Chapter Four

Feeling Strong

"Wake up everybody!" Shouted a happy voice.

"I'm going to kill you Motoko!" Melina and Miyako cried jumping up. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, I guess I have a kindred spirit after all." Miyako giggled.

"Can we kill now?" Melina asked still smiling.

"Let's." they both turned with evil grins on their faces.

"AH!" screamed Motoko in mock terror as she began running for her life.

Suddenly streams of lights came shooting down from the sky making Motoko stop dead in her tracks. Miyako and Melina went crashing into her. The jumble of female bodies laughed and then scrambled to the small crater in front of them.

"Gennai almost killed me!" Motoko cried out outraged. Then her bottom lip began to tremble and she cried waterfalls. "I told you he didn't love me!" Everybody edged away and then ignored her completely.

"Look! It's a bunch of those laptop thingies you and Iori have!" Melina said suddenly grabbing the one with sign of Miracles on it. "What's this mean?"

"That's Daisuke's crest!" Iori said his eyes widening.

"Wow, you're right!"

"Well, this must be yours Iori." Shizuko said holding out the laptop with the crest of Knowledge on it. "I saw this sign on your laptop-thing yesterday."

"It's a D3. And that's Koushiro's crest. Remember I'm getting my own in this quest. Plus, this one has the crest of Reliability on it, my other crest. And I already have a D3 of my own." Iori replied with a frown.

"Then which is whose?" Yukina asked confused.

"It has the Crests of our advisors." Tsubaki said taking the D3 with a sun on it.

"Oh, that's obvious. Why didn't we think of it?" Touji asked to nobody in particular.

"Great, I've got a heart." Muttered Shizuko.

"Really, I thought you didn't." Motoko joked under her breath. The others besides Iori and Tsubaki snorted.

"I heard that! You really want to die don't you?" Shizuko yelled pissed. Motoko immediately burst into tears. "Damn, that's so cheating. I don't hit people when they cry."

BEEP! Motoko's D3 started beeping and lighting up. She opened it sniffling.

"Are you okay?' came a concerned voice from the screen.

"Oh! Koushiro!" Motoko cried out surprised. "Eep!" she immediately closed it, blushing vividly. "I'm going to go hide now." She moaned in utter despair before she ran into the trees, Pawmon bouncing after her.

"Moto! Moto! Wait for me!" Pawmon cried.

"Oh my god. Motoko just blushed!" Melina freaked out with a pointing finger.

"Why? She was flirting with him all the time yesterday and this morning." Iori asked confused.

"I have no idea. She's never blushed before. Usually she'll do something stupid and then laugh at herself." Shizuko said with wide eyes. Iori's D3 beeped loudly.

"What did I do?" Koushiro cried as soon as Iori opened the screen.

"None of us know." Iori answered blinking.

"Maybe she's already gotten over him?" Touji mused loudly.

"WHAT?" screamed Miyako.

"She's totally boy crazy. You guys said you've heard of her. She'll fall in love one day and then forget he's alive the next." Touji said.

"Oh." Koushiro said dejectedly.

"I don't think that's the case. Koushiro isn't as cute as all the guys she's crushed on before, or as hot as Yamato. Plus, she did blush. She's never blushed before, especially with a guy she didn't like anymore. She just forgot he existed. She obviously realized it was Koushiro-san." Shizuko shot at Touji.

"Prodigious." Koushiro repeated happier. "Wait a minute! I think I should be offended..." he trailed off.

"I'll go see what's wrong!" Melina said jumping up.

"Wait! I was going to tell you all that your advisors are going to be meeting with you at about three thirty. I don't know about Jyou, though, Kudo-san. Jyou has weird hours. I have to go now, bye!" he clicked off to get to his bus on time.

"Well, I can't wait to meet Sora. She actually didn't seem that bad a person." Shizuko said to break the awkward silence.

"How about we all go find some water? My teeth fill like ten years of plaque have coated them over night!" Motoko said jumping out of the forest. Everybody screamed and jumped.

"Don't do that!" Miyako said. Tsubaki just looked at them and turned and walked to their right.

"Wait up, Tsubaki!" Melina cried stumbling out of some bushes. "And don't suddenly change your direction while I'm hunting you down!" she ordered pointing at Motoko. Motoko just pointed at herself with a face like 'who, me?'.

V V V

"Ack! My laptop is beeping!" Shizuko cried out suddenly. Soon the small glade they had found a pond in was filled with the beeping of seven D3's.

"Konnichiwa?" asked six voices.

"KONNICHIWA!" came the reply of seven more voices.

"You're Touji right? I'm Yamato." Introduced the blonde hottie.

"Hey, Iori, how's it feel to be surrounded by six babes? OW! Kari!" Takeru cried out as a foot connected with his shin.

"Miyako, are you okay? Has that other guy came on to you?" Ken asked with narrowed eyes.

"Um, no. Why?"

"No reason!"

"Hi, my name is Sora, are you Shizuko?"

"Yeah, hey, nice eyes. Contacts?"

"No, natural, er, unnatural." Sora laughed with Shizuko.

"Motoko, are you okay? You acted a little weird."

"Sorry, Koushiro. I'm not a morning person." Motoko said shyly her eyes downcast. Her friends looked at her with shocked eyes. She just lied! Motoko never lies!

"Oh, I guess you still needed to sleep after my three in the morning call, right? Sorry." Koushiro said with a shy laugh.

"Yeah, I guess. What do you have for homework?"

"Hi, I'm Motomiya, Daisuke! Are you Melina? Hey, you're cute!"

"Thanks, Motomiya-san!" Melina giggled. "Same for you!"

"Thanks, and you don't have to call me by my last name, I'm your advisor!" he said with a hand behind his head.

"Okay, goggle-boy." Melina giggled.

"HEY! I resent that!"

"Hi, I'm-"

"Yagami, Taichi." Tsubaki interrupted softly.

"Yup. You're Tsubaki, Tsubaki, right? I like your hair. It's almost as cool as mine!"

"Thanks." She answered her eyes still downcast.

"Why won't you meet my eyes?"

"..."

"You're not very talkative are you?" Tsubaki shook her head. "Well, don't worry, you don't have to be shy around me! I'm a real nice guy." Tsubaki nodded quietly as Baublemon jumped into her lap.

"Cute partner! Wait until you meet Agumon, you'll love him!"

"I'm Baublemon! Tsubaki and I are happy to meet you! I talk for her a lot." Baublemon explained as Tsubaki nodded her head.

"Oh, okay. That's cool. But you have to talk to me sometimes, too, okay, Tsubaki?"

"Okay."

"Great. Cool Cyclops butterfly." Taichi grinned.

"I am not a Cyclops butterfly! I'm Baublemon!" Baublemon fluttered angrily.

"Hey, Yukina, where's your advisor?" asked Motoko looked up from her conversation on techno with Koushiro.

"He didn't email me." Yukina said emotionlessly.

"I'm sure he will soon. He's really nice, but a bit scatterbrained and busy with med school." Koushiro assured her.

"I know, I read the footnotes this morning. You guys keep talking. I'm going to go get some water."

"Okay, Yuki." Motoko said with concern edging in her voice.

Yukina sighed as she reached the water, her eyes showing the sadness she wouldn't voice. Nobody ever comes for me on time. Who would want to? I'm only me. Not special me. Unbeautiful me.

"Hey, let's go you all!" Miyako cried jumping up as everybody but Yukina hung up from his or her advisors about twenty minutes later.

"Hey, Miyako?"

"Yeah?" Miyako asked turning back to the screen,

"Don't think you're weak, okay? You'll always be strong if you believe in yourself, not in your digimon only, but in both of you." Ken said with a small smile before he turned off his D3.

"Wow, that cutie really has the hots for you." Motoko observed with a grin.

"No! No, he doesn't, he just a friend, I mean! Really, Ken like me? You're joking." Miyako babbled frantically blushing.

"He's not the only one in love with the other side of the screen." Melina muttered passing by.

"AH! NO! EEK!" Miyako quickly hid her face in her hands. Everybody but Tsubaki and Iori laughed.

"It's about time he started something." He muttered picking up Upamon. He smiled down at Tsubaki's golden head as she squeezed his arm.

"Taichi is nice." She whispered.

"Yeah, he's great." He agreed looking ahead to see Shizuko stiffen as Touji threw his arm carelessly over her shoulders.

"Touji, stop it. I need some time alone right now." Shizuko said.

"You never have time for anything else." Touji grumbled.

"Please?"

"I don't have to. I am your boyfriend."

"What the hell is your problem? You say that every chance you get! If you keep on acting like you own me, you won't be my boyfriend!"

"Is that a threat Shizuko?" Touji suddenly flung his arm up and smacked her right across the face sending her spinning to the ground.

"TOUJI!" Motoko screamed. She ran forward with her fist raised, but before she even got there, Iori was there, with a long branch in his hands and held before him like a sword.

"Never hit girls. It's wrong and disgusting. Especially when she's your girlfriend and has done nothing wrong." Iori hissed, green eyes blazing.

"This isn't your business, pipsqueak."

"I'm making it my business, bully." Iori snapped back.

"Iori, stop it! This isn't acting like a team!" Upamon said bouncing up and down agitated.

"Yeah, your partner's right. Plus, he hit me, it's my business. Thanks, both of you." Shizuko said, her own black eyes blazing. Motoko helped her up, her body tight with barely restrained fury.

"Bastard." Motoko hissed angrily. She spat at his feet with vehemence. "Get a fucking life or I'll end your pathetic one."

"Whoa. Motoko?" Melina said hesitantly.

"Leave me alone." She snapped walking in the direction they had been walking in. Suddenly, a scream rent the air in two.

"MOTOKO!" everybody yelled. Tsubaki merely ran past everybody, Baublemon flying behind her.

"A SPIDER! HUGE SPIDER, SPIDER, SPIDER, SPIDER!" screamed Motoko with wide unseeing eyes.

"Oh no! Motoko's deathly afraid of spiders!" Yukina cried in panic.

"DIGIMON! DIGIVOLVE!" cried the six teens. Miyako and Iori stood at the sidelines in shock, staring at their digivices.

"Iori, my armor is gone."

"Mine too." He whispered.

"Well, we can still digivolve to rookie level, like the others." Poromon said.

"Faerie Dust!" sang the digivolved Baublemon, now Faeriemon.

"Big Top Blaster!" cried Clownmon, the once Circusmon.

"Bubble Bomber!" yelled Dolphimon, the digivolution of Finmon.

"Reptile Spikes!" shouted Iguanamon, digivolved from Lizmon.

"Silent Slice." Hissed Thiefmon, the digivolved form of Quimon.

"Hawk Beam!"

"Claw Chop!"

"Rapid Claw!" Cubmon hollered, desperately trying to free Motoko from the web she was stuck on. In her fanny pack, her D3 began to beep loudly. Her eyes were wide and her body frozen, staring at the huge hairy spider hovering over her with dripping fangs that made the ground hiss and froth where the venom dropped.

"There's no digimon information in our D3's about this!" Melina whispered helplessly, already giving up.

"It's not a digimon." Tsubaki murmured. Shock and horror rippled through the group. At Tsubaki's words, Motoko fainted, her body lax against her tight bonds.

"I can't digivolve!" Cubmon croaked, his voice hoarse from shouting his attack over and over.

"None of us can digivolve past Rookie! Why?" Shizuko shrieked as the huge tarantula lumbered over their unconscious friend. Tsubaki insistently tugged on Iori's shirt. He turned to see Touji's eyes glittering with a delightful malice, Clownmon bouncing side to side, from one foot to the other, almost gleefully. He glanced down and saw Tsubaki glide away.

"None of us are strong enough." She whispered her eyes upon her trapped friend, her hair hiding her face. Miyako heard the slight enunciation in Tsubaki's voice and her eyes widened. 'You aren't weak or insignificant! You're one of the strongest people I've ever met. And you're one of the most special girls I've ever met. Stop downing yourself, you don't need a digimon to be special, you already are, Miyako.'

"I understand. I am strong enough, with my digimon and without him. Hawkmon, digivolve!" Miyako yelled pointing her digivice at him. It started to vibrate violently and glow in her hand. He felt himself be pulled into light. "Aquillamon, GO!" she yelled.

"But that won't work! A digimon's attack will go right through it!" cried out Clownmon.

"No, it won't! Blast Rings!" shouted Aquillamon. The attack hit the giant arachnid and flung it away from Motoko, what nobody realized, he was a little too late.

A small puncture was on Motoko's cheek and it closed instantly.

The arachnid spit webs at Miyako sending her crashing against a tree, and leaving her there stuck. The tarantula closed in and she closed her eyes.

"I am strong. Aquillamon is strong. Together we're the strongest! DIGIVOLVE!" A light glowed around her and her digivice flashed. Aquillamon changed, dazzling the eyes around him.

A bird with four wings and many faceted eyes of gold let out an unearthly, yet beautiful cry into the air. It had vivid red plumage and a long gold beak with golden talons and feet. "I am Windommon. The Songbird of Strength! Prepare to go back to where you came from! Four Winged Typhoon!" He trilled his hair-raising song and flapped his great wings once, the tips pointing at the maddened tarantula. Four slashes of green wind with little white blades flew at the spider shredding it to pieces. It let out an agonizing cry and disappeared, its web with it.

"Windommon, you're beautiful." Miyako whispered in awe as he grabbed her with his talons and pulled her off the tree.

"Of course, Miyako. You would think differently of me?" he asked with his usual snobbish air.

"Motoko! Wake up!" Yukina cried, tears falling down her face.

"Answer the damn D3, ninny!" Shizuko snapped, becoming angry instead of showing her fear and worry.

"Yes...I should. Hello?" Yukina asked wiping her eyes.

"What's been taking so long, I've been ringing for fifteen minutes!" Koushiro looked over the desk from where he was sitting on the ground trying to see if there was something wrong with the wires. "Yukina-san? Where's Motoko? What's wrong? What's wrong with Motoko?" he cried, his eyes wild.

"She's unconscious and won't wake up. She was attacked by a giant tarantula." Yukina explained bawling. Melina burst into tears frantically shaking Motoko. Pawmon was yelling frantically too, his small ball-like body wracked with sobs.

"A what? You mean a digimon, right?"

"No, it was a giant desert tarantula. Motoko is afraid of spiders. Somehow a real one got here and was enlarged just to frightened and prey upon her." Iori said darkly.

"The bigger the spider, the worse it is for Motoko. She's been trying to so hard to fight her fear. She's even watched five minutes of a documentary on a bole spider. Sure, she freaked out and was plagued by nightmares for two nights, but she's been trying!" Shizuko said angrily, as tears formed in her eyes she buried her face in Touji's shoulder. Nobody seemed to notice the dead look in his eyes or the look of disappointment in Circusmon's. Besides Iori.

"But, none of the Digidestined are allowed in, how can an arachnid get in and enlarged to a gargantuan size?" Asked Koushiro, trying to get a glimpse of Motoko. "I wish I can be there. I could examine her myself. Something's wrong. She doesn't seem a weak person, she should at least be conscious." Koushiro muttered biting his lip. "Tell me everything." He ordered.

"You seem awfully quiet, Touji. Maybe you should tell us how you felt during the time of the attack?" Iori said emotionlessly, not even letting his eyes give him away, after Yukina had finished

"Are you trying to suggest something? Touji can't possibly do something like that." Shizuko exclaimed outraged.

"How can we know for sure? He looked very calm. And Clownmon looked like he was enjoying himself."

"Look, pipsqueak, I don't care what you're hinting, but I didn't have anything to do with this." Touji snapped pushing away from Shizuko. Iori kept his mouth shut and just glared back at him. "Fuck you, 'big' boy. I'm going to make sure my friend is all right."

"You aren't friends with her." Tsubaki said. She stood in front of him, Faeriemon at her side.

"What are you going to do about it, little girl?" she looked up at him, her eyes meeting his fully. He shuddered and looked away. Iori's brows snapped together. Why did he act so revolted? What's wrong with her eyes? "Bye, bye, do goodies. You guys are making me sick."

"Touji!" Yukina called fearfully, " We don't know if there's more out there!"

"I'm sure he does." Armadillomon said lowly.

"You're wrong. He isn't evil. Motoko may have dumped him a while back, but that doesn't mean he hates her." Shizuko said. Koushiro's eyes widened.

"SHE WHAT?" Koushiro yelled.

"She dumped him. They went out. He was her first real boyfriend. It lasted six months. She dumped him and went chasing after some punk guy. But for some reason, she hates him, with a passion. She just keeps a lid on it for Shizuko. But sometimes, when he gets angry she threatens to kill to him. It's really weird. You'd think it'd be the other way around." Yukina pondered.

"But why did she dump him?" Koushiro asked.

"Touji says it's because she's too boy-crazy, and afraid of commitment. When he's really angry with her, he says it's because she's a tramp and decided he wasn't good enough. I don't believe him then. Motoko has always been revolted by the idea of sex. Motoko refuses to say anything, always changes the subject or laughs it off when he calls her tramp. Saying, 'Duh! So many boys out there, I have to be free to experience all of them.' But you never know if she's serious. It's strange. She seems so simple." Melina muttered.

"SHE'S NOT SIMPLE! YOU'RE JUST TOO BLIND TO SEE WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU! She's the most complex person in this entire group. Including precious Touji." Pawmon growled fiercely, licking her cheek.

"Ungghh. You bastard." Motoko whispered. Her eyes fluttered open. And they saw blank eyes with the pupils gone and only her irises showing. Then her eyes drifted shut and she fell asleep, fitfully kicking.

"Moto." Moaned Pawmon.

"Motoko." Whispered Koushiro, unconsciously touching the screen to reach her.

"Koushiro, you guys, look at this." Miyako said suddenly interrupting the uneasy silence. They turned to see a strange symbol in the tree Miyako had been stuck against.

"It's a crest, Miyako. I knew it! You got a Crest! Hmm, the Crest of Strength." Koushiro said too brightly.

"You deserve it. You were the only one whose digimon could digivolve. I guess we should thank Hawkmon too." Iori said with a smile gracing his face at his taller friend.

"Yeah, he was a real show off." Melina said with forced cheerfulness.

"At such a heavy price. I was just getting to know her. And I have yet to know anything about her. Every time I turn around she has a new face. I had no idea she was scared of anything. I had no idea she could be so savagely angry with a human being as she was at Touji. She's so...unknown." Miyako said, her finger tracing the worn carvings. It glowed faintly and a small tag with the emblem of Strength shining in it floated out of the glow and she held out her palm.

"I guess she' s unknown to all of us. Even her friends." Yukina said sadly as the tag and crest fell in Miyako's palm.

"You guys need some rest. It's been a long day. Sleep in and watch out for her okay? Keep me updated. I have to go or my parents will have a fit. Sayonara..." He said hesitantly, looking once more at Motoko's frowning and sweat-glazed face as she dreamed.

"He's right. Touji will be back by morning, probably by nightfall. He's not totally stupid." Shizuko said, worrying her bottom lip.

Iori wished silently that Touji were totally stupid. He closed his eyes and breathed deep, calming as Tsubaki settled down, the top of her head touching the top of his, Baublemon cuddled in her arms.

Miyako stared at her crest for hours, until the sunset. Motoko was fitfully tossing around and Miyako sighed as she sat up. She opened her D3 and began typing in a message. Here goes nothing.

Today I got my Crest. I'll give you the details tomorrow. That is, if you're talking to me. I got the Crest of Strength. You were right I needed to believe in myself as well as Hawkmon. I am strong. But I'm still not quite sure I'm that strong, not as strong as you think I am. If I were, you would already know what I'm about to tell you. I love you. I've been in love with you since, well, I met you. That thing with Daisuke...I was feeling down, he wanted to cheer me up. He thought being my boyfriend would help and it did, for a while. We finally said we were better as friends with benefits then an actual couple. Too many bruises. Please, just give me a reply soon. I love you Ken. Damn, it feels so nice to finally say it! I LOVE ICHIJOUJI, KEN!

Your loving loony,

Miyako.

She grinned and then sent the message before she could change her mind. She moved to close the screen when her little mailbox opened and a letter slid out. Is this it? Will I finally feel my heart break?

I LOVE INOUE, MIYAKO!

Ken

Miyako blinked and then squeezed Poromon to her chest, containing her squeal of happiness. HE LOVES ME! KEN LOVES ME! ME! STRONG ME! I guess I really am strong, because I definitely feel like the strongest girl in world.

Poromon squirmed painfully in her arms still asleep and slowly being squeezed to death. She set him down and then lay back down, falling asleep smiling and gazing happily at the screen with the bold words of love she'd waited for.

V V V