"The Gift of a Friend"

All right, here is the new chapter and I'll dedicate my next chapter to the person who guesses where I came up with the name of the title. Please enjoy. I really hope you like it. It took me a while to finish it.

I groaned as I felt my eyes begin to flutter open and my head really hurt from that crash landing.

"Dai, are ya OK?" V-Mon's voice asked through this blurry fog I was stuck in as I tried to wake up.

"Dai, I'll start jumpin' on ya if you don't wake up." He threatened and I woke up right away, not wanting that happen again.

"Not funny, dude." I said as I yawned and rubbed at my eyes.

"I'm glad you're OK. How's your head? That was one nasty bump." He said as he held out my clothes to me and I looked down to see that I was still dressed in the white night gown that we girls had found.

"It's sore, but I'll live." I said taking the clothes.

V-Mon turned his back and I then took off the gown and pulled on my brown shorts, white socks, orange shoes, blue shirt and orange ascot.

Funny enough, my sister and I wear very similar clothes.

I should really shake it up a bit so we don't look too much alike.

Of course she also has this whistle that she had ever since we were babies.

She used to talk only through her whistle and it would drive Tai crazy.

I put on my clothes and then just held my gizmo, a digivice from what Leomon had said last night, and thought about what he had said.

What exactly are Digidestinds and why were we chosen out of all the other kids at the camp, heck, in the world?

"Dai?" V-Mon asked turning around to look at me with a concerned look in his red eyes.

I looked at him with a smile, but knew that he could tell that something was still wrong.

"We should try and find the others. Who knows what happened to them." I said worried about them all.

V-Mon could tell and nodded and we both started walking, looking around the forest that we were in.

The trees were all tall, the leaves a dark green color and they all had these yummy looking fruits in them.

V-Mon hopped up into the trees and gathered some of these fruit and jumped back down, handing half the pile to me and he took the other half.

"What are these?" I asked as I looked over what looked like a blue strawberry with yellow dots on them.

"These are just some berries. Not really sure if they have a name or not." V-Mon said as he shrugged and popped one in his mouth, smiling happily at the taste.

I looked them over and then over at V-Mon, noting how they had his coloring.

"Then how about we name them?" I suggested making him give me an interested look.

"What did ya have in mind, Dai?" he asked.

"V-berries. They kinda look like you." I said and bit off a piece of the berry and nearly squealed in delight at the sweet taste of the juice that exploded on my tongue.

"Oh my God! These are so good!" I cheered as I licked the juice off of my fingers and V-Mon chuckled at me.

"Well, if they're named after me, then they should be just as awesome as me, right?" he teased making me giggle.

"Oh, I would love to bake a pie with these. I bet they would sell like hot cakes." I said as I ate another.

"Hot cakes?" V-Mon asked flapping his ears a bit.

"Don't ask. I just know that its an expression that means they'll be wanted by lots of people." I said as I popped another berry in my mouth.

V-Mon shook his head and then went back to eating.

After we finished, I used my ascot to make a small bag to carry some of the v-berries in so we didn't go hungry later on or at least so we could share them with the others when we found them.

We both just started walking along and V-Mon started telling jokes and they were beginning to get a little annoying

"What do ya call a Shellmon who won't share his food?" he asked with a grin as we walked on.

"I give up." I said and felt a little worried as we walked on, feeling like we were being watched.

"A really shellfish guy. Get it?" my dragon friend chuckled.

I forced a smile at him, but still felt worried about whoever or whatever was watching us.

My blue dragon must have noticed that something was wrong because he stopped laughing and gave me a curious look.

"Dai, what's wrong?" he asked.

"I, um…I feel like we're bein' watched and I know that sounds crazy, but…" I trailed off as I looked over to a large tree when I felt the cold eyes from whoever was staring at us, feeling a little freaked out when I caught one gold eye filled with interest and hatred staring back at me.

I gasped as I saw it and V-Mon stiffened beside me as he looked over to and the figure swooped down from the tree and appeared before us in a swarm of black and he stood in front of us, making my dragon glare and jump in front of me protectively.

"So it's true. The Digidestinds have come at last." The man said.

Seriously, the guy was the most human looking thing I've seen since my brother and friends and I first got here.

He looked like he was maybe 10 years older than me with black hair that fell in his face; his right eye was covered by an eye patch, he wore a long floor sweeping black jacket, he had a black leather dog collar around his neck, wore black pants that were ripped at the knees and chains dangling on the belt he wore around his waist, big heavy black boots that had steel toes and laced up half way to his calves, had a weird claw looking blade attached to his left arms and he also had these large black dragon like wings on his back.

"Who is this guy, V-Mon?" I asked my friend.

"That's Kaitoumon and he's not a very nice guy." He warned me.

"Wait, so he's really a digimon? I had no idea that they could look so…human." I said looking at Kaitoumon in shock.

"There are two different types of digimon in this world. There are the Humanoids like me and the Beast types, like your little pet dragon there. To think, a once noble breed of digimon reduced to playing pet for a puny human child. How pathetic." Kaitoumon sneered.

V-Mon shook in anger at that and I glared at the black haired male, just as annoyed.

"Hey! Don't you talk about my friend like that." I yelled with my hands clenched into fists.

He gave me an amused look before his uncovered gold eye looked deadly.

"The Digidestind are ordered to be exterminated." He said raising his clawed hand as it began to glow violet.

V-Mon and I both backed up, but still glared at him.

"Move aside, V-Mon. it would be a pity to destroy you as well." He said.

My dragon began growling as he stood in front of me, his fists both raised up, ready to attack if he had to.

"I don't know how many times I hafta say this before you guys get it, but I ain't gonna let any of ya touch my Dai!" he said.

Kaitoumon simply shrugged at that as he got this…I think it would be called…deranged look in his eye.

"Very well. Then you'll die as well." He said making my eyes widen as I felt scared for V-Mon.

"V Head Butt!" my friend said jumping up and charging the winged man, but he just back handed him with a lot of force making the little blue dragon cry out in pain as he was sent flying over to a tree, crashing into it and I flinched as if I had felt his pain.

"V-Mon!" I cried out wanting to run over to his side and make sure he was OK, but Kaitoumon stood in front of me, blocking V-Mon from my sight.

"I'll make this quick." He said as his claw blade began to glow that violet color again.

"Try it, you creep, but that's not gonna help make you a better dragon man hybrid thing or whatever the heck ya are." I said defiantly.

He paused briefly, as if he was thinking about what I said, but then he went back into his killer mode and raised his claw up as sparks crackled around it.

"Jabbing Spike!" he cried.

"V HEAD BUTT!"

Kaitoumon stumbled as he was hit in the back by V-Mon, who had gotten back up and was still trying to protect me.

"I said not to touch her!" the dragon said almost snarling at the bigger digimon as he turned to face him.

"You are beginning to annoy me." He said and then brought his boot back and went to kick him.

I gasped and then, without thinking, jumped right in front of my friend and felt a sharp pain in my back as I was sent flying a few feet away and rolled on the ground, the small rocks digging into my arms and face as I landed on my front.

"DAI!" I heard V-Mon yell in shock and worry.

I gasped, taking in sharp breaths as I touched my back, wincing at the sharp pain there, tears in my eyes.

Oh man, this really hurts.

I hope I didn't break anything or else my brother will really freak out.

Oh, Tai, where are you?

"Daisuke!" I heard V-Mon said as he ran over to me and knelt down by my side, gently lifting me up into his arms and I tried to not whimper or gasp out loud at the searing pain that raced up my spine as I was moved.

"Dai, what were ya thinking? I could-a handled that kick, why did ya jump in front of me? That was stupid!" he scolded.

I smiled up at him as I saw Kaitoumon watching us with an unreadable look on his face, but it looked like he wanted to know too.

"B-Because, V, you're my…f-friend. I-I'm n-not gonna let anything hap-pen to you." I said as tears of pain still filled my eyes.

V-Mon had tears in his eyes too and one lone tear fell down, splashing onto my digivice as it did so.

We both heard a deep, dark chuckle and looked over to Kaitoumon as he stalked over to us. His long black hair covering the top half of his face.

"How pathetic. Friends risking their lives for each other. Friendship makes you weak." He said.

V-Mon and I both glared at him and my dragon set me down carefully as he stood back up.

"And how would ya know?" V-Mon asked.

"You have no idea what you're talking about! Everyone needs friends. It doesn't make them weak, it makes us strong." I said as I forced myself to stand up too, even though my back was screaming at me to stop moving so much, my bangs falling into my eyes.

Kaitoumon stopped a few feet away from us, his face still halt hidden from us.

"And how does it make you strong?" he asked.

I thought about it and then looked back on all those times the digimon digivolved and how much more closely they seemed to be with all the other kids after that.

Because they protected them.

"Because, having someone you care about and protect makes you strong. Family and friends are people that you would do anything for, even risk your own life." I said knowing that my brother had tried to save me from Shellmon and Agumon had digivolved.

I blew my bangs out of my face and looked up at the winged man with a confident smile.

"You can and believe what ya want, but I know that it's true. I'm not gonna give up on any of the people I care about because they make me stronger by just being around me." I said with one fist raised up by my face.

Just then, my digivice beeped and began to glow making V-Mon and me look at it in surprise as Kaitoumon yelled in pain as he threw himself to the ground, trying to escape the light.

"Whoa, what's up with the light show?" I asked as I picked up the light blue colored device.

"Uh, Dai, I feel weird." V-Mon said making me look at him as he then began to glow in a white light too.

I covered my eyes when the light got brighter and stepped back to see what was going on and I suddenly realized that my back wasn't hurting anymore.

What the heck was up with that?

"V-Mon digivolve too…XV-MON!"

The light faded away and I gasped when I saw a nine foot version of V-Mon standing in front of me with two white wings on his back, a more dragon like snout with a large curved blade on it and he had a silver X on his white chest.

"Whoa, what happened to you, V-Mon?" I asked as Kaitoumon stood up.

"It's XV-Mon now and I digivolved thanks to you, Dai." My new dragon said with a smile at me, his voice sounding a lot gruffer than it used to.

I stared up in awe at him with a smile on my face, my hands clasped together in front of my chest.

"You look great." I said.

"I know." He said with a wink.

He then grew serious and turned back to Kaitoumon with a hard look.

"Time to teach ya what happens when you mess with my girl, pal." He said and then the two winged digimon took to the sky, both fighting.

Kaitoumon shot this violet stream of lightning at XV-Mon, but he just flew away from it with great speed that made me jealous.

XV-Mon then curled up and then extended his body out, making a V shaped orange light shoot out and hit Kaitoumon dead on.

I threw my arms in the air and cheered.

"Whoo! That's my boy!" I said.

The two started kicking and punching each other, but finally, after XV-Mon got in one hard roundhouse kick to Kaitoumon's gut, the winged man backed off and then flew away.

My large blue dragon flew back down to the ground with a smile on his face and I ran over to him and hugged his muscular leg, or at least half of it.

"You were so cool up there, XV-Mon!" I gushed as his face turned a deeper shade of blue in a blush and he scratched one of his ears.

"Aw, it was nothin'." He chuckled.

"We should go find the others. I bet it'll be easier now that I can fly." He said and I jumped back, pretty sure that I had stars in my eyes as I gave him a very excited look.

"You mean…I get to ride on you as you fly?" I asked almost dreamily.

He chuckled and then picked me and my fallen ascot that had the v-berries inside, up and cradled me in his arms.

"Just hang on tight." He said as I felt the excitement bubble up inside of me as I clung to one of his large clawed fingers.

"Go!" I said bouncing in anticipation and he just laughed and he flapped his wings and we left the ground, taking to the skies.

I laughed in joy as he flew over the piece of the broken island we were on, flying high into the sky, the wind blowing my hair around me as we went.

The view was amazing from above and I reached out one of my hands when we got close to a cloud and touched it, amazed by how soft it felt as it flowed around my fingers.

As we flew into the sky, I felt like we were actually a part of, as if we were free from the problems that we had to deal with for now.

This is the most amazing thing that I've ever experienced and I'm happy that it could be with my friend…no…my best friend.

TBC