be happy. Still I am worried about Tai in other ways. As far as I know, he has no plan for the future. He never mentions schools or jobs. I am so afraid that Tai is so centered around Sora that even if he gets her, he would not know what to do with the rest of his life."
"You're a good friend, Matt," Ken said. "Even when your life is on the line, all you care about is the welfare of other people. I think that in the end, that would help Tai more than anything." He then smiled. "Just like it helped us both in the end." A few minutes passed.
"Yeah" Matt finally responded. He then put the file folder under his right arm. "I really got to get going. Sora will be waiting for me." He then stood up.
"Just be cautious yet do not become too cautious" Ken told him. "Remember that Tai is not a friend but not an enemy either. Even if he thinks you're his foe."
"I'll not let Sora get out of my sight too far," Matt said. "I hope that nothing worse happens."
"If anything happens, let me know right away," Ken told him. "I have my phone number and e-mail address on one of those papers just in case. I am trying to gather evidence in case the worse does happen so at least we can get him convicted for whatever crime he may commit."
"I will do so," Matt said. He was already on the way to the door. Ken went ahead of him.
"Do take time to read everything," Ken said as he opened the door. "I took the time to do a lot of research for this. And remember, knowledge is power. See you later, Matt."
"See you later Ken" Matt said. Ken then heard him say, "I hope" before he shut the door. Ken sighed.
"Ken?" Wormmon said as he appeared before him.
"At least he knows what to expect if it's true," Ken said. "I don't know what will happen though. If Tai really has a problem, he may not realize it. And if he does, he may not want to get treated."
"Ken, remember when you kept having those flashbacks of your brother being killed? When you felt you wanted to join him, and only by contacting Yolei was I able to save you?" Wormmon asked.
"Yes and I am grateful for that. I do not know what would have happened to me if you two weren't there," Ken said. "But I don't understand what that had to do with Tai."
"Well I was thinking about Agumon and what he is going through," Wormmon said. "Don't forget about him."
"I know, but we can't force him to say or do anything" Ken told him. "You can help him speak up but you cannot force him. Remember that."
"I believe he'll do what is right in the end like I did" the green Digimon said. "And once Tai gets over this, he'll understand like you did." Ken smiled.
"I want to believe you" Ken said. "I have to go back to school. If Mom or Dad wants to know when I'll be home for supper, tell them I have to go to cram school and will be home at seven." He picked up the suitcase at the right side of the wall where he stood. Just then there was a knock on the door. Ken opened it. "Matt! What's wrong?"
"I, uh, forgot to take off the slippers" Matt said sheepishly. Ken saw that Matt was indeed still wearing the white house slippers. Ken put a hand over his face and sighed. He just hoped the rest of the day wouldn't be as bad.
"A-ha! I have a new plan!" Tai announced much to Agumon's dismay. Tai had on a few books on his bed. He was reading a textbook called "Advanced Chemistry For High School Students." Agumon really didn't know what Tai was reading but knew it wasn't good.
"Tai?" Agumon said. His partner put down the book. He had an evil grin on his face that Agumon only knew too well now.
"I have a new plan and this time no one would be able to witness it!" Tai declared. All of a sudden he went out of his bed and out of the room. Agumon went to the door but by the time he did, Tai was already gone.
'What are you planning to do now, Tai?' Agumon thought. 'You were just reading a chemistry book when you got up and-' he stopped when he realized something. 'You're planning to use chemicals now? Oh, Tai, do be careful.'
In Kari's room, Gatomon looked out the window sadly. Her partner was face-down on the bed, burying her head in a pillow. Tissues surrounded the upper part of her body. Gatomon sighed. She had no idea how to deal with this. All she could do is hope that Kari would get over it soon.
'She and T.K. must really had it with each other' Gatomon thought. All of a sudden she heard a screech of tires. She looked out the window.
"Where is Tai going?" the Cat Digimon asked out loud. She then felt Kari besides her looking out as well.
"Does he know it's near supper?" Kari said. She then shook her head. "It does not matter. I am going back to bed." Gatomon sighed.
'Whatever you're doing, Tai, don't being Kari into this' Gatomon thought. 'Or I am going to become an enemy.' She then joined Kari on the bed. She had more important concerns right now.
End of Chapter Five
It looks like Tai has a third plan. Would this work? And what about Kari? For those not sure what happened between Kari and T.K., you'll have to wait for future chapters. There is a real website called Cassiopaea that deals with psychopathy. The URL is: It is a very long read but it's absorbing and I am basing Tai's own psychopathy on it so it would be worthwhile to read it if you really like the fic so far. Digimon was created by Toei Animation. Do not forget to review!