AN: This is chapter 5, you might be wondering what I did with Chapter 4, well, Chapter 4 is a bit too...revealing, so no Chapter 4 for now. Enjoy the chapter. I apologize for the wait.
Disclaimer: I do not own the Digimon logo or any of the characters pertaining to the series. I only own the "original" story line, the original characters and anything else out of the ordinary. The Writer.
Chronicles of a Forsaken One
Session 5 -Enlightened-
September 4, 2008
The machines slowly monitored his condition. He was shut down. He'd get up soon enough though. It was time. The room was the standard hospital bedroom. The bed, the machines, the television. Even the couch.
...systems check...
...diagnostics...
...diagnostics completed...
...systems restored...
He awoke violently. Covered in sweat, gasping, trying to catch his breath. His vision was blurred, his head...fuzzy. He looked around the room. The door was locked with chains, and a huge padlocked. From the inside. He sat up on the bed. He was all sore. He hadn't moved in a long time. His eyes focused. He saw a mirror he hadn't seen before on the left, next to the door. On the door itself, a change of clothes hung on a hook. A suit. Complete with highly polished shoes. Next to the suit, a small table. Next to the bed, the machines that monitored his condition. He stood up. He walked towards the mirror. Slowly and with a large amount of pain, he took off the hospital gown. His body was a lot more developed. A lot more scarred too. His hair was shorter. Dyed jet black. His skin was pale. It was no longer that golden brown it was in his younger days. His eyes. They were heterochromatic. One blue. One brown. Just like them. He took the suit off the hook. Dressed. Carefully. He put his socks on, then his shoes. He stared at himself. All dressed. That wasn't him staring back. It was someone else. That much he knew. He walked over to the small table. It had a wallet. A pair of Aviator sunglasses. A contact lens holder. A folded letter. A lighter. His folded picture and his broken digivice. He took the letter. Unfolded the paper. It was short.
Hello Tai
The objects on the table are all yours. As promised, you've got your photo and your device back. We have so much to tell you but I'm afraid we cannot meet at this moment. You'll have to wait. In the wallet, there should be enough money to get you home. Precisely 35,000 yen. Your driver's license. Your IDs. You'll notice there are several in there. Don't worry about that. I'll explain that soon enough. I'm in possession of the rest of your documents. I shall hand them over personally in the coming days. As you may have already guessed, you are in a hospital. Leave. Go home. One more thing. There is a storage card in your wallet. Look into that.
-Bruce
He folded the letter. Placed in his jacket pocket. He placed the rest of the items in different pockets. Underneath everything else, a small key. He grabbed it. Pushed into the padlock. Undid it. Placed the padlock and the heavy chains on the table. Opened the door. Step outside. He did everything slowly. He was still in pain. Just as confused as he had been the night before. Despite that though, he was different. He felt different. He began to walk down the aisle. Away from his room. He had already figured out where he was. This is where they brought Kari. That was so long ago. It seemed like ages. He found an elevator. He was surprised that no one had stopped him along the way. After all, a man, in shades, dressed in black. That wasn't a normal sight. This was a hospital. So...maybe not. He rode the elevator down several floors. Along the way, young medical students came and went. He thought about Joe. He wondered where he was. Why he hadn't shown up the night before. Maybe he already knew. The elevator reached ground floor. He walked into the lobby. Past the nurses. Past the security guards. Not a single word. He stepped outside. Wandered around for a bit, trying to get his bearings. The night was just starting. He didn't know what time it was.
"Here" someone said.
Taichi turned around. Saw a young man standing next to him. He was dressed, just like him. No shades on him. The crowds went around the two. Taichi directed his attention towards the man's hands. A watch. Taichi took it.
"Thanks" he said, added, "who are you?"
"Just a fellow survivor" he answered, "I work for Bruce"
"So...that is his name"
"Yes...why would he lie to you?"
"I don't know"
They remained quiet.
"You're not from around here, are you?" asked Tai
"No, I'm originally from England, but I guess I live here now"
"You don't sound English, no accent"
"I make it a point not to use an accent"
"Oh" said Tai, "well your Japanese is fluent"
"Thanks" he replied, "it has to be"
Taichi nodded. He followed suit.
"What's your name?" he asked
"I'm Brian" he said, "Bruce would have loved to meet you in person, but he's away. You must know that"
"Yes, he mentioned it in the letter"
"Good" said Brian, then walked away. He came back shortly after, a newspaper in his hand.
"You read the news, Tai?"
"Not really"
"You really should, who knows, something important might happen, and you just might miss it"
He gave Tai the paper. Taichi skimmed it. Immediately found the error. At least he thought it was an error.
"This paper's a fake" he said, a tone in his voice.
"What do you mean?" asked Brain, a thin smile on his face
"It says 2008"
"So it does"
"It can't be the year 2008"
"Why not?" asked Brian, again smiling
Taichi found himself at a loss. He said, weakly,
"I don't know"
Brian nodded.
"And on that note, I'm leaving. I'll see you in a couple of days, Tai"
"One more thing, though" said Brian, with Tai's attention in full.
"What?" he asked.
"Use the contacts...there are people who are aware of the colors"
"The colors?"
"Yeah" said Brian, "now, I'm really late"
He took off.
Taichi just stood there. Among the crowd. He watched him as he disappeared. He still held the paper in his hand. Speechless. Four years. No. That wasn't possible. Had he been in a coma? He didn't know. He couldn't remember. That wasn't important right now. He had to get home. He made his way through the crowds. Walked into a restaurant. Headed for the bathroom. He put on the contacts. They were brown. He smiled a little. At least someone had been considerate enough to get him brown eyes. That someone could have been him. He didn't know. He stepped outside. Checked the time. Early. He made his way towards the subway. Quickest way home. He paid his fare. Awaited the train.Alongside him stood a familiar goggle wearing, former leader of the new generation. He recognized Davis immediately. His stride, his confidence, he could identify it, he could sense it. He could almost...feel that Davis was right next to him. They boarded the train. Sat down next to one another. A ghost train. No one traveling to Odaiba right now. It wouldn't stay like this for long. For a second, he wanted to tell him. Everything. He hesitated. His exterior. Calm. Collected. Controlled. The longer he thought about it, the less he was inclined to actually speak to him. His voice had changed. Drastically. His appearance. Everything.
Everything was different.
Nothing was the same.
These two, small little sentences would come to define Tai. He just didn't know it yet. The train stopped at it's next scheduled stop. No longer a ghost train, but an uncomfortable ride. Taichi snuck a peek at Davis. He was playing around with his cell phone. Headphones in his ear lobes. He couldn't hear a thing. That was good. He was still wearing his Aviators. He thought about taking them off. Decided against it. He had changed in four years. Davis himself was also different. No longer a boy but a man. A man resigned. He didn't know why he felt that. Davis turned around to face him. Taichi, looking elsewhere, could feel his vision pierce him. Davis saw nothing but a man in black. They repeated this dance as the train made more stops. The faceless, nameless crowds got off, got on the train. Everyone with a story to tell, yet none could tell their story quite like Tai could. After all, he had died. How many of them could say that? He heard the announcement. His stop. He got up, made his way through the crowded train towards the exit. He looked to his left and noticed that Davis had also gotten off. That made sense. He lived in the area. He started walking off towards the exit. He made wide strides, when he heard that familiar tone. Calling at him
"Excuse me?"
He turned around. He saw Davis, looking straight at him.
Something had given him away.
"Yeah?"
"Where did you get that?"
"This?" said Tai, referring to the broken digivice, strapped on his belt.
"Yeah" said Davis with a tone.
Taichi thought for a moment. A fraction of a second.
"I bought it" he said
"Really?"
"Yeah" said Tai, a thin smile on his face. He had seen Davis mad before. He wasn't mad this time. It was something else.
"Who'd you buy that from?" he asked, with an odd expression on his face.
"Private party"
"Is that right?"
"Yes, that is right" Taichi said, awaiting his next response.
"Do you know what that is?" asked Davis, carefully.
"Yeah" said Tai, continued, "I know what it is, I know it's broken. I intend to fix it and learn about how it works, why it can do the things it does"
"No one can fix it. It's broken"
"So they say" replied Tai as they stood there, amongst the people.
"Are you a digi-destined?"
"No Davis, I'm not" said Tai
His expression changed, he seemed alert. Angry.
"How do you know my name? Are you stalking me?"
"That's not important, Davis, and no; I'm not stalking you" replied Tai
"Then how do you know my-" said Davis but was interrupted.
"I have to go now, say hello to Jun for me" he said
Taichi walked up the stairs. He hoped that Davis wouldn't follow him. He wasn't expecting him to do so. He continued walking. He was close now. He had no clue as to what to do now. He was supposed to go back home. Would they even believe him? Unlikely. He then remembered the photograph. The digivice. They would believe him then. He continued his way home. He turned the corner. His street. He truly was lost now. He made himself take the next step. He continued to do this through the remainder of the street. He got to his apartment complex. Stood there, just staring at it.
"Excuse me?" he heard a feminine voice say
He turned around. He couldn't recognize her at first. The young blonde next to her gave her away though. T.K hadn't changed. There they stood.
"Yes?"
"Can I help you?" she asked, in the sweet voice that she still possessed.
Taichi hesitated for a moment. Said,
"I'm looking for someone; he used to live in this building a long time ago"
"People come and go, Mr.-" said Kari, a soft tone in her voice.
"Redfield, I'm Chris Redfield" said Tai "and you're right, Kari, people come and go"
Their expressions changed. They took a few steps back. They were alert.
"Are you following us, what do you want?" asked Kari, fast, a demanding tone.
"I don't want anything from you, Kari, I have something for you"
"What is it?" she asked, carefully.
"I'll tell you eventually, but in the privacy of your own home"
"Not interested" said T.K
"You can come too, T.K, I think you'll also be interested in what I have to show you"
"We're not interested in what you have to show us, Mr. Redfield, and I think you should leave before I call the police"
"You're in your own right, T.K to do so" as he said this, he took out the broken digivice, tossed it into the air a few times. He hid it from view.
He had their attention now.
"Where did you get that?" T.K asked.
"I'll tell you...if we have a cup of tea first"
T.K looked over at Kari. She knew as well as he did, that the object in question, belonged to Tai. That it had gone missing. That this stranger...had somehow come in possession of it. It was a huge risk. They had no idea who he was. Why he had the digivice. Finally, Kari broke the silence that had settled between the three of them.
"Ok, you can come up and we can talk, under one condition"
"Yes?"
"You have to give me the digivice"
Taichi thought it over.
"Done" he replied, "but I have conditions of my own"
"Such as?" she replied.
Again he hesitated. His sister had grown up so fast. It astonished him. She really was something else.
"My only condition is that you have to believe me"
"No"
"No?" he said, confused
"You can't just ask me to believe you, whatever it is you have to say"
"I'm not asking for blind faith, whatever I say, I'll prove"
He saw Kari thinking it over. She would decide. Not T.K. She was like that.
"Ok, I can't say I'll believe you, but I'll try. How's that?"
"That's good enough, I guess"
"Come with us"
The three of them walked inside. Stepped into the elevator. It would take them 4 floors up. Towards the Kamiya residence.
"You're looking for Tai, aren't ya?"
"That's correct, T.K" he said, "you win a cookie"
Kari smiled.
"How did you know my brother" Kari asked. The elevator doors opened. They stepped out.
"I played soccer with him in high school"
"Why didn't you mention that earlier, Redfield?" she asked.
"I didn't think it was relevant"
"It would have helped your case" she said as she opened the door.
"I'm sorry, I'm not thinking straight"
They removed their shoes. Went inside.
T.K walked in first, followed by Tai, and finally Kari. She closed the door. Locked it. T.K turned the lights on. The place had changed, but not really. No one was home. That was odd. Usually his mother would be home all the time. Some things had changed.
"Would you like something to drink, Mr. Redfield?"
"Please Kari, call me Chris"
"Ok"
"I'll take whatever you have"
"Glass of orange juice?"
He smiled.
"That's fine"
"T.K, do you want anything?"
"I'm alright, babe, thanks"
Taichi smiled.
Kari brought over his drink. He took it. Said thanks. They all sat down. Taichi on a chair facing the couple who were sitting on the love seat. Taichi took a sip of the juice. It was good. Natural. The expensive stuff from the market nearby. He'd recognize the label.
"As promised" said Tai, he took out the digivice and placed on the coffee table that separated them. He also took out a folded piece of a paper. A particular photograph they'd also be interested in.
Kari observed as he put them on the table. She didn't want to seem anxious. She waited a few seconds before taking both items. She gave the digivice to T.K and opened up the photograph. Saw the photo. She sighed,
"Why do you have these things?" she asked in a calm and collected tone of voice. She didn't seem angry but maybe she was.
"You said you'd listen"
"I will listen to you, but I want answers"
"Fair enough"
"The last time you two sat like this, that I can remember, was on a night, just like this. It was unusually cold outside, as a matter of fact, it rained that night and the night after that. Everyone was here with the exception of Mimi, Joe and Cody. I don't know why Joe and Cody didn't come. I gave you all letters. I wrote those letters to help you...to say goodbye, and to give you strength"
"Taichi wrote those in secret...I don't understand" she said, totally confused.
"I remember that I gave explicit directions in the letters, that they were addressed to each of you, and that you shouldn't under any circumstances, share what I said with one another. Kari, I remember the end of your letter. It said,
'I've said a lot in the last couple of pages. I wish that I could give you the words, the emotions a loving brother would give a loving sister. I can't. I know that I love you, but I can't express it or feel it. This is truly an empty existence. The only thing I ask of you is that you don't forget who you are. That life is bigger than us. That sometimes we have to do things which we don't understand at first, but that later on in life, we value. Live free, live well, live excellent. Your brother Tai'
"Tai?" she said, an expression of...jubilation, of utter disbelief on her face.
Taichi took off his shades. His eyes were filled with tears. He nodded.
She got up to embrace him. It felt right. The tighter she squeezed, the more she knew it was him. Her brother. He was back. Despite the fact that he had died. Despite the fact that she had watched as they had buried him. T.K watched as Kari hugged Tai. He was the same height. Same build. His eyes were brown. His hair was black. He spoke like Tai. Taichi hugged his sister and felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. A feeling he couldn't describe. His love for his sister.
T.K was ecstatic. He wanted to say something. Anything. Nothing came out. Finally he mustered control of his voice.
"How?"
"I don't know"
With that, Taichi sat down to explain to them the events of his last night. He told them about the bridge. The hospital. He omitted the mysterious entities that were watching him. There was no point in telling them about something he himself did not understand. He told them about Davis. He apologized to them. They had so many questions. Unfortunately, he couldn't answer them. He told them about his amnesia. They'd have to wait. Just like him. He omitted a lot of details about his story. Somehow, he felt they were things he could not tell them. They would not understand. His parents got home later that night. They had been away. The same scene was repeated. The same story told. The same questions asked. Again, no answers.T.K stayed over that night. Tai slept in the hall. His room was full of old things. He didn't sleep well that night. Too many questions. He awoke early. Headed for the kitchen. Grabbed a bowl of cereal. Just like he used too.It wasn't the same though. Nothing was the same. He was fine. As he ate, he looked over the card. The storage card. He'd look into it later. He put the card in his pocket. Kept eating. He enjoyed the silence of a happy home. He had asked something from his parents earlier in the day. He was wondering whether they'd do it. He didn't know. He had told Kari and T.K the same thing. He heard a door open. It was Kari. She joined him. They ate in silence for a while. She'd just stare at him. When he caught her doing so, she'd look into her bowl. He finally broke the silence.
"Good morning"
"Good morning"
They continued to eat.
"I had a bad dream last night"
"What about?" he asked as he slurped his bowl for the remaining milk.
"I dreamt that last night didn't happened, in fact, I was so relieved when I saw you eating cereal"
"I can see how that would be a bad dream" he said, "though it doesn't really compare"
Kari smiled. He got up. He wanted another bowl.
"I don't think any of our dreams can ever compare with your nightmares"
He refilled his bowl. Added the milk.
"The more I think about them, the more I'm convinced they were something else"
"Like what?" she said, stopping for a moment.
"I don't know...a sign of things to come"
"Did you...dream last night?" she asked, carefully. She knew what the answer could mean.
"Nope" he answered fast, smiling, "slept like a baby"
Kari gave him a look.
"You know what I mean, Kar"
She nodded.
They continued to eat.
"So..."
"Yeah?" she said
"Is T.K awake yet?"
She gave him a quick look, then looked away. She knew what he meant.
"Tai?"
"Yeah?"
"Why didn't you say anything yesterday?"
"You mean today"
"Yeah"
"Not my business"
"What do you mean, 'it's not your business', I'm your sister"
He smiled.
"Well...first of all, I ain't your keeper. Second, Mom and Dad didn't seem to mind, so why should I? Besides, T.K's a good guy. I trust him. He wants nothing but the best for you. And besides, should something happen...he knows what's in store for him"
"You wouldn't do that to him"
"You'd be surprised what we're willing to do sometimes"
She smiled. Got up and put her bowl away. Sat right back down.
"So tell me" he said "is T.K still playing his guitar?"
Kari's expression changed. She got serious. She sighed,
"No, they both kinda...stopped playing after you died"
"Both?"
"Let's just say we have a lot to talk about" she replied, "how's that?"
He smiled.
"I guess that'll do"
"Tai..."
"Yeah?"
"When your amnesia goes away, you'll tell us where you've been, right?"
His expression changed.
"I don't know"
"What do you mean?"
"I've been over this myself. There must be a reason why I can't remember. What if...what if I done things...things I can't say...I don't know how I'd react to that, let alone you guys"
She stayed silent for a moment.
"You make a good point"
He nodded.
"I'd still want to know"
"Ok, I'll tell you...and the others"
"That's another thing"
"What?"
"This...all that's happened in the last couple of hours, we should be celebrating all this"
"We will"
"But why not now? I don't understand. Why don't you want to tell the others?"
"I don't want to...just approach them and have nothing to say"
"They won't care...they'll understand, and they'll be so happy"
"I want to be able to say something to them. Something more concrete"
He saw she was distraught.
"Look" he said, "it'll just be a couple of days, three at max, after that, I want you to tell them. To have them come over. We'll tell them then, Ok?"
She smiled. Nodded.
"What about T.K?" she asked
"I hope he can keep his mouth shut for a few days"
"Why would I keep my mouth shut?" asked T.K, looking like he had just gotten out of bed because...he had.
"About Tai" Kari answered
"Oh yeah, no sweat dude" said T.K
Taichi finished his second bowl. Got up to wash it. As he washed it, he asked,
"So...what's on the agenda for you two?"
"School" they both replied
"Then we'll come back here, you know, catch up" said Kari
"I see" said Tai, sucking his teeth. He knew how much she hated that.
"You?" asked T.K
He took out the card. Placed it on the table.
"I'm gonna find out where this card came from"
"Let me take a look at it" said T.K
He got the card. Stared at it for a few seconds.
"I know where this place is. It's a storage place, right?"
"I know that, T.K" said Tai
"Let me take a look at it" said Kari, as he took it from T.K
"You got something stored here, Tai?"
"That's what I aim to find out" said Tai
"So you're going there today?"
"Yup" said Tai, " I think you guys are running late"
Kari took a look at the time
"Damn, we are running late"
With that, the younger digi-destined disappeared, only to re-appear moments later, in uniform, ready for school.
"Is any one taking you to school or do you guys walk"
"We'll have to walk" answered T.K "Matt isn't around"
"No?" asked Tai
"No, he's at my uncle's, doing something, don't really know, he'll get back in a couple of days"
"Bye Tai" said Kari
"Not bye, see you later" said Tai.
He waved to them as they ran out the door.
With that, he was alone. He thought about changing. Smiled. He had no other clothes...other than the strange suit he had on. He'd wear that again. He got up to change. Took a shower. With his clothes back on, he hit the street. Took a look at the time. He was doing that a lot nowadays. The sense of time. Where he was, where he was going. It seem strangely important. Dispersing his thoughts, he took off.
He got to the place. It was a regular storage bin business. Just like any other. Hopefully, they would provide a clue as to what he did here. He walked in, the place was empty. Behind a desk, sat a pretty little receptionist. About his age, maybe younger. He took off his Ray-Bans. Walked over to the desk. She looked up. She smiled, asked,
"Can I...help you with something?"
"I should hope so" said Tai, continued, "I was wondering if I had something stored here"
She looked up. Spoke slowly,
"You...were wondering if you had something stored here?"
"Yeah"
"Your name?"
"Taichi Kamiya"
She searched their database for it.
"Sorry sir, but we've got no records of you ever storing anything here"
"No?"
"No"
Tai stood there for a moment. Said,
"Can I speak with your supervisor?"
"I don't see how that would help you, sir, he'll say the same thing"
"Please"
"That's fine. Please give me a minute"
Tai walked off to the side. His name wasn't in the database. At first, he thought such a thing was odd, but he wasn't thinking straight. He'd been dead. It was entirely possible that one of the other
names was in their database. He'd have to guess the correct name. He was still thinking when the supervisor showed up.
"Excuse sir, you seem to have a problem?"
"Yes, I've been trying to get some information. To no success"
"Obviously"
"Yeah, so,..."
"Sir" said the supervisor, a man in drab clothing, a blazer with the company logo "I spoke with my colleague. If your name's not in the database, then you have nothing stored here. If you liked to get something-"
"-No"
"Sir-"
"-I'd like to try a different name"
"I'm sorry sir, we don't-"
"-Chris Redfield"
The supervisor opened his mouth but became quiet. Taichi was also quiet.
"Did you say 'Chris Redfield'"
"Yeah"
"Do you have your key, sir?"
"Yeah" he replied, taking out the key-card he found in his wallet.
"Come with me"
They walked off. Towards the storage bins. The place was drafty. The lighting, dim. Taichi walked slowly, carefully to listen to his footsteps which gave no sound. He could only hear the supervisor's shoes constant shuffle. Tai spoke,
"When did I first come here?"
The supervisor thought for a moment, said,
"You came here 3 years ago, nearly to the day, just once though, then we never saw you again, you looked somewhat different"
"Ok" said Tai, continued, "what did I store in there?"
"What everyone stores, sir, boxes and stuff you can't keep at home"
"Anyone else have access to it?"
"Yes, but they never removed anything from the premises. Company policy, rather in your case, they added things to the bin"
"I see" said Tai, "how many people?"
"Can't recall" the supervisor replied "this is it"
They had stopped at a usual bin. Nothing unusual about it. Nothing special. Totally conspicuous.
Tai was about to open the bin. He stopped.
"Why'd you change your mind?"
"Something about that name of yours, seems a bit odd, to tell you the truth, I don't really know"
Taichi nodded. Opened the locker. Turned the lights on. Just like he said, boxes and clothing. A few things here and there. In the corner he saw a couple of footlockers. Besides those, a few guitar cases.
"Who paid for all this?"
"What do you mean?"
"I can't...recall paying for storage"
"We deduct the fee from a bank account you have" said the supervisor, added, "You don't check your statement?"
"To tell you the truth, I can't really remember, I have amnesia. The only reason I'm here is because of this" said Tai, brandishing the key-card.
The supervisor nodded.
He said he wouldn't remember a thing. I should have believed him. Despite this, he wasn't about to remind him who he was. He'd already crossed Chris Redfield once. He wasn't about to do it again.
"Well this is it" he said. He wondered whether Chris would remember him. He hoped not.
"Is there any way you can move these items to a location of my choice and then move some items from said location back here?" A long question. A short answer.
"Sure. No problem"
"Can you deduct the cost from my account?"
"Of course"
"Just one more question" said Tai
"Yes?"
"You were reluctant to help me, till you heard my name. You've answered every single question I've asked you, you seem to remember me very well, have we met?"
"Sort of..." he replied, "let's just say you left quite an impression on us"
Taichi didn't respond. He stared at his things and skimmed them over. He rode with the moving crew towards his apartment and watched them as they moved the dusty objects in his room towards the truck, while the others moved his things in. He didn't know what to make of anything. Instead of getting answers, his day ended only with more questions. He turned the lights off in his room. Sat in the dark. Just like back then.
'I made a choice'
AN: So, that was chapter 5, it was supposed to be longer but I decided to cut it off and insert the rest in the next chapter, which shouldn't take me that long to write. Thank you and have a wonderful day/night. The Writer.