Full chapter update finally up! I got class in a bit so I rushed a tad and as always I need proper editing, but it's out at the very least. I'll see if I can get another chapter up this by this weekend. Do remember that I'm still looking for someone to make a cover image for this story and I'd be willing to give a small payment as well.

I want to be a Hero, just One Last Time

Written by: Juggalomalice

Chapter 10

The distant knocking was just that… distant. Someone was knocking on his door, but whoever it was it didn't involve him. It was something he could ignore if he tried hard enough. Hopefully it would stop and the subtle sound of computer fans spinning would once again be the only sound he could hear. That's usually how it worked when someone tried to knock on his door. The knocking turned to thumping, and the thumping turned to pounding, and the pounding soon turned to the annoying ringing of his phone going off. The young man groaned as he sat up and peeled off the sheet of paper that was stuck to his face. He briefly regarded the computer monitor before him. Various windows with blurry images that could or couldn't be digimon decorated it. He gave a sigh, the idea of losing another night of work due to sleep bothered him… that was until his phone went off again. That bothered him even more.

"Who the hell could that be that they're so dense," Tai screamed as he picked up he answered his phone. "What?"

"Open your damn door, Mop-Head. I've been knocking for 10 minutes," Rika shouted back with equal force.

With a pained groan and an aching back from him sleeping hunched over he walked out of the back room of his apartment, crossed the mine field that was his living room, and opened the door for the angry 10 year old. He was still dressed in the same cloths he was wearing last night while the young girl was wearing her usual outfit and carrying what looked like a grocery bag as she pushed her way past Tai and into his home. She set the bags on the coffee table and glared at him. The intense fire in her eyes was almost enough to cause Tai to forget how small this girl really was.

"What the hell took you so long?"

Tai gave a half-hearted shrug as he slowly began to open the blinds to finally let some light inside. "I got busy working on something?"

"Tai and work are not two words I would usually associate together, unless the words 'does not' came between them."

The harsh intonation behind her words would have been enough to cut the dignity of any other person, but Tai was starting to figure this girl out a bit. Though she did her best to not look him the face, her eyes were constantly shifting back to him as if she was trying to properly gauge his reactions to her comments. Her rudeness was just a result of her lack of social skills and her being brash and rough around the edges was just part of her natural personality. These things made it a bit easier to tolerate her bad personality and let's be honest Tai also had a bad personality too sometimes.

"I get it. You're mad. I'm sorry I forgot you were coming over today," A sigh escaped the young girl as she began to unpack several bento boxes from the bag she was carrying. "What's that you got there?"

"I made you and Agumon breakfast since you're always complaining how you two have no food and don't change the subject! I even made sure to call you last night to remind you I would be showing up this morning and you still forgot."

"I said I was sorry, don't be such a drama queen," He chided.

Rika froze as she glared at him. "I guess you're not that hungry after all," she replied as she began putting the food back into the bag.

Heaven forbid the loss of food and Tai was no heathen when it came to said commandment. He all but threw himself across the table, his large hands wrapping around the food containers along with Rika's own dainty digits in a manner that would allow him to cling on for dear life should the hand of god come by and take the meal away from him.

"I'm hungry! I really am. Let's just forget about that drama queen comment, shall we?"

Rika almost instantly pulled her hands away, if for no other reason than to hide the bright red blush that was appearing on her face. She regarded her hands for a bit, a tingle of warmth from Tia still flitted across her skin causing a strange tickling sensation. She wasn't sure if it was a real or imagined sensation, but she was sure she wanted to feel it again and she hated that fact.

"I get it. Apology accepted. Just eat already so we can get the day started," she quickly said as she once more began pulling the bento boxes out. Tai graciously took the box and opened it up. It was a pretty basic breakfast consisting of steamed rice, tamagoyaki, and tuskemono.

"Hey Agumon, wake up before I eat your share." It was unknown if the digimon heard his partner's call at first, but shortly afterwards an orange snout slowly arouse from the side of the table and began cautiously sniffing the air. It drifted towards Tai's food, which the college student guarded with a free hand and pushed the snout in the opposite direction, before it drifted towards his own bento. The snout stopped and began loudly sniffing the box before Agumon jumped out from under the table.

"Food!" He happily cheered as he unboxed his breakfast.

"I also made some miso soup," Rika quickly added as she broke out some bowls and a thermos.

Tai grinned, "I thought you said you couldn't cook."

"I've been learning. It's not a big deal," She answered, the smallest hint of pride in her voice.

Tai smiled at her attics, she probably wasn't even aware she was making them, as he picked up his own chopsticks and examined his food. Tai had to admit that Rika really outdid herself. The food looked great. As he picked up his chopsticks he partially wondered what caused the firecracker girl to actually show down long enough to attempt to learn the basics of cooking. He shrugged the thought aside as he took a bite of rice and noted its unusual hardness in certain parts. He arched his brow as he took a bite of the egg and it seemed a bit runny. He placed his chopsticks down and took a sip of miso soup and did his very best to keep his face from forming an expression. There was far too much salt, a common mistake for beginners.

He cast a subtle glance towards Agumon. The digimon had also caught on and though he continued to eat, it was with far less enthusiasm then before. From there his sight shifted to Rika, who quickly looked down at the table to avoid direct eye contact. Even a blind person could see how tense she was. Her back straight up and taut, her hands digging nervously into her lap, and darting eyes which constantly shot between the two of them as if searching for some physical sign of their thoughts. It was clear as day. This was the first real meal Rika had ever cooked in her life. It was silly of him to have not thought of it before, especially considering that less than a week ago this girl couldn't even toast bread.

His eyes met her eyes. She didn't look away this time. They locked on with his and the message sent was clear, "Please, say something nice."

Tai gripped his miso bowl and slurped the soup in one gulp almost as if he thought the salty broth would magically turn to alcohol and give him the courage he needed. Agumon said a silent prayer of respect for his best friend and partner who was just about to die from a salt overdose.

"Tai, you are a greater man than me."

Tai shut his eyes tightly as the salty liquid assaulted his sense of taste, "That taste is unique."

Rika flinched. Unique taste was usually code for barf terrible. Tai caught this and immediately worked to recover the small girl's confidence.

"Not to say it's bad. It's just clear you're still an amateur at this."

"Well I did my best to follow my grandmother's instructions, but I guess I'm just no good at this sort of thing." She looked down at the floor, feeling stupid for trying to do something so outside her skillset.

"Oh, don't be like that. It's takes time to develop a skill. It's not like you picked up your digimon cards and became the Digimon Queen overnight, right? As the saying goes, practice makes perfect."

The small red-head gave a half-hearted smile, "I guess you're right."

"I know I'm right. Hey, how about I teach you how to make my world famous rice omelette?"

Rika's attitude picked up at hearing this as she asked, "Isn't that the same dish you made for your sister when you returned from the Digital World?"

"Yeah, how did you know that?" He asked as he tilted his head slightly in confusion.

"Hmm, part of your life in chronicled in a 54-episode anime series, two movies, three light novels, and a five part manga. That's just the works for the original series." She felt rather embarrassed for knowing so much about the series.

Tai raised his brow in a quizzical manner. "Have you watched the whole series already?"

"No," she quickly stammered. "I've just been watching an episode or two in my free time since I've found out who you are."

"Oh," Tai replied as he finished off his runny egg. "Do you like it so far?"

She silently stared at him for a moment, her stare intensifying with every moment. "It's the single greatest animated series I've ever seen."

Tai silently stared at the girl in front of him for several seconds, unsure how to process her enthusiasm, before breaking out into laughter. "Be careful there Pineapple Head, I think your age is showing."

"What's that suppose too mean?"

"Well they did modify it a bit to appeal more to younger audiences. I admit I felt a little silly watching it once I was older," He confessed with a bit of a laugh.

"But it's really good," she said, leaping to the show's defense. "It really showed the hardships and challenges you all went through as well as the mental and physical growth you that was required for you all to make it home."

"You really think so?" Tai tilted his head up a bit as he held his chin in thought. "I'm not saying it wasn't good and everything you say is also true, but… it all felt so sugar coated. I remember a few times when I watched an episode I just had this sudden urge to throw a chair at the screen and yell, 'It wasn't that easy so stop taking like you knew what we were feeling'. We were what, eight, nine, maybe ten years old and all of a sudden we had to come to grips with this cold truth that we could one day die alone and far from our families. That time I had to return to the Digital-World was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, because I knew that the moment I let go of Kari's hand there was going to be a chance I would never see her again. Could you do that Rika? Could you give up the life you're living right now to fight in an unknown land and risk death for an ungrateful world?"

Her mind raced when the question was directed towards her. Was he questioning her resolve, her bravery? Of course she would choose to fight, just like Tai did in the cartoon. She would charge forward without a second thought to accomplish her dream with undoubting courage. Her answer came a split second after the question was asked of her.

"Yes, anything it takes to accomplish my goals."

She was proud of her answer and he smiled at her for it. Yet, when she saw his smile it brought her no joy. Instead, she felt her heart break at its sight. Sadness was the only thing that shined through that façade that one would dare call a smile and as she stared at it she felt moistness at the edge of her eyes creep in from parts unknown to her. He laid a gentle hand on the side of her face causing her heart to race and her breath to catch in her chest.

She instinctively reached for that large hand, grasping it with her own and she could not help but feel small compared to him. Rough, yet gentle, they were heavy against her flesh and for a moment she thought she could understand the great unspoken burden he carried with them. He leaned his massive frame down towards her and placed his forehead against her own. His breathing soft and in a voice much softer than his usual he said, "You answered too quickly. Even Great Hector, dressed for battle, took off his helmet once more to say goodbye to his child before marching to his death."

With that said he stood back up, his smile ever present, and patted her on the head before turning around to put his coat on. If any sadness lingered in his body it could not be seen through the brilliant smile he wore when he turned back to face her.

"Come on," he said, his usual confident personality having returned. "We have a lot to do on you first day of training."

She absentmindedly followed him out the door, but her sight never left him. She watched as he locked the door, looking so casual, so real, that one would never imagine the fantastical life he has lived. It was hard for her to understand. She thought she understood "Tai" at least she thought she had a good enough understanding of Cartoon-Tai, but that "Tai" wasn't this Tai. He resembled this Tai, but they weren't the same and every time Rika felt like she was taking steps to understand him he would do something like this and poof. The idea of Tai would vanish only to reappear further from her understanding than she ever thought possible.

As she watched him she couldn't help but whisper her thoughts out loud, "Just who are you?"

"Did you say something?" Tai asked as he turned back to face her.

"Nothing, I was just thinking out loud."

"I wonder if that's because you're a loud mouth girl."

"What did you say Mop-Head?"

"Crap, she heard me. Run for it, Agumon!" He shouted as the two dashed down the stairs as fast as they could. Obviously she chased them. That was part of the game, but deep down inside… she doubted if she could ever catch him.

A short while later, inside a nearby corner market.

"We will need this, this, some of this," Tai said as he handed Rika eggs, rice, and some cooking oil. Finally he picked up a Digimon strategy guide magazine from the book rack and threw it in the basket, "Can't forget this."

"A Digimon guide book? Why do we need that? We're not playing the game." Rika asked as she casually flipped throw the pages.

Tai glared at her as he sung, "Do you want to be the very best? Like no one was before?"

"Stop!" she interrupted. "I get it."

Tai laughed as he wiped a non-existent tear from his eye. "Sorry," He said. "I really couldn't help myself. In all seriousness though, digimon, in the most basic form of explanation I can think of, are just a series of digital parameters that determine base stats. Though you will meet unique ones, most will fall into the bell curve and that book is the most comprehensive guide of the average digimon, their stats, attacks, and common tactics. Read it and memorize it. Consider that your first lesson."

Suddenly that silly book felt much heavier in Rika's hands. Tai threw in a bag of cheese corn chips and they headed to the counter to pay. The female cashier smiled at them before she regarded Tai, causing her smile to instantly vanish. Her shoulder length black hair bounced a bit as she seemed to angrily scan their items. She stopped a moment when she scanned the book.

"I see you're still playing that stupid digimon game, Tai," She said with a hint of spite.

"I see you're still a conceited bitch, Karen," He replied back with a smile as he paid for the items. He quickly grabbed the bag and took Rika's hand, leading her out the store. "Come on Rika, you'll catch her bitchiness if you hang out around here too long."

"What was that about?" The ten year old girl asked once they were outside.

"You tell a girl you can't make it to a date because Meramon is burning down the children's hospital and they just lose it," he said as he began walking to their new destination.

"So you dated her?"

"Not really. I couldn't make it to the first date."

"Well, for the better. She wasn't very pretty, you know?"

"Is that a fact? Well mom always did say I had bad taste."

"She said that because you would latter your sushi in spicy mayo, not because of the girls you dated," Agumon clarified.

"So where are we off too now?" Rika asked.

"I was thinking of visiting Yamcha."

"What the heck is a Yamcha? It sounds disappointing," Rika commented as she followed at his side.

"Yeah, that's kind of why I gave him that name. Kind of like an in-joke." The small group continued to walk for some 20 minutes before Tai and Agumon suddenly turned down a rather dirty alleyway.

"Yamcha should be here somewhere," Tai commented as he looked inside one of the many garbage cans.

"Be on guard, Rika," Renamon warned as she materialized next to her tamer. "I sense another digimon nearby."

"Can you pinpoint it?" The fox digimon scanned the immediate area before focusing on a dumpster on the other end of the alleyway.

"There!" Renamon shouted before leaping into the air. "Diamond Storm!"

A serious of shards zipped forward, slamming into the dumpster with such immense force that it flipped over onto its side. A small green slug like creature crawled out of the heap of garbage and shredded metal.

"I think you got me there, little lady," the slug creature said as it coughed and staggered forward before dramatically collapsing onto the ground.

"Just what the hell do you two think you're doing?" Tai shouted as he pulled on Rika's and Renamon's ear. "Do you two really just go around attacking any digimon in sight?"

"I'm sorry. Just let go already," Rika pleaded. Even Renamon joined her tamer in begging for forgiveness as she found the rough pinching of her sensitive ears quite painful.

"Remember, not every digimon that exist is an enemy.

Agumon dashed to the fallen Numen. "Yamcha, are you ok?"

The Numemon known as Yamcha stood up and dusted itself off, "No problem. It'll take more than that to take me down."

"Sorry about that Yamcha," Tai apologized as he gestured to the Rika and Renamon. "You know how rookies are."

"Rookies, huh? Well say no more, I feel your pain Tai, both in a figurative and literal sense. What brings you to my neck of the dumpster?"

"Yamaki."

"A scary name and an even scarier person. I'm not sure what I can tell you though, especially on an empty stomach like now."

"I get it. Here's your pay," Tai replied as he tossed the bag of cheese snacks towards Yamcha.

"Oh Tai, you shouldn't have. It's just dangerously cheesy," the tiny digimon joked before ripping open the bag and smearing the contents on its face and month. After licking up every crumb left in the bag the digimon looked up at Tai. "Ok, I got some juicy info that will blow your goggles off. Rumor has it that Yamaki has recently captured a live digimon. A Darklizardmon I think."

"A living digimon, you say?"

"Yup, sedated and disappeared to his top secret labs."

"Any idea why?"

"That's the scary part, Tai. My sources on the inside say he's working a new piece or hardware and software. A device which only purpose is to delete digimon and now that he's got a digimon of his own, he's going to be testing it."

"Come on, Yamcha. I even made sure to buy the extra big bag for you. Give me the good stuff."

"Not enough you say? Well what if I told you that he plans on you using it to delete all digimon in the whole world?"

"Well I'd say that's stupid," Tai deadpanned. "My phone can barely get a sign in some places in the city; I find it hard to believe this device could get its signal worldwide."

"Tai, what if he plans on using that Darklizardmon as bait? Digimon are attracted to data, so what if it's like a big 'Digimon-Bug-zapper' and with every deleted digimon it just attracts bigger digimon," Agumon suggested.

"Possible, but even then there's no way it could have effects that extend so far around the planet. Still, with all that data floating around it could," Tai waved his hand in the air as if to physically dismiss a thought from his mind. "That's stupid. There's no way it can happen from our side, at least not without a Digi-vice and an open channel to the digital world. Still, we best be on stand by Agumon. At the very least we'll be needed for cleanup duty."

"Well thanks for the chips, boys. Now if you excuse me, I'm off to see a man about getting some new shoes," the green digimon said before it slithered off and down a swear drain.

"Thanks Yamcha, take care now," Agumon said as he waved goodbye the small Numumon.

"So that whole delete all the digimon in the world bit sounds kind of bad, doesn't it?" Rika asked after several moments of silence as she took a spot on Tai's left.

"Oh Rika, I forgot you were here," Tai said in genuine surprise.

The fierily red-head stamped her feet and shouted, "How could you forget I was here is such a short period of time and you're suppose too be teaching me. Is that fat head of yours filled with potted me or something?"

"SWACK!" said the heavy pages of the digimon game guide as it lightly hit Rika's crown, the pages lightly folding to the contours of Rika's spikey pineapple shaped head.

"Rule 1 of being a good Digi-Destined: You must always be alert and aware of your surroundings," Tai said in a lecturing tone.

"Fine," Rika pouted as she rubbed her head. "But do you have to hit on the head to prove your point?"

In response to her question Tai lightly flicked her nose.

"See, that wouldn't have happened if you were alert and aware of your surroundings. Rule 2: Tai can't always be there to tell you to always be alert and aware of your surroundings."

"I get it! I get it!" Rika complained as she rubbed her nose. "Geez, I sometimes wonder if you do this stuff on purpose just to make me mad." Tai gave a light laugh as he kneeled down so he was eye level with the younger girl.

"To be wholly honest," he began as he gently pulled her hand away from her nose. "I sometimes do try to make you mad, but that's only because you're cute when you're mad."

Those big eyes, that sincere smile, that mop of hair that only he could pull off. It was happening again. She was starting to melt, it was the only description she had. Her body heated up, her legs felt like jelly, her mind was turning to mush. There was no way she could keep looking at him. She quickly turned her back on him before she could lose her complete composure. She gave a brief glance over her shoulder only to once more see his radiant smile, before she looked away again.

"He's like weaponized cuteness!" she mentally screamed.

She tried to properly compose herself, but only managed to babble the first thought that came to her head, "Well you're kind of cute yourself."

"I am?"

"Shit!"

"Well it's been awhile since a girl has called me cute."

"Don't let it go to your head! It's only your smile that's cute. You hear me? Your smile!"

"Well someone has earned herself some extra omelet today," Tai declared as he stood back up and began to head home. "Come on Pineapple head. We'll eat, review the book, and discuss practical applications."

"You're an idiot, Mop-head."

"Who's the bigger idiot? The idiot or the idiot following the idiot?"

"I guess we're both idiots when you say it like that," Rika admitted as she followed alongside him.

"That's damn right we're both idiots!" the college student proudly shouted. "But we're idiots with the toughest digimon out there right. Fist-pound?" Tai said as he held out his fist towards Rika in an expecting manner.

Rika sighed into the palm of her left hand. It was hard to believe that she was getting so use to Tai's annoying 'man-child' attics. Still a whisper of a smile graced her face.

"Fist-pound," she said as she proceed to bump his fist with her own.

Annoying as they may be sometimes she didn't outright hate them either.

End chapter 10