Here is my second entry for Syedaabbas8's Pairings Contest.
Pairing: Tai and Agumon
Genre: Friendship
Disclaimer: I don’t own Digimon.The minutes ticked by. Tai watched the clock, his body tense, mind aching with a fierce desire to leap out of his seat and run.
“Class, please put your pencils down and pass your tests up to the front,” Mr. Osaka droned, and Tai handed his Geometry quiz carelessly to the girl ahead. He barely heard the shuffle of paper as the other students complied. The quiz had gone by in a blur of numbers to him. Numbers meant nothing right now—Agumon was his top priority.
Captured by the Digimon Emperor, Agumon was probably lying cold and helpless in a cell; without him—without Tai, his partner, his best friend. Deep down, Tai had a sinking feeling that Agumon’s capture was his fault. He should have protected him, he should have been there.
But he wasn’t. He’d
failed.The turning feeling in the pit of his stomach intensified, and the moment the bell rang, Tai bolted from the classroom, running blindly. The voices of his classmates faded in and out of his earshot as he shoved past them to the bathroom. Once in a stall, alone, he vomited into the toilet, heaving up the contents of his lunch, shaking with anger and fear.
Agumon, please be alright, Tai thought desperately. He staggered to the bathroom mirror. His reflection stared back at him, pale and sorrowful. He needed to pull himself together.
“Agumon, I’m coming,” Tai said out loud, clenching his fist.
Scene Break Agumon slowly opened his eyes. His vision, although blurred, could make out the surrounding area. Rocks, dirt, mountains in the distance…and railroad tracks swam before him. He groaned and sat up painfully. Where’s Tai? He wondered. He’ll come back for me, he thought, suddenly feeling stronger thinking of his best friend. Tai meant the world to him. They were two peas in a pod, as the human saying goes.
“I have to reach safety. If I can get out of this area, the Digimon Emperor will have difficulty tracking me down,” Agumon whispered to himself, fairly sure his plan would work. His body felt worn out, but he fought against the urge to lie down in the dirt. Lie down and die, his mind told him.
He walked, following the railroad tracks. His head was pounding, and the sun beat down unmercifully, but Agumon trudged on. Determination swelled in his chest as he imagined all of the messes that he and Tai had been through over the years. One memory in particular stood out.
The day Agumon unexpectedly digivolved into SkullGreymon, it hadn’t been Tai’s fault, really. Agumon knew that Tai meant well—he wanted Agumon to reach the Ultimate Level so they could fight Etemon. His transformation into that nightmarish form was a setback that nobody could predict.
“
I let you down, Agumon. I let everyone down.” He could still hear the mournful tone in Tai’s voice. But Agumon had forgiven his friend. How could he not, when even Agumon himself carried the fear of losing control again, and bore the guilt of his actions?
They were the same, and Agumon couldn’t ask for it any other way. He idolized Tai, and was able to look past his faults. Because when you got right down to it, Tai would do anything for the people and Digimon he loved.
Tai had courage, but he also had heart.
I believe in you, my friend. Agumon quickened his pace, wanting to lessen the distance between them. Unbeknownst to him, Tai was doing the exact same thing. They were drawn to one another like a magnet, and they would get there, even if it meant they had to meet halfway.