Authors note: Sorry for the late…or is it early uploads I'm a bit of a night owl. Hoot. Um…I forgot to do this before so I'll put it here.
I don't own digimon; if I did 02 would have been veeerrry different.
Chapter 4: Small wins
It felt like he had been running for an eternity. Though he flew at his top speed, which was fairly fast considering his athletic build, he still felt like he was running through water. Agumon ran just behind him making a valiant effort at keeping up with his speedier partner. Tai kept his gaze set for straight ahead, not even pausing to see how close behind his friends were. Takeru's form soon came into his line of sight so he pushed himself to go even faster. Takeru was struggling to get to his feet between laboured breaths; He held his right side with both hands. As Tai approached he could hear Takeru hiss as he applied some pressure to the injured area.
"T.K! You ok? What's happening up there?" Tai asked. He stopped Takeru from standing by placing his hands on his shoulders, helping him into a sitting position on the steps.
"I've been better but forget about me. Nii-chan and Sora are still up there with that psycho! I have no clue what he is but he is seriously strong, I couldn't keep up with his movements."
"T.K!" Hikari and Tokomon yelled simultaneously as they and the rest of the group caught up to Tai. Hikari pried Takeru's hands away from his side before lifting his shirt slightly to inspect the injury. She was greeted with the sight of a large bruise which ran along his ribcage down to just before his hip, the bruise was already changing to a deep purplish colour but other then that he seemed unharmed.
"Hikari look after him, we are going up!" Tai declared, as he turned to climb the remaining stairs he heard Yamato's pain stricken scream. He didn't stop to see the others reaction. If he had he would have seen how all the colour drained from their faces and Takeru spring to his feet to follow him. Tai reached them first; he shielded his eyes from the sparks. He could make out the back of his best friend being forcefully held against the barrier. Anger took hold of him as Yamato continued screaming and watched as his body convulsed against the barrier. He didn't think as he plunged forward aiming for the legs of the man holding Yamato causing all four of them to fly away from the barrier. The man's eyes widened as he was propelled backward by the unseen teen, his surprise gave Sora the opportunity she was waiting for and she promptly kicked him in the stomach as hard as she could causing the man to loosen his grip. She rolled away from him as they all skidded to a halt. Lifting herself off the ground she sprang at him aiming for Yamato who lay limp and lifeless still within the man's grasp. She managed to toss the man's hand away, pulling Yamato's head onto her lap as she did so.
Tai straddled the man and gripped him by his lapel with his left hand, raising his right for a well deserved punch only to find the man had simply disappeared. Tai looked around quickly before spotting the man who was now standing before them, if Tai had been able to see him before he would have noted that the mask had changed from a twisted smile to a furious frown.
"Would you kindly refrain from getting this suit dirty, it's very expensive." The man growled.
"Fuck you, a dirty suits gonna be the least of your worries in a minute!" Tai spate, fury coating every syllable as he glared at him
The man cocked his head as the remaining members of the team, accompanied by the digimon, rushed over to Yamato and Sora. Agumon ran to his partner's side eyeing the man with caution.
"Digimon that have yet to be assimilated? Oh dear this may make things difficult. I had so hoped you had all been taken care of, I loath joyous reunions." The man complained.
"Agumon!" Tai ordered.
Complying with his partners command Agumon was once again enveloped in evolutionary light as he digivolved through the stages all the way up to Wargreymon. He swiped the air with his claws and assumed a defensive stance between Tai and the man. The man sighed and shook his head from side to side sticking his hands into his trouser pockets. Tai slowly got to his feet, letting his arms hang loose as he stood. He couldn't remember the last time he had been this pissed off. This asshole had hurt his little sister, his friends. Uncharacteristic hatred burned behind his eyes as he looked over to Yamato and Sora. The rest of the group had crowded around them; Sora hugging Yamato's head to her chest while Takeru held his hand and Joe checked his vitals for the second time today. She was covered in filth from the fall, her clothes were riddled with scrapes and holes, her skin was covered in a multitude of tiny scratches and her hair was wildly unkempt. None of this seemed to concern her at all as she met Tai's gaze with an intense fiery glare to match his own. She didn't need to say it and neither did he, they didn't care that this guy was human. He was going down.
"Wargreymon, no mercy!" Tai demanded with a loud cry.
"With pleasure." Wargreymon growled. He lunged at the man, attempting to skewer him on his claws, only for the man to step lightly to the side. Wargreymon continued to press him with a quick succession of swipes and jabs. Each hit came within a hairs breath of the man but he dodged them all by ducking and weaving, never taking his hands out of his pockets. Wargreymon misjudged his footing as he lunged again, creating an opening which the man used to land a hard punch to Wargreymon's chin. Wargreymon flipped backwards, plunging his claw into the ground to slow him down as he landed on his feet and skidded backwards. The remaining digidestined's digimon, with the exception of Tsunomon, Tokomon (who only evolved to Patamon) and Salamon (who only evolved to Gatomn), digivolved to their adult forms during this exchange and moved to attack, combining their efforts by firing their signature moves at the man. He tsked as he jumped to avoid the onslaught; Wargreymon leapt at him while he was still in the air aiming for his head. The man was unable to completely dodge in time; Wargreymons claw grazed the side of the mask above his left eye, causing it to fracture and crack revealing a small portion of the man's face. The man landed heavily on his feet, clasping at the fractured mask and gingerly feeling along the newly created edges.
"Heh you actually broke it…looks like I have to end it here." The only revealed portion of the man's face allowed Tai to see him furrow his brow in apparent pain. Dark energy pulsed outward from his quivering form as his breathing became more erratic. Tai scowled, shooting Wargreymon a commanding look. Wargreymon nodded and made to attack the man again but the pulses threw him back causing him to crash into Kabuterimon, knocking him out of the sky.
"Don't worry I'll be back. I know who I'm looking for now so it's only a matter of time before I get what I want." The man threatened before he vanished in an imploding flash of dark light. The air where he once stood crackled with what appeared to be black electricity before settling back to normalcy.
"Damn! How the hell did that bastard manage to get away? We almost had him!" Tai vented in frustration.
Sora was cleaning Yamato's face dabbing away the thin stream of blood pouring from his mouth. "I thought we were all converted to data when we came here…why is he bleeding?" She whispered.
"Hikari was bleeding too. It looks like even as data our blood remains the same colour, last time we were here we managed to avoid shedding any…so I never knew." Koushirou offered. Sora gave no response instead choosing to stare down at Yamato's face. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead but his breathing had changed from short struggling pants to a steady rhythm. She twirled his dusty golden tresses between her fingers; she didn't know if this is what was helping but his previously pained expression smoothed out causing the group to sigh in relief. "He looks so peaceful now, just like he's sleeping. I've never been able to see him up close like this before…he really is breathtaking." She mentally noted.
Takeru let relief shower over his anguished countenance as Yamato finally showed some improvement. He felt Hikari squeeze his hand so he turned to see her smiling at him, relief evident on her face as well. He raised her hand to his lips lacing their fingers together, kissing each of her fingers lightly in unspoken thanks. She raised her eyebrows in surprise before letting them drop and leaning in to kiss his interlocked fingertips. Mimi found herself fairly envious of the exchange, wishing she too could be comforted like that. As if to compensate for this she grabbed Kousirou's arm, hugging it to her chest causing it to nestle between her breasts. Koushirou blushed profusely but made no move to correct her. Joe saw them in the corner of his eye, making him produce a small frown but he said nothing. The digimon had regressed to their child forms and watched the humans various actions with puzzled looks. Tsunomon nuzzled Yamato's left hand while gazing sadly at the teen.
"We have to get back to the portal, Yamato and T.K need to see a doctor plus we have no idea if that creep is coming back with reinforcements." Tai made the decision effortlessly. Even though it had been years since they were here he fell snugly back into the leader position. Everyone was glad he was there helping boost morale and making important decisions.
"Even if we go back we can't take them to a hospital, how are we going to explain the injuries? We can't take the digimon with us to a hospital and according to Gennai's story that guy can appear in the real world as well." Joe voiced his concerns as Sora helped Tai get Yamato onto his back, Yamato's head lay limply on Tai's shoulder and his whole body sagged. Tai was more then prepared for it though and easily supported him. Hikari propped Takeru's arm over her shoulder as they both got to their feet.
"That is a bit of an issue. Has your brother left for those islands yet?" Tai inquired.
Joe shook his head as he replied "No he still has a few weeks before he's scheduled to leave."
"Well there you go; there is a doctor in the house." Tai smiled before beginning the long trek back.
"Whatever happened seems to have rattled his system but I don't believe he needs any surgery. He should definitely get at least a full day's bed rest though." Jim regimented after he finished examining Yamato who was lying in his own bed. Jim had reached the apartment in record time after Joe had called him upon their return. Though Jim didn't like the fact that they didn't want to go to the hospital he had agreed to treat their injured comrades because he understood the danger they faced. Takeru was resting in his fathers room with Hikari since Jim had told him he hadn't broken anything. However he had bruised his ribs so bed rest was advised. Sora nodded, thanking him for his efforts. She was sitting beside Yamato on the bed in a kneeling position with Tsunomon in her lap since there were no chairs in the room. Jim gave her a kind smile before exiting.
Biyomon stood at the end of the bed chatting away happily giving her account of the years Sora had been absent before the digiworld had changed. She listened to Biyomon's recollections, happy to finally be reunited with her friend but at the same time never taking her eyes off of Yamato. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully now though he still hadn't woken up; even when they had landed in an undignified heap after being sent back through the portal he hadn't stirred. She brushed a wayward strand of hair from his forehead before hesitating then, affirming her resolve, tenderly tracing the curve of his jaw with her fingers before cupping the side of his face as she gently pushed Tsunomon off her lap. She watched him for a moment, feeling his deep breathing against her thumb before leaning forward and planting a soft kiss on his unresisting lips. Biyomon stopped speaking as Sora did so; she and Tsunomon trading a confused look before Biyomon shrugged and began speaking again. Sora pulled back in astonishment as Yamato let out a soft moan; her face was inches from his as his eyes fluttered open dreamily.
"So…ra?" He breathed. She quickly sat back up trying to pull her hand which was still cupping his face back with her. But before she could he covered it with his. Closing his eyes he turned his head so he could slide the palm of her hand over his lips, pressing her hand closer as he did so. "This can't be real…where am I? All I can remember is that indescribable pain, did I…die?" He mused. Sora's breath involuntarily quickened as he remained still, she made no further effort to pull her hand away instead opting to wait for him to open his eyes again. "It's so warm…" He gradually opened his eyes as he thought, blinking rapidly when he realised that this was no dream or afterlife. He peeked up at Sora once he realised where he was, expecting her to demand answers for what he realised was an undeniable act of affection. He released her hand quickly but she withdrew it agonizingly leisurely, brushing the tips of her fingers against his partially open mouth. He paused, savouring the sensation of her touch before memory slammed into him like a freight train.
"Did he hurt you?" He questioned as he jumped up immediately gripping her forearms and examining her. Her light blue blouse had been torn slightly at the front revealing a small glimpse of her vermilion bra, her jeans suffered from several nicks and tears. There was a very tiny scrap just under her eye, he raised his hand and lightly brushed it with his thumb.
"ME? Yamato he almost killed you! I'm perfectly fine." She reassured him with urgency before soothingly pushing him back down onto the bed. "Rest now, I'll fill you in later." Her hair tickled his face as she spoke, she was leaning over him now, her face awash with concern and something else. Something he was sure he could place now. Nothing like a close call to force you to up your game. He tilted his head up and crashed his lips into hers, melting his hand into her hair to push her forward. She remained stunned for only a moment before permitting him entrance. Yamato knew it would feel good when, or if, he got to kiss her. He just never knew how freaking amazing it would be. Her tongue was soft, warm and just so skilful. She tasted of milk and honey and something else that was just unspeakably Sora. He wanted this moment to go on and on and on but unfortunately Tsunomon, who had to his credit been waiting very patiently, decided to force his way between them. Yamato's annoyance dissolved when he realised who had interrupted them.
"Yamato you finally woke up, I was so worried!" Tsunomon cried.
"Tsunomon you're okay! God I missed you." Yamato wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. They both laughed happily at the gesture. Sora smiled at the reunion before she got up, heading out the room to let the others know Yamato was ok. She couldn't wipe the smile from her face or suppress her giddiness as she glided out the door.