Title: My Secret

Pairing: Ami/Arata

Rating: T

Summary: Have you ever felt safe and protected when you are with someone you love? Do you have that one item that has their scent on it and you just hold that tight around you for any reason? I do, but that person must never know I love them because they are in a happy relationship, this is my secret. (They don't know the relationship is on the verge of falling apart.)

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Digimon or its franchise.

~~Story Begins~~

Chapter 3 - Chase

Arata scrunched his nose up as something soft touched his nose. He heard giggles trying to be quiet, but he knew who it was. "What do you want, Nokia?"

"No fun!" Nokia whined as Arata opened one eye to look at her. "You was supposed to snap awake and freak out."

"Nice try," Arata spoke. "How did you get in?"

"Ami gave me her key. About time you broke up with Emi," Nokia commented as Arata sat up.

"How did-"

"Besides the fact that Ami let you stay in her apartment? Emi called looking for you. Once I heard that, I ran over here to tell Ami, and she already knew. Emi is furious with you."

"Don't care. I told her it was over explained as to why it was over."

"She's more mad because you deactivated your Faceyear page so she was already single before you broke up with her," Nokia spoke. Arata just looked at her, uncaring. "You know, it's not official unless it is on Faceyear."

"I mostly left Faceyear so her ex would quit bothering me. He can have her again, if he so chooses," Arata said shaking his head.

"So, when are you going to ask Ami out?"

"Excuse me?"

Nokia crossed her arms, "Do I need to speak slowly? When are you going to ask Ami out?"

"Keep your voice down, idiot," Arata hissed. "You do realize if I ask her now, she'll think I'm using her to get back at Emi?"

"It was just a question," Nokia said with a huff. "It didn't have to be right now."

The door opened and the Kamishiro twins entered the apartment with two boxes. "Where's Ami?" Yuuko wondered as she slid her shoes off, Yuugo doing the same.

"At work, she said she'll be done shortly," Nokia answered.

"So, is it true?" Yuuko asked as she sat her box down. "That you broke up with Emi and temporarily moving in with Ami?"

"Yes," Arata answered warily. "Who told you?"

"Kyoko," Yuugo responded sitting his own box down. "Heck, Kyoko has even talked to the ones who manage the apartments here and added you onto Ami's lease. Ami did try to talk Kyoko out of it, but she wouldn't listen."

"It isn't like it matters," his sister spoke next. "In three months, Ami's lease is up and she's moving into another apartment here. So when are you going to be asking Ami out?"

"None of you," Arata growled out each word slowly, "are going to hear about any crushes that I have, ever again." He took a deep breath. "It won't be for a while, I don't think she even likes me like that."

"You are wrong," Yuuko spoke. "Maybe she got tired of chasing and is waiting to be chased?"

Nokia and Arata just looked at her, "What are you talking about?"

Her brother answered her question, "I doubt it. I have watched her when I was the main Eater. Ami isn't someone who is going to sit by and wait. She'll be productive some way, it might not be towards the goal that she wants, but she'll be productive."

"Huh?" Nokia asked confused. "What?"

Yuuko thought about it, "I think you are right. Especially since Nokia and I had to take care of Ami once before when she got sick."

"We did?" Nokia questioned.

"When Arata foolishly decided to become an Eater," Yuuko explained. "Ami didn't just wait around until Arata came back. She worked herself to death if Alphamon didn't step up and told her to stop."

Arata could see the lightbulb going off in Nokia's head, "Oh, yeah!" Nokia said remembering. "Mirel allowed us into the Digi-Lab and onto Ami's Digi-farms, just so we could take care her properly - with her being data and all that."

"Digi-lab? Do you know what, nevermind. Why was she working so hard?" Arata asked.

"She was trying to find a lead to your whereabouts," Yuuko said. "Do you honestly think she wanted to punch you?"

"Enough gloomy talk!" Nokia said. "You should open the boxes and praise us with grace!"

"Who is getting praise?" Ami asked coming into her own apartment.

"Ami!" Nokia yelled and hugged the former cyber sleuth, rubbing her face against Ami's cheek. "I was so worried about you last night since I never recieved a message stating you was home."

Arata raised an eyebrow but the Kamishiro siblings rolled their eyes.

"Did you check your digivice by chance?" Ami wondered.

"Yes!" Nokia said going to check her digivice. "Wait, I have a Digi-line."

As Nokia checked her message from Ami, Yuuko spoke, "Why don't we all hang out? It's been a whille since the five of us hung out together."

"As much as I would love too, I'm going to pass," Ami answered right before she sneezed into her shirt. "I only got twenty minutes of sleep in me so I plan on taking a nap."

"You sound like you are a catching a cold," Yuugo spoke thoughtfully.

"Haha, I'll be fine," Ami said with a smile.

"I can't either today," Arata spoke. "I need to get my overnight bag from a friend's house," Arata commented.

"The three of us can make plans for the five of us to hang out all day sometime than," Yuugo said.

"Nokia, I swear if you come into my room while I'm sleeping and try to wake me up, the next time Jimi Ken owes me some favors, I will not use them to get you tickets to his show," Ami threatened as she went to her room, closing the door.

Nokia frowned, "No fair!"

"You was walking on thin ice," Yuuko said. "Besides, what do you see in his song?"

"How many times must we have this conversation?" Nokia asked.

"Yeah, well, this time we are discussing it over ice cream!" Yuuko said dragging Nokia away leaving the two men there smiling at their antics.

"You should open the boxes," Yuugo prompted once the girls left.

"Why? What's in there?" Arata questioned.

"You'll find out once you open it," Yuugo said.

Arata opened the box and stared, his eyes going wide. Yuugo liked Ami's expression and reaction more of being surprised.

"How?"

"When you had us help you pack so you could move in with Emi. We could tell you didn't want to let go of 85% of the things you said to donate. The figurines are underneath your clothing and the other box is your books."

Arata looked through the clothing before frowning. "Did you donate my white jacket?"

"We gave it away, yes," Yuugo responded smoothly while also sending a mental apologize to Ami. "My sister believed one of her friends needed it."

"I see. Well, as long as it went to a good home than," Arata said with a sigh.

Yuugo made a mental note to tell the others to change their wallpaper picture on their digivice so Arata wouldn't see what friend has the missing white jacket. Ami doesn't even know that the picture Nokia took was sent to his sister and himself.

It was later in the day when Arata came back to Ami's apartment after getting his overnight bag. When he entered the apartment, he instantly dropped the bag so he could take off of his coat, the rain was still coming down like it was early this morning.

"Ami?" he called out not seeing the red hair friend anywhere.

"Kitchen," she responded blankly.

Arata walked into the kitchen and saw Ami sitting on the counter, a black mug held tightly in her hands even through they were shaking, steam was rising out of the mug. Her blue eyes were glazed over but she moved her eyes to look at him.

"You okay?" he asked walking closer to her.

"I made hot chocolate," Ami said moving her head to look at the kettle on the stove.

Arata stood in front of her now. "That isn't what I asked you," he said causing her to look at him.

"I'm not going to bother you with my demons," Ami said looking down at her hot chocolate. "Not when you need someone to lean on."

Arata narrowed his eyes at her, "Ami, I know I can always lean on you, no matter how small my problem is." Ami blankly watched as he removed her mug from her hands and sitting it off to the side. "Don't make me tickle you."

Ami looked up in surprise and stared at him, her eyes focusing on her situation. She was trapped on the counter, no where to escape with him standing in front of her.

He smirked and lightly tapped his chin in mock thought, "You know, I think I will tickle you anyway."

Ami got down from the counter and tried to get away but Arata was quicker. He grabbed her sides and started moving his fingers against her sides, moving in between the bones of her ribcage, a senstive area on her.

She tried to escape as she laughed from being tickled, struggling against Arata's grip but every time she got so close to escaping, he pulled her back in. Arata smiled as her laughter filled the walls of the apartment. Her laugh was very much like her personality, it always seemed to brighten up the atmosphere, the mood of those around her, and always made the day seem better. Even now, Arata didn't think that the dreary, rainy weather was all that bad now.

Than again, any time he hung out with Ami on days like today, it never seemed like it was a dreary, rainy day. That was just how she was even with all of the horrors that she's seen, she was so bright and warm.

"Uncle! Uncle! Mercy! Mercy!" Ami cried out as she laughed. Arata stopped tickling her but never let her go. "I'll tell you, as much as I don't want too, but I'll tell you."

Arata did let her go now and she quickly scampered away from him, trying to catch her breath. He waited patiently as she took her time to compose herself. He knew it wasn't that serious since she wasn't trying to kick him out.

"Just for that," Ami said, "you're helping me clean out the guest bedroom."

Arata blinked and followed Ami to the guest bedroom. He shook his head upon seeing the room having most of his stuff already laid out the way he would have it. "What do you need my help with? You even decorated it for me to fit my taste."

"Closet," Ami said. "Remember, you are taller than me. You can reach stuff on higher shelves than me."

Arata shook his head again and went to the closet, "How did you even get the stuff up there?"

"Step-stool. Just hand me the boxes and I'll set them down before I start moving them to my bedroom," Ami instructered.

Arata did as he was told with a sigh. It wasn't until three boxes were left when Ami spoke. "My last case I worked, the trial ended today." Arata looked at Ami. "This lady was so mad that her twins were taken away by the government. So, she started kidnapping children around the same age as her twins, torturing them, breaking their mentality and spirit, before killing them. She had EVERYTHING planned out, Arata. Everything. She did so much research on the children, who their grandparents are, what they did, their parents, their dreams, their hobbies, their friends, and even did research on their friends family. Than when she had them, she planned out what to say to them, what their reactions would be, how they will break."

"A little girl keeps haunting me now, it's been two months since I worked on a case, two weeks ago, is when the trial started for all the children that have been killed. More children haunted me before, when the case was fresh into mind, but the girl, she hasn't left me yet. I doubt she'll ever leave me. She's the reason Kyoko moved me to be her personal assassitant and social media assassitant, I couldn't live with what I did to her."

Arata watched as she broke down, dropping to her knees, her hands covering her face as she cried. He instantly went to her and went down on his knees, pulling her close to him. He couldn't stand her breaking down like this, but he knows better than anyone that she needs to do this. However, he's never seen her this weak, she usually fights when he tries to comfort her, doesn't want to ruin his clothes she'll say. This time, she grabbed his shirt and clung to it like it was the only thing keeping her alive.

"I watched her die Arata," Ami said sobbing. "The lady, she had the girl hanging in the closet. Kyoko and I got there in time and I found the girl in the closet. I put her on my shoulders and stood on my tiptoes, trying to get as tall as I could to loosen the pressure on her neck. I couldn't keep the pressure on my toes anymore, I tried to hold out until help could come. I couldn't. I went to rest on the flat of my feets, I was going to grab the stool nearby, but it was too late. When I looked up at her to tell her, her eyes were dull, lifeless, empty. I killed her Arata! It's my fault that she's-"

"NO!" Arata snapped pressing Ami as tight as he could against him, suffocating her until she moved her head to rest against his shoulder. "You didn't kill her and it sure isn't your fault!"

Ami blinked in surprised, any sobs wanting to escape her throat was blocked. He's never interrupted her when she was telling him about what is haunting her.

"None of this is your fault! You did everything you could to try and save her," Arata said. "You put too much pressure on yourself, you think if you worked faster, if you worked harder, that you would have saved more lives, but Ami, you never give something just 110%. You give it 300% everytime."

Ami relaxed a little at Arata's words, her eyes looked at him. She looked forward and saw the little girl there again, a smile on her face. Arata started to talk again and the little girl was slowly disappearing into tiny dots before fading away.

"Ami, if you could, you wouldn't think twice about giving up your life if it could bring someone back," Arata said gently. "You don't realize how much that scares all of us."

"Two weeks ago, I could have used you," Ami said in a whisper. "I had to testify in court against the lady and relive the experience. The parents, they were giving me that look, that look that made me think I could have done a better job." She felt Arata tighten his hug on her. "Thank you, I'm sorry I can't be the friend you need me to be right now."

"Ami, honestly, I've been wanting to break up with Emi for a while, but felt like I didn't have a good reason too. So, when Yuugo told me about what Emi said to you," Arata said. "If anything, I should be the one sorry for not being the friend you needed me to be when you needed me."

"You had a reason," Ami said pulling away and smiling. "Glad I could be of service to you."

"Now, what do you even have in these boxes?" Arata asked.

"My mom's old manuscripts. Why she instists on keeping them, I don't know," Ami said. "She says they will help me sleep at night and so far they have been, expect they are a mindless sleep because they are just so boring to read!"

Arata chuckled and let go of Ami. He was glad the bright Ami was back, and he hopes that now that the other Ami won't show up for a while, if it shows up again. He is also going to make sure that if Ami ever needs someone to lean on again, someone to help her through her nightmares and demons, it's going to be him, so she won't be alone.