Title: Crest of Love
Author: Lucia
Coupling: Taito
Rating: PG
Warnings: shounen-ai, bit of swearing, that's about it.
Random notes: Dunno if the crests can do this, don't care. Switches POV's.
Taichi paced back and forth, back and forth, annoying all of us. "Come _on_, we have to do something! We can't just stand
here!" he exploded. "Yamato's out there, lost somewhere! He could be hurt, or dying! He could be under attack! He could
need our help!"
"Taichi," Joe said, in a talking-to-unreasonable-two-year-olds voice. "We don't know where he is, what his status is, or
anything else! It would be crazy to go after him!"
"Actually," Koushiro corrected him, "I can pinpoint his location to somewhere within a ten mile radius of the center of the
desert."
"See?" I said. "He's in the middle of a desert, god knows where. You'd probably just get yourself killed, too." I tried to be as
gentle as possible, but when he turned to me, I could see more pain in his eyes than I had thought possible.
"I know, Sora- but I have to try! I can't just sit here!" he said, before he grabbed his backpack off the ground and began to
walk away. Joe and I ran forward and grabbed either arm.
"Damn you!" he swore. "Let me go! I have to get to Yamato! Don't you understand? Let me go!" He was practically foaming at
the mouth and extremely distraught.
"I don't think we're going to be able to stop him!" Joe said from where he was hanging on to Taichi's arm, both of us being
dragged slowly, inexorably forward, as Taichi twisted and wiggled, trying to get us to lose our grips on his arms.
"I don't think so," I agreed. "Taichi- Tai! I'll let you go, but I want to talk to you before you go. Alone."
He relaxed in my grip, and I could see him nod. I looked at Joe, and, willing to trust my judgement, he dropped Taichi's other
arm.
"Come on," I said, leading him away from the others.

I followed Sora, wondering what on earth she could want to say to me. Oh, no- what if she was in love with me and was going
to tell me now as kind of a guilt trip? You know, the "if you get hurt, I don't know what I'm going to do" thing. I really hoped
that's not it. She's really special to me, but just as a friend, and I didn't want to hurt her.
"Taichi," she whispered, acting unsure. Oh, shit, I was really worried now.
She reached up to her neck, and I blinked, wondering what she was doing. She pulled the crest from around her neck. "Taichi.
Take it."
"N-nani?" I stammered, my mouth dry.
She grabbed my hand and pressed the crest into it. "I said take it. Use it." I must have still looked blank, because she grabbed
me by the shoulders and turned me in a slow circle, pausing when a flash of light came from the crest. "There. He's that way."
"S-sora?" I asked, definitely confused by this point.
Apparently she was now annoyed. "Taichi, you idiot, I want you to take the crest and go find Yamato! I care about him too,
you know! Maybe not as much as you, but-"
I choked. "You _know_?!"
"Of course I knew, you ass! It was only slightly obvious!"
I couldn't believe this- Sora not only knew- she was supporting and helping me. "Sora-chan...you're OK? I thought you'd
be...well...at least upset."
A flash of hurt passed over her face. "Taichi, I have the crest of _love_. I'm not blind, I can see who you've fallen for, and
would _never_ come between two people in love."
I guess I was overwhelmed with emotion or something, because the next thing I knew, I was sobbing into her arms, thanking
her and babbling about how worried I was about Yamato.
"Ok, Taichi, you should get going now," Sora said after a minute. "Good luck."
"Thank you," I said again, reaching up and pulling my own crest from around my neck and placing it around hers. "I promise I'll
come back."

I'm not sure how long I've been out here- I seem to have lost track of all time. It's rather ironic really- I've faced Devimon,
Etemon, and Myotismon, as well as countless other bad guys- and here I am, about to be finished off because of a stupid
broken leg. Of course, it hurts like a bitch, but it really shouldn't be all that serious, relatively.
Gabumon tried to carry me out of the desert by digivolving to Garurumon, but he couldn't keep it up for long. He was weak
from hunger and thirst. Gabumon left a couple days ago to look for help, but... If someone doesn't come for me soon, I'll run
out of water. I'm rationing of course, but we had very little to begin with...
I could hope that the others would come for me, but I don't think they will. They know I'm missing, but they have no idea
where to find me. There's no way they could look through this entire desert for me. My only hope is that Gabumon can find his
way out to the others and bring them to me.
I shake my head, feeling dizzy. The heat makes me delirious, and I'm not sure which is worse- the dizzying heat of the day, or
the mind-numbing cold at night. I shake my head again, trying to get it to clear. I could have sworn I heard someone yelling my
name. Maybe it's Angemon coming to get me...I wonder if he'll let me say goodbye to Taichi.
There's that voice again, and through the shimmering air from the desert heat, I can sort of see a figure, if I squint. It's coming
closer. It looks like- Taichi and Agumon? I don't want to hope, it could be a mirage, or an illusion created by my heat- and
pain-befuddled brain...
It's still coming closer, and suddenly he's right there, lifting me up by sliding his arm around my back and asking me if I'm OK. It
takes me a minute to find my dry, unused voice, to answer, "Y-yeah. I am, now."
He reaches into his backpack- he seems to have Sora's as well, for some reason, and pulls out a bottle of water for me.
"Drink," he commands. "Don't worry, I have enough water. I was carrying two backpacks, after all."
I do, and I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good. My throat feels a lot better now, although my voice is still a bit rouch
as I ask, "Gabumon? Have you seen him?"
"Yeah, we crossed paths at the edge of the desert. I pointed him to the others, and told him I'd find you. Poor thing, he was
practically delirious. He barely gave me enough information to know that you were hurt."
He opens Sora's pack, now, and tells Agumon to help himself to the food that's left, and then has him digivolve to Greymon.
The hand around my shoulders grips me tighter, and his other arm goes under my knees. "Tell me if I hurt you, OK?"
I nod, and he straightens slowly, doing his obvious best to lift me without jostling me. He still hurts me a little, but I bite my lip,
not wanting him to know he's hurting me at all. He steps into Greymon's lowered hand, and sits down as Greymon lifts us both
up and begins ambling along, back in the direction Taichi came from. Taichi makes no move to remove me from his arms, and I
have to admit, I'm glad.
Suddenly, something snaps in him- I can visibly see it- and he's sobbing into my shirt, still with his arms around me."
"Taichi?" I gasp.
"I was so worried!" he gasps, and, not knowing what to do, I stroke his hair, trying to offer some comfort. I think I'm crying a
bit, too.
"Taichi..." I wonder. "If Gabumon didn't tell you, how did you find me?"
He blushes and looks away, and I wonder what that's supposed to mean. A slight flash from under his shirt at the same time
alerts me to something out of the ordinary. "Taichi, your crest is glowing a different color," I say, puzzled.
More blushing and fidgeting, and I get annoyed and pull the string from his neck and over his head before he can get out more
than a "Hey-!"
I blink. "Love? Taichi, why on earth do you have _Sora's_ crest?"
"I- uh, well, you see, she- gaveittome!"
I can feel one eyebrow raise. "Taichi, you don't just trade or give away crests. What's going on?" I hope this wasn't a lover's
gift...that doesn't seem to be the case, but I'm still worried...
"Um..."
I finally get fed up. "Spit it _out_, Taichi!"
That seems to get to him, and he shows some of the courage I've learned to take for granted in him and looks me straight in the
eye. "Yamato. I love you."
I think I start crying again, and he looks panicked, so I do the only thing I can think of to do. I reach up and kiss him.
I don't think I've ever felt anything quite like this. Somehow, it manages to be both pure and sweet and hot and passionate and
loving at the same time. Or maybe it changes from one to the other. I don't really worry about it, I just let myself get lost in the
feeling of Taichi kissing me- his lips on mine, his hands roaming my back, his tongue slipping in my mouth...
I think I've found myself a little piece of heaven.