Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

What's Left of You

Chapter: 9

Henry rubbed his chin exhaustedly as he stared at his computer screen, contemplating the digital 'arm' he had built. It was more refined now in appearance; appearing less bulky and more streamlined, at least in terms of its 'skeleton' – the interconnected wireframe map of its lines – but it remained crude and far from being finished.

I'm so tired… Henry thought, his eyes drooping ever so slightly, drowning the world about him in darkness in pleasant oblivion until a light knock on his door caused him to snap to attention with a jerk. His head spun about as the door to his room opened, heart banging away in his chest before he relaxed, seeing his father enter with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not disturbing anything, am I?" he asked, earning him a giggle from Terriermon.

"No!" Henry said quickly, his face hot before yawning loudly. He shook his head, trying to clear it. "No. Sorry. I was just…too focused on my work."

"He's been trying to build a new arm for Takato," Terriermon explained, his tone a bit more serious now as he hopped up and down on the bed, his ears spread outward. This earned him a hard look from Henry.

"Terriermon…"

"What? You didn't say it was a secret or anything!"

"No, but I also said that I wasn't sure it would work!" Dropping his face down into his hands, he pressed his palms into his eyes to encourage them to wake up. They responded with simple discomfort, letting him know they did not approve of the pressure. "I don't want anyone to get their hopes up…"

Janyu looked at his son, his expression full of concern. Hearing about Takato's injury from Yamaki had been distressing, not just because he had come to like the teen over the years for the trust Henry and so many others placed in him and just how unfailingly kind and polite he was, but also because it reminded him of the dangers that the Tamers faced ever since they were children. How many times had Henry – or even Suzie – nearly been killed or seriously injured? He remembered a time, not more than two years ago, when Terriermon quipped about Rika literally 'bringing the roof down' during a fight with Takato, something that the girl seemed uncomfortable admitting to while Takato and Henry merely brushed it off, with laughter, as the growing pains of their friendship.

He could recall the close calls he witnessed while sitting in the safety of Hypnos, monitoring them from his equipment, and each time it made his heart clench.

Yet he knew that there was no way that Henry would steer away from this path now. Him or Suzie. Like it or not, the world needed them. There were just too few alternatives.

"You look pretty worn down," he said, deciding to give voice to those worries that he could affect.

"That's because he spent an all-nighter working on that arm," Terriermon said, and once more Henry gave him a hard look, clearly not liking being tattled on. Crossing his tiny arms together, Terriermon puffed his chest out defiantly. "Well you did! I've been trying to get you to catch a break all morning, and you won't listen to me!"

"It's not a bad sign if I ignore you sometimes," Henry replied, a touch of anger in his voice. Terriermon's ears lifted in response.

"I'll ignore that because you're tired and upset still, but it is a bad sign if you don't get any sleep!"

"Nnnggg… Terriermon…"

"He's not wrong, you know," said Janyu, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "At any rate, your project will suffer if you tackle it while you're tired."

Henry sighed and glanced back at his project in question. "It won't work anyway. Especially with the way Hypnos has cracked down on Mr. Mizuno's code. I just don't see any way of this working without it! Not even…"

He bit his lower lip as he caught himself, and his face flushed, causing Janyu to tilt his head to one side questioningly.

"Henry?"

"Nothing…"

Alarm bells went off inside Janyu's head, and he frowned slightly, leaning forward. "Henry… What are you getting into? The digimon code…" His eyes widened slightly. "Henry… Tell me you didn't…"

Henry turned away, ashamed. Although he didn't say anything, it was admission enough.

"Henry…" Janyu began, only for the boy to quickly interrupt.

"I know I shouldn't have gone to those sites! It's just… I was desperate and not thinking right…"

"Tired," Janyu corrected. "Henry, I understand your desire to help your friend, but…those sites are illegal with good reason! They're trying to create their own digimon! Trying to figure out how they tick! How to…" Janyu clenched his eyes shut and shook his head in disbelief. "Henry… Some of the things those people are looking to do… It's inhuman!"

"Wait, what?" Terriermon's eyes went wide at that, wondering just what it was Henry had gotten himself into while he wasn't looking.

"I know, I know…" Henry sighed. "Look, I promise I didn't get very far. I just…" He looked up at his father, and the depth of his exhaustion was plainly visible in his grey eyes. "I just…"

"…wanted to help your friend," Janyu finished for him as the teen trailed off, his expression relaxing. "I know. I understand. But would Takato really be helped by people like that? Could you even trust them not to put something malicious into that arm you're making?"

"Which is why I stopped." Leaning into his hands once more, Henry groaned. "I'm sorry, Dad. I know it was stupid."

"Uh… Could someone explain to me what's going on?" Terriermon asked.

"Nothing's going on," Henry replied gruffly, lifting his head. "And that's how it's going to stay."

Terriermon opened his mouth to challenge this when suddenly Henry's digivice sounded an alarm. The teenager bolted out of his chair, exhaustion washing away from him as a surge of adrenaline hit his system like a truck.

"Terriermon?"

"Let's go!" the rabbit-dog digimon replied, bouncing off the bed and landing atop his partner's shoulder. Nodding in return, Henry glanced at his father.

"Dad…" he began, a pained expression forming on his face.

"Just…be careful," Janyu said, answering his unspoken question, knowing that he couldn't – that he shouldn't – stop his son from heading out into danger.

Even though I wish that I could, he thought, stepping aside. Henry let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you," he said, rushing toward the door.

###

"So what kind of sites were you visiting?" Terriermon asked as they exited the apartment and took off at a run toward the elevator.

"Not now!" Henry replied stiffly, drawing out his digivice and activating the compass function to get an idea of what part of the city they would be fighting in. Arriving at the elevator, he hit the call button, anxiety pounding a steady, powerful drumbeat inside his chest.

"Oh, come on, Henry!" Terriermon exclaimed. "The way your dad was talking, it was like you were working with the D-Reaper or something! What's up with that?"

Henry frowned as the door dinged open and they stepped inside.

"Do you remember the Angewomon incident?" he asked, the doors closing behind them.

"Uh… Yeah." The long-eared digimon twisted his face up in discomfort, a light blush blooming on his face swiftly accompanying it. "She was…weird. She had some of her data rewritten or something like that, right?"

Henry nodded, pressing the button for the lobby. "The sites I visited… They often talk about things like that. How to build a digimon, or rewrite one that already exists. Hypnos monitors them to make sure that they don't actually try anything, but…they're aware of the digimon code and they're figuring out how to work it without being spotted. I was hoping they would have something where I could just build a new arm for Takato that would work for him, but…" He shuddered. "I…can't do it. I honestly don't know why I thought they would be of help."

He made a disgusted sound and he glared at his feet as the elevator lurched, heading downward.

"And I thought I would be the sort of friend who would do whatever it took to help a friend…"

Terriermon frowned down at his friend before bumping an ear against his cheek.

"How about you curb that thought until after we've beaten the stuffing out of whoever showed up looking for a fight, okay? Sheesh, Henry! Momentai for a change, will you? I feel like we keep coming back to this spot where you think the sun won't rise if you're not there to greet it."

The elevator settled down at the lobby floor and dinged as its doors opened. Deciding to take only half of Terriermon's advice, he darted out, making a line toward the exit at a rapid pace.

###

Smoke billowed up into the air as Henry came flying in atop Rapidmon, following a trail of destruction. Henry glanced down at his digivice's holographic compass, a sinking feeling forming in the middle of his gut.

"Did this…start out at the hospital Takato's staying at?" Rapidmon began, voicing Henry's unspoken fears as they drew in more closely. Henry swallowed, not speaking, a part of him half afraid that by doing so, he would make it a reality. His hopes for it to be otherwise were quickly dashed upon arrival, finding a massive, smoking hole in the hospital, the epicenter of which sat in the same area as Takatos' room.

"No… No!" Henry felt panic lurching within his heart at the sight, and he began to struggle in his partner's arms, a part of him instinctively wanting to rush to the remains of his friend's room and determine if he were still alive or not.

"Whoa! Whoa!" exclaimed Rapidmon, tightening his grip around his partner's waist with his rocket-launcher arms. "Henry! What did we talk about on the way here? Momentai! Or, you know, at least wait until we're on the ground before you have a freak out! Henry! You're not going to be able to help Takato if you make yourself go splat on the ground!"

Gasping as his partner further tightened his grip around him, Henry went limp, managing to regain control of himself as his partner's words took hold in his mind.

"S-Sorry," he wheezed, and at that, Rapidmon loosened his hold ever so slightly, just enough so that he could breathe more comfortably, but not so much on the chance that he might again try to hurl himself out into midair. "Can you… How close can you get us into the destroyed section of the hospital?"

"Henry, I don't know how good of an idea that is," the android replied, taking a look about the ruins. "I'm no engineer, but a lot of what's in there looks like it might fall apart if you so much as breathe on it."

"Can you get us through the door at…"

Rapidmon jerked suddenly and floated backward, causing Henry to cry out loud in surprise. "Wha…? Rapidmon! What…?"

"Hang on there, Henry! Yamaki just started beaming a message into my head! Man, I'll never get used to…" He scowled skyward. "Sorry, Yamaki. Henry was distracting me. What were you saying?" A pause. "I think he put me on hold, with no musi… Oh! There we go! Yeah, yeah, connection problems. What's up and who do we got to blow up?"

Another pause held the air before Rapidmon finally nodded.

"Takato's been transferred to another hospital across town. Something about his stitches getting undone, but he's okay. Rika and Ryo took care of the Diaboromon."

"Diaboromon?!" Henry exclaimed, grey-eyes widening in shock at that. Another digimon at the Mega level? And one that belongs to Diaboromon's evolution family tree? That can't be a coincidence!

"Yeah, one sec…" Rapidmon was silent for another moment before finally turning in midair. "Okay, hang on there, Henry. I'm going to fly us out to Takatomon and then we're going to see what's up!"

###

Rapidmon came in for a landing just outside the hospital as per Yamaki's instructions, finding Rika, Renamon in her human disguise, Ryo, Monodramon, Guilmon, Jeri and the blond-haired head of Hypnos, Yamaki all there waiting for him.

"About time you got here," Rika said, a touch of irritation in her voice, earning her a sharp elbow from her partner. Henry winced at that.

"Sorry we're late," he apologized as Rapidmon set him down. "How is Takato?"

"He should be out soon," Yamaki said, flicking a lighter in his hand open before snapping it shut. "After that however, it seems that he's to go home. He's in good enough condition for it, and the hospitals need the space due to the damage and number of injured from all the fighting these past two days."

Henry swallowed, remembering the damage at the hospital Takato previously stayed at, and the wreckage caused from the battle with Armageddamon that carved a path through the city.

It's been bad… Very bad…

"Well…" Rapidmon began carefully. "At least there's some good news in all this, right?" He looked at the others, watching as they all exchanged looks with one another. He felt a cold pit form in the middle of his mechanical stomach "Oh man… Please tell me things aren't worse."

Guilmon leaned heavily against Rika's leg, her hand scratching against his ears as she pressed her lips tightly together. Jeri stood next to her, her hands folded together, her expression a line of tension, one that was shared by Ryo.

The sound of Yamaki flicking his lighter open punctuated the silence of the group.

"There has been a development with Takato," he began. "One that may be a result of his injury. It seems that his ability to biomerge with his partner no longer exists."

Henry stood there, stunned for a moment before shaking his head, trying to make sense of it all. "He… Hold on. You're actually saying…"

"He didn't stutter, Einstein," Rika snapped, and Renamon placed a warning hand on her shoulder. Clenching her eyes shut, Rika spun about and began to storm off.

"Uh…Rika?" began Ryo, a bit surprised by this unexpected action.

"Still not talking to you, Ryo," she said over her shoulder. Ryo moved to respond, but a quick shake of Renamon's head drew him up short.

"She won't go far," the kitsune said, "but she needs some space right now. She doesn't want to say something that she'll regret later."

"Right," Ryo nodded, his eyes turning back to Rika's retreating back as she stalked over to a tree and kicked at it once before whirling about and slamming her back against it. Her eyes glared daggers in the direction of the hospital doors, seeming to demand that they release her friend faster, and in better condition than when he first entered them.

"I'd better go keep her company," Jeri said softly. Renamon lifted an eyebrow at this, seemingly alarmed, but Jeri gave her a thin, wry smile. "I promise not to say anything. Just be there."

"Very well," Renamon relented before Guilmon rose up.

"Can I come too?"

"It…might be better if you don't," Jeri said, patting him on the head. "Too many people at once might make her feel pressured, and then…well…"

"Kaboom," Rapidmon summarized as a soft glow formed around his body, causing him to shrink into his smaller form of Terriermon."

"Ohhh…" Guilmon nodded, understanding blooming in his gold-colored eyes. "Kind of like how I get when I eat too much bread when my belly's already making grumbly noises and feeling crampy…"

"Yeah…" Jeri said softly. "Something like that. Anyway, we'll be over there in case you need us for anything."

Henry ran a hand through his hair as the brunette departed to join their fire-haired friend, letting out a heavy sigh.

"When it rains, it pours," he said before looking at Yamaki. "So what's the plan?"

"For now, nothing. Rest is what Takato needs right now, though I have spoken with Takato's parents about having him brought by Hypnos tomorrow to analysis. They have agreed to it. Hopefully we'll be able to determine what's causing the difficulty and determine if it can be fixed."

"I hope so," Guilmon moaned. "But…if not, Takato and I will still try to help." His head snapped up, eyes alight with determination. "We're a team! There's just no way that we'll let this stop us from giving you a hand when you need…" Guilmon blinked and paused, one claw going to his mouth as his eyes widened, looking as though he had done something wrong. "Ah… I mean… Well… Renamon? Help?"

"No one's upset with you, Guilmon," the kitsune said, warmly placing an assuring hand atop his head and stroking it gently. "Momentai. We know what you meant."

Guilmon relaxed noticeably at that.

"Oh, thank goodness. For a second there, I thought I had digivolved into Terriermon."

"Hey!" exclaimed the rabbit-dog digimon indignantly.

"Hopefully, we'll get some peace time to sort this out," Ryo chipped in. "Two Megas over the course of two days is bad enough luck without adding more to the pile."

"Not like we can depend on good luck at this point," Henry said. "We'll have to be on our guard for a while."

"Definitely," Ryo nodded. "That Diaboromon was connected to the Armageddamon Takato took down. The Diaboromon…said they were family or something, and took it personal that Takato deleted his 'cousin.' If that's the case, there may be more out there, and they may come looking to settle the score."

"There may be some here already as well," Yamaki acknowledged, his lighter clicking shut again. "Unlike with Armageddamon, Hypnos' sensors didn't register any digimon crossing the dimensional barrier when the Diaboromon attacked. Which means…"

"Which means that the Diaboromon came from this side," Henry finished.

"When it rains, it pours," Terriermon grimaced.

###

Rika watched with narrowed eyes as Jeri approached and sat down beside her wordlessly. She felt herself tense up in response, but she restrained herself from saying something snarky to deter her presence. Silence reigned instead as she adjusted one leg, drawing it up so that she could rest a hand atop her knee, attempting to look more relaxed than she really felt. The discomfort ran through her, the silence feeling increasingly oppressive. After a moment, she tsked and broke the quiet.

"I hate it when you do that. Both you and Takato."

"Huh? Do what?" Jeri blinked, taken aback by this.

"What you're doing right now," came the sullen reply.

"But…I'm just sitting here."

Rika huffed irritably.

"That's exactly my point. The two of you… You don't do anything. You just show up, and somehow that turns out to be enough to get me talking."

Digging a small rock out from the dirt, she tossed it to the side to give herself something to do. Something to vent on. She watched as the stone arched and bounced off a tree, disappearing into some brush.

It didn't help.

"Do you have any idea how mad that makes me sometimes? It's like the two of you found a weak spot."

Jeri drew her legs up and wrapped her arms about them, her expression soft.

"Sorry," she said. "It's just…we care about you, and…"

"I know," Rika interrupted, her voice firm at first before becoming surprisingly gentle. "It's not like I haven't heard this speech before."

A pall of silence fell between them, the tension in the air lessening slightly, but remaining, even as Jeri placed a comforting hand on Rika's shoulder.

"Here's another one I'm sure you've heard before," she said, giving Rika's shoulder a soft squeeze. "We'll find a way to get through this, just like we always do."

Rika picked at the dirt, scowling, her lips pressed together tightly.

So why do I feel like all we've been doing is failing? she wondered. Why do I feel like all I've been doing is failing? You trusted me, and…and…

Rika was interrupted from her thoughts as she saw the doors to the hospital open. Her eyes flicked up to it and she saw Takato, his face ashen, emerge with his parents. She was on her feet immediately and dashed to the edge of the sidewalk, pausing only briefly to let a car pass while her legs maintained an impatient, running motion, before darting across, leaving a bewildered Jeri only just starting to climb to her feet.

"Takato!"

The boy's eyes snapped up at her as she drew to a halt in front of him, and it seemed to her that some life returned to his crimson-colored eyes. She felt a little better for that, though concern continued to beat away in her heart. Allowing a small smile of relief to touch the corners of her lips, Rika drew closer and brushed her fingers against his before curling around them tightly. A touch that was soon returned reflexively by Takato, who now sported a light blush on his cheeks.

"Rika…" he began as their eyes met. Something in her violet gaze caught his attention. A deep well of emotion that ran all the way into her fingers, gripped firmly around his. Words however failed to find his lips, though it didn't matter, as Rika spoke enough for the both of them.

"How are you…?" she began, and she blinked, realizing that her eyes were brimming with tears again. In an attempt to cover them, she quickly pulled the boy into a powerful hug, causing him to grunt in surprise at the strength in her arms.

"Stupid…Gogglehead…" she whispered hoarsely, squeezing him tight. Takato grunted again at that, though this time with pain, feeling something pop between his shoulder blades.

"Ah… Ow! R-Rika… You're…squeezing… Nnngh! Too much…hug…"

"Easy there," Takehiro broke in as the others quickly approached. "He just got out of the hospital, so how about we try to keep it that way?"

"R-Right," Rika replied with an embarrassed blush, quickly relinquishing her hold and taking a step back. And just in time too, as Guilmon all but bowled her over to get at his partner.

"Ah! G-Guilmon!" Takato exclaimed as the dinosaur pounced on the teen, crushing him to the ground and proceeding to give his face a very thorough cleaning with his tongue. "H-Hey! Come on…! Ack! Not the mouth! Not the mouth!"

"Guilmon!" exploded Mie, just as Takehiro and Rika immediately moved to intervene. "Didn't you just hear what my husband just told Rika! For goodness sake…! Guilmon!"

"Come on, Dinoboy," Rika admonished as Renamon appeared and helped her peel the dinosaur off his partner. "You keep that up, you're going to end up licking his face off."

"No, I won't!" Guilmon replied quickly with a laugh. "You've told me that so many times, and it hasn't happened once!"

"All it takes is once," Rika glowered at him, planting her hands on her hips authoritatively like a mother to a willful child. Guilmon held her gaze for but a moment before wilting and slinking behind Renamon protectively.

"Ohhh… I never win a staring contest with you…" the reptile moaned as the kitsune placed a comforting hand over his head, scratching at his ears.

"Don't feel bad about it, Guilmon," Ryo chuckled from next to Henry. "It's always hard to beat a queen at anything."

"This coming from the guy who did beat her?" quipped a certain, long-eared digimon, ignoring the sharp glare that Rika shot at him.

"Terriermon…" came the expected reply. There followed a chorus of laughter from the group, during which Jeri looked over at Takato, seeing a hint of genuine mirth glowing in his expression, though it was tempered by recent events. She twisted her hands around one another, grinding a toe on the sidewalk before she glanced over at Rika. Thoughts of her own rose up in her mind, and her toe paused, seeing how Rika's right hand rose and came to rest on Takato's left arm, her pale thumb tracing a path along his tanned skin. Jeri's gaze lifted toward Rika's eyes. There, just as before. She could see the tension in them, seemingly reluctant to lose track of where the teen was for even a moment, lest he suddenly disappear again and get hurt even worse than before.

She thought back to the hospital, how she dangled off Takato's arm, trying to keep him safe and failing while Diaboromon easily defeated her efforts; the two of them saved only by Renamon, acting under orders from Rika to keep an eye on Takato.

She thought back to her discussion with Renamon on the rooftop, and once more she felt a flash of jealousy toward her friend; that she could do the one thing she no longer could. Fight to protect those she cared about.

She hated herself for feeling that way. It wasn't Rika's fault that things turned out the way they did.

It's how things turned out. It's not like Rika meant for Takato to get hurt. Besides, I know how much this has been hurting her…

"We'd better get going now," Takehiro began, taking hold of his son by the shoulder. "We've got some things to discuss about tomorrow."

"Thank you all for being here," said Mie, bowing politely to the gathered group. "Really, it means a lot to know that our son has such good friends to keep him out of trouble." Forcing a smile, she ruffled her son's hair. "Even though it must be hard…"

Rika snorted and crossed her arms. "Not that hard so long as you watch his feet…" she said, at which Terriermon giggled.

"Sounds like somebody's got a foot fetish…"

"Terriermon!" exploded Henry, his face darkening in shock.

Oh dear… thought Jeri, moving to intercept Rika as her face bloomed bright red at that, all sense of her worries and concerns banishing, for the moment, in the need to stave off the chaos that was about to ensue.

Watching from across the street, Yamaki flicked his lighter closed before turning away, allowing the group to have their time together without being disturbed by his presence.

###

Night fell on the Matsuki bakery, finding Takato rolling out the blanket from his bunk bed out onto the floor for himself and Guilmon to lay on together. Climbing the ladder to retrieve it had been easier than he had feared it would be, but still difficult with an arm missing, and he found himself relying on his feet more to keep himself from falling, all the while moving much more quickly in order to ascend. It was going to take some practice, that much he knew, like a great many things about his life now.

It's definitely going to take some getting used to, he thought, spreading the blanket out, resisting the urge to scold his stump for attempting to help. He grimaced, and touched it, taking care not to squeeze it lest he set off the still buzzing nerves that lay underneath the bandages.

"I'm glad that you're home again," Guilmon said, bumping his head from behind and nuzzling him. Laughing lightly, Takato raised his hand and scratched at his chin.

"Me too, boy" he said, and he meant it. While the hospital stay would probably be better, at least in terms of recovering, being home again brought him comfort in a way he hadn't thought possible. The sights, the sounds, and the familiar scents made him feel warm. The pain in his arm felt a bit…less now.

I hope that's a good sign, he thought, before a knock on the door to his room caught his attention.

"Ah…yeah?" he called out, and the door slid open, revealing his parents, both in their pajamas.

"Hey," Takehiro said, a comforting smile on his face. "Are you all set?"

"Did you brush your teeth and wash your face?" Mie asked.

"Yeah," Takato laughed lightly with a nod of his head. "Yeah, I'm all set."

His good humor though diminished as he saw his mother's eyes glance down at the empty sleeve of his shirt, dangling at his side. Unconsciously, he shifted his stump, trying to hide it behind him for her peace of mind.

"All right," Mie nodded in turn, pressing her lips together. "If you ever need anything, don't be afraid to give a holler, all right? We're just down the hall."

"Like always," Takehiro grinned, drawing back. "Goodnight, son."

"'Night you guys," Takato said, and with that, with seemingly nothing more to be said, the door was shut, leaving Takato and Guilmon alone once more in their room, silent, save for the sound of his parent's voices speaking softly to one another as they retreated.

"Man…" he said aloud. "Once I would have gotten a bit annoyed at being asked if I brushed my teeth and washed my face like I was a kid again, but now…" He looked down at his empty sleeve. "Now I'm just glad that she's still there to do that." His expression fell a little bit, remembering a time from when he was in the digital world and he found her note and good luck charm in his bag, quietly slipped in when he hadn't been looking. "I sure feel bad for making them worry. It feels like that's all I ever do."

"They worry about you because they care about you though," Guilmon said, walking onto the blanket with a stuffed fox in his claws. Takato raised an eyebrow at that, wondering where it came from. He didn't remember ever having something like that back when he had one or two stuffed toys to call his own.

"Who's this little guy?" he asked, pointing at the fox as Guilmon bedded down. Lifting an eyebrow, Guilmon followed Takato's pointed finger to the stuffed toy and beamed.

"Rika and her mom gave him to me while I was staying at their place. He smells nice!" Breathing in the fox toy's scent, he smiled. "Rika was so happy when she was little. She kind of reminds me a little of Jeri."

Takato chuckled at that, trying to envision Rika as being like Jeri from when they were kids, but found that he honestly couldn't. For as long as he knew her, the girl represented the absolute opposite of the brunette. Dresses and stuffed animals just seemed so out of the ordinary for her.

But then, who could have guessed that she'd have a heck of a singing voice? he thought, thinking back to a time from three years ago on a runaway Locomon, when he first heard her do just that. Rika's got a lot of layers, and she's pretty particular about who she reveals them to.

He leaned back on his hand, casting his eyes up toward the ceiling. I'll have to thank her the next chance I get.

"Well… I guess this is it for the night," he said, looking at Guilmon. "Time to bed down, boy."

"Okay!" Guilmon chirped, pulling the fox toy up to him even closer and wrapping himself around it snuggly. "Good night, Takatomon!"

"Good night, boy."

Getting up from the blanket, he went over to the light switch and flicked it off. He waited for a bit, allowing his eyes to get used to the darkness before fumbling his way back toward the makeshift bed, taking care to step over the dark blob that was Guilmon's resting form. Drawing back the covers, he slipped in and settled down.

Oh, man… I forgot to grab one of my pillows…

He sighed, shifting on the floor, deciding to just ignore the pillow's soft absence for the time being, having no desire to repeat stumbling about in the dark to turn on the light, brave the ladder and then repeat it all over again. He was tired, and he wanted to just rest.

He turned over onto his side, and immediately regretted it as the pressure of his bodyweight squeezed around his stump. Sitting up with a hiss, he clutched at the limb, clenching his teeth.

"Takato?"

"I'm fine, boy. Just…need to remember some things, that's all."

He sat there for a moment, massaging his shoulder before bedding back down again, the buzzing in the nerves abating slightly. He waited, and sleep didn't come to him. Still, he waited longer, but despite feeling tired, the pleasant oblivion of rest didn't ride forth to rescue him from the world of the waking like a knight on a steed. Instead, there lay only the darkness, and the quiet breathing of Guilmon, snuffling the fox toy's old scents.

Time came and went. Takato glanced at the clock, wincing as it read 12:30 in the morning. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he rose up.

"Takato?" Guilmon snorted, having been disturbed by his partner's restlessness. "What's wrong?"

"Just…stuff on my mind, I guess," he said, getting to his feet. What little light from the city filtered into his room through the large window, and he marched over to his desk, where his digivice lay. Picking it up, he flicked it on, a holographic circle rising from the screen just like always, only displaying the message from earlier.

Data corrupted.

Closing his eyes, he dismissed the holographic circle and turned toward the window, his eyes thoughtful.

"Hey Guilmon," he began softly. "I know we're supposed to be going to Hypnos and get checked out, but…I don't know if I want to wait that long."

"What do you mean?" Guilmon asked, getting to his feet and walking over to him.

Takato tightened his grip around his digivice.

"Let's go to the park," he said softly.

###

They left the bakery quietly, Guilmon, surprisingly for a change, making as little noise as Renamon, and before too long they made their way to the park, finding their way to a familiar baseball field. Takato nodded to himself upon seeing it, recognizing it as the place where he and Rika first clashed. He took it as a good sign. It was open, allowing plenty of room for them to do what they needed, and win or lose, there wouldn't be any serious damage to their surroundings.

"Here?" Guilmon asked as they came to a stop. Drawing out his digivice, Takato nodded.

"Here," he said, lifting his gold-trimmed digivice to the sky. "Are you ready, boy?"

Guilmon tilted his head to one side before realizing what Takato meant to do. Or at least, attempt.

"Ready!" he nodded. Taking a shaky breath to steady himself, Takato closed his eyes.

"Biomerge activate!"

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