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When Kari went to University, Gatomon went with her. When the girl's new friends introduced her to the "party scene" there, Gatomon involuntarily was reminded of her past. Gatomon used to party often, although they used other verbs to describe it. Gatomon used to do many things often back then that she did not do anymore. Her past nighttime habits were the most mild of all her regrets, surely, but it was those memories kept her company as she waited for Kari to come home one Friday evening in late October.

She would leave her flat just before midnight with her eyelids darkened, mouth reddened, fur styled, paws fitted with sleek satin gloves. Wizardmon lived in the same entryway. That was back when she was stilled housed outside the main mansion, when she still occasionally felt alive. They were really just converted barracks from another era before Myotismon. Evidently the old tyrant had not cared much for the comfort of his infantrymon, they had all lived ten to a room, a smelly loud and crowded affair to be sure. Myotismon believed that this was a sure way to be overthrown by a seething stinking officer rebellion and promptly built more housing soon after taking power. So Gatomon lived in what, despite the best efforts of Myotismon's engineers, was essentially a warehouse of Nightmare soldiers.

Gatomon's steps would reverbarate on the flimsey metal staircase as she made her way down the stairs. Most of the mon who lived there ignored her pawsteps, but one mon would rise, even if he had been sleeping, and crack open his door to see the figure depart disappear around the landing.

Gatomon knew he would check to see if it was her who was leaving, and if so, spend the night waiting for her to return. She could come back in many different states, and if he judge her to be in need of assistance her would meet her on the landing, regardless of how he was received. Before that he used to follow her, and it was awhile before he was caught. He had admitted everything, but when she had asked him why, she had been puzzled by his response.

"Because someone needs to look after you"

"I can look after myself"

"Someone who cares about you needs to look after you"

Many years later, she came to fully understand what he had meant. Wizardmon had held a higher opinion of her than she had of herself. She would never find anyone again who could know all of what she was and had been and still like her. Patomon had an inkling of her past, but he had clearly shown that he did not want to know anymore. Veemon did not have a clue. Kari wanted her to be the savior from her childhood. Wizardmon had cared about her. Gatomon had trouble caring about herself at all sometimes. Oh, she had always looked out for herself, but she did not love, or even like herself. She despised the duplicitous mon that she was and had always been. The other digimon of the digidestined were like children to her. So optimistic, believing that digimon and humans were good by nature. They had never had to do the wrong thing to survive. The way had always been clear to them. She also hated herself when he felt disdain for her comrades.

The sound of the key in the lock of Kari's dormitory room interrupted the feline's reflections. Moments later Gatomon was sitting on the bed beside Kari. Rubbing circle in her back as the human whimpered.

"Shhhhhhh….you'll feel better tomorrow"

"He, he said…"

"Go to sleep"

"I need to call him"

"Tomorrow"

Suddenly Kari sat up and pushed her friend aside.

"I want my phone!"

"Go back to bed Kari"

"You're not in charge of me! I can make my own decisions"

"Right now you can't"

"I can take care of myself"

"Only if you care about yourself"

"What?"

"NothiBUCKET OVER HERE! Thatagirl"

A/N So this is my first foray into Digimon fiction, and I am planning on turning this into a series of pieces on Gatomon. I've always thought there was potential for a dark side to her character that the series avoided after the Myotismon arc was over. This is my attempt to explore that. A strong WizGato preference will be evident throughout as well. Reviews are always appreciated. - WS