I apparently seem to be gravitating towards things I wanted to see in my childhood and didn't get enough of so I am writing them. It's fun though! I can finally do something about it, yes. This is set around Kizuna time period. Trigger warnings for physical, emotional and verbal abuse as well as the aftermath. It's not too graphic but it is there so you have been warned.

Smack! Swish! Whack!

The whip came boring down into Gatomon's back as her tiny knees gave way. She hadn't meant it – she had not meant to look at him with those eyes, but it was just how they were. Could she apologise? No, that had never worked before – so why would it work now? The sooner she became quiet, the sooner she could endure it and it would be over like it always was.

Scars appeared, oozing red from her back but it was okay. Wizardmon would tend to her – he always did anytime she was particularly bad off.

"M-master…master, stop…" Gatomon rasped out, feeling her own pool of digital blood surrounding her.

"M-master…master, stop…" Gatomon shifted across the mattress, coughing before feeling a gentle shaking over her body.

"Gatomon," A gentle yet firm voice spoke. "Wake up. Please. Wake up. Gatomon!" The voice became slightly panicked, cracking slightly.

Wake up? Was this a nightmare? The voice was warm – was that really all she had to do? Open her eyes and everything would be okay. But what if she opened her eyes and only saw the dungeon around her with Myotismon looming over her with the whip? No, the voice seemed sincere. 'Myotismon had seemed sincere too. He took me in after all even if he made me his servant. What if the kind, caring voice was a siren to lure her into a worse trap, which would lead to an even worse punishment? Could she really take that risk?'

"Gatomon," Wizardmon appeared in front of her as Myotismon's beating continued. "You can trust the voice. Open your eyes. This is just a bad nightmare. Would I ever lie to you? The person calling to you is the eighth child, Kari Kamiya. Remember. The person you were searching for."

The eighth child. Right, the eighth child. Kari. She had finally found her, and they were together. This was just a nightmare. Wizardmon would never lie to her. It took some effort, but she slowly opened her eyes, peering at the worried face of Kari Kamiya.

"Gatomon," Kari sighed, tear tracks on her cheeks. "Are you alright? You looked like you were…" She trailed off and Gatomon appreciated it. She shifted in closer to the arms of her partner which wrapped around her protectively.

"Will I ever be?" Gatomon rasped, not sure if she was asking Kari that question or herself. "It's been years…so will I ever be?"

Kari went quiet at this and Gatomon knew she had probably guessed what her nightmare was about. Maybe she was trying to figure out the best way to tell her she was a lost cause without coming across as tactless as her brother – Kari was both kind and nice, after all. She would never do something to purposefully hurt someone – she would try to soften the blow as much as possible.

"I think you already are," Kari finally said softly. "But that doesn't always mean bad memories will just go away. It's okay to have nightmares, Gatomon. It doesn't make you weak and I'll always be there to hold you after every nightmare. You're not alone."

"You're not alone."

The reminder made her eyes water – she had spent all this time looking for the eighth child and the journey to find her had been one full of thorns, Myotismon being the largest of those thorns. Kari couldn't take away those thorns, she couldn't take away the pain or change what happened in the past, she could be there to pull them out one by one and tend to them when the sting of the wounds became too unbearable.

"Myotismon…he hated my eyes," Gatomon admitted. "I tried not to look at him so he wouldn't be angry, but I ended up making him angry anyway."

Kari's grip tightened around her best friend, and she pulled her even closer into her arms. "You didn't do anything wrong, Gatomon," Kari soothed gently. "I promise. He was wrong. He was evil and the one who hurt you because of…because of me."

Gatomon blinked at that, looked up at her and shook her head. "That's not true! It's not your fault either! I don't blame you, Kari." Kari was not responsible for anything – she wasn't the one who had lost her Digiegg and Crest after all nor was, she the reason she had suffered. "You make everything a little bit easier…even now when everything hurts. Just…just don't leave me, ok?" She inwardly cringed at how meek her voice sounded but it was just Kari in the room, so it was okay – no one else needed to know how pathetic she was.

Kari gently stroked her fur, causing her to purr slightly at how relaxing that simple action was.

"I'll always be here to hold you," Kari assured her gently. "And I'll try not to blame myself either."

"Promise?" Gatomon asked her, not sure which promise she was asking for, but it was most likely for both things.

"I promise," Kari replied and that was enough for Gatomon to close her eyes again. She didn't know if she would be able to sleep, but at least while she was in Kari's arms, Myotismon couldn't hurt her here.