Author's Note: Konnichiwa minna-san! Ish me, Firechick! My friend get-together yesterday was awesome! My friends and I went to a buffet called Sharon Zeungs and ate lunch there. We talked about a lot of stuff! We even took a picture there too! Man, I am sooooo gonna miss my friend Alex! She's the first female friend I made in high school! Well, she has her path set so I can't complain. Besides, we'll always keep in contact through our phones and facebook. But still, parting is such sweet sorrow! Well, enough of my childish angsting and onwards to Digimon: A Seraphic Tale chapter 11!
EPISODE 11: Terriermon's Sorrow
When the group dropped Yun off to her house, still wailing and crying like a helpless child, night fell. Yun basically ran into her room and clutched Lopmon and Terriermon tightly as she cried away all of her frustrations. Lopmon didn't mind, but Terriermon silently did. He felt absolutely rueful and guilty about the whole incident. How could he have succumbed to Witchmon and her Dark Emblems so easily? And worse yet, it gave him the audacity to actually threaten to hurt sweet and magnanimous Yun, who did absolutely nothing to deserve all the fright she had to endure! Terriermon blamed himself for Yun's fright reaching it's peak, but one thing he couldn't understand is that even though he scared her to death, she still clings to him and treats him like he's her best friend. He couldn't understand. Why would she forgive him so easily? His little heart was just too wracked with guilt to even comprehend Yun's unrelenting kindness.
After a whole hour of crying, Yun finally stopped and left the room to take a bath, leaving Lopmon and Terriermon in her room alone together. But Terriermon did notice something else about Yun that certainly differentiated her from everyone else. Sometimes, when she was anxious or frightened, she rocked back and forth like a rocking chair. Other times she would flap her hands up and down as if she were covered with garbage that had been in the sewers for months and was trying to get it off in a paroxysm of frustration and disgust. Other times she would just moan without having any reason to, though these moments were quite rare. Terriermon simply dismissed them as Yun being in her own little happy dream world trapped in the clutches of her whimsical fantasies. But even so, he continued to blame himself for what happened. He laid on the bed aimlessly looking up at the plain ceiling with a dejected look on his face. Poor little Terriermon looked as if he were going to cry, which is very out of character for the sweet, lively, and energetic little moppet he usually is. Even observant little Lopmon noticed Terriermon's depression, even though she read another chapter of Before Green Gables (and a particularly sad one at that). She hopped onto the bed and quietly approached Terriermon.
"What's wrong? Are you alright?" Lopmon asked softly in her pretty voice.
"No," Terriermon replied weakly. "I'm a wreck!"
"Are you upset about earlier, when Witchmon took control of you with the Dark Emblem?"
"It's not just that! Worse than that! I threatened to attack Yun and made her cry! I'm so stupid! Digimon partners don't do that to their human friends, do they?"
"Terriermon. Don't blame yourself so. How could you have known Witchmon was going to control you? You weren't able to regain control of your mind and body. It happens. And besides, Witchmon outsmarted all of us, so we all failed."
"Yes, but still! I made Yun cry and I hate myself for it, and yet she still treats me like I'm her baby! Why? That's what I don't get! Why is she still cuddling me when she should be angry with me?"
"Perhaps she knows it wasn't your intention to attempt to hurt her. She knows that you were under the Dark Emblems control. She doesn't blame you for what happened."
"Well she should! And I'll bet saying sorry to her won't help, either!"
This made Lopmon feel dejected, and it wasn't because she reached the chapter where Bertha, Anne Shirley's mother, died from the typhoid fever at last.
"Terriermon..." Lopmon could do nothing but stroke his ear with her tiny pink paw. After a while, Yun came into the room in...high spirits?
"Terriermon! Lopmon! We forgot about dinner! Come on! Mom's just ordered a pizza! You'll love it!" Yun exclaimed with a bright smile on her face. This made Terriermon even more confused. But nonetheless, he joined Yun, Lopmon, and Lucero for a cheese pizza. He liked the pizza and relished the gooey and sticky taste, but it wasn't enough to fill the guilt-sized hole in his heart. He didn't even bother to eat the crust (Yun never eats the crust). Unbeknownst to him though, Hisako noticed that Terriermon is looking depressed, which is unusual because he's usually very happy and lively. Soon, after Yun blow dried her hair and brushed her teeth, she and the others went to bed.
The next morning, Yun awakened in high spirits and was about to leave for school with Lucero by her side when she saw Terriermon and Lopmon sitting on the couch with Teruki and watching the news.
"We'll be at school now. You two be good while I'm gone! See ya!" Yun said happily as she skipped out the door with Lucero and Hisako by her side. Lopmon waved at her while Terriermon remained silent in his gloom. He even remained so when Hisako came home. Even Teruki noticed Terriermon's odd behavior.
"Terriermon? Are you alright?" He asked kindly.
Terriermon said nothing and just simply walked away. "Bathroom."
So he did his private business and, on a complete whim, decided to go out onto the back deck. He sat on a corner of the railing next to a trough full of little red flowers, looking at the tree and the red hummingbird feeder hanging off of one of the branches. He saw two little hummingbirds happily eat and flit around with their invisible flying wings. Terriermon wished he could go back to being as lively and happy and energetic as the little hummingbirds. But how could he when he threatened to attack Yun and ended up making her cry. A small tear slid down his eye. He felt it's warmth and wiped it off. It sure wasn't like him to cry, but he couldn't help but shed a few tears.
He couldn't understand. Why attack Yun? Why did it have to be him who had to have Witchmon's Dark Emblem branded on him? Why attack the very person who raised him, brought him up, treated him kindly, played with him, and stayed by his side when Digimon attacked? Why attempt to attack the sweetest, kindest, gentlest, most innocent, and most warm-hearted person that ever received the blessing of having him and Lopmon as Digimon? His whimpers turned to sobs. He then thought about the strange habits Yun displayed, such as rocking back and forth and shaking her hands and spinning around in a circle whenever she pleased. He pushed away more tears staining his face, but not before he finally saw Hisako walking up behind him.
"You're sad, aren't you?" Hisako asked in a kind, polite voice.
"I-I-I'm sorry, I...I just..." Terriermon tried to hide his sadness and despair, but Hisako could see it as clear as day. She put a hand on his head.
"Care to tell me what happened?" She asked.
Although feeling very reluctant, he decided to tell her everything.
"An evil Digimon named Witchmon...attacked the parking lot you park in when you go to work. We went there to stop her, but she was so strong. She kept outsmarting everyone, even me. I digivolved, but somehow she put this Dark Emblem on me, and I went beserk. I even held Yun at gunpoint! I know, horrible isn't it? But I didn't want that to happen! I tried to stop myself, but...I...when I came to, Yun was screaming and bawling and covering her ears. I...I threatened to hurt your precious daughter and made her cry! I'm so stupid!" It broke Terriermon's little heart when he remembered Yun's piercing cries from that night. He couldn't stand hearing how loud and dejected they sounded. Hisako listened intently and attentively. When Terriermon finished and attempted to cry again, Hisako put her hand on his head and stroke it again.
"Thank you for telling me, sweetie. Don't blame yourself. I'm sure you were trying your hardest to defeat Witchmon," Hisako said.
"Yes, but...she got away, and I scared Yun to death! My best friend! How could I be so cruel? And worse than that, she acts like nothing happened. She went to school all happy like it's all fun and rainbows! She shouldn't forgive me!" Terriermon exclaimed sadly.
"Terriermon, can I ask you something?"
"Yes?"
"Did you...want to hurt Yun?"
This question angered Terriermon so much that he stood up and clenched his tiny green fists.
"Of course not! I would never want to hurt my precious friend and your precious daughter! Witchmon put that Dark Emblem on me and it was controling me! I wasn't myself! I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't!" Terriermon screamed vehemently, to which Hisako smiled.
"I believe that's how Yun sees it. She knows that you would never hurt her in any way, and that this so-called Dark Emblem is the cause of your rather...rough behavior last night. Perhaps she knows it wasn't the real you," Hisako explained. Terriermon finally calmed down and sat back down on the railing.
"But...I don't get it. Even though I was controlled, I still scared her to death," Terriermon said.
"Is that all?"
"What do you mean?"
"Let me ask you. Was Yun covering her ears last night?"
"Yeah!"
"Were there any loud noises, like people yelling or glass breaking or cars being destroyed?"
"Yeah!"
"And did she ever rock back and forth or shake her hands?"
"Ummm...no, but she did when we came back."
Hisako smiled a bit at Terriermon, who was confused by this strange line of questioning. But upon closer inspection, Terriermon seemed to understand that these questions are leading up to something, and Hisako took the plunge and decided to tell him.
"Terriermon, dear. There's more to it than you unknowingly scaring her. There's more to Yun than you really know. I don't believe she's told you yet, has she?"
He shook his head.
"Okay. What I'm going to tell you is a little long and possibly boring, but I feel it'll help you understand why Yun's the way she is with her little habits. But I want to ask a final question, if you don't mind," Hisako said.
Terriermon nodded and prepared himself.
And Hisako finally let it out.
"Do you know what autism is?"
Terriermon did a little turtle neck jerk and cocked his head to one side in pure confusion, awed by the strange new word that came out from Hisako's mouth.
"No. I don't. What is that?" He asked, confused.
"I suppose you don't have stuff like this in the Digital World, do you?" She asked.
Terriermon shook his head. But before she could continue, she heard a small boom by the back door. She turned to see a curious Lopmon coming out onto the backyard.
"Oh! I-I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to eavesdrop," Lopmon said, but Hisako did not seem to mind.
"It's alright. In fact, why don't you join our conversation? I want to tell you more about it too," Hisako said as she politely offered her hand out to Lopmon. Lopmon quietly hopped onto the railing and sat next to Terriermon, hoping to hear about Hisako's explanation.
"So what were you saying about this...awte...?" Terriermon asked.
"Autism," Hisako repeated. "It's a brain disorder. It affects the way Yun perceives the world, particularly with how she feels, sees, and experiences things and the way her brain processes new information," Hisako explained.
"Disorder? Is it an illness? Or a disease? Is it contagious?" Lopmon asked curiously.
"Oh no no. It's not a disease and you can't catch it. You have to be born with it. See, Yun's brain is wired differently from other's. She processes new information and learns things differently from others. She has difficulty with acting in ways that other people perceive as "normal." For her, it's hard to talk to people, look at people in the eye, and as you've noticed by now, she displays some rather odd characteristics like rocking back and forth or shaking her hands," Hisako explained lucidly and slowly so Terriermon and Lopmon can absorb the new information being given to them.
"Is that why she's sensitive to loud noise?" Lopmon asked.
"Yes. She hates a lot of noises like explosions, glass breaking, loud rap music, people screaming and yelling, crying babies, gunshots, all those things," Hisako said.
Then it hit Terriermon. Last night there was a lot of glass breaking, explosions, and people yelling. The glass breaking because the cars and their wind shields were being destroyed. The explosions being caused by Witchmon. The yelling because of Melody and Kosuke getting into a catfight over Witchmon (which he didn't notice until later). All of those things made fear amass on to Yun and cause her to cover her ears and not be able to move. So that's why!
"Her disability is the reason why she has trouble making friends and adapting to sudden big changes in her life. Most kids nowadays don't really understand why she's the way she is and think it's the same as being retarded, which I don't think is true," Hisako said.
This made Terriermon stand up.
"I don't think it's true either! Sure Yun is a little strange, but I don't mind! Nobody's the same! Nobody's perfect! In fact, I would never want to change one thing about Yun! I love how sweet and kind she is, even though I don't deserve to be loved by her since I made her cry last night. I love her way of thinking, her big words, her books, her games, everything! She's NOT retarded at all, and whoever says otherwise is gonna have to deal with me!" Terriermon edicted loudly. Even though is little heart is still consumed by guilt over what he unknowingly did last night, he still loved Yun and would never change one thing about her.
"Yes. I agree. I'm happy to have Yun as my partner. She's the best thing that ever happened to us. You raised her well, Hisako-san," Lopmon backed him up gently. Hisako couldn't help but smile and put a hand on her chest.
"Thank you, little ones. I'm so glad you think that way," Hisako said politely. Then she stroke Terriermon's head with her finger and looked into his little opal eyes.
"Terriermon. Another reason I told you all of this is because I want you to know that what happened last night isn't your fault at all. Yun was just scared because of everything that was going on around her. Would YOU like it if you were trapped in a place full of really loud noises?"
"No."
"Of course not. She wouldn't like that either. Her fright just reached it's peak, that's all. Also...on the contrary you've actually been a very good influence on Yun."
"Really?"
"Yes. Yun talks about you and Lopmon almost every day. She spends all of her time with you two. She's starting to smile more and become a bit more social, and whenever she's sad she goes to you and Lopmon for comfort. Plus she doesn't put herself down as much anymore. Terriermon, Yun loves you and Lopmon very much, and I don't think being threatened will change one thing about her feelings for you. Her being autistic doesn't change one thing about how she feels about you."
"Autistic? You just said she has autism!"
"Yes. That's the term used to refer to people who have autism. Autistic."
"Oh. I get it now."
"And besides, I think she'd be very sad if she saw you blaming yourself for what happened. She holds you and Lopmon in very high regard, and I'm happy because you two make her happy. And Yun hasn't been happy since starting school last month."
"Because of those mean kids Nenji and Seiko?"
"She told you? Oh. Yes, half of it's because of them, and it makes me mad that they still continue to pick on her. But the point is, little Terriermon...don't blame yourself for what happened. It's all done and over with. I'm sure Yun won't hate you. And besides, you're much too cute to be hated!" At that last sentence, Hisako teasingly and cutely poked Terriermon in the stomach and made him laugh.
"Hey! Quit it!"
Lopmon laughed heartily.
"Now, are you two hungry? Would you like breakfast?" Hisako asked.
"I wouldn't mind having some toast!" Terriermon exclaimed.
"Will you be so kind as to show me how to make breakfast?" Lopmon asked politely.
"I don't see why not, so of course!" Hisako scooped up the little rabbits into her arms and walked back into the house.
Terriermon sat around and ruminated. Perhaps it wasn't entirely his fault after all. Now that he knows that Yun is 'autistic' and hates loud noises, is not good at making friends or adapting to change, prefers being in her own little world (this he figured out on his own), and processes information differently, some of the guilt that consumed his heart faded away. But not all of it. Even though he's more informed on what Yun is like and what she does in her life, it still doesn't change the fact that he boldly threatened Yun and only contributed to her fear reaching it's peak. Yes, he also blamed the Dark Emblem for it too, but Terriermon still believed that he too is part of the cause. How is he going to face Yun? He couldn't help but wonder.
As for Yun herself, she is in homeroom quietly and happily reading one of her mangas, Twin Spica(1). After all the crying and sleeping she did last night, Yun began to feel a lot better. However, in the back of her mind she did remember Terriermon's strange behavior. Why did he suddenly become quiet and want to avoid her? Is he blaming himself for what happened? Yun couldn't help but wonder. But nonetheless she no longer feels frightened and scared. As she continued to read her manga, Lucero sat next to her.
"Yun? Art thou alright?" He asked gently.
"I'm fine!" Yun replied with a smile. Lucero, a little doubtful, cocked his head a bit.
"Art thou still scared because of last night?"
"Not anymore. Wailing my fear out and sleeping sure helped, and you being here helps too! So I'm steadily getting better!"
Yun said it with such a sweet smile that Lucero couldn't help but blush a bit. Although he felt a trifle worried, he could see that Yun is beginning to bounce back with aplomb. He smiled.
"Doth thou want to play with Lopmon and Terriermon when we arrive home?"
"Yep! Why wouldn't I? They're the best things that ever happened to me! They're my little cuties!"
"Thou must truly love Terriermon and Lopmon."
"I do! And I like you too!"
Lucero blushed again. But before he could say anything, Kosuke, Otoya, and Melody just so happened to arrive from behind.
"Hey Yun-chan. You alright?" Otoya asked.
"I'm feeling a lot better now," Yun replied.
"Yun...we're sorry that everything went wrong last night and that we behaved a little childishly afterward," Kosuke said, though grimacing a bit because Melody is strongly pinching his arm. Yun saw this.
"It's okay! It happens. I know it won't be the last time we see Witchmon, that's for sure! In fact, how about we have a Digimon Brigade meeting next week to discuss what happened so we can improve our teamwork and plan ahead?" Yun explained.
"That'd be a wonderful idea," Melody said.
"I wholeheartedly agree!" Lucero exclaimed.
"Then it's settled! Oh! Mel-chan? You can stop pinching Kosuke-kun's arm now," Yun told them. But Melody was still a little ticked off because of the way Kosuke treated her last night with his insinuation, blaming her for Witchmon's escape.
"I refuse to let him off easy for what he did to me," Melody sneered.
"Now now. Witchmon outsmarted all of us so it was easy for her to escape. Let's not blame anyone anymore, shall we? And besides, we can always catch her next time. And if we fail that time, another chance will present itself!" Yun explained.
Melody, feeling a little softened by Yun's words, finally relented and let go of Kosuke's arm. He rubbed it with his hand.
"That really hurt!" Kosuke yelped.
"Yeah, well, deal with it! They say a little pain comes with any good fortune!" Melody retaliated loudly.
"Well, I suppose another part of why Witchmon escaped is because the rest of our Digimon didn't digivolve. I should probably work on helping Labramon with that. Oh! Yun! That lasso thing you did with you digivice was sooo cool! How did you do that?" Otoya explained.
"Oh! That? Well...to be honest I don't exactly know how I managed to make it turn into a lasso or rope. But it sure was cool! And one of the reasons why I tried to approach Witchmon with it was because I thought maybe it would stimulate the other kids' digivices into turning into lassos so we could stop Witchmon from escaping. But my valiant attempt failed. I suppose I should practice lassoing when I get home. It'll be a great way to let off steam," Yun explained. Otoya smiled and put a hand on her shoulder.
"You were awesome there nonetheless. And like you said, we can always improve and get better at it the next time we see Witchmon!" Otoya said with a smile, which in turn made Yun smile.
"I wouldn't recommend doing it again alone if I were you," Melody piped in.
"Yeah. You're right. Sorry," Yun replied.
"By the way, has anyone seen Mina-chan?" Otoya asked.
"Not me. Do you think she got that stomach virus and had to stay home?" Kosuke replied.
"Who knows," Melody said.
But before anyone could talk again, someone else suddenly got Yun's attention.
"Ummm...Wakamiya-san?"
Yun turned around and saw a girl behind her. She has very long light brown hair and matching light brown eyes that looked like caramell. She is wearing a hot pink shirt, a yellow bandana on her head, black jean shorts, and brown flip flops.
"Oh! Hi! Ummm...you're Harima Shione-san, right?" Yun asked.
"Yep! Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering...you're good at English, right?" The girl, Shione, asked rather timidly.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well, I'm almost finished with my English homework, but I'm having trouble with some parts of it. My parents couldn't help because they're busy, so would you mind?"
Yun cocked her head a bit in confusion, but hearing the sincerity in the girl's voice made her smile.
"Okay! I'll help you!"
Shione beamed.
"Oh, thank you so much!" Shione exclaimed happily. So Yun and Shione sat at some desks and Yun helped her with her English homework. Rena and Riku just so happened to appear before the trio when it happened.
"Harima-san's nice," Rena said.
"You think so?" Kosuke asked.
"Yeah. I don't see why Yun-chan can't make friends with her," Rena said. She didn't mean it as a mean or caustic comment. Rena has known the girl Shione for a couple years, though mostly as classmates, not friends, but who's to say they can't be friends?
"Shimizu's always asking her to be part of her clique, and that I can't stand one bit," Melody said.
"Well, she has rejected every single one of Seiko's offers, so why not?" Riku retorted kindly.
"That girl seems rather nice enough. Perhaps this will take Yun's mind off of last night," Lucero said softly.
Thankfully, the rest of the school day came and went without incident. When lunch and recess arrived, Yun finally felt mollified. She felt as if a giant brick full of fear and worry got lifted off of her. Talking with her friends certainly helped. In 7th period, Shione thanked Yun exuberantly because the teacher gave Shione an A for doing her homework correctly (with Yun's help, of course, which she admitted). Yun's lunch tasted especially good today for reasons she did not know (and she packed her own lunch every single day, even to this day). Perhaps the tea was nice, cold and sweet, or the bread on her peanut butter sandwich was nice and fresh. She had no idea. She managed to answer some problems right during math class, which made her very worthy of encomium (though Yun didn't think so herself) from the teacher. Best of all, Nenji is absent because of the same stomach virus that (supposedly) got Minako (technically nobody knew. Rena decided that she'd go and visit after school and deliver some of her mom's freshly baked cookies in case she is sick) and Seiko spent the entire day talking about the new American child singer, Greyson Chance and fangirling and going on and on about how cute and hot he is and how she'll marry him when she's older. Yun preferred fangirling over books and anime over singers and idols. But nonetheless, the greatness of this day helped Yun unwind and shed all the fear that amassed her last night. One thing's for sure. Yun couldn't wait to tell Lopmon and Terriermon all about her wonderful day. She had no idea that Kosuke, Melody, and Otoya were planning something for her. She was blissfully and innocently oblivious to what they were planning. No, it's nothing bad. Lucero didn't notice either, but his day was going just as great as Yun's is, and they relished the happiness of it all together.
Back at home, just before it was time to pick Yun and Lucero up from school, Hisako is out in the garden watering her flowers. Lopmon, who is wearing a little doll sized straw hat with a pink ribbon and two artificial flowers on it, joyfully assisted her in digging some small holes and patting down the dirt when they put a pot of flowers in the ground. Terriermon watched from the back gate. Lopmon couldn't see it from the backyard, but she knew it was there. A small red tree sitting in the front yard blooming deep red. Lopmon found herself liking the tree's colors because they were intense and exaggerated. Like Terriermon at times, and Yun when she goes into one of her rambly lectures.
"Hisako-san?"
"Hm?"
"I notice there's a little red tree in the front yard. Do you know what it is?" Lopmon asked in her pretty voice. Hisako smiled.
"That's called a crape myrtle," Hisako replied sweetly.
"Crape myrtle?"
"Yes. Aren't they just pretty with their deep red blossoms? My mother planted one in our front yard when I was a girl, so I thought I'd plant one myself!"
"Did your mother plant trees and flowers all the time?"
"Yes she did. She loved gardening. That's how I know all the flower and tree names. Because of her. Well, she actually wanted to be a school teacher. She loved history and seeing the world."
"How wonderful! She must have had lots of fun seeing the world and it's beauty!" Lopmon exclaimed with rosy cheeks, almost as red as the crape myrtle tree itself, and a sweet smile. But Hisako drooped her head down a bit, which little Lopmon noticed.
"Oh? What's wrong? Did I say something bad?" Lopmon asked quietly, fearing that she might have unknowingly said the wrong thing. Hisako looked at little Lopmon, smiled a bit, and returned to patting the dirt firmly into the ground.
"No, you didn't. See, my mother wanted to be a school teacher and travel around the world. But she couldn't," Hisako replied.
"Why ever not?"
"See, back in my day, wives were expected to stay in the house and be fully attentive to the house, their husbands' and their children's needs. Cooking, cleaning, housekeeping, they had to do all those things and not complain about it one bit. Sometimes if they disobeyed, their reputation would be shattered. Women who had a husband and family weren't allowed to do things like work or travel or those things," Hisako explained. Lopmon became a little crestfallen.
"Oh. I'm sorry," Lopmon said. Hisako took off her glove and put her hand on Lopmon's hat.
"It's okay. Times have changed since then. Now women are just as strong and independent as men are! They're dominating the admissions into universities! Can you believe it? If my mother were alive today, she'd leap on a boat and travel all over the place," Hisako said with a smile just as sweet as the crape myrtles.
"Your mother is dead?"
"Yes."
"Oh. I'm sorry."
"It's alright, little one. You didn't know."
"Um...this may be rude of me to say, but in our world, we Digimon don't really die. If we're killed by a fellow Digimon, our data gets re-configured and we turn into digieggs."
"Lucky."
"I suppose it's not like that in the human world, is it?"
"Well, life is short and sometimes we have to keep on truckin'! That's what I say!" Hisako said, feeling a little enthusiastic when she took a look at the time on her watch. "Oh! It's almost time to pick up Yun and Lucero! I'll be right back, Lopmon dear."
"I'll look after the flowers for you!" Lopmon edicted as she watched Hisako put her gardening essentials into a little box and left to pick up Yun. Lopmon could hear the rattling of the keys even from the backyard. Lopmon put the rest of the dirt into the hole that Hisako dredged earlier since there was still some space. Perhaps gardening can be a nice little diversion. Lopmon couldn't help but sit and admire the flowers painting the little garden with their bright, multifarious colors. After a minute or two, she quietly ambled back into the house so she can greet Yun and Lucero.
So, Yun and Lucero came home feeling happy and propitiated. Lopmon could see that it was blatant that sleeping, reading her books, and the school day in general definitely alleviated Yun's pain. Once she embraced her human partner joyously, she could tell that her presence mollified Yun and made her heart feel warm and soft. Yun felt happy to cuddle her favorite floppy eared friend. But one thing did cross her mind.
"Where's Terriermon?" She asked.
"Last I saw him he was in the backyard," Hisako replied.
"Perhaps it is best we leave him be. I'm sure he's enjoying himself," Lopmon told Yun softly. She didn't say this in a maligned manner. She knew for a fact that Terriermon is still feeling guilty about unknowingly threatening Yun last night, even though the situation had been ameliorated. He probably still didn't want to see Yun in fear that she may not forgive him. That or he probably wanted time to wind his thoughts together in peace. She had Terriermon's best interests at heart. But Yun smiled.
"You're probably right. He's one of those types who loves running around freely, don't you think?" Yun said.
"Perhaps," Lopmon replied.
Yun took little Lopmon to her room and they played together. About 15 minutes later, Hisako heard a knock on the door. She answered it and was surprised to see Melody, Kosuke, Aria, and Otoya on the front porch (and their Digimon, which Hisako intentionally paid no heed to).
"Oh! Hello everyone! What brings you here?" Hisako asked.
"We feel kinda bad about what happened last night, so we decided to drop by for a visit," Kosuke said.
"I brought some leftover cookies. I know how much Yun likes these," Melody said as she showed Hisako the bag.
"May we come in? Or is this a bad time?" Otoya asked.
"Oh! Please, please come in!" Hisako gestured everyone to come inside. Aria stormed in first.
"Yun-chaaaan!" Aria exclaimed as she ran for Yun and leaped on her when she finally laid eyes on her.
"A-A-Aria-chan!" Yun exclaimed as she saw this little girl and her pink fairy Digimon leap on her, but what she saw after that surprised her. "Kosuke-kun! Mel-chan! Otoya-chan! What are you all doing here?"
All three of them sat down on the floor. The Digimon did too. Patamon leaped onto Yun's head.
"We were all worried about you because of what happened last night. I suppose what happened kinda scared you real good, didn't it?" Patamon explained softly.
"Yes. We felt really bad that we couldn't ameliorate the situation to your benefit. Of course, how could we when a Digimon is running loose and going on a rampage? But even so, it's our duty to make sure you're alright," Labramon explained in a very suave and articulate manner.
"I agree. I was worried too, though I must confess your high-pitched crying left me irritated," Biyomon said with her arms crossed, which irked Patamon, Otoya, Lopmon, and Labramon.
"Biyomon! You shouldn't say things like that in front of people!" Lopmon fiercely reproved Biyomon for her slightly caustic comment.
"Yeah! It hurts their feelings!" Patamon backed her up.
"Yeah! Don't be mean to Yun! She's been through a lot last night! Don't add to her pain!" Aria exclaimed fiercely, which is strange considering she's usually merciful and only seven years old.
"But it's true!" Biyomon tried to retaliate, but Patamon was on a roll.
"How would you like it if someone told you to your face that your very presence cramps their style?" Patamon exclaimed.
"Now why would you think that of me?"
"I don't. I'm just asking. Now answer the question!"
"I wouldn't like it at all!"
"Exactly. The same goes with what you just said to Yun. Now say you're sorry!"
"Yes. Please do. It's very rude to make snide comments like that to people's faces," Labramon said.
"I agree," Even Melody was a tad irked by Biyomon's comment. Finally, Biyomon relented and drooped her head and beak down.
"I'm sorry..." Biyomon muttered. Yun stroke Biyomon's pink hair with her hand.
"It's okay. Besides, I'm used to people saying mean things about me," Yun said. This made Melody mad to the point of standing up.
"Yun! You've got to be kidding me! Are you saying you're condoning bullying? That you're giving up on trying to get back at Nemoto and Shimizu for what they're doing to you all these years?" Melody yelped angrily.
"Well, no, but..." Yun let the sentence wither away.
"If it were me, I'd never get used to people talkin' bad about me to my face!" Melody slumped back onto the floor and made a face. Aria and MarineAngemon turned to look at Biyomon.
"It's okay. We forgive you!" Aria said.
"Yeah. I don't think you're a bad Digimon. But you should think before you say stuff like that later on. Okay?" MarineAngemon said sweetly. She wasn't trying to insult Biyomon. MarineAngemon was just trying to offer some helpful advice, to which Biyomon finally relented.
"Alright. I'll do better next time," Biyomon whispered.
"That's a good girl! Now let's play!" MarineAngemon said. So the group of kids and Digimon hung out together. Lucero watched from afar, but he noticed something odd. He dubiously walked away.
Meanwhile, Terriermon sat in the backyard by the gate when suddenly his long ears rose into the air.
"A Digimon is nearby!" He said. He walked out the back gate and felt the presence from the woods. The very same woods where Yun and her friends fought Goblimon and DarkTyrannomon.
"Digimon must love that place," He said as he decided to amble into the woods and see what kind of Digimon is lurking around.
Thankfully enough, Terriermon could tell that whatever kind of Digimon it is, it didn't feel threatening. Terriermon didn't feel any malice or hatred or evil from the presence, so it was safe to say that whatever Digimon he'll encounter, it very likely won't be dangerous. But who knows? Despite this, Terriermon decided to keep his guard up. Who knows what kind of a Digimon will be lurking around in those woods. Would it be a small rookie level Digimon? Perhaps similar to himself or Goblimon? Or is it a champion level, like Witchmon or DarkTyrannomon or even Dokugumon. Terriermon shook his head. He didn't want to think about the Dokugumon incident. He especially didn't want to think about the big ugly spider or Yun's blatant fear during that time. Or maybe...the Digimon is simply an in-training level? How about a baby level? Small Digimon at those levels are usually harmless. Perhaps even friendly. But Terriermon didn't want to take any chances. Just go in there and see what it is. If it's dangerous, fight it. If it's harmless, leave it be. If it's friendly, maybe start a conversation with it and get acquainted with it. If it's too powerful to take down on his own, get help. This possibility seemed the most likely. After a short while of looking and observing, he finally found the Digimon in the clearning.
And what a beautiful and majestic Digimon it is! A tall, dignified, and dazzling Digimon standing in the clearing, looking at trees and their green leaves. It resembled an elk, but this thing sure is no elk! It's fur is white, with baby blue stripes all over it's body. It has thick, tough, powerful-looking blue antlers with lighter blue markings and stripes on them. They sure looked strong. Perhaps even strong enough to knock down a tree! The tall, majestic creature has red eyes, not the glowing red eyes seen on a Digimon with a Dark Emblem, blue markings underneath them, a little black nose, fluffy blue hair going down it's neck, blue hooves, small brown belts wrapped around it's legs right above it's hooves, a swishy tail, and small tufts of white hair resembling feathers sticking out of it's back. Terriermon was enthralled by this Digimon's striking and beautiful mien. Of course, he remained tentative about it's intentions until he noticed it moving around in a rather confused fashion. He was scrupulous to stay out of it's sight until he deemed it safe, but his little opaline eyes were locked onto the giant white elk, trapped by it's beauty. After a few minutes of watching, Terriermon decided that this giant Digimon means no harm and comes in peace. But he did notice something else. The Digimon paced around in a circle, looking very lost.
"Oh dear, oh dear. This isn't my homeland at all. Where in the wild blue yonder am I?" The giant white elk with the blue antlers spoke in a slightly timid but gentle voice similar to that of an adult man who hasn't quite reached adulthood mentally just yet. Terriermon didn't move one bit. After a short while, the giant white elk caught sight of Terriermon. Terriermon prepared himself for a potential fight, but was surprised to see the giant elk smile and beam joyfully.
"What joy! A fellow Digimon!" The giant elk Digimon exclaimed happily as he ambled toward little Terriermon. Seeing how small he is, the elk Digimon walked very slowly toward him so he wouldn't scare him. Thankfully, Terriermon didn't feel scared at all. His gut confirmed that this elk Digimon means no harm.
"Excuse me, little one. I don't mean to bother you, but would you mind telling me where the Chloros Forest is? It seems I lost my way," The giant elk Digimon asked very politely. Terriermon cocked his little head to one side a bit, ruminating about his question. Chloros Forest? What kind of place is that? Is it in the Digital World? He certainly didn't know of any places named that in the human world. And this giant white elk seems to think he's still in the Digital World. Terriermon didn't want to burst his bubble, but he felt he had to spill the truth.
"Ummm...sorry if this sounds hard to believe, but this isn't the Digital World," Terriermon told him. The giant white elk cocked his own head to one side.
"It's not?"
"Nope. This is the human world."
The giant white elk gasped and backed away a few steps.
"The human world? How can this be?" The white elk Digimon yelped, looking like he's about to panic. But after taking a breath, he pacified himself and kept himself from going on a stampede. "Then again, come to think of it...no wonder this place looks more sophisticated than the Digital World! I must be dreaming! Me, in the human world! To think all this time I thought humans were nothing but legends and myths! How very interesting!"
Terriermon was a little confused, but he could see very well that this Digimon didn't look ferocious or volatile, so he decided to loosen up a bit. Then the Digimon looked down at him.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm afraid I didn't introduce myself. I'm Moosemon, an armor level Data attribute Digimon," The majestic white elk Digimon, now Moosemon, said. But the mere mention of his name made Terriermon confused.
"Moosemon? You look more like a deer than a moose!" Terriermon exclaimed.
"How do you know that?"
"My human partner showed me a picture of a deer and a moose in one of her books. Moose are really big and furry and have really big faces and big antlers. You're kinda smaller than that, and you have a normal-sized face, no offense."
"None taken. I have been told that a lot so I'm used to it by now."
"I'm Terriermon, by the way. Nice to meet'cha!"
"Ah, a fellow nature spirit, huh? How lovely!"
"Nature spirit?"
"Yes. I'm one of the most notable of them. They say I bring hope to a land wracked with despair...though I honestly think I'm not entirely capable of such."
"I don't think that's true."
"Care to sit down and engage in conversation with me?"
"Sure!"
Moosemon lay down on the grass and Terriermon hopped on his head. He was scrupulous to avoid his antlers. They were very hard, thick, and, most of all, sharp. Terriermon sure didn't want to get his eyes poked out by one of those pointy antlers.
"So, Terriermon...tell me about your human partner. It's a she, right?" Moosemon asked kindly.
"Yep. She's very nice and kind and gentle, though she's shy too. She's one of the best things that ever happened to me! I love having her for a partner! She plays with me, teaches me things, reads to me, lets me play her games, watches anime with me, and makes sure I don't do anything stupid in a good way (as in the way she treats him as she's telling him about his occasional mischief)."
"She must be a wonderful human."
"She is! But not many other people see that. Other kids her age don't really like her. Some kids even bully her. I've never met the bullies, but if I do I wanna give them a good thrashing! Yun's too sweet and kind to deserve such awful treatment!"
"Yun's her name? Ah! It means 'another world', doesn't it?"
"Well, her real name's Julia, but everyone calls her Yun."
"Julia...that means 'one who lives in harmony' in Ancient Digicode. What a lovely name. But is what you're saying true? About the bullies?"
"I don't really know for sure, but she says it is."
"How cruel! Why would humans want to hurt one another? I just don't get it!"
"Me neither. She's also different from the other kids. Her mom says she has something called autism. It means her brain is wired differently than others."
"Autism? That's a funny-sounding word."
"Yeah, it is. But I don't mind. No matter what, it doesn't change the fact that Yun's a wonderful person, and I love her very much! She loves me too! But..." This is where Terriermon becomes dejected. "To be honest, I don't think...I'm fit to be her partner anymore."
"Why ever not?"
"See, last night, everything went wrong. I digivolved into Gargomon and tried to stop a Digimon named Witchmon from causing trouble, but she put this thing called a Dark Emblem on me. It made me go crazy. I destroyed cars and went beserk. I tried to control myself and stop myself, but my body wasn't listening to me. Worst of all, I even threatened to hurt Yun, who was already scared to death."
"Witchmon. I've heard of her. Quite a naughty thing, she is."
"I know, right? Turuiemon got the Dark Emblem off of me and got me back to normal, but I made Yun cry. Hard. Really hard. That's when I remembered everything. I scared Yun to death and made her cry! Well, her mom says all the noise and yelling and explosions kinda already made her scared, but I made her fright reach it's peak! No Digimon should ever do that to their human partners! Especially if they've been so kind to them...and I ruined it!"
"But you were under the Dark Emblem's control, weren't you? I'm sure you weren't able to stop yourself from doing such things."
"I was, but it doesn't change the fact that I made Yun cry! I don't ever...want to hear and see her crying ever again!" Terriermon again remembered the howls and wails that came from Yun's mouth. He didn't want to hear that ever again.
"I don't believe it was your fault. Don't blame yourself. It was just a freak thing. How could you have known Witchmon was going to put the Dark Emblem on you? It's not like you can see into the future or anything, and there are Digimon who can do that."
"I wish I was one of them! If I had been more careful...and if I wasn't so vulnerable, none of it would've happened!"
"Blaming yourself won't solve anything. I learned that the hard way."
"Really?"
"Yes. I have a friend named Bullmon. He's very short-tempered and easily angered, but he and I get along very well. He relies on me a lot because I'm able to calm him down before he causes a stampede. We sometimes have spars in which we ram our horns into each other so we can test our strength. Unfortunately, I went a bit too far and I poked him in the eye once. You should've heard him scream. Thankfully it didn't make his eye come out. That would've been gross. But I was so sad, kind of like how you are now. I was so afraid and sad, I didn't think he'd want to be friends with me anymore. I blamed myself for a long time. But then he got into a fight with some other beast Digimon and I overheard him say that I'm the only best friend he'll ever have. I was so surprised. Even after I nearly made him lose his sight, he still forgave me, yet I ignored him because I was too much of a coward to approach him. My heart burned with courage after I heard him say those kind words, and I stood up to the beast Digimon and scared them away. I felt awkward, but he exalted me. Despite what happened, Bullmon still believed in me and held me in high regard. I couldn't understand, but he simply said everyone makes mistakes, and it's a part of growing up, though we Digimon live on forever. After we make a mistake, we strive to fix them, get stronger, and shatter any weakness in ourselves. He understood that I had no intention of hurting him, so he forgave me."
"Wow..." Terriermon was impressed by Moosemon's story.
"The point is, little Terriermon, I'm sure Yun still loves you. From what you told me, I don't feel she is one to hold a grudge. Perhaps she knows you well enough to know that you had no intention of hurting her."
"But it doesn't change the fact that I DID try to hurt her!"
"Yes, and you failed to do so, which is great. Instead of letting it make you go crazy, you should strive to improve yourself and protect Yun with more gusto than ever."
Terriermon fell silent. He had to admit it. Moosemon is right. All Terriermon did is avoid Yun and blame himself all day, and it didn't get him anywhere or help him with anything. His dearth of self-confidence regarding the incident really made him dejected all day, even though Yun understands and doesn't blame him at all, which confused him. He then remembered about the stuff Yun goes through every day. Her sister yells at her every day for no reason, those two kids Nenji and Seiko harass her and bully her every day just to get back at her over silly reasons, her disability makes her stand out in the wrong ways, lots of loud noises pound on her ears and make them ring every day, and she's desperate for someone for whom she can confide all her secrecies and sadness. Then he realized it. Yun forgives him because she's desperate. Desperate for a friend. Desperate for a special someone who won't push her away or interrupt her when she's talking or bully her or tell her to shut up and die or beat her up. Terriermon knew that Yun wasn't desperate in a bad way. Everyone feels lonely at one point, and he knew very well that Yun felt very lonely, despite the fact that she has human friends who do care for her (in not-so-subtle ways, of course). And besides, if there is anyone to blame for this incident...
It would be Witchmon.
Yes! SHE's the one who put the Dark Emblem on him. She's the one who practically outran and outsmarted everyone. She's the reason Yun had to go through the horror of even hearing those loud noises. She's the one who made more cars explode and more glass break than anything. She's the reason Yun was so scared. True, Terriermon did fail at defeating her, but she outsmarted everyone, so he wasn't entirely to blame nor was everyone else either. It was understandable, really, that Witchmon managed to be stronger than everyone despite just being a single champion level. And Terriermon, more than anything, wanted to get back at her for forcing him to do things he didn't want to do, including make Yun cry! Yes! Terriermon would unleash his pain on Witchmon, the very cause of it all! He stood up on Moosemon's head.
"You're absolutely right, Moosemon. I'll go back home and reconcile with Yun. She's my friend and friends don't avoid each other," Terriermon said, his voice full of determination, as he leaped off of Moosemon's head. He stood up and looked down at the little floppy eared Digimon with pride in his eyes. He was proud of Terriermon.
"I'm glad. I laud you for your showing yourself clemency and forgiving yourself. Perhaps Yun will forgive you," Moosemon said.
And just as Terriermon was about to leave, someone else got to him before he got to the house! It was Lucero!
"Terriermon! I've found thee!"
Lucero, wearing his overalls, a white short-sleeved shirt, and sandals, found the clearing in the woods, along with Terriermon and Moosemon.
"Lucero! What are you doing here?" Terriermon asked as Lucero approached him.
"Looking for thee, of course! Thou has had me and Yun worried! I came to look for thee myself. Now come back to the house. Yun is asking about thee and...WHOA! Who is that?" Lucero at first reproved Terriermon for his disappearance but became frozen with fear as he laid eyes on Moosemon.
"What's wrong?" Moosemon asked.
"Don't worry, Lucero! This is Moosemon! He's not dangerous!" Terriermon explained, managing to mollify Lucero and make his fear dissipate.
"So he is why thou hast stayed in the woods?" Lucero asked.
"Yep!" Terriermon said.
But before they could talk more, a very loud rustling sound permeated the silent air in the woods. Leaves scattered all over the place, and something red was struggling and flailing around in the trees.
"Kyaaaa! Now my hair's all ruined! And I worked so hard with making sure it-Huh?" A very familiar and snotty voice permeated the air, which made Terriermon choleric.
Out from the tree came Witchmon!
She caught sight of Lucero, Terriermon, and Moosemon once she got out of the tree.
"Hey! I know you! You're that funny looking midget from before!" Witchmon exclaimed. Terriermon is gritting his teeth at her, looking absolutely incensed.
"WITCHMOOOON! You made me scare Yun to death!" Terriermon screamed.
"That's not my problem!" Witchmon retorted in a sassy tone, which fueled the flame that is Terriermon's anger even more.
"OF COURSE IT'S YOUR PROBLEM, YOU PROMISCUOUS WITCH! I'm gonna get you for what you made me do whether you like it or not!" Terriermon screamed angrily. He jumped on a tree, got to the top, and attempted to attack Witchmon.
"Blazing fire!"
"I am NOT promiscuous, you little midget! Baluluna Gale!" Witchmon retorted back as she deflected Terriermon's sphere of fire with a ghastly gust of wind that came from her broom, sending him flying into Lucero's arms.
"Art thou alright?" Lucero asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine. But I'm not giving up just yet!" Terriermon exclaimed as he leaped out of Lucero's arms.
"But Terriermon! Thou cannot fight like this! Witchmon is very strong! Stronger than thou!"
"I don't care! I'll make her pay for what she made me do to Yun!"
But Witchmon wasn't convinced.
"Baluluna Gale!"
The tornado of wind she blasted from her broom is so strong, it knocked over some trees and even made Lucero get caught in one of the rigid stumps. The pointed edges left a deep, fresh wound on Lucero's left ankle. Terriermon was successfully caught by Moosemon who bit into one of his ears.
"Thanks Moosemon!"
"Don't mention it. Perhaps I shall help out! Hanging Twister!" Moosemon spun his horns around and made his own little windy tornado which, unfortunately, got eliminated by Witchmon's own attack.
"I've had just about enough of this! I'm branding you with another Dark Emblem!" Witchmon got the crystal in her hand and swooped downward, descending before Terriermon and attempting to brand him once again with the Dark Emblem. Terriermon braced himself because Witchmon was coming down too fast for him to escape. Once he got the courage to open his eyes, strangely enough he didn't get branded. But he was appalled upon seeing who was.
Moosemon jumped in the way and took the brand, both saving Terriermon and succumbing to the Dark Emblem's control.
"Moosemon!" Both Terriermon and Lucero screamed as Moosemon fell to the ground with a Dark Emblem on his neck.
"Hmph! Perhaps this will keep you occupied. I'm finished wasting my time with you. Ciao! Kihihihihi!" Witchmon, having decided that she's had enough, flew away yet again. Like before, she left behind big trouble.
Moosemon reawoke and stood up, but his eyes are glowing a bloody red color and he roared like a lion. His roar echoed throughout the woods. Lucero was scared, but Terriermon wasn't.
"Lucero! Go and get help!"
"But Terriermon! Thou cannot fight him alone!"
"I can and I will! Now go!"
"Moosemon will-"
"I SAID GO! Can't you hear me?"
Lucero, realizing that arguing with Terriermon is futile, decided to run back to the house and get help despite his wounded leg.
And the kids at the house aren't even aware that a brawl is going on. The kids had left about a few minutes ago, and Hisako, Yun, and Lopmon are in the backyard, sitting on the deck, and enjoying themselves.
"Yun? I have a question."
"Yes, Lopmon?"
"Do your friends visit you when you were sick or scared often?"
"Yep! They've been doing it since the 3rd grade!"
"Wow. That must be wonderful."
"Yun's friends are good people," Hisako said.
"They sure are," Lopmon said.
"And speaking of friends...Mom, have you seen Lucero?" Yun asked.
"Come to think of it, last I saw him he was in the hallway watching you and your friends have fun," Hisako replied.
"I wonder why he didn't join us?" Yun asked herself.
"Perhaps he wanted to give you some space," Lopmon said.
They had no idea that the very person they are talking about is arriving this very moment.
"Yuuun! Yuuuun!"
Yun and Lopmon leaped to their feet and saw Lucero running into the backyard.
"Whoa! Speak of the devil!" Yun exclaimed. She ran toward the tired out Lucero, who tripped and safely fell into Yun's arms when he finally reached her. Lopmon and Hisako approached him also.
"Lucero! What's wrong? And what happened to your leg?" Yun asked, noticing the bad wound on his foot (and his missing sandal). Lucero looked up at Yun...looking like he's about to cry.
"Yun! A Digimon's running loose! In the clearing!"
"The one in the woods?"
"Yeah! Witchmon put a Dark Emblem on it and now it's going nuts! Terriermon's back there fighting it!"
This made Yun gasp with fear. "EH?"
"I tried to get him to come with me since he can't fight that thing alone, but he wouldn't listen to me!"
Terriermon? Going up against a Digimon all on his own? Yun couldn't believe it. But seeing as though this is a situation she couldn't ignore, she decided to take action.
"Alright. Stay here with Mom while Lopmon and I go fight the Digimon," Yun told him with a straight face and handed him to Hisako. She grabbed her digivice and darted off, leaving a speechless Hisako and an injured Lucero behind.
They arrived at the clearing, but the sight scared Yun.
"Terrier Tornado!"
"Horn Blade!"
Terriermon and Moosemon are going all out with their attacks, with Terriermon taking the most hits.
"Terriermon!" Yun screamed, which got Terriermon's attention.
"Yun!" He yelped back, and a second after that he was whacked by one of Moosemon's antlers. Thankfully the pointy parts didn't stab him. Yun ran toward the flying Terriermon and successfully caught him. Yun gazed upon him with nothing but worry.
"Terriermon! Wake up! Speak to me!" Yun exclaimed, but he didn't respond. She was relieved to find that he's still breathing. Not wanting to let him be attacked anymore, she laid him in front of a tree and got her digivice out. Oddly enough, the digivice made the lit-up lasso come out!
"Good! Lopmon! When I catch this Digimon with my digivice lasso, that's when you attack! Got it?"
"Got it!"
Moosemon proceeded to attack.
"Horn Blade!"
Yun flicked her lasso at it, successfully catching it by the neck.
"Now!"
"Freezing Snow!"
Lopmon's miniature blizzard attack managed to freeze Moosemon's hooves to the ground and freeze the part of his neck in which the Dark Emblem is located. Unfortunately, Moosemon roared and flailed enough to make Yun's lasso dissipate and break out of Lopmon's ice. It's here that Yun sees Terriermon waking up and struggling to stand up.
"I...I will...defeat him..." Terriermon muttered as he struggled to get himself up. Yun, seeing her frail and injured little friend, ran to him.
"Terriermon! Stay down and rest! We'll handle it!" Yun told him.
"NO! This is my fight! I'll take him down!"
"Not in your condition!"
"I don't care! This'll make up for what I did to you last night, Yun! I promised myself that I'd never ever make you cry ever again!"
It hit Yun. Right there. Terriermon's fighting so hard against Moosemon because he's blamed himself for what happened last night. She never thought he'd take it so hard. But she could see it. An inextinguishable burning flame of courage flickering in both his blue opaline eyes and his heart. She didn't care that Moosemon is making a lot of noise and going crazy. She cared about Terriermon. Touched by his courage, she embraced him.
"Terriermon...if you're gonna fight him, then I'll help you out. After all, we're partners...aren't we? Partners fight hardship together!" Yun muttered.
"Yes...they do," Terriermon replied.
"Now let's defeat this thing!"
"Let's do it!"
In a flash, Terriermon digivolved into Gargomon. Lopmon, compelled to help her brother, decided to fight with him. Again, Yun successfully caught Moosemon with her digivice lasso, managing to keep him in place. Gargomon and Lopmon attacked.
"Gargo Laser!"
"Freezing Snow!"
Both attacks hit, but it wasn't enough to make the Dark Emblem go away. Lopmon looked at Gargomon with a smile.
"Gargomon...why don't I let you take the last shot?"
Gargomon nodded.
"Bunny Pummel!" Gargomon punched Moosemon in the neck, destroying the Dark Emblem and rendering him unconscious on the ground. Yun squealed with joy and leaped onto Gargomon.
"Yay! Gargomon! We did it! We did it!" Yun hopped up and down while hugging Gargomon. But she stopped when she felt him trembling. She looked up and was surprised to see Gargomon looking down at her with tear-filled eyes.
"Gargomon...?"
Gargomon finally took the plunge.
"Yun...about last night. I...I'm real sorry. I truly am. I...I was controled by the Dark Emblem. Witchmon put it on me. I...I would never hurt you intentionally! I didn't mean to make you cry!" Gargomon choked in between his tears. Yun, seeing his sincere and dejected eyes, smiled at him.
"It's okay. I knew from the beginning that it couldn't be the real you. And besides, I was mostly scared because of the noise going on. You know, the explosions and the glass breaking and the yelling," Yun said.
"But...but I threatened you! And I made you cry!" Gargomon said.
"Yes, you threatened me, but that was because you were under the Dark Emblem's control. And I only cried because I was scared and wanted to let all my frustration out!"
"Is that all?"
"Yeah! Would YOU like it if you were trapped in a place full of loud noises you hated?"
"Nope. I wouldn't like it at all."
"Exactly! And I forgive you!"
Gargomon, touched by Yun's clemency and kindness, hugged Yun for a bit and then de-digivolved back into Terriermon. Yun proceeded to scoop the little floppy eared Digimon in her arms and rub her face against his, making him laugh.
"Besides, no matter what you'll always be my little friend!...and my little cutie pie too!" Yun said sweetly as she very gently tickled Terriermon in the abdomen, causing him to laugh.
"Hey! Quit it! That tickles!" Terriermon exclaimed in laughter. Soon all three of them (Yun, Terriermon, and Lopmon) were on their knees laughing it up. This is what Terriermon loved best about Yun. Seeing her smile. It was basically the harbinger of Yun's kindness and genuine innocence.
"So everyone's happy now!" Lopmon said.
"Yep!" Yun said.
That's when Terriermon noticed something.
"Look!" Terriermon pointed to Moosemon.
Moosemon is waking up! He got himself on his feet and looked at the trio with a sympathetic look on your face.
"So...this is Yun you were telling me about?" Moosemon asked, which made Yun confused.
"Terriermon...you know him?"
"Yep! We met just before he got attacked. We talked a lot too. This is Moosemon!"
"What a beautiful Digimon he is!" Lopmon exclaimed with a smile, which made Moosemon blush.
"Oh no, I'm not beautiful at all. And it's an honor to meet you, Yun," Moosemon said.
"Same here," Yun said.
"Perhaps the human world isn't a bad place."
"Were you planning on going back to the Digital World?"
"At first I was...but now after seeing you and your Digimon getting along so wonderfully, I believe I'll stick around."
"Why?"
"I believe there's a human out there who wants a partner Digimon, and I happen to be that Digimon who wants a human partner. I think I will learn more about humans if I were to have a partner. Now that I know humans are real, I want to know what it's like to have a partner."
Yun smiled at the beautiful white and blue deer Digimon.
"I'm sure you'll find a partner someday. But I prefer going after someone who'll actually like Digimon."
"Yes. I'm sure there are humans who don't like Digimon, and I respect that. I suppose I should be going. Goodbye!" Moosemon said. Then he left, leaving Yun, Lopmon, and Terriermon behind.
"So...who's up for chocolate cake?"
"I am!" Both Terriermon and Lopmon exclaimed happily and ran back into the house to have a little snack.
But unbeknownst to them, Witchmon is still at large...and is now sitting on top of a house accompanied by another Digimon. A very ugly looking Digimon at that, in which it resembles a giant cockroach with big buck teeth and skulls on parts of it's body.
"Aaaagh! I swear, these humans are more trouble than we thought, Roachmon! They're the reason why my Dark Emblems don't last long on the Digimon I catch lately!" Witchmon whined like a bratty little girl. The ugly roach Digimon, Roachmon, sat next to her.
"It sure does explain why the Digimon we git disappear after we put them Dark Emblems on 'em! And I sure din' think humans existed! Now I'm 'a convinced they do! Our Master's gonna be spittin' mad if he found out about 'dis!" Roachmon explained in a very poorly constructed and non-articulate statement.
"But our master doesn't believe in humans so he won't believe us!"
"Not as long as we got some solid proof! But for now, you's a focus on puttin' those Dark Emblems on Digimon while I find some durn good evidence that'll convince Master to believe that humans are real! That or maybe come up with some kinda plan to get rid of those pesky meddlin' kids!"
"You got it! You may look incompetent but you really are smart inside!" Witchmon flew away when she said that statement, which made Roachmon very choleric.
"HEY! I ain't no incompetent! Yous a come back here NOW, Witchmon!" Roachmon yelled angrily.
It seems there's a bigger force behind these Dark Emblems after all.
Author's Note: Hey everyone! I finally finished chapter 11! The next chapter will be fun! But I'm gonna try and work on some of my original stories on FictionPress. I haven't worked on them in some time, and I feel they need my undivided attention. But don't worry! I'll work on this story! I promise! I better go now. I'll see you all later! Bye-bee!
Footnotes:
1. Twin Spica is a manga made by Kou Yaginuma. An anime for it was made in 2003 and a live-action TV show was made in 2009.
