A/N: Frostbreaker here with another great chapter for you all! Sorry it took so long, I had technical issues which had to be addressed. All the same, please R&R and let me know what you think.

To Shadow Cloud 5283 - Well I'm always happy to help. I'm not necessarily a "supporter" of drugs either, but having done nearly all of them gives me special insight into them which will let me create a completely new character and persona. And "real" emotions are the only way to go. I can't think of anyone that would not be freaking out in that situation, and if they say they would be calm, they're fucking lying.

To Geefriend - Well I always aim to please. As far as the third season, I've never watched even one bit of it. I'm writing off of what I've read and what I wish to create.

To kn4sakura - I'm glad you like it so far. You will find that both Renamon and Daniel are going to be very complex, just like real people. As far as genders, this is true...I've read that as well. As for any good romance though, there has to be that distinction, and you'll see in a bit how I work that in while being believable. At the moment, Renamon has a feminine personality, but no feminine characteristics otherwise (at least not compared to human females).

Chapter 3: Revelations

Waking up this morning was quite a bit less problematic, as I already knew that I wasn't alone and that I wasn't on Earth anymore (which while I was still coming to terms with, had become a truth). This in turn allowed me to relax as I smelled the wonderful aroma of coffee brewing downstairs, and I smiled in anticipation.

"You should really learn to wake up quieter." whispered a voice from beside me.

I looked down to see Renamon eyeing me with a smirk, so I just smirked back. "You should learn to sleep a little heavier." The fox digimon stood up and stretched, then sniffed the air and nodded. "You're right, that is a strong smell...but it's nice somehow."

"My thoughts exactly." I replied with a grin, stretching. I then motioned towards the door and smiled. "Come on, let's go get some breakfast."

Renamon followed me downstairs and I proceeded to make the two of us something to eat. Since I still had some thawed steak left over, I opted for a steak-and-eggs breakfast.

"Do you eat like this all the time?" the digimon asked as I cooked the meat.

I shook my head and grinned. "No, I don't. Usually it's a lot healthier than this. However, I had this meat already thawing out, though I can't remember why. Might as well use it before it goes off."

As she sat down at the table, she was suddenly very quiet. Now I know for a fact that Renamon aren't normally the most talkative digimon, but in the short time I've known her – from both the game and reality – she seemed to be different in that respect, at least with me...so the fact she was suddenly so silent bothered me.

"Renamon?" I called out to her, causing her ear to twitch. She looked up at me in response. "What's wrong? You're not usually this quiet. Something on your mind?"

She gazed at me, seemingly out of a daydream. "I'm sorry Daniel, what were you saying?"

"I asked if something was on your mind. You seem a little out of it." I responded.

She looked away and stood up, placing her empty dish in the sink. "Nothing. Come, let's go train."

As she headed to the door I just shrugged and followed her, placing my dish in the sink on the way out. I'd ask her again some other time what was going on. Besides, if I was going to be living here, it was about time I started getting back in shape. I was by no means flabby or anything, but living the life of a civy for the past year had made me a little soft.

I followed Renamon all the way out to a remote area of the surrounding forest. Now the strange part is that with anyone else, I would have been highly suspicious that they were going to maim, kill, and/or rob me. For some reason though, I trusted Renamon in this respect. I would've liked to think it was because I wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt or that I was just a trusting individual...but neither of those were the truth. The truth was that I was afraid. Marine or not, calm or not...I was terrified. I was for all intensive purposes alone in a world I didn't understand that was both dangerous and foreign. Renamon said that she was going to protect me and all that, but I was still reticent to completely trust her. However, whether I liked it or not, she was all I had. If I wanted to survive, I didn't have a choice but to trust her. Either that or I'd starve or end up as some larger and stronger digimon's meal. I'd worry about the moral and emotional repercussions later, right now I needed to find a good way to get food as well as train my body and reflexes to fight and defend myself. I didn't know how much stronger a digimon my size would be in comparison to me, but I couldn't rely on Renamon always being there. I know it was kind of her job, but what if something happened to her? What if she was captured...or killed?

"Daniel, pay attention please." grumbled the fox digimon.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and nodded. "Sorry about that."

She glared at me a moment before taking her place across from me. "Now that I have your attention, here is what we're going to do. I'm going to attack you...and your job is to take me down."

"Wait a minute, I know for a fact that you're more than likely a lot stronger than me, and faster. How is that fair?" I retorted.

She shook her head and sighed. "Humans know nothing about the digital world, it seems. Okay, I'll give you a quick rundown of how digimon work. For a digimon's fighting prowess, there are two things that work together to give us our power: physical strength and attunement with the digital realm. Physical strength is just what it sounds like – it's our body's natural strength and abilities. Attunement to the digital realm is what gives us our augmented strength, speed, stamina, and special abilities. Through training and absorbing the data of defeated digimon, a digimon becomes more attuned to the digital realm, and thus can more easily draw upon its power and for longer periods of time. When that attunement 'runs out' during a battle, all we have left is our base physical strength." She then smiled and took a fighting stance. "A smart digimon trains their body so as to prepare for the inevitability that at some point, an opponent will force their connection with the digital realm to sever, and all that will be left is our natural body's strength. In our sparring sessions, I will not use any digital strength, so it will be a fair fight. In all actuality, you are probably more physically powerful than I am...but I warn you not to underestimate me. I have a lot of experience."

I grinned and also took my own fighting stance. "If we're fighting on even terms, you might want to tap into just a little of that digital power for extra strength and stamina. You're going to need it."

"I just advised you not to underestimate me, didn't I?" she responded, sounding annoyed.

I shrugged and pulled my hands up with my palms out. "Alright then, I warned you."

Suddenly, she sprinted at me. It was true, she was nowhere near as fast as she could be, but those powerful legs were still more than a match for my flimsy human ones. I had barely enough time to get into my counter stance before she spun on her front foot, launching a powerful roundhouse at my head. I caught the blow and spun towards her back, causing her to lose balance and fall on her stomach. As we landed, I locked her bent leg in between mine and got into position to choke her, but her free leg slammed into the back of my head. The blow wasn't meant to do serious damage, but it did cause me to roll forward off of her, allowing her to jump to her feet in preparation for another attack. She adapted quickly, realizing that a full-on attack wasn't going to work against me, so she instead kept her distance and put balled fists up and her front foot out in a stance that looked a lot like...

"Muay Thai, huh? Okay...let's dance." I responded, taking my stance again and grinning.

She looked surprised for a second, but then smiled and nodded. Though she was obviously in this to win, I could tell she was happy she had a good challenge. I was no slouch when it came to martial arts, as I was into both krav maga and judo even before getting into the military, but I was well aware that with her legs being as strong as they were, she could utterly wreck me if I wasn't careful.

With her legs being as long as they were, it was no surprise to me that she chose to keep her distance and attempt to wear me down with long range kicks. I had thought to try and rush in close whenever she'd recover, but she recovered with startling speed, and I ended up taking a knee to the stomach. It winded me, but my training made sure that wasn't the end. I hopped back and switched to a solid stance this time, and readied myself for her next attack. She saw this change and anticipated what I was doing, and feinted a kick before rushing in and attempting to grapple me. Thankfully, what I had in mind prepared me for this, so I allowed her to get close enough until I could reach her, then lifted my arms up as she grabbed me. With my arms free, I wrapped my right arm around the back of her neck and threw my weight back, causing her to slam face-first into the hard ground. A part of me wanted to stop immediately and start apologizing, but I quickly reminded myself that she was a digimon and was born to fight, so I didn't let up. I scrambled to her back and wrapped my arm around her exposed throat, then flipped over on my own back to render her legs useless to counter. I then positioned my elbow just under her chin and started to squeeze.

Needless to say, she panicked.

The next thing I knew, I was holding on for dear life as she sailed through the air, with me as an unwilling passenger. She was in survival mode now, and had bypassed her little "rule" she'd set for herself of not using her digital powers. To counter this, I put all my strength into the choke, and noticed that as we neared the ground, she stopped flailing and went strangely limp.

I had just enough time to sigh and say, "Ah fuck..." The ground hit and then everything went black.

"Daniel? Daniel! Oh no no no, don't you die on me! Wake up!" said a voice in the distance. I wanted to respond, but for whatever reason my mouth just wasn't working. "No...no don't do this to me! Not now!"

Sensations started to come, first warmth, then wet, and then overwhelming pain in my face and right arm.

"Owie! Why, why?" I yelled out loud as my pain receptors were overloaded. My eyes shot open as I realized I wasn't the only one that would have been hurt from that fall. "Renamon?"

I felt a hand grab mine and another one on my chest. I looked to my side to see the one I was looking for sitting beside me. Her chest was covered in blood and if it's possible, my eyes got even wider. She just looked down at me with that oddly stoic face and nodded. "Good, you're awake." She then stood up and grabbed a towel off of my bed, then started lightly dabbing my face. "What were you thinking? The idea of sparring is not trying to kill each other."

I furrowed my eyebrows and glared at her. "What? I wasn't trying to kill you. I was just trying to make you pass out." I sighed and closed my eyes. "Look, the next time we're sparring and a hold or lock becomes too much for you, just tap on my arm or leg three times to let me know that you submit. That way no one gets hurt, and now you know for a fact that I was not trying to kill you." I then pointed at her chest. "You should probably take care of yourself there. I'll be fine. I've been through a lot worse."

Renamon shook her head, still holding an impassable expression. "It's not my blood...it's yours."

I reached up to my face and touched, instantly feeling a stab of pain. "We might as well break all the mirrors. I don't even want to look at myself right now." I then stood up and spit out some blood before sitting down on my bed. I then looked up at the fox digimon and pointed to the door. "Blood's a lot harder to get off of fur than skin. Go take a shower. I'll take one after you." She started to make her way over to me again, but I just shook my head and pointed to the door again. "Go, Renamon. I'll be fine, I promise." Even through the whole stoicism bullshit she was playing right now for whatever reason, I could tell she was worried about me. After a second however, she nodded and left.

After Renamon left the room, I chanced a look at the mirror. Thankfully, the injury wasn't that bad, though I could tell my nose was broken and it felt like my cheekbone might have fractured as well. The cheekbone would have to do its own thing, but I my thumbs on either side of my nose and grit my teeth before snapping it back into place, making sure the bone would heal straight. It was now more sore than it was to begin with, but at least I had the piece of mind to know I wouldn't be having a crooked nose. I would splint it after the shower, but for now I just picked up the bloody towel and got out some clean clothes. I then sat on my bed and waited for Renamon to finish with the shower. I just happened to glance at my calendar and noticed it was July 22...which would make this four years and two months since...

Since that day.

I sighed and opened my nightstand drawer, getting out a blowtorch, an oven glove, and a steel skull pendant. I held the chain of the necklace in one hand and started the torch with the other, then turned the flame on high and ran it over the pendant repeatedly.

After a minute or so of this, I rolled up my sleeve and grabbed the glove, then quickly pressed the now heated skull to my skin...next to a large group of other burn scars shaped like skulls. The first time I did this, I screamed loudly and like a little girl, but I believed in what I was doing, so I powered through it. Now, I simply growled through the pain and shut my eyes before removing the small metal charm after a few seconds. I sighed and wiped the metal pendant down before placing all the objects back in the nightstand. At this point, I heard the shower stop, so I rolled my sleeve back down and stood up with my clothes and dirty towel in hand.

A moment later, Renamon entered the room with a towel still rubbing the top of her head, then she stopped and sniffed the room in disgust. "What is that smell?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Open a window so that it'll clear out of here."

She eyed me suspiciously for a moment before shrugging and nodding. "Very well. I'll await your return then." I heard her stomach growl though, and she seemed to cringe at the sound.

I pointed out the door again and grinned. "You know there's food downstairs, right? Go get something to eat. You're not just a guest, you live here now. My house is your house, and my food is your food. And before you ask, yes...I'm sure."

She nodded and left the room again, me right behind her. As we walked down the hallway, I took a right into the washroom and quickly got my clothes off before turning the water on to take a shower.

Before and during my shower, I had noticed a very interesting scent in the washroom. It wasn't one I was familiar with, so I figured it must be Renamon. As strange as it sounds, it smelled...nice. I hadn't ever been close enough to know what she smells like, so it's not like it was old news or anything. This thought caused my mind to go crazy with one very large thought dominating it:

What the hell was wrong with me?

She was a fox...a fox. Back on Earth when I would passingly hear about some weirdo in some state having sex with an animal, that would be the kind of person I would make fun of to no end. I mean this wasn't any different, was it? I couldn't be falling for a goddamned animal. I wouldn't let myself because it was wrong.

'What makes it wrong though?'

The thought plagued my mind as the hot water flowed over my wounds. Well there were quite a few things that made it wrong. First and foremost, animals were different species. Even in the animal kingdom, inter-species relations don't fly, and for good reason. Secondly, animals were just that...animals. They weren't capable of thinking like a human or having real emotions, and so that alone was considered not only wrong, but also animal abuse. Lastly, I was well aware of just how dangerous she could be...just like an animal.

'But she's not just an animal, is she?'

It was true. She was intelligent, interesting, and different from anyone I'd ever met before. An animal was just an animal...but Renamon was different. Digimon weren't just animals by a long shot...but what made Renamon different for me was just...her. She was unique.

I then slammed my fist into the tiled wall and growled. "Why the fuck am I even thinking about this? This isn't going to happen...ever." I then sighed as I was finishing washing. "Besides...she's only around me because she has to be. This tamer-partner deal basically makes her a prisoner."

After a minute or two longer, I stepped out of the shower and dried off. I then stood naked in front of the mirror, grimacing at the ugliness of my body. Scars covered nearly every inch in some way or another, whether because of battle or because I did them myself...but it made sure that as soon as the clothes came off, I looked every bit like the monster I was. While I was very aware of just how undesirable I was physically because of them, I reveled in the scars and old wounds. It was my punishment, and my blessing.

Maybe one day when the outside matched the inside, I could stop looking in the mirror in disgust.

I sighed and pulled my clothes on, covering all but the most superficial of scars on my arms and neck, as well as the four on my face. I shook my hair to give it the shaggy look I liked and walked downstairs.

Renamon was sitting in the living room dozing slightly, and I couldn't help but grin at the rare undignified time this was. The problem was that this yet again caused my forbidden thoughts to stir again, as I realized just how...beautiful she looked. Her soft yellow and white coat was groomed perfectly so that it shined in the late afternoon sun, and her mouth was upturned in the smallest smile as she rested. Her ears, ever alert, were twitching and turning even as she slept. She looked cute, and not in an animal sort of way. No, she looked cute in the same way a beautiful sleeping girl would look...the way that made you want to sit next to her and hug her tightly.

I growled again and forced the thoughts away, then sighed sadly and walked over to the cabinet to grab some of my stronger liquor. I popped open a bottle of spiced rum and drank it straight until it was gone, then walked over and sat down on the couch. The sound of the wood creaking in the chair caused Renamon to stir, and her eyes fluttered open as she looked over at me.

She sat up quickly and composed herself, taking her stoic expression. "Your wounds have been cleaned, yes?"

I nodded and decided to play along, so I took the whole uncaring mood as well. "They have. I'll live." I then stood up and sat next to her, causing her to eye me curiously. I kept my static demeanor though and looked at her with empty eyes. "Renamon, I'm not sure if I want to be your tamer anymore."

Her eyes widened at the declaration, but she stayed calm...at least on the outside. "Why? Have I done wrong? I didn't mean to hurt you, Daniel. I'm sorry."

I shook my head and stared right into her eyes. "No...you're just fine. I just think that it would be better for you to have a tamer that you actually want as yours."

"But I do want you as my tamer, Daniel. Why do you think I brought you here?" she responded, a slight annoyance being heard in her tone.

I decided that now was the time to let my card play, so I stared back at her, matching her tic-for-tac as far as the whole "emotionless" thing. "Well then why when I woke up were you acting like it was no big deal? You were covered in my blood, and you act like it's nothing. It's pretty clear that I'm no big deal to you, so you need to find a tamer that means more to you than just a means to make you stronger. So tell me how I can release you from captivity with me so you can find someone who works better for you." I pulled the digivice out of my pocket and held it in my hand. "Do I just have to smash this thing or what?"

Sure, you could call what I'm doing "women games" or you could call it just being a prick, but there's a reason why women do this shit sometimes...it works...and I learned from my ex, the best game-player I've ever known.

I prepared to throw the digivice onto the hard tile floor, but Renamon reached up and caught my hand in the air. "NO!"

I growled and pulled her in close to me. "Why? Why not?"

"I-I..." she stuttered, now very surprised and confused.

I then snatched my hand away and set the digivice down on the counter beside her. "Look, I don't know what you're hiding from me and right now I don't really care. What I will tell you is that this whole nonchalant 'I could care less' act your playing right now is getting really old, really fast. I've dealt with enough of that on my world and I hate it every bit as much here as I did there." I then pointed to the device. "So if that's the way your going to be, you can take that and get out. I didn't tolerate it on Earth, and I'm not going to tolerate it here." She stared at me for a moment before slowly grabbing the digivice and walking away. "Really? You'd rather stay closed off than be my partner?" She just continued walking, so I took out my knife and threw it at the door in front of her, causing her to turn around in shock when it embedded in the door frame. "Why? What's so bad about acting how you really feel around me?"

Her lip quivered a bit as if she wanted to say something, but all that came out were mumbles. After a moment she composed herself and closed her eyes. "It's not proper to-"

"Fuck what's proper!" I shouted, finally losing my cool. "You brought me here...why? What was so important about me that you chose me and not someone else? Someone that knew more about digimon, or that loved Renamon..."

Her calm facade finally broke as she gasped. "W-what? What is that supposed to mean?"

I threw up my hands. "I don't know! See, that's the problem when someone acts the way you're acting, I don't know what the hell's going on!" She gasped again and I raised an eyebrow. "What?" She then walked over to my right arm and I noticed that the sleeve had come down a bit during my rant. I lowered my head and sighed. "Ah fuck..."

I felt Renamon's hands roll the rest of my sleeve back to reveal my self-inflicted skull graveyard...my reminder. She ran the tip of a finger over them before noticing the new wound that was near the bottom.

I shrugged as I looked at her. "Well, you were wondering what that smell in the room was..."

"Wh-" she started, but couldn't even finish. She closed her eyes and gulped, her expressionless mask having fully fallen away now. "Why would you do this? What could possibly make you want to do this to yourself?"

I sighed and motioned to the couch. "You may want to take a seat, this is going to take a minute to explain." She did as I asked and I went to the kitchen to grab another bottle of rum to sip on, then I made my way back to the living room and sat down next to her. "Okay, you know how I told you I was a marine, right?" She nodded. "Well, I was a marine sniper on what's called a 'spec-ops' team, which is short for 'special operations'. Basically my team's job was covert actions against whatever enemies our country were fighting at the time." I cracked open the glass bottle and took a swig before continuing. "American marine snipers on their own are considered some of the best sharpshooters in the world today, but the division I was in only took the very best of the best." I relaxed a bit into the soft cushions and took another sip. "Anyway, I was in a place called Iraq during a war our country decided would be a good idea to start. It was about three in the morning and I was with my older brother, Jason."

"You had a brother?" she asked.

I nodded. "I did. He was my spotter, simply put, my teammate. Looking back, putting brothers together on one team probably wasn't the best idea." I sighed sadly and continuing. "He had a son waiting for him at home. Because of the war, he not only missed his birth, but also the first five years of his life." I took another big drink of the spicy liquor and took a deep breath. "Anyway, it was early morning and we were charged with providing cover for our team as they tried to sneak into a fortified area. Well, I failed." After two years, I couldn't hold back the tears as one by one, they started to flow. "An enemy sniper saw the shine from my scope with the sun coming up in front of us. His aim was off however, and I was unharmed. Jason, however..." I then pointed to my arm, where the skull-marks were. "There will be one for every month the war stole from him from getting to see his son...and now he'll never get to see him, and it's my fault. I do this so that I never forget what I stole from his son."

I then walked downstairs to my basement and quickly typed in the passcode for the embedded safe in the wall. I grabbed a black case out of it and walked back upstairs, rejoining Renamon on the sofa. I flapped up the clips on the case and opened it, revealing my custom AS50 rifle.

"This," I started, holding the rifle in my hands, "was the rifle I was using that day. It's got over eighty confirmed kills and can drop a target with one shot. It was originally developed for the Navy Seals, but has since been integrated into the marines because of its portability and stopping power." I then pointed to the etching along the stock that were made with a combat knife. "My brother and I did this the day we were put into the same unit. It was supposed to be a kind of good luck charm. I only wish it had worked."

As I let my hand rest on the grip and trigger, I felt the familiar fire burn inside of me again after almost a year. I hate to admit it, but it felt good.

My momentary feeling of nostalgia was broken when I felt Renamon's hand on my shoulder. I turned to look her in the eyes, and I could see a tear in the corner of her eye threatening to break free. "I-I'm sorry, Daniel. I didn't know."

I shook my head with a sad smile. "It's okay. It's not your fault, the blame rests with me."

"No, it doesn-" she started before I interrupted her.

"Yes, it does." I stated firmly. "The last time his wife wrote a letter to us, I promised her that I would make sure he made it home. Now, because of me, his son has to grow up without a father."

Yet again, I was slapped...luckily this time without claw marks though. I looked up from my seat to see Renamon standing over me and for the first time looking angry. "No Daniel, it wasn't your fault. Your brother knew what he was getting into, and so did you. Each one of you were responsible for your own lives. You can't forever blame yourself for something that was beyond your control. What happened that day was horrible...but it's not your fault. You told me that I needed to put the past behind me and move on, so why can't you?"

"Because I'm not you!" I bellowed.

She snorted a cynical laugh and nodded. "That's for sure. Tell me something Daniel, do you think your brother would want to know what you do to yourself? Do you think he'd be proud to know that you're scarring yourself on purpose and then saying it's for him?" She braced her large paws on either side of me as her face was mere inches away, so close that I could feel the heat radiating off of her. "I know what it's like to lose someone you care about, Daniel. I've had it happen more times than I can count. The feral digimon in this world didn't care if they were my friend or not, they destroyed them simply to get stronger. And don't think I haven't thought about doing what you do to yourself because contrary to popular belief," she then used one of her razor sharp claws to draw a line on her thigh and I watched as the line turned red with blood, "digimon can bleed too. We feel pain, remorse, and even..." She then choked a bit and sniffled sadly. "We can even feel love." She then set her jaw and I could see her sharp canines sticking out over her bottom lip. "So don't think I don't know what you feel, because I do. The difference between you and I is that I remembered who they were as my friends, and I know that they would want me to press on and live my life...not hurt myself or wallow in misery."

I felt a warm wetness hit my lap and looked up to see its source was Renamon's eye. Before the next tear could fall, I wiped it away from her face. This caused her to open her eyes and look at me, so I nodded solemnly. "I'm sorry, Renamon. I guess I have some things to work on."

She stood up and moved to the side before sitting down to my right. "No...we both do. I'm sorry for being so aloof, Daniel. Showing emotions is not something that works well for a fight, so Renamon in particular strive to keep them hidden or suppressed." She then looked up at me and gazed directly into my eyes. "If you can promise me that you'll forgive yourself and move on, I can promise you that I won't hide myself anymore."

I thought for a second before extending my hand, which she took in her own. I grasped hers firmly and smiled softly. "Deal." After releasing her hand, I tore the sleeve that normally covered my skull "graveyard" and folded it before pressing it against the wound on her thigh. I then used my other hand to guide hers to hold the cloth there. "Wouldn't want blood messing up your pretty fur, now would we?"

For the first time, I saw a clear blush on her face as she nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Daniel."

Yet again the recent thoughts about her resurfaced, but this time backed by her behavior in the past few minutes. In just a little over half an hour, she had shown more depth and care than most people I'd met had shown in their entire lives. I still didn't like the idea of any sort of romance with a digimon...but perhaps we could be more than just partners.

Friends.

I never had many friends in life, save for my brother. It wasn't even so much that most people bothered me, it was just that I never had the time to form any close friendships. When I was a kid, we moved every year or so and even as an adult, the military kept me busy. Perhaps with Renamon though, I could have that connection that I always coveted, but never had.

I then stood up and walked to the kitchen to grab the first aid kit. When I returned to the living room, I quickly cleaned and bandaged my most recent skull-mark before doing the same to Renamon's cut. After I finished I stood up and offered my hand to her, which she took without hesitation. "Come on, let's eat some dinner and relax."

While it was only my second day in the DigiWorld, it was a good one...as was the meal. True to her word, Renamon was now much more open with me about what she felt emotionally, and I found myself liking this change quite a lot. She was a bit tomboyish in nature, but had a wonderful contagious giggle that I loved to hear. For the longest time we simply sat at the table talking and drinking (yes, she had one), and it was honestly the happiest I'd been in a long time.

After cleaning up the dinner dishes and putting everything away I entered the living room and turned on the TV, deciding to watch a DVD. As I popped "Con Air" into the DVD player, I heard the yellow kitsune sit down on the sofa behind me.

"What are you doing, Daniel?" she asked inquisitively.

I smiled as I closed the DVD player and sat down next to her. I then popped right back up and walked to the front door. "Well after I lock down the house, I'm going to watch a movie. You're welcome to join me if you want."

As I made my way to the back door and windows, she nodded. "I'd like that, Daniel. Thank you." After I keyed in my code to the alarm system I sat down on the sofa, bringing yet another bottle of rum with me. She pointed at it and grinned. "You drink that like water. Should I even ask just how long you've been drinking?"

"Since I was twelve." I responded. "Not the best idea, I know."

She extended her hand as I pressed "play" on the remote. "Let me try some of that."

I raised an eyebrow and handed it over. "It's really strong, just to let you know ahead of time."

She rolled her eyes and unscrewed the cap. "How bad can it be?" She then upended the bottle and took a large gulp.

As she turned the bottle down again and started sputtering, I chuckled softly as I grabbed the glass bottle away from her. "Told ya."

"Ugh, how can you drink this?" she remarked, wiping her mouth with the back of her paw.

I chuckled and took another drink. "Years of practice. Hardly anyone drinks this stuff straight. Most smart people mix it with something to deaden the burn a bit."

She sat back against the couch cushions and sighed. "That drink you gave me for dinner wasn't near as strong as that, and even now I feel a little hazy. But you've had three of those bottles to yourself. How are you even still breathing?"

"Yet again, years of practice." I responded, taking another sip.

As the alcohol started to finally set in for me and the movie was in full swing, I found myself not really minding when Renamon placed a pillow against my leg and lay down on it. A couple parts made her jump and even laugh, but for the most part she simply relaxed and enjoyed the new calm atmosphere of the home...our home.

I awoke to the repetitive title screen of the DVD some hours later and turned it off as one would an alarm clock – with the utmost haste and prejudice. I then turned off the TV as well and went to stand up, but found my right arm trapped. As I looked down in the dim light of the house, I saw probably the cutest sight I'd ever seen.

Renamon was still nestled against my lap, though the pillow had been discarded. Apparently at some point, I had taken to resting my hand on her chest, and she was clutching said hand with both of her paws very tightly. Thankfully for me, Renamon was not built like a human female. There were no breasts for me to feel awkward about, but that still didn't help the fact that I was a lot closer in contact to her than I would have liked to be. Luckily, I didn't need to wake her to get loose, as she was smaller and lighter than I was. So I simply picked her up bridal style, turned out the last light downstairs and walked up to the bedroom.

When I arrived in the dark of my room, I attempted to set her down on the roll away bed I had prepared for her, but as soon as I did so she grabbed my arm again and yanked me down on top of her. Thinking that she was playing some sort of game I smirked at her, but noticed that she was actually still asleep.

"God-fucking-damn it..." I whispered. I then looked up at my bed, then to Renamon, then back to my bed. "Fuck it...I'll regret this in the morning." With that said to myself, I picked up her limp body again and placed her on my bed before slipping away, giving her a pillow to hug while I changed. Just as I finished putting on my pajamas, I was yanked backwards onto the bed, causing me to yelp in surprise. I landed in the embrace of Renamon again and that awkward feeling was running through my body and mind. I gently broke her grip and pulled my blanket over both of us before laying my head down on the pillow.

I tried to sleep as quickly as possible, but as I attempted this she decided to wrap her arm and leg around me as she rested her head against mine.

I growled softly. "She's a digimon and you're a human, this doesn't mean anything. She's just a little tipsy, that's all. Just go to sleep, wake up in the morning, deal with the awkwardness, and move on from there. No big deal and it's nothing you haven't done before." I then looked over at the face of the vixen beside me and sighed. "No more drinking for you." Those same thoughts from my shower earlier in the day came back with a vengeance, and with Renamon so close to me at the moment, I couldn't fight them all away.

The strongest question that was assaulting me was, "Well what's wrong with it?" Earlier in the day I had rationalized with myself that it was because she wasn't human...even that she was an animal. But the more and more I thought about it, was that true? Just in two days I'd found things about her that were more "human" than most humans on Earth – more human than human, if you will (yes, it's a good song). She was capable of complex emotions, complex speech and thought patterns, and even such things as kindness. She found a way to relate to me on a metaphysical and emotional level, something no animal would ever be able to do. Just like a human, she was capable of turning against her primal instincts. The incident where I stopped her dead in her tracks by embedding a knife in the doorframe was proof of that. A mere animal would have ran or attacked...she instead instantly changed to concern upon seeing my legacy of self-mutilation on my arm.

I now was having an even harder and harder time fighting my misgivings with the whole idea. On the one hand, I had a lifetime of morals telling me that her physical form proved that she was not human, and therefore it would be wrong to think of her as anything more than a friend or companion. Now though, new emotions were bubbling within me, telling me that who she was inside was more humanlike than most people of Earth.

Like most dilemmas in my life, I pressed it away to deal with when I was sober and thinking clearly.

For the time being, I simply lay in the grasp of the smaller yet stronger being beside me.

A few more minutes passed and she started twitching and whimpering in her sleep, muttering something about someone named Gulimon. I knew from experience that no matter how much it pained me, it was a bad idea to wake a dreamer from a nightmare, so I simply stayed put until she rode it out.

Thankfully for me, it didn't take long as she suddenly sat up in shock, panting and sweating a bit. She then looked down at me and tears came to her eyes. She instantly latched on to me gently yet firmly and sobbed. Unsure of what to do, I simply freed my arm and wrapped it around her, patting her back softly. My uncertainty was not so much because I was inexperienced in dealing with such a situation, more so that I had never expected to see her cry...not in a hundred years.

A few minutes later, she finally calmed down enough to speak, and she looked up at me with teary eyes. "Daniel..." she breathed softly. "Daniel...please don't leave me. Don't leave me alone again..."

I was yet again unsure of how to react, but I figured I'd comfort her now and deal with the fallout later. Not the smartest idea on my part, but I just couldn't stand to see her cry. With that being the case, I hugged her tightly against me and placed my chin on her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere, Renamon. You'll always have me."

"Do you promise?" she asked, not moving her muzzle away from my neck.

"I swear. You don't ever have to be alone again." I responded...and I meant it more than anything I'd ever meant before.

Maybe we'd never be more than friends and partners...or maybe we would. For the time being, I didn't want to think about it. What I did know was that she needed me...and I needed her. A lot of those emo kids from Earth always say shit about their girlfriends or boyfriends saying that they were their other half, and now they were whole.

With Renamon, it was the same and yet different.

We were each a whole, added together to make two. Just like the numbers themselves, two lesser quantities added together to make one of larger quantity. I was still sovereign, as was she...but we would work and live together to do more than either of us could ever have done on our own.

With that last thought in mind, I hugged Renamon tight against my body as I finally closed my eyes and went off to sleep.