Standard Disclaimer: Live on by saying I don't own Digimon! Learn by learning Japanese!
Author's Notes: I'm sure you're all curious about the chapter title and why it was changed from 'Bonding (Chizuru)'. Well, I had remembered a plotline I was going to introduce later on in Housemates, so I decided to introduce it NOW. The Bonding chapter with Chizuru comes after this particular bit.
Bleh…my week-long 'ban' from uploading (plus a visit to Florida) has seriously thrown off my rhythm. Time to get back into the swing of things!
To the reviews (of which there are FAR too many. GAH!)!
ficmaster: (smacks FM with a lamp) Don't. I'd rather wait for a REAL review than ten worthless ones. (boots him off a nine different cliffs)
Anthony1: Yep…I'm back.
Assamite: I'll consider it. Maybe sometime later down the line…hmm…maybe I'll open an Ezboard forum for it…(starts giving this some serious thought) Hmm…
Dark Qiviut: (blinks) …dude, I'm not bashing Davis. Even though he often gets the short end of the stick, he also gets the long end of it as well. If I were a Davis-basher, do you think I'd have given him the large role in Zero 2? (boots him off a cliff nine times)
MajinMewtwo: (blinks) …seriously? Bah…I personally thought chapter 10's appeal would've been the intentionally BADness of it all. Oh well. Go figure.
Fallen Angel of Oblivion: Heh…take out the humor, bring in the good story format…(shrugs)
Yamimaru: I just MIGHT consider opening an Ezboard for my stories.
Lord of swords and waffles: Too…many…reviews… (boots him off a cliff nine times)
anonymous: I prefer sadistic. ;P
Digi fan: Of course it was!
Cloud-821: GAH! TOO MUCH BOOTING OFF THE CLIFFNESS! (boots Cloud off the cliff five times)
Salan: …(slaps forehead) Good Lord…my reviewers have become my own personal hitmen now...oy vey…
generic writer: It's crazy.
Chosen Child of Darkness: Dark Ocean is the mean.
Nightfire04: YAR!
Dot Cubed: ...that April Fool's joke stank. (LAUNCHES her off a cliff nine times)
duskmon87: Welcome to Housemates duskmon!
Gah...PLEASE EVERYONE...no more junk reviews like this EVER AGAIN. I'd rather wait to get some nice, juicy steak (regular reviews) instead of immediately getting a can of spam (junk reviews). Junk reviews are pointless IMO...still, nice to see you all care.
Begin!
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Chapter 11: A Mon in Need
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/Sidewalk, Odaiba, Friday, November 25th, 7:29 AM/
Davis grumbled as he trudged along the sidewalk to school. His stride indicated he was a tad grumpy, and he had good reason to be upset.
He still hadn't gotten that stupid dream out of his head. It was by far one of the most SURREAL things he had ever experienced. And what the heck was with that voice that kicked me into that nightmare?
Davis cringed again; now he had just made himself feel miserable again.
Darkheart.
Davis thought that THAT particular part of his time as a Digidestined was gone for good. But if his recent dreams were any indication, that was not the case. The Child of Miracles grimaced; he had thought he had destroyed Darkheart…
But had he really? What if Darkheart was merely sealed away? Gah…I don't need this…
Oh well…at least he had the privilege of walking to school alone. Yolei, Momoe, and Jun had already walked on toward the school. He could use the time in solitude.
"Davish?"
Well, he was ALMOST alone. He glanced back at the small head poking out of his backpack. "What Demiveemon?"
"What are we going to do today? Is school gonna end soon?" asked the In-Training Digimon.
Davis Inoue chuckled. "So…you're starting to get as sick of school as I am, eh? Well Demiveemon…I'm afraid I can't skip school. I'd be in more trouble than I currently am."
Plink.
Davis blinked. "You hear that Demiveemon?"
"Nope. But I did see a soda can fall out of the trashcan that guy bumped into," innocently replied Demiveemon.
"Huh?" Davis glanced at Demiveemon, who was pointing at an alley. He glanced at the alley…and blinked.
Someone familiar was standing there. It was a kid wearing black denim jeans and a white collared shirt. His build seemed slightly lanky, but he was quite strong despite his lean appearance. His face possessed sharp cheekbones, and his eyes were yellow in color. His dark hair was long and loose in the back, yet short and spiky around the face. His tennis shoes were white in color, and his socks were black.
Davis recognized that figure. "That's Daichi Etsuya."
"You know him Davish?" asked Demiveemon.
"Yeah…he's in the same class I'm in." Davis frowned at the sight of Daichi; he had a bit of reputation like Davis. He had a tendency to be inattentive, he had a tendency to get into detention, and he had a tendency to get into a fistfight or two. However, unlike Davis, he also had a tendency to bully a few people around. Davis should know; he had gotten into a few scuffles with Daichi in the past because the dark-haired boy had partaken in the hated practice of bullying.
But something was different now…Daichi looked strange. The look in his eyes indicated…hesitation…uncertainty…and even…fear? That's weird. He never showed fear before…
Daichi looked back in the alley…it looked like he was talking to someone. Who?
GAH! This is driving me nuts! "Hey! Daichi!"
Daichi tilted his head out of surprise…then his eyes widened out of shock at the sight of Davis. He quickly turned around – knocking his leg against a trashcan in the process – and ran into the alley.
"That's not the way to school, is it Davish?" asked Demiveemon.
Davis' face was hard and stoic. "No…and I'm going to find out what's spooked him so much!" Davis immediately burst off into the alley, with Demiveemon ducking back into his backpack. Davis sped after Daichi with all of his sped, his heart pumping blood to his legs. Thank goodness for soccer: free endurance training!
Then again, Daichi was no slouch either. He exercised on his own, but the results were still quite potent. Daichi could hold his own against most people.
However, this time, Davis had the upper hand. He was lighter on his feet than Daichi was…and his time wearing the Armor of Miracles had increased his body's capabilities quite nicely. With a diving tackle, Davis pushed Daichi to the ground.
"RAH!" roared Daichi, his boyish, rough voice echoing throughout the alley. "LET ME GO YOU JERK!"
"Not until you tell me what the heck you're acting so fidgety about!" demanded Davis. Daichi growled as he struggled against Davis' grip. Daichi shouted, "DARN IT! LET GO!"
"Not until you tell me!" ordered Davis.
Daichi growled…he didn't want to do this…but it was the only way to get this crazy guy off of his back! "Hey! A little help here!"
Huh? What's he talking about? Davis got his answer moments later.
"Hah! Youse got some nerve asking me to fight yer own battles! But hey, I ain't complaining about busting a head or two!" That's when a purple creature burst from further within the alley, ramming into Davis.
Davis yelped as the impact sent him flying backwards and into the ground. "OW! Who did that?" He stared at Daichi…and blinked at the sight of the purple creature in front of him.
The creature was about as tall as Veemon, if not a littler taller. His entire body – save for the face – was colored purple, and his skin sort of shined like a rubber suit would. He wore red gloves on his hands, and his feet were separated into three toes. A yellow smiley face adorned his belly, and his face was white in color. One fang jutted downward out of his lips, and his long ears were bent near the end. His eyes were colored green, and they held a sense of cockiness and self-superiority.
Davis' brown eyes widened out of surprise. "You're…a Digimon…"
STOMP.
The purple Digimon snickered as his foot planted itself into Davis' face. "That's right ya bozo! The name's Impmon…and if youse intend to keep your face on, you might wanna start walkin'!"
"HAH!" Davis growled as he leapt to his feet, glaring at Impmon. "And why should I run from you? You're nothing but a shrimp!"
Impmon smirked maliciously as he held up all five fingers on each hand. They all became alight with red orbs of fire. "A shrimp eh? Well here's the hot sauce!"
Davis gulped. Uh oh.
"Have a load of BADA BOOM!" Impmon threw the orbs of fire at Davis. The Child of Miracles yelped as he leapt backwards, trying to avoid fiery orbs. When they crashed into the ground, they covered Impmon and Daichi with black smoke.
When it cleared, they were gone.
Davis coughed as he searched frantically. Huh? Where'd they go?
Demiveemon took this opportunity to poke his head out of the backpack. "Davish? What happened?"
"…I…I…well, I'm not quite sure…" And he meant it; what had just happened was odd…but did it mean that Impmon was…Daichi's partner?
He suddenly remembered: SCHOOL! AH! I've gotta get going!
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/Alley, Near Odaiba School, Odaiba, 7:45 AM/
Daichi Etsuya sighed as he finally stopped running upon nearing the school. "Gah…that was close…"
Impmon grumbled as he leapt over the boy and landed right in front of him. "Feh! You told me youse was a rough-n-tumble fighter! What's with the wimpy attitude?"
"It's not that I was scared of the twerp…" muttered Daichi. His yellow eyes stared quietly at the little Digimon.
The last two days had been quite…shocking, to say the least.
On his way home on Wednesday, he had been walking through an alleyway that he often used as a shortcut when the buses were too packed with passengers. To his surprise, he had found a small, strange device lying on the ground in front of him. He had picked it up as an afterthought, hoping to pawn it off or sell it for some spare cash.
To his absolute astonishment, the device had begun glowing in his palm. Moments later, a hole had opened in the air in front of him…and out came the show-stopping Impmon.
Needless to say, Daichi didn't know what to think of his latest predicament.
On one hand, the loud, boisterous, and somewhat snobby creature was the perfect companion to him…and he wouldn't hesitate to attack an enemy. Impmon was a key to enjoyment for Daichi.
But on the other hand…Daichi was not a fool. He knew that Impmon was a Digimon…and he knew that the public as a whole was resentful against Digimon for the Odaiba War. He wouldn't be caught DEAD in public with the little guy. For one, he would be brought directly into the eye of the media…and he didn't like too much attention. But…if the public managed to get their hands on Impmon…he had no doubt there'd be a lynching.
He wasn't about to let that happen to the little guy. Even if he WAS a bully, he wasn't going to let that happen to someone who was basically a 'Mini-Daichi'.
But…there was one problem. Impmon HATED being left alone for long periods of time. Going to school and returning home necessitated that Impmon be left alone, lest other humans discover him. Sure, he didn't really like doing it…but what other choice did he have?
"WELL? Then what's with the running?"
Daichi was blasted out of his thoughts by Impmon's incessant questioning. The black-haired boy waved it off with a flick of his hand. "Man, your questions are getting annoying."
"WHAT?" roared Impmon as steam flared out of his nostrils.
"I'm just being realistic," muttered Daichi. "If anyone else finds you, they'll tear you apart."
Impmon snorted. "I'd like to see those punks try! I'll fry em' with my Bada Boom!" He then turned his glaring gaze to Daichi. "And what's with the harsh treatment, bub? Youse' thinking that I'd damage your rep if I'm seen witcha?"
Daichi grunted. "Yeah! My rep WOULD be damaged! But that's not the main reason why! You get seen, you go die-die. Get it?"
"Feh! Here's what I think of all your talk." Impmon then held his right hand up and started pantomiming. "Blah blah-blah blah blah-blah-blah!"
Daichi seethed at Impmon's crack at him. If there was one thing that ticked him off more than anything else…it was the little Digimon's blatant disregard for authority and his flippant attitude (ironically, Daichi had similar qualities). "YOU…" Some part of his brain suddenly remembered that he had to get to school. Letting his anger cloud his logic, Etsuya roared, "FINE! YOU CAN HANG OUT ON TOP OF MY SCHOOL'S ROOF! JUST DON'T GET INTO ANY TROUBLE!" With a huff, Daichi shuffled out of the alley and towards the nearest crosswalk; the school was only a few blocks away.
Impmon smiled as he jumped he quietly took off his gloves to climb up the nearest building. Heh! He fell for it! Sucker!
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/Lunch Table, Odaiba School, Odaiba, 12:10 PM/
"PPPFFFFTTT!"
"…thanks a lot Yolei," muttered Davis. His face was now drenched with milk.
Yolei coughed as she wiped her mouth free of milk. "Heh…sorry. It's just…well, you know…"
"Your news was shocking," said Cody, finishing for Yolei.
"What he said," said Yolei, TK, and Kari at once.
You see, come lunchtime, Davis had explained his encounter with Daichi earlier…as well as the subsequent meeting with Impmon. The possibility of there being another Digidestined had been a bit too surprising for them.
"Daichi Etsuya? The local bully since 3rd grade? A DIGIDESTINED?" said Kari, dumbfounded at the thought of Daichi having a Digimon partner.
As Cody folded his hands, deep in thought, TK asked, "You sure that Impmon wasn't just helping out Daichi because he felt like it?"
Davis vehemently shook his head. "No way! I'm sure of it!" As a matter of fact…I'm going to ask Daichi after school. I'll find him and ask him directly!
Cody, meanwhile, was quietly staring at the dark-haired boy that just moved to the table several yards away. Daichi Etsuya…apparently, he's gotten a Digimon for a partner. Another Digidestined…with the events of the Odaiba War…was that a precursor for more Digidestined? Cody had once been told by Izzy that the reason the original eight had become Digidestined was because they had seen a Greymon and a Parrotmon fighting near Highton View Terrace. If the same holds true here…then we're going to have a lot of new Digidestined on our hands…
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/Rooftop, Odaiba School, Odaiba, 12:18 PM/
"…so Davish told me about this Impmon guy before we got to the school," finished Demiveemon, having been in the middle of explaining what Davis had told him.
Gatomon frowned. Another Digimon… "I'm afraid I've never heard of 'Impmon' before. What's he like?"
"Don't know. Davish didn't tell me," replied Demiveemon. Right now, Demiveemon, Upamon, Poromon, Patamon, and Gatomon had gathered onto the rooftops to watch over their partners at lunchtime, as they usually did. However, the news of a new Digimon had surprised them.
Upamon asked, "Do ya think he likes snacks?"
"Well duh," sarcastically replied Patamon. "What Digimon CAN resist a great snack? Especially Twinkies…and brownies…and chips…mmm…"
Gatomon's nose suddenly twitched. What's that new smell?
"Well well! Never thought I'd see twerps of the digital variety around here!"
That voice caused all five Digimon to whirl around. Sitting on top of a rooftop power breaker was a purple Digimon. The Digimon said, "Heh! I've been sneakin' around this dump all day, and it took me this long to find youse guys? HAH! I'm gettin' lazy!"
Patamon asked, "Who are you?"
The Digimon snickered as he flexed his fingers. "The name's Impmon, and don't forget it!"
All five of the Digimon blanched at Impmon's reply. Demiveemon yelped, "You're the one who attacked my partner!"
"Eh?" mumbled Impmon out of confusion. "What the heck are youse talking about?"
"He's talking about his partner Davis!" responded Upamon. Poromon continued on by saying, "Yeah! He said that your partner ran into his partner earlier!"
Impmon frowned as he thought back to earlier…then he suddenly smiled out of realization. "Oh…YEAH! That weakling I tried to fry!" Impmon suddenly cackled as he put two and two together. "Youse telling me that YOU'RE that wimp's partner?"
"Davish is not a wimp!" yelled Demiveemon.
"He sure seemed like it! Then again, who WOULD want a dose of my Bada Boom?" To emphasize his point, Impmon suddenly lit one ball of red fire on his right index finger. "So…any of youse wanna test me?"
Gatomon snarled. "We have no interest in fighting you."
This caused Impmon to raise an eyebrow out of surprise.
Then he snickered. "Heh…I get it…youse is scared'a me!" The purple Rookie laughed. "This is rich! HA HA HA HA!"
"And what do you find so funny?" asked Patamon, an indignant expression on his face.
Impmon chuckled as he leered at the five Digimon. "What I find so funny? HA! Youse are all nothing but cowards! Hiding up here, away from the spotlight…but to heck with that! I say we Digimon have as much right to be out there as those rotten humans do! But instead, they keep us hidden…not very partner-like, eh?"
"They only have us hide to protect us from those who don't understand!" retorted Poromon.
"Pfft!" replied Impmon with a snort. "I've heard THAT one before. BOR-RING!"
Gatomon frowned. "You don't understand anything."
"Oh, I understand plenty!" Impmon chuckled as he leapt forward and landed in front of the five Digimon. "I understand that stupid humans are keeping us from havin' free reign around here! I mean, come on! What's stopping us from just leavin' them hanging and going out on our own? If anything…these stupid humans are nothing but garbage!"
Gatomon's eyes narrowed as he fur rose. "Don't…ever…talk…like…that…about…"
In a flash, Gatomon was in front of Impmon. The Rookie's senses had been too slow to see her coming. Impmon uttered, "Eh…!"
"KARI…THAT…WAY!" With a ferocious growl, Gatomon slammed her paw into Impmon's face, sending the mischievous imp sailing backward through the sky. He landed moments later on a different part of the school's roof.
Silence drifted through the air.
Finally, Patamon chirped, "Nice one!"
Demiveemon, meanwhile, was quiet…because he was in deep in thought. Unless his ears were tricking him…he had detected something in Impmon's voice…and it had carried over into his green eyes…
Impmon…is he…lonely…?
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/Etsuya Apartment, Odaiba, 8:39 PM/
With an angry slam, Daichi closed the door to his bedroom. His bedroom was a reflection of his character; rebellious, unkempt, and lazy. Dirty clothes were piled into one corner of the room. His bed's black covers were a mess. Emptyand half-empty snack bags and soda bottles littered the floor. A number of old action figures were lying around in a haphazard fashion – Impmon had dragged them out of his closet to mess with him – on his floor. Taped onto his walls were a few posters of female swimsuit models. The light of the city showed through his window, which was dirty and unwashed.
It was also open.
Why?
Because it was Impmon's only means of entering the house without drawing the attention of his parents. Speaking of Impmon, he was sitting on the bed, munching on what remained in a bag of chips he had found under the bed.
And speaking of parents…
"GAH! THIS SUCKS!" roared Daichi as he angrily kicked an action figure into the wall. "Stupid dad…it's not even nine and he's drunk already. A NEW RECORD!"
"Gee. You sound ticked," muttered Impmon as he munched on the stale potato chips.
Daichi scowled as he sat down on the bed beside Impmon. "I have a right to be, don't I?" With an angry huff of air, the black-haired boy explained. "Keh…my dad's a bit of an alcoholic. He's drunk again…and my mom, being the socialite that she is, isn't around to do a fricken' thing about it!"
Impmon smirked. He may have been in the Real World for only two days, but he'd been around in the Digiworld for awhile, so he knew what SOME terms meant. "Don't know what the heck an alcoholic is, but I definitely know a thing or two about being drunk! BRING ON THE BOOZE!"
"SSH!" snapped Daichi. "DAD'LL HEAR YOU."
"What do I care?" retorted Impmon as he tore the bag in half. "I could torch his face if I had to!"
Daichi snorted. "You don't get it…he may be a hopeless drunkard, but he's got muscles upon muscles! He could squash you…and your fireballs would only make him angry." The boy sighed resentfully; his dad was a musclebound drunkard, and his mom was never around to do anything. Feh…stupid parents…
Impmon grunted as he leaned back on the bed. "I'm startin' to wonder why the heck I was brought to this stupid world if this is all I'm gonna be looking forward to."
"…but…" Daichi frowned as he gazed at the purple Digimon. "Didn't you tell me…that you used to be alone…?"
Impmon's ears twitched. True…he had once been alone… With a snort, he turned his face away. "Feh…if this is all there is to look forward to…then maybe being alone would be better."
Daichi's frown turned into a sad one as he looked down at the floor. …I know…my life sucks…but what choice do I have Impmon? If I let you run freely, you'll be torn apart by everyone…I have to hide you…so you can be safe.
Suddenly, Impmon snickered.
Daichi blinked out of confusion. "What's so funny?"
"…remember the wimp I stomped earlier?" Impmon sat up, a feral grin on his face. "I just remembered an interesting bit of info I found out."
"What?" Daichi didn't bother asking who Impmon was referring to; he already knew it was Davis the Digimon was talking about.
Impmon smirked. "…turns out he's like us…in a way."
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/Bathroom, Inoue Apartment, Odaiba, 9:03 PM/
As Davis sat on the toilet in silence, Demiveemon finished explaining his personal account of the encounter with Impmon at school…as well as his personal feelings on the subject. "…you sure about that Demiveemon?"
Demiveemon nodded. "Yep. I'm sure…I could tell. I even asked Gatomon later on. After giving it some thought, she agreed with me."
"…I see…" Davis sighed as he scratched his forehead.
Things were getting complicated.
For one, Daichi Etsuya – on-and-off-again bully and general not-nice guy – now had a partner. That partner was Impmon, a wisecracker and a generally not-nice mon. Generally, the two combined would mean trouble, right?
Well…
Davis grumbled. Even though Daichi had a posse composed of several students who either revered his strength or feared him, the dark-haired boy had no real friends. Not like Davis did…
And as for Impmon…Davis could actually sympathize.
Because he and Demiveemon dealt with the same thing. So did all of the other Digidestined.
Although their families knew of their Digimon…the public could not be allowed to know. Despite the efforts of two factions – American President Jonathon Yates and the Digimon of the Forbidden City that now lived on Earth – to forge a peaceful bridge between the two races, a vast majority of the public thought Digimon to be no more than monsters.
After all, Digimon had leveled Odaiba.
But Digimon had also resurrected Odaiba.
However, if things stayed like they were, the relations between Digimon and humanity would never approve.
Davis frowned. He'd like nothing more than having his partner walk with him and BE with him at all times…even if it meant letting the little guy be seen in public.
Normally, Davis wouldn't care what other people thought…but he knew that some people would get violent if they saw a Digimon…
"Davish."
Davis looked at his In-Training partner with a confused look. "Yeah?"
"I have an idea."
Demiveemon explained his idea.
Davis gaped. "Demiveemon…are…are you sure…?"
Demiveemon nodded. "Even though I have to hide like Impmon, I have friends. He doesn't…and I want to help."
Davis was silent.
Then, he smiled. Heh…what a guy. "Yeah…alright then! Tomorrow, we'll put your plan into action!"
Davis tried to stand.
He immediately winced. Demiveemon asked, "What's wrong Davish?"
Davis Inoue quietly tilted his head towards Demiveemon, an embarrassed grin on his face. "…my butt fell asleep."
Demiveemon facefaulted.
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/Outside Odaiba School, Odaiba, Saturday, November 26th, 7:50 AM/
Yolei frowned as she walked towards the front doors. What the heck was Davis' problem?
Her 'brother' – Bleh! – had opted to leave at a later time. Just like yesterday. What's up with him? With a sigh, she entered the school; it wasn't her job to worry about him.
Meanwhile, near a throng of cherry blossom trees – their branches bare – stood Daichi. Hiding amongst the empty branches was Impmon.
Daichi grumbled. "Davis hasn't shown up yet. Don't tell me he's going to be tardy again…"
"I bet that wimp's scared to show up. Now that he knows about us, he doesn't wanna cross us!" boasted Impmon.
"I don't know…" muttered Daichi. "If there's one thing I know about Davis…it's that he's not a coward."
This caused Impmon to chuckle. "Whatever youse say. Come on…just stick to the plan! We find him, we threaten to reveal his partner to the public…and youse got a bunch of loyal followers to back ya up! Plus, even if the twerp wants to reveal me…I'm good at hiding. He'll never be able to prove it! And I know where the Digimon hide! It's a shoo-in! More power for us!"
"…true." If there was one thing Daichi had learned over the years, it was this: those without allies to support them needed power to stand up against hardship. The more power…the better. The boy smirked as he ran a hand through his hair. "The more, the better…besides, I owe him for the last time I scuffled with him. Time to ruin his rep!"
"YEAH!" cheered the roguish Digimon. He looked ahead…and stopped his cheering. "…he's…here…"
Daichi grinned. "Finally. Prepare to…" His eyes fell upon Davis…and to his shock, a blue Digimon was walking by his side. "…enact…the…huh…? Wha…?"
The Digimon was Veemon. Both Davis and Veemon were smiling as they walked toward the school's front doors, oblivious to the stares they were getting from the few students that were still outdoors.
The two stopped beside the cherry blossom trees that grew along the grass near the front walkway. Davis glanced at Daichi…and then he stared at Impmon, who was remarkably well hidden in the branches.
Then, he smiled. "You owe me for this Daichi…"
Daichi momentarily regained his bravado. "…owe YOU? For what?"
"Simple." Davis turned towards the front doors as he spoke. "I'm making things easier for you."
Then, without a second thought, Davis and Veemon entered the halls of the school.
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To be continued…
Next time…
Chapter 12: The Ties that Bind Us
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Author's Notes: Behold…I bring you the wisecrackery of Impmon! Oh, and Davis and Veemon are either being gutsy…or committing social seppuku. You decide.
See you soon, and please review!