Digimon Fan Fiction ❯ The Beast Within ❯ A little history ( Chapter 1 )

Disclaimer: I don't own digimon, but I wish I did coz then I could change some things in 02 I really don't like (Cody and Yolei are examples, no offence to any fans).

First some formalities. The ages in this fic are as follows: T.K., Kari, Davis are 15, Tai, Matt, Sora, Mimi, and Izzy are 17, and Joe is 18. I am hetro so the relationships will follow suit and are as follows, Taiora, Takari and Mimato (I have nothing against homosexuals, but I just wouldn't be able to write it well coz it's not natural to me, maybe when I get better at writing I'll think about it). This follows on from Dark Times, but you won't have to read it to understand anything included within. Please note that I do not like Cody or Yolei (As above) and in the past have made excuses to why they were not involved in the events of the story but take it as a given that they don't exist because I am tired of doing that. Please note I use the Australian holiday system so there are 4 semesters not 3 and the long break is over Christmas. Lastly if you have read Dark times I am changing my style to a more descriptive one (Or I'm trying), also I might have slight differences (Like floor numbers), and anything marked in slashes (/ ?? \) marks a persons thought. All input is appreciated and I always seriously consider all suggestions. A SPECIAL thanks goes out to Kiran, her stories heavily inspired me and I suggest you read them! Now enough with the talking and on with the story.

A lot has changed for the Digidestined since the defeat of Helios. They have all grown together as friends because they did not want to drift apart again. The biggest change had to have occurred to T.K. and Kari as T.K. had just moved in with her and Tai. This a surprisingly smooth transition for them…

*******Flashback*******

It was a going to be a noisy day in the Kamiya household. It was a cold and rainy. The sky was as grey as it had been for many months and it was easy to tell that winter had arrived, and her cold and miserable grasp was lodged firmly and unforgivingly on Japan. The rain poured down on the busy Odaiba streets. Tai stood on the terrace outside his room. He looked down on the various people rushing around in their busy lives, wondering where all these people could possibly be going. The tall boy looked like a king as he stood on his terrace while his subjects scrambled below to appease him. He was wearing his favourite navy blue jacket. It was long on him and covered half way down his thighs. He had worn this jacket the day they saved the world from Malomyotismon, it had a large sentimental value to him and he would wear it whenever he could. The wind began to blow, one of it's icy wisps caught the boy's chestnut hair and ravaged it in every direction. This made little difference, as his unique hairstyle could look good no matter where it stood or in which direction it was going. He let out a faint shiver as the temperature finally got to him. He slowly turned around and entered his bedroom.

It was a typical teenage boys room, and it was huge. Tai's room was much larger than Kari's, and much of his space was unused. In the space he had used he had a desk and computer chair, with bunk bed and a built in closet. His floor was carpeted in a faint grey, long stranded style. Not that anyone could tell as it was usually littered with clothes and various other items. He made no real attempts to tidy it either, he liked his mess just the way it was. This was a trait he had inherited from his father who kept his study in much the same state. His walls were littered with posters of girls and cars and. Then there was small shelf. He had many small trinkets on it, most of which had been Christmas or birthday presents from his grandparents, among them a statue of a dragon. It stood with its wings semi-outstretched, it's head held high and it's long tail wrapped around the stone it stood on. He liked it very much however, his favourite item, was the picture taken after they had defeated Apoclymon, although he would never probably admit it. All the original digidestined had a copy. Some people would have thought it was a bit lame, but he loved the picture. It reminded him of the time in his life where he had finally made some real friends. Before then he had been surrounded by people who he liked and liked him back, but no one that really understood him, or felt he belonged. Then he went to the digital world and everything changed. He found he was part of a group, and not only that, he was its leader. For the first time in his life he was a part of something bigger than just a soccer team. He cherished that picture and would never get rid of it, even if it was almost hidden behind some soccer trophies.

The boy slowly trudged through his beloved mess and sat down on the lower bed. He found himself next to his best friend, one of the only things in his life that he could depend on, no matter what. He was always there when Tai needed him, and always willing to help, even if he didn't really understand the situation. The small, bright orange, dinosaur like creature was asleep on the bed. He was so tranquil when he slept, a contrast to his personality. Tai had met him upon his first arrival in the digital world and the two just clicked. They were together whenever they could be, which would usually be very difficult. Tai found great trouble in hiding Agumon because of his curious nature, and his gigantic stomach. His parents could not know that he was around because they would worry about Tai. They first time Agumon had met Tai's parents it was under less than convincing circumstances. They had found that their son was a chosen protector of a world they had no idea even existed. To make it worse, every time they had seen Agumon the digital world was in crisis so Tai had come to the conclusion it would be better if they didn't' know hw was around so that they wouldn't worry. The small creature stirred and rolled over. Tai looked at the small digimon. He looked so defenceless, it was strange how only a few seconds could change that and he could defeat even the strongest enemy. Agumon stirred again, and this time he woke. The creature sat upright and let his eyes readjust to the world around him.

"Morning sleepy head," Tai greeted in a welcoming tone. He was pleased his friend had finally woken, now he would have someone to talk to. It was still early so everyone in the house was still asleep.

"Did you sleep well?" he questioned politely.

"I haven't slept that well I years, your bed is really comfortable," Agumon said, he spoke slowly as he was still very groggy from his restful night.

"Well that's good, today's going to be a long day," Tai said encouragingly.

"But I'm not doing anything today," Agumon said innocently.

"Hey, just because you don't really live here doesn't mean you're not going to help move stuff," Tai was talking about T.K.'s arrival into the household. Most of his things were already at the apartment, but they were boxed up and had to be moved into position and unpacked. Tai's parents were at work all that day so he didn't have to worry about being seen, all he had to worry about was being overworked by his commanding partner,

"Don't worry Agumon, there isn't that much to move, and we'll have help," Tai continued.

"But I was going to rest today, you never know when trouble could be brewing in the digital world, maybe I should go check on it."

"No you don't, you're not going to sucker your way out of this, you're helping and that's that."

"Fine, I'll move boxes and unpack stuff, but if the digital world ends it'll be on your head," Agumon joked.

"That's a chance I'm wiling to take," Tai replied. "Are you hungry?"

"I sure am, how about breakfast?" Agumon asked excitedly. If this brave little digimon had one weakness it had to be his stomach. He would do almost anything for a decent meal, he even offered to clean Tai's room for food once, and that would be quite a task.

"Come on then, we'll get some food," Tai said, Agumon needed little convincing and was right behind him.

They entered the kitchen and found it was in a shocking state of disarray. Greasy pots lined every corner of the sink, and dishes lay across the counter. The smell was a little off. Tai quietly traversed the dirty, smelly room until he reached the fridge. Agumon followed close behind, however he was a little less quiet. Tai opened the fridge and the two were greeted with yet another array of odours, from the pleasant smelling lemon meringue to the not so kosher chicken. He peered through the various foods on offer until he found a Tupperware container of some leftover pancakes that Kari had made the previous day.

"Will these do?" he asked his famished friend.

"I suppose, can we hurry up though, I'm really hungry," Agumon replied, a little disappointed because he was holding out for the meringue.

"Okay buddy, but we should probably go back to my room."

They navigated their way back to Tai's room and re-entered the labyrinth of clothes and mess. They decided to eat on the top bunk. Tai slowly made his way up the small wooden ladder. Once at the top Agumon made his assent. Upon his arrival at the 'summit' they dug into the pancakes. They were some of the best pancakes Tai had ever tasted. It was a recipe Kari herself had come up with. They were well priced leftovers, and he was lucky to get there first. They tasted like an ordinary pancake only different, you took a bite and a sensation of sweetness hit you, it would hit every corner of your mouth until it changed to an almost bitter taste. It left your mouth crying out for more and you couldn't help but take another bite.

"The breakfast of champions," Tai commented as he took a large bite from one.

"Hopefully not, I think I would crush your bed," Agumon said, almost nervous.

"I didn't mean champions in that sense, it was just a figure of speech."

"Oh… good." Agumon said reaching for another. Tai then took the last one. Agumon gobbled down his, but Tai was more cultured about it, he treated every bite as his last and savoured the final piece. Unfortunately Agumon had to site and watch this display and it was a slow and painful torture for him. After Tai had finally finished they decided it was time to get up and face the world. Tai climbed down the ladder while Agumon took the less subtle approach and jumped to the floor. He landed with a small thud.

Tai turned quickly to see what had the cause of the disturbance was to find his small orange friend standing with a cheesy grin on his face.

"Did you really have to do that?" Tai asked disapprovingly.

"No, but I wanted to, it's been bugging me for a while."

"Well, consider your life goal accomplished," Tai said sarcastically.

"Isn't it a little early for sarcasm?" Agumon said to Tai in a knowledgeable voice.

"I'm surprised you picked that up, you'll learn our language yet," Tai said proudly. He remembered all the countless times he had explained things, and the number of hours he had spent educating his digimon friend on the way of his world and he felt proud that this little bit had finally sunk in.

"So am I?" Agumon said surprised at himself.

"How about we get cleaned up?" Tai suggested.

"Sure, you could definitely use a shower."

"Hey, I don't smell!"

"I never said that," Agumon said innocently. They left the room and made their way to the bathroom. Tai again checked to see if anyone was awake, but still the house was quiet.

They entered the room and Tai turned on the light. It's reflection cascaded off the tile and mirror to light the room very effectively. The Kamiya bathroom was a pristine one. It was tiled with soft pastel shades of yellow on the walls. The tiles only went halfway up the wall until they met a soft shaded coat of paint. The floor contrasted the yellow walls with a misty blue. The room was actually quite large, especially for an apartment bathroom. On one wall there was a long luxurious bath that stretched the entire length. Joining that and continuing the length of the adjacent wall was a long basin and vanity counter. A mirror was mounted above the long counter. Opposite the bath was the large shower, its frosted glass doors left much floor room because they were sliding doors. The shower had a large interior area and was a pleasure to use. Kari and Tai hung their towels behind the door.

Tai shut the door behind them, slid open the shower door and started the water running. Tai began to undress, he took off his jacket, then his shirt. His tag and crest bounced around as he did this. He lifted the chain around his neck and rested it on the counter. He would always wear the chain, it reminded him of his adventures in the digital world, and Agumon, showering was the only time he would remove it. He slipped off his pants and stepped into the shower (A\N as all his female fans fainted). Agumon did not watch his partner get undressed, it was a little weird for both of them so he sat in the bath. Tai enjoyed the warmth of his shower as steam engulfed the room. He cleaned off the dirt of the previous day and turned off the water. He slipped open the door slightly and grabbed his towel. He wrapped it around himself and stepped out of the shower

"Okay Agumon, it's your turn now," Tai said encouragingly. His digimon friend climbed out of the bath as Tai restarted the water. He stepped into the shower and shut the door.

"And use the soap," Tai added.

"Yes mommy," Agumon replied sarcastically.

"You know, maybe me teaching you about sarcasm was a bad idea," Tai said, Agumon could only laugh. Tai dropped his towel and put on his pants. He then reached over and returned his chain safely round his neck, then put his shirt back on. Tai picked up his towel and then dried his hair, it bounced into position as he dried it. His hair seemed to be able to find it's was back to the correct position no matter how ruffled it got. Agumon did not take long to shower and soon emerged from the enclosure. He stepped out and was dripping wet. Tai reached down and dried him off. From there they left the bathroom and returned to Tai's room. Tai put his jacket on his lower bed and sat down. From the kitchen sounds of life could be heard.

"I'll go investigate who that is, I'll be right back," Tai said as he got up and left the room.

He entered the kitchen and found his mother and father cleaning up some of the mess. They were both in nightgowns and his mom was wearing her fluffy bunny slippers, a Christmas present from Tai.

"Morning," he greeted politely.

"Morning son," Mrs Kamiya greeted softly.

"Did I wake you?" he asked concerned.

"No, we've been awake for a little while but we couldn't bring ourselves to get up," Mr Kamiya replied.

"I know the feeling," Tai said.

"It looks like you've been up for a while," Mrs Kamiya commented.

"Yeah, I woke up early and lay in for a bit, then I decided to have a shower."

"I suppose you also ate the pancakes?" Mr Kamiya said looking in the fridge.

"Yeah, I was kinda hungry."

"You must have been, you finished all of them," Mr Kamiya continued.

"What is that smell!" Mrs Kamiya said in a horrified tone, with a disgusted look on her face. The odour slowly made its way across the room to Tai's nose.

"That does smell bad, I thought something smelt off when I went in there earlier," he commented. She walked over to the fridge and looked through the foods. It didn't take her long before she found the offending chicken. She picked it up and tossed it in the bin.

"Tai, can you empty the bin?" Mrs Kamiya asked.

"Sure, I'll do it when I go to pick T.K. up, speaking of which, can I take the car?" he replied.

"Sure, the keys are on the counter. You know, we'd better get ready for work," Mr Kamiya suggested, addressing his wife. Mrs Kamiya looked at her watch.

"Where does the time go?" she said philosophically as they left the room. Tai was alone in the kitchen, the he remembered Agumon, /I'd better take him some food,\. He grabbed some raisin bread from the cupboard and put it in the toaster, on his way out he grabbed the car keys. He returned to his room and found Agumon sitting on his bed looking up at the shelf on his wall.

"Whatcha doing?" he asked as he entered.

"I was just looking at all the trophies you've won, there sure are lots," he replied, an air of admiration in his voice.

"Yeah, most of them are from a while ago though, with all the school work I haven't had much time for it anymore. Hopefully I can pick it up again after finals," Tai replied.

"What's that funny looking one for?" he asked looking at the dragon statue.

"That's not a trophy, it's a statue of a dragon. I got that from my grandparents a few years back, it's a little weird, but I like it. I even wrote a report on them for history once, it was a myth assignment," Tai said.

"What's a myth?" Agumon asked confused as usual.

"I'll tell you later, we've gotta go get T.K."

"Okay," he replied. Tai walked out of the room and back into the kitchen, no one was around so he signalled Agumon to come out. He grabbed the raisin toast from the toaster and they headed downstairs. Tai opened the driver's side door and got in, then he let Agumon in the passenger door. The car was a new model Toyota FTO that his parents had given to him for his seventeenth birthday, although they still ended up using more than he did. It was a deep metallic blue, and the interior was black, not leather however. He was lucky his parents had given it to him because he was seriously short on money, another good reason not to drive it that often. He mainly relied on relatives he never saw giving him money for birthdays and Christmas. Tai had a large family with three blood aunts and four blood uncles, and they were fairly wealthy so he could make a fair bit of money off gifts from them. Aside from this he would sometimes go in to his parents work and do odd jobs around their office for money. But with his exams and schoolwork he had very little time to do this, and his gift money was almost fully depleted. He was lucky that Christmas was not far off and his funds would grow again. He started up the large motor, it's noise echoed off the walls in the large, empty garage.

"This is my first time taking you for a drive, isn't it?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, never mind I've only been in a car three or four times," Agumon replied.

"Well, you're in for a treat, I'm a great driver and this is a really nice car," Tai replied as he began to pull off. He slowly reversed the car out of its parking space, then shifted to drive and made his way out of the parking garage. The car was an automatic, it had most of the trimmings but not all, as his parents weren't that well off. He pulled off into the street and headed for T.K.'s apartment, as he did so he flicked on the windscreen wipers, the rain was still plummeting down. The streets were quiet for a change as it was still early. Tai was a cautious driver, although he wouldn't let on. They arrived at T.K.'s on time, Tai pulled the car over to the curb and tuned off the engine.

"You should probably stay here, I won't be long," Tai said as he took the keys from the ignition.

"Sure, just crack the window," Agumon said indifferently. Tai did so and opened his door.

"Try look like a stuffed animal," Tai added as he got out of his car. He walked into the building and took cover from the pouring rain, then he locked the car with the remote. He got into the elevator and went up to T.K.'s tenth floor apartment.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened with the customary ding. Tai exited the small compartment and walked down to T.K.'s door, he knocked twice. A loud shout came from inside, "Hang on!"

Tai recognised T.K.'s voice and patiently waited for his arrival. It wasn't long before his young friend answered the door and greeted him with his friendly smile, "Hey," he said politely.

"You ready?" Tai asked.

"Yeah, let's go. Bye Dad!" he yelled to his father. T.K. walked out and closed the door.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Tai said, not giving any hints. He enjoyed watching his friend's torture as T.K. thought rapidly about what he could have possibly forgotten, most of his things were already at the Kamiya's.

"Of course!" T.K. said as it finally hit him, he ran back inside and went straight to his room. He came back and rejoined Tai who was still waiting at the door.

"How could you forget me?" he said feeling rather insulted.

"I'm sorry, but I have a lot on my mind, you know I wouldn't do it purposely," T.K. said defensively.

"Okay, I forgive you," Patamon said, he sounded like he had the memory of a goldfish and was completely oblivious to his friend's mistake. This was one of Patamon's best qualities, his readiness to forgive. It was also one of the reasons T.K. loved him so much. The small orange digimon was very friendly to everyone and had grown up very much since their first adventures in the digital world. He no longer so childish about arguing, and was working on his rather short temper. This digimon had certainly come a long way. Not to say that his digidestined partner hadn't. T.K. had it hard in the beginning. First his separation from Matt and his father and having to grow up in a different city from them. Then he was reunited with Matt, only to be thrust into a world strange and different to him and one that he was supposed to protect. He had to watch his partner, his new best friend die for him. Yes, T.K. certainly had it very hard and had to grow up fast, but he had handled it really well and come out a much better person. His main help through the hard time had been Kari. She was the only one he could really relate to because of her age. The two had bonded quickly and he had always admired her selfless ability. As the two grew up they became the best of friends and never left each other's side. As they grew these feelings had matured along with them and had turned into a deep, undeniable love. Even from an early age T.K. had found himself lost in the quiet girl, and he knew what he felt. Only a matter of days ago he had raised the courage to ask her out. Their date was magical and he could hardly wait for the second. He gathered his thoughts and prepared to finally leave his old house.

"You ready now?" Tai asked again.

"Yeah," T.K. sighed, "I'm just gonna miss this place."

"Take as long as you like, I know you've moved around a bit," Tai replied. T.K. had moved many times. First he moved away from Matt and his dad, then he moved back to Odaiba with his mom, then he moved back in with his dad, now he was going for his fourth move.

"I'm okay, let's go," T.K. said.

"Right," Tai replied. The trio went right to the elevator and headed down to the ground floor. Tai unlocked the car and they piled in.

"Nice car," T.K. said in astonishment at the fact that Tai had a car.

"I forgot you'd never seen it. I got it for my last birthday, but I don't use it too often because mom and dad usually have it," Tai replied proudly.

"Well you should consider yourself lucky, this is a great car."

"Wait till I start it, it's one hell of a ride," Tai said, then paused for dramatic influence. He looked over to Agumon as if he was his co-pilot, "You ready," he said adding to the authenticity.

"Roger," Agumon relied, playing along with the gag. Tai put the keys in the ignition and started the engine. It let out its soft pur and was a flawless start. Tai revved it a bit for effect, then he pulled off.

"Hey captain, what's the in-flight movie?" T.K. asked sarcastically. Tai didn't really have a reply to that one (A\N or I didn't, you decide) so he let T.K. have it. The roads were still virtually empty, although they had filled up since he left home. The trip was short and Tai was soon driving down into the parking lot, he pulled into a space and stopped. He glanced at his watch, it was six forty five.

"You guys can go into the apartment freely, my parents would have left by now," Tai said.

They entered the garage's elevator and went up to Tai's floor. Upon entrance to Tai's apartment, it was noticeable that the once disaster area like kitchen had changed to a pristine, clear, sanitary place. Agumon walked in first, hoping for food as usual, Tai was next and Patamon flying in above his head with T.K. bringing up the rear. T.K. shut the door behind him and looked around his new, box filled, home. He had seen it many times before, but this time it was somehow different to him, it was his home. He continued his survey of the place and glanced into the lounge area. Sitting on the couch was the one reason he was sure that he would be happy in his new home. He was immediately fixated on her and Tai soon picked up on this.

"It's nice isn't it, comes with wide screen mode too," Tai joked referring to the large TV, T.K. barely heard him, he just stood there in thought.

"Huh?" he finally replied, taking notice of what Tai had said.

"Don't worry. But why don't you go over too her?" Tai said supportively. Kari had not heard the two come in and was oblivious to there presence.

"I'm nervous, everything's gonna be different now," T.K. said unsurely.

"Nothings different, now go say hello," Tai said pushing T.K. forward.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." He said pushing Tai's arms away.

T.K. slowly walked over to the girl. He leant down and over the back of the couch and whispered in her ear, "Hey." Kari didn't jump or move, she just sat there and processed in her mind who could be talking in her ear. It didn't take her long because she knew only one person who would do that to her.

"T.K., you're up early," she replied softly. He moved around to the other side of the couch. He sat next to her and took her hand.

"I couldn't sleep, I was too anxious to see of you. Ironic how the girl of my dreams could be keeping me awake." Kari was breathless, /I can't believe he said that, he's so sweet to me. What do I say to that,\. She looked deep into the blonde boy's eyes and hugged him tight. He was a bit taken back but squeezed softly back. They stayed in each other's embrace, until a crash came from the kitchen. They broke off and turned around to find Tai, Agumon and Patamon in the kitchen.

"What's going on?" Kari asked.

"Sorry guys, I didn't want to bother you," Tai apologised, he felt really uncomfortable.

"Don't worry Tai, but what happened?" Kari repeated.

"I think Agumon should explain that," Tai said looking down at his digimon friend.

"It's not really that bad, you make it sound so much worse than it really is," Agumon started, rambling on a bit.

"Then why are you completely avoiding the topic?" Patamon said smugly.

"Hey! This is also your fault," Agumon retorted.

"How about you actually tell us what happened?" T.K. asked sarcastically.

"Well, I was trying to get a cookie from the jar because I was hungry, it was the last one there and I was happy because I got to it. Then he flies down and grabs it in my hands. I said it was mine but he wouldn't let go, and so I had to pull. I did that and got it away from him but he flew back and ended up recoiling onto that glass and knocking it onto the floor." Agumon blurted the explanation out so fast that no one could really here all of what was said.

"It's not like that, I was innocent…" Patamon started defensively

"Patamon," T.K. said reprimandingly.

"Okay. I'm sorry Agumon," Patamon reluctantly apologised.

"That's okay, here," Agumon said breaking the cookie in half and handing Patamon half.

"Thanks," he said receptively.

"I'm glad that's settled, how about we get with the unpacking?" Tai suggested. The group began with the hefty task of unpacking all of T.K.'s stuff and finding places for it all. T.K. would be sharing a room with Tai, they planned to separate the bunk beds and use much of the vacant space in his vast room. Tai managed to get Agumon to help, and Patamon pitched in too, despite his small size. The task took about two hours to complete, and this was much because of the fact that T.K. did not want all of his stuff removed. Kari had left the boys and their digimon finishing off what was left.

"Thanks for your help guys," T.K. said graciously.

"That's okay, I didn't have anything else to do today," Tai said cheerfully. "You know you can unpack all your stuff if you like, I'm happy for you to have it in here," Tai continued.

"That's fine Tai, you've been kind enough to let me live in your room. Be sides, I've wanted to change my room for a long time and I like yours so it saves me the trouble," T.K. said, taking a look around his new home.

"It'll be fun, I finally have the brother I wanted when I was younger," Tai said getting a little nostalgic.

"Not quite, I think Davis would be a better brother for you than I would," T.K. said unsurely.

"Why?" Tai replied.

"Don't worry, how about something to drink?" he said to change the subject.

"Yeah, that would be good. How about it guys?" Tai said addressing the digimon.

"Sure!" both Agumon and Patamon replied enthusiastically. Tai and T.K. stood up and walked to the door, Tai let T.K., Agumon and Patamon through then he walked out himself, giving the door a pull as he did, it clicked back in place as it shut.

*******End Flashback*******

That's the beginning of the sequel, I hope you liked the new style =P! To those who read Dark Times, I promise the Tai-Sora date scene will be in the next part, but this one was getting too long. Pease review and tell me what you think and what more should be added.

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