DISCLAIMER: The following story contains various themes and subject matter that may not be suitable for children under the age of thirteen. Viewer discretion is advised.
Digimon
GODFALL
By. Sonfaro
Chapter 20
A/N: Longest. Chapter. Ever. Also, later today, the first update to "Memoirs of Victory: Taming the Instincts" - now "Digimon Anniversary: Memoirs of Victory" - will be posted, so look out for that.
All we can do now is run.
I grit my teeth and move forward, my digivice in one hand giving light while my other supports a very drained and very emotional Tai Kamiya. Agumon and Gabumon do their best to keep up, both poor rookies having spent a great deal of energy in the last hour or so trying to keep us alive. Behind them are the survivors; eight humans of various ages and points of life who we've managed to pull out of Datamon's test tubes and back to the land of the living. Behind them, nothing but desolation.
Ours is a motley crew; several generations of humans and two Digimon scrambling in the dark for an exit. The oldest is a thin, grey haired gentleman of Japanese origin, forever squinting his eyes for clarity. The next in line is the balding European, fat fingers clenching each other tight with worry. The first survivor we rescued, the long faced old man with dark hair, remains jumpy and alert, though his crazed expression has at least subsided. There's a much younger blonde man grumbling behind him. I'm guessing thirty or thirty-five. A dirty blonde – his lover I'd imagine – clings to his arm, with the second brunette woman trailing along, fingers tugging at her short hair in what I assume is a nervous tick of hers. Finally, there's the girl – who can't be more than thirteen – and her little brother; ten years old and shell shocked out of his mind.
Around us, the roar of swirling mechanics echoes across the air, a reminder of the terrible machinery that just a few seconds ago provided a danger to me and my friends. And somewhere at the bottom of it all is Rei.
Or what's left of her.
I feel sick about what happened. I mean, how are you supposed to feel when someone you know falls down a giant hole never to be seen again? We weren't friends: not really. Not the way she was with Tai. But she was a living thing, in her way. And her loss is a tragic one. One that no one here feels more strongly than Tai.
Tai. Who from the beginning joked about how alike they were. Tai. Who from the beginning showed an attraction to her that seemed out of place. Tai, who from the beginning must have been thinking of someone else.
That's the other part that has my heart wrenching in my stomach, though it isn't really news. It's the thing nagging in the back of my mind as my worn doc martens trudge over stone tile and broken rock searching for an exit. He'd told me, long ago, that it wouldn't be a problem. I'm sure he meant it then. But now?
He called her…
No. Don't think about it. It'll only piss you off. There are far more important things to deal with aside from being jealous. Erase it. Put it out of your mind. There will be a time and place to deal with the elephant in the room. Now isn't it. So for Gods sake, don't think about it.
It isn't easy, but somehow I keep my mind on keeping us moving forward, past the burnt wreckage of an electric fence and out into the hall from whence we came. The floor vibrates beneath my feet, and I can only imagine the wires churning below us, desperate for a purpose. They won't be getting one any time soon. Datamon is dead. But that doesn't mean we can stop. Not yet. The very foundation of this place is coming apart at the hinges, rumbling and shifting beneath our feet. We have to get topside, and soon. Otherwise the twelve of us could be buried here for all eternity.
And then no one could mourn Rei.
So we trudge along, shielding our skulls from the small pebbles and dust that fall down to us as the pyramid shakes. The humans are tired and worn, clutching to the wires that make up their only attire, desperate to see the light of day. As far as I know they've been down here for days. They all seem healthy enough, but who knows what Datamon's done to them.
They're the ones who pick up on the danger first.
"What's that?" One of the middle aged women – the brunette – calls our attention to the sounds growing towards our party. Ahead of us, the clickity-clack of metal claws scraping against the worn brick tile echos in the distance, sending us on high alert. Faintly, I can hear the sound of gears whining, and worse, laser fire. I remember the crazy robots in the desert. I don't want to experience that in close quarters.
"Everybody stop."
We grind to a halt, our way barred by some unknown trouble. Tai slips off my shoulder, a frown on his face. Agumon and Gabumon limp ahead, just in case. We wait in the dark a few seconds more, until the sounds are almost deafening. Curious, I raise my digivice to get a better look.
Mini-Gizmon. Hundreds of them. Swirling on top of each other, jerking erratically this way and that, their single red eyes glowing and firing at random towards anything that moves. They cover the walls; a tunnel of robotic terror that, as far as I know, leads to our only exit. But that isn't the worst of it. As they climb across each other, their tiny claws are ripping through armor, tearing at wiring. Some of them are fighting, a maddening dance between machines that leads to more carnage. And when it's over, when one of the Gizmon has finally gone off line, the crazed victor stands tall above their evaporating bodies…
While the losers data flows into them.
The balding survivor gulps. "My god."
The two women huddle together. "W-what are they doing."
The old man frowns. "They're… eating each other."
It's not entirely accurate; or at least… it isn't when Digimon do it. It's more like…
You know what? There really isn't a human equivalent to it. It's data merging: at least that's what we call it. It's like everything that made the dying creature strong flows into you. Or so I hear. It's a savage practice most civilized Digimon refuse to partake in; like stealing another's soul. Its something rational, civilized Digimon never do. Hell, even the Dark Masters never partook in stealing data – and they knew they were evil!
Bottom line, this is messed up. This is unnatural. This is wrong.
We all stand stock still, no one wanting to make a move that might throw their attention our way.
"Monsters." Gabumon snarls.
"W-what are we going to do?" Whispers the eldest man, his thin arms shivering.
I look to Tai, waiting for an order. He gives none. I frown.
The reason Tai is the leader isn't because he's the best at strategies. That's Izzy. It wasn't because he was empathetic to his team. That was Sora. It wasn't because he was the responsible one. That was Joe. It wasn't because he was the most liked. That's Mimi. It wasn't because he sees the big picture. That was me. No, Tai was the leader because out of all of us he was the only one decisive enough to make a call and see it through the end, regardless of how we ended up. And if that has left him… If he's the least bit indecisive now… Then he isn't the Tai I can follow.
"Back away," I whisper. "Slowly."
They hesitate, but eventually our little group begins back peddling towards the corridor we came from. Dust continues to fall from the ceiling with each passive shake of the pyramid, falling into my nose and irritating my sinuses. I do what I can to ignore the sensation. We all do. The going isn't easy, but we are making some decent headway. It even looks like we may even cross down the corridor with no problem at all.
And then the little boy sneezes.
The Gizmon stop moving. One by one their bodies shift across the tile, until their tiny red eyes turn to us.
The bald man says it best. "Oh… Oh no."
The preteen girl shrieks in a panic. "They see us!"
"No duh kid," the blonde man growls.
I frown. "Tai?"
He says nothing, but he does give Agumon a little nod. The dinosaur growls and opens his jaws. "Pepper-…phew…" He coughs once, smoke puffing out of his jaws. "Ugh, I don't feel so hot."
Gabumon trots beside him, hoping to pick up the slack.
"Blue Bla…um…" My partner sneezes, sapphire eyes blinking as he fights for control of his powers. "Excuse me," he's finally forced to say.
Crap.
"Don't just stand there," the blonde snarls. "Get them to fire!"
But we can't. They're spent. None of us has gotten any sleep, and our last meal was well over six hours ago. This mission has drained us all. Without the Digimon at full strength we have no fire power, which means we're just sitting ducks out in this hall way. Which means that our partners, the strongest beings we've ever known, are just as vulnerable as us. Which means we are nothing but human. No more, no less.
The quiet, ominous voice of NEO is still buzzing in my ear.
The Gizmon have stopped eating each other and instead stare fully in our direction.
"What do we do?" The eldest man asks, bewildered.
I look to Tai. His eyes are distant. His mind is elsewhere. I frown.
"…Run!" I order.
But by then it's too late.
They move as one, their red eyes blazing towards us in a matter of seconds. Our group loses composure and turns tail, heading in the opposite direction. All except Tai. He stands stock still. Waiting for them. I move to catch his shoulder and drag him with the rest of us, but a heavy thump soon presses against me. I look down to see the little girl clutching my chest. I heave as she squeezes. Tai still hasn't moved. I reach out to him. I call him. But by then he can't hear me. No one can.
They fall on top of us, the sounds of their squeaks and squawks surrounding us as they swarm forward en masse. I cover the young teenager for protection and shut my eyes tight. I can almost hear her scream beneath me, even as I feel the spike like claws of each Gizmon pressing into my back in their mad dash. I smell the burn of sulfur, and I feel the wisp of laser fire. And for but a moment I fear death.
And then they're gone; as suddenly as they came. The sounds of their metallic feet clicking down the hallway and out of hearing range. The whole business must have only been a minute or two, but it seemed to last a lifetime. I look up. My digital skin still crawls from their touch. But surprisingly, we've all managed to come out of the ordeal unscathed.
For the most part.
"Grossgrossgrossgross…" The brunette whines.
"It's okay, it's okay," her friend is beside her, trying to calm her.
I frown and rise from atop the little girl, dusting myself off and extending a hand to lift her from the ground. The ordeal has me a bit puzzled. After all, they had us in their sights. Why didn't they kill us? But despite the horrifying nature of our experience, everyone appears to be in good health. A little shook up, certainly. But alive and well.
I notice that the girl still has my hand at this point. I look down at her and raise an eyebrow. She lets go quickly and blushes in that way girls do when they've got a crush. Great. Just what we need right now.
The eldest wraps his thin arms around himself. "W-what was that?"
"Maybe we scared them just as much as they scared us?" Suggests the balding man.
"Or maybe they're just running to grab more troops to kill us with," the middle-aged man spits.
I roll my eyes and look to my leader. He's still standing there. Arms outstretched. I can see his shoulders raising and lowering with every breath, and I can hear him exhale and inhale sharply each and every time. It almost looks like he was waiting for him. My fist clenches involuntarily, and it takes me a second to relax enough to speak up.
"You alright?"
"…Fine." He says, and he leaves it at that.
I want to say something to him; I need it, he needs it. But not here. Soon. But not here.
"Is everyone okay?" I call out instead.
"Yeah," grumbles the blonde. He then turns and points menacingly at Agumon. "No thanks to those things."
"Hey!" Our dinosaur companion snarls.
"Easy Agumon." Gabumon sooths, but it's clear he's not too happy about the realitism being shown.
"They aren't just things sir," I defend with a frown. "Digimon are beings; with endurance levels just like anything else. They aren't tools."
"They most certainly are." Comes a sly voice from the corner.
"You really believe that Kurata…" the dark haired woman whispers.
I blink and turn to the first survivor, his long face gazing ahead of us. "Living tools, yes," he says as he crosses his arms. "Tools with opinions. Sure. Emotions. Definitely. But tools none the less."
"Our partners are more than just weapons." I glare at him.
"Don't get me wrong son. Not in the pejorative meaning of tool. It's a compliment. Think of all the help that Digimon can provide humanity. Think of what they've done here today." He gives Gabumon a smile. "They truly are incredible monsters".
Gabumon frowns at him, saying nothing. He turns a furry head up to me wanting to know what I'd say. I'm not sure what to say really.
"You said your name was Kurata?"
"Yes?"
My frown grows deeper. "There was a Kurata from the first team. The A.o.A. Are you…?"
The old man squints at me. "Er… Why yes. What of it?"
Confused, I stare at the man in puzzlement. "Izzy told me you weren't supposed to be down here. MAGAMI wasn't paying you."
He blinks. "So you know who we are?" He says with a kind of suspicious shock. He composes himself and nod. "Yes, I was a member of the A.o.A. I was here in an advisory role, and I was privately contracted."
"By who."
"That's confidential."
Before I can dig deeper, Gabumon steps up. "Excuse me." He says. "But how did you manage to survive all this time?"
"That's easy," The blonde man interrupts with a grumble. "He hid away like a coward while his little toys killed everyone."
'Kurata' sighes. "What did you want me to do? Die along with them?"
It's clear the blonde is agitated. "You knew what this … thing was and you allowed it to grow!"
"No one could have foreseen that the life-form would have ulterior motives Mitsuo, particularly one that appeared to be so simple."
"That's a real pile of s-"
"Easy!" I demand, physically stepping between them. "This isn't doing anyone any good. What we need to do now is gather our strength and keep heading upwards."
"And why should we listen to you!" the man called Mitsuo snarls. He turns up his nose and sneers at us. "Everything is all fuddled up because of you. We'd do much better if one of us lead the way; we know these hallways better than you two miscreants and your little pet monsters. For gods sake you're a couple of children-"
"Our partners are not pets," I state coldly. "And you follow us because without us, you'll never make it past the Gizmon – your sentries, remember? And we're not children sir. We stopped being children a long time ago. As for the situation at hand, do you really want us to measure out the blame here?"
"C'mon! I'm just a tech specialist, I'm here to clean up this mess. I didn't, freakin', play God or anything. Not like this… piece of-"
"Mitsuo," the woman beside him calmly but firmly grabs his hand. His entire expression changes.
"Sorry. I'm just sick and tired of all the bull that we have to deal with now because of this guy. And now I'm stuck in a crumbling ruins talking to a teenager with a useless dog…dragon… thing. Seriously, some of these creatures are just –"
By now I've had enough. "Hey! Our partners just spent the better part of a day fighting through your robots to save you. If it wasn't for them, you'd still be floating in a soup for Datamon right now. Forgive them if they're a little drained!"
There's a silence that falls afterwards I almost regret. Almost. Eventually, Mitsuo begrudgingly looks to the ground. "Sorry."
"Well… what do they need to recharge?" Asks the other woman.
"Quarter-pounder with cheese…" Agumon mumbles.
"My… ehem… friend means we… need food," Gabumon clarifies.
The eldest man with short grey hair clears his throat. "…Kurata."
"What?" Kurata raises his eyebrow.
"There is… that."
Kurata frowns. "It's experimental."
The old man shrugs. "It worked didn't it?"
"Eh… Well…"
I frown again. "What?"
The eldest man blinks, then clears his throat. "A… food supplement program for Digital beings."
"Food!"
It takes all Gabumon has to keep hold of Agumons tail, holding the dinosaur in place so that he doesn't topple the now slightly terrified Kurata. "Down Agumon, down!"
"What's this about food?" I ask.
"Ask him." Mitsuo nods towards a suddenly embarrassed Kurata.
He clears his throat. "I…know a hiding spot."
"The food." I repeat myself.
"It's how we found the coward." Mitsuo scoffs. "He was carrying them to some hidy-hole when we entered the ruins."
"To be honest, I wasn't even sure they would work. I mean they weren't designed for human consumption and…"
I glare at him hard. He's done too much talking. I think he gets the hint.
"…Right. This way."
We shift into a better formation, this time with the old man named Kurata taking point. We continue onwards, attempting to retrace our steps in the dim light, with only the glow of our digivices spreading more sight around us. Kurata seems extremely confident as he trots ahead, even humming a tune to himself.
"Where are we going?" Gabumon asks.
"Hmm," Kurata muses. "Back to my ll…llnnn… Achoo!"
He sneezes loudly, if somewhat strangely. Like he was acting or something. "I'm sorry, could you back your partners up? I think I might be… ah… ahh…" He sneezes again, louder than before, befor sniffling and flashing me a pathetic smile. "Allergic."
Tai makes a face, briefly, but doesn't say anything. He does extend his arm to Agumon, who trots over to him with a confused glance on his face. Gabumon does the same for me, though his own expression remains difficult to read. It rests somewhere between annoyance… and fear.
I'll ask him what's up later.
The rest of the trek is made in relative silence, with the only sounds being our groups breathing and Kurata humming a odd little tune. I spare a few glances towards Tai. He looks unnaturally stiff, as if his soul had already died. My fist clenches again, but I relax. Not yet. Soon.
"Is he gonna be okay?"
I'm thrown from my anger by the voice of the girl. She's trotted up beside me, her little brother in tow. I sigh, flinching with the still raw pain of my injuries. "…Yeah." I nod. "Believe it or not we've been through worse."
"Oh." She says. She looks down to the ground, gripping tighter to her quiet brothers hand. "I'm sorry about your friend."
I frown. "…She…" I start, and then I think better on it. "Thank you. I'm sorry too."
"What do you think is going on out there?"
I frown. "I don't know. It sounds like the whole place is moving."
"Do… Do you think we'll make it out?"
I blink. The girl waits for an answer, her teeth against her bottom lip in anticipation. I give her the best smile I can, given the circumstances. "Of course we will."
It's a lie. Or rather an uneducated guess. Faith. Blind, hopeless faith.
But it satisfies her for now. She turns back to her little brother and reassures the little kid that all will be well. He only half responds. I worry about that a little – he may have a concussion. Concussions are no joke. But after a few seconds he responds with another sneeze and then complains about missing his parents and the girl plays big sister. If he is rattled, it doesn't appear to be that bad, and my earlier diagnosis of shell shock seems more apt. I stop eaves dropping after a while. It's clear that, once reassured, she has a handle on things.
I take another look towards Tai. He doesn't look up. I stay cool and look forward for the rest of the trek. Which as it turns out is only a few minutes more. When Kurata leads us to what appears to be a dead end.
"Here it is," Kurata finally announces, and we all come to a stop..
"A wall Kurata?" The dirty blonde woman glares in his direction.
Kurata frowns. "Have you learned nothing in this place?"
The old man with the long face clears his throat and presses both hands against the wall. I raise my digivice to give him more light, but he waves me off. "There's no need," he tells me as he slides his hands along the dusty tile. "I remember."
I don't press on exactly what he remembers, but I do grumble a little to let him know we're on borrowed time. He largely ignores me, slim fingers instead tracing against the wall in the hope of finding something. About a minute into is search I prepare to tell him to forget it.
And that's when his arm slips into the wall.
"Eureka!" The thin old man exclaims while turning to the group with a sly smile.
A hiding wall. Great. Haven't seen one of those in a while.
"Follow me!" The thin man exclaims as he disappears into the hologram
One by one the half-clothed survivors, gingerly step through the false wall and after Kurata. Only the blonde man hesitates.
"Go on," I frown. He bites back an insult and slides through the digital field and to the presumable safety on the other side.
"Tai?" I turn to him.
He says nothing, air escaping through his lips in a huff. And then he is gone inside the hiding wall as well. I take one look behind me before disappearing through the false brick.
It's a small lab, beakers rattling as the pyramid shakes. There isn't a lot of room for the twelve of us to maneuver, but at least we have a slight respite from our trials. As we huddle against a wall Kurata disappears around the corner, only to return with several stacks of some strange box like item that almost looks like it could be a rectangular fruit. He approaches us, keeping a wary eye on our partners and trying not to sneeze.
"Here," he says. "Give this to them"
I raise an eyebrow, but say no more. I hand one to Gabumon and toss the other to Agumon, who chows down almost immediately.
"Food!" He screams. Gabumon just rolls his eyes.
Kurata ignores them both… or at least he tries to. He takes a wide berth around our partners and hands the items to us as well.
"What is this stuff?" I ask.
"It's a collection of nutritional operating internal recovery bits created for use by the mobile sentries," he explains while approaching the rest of our party. "Before we connected them directly to the network they required these things to run, otherwise they're system would run out of power. It had been nutritional supplements for the sentries."
"…You fed them?" Tai surprises me by asking.
"Re-fuelled more like it." Kurata makes a face at him. "…The sentries aren't properly alive."
Tai frowns. "With fuel that a human could digest and survive off of?"
Kurata shrugs. "Data is data. The food, the water, all of it. Just bits and pieces of information. It's no different from a person eating dog food in a time of crisis."
Something about that rubs me wrong, but I don't pick at it. Tai glares for considerably longer, but he falls back to his odd silence, which is pissing me off more and more. I rub my chest, for the first time checking to see how bent my wiring is. I can't feel anything serious, and I don't feel like my core is fluxing or anything. Still, better safe than sorry.
"Got a name?" I ask Kurata to pass the time.
He shakes his head. "No. Nothing fancy. We're… well… I was calling it Digi-N.O.I.R."
"DigiNnoooEEerrr…?" Agumon tries to work through his brain. "There has to be a better name for that."
"Are they… good?" Ask the brunette lady as Kurata hands them out.
Before he can answer I hear a nasally moan from across the room. "Numnumnum…"
I smile. "Well, at least Agumon likes it."
"It's an acquired taste." My own partner gives his review after sipping lightly.
"It's food," Agumon glares. "Stop complaining."
"I'm not complaining. I'm just saying this isn't completely… ideal."
"You don't want yours?"
"I never said that… Hey! Claws off!"
While Gabumon snaps his jaws at Agumons encroaching claws and the two get back to arguing, I settle on the side of the wall and take a good look at our group. "So… anybody want to tell us who they are?"
They all look at me with nervousness. No one wants to introduce themselves first. I sigh and get comfortable against the wall.
"No one?"
The bald old man clears his throat. "Well. We know nothing about you. Except that you're a… Digi… something."
"Digidestined."
The brunette blinks. "Like, those eight Japanese kids who flew into the sky all those years ago?"
"That's right." I nod. "I'm Matt Ishida. My… friend over there is Tai. We're part of the Digidestined and we were contacted to try and find you… It hasn't quite gone to plan yet, sorry but… That's us. These are our partners. "Gabumon…"
"Ehem… hello."
"And Agumon."
"Numnumnum…"
The balding old man looks around. "What do you want us to say?"
I clear my throat. "You don't have to say anything. But… Well I just figured, we're going to be together for a little while longer. Might as well get to know each other. Maybe find out why Datamon sparred you."
No one says anything for a while, each adult looking to the other. Finally one of the women speaks up. "Well… um… I-I'm Tally Oonodera. And… I have no idea what that thing wanted with me."
"None of us do," the blonde grumbles. "Do you think we'd be here if we did?"
The other woman shoots an elbow in his ribs. "Settle down Mitsuo," she tells him. He grumbles some more before continuing to feed from his cube. Satisfied, the woman beside him – I'm guessing his girlfriend – speaks up. "I'm Riley Ootori. Tally and I worked on the vaccine together."
"Okay," I nod. I turn to the blonde jerk beside them. He looks up from his meal and glares at me.
"…"
I frown. "Well?"
Riley elbows him again. He grumbles, but still doesn't answer. She sighs and speaks up. "This is Mitsuo Yamaki. Lead programmer."
Mitsuo keeps on glaring.
"Please excuse him," Riley says. "He really is thankful for you saving us."
"Don't put words in my mouth," he finally speaks up.
Riley elbows him again. "You've put your foot in it so often today. I just thought you'd like a change of pace."
He rolls his eyes and moves back to his meal. I shake my head. I'm glad I won't have to know this guy to much longer. I turn to the next in line, the young teenager with her little brother, who still looks really depressed.
"Well?"
She clears her throat. "I'm Nene Amano. This is my little brother Yuu."
The boy doesn't really look up at me. "…Hi."
"Hi." I smile at him, trying to be reassuring. I'm not sure its working.
"We're... We were Tamers. But... I think Datamon may have eaten..." She looks down. Tears may start welling in her eyes at any moment. "They're gone aren't they?"
The eldest lays a hand on her shoulder. "There there, you did your best. That's all we asked for from you."
Nene sniffles a little bit but nods, leaning her back against the wall. I sigh.
"Thanks." I say. "And you are?"
"Uh, yes. I'm Haruhiko Kogure. I was in charge of the investigation. I was the highest ranking scientist on the team and..."
"What?"
"I… well, I'm not too proud to say this, but I think I'm responsible for creating NEO."
Tai frowns. "Datamon is responsible for creating NEO."
"Maybe… But I gave him all the tools he needed. I had been sending emails to the leads down here on data manipulation programs and... well, the end result was... NEO."
The bald man scratches his head. "He would have gotten them some other way. You can't beat yourself up Mr. Gure."
"And you?"
He blinks. "Professor Percival Piyotte at your service. I was brought along to try and salvage the mission in some way. I'm interested in the similarities between human brains and the cores of digital beings. I suppose that is why I was sparred."
"…And what about you old man?"
I glance at Tai, who says it with such a coolness that even I'm chilled by it. Kurata blinks, unsure of what to say. Mitsuo has enough words for both of them it seems.
"Kurata just got lucky as hell."
"Yes… I suppose that's true enough. Akihiro Kurata formally of the A.o.A., currently assisting with the MAGAMI's first-life programs."
"We know already." Tai says with an edge. "What I want to know is who is paying you now. And how can I get my hands on them?"
Kurata flinches. "I'm afraid that's confidential."
"Probably some government thing." Mitsuo mumbles until getting poked in the chest by Rileys elbow.
"That true?" I ask.
Kurata gives me a once over. "Again. It's confidential."
Tai spits. "How convenient."
The woman named Riley frowns and leans closer to me. "Is he okay?"
"…Fine." I glare in Tais' direction. "We lost a friend today."
Kurata blinks, a bemused smile crossing his thin face. "Oh? You're talking about the construct-"
"She wasn't a construct old man! She was…"
"Tai!"
He blinks. I don't think he fully realized that his good arm had caught Kurata by the neck, surprising the old man with his fury. He let go, his hand automatically moving towards his injured limb, staring at all of us. We all stared back, in various levels of shock and anger. He hesitates when his eyes fall on me, and his whole body lurches apologetically. But it isn't in his body that you see how he feels. It's in his eyes. Those chocolate browns hold a mirror to Tai's soul. And somewhere inside he's defiant to the last.
"Forget it," he mumbles under his breath. Before anyone can say any more crosses away from us, bad arm stiff along his stomach. He glares ahead of him, walking silently towards the outer wall. Agumon calls to him. Tai ignores him. Eventually our leader just disappears behind the hidden wall.
Nene looks at me. "Are you sure he's okay?"
I frown, rising from my seat against the wall and heading after him. "Fine," I tell her.
"Matt?" Asks Gabumon as he puts down his food.
"It's nothing. Don't worry everyone, just some Digidestined business."
"We're coming." Gabumon announces.
Agumon blinks. "Huh?"
"We're coming," Gabumon glares. Agumon rolls his eyes, tosses his piece of Digi-data-N-U-whatever in the air and swallows in one gulp, before hopping after us. I suppose I should have known better than to think we'd get complete privacy.
"Thanks." I tell them. They both nod and say not another word. They know Tai's acting out. And they know part of the reason why. They want to help.
But if they knew what I was planning they'd have stopped me on the spot.
Too late now. I'm doing this a little earlier than I wanted and with two sets of eyes that we didn't need, but it's now or never. It's time that we dealt with this thing between us. The sword that's been hanging over our friendship for years now. The thing we won't talk about.
The elephant in the room.
It isn't some secret. I've known for a while. We just both agreed to bottle it up. How do you deal with something like this? Can you. I don't know. Thinking of it now though, we probably should have just gotten this over with.
Tai's known Sora since they were little. Hell, let's be honest, he knows her better than I do. It was fairly obvious to everyone out side of the two soccer nuts that, at the very least, he had a crush on her. He's always been protective of her in a way he isn't with his sister. He used to hover when they would hang out, a hand always across her shoulder, a knee always pressed to hers, fingers roughly running through short ginger hair whenever he was teasing her. She didn't mind, it was their thing. They were close. Downright inseparable.
And then something happened. We happened. Sora and I happened.
It started as friendly luncheons, little chats over sandwiches while waiting for the rest of our friends. It grew to personal meetings, breakfast here, lunch there, ice cream after rehearsal or a movie after tennis. I don't remember when our casual meetings became us casually dating. But once we got there it all clicked together.
And that left us in an awkward position. Because while we had fallen in love with each other, we both very much loved Tai.
Sora told me he smiled when she told him we were more than just friends; that he'd pushed her in and given his blessing. That hadn't been enough. I had to hear it. At a free moment I cornered him in school and asked him, point blank, how he felt. Honestly.
I never really got an answer.
What I remember him telling me is that his feelings for Sora went beyond just friendship. But in the same breath… in that same moment, he told me there were no worries. He was happy for us. He wanted us to work. Right then and there he told me that his feelings for Sora would never come between us, regardless of what those feelings are.
I never found out just how head over heels my friend was over my lover. But Rei has given me a glimpse at it I think.
I don't like it.
I hold it in, my hands making fists in my pockets. I'm hoping I'm far enough away so that the survivors don't worry about what's going to happen. But the obvious is that this is going to happen now. Regardless.
He's only standing a few meters away from the hidden wall, slouched against the wall, hand bracing his wounded arm. I motion for Agumon and Gabumon to give us a second. Agumon takes a step to follow anyway, but Gabumon raises a paw and nothing further comes of it. I take a breath, wincing as digital oxygen falls in, and I take a step to confront my fallen friend.
"Well?" I say quietly.
"…What?" He responds, far quieter.
"What now Tai?"
"…I don't know."
"Tai?"
He can't face me. His eyes keep darting away from mine. "…I don't know okay?"
"Are we at least going to talk about this?"
He turns away. "…There's nothing to say."
"…You don't think so?"
"I didn't mean… I'm sorry. Okay?"
My voice raises on its own. "Don't just give me sorry. You've given me sorry before. I don't want it."
"…Whatever."
"You're just gonna stand there and sulk. Huh?"
"…"
"Tai?"
He looks to me. Lost. He's so depressed that he doesn't see it coming, though he really should. He's known me long enough. I take a deep breath.
"Alright."
And then I swing for the fences.
"Tai!" Agumon shouts. He is of course, too late.
I catch him just below the left eye, the knuckle of my middle finger connecting with his cheek. I catch him hard. His head rocks sideways, eyes wide from my strike, his entire body losing its balance briefly. It's not my best punch – I've nearly knocked him cold before (he insists it was a lucky shot). But it's enough. It has to be enough.
As always, our partner are between us before anything major occurs between us, though I very much doubt there would have been any more anyway.
"Matt what are you doing?" Gabumon shouts as he holds onto one arm. "This isn't the time to be fighting!"
I ignore him, fighting against our partners to get at the boy who cowers against the wall.
"Is this what you want Tai? Huh? For me to hurt you!"
His voice is a broken whisper. "Don't I deserve it?"
I snarl. "Dammit Tai, snap out of it!"
He shakes his head, his voice wavering. "I'm finally awake alright! I was so reckless today and we've lost so much. I can understand if you hate me."
"Idiot!" I'm shouting now, which wasn't my intent. "You really have no idea, do you? Yeah, I'm pissed. But you are not making me go through losing you again! Do you understand?"
"Matt…"
The silence between us is deafening
I'm… having a lot of trouble keeping it together now. I'm… I'm really emotional, and angry and scared and sorry and everything is just warping together. It takes all I have to force these next words out. "All this time… I've been waiting… Hoping you'd hurry up and snap out of it. That you admit your mistake and move on. But if all you're going to do is sit there and mope about how much of an idiot you are then I'm going to have to force you to snap out of it with my fists. For gods sakes you stuffed a wire in your arm!"
"Matt I'm sorry… I had to –"
"Had to what!"
"I had to try and save her… them."
"By throwing away your life! You had no idea what he could do to you and you jumped in anyway! What would I have told your family? Kari? Sora and the others! Do you know what would have happened to us if you died you!"
And that sends Tai's eyes hurtling to mine. He opens his mouth to speak and, after finding no words, simply looks to the ground in shame. "I'm sorry…"
"Bull!"
"Matt calm yourself, you're scarring the survivors!"
Gabumons voice catches me from my rage. I turn and look over to the entrance to find all eight of the survivors staring at us, their heads and bodies framed by the second hollow-wall. They all look on bewildered at this spectacle. Its my own fault. I couldn't keep my cool.
"What the hell is going on here?" Demands Mitsuo.
"Just stay back," I raise a hand. I ignore them here on, though I register that there are mumbles behind me. Instead, I turn to my partner and his friend. "You two can let go of me now."
"I'm not going to let you hurt Tai." Agumon snarls. It's almost a threat.
"I'm not going to hurt him Agumon. I promise."
Agumon hesitates, but eventually I am released from their claws. I sigh, leaning against the wall opposite a humbled Tai. "Out with it," I say. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
His voice is broken and pained. "I couldn't save her…"
"What?"
"I promised I'd never let anything happen to her, and I failed… I couldn't save her!"
"Who!"
"…"
I shut my eyes tight. "I'm only going to tell you this once. Only once. She wasn't Sora. Okay? That was a carbon copy filled with memories and data that confused the hell out of her. She was a digital life-form."
"I... I know she isn't Sora, I just..." His face twists in confusion and anger, emptions running wild. "I don't know, okay! I don't know what to say to you Matt. Rei was... S-she was our friend-"
"YES! A friend who sacrificed herself to save us. To save you. To protect you. And this is how you treat her? By thinking of someone else?"
He tries to lie. "I-I wasn't thinking of…"
"She isn't Sora, Tai! No matter what she looks like. No matter how she acted. No matter how much you hoped she'd be the same so that you didn't feel guilty about whatever you feel for my girlfriend. She wasn't her. Whatever feelings Rei had for you, those feeling were Rei's, not Sora's. She deserves better than this from you. From both of us. We're the ones who showed her a better way to live. We showed her friendship. We gave her courage. And she died protecting us. Now we have to make sure her death wasn't in vain. Do you understand?"
"…"
"Get it together Tai! That wasn't her. And we need you."
He blinks, as if it's the first time he's heard me acknowledge him. "Me?"
"You're our leader, right?" I say. "Lead us."
"Matt…"
His hand reaches for my cheek. I flinch at contact, his fingers are rough and hot against the moisture on my cheek. Tears. I've been crying? Well how about that. I reach my own hand up and hold on to his. I lock my eyes with his. "Alright?"
He hesitates, brown eyes searching me for more punishment. None comes. He sighs and nods, his good hand scratching the back of his neck. "…Right."
I return the nod. And that's it. How we settle things between the two of us.
Punch punch, wuss out. Remind each other how much we love one another. Ignore the elephant in the room. Never speak of it again. Rinse and repeat.
One day we'll have to talk about it. We're going to hate it. It may change us. It may end us. Regardless… That day terrifies me.
That day is not today.
"Matt?"
His voice jolts me out of my thoughts. "Yeah?"
"I didn't know you cared so much," he says. If I didn't know any better, I could have sworn he cracked a smile there.
Of course I care you idiot. You're my best friend.
I don't say that though. "Yeah well… don't get used to it."
"Mister Matt?"
I cough, and spin on my heel. I totally forgot the others were still out here. Staring at us. Their faces run the gamut of confusion to bemusement to annoyance. Nene in particular is making a flustered face at me.
"Mister Matt…" Nene bridges the topic delicately. "…Are you two… gay?"
There's a silence. And then… I can't help it. It builds from my stomach, past the pain, until it presses through my lips and out into the air. A laugh. A good, healthy laugh starts up that I can even try to control. My arms wrap around my sides to try and stymie the pain. It's no use, but the pain is making me laugh even more. Not only that, but now even the other survivors are starting to chuckle. The innocent way she asked triggers the most tickling sensation, and it washes over the corridor in waves. She of course doesn't think its very funny, and pouts at me. But I can't help it. We all need a laugh so desperately that it's come out here and now. When we needed it most. I turn to Tai, and there is a definite smile forming. Things feel good.
And of course, that's when it goes to hell again.
"Hush!"
It's Gabumon. We quiet down as soon as he barks the command, noticing that his entire demeanor has changed. His body is rigid, his eyes focused on the dark. I frown, approaching my partner. "What is it?"
His frown deepens. He ignores me, instead turning to Agumon. "Hear that?"
The dinosaur tilts his head in thought, before a low growl builds in his throat. "Yeah. It's coming this way."
Kogure stammers. "W-what is it?"
"Gizmon." Agumon announces and Gabumon nods the affirmative.
"What? Down here?"
"I-Impossible. They can't see the hidden passages without something controlling them, right?
Kurata looks like he's sweating. "M-maybe Datamon…"
I shake my head. "Datamon is dead."
Now and forever. I hope.
"Then what?" Asks Riley.
"What does it matter," Mitsuo shouts. "We're screwed!"
"We've got to move," I state frantically. I turn to our partners. "Guys, are you done with breakfast?"
"I can eat more."
"Agumon…"
"…Yes." He pouts.
I feel a tug on my pant leg. "I'm ready whenever you are Matt," says Gabumon.
"B-but where are we going." Kogure shivers.
I open my mouth, but I'm stumped. I can't think of a solid way out of this jam. We've backed ourselves into a dead end. We can only hope that our partners are strong enough to fight through them. I grip my digivice, praying for a miracle.
"Everybody back!"
The voice is sharp and commanding, a shrill cry that hurts my throat to hear. But it stops us all in our tracks. And suddenly things don't seem so bad. I swivel on my heel, my eyes facing the voices very determined, very alert owner. "…Tai?"
"Stay back!"
"We're no safer in here than we were in that hallway!"
Tai ignores Mitsuo, motioning to his dragonoid partner towards the approaching enemy. "Agumon, feeling better buddy?"
"Uh-huh!" Agumon grins. "Like a whole new 'mon!"
"Good. 'Cause we need you to hit the ceiling."
"What?" He blinks.
"Trust me."
He blinks again. And then Agumon's teeth sparkle as he smiles. "You got it!"
"What in the devils name is going on?" Piyotte shouts.
Agumon's snout swivels skywards, ignoring the rest of the survivors. Tai looks to me. I understand. "Heads down!"
"Pepper Breath!"
It's clear that Agumon is back to fighting shape, because there is no smoke pettering out from his jaw. Just a hug burning mass of flames sent hurtling upwards. The blast sets loose rocks from the ceiling, chucks of stone toppling onto the floor in front of the hidden wall.
"Again!" Tai orders.
"Pepper Breath!"
Agumon's aim is spot on, landing a ball of flame directly into the previous hole in the ceiling. More rock falls to the ground building like a mound before the opening. In the distance though we can see the sight of several red dots swiveling in the darkness, and know that the Gizmon are close.
Tai grits his teeth. "Hit it with everything you've got!"
Agumon doesn't disappoint. "Pepper Burner!"
A final blast from Agumon, bigger and hotter than the others, turns Agumon's face red and flies from his jaws into the ceiling one final time. The room shakes around us, and we have to cover our eyes from the dust that had been kicked up. The lights flicker and dim, and the situation again looks dire.
When the dust settles we stare at their handy work. A chunk is missing from the ceiling. And there are burning rocks and debris in the way of our exit.
Piyotte pales. "Y-you sealed us off…"
Kogure panics. "W-w-we're doomed now."
"…Tch. Don't hold your breath."
"Eh?"
Nene looks from Tai to me, confusion on her face. "M-Mister Matt?"
I smile. "Don't worry Nene. Everything's gonna' be just fine."
And I mean it this time.
One hand clutches his arm, now dangling useless by his side. But that doesn't faze him. There's a sadness in those browns now, a heartache I can't imagine. But that doesn't faze him either. He stands erect, his shoulders squared, his eyes focused. In that instant I know he's back: the boy who led seven children to war is still alive and well. The man who defied the governments of the world. The Digidestined of Courage. And it looks like he's got a little fight left in him. He glares around the hallway to the survivors, each standing in awe of him. I can't help but smile a little.
He's back.
"My name is Tai Kamiya." He declares with a purpose. "And we are getting the hell out of here!"
GODFALL
20
Digimon