Sins of the Father

by Raederle

Ichijoji Ken feels the worlds being pulled closer together, and despite recent complications in his research, brings the group together for a reunion. The Chosen are drawn back to face their inner demons and an alien threat. Yaoi,Yuri,het,mpreg,threesome.

18. Stuck in the Twilight

Episode Eighteen:
Stuck in the Twilight

Dr. Tanaka stepped into the lab and looked over severely at her workers. Ken glanced back and wondered if he and Ren had been caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing, but then again, he often got that impression. It was Tanaka's way.

"Renee, are you finished with the paperwork I sent you? The pharmaceutical requests?"

Ren crinkled the side of her mouth and gently petted Ken's head as she left the room. Ken smiled after her. She'd always been quiet, sparing no words that were unnecessary. He could see a glint of concern in her shining amber eyes, though on the surface she seemed rather calm. She always did.

"More bad news?" Ken asked halfheartedly. Shortly after Dr. Tanaka had informed him that their volunteers had backed out, they'd had a fight that had convinced the cleaning crew to clear out for the night. She hadn't been happy with his dogged insistence to keep this child, but Ken figured, she just didn't know him that well.

"Unfortunately not." She leaned against the counter and looked down at him. She could never bear to sit at the same level as him, for some reason.

Ken raised a hand to his still flat middle, looking up at her meaningfully, protectively. Ren understood, but then again, he'd told her about his past.

"You've gone further into this experiment than I could have ever anticipated." Underlying, the meaning came: I didn't want things to go this far, but you defied me. "However, as you have, I find myself wanting to share with you the deeper histories of our particular experiment. And how that would reflect on our staff here."

"What do you mean? Of the experiment itself? You've told me about your work in Canada."

Dr. Tanaka reached for a cigarette, and Ken bit back a smile when she stopped herself. She sighed. "Yes. Though there are details which I haven't divulged entirely."

"If you want to tell me something, tell me." Ken said firmly. She glanced down on him again, this time with a tinge of fondness, though he could have been mistaken about that.

"Renee has told you that she was adopted, yes?"

"Yes." He narrowed his eyes, trying to anticipate her words.

"Well." Tanaka took a breath. "She was the first child produced in our efforts to make this procedure safe for the public. I would say she has no knowledge of this."

"Why aren't you telling her?"

"Because I gave up that right years ago." She replied enigmatically. "Actually, you should be bright enough to figure that that experiment wasn't quite a success."

Ken rubbed the side of his face in irritation. Why couldn't she just say it directly? "How so?"

"Her… father died halfway. He began hemorrhaging, and we just couldn't stop it. We were barely able to save her."

"But you did." Ken insisted.

"Yes. But her mother was damaged in the operation. She could no longer have children of her own, and Renee… well you know about her heart."

"I know." Ken answered softly. "You're trying to get me to change my mind."

"Ano. Yes." Tanaka pressed her lips into a line and waited for Ken to speak again.

"Do you believe in destiny?"

"What?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm not going to let you hurt this child." Ken said calmly. Amazed how different the words sounded when he wasn't in an irrational rage. "She's innocent of our meddling, Doctor. When you're trying to change the world, you can't take innocent people along the way."

"That's how you feel about it huh?" Ken looked over at the doorway, to the deep voice that had just spoken. A tall, burgundy haired man held Ren lifeless in his arms, and was stroking her face with a switchblade.

"No innocents, eh? You've never killed someone innocent? You've never taken the life of someone who had nothing to do with your situation? Ne?"

White flower petals showered from the ceiling.

"I…" Ken faltered and tried to run to Ren, but found he couldn't even stand. He doubled over his middle, which was tightening in pain.

"Easy for you to talk. You've killed more innocent creatures than the Third Reich." His beautiful eyes shimmered with lust as he licked the side of Ren's unconscious face.

"No! Let her go!" He cried out, the pain blinding him, but he tried to stand once more.

Suddenly the scene blurred, and the irate face of a cat was glaring down at him.

"What did I tell you about taking care of Kari's cub?" She demanded. Ken tried to focus his eyes and decide where he was now.

"I was… dreaming." He muttered, sliding his hand over his belly, which still hurt him. Slowly he raised himself up a little to look around. "I forgot where I was."

"Well lie still. You'll mess up your bandage." Tailmon ordered. Ken reached around to feel the back of his neck, which indeed had been bandaged somehow.

"Your neck was still bleeding pretty badly, and we didn't want you to lose anymore blood." She explained, sitting on the side of the couch. She frowned at him. He was still sitting rigidly, leaning back on his left arm. "Are you okay?"

"Not sure." He managed, creasing his brow slightly. Studying his face, Tailmon crept up closer to him and waited for the pain to pass. After a moment, he blew some air gently out through his lips. "It's okay. I'm better now."

"What… what's going on?"

"I don't know, really. I think… maybe I used too much energy trying to fend off Take chan." He told her, slowly leaning back until he was lying down again.

"You mean you used too much energy trying not to kill him."

"Maybe. You know me better than you let on."

"I have some memories." She muttered, examining his paled face closely. "Relax. Stingmon will be back soon. He's kind of patrolling the area, to make sure nobody's coming."

"Oh, somebody's coming alright. I'm just not first on his list of priorities."

"Hm?"

"You should be protecting Hikari chan, you know that?"

Tailmon was silent for a moment and curled up next to him. "Hikari chan's an adult now. I have to trust that she knows what she's doing. She asked me to come here and look after you and her cub. So… that's what I'm doing." She sighed. "Besides, I get the impression that Takeru kun's going to need protection from her if anything happens to you."

Ken was silent for a moment, contemplatively starring at the ceiling.

"Would you do a favor for me?" He asked softly. "When Stingmon gets back, could you go find Hikari chan? I… need her here."

Tailmon looked up at him, but did not remove herself from the curled little ball at his side. "Sure. Whatever."

***

Sora had strong memories growing up of how she wanted her life to be. She wanted a career. She wanted to be in control. And she wanted a family.

Day after day, she'd come home from school, soccer practice, and nobody was home. She remembered washing the dishes by herself, because they needed to be done. Or doing the laundry, and going outside to hang it, because it needed to be hung. And she would sing. Loudly, because she was all alone, and nobody could hear her.

When her mother came home, she'd scold her for not being ladylike enough, and instruct her on how to behave, if she wanted a proper husband. But by the time she was old enough to join the boys playing soccer she was quite certain she didn't want a life like her mother's. And by the time she was old enough to figure out that her father did in fact live with them, she was old enough to understand that this was not what family life was supposed to be.

There was supposed to be more. And she wanted it. Dearly.

As she sat beside the others, looking off into the shattered skyline, Sora wondered how her plans for her life were going to turn out now. She couldn't have children of her own… Miyako might not be living quite so close. She'd spent most of her life trying not to become her mother, though she loved the woman intensely, and owned most of her intuitive nature to her, that she had never prepared herself for becoming her father. And in truth, that was what she felt like now. If she had children, she would probably be on the outskirts of their raising, unless she convinced Miyako to stay home and be a housewife. Which she didn't really want. Her career as a lawyer didn't afford her much time to spend hanging around the house, but still…

She wanted that family more than anything.

I may have to mooch off Mimi chan for a little while. I'm sure she'd love to have someone around who's just dying to burn off some maternal instinct. She mused, thinking out how thrilled the woman had acted the last time she'd come over and taken Makoto from her for a few moments. It didn't really surprise Sora that Mimi wasn't the stereotypical mother figure. Her own mother hadn't been, and having the kid wasn't enough to completely change her. Even so, Sora wouldn't have called her a bad mother. She never expected Mimi to do it all on her own, though Jyou was of course, busy with his career in medicine.

Which made Sora wonder what would happen to Mimi's dreams of stardom and rocking the fashion world.

"You just can't do it all on your own." She muttered to herself. Miyako looked over at her skeptically and leaned her head on her shoulder.

"Relax." She insisted, weaving her nimble fingers through her hair. She didn't have to know what was wrong. She could see Sora over thinking whatever it was before her.

Sora sighed and slid her head along the walk they were resting against until it collided with Miyako's, and they both giggled. She looked into Miyako's rich brown eyes and smiled contently.

"Can I be selfish and ask you never to leave me?"

"Why not? I'm twice that selfish most of the time. Comes from being the baby of the family."

Sora had to grin at that comment. Enough discussions of what kind of child was more self-absorbed, the baby or the only, had filled their evenings. At least Miyako's father had been around to father more than one myopic computer geek. Another topic which they had discussed at length, and with many tears.

Slowly she touched her lips to Miyako's, briefly brushing against them at first. Then pressing deeper, feeling as though she needed to possess her, if not entirely, but momentarily. Wrapping her fingers around Miyako's soft lavender hair, she continued to kiss her, slithering those fingers behind her neck. Miyako moaned happily, though softly.

They knew at least one of the other Digidestine were starring by now. But they continued to kiss, as though this the last time they would ever touch.

"I love you." Sora breathed heavily into Miyako's waiting years.

"I know." She reciprocated, placing soft kisses along her neck. "I love you too. Never leave."

"Never."

***

Mimi held Makoto close to her chest, rocking him back and forth as she and Jyou ventured out of his apartment to get a good look at the city. She really didn't want to leave him alone, so he was coming with her. Rosemon and Ikkakumon took the lead as they walked along the destroyed sidewalk.

"This is really something." Jyou muttered. "I don't think I've seen the city quite so trashed."

"No kidding." Mimi petted her son's hair soothingly. "Maybe we should stay put."

"It would be better to be a moving target."

Mimi pursed her lips and looked over Jyou, who had been designated to carry Makoto's bag of things. Moving, yes. But not very fast. I don't even have a stroller. "Try Koushiro kun again. If I'm going to be running around in the middle of a Digimon infested city, I want to be surrounded by people ready to fight."

"I can fight." Rosemon insisted.

"Power in numbers, girlfriend." Mimi replied quickly, bouncing Makoto a little as she walked nimbly through the shattered sidewalks. As Jyou checked his email, Mimi looked to the sky, lifting her hand up over here eyes to block some of the sunlight. "The sun shouldn't be shining. It should be… hiding or something."

"Cashel…" Makoto babbled, looking up where his mommy was looking.

"What did he say?" Jyou looked over at her somewhat perplexed. He still didn't understand half of what his boy was trying to say, and that disturbed him a little.

"Castle… I think." Mimi informed him. She pointed into the sky. "There. That's what he means."

Jyou almost fell over when he saw the huge castle hanging impossibly in the sky.

"Now that has got to be a zoning violation."

***

Ken gripped the back of the couch firmly and stopped pacing for a moment.

"Is it bad?" Tailmon asked. She had been pacing back and forth behind him, daintily padding along, back arched in her distinct catlike way.

"Yes." Ken replied shortly rubbing his back. Tailmon's ears folded back against her head, betraying her usually cool demeanor.

"Should I boil water or something?"

"No, that's alright." Ken chuckled gently, taking a seat on the arm of the sofa to rest for a moment. It wasn't easy to have faith at this particular moment, with his best friend's lover gone insane and his baby on the way. She was, at the moment, prodding his mind with wordless questions, confused about what was happening. He was only happy he still had the ability to keep her from knowing what was going on.

"Will it be alright?" The cat asked pointedly. Ken didn't answer, taking a deep breath and leaning his head backward. His hair rustled back over his shoulders. "So, can I ask a question?"

"Shoot." He rubbed the curve of his belly.

"Do humans get reconfigured when they die?"

Ken thought on that for a moment. "Sort of. Only we don't return to the same place as before."

"No primary village huh? So, Hikari chan's cub was probably a human before."

"It's possible."

"Was she your brother?"

Ken grinned wryly. "Actually, I seriously doubt it. If I were him, I wouldn't want to return like that."

"Oh." Tailmon licked her paw for a moment. "Are you sure there isn't anything I can do?"

"No. Could you go find Hikari though? I'm worried. And I need her here." Ken admitted. Tailmon looked at him seriously, then scampered out the door to traverse the city once again. Stingmon would be back soon, he told himself again, so he wouldn't be alone.

And he had to come to terms with the fact, he was terrified. He was afraid of having the child and of what it would be like for a person like himself to try to raise her right. Granted he'd had these fears from the beginning, but at the moment they seem more immediate, and he was alone to think about them at length.

During his childhood, Ken had felt alternately smothered and neglected. Neglected most during the time when Osamu had been around. He'd hated that he had to take care of Ken because his parents weren't paying attention, but he did sincerely want a little brother.

Maybe he realized he wasn't really supposed to be my primary caretaker. Ken felt another contraction coming on and forced himself to his feet. He thought that maybe he could keep his mind off of it by walking around.

And though he'd managed to work through most of it, there were times in his life that were still to foggy to recall. Times that he was sure might help him fight Daemon when the time came. In particular were the memories of when he'd first met Wormon, of the battle with an unknown group of allies had started it all for him. And with that group of allies, something had gone wrong. Or Taichi's group would have never been needed.

***

Iori smiled as he watched Nuriko walk along happily petting her little Betamon. Nuriko in particular had a difficult time with relating to her Digimon, something he couldn't personally understand, but had seen apparent in some of his friends. He hadn't known her well after the defeat of Belial Vamdemon, but Ken had kept in touch, and it seemed as though, despite an intense mutual affection, Nuriko did not get along with her Botamon.

Of course, after a year or so, the little creature managed to become a Betamon, but never seemed to have the intense drive to Digivolve that his had. Iori assumed, of course, that this could be the result of Nuriko just not being in enough danger for her Digimon to need to Digivolve. And since he'd noticed that this seemed to fuel the "miracles" they had experienced as children, including the advent of the Jogress era of Digivolving, naturally Nuriko had been left out of it, and her Betamon with her.

Reportedly, however, in America, Michael's Digimon had forced him to move closer to the ocean. Seadramon was just too big to hide from his landlord. And too violent.

I wonder how much it has to do with nature. Iori pondered. After all, Taichi's Digimon began as a Botamon.

"Stop staring at me." Nuriko snipped. Iori started when he realized she was talking to him. "I'm not a bug, so don't study me."

"I'm not. I'm just thinking."

"Then think out loud. It's too quiet."

"Be nice, Nuri chan." Betamon scolded. She rolled her eyes and began to pet him again.

"I'm just worried." She said softly, thinking about how she'd seen the other Digimon fighting those monsters. Not my Digimon.

"We're all worried, but we can handle it." Iori encouraged. Miyako nodded and hopped up beside them.

"Jyou kun and Mimi chan said they'd meet us a few blocks ahead." She informed them, dragging Sora along with her, as she had her hand snuggly in the older woman's back pocket. The two of them were flushed, smiling happily.

Koushiro rolled his eyes and flushed. Wallace bumped up against him. "Jealous?"

"You're crazy." Koushiro informed him, his eyes straying to the strident face of the only woman traveling with them lacking a Digimon.

"Would you guys mind if I left your company? I want to go check on Ken." Ren said softly. Koushiro perked up, since she had finally spoken after a few hours of silence.

"It would be dangerous to go alone, Renee san." He pointed out, taking the opportunity to walk beside her.

"I'll go with." Daisuke volunteered. "I want to check on him too."

Sora nodded and took the lead. "Be careful guys."

"Eh, I can come too." Koushiro pointed out, turning around and motioning for Tentomon to follow.

"Nah, we don't need anyone else. Veemon can handle it, huh?" Daisuke slapped palms with his Digimon. Koushiro halted, trying to decide whether or not to pursue the Matter. A firm hand grasped his shoulder, and Wallace smiled at him.

"Tomorrow's another day, bud." Wallace steered him towards the others, as Koushiro caught Ren waving goodbye out of the corner of his eye.

"Bai…" He called back. With determination he starred forward on the path they were taking.

"I made a decision you guys. I'm not going to live in America." Miyako stated. "Maybe I'll make trips there, but I'm not signing anything that's going to have me there all of the time. If you have a problem with that, I'll find another company."

Wallace laughed heartily, as did Terriermon who was toddling beside him.

"Go on and find somebody else." He encouraged her. "You don't want these guys to drag you down! They don't even know what they're doing."

"You awful mutt." Wallace grinned, scooping his Digimon up into his arms and rubbing on his ears. He sighed contentedly. "Gotta love assertive women. Don't worry about it, Miyako. I'm sure we can find someone to correspond who already lives in America. There are tons of Digidestine out there."

***

"It figures they would leave me all alone at a time like this." Michael muttered to himself as he checked his email for the fifth time since the world had begun to make sense again. "I'm probably the only one still in New York. I should move."

"They haven't forgotten you." Seadramon insisted. Or rather, growled. Michael grinned up at the large water beast, who rarely visited his smaller form these days. Despite a lack of monsters to combat, Seadramon seemed to be able to occupy his time by ensuring vessels didn't have problems on the way into the bay. Or had until that day he'd disappeared, and Michael found himself completely unable to open a gate to the Digital World even after visiting the Digidestine in Japan for a solution.

"Mimi and Wallace have both gone over to Japan. I should have gone to visit as well. Something should have told me… oh!" Michael eagerly clicked on the new mail. "Ken!"

"See? They don't forget their own."

"Bad things are going down, Seadramon. Maybe it is best that we're here to look after things."

"And I should… jump out of the water and go looking with you?" Seadramon suggested somewhat sarcastically. Michael grinned and flopped his head back over the railing that prevented him from falling into the sea.

"You could slither along. I'm sure you've got the stomach for it."

"Funny, but I might cause some damage."

"It looks like there's going to be some damage anyway. Ken says that there should be some Digimon loose here and-"

"I know. I smell them."

"Really? I didn't know you could do that."

"You never asked. Digimon have a very acute aural sensitivity." Seadramon cocked his head. "And I guess I should give you congratulations on last night. And recommend a shower."

"I took a shower!" Michael shot back, somewhat disgusted. "Really. You're getting quite vulgar."

"You still smell like his cologne, don't get your thong in a bunch. What else does Ken have to say?"

Michael ignored the huffing sound that signified stifled laughter in his partner and read on. "He says to try not to destroy any of them. Or not many anyway, because their data will stay here when they try to separate our two worlds."

"That seems logical. But it may not be practical, if I can't find some help."

"Easier to destroy than detain."

"Precisely. We should get to work. Does your cell work? See if you can get any friends on the line that can help. Anyone will do."

"No." He answered, cuddling the phone under his ear. "It's all static."

Seadramon sighed, and began to slither out of the water.

"Don't bother. You try to help people by the sea, I'll run around town and see what I can do and who I can pick up."

"It will be dangerous." Seadramon warned as he turned.

"And I'll be careful. You do so too." Michael said, waving over his back as he walked away.

***

Ren sighed as she sat wearily down on a crumbled piece of building. "I'm sorry. I know you really want to get back to Ken."

"It's okay." Daisuke assured her as he took a seat beside her. "So… are you the next patient in line for that innards cloning or what?"

Ren tilted her head and creased her mouth very slightly. "Probably. Dr. Tanaka is a little hesitant to do work on me, though."

"And she's willing to do it on Ken?"

"Well, she wasn't, but Ken's stubborn, as you may have heard. In actuality, she didn't know him as well as I did."

"Yeah," Daisuke inclined backwards on their makeshift seat and looked behind him. "Most people don't know Ken as well as they think. He spent a lot of time finding ways to keep people from knowing what he was feeling… Not that I would know anything about that."

Ren crooked her mouth wryly. "Closet emotional repressive, eh?"

"Huh?"

"You hide your feelings too?"

"Nah, not really. I just don't let things bother me. Except romantic stuff, that bothers me a lot. But now that I don't have to worry about me and Ken, I'm doing great."

"That so." Ren averted her eyes and feigned interest in something over to her right.

"Yeah. We're great as friends."

"And lousy as lovers?" She finished for him. Daisuke nodded enthusiastically. "I doubt it. I thought you two were a great couple."

"Yeah, well, we kind of were, but... he and I just didn't work. I mean if you love someone enough you have to let them go off and be happy without you. You been through something like that before?"

"No. I haven't had much romantic experience. It's a little hard when too much excitement sends you to the hospital."

Daisuke frowned for a moment, thinking that over. "Yeah, but…"

"But…" She replied emotionlessly. Daisuke looked her over and rubbed his eyes, momentarily seeing a resemblance in the frigid outer shell he was used to seeing from Dr. Tanaka.

"It's better to live while you're alive, than be dead while your alive, trying to stay alive."

Ren turned to him with a look of utter bafflement. Then burst into such a deep laughter that tears began to fall from her eyes.

"My god…" She gasped, still laughing. Daisuke put a hand on her back, worried she might collapse on him. After a few moments, she calmed down, and tried to breath normally.

"Well… I can't say that was untrue. If not the best way to say it." She chuckled again. "How far to Yamato and Taichi's place?"

"A couple blocks. C'mon."

Ren forced herself up from her resting place and fell into step with Daisuke. "Ken's lucky to have a friend like you."

"Yeah. We're all really lucky to have each other. Digidestine go nuts when they're alone."

"So I hear." Ren replied enigmatically. Daisuke shifted his eyes over to her, trying to figure her out, then decided it wasn't worth his time. If she wanted him to get closer, she'd let him. Ken had obviously told her a lot about the Digidestine.

"Wonder why you never got a Digimon." Daisuke muttered out loud. Ren raised a brow at him questioningly.

"I don't know." She struggled. "If we could figure it out, what would be left for Destiny?"

Daisuke nodded and turned the corner. The city was very quiet now. Most of the people had found someplace to hide, and apparently someone had been rounding up the Digimon in this area too, or they would have been stopping every five minutes to curtail a beast.

As they walked, Daisuke let his mind wander… far back to the days right after they'd defeated Belial Vamdemon, when Ken was still trying to find his grounding in the real world. It was easy enough to say he was going to change his life, but he was still expected to go to school, to excel.

Daisuke had been very disappointed when he found out that Ken would be sent on to college, rather than go to high school with him. He was like Ken in some ways. He'd grown up a little lonely. His parents were always very busy, since both had to work outside the home to support himself and Jun. Though, despite their fighting, Daisuke felt closer to her as he grew older. She knew a lot of things about loneliness. Not the kind when you didn't have friends, but the kind you had when you were surrounded by people, but had no one to talk to.

"Everyone in the soccer league looks up to me now." Daisuke boasted. He sat on the arm of their couch looking over his sister's wild hair. She was slouched in front of the TV set watching a hockey game. Weirdo.

"Yu-huh. Good for you. Why aren't they over here?"

"Huh?"

"Where are all your friends Daisuke? Oh, right, they got caught in the traffic that mine did. They'll all be over here any minute now." She drawled harshly. Daisuke gave a very pathetic ten-year-old pout.

"I do too have friends."

"Yeah, but unfortunately your friends are just like my idiot 'friends,' or they'd be over here celebrating with you, huh?" Jun stretched her toes out and changed the channel with them nimbly. "Or talking about how you got so cheated, cause I know you guys lost."

"We!" Daisuke paused and slumped further. "Didn't lose that bad." He finished sheepishly.

"Win or lose, friends should stick together. Get some new friends, kido."

Jun had been harsh, but when it came down to it, he'd never had a close friend. So how would he know how to be one when he did have one?

I just did. When Veemon needed me… when Ken needed me… I just knew… I wonder how that happens? That I get the Digimental of Friendship when I never had any real friends.

Daisuke heard a soft padding behind him, gentle and patient. He turned around curiously. Ren had frozen, looking a bit frightened, sliding her fingers through her hair, forcing it behind her ears.

"Daisuke. It's… cold." She whispered, her eyes wide in alarm. Breathing out, Daisuke suddenly felt, and saw, it too. His breath fogged in front of him.

They waited, and the soft padding came closer, turning into the distinct sound of boots hitting the pavement, crunching the gravel beneath them indiscriminately. It sounded like they were grinding up bones.

"Missed ya, Dai chan." Takeru said, walking up to them slowly. His dichotic hair flopped up and down as he ate up the distance between them.

"I've been so worried about you!" Daisuke shouted, forgetting for a moment everything he'd been told and rushing forward. "Where have you been?"

Takeru stopped and flipped his hand through the darker side of his hair. And resembling Yamato a great deal in the process. "You could say I've been cheating on ya, koi. I've got myself a new man in my life."

Daisuke froze a few feet from him. "Takeru…"

"Daisuke." Takeru replied icily. He held his hand out as though motioning for Daisuke to take it. Shivering, Daisuke recoiled, sharply observing the face before him.

"Did you really try to kill Ken?" Daisuke asked softly. Takeru smiled wide.

"Yes. But that wasn't really my intent. I do intend to kill you, though." Takeru answered gleefully.

"Why?" Daisuke took another step back. Half-lidded, Takeru tilted his head back, surveying the scene as though he were completely in control.

"Because the Glanconer doesn't want competition." He replied harshly. He began walking towards him again, and Daisuke fought the urge to run. The time for him to bugger off had passed. He'd never get away now, and even if he could have, he certainly didn't want too. He had to be there for Takeru even if it cost him is life.

Takeru closed in, ignoring both Ren and Veemon, who were watching intently. As light as a young child's breath at first, Takeru moved his hand under Daisuke' chin, cradling his face as though it were precious china, libel to break at the slightest of moves. Their lips brushed gently and Takeru crooned out softly.

"And I still love you."

Frozen in place by the chill on Takeru's words, slowly the impact of what he was saying slammed into Daisuke, and he realized he had to stop him, no matter what.

"The Glanconer's got to know how much this will hurt you right? If you love me?"

"I do as he bids, Dai chan." Takeru explained, moving his face over slightly, brushing cheeks with him. Daisuke's heart pumped furiously as he fought for some words that would convince Takeru not to do what he was going to do. Ken was better with words. He was smarter, deeper.

But you were the one that got him to join your group to begin with.

"He can't love you if he's willing to hurt you like this."

Takeru gazed into his eyes like Daisuke was a simple child, incapable of understanding the magnitude of what he was experiencing. "He doesn't love me. He wanted me. He has me. I need him."

Daisuke starred for a moment as he let this new information sink in. Then he slammed his knee up into Takeru crotch with all his force. Dancing lithely away, Daisuke spotted the knife in Takeru's hand, as his lover doubled over in pain. The knife he'd been prepared to kill him with.

"You idiot! How can you let him use you like this? I know you're stronger than that! You still love me right?" Daisuke held his Digivice out, motioning backward with his head to Raidramon. The dragon like Digimon clambered forward to protect him. "Then stop hurting yourself like this!"

"It isn't that easy." Takeru whispered, his words vulnerable for the first time since he'd appeared. "I can't help it anymore."

"You've got to try, Take chan!" Daisuke pleaded. Takeru straightened his body and looked at Daisuke harshly.

"Go, Daisuke chan."

"I'm not going to leave you like this." Daisuke protested, flinging arm wide in anger.

Takeru forced his eyes closed and balled his fists, drawing in a sharp breath. "Go now, before I do something I regret!"

The unnatural throbbing noises coming from Takeru's direction caught Daisuke' attention and he gaped at his darkness-infected arm. He was holding it so rigidly, trying so hard to keep it under control, that blood was beginning to drip down from his hand, quickly forming a dark pool of blood beside him.

Daisuke paled and motioned for Ren to get onto Raidramon's back. Quickly, he hopped up onto him and turned back to look at Takeru, his eyes clenched shut in frustration and pain. His soul hurting, the darkness in his arm writhing against his greater will.

"I love you, too, Takeru chan. Don't forget it." Daisuke called over his shoulder as they took off. After they had cleared the horizon, almost as if he'd sensed them leave, Takeru let himself drop to the ground. Knees loose, and arms draped limply to the side, his neck wilting a little as he starred despondently after his escaped prey.

"Somehow." He muttered to himself. "I wish that weren't so. Right now."

***

Their hands swung back and forth, like two characters prancing merrily through some shoujo manga. But they weren't prancing, or merry. Yamato and Taichi were holding on to one another, because they were afraid to let go.

Every so often their eyes would meet as they journeyed on, holding each other's hands in a death grip. Hands that had once rained blows down on the other. Hands that had tried sorely to steal the love of the other in a betrayal that neither felt. And still, it was all they had.

"Can I ask you a question, Taichi kun?" Yamato said softly. He felt like they were in a graveyard, it was so quiet. He felt like he should hold his breath, like he and Takeru used to do when they drove past a cemetery when they were little.

Gabumon and Agumon followed seriously, the mood grave. Taichi walked even closer to him and looked up. "Whatever you need to ask, you might as well ask now."

One or the other might lose a sibling that day. And it could change everything.

***

"Eee!" Mimi squealed, as she ran towards Sora and Miyako. She gave the girls a group hug. "Waa, Sora chan. You look nice today. Maybe a little Lilith Fair, but still nice."

She nudged Miyako with her elbow. "Wonder who's to blame for that?"

Peering down her glasses. "Who's that?"

"Oh, Rosemon." Mimi waved at Rosemon, Ikkakumon, and Jyou to come on over.

"Maki chan!" Sora squealed, taking the baby abruptly from Jyou's arms, and cuddling him.

Hands on her hips, Mimi looked around the group and sighed. "Okay, where are Yama chan and Tai chan?"

"They haven't found us yet." Iori said, walking up to say hi to Jyou.

"It's been a day, let me tell you." Jyou informed him. Iori nodded in hearty agreement.

So, they're all together now, are they?

Perched upon one of the still erect buildings, Takeru held his fingers together seriously as he listened to the voices in his head. His hat had been lost long ago, and he could feel the heat of the DeathMeramon standing resolutely behind him. The flames gave off a hot breeze not unlike the breath of a dragon.

"If I can't be a hero, and I cannot be a villain, I'm not sure what I am." Takeru said to no one in particular. The DeathMeramon shifted its gaze over to him.

"You can be whatever you desire, Takeru But I would worry that you are not doing what you desire."

"This is not commentary I need." Takeru snapped at it. The blue flames leapt around its body, miraculously, its clothing, which was nothing more than a pair of black leather pants and boots, marked with hot rings of metal and skulls. But the leather was that of a wild phoenix, and could not be destroyed by mere heat.

You are my pet, Takeru I do not give up on you, and in turn I do not expect you to give up on yourself.

"Yes, Lord Glanconer." Takeru replied devotedly. His left eye shone with intensity, and if the light would hit it the correct way, his black right eye, seemed to become even blacker with his fanaticism.

Do what I've shown you.

"Yes, my master." Raising his right hand to the sky, Takeru could feel the energy being drained out of him. A storm began overhead, raging as the clouds formed quickly and began a downpour that caused the Digidestine below to run for shelter immediately.

"Ehhh, and I just fixed my hair!" Mimi complained. She shucked off her jacket and ran beside Sora, covering her child with it. "Come on, over there."

The wounds from his previous encounter with Daisuke bled anew, but the pain only powered his resolve. The Glanconer was a generous master, to give him this option until he was strong enough to fight them on his own. Flesh bulging from the dark power within, a lightening bolt shot down from the heavens, from the concealed portal that he had opened, and charred the ground below.

The Digidestine stared at the huge cloud of smoke, amazed as the storm fled as quickly as it had come, with only a light drizzle in its place. The scent of ozone filled their nostrils, and Makoto began to wail.

"It's okay, Maki chan. It's okay." Sora assured him, looking to Mimi, who nodded and took the child carefully. "Mommie's here."

Just as she looked down on her son, Mimi felt a sharp pain wrapping around her leg. Eyes darting downward, she saw a vibrating wire slithering up her skirt.

"Eeehhh get off!" She screamed, struggling to get away from the wire tentacle that burned her flesh. Sora dropped to the ground and without thinking grabbed the wire with her bare hands, pulling at the source trying to get it to let go. She was strong, but a searing perked her ears and she knew she couldn't hold on much longer, or lose her hands altogether.

"Biomon, help!" She turned her head around swiftly to see Armadillomon trying valiantly to chew through another tentacle that had wrapped itself around Iori's neck. Sora gasped, and choked. Yet another tentacle had wrapped itself around her waist, and was tearing her in two. She refused to let go.

Birdramon came swooping down, wings ablaze despite the rain and clutched onto the wire on her own. Rosemon joined her, brandishing her Thorn Whip in an effort to stop the wires from destroying their partners, but the wires were too strong to be cut.

The smoke began to clear, and Koushiro, who had not yet been grabbed by a tentacle rubbed his eyes to clear the haziness the smoke had caused. Before them was a huge creature, covered in thick black scales, protruding with wire tentacles, and a scorpion-like Taichil whipped around, demolishing the remainder of the cement.

"It's Armagemon!" He cried, grabbing his Dterminal and trying to look for a weakness. "Tentomon!"

"Mega Blaster!" Kabuterimon cried as he went forward to attack. A surge of energy slammed into the beast and the Digidestine screamed as the energy reverberated along its tentacles. Iori went limp, crashing to the ground as the tentacle tightened on his neck.

"Nice job!" Rosemon snapped. "But we're trying to kill that thing, not the Digidestine!"

"Oi, you try something!"

"I will." She shot back, taking only a moment to unsheathe a rose.

"Going to ask it on a date?"

"This is not the time for jokes!" Birdramon insisted, following suit behind Rosemon as Sora's desperate need for help allowed her to reach the next level.

"No energy attacks." Garudamon instructed.

Rosemon nodded, conceding her wisdom and ran forward, rose in front of her. Garudamon snapped her wings behind her, cutting through the wind and giving her extra speed. She reached the creature in half a second, pulling all of her weigh into the attack as she raked her claws across its scaly hide, and then flew on past, unable to stop. Koushiro cringed as she slammed into the rubble that was once a building, but she stood soon after.

Approaching almost as swiftly, Rosemon held the rose high above her head and thrust downward in a mighty blow, the rose morphing into a great sword as she made her attack.

"Roses Rapier!" She cried, bracing herself for the intense impact to come. The Roses Rapier clanged harshly against Armagemon's armor, but did not break through. She moved to strike him again, but his long scorpion like Taichil swatted her from behind, shocking her with leftover energy from Kabuterimon's attack. She lay lifeless on the ground.

"Rosemon, no! Get up!" Mimi cried, holding Makoto as far from the tentacle as she could. He was still screaming, barely taking a breath. "Jyou!"

"Can't move over here." Jyou yelled back. He nodded to Ikkakumon, who loped forward, Digivolving into a more useful form. "Zudomon! Go after him!"

Zudomon raised his powerful furry arms, only to have his attack aborted. The creature began to glow an eerie green, and hissed coldly:

"Ultimate Flare."

***

"Guess who's here!" Daisuke called, bounding up the stairs. He rapped vigorously on the door and waited for an answer. Then it occurred to him that Ken might be sleeping, and he shouldn't have been so loud, but it hardly mattered then.

"Come on in." He heard Ken's voice, muffled through the door. He turned the handled tentatively; it wasn't locked, and pushed the door in so he could look in over the room. Yamato and Taichi lived in a huge apartment, for one that only housed two people. There was a long window facing the street that had a grand view of the whole area. To the side of that huge window was a small loveseat for sitting and watching the sunset, and in the middle of the room, was another loveseat, two recliners, and a long sofa all facing one another for large group discussions.

Ken was sitting curled up on the sofa, looking pale and small. He bit down on his lip as the muscles in his stomach tightened again, the pain radiating like a hot band of iron searing against his middle. A small groan escaped his lips. Daisuke hurried over to the couch and placed a hand on Ken's shoulder.

"What is it?"

Ken didn't answer right away. He seemed to be having difficulty even breathing, and Daisuke longed to hold him, he was so frightened for him.

"Daisuke…" He managed finally. "I think… I'm pretty sure I'm having the baby."

"What? How?"

"I don't know…" Ken stopped and gritted his teeth. Daisuke held his body stiffly, unsure of what to do. Realizing that he would probably mess up anyway, he leaned over Ken, and encircled his body, holding him tight and rubbing up and down his arms.

"What do you want me to do?"

"I'm not sure." Ken said softly. "I tried calling… the phones still aren't working."

Daisuke continued stroking his arms sedately and pondered their next step. Ren finally made it through the door and looked questioningly at Daisuke. He noticed that her lips were a bit blue as she found her way to the couch, hand to her chest. "What's going on?"

"Ken's having the baby." Daisuke stated. "What do we do?"

Ren let out a short nervous bark of a laugh. "I'm not a medical doctor, Daisuke. I'm a geneticist."

"Yeah, but you're a girl. Shouldn't this be instinct or something?"

Ren glared him down and tentatively reached out to feel Ken's belly. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, and you're going to be grateful."

Daisuke flushed a little in embarrassment, and continued to rub Ken's back. Ren ignored him and began a more detailed inspection of her friend.

"Dammit. You are having the baby, Ken." She murmured, brushing her fingers against her pale lips. "How long have you been having contractions?"

"A little before we got back to the apartment." Wormon answered for him. "We sent Tailmon off to find Hikari about half an hour ago."

Ken nodded, confirming what his Digimon was telling them. Ren cleared the dark strands of hair from his face and forced a smile. "Daisuke, help me get him into the guestroom or something. I need to figure out what to do here. Who's place is this? Do you think they'd mind if we messed up a guestroom?"

"Yama kun and Tai kun, and… yes and no. But Yama kun will get over it." Daisuke informed her, hanging onto Ken's arm as they made their way into the guestroom. Ren looked around and started to pace, thinking out what they would have to do.

"Okay, okay… okay. Um, Daisuke, go get me some towels, and…" She rubbed her hands back and forth nervously. "I don't know. Boil some water or something. Or look for a first aid kit."

Daisuke grinned, rubbing Ken's arm as he sat patiently on the bed.

"Okay, um. Ken, why don't you take your pants off?" Ren asked.

"Huh?"

"Just do it okay?" Ren said, trying hard to keep her voice from snipping at him. Inside she was a wreck. If she lost Ken, Tanaka would never forgive her. Hell, she could never forgive herself. Ken looked skeptical, but loosened the drawstring on his pants and began to slide them off for her. She blushed profusely as she bit her lip and took a look between his legs. "You should feel special. You're the only guy I've ever done this for."

Ken chuckled heartily at that off-color comment and tried to keep from shaking under her unfamiliar touch. Daisuke came back in, confused at the giggling he heard from his friend.

"So?" He asked. Ren looked up at Daisuke seriously.

"This would fall under the weird shit category. I don't know how this is happening."

Convinced that Ren had finished poking around for the moment, Ken wiggled up into a sitting position. Daisuke put and arm around his shoulders unconsciously. "I'm not that surprised, Ren. We're in the Digital World now, which has meshed with our world. Under these conditions nothing is… normal." He gasped at the last word, feeling the pain ripple through is belly once more. Ren placed a small, firm hand on his knee.

"Whatever is going on, I promise, Ken. You're going to make it through this."

***

"Ring around the rosie…" A young girlish voice sang from behind Yamato and Taichi. They both started and almost fell over one another trying to see where the noise was coming from. Tailmon closed one eye elfishly and stared at them from the ground. "Sokay big boys. It was just a cat."

They both groaned, realizing their mistake. Taichi wiped his brow demonstratively and shook his head at her. "You could have given me a heart attack, you know that Tailmon?"

"What are you doing her?" Yamato asked, resting his palms on his knees to talk to her.

"I'm looking for Hikari. Have you seen her since yesterday?"

"Nope." Taichi said, shaking his head again. "I haven't seen anyone yet. We've just been wandering around, trying to keep people off the streets."

"I'd try back where you left her. There was a madhat blast of energy sometime after we left Hikari chan and Take kun to fight. She probably got tired out and had to stay put."

"She'd better not be too tired. She's coming with me." Tailmon snipped, beginning to pounce off. Taichi grabbed her tail. She hissed a little in surprise, but not maliciously.

"Wait. Have you seen anyone else?"

"No. Do you have your Dterminals with you?"

Yamato and Taichi looked each other in the eye sheepishly. They spoke in unison. "No."

"It's back at the apartment." Taichi finished. Tailmon rolled her eyes.

"And you're supposed to be the leader. Well, Ken told me that a group of Digidestine were having lunch over at that café near Koushiro kun's place, and they were the ones to call them to ask Daisuke kun to come over to help. You might try over there."

Yamato nodded and shook her paw. "Thanks."

"No problem. Now I have to go fetch Hikari chan. Watch for Takeru kun. He's nuts. I clawed him right across the back, and he didn't even feel it."

"Fuck." Yamato's eyes widened in alarm. He felt so responsible for not keeping an eye on his little brother. Granted these past few weeks he'd been on pain medication, and had been pretty restricted in his movements, but he should have done more to see that he was okay.

"Not your fault, Yama chan." Taichi whispered to him. Gabumon nodded.

"You know that. You called him, and tried to get him to confide in you. There really wasn't anything else for you to do."

"We'll get him back." Tailmon said firmly. Then she turned and scampered off across the rocks. She felt a little bad for having to leave them so quickly, but she knew that Gabumon was capable of keeping Yamato sane while having to deal with the craziness of his brother.

It would have been easier to fly across the city as Angewomon, the wind biting wildly at her face, her becoming part of the glorious sky. Tailmon loved to fly. It was so freeing. Nothing could touch her. Except maybe LadyDevimon, but that was another story. Confined to the ground, she ignored the little pricks against her paws, as she knew she had to be running across nasty patches of broken glass. She slipped under a pile of broken stone, presumably once part of a building and began to navigate through the city back to her starting point. Lucky for her, she had an excellent memory.

Lucky for her she also had a great deal of stamina, because it was a good ten minutes before she reached Hikari, running all the way.

"Hikari chan! You have to come with me now." Tailmon called to her. Hikari didn't move from the spot she was in. She was sitting on a broken piece of building, her arms leaning on her knees. Her eyes taking in the city. Tailmon padded closer to her. "Hikari?"

Hikari turned her head and Tailmon stopped in her tracks, examining the blood smeared face of her partner. She smooth her tousled hair with the back of her wrist and stared at Tailmon questioningly.

"Hikari chan, Ken needs you now. He's having the baby, and he needs you there."

"Ken…" Her brown eyes lit up in understanding. Whipping her head around her as though noticing what she'd been staring at, she finally turned her head back to Tailmon. "Where are they?"

"Yamato kun and Taichi kun's place. Come on, Hikari chan."

She nodded listlessly and ran after her Digimon. After a few moments, Hikari was panting and they had reached the building that Tailmon had simply slunk underneath. Obviously that wouldn't do for Hikari. The crevice wasn't big enough, and the building might fall on her.

"Time to be Angewomon I guess." She said softly. She raised her Digivice and prepared to give Tailmon the power needed to reach her next level.

But when the power was transferred, nothing happened.

Hikari stared at her upheld Digivice in disbelief. Tailmon looked up at her gravely.

"It looks like we're going to have to find another way through."

Hikari stared blankly at her and sat abruptly on the wreckage. Pulling her knees up to her chest, she enclosed her face in her hands and started to shake.

"I've failed them, Tailmon. I've failed my lover, my unborn child. My best friend... Take chan..."

"Hikari chan, get a grip. It'll be alright."

"No, it won't. I'm not strong enough. I can't even send a message to Ken right now. You remember, how things were every time we'd fight the forces of Darkness. There's a first wave, which has nothing to do with what's really going on. And the bad guys get stronger with every battle. It took everything we had to defeat Gally. And I bet what we're fighting now. The one controlling Take chan... is much stronger than her."

"So what? We'll get stronger."

"But, we'll have to get through Take chan to get him."

Tailmon paused, raising a claw to her face and studying her human carefully. Hikari wasn't really one to give in to self-pity, but on occasion, she did doubt herself. And her resolve in these difficult tasks.

"You're worried that we may have to kill Takeru kun to stop him."

Kari nodded and looked up with a blotchy tear-streaked face. "I love him, Tailmon. We've been best friends since we were eight."

"I know, but if you love him, you'll do the right thing."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'd rather have die than spend my life in the corruption Vamdemon had me ensnared in! How do you think Takeru kun would feel? If he were being controlled?"

"He is being controlled, but... differently than Ken chan was."

"More like how I was. Power and sex are immeasurably effective when controlling someone who's just tasted Darkness for the first time. Takeru kun could never go to the Dark Ocean. I bet he can't do that now either."

"It would be an escape." Kari murmured regretfully. "From the mixture of pleasure and pain he's going through."

"He's not on our side anymore, Hikari chan. We either change that, or stop him. However we have to. Just like Agumon."

"Not just like Agumon. Humans don't get reconfigured when they die."

Tailmon sat down beside her and nuzzled against Hikari's soft chenille sweater. "Ken kun says they do."

"When did he say that? I'm not so sure." Hikari replied. "And anyway, what Ken chan said, has more to do with the soul than the body. He wouldn't be the same person."

"He wouldn't come back?"

"No, if what Ken chan says is true, he'd come back, but only as a different being."

"Hm." Tailmon frowned. "Humans are so complicated. But technically, we're not in your world anymore. We're in the Digital World."

"It... still." Hikari felt the tears sliding down her cheeks again. "When Take chan dies, I lose him. I don't get him back. I can't be sure, the program that works for the Digital World... is going to work for human beings."

"You'll do what you have to." Tailmon assured her. "And right now, Ken kun needs you, right?"

Hikari worked her fingers through her soft brown hair, moving it backwards, out of her face so she could see better, despite the blur of the world caused by tears of grief. She wanted desperately for someone else to make this decision, but of all people, even Yamato, she knew Takeru best. And when it came down to it, it would be her decision whether he lived or died. Was trapped or free. It was her responsibility as his friend. And she wasn't looking forward to it.

"I guess I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it."

***

The young Latino woman waved at Michael with gusto and ran over to him. Her eyes sparkled wildly and she looked almost as though she would explode with happiness any moment.

"Hello! Are you a Digidestine too?"

Michael looking into her deep chocolate eyes, amazed that she hadn't run squealing for cover, like the precious darling she seemed to be. She was a pretty girl, probably still in her teens, with long, shining hair that was waved ever so slightly. She grinned intrepidly at him.

"I am. My name is Michael. And you?"

"I'm Chicos." She chirruped, pumping his hand vigorously. "Monochromon!"

She motioned over her shoulder and a Monochromon did appear, thundering over the already ruined pavement.

"We came up here for a visit, si? And all of a sudden all this happens, and we get a message from Ken. We can help you?"

"Sure." Michael responded, hoping this wouldn't be like when Mimi "helped." Which ended up more like her sitting on her butt filing her nails. "I was looking for some help anyway."

"Where's your Digimon?" She asked, looking around as she bit on her index finger. Michael laughed.

"He's in the ocean, hon. I have a Seadramon. We can go get him, if you'd like."

"Si si!" She jumped up and down excitedly. "We can get the other Digimon and save New York!"

"More than New York needs saving, but I guess for now we'll have to make due."

"We did okay last time." Chicos insisted. Michael shrugged.

"There were more of us last time."

"No. Last time it was only me and Yamato and Ken. We did well!" She insisted, grabbing his arm possessively. Michael wondered if he'd be getting away from her.

Ken warned me about her. But she's still just a little girl, right?

***

Yamato sniffed the air suspiciously. "You two had better warp Digivolve, now."

"What is it, Yama chan?" Taichi asked, as their Digimon without question morphed into their most powerful forms. Yamato careened his head to the side and looked around the area. After a moment, he pointed.

"Something bad is going down that way."

Taichi nodded and simultaneously broke into a run with Yamato. As soon as they reached a clearing, War Greymon and Metal Garurumon stepped in front of them, but Yamato was still looking around.

Laying on the ground was and exhausted group of Digimon, a Nyokimon, a Konomon, and a Jellymon.

"Stay back!" Wallace yelled from a crevice between buildings. "If those tentacles get you you're in deep!"

Yamato ran over to his location between the wall and tried to see what had happened over the expanse of the clearing. To his alarm, he saw several of their friends unconscious on the ground.

"It's Amagemon. We've got to stop him. He's already drained everyone's energy, and if it weren't for my twins and Sora's Hououmon, we'd all be dead. I don't know what we're going to do if he tries that again." Wallace said in a tumble. He was staring dejectedly at his small little twins, so tired from blocking that blast they'd had to revert to their baby forms. They looked a little like blobs of jelly, with a tail and a few horns. Taichi put his hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down. We'll stop him."

Wallace looked at him skeptically and pointed across the way. "Koushiro is way over there, with Makoto. His Digimon couldn't do anything without shocking the hell out of the others over there."

"Black Rain." Amagemon hissed, relentless in its task to destroy them. His scales opened up and released a mass of energy, which merged above him and then scattered, searing everything in sight.

"Konomon! Jellymon!" Wallace screamed, bolting from his hiding place to save them. Yamato clotheslined him and held him down.

"Cool it. Metal Garurumon, that won't hurt you, go our there and grab them."

War Greymon held his arm out over the other Digidestine, blocking the Black Rain from damaging them any further, and Metal Garurumon went out to fetch the fallen Digimon.

"How are we going to get that thing to let them go?" Taichi asked. Yamato shrugged.

"We kill it."

"They don't have that much time left, guys." Wallace said, cuddling his twins, and Nyokimon, who cooed worriedly for Sora. He looked over at his Dterminal, which had a message on it.

Don't Jogress to Omegamon. You'll lose power. Koushiro.

"Lose power? Is he kidding?" Yamato asked. Wallace shrugged.

"I doubt it."

"Okay. Well, you and me have got to stop this thing, Yama chan. Our Digimon can't be hurt like by the Black Rain." Taichi said.

"It's done that a few times." Wallace noted. "I think its building up strength for another flare."

"Then let's not give it that chance." Yamato said firmly. He nodded to Metal Garurumon, who ran forward, knocking aside tentacles and began to claw it fiercely.

"Stand clear!" War Greymon called, raising his arms. Metal Garurumon ran to the side as War Greymon dropped the huge Terra Force on Amagemon.

"Wait til the smoke clears." Taichi muttered, watching the fight anxiously. Before he could see the creature again, the tail whipped out and smacked War Greymon in the chest. He crashed backward, only sparing the lives of the other Digidestine because Metal Garurumon managed to run underneath and break the fall. Taichi's eyes widened. "It didn't even scratch that thing!"

"Metal Garurumon! Can you move?" Yamato called. The wolf shook his head.

"No, and I doubt War Greymon can after being stung by that tail. I'll work my way out, don't worry. We need to get the other Digimon to fight."

Amagemon hissed a trembling, shaky hiss, as though he were laughing. "Black Rain."

Yamato paled when he realized there was nothing to block that terrible stuff from burning holes into their friends. "You've got to get up!"

"Want to lift this off of me?"

Amagemon's horribly black scales began to open, gathering energy to come up and wear away his enemies.

"Kiiiiyaaa!" Came a girlish scream from the sky. Over their heads flew an Airdramon, and though they could barely make it out, someone fell from it right over the monster. They could see the skirt ruffling, almost flying over her head, with her thin fingers tightly wrapped around the long hilt of a sword. They could only see the very end of it, which was shaped like a beautiful rose.

She dropped hard onto the monster and gritted her teeth as she stabbed into it, down into the open scales releasing the burning energy. Sparks flew, and she screamed. The tentacles went flopping in all directions, releasing their captives.

Yamato darted out into the clearing and grabbed hold of Mimi and Sora, dragging them away from the battlefield. Taichi followed suit, and Wallace and Koushiro until they'd managed to get all of the Digidestine out of the way.

A battered Rosemon came to, and grabbed the girl from the monster's back before it could destroy her, and flew over to the group.

"We must destroy it before it has time to recuperate." She told them, laying the girl next to Iori. Her chest and neck were badly burned by the creature's energies, and her breathing was shaky. Rosemon brushed her blood-matted hair out the girl's face. It was Nuriko.

"Airdramon!" She called weakly. "Distract him!"

Quickly, the Airdramon called up a tornado, shooting its needles in its best way to distract Amagemon. Metal Garurumon managed to wiggle free, and pounced on the monster once again, tearing away its weakened plating.

Zudomon ran forward and finally got to make his attack, slamming his hammer down onto the body of the creature, squashing it like a bug.

Sora grabbed her head as she began to regain consciousness. She was pale, and could feel no energy in her body, but she smile as she saw Nyokimon sitting worriedly on her chest. "You're such a good partner." She rasped, coughing harshly. Yamato grabbed her shoulder and turned her on her side. Blood spilled out of her mouth, and down her lips onto the ground. Jyou was actively giving Iori CPR, and refused to quit until the young man's lungs were pumping again, and he was looking in a daze at the other Digidestine.

"Are you okay, Mimi chan?" He asked, satisfied that Iori would live. She frowned a little.

"I'm fine. Makoto is fine. Kou kun grabbed him when Hououmon and the twins blocked that flare. Go look at her." She pointed wearily at Nuriko who was grinning and staring at the sky. He moved over to her and winced as he saw the burns. They covered her chest and neck, and even the very edge of her face.

"Mimi, hand me my bag. I'll need a few things from it."

"Nuri chan." Betamon whispered, waddling over to her. She didn't move her head, but brushed his skin with her fingers gently. She loved that squashed little toad.

"We fought well, huh?" She said, her voice straining to even exist. Jyou was smearing some kind of jelly over her neck and chest, but she couldn't even feel it any more. She couldn't feel much of anything after the initial blast. Her eyes were watery as she stared up at the sky. The clouds were clearing.

"You fought great." Iori answered her, grabbing her hand and giving it a squeeze. She smiled up at him.

"Don't talk, Nuriko san." Jyou whispered, gently wrapping her body in the bandages he had with him. "Just lie still."

"'Kay."

Don't be upset, my pet. I gave you a defective beast, it seems.

"Maybe. Maybe."

Yamato looked up to the top of the building above them, where his brother was staring down at them coldly from the ledge of the build, talking to himself.

"Look what you did!" Yamato yelled, stepping over the drained bodies of his comrades. "Look at this, Take kun! How could you?"

"Ch'." Takeru raised a brow and hoped down onto the roof, leaving them. The DeathMeramon behind him looked at Yamato closely for a moment, then followed.

"I see." Yamato said, turning around to see Taichi looking at him sympathetically. He began to turn from him, but instead, changing his mind, walked over and wrapped him in a strong embrace. "I see."

***

Hikari bolted up the stairs to her brother's apartment and practically flung herself through the open door. Her mind frantically wondered if there was something wrong, if the door was open like that.

"Where are they?" She asked out loud. Tailmon shrugged.

"Last time I saw Ken kun he was on the-" She stopped abruptly as they heard a pained groan from the back bedroom. Meeting eyes with Hikari for a second, they both dashed into the backroom.

His brow slickened with sweat, Ken looked up at her from the bed and smiled weakly. Daisuke was holding his hand tightly and Ren stood at the end of the bed, peering under a sheet they'd draped over Ken's legs. Hikari immediately knelt beside the bed and took his other hand.

"You have no idea… how glad I am that you're here." Ken managed, rubbing his head against her hand. For a moment she couldn't speak, only rub the side of his hot face with her hand and look into his brave eyes, narrowed a little bearing the pain.

"I love you." She stated simply, when she found her tongue again and kissed him lightly on the lips. It was true, she did. Accepting the kiss, Ken pushed forward into it for a moment. Then backed off, winching.

"Enough of that for now, you two. Ken focus on breathing." Ren advised. She no longer seemed so nervous though she didn't really have a clue what she was doing, or how Ken was managing to push this baby out through an opening she knew he didn't have a few months, or even a few weeks ago. Regardless, someone had to make sure he'd be all right, and she was the only person present with any medical expertise at all.

The Digimon had collected themselves out in the living room, should anyone decide to disturb them during the birth. Breathing heavily, Ken leaned his head against Hikari's as though she were giving him strength. Daisuke gave him gentle kisses along his forehead as he rode the next contraction, longing to take the pain from him.

"I was so worried." She whispered, knowing Ken didn't have the energy or the breath to respond. Daisuke raised his hand up, holding a cloth and squeezed the deliciously cool water onto Ken's brow. The sweat had already soaked through his hair. His eyes looked terribly drained.

"Okay, Ken." Ren said firmly. "On the next contraction, I want you to try pushing."

Ken nodded in response, and Hikari held him tightly focusing on the rhythm of the contractions. He bore down hard, nearly lifting himself off the bed in the effort, and Daisuke squeeked at the pain from where Ken was squeezing his hand so tightly. Hikari watched as he struggled to breath, and wished she'd made him go to some Lamaze classes, even though she had no way of knowing he'd need them.

Finally that contraction subsided and Daisuke fled the room for a moment, coming back with a refilled bucket of ice. He took out a washcloth, wrung it and grinned supportively at Ken. He couldn't have been prouder of his friend at that moment. Gently he placed the cold cloth over his chest, and smiled at the relieved expression on Ken's face.

"Its almost over." He encouraged. He could feel his heart rushing along in time with Ken's. Hikari nodded, taking over with another washcloth, wiping his face with it.

"You're doing so good." She praised, the admiration apparent in her eyes. Tears threatened to spill over her lids whenever she looked at him. She pressed her head against his chest affectionately. Cupping her head with his large hand, he held her to him for a moment.

"Love you." He whispered.

After a few more grueling contractions, Ken was beginning to go limp against them, weak from the exhaustive day, and at the end of his strength. Hikari motioned with her head to Ren who leaned over to listen to her.

"He's awfully tired."

"Well he's been in labor for hours. I don't dare take the baby by cesarean, I don't have the skill."

"I was thinking maybe we could get him into a better position. Maybe gravity could help?" Hikari suggested, looking back over at Ken, who was being lovingly fed some ice chips by Daisuke. He sunk back into the pillows and closed his eyes wearily. Daisuke looked over at them questioningly and petted Ken's head.

"Dai chan," He whispered.

"We can give it try." Ren said. She motioned to Daisuke and led Hikari back to his side. "Ken we're going to try to do this another way, just follow our lead, okay?"

He nodded lethargically, as she motioned to Daisuke and he lifted him from the side. Tucking his head under Ken's arm, Daisuke steadied him as they positioned him so that he was in more of a squatting position.

"Come on, Ken." Ren urged. "Just a few more. You can make it."

Hikari could feel his muscles trembling as he bore down once again, trying to bring their child into the world. It was very quiet, the only sounds in the room being her and Daisuke rooting him on, and the pained, shaky breathes that he managed to take.

"Destroy him!"

Ken gazed up at the huge Digimon, his wide young eyes narrowing in terror. It was enormous, a monolithic monster of wings and pinchers. Flying at a ruthless speed, it slammed one sharp sword-like claw beside his head. The wind from his speed whisked past Ken, flapping his hair back as he starred into the monster's eyes.

"Are you really going to destroy me?" Ken asked in his innocent little voice. He could hear the screams of his friends behind him.

"Utterly." Stingmon replied.

"But you don't want to." This response seemed to make the creature angry, but still, it didn't move to destroy him.

"What Lord Daemon wants, I want."

Slowly, Ken realized… he was supposed to be afraid.

But he wasn't.

Ken's calm, graceful exterior was suddenly broken as ripping sound pealed through the air and he screamed out in pain. Hikari clung to him and looked down to see Ren's eyes widening.

"Her head's crowning Ken! A few more pushes and she'll be born." She declared, her face gone sheet white. Ken steadied himself as he took a few more breaths and tried again to push.

After ten more minutes, Daisuke lay a shaking Ken back on the bed as Ren inexpertly tried to cut the umbilical cord with a pair of scissors. Ken panted heavily as he stared at the blurring ceiling. He could hear Hikari's joyful giggles as she held Sam for the first time, Ren muttering that the child should be crying and she must have done something wrong.

"Hey, Sam… Look, it's your papa." Hikari cheered, kneeling down so the little child could see him, though she guessed Sam wouldn't be able to focus her eyes for a little while yet. Though her eyes were large, and blinked owlishly at them.

"She's so cute." Daisuke marveled. "I don't know what I expected, a kid from you two pretties."

Hikari chuckled happily, and held her beside Ken for him to see. "Ken chan?"

Seeming to have a more difficult time focusing than his daughter, Ken muttered softly. "Maybe she was here for me this time."

"Huh? Ken chan?" Hikari leaned her elbows on the edge of the bed and looked closely into his sleepy eyes. A slight panic entered into her heart when she didn't get an immediate response. "Ren, what's wrong?"

Her eyes shot over to the pale woman still at the end of the bed. She shook her head and slid her messy hands through her hair, forgetting that they were still covered in blood.

"I'm not a fucking doctor, Hikari." She protested, tears finally escaping from her strained eyes.

"Ken chan, answer me." Hikari demanded. Ken looked over at her groggily, working his lips to half-heartedly form her name, though no sound came out. She laid Sam into his arms. The little girl cooed up at him, and Ken broke a gentle smile.

"What's wrong?" She asked, sitting beside Ren at the end of the bed.

"He's bleeding. It's like an open wound and I can't get him to stop bleeding."

Hikari locked eyes with Daisuke for a moment, who had been playing with Sam's little hand's, then she headed for the spare bathroom. As she left, a soft thought probed her mind.

Papa?

Trying to block it out, she grabbed an armful of towels out of the closet and headed back into the guestroom making a mental note that she needed to buy Yamato and Taichi some new towels when this was over.

Papa??

Her baby girl looked at her questioningly, with far too much intelligence for a newborn.

I wonder if I was so strange when I was born. Ken said he didn't even start talking until he was three… She shook her head and handed some towels to Ren. "We've got to try. Jyou kun's on the way and he'll know what to do, but until then we've got to keep this under control, alright?"

Ren nodded tearfully, and began trying to stop the river of blood. Hikari worked beside her and listened to Daisuke' cheerful chatter to Ken, who was probably less than half unconscious by now. The weak mental probing continued, questioning without knowing the words. Hikari focused for a moment, and though she was doubtful it would help, made a stronger mental connection with Sam

Papa's hurt right now, and we're trying to make him better. He'll be okay. Don't you worry little Sammykins.

Mama. Sam responded warmly, discarding her fear as Daisuke took her from Ken's limp arms and started to jostle her.

After they seemed to have gotten the blood stopped, Hikari rinsed her hands in the bathroom sink, and walked over to the bed to Sam from Daisuke and instruct him to find some clean sheets. She leaned wearily against the bedframe and looked down on Ken worriedly. He was sleeping like the dead, and she was afraid because she didn't know enough about medicine to begin to help.

She tried to shift a little beginning to feel uncomfortable and she couldn't quite locate the source of her problem. Sam looked up at her, squinching her little features together in dissatisfaction. Generally, Hikari expected for the baby to cry if she needed something, but apparently that wasn't going to be the case.

"What do you need?" She asked her point blank. Ken had seemed to know exactly how Sam had been feeling while he was pregnant. Hikari wondered if that wasn't just his own expertise at mental activity.

Sparkling blue eyes stared up at her. And Hikari wiggled around some more, it was somewhere in her torso. Then it occurred to her.

"You're hungry, aren't you Sammy chan?" Sam blinked back at her as though it were obvious. Hikari petted her head and thought a moment on what she should feed this child. Peering over to see if Daisuke were back, she realized she didn't care, and proceeded to strip off her t-shirt and bra. "I might as well take some part in parenting here."

Balancing Sam with one arm, she pinched her right nipple and hoped some of Ken's hormones had rubbed off on her. She had been feeling a pressure in her breast, but hadn't been sure what it was. Gently she raised Sam up and pressed the nipple into her mouth, and soon Sam caught on and started suckling happily.

Hikari smiled serenely, petting the silky cap of brown hair as gently as she could. Sam's big eyes darted up to her now and again. Then all around. She was curious, and everything was new. The world had gone crazy, but Hikari felt oddly peaceful as she sat there beside Ken, feeling Sam's warm little body pressing against hers. She leaned down and favored the soft brown hair with a tender kiss, knowing she wasn't projecting any words to her daughter either. Only love.

"Whoa." Daisuke said as he entered the room with clean sheets and some clean clothes. Ren looked up and chuckled.

"See." Hikari yawned, amazed at her own exhaustion. "I'm the mama here."

***

It had been a long night, but looking into the mirror, Hikari felt a slight satisfaction that she'd made it through, having to be the strong one. What she wasn't satisfied with was the fact that after she had washed her face with Yamato's cleanser, the red shine marks over her cheekbones had not disappeared like they should have. Logically, she suspected it had something to do with how she felt about the situation with Takeru, but it didn't help the fact that her baby daughter was forming a vision of "Mama" with streaks of blood across her face.

She dried her hands on the soft blue towel hanging beside the sink and headed into the guestroom to check on Sam. She probably wasn't hungry again yet, but Hikari figured Sam was smart enough already to project to her when she was. She stretched her back and tried to ignore the aching in her breasts, realizing she was going through the very least most new mothers had to deal with. Ken's face was peaceful and smooth from the wrinkles of stress she'd seen too much lately. She smiled and looked over to the blankets where Sam was being kept, wrapped in an old shirt of Taichi's.

"Sam?" Hikari blanched, realizing that she wasn't sleeping beside her father. Ken's eyes fluttered open and he frowned, looking up at her groggily.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. Go back to sleep, sweetie." She brushed her hand over his head absently, and headed into the living room. If he'd noticed that she was now marked, he hadn't said anything.

Merry red eyes met hers as she walked into the room.

"She's gorgeous. I love babies." The woman beside the window said cheerfully.

"Who are you?" Hikari demanded, darting over to the woman. She just smiled again. Black, fox-like ears flickered.

"I'm a friend."

Sam giggled and cooed as the woman bounced her a little in her arms.

"Don't worry, Hikari chan. I'm just here to pay her and Ken chan a visit. I was a little worried about them, you know. But they both seem to be doing fine. Maybe him a little less than her, but he's really tough." The woman informed her, shaking her messy black hair a little to get it out of her face. Hikari edged closer, still not certain what to think. She reached forward with her mind a little, to see if she could trust this woman, even though she felt as though she'd known her all of her life. "I wouldn't do that, Hikari chan. I'll tell you anything you ask."

"What's your name?"

"You can call me Anubis, if you want. I don't have a set name. Actually, I don't think anyone does. People aspire to names given to them, not the other way around, so I'm not different than anyone else."

"You are different."

"So are you. You know that, don't you? You know this can't last like it is. You know who you are. You know what you have to do, Hikari chan." She smiled sadly. Hikari squeezed her arms and grimaced unhappily.

"Can I have her?"

Anubis smiled again, her the corners of her full lips almost reaching her cheekbones. "Of course." She gently handed the girl over to her mother. "Like I said. Gorgeous. Adorable."

Hikari cuddled her daughter close to her and jumped when she heard the door opening. Taichi poked his head in first and grinned widely.

"Hikari! Oi!" He rushed over to hug her and, if possible, his grin got wider when he realized what she was holding. "Wah ha! I'm an uncle!"

"Yeah," Hikari watched as the other Digidestine piled into the apartment. Battle-worn, if she wasn't mistaken. Iori was practically carrying Nuriko up as they entered, and he directed her over to one of the loveseats. Hikari didn't fail to notice the bandages around Iori's neck, or Mimi's leg, both of which were already soaking through with blood. "Try not to make so much noise. Ken chan's resting."

She turned her head to speak again to the black haired woman, but to her astonishment, she'd disappeared. "Anichan, did you see a woman standing behind me when you came in?"

"Eto, no?" He replied, letting Sam latch onto one of his fingers. Sora and Miyako had hurried over as well to squeal, albeit softly over the newborn child. Jyou set Makoto down on the couch and turned to Hikari.

"Where's Ken kun?"

"In the guestroom." She told him. Ren walked out into the living room and up to Jyou, her face still the mask of distress it had been since the night before, though Hikari had managed to convince her to take a shower and get the blood off of her face and hair.

"Please come look at him. He started bleeding after she was born, and we couldn't stop it for awhile. I'm worried-" She fretted until Jyou grabbed her shoulders.

"Take me in to see him and tell me what you've done so far." He instructed calmly. She nodded and Jyou followed her into the bedroom, Mimi close behind after she'd caught Sora's eye. Sora promptly moved back over to the sofa and set Makoto on her lap.

"Hikari chan… what's on your face?" Koushiro asked bluntly in surprise. She was handing Taichi his niece gently, and looked up a bit irritably.

"I'm not sure." She said shortly, tiredly sitting on the arm of the sofa. Taichi was still grinning like a moron and Yamato started to laugh at the faces he was making at her.

"I don't care what you do, Tai kun. With Hikari chan and Ken kun as the parents, you can't make it stupid."

"Oi, she thinks it's funny! Don't you, Sami chan?" He said tenderly. She immediately cooed in response. Yamato's eyebrows rose, but he kept quiet.

"Well, we tried to stop the bleeding, and then we got him awake enough to deliver the afterbirth and clean him up. He hasn't really been sleeping, just sort of on and off."

"Great." Jyou muttered, taking a good look. "Mimi chan, hand me that right there."

Mimi looked at Ren and shook her head as though she should know what he'd done that was so silly. She grabbed the surgical thread from his bag and some gauze, leaning back so her weight was on her left side, so not to disturb her own bandages.

"This looks more like a wound, than anything else. I'm going to close him up, then clean the wound again properly." Before he started he took a needle out of his bag and stuck it into one of the bottles, filling it with liquid. "Inject this into his arm, Ren san. Try to find someplace with some… flesh on it."

Mimi chuckled again.

"Stop it." Jyou admonished her. Ren rolled up the sleeve to Yamato's pajamas and injected the liquid into his biceps. His eyes popped open and he looked over to her. Blushing, she opened her mouth to explain, but Jyou beat her too it. "Ren san just gave you some painkiller to take the edge off. This is going to hurt, but afterwards, you'll be able to sleep a little and try to heal, okay?"

Ken frowned a little, as though he didn't really understand, but he nodded and moved his hand to clutch the bedding tightly. Hurt he understood very well.

"Okay guys." Hikari said, her eyes on the doorway to the guestroom. We're going to be lucky if we get to see her at all. "I need Sami chan for a minute."

"Why's that?" Iori asked. He wasn't as completely wrapped up in the baby as the others were, but Hikari figured that was because he was younger. And because he was so worried about Nuriko, who was now successfully sprawled over the loveseat and dozing.

"She's hungry." Hikari insisted, taking the child from Miyako, who had been rocking her back and forth, singing "Rock the Cradle of Love" softly. Sora chuckled as Makoto whimpered when Hikari went into the other room with her.

"Sam go bai bai." He protested. Sora petted his soft pink hair.

"Nah, just for a little while." She promised, cuddling him. Taichi looked around at them and headed into the kitchen to see his sister.

"For goodness sakes, Anichan." Hikari said as he entered the room. True, she had stolen one of his shirts so she could unbutton the thing halfway and not have to strip every two hours, but she was still pretty exposed.

"Oh, like we didn't bathe together all the time when we were little." Taichi joked. "Seriously. I didn't know you were going to be… ano."

"You didn't really expect Ken chan to do that did you? It would be a little unfair, seeing as how I've got the equipment." Hikari replied impishly. "How are you guys doing? I missed some stuff while I was brooding."

"Takeru kun sent a pretty powerful Digimon after us." Taichi explained seriously. Hikari nodded.

"After you left. I almost killed him."

If Taichi was surprised, he didn't let it show. They would have to explain to one another in greater detail later on. Hikari pressed her fingertip next to her nipple, breaking the suction and switched Sam to the other breast. He leaned back on the stove and rubbed his chin.

"We're going to have to go after him."

"He's not a monster, Anichan. I don't want to hurt him." She said softly. "I mean, if it's best for him… but I don't know if I can."

"You're going to have to be strong here, Hika chan. We're not children anymore." He said just as softly. He was betting they couldn't even hear them in the other room. Hikari's eyes drifted over to the side, and he could tell she was thinking about Ken.

"What if the others don't want to fight him?"

"They won't." Taichi informed her. She widened her eyes with interest and waited for him to continue. "Just you, me, and Yama chan. The others are going to stay here and rest. We'll need them for another battle, because we already know this isn't it."

"Why us?" She asked with interest, more to find out his reasoning than to complain.

"Because. I'm your leader and I have to go. Yama chan is his brother, and you're his best friend."

"Dai chan is his boyfriend."

"Dai kun can't go." Taichi insisted. Hikari stopped Sam from feeding and stole a raggedy dishcloth from the cupboard to sling over her shoulder as she patted Sam's back.

"Why?"

"Because, he loves him. And he'll kill him before he'd listen to him. And besides, Ken kun's in a pretty bad way here. Someone has to lead if Takeru kun kills me."

Hikari looked up at him bleakly. "Don't say that, Anichan. Nobody is going to kill you."

"It's a possibility we have to plan for. Dai kun was your group's real leader, and he can keep you guys together in my absence. Hopefully, he won't have to do it without Ken kun's advice."

"I have it on pretty good authority that Ken chan's going to be okay." Hikari said flatly, wondering where that information was coming from herself. Taichi looked at her oddly, but shrugged.

"Whatever. When you feel up to it, we're going to head out."

Hikari nodded and walked out of the kitchen

***

When Ken woke up, his head felt as though it were filled with cotton and not that lumpy pink mess that had been keeping him afloat for years. He looked down, realizing that he was singular again, and smoothed a hand over the soft fabric of Yamato's pajamas. He hurt. It ached almost all over, and he wasn't sure he could even sit up.

"Oi… you awake?" Daisuke asked, kissing his temple. Ken rolled his head over to his right to look at him. He hadn't even realized that he was there.

"Yeah." Ken said, straining a little. "Where's Sam?"

"Probably napping in one of the girls' arms. You might not remember, but everyone decided to congregate here when they managed to find each other. Most of them are out in the living room."

"And Hikari chan?"

"She's not here, but you knew that, huh?"

"I'd guessed." Ken said, though it really had been more of a hunch than sensing she wasn't there. He could barely feel anything besides his complaining body at the moment.

"She'll be back." Daisuke assured him. Ken nodded.

"I know."

"Hole up. I'm going to get Jyou kun." Daisuke said, darting out of the room before Ken could complain. Which he probably wouldn't have. Then he ran back in for a minute: "Love you!"

Ken smiled as Daisuke popped back out. He raised his arm, one part of his body not aching, and slid his fingers up through his hair, which he noticed was wet, probably from a bath he didn't remember. They'd been taking good care of him.

"Oi, Ken kun. How are you feeling?" Jyou asked, entering the room and sitting by the bed. Ken crooked a wry grin.

"Probably only slightly worse than I look, ne?"

"You lost a lot of blood." Jyou said matter-of-factly. "And it's a miracle you could even give birth to her at all. And you managed to sprain some internal muscles while you were pushing, which is one reason you feel like complete hell right now."

"That's comforting. Can I see Sam?"

"I told you he'd want to see her." Sora accused. She was right behind the door and walked in confidently, nudged past Jyou and passed Sam into his arms. "She's been a doll, Ken kun. I don't suppose you cried as a baby, huh?"

"No. My parents thought I was slow because I never cried. Mama said she once stuck me with a pin because she thought something was wrong with me." He looked into her round little face, which was perfectly content to stare back at him. He hadn't been able to focus much when he'd first held her, but those eyes were really something. Papa! "Yeah, it's me, angel."

Ken marveled at how simply perfect she was. His huge owlish eyes, Hikari's perfect snub nose. His fingertip touched her soft little nose, sliding upward until it was between her eyes, and she made little sounds of protest at him as she tried to look at it.

Sora smiled. "It's great, isn't it?"

"Yeah." He sighed, all his worries melting away for once as he just stared at her.

If you like, email me and let me know. I'm vain and like to know if yall like what I'm doing.