It was just after another rough battle against the enemy as Taiki has passed out again. It hasn't been the first time. To be truth it happened quite often. The young boy was always helping others because of his kind nature, putting his own health aside for others, friend or not.
For quite some time he has been traveling with his friends, the members of Xros Heart and has been their General. Taiki was determinated to fulfill Shoutmon's dream of becoming the Digimon King and fought together with him and the others. But right now their General was unconscious, lying on a bed after his friends brought him to the next city.
Meanwhile Akari was still ranting at everyone but mostly at her unconscious friend, that Taiki overdid it again and should for once think about himself. Usually everyone would be annoyed by the girl's speech but everyone was worried like she was. Their General passed out a few times in the past but not for that long. Usually it took Taiki a few hours of sleep at most to wake up again but it has been two days by now. Even Shoutmon, who usually would have told Akari to calm down and just accept Taiki's soft-hearted nature stayed unusally quiet.
As the night came and everyone was going to sleep themselves, Taiki still was unconscious. But except for everything being black he began to see different kind of pictures in front of him. But it wasn't a dream. It was a terrible nightmare. He saw many Digimon dying in front of him, close friends of him and it was his fault. A terrible fight and he saw one after another friend falling down on the ground.
His body tensed up in his sleep like he was in phisical pain but everyone was asleep and not able to notice any changes in their friends behavior. Well no one exept for Shoutmon, who couldn't sleep at all today and decided to go outside for fresh air. But as he crossed his friend's room he heard some strange noises. Thinking Taiki was in danger he rushed inside, kicking the door wide open, only to see the boy lying in his bed.
"Taiki?" the Digimon spoke up, not sure what his partner was doing. It didn't look like sleeping to him. Maybe he had a nightmare?
Shoutmon placed his hand on Taiki's shoulder, shaking him roughly. "Taiki. Taiki wake up!" he yelled in his usual loud voice and made the boy's eyes open wide as he shot up. Taiki kept looking through the room, breathing heavily like he just ran a maraton, until his eyes spotted his red friend. "S-shoutmon?"
"Hey, you okey?" the Digimon asked his partner, slightly confused by the other's behavior.
Taiki only nodded, offering a weak smile. "I am fine Shoutmon." the boy answered a bit too quickly for the Digimon's liking.
"Did you have a nightmare?" was Shoutmon's next question and Taiki's body tensed up again. Bingo.
"What was it about?" was the next question but Taiki didn't say another word.
Shoutmon almost was at the point were he willingly would wake Akari to ask her for help but something told him it would only push the boy further away. The Digimon hopped on the bed besides Taiki and offered a smile.
"No matter what it was, it was only a dream!" he tried to cheer his partner up. "Nothing will harm you." Shoutmon continued in his proud voice, of course reffering to the fact that he always would protect his friends.
"But that's the point. It wasn't about Taiki's own safety. It was about his friend's and that was what left him terrified.
Shoutmon felt helpless as he noticed the usual so strong boy's body starting to shake. "Maybe try to go back to sleep? I will even stay if it helps!" the Digimon offered and Taiki was glad for his friend's help.
"Thanks Shoutmon." answered Taiki with a tired and worn out voice, lying back down against the soft pillow.
Shoutmon stayed as promised on the bed with his weapon in his hand, just in case something really would attack Taiki. And as the minutes passed by slowly Taiki found himself unable to sleep and felt a bit like a stupid little child who just woke up after a nightmare.
"Shoutmon?" Taiki spoke um and startled the Digimon which always was falling asleep in that sitting position.
"Mh?" was the only hummed answer but more wasn't needed. "Can you sleep here?" he asked and Shoutmon gave him a strange look. "I was almost asleep anyway." the Digimon replied sheepishly but missed Taiki's point.
"No I mean lie down here besides me." Taiki added a bit quieter, not proud of his request. And indeed did Shoutmon gave him a confused look but he would always help his partner. No matter how stupid it was.
"Will you be able to sleep then?" the red Digimon asked and earned a nod from the boy underneath the blankets.
That being enough reason for Shoutmon to swallow his pride and lie down besides Taiki he did as he was requested and crawled underneath the blankets himself. And before the Digimon could ask what brought this up Taiki already fell asleep, leaving Shoutmon dumbstruck. Didn't Taiki have problems to sleep just one seccond ago? With a sigh the Digimon closed his eyes, getting overwhelmed by sleep himself as he felt his friend's warmth and steady breath besides him.
Just before Shoutmon's mind drifted off to unconsciousness he could hear Taiki mumbling different kind of things in his sleep. Things like 'don't go' and 'it's my fault' and 'everyone is gone' and the Digimon feared that Taiki had the same nightmare as before. But before Shoutmon could even do or say anything he could feel Taiki's arms wrapped around him, almost crushing him but the tension that just began to build up like earlier vanished.
"Don't leave." Taiki whispered and Shoutmon let it go until he heard his friend adding his name to the sentence.
"Shoutmon.." and after that everything went quiet and Taiki seemed to sleep peacefully now. Sighing in relief Shoutmon finally found himself being able to sleep himself even with a pair of arms wrapped tightly around him.
The next day both were sound asleep as Akari came to check up on Taiki like she always did. She saw her friend, who was still holding Shoutmon in his arms for comfort and guessed he must have been awake. That fact comforted her and even though she had no clue how Shoutmon ended up in Taiki's room she was glad that he did. Because after a long time she saw Taiki sleeping with a smile on his face.