Gatomon allowed herself a small smile, mostly because a part of her felt "good" for lack of a better term about keeping a secret from her boss, Myotismon.
Since she'd digivolved from her previous form, he'd been a lot nicer to her and even given her special gloves to cover up the scars from the numerous times she'd ended up on the receiving end of his short temper. But she still didn't trust him enough to know about every secret she had. There was still one she kept, largely due to the help of Wizardmon. Despite the cat's insistence that she didn't need him around, Wizardmon was in fact the closest thing she had to a true friend.
He was certainly a lot nicer than most of the other digimon who worked for Myotismon. One in particular got on her nerves, the boss' former right hand mon, Demi-Devimon. It seemed like the puffball always stuck his nose into matters it had no business being in (largely because that's all he was good at, whenever he tried to do anything else he seemed to mess it up).
And so it was that Gatomon was clutching a small and worn teddy bear, which when not in use was tucked firmly out of prying eyes behind her bed side pillow. She'd stolen the stuffed thing from some bawling infant in one of the villages her boss had sent her to raid. But for some inexplicable reason she could never bring herself to destroy it even though she said that's what she was going to do.
Maybe it was because it reminded her of what she never had as a child. It seemed like her whole life had been sent looking for someone who never came, someone she was now convinced did not exist.
"Oh Teddy," Gatomon whispered to herself as she held the stuffed bear close. "No one else understands me the way you do. You're not a cranky pants like Myotismon, you're not a nosey know-nothing like Demi-Devimon, and you're not hanging around like you expect something like Wizardmon. Maybe that's why I'll never be rid of you. Of course, you know I can't be seen in public with you. All the other digimon will laugh and call me names, and Myotismon won't be happy."
"Happy about what, Gatomon?" A familiar obnoxious voice questioned as the familiar ball like form of Demi-Devimon appeared. The cat like digimon quickly tucked the teddy away behind her back, but Demi-Devimon being the sneaky little bat creature he was happened to catch a glimpse of the stuffed animal. "Hey, what's that you got in your paws? Some kind of present? It ain't my birthday, you know."
Gatomon snapped. Of all the digimon to show up, why'd it have to be Demi-Devimon? "Of course I know that, you half-wit!" She coldly hissed. "Can't you just leave me alone? I think a village is still missing its idiot somewhere."
"Haha, that's like the tenth time this week you've said that to me," Demi-Devimon taunted. "Now come on, whatcha got there?"
"It's nothing that concerns you!" Gatomon snapped in defiance. "Now get lost!"
But Demi-Devimon was never a digimon who took no for an answer. He always enjoyed snooping around and exposing what others tried to keep hidden, it's how he made himself useful. "Well if it's really nothing then I suppose you won't mind if I have take a little looksey for myself!" He cackled as he quickly flew behind his cohort's back and grasped the object she'd been trying to hide.
"Hey, give that back! It's not yours!" Gatomon hissed even as her tone of voice betrayed her hidden fright.
"Too bad, it's mine now! Let's see what you've been hiding! Hope it's something really juicy, so I can turn it over to the boss for a promotion!" Demi-Devimon chuckled and then fixed his eyes on the item in his claws as he lifted it up and out of Gatomon's reach. "What in the name of Azulongmon's beard?! A teddy bear?!" He exclaimed when he realized what he was holding. "Hey, ain't this the same teddy bear you said you were gonna destroy a few weeks back?"
Gatomon leaped up and tried to grab the bear, but Demi-Devimon refused to cooperate and continued to hold it out of reach. "Give that back, now!" She demanded as her confidence shattered. "Please! I'm begging you! I'll… I'll tell Myotismon on you! I'll tell him you were picking on me!"
"You think your little bluff scares me?!" Demi-Devimon snarled. "If anything, the boss ain't gonna be happy that you've been keeping this from me."
"Keeping what from me, Demi-Devimon?" A cold and sinister voice inquired.
At that, Gatomon froze. No, it couldn't possibly be him!
Into the room strolled the familiar form of Myotismon, and the vampire digimon appeared to be anything but happy. "What's all this I'm hearing about keeping secrets?!" He demanded. "Speak up, now! Or I'll force it out of you with my Crimson Lightning!"
With a fiendish grin on his face, Demi-Devimon flew over to Myotismon and dropped the teddy bear into his hands. "Here you go, boss. Found Gatomon talkin' with it just a few minutes ago. Apparently she was lying when she said she was going to destroy it."
"You snitchmon!" Gatomon growled and lunged at the bat digimon. She was brushed aside effortlessly by Myotismon as Demi-Devimon looked on in delight.
Myotismon's eyes narrowed as he glared down at the digimon he'd entrusted with the coveted second in command position for his army. "So you deliberately lied to me and held onto this old thing? And you thought I wouldn't find out?" When he didn't get a reply after a few seconds he roared in frustration! "ANSWER ME!"
Gatomon choked out a nervous. "Y-yes?"
Myotismon growled and threw down the stuffed bear in fury! "Gatomon, you useless fleabag!" He bellowed as he rose up his hand. "I thought that once you had digivolved into your champion state, you had realized you no longer had time for such childish things like these!"
"But.. but…" Gatomon stuttered as the tears started to stream down her face. She wanted nothing more than to curl up into a little ball right at this very moment.
"No buts!" Myotismon snapped as he stepped on the teddy bear, grabbed it with one of his gloves, and began to pull it apart effortlessly. "Now I hope you've seen what happens to such childish things when they're in my presence! So don't ever bring them back here again if you're not gonna destroy them! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
"Y-yes… s-sir, boss," Gatomon gulped. "I won't do it ever again. I promise."
At that Myotismon coldy replied with a glare. "Of course you won't, because I'll make sure you see what consequence awaits those who disobey me!" Then he lifted up his hand, drawing it into a very familiar position for Gatomon!
"No, master, please!" Gatomon pleaded in vain as she knew what was about to happen! "I'll be a loyal servant, I swear! Please, don't strike me!"
"Too late," Myotismon retorted. "Crimson Lightning!" A long, whip like bolt of red lightning appeared and he brought it down, intent on striking Gatomon with it!
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Gatomon screamed and shot up in her little bed in a cold sweat, her heart beating frantically. Looking all around, she saw herself in the familiar confines of the Kamiya apartment, just across from the bunk beds that held her partner, Kari (along with her older brother Tai). It had all been just a dream. A really, really bad dream.
The silence of the room was penetrated when a voice easily recognizable to the cat digimon softly called out. "Gatomon, is something wrong?" It wasn't long before Kari was at her partner's side.
"N-no. It's nothing, Kari." Gatomon protested even as she sniffled. Even though it had been years since Myotismon's defeat, the champion level digimon still didn't feel fully secure around the human that was her partner. Largely because she'd been separated from her until just a few months ago.
Kari knew her partner digimon way too well. She knew when Gatomon was lying. But she replied with that warm and gentle tone she always tried to use around her partner. "Gatomon, it's clearly not nothing. I heard you scream. You're supposed to stay quiet, you know my parents can't know you're here."
"I-I know, Kari," Gatomon sniffled. "Like I said, it's nothing. I don't want to be a bother to you or Tai, or your family."
Kari took Gatomon into her arms. "Gatomon, you aren't bothering me," She whispered. "But I hate seeing you so upset. Whatever it is, I just want to help you."
Gatomon sniffled once again but somehow found the courage to softly speak. "It was horrible. I dreamt I was back at Myotismon's place and he found out I had a teddy bear, and he… he…" She trailed off, unable to bring herself to say what needed to be said.
Fortunately, Kari didn't need to ask for a response. She was able to get a pretty good idea of what had so frightened Gatomon. "Well he's not here anymore, is he? It was only a dream. He can't hurt you anymore. You have friends now that will fight to protect you no matter what, and you're not helpless either."
"I know that, Kari," Gatomon spoke as her tears stopped, her throat starting to sound slightly scratchy. But even there was one thing she needed to ask before she could even think of going back to sleep. "C-can I have something?"
Kari adopted the most puzzled look in response. "What sort of something, Gatomon? Some milk? A glass of water? A lullaby?"
Gatomon shook her head. "No, something else. D-do you…" She gulped, almost too ashamed to even ask. "Have a teddy bear?"
The girl with chestnut colored hair smiled. "Might take a bit of effort, but I do have one. I was actually wondering what to do with since I don't sleep with it anymore," She left the bedroom and returned about a minute and a half later with an old, worn teddy bear that had clearly seen better days. "It's not in the best of shape, it's seen more than its fair share of abuse. Heck, I don't remember the last time it went through the wash. But it's still just as soft and huggable as it was the day I got it. I hope that helps."
Gatomon snuggled the teddy bear close to her chest the moment it was presented to her. For her, it was everything she could've ever wanted. It was just like the teddy bear from her dreams. And with it by her side she'd have no trouble falling back asleep, and no bad dreams would bother her for the rest of the night.