Title: Always Follow the Rabbit
Author: Mrpointyhorns aka Blemery
Beta: Takato The Dreamer
Rating: R
Status: In Progress
Part: 17
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.
Hours later everyone was settling into the RV to sleep. The yellow and white digimon was still tied to the passenger seat and she hadn't said a word. From where she sat she could only see the table with its computers and some of the couch, the driver's seat and of course the desert outside. She couldn't turn around, but if she could she would be able to see the kitchen and the back bedrooms. The other digimon took turns sitting in the driver's seat to keep an eye on her, but she hadn't even attempted to turn her head. She stared firmly outside and didn't flinch or give any other information.
Taichi sat on the couch watching her. He knew that she couldn't see him even if she turned her head to look, but he knew she was aware that he was there. Rika sat next to him at the corner of the couch like normal, drinking some of the hot chocolate that Daisuke made for her. She was wearing someone's t-shirt like a nightgown. It was so big on her it went down to her knees. She watched the digimon too, but she kept her head turned to her cup.
"Hey, Tai," Daisuke called from where he was laying in the loft above the cab of the RV. He was on his stomach propped up on his elbows.
"What's up?"
"Are you in charge, now?" Daisuke looked plain curious and didn't give any indication that he cared about what the answer was.
Taichi shook his head and looked back at the new digimon. "You keep it up for now Daisuke. I can't." Taichi wasn't going to crawl into bed again, but he wasn't ready to take charge again. He would help his friends, of course, but he just couldn't let go of his fears enough, in order to be a good leader.
"Got it," Daisuke said, but Taichi didn't look up at him. "Are you going to help us out at the old prison tomorrow?"
"I don't know." Taichi noticed the digimon's ear twitch. She might not be looking, but she was listening and she was getting more information from them than they were getting from her.
"Taichi," Wallace said he and Takeru coming in from outside. They had their partners with them and Rika sat up and took notice. If she was scared at all, she didn't let it show. Lopmon hung back with Wallace, but both Terriermon and Patamon went over to sit with her. She let them sip some of her hot chocolate, but they didn't take too much from her.
"Tai!" Agumon caught his attention again. "We want to talk."
Wallace and Takeru voiced their agreement. Takeru nodded to the door of the RV. Taichi stood up and looked at Veemon was in the driver's seat of the RV, on guard duty. "Rika come with us, okay?" Taichi asked. Even with Veemon keeping an eye on things, Tai didn't feel comfortable leaving Rika in the same room with a digimon that had already attacked her.
Rika stood up and laughed when Patamon settled on her head, and Terriermon sat on her shoulders. Daisuke rolled down from his loft and followed them all outside. Ken was sitting at the table with Wormmon. He shifted slightly when Daisuke crowded next to him. Taichi sat across from them with Wallace and Rika. Takeru stayed standing at the end of the table. From where he stood he could still see the new digimon in the passenger seat. Daisuke might be able to as well, but no one else could.
"Okay, what?" Taichi asked.
"We wanted to fill you in on what's going on since, well since…" Ken was the first to start speaking, even though it had been Takeru and Wallace that had gone to get Taichi Ken was the only one that looked willing to speak. He drew his words from his deep well of kindness, and maybe from his own knowledge of personal loss. "Rika told us, that there are tunnels running into the prison. That all the digimon came and went through the tunnels and never the doors, that's why she escaped out here to increase her chances of succeeding. So, we think that the digimon that Daisuke and I saw that day used the tunnels to escape. We have been trying to unearth the tunnels for the three days. It's not that easy, because we don't know where the tunnels are exactly, and because we don't want to collapse the tunnels even more, but there is something else you should know.
Taichi stared down at the table his finger picking at the shiny surface. He was listening to Ken; it was just hard to keep from succumbing to the fear that leaked into his heart with every word. He swallowed hard his eyes felt heavy, but he only let one tear fall. "What?"
He looked up when no reply was forthcoming and he looked at Ken. Who looked so uncertain and looked ready to cry because he just saw Taichi do so. Tai turned from him to Daisuke, who whipped his head around and looked out into the desert obviously, not willing to fill in.
"We didn't find any sign of Koushiro anywhere," Wallace finally said. Taichi flinched at hearing Koushiro's name. No one had spoken it in front of him since the prison collapsed. Even when they spoke about it when he wasn't in the room they avoiding using Koushiro's name, once or twice he heard someone say Izzy or Izumi, but hearing Koushiro's given name was something completely different. Almost everyone used Koushiro's last name or his nickname, Izzy, even Kei! Wallace used the nickname and his first name interchangeably and always had. The fact that Wallace used it didn't bother Tai, but hearing it now made Taichi's heart sink with grief.
"Tai, are you listening?" Takeru asked standing in front of Taichi now and shaking him by the shoulders. Taichi looked up. "Did you hear Wallace?"
"I got lost," Taichi admitted the bitterness taste of grief clogged up his throat as he spoke.
Takeru sighed and wrapped his arms around Taichi's head. He hugged Taichi to his abdomen. Taichi didn't resist, but he didn't move into it either. He didn't want comfort, because comfort meant admitting that it was going to be okay, and it wasn't going to be. "We think Izzy's still alive."
"Alive?" Taichi looked up pushing away from Takeru and looking up into his eyes. He saw the hope there and then shook his head. "Don't. Don't do that."
"No, Tai. It's not just me. It's…there is no blood. We didn't find any blood, or a body. Or anything that would indicate that someone was in that building when it exploded." Takeru shook Taichi again, but gently to make it sink in. "He's out there somewhere. We think."
Taichi stared. Then he looked over at Ken and Daisuke. They were watching him carefully. When he looked at them Daisuke smiled and nodded eagerly. Ken shrugged slightly, but nodded as well. "Agumon?" Taichi turned to his partner. He knew his partner wouldn't lie to him or spare his feelings, not about this. Agumon nodded. "But…"
"He would contact us if he was able to I'm sure. But that must mean he's not able to," Wallace said. Taichi looked over at Wallace again, he was smiling slightly too. "We thought we shouldn't keep it from you."
Taichi swallowed again. "Uh-huh, because if you did and I found out later, I'd be pretty pissed." That's all he could say, that's all he could really think about. "Okay so what's the plan, then?"
Daisuke's smile widened and he started filling Taichi in on what had happened since that day. After Taichi agreed to help, starting the next morning, now it was time for bed.
"Aww." Rika pouted, but followed Daisuke and Taichi into the RV. Takeru and Wallace had been staying in tents since they arrived at the prison a few days ago. Ken came in after Rika. He had a thoughtful look on his face, but Taichi wasn't familiar enough with Ken to be able to tell what he was thinking.
"Spoken like a true twelve year old." Daisuke rubbed his nose with a finger and then stretched his arms back. "I can't wait to get to sleep."
"I'm ten." Rika looked up at Daisuke looking at him in confusion. "You really thought I was twelve?"
"Well…"
"You're pretty tall," Taichi commented looking over at Rika. She kind of looked like Hikari, but at about seven or eight, though it was hard for Taichi to know for sure. There was not much a child liked more than being thought of as older than they truly were.
Rika smiled. "Thanks. But I'm ten."
"Ten or twelve it's time for bed," Taichi instructed. Rika nodded, but stopped and looked past Taichi and Daisuke to the cab of the RV. Taichi turned to follow her gaze.
Ken was standing next to the passenger seat with a dish of food and was holding a fork full of food for the digimon to eat. She accepted but said nothing. Taichi watched Ken feed the digimon several bites and then pick up a glass of water for her to drink. Taichi looked at Daisuke. He was watching Ken too with a sweet look in his eyes. So that's it. Ken's kindness. That's what you love, but can't lose. Taichi turned away looking at Rika. He tapped her gently on the top of the head. She looked up and nodded following him into the back of the RV. He helped her up into the top room before shuffling down to his room and his empty bed.
Agumon curled up with him, but that only made the bed seem lonelier than before. He felt a few tears slide down his ear to the pillow, but no more. "Shiro, please take care."
The guys worked in shifts. They needed one person back at the RV to watch over the new digimon, and to keep Rika company. Knowing that Rika was ten made it even more of a priority to have someone near her at all times. So they split the day in half and one person and their partner stayed in the morning, then after lunch another team stayed. Since Taichi had been out of it for four days while his friends dug up the tunnels. He went out morning and afternoon until everyone had two turns back at the RV.
So far the new digimon hadn't talked, but she was clearly watching everyone and her mood seemed to be changing from hostile to more relax as the time past. She wasn't worried about them hurting her anymore, but she still didn't trust them to speak. Ken fed her every morning and every night. She thanked him a few times, but didn't exchange any other words with him, and seemed stiff and surprised every time he did so.
It was near the end of Taichi's turn at that RV, when his digivice started to beep. He looked up from where he was sitting on the couch with Rika and she returned the look. He pulled his digivice from his pants and looked at it. A small blue light was blinking in the corner of the digivice. "Koushiro?"
Rika scooted next to him and looked at the digivice. "What's it doing?"
"When another digivice is near by it shows up on here. This digivice wasn't here before. So who ever had it just got close enough to set this thing off," Taichi explained. He pulled out his D-terminal. "I have to tell the others. They need to get here now!" After he sent the message he began to pace from the cab of the RV to the kitchen and back. Agumon came in from outside after a few times and asked what all the stomping was about. Rika explained it to him.
"That's great Tai!" Agumon looked happy. He held the door open to the RV so he could see when the other guys arrived. Taichi resumed pacing for a bit until Pegasusmon and Takeru touched down. Taichi ran outside with Rika and Agumon behind him. Taichi held out his digivice. Takeru nodded holding his own device, but he seemed a little less excited. Agumon frowned and looked at him. "What is it?"
"It might not be him," Takeru whispered looking away from them.
Taichi frowned and stopped moving around anxiously. "We still have to look."
"Of course," Takeru agreed looking up and shrugging a little. "Just don't want you to be disappointed." Taichi nodded, but he couldn't help it he knew it was Koushiro he knew it. "Come on the two of us can look, just as soon as the others arrive. Takeru helped Agumon and Taichi up onto Pegasusmon. "You alright?"
"Just hang on," Pegasusmon instructed. He pawed the ground as he waited. Ken arrived on Stingmon, and ExVeemon had Daisuke and Wallace with his two partners. It was an awkward ride, but faster than if they had let the humans run on foot. "We're off!" Pegasusmon said and took to the skies. He winged it in the direction that Takeru told him.
Before they reached the destination however, Taichi's device stopped beeping and Takeru's did as well. They continued in the direction for a while swooping around, but there was no sign of a human or a digimon in the area. "It could have come from underground," Takeru suggested.
Taichi nodded feeling a lead weight drop into his stomach. He knew it was Koushiro. He knew it. Koushiro was probably trying to reach them, but wasn't completely successful. Maybe it was coming from the underground tunnels, but maybe it was a false signal that Koushiro transmitted somehow, but whatever happened Taichi knew it was him. He didn't feel relieved about having evidence that Koushiro was alive; no he was worried even more that Koushiro was in trouble and that's why the signal was lost, just as he was. "I'll find you, Koushiro. Just hang on." Takeru looked back at him with a small smile. He nodded his head in agreement. Taichi said,"Let's go back. Maybe Ken and Wallace can figure something out on their computers."
"You hear that Pegasusmon?" Takeru called. Pegasusmon answered with a laugh and turned to head back to the RV.
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The story is so long, that it's beginning to mess with my software. I cannot figure it out. I think the program is trying to predict the language, and that it's not predicting English, but when I try to set it to English, is doesn't help. It put all my paragraph tool on show instead of hide. All the paragraph signs are at bottom of the paragraph on the left instead of at the end of the paragraph on the right! It makes for some weird behavior. Like if I put my cursor at the last word of a paragraph it will look like it is at the front of that line, but when I type it will type in the words after the last paragraph. In the paragraph tools, the alignment says the page is to the right, but it's not it's to the left, and when I switch to left, it's aligned to the right! It is just really bizarre. So I started to adding new stuff in a different word document, because it is a bit frustrating. However, I like the story enough to keep writing it.