Chapter One: Birthday Blues

Chapter One: Birthday Blues

The crisp autumn wind picked up a pile of freshly strewn leaves, kicking them up and throwing them into the air in a hailstorm of red and gold confetti. A rouge maple leaf caught an updraft, spinning wildly in the air, dancing in the cool afternoon sun before coming to rest in a nest of spiky, brown hair.

Eighteen year old Tai Kamiya brushed the offending piece of foliage out of his hair, grinding the little grey-green leaf between his fingers before scattering the crumbs to the winds. He sighed, leaning back slightly on the decorated park bench looking around the park like he was expecting someone (which coincidentally he was).

Checking his watch for the thirteenth time that hour he grumbled to himself as he wondered where his friends were. Digging his hand into his coat pocket, he produced one of the white envelopes, embroidered with the words "YOU'RE INVITED!" on the front. He knew what it said; hell, he was the one who wrote it. But just to be sure, he gingerly pried the envelope open and scanned the contents at the card.

You're invited to Sora's Eighteenth Birthday!

Where: Shiokaze Park (1)

When: July 6th, 2006 6:00-9:00

It's a surprise, so don't tell Sora!

Or Else!

Tai slid the card back in the envelope, sighing to himself as he sat back to admire his handiwork. The gang's normal hangout was decorated in full party regalia, tables decorated, lanterns hung and balloons and streamers hanging from the trees. Tai had single handedly transformed the Digi Destined's local hangout into the perfect party spot. Well…almost single handedly.

"Tai! Help!" an anguished cry came from under one of the tables. Smiling to himself, Tai ducked under the picnic table. Agumon had tangled himself in a set of party lights and was currently fighting to free his trapped jaw.

"Mhm hmm!" He tried to say, waving his claws in distress.

Tai couldn't help but laugh. "I have to say, I like that look on you…"

Agumon narrowed his eyes and fixed his partner with a look usually reserved for evil Digimon. "Shm um nhm hpm mu!"

"Okay, okay! Keep your shirt on…" Tai said, untangling the mess his partner had made.

Agumon flexed his jaw experimentally. "But Tai! I don't wear shirts…"

"I know, it's just…never mind." Tai said, connecting Agumon's former manacles to the power strip and attaching them to the top of the gazebo. With a flick of the switch, the string illuminated, casting light on a park slowly being consumed by shadows.

"Wow, Tai." Agumon said, looking around at his partner's handiwork. "You've really outdone yourself this time"

Tai took a step back to stand beside his partner. "You think so?"

"Uh-Huh!" Agumon said, enthusiastically. "Sora's going to love this!"

Tai sighed softly. "I hope so…" he said more to himself than Agumon. Reaching into his coat pocket, he lightly thumbed the box that contained the necklace he bought for her. It was nothing fancy, just a simple silver chain with a replica of the Crest of Love tag in ruby, Sora's birthstone. He had already run it by Matt and he seemed to be fine with it (borderline apathetic, now that Tai thought of it).

Tai withdrew his hand from his coat and smiled at his finished masterpiece. Tai had been the master of making Sora happy over the past four years without her even noticing it. At first he thought what he had for her was a passing infatuation but as the seasons passed and the girls came and went, he still felt like he was on fire whenever Sora smiled at him.

He sighed in defeat. He was in love with her. He was in love with his best friend and his friend's girlfriend at the same time.

"How messed up is that?" Tai mumbled to himself

So he resolved to be there as much as he could for her, even if he couldn't be with her. He remembered all those nights when she called, crying after a fight with Matt; when it would have been so easy to win her over. But for some reason he always pushed them back together. For four years, for reasons he was unaware of, he had kept the love of his life with his best friend, just to keep her happy.

Now any hope of a relationship was disappearing. Matt had mentioned that he needed to talk to Sora about "something important" which Tai translated as "Hey! I'm going to marry the love of your life and there's nothing you can do about it! M'kay bye-bye now!"

Stop it! He angrily told himself. He should be happy for them. After all, this is what Sora wanted. He would just have to grin and bear it. He would just have to sit in the church with everybody else, preferably pissed as all hell so he wouldn't say anything stupid and then sip free bubbly afterwards at the reception. Unless…

Tai felt his knees go weak and he had to catch the table to keep himself from sinking down as a cold, clammy feeling claimed his stomach. What if he asks me to be his Best Man? The enormity of what was happening crashed down on the formal gogglehead and he fought to steady his breath. Would he really do that to him? Would Matt ask Tai to stand across from Sora while he married her? What if I can't control myself when the priest asks for objections? What do we even do if that happens?! Is it just a formality or does he genuinely want to know?! Oh God…

Tai's further musings were cut short by the arrival of a lime green compact. Tai did the best he could to pull himself together as he went to greet the first of the guests.

Tai took a sip out of his drink as he surveyed the party already in full swing. It was still a few minutes before Sora was supposed to show up with Matt but everyone was already there, waiting for their cue to hide.

Making their way through the crowd, his sister dragged T.K on to the dance floor. It had taken nearly four years of skirting around how they both felt but they finally got together one Christmas Eve. Tai smirked as he remembered a simple peck under the mistletoe carry on a little longer than necessary. When each finally realized that they had just snogged their best friend (snogged was the only word for it) they shyly disappeared into the crowd only to reappear holding hands and beaming. Now hardly a moment could be found where they were apart for very long. Tai would often get up in the middle of the night and see Kari texting under her sheets. Anyone could guess who was on the receiving end of said note.

Over by the punch table, Ken and Yolei sat, hands linked and talking quietly. Every now and then they would sneak a kiss and then blush furiously for fifty seconds. While they weren't the overly affectionate couple that T.K and Kari were (truth be told, they were still a little shy around each other) but there was just a rightness about them being together. They simultaneously reminded Tai of an old married couple who was just passing their fiftieth anniversary mark and a very young couple that still didn't know what the hell they were doing. It was a beautiful paradox that seemed to define them perfectly.

Over in the "What the Hell Happened There?" category were the reigning champions of that genre, Mimi and Izzy. If someone had told Tai that he would one day walk in on the computer whiz and the beauty queen making out on Joe's couch, he would have nodded, smiled and then called Mental Health on them. But there they were, chatting up Joe about his plans to finish medical school and trying not to look like they were too out of place. There was a certain balance to their relationship: Izzy had finally lightened up a little and Mimi had definitely calmed down a lot.

Tai looked around at all of his dearest friends, most of them snuggled up against a significant other and once again Tai felt a familiar twinge of jealousy as once again he felt the well-known feeling of wishing he had someone to hold…specifically a certain auburn haired digi-destined. But the shred of a dream he had feebly clung to for the last four years was about to go down in flames when Sora arrived with Matt, tears in her eyes and flashing a rock the size of Saturn…

Speaking of Sora, she should have been there by now. Tai checked his watch; six thirty. Tai frowned slightly. Matt and he had hooked up a week ago to plan this whole thing out and he specifically told Matt to bring her at six (Although…he had seemed a little distant and uninterested in the birthday planning.)

Tai quickly hit Matt's number and waited for his annoying ringback tone to finish. There was the sound of drums and guitar dying down as Matt's voice told everyone to "shut the goddamn music off" as he answered the phone.

"This is Matt." He said shortly.

"Hey Matt, It's-"

"Yeah I know, Tai. Caller ID is a wonderful thing now what do you want, Kamiya?"

Tai balked slightly. Across the park he caught Kari's eye. Kari whispered something to T.K and they started to move towards Tai.

"Um…well, it's six thirty and…" he trailed off, hoping Matt would catch on.

"And so you can tell time; what's the point, Taichi?" Matt growled as one of his band mates yelled at him to "call the mother f'er back later"

Tai looked up into T.K's eyes for some kind of validation but the blonde just shook his head in confusion.

"AND," Tai blurted out. "I was wondering when you and Sora were going to stop by, Yamato!" Two could play the full name game.

"Oh…" Matt trailed off. "Yeah she should be heading over there pretty soon…" Matt sounded pretty dodgy.

"What do you mean; aren't you coming?" T.K's eyes darkened as he shared a look with Kari.

"I thought I told you…I left a message…I thought you knew…"

"Knew what, Ishida?" Kari gripped T.K's arm. Tai's voice had gone very soft and that only happened when he was trying to be smooth with a girl or when he was very, very angry. Right now, it didn't sound like Tai want to grab a cup of coffee and catch a flick.

"I…we…that is to say…we got this deal…"

"Oh my God…" T.K said, aghast. "That was today?!"

"What? What's up T.K?" Kari asked

"Matt mentioned that the Teenage Wolves were playing for some big shot record producer in Tokyo but I didn't think it was going to be today…"

"So let me get this straight…" Tai said, his quiet voice back. "We throw a huge birthday party for Sora, our oldest friend and your girlfriend and you decide to skip out on her to try and get this stinking band off the ground? Am I with you so far?"

"Look, Sora was fine with it, I don't know what you're problem is…"

"Oh Really?" Tai asked, voice going all high and squeaky, another Angry Tai trait. "Cause skipping out on her birthday to play with a band doesn't seem like something Sora would be fine with."

Matt sighed. "Look, it's a little more complicated than that."

"So where is she?"

"I'm sure she's fine. She's probably on her way right now…"

Sniff.

Sniff.

Sniff.

Sora gently wiped her nose with a rouge tissue she had found in her purse, using the unused end to dab at her red, teary eyes as she stared out over the city from her spot on a rusty, wooden bench. She would often come here when she needed to think or just wanted to be alone.

"C'mon, Sora…" Biyomon said gently touching her friend's shaking arm. "It's alright…"

"No, Biyomon, it's not." Sora said, a little harshly.

"I think you misunderstood him, that's all." Biyomon said, fidgeting with her feathers.

"Really?" Sora half sobbed at her partner. "You think?" he voice dripping with sarcasm as she dug out the crumpled, half shredded note from Matt and proceeded to read it aloud.

Sora,

We've had some great times in the past but with the band taking off, I really need some space right now. I'm just not ready for such a committed relationship. I need to be able to really take off and fly and I can't do that with you waiting at home for me. I hope someday we can be friends.

Matt

"Someday…yeah right." Sora whispered to herself. "When hell freezes over and demons spew out of holes in the ground." She sniffed, fighting back another onset of tears. "Happy Birthday to me…"

Sora looked down to see Biyomon settling in her lap. "Don't worry about Matt. Everything happens for a reason."

Sora sighed. "And what reason is that, Biyomon?"

The pink little bird giggled. "Because you're meant to be with someone else, silly!"

Sora shook her head lightly. "Or no one else…"

Biyomon gasped. "Sora! Don't say that!"

"But maybe it's true," she said, absently touching her chest where the Crest of Love used to hang. "I mean…my one and only boyfriend breaks up with me on my birthday, over a letter to play in a band that's doomed." Sora swiped her hand across her eyes "What does that say about me?"

Sora felt a soft brush as Biyomon used her feathers to brush away a stray tear. "Don't think like that, Sora." Sora gripped her friends wing softly.

"Thanks…" As they stood up to leave, Biyomon suddenly felt dizzy as if someone had spun her around in a blender then spat her out on the ground. Biyomon stumbled for a moment, shaking her head as the feeling slowly passed.

"Bi?" Sora asked, using her friend's pet name. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…just stood up too quickly, that's all." Biyomon said, shaking her head again.

"C'mon…" Sora sighed, dejectedly. "Let's just go home…"

"Okay…okay…fine…oh, and by the way, there was one more thing I wanted to say…what was it…oh yeah… YOU GUYS SUCK! Yeah, that's right! You're last album sounded like Primus puked all over Nirvana, then had a bastard child with Creed! Yeah? OH YEAH?! BITE ME, WOLF BOY!!"

Tai angrily hung up on Matt only to realize the whole party was now staring at him.

"Soo…" Davis started, cheekily. "How did it go?"

Tai fished his car keys out of his pocket. "Sora's going to be a little late. I'm going to pick her up."

"Where is she?" Kari asked, concern etched across her face.

"Not sure, but I'll be able to find her with my Digivice," he said, looking down at the screen. Izzy had long since coordinated all the original eight digivices to be able to find each other in the real world. Tai flipped open the GPS tracker only to have his heart plummet.

There were only six blips on the screen. Not counting his own, there were only seven digivices online. Tai tapped the screen with his finger, shaking it up and down, hoping there was some kind of mistake. There was Matt…Izzy, Mimi, Joe, T.K and Kari were behind him. So where was Sora?

"What's wrong, Tai?" Mimi asked, gently taking his digivice from him.

"It's Sora…something's wrong, her digivice isn't online…I can't find her." Tai's voice had gone soft and squeaky. Kari knew him long enough to know that her big brother was very, very scared.

"Are you sure it's broken?" Mimi asked, popping the back panel off. "Your discretion filter may be a little off. If you switch the input jacks around and run the belt scanner in reverse, you might be able to…" Mimi looked up to see everyone staring at her like she had just spewed a live lobster out of her mouth.

"Mimi?" Kari asked. "Is that you?"

Mimi blushed as Tai was about to storm off. "We need to find her before something bad happens. I have a feeling there's something Matt's not telling me."

Davis stood up. "Alright, we'll split up. Me and Kari…"

"No." Kari said.

Davis sighed. "Worth a shot." Davis smirked at the two of them. He had actually gotten over Kari a long time ago, but it was still fun to wind them up like that. "Okay, me, Kari and T.K will take the waterfront. Cody, Ken, Yolei: the side streets are yours."

"I'll take Izzy, Mimi and Joe and take Downtown." Tai said, looking around. "Everybody meet up at the subway station in one hour. Call me if you find Sora."

"Um, Tai, this may sound presumptuous, but…" Izzy trailed off.

"But?" Tai egged the egghead on.

"Should't we get Matt in on this? I mean, after all…"

"If Matt cared that much, he'd be here." Tai said, darkly. "Okay, let's head out!"

/

Thirty minutes later, T.K and Davis were sitting on the docks skipping rocks into the water while Kari rested her head against T.K's and the Digimon played tag behind them.

"Nothing." Davis sighed in defeat. "Not one trace of her anywhere!"

"Not even Biyomon." Gatomon said thoughtfully. "It's the middle of summer and she usually molts like crazy. We should have found a feather by now." A dense mist was beginning to roll in over the waterfront, blurring the shapes of the buildings on the opposite shore. Kari shivered, pulling closer to T.K.

Davis stood, stretching as he did so. "Well, let's head over to the train station. With any luck-"

"AHHHHHH!" Kari screamed as she clutched her head. T.K panicked, pulling her in to look at her.

"KARI! What is it? What's wrong?" he said, fear in his voice.

"I-I-I don't know." Kari said through teeth clenched with pain. "Something's coming. Something bad…AHHH!" She screamed again in pure agony as the mist gathered around them.

"This is bad…this is bad." T.K mumbled, trying to comfort a sobbing Kari.

"Let's go, T.K" Davis said, tugging at the back of his shirt. T.K just stared into the boiling mist as it drew in, tighter and tighter and tighter.

"MOVE IT, TAKERU!" Davis said, snapping T.K out of his thoughts and pulling him to his feet, a sobbing Kari still in his arms, clutching her head. The Digimon ran ahead of them as the fog began to close in faster and faster. By now it was more like steam than any fog, hot and oppressive. T.K's t-shirt began to stick to his chest as the three humans and three Digimon tore through the city. All around them, people were sticking their heads out of windows, stopping their cars and generally looking around at the mist, puzzled expressions on their faces.

Then the screaming started. Sweat was burning T.K's eyes so he couldn't see exactly what was happening but the people who were looking around were suddenly ducking, falling and being carried away by strange winged creatures.

"What are they?" Davis asked, goggles down and everything.

"Digimon, but I can't get a good look at them…" he saw a wing here, a claw there and a twisted face occasionally poking through the mist.

"IN HERE!" T.K looked up to see a disheveled Tai beckoning them in a hollowed out building cellar. T.K and Davis sprinted for the door, Digimon behind them. As Tai and Izzy heaved the door shut, a stark white, subhuman face lunged from the vapor only to slam into the heavy metal door as Tai and Izzy bolted it shut

"MOVE!" T.K turned to see Digmon coming up behind. "TAKE SOME COVER!" Digmon slammed his drills into the side of the tunnel opening "Gold Rush!" There was a distant rumbling as Digmon fled back into the tunnel as the entrance collapsed sealing the monsters out…or the Digi Destined in…

AN: Okay, these are the first two chapters in what I want to be a very quick fic (no more than 13 chapters and an epilogue. Let me know what you guys think so R&R!