Warning for parent death, severe childhood trauma, emotional disassociation, survivor's guilt, ptsd.

Chapter One - Many Farewells

I remember the day she arrived very clearly, like nothing else.

It was the first summer break since I had started school. I was only five, so those days seemed to go on forever for me. Even summer seemed slow and long. I had a few friends, but on that day, it was like no one remembered me. I remembered the tiny knock at the door like a small fist was trying not to break through solid wood. My mother went to the door and cooed like it was a small bird instead of a little girl. I was young. I was always shy and so the skirt was my safest hiding place.

That girl looked at me with eyes that didn't belong. Even with my young, innocent imagination, I thought 'those should be plucked out.' That was what I thought. I didn't say it but when the girl smiled, it was like she knew. She looked at me when she smiled and then to my mother as though she were more of an obstacle than a human being.

"I live downstairs," she said by way of explanation for the parcel under her arm and the house key at her wrist. In those boyish black overalls and puffy white shirt, she looked like any neighborhood girl, only fancier. Only darker. My mother hadn't noticed the way her skin was too dark compared to everyone else. Even I knew that that would have words, clouds of them. Dad would have noticed if he was home.

She held out the parcel to me. I didn't want to take it, so my mom did instead before handing it to me. My parents understood and tolerated me and my weaknesses, and the things people didn't like about me. They believed I could be more than them. I don't know how true that is.

I took it now. My name, my address, the right postage. They were all on it. I looked at the girl. "Thank... you?"

A real smile touched her face. "You're welcome! I rescued it from the garbage." With that unnecessary fact, she bowed and left my life, calling to someone down the outer hall and jumping the stairs.

My mother would never remember her, never even discuss the package at dinner. I would open it like it had been something I snuck inside. Two toys sat there in the bubble wrap, which immersed me before anything else. But once I turned on the toys, I...

No. I couldn't explain it. I can't explain how it felt to me then. It was more like it was the first time I hadn't felt something. Like I didn't have to feel anything but this serene sense of belonging. The creatures, the Digimon, in these toys, they loved me. And I loved them. I was sure of that. I didn't even care that the second one had pink on it. But I wouldn't have anyway. I didn't even notice what they did to me, what they changed in me. I was five. I couldn't have noticed.

No one beat me at the game. No one had V-Pets that worked as well as mine. The batteries never died.

They were like a lifeline, a tether when those people arrived.

In the year I was born, a lot of people disappeared. They were kidnapped, probably. Everyone on our floor said they were killed. They were in a government conspiracy. All sorts of things that years later I would find on the internet. When I was eight, I found out it was true.

Of course, this was a story of good and evil for me. The men in black came armed. There were guns like on television, but there were other things, strange things that looked like guns, along with rope and needles. We had just been eating dinner like families do. My little sister had just found out the right way to hold her fork and spoon.

They didn't knock. They broke down the door. They spoke in low whispers to each other like they hadn't done this before. Then a gun was pointed at me.

The toys, my innocent toys, beeped and screeched like feral cats. I didn't understand. But I grasped that I needed to leave and I obediently did so, a small bag in hand.

At least until I smelled smoke.

Then I ran back, my blood roaring in my ears, into what was quickly becoming a blaze as big as a meteor. I ran towards the screaming I recognized, towards the baby wailing and coughing. I couldn't find my parents. Yet I could find her, the baby I had refused to call by name out of jealousy.

Having survived that, having both of us survived that, I wondered if they caused that on purpose to get rid of me.

I wondered if that girl and whatever friends she went with had come here so this could happen. If she had known that somehow, I wouldn't blame the toys in my pockets that should have melted but didn't melt in that flame. That I would cling all the harder.

I don't know. I don't have the answers. I just know that my peaceful life was destroyed by a little girl with monster eyes and her package.

Takuto was convinced that Digimon toys had no sense of time.

He would often be forced awake by them beeping for food at awful hours and have to answer as quickly as possible to avoid waking his poor little sister. They made angry vibrate sounds in the middle of a class at the same time and wanted battles at really bad times even. LIke right now.

"I gotta get home in time for dinner," he told the toys, bouncing up and down in his train seat. He was lucky he had gotten one. He had narrowly avoided the immediate rush hour trend. They chirped at him and he ignored it. "My grandma and grandpa are old," he tried. "They need to go to bed early."

This chirp was a little more contrite. He'd have to take that.

"Tomorrow is a half-day," Takuto said softly, hiding his embarrassment with his messy hair. "We'll go then."

His cell phone beeped, much like the toys. An email from the social worker. Without thinking, Takuto tucked his shirt closer to his stomach, the uncomfortable tingling at his middle making itself known once more. He gave his fingers a brush of the ink wings, then returned his hand to his cell phone. Reading the message, he sighed and flipped it shut. "Well.. never mind, I guess. Gotta go talk to the adults tomorrow."

They chittered their disapproval. Takuto sighed. He could never win with these guys. "Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll be fast."

Not that there was much Takuto himself could do about his grandparents. They were old and he was too young to properly care for them and his sister alone. But they were still mobile and cognizant. It was only preparing for when they wouldn't… when he could be counted on to do it.

He sighed. Growing up sucked.

The train chimed for the upcoming stop and Takuto fidgeted in his seat. Finally. Just a little longer and he would be home for the ni-

His body throbbed. It was literally his whole body, the sensation similar to filling up a balloon. His vision wavered. He toppled as the train ground to a halt and his head slammed into the floor.

For any other boy, that would have spelled unconsciousness and an end to it all. Unfortunately, Takuto was not any other boy.

At least he didn't see the slit opening in the sky.

A girl opened her eyes and saw twinkling lights.

Granted, this wasn't the first time she had seen them. They had been all she had to look at for a long, long time. Which was partially her own fault, but at least they moved once in a while. Or maybe it was her own movement. She was uncertain and rather unconcerned about that lack of knowledge. She shouldn't even be conscious at all, but she was.

Existence outside of your own spacetime was something special. She was quite certain of that. Then again, she was a goddess of a kind. It was even in her name.

Why did I open my eyes?

She shut them again to test it. Maybe she had just woken up and not realized it. She could be oblivious sometimes in that respect. She soon found herself gazing at the lights again and her mouth quirked on one side. No, apparently there was something that needed her attention, that needed assistance.

The girl shut her eyes for a moment until pale silver appendages unfurled from her spine and back in full. The wings, without feathers or scales, flapped without creating any wind. But then, the digital sea was not a place for typical air. She exhaled and made herself slow down until she was merely hovering in place.

"Another Earth," she mused, looking at her fragile, honey-colored palms. "That's the fourth one now…. I wonder if they can be called that anymore…"

Well, that wasn't really important. what was important was why it needed her. Or if it was actually her it was looking for.

With a little toss and turn, she adjusted her position and began to fly with some speed (it was probably urgent if she had noticed.) Dust, innately bright in the darkness of the sky, trailed after her as she flew and in any other scenario, the visible trail would have annoyed her. But, well, this was the DIgital Sea. If anything that could survive here was interested in her, the girl had a whole other set of problems to worry about.

Shiki, with what little opinion and expression she was able to summon from herself, figured they would need a lot of everything to stand a chance against her.

Predictably, as she thought that, the stars in front of her seemed to vanish. She froze, surprise causing her to slow down and as she did, a weight nearly threw itself into her spine. She rolled in the air, wings wrapping around her as the black and silver monstrosity went careening past her in the direction she had been going.

Shiki frowned and started to shine. Perhaps a little more haste was in order.

Takuto awoke at the sound of a metallic shriek. He opened his eyes to see the train ceiling. But the train wasn't moving. In fact… there wasn't much of the train left at all! Half of it was ripped off, glass was littered everywhere and someone somewhere was groaning in pain. He examined himself with a slowly raised head and found no marks. Barely any wounds but some cuts and scratches.

"Oi, Takuto," said a low voice, like the sound of chewing metal. "You all right? We got here as fast as we could."

"Warg, quieter, we really drained him." The other voice sounds a little more childish. "Honestly if you had just waited a few more seconds we could have followed that thing over there without hurting him."

"And then it would have hit him."

It was now that Takuto could trust his vision that he looked up, way up, the electric blue streak into his hair sending falling sparkles down his face. But even they didn't distort the two Digimon holding up the roof of the train, covering injured people and squinting down at him with big delighted eyes.

Because they were Digimon. Pixels or not, there was no mistaking that armor and the noise they about them gleamed

"Guys?" He croaked. "How?"

"Well, we couldn't just let ya die, could we?" One voice was full of laughter, Warg, his WarGreymon trembled with both it and the weight of something heavy, a building. "Now c'mon, Melga's almost got these people outta the way. I'd like to drop this thing and get moving.

Takuto's blood raced in his ears but he made himself roll over and crawl away, glass cutting into his knees. Seconds later a heavy thud rocked the ground and bounced him all the way besides an unconscious passenger. The metallic tang was unmistakable and for a moment, Takuto thought he smelled smoke.

Then, at the sound of what was either dynamite two blocks away or a disturbing sonic boom, he realized he was. Pain seized up his arm as he watched the sky rip open like his sister with a chip bag.

Speaking of…

"That's my apartment!" He shouted, the reality of everything hitting him like a semi-truck.

"Really?" Warg's rumble sounded better as he threw the roof of the train to land somewhere. "Huh. Knew it smelled familiar." He nudged Melga, who moved each lumbering blue limb over to crouch beside Takuto himself. "Get on him. We'll get over and stop whatever that is. It hit pretty well from inside that gap of gross, but with you around, we've got a better shot."

"Obviously." The large wolf looked prepared to toss his head if he could. As it was, he simply waited. "Get on Takuto. Let's battle!"

The rough edges of his voice were sharpened with delight at facing an enemy, a clearly powerful enemy.

Takuto however, felt queasy at the thought of it. "F-Fight? Me?" Takuto shook his head, "I-I can't fight! Look at me! Do I look like I have superpowers to you?"

For a moment, the two of them actually looked him over as if considering the idea. Then, Warg laughed and scooped Takuto up and over to a position seated on MetalGarurumon's neck. "Course you're not fighting. THat's what we're here for!"

Takuto's heart bloomed with warmth until he was up in the air. THen he was screaming for dear life as everything blurred into hot air and heavy wind until the train was only something he may have imagined at best as they crashed into solid-metal.

For the second time that day, Takuto found himself flat on his back. This time, however, he was staring up at glowing red eyes, far, far up. He actually almost cracked his neck to see the great metal… well, it dwarfed his Digimon by at least one of them each.

Then his ears caught the sound of wailing. Tiny, familiar wailing. His head cracked as it turned a sharp left. His apartment building had started to cave, a great print of some kind (oh not a footprint, not its whole body, please no) making an entire side totter. People were screaming, not nearly as loud as the creaking of metal joints, a jaw unhinging. He whipped around as the monster's great shoulder cannons seemed to square wherever it needed to be.

It let out a shriek and fired, the recoil sending its wheel treads back half a meter.

Warg's answering roar and shield blinded them both but Melga was already countering, missile after missile aiming for chinks in the massive armor.

All Takato could do was watch and tremble. He couldn't een form proper thoughts.

"...Are you afraid?"

THe words came from behind him. Each one was dragged out by the syllable, airy and worn. Takuto looked up to meet blank purple eyes and hair the color of fresh snow, a face that seemed to disregard the very concept of emotion.

Takuto whirled on her, adrenaline pulsing so much it took out his common sense, even that common sense that told him to run from this girl. "Yes!" He shouted. "What else could I be?"

The girl watched him still, or something like that. He couldn't tell if she was looking at him or just looking in general. "I see."

It was then that Takuto looked, really looked, at her and he noticed he could see the building through her hands, her arms. "Are you… a ghost?"

The girl's lips twitched. "I am… but that can change… if you let it. Come, Tamer. Call out."

"What are you talking abo-" Her eyes flicked forward as Warg howled a sharp, awful sound. He thudded beside them, dropping to one knee.

"Takuto!" he shouted. "What are ya doin'? We can't spend time with you talking to yourself. We need you!"

Takuto shuddered. "What do I do?" he snapped back. "I don't fight like this! It was just… Digimon fights were just supposed to be fun! Not this! I can't do this!"

"We wouldn't be here if you couldn't!" Melga countered, lashing out with a blast of freezing air. The monster only rumbled forward once more. "Though… I have to admit… this is not working out."

Warg sniffed. "You just haven't gotten enough exercise!" He rose into the air. "I've got this!" He began to spin, a dizzying sort of twirl that sent out shockwaves of wind as he dove, driving the claws right into the open joint of the neck until-

Warg shrieked as he flew a hard left, slamming into another apartment. It trembled from the impact, making to fall forward.

Melga shouted in alarm, Takuto echoing him as the wolf raced forward to shove him out of the way as the screaming grew to a crescendo and-

Like a falling block tower, the building crashed over their heads.

Takuto's screams died in his throat.

The monster, however, rumbled over once more, cannons whining and glowing gold as they charged.

Takuto feebly ran over, spreading his twig human arms as wide as he could, as if he could block it. Tears streamed down his face as the rumbling continued.

The world lit up, but there was no pain. There was only silence until he heard his own voice, feeble in the face of a god of death.

"Help me."

A/N: Hey look, a Next 0rder fic. Ya'll had to know I was gonna do this. So here I am! I will put my hands over everything gameverse, just you watch. This is in the same universe as Moon and Stars, but... it has nothing to do with Sayo. Directly. I know, right! None of this is technically her fault. It's amazing. But anyway, since it's in the same universe as those fics, there will be some spoilers. Don't worry guys, if you've been reading sidestories or rereading fics, it's nothing major. I just really wanted this out to be like: hey guys I'm here for this tiny game! But anyway, enough rambling. Please read about these little derps. Enjoy and drop a review!

Challenges: Diversity Writing Game/Gen M6, What if Challenge, AU Diversity Boot Camp - Punch, original character boot camp prompt fluffy, game verse boot camp prompt - winter, season rewrite boot camp - magnificent, interseason boot camp prompt - memorize, what if challenge, Epic Masterclass World 5. alternate timeline(Admittedly, I do rewrite some other parts of the canon but hey it still counts for the main theory,