Series: Curves in Reality||Title: For Want of a Rockfall
Characters: Yamato, Tsunomon (mentioned), Piemon
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 984
Genre: Drama||Rated: PG
Challenges: Advent 2015-2016, day #23, start or add to a series; Word Count Set Boot Camp, Digimon Adventure 02, #5, 984; Include The Word Boot Camp, Digimon, #38, sticky; Febuwhump 2022, day #3, Left Behind
Notes: This technically takes place after episode 28 of Digimon Adventure – only with a different ending.
Summary: Making sure that his friends made it through the gate safely cost Yamato far more than he ever thought – and gained Piemon a warrior he'd not thought possible.

Yamato groaned, fingers moving and twitching for a few heartbeats before he wondered if he should even bother to get up. He couldn't think of any reason for it - truth to tell, he couldn't think of any reason at all to move and plenty to stay where he was. Every bit of him hurt in ways that he couldn't imagine it had been possible to hurt. Something sticky was on his forehead, matting into his hair. Was that -

He decided he'd rather not think about it. Not right now. Not when he didn't even have room to do a decent panic. Was he the only one here or were the others in this mess too? He tried to open his eyes but he wasn't sure if he did. He couldn't see much if they were open. Just darkness everywhere. That did make sense. They'd been in Vamdemon's castle when it all came down on their heads.

Bit by bit the memories slotted back into place. While the others figured out how to use those cards, he and Gabumon had been holding off that big spider Digimon. He couldn't remember the name but it didn't matter right now. Together they'd defeated it and then been heading as quickly as they could to the gate, moments behind everyone else.

Tsunomon. Gabumon had become Tsunomon, having used up too much of his strength after evolving to WereGarurumon. The little horned sphere had been in his arms, but he wasn't there now. Yamato tried to blink and decided that still wasn't something he wanted to try. He tilted his head a little and wished he hadn't as a thick spike of pain planted itself between his eyes.

The reality of the situation followed the spike - he wasn't with the others. He couldn't hear anything else except his own labored breathing, and something heavy rested on top of him. Part of the castle? He thought it might be but he couldn't be sure with how dark it was. He wasn't even sure if Tsunomon were still with him. He couldn't hear his partner breathing or moving around at all. His heart thudded harder at that. He wanted to think that his partner was there somewhere and he just couldn't tell where. The other options came under that heading of 'not going to think about this right now'.

That one fact stuck in his mind. He wasn't with the others. They'd gone on without him. Probably not on purpose. He'd been busy fighting and they had to get through no matter what. They'd probably thought he was right behind them.

Only he wasn't. He was still here, in the Digital World, and he hurt from top to bottom. What was he going to do?

Gennai? Maybe Gennai could find a way to Earth for him. He'd known how to use this one. Yamato shifted, fingers going through what he guessed was dirt and rubble, and tried again to open his eyes. This time the effort wound up being more successful. He blinked slowly and looked around, raising his head the tiniest bit.

Rubble and ruin as far as the eye could see. Several arm lengths away he could see a small round - it was orange - Yamato tried to scramble to his feet and fell face down again with a cry of agony. One word rang over and over in his mind - Tsunomon. His partner was there, and he couldn't even get to him!

He tried to crank the word out of his throat, but however long he'd been out of it, it had been too long for him to be able to speak. His throat scraped dry and broken, and he slammed his fists into the dirt, furious and helpless and angry.

"What do we have here?" It wasn't a voice that he knew. Whoever it was sounded more than a little amused, which didn't make Yamato all that thrilled right now. He tried to flop over to see who it was and couldn't get himself to move properly. But then firm hands took hold of him and he found himself staring into a very strange face.

He couldn't see most of it, since everything from the head down to the nose was covered by a mask, half of which was white, the other half black. A shock of reddish hair came from the top of the mask, and he caught a glimpse of four sword hilts riding on the stranger's back. His lips were bright red, currently tilted into a bit o a smile, and he wore a bright red jacket, with a white ruff around the neck. A blue ribbon floated around him, and there was a gleam of something Yamato couldn't identify in those bright, sharp eyes.

"An injured Chosen Child. Where is your Digimon?"

Yamato wanted to get to Tsunomon. One arm flailed a bit helplessly, and another voice spoke up.

"I think this is it!" The voice came from the same direction that he'd seen Tsunomon in, and he did his best to wrench around. The one holding him tightened his grip a little.

"Don't do that. You're quite badly hurt and you'll make it worse if you aren't careful. Pinnochimon has found your partner. I am Piemon, Lord of the Dark Masters." The smile widened briefly. Yamato thought he should be more worried about that name than he was. But he couldn't find the words to express it yet. "I will take care of you now. But first you need to heal. And for that, you need to sleep."

Yamato didn't want to sleep. He'd just managed to claw himself out of whatever state he'd been in after having a castle fall on him. But Piemon's voice held a command he couldn't deny. His eyes closed, he went boneless, and he didn't see the satisfied way Piemon smiled.

The End

Notes: Or technically the beginning. Yamato's going to spend several years growing up in the Digital World under Piemon's tutelage while the Chosen are busy fighting Vamdemon and searching for the Eighth Child (and a way to find Yamato).