[tri OOM] The subtle manner of a brick to the kneecaps.

"Yesterday's unidentified creatures caused major damage in Odaiba and at Haneda Airport. Although miraculously there were no reports of anyone being seriously injured, all Haneda Airport flights have been suspended."

"Tanaka's dad was at Haneda."
"Seriously?"
"He got injured and had to go to hospital."

"Action needs to be taken as quickly as possible."

"What the heck are they? Are the dinosaurs back or something?"

"This same creature has appeared a few times in the past. Each time it's caused serious damage. Yesterday's outburst of several monsters all at once created even more damage, and served as a reminder of their menace and destructive power."

"The children were terrified. I hope they never come back."

"So what exactly were those creatures?"
"I dunno. Two monsters showed up and had a wild fight."
"It's for real irritating. I hope they hurry up and die."

Yamato is practically sprinting forward to punch that particular boy in the face when Taichi's arm stops him. "Don't," Taichi urges, and suddenly Yamato really just wants to punch him instead of either of the boys on the school's bench, who both glance up and glare at the two of them.

"But Taichi," Yamato starts.

Both of the boys rise, hands balled at their sides, and Taichi assures them that it's nothing, watching them until they leave. Yamato stares at them as they go.

"There's no point in us getting upset," Taichi says once they're out of sight, and Yamato can't quite stop his hand from flying forward and grabbing Taichi by the front of his shirt.

"What's going on?" A familiar voice calls from the window. Sora, and her sharp disapproval cuts any plans Yamato had of yelling at Taichi that there is definitely a point in getting upset short. He grumbles a little and lets go of Taichi's shirt, stuffing his hand in his pocket.

"No ... it's nothing," he says.

---

They meet by the river after school, and as Koushiro explains about a distortion in the curvature of space, Yamato half listens.

"Did you see the news?" Mimi asks.

"Isn't it terrible?" Hikari replies.

"Poor Pataman and the others."

Yamato huffs out a breath through his teeth. "I'll ask my old man to make a complaint against the media."

The truth was, he'd barely had a chance to catch his father that morning, and he was pretty sure that was intentional. Yamato had heard him on the phone to someone who could pretty much only be his mother, trying to reassure her, but the moment he'd entered the dining room, Gabumon in tow, and his father had had a chance to see the scrapes and bruises on them, he'd grabbed his coat and left.

Yamato understood why. While Hiroaki Ishida had always done his best to support them, and Gabumon was practically like his third son, Yamato knew that he wasn't exactly happy about him and Takeru putting themselves in harm's way. Seeing Garurumon on the news must have put a few more grey hairs on his head.

"They're whipping up attention using scare tactics," Jyou adds.

"But some of it is true," Taichi says, and Yamato feels his whole body freeze. Somehow, his head turns, so that he's looking Taichi in the eye. He must have heard him wrong: Yamato had been there, yesterday, when Greymon had flung himself in front of Taichi to protect him, taking a blast powerful enough to force him back to Agumon, Taichi wouldn't now start blaming him, right? This was Taichi. He loved their Digimon as much as anyone.

But it's been a year with no contact. A year of peace. Maybe he's grown to like not having the Digimon around, an insidious little voice in his head says, and something nauseating curls in Yamato's belly.

"The airport and Odaiba were totally wrecked by Kuwagamon. I saw the site, so I can't ..."

Yamato's brow furrows, but Mimi's talking before he can say anything. "It would've been worse if Agumon hadn't tried to stop them!"

"She's right," Yamato says. "It's wrong to blame our Digimon. I can't accept that."

He waits for a response from Taichi, some kind of argument, but instead he's totally quiet. Yamato waits what seems like an eternity but is, he's pretty sure, barely two seconds, as anger bubbles in his chest and Taichi says nothing.

"What? Taichi, what do you want to say?" Taichi still says nothing. Yamato takes a small step forward, jutting his chin out a little. "There's no need to hesitate. Like Koushiro said, something very bad is already happening. There's something only we can do."

We're Chosen, he wants to say. Even when we wish we weren't. And you're our leader, and we can't do this without you. He doesn't, though, because there's that little voice in his head again, whispering that maybe Taichi doesn't want to lead them anymore. Maybe he wishes the Digimon would just go away.

"But - ..."

Yamato explodes. "But what? Have you forgotten, Taichi? Everything we experienced in the Digital World? The battles Gabumon and the others fought to save the world?"

That gets a reaction. Anger, but without any force behind it, and that's somehow the worst reaction possible for Yamato. "I would never forget that!"

It makes Yamato pause. For a moment. But the words 'some of it is true' are still circling in his head, and he doesn't understand where Taichi's coming from with it. The anger comes surging back, more desperate this time. "Then why? Come on, Taichi!"

"Calm down, Yamato," Sora says, standing. Yamato shoots her a sharp glare, and she meets his gaze - not angrily, but nevertheless totally unflinchingly. It's a stern reminder that he's letting his emotions get the better of him.

Sora's not the only one looking at him, either. Jyou looks like he's not sure whether to intervene or not, Takeru and Hikari both look concerned, and Mimi is glancing between him and Taichi, as if unsure who will make the first move. Only Koushiro, focused intently on his computer, isn't looking at them, and Yamato's not actually sure he's noticed the argument at all.

Yamato draws back a little, gritting his teeth and trying to keep himself calm and steady. "Taichi. If you're this vulnerable, then I've had enough." He can hear his voice shaking. He turns away, lifts his chin, and does his best to compose himself. "There's no point in having this meeting."

If you're scared, then what hope do the rest of us have? He wants to say.

He starts to walk away - and stops, for a moment, when he hears Taichi call for him to wait. But then nothing else is said, and the command just hangs in the air. Yamato waits a moment, shares a quick glance with Mimi, then leaves.


[This last scene available in video format here, because why not.]