Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3
Part 17
by Christian "Sid" Lang




The silence that follows Gatomon's dramatic departure is almost worse than the fight has been.
Aquaveemon is still standing near the front door, staring at the open window.
Veemon stares at her from his position on the floor, not quite sure what to say now.
I love her... and she just said that she loves me... so...
"Tsk... Amateur." Flamedramon laughs, kneeling next to him.
Veemon is just about to shout something when his older self signals him to shut up.
"Short version: Lie down and let her help you!" the Armor Digimon hisses.
Oh come on, you don't expect me to- Veemon thinks back, but his inner voice interrupts him.
"She's done all this to protect you. So be a thankful dragon and play the victim."
Then Flamedramon smirks, making Veemon frown in return.
"Besides, you're bleeding." Flamedramon mutters and points at Veemon's leg.
"What the-AUGH!" Veemon shouts, finally noticing the long cut at his thigh.

Good Lord, what have I done? Aquaveemon thinks and stares out of the window Gatomon has used.
She begins to realize that she just fought her first battle.
At least the first one where I actually did something... she quickly adds.
The young Digimon admits that she never felt such a power before. It felt great.
I beat the Digimon everybody respects as a great fighter! she realizes and smiles.
Then she realizes that this Digimon has once saved her life.
Oh my... I wanted to... kill her... she thinks, suddenly feeling miserable.
When she realizes that Renamon might be a bit angry now, she gulps.
That had been beginner's luck... I'm no fighter... I-
"AUGH!" Veemon suddenly yells, making Aquaveemon blink.
She looks at the Digimon she loves - and screams in terror.
"VEEMON! OH MY GOD!" she cries and dashes to her near-dead love.
His leg is bleeding, and Aquaveemon guesses that the wound is fatal, judging by the size.
"Aquaveemon, I-" Veemon starts to whisper, but stops when she hugs him.
"Save your strength! Oh God... Please don't die now!" she sobs.

Pardon me? Veemon thinks and frowns.
He closes his eyes, trying to feel that huge wound Aquaveemon must have seen.
Am I dying? Weird... I don't feel much pain except for the leg thing...
"Please don't die! I love you! I need you!" Aquaveemon cries, still hugging him.
"And I... I..." Veemon stammers, trying to say the magic words.
"Maybe it wasn't meant to be..." he can hear her sob quietly.
He sighs and carefully returns the hug, holding her close to him.
For a second he simply enjoys the feeling of having somebody to hug, somebody who loves him.
Veemon knows that this is the Digimon he loves, and this knowledge gives him new strength.
"And I love you, too." he whispers softly, making Aquaveemon gasp.
The younger Rookie holds him at an arm's length and looks into his eyes.
"You...do...?" she whispers, as if not believing her cute ears.

Oh jeez, don't let me be too late! Hawkmon prays, landing on the Motomiya balcony.
But he has seen Gatomon and Renamon leave, and they wouldn't leave...
...unless the action is over... he thinks and gulps.
"Yes, I do." he suddenly hears Veemon's voice.
He's alive! Thank God! That means I can-
"Oh Veemon! You really love me, too?" Aquaveemon interrupts his thoughts.
-kill him personally.
Hawkmon clenches his fist briefly before realizing why he came here.
Wait. Veemon is not my enemy. And I have to accept that he won her heart. he reminds himself.
"I have to tell him the truth." he whispers and nods.

Veemon thought that he knows every life-threatening situation in existence.
But being cuddled to death is a new experience even for him.
"Aqua... Aqua... stop... getting... no air..." he gasps.
His beloved Aquaveemon keeps hugging him, and he marvels at how nice it feels.
So this is what love feels like... he thinks and smiles.
"I'm so happy to be with you..." Aquaveemon quietly whispers into his ear.
"Oh, Aqua... I've waited so long to tell you that I love- Hawkmon?"
Veemon blinks and looks at the bird Digimon who has just entered the apartment.
"You love HAWKMON?" Aquaveemon shrieks, but Veemon ignores her for the moment.
"Oh my, Veemon. Why haven't you told me this earlier?" Hawkmon asks and smirks.
Aquaveemon turns around and blushes when she sees him.

"Buddy! You're just in time to-" Veemon starts cheering, but Hawkmon holds up his wing.
"Veemon, we have to talk." the bird Digimon mutters.
Davis' partner looks up at him and cocks his head. Hawkmon only sighs.
"Alone. And... I could take care of your little scratch there." he adds.
"Little scratch? He's WOUNDED! You have no idea what-" Aquaveemon starts to shout.
"Oh come on. This is nothing compared to previous things." Hawkmon chuckles.
Veemon sighs and nods. Hawkmon helps him up and supports him.
"Please wait here." he tells Aquaveemon as he walks to Davis' room.
Not that she would have gone away... She'll wait... for her beloved Veemon.
Hawkmon sighs when he realizes that this battle really is over.
And I lost. Again. he thinks and shakes his head slowly.

"Please tell me what happened." Hawkmon whispers and starts cleaning the cut.
Veemon sits on Davis' chair and sighs. He just wants to join Aquaveemon right now.
"Gatomon came over. She had been shaven. And somehow she made me responsible."
"Aha?" Yolei's partner asks, not even looking up.
"She had Davis' shaver and I... had her Holy Ring. Dunno how it happened, I just had it."
He sighs, remembering his own surprise during that moment.
"She became angry... and I somehow snapped, too... And then I punched her."
Hawkmon freezes and looks up at his friend. For a long second, nobody speaks.
"You... punched Gatomon?" the bird Digimon asks quietly.
"And in a sick way, it felt great! Well... at least until Renamon threw me against the wall."
"I see... So then you beat up Renamon and-"
"No." Veemon interrupts him quietly.
"No? But when I arrived, Gatomon was carrying Re-" Hawkmon starts to protest.
"Aquaveemon knocked Renamon out." Veemon whispers.

Impossible! Aquaveemon couldn't do something like that! Could she...?
Hawkmon stares at Veemon, who seems to be lost in thought.
"She must have snapped when she saw Renamon punching me... and then..."
She really loves him then. If she somehow fought Renam- Wait.
"If Aquaveemon fought Renamon... then why isn't she hurt at all?" he asks.
Veemon blinks and looks down at him. The leg wound is completely forgotten by now.
"The first hit sent Renamon against the wall... the second hit knocked her out."
Hawkmon gulps when he hears this. Renamon is one of the toughest Rookies he knows, but this...
"She even tried to finish Renamon off, but Gatomon intervened..." Veemon adds.
Suddenly Veemon looks down, and Hawkmon knows that the moment of truth has come.
"The only thing that puzzles me is... who shaved Gatomon?"
The bird Digimon sighs. Then he looks up, straight into Veemon's eyes.
"I did it." he whispers.

Kari Kamiya yawns and grins as she enters the apartment again.
The DigiDestined has spent the entire night roaming the city with T.K.
And now all I need is sleep... and maybe a bath...
She nods and stumbles to the bathroom. A meter away from the bathroom door, she stops.
"Ohhhhh Gatomon... that feels good..." she hears Renamon whisper.
"Relax... just leave it to me..." Gatomon replies.
Oh jeez! Now they're doing it in the bathroom!? Kari thinks and grimaces.
She clenches her fist and opens the door, ready to scold at least her own partner.
"Gatomon! This has gone too-" she starts to shout.
Then she sees Gatomon standing next to the filled bathtub, which Renamon is lying in.
And she realizes that her partner has either lost her mind or became a victim once again.

"You...?" Veemon asks, not quite believing his ears.
Hawkmon doesn't flinch or smile, so Veemon guesses that he spoke the truth.
Slowly he realizes that he is facing the Digimon who is responsible for all this.
All the pain, the humiliation, the hatred...
Then he realizes how the situation ended.
I... actually told Aquaveemon how I feel... and she told me about her feelings...
"Do you think you could have done it during a normal meeting?"
Veemon doesn't look up at his older self. And he knows that Flamedramon is right.
I would've invented some reason to avoid it... And maybe she has been just as shy...
He looks at Hawkmon again. Until now, he has always seen the hawk as his best friend.
But something has changed... Why did he do all this? What motivated-
Finally it dawns on him. Only one thing has ever made Hawkmon endanger their friendship.
"Aquaveemon." he whispers, and Hawkmon slowly nods.

"So... Veemon and Aquaveemon are a couple now?" Kari finally asks.
She gulps when she sees Gatomon's expression. The cat Digimon slowly flexes her claws.
"I just told you about our complete misery... and you only think of THEM?"
Kari sees Renamon stare at Gatomon. Then Ruki's partner continues drying her fur.
The fox winces when the towel touches her wounds, but she doesn't say anything.
Is Renamon too afraid to intervene? Or is she on Gatomon's side? Kari asks herself.
The DigiDestined of Light sighs and looks at her Digimon partner.
"Gatomon. What do you want to do now?" she asks quietly.
"Don't ask. You wouldn't like the answer." Gatomon whispers, her paws trembling with rage.
"O...kay..." Kari answers and tries to smile.
Now what? Maybe I should try to keep them here for a while...

Hawkmon cocks his head in confusion. He has expected many reactions, but not... this.
Veemon... chuckles? Maybe he has lost his mind after all this...
"You know... buddy... I'm going to miss this..." Veemon laughs quietly.
Because you are going to kill me? Hawkmon asks silently, but keeps his beak shut.
"Life is going to be kinda boring without us fighting because of a girl..."
Hawkmon frowns when he hears this. Then he smirks.
"Does that mean you're not mad?" he carefully asks the dragon.
Veemon suddenly stops laughing, making Hawkmon gulp.
"Oh, I'm mad as hell." Davis' partner hisses, and the hawk holds his breath.
"If this was just between you and me, I'd beat you up for all this."
I knew he'd come to the same conclusion. Good.
"But I guess that you've got another appointment today." Veemon finishes.

Hawkmon nods and sighs in relief. Then he removes his headband.
"Here. I want you to take this." he whispers and gives it to Veemon.
His friend eyes the headband with the trademark feather. Then he frowns.
"You don't actually think that Gatomon-" the dragon Rookie starts to ask.
"Yes. And I deserve it. Just..."
"Hawkmon, come on, don't giv-"
"Just don't tell Aqua the truth. I want her to keep me in good memory."
Before Veemon can answer anything, Hawkmon dashes out of the room.
"HAWKMON! DON'T!" Veemon screams, but he is too late.
"What happened?" Aquaveemon asks, looking at the sailing hawk outside.
"I'm going to lose my best friend..." Veemon whispers and looks at the headband.

"Yes, Gatomon. You really should stay with your wounded beloved." Kari says.
"Whatever. But I'll kill them later!" the cat hisses.
Then she walks into Kari's room to join Renamon, who is resting in the girl's bed.
When the door is closed again, Kari sighs. It has taken her much skill to keep Gatomon here.
"I need a miracle right now..." she whispers and sighs.
The front-door bell seems to answer her improvised prayer.
"Oh... Hi Hawkmon..." she greets the Digimon standing outside.
"Is Gatomon here?" Yolei's partner quietly asks, and Kari frowns.
"Something wrong?" she asks back, but Hawkmon shakes his head.
"Soon everything will be all right... Just... have to phone first."
Kari nods and watches Hawkmon as he walks to the phone.
I wonder what happened to his headband...

"This is Yolei speaking, who's there?" the new DigiDestined of Love answers the phone.
When she doesn't hear any kind of answer, she frowns.
"Inoue here, how can I help you?" she tries again.
Finally she can hear a sigh at the other hand.
I just wanted to hear your voice one last time...
Then the caller hangs up, and Yolei blinks.
"Hawk...mon...?" she whispers, feeling a chill run down her spine.