Author's Note: Prepare for pain, friends. Also, I know this is a shorter one. I'll make up for it.

Disclaimer: Nanako and Yukira are all that is mine. Digimon is not.

The lamp shattered against the wall in a thousand pieces. Broken ceramic and glass crashed to the floor, but still the voice persisted.

"You'll never be rid of me," Katsu cackled gleefully. "You can take those little pills to your heart's content, but I'll just keep coming back every time!"

"Leave me alone!" Daisuke bellowed, throwing a book from the nightstand. His hands shook and he felt the familiar pain in his chest. He searched wildly for Nanako, but she had left hours ago.

"Dammit."

"It's just you and me, friend," Katsu said.

"You're not my friend," Daisuke snarled.

"Your little girlfriend seems to think we are."

"And she's not my girlfriend!" He threw the coffee mug from the windowsill straight at Katsu's face, but it went right through him, splashing cold coffee everywhere. He yelled in frustration, slamming his fists into the wall.

"Oh, that's mature," Katsu laughed viciously. "What would Ken think of you?"

"Go to hell," Daisuke spat. He rifled through the nightstand, searching desperately for what he needed. He pulled the drawer out and emptied it onto the floor, but to no avail.

He flipped through the sheets of Nanako's bed. Nothing. He grabbed her backpack and flipped it upside down, shaking the contents out onto the bed. Nothing.

"GOD DAMMIT" he raged, stuffing everything back into her backpack. He tossed it against the wall and lifted her pillow, looking underneath. Still nothing.

Finally, he pulled up the mattress. There it was, the little white bottle he'd been looking for. Without even looking, he scrambled to open it and shook the pills into his hands. He threw them into his mouth and chewed them. They were bitter and he shook his head in protest.

"You're gonna need more than that," Katsu grinned. "I just keep getting stronger." He was getting blurry, but he wasn't gone.

"Ugh, go away!" He slapped a couple more pills into his mouth and chewed them. The bitterness wasn't as sharp this time. He swallowed the chalky mess and stared at Katsu. He was growing dimmer by the second, and his laughter was fading.

"What the hell is this mess?" came a sudden cry from the doorway. Daisuke wheeled around, about to answer, when he saw the old woman who ran the hostel.

"Out!" she shrieked. "Get out! You can't stay here anymore!"

"Sorry," Daisuke muttered sheepishly as he ran out the door. He blinked hard against the sudden sunlight. He looked around wildly, trying to decide where to go. Everything in his body told him to run.

And he did.

"Daisuke!" He tripped as he tried to look behind him upon hearing his name and hit the ground hard. For some reason, he laughed hard. He couldn't stop. He wasn't even sure why he was laughing.

Nanako appeared, looming over him as he continued to laugh. Her face was sunken with worry and she threw her hands on her hips. She stared down at him for a moment, then said, "You finished the entire bottle!"

"I know!" Daisuke laughed, tears streaming down his face. "But he wouldn't shut up!"

"Is that why you trashed the room?" Her tone was understanding, but he could tell she was furious.

"Yeah," he said. The laughter was slowing now and he felt the familiar drowsiness wash over him. His body began to feel heavy and he tried to sit up, but it was incredibly difficult.

"Come on, let's get you someplace safe while you sleep this off," Nanako said. With her surprising strength, she lifted Daisuke to his feet and helped him walk. He stumbled often, and a number of times she barely caught him before he hit the ground.

She finally led him to a bench, hidden away behind a grouping of trees and bushes. It was right next to a stream, and Daisuke smiled. It was a lovely place.

Nanako helped him sit down. He swayed in place, barely able to hold himself up. She decided to lay him down across the bench. His face grew pale and his eyes seemed distant. She laid a gentle hand on his cheek and whispered, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you."

"Okay..." Daisuke felt incredibly lightheaded. Everything around him was blurring in and out of focus, and Nanako's voice sounded far away. It was hard to tell whether she had even spoken or not.

Flitting in and out of focus was Katsu, just sitting silently behind Nanako. His face wore a twisted, cruel smile. Daisuke groaned and tried to roll over.

His body wouldn't move. He groaned again in frustration, and a blurry Katsu stood up and walked toward him. He loomed overhead, his face contorted with gleeful hatred.

He leaned in close to Daisuke, so close that Daisuke could actually feel his breath on his face, and whispered, "You're going to die, Motomiya Daisuke."

And with that, everything went black.