***Warning: This is a very dark, dark, DARK fic that surfaced from somewhere deep in the evil recesses of my twisted brain. It contains foul language, violence and adult content. No sex. Just adult situations. Either way, it isn't for the younger Digimon fan. If you don't like dark fics, do us BOTH a favor and please don't read. That's my only warning. Thanks! Now on with the show...

***Disclaimer: None of the Digimon characters or places belong to me. I just use them to my advantage. (; Kiddin' Please don't sue me!

Important notes: This is a future fic. If Izzy's calculations are correct (and they usually are) this takes place 12 years in the future. There's some whacked plot twists in here that won't make sense ‘til later so bear with me. Also, Tai is not evil, just bitter for Part One. BTW, I'm making a guesstimate on the ages.

Yamato: 22

Taichi: 21

Jyou: 22

Mimi: 22

Sora: 21

Koushiro: 20

Takeru:18

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THUNK!

This was just great! How was he going to pay the rent next week? The way things were going he would probably end up on the streets AGAIN. Like the first time wasn't blessing enough. And THEN, of course, there was the little issue of this quarter's tuition. Thrown out of school AND out his apartment all in the same month. Why couldn't life be less complicated?

THUNK! THUNK!

He supposed he *could* call his parents. Maybe they'd give him a few bucks to get him on his way again. Hah! Who was he kidding? In a fit of rage he'd screamed a few "I HATE YOU!"'s and went on his merry way vowing never to see them again. He had his eyes on the big city and didn't need his simple little family holding him back. They didn't give a damn about him anyway. He was a royal screw-up. All he ever wanted to prove was that he could make it on his own. He'd been wrong. Again.

THUNK!

So much for that idea.

THUNK! THUNK!

He watched as he kicked the worn out soccer ball against the brick wall once again, always with the same results. He'd whip the ball with all his might and it would soar across the alley thumping dully against the wall due mostly to lack of pressure and deflation because of the force of his kicks. It didn't do much for the poor ball but it did wonders for his temper.

THUNK!

He smiled as an too familiar wash of anger swept through him. It jumped in his veins, screaming for action but he knew this was one gift that must remain buried deep inside, never to see the light. It was something that COULD be useful, yes. But it was a talent that the world wasn't ready for. He didn't think they'd EVER be ready for it.

THUNK!

But at this moment every bone in his body was telling him to let it go. To expel his wraith upon someone because it was the only way to stop the suffering. To stop the self-loathing that was haunting his life. He knew he couldn't do it though. It was his dark side talking. Who knew that someone so strong of the light could have a dark side? It was almost funny. Almost.

"Hey! Leave me alone!" A voice cried from further down the vacant alleyway, that was obviously not so vacant anymore.

Well, this was a bright idea. Didn't that girl know how dangerous these alleyways were at night? He could take care of himself, but the newcomer was just a child, maybe a girl of 15.

"Just shut up, you stupid bitch!" The girl's assailant shouted, slapping his hapless victim. "You want the cops to catch us in our moment of ecstasy?"

Now this guy was a real winner. It made him sick. A 15 year old girl? He must really be desperate. Or demented. He was guessing a little from column A, a little from column B.

"Hey Joey! You almost done in there? I wanna go!" Came the voice of yet another of Mr.Petafile's friends.

This was wrong. How could a person do this to a defenseless little girl? The anger swelled again, this time blossoming into something tangible. There was a lot of things that he would walk away from. But not this. This had to end. NOW

He stepped out of the shadows.

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** Note to world: Here's where we get wacky, bear with me.

Joey DeSalvo gazed down at his prey with hungry eyes. It had been so long...so very, very long. He'd been in jail for 12 months with nothing but males, males, males. He had been waiting for this moment for seemed like a century.

It was just what he needed to get back...into the *swing* of things.

"So you always try and rape 15 year old's buddy? Or is that just a weekend hobby?" Came an unfamiliar voice from the shadows behind him. Joey grabbed his girl by the hair and swung around, wondering who was stupid enough to cross his path this evening. He was not in the mood.

"What business of yours is it, punk?" Joey snapped, taking a quick once over of his opponent. And boy, was he a cocky one. The kid couldn't have been older than 23 and only around 5'8 with shaggy brown hair and narrowed hazel eyes shot through with gold.

"None," The kid replied, coolly, "but I'm not going to let you hurt that girl."

Joey almost laughed. This kid thought that he could stop him, Joey DeSalvo, gangster and renowned murderer? That WAS funny. "Oh really? Tell me, hotshot, whadda they call you?"

The boy's eyes narrowed further until all that were left were two small slits marked with golden brown, "Taichi."

"Taichi, is it?" Joey said, "Well, Taichi m'boy, I'm afraid that if you get in my way...I'm going to have to kill you."

The kid Joey had come to know as Taichi shook his head, "You can't kill me."

"Well, is that so?"

Joey tried his best to keep his poker face. The kid didn't know it yet but two of Joey's associates had made their way around the boy and were now creeping up from behind. Joey wasn't worried. If Bruno and Tom didn't slit the little punk's throat Joey always had his trusty revolver to finish the job.

The sound of an opening switchblade seemed to immediately snap Taichi out if his reverie, because the young man suddenly found a knife digging into his throat.

Joey smiled at the kid. He had courage, the gangster would give him that. Unfortunately, that courage was going to cost him his life. "Not so invincible now, are you Taichi?"

Taichi didn't say anything. He just closed his eyes and relaxed his face. Joey felt himself frown. The kid was about to die and he was meditating? Maybe he was doing the world a favor by scrapping him. The boy was a nut!

"Courage fire!" Taichi's voice cried suddenly, echoing through the empty alleyway and ripping through the night.

Joey smirked, "Who are you, Super--WHAT THE HELL?!"

The kid was glowing! His whole body shone a strange golden orange color that illuminated the entire back street with a sickening glow.

Bruno, the man who had been holding the knife, let go in utter panic and fell to the ground, "What the hell is he?!"

Taichi's eyes flew open to reveal their strange orange shine that seemed to not even originate from this planet, whatever it was, Joey was terrified of it.

Suddenly, with a jerk of his arm the boy sent the fiery vortex spinning at the gangsters, who vainly shielded themselves from the intense burning.

White light engulfed Joey's vision and pain wracked his body like wild fire. The last thing the murderer heard before the void of unconsciousness took him was Taichi's voice echoing through his mind, "Not so invincible now, are you Joey?"

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BRIIIIIING! BRIIIIING!

What time was it? 5:05 a.m? Who was calling at five a.m?

BRIIIIIIIIIING!

"Koushiro! Would you get that already!"

"Yes dear..."

BRII... "Hello?"

"Izzy?" Izzy? No one had called him Izzy for years. Many, many years in fact. Over nine to be perfectly correct. At the time he thought it was because he was growing out of his awkward stage. Later on though, he had come to the conclusion he'd done it to wipe away what little past he had.

"Are you there Izzy?" The tired voice asked again.

"Yes, I'm here. Now if you don't mind me asking, who is this?" Koushiro asked, leaning back on his pillow and letting his wife rest her head on his chest once more.

"It's Taichi."

"Taichi? THE Taichi?"

"How many more Taichis do you know genius?"

"I'm sorry, it's just a bit of shock. I haven't heard from you since the wedding and that was over two years ago. Tai, where are you?" Koushiro asked, letting worry run into his voice. Tai had disappeared a while ago after a fight with his parents, NO ONE knew where he was.

"In the city. Seeing the sites. Meeting the people. Racking up the debts. The usual." Tai answered.

"Then may I ask why you're calling at five in the morning?"

"I...I... think something very wrong is happening." Tai said quietly. Koushiro sighed. He hadn't quite gotten over the fact that the Tai now was NOT the Tai from back in their DigiWorld days. This Tai was reserved and almost haunted.

"And what exactly makes you think that, Tai?"

"I saved a girl from being raped tonight," The other said, voice shaking slightly, "I used Courage Fire..."

Koushiro blinked at the telephone receiver trying to put together whether or not he had just heard his friend correctly, "YOU WHAT?"

"I had to!" Tai said quickly, "Would you rather me let them kill the poor kid?"

"Now Tai," Koushiro replied, "I'm not saying that. It's just...it was reckless. You may be surprised to know that not many people can make themselves into living fireballs...What if those people you K.O-ed tell someone? The next thing you know, you'll be at some research facility getting your intestines studied. Not that they'd find anything but still...It was twelve years ago Tai, you need to stop using your Crest of Courage."

"That lecture was very stimulating Izzy, but if you'd listen to me instead of acting like Sora I could tell you what's actually wrong." The voice snapped, annoyed, from the other line.

"Fine. I'm listening."

"When I was using Courage Fire, something happened. Y'know how you always said that the DigiWorld and our world were connected?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Well, when I was using the crest I swear I heard Agumon!"

"Tai," Koushiro muttered in a dull, disbelieving voice, "Are you saying Agumon talked to you through your crest?"

"Yes! You don't believe me." Tai said it as though it was a statement of fact.

"Of course I do."

"No, you don't. It's possible at least, right?" Tai asked hopefully.

"I suppose so," Koushiro answered with a shrug, mulling over the possibility, "What exactly did he say?"

"That the darkness was falling." Tai replied.

"Since when is Agumon ominous?"

"And he said it's coming tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

"As in the day after today?"

"No, I mean the day after YESTERday!" Tai shot back sarcastically.

"Tai, listen, it's highly unlikely that anything is wrong," Koushiro said, "To be frank, you've been under a lot of stress lately and maybe..."

"Maybe I was just imagining it, right?"

"Exactly," Koushiro yawned, "Get some rest, Taichi, you sound like you need it."

Tai fell silent on the other end and after a few minutes and heavy sigh later, the other's persistence collapsed, "You're probably right, Izzy. I'm sorry I bothered you. I think I'm losing it or something."

"That's okay Tai," Koushiro answered, smiling, "Take care of yourself."

"You too, Koushiro," Tai replied, "Give Mimi a kiss for me."

"I will. ‘Night Tai."

"‘Night Izzy."

Koushiro silently hung up the phone and fell back into to bed. Somewhere in his quest to get comfortable again, his wife, Mimi Tachikawa opened her soft brown eyes.

"Who was that honey?" She asked in a sleep laden voice.

"Tai."

"Tai? Is he okay?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

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End of Part One. Looking for some critism... Also I know Izzy is the LAST person who would let this go but it's been 12 years! The guy just wants to settle down. Yes, this is a very deep fic and it will get deeper I promise you that. In part two...Yamato's on the scene (finally (; ), Takeru saves the day and the darkness falls...I'm going to do Part Two after I'm done doing the second part of Nightmares And Realities.