Leo and Agumon huddled on the cold slab of ground, but the former refrained from talking.
He was too worried about the others…
Was Mikey okay?
Was Patamon keeping him warm?
Was Raph doing something careless?
Was Don being careful?
Was Judie being foolish?
Was Anne hurt?
Was Rose injured?
Rose…
He seemed to think a bit more about her than the others…
Agumon, bored and cold, tried to break the silence.
"I wish we were on solid ground…"
Leo looked up at that, and his eyes widened.
"Agumon…Be careful what you wish for…"
"Why, Leo?" Agumon asked before following his partner's gaze.
"…Oh…"
Their small piece of ice rammed into the much BIGGER one, sending the two flying through the air.
They landed in snow, and Leo sneezed slightly, shivering.
"Sometimes, it's not so great being cold-blooded…"
He heard muffled cries, and turned to see Agumon buried, head-first, in the snow.
"AGUMON!"
Grabbing the Digimon's flailing legs, the blue-banded turtle pulled his friend free of the cold snow.
Landing on his shell, Leo groaned before sitting up.
"You were stuck in there pretty tight…"
Something caught his eye, and Leo turned to see it more clearly.
"Mailboxes?"
Sure enough, there was a row of red mailboxes a few yards more inland.
"Whoa…Maybe SOMEBODY lived here…once…" Leo muttered.
He turned around to see Infinity Mountain steadily growing smaller.
"…All the little pieces of the islands are drifting AWAY from Infinity Mountain…Which means we're drifting away from the others…"
Leo sighed, putting a hand to his head.
"…And we have no way of crossing this freezing cold ocean…"
"Leo, what'll happen if we keep drifting around like this?"
"Why would I know?"
"You're from another world. I've never left File Island."
"And I've never left my world, either."
Agumon stopped to think for a moment.
"Well, it could be worse…"
"How?"
"Evil Digimon could be attacking us."
The ground shook slightly as a large, snowman-like Digimon pulled himself from the snow in front of the mailboxes.
"It's Frigimon! Don't worry, Leo. He's a good Digimon."
Frigimon threw a large ball of snow at them, and the two had to slide down a hillside to keep from being buried.
Leo shivered, spitting out snow.
"A good Digimon, huh?"
Agumon smiled sheepishly, and both spotted the larger Digimon's back.
"A Black Gear!"
Frigimon turned on them again, looking mad.
"Sub-Zero Ice Punch!"
The two managed to jump clear of the attack, and saw it freeze a mailbox solid.
"Pepper Breath!"
The attack seemed harmless, and Leo took a step back.
"Sub-Zero Ice Punch!"
Dodging it a second time, they saw it freeze another mailbox.
'There's no room for mistakes…We'll be frozen solid if he touches us…'
He tried to hit them again, and the two started running.
"Agumon, could you-?"
"I'm too hungry to Digivolve, Leo!"
'Perfect! Just PERFECT!'
Leo skidded to a halt at the dead-end they reached.
They turned to see the only exit was blocked by Frigimon.
"I know! Leo, you can throw me at him! If I can land on his back, I can vaporize the Black Gear!"
Leo barely lifted the Digimon off his feet.
"I can hardly lift you, let alone throw you!"
"Sub-Zero Ice Punch!"
They managed to slip between his legs, and Frigimon was soon buried under snow.
Leo turned back, mind racing.
"Roll up into a ball!"
"Like this?"
"Right."
Leo pulled back his leg, concentrating.
'I've only got one shot…'
Frigimon burst from the snow, and turned to them.
'Now!'
With a powerful kick, Agumon flew through the air.
He managed to latch onto Frigimon's back, luckily.
"Pepper Breath!"
The fire seemed to make the snow Digimon panic, and Agumon flew off as the burning Black Gear came free.
Once it disintegrated, Frigimon sat up, confused.
"Ow…What happened?"
"A Black Gear was on you, and you almost turned us into ice sculptures." Agumon answered, and Leo smacked his forward.
'Blunt as ever…'
"Oh, I'm so sorry!"
Frigimon stood, towering over them.
"I just hate when I do that! But thank you for destroying the gear! I'm glad you're both alright!"
Leo nodded.
"But…Have you seen anybody else like me, Frigimon?"
The large Digimon seemed to contemplate it for a moment.
"Actually…I remember seeing someone like you with a Gabumon. They landed on that island over there."
Frigimon pointed at the other island, and Leo perked.
'Raph!'
He sighed, looking across the water.
"It's just like Raph to land that far away…And we have no way to get across…"
"Since you got rid of the Black Gear, I'll help you get across." Frigimon offered.
"Really? How?"
"Sub-Zero Ice Punch!"
A small bridge started reaching across the water, and Leo grinned.
"An ice bridge! Perfect!"
As they started walking across the bridge, Leo felt something was…Off…
'Raph, if you're out there killing yourself, you'd better stay alive until I get there…'
--
"MIKEY!!"
Silence, only broken by the swirling snow…
"DONNIE!!"
Still nothing, and a cough broke free from the turtle's throat…
"LEO!!"
When he still didn't hear a reply, Raph growled.
"Raph, you need to rest." Gabumon reasoned, grabbing his partner's arm.
"No!" The turtle snapped, pulling free before he kept walking through the snow.
"MIKEY!! MIKEY!!"
Another fit of coughing sent the red-banded turtle to his knees in the freezing snow.
Gabumon was at his side in a moment, a hand on his shell.
"You must save your strength."
The Digimon looked around for shelter.
Spotting a cave, he started helping Raph stand.
"We'll go into that cave and warm up until the storm passes."
Raph perked, and bolted towards it.
'A cave! That's where Mikey should be! He never liked 'he cold!'
He ran into the still darkness, looking around.
"MIKEY!!"
Seeing nothing, he sighed, his muscles weighing heavily now that adrenaline no longer kept them moving.
"I'm so sorry, Raph…" Gabumon stated, moving sticks into a safe circle.
'Then again, Mikey never really liked caves…'e's afraid 'a 'he dark…'
"Blue Blaster!"
As the fire began to melt the chill from his skin, Raph shivered uncontrollably.
"Come, sit by the fire." Gabumon invited, helping the turtle sit down comfortably.
"But I need ta get back out 'here an' fin' the others!" Raph snapped back, about to stand.
"You shouldn't!" Gabumon replied, putting a comforting hand on the turtle's shoulder.
"You can't help anyone if you're sick."
"I feel fine!"
Another fit of coughing proved him wrong.
"You are not! I'll go look for them!"
Raph looked at him in surprise.
"I'm your Digimon, Raph. I'm here to help you through thick and thin, whether its hot or cold."
He smiled.
"Besides, I have a built-in warm fur coat, and you're cold-blooded."
He nuzzled the turtle warmly.
"I'll be back in two shakes of a Digi-tail!"
He headed back out into the swirling storm, and Raph turned to stare at the fire.
A few more coughs escaped him before he started thinking…
'Mikey…Donnie…They can't possibly stand a chance out 'here alone…'
He shivered, feeling ice melt off his shell.
'They're my brothers…I should be out 'here lookin' fer 'em…'
He stood up, still shaking.
'I'll find 'em…I'll find 'em 'cause I have ta…'
--
Gabumon sighed, shifting through the snow sadly.
'No sign of anyone…Poor Raph will be devastated…'
The Digimon stopped, catching a familiar scent on the air.
'Raph?'
Running towards the source, he found an unconscious turtle, nearly buried in snow.
"RAPH!"
He ran to the turtle's side, holding him up and trying to shake the snow away.
'Oh, I told you to stay inside! Please be alright, Raph!'
Bringing the poor turtle back to the cave, he laid him down on some broad, warm leaves near the fire.
'I need to warm him up! If I don't, he'll never make it!'
Looking around, he wondered what he could possibly use.
'All I have is my own fear…'
An idea sparked in his head, and he grinned.
'Why not?'
Pulling off his fur and covering his partner.
He chuckled.
'Naked Digimon…'
As he settled down to keep watch, he smiled.
'He'll be better in no time…'
They stayed like that, with at least one of them warm, until sunrise.
Raph started waking up, no longer shivering, and Gabumon put his fur back on.
The red-banded turtle sat up, looking confused and grateful.
"Ya took off yer fur…fer me?"
Gabumon nodded, adjusting the fur more comfortably.
"Yeah…"
"Well, thanks…"
"It was nothing. I'm just glad to see you up and feeling-."
His stuffy voice was interrupted by sneezes.
"…Better…"
Raph's brow furrowed in worry.
"Ya kept me all warm, an' ya got MY cold…"
He smirked.
"Bet ya look weird without yer fur on, though…Thanks…"
"No problem."
A sound caught their attention, and Raph turned to the mouth of the cave, concentrating.
He knew that voice…
"Raph…"
He couldn't place it, though…
"Raph."
He scrunched up his beak as he tried to pinpoint it…
"Raph!"
He could almost see the face that voice came from…
"RAPH!"
It sparked in his head, and he jumped to his feet.
"LEO!"
Running out of the cave, he heard Gabumon sneeze before following.
"RAPH!"
"GABUMON!"
"LEO!"
"AGUMON!"
Catching sight of his blue-banded brother, Raph sped up.
Leo did the same, his worry and relief making him just want to hug his younger brother.
Once he was close enough, he did just that, surprising the red-banded turtle.
"How'd ya find me?" He questioned, once the shock wore off.
"We met up with Frigimon. He told us where you two were and helped us across the ocean."
Raph looked up at the Digimon.
"Did ya see anyone else?"
"No. When it rains turtles, I usually notice. You were the only two that landed here."
Frigimon shrugged.
"If there are more of you, they must be on the other islands."
Raph sighed, looking at the cold ground.
'Poor Mikey…'
"We'll find them. Don't worry." Leo assured, as if reading his brother's mind.
Gabumon's sneeze made both jump, and they turned to the sniffling Digimon.
Frigimon wandered off as Leo looked worriedly at the Digimon.
"How'd you get sick? You're the one with fur here…"
"Leave 'im alone, Leo."
The blue-banded turtle looked at his red-banded brother in confusion, feeling the tight grip on his arm.
"I'm just asking-."
"Stop it! Just stop!"
Confused and worried, Leo nodded.
"Just relax, bro…"
The red-banded turtle released his brother's arm.
Leo sighed, trying to organize his thoughts.
"Now we just have to find out what to do..."
"What are ya talkin' 'bout? We need ta find the others!"
Leo's brow furrowed.
"I know, but Frigimon said their all on different islands. Unless we get a helicopter or something, we're stuck."
"What? So ya wanna get FRIGIMON ta help?"
"He's only got two arms. He's not an octopus."
Raph glared, crossing his arms.
Leo sighed, shaking his head.
"We should just try to get off this island…Maybe we should head toward Infinity Mountain…"
"What fer?" Raph asked darkly.
"If I know Rose, at least, she'll be heading back there looking for either Devimon or her sisters."
"Ya just wanna fight Devimon." The red-banded turtle growled.
"No I don't. But I think this is the most reasonable thing to do-."
"I'm not goin' ta some mountain while our little brothers are out 'here!"
"I want to find them as much as you do-!"
"No ya don't! Ya just wanna be the hero!"
"Raph, don't be difficult-!"
"Well, SORRY! Maybe I'll just leave an' stop bein' so DIFFICULT!"
Raph whirled around, beginning to storm off.
"Raph!" Leo called, feeling frustrated.
He took off after the stubborn turtle, and had to tackle him to the ground.
"Now stop being stubborn and listen to me for once!" Leo ordered.
"Maybe there's something there that can help us FIND them!"
He sighed, softening.
"I know how you feel, Raph…"
What Leo WASN'T expecting was a fist to the face that sent him sprawling.
Agumon ran to his side, looking worried.
"Ya have NO idea how I feel, Leo! Now stop bein' such a jerk!"
"I'M being a jerk?!" Leo seethed, tackling his brother in the stomach.
Trading punches and blows, the Digimon begged for them to stop as they began to roll away, wrestling.
They hardly realized when they stopped on the edge of a cliff.
Leo raised his fist, ready to land another blow on the brother now below him, but he stopped.
It looked like Raph was going to…cry…
"I'm sorry…I was just…so worried…When I couldn't find anybody, I just kept imaginin' all the horrible thin's that could be happenin' ta ya guys…"
He nearly choked on his breath.
"I just…couldn't stand thinkin' that ya guys were hurt an' I wasn't 'here…"
Lowering his arm, Leo felt stupid for not having thought of it.
"Raph…"
"Leo! Raph! Get away from that cliff!" They heard Agumon yell.
Then, the ground moved from below them, sending both turtles over the edge.
Leo managed to grab hold of a root sticking out of the dirt wall, and caught his younger brother's wrist.
Slowing his heart so he could hear himself think, Leo gulped.
"You okay, Raph?"
The red-banded turtle breathed deeply a moment, nodding.
"Yeah, Fearless…I'm fine…"
"Hold on, Leo!" Agumon called down.
"Trust me, I'm not going anywhere!" Leo shouted back, tightening his grip around Raph's wrist as his brother did the same.
Both heard a primal cry, and looked up.
"Agumon, what's wrong?!"
"Gabumon?!"
"It's Mojyamon!!" They heard Agumon shout.
"But he's got a Black Gear in him!!"
Now thoroughly freaked out and unsure of what to expect, Leo nearly cursed when the root he'd been holding onto broke free.
The two turtles and their Digimon began free-falling, smalls rocks and snow and ice following them in their downward descent.
Neither brother released each other until they landed on Frigimon's head, along with their Digimon.
"It's raining kids and Digimon again…I'm gonna have to start carrying an umbrella…"
"Thanks, Frigimon! Great timing!" Leo stated.
"Don't mention it. I brought some food."
Raph relieved the Digimon of the berries, giving the majority to the two starving Digimon, Frigimon gave Gabumon some strange grass.
"An old Cold remedy." He explained.
Gabumon ate it hurriedly, but you could tell by his face that it tasted disgusting.
Mojyamon jumped down as Gabumon shoveled berries into his mouth to wash out the horrible taste, and the four ran out of the way.
"I'll take care of Mojyamon!" Frigimon promised, turning to face the other Digimon.
The two charged at each other, and Frigimon tackled the other into a wall.
"Sub-Zero Ice Punch!"
Mojyamon dodged the fist, grabbing the arm and throwing Frigimon over his shoulder and towards the group.
"Boomerang Bone!"
The attack barely missed them as the five hit the deck.
Leo got up as the bone returned to its owner.
"Nice trick, Mojyamon…Now see ours…"
"Agumon, Digivolve to…GREYMON!!"
"Gabumon, Digivolve to…GARURUMON!!"
The large wolf caught the boomerang-shaped bone, snapping it in half with his jaws.
"Go get 'im, Garurumon!"
"Burn him up, Greymon!"
"Nova Blast!"
Mojyamon jumped away from it, landing a powerful kick on Greymon's head.
The large Digimon fell back as Frigimon snuck up on the one with a Black Gear, restraining his arms.
"Now, Greymon! Get the Black Gear!"
"Nova Blast!"
It hit the Black Gear dead-on, sending both back into the rock wall the two had been clinging to not too long ago.
The gear popped right out as the rock crumbled, sending both Digimon to the ground, Mojyamon shrinking.
Behind the rock were many rotating Black Gears, and Garurumon growled, glaring at them.
Raph put a hand on his partner's head, nodding.
"Do what ya gotta do…"
The large wolf nodded, raising his head.
"Howling Blaster!"
The Black Gears were broken and stopped rotating, only to move in the opposite direction than before.
The two Digimon Dedigivolved as Mojyamon came to his senses.
"I feel like I was run over by a Monochromon!"
Frigimon and Mojyamon seemed to bond quickly, and Raph turned back to the topic at hand.
"…This doesn't change nothin', Leo…We still gotta find the others…"
Leo nodded, and noticed something.
"We're moving back towards Infinity Mountain…"
"…Where the others are goin'…"
Leo nodded.
"Then we shouldn't waste our time fighting."
He turned to look at his red-banded brother.
"We'll both look for our brothers. Right?"
After a moment, Raph smirked.
"Just this once, Fearless."
'I'm just so glad I'm not so alone anymore…'
