William Gibson's 'Idoru' inspired this story so please do not sue me if you find some of his concepts within the story. Also I do not own digimon. So none of the characters belong to me. Apart from those things I hope you enjoy. ^^

A great thank you to Shaq! Who beta-ed this for me... so sorry to make you read ten pages of none stop description... ^^; *glomp*

Shepherd's Lament

With large tanned hands he tried to smooth his unruly mop of chestnut hair but to no avail. Every time he managed to smother it and press it down it would spring back to the way it was a few minutes ago. Growling in annoyance, Taichi gave up.

Sighing in defeat he settled himself on his bed, getting into a comfortable sitting position. Sitting Indian style, he bent over to one side and fished around the pile of clothes for his goggles and gloves. Chucking several articles of clothing to the other side of the room, he retrieved what he was looking for and sat back up again.

Then a sudden idea struck him. Ducking to the other side, he rummaged through his chest of drawers. He withdrew a band of electrodes with many wires attached to it and a tube of toothpaste like gel. "Might as well try these out," he muttered as he busied himself with finding the best way of attaching it to his forehead without much of a fuss.

Squeezing a large blob of clear blue jelly-like paste on his finger, he used his other hand to brush his bangs back. Smoothing a thin line of the gel on his forehead, he picked up the black strip with both hands. As soon as his hand left his bangs they obediently went back to their previous position.

"Aw… crap," he cursed loudly.

"You know Tai you really should use a headband," his sister commented as her head suddenly appeared from behind his door. "You need any help?"

Tai just looked pathetically at her with large amounts of his hair stuck to his forehead. Giggling at the mess her brother made Kari stepped into the messy room and looked for something to wipe the globe of gel away. Finding no cloth, she grabbed a discarded sock from a nearby drawer and mopped up the goo.

"Ya know Kari you could've used a shirt or something instead of a sock," Tai complained as Kari brushed his bangs back.

"Be thankful it wasn't your boxers. Can you hold down your hair?" Tai poked out his tongue at his sister and obediently squashed down his defiant hair grimacing as gel stuck to his fingers. Kari methodically reapplied the gel and stuck on the black band and pushing it firmly onto Tai's forehead. "There all done," Kari exclaimed proudly.

"Thanks," Tai said as he watched her leave his room and wiped his hands on his cargoes.

"You still want the headband?" Kari asked offhandedly as she reached for the door.

"Uh… no thanks." Sticking his hands in the midst of the various wires running from the band attached to his forehead, he parted them, sweeping them to the sides and clipping it together with a little silver ring.

"You sure? I have a really pretty pink one that would go very nicely with your goggles and gloves," she said teasingly, as she avoided a flying projectile and left in a fit of giggles.

Shoving thoughts of revenge aside, he reached for his computer and placed it on his lap. Slowly and carefully he untangled the tip-sets on his gloves and plugged them into his deck. Working little silver thimbles onto his fingers, setting them in the right places on his fingertips, he fastened the wristbands. Uncoiling the cord that was wound around the bridge of the blue tinted glasses he plugged it in and put it on. After getting that done he fiddled with the other wires coming from the trodes and plugged those into their designated sockets.

Checking the batteries and absently pressing the band of trodes on his forehead he thumbed a button on the keyboard and ported.

Crimson eyes peered through the clear plastic canopy of the umbrella watching raindrops descend from the matte grey sky. The tiny droplets hit the domed surface with a soft splat, clinging to the colourless polythene for dear life. A small smile crept onto the pale heart-shaped face as the ruby orbs followed the movement of a droplet. The transparent bead of liquid collided with a neighbouring drop increasing in size, no longer able to cling to the slippery surface it slowly began its' downward descend. It picked up speed as it ran down the steep plane, crashing into other unsuspecting droplets and dragging them down, until it has reached the rim of the umbrella and continued its suicidal fall to the ground to merge with the large puddles of water.

Having finished watching the depressing path the rain made on her umbrella, the girl readjusted her grip on the white hooked handle and looked around her surroundings. It was rather peaceful here at the shrine. No one was present except for this lone girl and the watchful crows. Bowing her head, she stared at the ground again as curtain of red silken hair moved to obscure the pale features of her face. A small frown flickered across her face as she observed the darker shade of blue around the hems of her jeans. Lifting a boot-clad foot gingerly she found that the hems were completely soaked.

Letting out a soft sigh she watched the dense white clouds of steam slowly fade to nothing. Taking several steps she stopped and stood at the edge of one of the large puddles that covered the stone walkway. Raindrops fell into it without a second thought, creating ripples that dispersed, creating interference patterns. Each time the surface calmed and showed a reflection it would be quickly dashed away by an incoming droplet. This monotonous cycle would continue until the heavens decide to stop weeping. As that thought flickered through her mind another small smile appeared on her face.

"Sora…" The voice was soft and sweet. With that one simple word came another puff of wispy smoke.

"Are you sad?" Taking large uncaring steps she walked through the large puddle causing wave-like ripples to roll across the surface.

The clicking of her boots ceased abruptly. A magnificent Sakura tree stood tall and proud in front of her. She stood in the middle of the T-junction, staring in awe at the beautifully aged tree. Soft pink petals littered the ground, turning mushy from the onslaught of rain. The entire tree was pink from the many flowers that were blooming on its branches. Sakura petals rained down as the droplets of rain knocked off loosely held petals.

Everything coming out of the intercom was warped and indistinct, the only thing that stood out of the monotone drone was the word 'Kuhonbutsu'. Snapping out of his thoughts Tai moved from where he stood on the train to the doors. Blinking several times at what he was doing, he tried to think back to what happened before he got onto the train. He thought back to being in his room, making a mess out of the gel and Kari teasing him about his hair, and then he ported. That must be where it went wrong, he thought. Thinking hard he tried to recall what happened as soon as he thumbed the button on his deck. "Okay Taichi, what did you do this time?" he muttered softly to himself.

It may have looked weird if you started talking to yourself in public, but when you're on the net it didn't really matter. People that were around you were only shades, and they don't really care what you do.

"Hm… okay… so I pressed the button. Then it felt like I was ripped out of my body and boom I'm here…." Pressing his head against the cool metallic doors, he raked his mind for any mistakes or glitches that could occur between when he pressed the button and the out of body experience. Coming up with nothing he thumped his head softly against the door. "Guess I should get off when they stop and see if I could find a way out of this strange site," he mused.

He pulled his faded denim jacket closer to himself, as if a cold draft had just passed through the entire train. Brown eyes stared blankly out of the large windows on the doors, watching the dull grey concrete buildings swoosh by. The low hum of conversation mixed with the rhythmic sounds of the train could lull anyone to sleep. The buildings slowed in their movements and the train came to a jolting halt. With a soft hiss the metallic doors slid open letting the shadowy passengers spill out.

Stepping off the train he surveyed his surroundings. An air of purpose hung over the rushing people as they moved to leave the tiny narrow station to go and attend to business and other things. Feeling a little unnerved by the similarities this unknown site had with the real world he moved efficiently with the dwindling crowd toward the station terminals. Hoping desperately that he had a train ticket he reached into his pants' pocket and extracted a small rectangular shaped piece of card. Giving a relieved sigh he turned it over, absently inspecting the magnetic strip. The matte brown reflected a fraction of the bright lights making a dull yellow dot on its smooth brown black surface.

Flicking it over again he read what was printed on the front. In black block letters it said, 'JR Line ticket. Magnolia Apartment, Odaiba to Kuhonbutsu'. Giving a startled yelp he nearly dropped the tiny ticket. But how? How did it know where he was from? Where his flesh was situated right now? It didn't make sense!

Feeling that something was very wrong with this site Tai concentrated on his body, trying to remove his goggles but his arms would not move. "What the hell?" Gritting his teeth he concentrated harder and tried again but it seems like someone or something wanted him to stay on this site.

Taking a deep calming breath he tried one last time. But the result was the same. "Okay Tai, stay calm… so what if you're in a site that has a mind of its own. There's nothing to be afraid of. Just a sick joke someone is playing on you."

Grasping desperately at any logical explanation, he clung to this one. Fabricating a somewhat believable story as to why he was stuck here. "Yeah that's it! I bet it's one of Yama's sick and twisted jokes. Trying to scare me! Well I'll show him," he said with a lot more confidence in his voice.

'But you know Yama's not that great at creating sites. So how could he be able to concoct a site that can trap a person?' a distant part of his mind whispered.

Ignoring the nagging little voice Tai headed to the exit. Slotting the ticket into the mouth of the machine as the side flaps moved swiftly aside with a swish and a clank. Pulling his denim jacket closer around his body once again, he took a deep breath and walked past the machines, bracing himself for what was to come.

The little Japanese style cottage stood in the gloomy shadow of the trees and bushes. Its white walls were stained yellow with age. Large wide paper screen doors hid the inside from outsiders. Above the doors hung a large wooden plaque that had beautiful golden Japanese characters painted on them. Sora stared at the words on the plaque, unable to work out what the characters stood for. She could only assume that it was the name of this particular building.

There were two other buildings identical to this one; all three stood in a row a short distance behind the Sakura tree. All three had neatly brown shingled roofs with oriental designs on the corners. They were all closed off to the public and all stood in the dim shadows of the trees.

Walking languidly, she looked at all three of them and found that each plaque had their own unique name. It was really a shame that she couldn't make out the names, she thought. But shrugging that thought aside she turned back to the Sakura tree and the building behind it.

It was larger than the cottages but still had the same ornate style. Following the flagstone path she stood in front of it. Tilting her head up slightly to look at the plague. There was another name written. Letting her gaze drop she saw a little wooden box standing in the middle of the porch. Next to the box was a little trough-like container.

With light steps she ascended the stairs and looked at the two vessels curiously. The wooden box contained many tiny little pieces of folded paper. The trough-like container was actually a collection box, the top was covered and a tiny little slit was present for people to put in their money to buy the folded paper. Stuck on the top of the collection box was a piece of paper that said 'Fifty yen per fortune'.

Fishing around her fitted black coat pocket she withdrew her wallet. Getting out a fifty yen coin she returned the wallet to its rightful place. Dropping the dainty coin into the slit, a soft clank was heard from within the box. Putting her hand into the other box, she pulled out a random piece of paper.

The top of the tiny packet read 'Omikuji'. It was written black in neatly scrawled hiragana, printed on top of a vivid red background. Placing the umbrella on the ground she opened it with both hands, careful not to rip it. Unfolding and smoothing it out, it came to be about twenty centimetres long and five wide. Japanese characters - hiragana, katakana and kanji - ran down the length of the sheet.

Carmine eyes ran down the piece of paper, reading every single word. Finishing, a secret smile crept onto her face. Refolding the note she pocketed it and bent to pick up her umbrella.

Walking down the stairs she found a two rusting poles standing in the grassy ground. A length of string ran across the two and many little sheets of paper wrong - tied to it. Some were fading while others still had the words 'Omikuji' written on it. This was where people abandoned their bad fortune telling. If the 'Omikuji' foretold misfortunes then it would be tied onto the string and a new one would be obtained.

Not needing to do that she walked passed the long string of little paper knots.

A sea of multi-coloured umbrellas…

That was the sight that greeted Tai, as he stood dumbfounded in front of the small train station. This bizarre website somehow managed to imitate all the details from real-life Tokyo. Here the traffic and the people merged just like what it is like in the small streets back at home. The shadowy crowds paid no particular attention to the cars and the cars crawled along like a snail, following the apparitions' slow pace. The rainbow-coloured umbrellas sheltered their owners from the onslaught of rain, with careful maneuvering they steered the sharp pointed tips away from poking other specter's eyes out.

Watching the undulating mass for a few more minutes Taichi decided to join it and let the crowd guide him. Going with the flow led him passed small grocery stores and other dainty boutiques. The crowd came to a halt when it had reached an intersection. Stuffing his hands into his pockets he looked at his jacket. Within several minutes of leaving the station his jacket has turned from a faded blue to ultramarine. Splotches of dry cotton quickly darkened with the fresh rain. Not bothered by the waterlogged jacket he let the mass of shades carry him across the street.

It was here that the crowd dispersed and went their separate ways, leaving a slightly baffled Tai to find his bearings. Looking back to the intersection he found that a soft mist had started to form and obscuring the street. It did not help very much that the sheets of rain now soaked him further.

Turning around he was shocked to find a wide path that had overgrown trees shrouding and concealing the clean cut boundary of concrete and soil. This looming hole looked very much like a portal that would lead to another dimension. The nagging little voice began its tirade again and a feeling of unease settled at the pit of his stomach.

His curiosity won over the more logical part of his brain. Taking a small step into this completely alien territory, he was expecting something to jump out at him, or for the gaping hole to suddenly close around his foot. But nothing happened. Taking a much larger step he completely entered the realm.

Taking several more steps he stopped and stood. Looking ahead he could not make out what was at the end. Turning back he could not see the intersection anymore. The fog completely blanketing and blocking out all the cars and specters. An overwhelming sense of dread fell over his heart and he truly wanted to leave this place. The disturbing thought that someone or something was leading him here continued to stir the contents in his stomach. However, he knew that he had to finish this 'journey' to wherever this person or thing wanted him to go before he could leave. So taking in large breath he tried to sooth his fears and observed his current surroundings.

Here the atmosphere was completely different. It was completely isolated from the busy imitation world of Japan. Like a little island of peace and tranquility - an oasis. The green leafy plants loomed over the dull concrete path sheltering it from the onslaught of rain. What little light there was outside was filtered through the leaves casting a green tinted glow to everything it touched. Sprinkled carelessly on the ground were small brown star-shaped flowers that filled the air with a delicious peachy smell. The sweet perfume mingled with the smell of the rain, producing a sweet subtle and heady fragrance. Walking very slowly, Tai marveled at everything he saw. The place was just so incredible to him that he forgot his anxiety and worries. The very air of this place mesmerized him.

Not aware that he was coming to the end of the forested trail he was quite surprised to see the ornate gate standing in front of him. He needed to back up a few steps before he could see the entire gate without having to turn his head. It was a giant archway covered with elaborate designs. Red dominated the other colours, dulling them slightly. Green, blue, yellow and a few touches of gold brought out the swirling patterns. Even though the colours were faded, it did not lessen the effect.

A jolt of recognition struck him as he stared at it. Had he been here before? No was the definite answer. He had never been to any site that was as strange and queer as this one. But then why was this archway making him feel this way? Did this place truly exist? Scrunching his brows in thought he tried to grasp at his fleeting memories.

The sound of thick rubber heals clicking against stone rebounded around the secluded area. The rain continued to come down in torrents, beating against everything it comes in contact with. Taking several steps away from the Sakura tree, she paused then on pure impulse, abandoned the see-through umbrella and danced across the wet puddle-filled pathway.

Bell-like laughter chimed across the beating sound of rain, ringing joyfully in the midst of the depressing weather. After jumping a few times in the large pool of water, increasing the territory of the dark patch of her hems, she left the path and ran across the lush grass towards a small structure.

It was small compared to the buildings occupying the compound. The dull faded red of the tiled roof shimmered, and the dark green of the pillars blended in with the shrubbery. The gigantic bell hung snugly in the centre, looking glum and unused. Green patches of oxide covered the domed surface, making little islands.

Running a hand over the roughened surface, a slight chill ran down her spine adding to the cold temperature. Knocking on the hollow bronze object, a low sonorous cut across the sound of rain, it hung in the air for a short period of time before fading away.

Taking her hand away she stood under the shelter and cocked her head to the side - listening. A soft nameless melody drifted into her head. It was the voice of a mournful solo flute that filled her mind. Humming along with the forlorn instrument, she let her voice be drowned out by the beating rain. Her bright crimson eyes seem to deaden as she continued to hum to herself.

He was now in a stone paved area. Turning around three hundred and sixty degrees he was enraptured by the shrines' atmosphere. The sweet peach fragrance was now dulled but continued to linger in the air.

Water ran over his scalp and started to enter his eyes. His normally gravity defiant hair now clung to his skin and he had begun to shiver. Wrapping his arms around himself he surveyed his surroundings.

Crows lined the top of the shrine's walls. Their beady eyes watching, surveying every movement made, raven feathers glistening with a sheen of moisture. Staring at one of them absently, he was taken aback as it cocked its head and stared soulfully at him in return. Nervously turning his head away from the unsettlingly ominous birds, he focused on something else.

What took his breath away was the very large gate that stood to his left. This one was much larger then the previous and had a lot more complex patterns and designs on it. Two fierce dragons writhed across the top of the gate, snarling and exposing sharp canines - the ever-watchful guardians of the shrine. Swirling clouds obscured sections of their coiled bodies and added a mixture of lines into the design.

Tearing his eyes away from the dragons' raging copper eyes he cautiously stepped over the threshold. This place was so very similar to all the other shrines that he had seen, that he didn't find it any special except for the designs. The only thing that stood out for him was that his this place had an eerie presence hovering over it. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but there was definitely something familiar about this place.

His eyes roamed over the area and finally landed on a discarded umbrella. Someone was here? Or did they decide to leave an umbrella here to make it look like someone was here? Getting confused by his own thoughts, he ran over and picked up the umbrella. Sheltering under the wide brim he scanned the area again and could not see any signs of anyone being there.

He was about to walk back to the large stone paved area when music reached his ears. Straining to hear it he could barely make out the low grainy voice of a flute. It increased in volume until it hovered over the rain. The notes flowed languidly dancing around the roughened timbre of the cello and the sweet tone of the piano.

Taichi was somewhat puzzled. The piece of music was familiar as well. What was the title? Lines creasing his forehead, he searched through his memory banks. Shepherd's Lament, was what his mind whispered to him. Where had he heard this piece before? Most probably from a music file but from whom? He wasn't a great fan of classical music and neither were his friends. But something about this piece…. Giving up on the thread of thought he listened to the somber mood of the music. How fitting, he thought, a wry smile surfacing on his face.

Turning to leave he saw a dark smudge appear in midair. A portal? Hesitantly stepping into the rip in space he was unaware of a silent observer several metres behind him.

The image of a girl wearing a soaked black tailored coat and jeans with dripping red hair flickered and faded into thin air.

A soft sigh of relief escaped his lips as he took off the blue tinted goggles. He had finally managed to get out of that freaky site. Ripping the band of trodes from his head, he rubbed furiously at the clumped up gel. Looking at his alarm clock, he was shocked to find that he had been on for nearly three hours now. Did he really spend that much time there?

Staring down at his gloved hands he uttered a curse. "Great! Now I have gunk stuck on the thimbles. That's going to take forever to get off." He groaned in frustration.

Taking the gloves off he set them to the side and turned his attention to the holographic screen. Recollecting his memories on the previous experience, he tried to work out why the feeling of familiarity had struck him so hard. He somehow knew what the shrine would look like and he knew the piece of music. Why? He never listened to classical music.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he refocused his gaze back onto the image of the site. There on the screen, in the foreground stood a small figure huddled in a matte black coat covered in a sheen of moisture. In its right hand was the plastic umbrella that he had found lying on the ground. Denim jeans hung heavily on the small frame and glazing red hair drooped over the face. He stared unblinkingly, until his eyes hurt from not blinking for so long. Finally letting his eyelids slip over his brown orbs he quickly reopened them. The image of the figure seemed to shiver and slowly fazed out, leaving behind no trace of its presence ever being there.

Thinking that he was just imagining things he turned his deck off, removed it from his lap and delved back into his thoughts, ignoring the world.

Getting nowhere with his jumbled thoughts, he searched the room for something to kill time. An electric shock ran down his spine as his eyes settled on a dusty photo frame on his cluttered desk. Scrambling over the mountains of clothes and junk, he picked up the dust encrusted photo. Blowing away the thick layers of dust he sneezed as some of it got up his nose. Rubbing at his eyes, he stared dumbfoundedly at the picture. It was of him when he was about ten, next to him was a boyish looking girl with short red hair. They both had brilliant smiles plastered on their faces as they poised for the photo. It wasn't the person next to him that shocked him the most; it was the scenery at the back that scared him. The exact replica of the shrine stood behind them with the huge Sakura tree and the line of knotted paper.

That was why he knew what it looked like. But it didn't explain why he was brought there. His eyes focused on the person next to him. Who was that?

Sora? Yes that was her name, he thought. Then the realisation smacked him right in the face. She was his best friend when he was little! Shepherd's Lament was her favourite movement when they went to a concert once. How can he have forgotten about her! Oh god… she's going to kill me… wait, what happened to Sora? The thought just occurred to him. What had happened to Sora Takenouchi?

His thoughts were interrupted when Kari called his name. "Tai! Wake up!"

"What?"

"Gees… aren't we in a good mood. Yama called about an hour ago, told me to tell you to call him."

"Why didn't you tell me an hour ago?" he asked annoyed.

"Well I tried to but you were too into whatever you were looking at," she said, exasperated.

"Oh…" Tai said, feeling somewhat dumb as his sister walked away.

Picking up the phone, he dialed Yamato's number. Impatiently tapping his foot, he waited for someone to pick up.

"Hey Yama, do you know what happened to Sora?" A slight pause as he listened to the reply.

"You know Sora Takenouchi from primary…" Another pause.

"Yeah the tomboy. Do you know what happened to her?" Another long pause.

"Yes. The one I had a crush on," Tai sighed in annoyance at his friend's teasing.

"She moved? Where?" He felt guilty for having forgotten her as he continued his conversation with Yamato.

The corners of her pale pink lips lifted in a small smile as she removed her midnight goggles. Taking off her gear she placed them beside her deck and stretched. Dropping her arms back down she looked at the holo. Behind the many sheets of ran that pelted down relentlessly to the stone ground was a very vague outline of the shrine. A slender finger pressed a small green button and the holo disappeared, her deck gave a soft hum and then a click.

"Sora? Can you come help out?" a woman's voice asked from downstairs.

"Yeah coming mama," she answered.

Grabbing a hair tie from her desk, she looked at a silver-framed photo. "Guess I'll be seeing you soon Taichi," she whispered, before disappearing down the hall humming the haunting melody of Shepherd's Lament.

Owari

Author's note: Shepherd's Lament is an actual piece of music written by Carl Maria Von Weber. It is the third movement from the Trio in G Minor, Opus 63 for Flute, Cello and Piano. So it does not belong to me. All the movements from this are very nice.

I hope this has been enjoyable... I never intended to write this fic... but after seeing that shrine (the shrine is real by the way. And there is a station called 'Kuhonbutsu' in Tokyo) my hands were itching to describe it.