Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon Tamers or any of the characters associated with it.

Time: Around two years after saving Callumon and the D-Reaper.

Prologue

"It is the Master who allots us this wonderful home!" A mother BlackGatomon of five argued with her youngest daughter.

"But what they're telling us to do is wrong!" BlackGatomon argued back, "What they're doing is wrong! We are harming innocent people and digimon!"

"Someday you will understand." The mother sighed, "Little one, we are dark digimon. This is the only life style we are allowed to have freely. Don't you understand that the other digimon will never accept you or us because we are made from the forces of Darkness, not Light!? We were lucky that the Master called upon us to help them."

"NO! I won't do it! I cannot!"

"You can, and you will!"

"NO!!" BlackGatomon turned, running. She ran as quickly as she could, tears blurring her eyes. After a long while, she sat down, wiping her tears. When she was done, her ears perked up at a loud screeching noise. A bright light blinded her as the noise grew closer and louder: It was a train!

BlackGatomon froze like a deer in headlights. Her eyes, wide with fear, simply kept looking at the bright light, limbs immobilized.

"Watch out!" BlackGatomon suddenly found herself being scooped up. She was carried off to safety. The man sat her down on the sidewalk, "You should be more careful." BlackGatomon looked up at the man who'd saved her. He was none other than…Mitsuo Yamaki!?! "I'd love to chat some more, but I've got some business to take care of." He said.

"Wait!" BlackGatomon called, "Wh-Where am I?"

"You're in the real world, didn't you know?" Yamaki quetioned, "It can be dangerous, so good luck."

"The…Real world?" BlackGatomon said to herself.

BlackGatomon wandered into an alleyway. It was late at night, so blended in well in the dark. Glumly, she sat down behind a tin trash can. "I wish I hadn't decided to run." She said sadly, "I don't have a clue what to do. What could a digimon like me do here?" She sighed, "At least I'd have a bed to sleep in now…

"But here I am." She stated, "Why do so many digimon want to be here? I'm alone, scared, cold, and definitely lost, and sitting in a grimy old alley that smells like rotting fish and eggs!" The clouds overhead thundered. "Great! Just my luck; it's about to rain too!"

Digimon Tamers
Reach for the Light Inside

Chapter One
Katrina

Yamaki straightened his jacket out. Clearing his throat, he rang the bell. He waited for a few seconds when he heard someone stir inside. The door opened, light flooding the dark hall. Henry stared, nearly gaping, wide eyed at him, "Ya-Yamaki!?"

"Hey, kid." Yamaki said quietly, "Is your dad home?"

Henry snapped out if it and said, "…Yeah, sure, come on in…I guess…"

Yamaki quietly and almost awkwardly stepped into the Wong household. He continued to stand in the doorway, waiting.

Henry's dad, Janyuu, returned a moment later.

"Yamaki? What is it? What's wrong?" Janyuu began

"Janyuu, can I speak with you? In private that is." Yamaki beckoned to the hallway outside the apartment.

"I'll be back soon kids."

"Yeah, Yamaki's just outside my front door." Henry said into the phone.

"What!?" Came Rika's near panicked voice, "Why!?"

"He said he wanted to talk to my dad."

"About what!?"

"I don't know. He's not still with Hypnos, is he? It has been two years after all."

"Well we can't be too cautious. He might be trying to convince you dad to join him again. If he tries to take Terriermon or Lopmon –!"
"I don't think he'd go that far…" Henry cut in.

"All the same; just be careful, okay!?" Rika said in her usual angry-but-concerned voice.

"Alright, okay, I get it."

"Yamaki, what's this all about?" Janyuu questioned, "Is this about Hypnos!?"

"No, actually. It has nothing to do with Hypnos. I started a job as a social worker for children…" Yamaki looked away as an awkward pause settled in.

"Why?"

"It's…Personal…It's not what I came here for, though."

"Then what is it?" Janyuu persisted.

"I need your help." Yamaki said, taking his glasses off and looking him straight in the eye, "In my line of work, I do come across…special cases. A child I'm currently working with is in danger. I…I'm asking if you could take her in. Her parents are currently going through a divorce. She's an only child, and frankly, I don't thinks it's safe for her to live with either parents. They can be potentially abusive, maybe not physically, but emotionally."

"What do you mean?"

Yamaki sighed, saying, "Her parents do not think of her as their child. They don't think of her as a child who needs love and nurture, care and compassion. Or rather, they view her as a prize. They view her as another possession, just another table or care they can fight for and win in court.

"Both of them are likely to try to take her before the court's ruling, and she needs somewhere to live, where she can be safe and cared for. She needs to go somewhere her parents can't find or get her."

"Don't you have foster service people for that? And…Isn't that…illegal…?"

"I know it's too much to ask of you…but you were the only one I could think of! She needs help, and she's agreed that it would be better for her not to stay with them. I would send her to the foster care, but they're all registered into the computer. Her parents are high up, and they could get their hands on those names and addresses. They'd go after her then!"

Janyuu pursed his lips, "Well…If you put it that way…Just let me talk to my wife…Wait in the living room…"

"She'll come to this town via train. I'm sorry, but it would be too suspicious if I brought her to you. You could send your daughter and Henry to get her. She is to assume the roll of Henry's distant cousin who is coming to stay with you. She's very kind and quiet, despite her parents, so she shouldn't be any trouble. She'll be enrolled into Henry's school, so it'll be easier for you, but she can be very shy sometimes, so she might not gain friends so quick. She's requested you not tell your children about her history; she wants to tell it to them in her own time."

"I just have one question."

"What's that, Janyuu?"

"What's this girl's name?"

"Oh, right, sorry. Her name is Katrina Hawks."

"Where is she?" Henry looked around the busy train station.

"I don't know, Henwy." Suzie said.

"Maybe if I climb higher!" Terriermon climbed up Henry.

"No, Terriermon." Henry too him into his arms, "Someone could see you moving!"

"Momentai, Henry!"

Henry looked down at the picture again and then looked up, searching more.

"Henry." Terriermon said.

"Not now, Terriermon."

"But Henry,"

"No, Terriermon."

"Heeenryyyy!"

"I said no, Terriermon!"

"Henry," Lopmon said, "I think Terriermon found her."

"Yeah, look over there!"

Henry followed where Terriermon was pointing. Katrina was a small thirteen year old. Her large hazel eyes were a mixture of the most vivid green and the richest brown. Her long hair was a black blue, that descended down into a blackish bluish purple. She tied her hair into high pigtails with long, slender, woodsy green ribbons. She wore a simple green no sleeved dress that reached above her knees.

"Katrina!" Henry called to her, "Over here!"

She turned, walking almost timidly over, "H-Hello…"

"Hi, my name is Henry. This is my little sister Suzie."

Katrina's initial shyness seemed to dissipate some, and her lips broke into a small smile, "Nice to meet both of you."

"Henwy, can we go home now?" Suzie asked.

"Daddy, we're home!" Suzie squealed as she burst through the front doors.

"Hey kids." Janyuu said, "So, you must be Miss Hawks."

"Please, just call me Katrina." She smiled up at him, "Thank you for you hospitality."

"No need to thank me at all." Janyuu said, "Now, you'll be moving in with Suzie –."

"No!" She screamed, "I don' wanna share my woom!"

"Suzie,"

"No!" Suzie said again, beginning to cry, "No, Daddy! Wah!!!"

Janyuu winced, his ears hurting from all her incessant screaming, "Okay, okay, sweetie…" He sighed, "This is going to be incredibly uncomfortable, but…Katrina, would you mind it if you and Henry shared a room?"

Katrina shook her head, "It would be alright with me, if it's alright with Henry."

Henry's eyes widened slightly, but said, "Yeah, of course. Hang on; just let me clear some of my drawers out!"

Henry ran to his room, Terriermon accidentally falling off his shoulder. "With that settled…" Janyuu sat down to watch television while Suzie, holding Lopmon, went to her room to play "Princess Pretty Pants" as usual. Katrina remained quiet. Thinking that no one was looking, Terriermon stood and began to crawl silently towards Henry's room. Katrina watched him curiously, intrigued. Her smile grew.

Inside the bedroom, Henry's room had changed a bit in two years. As usual, he had many computers in his room and all the other gadgets he had. His bed had changed considerably. It was a bunk bed, made of wood. It was like a bed on many cabinets, and then at the center of the cabinets came another bed. There was a small shelf inside that you could put things on.

Henry was busy emptying one half of the shelves, trying to shove what had been in them in the other half.

"It's not going to fit, Henry." Terriermon commented.

"Yeah, well, it has to."

After finally getting it all to fit, he went to his closet and began making more room.

"Do you think it would be safe to tell Katrina that I'm real?" Terriermon asked, sitting on Henry's top bunk.

"Are you kidding!? She'd probably freak out! She's away from home as it is; we don't need to make her feel that way!"

"Okay, Henry…" Terriermon said, flopping down on the bed, pretending to be a stuffed toy.

Henry went back into the living room and brought Katrina inside, "Okay, this is my room. Half of these shelves are you," Henry pointed to the right side shelves of the bed, "And half of the closet's yours too."

"Thank you, Henry." Katrina bowed to him.

Henry looked at her, feeling awkward, but smiled, "Your welcome, Katrina. And, you don't have to bow to me. This is your home now, so none of that weird courtesy stuff, k?"

Katrina looked up at him and returned his smile, "K."

Katrina began to unpack. Henry helped her with whatever it was that she needed help with. Afterwards, she sat on the lower bunk bed, her bed now. She stood up, looking at Terriermon, saying quietly, "This is such a life like doll, Henry."

"Oh, yeah," Henry said, sitting on is computer chair.

Katrina picked him up, "Where'd you get it?"

"Oh, uh, internet."

Katrina sat back down, putting Terriermon in her lap, "So, Henry, do you play the game? Do you collect the cards?"

"Yeah," Henry said half truthfully, "I collect mostly modify cards, though."

"I see…" Katrina set Terriermon down and began to dig through one of her drawers, "Like these?" Katrina produced a large and square tin. A young boy as an angel was on the cover of the tin. Opening it, Katrina revealed possibly over fifty modify cards.

"A-are all those modify cards!?" Henry questioned, staring at them.

"So good they'll do for me." Katrina said, "I don't even know how to use them. I first got a pack, and after that I just couldn't stop collecting them. But…I never had any friend who would teach me how to use them. Besides, I don't like the digimon games cause…They have so much violence in them…You can have them, if you like."

Henry smiled at her generosity, "Oh come on, Kat, you're giving up before you even started. Tomorrow after school, I'll show you the perfect teacher. She's a friend of mine."

"You'd do that for me? And…Kat?"

"Yeah, of course, and I'm sorry…If you don't want to be called Kat –."

Katrina shook her head, "No, of course not! I'd like that very much!"

Henry smiled again, "Look at that; a couple hours and we're already friends."

Katrina smiled back, "It's because…You're so nice, Henry."

"Hey Henry!" Came Janyuu's voice, "Come help with dinner!"

"Yes, Dad!" Henry answered.

"Oh, would you like me to help?" Katrina asked.

"No, it's alright." Henry replied, "You just stay put. We'll call you for dinner."

Katrina nodded as Henry left the room. She sighed, laying down, holding Terriermon in her arms and above her. She stared up curiously up at him, saying, "It must be hard to pretend you're a doll all the time."

Terriermon resisted the urge to talk, thinking, 'She knows!?'

"You don't have to pretend around me." Katrina went on, "I'm okay with you being real and all, Terriermon." Terriermon stayed silent, "Still not talking, huh?" Katrina flopped over so Terriermon was sitting on her pillow and she was staring at him, "Maybe a laugh?" Katrina tackled him, wiggling her fingers over him, tickling him. Terriermon held out for awhile, but found that it was impossible. He began to squirm, laughing loudly. Katrina laughed along with him, "See? Isn't that much better?"

"Hey, how'd you know?" Terriermon asked.

"I saw you walking into Henry's bedroom after you fell of his shoulder." Katrina stated.

Terriermon pouted, "Suzie was oblivious for months, and the first day you come here and you already find out."

"Don't be sad," Katrina lightly poked his tummy. Terriermon began to laugh again.

"I'm not sad!" Terriermon said, "Now I don't have to pretend to be a doll again!"

"Terriermon!" Henry said in a reprimanding tone, "What did I tell you about exposing yourself!?"

"Uh oh…" Terriermon said.

"I guess you know now," Henry said.

"It's not his fault." Katrina said, "I'm the one who found out."

"And you're actually okay with this?"

"I've met a digimon before," Katrina said, her eyes taking on an almost nostalgic look, "Compared to his attitude at first…Terriermon is a lot more polite." Katrina giggled.

"Huh?" Henry and Terriermon said together.

"You've met a digimon before!?!" Henry questioned.

To Be Continued…

Whoa, I guess there's a lot more about Katrina then Henry expected! And who knew Yamaki would ever try to be a social worker!? So, what's Katrina got to do with the digimon? How did she meet one before?

Find out on the Digimon, Digital Monsters!