Bed of Nails
A Digimon Fanfiction
by Kit Spooner



Disclaimer: Oh, just sod off! (And apologies to U2 and Garbage and whoever wrote the Chess soundtrack)

Warnings: Might as well try to be a bit more succinct about the warnings this time. Anyway. This fic features several random pairings (Kouyako, Kensuke, Yamasorachi, Jyoumi, and hints of all sorts of other crap) and frank, explicit discussions of sex, peppered with relatively inappropriate butchering of the English language. Oh, and a healthy dose of four-letter words. Funfun.

Why am I doing this, you ask? Well, I think we're all in agreement that the end of Digimon 02 was a piece of guttertripe and wasn't worthy of its air-time. It also sucked big, fat monkey ass. And I like my pairings. I think they even make sense. Kinda.

Moving right along . . .



Last Time: There was lots of internal monologue and poorly reenacted flashback sequences. And then Miyako went to gain advice and unconditional affection from Takeru, who was busy wrestling wrapping paper in hopes that Hikari wouldn't geld him for his failure to produce a prompt graduation present for her. In the end, Takeru politely declined Miyako's not-so-subtle request for sympathy-sex.



What are little boys made of?
What are little boys made of?
Frogs and snails and puppydog tails
That's what little boys are made of.

What are little girls made of?
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and everything nice
That's what little girls are made of.



Part Three: And You Give . . .



"You're shitting me!"

Deep breath. "No, Dai. I'm not."

"He tried to kiss you and you bolted?!"

"Did I not just say that? Are you deaf as well as moronic?"

The giggling slowed. "Hey, no reason for you to rag on me just because you were acting like a scared virgin, Miyako."

"Daisuke! Will you just shut the fuck up? You're not helping any!"

"Fine. What else happened? Did you go back and drag him behind the bushes?"

"No . . ."

"In the classroom?"

"Not exactly . . ."

"Miyako, you sly thing! You screwed him out in the open?"

"Dammit, Dai, I didn't sleep with him!"

There was a long, stunned pause.

"Uh . . . then what did you do after you finished banging your head against the bus, Miyako?"

"I'm beginning to regret mentioning that part."

"I can see why. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were out of your fucking mind."

"That's not the point. Anyway, I went to go see Teek."

"And did you have sex with him?"

"No, dumbass. I helped him wrap a present for Hikari."

"Is that some sort of sophisticated euphemism for sex?"

"Of course it's not." There was a brief, thoughtful pause. "And do you even know what 'euphemism' means?"

"Shut up, Miyako!"

"Anyway, how'd things go with Ken today?"

"Success, baby!" The smile was audible in his voice.

"So, ya boff him yet?"

"Nah, I'm going to take it slow with him, I think. I got him to agree to go kick a ball around with me tomorrow afternoon, though."

"Daisuke, you do that with him every day anyway."

"But I've got something special planned for tomorrow. Something really fucking clever. Something that'll make him rethink our friendship."

"What, are you going to show up naked?"

"You think you're cute, don't you?"

"I am cute, Dai. We've had this conversation before."

"Oh, yeah . . ."



Miyako chose her outfit very carefully the next morning. The innocent schoolgirl look had worked almost too well, so she decided to tone down that angle. But she wasn't entirely sure which direction to take with her clothes. In the end, she tromped off to the bus stop in comfortable jeans and a white t-shirt that had "ph34r my l33t n3kkid skillz" written across the chest in virulent green ink. It was one of her personal favorites.

The city bus dumped her off outside the university and she hurried inside, hoping she wouldn't be terribly late for class. As fate would have it, she wasn't the only one running a little late.

"Koushirou?"

The redhead paused in his dash toward the Computer Science wing. "Oh, Miyako. Did you oversleep too?" He was the very image of casual, one eyebrow raised slightly in inquiry.

"Dawdled in the bathroom," Miyako replied smoothly. If Koushirou wanted to pretend that nothing unusual had happened the day before, then she was perfectly content to play along.

They didn't bother to exchange any more pleasantries as they darted down the hallway and into class. Professor Tsukimura gave them an absent nod as they entered, Miyako taking her usual seat in the front row, Koushirou moving to lurk in the storage-closet doorway at the back of the room.

Class was a drag, as Miyako expected. She already knew the material so she spent most of the class period nibbling adorably on her lower lip and throwing fascinating glances at the professor. He, like all the other students, seemed positively enchanted with his single female pupil. The one problem Miyako detected with her spot at the front of the room was that she couldn't watch Koushirou. And she really wanted to. She needed to know what he was thinking, how he felt about her abrupt departure the day before.

Today's class involved one of the twice-weekly lab sessions that were Miyako's favorite parts of the course. Smiling fixedly at a lecturing professor for an hour or two was rough, but the reward of sitting in front of a functioning computer again made the boredom worth it. She managed to finish up the lab exercises with minimal effort and then proceeded to call an emergency session of the Chosen Girls' Club.

Miyako had initially considered inviting only Mimi and Sora, but realized it would be pointless. Hikari would probably be busy making out with Takeru all afternoon so Miyako would be safe even if 'Kari was invited. Miyako sometimes got the impression that Hikari disapproved of her romantic entanglements. It's like she thinks we should all be in monogamous, long-term relationships with boys as wonderful as Takeru, Miyako mused, tapping her fingernails gently against the curve of the mouse. Too bad there aren't enough Takerus to go around, 'Kari . . .

It was a simple thing to send out email messages to the three other female Chosen requesting their presence at their regular cafe hangout that afternoon. Hikari responded almost immediately in the expected manner:

"Sorry, Miyako. Takeru's absolutely stubborn about keeping our date tonight. I think he's got something special planned. *winks* Wish me luck, hon. -- Kari"

I hardly think she needs my well-wishes to get lucky tonight, Miyako noted wryly.

By the end of the lab period Miyako had received replies from Sora and Mimi.

"You owe me a parfait from last time, Miyako. Strawberry, please. -- Love, Sora"

Sora never wasted words via email.

"I wouldn't ditch you for the world, darling! I'll definitely be there. *giggles* Poor Izzy! -- Lots of Love, Mims"

And Mimi, as expected, didn't even need to be told about the reason for calling the meeting. In fact, for all Miyako knew, Mimi may have already heard Izzy's version of the sordid story from Jyou.

Miyako beamed as she gathered up her papers and disks at the end of lab. Sora and Mimi would certainly be able to give her a little insight on Koushirou. They'd spent more time with him in the Digital World, and therefore had known him longer. By this evening, Miyako would have a new game-plan for the Izzy Issue. Everything was coming together in wonderful, tidy ways. Miyako was even whistling as she sauntered out of the computer lab.

This time, she didn't even notice Koushirou's desperate attempt to flag her down as she skipped gleefully out to the bus stop.



The Princess Love-Puff Ice Cream Parlor was a popular spot for young girls in Odaiba and the female Chosen were no exception. Immediately upon entering that afternoon, Miyako was swarmed by Mimi and smothered with affectionate hugs and cheek-kisses.

"My poor, poor baby!" Mimi gushed, looping her arm around Miyako's waist and guiding her to where Sora was already hard at work on a strawberry parfait. "Has the mean old goddess of love come and kicked your ass again?" Mimi gently shoved Miyako down next to Sora in the booth then squeezed in on Miyako's other side. It was a tight fit, but it was traditional. All members of the Chosen Girls' Club were required to sit on the same side of the booth.

Sora made room for her friends and took a last bite of ice cream. "Hush, Mimi," she said sternly. "You're not helping."

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Of course I am," she huffed. "I'm being supportive."

"Of course you are," Sora assured her with a roll of her brown eyes. "Now let's move on. Miyako, Mimi's already briefed me on the situation. We'll just need a few details from your side."

Miyako gave Mimi a questioning glance, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you look like Izzy when you do that!" Mimi squealed, flinging her arms once more around Miyako's neck.

"How'd you find out what happened with Koushirou?" Miyako asked, fending off Mimi's exuberance enough to speak.

"I have my sources," Mimi announced loftily.

"She's been reading Jyou's email," Sora noted, looking torn between laughter and faint disapproval of Mimi's methods.

"He keeps leaving the computer unattended when I spend the night and I always wake up before him in the mornings and . . . well . . ." Mimi shrugged.

Miyako grinned. "Mimi, you're wonderful."

"I know," Mimi agreed.

"If you've been reading Koushirou's emails to Jyou then you'll be able to help me figure out what the hell's up with him!" Miyako beamed and flagged down one of the waiters. "A parfait for me, please. Peanut butter fudge triple-ripple. Extra chocolate sauce. Thanks, cutie." She winked and blew him a kiss.

The waiter was obviously a recent addition to the Parlor's staff since he was so astonished by Miyako that he nearly dropped the tray full of malts that he was toting. He looked faintly panicked as he scurried off to the kitchen.

Sora chuckled and took another bite of her parfait. "Do you ever get tired of man-baiting, Miyako?" From anyone else the question might have seemed catty or nasty, but Sora's smile was so warm that Miyako couldn't resist impulsively hugging her.

"Never, Sora dear." Miyako stole a bite of Sora's parfait. "Never."

"But back to the issue at hand!" Mimi said pointedly. She tapped a large spoon on the laminate surface of the table in an officious sort of way. "I now call this session of the Chosen Girls' Club to order." She paused. "So where the hell is 'Kari?"

Sora glanced down at her watch. "Probably half-way through giving Takeru the screw of his life, if what Yamato told me is true."

Miyako snickered. "Oh, it's true," she confirmed. "Teek's graduation present is a stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. I helped him wrap it."

"It's just as well she's not here for this particular session," Mimi noted pensively. "I always get the impression that she sort of disapproves of your operations with your various 'projects,' Miyako."

"I think she's still holding a grudge back from when you were sleeping with Takeru," Sora countered with a sly glance at Miyako.

Miyako gaped. "She knew?!" Her expression crumpled, cheeks uncharacteristically flushed in embarrassment. "Aw, shit."

"I think she guessed," Sora explained gently. "It wasn't hard. You have this certain look that you give all the people you're sleeping with. And for a while, you were definitely giving it to Takeru."

"It was all for 'Kari's sake!" Miyako wailed. "Teek was asking for advice and one thing led to another and . . ." She chewed on the inside of her cheek. "I would never have done it if I hadn't heard about their disastrous first time. I mean, Takeru's hot and all, but he kept shouting out Hikari's name when we were having sex. That's definitely not what I look for in a man . . ."

Mimi patted Miyako consolingly on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it, honey. She'll get over it. Just give her a little more time. You're pretty much her best friend, aside from Takeru. She loves you, Miya."

Miyako sighed. "Maybe," she conceded miserably.

"But this isn't the point," Sora broke in. "We're here to help with your Koushirou problems."

"Thanks, Sora," Mimi said, blowing her old friend a kiss. "There are two major questions we have to deal with here. The first is less important. We need to find out what made Izzy act so . . . forward with you yesterday afternoon, Miyako."

"That's the 'less important' question?" Miyako was visibly puzzled. The waiter brought her dessert and was barely thanked, she was so intent upon Mimi.

"The more important question concerns you, Miyako," Sora continued pointedly.

"Yeah, what the hell were you thinking yesterday?" Mimi seemed completely baffled by the reports she heard of Miyako's behavior. "I mean, just when Koushirou was starting to warm up to you, you run away. Were you or were you not trying to nab the boy?"

"Yes, but I was all prepared to come on as this innocent waif hoping for forgiveness!" Miyako wailed. "So then I found out that he'd forgiven me long, long ago. And then he started acting weird and the rest is history." She stuffed an enormous spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, wincing at the intense cold. "I don't think I've ever had to deal with something like this before, girls."

"You've never had to deal with a boy who had the hots for you?" Mimi snorted. "That's bull, darling. Everyone has the hots for you, Miyako. And you damn well know it. There's something else going on here, isn't there?"

"But Izzy never wanted me like all the other boys!" Miyako said quickly. "No matter what Teek says about Izzy pining away for me all through school. Takeru's so full of shit, sometimes." She rolled her eyes.

Sora was watching Miyako's face very carefully through her tirade. She was excellent at reading facial expressions and she knew her friend very well. "How do you feel about Koushirou?" she finally asked in a gentle voice, her eyes serious.

Miyako shrugged helplessly. "I've always liked Izzy," she said, voice wavering a little. "He was one of my first crushes, you know." She paused and threw Sora a suspicious look. "But I'm not in love with him or anything, if that's what you're getting at. I don't have time for that sort of idiocy."

"I don't doubt you," Sora assured the younger girl. "I just think that this situation is more complicated than that whole mess with Jyou last time."

"He's forgiven you, by the way," Mimi chimed in. "You hurt Izzy -- and Jyou by association -- but they've both forgiven you." She sighed and ran her finely lacquered fingernails through Miyako's long, silky hair. "Have you forgiven yourself, Miya?"

Miyako closed her eyes. This afternoon was turning into some sort of hellish game of Twenty Questions and she still had no idea how to deal with Koushirou. "Maybe?" Miyako was terribly unsure of herself and she didn't like the feeling.

"It's okay to feel guilty about this, Miyako," Sora murmured, wrapping an arm around Miyako's shoulder. Mimi did likewise and the three shared an awkward hug -- as best they could seated in a row in the ice cream parlor's booth.

"I've been pretty silly, haven't I?" Miyako finally said, sniffling and gently withdrawing from her friends' embrace. "I guess I've just been letting this whole Izzy situation freak me out too much."

"Nah, it's not your fault, Miya," Mimi assured her warmly. "It's been a few years since you've spent time with him and he's changed."

"I think I should just give up on the whole thing," Miyako mourned. "I like Izzy well enough, but I'm not sure I can keep up this up. He already knows about my Grand Plan to date all of the Chosen."

"Everyone knows about the Plan, Miyako," Sora noted wryly.

"Was it supposed to be a secret?" Mimi asked, looking mildly surprised.

Miyako began to laugh, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I think so, but I ended up telling pretty much everyone, and they told anyone I hadn't spoken to. Never mind. I won't be able to finish with the Plan anyway. Izzy's not worth risking our friendship over, Jyou's off-limits, and Hikari's completely out of the question."

"What about Yamato?" Sora asked, a little stiffly.

Miyako rolled her eyes. "Between you and Taichi, I can't even get him to look at me. And believe me, I've tried."

Mimi was making frantic, highly unsubtle gestures at Miyako in a belated attempt to get her to shut up, but she wasn't quick enough. Miyako clapped her hands over her mouth and stared, horrified, at Sora. Oh, shit. I didn't mean to spill the beans about Yamato and Tai. The boys are going to kill me. Not to mention Mimi . . .

"What does Tai have to do with Yamato?" Sora asked, quietly confused. There was a hint of worry in her warm brown eyes that suggested she had a few theories of her own.

"Well . . ." Miyako temporized carefully, "Both Taichi and Yamato adore you, of course . . ."

"So why would Tai be keeping Matt from dating you?" Sora insisted.

"Well . . ." Miyako began again. She gave Mimi a pleading glance.

"Sora, who do you love more, Taichi or Yamato?" Mimi asked seriously, coming to the rescue.

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Sora demanded.

"Just answer the question," Miyako suggested.

Sora sighed. "They both know that I could never choose between them. Yamato and Tai are both like parts of me. It would be like cutting my arm of to lose either one of them. It makes dating difficult, but alternating between them is the best I can do . . ."

"If you were to ask Yamato the same question," Mimi said gently, "He wouldn't be able to choose between you and Taichi. And Taichi feels the same way about you and Yamato."

"There's so much love between the three of you that it makes the rest of us positively nauseous sometimes," Miyako couldn't resist adding.

Sora's mouth was slightly open, her eyes unfocused. She moistened her lips with her tongue and continued staring intently at nothing.

"Sora, darling?" Mimi reached out to gently touch her friend.

"Tai . . . and Yamato . . ?" Sora blinked, gaze still fixed on the opposite side of the booth. She nibbled on her lower lip. "But how could that . . ?" Then, suddenly, she began to blush.

"Ah, now she gets it," Miyako murmured.

"So, let me get this straight." Sora suddenly straightened from her dreamy reverie. "Both Yamato and Taichi want me, right?" Mimi and Miyako vigorously nodded. "And they both want each other too?" Her friends nodded again, grinning madly this time.

"I caught them making out at a bus stop a few months ago," Miyako confirmed. "And they looked like they knew what they were doing." She smiled lasciviously at the memory. There was something undeniably erotic about watching two hot guys kissing and fondling each other. She made a mental note to ask Daisuke and Ken if they'd mind her sitting in on their inevitable snogging sessions. Or even joining in . . .

Miyako suddenly realized that Sora was speaking to her.

". . . held out on me!" Sora was shouting accusingly at Miyako and Mimi. "You both knew about this and didn't tell me?!"

"It wasn't our secret to tell, dear," Mimi said soothingly, trying to calm Sora enough that the entire cafe wouldn't be witness to their conversation.

"So what are you going to do now, Sora?" Miyako asked.

"I . . . don't know," Sora answered honestly.

"Just don't do anything ridiculously stupid," Mimi warned. "If you hurt either Taichi or Yamato, I'll be forced to have words with you."

"How can I not hurt one of them?" Sora demanded. "I can't have both of them!"

"Why the hell not?" Miyako was baffled by how much trouble Sora was having with this. Sora prided herself on being a modern, independent woman, yet she was blinded by the social constraints placed on love. "They love you, you love them. Isn't that enough?"

Sora looked conflicted. "It should be. I know it should. But I've never done anything like this before . . ." She sighed. "I think I need to go talk to Tai and Yamato. We need some sort of resolution here."

Miyako and Mimi agreed and piled out of the booth to let Sora pass.

"I'm sorry I wasn't much help to you, Miyako," Sora said. "Koushirou's still a bit of an enigma, even to those of us who've known him longest. I wish you all the luck in the world with him." Suddenly she smiled wickedly. "I think he deserves you, dear." Then without awaiting Miyako's response, she hurried out of the Princess Love-Puff Ice Cream Parlor. The door chimed musically behind her.

"I wonder what the hell she meant by that," Miyako told Mimi once they were seated once again.

Mimi's eyes twinkled merrily as she shamelessly stole a huge spoonful of Miyako's swiftly melting parfait. "I have absolutely no idea, darling," she lied cheerfully.





Next Time: Now that Miyako has gained invaluable advice from her spiritual sisters, she's forced into another confrontation with Koushirou. Will she fare better than last time? We can only hope so. Mimi certainly thinks so. If not, Miyako may be forced to live vicariously through Sora, who's just beginning to explore the possibilities of having two boyfriends at the same time. And if nothing works out with Izzy, maybe Miyako can work out some sort of timeshare deal with Daisuke and Ken . . .