Chapter 8

Izzy´s eyes shot open and he blinked rapidly before in one panicked movement, he yanked backwards and slid into the corner of the room and pressed against the wall.

Tai blinked in surprise at the sudden quickness of the younger man before he slid to the ground and moved towards his friend.

"Izzy….it's all right, you're home," he stopped a few steps away and knelt down, sliding into the thin beam of light that showed through the curtains as Izzy showed no recognition.

"Tai?" the fear slowly disappeared in those dark eyes as he recognised him, his voice soft but disbelieving and Tai felt his heart break.

"Yeah, I'm here, Izzy."

Tears filled his eyes as he shook his head. "No, I'm dreaming again. You look exactly like you do in my dreams."

Moving even closer, Tai caressed Izzy's cheek with trembling fingers. "Does this feel like you are dreaming?" He whispered.

"Tai..." slowly the tears began to slid down Izzy's cheeks as he placed his hand on Tai's chest and Tai slowly pulled him into his arms.

Izzy shivered at his touch, but tightened his arms around Tai in an embrace as he realised he was really there.

Tai choked on a sob as he held the boy he loved so much tightly until Izzy pulled away to look at him searchingly, roaming his eyes over his face with a watery smile that made him look younger and even more beautiful than he already was.

Trembling dirty pale fingers touched Tai's cheek and he leaned into the touch before kissing the fingertips.

"Where are we?"

"My house. We were able to get back to the gate with the help of the others."

"I didn't think I'd ever see home again," Izzy whispered.

Tai looked down as the image of the little grave the government had put up came to mind and Izzy turned back to him.

"They think I'm dead?"

"Yeah..." he sighed, brushing his hands over Izzy's cheek, both in comfort and because he couldn't stop touching him.

"I should take care of your wounds," he eventually said as Izzy leaned into his touch.

"Tai?"

"Yeah?"

"My parents...are they still alive?"

"They were killed in a car crash years ago, I'm so sorry."

Izzy's expression tightened for a moment before he nodded.

"How long ago?"

"Five years. A drunk driver crashed them off the road and they died instantly," at his words silent tears slipped down and he pulled Izzy into his arms again as the boy cried for the parents he'd never been able to say goodbye to.

Placing a kiss to his temple, Tai waited patiently until the other was spent and pulled back, drying his own tears.

"Where are they buried?"

"I'll take you there some time, but first we should get you cleaned up."

He helped Izzy up and to the bathroom where he filled a bath, realising it would be the first one he had in years.

"Do you need help bathing?" he asked as Izzy flinched, trying to raise his arm.

"I..." he shifted nervously, wrapping his arms around himself.

"I already saw most of the wounds when we cut you lose and you'll need help caring for them," Tai said softly, reaching for scissors to simply cut the torn clothing away.

Izzy's breathing hitched as the fabric caught onto some of the newer wounds and Tai swallowed thickly as the full extent of his injuries was revealed.

Scars ran criss-cross over his entire torso and more cuts in various states of healing than Tai could even count littered his skin.

"Do you think the water will help or make it worst?" he asked as he eyes various burns.

"I don't care, I'd rather be in pain and be clean than remain dirty," Izzy admitted, relaxing as he realised Tai didn't make a big issue of his injuries.

Nodding, Tai helped him undress completely and helped him into the bath before joining him so that he could carefully wash the wounds out.

Through it all Izzy didn't look at him, but kept his gaze firmly on the wall as he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood while tears of pain slid down.

The water was burning on his dirty, tortured skin and Tai's carefully movements lid a fire through the wounds and it was all he could do not to scream out in pain.

The years in the mountain had taught him to banish the pain to prevent more beatings and the satisfaction it brought to the one hurting him.

He swallowed thickly and shifted his gaze from the bathroom wall to Tai when he felt the sadness and fear the other felt.

"Tai?"

He turned to brush the tears away when Tai wrapped his hand around his fingers.

"I'm all right, I just...I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again," the brunet admitted.

"Me neither," Izzy pulled Tai's hand to his; placing a kiss on it that made Tai smile and pull him into his arms again.

After a long moment of simply sitting in each other's embrace, Tai pulled back and raised them to their feet.

"Let me bandage these and then I'll wash your hair. And maybe a hair cut?" Tai tried to tease and Izzy smiled with a nod.

Tai took quick work of bandaging the wounds, silently thanking Joe for forcing them all to learn basic skills years ago and washed and cut Izzy's hair before giving him some clothes to wear when Izzy indicated he didn't want more rest.

Tai smiled as he looked at the young man before him, dressed in an old pair of black jeans that were too tight on Tai but fit Izzy well and a light blue buttoned down shirt that didn't require Izzy to lift his arms.

The shirt's light colour made the bruises on Izzy's pale face stand out even more while also making his dark eyes look bigger and even darker.

He let his eyes travel over his body to see if he'd missed any injuries and just because he could.

"I feel like I'm dreaming and never want to wake up again," he whispered, smiling when Izzy's eyes twinkled.

"You're not the only one. I'm scared that I will wake up and realise it was just a dream, that you are just a dream."

They moved as one to step into another embrace and Tai sighed as Izzy rested his cheek against his shoulder.

"It's not a dream, we are both really here," he finally decided, pulling back so that he could brush his thumb over Izzy's cheek.

"I love you, you know that right?"

"It's what kept me going all this time. I love you too," Izzy smiled again, leaning in to brush a shy kiss to the corner of Tai's mouth.

Grinning at him, Tai returned the gesture before pulling back. "Let's make some soup; I'm sure you're hungry."

"Starving," Izzy let Tai slowly lead him to the kitchen and then sat down as Tai grabbed what he needed. He looked around.

"Where are we?"

"My and Kari's house. I moved out of my parent's home after a few fights and a year later Kari moved in here with me."

"Nothing serious, I hope?"

"They wanted me to settle down with some random girl I couldn't care less about," Tai answered honestly, not wanting to lie to him.

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not; they've known where my heart laid since I was twelve. It is their loss that they couldn't accept me."

"But they are your parents," Izzy softly commented.

"I still have Kari and you, and that is all I need."

Nodding Izzy looked around.

"It is a beautiful place."

"Kari did most of the decorating."

He watched as Izzy walked around slowly, touching a photo that rested in the window sill.

"When was this taken?"

Tai didn't need to move closer to see the photo Izzy had spotted. "A few days before..."

"I can't remember this. It is hard to remember good things."

Moving to his side, Tai wrapped his arms around him and looked down at the photo Kari had made of the two of them.

She had developed it black and white and he had his arms around Izzy's waist while the younger boy was leaning into his hug and looking at something behind the camera.

Neither of them was smiling and the photo looked oddly serious even if the situation had been relaxed.

Placing the photo back Izzy leaned back against him while letting his eyes travel over the photos.

"You don't smile in any picture."

"I didn't feel like smiling."

Izzy turned in his embrace and looked into his eyes. "Don't ever stop smiling again, I love your smile."

"You give me reason to smile," Tai replied seriously, holding Izzy close for a long moment before sighing.

"The others look forward to seeing you."

"They were here, weren't they?"

"You can feel their presence?"

"Yeah. I feel excitement but also fear and...Anger. They are so unsure that I'm kind of afraid to see them."

"We can postpone meeting them if that makes you feel better?"

"Hmm, what happened to Tentomon?"

The sudden question made Tai blink.

"I don't know. After the gate closed behind you we couldn't get back in until you opened the gate again. I haven't seen any of our Digimon."

"I have to go back," Izzy turned to the computer.

"What? You can't, we barely escaped this time!"

"I know, but I can't let them hurt innocents while I have the ability to help them. I can't stand aside Tai, not anymore."

He sighed as Tai moved to stand between him and the computer.

"I'll have to learn how to use my powers."

"That could kill you. I'm not losing you after just having found you again."

"I have to do something."

"We'll find a way for you to use your powers, without you getting hurt."

He took Izzy's hand to pull him close again.

"It feels like a dream, Tai. And I am afraid that I'll wake up again. That I will open my eyes after I go to sleep and will be back in that cave. I'm scared," Izzy held onto him. "But I can't stand by and watch innocents die because of me."

"We'll figure something out, but I'm not letting anyone hurt you again, never again."

TBC