Knight of the Staff: Greeting and Salutations once more mortals! I am here again with yet another story for your reading pleasure.

Pinmon: What the.... Hey! What are you doing!

Knight of the Staff: Pardon?

Pinmon: You're supposed to be working on your series! Instead you are posting this piece of filth that you did at 2 in the morning!

Knight of the Staff: Yep.

Pinmon: Oi...well, don't blame me when the readers come with flaming torches and pitchforks!

Knight of the Staff: Ha...ha...very funny. Any more words of wisdom?

Pinmon: Yeah...you don't own digimon, if you did it would have died long ago!

Knight of the Staff: So true...hey!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So small..."

Takato looked down upon the cars and people below him. They all seemed so tiny...so insignificant from his vantage point. It was as if he could fit them all in his hands, protecting them, then in the next instant crush them like ants. Takato leaned a little further out, feeling the wind tug at him, almost calling to him to take that final step forwards. Takato sighed, and stood up. He was still a little surprised that Yamaki had let him up here. But he guessed that Yamaki didn't think it that big a deal. After all, how could he turn down a request from one of the 'saviors' of Shinjuku, if not the whole world?

There were no security personnel on the rooftop with him, just a few cameras. Takato leaned on the edge and gazed out at the city. So many people, so many hopes and dreams. He looked for the street where his old house used to be. They had built one of those cyber cafe coffee houses in its place. He was glad his parents weren't alive to see what happened to their family bakery. Although...their bakery ultimately probed to be the death of them.

Takato rubbed his face, the burn scars were still there. Even after 10 years, thinking about that night made his scars itch. The fire had been devastating. The insurance company said that one of the gas pipes had sprung a leak, and that had been ignited by the pilot light on one of the stoves. Takato had been coming home that night from a party with the other tamers. He had just grabbed the door handle when, BOOM! He had been sent flying backward by a terrific explosion. The door had landed on him, and ironically, had saved his life. It had shielded him from the brunt of the explosion, although fire had still burned his face badly. Takato didn't remember much of what happened after that. He remembered waking up in the hospital, only to be told the news of his parents' deaths.

"That was the beginning of the end."

Takatos' life got worst from then on. He had at first been adopted by Henrys' parents. Things had seemed to be working out. Then Takato started having the nightmares. Every night he would dream. He'd wake up screaming most of the time. Eventually he was taken to a psychiatrist for treatment. Takato shared his dreams, told the doctor everything about them. His dreams were horrible, filled with fire, screaming, blood, and of all things the D-Reaper. The psychiatrist attributed these dreams to his experiences as a tamer.

Takato smirked, for the psychiatrist had been right. His dreams were because of his life as a tamer. Maybe he should have told the guy all of his dreams. The one that hurt him most of all. No, Takato had decided to never tell anyone about his dreams of Guilmon.

So, the treatments continued. Eventually it was spread at school that Takato was crazy. People stopped talking to him, and stayed as far away as they could. The only ones to even speak to him were his friends, the other tamers. Henry, Rika, Jeri, Kazu, and Kenta would sit with him, eat with him, and always ask how he was doing. Takato realized they did this more out of pity than anything else. They all thought he was still troubled by his parents deaths. It was true that Takato had felt remorse and loss at their deaths. But, he accepted that it was a part of life and tried moving on. Eventually, his treatment at school affected his grades. He didn't see what the point of it was anymore. Then his adoptive father, Janyu Lee, would talk to him about his grades, saying he was disappointed in Takato, and that he should be doing better.. One night Takato became angry with Mr. Lee. What right did he have to say that he was disappointed in Takatos' performance at school? He wasn't his father!

That had been the night that Takato had left. He had turned eighteen three months earlier, and found a job at another local bakery. He moved out of the Lees' apartment and into his own. He soon quit school, not being able to afford to go. His life became dull and boring. Stale would be the word he'd use to describe it.

Takato reached into his pocket and pulled out his three most precious items. The first was his D-Ark, which he kept with him always. The second was his goggles. They were old, and a lens was cracked, but they still fit. The third...the third was what he cherished the most. It was his drawing of Guilmon. The one that had been scanned and helped create Guilmon.

Takato felt a dampness on his cheek, and realized that he was crying. Maybe if he had just admitted to the psychiatrist, had told him all his dreams, then his life would have been different. No...he couldn't do that now, and he couldn't do that then. He realized that the dreams were punishment, punishment for not keeping a promise. Years of trying to find a way into the digital world had proved useless. The gateway was closed shut, and nothing the monster makers did seemed to work.

"Guilmon...I'm sorry boy..."

That was whom he dreamt about...that was who caused him to wake up screaming and crying more than any other dream. Dreams of Guilmon, of him leaving. Always Guilmon would ask Takato why he hadn't come for him? Why hadn't he kept his promise? They were meant to be together, so why wasn't Takato with him? What hurt Takato the most though, were the images of Guilmons face. It was always filled with sadness, regret, and most of all pain. Pain that Takato had not come for him.

"Guilmon....Guilmon...I tried boy, I really did. I'm so sorry...I miss you Guilmon, without you there is a hole in my heart that can't be filled. We are part of each other boy, we share a bond like no other. I'm sorry Guilmon, but I can't take the pain any longer. I have to end it. I have to make it stop. I just hope you understand boy...I love you so much."

Takato looked to the heavens, and gazed upon the night sky. The moon was high in the sky, and the stars did shine like so many jewels.

"Guilmon...can you see the stars? They are shining brightly tonight boy...so beautiful. I hope you're happy Guilmon, goodbye boy..."

The rooftop of the Hypnos building was devoid of life. The wind picked up a bit, and tugged at a piece of paper, trying to pull it along. The drawn on piece of paper wouldn't be budged. It was securely held in place. The paper was weighed down by an old pair of goggles, which gently gleamed in the moonlight, while sirens were heard faintly on the wind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Knight of the Staff: Well?

Pinmon: ...I'm speechless...

Knight of the Staff: Yeah...the end was sad....

Pinmon: No...I'm speechless as to the fact that someone could write such obviously unprepared, unrefined, unthought, untalented words and shove them together.

Knight of the Staff: Hey!...It's the thought that counts!

Pinmon: O_o....