Chapter 2

Taiki sighs as he thinks back on the festival and then having to deal with Orochimon and then OrochiMadLeomon. Sera and Marcus had stayed back, as this was his time, but they had been ready to leap in if necessary. Sera looks at him as she dragged him off, their partners following while Marcus gets more information from Jijimon about what was going on. Twilight had hit and Sera was determined to get some time alone with her boyfriend. Taiki was quick on the uptake, he always had been, " Marcus trusts me with you? "

" He trusts me to kick your ass if need be. " Sera quips.

Taiki rolls his eyes at this, it was so very true. " Hey, you know I would never do something that you didn't want. "

Both would be surprised to learn in a different dimension Sera is mute and not nearly as assertive. Of course, that Sera didn't have Marcus, and hadn't been a member of DATS previously. " I know that, you know that, Marcus, not so much and he sees me as another little sister. "

" Glad I'm an only child then. " Taiki murmurs.

" Come off it, Angie is practically your little sister, Tai-chan, even though she acts like a big sister most of the time. " Sera points out.

Taiki smiles, " Yeah, you two do look out for me, don't you? "

" We were best friends first, Tai-chan, and neither of us ever abandoned the other when trouble came around. " Sera states.

Taiki wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her to a stop, " That will never change. I will always have your back as much as I can. "

" I know, Tai-chan. " Sera admits, letting herself relax into him. Normal thirteen years olds wouldn't be this close but Taiki had saved her from her father and they'd been through other stuff over the years that had bonded them very close together. Taiki was the only one other than Marcus that would ever see her vulnerable, even Thomas didn't see her that vulnerable, but then again she'd walked in on the end of a bloodbath. It had been determined that her mother had put up one helluva fight against her father. Then again that was to be expected, Marcus didn't just get his sparkling personality from his father after all.

Shoutmon and BlackAgumon are bonding by BlackAgumon telling him war stories from his and Sera's time as a member of DATS. Shoutmon was a captive audience for these stories and unlike Marcus and Agumon, BlackAgumon told it like it was. They could sense their partners wanted some time to themselves but at the same time they stayed close enough to protect them as well, though Sera could handle just about any digimon herself. Came from her being a Damon.

Taiki was content just to stay there with his moon princess, but that wasn't what had attracted him to her in the first place. No, what had drawn him to her was the fact that at Daycare she hadn't gone for the dolls or other usual girly toys, she'd gravitated towards the dinosaurs, same as him. Sera may not like team sports, except for track, she ran in all the solo events and competed in Shot Put and Discus, but she did come and cheer him on if she could. That was what really rocked about her, her letting him be himself and not trying to change him like other girlfriends attempted to do with their significant others.

" I'm glad I can share Digiworld and Digimon with you now, Taiki. That was all I kept from you and that was only because I had no choice, confidentiality agreements and all that jazz. However, you are now a digidestined and therefore I can tell you. " Sera says.

" Tell me about it, please. "

She does, telling him about how she had met BlackAgumon, and all the trouble DATS had given her for not officially being a part of them for months, as she flat out refused to wear the damn uniform and be tied down by their damn regulations. That had saved her from the memory wipe that had then been initiated by the higher ups as there had been no record of her existing. She had helped Agumon get Marcus' memory back, and then had joined them when they went against their superiors. She tells him everything up until the point Thomas took her home and he knew from then on.

" Okay, wow, you certainly have been through a lot. " Taiki murmurs.

" Yeah, but I wouldn't give up meeting BlackAgumon for anything, and that includes you. He's my partner in one sense and you are in another. " Sera states.

" When are you going to let me play with your hair again, Sera-ai? "

Sera smiles at this, " Not sure, as that is generally something that's a treat for you. "

Taiki is startled when she pulls away, sticks out her tongue and bolts towards the setting sun. Taiki growls playfully and takes off after her. BlackAgumon smiles at this, " It's nice to see her having fun doing something other than fighting for once. "

" The term for them would be courting, right? " Shoutmon asks.

" The human term is dating, but yes. I feel they have both been through a lot together and that has made their relationship stronger than it otherwise would be. Most thirteen year old humans aren't in such a serious relationship, but it is serious, you can tell just from the way he subtly keeps track of where she is at all times. " BlackAgumon answers.

" Any human that can send a Mammothmon sailing with a kick is all right in my books and worthy of my partner. " Shoutmon says with a shrug, not caring either way.

Sera laughs as she continues to elude Taiki until he nails her with a slide tackle, while he may prefer basketball he did still play soccer. He was quick to pin her and though Sera could have escaped from him she chose not to, letting him have his moment, " Oh, Sera-ai, whatever am I to do with you? " Taiki murmurs right next to her ear. He had only recently learned how sensitive her ears happened to be too. Sera shudders at this, he only became this assertive when they were alone.

" You can't mark me or you'll have to deal with Marcus. " Sera reminds him.

Taiki had removed his gloves during the chase and smirks, Sera curses internally at this, that smirk could make her weak kneed. Why the hell did it take her until her third life to find Taiki, dammit! There he went actually nibbling on her neck, looked like he didn't care about Marcus' reaction to her having a hickey or not. Sera's fingers work their way into his hair and remove his goggles, laying them off to the side, she wasn't going to let him have all the fun.

Angie was the first one the next morning to notice they were still gone and sighs before she goes looking for them, meeting Cutemon and his friend along the way. She continues on and was glad she found them first, Marcus might actually attempt to kill Taiki, just for the position they were in. Angie rolls her eyes at this, Taiki was sprawled out on top of Sera, but even in sleep mindful enough to not crush her. Sera's hands were still tangled in his hair with Taiki's goggles to her right, " Taiki, wake up. "

Taiki groans and rolls over, pulling Sera with him before blindly reaching for his goggles and managing to sit up without disturbing his sleeping girlfriend. He puts his goggles back on and then slips his gloves on before shifting Sera and standing up, holding Sera in a princess hold. " At least it wasn't Marcus who found us. Shoutmon, BlackAgumon, wake up! " Taiki calls out.

Sera snuggles in closer, her fingers still tangled in his burgundy locks. Taiki gently coaxes her hands out of his hair and instead they grip his vest. He sighs at this, realizing that was as good as it was going to get with her. They make their way back to the village and Marcus looks at him, " You don't fear me, do you? "

" You want Sera happy and I make her happy, plus, with her nightmares she rarely gets to sleep through the night unless we end up falling asleep in the same place, mom won't bother to move us because even she knows that Sera needs the sleep. " Taiki replies.

" On the plus side your fan girls aren't here. " Jeremy says.

Taiki grins at this, " Okay, so yeah, I am going to take advantage of the fact that my fan girls are in another world and I don't have to deal with them. "

After Taiki manages to wake Sera and they eat breakfast Shoutmon draws a symbol for their team, though Sera looks at it and adds a third spike, " You have two veteran digidestines and their partners with you, that needs to be represented, Shoutmon. "

" Okay, yeah, I guess that works. Now I just need to give out the squawkers to everyone on the team. " Shoutmon says.

While Angie and Jeremy have a mini freak out each, though Angie swore she wasn't freaking out and Jeremy then stomps his foot proclaiming he was in his rights to freak out, a crack in the ground opens up. Sera frowns as a huge stalk of bamboo starts to grow, " We have an underground interloper, cous. "

" Yeah, I know, Bagra must be making his next move already. " Marcus says, frowning.

Taiki curses under his breath and then the Damon cousins whirl around together and demand as one, " Who the hell are you? "

The blonde on the cliff blinks, he had on a red shirt which was under a white long sleeved jacket, gray pants, and that was all Sera cared to notice, " I am Aonuma Christopher, the general of Blue Flare. I can help you get your friend down if you join with me. "

" God, he's worse than Thomas was in the beginning. " Marcus says.

" I thought that Thomas would be hard to top in terms of pretentious obnoxiousness, I was wrong, Aonuma here takes the cake. " Sera comments, waving off Shoutmon as MailBirdramon attacks. The cousins line their shots up and leap as one.

" It's fightin' time! " they shout as one and punch MailBirdramon into the ground then grab their Data Links, " DNA Charge…Overdrive! "

" Agumon double warp digivolve to… ShineGreymon! "

" BlackAgumon double warp digivolve to… BlackWarGreymon! "

Christopher stares at them in stunned silence, " BlackWarGreymon, get Jeremy down and then go find the damn Drimogemon that's causing all the problems. Cous, ya got pretentious? "

" Yeah, no problem, Seraphy. " Marcus says, cracking his knuckles.

" Mega level, you evolved them to mega level, That shouldn't be possible. It shouldn't be possible for you to punch a digimon like that either, yet you did, how! " Christopher asks and MailBirdramon retreats to behind him. The blonde couldn't blame him as he'd just been nearly knocked out by two punches from two humans. Then there was that ShineGreymon as well. Taiki and Jeremy are both busting up laughing at the look on his face while Sera, along with Shoutmon, Ballistamon, Starmon, and the Pickmonz deal with the incoming army, Sera using the bamboo to good effect.

" Taiki, MadLeomon's back again! "

" Shoutmon, Ballistamon, Starmon, Pickmonz, Digi Fuse! " Taiki calls out even as Sera punches the idiot lion down before leaping down on top of him just in time as her partner had dealt with the Drimogemon.

" Taiki, Angie, Jeremy, evacuate the village, we've got this. " Sera says, her DNA Charge of a brilliant amethyst surrounding her entire body while Marcus has his orange one up as well. Sera snarls as Shoutmon times two with the Star Axe this time gets blasted back and then she leaps into the fray, the bastard had absorbed data again to gain strength and nails him with an aerial spin kick. Christopher takes off, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.

Sera sets herself for another round as more goons had shown up. She and Shoutmon times two are soon enough slamming into a building wall right in front of Taiki, Angie, and Cutemon. Sera gets back up, her DNA Charge still blazing when she hears a voice call out Drill Bit Blitz.

The thirteen year old stands her ground even as Shoutmon times two with his Star Axe gets back up, after a little bit of male posturing they set back to work. Sera pulls back when MadLeomon loses his final mode and gets desperate, joining Taiki, Angie, and Cutemon. The fusions comes undone as the now introduced Dorulumon and Shoutmon times two try to stop the bulging and glowing MadLeomon. " Shoutmon, Ballistamon, Dorulumon…Digi Fuse! " Taiki was quick to capitalize on the opening even as Sera's adrenaline fades and she starts to actually feel the pain of her wounds, collapsing back against Taiki.

He braces her even as Shoutmon times three is born. Cutemon hops over and starts to heal her wounds, " Sera, what am I going to do with you? "

" Marcus is three times worse. " Sera retorts, " Cutemon, will you be able to stick around long enough to heal those whom need it? "

" I'm sure Dorulumon would let me. " Cutemon says.

Once MadLeomon and his goons are gone, Dorulumon sticks around long enough to get everyone healed up, and Taiki claims the Code Crown, as Marcus had explained what he had learned from Jijimon during breakfast. Taiki looks at his girlfriend, " Can you walk on your own, Sera? "

Marcus chuckles, " She always did fight hard. She'll be fine after some rest, want me to carry her? "

Taiki rolls his eyes even as Sera hops onto his back, her head nestled into the crook of his right shoulder, Taiki manages to use the Code Crown to transfer zones, as Sera had locked her legs around his waist. Sera recalls BlackAgumon to her Data Link and Agumon resignedly goes into his, then off they went. Nene Amano watches this with a frown, that Marcus kid had gained the information she was going to use to ingratiate the new General to her.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Digimon.