A/N: Chapter 26. You'll be glad to know that the plot continues on now. Things start to get back on the move with this one, not wanting to spoil anything for you...

And I've been crying big anime waterfall tears lately. I had just gotten the drafts for the Digimon Tamers Rewrite (name still in development) OC introductions done and was having fun developing them all as a group. Until people started asking for a Renamon/Takato pairing. Needless to say my work on the story went in the bin and I have to start again. Oh well, back to the drawing board...

Digimon Tamers: Quantum Displacement Theory and Other Big Words

Chapter 26

I woke alone. Kiara had obviously woken earlier than me. I didn't mind, she had every right to begin her day without me. My pains had reduced to dull aches, another used shot of morphine laying on the floor beside the bed. With a tired groan I weakly sat up in bed, steadying myself as I did so.

I felt able to move again, able to get back on track with the events of this world. I swung my legs out of the bed just as Kiara returned.

"Axel? I hope you aren't trying to move."

I rolled my eyes. "I can't lay in bed all the time Kiara, help me up please. I'm dying for food here."

Fortunately she assisted me as we went downstairs. Kiara sat me at the table as she prepared something for me. I still didn't like her doing that but given my condition I had no choice this time. It didn't take her long to make a quick breakfast for me, one which I ate very quickly given the extent of my hunger.

I sat back in the chair as Kiara cleared away. "Was that enough for you Axel?"

If I told the truth she would feel obliged to prepare more, so I lied. "Yes Kiara, thank you."

She sighed. "You're a terrible liar Axel, have I told you that?" She handed me another serving. "I know you too well for you to deceive me like that."

I sighed this time. "I didn't want you to keep doing this for me. It makes me feel awkward."

"Axel." She knelt beside me, clasping my hands in her paws. "I care about you as you well know, helping you is my first priority. If I have to spend a few minutes a day fetching things for you then so be it. I don't feel negatively towards you for doing this."

I smiled although it was slightly forced. "I know, but it doesn't make it any less awkward."

She rose again, flicking me with her tail. "Oh shut up and eat."

I smiled at her reaction before doing as I was told. This time I was genuinely full as I relaxed against the chair again. Kiara wrapped her arms around me from behind.

"Better?"

"Much."

"Good."

"Thanks."

She smirked. "Hug?" I responded with said action. "Kiss?" Again I responded. "Sex?"

"W-What?" I spluttered.

"Got you." She grinned broadly. "I was seeing how far you would go. Still... It's a nice thought..."

"Perhaps when I am in a better condition." I saw the hopeful gleam in her eyes. "But no promises Kiara. There's a certain pace to things like this that I would rather keep to."

"I know Axel. I was only fooling around anyway. Well, just a little."

"You're obsessed aren't you?"

"No?"

"Now your in denial."

"I'm not!" She didn't realise what she said until she had said it. Her face just cracked me up. "Oh shut up smart ass!"

She helped me to the sofa while I continued laughing at her expense. When I was safely sat down she whipped her tail across my face in a light slap. It didn't hurt in the slightest but I guessed that was the point.

"Are you quite finished now?"

I was still smirking. "Hold on, give me a minute here." Another slap came my way, slightly harder than before. "Okay, now I'm done."

I regained control of my mirth as she sat beside me. I was encased in her arms soon after.

"I guess the others will be visiting you soon. I just hope Renamon hasn't told them the truth yet."

I nodded. "I hope so too, explaining things to them will be very difficult. If she has mentioned anything then we are in for a monumental headache situation. If she hasn't then there is no reason for them to know."

Kiara turned to me. "So what happens next then? What's the next event you remember?"

I sighed deeply. "From what I saw in your memories the next big event is the Devas. But as it happens HYPNOS isn't exactly operational, they were the ones who inadvertently caused the Devas to come in the first place. So on that information I have absolutely no idea what we will face, when we will face it or how we can succeed." I suppressed a slight shiver of fear. "I don't like not knowing things Kiara. The last time I was unsure of what might happen I lost two people I held close to me."

"Your parents?" I nodded slowly. Kiara tightened her grip on me. "Life is full of unknowns Axel. It's just the way it is. How we deal with those unknowns defines who we are, no one can know everything that happens in the future. No one can predict every event that will befall their lives."

"Maybe not, but for several years I engineered my own future. I knew what would happen to me, when it would happen and for the most part why it happened. I had a great sense of control over my own life, that only amplified when I came here. Now though, I just feel lost. Adrift in a small boat in a sea of unknowns. I don't like this Kiara. I don't like not knowing what might happen. Even a single clue on a future event would be better than this."

Kiara shifted me so I laid on her, her tail joining in with the comforting embrace I was now in. "Your not alone now though Axel. You have me beside you always. You even have the others as your friends. We will all face this unknown together, stronger because of your uniting actions. Nothing will prevail against us."

I force myself to take comfort in her words. I decided against saying anything else, nothing needed saying. Plus my body was using all the traces of energy I had to digest my meal, drawing me into the depths of slumber. The last thing I remembered was Kiara's warmth.

I woke some time later that day. Kiara was still wrapped around me, obviously not asleep given the rate of her breathing. She was also gently stroking my back in a soothing manner. I struggled not to fall back asleep.

"Kiara, if you keep doing that I'll fall asleep again."

My words made her flinch in surprise. "Oh, I didn't realise you had woken already." She smiled down at me. "I didn't want you having any disturbing dreams either."

"My rest was peaceful Kiara. Thank you. Now." I shifted into a more upright position. "We should really do something today."

"Sex?" She had that hopeful look again.

"Something other than that Kiara." She sighed in disappointment. "I need to find out what I can about what we might be facing."

"Do you have any idea where to start that?"

I dropped my head. "Not a clue."

"So..."

"So I'm going to do what I do best." I rose from the sofa, Kiara following close behind in case I lost balance.

"Uh oh, I know that look Axel."

I rolled my eyes. "I've used it enough times Kiara. Shall we?"

"Absolutely not!" I figured she would say that.

"Sex afterwards?" She gave me a double take before grasping my wrist and rushing us out the door and onto the roof of our house. "Careful Kiara, I'm still injured here."

She slowed her pace slightly. "So were exactly are we going?"

"I thought you knew since you were dragging me along." This time she rolled her eyes. "Just use your digimon senses to find what we need."

Kiara cast her senses out, or so I assumed, and searched around. Her eyes snapped open a few seconds later. "It seems we are in luck Axel."

I raised a brow. "Trouble?"

She smirked. "Trouble." Jackpot.

We arrived at our destination, a digital field within an abandoned warehouse. Very cliche and definitely not in the original story. My digivice was out and scanning for our opponent, nothing had shown up yet. I would have thought this to be a fluke field if Kiara hadn't insisted she could sense a digimon within it.

I scanned to my left again before hearing a cry in front.

"Deva Blade!"

Kiara tackled me aside, making sure she landed first as a blue blade of energy passed through the area we just occupied. She gave me a concerned look.

"Are you okay?"

I nodded. "I'm fine Kiara, nice save." We got to our feet, my digivice identifying our attacker after I already knew who it was. Only one digimon had that attack and the clue was in the name. "Vajramon. The bull Deva. The first of twelve. Seems like they found a way over anyway."

"Spear time?" She flexed her claws.

"I don't think that'll make a scratch Kiara, he's an ultimate level digimon boosted by his Deva status. We're going to need to even the playing field." I focused my thoughts as my digivice glowed.

"Activating digivolution."

Beside me Kiara glowed as well, starting the process.

"Renamon digivolve to..." I watched her shift into her next level, she still looked very proud. "... Kyuubimon!"

She sized up her opponent. "I don't think this will be enough Axel."

I gave her a wink. "It's all in the application Kiara, you can do this. With a little help from me of course. Let's see here... This should do." I pulled a familiar card from my deck. "Digi-modify! Hyper chip Activate!" I wasn't done there, I retrieved a second card. "Digi-modify! Renamon's Fox Void Shift Activate!"

To say Kiara was surprised was an understatement as she became five of herself. I motioned for her to begin, her eager smile returning for a moment. She darted towards the Vajramon who gave her a slightly perverted look.

"How delightful. You really are exquisite."

"Back off beef cake, I'm taken."

Vajramon sneered before bringing his blades up. "Then you die!"

Kiara began to unleash multiple 'Fox Tail Inferno' attacks all over the Deva, darting past herself until even I couldn't tell which one was real. Round and round she went, jumping and ducking all while shooting her fireballs off. Vajramon was quickly becoming agitated and started to lash out. This only made his position worse as when he struck out at one Kiara two others took the opening to attack. He ended up taking more damage if he attacked, or simply being worn down if he defended. A lose lose scenario.

Kiara still raced around the bull digimon, earning a slight wince from me as one of her copies was destroyed. I caught a glimpse of a caring look from one Kiara, marking that one as the real one.

Vajramon had enough. He stomped down on the ground, to no effect, and began attacking wildly, hoping to catch Kiara as she circled him. She proved to be slightly more nimble than him as she dodged the attacks, only one other copy being deleted. She was facing a powerful ultimate after all, even she couldn't win decisively.

The remaining three Kiaras released their 'Dragon Wheel' attacks at the Deva, from three different directions. He could only block one before the other two struck him. Kiara leapt back on all sides as he lashed out again, body aflame with her ghost fire.

As the flames died down Vajramon staggered once before dropping to a knee, blades still held defiantly. "I am a Deva, I will not lose to you!"

"Too bad." All three Kiaras spoke in unison before firing off more fireballs, smothering him in more ghost fire. With his vision impaired by the dancing flames she released a second 'Dragon Wheel' from her three forms. The ethereal dragons smashed into the kneeling Deva, delivering the final blow that triggered his deletion.

Only then did Kiara dispelled her two surviving copies and return to me. I noticed she was favouring her left foreleg over her right. She had been hurt.

"You okay Axel?"

"Fine, all things considered, but your not. Let me see." I gestured to her leg as she lifted it towards me. The ghost fire died off so I could take a better look, revealing a ragged gash across her white paw. It wasn't serious by any standards but it did look very painful.

I de-digivolved her with a thought as she took us home in the conventional method. Well, conventional for us anyway. As we phased in I guided Kiara to the kitchen, gently slipping off her right arm guard while avoiding her cut. She winced slightly as the fabric grazed across her injury but didn't stop me. I placed her paw under running water to clean it, causing her to hiss in pain as the icy liquid stung her, before carefully drying her fur and wrapping the cut in a bandage. It would heal quick enough but I wanted to make sure it was kept clean.

Come to think of it I didn't think digimon could be injured like that or bleed, yet Kiara was proof otherwise. Something else that may have altered with me being here or as a result of Kiara maturing. Either way she could be hurt in the same was as me, I needed to be more careful in future.

Kiara kissed me in thanks before pulling me onto the sofa with her. "So, about that sex..."