Valeri, her family, her sister's boyfriend, and her own boyfriend were on their way to one of their family reunion when they stopped by a restaurant for an early lunch because Yuri swore that she could not last until they reached the park in Hongo where they were holding the reunion.
"Now, we can't stay for long. Your Grandma's expecting us by two." Ms. Shinshiju said as they sat down.
"Yes Mom." Valeri said.
"Whatever. Can we just eat now?" Yuri asked impatiently.
"What's it gonna be like?" Beelzemon asked Valeri as they sat down.
"I can't really say. They do somethings different and different people are there every time we have one so, who knows." She shrugged.
"Oh, Ok."
A waiter came by and took there orders before going off to another table.
"How do you feel about going to this reunion?" Valeri asked, looking up at demonic viral Digimon.
He shrugged. "Alright, I guess. Just a tad nervous."
Valeri smiled. She put her hand on his. "It's alright to be nervous. I certainly am. It seems like forever since our last reunion. Like a year or so."
"Two years." Ms. Shinshiju corrected.
"Oh, wow." Yuri said softly.
"That long?" Valeri asked in disbelief.
Ms. Shinshiju nodded.
"Hey, uh, I forgot but why did I have to come again?" Xian, Yuri's boyfriend, asked, as he ran his fingers through his black hair.
"Because! Mom said you could and going to this stupid reunion wrecked our date."
"Hey! It's not stupid!" Valeri said.
"Oh be quiet! I wasn't asking for your opinion, sis."
"Shut it, Yuri!" Beelzemon snapped, glaring at her.
Yuri cringed and looked away.
Xian kept his mouth shut, not wanting to upset the Digimon further.
"That's quite enough!" Ms. Shinshiju said sharply. "We are out in public. I expect you to behave properly."
"Sorry, Ms. Shinshiju." Beelzemon said quietly.
"Sorry Mom." Yuri muttered.
"That's better."
Their food came and they began eating. About halfway through the meal Valeri was beginning to feel quite ill, her stomach clenching as if she was going to be sick. She pretended it was nothing and tried not to show it but Beelzemon noticed.
"Val, sweetheart. What's the matter?"
Valeri shook her head. "It's nothing, Beelzemon."
"Yes it is. What's the matter? You look ill."
"I'm fine." Valeri insisted.
Beelzemon gave her a look of concern. "Are you sure?" he asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Yes, I'm fine!" Valeri snapped, jerking away from him. "Leave me alone!"
Beelzemon pulled his hand away. A hint of anger flashed in his eyes but quickly vanished. He bit his bottom lip and looked down at the table, trying hard to keep from yelling at Valeri.
Valeri was ashamed of herself. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Beelzemon. I didn't mean to," she said softly. She rested her head against his arm, hooking one arm through his.
"It's alright." Beelzemon said, stroking her hair soothingly.
"He's right dear, you don't look too well. Maybe we shouldn't go to the reunion."
"No!" Valeri cried lifting her head suddenly, startling Beelzemon . "Please, I'm alright! I really wanna go, Mom!"
Her mother smiled at her. "Alright! We'll go!"
Valeri breathed a sigh of relief and laid her head back on Beelzemon's arm. Suddenly feeling nauseous, she leapt up and rushed to the restroom.
Startled, Beelzemon ran after her. "Val!" He stood with his back against the door outside the door to the women's restroom while he waited impatiently for Valeri.
When Valeri came out of the bathroom, she looked quite pale.
"Val, what happened?" Beelzemon asked as they walked back towards the table, him letting her lean against him for support.
"I threw up." Valeri replied quietly, her voice slightly hoarse. She coughed.
"Oh."
They sat down at the table, Valeri sitting on Beelzemon's lap. He began to run his claws through her hair slowly. Valeri closed her eyes and slipped into slumber.
When it was time to leave, Beelzemon carried the still slumbering Valeri out to the van and sat with her on his lap.
By the time they reached the park, Valeri was awake.
When Beelzemon saw all the people, he suddenly felt very nervous and hesitated to get out of the van.
"Come on, love," Valeri insisted, taking his hand. "I thought you liked scaring people. Not getting scared by them."
"I know, but this is a big crowd."
"I know, but come on out, please."
Beelzemon tentatively got out of the van to stand beside Valeri, squeezing her hand slightly as his eyes surveyed what lay before him. There were many adults talking to one another or eating. There were also children playing with one another or off by themselves.
"It's alright." Valeri said reassuringly, smiling up at him.
Beelzemon forced a small smile but it quickly faded when he heard someone gasp. He looked up to see everyone staring at him, fear visible on their faces. Oh, crap. He took a step back but Valeri held onto him.
"What the hell is that?!" one of the men, Valeri's Uncle Isaac, asked.
"Oh my God!"
"It a scawy monster!" one of the children squealed, burying her face in the pant leg of her mother.
"Val, I don't like the way this is goin'. Can I get back in the van now?" Beelzemon asked pleadingly.
"No. I'm sure they'll warm up to you, if they get to know you."
"Oh, yeah. Like that'll happen." Beelzemon rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"It's alright everybody! No reason to be afraid!" Mrs. Suriname said as she walked over to stand by her daughter.
"Yes. He's not dangerous." Ms. Shinshiju said reassuringly.
"Oh, really?" Uncle Isaac asked sarcastically, folding his arms.
"Leave him alone!" Valeri snapped, glaring at him. "He didn't do anything to you, don't judge him!"
Uncle Isaac blinked in surprise and lowered his arms.
"Valeri, sweetheart, what is that thing?" Valeri's Aunt Irene asked softly as she walked over to them.
"He's not a thing! He is a Digimon. Leave him be!" Valeri hugged his arm, still glaring, as if daring someone to oppose her.
"Ok. So he's a…Digimon."
Just then a girl that was a little younger than Valeri, walked over. She had dark brown hair, light green eyes, and was wearing a teal t-shirt and denim shorts with black tennis shoes. Valeri smiled at the girl. "Mitsukiara!" she cried, throwing her arms around her.
Mitsukiara hugged her back then pulled away. "Hello, Val. Your mother told me you're off to college, yes?"
Valeri smiled. "Yes."
"When do you leave?"
"This coming up week, Tuesday. I really don't want to go though." Valeri sighed, her smile fading.
"Oh, I understand. Don't want to leave everybody behind."
"Yes. 'specially not Beelzemon. He's going to drive Mom up the wall with bugging her. Isn't that right, Beelzemon?" Valeri asked, looking up at him.
Beelzemon had not been paying attention to their conversation, busy looking around since everyone had returned to their normal activities, so he was surprised when he heard his name mentioned. "Huh?"
"I said that you're going to drive mom crazy with bugging her when I leave for college aren't you?"
Beelzemon sighed sadly and chuckled weakly. "Yeah, I'm really gonna miss ya. A whole year! Good God!" He shook his head. "I still don't see why I can't come. It ain't fair!"
"I know, dear. But it's only for a year. We can have lots of fun catching up when I come back. Well, after we get a new place. Remember?"
"Yeah. Yer movin' out once ya get back and find a descent place."
Valeri smiled. "Mom said she'll buy it. And of course you're coming with, right?"
Beelzemon smiled and put his arm around her shoulder. "Well, duh! What kinda question is that? There ain't anyone or anything that's gonna stop me," He ruffled her hair fondly. "But that was still funny when ya got the letter of acceptance. Sheesh. Bowled me over trying ta get into the kitchen to your mom."
Mitsukiara giggled. "And who's this?"
"Oh, this is Beelzemon. Beelzemon this is Mitsukia-"
"Mitsy." the girl interjected to correct her.
"Oh, sorry, Mitsy. But as I was saying before, Mitsy is my second cousin. And if I must say, my favorite cousin, she's only a year behind me so we get along quite well."
"I don't understand the cousin thing, but, nice ta meet ya anyways." Beelzemon said, offering her his free hand.
Mitsy shook his hand briefly, wincing at his strength. "So, you're a Digimon, correct?"
"Yeah. Kinda easy ta tell, doncha think?"
"Well, yeah. So Valeri, I heard you got a job as a tattoo designer?"
Valeri smiled. "Yes."
"Can I see a sample of your work?"
"Sure. Beelzemon?" Valeri looked up at Beelzemon.
He gave her a quizzical look then realized what she meant. He took off his jacket and gloves, handing it to Valeri, and started unzipping his shirt.
"Um, what's he doing?" Mitsy asked, confused and blushing lightly.
"You'll see." Valeri replied with a small smile.
Beelzemon carefully took off his shirt and tucked it in his belts. Mitsy gasped when she saw what was on his chest. The tattooist Valeri worked for, Keith had changed the tattoo Valeri had painted on him before into an actual tattoo.
"That, Mitsy, is one of my designs. I painted it on him and Keith changed it to a tattoo."
Mitsy was rather awestruck. "Wow, that's so cool."
Beelzemon grinned proudly. "Yep. She's a great artist."
Valeri blushed lightly, smiling shyly.
Mitsy could not help but also admire Beelzemon's muscular body, which was more pronounced without his shirt on. "So, does he have any relation to you?" she asked hopefully, her eyes slowly traveling down the length of Beelzemon's body, from his shoulder to his boots then up again.
"No. He's my boyfriend."
Mitsy was slightly disappointed. "Oh."
"So what have you been up to?" Valeri asked.
Mitsy shrugged. "Nothing really. Mostly bored out of my mind. Sorta can't wait for school to start up again. My last year at high school, yippee," She rolled her eyes. "Wish I had a boyfriend." she muttered.
"I'm sure you'll get one soon."
"Yeah right. All the guys there are morons. Well, I had better go see where mom is." Mitsy said as she walked away.
"See you later."
"C'ya." Mitsy waved.
Valeri turned to Beelzemon. "So, what do you want to do?"
"Sit somewhere. My legs hurt."
"Alright."
The two walked over to a nearby tree and sat down.
Beelzemon pulled Valeri onto his lap and put his arms around her waist. "Is it just me or is it hot out here?" he asked.
Valeri leaned back against him, resting the back of her head on his shoulder, and enjoying the coolness of his skin through the back of her shirt. "It is rather hot out here. You don't feel hot though, quite the opposite."
"Really? That's kinda funny."
"I like it. Feels nice. Boy am I tired though." Valeri said, her eyelids drooping slightly, lulled by the warmth.
"Still? You slept before you got here. Oh, well. Rest if ya want, I don't mind."
"Alright. Thanks, beloved. Mom'll probably come over and make me wake up in a bit anyways."
"Not if I got anything ta say about it."
Valeri smiled slightly and closed her eyes. "That's what I love about you." she said softly.
Beelzemon smiled and rested his head against hers. He listened to her gently breathing as he looked around. He saw Mitsy watching them, but quickly turned away when she saw he was looking at her.
Beelzemon looked up at the sky. He watched the clouds drift by lazily in the soft blue sky. Suddenly he heard his stomach growl. "Oh, come on. I can't be hungry again," He sighed. "Oh well. Guess a small bite won't hurt."
Carefully getting up, he set Valeri down and stood up. He put his jacket over her and walked over to the table where the food was set out. He ignored the frightened stares and murmuring as he walked by. He arrived at the table and surveyed it.
There was only a small assortment of food. From sandwiches to salads as well as desserts. Unsatisfied with the food, Beelzemon picked up a cup of water and took a sip. He looked down when he heard a gasp.
A young boy around eight was staring up at him wide-eyed. The boy had light brown hair and dark brown eyes. He was wearing a plain red t-shirt and shorts.
"What are you lookin' at?" Beelzemon asked, looking away.
"Wow. You're totally awesome!"
Beelzemon was slightly taken aback. "What?"
"You're cool! Are you a Digimon?"
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Beelzemon asked, taking a sip of water.
"'Cause you look like one."
"I'm not even gonna ask how."
"Can you do attacks and stuff like that?"
"Yeah."
"Could you do them now?"
"No."
The boy's face fell in disappointment. "Aw, but why?"
"Too dangerous. Don't want anyone gettin' hurt, now do we?" A smile flitted across Beelzemon's face as he watched the boy as he shuffled his feet, looking at the ground. He set the empty cup on the table and kneeled down in front of the child.
The boy looked up at Beelzemon.
"What's yer name, kid?"
"Uh, Jared."
"Well, Jared. You wanna do somethin' else?"
"Um, well could I ride on yer shoulder?" Jared asked nervously.
"Sure. Guess it wouldn't hurt." He picked up the boy and set him on his left shoulder. Then he slowly stood up, keeping a hand on Jared, who was clinging to his neck to keep him from falling off.
"Wow! It's so…high up!"
Beelzemon chuckled. "Would you ever believe that I used ta be just a bit shorter than you?"
Jared gasped. "Get out! How?"
"I'm a Digimon. This is my Mega. When I'm Impmon, I'm a shrimp. Hehe." Beelzemon chuckled as he started walking back over to the tree.
Surprisingly, no one opposed the viral with having the child, mostly because they were too afraid of what he would do to them if they did.
"This is awesome!" Jared giggled with delight.
Beelzemon grinned.
When they arrived at where Valeri was still snoozing and coming dangerously close to falling over, Beelzemon knelt down and shook her awake.
"Val, Valeri, time ta get up."
Valeri's eyes fluttered open. "Huh? Already? I was having a nice dream."
"What was it about?" Beelzemon asked curiously.
"You." Valeri said, smiling slightly as she looked at him through half-closed, out of focus eyes. She blinked slowly several times. Then rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
Beelzemon chuckled. "Oh it was, was it? Well, I got a little buddy here."
Valeri looked at him, confused. "Huh?"
"Hi!" Jared waved.
Valeri looked at him in mild surprise, then smiled warmly. "Hello. Who might you be?"
"I'm Jared Himutki."
"Oh! Aaron and Miranda's son. I'm Valeri."
Jared giggled. "I know. You're a really cool artist!"
Valeri blushed lightly. "Thank you."
Beelzemon set Jared down on the ground beside Valeri before sitting down.
"He's cool." Jared said, looking over at Beelzemon with admiration.
Valeri giggled. "Yes he is, isn't he?"
Beelzemon smirked as he pulled on his shirt and put on his jacket and gloves. "'Course I am! I'm always tellin' everybody that, but they'd rather say I'm cute, yuck."
Jared stuck out his tongue. "Why would anyone say that? They're silly. You obviously aren't."
"Thank you! Finally someone agrees with me!" He reached over and ruffled the boy's hair.
Jared grinned goofily and laughed.
Suddenly there was a scream. The three looked away to see a large spiked dinosaur creature walking over to the large crowd.
"Aw, man! It's a Spinomon." Beelzemon sighed and stood up, pulling his guns out. "Get it's time ta kick some Digimon butt, eh?" He grinned at Valeri then started walking towards the large lumbering Spinomon.
"Be careful!" Valeri called after him.
"Don't worry, love. I will." Beelzemon called back, not looking at her.
"He's cool." Jared said as he watched Beelzemon striding confidently towards the Spinomon.
Valeri smiled and sighed. "He sure is."
As Beelzemon reached the Spinomon, it turned to face him.
"Well, well. What do we have here? A hotshot viral? Interesting." It grinned.
Beelzemon smirked. "So, you wanna fight or talk? That's what you're here for isn't it?"
"Of course, but I'm not the only one. GRYPHONMON! Get yer butt down here!"
"I'm coming!"
Beelzemon looked up to see a Gryphonmon gliding down towards them.
"Hehe! Looks like we're gonna have fun," the bird Digimon said with a chuckle.
"Well, if ya wanna get started…." Beelzemon said, raising his guns.
"Alright. Blue Prominence!" Spinomon opened his mouth and a large ball of plasma shot out at Beelzemon.
Beelzemon swiftly sidestepped then retaliated. "Double Impact!" He shot at both Digimon, they screamed as the bullets hit them.
Enraged, both Digimon lunged for him.
Startled, Beelzemon took a step back but was still bowled over, causing him to lose his guns. He quickly pushed them off, slashing out at them. "Darkness Claw!"
All the people had scattered, panic-stricken.
Valeri rushed about, trying to calm everyone down. "It's alright! EVERYONE JUST GET IN A GROUP!"
She quickly rounded everyone up with the help of her mother.
Spinomon and Gryphonmon ganged up on Beelzemon, coming up on either side of him and attacking.
"Solar Roar!"
"Sonic Slash Rain!"
Unable to dodge in time, the attacks first hit him with the supersonic scream then in the back and arms with the blades from Spinomon's back.
He screamed and collapsed.
All the onlookers gasped.
Valeri bit her lip worriedly. "BEELZEMON! Oh my God!"
Beelzemon pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the excruciating pain. "Alright! That's enough!" He Digivolved to his Blast Mode.
Spinomon and Gryphonmon blinked in surprise.
"Wha-how-how'd he do that?!"
Beelzemon smirked. "Stupid critters. Time to die," He raised his positron cannon, it opened and began to energize. "Corona Blaster!"
A large dark purple energy burst shot out of the cannon at them. Gryphonmon flew up into the air, leaving Spinomon to take the blunt of the attack.
He roared in pain and attacked Beelzemon. "Sonic Slash Rain!"
Beelzemon launched himself in the air, dodging most of the blades, except for the few that embedded themselves in his legs. He grunted in pain. "Oww…."
Gryphonmon rammed into him from behind, slashing at him with his claws and beak, the spiky part of his helmet digging into Beelzemon's shoulder as he bit down hard.
Beelzemon screamed and, pulling out his smaller gun, shoved it in Gryphonmon's face, pulling the trigger.
Gryphonmon screamed and let go as the bullets penetrated his metal helmet, hitting his forehead.
Beelzemon punched the Digimon hard in the face breaking the helmet almost completely, then pointed his positron cannon at the Data type. "Corona Blaster!"
Gryphonmon screamed as the blast engulfed him. He plummeted to the ground, landing on one of the tables with a loud thud, breaking the table in half.
Several people screamed.
"Why you! You hurt my friend!" Spinomon roared. "Now you die! Blue Prominence!"
Beelzemon easily dodged the attack. He laughed mockingly at Spinomon. "You are a pathetic creature! Can't even hit me! Hah! And you call yourself a Mega. Hahaha!"
Spinomon growled. He was surprised when he heard a voice not far from him.
"Beelzemon, be careful!"
He looked over his shoulder to see Valeri, standing a ways away from the huddled group of frightened family members, watching Beelzemon worriedly.
"Hmm, a human. It seems he cares for such a creature. I could really get him if I were to kill her," He smiled to himself and turned to face her. "Sonic Slash Rain!" He fired the blades on his back at her.
Beelzemon saw the Spinomon launch his attack. "Val!"
Valeri screamed and covered her face with her hands. Just as the blades were about to hit her, Beelzemon dropped down in front of her, taking most of the blades in the chest and some in his stomach. He screamed and crumpled to his knees.
"Beelzemon!" Valeri dropped down beside him. "Oh my God, oh my God! Are you alright?! Oh my God!" She covered her mouth with her hands, tears swelling in her eyes.
"…I'm…alright. What about you?" Beelzemon looked up at her, panting heavily and wincing.
"I'm alright, thanks to you. Oh, Beelzemon. Please stop fighting. You're going to get hurt worse."
"Yeah, but only to protect you." Beelzemon winced and bit his lip as he struggled to stand.
Valeri stood up and clutched his uninjured arm. "Please stop, please." she begged.
Beelzemon looked at her. "I can't," He shook his head, then looked up at Spinomon. "I can't."
Valeri hugged him, causing him to gasp in pain. She immediately let go, ignoring the blood that was smeared on her shirt. "I'm sorry!" She watched helplessly as Beelzemon took a few shaky steps, trying hard to ignore the searing pain running though his body.
o I have to kill them, I gotta protect Val. He chewed his lip until a thin line of blood trickled down his chin. "Alright, buddy! No more mister nice guy!" Beelzemon raised his positron with some difficulty. "Corona Destroyer!" He traced a pentagram in the air and shot a blast through it. He continued as the pentagram began to glow then released a large purple beam.
Spinomon's eyes widened in surprise as the blast slammed into him, knocking him flat and injuring him greatly.
Beelzemon fell to his knees when the attack was finished, feeling exhausted. He forced himself to stand.
Spinomon shakily got to his feet, growling in his throat. He groaned. "Gryphonmon! You alright?" He turned to look at his downed companion, who was pulling himself up.
"I'm fine, let's kick this guy's ass alright?"
"That's exactly what I had in mind. Blue Prominence!"
Beelzemon couldn't move with Valeri behind him so he held his ground as the blast hit him. He was thrown backwards onto his back. The abuse was catching up to him and he reverted to his normal Mega form.
"Beelzemon!"
Beelzemon sat up painfully. "My God. This is hard," He picked up his small shotgun and fired a few times at the two Digimon as he stood up. "Double Impact!"
The two grunted as the bullets made impact. Both infuriated, they charged at him. Gryphonmon took a flying leap at Beelzemon and knocked him onto his back.
Spinomon came up beside him and Gryphonmon backed off, letting Spinomon pick Beelzemon up none too kindly in his claws. "You are a dead Digimon." his hissed in his face.
Beelzemon glared at him defiantly. "Not as dead as you are, dino breath!" He spat in the Digimon's face.
Spinomon growled and snapped at Beelzemon's face. He dropped him and slammed his foot down hard on Beelzemon, forcing the blades deeper into the demonic viral's chest and piercing his own foot. "Owww!" he howled as he struggled to keep his balance as he clutched his foot.
"What did you do?" Gryphonmon asked as he walked up beside him.
"I poked my foot on my own blades!" Spinomon whined.
Beelzemon groaned. He was quickly loosing consciousness.
"Come on, let's just get this finished."
"Yeah, whatever." Spinomon said, limping over to Beelzemon.
"Crimson Flare!"
"Energy Blast!"
"Tomahawk Crunch!"
The attacks hit the two Megas, knocking them away.
Valeri looked up to see Phoenixmon and MetalSeadramon flying down. She also saw Boltmon running up. "Guys! Thank God you're here!"
"What's happened?" MetalSeadramon asked as he landed beside Valeri.
"Beelzemon's getting pummeled! You gotta help him!" Valeri cried, hugging MetalSeadramon's snout as he lowered his head, tears streaming down her face.
"Don't worry, Val. We'll save him." Phoenixmon said, landing beside MetalSeadramon.
"Thank you, thank you so much." Valeri said, letting go of MetalSeadramon and hugging one of Phoenixmon's legs and pressing her face in the golden feathers of her wing.
"You're very welcome. River Of Power!"
Spinomon and Gryphonmon screamed in pain and exploded violently into data as MetalSeadramon's attack hit them dead on.
"There, problem solved."
Phoenixmon reverted to Serena and Biyomon while Boltmon reverted to Nicoli and Candlemon.
"All but one. What about Beelzemon?" Serena asked, looking over at Valeri, who was cradling the injured Beelzemon against her, he had passed out from exhaustion and blood loss.
"We need to get him to the hospital, fast." Candlemon said.
MetalSeadramon nodded. "Should I take him? Or Are we gonna find some other way to get him there?"
"It wouldn't be too smart for you to transport him. Hey!" Serena said, turning to the huddled group. "Any of you have a cell phone?"
"I have one!" Aunt Irene said, holding up her cell phone. She walked over to Serena. "What do you want me to do?"
"Call 911. We need an ambulance, immediately."
Aunt Irene nodded and started dialing the number.
Serena walked over and knelt beside Valeri, who was sobbing as she rocked back and forth, ignoring the blood that was drenching her outfit from the Digimon's wounds. "Come on, Val. It's gonna be alright." she said reassuringly, putting a hand on Valeri's shoulder.
Valeri looked at her then back down at Beelzemon, hugging him tighter as she began to sob uncontrollably, burying her face in the collar of his jacket.
Michael walked and kneeled down beside Serena. "Val, are you alright?"
Valeri nodded. Suddenly she heard the sirens of an ambulance.
A few minutes later, a woman and man dressed in blue outfits of paramedics and carrying a bag of equipment rushed over.
Serena and Michael moved out of the way for them.
"Oh my God! What is that thing?" the woman asked in alarm.
"Don't worry about that!" the man said. "We gotta get this guy to the hospital."
Valeri watched as they struggled to move him.
"My God this guy's heavy!" the man gasped.
"I'll go get the other guys to help and bring the ambulance up here." the woman said as she walked away.
"Let me come with." Valeri said to the man.
He looked at her in surprise. "What? Sorry miss. You can't."
"Please? I need to."
Seeing her eyes shimmering with tears and her worried, tear-stained face as well as her blood-soaked clothes, the man sighed. "Alright, you can go. But when we get to the hospital make sure to wait in the Waiting Room, alright?"
Valeri nodded, trying to stifle her sobs.
The woman returned with three other men and they managed to lift Beelzemon and get him in the ambulance, which someone had moved closer.
Valeri got in with them and watched as they examined the unconscious Mega as the ambulance took off.
"Oh my. He's hurt terribly. I'm surprised that he's not dead yet." the woman said.
The man unzipped Beelzemon's torn shirt but was unable to move it much because of the blades. "Whoa. Would ya look at that! He's got some kinda tattoo on 'im."
Valeri stood up and walked over to the table. "Do you like it? I made it myself."
"Yeah. It's pretty neat." The woman said as she picked up a washcloth.
Valeri took the cloth from the woman and gently wiped the blood from Beelzemon's body, fighting the tears that threatened to spill.He'll be alright. Of course, he will. He's strong and wouldn't give up.
"…Val…." Beelzemon's eyes opened partway. His voice was thick and wavering.
"Shh, don't speak. It's gonna be Ok. We're on our way to the hospital." she said softly, leaning down.
"I'm sorry, Val. I really screwed up this time." Beelzemon said weakly.
"No, no you didn't. You did great," Valeri said reassuringly, stroking his cheek. "You did real well." She kissed his cheek softly.
"Are they dead?"
"Yes."
"Good. Couldn't let 'em try and hurt you…." Beelzemon coughed and closed his eyes with a shaky sigh.
"Of course not." Valeri muttered, tears trickling down her cheeks. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand.
"What happened?" the woman asked.
"We were attacked. By a couple Digimon. He was only protecting us…oh, Beelzemon. I wish I could help more." She pressed her face into his neck, a fresh wave of tears falling onto him.
"Don't worry, dear. Let us handle this. Why don't you just sit down?"
Valeri sat down next to the table and stared at her hands.
When they reached the hospital, Valeri sat in the Waiting Room, wringing the bottom of her shirt, causing blood to drip on her bloody pants and the floor, and swallowing sobs. Her clothes were clinging to her skin from where the blood had soaked through.
"Valeri? Are you alright my love?"
Valeri looked up to see her mother walking towards her. "Mama, I'm scared. I'm scared that he might not make it, his wounds…it was terrible!"
"It's alright, sweetheart. He's gonna be just fine." Ms. Shinshiju said reassuringly, hugging her.
"I hope so."