Title: Always Follow the Rabbit

Author: Mrpointyhorns aka Blemery

Beta: Takato The Dreamer

Rating: R

Status: In Progress

Part: 13

Pairings: Taichi/Koushiro

Warnings: Slash

Spoilers: Season 1 and 2, plus some of the movies (nothing blatantly but there)

Summary: Taichi's has started to settle in his life, and while that can be quite nice, he and Koushiro have never been better, it can also be a bit disappointing, especially his dead-end job. The only thing interesting that ever happens is when he has to babysit his nephew. Until Koushiro detects a disturbance that is about to give Taichi the adventure he craves.

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by someone else. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

"She came from this way, see the shoeprints?" Daisuke said he knelt beside the footprints. Taichi looked over the prints. They weren't at every step, but there were a few every couple of yards. They were slightly smeared like she dug in a little deeper at a particular step. Maybe she was leaving a trail or maybe she was just trying to push herself on. Tai remembered how hard it was being alone in the digital world. The digidestened were always meant to work together with their partners and their friends.

"Which way do you want to go?" Taichi asked.

"I think I want to retrace her steps, you know? That's probably going to lead some place, and soon. She couldn't have been walking that many days. She could have just picked a random direction when she ran away from me." Daisuke stood up. He was obviously ready to start immediately. It was early in the "morning" and breakfast had already been eaten. All of the guys thought with this new kid around they were finally getting some place. So everyone had renewed spirits.

"Ok. You'll want to go half a day out and back. If we can't find anything tomorrow we can retrace on our partners and begin from where we left off. We should be able to repeat the process a few times, since the Digimon move faster than we do," Taichi suggested. Exploring on foot was important because he didn't want to miss something on the way, but they could cover more ground if they used their partners to carry them back out the next day. They could probably do this for about 4-5 days before they would need to move the RV. After that they would have to think of a new plan. It was a little cautious, but there was no need to rush into things. They could systematically explore now. There would be plenty of time later where they would have to rush, but now was not one of them.

"Right." Daisuke grinned. "ExVeemon can fly faster that Greymon can run."

"What are you saying?" Taichi heard Daisuke's challenge and was ready to face it head on.

"You heard me."

"It's on." Taichi knew it was silly to challenge ExVeemon and Greymon in a foot race, but he couldn't turn it down, not when it was Daisuke challenging him. "Let's tell the others before we go." Taichi stepped back.

Daisuke agreed though he looked out in the direction of the footprints as they went back to camp. Taichi led them back. It was good timing because Rika was taking a shower. If she was nervous about talking she may not be happy to know that they were digging into her past, at least her past footfalls.

Ken, Wallace and Koushiro were at the computer table next to the kitchen diligently working on something. Daisuke sat down at the table too. Ken and Wallace stopped typing and turned to look at them. Koushiro didn't stop working, but Taichi could tell that he was listening. Ken and Wallace could probably work and listen too, but they were probably interested in what they had to say.

"So, we decided that we should explore the direction we saw her come from and also the direction she took when she ran off. I decided to take the direction she came from, it's more promising and Taichi is taking the other direction," Daisuke explained. He then explained how they would be back by "night" and the tentative plans for the next 4-5 days.

"I don't like that you're splitting up." Ken pursed his lips in a thoughtful way. He turned his gaze toward Daisuke at the end of his confession.

"Well you're doing computer stuff and someone should stay and watch Rika. She could run off, or she might decide to talk to someone." Daisuke shrugged his shoulders. "Splitting up makes more sense, plus we have our partners."

"It's still dangerous. We don't know enough about this place, but we do know that something brought us here because something bad was happening," Wallace responded.

"I can come," Takeru suggested. He came over from the back room with Patamon in his hands. "I don't need to be here. Wallace is better at computers than I am, and he can be around for Rika too. There's no reason for me to stay."

Taichi smiled brightly. "Glad to have you around."

"Ken you should go too." Koushiro didn't look up when he spoke. "It might slowdown our work, but its better that everyone stays safe. Besides, there is a lot of information that cannot be gathered from computers alone."

"Izzy is that you?" Takeru teased. Koushiro's smiled briefly, but didn't respond. Even though the other digidestined knew his medium of choice was the computer he was still apt in field research and other sciences. Sometimes everyone just teased, because they often forgot how smart Koushiro really was, and when faced with it, it was a bit intimidating.

Daisuke stood up. "That's settled. Now let's go!"

"Before you go, take these. If you see anything, take a picture and it should upload to my laptop right away. It will send us your coordinates and you can use it as a binocular if you need to. It will help us all keep in the loop and also, you'll know where you've been for tomorrow. Plus, it will help Wallace and I paint a better picture of this place." Koushiro handed the cameras to Ken and Takeru.

"Cool and we'll keep in contact with our D-3s too." Daisuke promised. He moved toward the RV door. Taichi knew how he felt; he wanted to get moving too.

"Umm, Takeru?" Rika's voice whispered from the hall next to the bathroom.

"Rika." Takeru jumped up. Rika was in an overly large bathrobe, Jyou really thought of everything, with a towel around her head. "Did you need something?" He was at her side kneeling down.

"Is it alright if I read some more of your book?" Rika asked. She looked at the ground as she spoke. Taichi took it as progress that she was talking at all, especially since the digimon weren't that far away.

"Of course it is." Takeru stood. "I'll get it for you. Do you want to read it in here or in the bedroom?" He asked as he led her back to the bedroom.

"Come on Daisuke, let's get going." Ken stood up. He gathered his backpack. Daisuke let out a loud yippee and stumbled outside.

Taichi didn't question Ken's decision to go with Daisuke. Ken and Daisuke worked together during their adventure and even digivolved together. He didn't mind going with Takeru either. He had shared his own adventure with Takeru and even though their Digimon had never digivolved together, they could still work as a team.

Koushiro diligently worked on his computer. There were many things about this world that was different from any that he had been to. He knew that not everything he was doing would help them in their quest, but he didn't know what would help and what wouldn't. Besides, this might be Koushiro's only chance to study this world. Things seemed to be going slow for now, but once the fighting began he might not have anymore time. He also assumed once they returned home they weren't coming back. He wanted to retain as much as he could while he could. So, some of what he was gathering was self serving, especially the photos that Ken and Takeru kept sending. They seemed to take photos every 45 minutes to an hour, but not of anything in particular. He assumed the photos where just a way to communicate and maybe as a guide for them tomorrow. Still he studied each one carefully and then carefully stored them.

He was also gathering data from the RV panels. He hadn't been able to get on the network yet, and he was sure that was for the best. The networks in his digital world seemed to be monitored and he always had to be careful accessing it. So, it was better if he didn't have the chance to look into it, for now.

"Izzy?" Rika sat up in the chair that she sat on. She was with them at the table still reading Takeru's book. It was a young teen book, but she seemed to be doing well with it, but she would often ask Wallace for help with some of the words. She hadn't asked Koushiro for help yet. He knew he could come off as intimidating and uninterested while he was working, but he really wasn't like that, though he didn't dissuade many of this fact.

Since she had avoided asking him questions for all of the morning and well into the afternoon, Koushiro decided to pay attention to her. Both because he wanted to gain her trust and favor, but also because he wasn't nearly as busy as he was in the morning. He stopped typing and turned his upperbody and head to look at her. "Did you need something?"

"You're the Izzy in the story right?" Koushiro nodded and she quickly continued. "Tentomon is the same one too?" Another nodded. "He digivolved to Kaguterimon to protect you, is that what having a partner is like?"

Koushiro knew when he heard the question the Rika wasn't asking about a particular situation in the story. She seemed want to know more about the digimon partners that were around the RV. Considering that she was in a digital world, she probably had a digital partner too, though obviously she had not met hers, otherwise she wouldn't ask the question. So Koushiro was careful when answering the question. "That's what it was like when I first met Tentomon. It was his job to protect me. Though, it wasn't long before we realized how much our partners needed us too. Since then we formed a bond that hasn't been broken. Tentomon is both my friend and family. Now, fighting is just a small part of our partnership."

Wallace looked at him from over his computer. He looked like he just had a lecture from the school counselor or something. "Come on Izzy, don't be so calculated."

"What? I'm not." Koushiro frowned. He didn't think he was being robotic, but he was use to being called out on it, so he sort of believed Wallace even if he didn't see it. "I'm just saying that there is more to our partnership than just protection."

That must have settled Wallace, because he looked over to Rika. "I didn't go on that adventure with them. My partners came to me as an egg. I raise them and took care of them. It wasn't always easy, but they are way more than just bodyguards."

"Aww thanks," Terriermon was up in the room above the cab of the RV he and Lopmon were snacking, and playing on a handheld game system. Tentomon had been around, but he told Koushiro after lunch that he was going to sit up on top of the RV so that he could keep an eye on things. Koushiro thought that meant that he was keeping an eye out for Tai and the others.

Rika started when he spoke, but didn't seem as concerned as she previously had been. "That's not what it's like here."

"Can you tell us?" Koushiro asked. Wallace stared at him hard. He knew everyone had been avoiding the question so far, but Rika was already opening up a little bit. At the very least she would just return to reading.

"I can't tell you much. Here it's like your world there is a place for digimon and humans, but we have always known about each other. At least, I think so. But they don't like each other. So, they don't allow partners. They test all the children and digimon to see if they are partners, if they are, the children are sent to the digital world and the digimon are sent to the human world. They knew I had a partner from the first time I was tested. They just couldn't figure out whom, so they couldn't take me here. This year they decided that it was just too risky and they traded me without finding a partner for me," She explained very quietly and controlled. She kept her eyes on the book.

Wallace looked over at Koushiro when she stopped talking. After a moment, he turned back to Rika. "What happened after that?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Rika said softly.

"Okay," Koushiro immediately replied. He quickly moved on to a new question. "Where were you going, before you found our RV?" He knew she had probably come from a prison because she said earlier that the only things around were dirt and prisons. So he assumed somehow she was able to get away, knowing how didn't gain him anything. It was better to know where she was going. It might guide them on their path.

She didn't answer for a long time, and Wallace kept looking at Koushiro trying to communicate with him, but Koushiro stayed steady waiting for a reply from Rika. One thing that he had learned since he was a child was that patience often won battles with many people. "I don't know. As far away as I could get."

The group fell silent once again and it became uncomfortable. Koushiro didn't want to ask any more questions because Rika seemed to be shutting down already, and he wasn't sure about what to say to comfort her as she was upset. Wallace seemed to understand that as well, but neither of them seemed to know what to say. Before it became too uncomfortable Wallace stood up and asked if anyone would want some hot chocolate. Koushiro declined the beverage, but said that he would take some of the hot water to make tea. Rika agreed, but Koushiro thought she didn't know what hot chocolate was. Terriermon and Lopomon cheered and followed Wallace into the kitchen area to get some and that seemed to ease the uncomfortable feeling in the room.

Taichi and Takeru returned to the RV twenty hours after they left. It was later than they should have been out, but with the way the world never got dark or light it was hard to judge the time. Daisuke and Ken had returned nearly two hours before them. If they hadn't been communicating with the D-3s their tardiness probably would have resulted in a search party. As it was everyone in the RV was getting ready for bed or already sleeping.

"Tai! T.K.! Sit down." Tentomon gestured to the table set up outside of the RV. Then, he quickly flew back into the RV.

Taichi sat down at the table without question, and Augmon joined him. Takeru stood in his place looking at the RV door with a slightly surprised expression. "What…?"

"Standard Tentomon greeting. He's either getting Koushiro or dinner." Taichi smiled fondly after the bug.

"Or both!" Augmon added.

"Hopefully, dinner." Patomon flew from Takeru's head to the table. Takeru followed after him.

"It's both this time." Koushiro said following Tentomon out of the RV. He held some serving dishes and Tentomon followed behind with plates. Everyone dug in as soon as he set them down. He sat down next to Taichi without complaint. Tentomon made his own plate when everyone finished, but Taichi suspected it was his second of the night. "Rika and Daisuke are sleeping inside. Wallace went to his tent hours ago and Ken's getting ready."

"So you waited up to feed us?" Patomon asked.

"Don't be fooled. He stayed up to work on his computer more," Tentomon replied.

"Well of course I needed something to do while I waited," Koushiro admitted. "But, I was waiting. I wanted to fill you in on what happened today." Then he explained to them about the conversation that he and Wallace had with Rika. It wasn't much, but it was significant because before there had been even less information.

"So tomorrow Tai and I should explore in a different direction if that's the case. No reason to keep going in that direction." Takeru suggested.

"Might as well," Taichi agreed after sharing a look with Koushiro. He looked back at him after he was finished speaking. Koushiro's eyes were dark and he seemed slightly uncomfortable. Taichi hadn't noticed before so probably no one else did, but Koushiro hadn't just waited for them to discuss business. Taichi looked down at his mostly finished dinner. He knew he wouldn't be able to finish it after knowing that Koushiro was waiting for him. He pushed the rest of his food onto Augmon's plate to the digimon's pleasure.

Koushiro dark eyes locked with his. "I'm going to head to bed. Taichi and I are taking a tent tonight Takeru, if you want to stay in the RV." He stood up barely looking over a Takeru when he spoke.

"I don't mind…"

"We insist!" Taichi jumped to his feet. "I'm going to wash up real quick." He rushed into the RV and grabbed pajama bottoms and his bathroom tote from his things and hurried to use the bathroom. The room was steamy from someone's shower, but Taichi didn't mind. He dressed quickly. Then he washed his face, hands and finally his teeth.

"What's the hurry, Tai?" Takeru said from outside the open bathroom door.

"He's getting lai-oaf! Ken!" Daisuke cried.

"Rika, can hear you," Ken hissed.

Takeru rolled his eyes. Taichi caught his gaze in the mirror. "Oh…"

"Yea, it's hard getting privacy around here," Taichi muttered putting his toothbrush up. He went to put his tote away.

He scooted by Takeru as he took his turn in the bathroom. "Hey Tai?"

"Hmm?" Taichi glanced back not wanting to stop, but not wanting to be rude either.

"Send Augmon and Tentomon in to sleep with Patamon and me." Takeru had a slight blush on his cheek as he spoke, but he looked at Taichi with sincerity.

Taichi nodded. "Thanks."