Chapter 7


*Marie's P.O.V*

"I told you there were a lot of digimon ahead. Was I wrong, or was I not?" I remarked to Joe, looking up at him when we stopped in front of the small village Tai had spotted through his monocular.

"Wow, this is tinier than I originally thought it was- I thought it just looked small 'cause of the distance," Tai commented, leaving Joe standing slack jawed beside me as he processed what he was seeing.

"We sensed you were thirsty! Here!" A little voice chimed in from one of the little straw huts, jumping out and revealing only one of the many similar creatures that inhabited the little village we stood among like giants.

They were like little pink roots with blue flowers on their circular shaped bodies, walking around on many small tentacles along their undersides. The one that had spoken brought a wooden bowl right up to me, causing me to flinch and dash behind Jojo nervously. They didn't seem dangerous, but I felt uncomfortable due to their green-eyed awe struck stares trained on me, causing Gomamon, Agumon, and Tai to lightly laugh while the other kids walked around to examine the digimon village.

"Don't worry, they're just Pyocomon. They won't hurt you, Marie," Tai tried to comfort me, misunderstanding the reason for my distress and taking the offered bowl from the small digimon to hand it to me.

"No, no, Taichi, that's not why she's hiding. Marie's just nervous because they're all staring at her!" Agumon corrected his partner while I took the bowl from my crush.

"Thank you..." I mumbled to them, glad I didn't have to try to explain myself. I guess that was one plus to having my emotions out on display for the digimon to sense.

I took the bowl from Tai and began to raise it to my lips, only for the little Pyocomon to gasp in light awe.

"Her hair is so yellow-y!"

"Yellowey, yellowey~!" Some of them sang, causing me to pause before finally taking a drink.

To be honest, I was almost shocked at how clean the water tasted, and I'd been hiking before. Usually nature's mountain water was pretty clean, but for water out of the wilderness like this to taste so good... It was pretty surprising and I felt better after getting some liquid into my system. In fact, the Pyocomon began to jump around cheerfully after my drink.

"Happy, happy! She's happy!" One Pyocomon cheered, jumping around to the other kids with the rest of the flower digimon.

"I feel happy too~!"

"Me three!" Agumon started to join in, jumping up and down as well and nearly slapping Tai in the face with a limb. I couldn't help but pull the bowl away at that moment, taking in Tai's panicked look when Agumon's claw swept close enough to take an eye out. Water spat from my lips and I shoved the bowl in Jojo's arms to burst out laughing, only to hear the Pyocomon giggling among themselves as well.

"Huh, that's interesting..." Koushiro observed, looking from my relaxing features to that of the absolutely entranced Pyocomon that were looking at me and the other kids. "Is it just me, or are these Pyocomon extremely sensitive to Marie's emotions?"

"Maybe it's because they're Lesser digimon?" Tentomon suggested, while I caught my breath and hauled myself back onto my feet.

"Thank you for the water," I acknowledged the little digimon, only to feel a pulling at my shirt from my back. I turned to see Sora and Piyomon, the latter of which was pulling me to get my attention and the former looking around in clear surprise at the many pink critters around.

"Marie, I used to be a Pyocomon too! Before I was Piyomon, I was a Pyocomon!" Piyomon stated in clear excitement, pulling on my shirt more until I stepped forward towards her.

"Oh?" I inquired, just as Agumon popped up beside the pink bird digimon.

"I used to be a pink blob too! I was a Koromon!" Agumon chimed in, only for Tai to roll his eyes at him with a grin.

"You want her attention too?" Tai teased the dinosaur digimon, who left Tai ignored to stare at me just like Piyomon and the other Pyocomon were.

"I'm sure you were just as cute, Agumon," I decided to say, giving the gold colored digimon a sweet smile in hopes of satisfying his efforts for my attention (if Tai was right, that is).

Agumon jumped up and down again, jumping over to Tai and hugging his legs. "Taichi!" Agumon started trilling happily, causing the brown haired boy to stare down at his digimon partner with a confused but small chuckle.

"Why are you acting so odd, Agumon?" Tai asked with a nervous laugh, watching the digimon nuzzle his leg much like Piyomon was doing with me.

"Koushiro, I think Marie is just as sensitive to the Pyocomon as they are to her... And I think it's affecting a few of us," Palmon started to say to the red haired kid near her, meanwhile clinging to Mimi's leg and rubbing against her side warmly. "I kind of feel like Piyomon right now~!"

Any other comment Koushiro or Mimi made to Palmon was blocked from my attention when I plopped down on my bottom to catch my breath, rubbing my forehead and feeling my happy mood quickly slip from me.

To the shock of myself and some of the other kids, Palmon, Agumon, and Piyomon (Including Patamon and Gomamon from afar, while Gabumon and Tentomon had watched us contently) stopped jumping around and lovingly nuzzling their human partners. The Pyocomon surrounded me on the ground at a close distance, worry etched across every single one of their faces.

"Heat stroke!" Some of the Pyocomon cried. "She's got heat stroke!"

"More water!" They chanted, spreading from our location to race around their little village.

"What?! Marie, are you alri...?" My cousin's words faded from me so fast I barely perceived it at all. My head was burning up again, and whatever had been pushing away my headache from before sent it reeling back to me threefold when Jojo's arms wrapped around my shoulders to steady me. It was like a yo-yo, and felt much like that dark sensation from back in the forest.

Everything was kind of spinning for a second, and it took a moment before I could start hearing the voices again, despite myself feeling dizzy.

"Marie?" I heard TK speaking to me, though his voice sounded far away and distant.

"Marie, can you hear us?!" I heard Mimi shouting, only to be scolded by Yamato to lower her voice.

"...She's not normally susceptible to heatstroke, I don't understand this. She's one of the healthiest people I know- she's never fainted before," I heard Jojo's familiar voice as I blinked my eyes open.

All of a sudden, as quickly as it came, it was gone. I found myself staring up at the many faces of my camp mates and cousin, including their worried digimon. With a curious expression I touched my forehead and made a weird face, bewildered at the fact my headache had returned and vanished so quickly

What was that? Just a dizzy spell or...?

I moved to stand back up only for Jojo to object with, "No, not yet. Sit down for a little while. You don't want to get up too soon and faint again."

"I'm fine though," I informed him, despite not making another move to disobey his orders.

Well, he was studying to be a doctor, so I assume he knew best.

"Guys, don't worry about Marie. Walk around and give her some air, crowding her will only make her nervous," Jojo said, his voice rumbling from his chest. It wasn't until then that I realized I was seated on the ground with Jojo, his arms around me so I could rest against his side and wait to recover from fainting.

"A-alright," I heard Sora murmur, giving me one last worried look before walking away with Piyomon to look around.

"She's fine now, I think," I heard Gabumon inform Yamato and Tai, where Agumon looked back at me as he followed the three away.

"More water! We want you to feel better~!" A trio of Pyocomon chirped, bringing a fresh bowl of water up to me.

Jojo took the bowl with a thank you before assisting me and bringing it up to my lips. I took generous sips before pulling away when I felt Gomamon crawl on our laps. Automatically, I brought the digimon in for a hug and relaxed beside Jojo again.

I was so happy only minutes ago- far happier than I could last remember being. I was so happy I think I had been close to tears at the time.

The moment had ended too quickly though, and it was now that I remembered our situation and the situation I had left back in Japan with Jojo.

"Why are you sad?" Gomamon asked in my arms after a second.

"..." I couldn't find an answer and looked up at Jojo, receiving a small smile from him.

"Don't worry about it, Gomamon, just... Make her feel happy again," Jojo said to his digimon partner, reaching over to caress his head much like I usually would. Gomamon made a noise of discomfort and smirked at Jojo after nudging his hand away.

"You can't pet me right. Only Marie pets me nice- she understands me," Gomamon claimed, making me begin petting him instead. Jojo shot the digimon a look when he began nuzzling my hand and humming in delight.

"Spoiled fuzzball," Jojo commented, making me crack a grin at his antics.

"I'm not spoiled! It's not like I'm making her pet me!" Gomamon retorted indignantly, to which I started gently stroking the underside of his chin to quiet him into a melted puddle of content humming. "I love you…"

I giggled a little, bringing Gomamon up against my chest to give him a hug. "I love you too," I replied, hearing a whimper from afar that had the three of us looking up curiously.

Some ten or so feet away stood Agumon with a longing expression, making me chuckle and open one arm out towards him when I took in the longing look on his face.

"You too, Agumon, come 'ere," I submitted, making the orange digimon jump in glee and rush over to give me a hug. I could hear Jojo huff in vexation, clearly uncomfortable with all the hugging going on while I rested by him. "Marie, don't encourage them!"

"Want food? You'll feel better! We will bring you food!" A trio of Pyocomon came up to us, causing me to release Agumon to address the small lesser digimon. "We will feed your friends too! They'll feel better!"

"Yay, food! Let's eat until we're stuffed!" I heard Mimi cheer from beside a Pyocomon hut, jumping to her feet with a glowing grin on her face.

"Food sounds great, but… Just what kind of food are we going to be offered anyways? I don't see any poultry farms around here," Koushiro muttered to himself a few feet away, seated much closer to Jojo, Gomamon, Agumon, and I than I'd realized before.

"Waaaater! Hehe, we can't let Lieutenant Marie drink it all by herself!" I could hear TK shouting from somewhere, running through the village and to a water fountain where a couple Pyocomon were huddling around to start serving our friends water as well. "That's a pretty fountain, did you guys make it yourselves?"

"Teehee, no!"

"Meramon made it for us!"

"He's a nice digimon that lives up on Miharashi Mountain!"

"The fountain is connected to a water source up there! It's really yummy!"

Chime after chime, the Pyocomon spoke up to talk about their fountain in an endearing manner, causing Tentomon to pop up beside TK curiously.

"Ah, so this is the famous Miharashi Mountain water…" Tentomon stated thoughtfully.

Curious to see more, I put Gomamon back on the ground and shifted to stand, hearing Jojo groan at my stubborn resistance to rest. Despite that though, I was glad that he didn't attempt to sit me back down again.

Agumon trailed after me when I walked over to the fountain to look at the water I'd been served moments prior. It was clear like Caribbean ocean, yet drinkable and tasty as described by the Pyocomon and my accustomed taste buds.

While looking at the water, I noticed my reflection staring back at me. I was mildly startled, which I felt stupid for after calming my heart down. If Tentomon or Agumon noticed, they didn't show it.

I could make out purple bags under my eyes, like I hadn't slept well or something the past night. My ponytail was tangled a little at the end, and at the sight of it, I stepped away from the water and reached back to pull the band off. Immediately, the thick strands of blonde locks cascaded over my back and shoulders, curling up in a few areas in bouncy waves.

"EEEK!" Mimi squealing had me jumping yet again, and before I knew it, she had her arms on my shoulders and was spinning me to the side to take in my hair. "Oh my gosh, you have such pretty hair! So… CUTE!"

Mimi reached into the bag at her side, shoving through everything before pulling out a hair brush and turning me so my back was to her.

"I'll take care of your hair, Marie, don't worry!" She gushed, quickly detaining my blonde hair prisoner as she began to brush through the knots, starting from the bottom and making her way to the top. Thankfully, she seemed relatively good at hair care, and my hair wasn't pulled in any way that was uncomfortable, let alone painful.

"Sheesh, Mimi, she's not actually a doll," I heard Tai chuckle nearby, making me blush slightly.

"I know! She's better than a doll! Like… Like a little sister! I'm so jealous of Joe, if she were my cousin, I'd lock her up in my room and take her everywhere with me!" Mimi continued to chirp, right before finally undoing all my knots and beginning to part my hair down the middle. "I'm going to make you look even cuter than you already are~!"

"Thank you," I said gratuitously despite my minor discomfort. She was a little overbearing with her amorous attitude, but unlike the way Sora dealt with Piyomon, I knew it wasn't a bad thing.

Mimi didn't have to brush my hair. She didn't have to be nice to me. She didn't have to shower me with attention. The fact that she liked me so much was heartwarming- it made me feel sort of… important.

Why would I be upset about that?

By the end of her hair styling, I had two thick loose braids hanging low over both my shoulders, reaching my chest and tied at the ends with two spare bands she had used from inside her bag. As soon as she turned me to face her again, she brushed my bangs into shape and then grinned at her work.

"Perfect! …URG, why aren't you my little sister?! I'd adopt you in a heartbeat!" She gushed some more, sticking her hair brush back in her bag.

"Wow, Marie, you do look cuter than before! And that's saying something- I didn't think it was possible to push it further," Tai spoke up, making my insides coil up in a fierce reaction to his personal opinion. I hastily hid my internal reaction towards his words, but blushed more and smiled bashfully.

"Th-thank you…" I murmured shyly, hearing Agumon giggle behind me.

"H-hey, the water's gone!" Jojo suddenly blurted out, snapping everyone (wait, were they all watching Mimi and I?!) back into focus. Just like my cousin had pointed out… The water was gone. No reflection staring back at me as I leaned over the edge to look in, no fresh water to pass out to my thirsty friends. Guilt filled my gut, despite Agumon quickly rubbing my back when he felt it, probably trying to make me feel better.

I did not feel any better regarding the matter.

I leaned away from the fountain to look at everyone else, just in time as a blast of fire suddenly erupted up from inside the internal plumage within. Alarmed at the sudden blast of hot fire missing me by moments, I jumped back with Agumon, bumping into Mimi and Palmon.

"F-fire?!" Patamon spoke up in disbelief.

"It's- It's okay! We have a lake a little ways away from the village!" A Pyocomon supplied hastily to ease our worries. Tai jumped at their words, heading in the direction the Pyocomon gestured with their blue flower heads.

"Let's check it out! Come on, Agumon!" Tai ordered, prompting the orange dinosaur beside me to skirt around me and follow his partner with quick steps.

I would have followed had my stomach not suddenly dropped. A sense of dread hung over me as I turned my head to look at the aforementioned Miharashi Mountain from afar. The same mountain the gear had flown to and the same mountain that I was sure had been the cause of my recent headaches- probably my dizzy spell as well.

"Marie, are you alright?" I heard Mimi speak up, her usually excited or complaining voice surprisingly switching to a tone of worry when she caught me staring at the mountain. I looked back at her, finding that all the other kids had gone running to check the lake the Pyocomon had spoken of. It was just Palmon, Mimi, and I by the fountain of spurting flames.

"…I think something bad is happening up there. We should be extra careful, just in case. I don't want anyone to get hurt," I spoke up, feeling a rush of ease when Mimi took my words seriously and nodded in understanding. I was starting to like her even more than before.

"Okie-dokie artichokie! I believe you. We'll be careful," Palmon spoke for Mimi and herself, giving me a thumbs up when I smiled in relief.

"There's no water in the lake," Tentomon popped up beside me, reporting back to us and looking at me curiously. "Are you sensing anything, Marie-han?"

I repeated what I had told Mimi just as the other kids were returning, noting the look of specifically Yamato's face at my words.

"Are you sure you're feeling what you say you're feeling? I don't know… Maybe you're still under the stress of all that heat stroke," Yamato remarked, which I ignored since…

Well, I didn't need to validate myself to him. I wasn't even speaking to him, I was talking to Tentomon. I didn't have to prove myself to him, what was the point of he wasn't going to believe me in the first place? Besides, hearing my thoughts was enough to plant a seed in his brain- maybe he would still take heed of my words.

"We also have a well if you want to check that out for water too!" A Pyocomon cut into the group, leading us to a well on the other side of the village where a rope and wooden bucked was set up to take water from inside.

Tai, like the natural born leader he seemed to be, grabbed the bucked and leaned over with Yamato (URG) tossing it in until…

BANG!

"'B-bang'…?" Tai repeated, confused at the collision of solid material against more solid material. Where was that soft sound of solid against water? Where was the splash and dunking sounds?

I hugged my arms and rubbed my sides up and down quickly, feeling a wetness seeping out of my pores as an indescribable heat started to overtake me. It wasn't like that heat stroke I had experienced before, this was like I was holding something really hot. Burning hot, like burning wood pressed all over my body. Involuntarily, despite the heat I felt, I shivered in discomfort.

"Pull it up anyways," Yamato ordered, prompting Tai to make a noise of agreement before he started pulling the rope and bucked back up.

As soon as he had pulled up the end of the rope, he made a funny face and held up the burnt remains of the rope- lacking in both water and the wooden bucket that had been Attached prior to the experiment. Within moments, another spurt of fire suddenly followed Tai's actions, causing him to jerk back and wince when the fire licked his right arm. I heard Agumon gasp, pulling Tai further from the flames just in case he got burnt anymore.

Where's all of this fire coming from?! I thought to myself in shock, feeling Jojo grab hold of my wrist and tug me closer to him. He was frowning, looking up at Miharashi Mountain and visibly swallowing down anxiety as the other kids tried to figure out what was causing the spurt of flames within the Pyocomon well and fountain.

Nausea started to rise in my stomach, making the burning sensation over my body intensify. I was extremely uncomfortable, so much so that I wished I'd been visiting a cooler place up high in the mountains.

My discomfort seemed to start being noticed by the other digimon, mostly the Pyocomon since they were quick to scurry around in a panic and begin chanting.

"Burning, burning, burning! She's overheating!"

"It's burning hot! Need water!"

Burning.

My eyes narrowed on an orange sparkle coming off of Miharashi Mountain in the far distance, a speck of light that was rapidly travelling down the side of the natural structure at a speed that put me in a state of further discomfort as it got closer.

"Joe..." I whined, wiping sweat off of my forehead and directing his attention back down to me despite the strange orange light on the mountain. "I don't feel good... It's coming from over there."

The use of his actual name rather than his nickname must have sent alarm bells going off in his head, because Jojo suddenly reached down and wrapped his arms around me, lifting me up in his arms easily and looking to Tai.

"Where's your monocular? Can you focus on that light on the mountain?!" Jojo took control of the gaping and scrambled kids and digimon, quickly demanding order with just that statement due to the tone of his voice.

"Y-yeah, gimme a second," Tai stammered, visibly surprised at his authoritative about-face and quickly producing his monocular to peer at the light on the mountain.

I rested my cheek over Jojo's shoulder, watching Tai examine the mountain with heavy eyelids as I forced myself to keep from shutting down. There was a heavy anxious ball of fear growing in the pit of my belly, as if something bad were going to happen soon... Just like I'd told Mimi, Palmon, and the others. The dizziness, nausea, and discomfort... The sensations of burning up and feeling a tinge of rage in my mind... I didn't have to be a genius to notice that they weren't my emotions. I was not causing this in any way, nor were the digimon partners or the Pyocomon.

"…! I see a digimon! It looks like it's made out of fire!" Tai reported n, causing my stomach to drop again.

The burning sensation. It made sense now.

"Meramon is coming down the mountain!"

"Meramon never comes down the mountain!" The Pyocomon were chirping in a panic, scurrying around Jojo and I fearfully.

I could feel their panic, which was just on the same wavelength as my own and growing steadily. The fact that they were able to sense my emotions and that I was able to sense theirs... It was like our panic and anxiety doubled every moment we noticed the other's panic.

I needed to calm down.

For them.

I took in a deep breath and forced myself to isolate my inner turmoil from theirs, doing the exercises that my therapist had me practice nearly every single session I went in. My mind travelled from the flame digimon that was headed towards us and to a much calmer thought process, like...

Like the air.

It was humid, the sticky kind that nobody liked, but every now and then, a cool and pleasant breeze would comb through my braids and gently brush against the moist areas of my skin. Unlike the air back in Shibuya, this air seemed a lot clearer than the dirty scents and thickness around the city. This air was light, a featherweight that satisfied even without the sharpest breath one could muster.

I was calming down, and as I did so, I noticed the Pyocomon had stopped scrambling around like cooped up chickens, moving around slower and some even stopping to... I think concentrate on my calming aura.

"Guys, we need to get away from here, he's headed this way!" Yamato realized, ushering TK and Patamon along first and then regarding the Pyocomon. "Pyocomon! We're gonna take shelter in the ship that was beneath your old lake! Post haste, let's move!"

Jojo was the first to get moving, hurrying along with Gomamon at his heels to get the Pyocomon to follow them. In the midst of everything, I watched as the orange light from Meramon's approaching figure descended into the foot of the mountain, most likely now travelling the stretch of land that was in the direction of the Pyocomon village.

Jojo, Gomamon, Mimi, Palmon, TK, Patamon, Yamato, Gabumon, and I were among the first admitted into the shelter, with Jojo being forced to sit me down by the edge of the upper ship's hull and railing while he assisted the others in getting the Pyocomon on board too. He'd attached Gomamon to my hip though, just to give me extra security and stuff.

"D-don't worry, Marie, we're here with you!" Gomamon tried to reassure me, but his words did little to settle my nerves. It was literally taking me every ounce of my being to repress the burning feeling that was erupting out of every pore from my body.

I was starting to lose control of the calming aura I'd only recently acquired.

I... I hate this. It hurts! ...But even if I went home, would it just be the same?

"Marie, it's okay," I flicked my blue irises towards Gomamon, who wore a patient smile and was starting to nuzzle my neck and chin. "You're okay, focus on our emotions- we've got this under control."

At first, I wanted to shake my head and refuse. The look Gomamon was giving me though... It was desperate. I could feel his desperation to make me relax, the despondence running through him as he watched me suffering under a burning sensation he probably didn't quite understand.

He was here though, trying to fix me up.

I can't be fixed, it's not that simple!

Was I still even referring to the empathic connection between myself and the strange black gear?

"Please, trust me," I heard Gomamon whine, still not giving up just yet.

We'll be back soon! Trust me, it's not even far.

"Listen to us." Gomamon's tone had dropped to a relaxing lilt, one that eventually I gave into and shut my eyes to focus on.

I reached out to all the digimon and did as I was told.

I listened.

Four on the deck, two below at the hull where a hole had been ripped open to make an entrance, and one I recognized as Piyomon at the cliff that led up to the Pyocomon village. As if sensing that I was reaching out for their support, I felt waves of relaxing emotions wash over me- enough that I was starting to be able to push away the burning feelings from the black gear.

Give or take a minute or two, and I found the control to keep it from affecting me so badly and shoved it away as hard as I could.

The burning sensations stopped.

"I..." I trailed off, eyes snapping open in time to note that Yamato was staring at me from the edge of the deck, instead of looking over at where Meramon would appear with Mimi, Joe, and TK.

"There. You did it," Gomamon giggled in my lap, clearly staying upbeat if only to reassure me. I could feel that he was sort of anxious about the situation with Meramon and the black gear affecting me, but was doing his best to keep me focused on good, tranquil emotions.

I looked back up at Yamato, about to ask what was happening until I realized he was no longer looking at me- having shifted his gaze to stare over the rail with a look of alarm on his face.

It was then that I felt two emotions sharply swing- Piyomon becoming panicked and an unknown digimon sparking up in excitement and dreadful delight.

I spun around entirely, Gomamon falling from my lap and yelping a little when I grabbed onto the rail and hauled myself up to look at the cliff.

"PIYO-" I started, but my shout was muffled under Sora screaming her name over my own voice. The tangy haired girl was running away from the shelter, heading towards the cliff to try and reach Piyomon.

My stomach turned when Meramon, a digimon entirely made out of fire, swatted an arm at Piyomon as if she were some insignificant insect, casually watching as the pink digimon tumbled down the cliff and into the waiting and horrified arms of Sora. Relief pumped into my stomach as I saw her catch the digimon, but not enough to make me relax again. Meramon was still too close to them for comfort. The digimon could easily just jump down to them and finish the job of hurting them.

When Sora and Piyomon had a moment to talk and speak sweet nothings to each other, I frowned in confusion. Meramon hadn't moved, so I looked towards him...

And found him staring back at me.

"You..." Meramon's eyes flashed dangerously, promising nothing good when I realized he wasn't looking at anyone else but me. I was specifically being targeted- like he'd forgotten about the other digimon and kids.

I felt an hand wrap roughly around my wrist, tugging me away from the railing and cutting off my eye contact with Meramon.

Mimi had latched onto me so fast I barely realized it had been her to reach for me. She shifted me closer to her, nailing Meramon with a glare so feral I was surprised that the upbeat and happy-go-lucky fashonista could muster such a look. Palmon and the digimon on the deck (that weren't the weak Pyocomon in need of protection as well) stood in front of us kids and lesser digimon, Yamato and Jojo shifting so that TK, Mimi, and I were at the back near the Pyocomon.

"Why is he only looking at Marie...?" Jojo huffed in discomfort, reaching back to hold my other wrist while Mimi kept me near her.

Meramon faced us and buckled his knees slightly, thought I knew what he was doing even before he made those actions.

"He's going to jump," I alerted the others, though my statement was either ignored or not heard due to the thick tension of what Meramon would do.

Which is why they were surprised when Meramon let out a deep cackle, like the cracking of sparks in a fireplace as he bent his knees as much as he could. Upon completely unraveling and coming out of the bent position, we watched as the flame digimon pounced across the gap between the boat's deck and the cliff- jumping so far that he flew over our heads, and landed on the railing behind the Pyocomon and myself.

The Pyocomon naturally panicked, and as they scattered away and unintentionally made a path straight towards me, Meramon lunged with a demonic look on his face. His arms opened like the pincers of an insect... And snapped shut around my waist and arms.

I let out a piercing cry of pain, the bones in my small body audibly cracking to the force of the digimon as it ripped me away from Mimi and Jojo. Surprisingly enough

"NO!" Jojo shouted, pushing past the other kids and throwing out an arm to try and snatch me back.

Too late.

"Marie!" TK called out, all of the kids and digimon on the deck momentarily petrified as if they couldn't believe what had happened.

They didn't expect that, and to be honest, neither did I.

Meramon pounced over them again, this time landing on the railing and promptly diving off down towards Tai, Koushiro, Tentomon, and Agumon.

"What's happe-?!" Tai was starting, turning to look up towards us as we landed just between Koushiro and Tai. Tai's and Koushiro's eyes both went wide as dinner plates at the sight of me tucked under Meramon's arm, having being shifted mid pounce into another uncomfortable position that made my ribs hurt. My torso was hanging over his left arm like a towel, one that was struggling to squirm out of the burning hold he had around my frail form.

All the while, I was mentally chanting to myself my favorite mantra, reaching out for the digimon partners of my friends and tryig to find that relaxing support they had created for me before. Unfortunately, all I found was chaotic and uncontrollable hysteria. They were too panicked to help me calm down, and slowly but surely, the sick sensations that emanated from the black gear (wherever it was) began to creep back inside of me. I was close to the point of needing to find somewhere to vomit due to the dizziness that was taking hold of my body.

Before either Agumon or Tentomon could do anything, Meramon reached with his other arm to get a better grip on me and swung me around. For a second, a gentle breeze grazed the mildly burnt skin under my clothes where Meramon had held me (along my back and around my waist). It was a moment of relief for the burnt areas and my startled emotions... But it ended quickly.

Blacking out when my back hit the hull of the abandoned ship was swift, as if someone had simply flicked the switch of a lamp off.


A/N: I'm back. More to come, hopefully soon.