A/N: Hi, everyone! And here's the third one-shot! This time, for none other than Digimon! So, this one is quite dark in the beginning. And I'm sorry if it freaks you out that I'm able to write something so torturous. (But then, you should wait and see what I have planned for my Crossover series...) Anyway, the main focus of this one is comfort, so that's a good thing, right? So, just in case you don't already know this, I do not own the anime Digimon. Or anything having to do with it, for that matter. Anyway, here's Gatomon with a very special message.

Gatomon: Hi. Ahem. Happy third day of your birth-week, CarnelianFox. And please enjoy this story, because it was written just for you.

And with that, let's get started!

Sweet Dreams

...

It was late in the night, and in the Kamiya apartment, all was normal. All seemed as it should. Tai was conked out in his room along with his partner, Agumon, after a long day of school. His younger sister Kari, along with her partner, Gatomon, both also appeared to be sleeping peacefully in their room.

However, upon closer examination, all was not just fine with this cozy little apartment. Though she remained unmoving, Gatomon's closed eyes moved rapidly. She had a scowl on her furry face, and seemed restless as if she were fighting against some unknown force.

…

Gatomon growled and hissed at the monster before her. Despite being hurt, scarred, and exhausted, she still glared at him in defiance. Her claws scraped against the cold, stone floor. The only illumination available was the glow from the torches on the walls. She seemed out of breath, and if viewed closely, her legs appeared to wobble.

"You still have some fight left in you, I see," the vampire-like Digimon smiled sadistically. A whip of bright red electricity generated from his hand. "Then allow me to teach you a lesson in obedience."

"…" Gatomon said nothing and glared harder at her oppressor. She raised her paw in a warning stance.

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon shouted as he whipped the attack at Gatomon. With her raised paw, Gatomon tried to counter the Crimson Lightning with her Lightning Paw, but at her current maximum power level, the best she could do was barely deflect the deadly attack, and she was already drained of much of her energy as it was. As a result, her paw was bent, and the electric whip hit her square in the chest, sending her hurtling back into the wall behind her. It took all her willpower not to scream in pain.

"…" yet still, she remained silent, glaring rebelliously. Her breathing was now labored, and she could swear that she could taste blood in the back of her throat (though, how that was even possible, she had no clue, but at the moment, that was the last thing on her mind). Her legs shook violently, threatening to buckle out from under her at any given moment. Out of her erratic breathing came the occasional strained whimper that she tried with all of her might to stifle.

"Still standing in defiance, are you?" Myotismon asked rhetorically, secretly surprised that Gatomon had lasted that long. Gatomon's vision had begun to go blurry, but she flinched when she heard the sound of the Crimson Lightning forming again; a sound she had long since learned to dread. She knew she couldn't take any more.

Tears began to form in her eyes. Why did all of this have to happen to her? She couldn't understand… "Crimson Lightning!" She clamped her eyes shut, bracing for the impact. She let herself go limp; she couldn't keep standing much longer anyway. She let the last of the fight drain out of her. She gave up.

It hit. It stung. It burned. This time, she didn't bother to even try to muffle her cries of pain. They came out like a lion's roar, ringing like a bell orchestra. She didn't just cry; she screamed. And all seemed to fade to black…

…

"Ah!" Gatomon gasped as she sat bolt upright of Kari's bed. She held a paw to her chest, feeling her heart beating like a hummingbird's wings as she took long, deep gasps of breath, feeling the dryness of her throat. Just like in her dream, tears welled up in her eyes. Not because she wanted to; but because she was unable to help it at the moment. She automatically glanced about, making sure of her surroundings. She was in Kari's room. She was safe. The past was still past. With a nervous gulp, she slumped back down and let out a quiet sigh of immense relief.

"Gatomon?" the voice of her beloved partner reached her ears. Gatomon turned to see Kari looking at her with great concern. Gatomon quickly wiped her tears away and tried to regain her composure. "Are you okay? Did you have a nightmare?"

"Y-yeah…" Gatomon rasped, her throat still dry. "But I'm okay. It was just a bad dream…" Despite this, Kari decided to pull Gatomon into a comforting hug. Realizing she had no need to keep up her mask of pain around her trusted partner, Gatomon returned and leaned into the hug, letting Kari comfort her. Kari was careful not to pry, but she had an awful feeling that she knew what Gatomon had seen in her nightmare.

"Anything you need?" Kari asked, worried for her partner's wellbeing.

"No…" Gatomon shook her head, unable to think of anything Kari could do to get rid of her fears. "I… think I just need to take a walk. Get some air."

"Okay," Kari complied and let Gatomon go. "Be careful."

"I will," Gatomon reassured as she climbed out the window. She then gracefully made her way down to the ground, and began to walk and think. She sighed to herself. She simply couldn't believe it. Even after he was destroyed—twice—Myotismon still haunted her nightmares.

As she was pacing along, she didn't notice that she was passing by TK's apartment. Patamon, who happened to also be having sleeping problems that night, felt his ears/wings perk up when he heard something outside. Curious, he peeked out the window to see Gatomon walking by, looking rather down. Immediately wide awake, Patamon opened the window and quietly followed her. He was worried that perhaps something was wrong.

Gatomon eventually stopped when she came to the riverbed. With a heavy heart, she lay down in the grass. With empty eyes, she gazed up at the starry night sky. She let out a sigh. Tentatively, she took off the glove that hide the scar on her paw. Looking at the scar made her think of nothing but the torture she had gone through under Myotismon's iron fist.

Upon seeing the scar, Patamon gasped quietly. He didn't know for certain where it was from, but he could put two and two together. Sensing someone was near, Gatomon hastily put her glove back on.

"Gatomon?" a familiar voice called to her. She turned around to see Patamon, and immediately relaxed a little. Patamon was a good friend she knew she could trust.

"Oh, hi, Patamon," she greeted.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Patamon asked as he lay down next to her on his back.

"Couldn't sleep," Gatomon sighed her answer. "You?"

"I couldn't sleep either," Patamon laughed a little. Gatomon smiled a little, finding Patamon's cheeriness to be somewhat contagious. She knew she could let her guard down around him. So, the two of them talked for a while, enjoying each other's company. When they ran out of things to talk about, they simply gazed up at the glittering stars. After a while, Patamon noticed that Gatomon still seemed a little down. So, he asked, "Is something wrong?"

"…" Gatomon stayed silent as she pondered whether or not she should disclose her worries to Patamon. It wasn't that she didn't trust him—which she did—but that she was not sure if she was willing to talk about it. After what felt like a minute of silence, she sighed and gave a small smile of compliance. "Myotismon." Her initial answer, though short, spoke volumes. Patamon nodded, listening attentively. Gatomon took a breath before continuing. "The reason I couldn't sleep was because I was having a nightmare."

"What about?" Patamon asked concernedly. He had an idea of what it was, but waited for Gatomon to tell him. After all, it's not much help to interrupt somebody when they're pouring their heart out. Not to mention, rather rude.

"It was weird," Gatomon admitted. "It was like I was reliving one of my memories with Myotismon." Unconsciously, she grasped her scarred paw with her unscarred paw. "One of his beatings…" As she spoke, she wondered if she was ready to open up about her painful memory and reminder of her past that was the scar. Deep inside, a knowing feeling told her, 'Tell him. You know he will listen.' She decided. "The beating where I got this." With a burst of courage, she pulled off her glove, revealing the scar to Patamon. He looked sad, but not surprised. "After all this time, I can't believe that he still haunts me." Her ears drooped, and her voice began to betray her hurt. "I don't know what to do…"

"You don't have to worry about him anymore," Patamon told her firmly. "He's gone now, and he can never hurt you again." He took her paws in his. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. You have your partner, and your friends… and me."

"Patamon…" Gatomon spoke softly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Myotismon treated you so wrongly, but you can rest assured that it will never happen again," Patamon said determinedly. "I promise that if anyone so much as thinks of even calling you a bad name, I won't let them. I care about you too much to let anyone mistreat you."

"Patamon…!" Gatomon sobbed quietly, overwhelmed with emotion. She had never felt so loved before. Patamon, who had been so caught up in the moment, suddenly realized the last thing he said and blushed a deep scarlet. He hoped very hard that it had not been too much. His fears were put to rest when Gatomon suddenly wrapped her arms around him in a grateful hug. Graciously, he returned her embrace. "Thank you, Patamon."

"You're welcome," Patamon whispered before he decided to take a risk and plant a soft kiss on Gatomon's forehead. She blushed and smiled in response. They broke the hug, smiling at each other. After a few seconds, Gatomon yawned quietly.

"I think I'm ready to go back to bed now," Gatomon said.

"Me too," Patamon admitted, which was proved by the sleepy look on his face. They stood up and began to go their separate ways. "Good night."

"You too," Gatomon bid.

"Sweet dreams," Patamon wished for her.

"Thank you," Gatomon smiled. When they were out of sight from each other, Gatomon thought to herself. Thank you, Patamon. This time, I think I will have sweet dreams.

...

A/N: And with that, the third one-shot is done. I hope it was okay. Everybody who isn't CarnelianFox, if you liked this story, or even if you didn't like it, please check out CarnelianFox's Digimon stories. They're all really good! And CarnelianFox, I hope you enjoyed this, and I hope you'll check back tomorrow for the next one. Goodbye!