He was running out of breath- of stamina and will. He was really pushing himself, but they all were. He wasn't going to stop now; he had to defeat King Drasil and save their worlds.

Agumon ran beside him, and the dinosaur like digimon took a quick glance at his partner. "Aniki! Are you okay?!" He shouted in concern.

Masaru ran his hand over his nose, looking down and seeing red smeared across his thumb. He didn't even blink in shock as he shook the thought away. Leaping above another one of the large vines the computer kept trying to use to stop them, Masaru grinned.

Agumon stared for a second before nodding in determination, pushing himself to run even faster. The duo heard the shouts of their friends fighting off the other vines, and it boosted them to press on.

That grin of Masaru's... After having spent so much time fighting alongside time him, Agumon knew the message behind it. That message filled him with determination and pride- pride to be this teenager's follower.

No, best friend. The digimon was proud to be this teen's best friend.

The lizard let out a startled yelp, watching as the brunette was jerked off the platform by a smaller vine. He didn't have time to dwell on the thought or to send fire to help the pained teen, as he was swept off in a similar manner only seconds after.

A scream passed Masaru's lips, a cough of blood following as he felt his bones get crushed by the malicious intent of the giant computer. He knew, for a fact, that several of his ribs had to be broken, as well as his forearm that was pressed forcefully and awkwardly against him.

"There is no hope. Why continue to struggle?" The feminine voice asked, no emotion whatsoever.

Without giving either a chance to answer, King Drasil sent electric waves to both, causing them pain on a level neither could withstand for a long period of time.

Seeing black at the edge of his eyes, Masaru forced himself to take in a couple of deep breaths. He heard the yells of their friends, the shriek of his little sister... He wasn't going to fail them; not now. It was too late for failure.

'I... I already failed to bring Dad back... Like I promised...' He thought, a few tears pricking his eyes at the thought of having lost his father just when he got him back.

'No! Now is not the time for this!'

"Humans... Humans can screw up. Humans can be evil..." He started off muttering, but he slowly gained his voice and strength back. A few coughs that left blood running down his chin did nothing to deter him.

"B-But... So can digimon..." Agumon added weakly, slowly lifting his head to look towards their enemy. "Not all humans are evil... Sure, we may fight over stupid things some times, but Aniki... Aniki is my best friend! No, he's more like a brother to me!" He finished his last statement with pride and strength.

"And I've met plenty of bad digimon! But these guys here?! I'm risking my life for them- if I have to, I'll risk my life over and over for Agumon!" The two raised their free hands, fingertip and claw just barely meeting.

But the contact was enough, as a fiery red burst of their combined digi-soul engulfed them.

Though weak, his one arm and few ribs broken, Masaru still had the strength to set himself up upon the back of his friend. Forcing himself to grab hold of the reigns with both hands, he rode Agumon as the rookie level became burst mode. The digital data turned to flaming wings, growing more and more as their strength within themselves increased.

"Masaru, Agumon!" They heard from below, and for a split second, the teenager turned his head.

Despite the far distance, he met his younger sister's deep, green eyes. He saw the tears built in them, or maybe he could just sense it with his older brother sense that always told him she was sad or crying. He wondered briefly if she could see the battered state he was in. The bleeding from his mouth and nose, the bruises and scrapes...

He smiled, before charging forward in attack.

It was easy to break through the defenses of King Drasil's large computer, and it wasn't long until they saw a crystalline figure. Slightly shocked, but remaining determined, Masaru stood to leap off.

His knuckles stung as bits of the crystal drove into his skin, but a part of him felt so tired and relieved as he saw the figure break.

Despite the blinding white light that flashed at him, his world soon became black, the voices of his comrades going quiet.

'Ouch..'

That was the first thought that crossed his mind, before the sensation of floating suddenly registered as well.

Blinking, he looked around, startled and confused, his eyes landing on his sleeping partner.

"Agumon..." He muttered, sucking in a breath as he looked over the body of his friend. The bruises and scrapes- it only took one look to determine that, like him, many of his bones were broken. Lifting his good arm, he rested it on Agumon's head, a soft and warm feeling inside of him as he noticed the digimon stirring.

The green eyes blinked wearily, going wide as he took in the sight of Masaru. His partner looked broken and battered, but the digimon also sensed a calm feeling from the teen.

"Masaru Daimon... Agumon..." A warm, feminine voice floated down, and the two looked up, both mentally setting themselves up for a fight as the flowing figure of King Drasil approached them.

"You have... Proven me wrong, about humans and digimon." The figure seemed amused by their shocked look, but had another look- one closer to sadness and pity- in her eyes. "For that, I owe an immense apology."

"An... Apology..?"

"That is not all, of course, but I fear... That is all I can give to you, two." The ruler of the digital world studied their faces, wondering if they got her meaning.

"...we're beyond repair, aren't we?" Masaru asked softly, his tone more sad than angry.

"Yes... In a way, you're already gone..." That attracted their attention, and at the sight of Masaru's wide and horrified eyes, she lowered hers.

"I shall fix the digital barrier between the two worlds, and I shall leave these worlds for themselves, falling into a deep hibernation... Also..."

Turning, she said her last bit, the thing she hoped would make up for the life she took away. For this remarkable human. "I shall allow you to keep your promise to your mother, and your father will be with them- his soul in his body."

The two were left, stunned, as the being left.

"Aniki..." Agumon mumbled softly, bumping up against him.

"Well... We're dead." Masaru added, about to say something else when a warm feeling entered him. The white light began to engulf everything, like before, and this time it filled him with warmth and peace. The pain faded from his body, and as he held Agumon's claw, he fell back into his peaceful sleep.

"We're dead... But at least... At least we saved everyone..."

King Drasil watched solemnly as the humans lowered Masaru's body, along with Agumon's egg.

The sorrow she felt radiating off the humans filled her- almost overwhelmed her. This had been a single human who had triumphed over all... Over everything...

The sobbing and silent tears, from digimon and human alike, soon deterred her from staying any longer.

But before she left...

Chika ran to her room, ignoring the worried concern from her mother.

Slamming the door, she slid with her back against it and began to cry. Cry and cry, wishing Masaru would sneak through the window from the roof with a snack or hot chocolate, and would stay with her until she fell asleep, like he always did when she was sad.

Sometimes they fought, yeah, but... But she never wanted him to leave... To die.

A new wave a sorrow took her, and the only thing that could catch her attention was a gleam off of her bed.

Rising slowly and hiccuping, she decided it would be better to just lie in bed. Of course she didn't think anything of the gleam- it could have been trash left behind by the baby digimon...

But as she drew closer...

The necklace- the one her father had passed onto Masaru. The one they could not find no matter how hard they looked...

When she picked it up, a startling feeling of warmth filled her. It was as if...

"Nii-chan..."

"Hey, Aniki, it's time to wake up."

"Is it?"

"Were you dreaming about them again?"

"Yeah... I think... I think Chika's going to be alright though, now." Masaru smiled towards Agumon, leaning against the tree that gave shade to the pair. "I think they'll all be alright, now."

A/N: Honestly, I think King Drasil is female.. since, you know, her voice and crap. So, yolo. Using female pronouns. Fight me irl.

Anyways, it's been awhile since I've written anything, hasn't it? Woo. Well, time to get back on bored the angst for all my babies train! Hurting people through fanfiction is what I do. It's what I do.