Hooray for another chapter of 02! It feels like this one took a long time to get out, and I'd like to apologize for that *offers apology cookie*. My sister, best bud, and I spent a lot of last night and earlier today watching this very season, and it made me feel so guilty that I wasn't paying enough attention to my Fic lol. So, I stayed up way past when I should've been asleep to finish and post so you guys could read and be merry :)

Okie, before I start babbling about how I watched the Digimon Data Squad season and completely adore it and have decided to start a Fic about it (oops, there I go XD), please enjoy another chapter of Don't Trust Me!


Chapter 8~

"I mean, do you ever think about that kind of thing, Moroamon? It's crazy, right?" I groaned inwardly as I trudged around the Digital World, followed by DemiDevimon. He was currently stabbing me in the ears with his incessant babbling. I hadn't been paying much attention to him, so I had no idea what he was talking about. "Yeah, I think so. Totally wacky."

He's never going to shut up, is he? I already knew that the answer to that was a positive 'no', but my mind needed to vent—even if it was only talking to itself—unless I wanted to end up annihilating that pest. Which, with all honesty, sounded a lot like heaven right about now. Of course, something like me had no business being anywhere near heaven, but still—

"Seriously, though, Digimon and humans being friends? It's downright disgusting if you ask me!—" I don't remember asking. "—But what's worse is..." He shuddered to himself, his leathery, greasy-feathered wings making a funky sound when he did. "Some of the DeviDramon have mentioned some stories about Digimon actually feeling some kind of…I don't know, like, love stuff for humans. Isn't that just plain repulsive, Moroamon?" My feet came to a stop beneath me, causing the flying bowling ball to crash into my back, though I barely noticed as he cussed me out about it.

Love. A feeling I did not know, a word I dared not form on my tongue or mention in my thoughts lest its confusing powers of manipulation and deception ensnare my mind and make me its puppet. So far, I'd kept free of its grasp. I did not love Master, I respected him and obeyed him without hesitation. There was a difference. I did not love the Digital World or the human world for they were merely the setting of a life I had no hope of being in control of.

I loved no one, and was loved by no one. I did not love myself; I felt it unnecessary to care about what happened to me since the most important thing was Master and his plans. Master had used the pretense 'love' before, and had tried to teach me what his kind of love was, but I could not understand it. I still didn't. Why would you abuse the one you claimed to love?

While Master's brand of love I strived to avoid, there were a few that intrigued me, yet perplexed me all the same. The bond between lovers, the bond between brothers, sisters, parents and their children. They were all so different, and yet they were classified as the same emotion. The people changed and grew up, but the feeling stayed the same, even when they parted. It was truly, incredibly, inconceivably interesting to me.

I did agree with DemiDevimon, love was a repulsive thing, but…it was so disgusting that I had to know more about it. It was like learning more about your worst fears—you did it so you knew how to avoid them at all costs. This was more or less the same thing. I was studying up on this wretched, mind-numbing 'emotion' so that I could be certain that there was no possible way that it would ever find a way to weasel into my mind and make me worthless and insignificant to Master.

I glanced unconcernedly at a raging DemiDevimon, who was still mumbling obscenities at me for making him crash. "Yes, DemiDevimon, it makes me sick to my stomach to think of such things. Why do you want to talk about it if it's such an ugly thing to ponder?" I didn't honestly care about why he wanted to chat, but if it got us back to Master any faster, then he could talk the whole walk back. Unless I killed him before we got there. That would set the plan back a bit.

He gave me as much of a shrug as a Digimon with his physical make-up could conjure up. I was surprised that he could at all since he had no spine through which his brain could transfer movement-orders. "Well, Lord Devimon was talking about you to the mistress. He was saying all kinds of stuff about how you were acting oddly—I mean, he even said that you were crazy enough to protect one of the DigiDestined from one of our own—"

"Dokugumon crossed a line he shouldn't have," I snapped almost defensively, uncharacteristically enraged at Master for coming to the conclusion that I was the one in the wrong here. He was the one that sent me after the DigiDestined after all, he should know not to let anyone else come into my space unless he wanted to force me into a fight. Did he not think I was capable of success anymore? "He was going after my prey in the middle of my hunt. He was lucky he was under Devimon, or I wouldn't have shown the thread of mercy that I did." I ended with a bit of a huff, a bit put-out about Master's thoughts now. Did he really think so lowly of me, because of only a few mistakes?

Of course, he did! I mean, why wouldn't he? I was his very own creation, the being he made precisely for this purpose. He needed me to be the perfect killing machine, even if it meant that I had to share the prize with someone else. I could not do such a stupid thing as to waste my energy fighting for some…some human when I should be finding the perfect time and place to destroy said person. I could not let Master down again.

DemiDevimon had to hold back bit of a grin at my over-reactive demeanor. His tone was taunting as he mocked me thusly, "Take a chill pill, almighty Moroamon, nobody's saying you're a complete and total waste of Devimon's time—Oh, wait, that's exactly what the boss was saying," He cackled to himself, but I remained stone-faced and cold. I couldn't let this lackey get to me.

Yet, it grew more and more difficult as he continued, "I mean, it's not your fault that those DigiDestined are freaks of nature. I've dealt with things like them before, and I know how they can affect a person's mind. They're like creepy little drugs with big fawn eyes and smiles that look more like a one-way street to hell, right? And, according to what I've heard, that's exactly what they are to you—"

"I don't care about what you've heard!" I spun around fast as lightning and struck him out of the sky, the sound of the collision similar to the 'ping' of a baseball being hit by a metal bat. He cried out in agony as his face met with the ground, but I didn't care. If anything, I relished in the fact that someone else was in pain like me. "If you're smart, you'll stay there and stop. Following me.

"You got that, rat?" I snarled darkly, a growl rolling up from deep within my throat to accompany the unspoken threat. He pretended he was unafraid of me, like always, and made no move to answer me, but we both knew the truth. DemiDevimon was terrified that one of these days he would push me too far, and I wouldn't have to cart him to and from the Devi's realm anymore. But it was obvious that Master had wanted him to talk to me about this so that I could fix it without needing to confront him, so I supposed that I couldn't really pin this one all on the flying pest.

Despite how much I wanted to ground him into the dust underneath my foot, I swiveled away from the bat-Digimon and continued walking, knowing full-well that I would not be followed. But my mind could not focus on my new-found solitude for very long, and was quickly drawn back to Master. My brain spun and spun, trying to find out how in the world he could've learned about my predicament with…that one so quickly. I'd been to see him once since I'd been back, and the brief meeting had been quite positive.

Could that Dokugumon have ratted me out? That was how Master Devimon must've learned of the little squabble that had gone on (Dokugumon whined to NeoDevimon who complained to Devimon, to be more specific), but was Dokugumon smart enough to know that loyalty to Devimon and my mission had not been the cause of my unexpected and foolish outburst? There was no way, right?

Or did he know, and that was why Master had told DemiDevimon to mention that wretched emotion? It could've been an 'ice-breaker' or something, maybe so that the winged mongrel could catch my attention. The stupid rat went about a lot of his business by thinking up ways to grasp your mind and hold it in his deceptive hold until he was ready to chew you up and spit you out (it was the only thing I found useful in him). But if not, then…did Master think I was beginning to love the DigiDestined?

I physically recoiled at the thought, a grimace of disgust forming on my once nonchalant, expressionless face. How could Master think such a thing about me? Did he know me at all? I was a loyal servant, was I not? I did what he asked—I was doing what me told me to right now by trying to calm myself in the Digital World, away from those who perplexed my senses! How could he think that I would betray him like—

An all-too familiar scent struck me like a two-ton Mammothmon on roller blades with rockets strapped to them, complete with fireworks going off all around him. Halting in my tracks, I pleaded with Fate to give me a break and just have let me wander across an old trail. But, no. Fate was not a kind mistress, and she demonstrated this by forcing me to listen to the toll of bells calling out to me, "Moroamon!"

Knowing that there was no escape for me, I turned slowly to meet the gaze of the boy I'd rescued a few days before. There was a glow emitting from him that the other DigiDestined trekking reluctantly along behind him didn't seem to notice; it was golden, as if he were another kind of sun to me. Which, when accompanied by the lovely heat that burned my skin when he got too close to me, wasn't that hard to believe.

I tensed for a moment as he ran up to me, fearing for a moment that he planned to hug me. I could control myself at a distance, but if he touched me…if I felt that blessed pulse beneath that warm skin…there was no way I would be able to drive myself back. My mind would no longer care about doing well for Master, and his plans of destroying the DigiDestined would mean little to me. Davis would be the only thing that mattered anymore if that one cursed touch was allowed near my icy flesh.

But he didn't, and I allowed my muscles to slowly relax as his soothing voice stunned my ears once more. "Hi, Moroamon!" His smiled burned me, like the sun to a mythical beast of the night. But it was a sweet flame, a flame that aimed for friendliness. Killer kindness. "It's kinda weird, running into each other here, right? I mean, first the real world, and now here! It's like I'm following you now!" Davis snickered to himself, and I couldn't hold back a genuine smile at his little joke.

I couldn't deny that this particular human was…well, charming.

My stomach did a rather obnoxious flip at the completely wretched, evil, stupid, disgusting, vile thought. I could not possibly have just let such a thing do something as foolish as to enter my mind; there was no way! It was like…it was…um…well, I wasn't entirely sure, but I knew that if I could think at all right now something utterly horrible and vomit-worthy would've come to mind. No doubt about it. Entirely sure.

Who am I kidding? I know it isn't right, I really do…but here I am, still stumbling over my thoughts and tongue. All because of this human. I'm just lucky that DemiDevimon knows when to back off so he can't see me floundering. "Hello, Davis…" I glanced past him for a brief moment. TK, Kari, Tai, a girl with reddish-orange hair that I didn't know, Yolei, Cody, Ken, Izzy, and all their Digimon partners were watching us with a touch of amazement and befuddlement. There was some anger coming from TK. And fear from some. "…and company…"

Returning my cold, emotionless eyes to the warm, gleeful ones—which were almost perfectly at my level height-wise, might I add—and did my best to pretend that I didn't care about the audience. "Why are you here?" I tried to sound indifferent about his presence, but it ended up being much more curious and friendly than what I'd been aiming for. The sound of my own voice like…that struck me as terrifying. Enough so that I was entirely certain that I'd just paralyzed myself. If that was possible.

Davis didn't seem to notice anything strange. In fact, he appeared happy that I accidentally made myself sound surprised to see him. Which…actually…I was. B-but in my defense, it was perfectly natural to have been taken off-guard when I wasn't trying to find him. Besides, DemiDevimon had been distracting me. And his pungent odor was enough to stun anyone's senses. For up to ten days. Even if they were without a weakness like me.

No matter what circumstantial evidence may be used against me, Davis Motomiya was in no way superior to me.

"Since it's been raining for a couple of days in the real world, we thought that we'd enjoy the sunlight on the other side of the universe and have a picnic in the Digital World. My brilliant idea, of course—" One of the DigiDestined behind him muttered something about 'Yeah. Of course it was', and the heavy sarcasm made me grin internally. I had no clue which one had spoken though. Davis either hadn't heard or was pretending everyone behind him was mute.

Bright amber eyes smiled at me in a friendly manner despite her fear as the reddish-haired teen stepped towards me. Her voice was calm and very sweet as she said to me, "I don't know if you know me or not, but my name's Sora," I nodded once in recognition; Davis swiveled to face her, turning his endearing beam on her. I was unsure if I should smile as well, but she was already speaking again before I'd made my final decision. "You know, we have extra food, so there's plenty for everyone if you would like to join us…Moroamon."

I noted how she seemed…unsure. I had the same feeling, but mine came when contemplating why she felt it. Did she not believe that I was really a Digimon when I looked so…human? But I was not human, nor had I ever been. That had been a mere story that I'd fabricated to fool the minds of this moronic group. It had no truth, none at all. The only truth was how I'd been sent to strike them down, but now they thought I was harmless.

At least, most of them did.

"…You can't be serious, Sora," TK's cold voice matched how my own had sounded when I'd threatened DemiDevimon only minutes before. It almost made me grin; how could he judge? He was just as evil as I was. Maybe more. "You can't feel it either?" That cocky smirk faded within me and I stared at the blonde as his blue eyes searched for someone who sensed whatever he did. Is…is there any chance his powers evaded my notice? Could he be able to sense my true intentions?

As I made a mental note to watch this one with extra care, Davis made a move most fatal. He smiled tauntingly over at TK while coming around to stand directly beside me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders without any kind of hesitation. TK tensed at the same moment that I did. Every muscle in my body froze and shuddered minutely as Davis' body heat surged through me, wave after wave of the sweet warmth seeming to thaw the frozen flesh like a fire melts the snow that surrounds it.

Clenching my fists tight enough to snap the tendons and bones in my fingers, I tried my best to pay as little attention to his precious scent, the tender beat-beat-beat of his heart thrumming rhythmically against my upper arm, the various sensations that this closeness brought me. My throat was dry and my face felt hot and my stomach felt like I'd swallowed a feathery pillow and it had exploded within me and I just wanted to know what was wrong with me. Was that really too much to ask?

Feelings were not the only issue here, however. Instinct. Animalistic, purely Lord Devimon's doing. He'd installed these strict senses in me for moments such as this, when my prey was close and it would only take a quick swipe of my arm to break its spine, shatter its skill, slice away its ribcage. But I paid them no mind; I did not want to harm Davis. I didn't know why, but I didn't. I couldn't. I wouldn't. No matter what Master wanted.

The brunette was completely oblivious to the fact that he could quite possibly be seconds away from either death or serious injury, and continued to mock TK, "Oh, yeah, I feel it all right. That you're jealous of Moroamon's awesomeness." He snickered to himself when the bucket-hatted teen rolled his eyes but remained silent, apparently feeling his brain cells were dying and favored them more than winning this argument. Even if it would end up costing him his life.

TK having caved and no one else seeming to care if I came along or not, Davis grinned triumphantly and gave me an unexpected shove in the right direction. I got a strange feeling that told me that I didn't have a choice in this matter, so I didn't struggle and obediently walked beside Davis, glad when he dropped his arm from my shoulders. I couldn't deny that it wasn't a…bad feeling, having him so close…but it was hard on my mind, having been trained to kill. It was basically the only time that I allowed myself to be close to a human, so my inner psyche was having a what-the-hell-is-going-on moment. All the time.

I assumed that it was like when a human was having a very bad dream—not quite a nightmare, but still not a good dream—and then they woke up, expecting to remember none of it, but finding that it was all still incredibly clear, every single detail bold and bright like neon lights. Every moment of my life that I spent either with Davis or with his presence lodged firmly in my mind felt like that. A dream I couldn't wake up from. Not even if I wanted to.

There was something here. Something wrong? I wasn't sure. Something…right? I had no idea. But whatever it was, it felt…weird. Strange. But not in a bad way, just in a…I-have-no-clue-what's-going-on-with-me-but-I-never-want-it-to-stop sort of way. Like how I'd felt…powerless…under Davis' touch. I felt that way under Master's hand as well, but this was a different kind of submission. Master forced it into his minions. When it came to Davis…it came…naturally.

I could not deny it. He had power over me. Enough to end me if he wanted.

But that sort of a thought appeared to be about as far from his head as Pluto was from the Earth. As distant as a killer from his freedom, be it psychological or physical. The dark reddish-brown eyes of the humanoid being walking beside me were glowing with glee, absolutely sparkling with splendor in the light the Digital World's sun gave off. The others' behind us…I knew any one of them was just as beautiful. Tai. Ken.

But they weren't like Davis. They just…weren't. Maybe they were missing something—the goggles were not hypnotizing me, there was no way in hell that that was what was driving me insane. They all possessed the same blazing body temperature that was so different compared to mine, so that wasn't it. They were all DigiDestined. There was nothing that discerned him from the others.

Except for the way that I could not stop myself from thinking about him in a way I shouldn't think of my prey. I thought of how his life was affecting mine, not how his blood would please Master to no end. I pictured his smile when I should imagine his shriek of agony. I was enjoying his presence as a friend instead of watching for the precise moment in which I should claim his data and his life. I shouldn't even consider him a friend. But I couldn't help it. He'd told me to.

It was about then that I realized Davis had been talking to me for those last couple of minutes when I'd been completely drowned in thought. Of course, I pretended to have heard every word he'd said before he changed topics, his tone taking on a quieter tone, one that would better fit the subject, "You know, I never did get to thank you before. When you saved me from Dokugumon…you sorta…took off afterwards and I never got the chance to tell you that…So, thank you…" There was a light dusting of pink on his tanned cheeks as he smiled appreciatively up at me.

I had no idea what to do now. My face felt all warm again like before when he'd touched me, and I had to look away from that priceless beam if I wanted to keep any of my pride from being damaged by the humiliation of the feelings that filled me. The butterflies were back in my stomach, clearly having a party and not caring if I thought they were being too noisy or rambunctious. I wouldn't have been able to do anything about them even if they had cared.

After gulping down dryness in my throat, my saliva scraping down my esophagus as if I'd just gorged myself on sawdust, I turned back to Davis and tried to smile in return despite the horror that filled me. It hurt my pride to think this, to know that it was true…but it was: I was afraid of Davis—to some extent. He wasn't deadly like me, not terrifying like Master could be, and not so dumb that you feared that it might be contagious. He was just…he made me feel things…do things…that I shouldn't.

And I didn't care. I couldn't be bothered to feel that this was a bad thing.

"…You're welcome, Davis. You're very welcome…" I mumbled uncertainly, my eyes focused tirelessly on his as an odd grin formed on my lips. I wasn't certain, but I had an odd feeling that it came from my own subconscious mind. The part of me that never wanted to leave Davis' side. The part of me that knew exactly what was going on and was in love with every moment of it. The part of me I never listened to.

But I listened now, and she told me it was because I needed him. In more ways than what I could imagine. She said that I was the lucky one here, and that he would not have been the only one to have ended up dead if Dokugumon had been successful in his attack. She chided me for being so foolish as to be confused by what was happening, scolded me for not remembering what this feeling was.

But what's there for me to remember? This is an emotion only humans should know, and I'm not human. I've never been human and never plan to be. Perhaps this confliction of opinion is why I never listen to this moronic voice… While my mind continued to pitter and patter to itself, some giggles and common-place chatter went back and forth between the humans. I could tell that most of them would rather talk about something more pressing (me) but feared what I would do if spoken about.

But I didn't care what they chatted about, even if it was about me. What did I have to fear from their theories and worries? What damage could they do me when they could not surprise me if they tried their hardest, if they could not touch me even if they'd bound me, frozen my body, or caked me in concrete? I was the best that there ever was or ever would be—Master said so himself, and why would he lie about something so important?

I had nothing to—

Heat filled my body again when Davis reached out and brushed his hand against my arm, a light gesture only, but it dealt a punch that felt more like I'd allowed a thousand grenades to explode all around me. I felt as if someone had set me aflame on the inside; I could feel as my stomach and lungs and heart and liver and every other part of me sizzled and hissed and crackled under the intense agony of the flames. But I couldn't stop it. Nothing I ate or drank could satisfy the anger within, the…the absolute need to know why this was happening to me…

But, in a way, I already knew.

Davis didn't seem to notice the pain that my mind now wrestled to contain—none of the humans did. When I was finally able to get a handle on myself, I noticed that everyone else had dispersed into little sections as they prepared the spot that they'd apparently chosen to have their picnic at. The Motomiya boy must've seen how I'd been entranced by my thoughts, and his touch was only to jog me from my self-induced stupor. It did the trick, and he led my reluctant feet over to the blankets that the humans had set out. From the scent, most of them were TK's. I could smell his brother on one as well.

Although I would've rather though up some kind of excuse as to why I couldn't stay (I could smell DemiDevimon in the air, and I didn't want him to see me this degraded—let alone any other Digimon other than the ones already here), but I could think of nothing that wouldn't raise suspicion. That Gatomon of Kari's was watching my every movement, not to mention the chubby Patamon. All the others seemed oddly content and carefree in my presence. Ignorance is bliss, they say.

As the other DigiDestined began to find seats on the blanket, I noted where each of them sat and who they tended to remain close to. TK sat directly across from me, his ice-cold eyes investigating each breath I took, every twitch of my muscles, everything and anything that I did. Kari was between him and Tai, with Yolei and Cody opposite them on my left. Izzy and Davis were on either side of me (apparently they were the only two who were reasonably unafraid), while Sora was on TK's other side. Each of their Digimon stayed by his or her partner, just as they were to do for the rest of the lives.

Many of my comrades put it as a 'happily accepted prison sentence' and joked about the friendship between human and Digimon constantly, as DemiDevimon had earlier. I rarely, if ever, partook in such meaningless conversations—I hardly spoke to anyone other than Master or his mistress on a daily basis. The flying rat with wings had been following me around for the past few days, however, heaven knows why. Probably hoping to see me do something incriminating so he had a reason for Master to kill me.

But I was Lord Devimon's favorite. I was too useful to kill. I was his creation. He'd told me many things, all of them good, when DemiDevimon tried to convince him of the deception that lurked within me. The possibility of my betrayal of them all. My malevolent master paid little to no mind to the useless creature, however, and continued to lavish on me both his time and his form of love. Crossing Master had never once appeared in my mind.

Until now.

As I sat there, trying to pay attention to the chit-chat roaming around the atmosphere, I found my eyes and mind drawn again and again to the brunette on my right. The part of me that was still sane knew that I should be careful; TK was watching me intently despite Cody's attempts at talking to him. But I couldn't bring myself to look away from the being that had baffled me constantly for almost two weeks now.

Davis had a half-eaten rice ball in his hand (Veemon probably would've been trying to steal it if he hadn't gotten his own, I could almost sense it) but I paid little mind to any of the food, being unable to properly digest human food. All it did was make me extremely sick; Master had never really given me a clear answer as to why he'd created me like that. But I'd never noted any interest in the food, so I supposed that it didn't really matter in the long-run. Besides, I was more intrigued with the humans themselves than with their body-fuel supplies.

Most of them ignored me for the moment, happy to pretend that I wasn't there. I couldn't blame them, of course—I was one of the most feared Digimon in the Digital World, and the kind of killer that had detectives running for their guns and their mothers. It was perfectly normal for them to be able to sense these sorts of things (the vibes I gave off told them I was one to be wary of, not precisely telling them who I was and what I did) and to want to protect their minds from my level of deception and malevolence.

One of them didn't seem to mind being exposed, however. In fact, he appeared to welcome it. "So, tell me, Moroamon," The red-headed boy, Izzy, was on my left, sitting much closer than what most other humans would've felt was safe, but he didn't seem bothered. If anything, his eyes betrayed just how curious he was regarding me. Heaven knows why. "Are you really a human beneath this…" He gestured to my light leather armor and wolfish claws and ears. "…Digital Monster exterior?"

The others grew quiet around us as they waited to find out my answer. They knew my 'story' from what they'd heard from those who'd met me that first night, but even then, how could one possibly believe such a thing? It was uncanny, impossible, and the nightmarish work of one too many horror stories upon the psyche. But in my case, it was true. At least, as far as they would ever know.

I nodded once, hearing someone mumble to another in a joking manner, "That's our Izzy. Always asking the creepy people questions about their creepy lives." Whoever this had been told to giggled very quietly, the sound muffled by a hand over the mouth. I was fairly certain that the speaker had been Tai Kamiya, and his sister Kari had been the one to snicker. I hadn't paid them that much mind, however, seeing how another one of the DigiDestined was the one paying such intense attention to me.

"I'm sure you recall the story in extraordinary detail, and I'm sorry to say that you know as much as I do regarding how I came to be. I remember next to nothing of a life before this one," I had to fight back the entertained smile that threatened me like the sharp-toothed grin of a SeaDramon. It was hard not to enjoy this talk of fables such as this; it was almost fun to lie to these humans. "All I can conjure up is an alley way, and the next thing I knew I had woken to this world, encased in a hybrid body that refused to age."

Izzy was obviously enjoying this talk much more than I ever could've. His eyes gazed upon me with wonder, his smile both sweet and somehow in awe of what I'd told him. "Prodigious…" The word came out as a soft exhale, a sigh of absolute amazement. Once again, heaven knows why. "This is incredible! You're much more intellectual than most crosses between two beings—and a perfect bonding between data and DNA…it's the definition of the word 'prodigious'!

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say that you're basically what humans will be like centuries from now, after we've evolved a little further and the majority of us aren't so idiotic—" He hurried glanced around him at his fellow DigiDestined. "No offense to you guys. You're in the minority of this estimation." Even now his voice came out in a manner that one would talk about the technical and physic-related effects of global warming.

Despite the scowl on his face, Tai gave a rather honest-sounding reply, "Oh, yeah. None taken, Izzy," Judging by the well-worn expression, one could only assume that this sort of exchange was reasonably common between these two. I could sense the tension that it had brought up many times before, but they seemed relatively relaxed at the moment. "You've always been very polite when you insult my intellect." A giggle or two snuck between the tightly pressed lips of the others.

Izzy cast a small look of annoyance at the brunette before returning his attention to me. However, this time all of the wonder and fairytale-magic-awe had disappeared from his face. There was a deathly air of seriousness about him that brought everything to a standstill. Not even the wind breathed as he spoke very calmly, though there was obvious uneasiness in his soul, "So…you—in a way—are human…who's been kidnapped by an evil Digimon…and has been turned into…" He gestured to my doggish ears and clawed hands. "…this one-of-a-kind hybrid. Am I following correctly?"

I was quiet for a moment, thinking. He was really getting into this little story, so much so that I'd begun to worry about how in the world I was ever going to keep the story straight without giving away the fact that I had next to no idea what he was talking about most of the time. If I were to skip over or morph a vital detail, I could very well screw over my entire mission, not to mention get the beating of a lifetime from Master and his mistress.

Not knowing what else to do in such a limited amount of time, I gave a short nod of my head and prayed for the best. And for a good memory. The carrot-top continued no more than a heartbeat after the bob of my head registered in his brain. "All right, good. Then if we think about this realistically, we should be able to scour the kidnapping reports that have been made these past few years and end up with some idea of who you might be—seeing how you don't remember who you were before this. Knowing who you are might be able to bring back more vital information.

"But the real trouble is going to come around when I'm working on changing you back into a human. I've never even heard of a Digimon and human combining in this way before—I mean, they share our energy and what not, but…this is obviously a lot different from that. For all I know, while I'm trying to separate the two different DNAs, I could end up completely mutilating your human essence and leaving the Digital one intact, or maybe the other way around.

"I doubt that this so-called 'lord' of yours won't like us trying to take his little pet away either, so his interference wouldn't be very helpful, especially after what I've inferred. I would assume that he'd do just about anything to keep a fighter as good as you on his side, and you returning to a human body certainly wouldn't help him…" Izzy paused for a moment, his fingers caressing his chin as he thought.

"There's always the chance that we'd just be endangering you—and everyone else—by trying to change you back as well. That Digimon might not really care that he's lost one of his men and might prefer to destroy you and the rest of the world to compensate for his losses. And that wouldn't be very good, obviously…" He paused again, this time his eyes returning to mine from the picnic blanket they'd been inspecting previously. "Are you completely certain that there's nothing more you can tell me? My only goal is to help you, but I need you to let me."

His words of kindness left my mind buzzing like a dead phone. I could almost hear the aggravated operator informing him that the lines were down and he'd have to call back later. No one I knew before these people had spoken to me in this way—not even Master's occasional gentleness was quite as sincere and trustworthy as this. It made me wonder, though I had no idea what about. My mind searched aimlessly for something not even if truly knew existed. Like a man searching for Atlantis or something.

"No, I know nothing more," I mumbled quietly, my eyes having dropped Izzy's gaze. They now investigated the different curves and twists that the threads of the blanket's fabric had been woven into. If you looked hard enough, you could make out strange little pictures. "I'm sorry." The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them; I didn't remember ever saying those two words before unless it had been to Master about one of my failures, but this didn't feel like that. Why would I have let something like that just…come out?

Then again, everything else that I did seemed to go wrong nowadays, so why shouldn't the bond that my tongue and mind shared be completely obliterated as well? If one sense was going to go and become completely useless to me, it was quite possible that all of them would follow suit and take off. I mean, it was like they were thinking, 'Hey, there goes Bill. We should follow him' or something. My body is betraying me just as I am with Master.

That single thought stopped me cold.

It would be a lie to believe that that was not what was going on. I was trading Master for these DigiDestined humans; I hadn't seen Master since I'd started spending time with them. I'd heard his words echoing in my mind, but that just wasn't the same. I could imagine his voice whenever I wanted, I'd heard it enough, but I needed to see him soon. Perhaps he could tell me what was going on with my emotions—

"Moroamon?" I looked up when Cody called my name, tone showing concern. "Are you all right? If you're hungry, we have enough food that you can have something to eat…" His calm voice only further confirmed my fears; I needed to become friendly with these creatures, yes, but this…this was too much. I was too close now, far too close here. Especially to the brunette sitting on my right, his flawless eyes trained on me with the same attentive tenderness with which the young one stared.

I shook my head slowly and made a move to stand as I explained in a monotone drone, "My body isn't made to process that sort of food anymore." Yet again I found myself telling them the truth, though I recalled already having mentioned this to Davis. But it didn't make sense to me. Why was this happening? Why could I no longer control what I thought, said, or did? The only thing I wasn't doing was what I was supposed to be, and that was murdering these humans!

But my mind no longer entertained the thought.

I need Master to fix me. Now. "I apologize," I spoke quickly, needing to get away as fast as my legs could carry me. I could not allow them to convince me to stay. I could not remain with them. "But something's come to my attention and I must go. I'm sorry for my rudeness, but…" I trailed off, not knowing what else to say even if I'd wanted to say more. Without another word from my own mouth or any of theirs, I shot off into the Digital World's forest at the fastest speed I could conjure up while still paying attention to where I was going.

I didn't understand why I couldn't understand. It wasn't logical to be feeling this way, to feel this sense of freedom even when my emotions somehow still felt locked up in a cage that they themselves had crafted. I could pound on the bars as hard as I wanted, demand that I be released and beg for my life as much as I could stand, but…but nothing could be done because in a way, I'd put myself there, and there was no reasoning with one's own being.

Nevertheless, this would all be over soon. Master would help me; he'd know what to do.


The darkness of Master Devimon's castle was somehow inviting and comforting as I wandered through the many corridors. I had each and every pathway in this place memorized; I'd had years as Master's servant and soldier during which time had moved slowly, so I'd often found myself meandering about the premises. I hadn't found much, aside from dungeons and torture chambers and other ghastly rooms other than the throne room that Master spent most of his time in. I didn't like to spend much time in the dark places.

Just as I had feared earlier while with the DigiDestined, DemiDevimon was with Master when I came upon them in the main gathering place. The bat-Digimon was resting upon Lord Devimon's shoulder as he paced; I was astonished that Master did nothing to shake him off. The tall, gangly demon that I knew as my creator seemed to be thinking quite hard about something—something that was obviously important—and was paying next to no attention to the ramblings coming out of the winged creature's mouth.

The unanticipated change in his persona startled me; I was tempted to turn and pretend that I had never come in. However, Master didn't seem angry, really, or even upset, so my fears lessened slightly. Maybe DemiDevimon hadn't completely screwed me over by taking what had happened with the DigiDestined and blowing it out of proportion. Or maybe that was exactly what he'd done, but Master knew me well enough to know what I would or wouldn't do and didn't believe the being.

I could only hope he wasn't in one of those states where he was so enraged that it didn't even register on his features.

Dropping down onto my hands and toes, I crawled forward towards Master's pacing feet in the most humble and respectful way that I could. He didn't like it when I came back without blood staining my hands and face, but he hadn't ordered me to kill today, so...maybe he would let this one time slide. Yeah, because he would actually do something like that. Right. My tail drooped and tucked between my legs slightly when I acknowledged that my thoughts were correct. I did not have a very merciful or gracious Lord.

When I was as close as I dared to come, I rocked back and knelt a yard or two away from the invisible path he followed on the stone floor. Bending at the waist, I rested my forehead down on the cold stone, the chill feeling nice—if I'd been in a state of mind to really notice such a comfort. A rush of hot fear ran through my body when I gained enough courage to speak up. "…Master…?" I didn't dare look up to see if he'd stopped to look at me, but I could feel his footsteps stop. Directly in front of me.

"Moroamon," His tone was a touch crisper than what was normal, as if he could sense that there was something very wrong with me. Perhaps he could. Maybe DemiDevimon was smart enough to have been able to read into my actions and note that there was something strange going on. Granted, he wasn't 'smart' to begin with… "It is still day, and so early yet. Why have you returned?" If he did know what was going on, he probably wanted to see if I'd discovered the source of the plague that haunted me. Or something.

My stomach quivered uneasily within me. Honestly, I felt like I was going to be sick, and the remembrance of the human food that had been offered to me didn't help much. "I'm sorry, Master, but…" My claws made a small clattering noise on the ground as I started to tremble. How would Master react to this news? The fact that he invincible creation was crumbling, and all because of one pathetic human! "But…there's something going on with me…and I don't know what's happening or how to make it stop…"

I risked a glance upwards, though my eyes immediately shot back down when I saw that Devimon was directly in front of me, not even inches away. Staring down upon me like a hawk to the defenseless rabbit he was about to snare in his sharp talons and drag away to devour. It was unlike me to feel this kind of…fear…but I couldn't help it. My body and mind were both running rampant, completely out of my control. Why shouldn't I be scared?

"I…I was hoping that you might be able to…help…me…" Conjuring up the rest of my courage, I raised my face once more and held Master's heavy, crimson gaze. My own stare was light, that of a beast begging for scraps from the table of its owner. A very degrading image, yes, but that was how Master and I were. It was how things had always been in my universe. "…Please…Master?" I was humiliated at how weakly my voice croaked from my throat, especially in front of DemiDevimon, but even he was too stunned by my actions to be capable of commenting.

A strong silence crowded out every sound in the room—even breathing became difficult when one didn't want a single noise to echo out and shatter the stillness. Those bloody-red eyes never left my face, nor did they give me a chance to rest by blinking, and in the end I had to drop his stare. There came a time when it was just better to surrender to Master. Winning against him didn't mean a thing, even if someone was able to do such a thing. It was next to impossible from my perspective.

I shivered when the quiet was finally broken. "DemiDevimon," Even when it was not directed at me, Lord Devimon's cold voice send a wave of unadulterated fear down my spine. The kind of terror that a child felt the moment they realized what that man offering them candy really wanted. "Leave us. Your presence aggravates me." In any other situation, I might've found Master's insult to the nuisance a little humorous. But now, I couldn't even breathe, let alone laugh or smile.

DemiDevimon didn't seem to take note of Master's words other than the fact that he'd been told to go away. His beady little bug eyes stared at me incredulously for a moment more before he obeyed, the flapping of his wings feeling much louder in this hushed air than what it should've. I almost wished that he was staying; I was almost afraid to be alone with Master. I'd been messing up a fair amount lately, and there was no way for me to tell how upset he was if he wasn't showing it. There was no telling how bad the beating was going to be this time.

"Moroamon…" I felt long slender fingers trace my chin and jaw, like a caress but with a threatening air to it. A menacing voice echoed in my head at the feeling, 'I love you, but I will snap your neck if you disobey me. Understand, love?' Another shudder came as I opened my eyes, those fingers lifting my head up from the ground to look into my master's face. I saw no emotion there, and yet I felt some kind of comfort.

That gentleness slowly became stronger as the silence once again stretched on and on like rotten skin as it was pulled from white bones. The smooth glide of fingertips became the deep scratches of sharpened nails, hybrid blood beginning to seep from them within minutes of their making. Master's thumb pressed against the soft flesh of my throat; leather armor meant nothing to him. It wasn't even an obstacle to his immense power. Nothing was, really.

His hand paused in its movements, the tip of his thumb pressed hard to the soft middle of my throat, making it hard to summon oxygen to my lungs. "All of the things I've given you, the things I've brought you to see…and you fail me again. I made you what you are, Moroamon, and what do you do? You waste the talents I've given you. Why?" The sharp nails of Master's black, bony fingers dug into my skin harshly as he spoke, making me gulp though the motion only increased the sting.

"I…I don't mean to, Master, you know I only want to make you happy, but…" I hesitated; this was the point of no return. How would he react upon knowing that his supposedly invincible, ruthless, blood-lusting machine of a monster had…was…well, I refused to even think the actual word…but denial only proved it true, didn't it? In some way…? "But one of the humans…he…does something to me…something strange—I can't stand up against it…

"I don't remember if I felt it the night that I first came across him and his friend, but…but I've felt something so…repulsive…every moment after. Even when he's nowhere near me, I still feel the effects—I feel it now just as strongly as if he were here with us. It's like…a burning…a fire that I've never touched before, a hunger that I've yet to taste—a hunger that's not for his flesh! I don't know what t—" The hand that had just been holding my head up snapped away from me, only to return like a ball bouncing off the wall as his palm slammed into the side of my head.

I fell to my side from the sheer force of the strike, the solid sound of flesh against flesh echoing out into the hollowness of the empty room from the single hit. Pain blinded me, black and white spots waltzing together in my vision from the smack of Devimon's hand and the crack as my head connected with the merciless stone floor. I could taste blood in my mouth, feel and hear the grind of bone on bone as I tried to move my jaw, bit my lip to hold in a groan of agony. If there was one thing Master hated, it was when I showed weakness.

Knowing better than to move lest I anger Master more, I remained motionless on the floor, my mouth open to allow the blood to spill from my mouth and pool on the stone beneath me. "I didn't not create you so that you could fail, Moroamon, and you will. Not. Fail me. I don't care what this human does—it's a human. You are a monstermy monster. You follow me only, you serve me only, and you will do as I say to you now: You will go back to the human world, and take care of this problem how you take care of everything else. Kill him. Tonight."

A sense of hopelessness cut through my pain, only to enjoy its company and intertwine in the most agonizing way. Master didn't understand. I dared then to sit up, only to see that Master's back was facing me now; I could smell his anger as one could smell the rain. "…But…Master, I…That's the dilemma. If I don't kill him…" I trailed off momentarily, both of us knowing what would become of me if that were to be the outcome. "…But if I do…Master…I don't…want to—"

I caught my tongue as Master spun around with a snarl and slammed the toe of one of his heavy feet into the side of my ribcage. My mouth flew open in a silent scream of pain as I dropped into the fetal position, curling around my throbbing side and doing my best to keep my grunting and whimpering to a minimum, nonexistent, if possible. One of my hands instinctively flew to cover the sure-to-be bruise, touching it gently to be sure that nothing inside me was broken and jutting against the skin. Master had broken me before, but not for a while.

Finding nothing poking against the skin, I felt a bit of the terror fade from me. This wasn't as bad as other times; Master seemed more in control of himself than he usually was during this sort of thing. I closed my eyes momentarily, trying to focus on maintaining a steady, normal breathing pattern, but they snapped back open and a cry escaped my lips when Master pressed his palm into my side, his hand over mine on the exact place I'd just been kicked.

While I tried to control my agonized sounds, rendering them to mere croaks and huffs, I could feel Master's breath on my face and neck as he leaned down toward me, now down on one knee. A small shudder rippled through me at his closeness, and the cold feeling stayed with me as he began to speak in a harsh but hushed tone, "If you don't kill him, then I'll send someone who will. And do you want to know what will happen to you if I have to do that?" I bit my lip hard, refused to look up at my Lord. I knew what would happen.

But he moved to demonstrate anyway.

My breath caught in my throat when Master closed his hand around my neck, my eyes growing wide with fear. Before he could continue to give me a preview of what would occur should I fail him, I abandoned my limp obedience in favor of grasping Master's wrist, trying to pull away from him as I cried out in desperation, "Master, wait, please! I'll get rid of him…it'll be easy—" Lord Devimon's grip tightened for a moment, completely depriving me of oxygen for a few moments before he eased up again and finally released me.

Gasping for air and trying to ignore the pain in my side and head, I felt trapped, condemned, lost without a way to find myself again. I could still feel the warmth of Davis' touch from earlier today when he'd wrapped his arm around my shoulders—how could I be without that memory's creator? It would be like me without Master: Nothing, worthless, useless.

I couldn't kill Davis. But I swore to Master…

Ignorant of the battle raging within me, one of Devimon's tattered, leathery wings wrapped around my shoulders, drawing me up from the ground as someone might pick up a sleeping child to take him to his bed. One of his long arms wrapped around me and held me to him, his hand lovingly stroking my face as his other arm went underneath me to help keep me stable. His thumb grazed the bruise forming on my cheek, his touch hurting no matter how light it had been.

"You know I will always love you, Moroamon," His whisper was husky and sounded a tad exasperated, as if he was bothered by something. Of course, I knew far better than to ask after such a temper flare from him only moments before. It was best to keep quiet after beatings, though this was one of the better ones. Only bruises. "But you must remember who you serve, and if this—" His fingers wrapped around my head, squeezing incredibly hard for a moment and making me cringe. "—helps you remember, then I'll continue.

"When you're as loyal as the others, you won't have to be taught these lessons. But until then…" He trailed off, both of us knowing what he was saying, though it only bode ill for me. Shivering at the thought of being beaten every night for the rest of eternity, I buried my face in Master's cold, hard chest, and tried hopelessly to forget the consequences of the promise I'd made to him.


Night had fallen long ago over the human world, but the stars and moon were hidden by the rain clouds that haunted me constantly in this place. I'd never mentioned the odd occurrence to Master before, but I doubted that he'd think much of it as long as it didn't keep me from doing as he asked, and so far it hadn't. Besides, he was obviously in no mood to be answering questions.

The glow from the city lights outside illuminated the Motomiya's living room, powdering the floor, walls, and furniture with soft bluish light. I stood there in the doorway of the room and stared, absentmindedly fingering the metal collar-like device that Master had secured on my neck before I'd left his hideout. He had told me that its power would protect me from the strange effects that this DigiDestined had on me—he'd assumed it was some sort of defense mechanism. But I wasn't so sure; I didn't feel safe.

My hand still touching the foreign object around my throat, feeling the pulsing of electricity or something beneath the shiny black surface, I walked quietly to the hallway. I didn't bother to sneak from hiding place to hiding place since there was no chance that my soundless footsteps would attract any attention—not even the little Digimon would notice me, and besides, he wouldn't realize why I was here until it was too late. I could take him out easily anyway, so it wasn't like it mattered in the end.

The door swung open with a slight squeak that only my super-powered ears could've heard, but it still put me on edge for some reason. How could I possibly be this afraid? I'd crashed through windows, broken down doors, slammed through walls, and all in the name of the kill. Why was picking the lock on the front door with my claw, then quietly tip-toeing through the apartment bothering me as much as it was? I felt like I was about to be sick with the way that my stomach was reacting so violently.

Could it possibly be that it was because of the human that lived here? The only heartbeat that truly stood out as something…different?

Slinking into the room like a cobra, I thumped my tail against the door ever so gently, closing it with the utmost caution and care. Both Davis and DemiVeemon were in a very deep sleep, according to their snoring, but it was a force of habit to be at least a little quiet when I was coming in for an invisible-assassin kill. My claws made a small clicking noise as I stepped across the wood flooring, but it only would've woken a human with extraordinary hearing—something I doubted that the Motomiya DigiDestined had.

My form cast a dark shadow over Davis' bed when I came to a stop about a foot or so away from the framework. But it was an astounding thing, the darkness that flooded this room…when one could see how Davis' seemed to shine as the lights from the city—no, brighter. Bolder. More…purely. Like a precious candle that refused to flicker out, no matter the weather, no matter the temperature, no matter the situation. That lovely glow…that cheerful heartbeat…the curve of a smile as he dreamed…

The collar Master gave me wasn't working.

The tips of my fingers wandered back up my neck to the metal device, made cold by my lack of body heat. I gave it a gentle stroke, a pleading gesture that begged it to have some sort of response to the intense fire that burned in my stomach, lungs, liver, and every other part of me, to stop the loud pounding of my heart from deafening me. I was blinded, standing here in the dark, but not by a light that anyone else seemed to ever be able to see. I was blinded by the light of someone's soul.

I stared down at Davis' sleeping form with a sort of bitterness in my eyes. Despite everything—my instincts, my promise to Master, my intense hunger—I couldn't do it. And it was not that I didn't have the strength or the drive or the order, it was just…I just didn't…I didn't want to be without this…light. It was a selfish and foolish thing to even consider, keeping this human alive because I…needed to feel this way…but…but I couldn't help it.

Something about this repulsive scene was…familiar. The feeling, not so much the situation, though this was a fairly common way that I would go about secret night-missions. Just never in Odaiba. With a human who was far more powerful than I even was he was so deeply asleep that if he hadn't been snoring anyone but someone who could hear that gentle beat-beat-beat of his heart would think he was dead.

My eyes widened slightly at the word. I'll end up dead if I don't do this for Master. He'll either kill me and send someone to take out the DigiDestined, or he'll…do something a lot worse… My fingers shook as I thought, one of my claws accidentally nicking one of the rather large cuts that Master had made on my neck. The corner of my eye twitched at the unexpected sting of hurt, but it barely registered in my brain. Davis' image in my brain cast the pain aside as if it meant nothing.

Panic usually would've ensued at the thought of Master's intense anger, the way his red eyes sparkled with hate when his temper flared, the sting of his cold, hard hand clashing against my own chilled skin. But here, in this place, surrounded by Davis' scent and body heat…Master…didn't…exist. There was no Digital World. There were no DigiDestined. There was no life aside from Davis and I. I felt no pain, only a bond I didn't understand, couldn't comprehend.

But I would. Someday, I would understand what this was that I felt. I had to.

A soft sigh fell from my mouth as I sat down cross-legged on the floor, back arching so my face was tilted toward the floor, but I couldn't draw my eyes away from the DigiDestined's sleeping face. Now that I had refused to follow Master's demand of killing tonight, I had to watch him with more caution and intent that what I put into my attacks. Master had said he would send someone else to come and do my job for me, and for all I knew, he might send that new Digimon tonight.

If he did find out about my…betrayal…right away tonight, Lord Devimon would beat me severely when I returned, worse than ever before…However, I knew he wouldn't kill me while he thought there was still a chance I would succumb to his will. And there was always that chance. Besides, there was also a possibility that my hunger might drive me to attack without a thought about Master or the light that chased away the pain of Master's discipline.

Not tonight, though. I would not lose control, and I would not obey.

Regret readied itself to come through the door of my life, but it hesitated, not wanting to share the same abode as hope. And I couldn't help myself; I had to hope, had to pray for this to work out all right in the end. I pleaded with God—who ignored me, for obvious reasons—to let Master understand why I had to do this, why I had to watch over this human as if I was some sort of personal guard. He had to realize just how strong of a hold that this absolutely wonderful human had on me for reasons unknown.

My hands balled into fists while I thought, the tension in the room—which was all caused by me and my stupid brain—becoming almost unbearable, though I knew of no way to…I don't know, lighten the mood? I was crossing my Master, facing a beating so painful it hurt to even think about what he might do, sitting in the room of the only thing in the entire universe I could not look at without melting on the inside, and—

DemiVeemon just woke the hell up.

I stilled my breathing and strived to remind myself that he trusted me like Davis did; this wasn't that big of a deal. Though it would certainly be hard to explain why I'd broken into the Motomiya's home in the first place. And why I was sitting so close to Davis' bed, staring at him while he slept. While I went through all of the trouble spots with this situation, I began to wonder if my intellect and overall intelligence was being affected by this particular human as well as the rest of me.

But I didn't have to fret for very long. The little blue dragon-ish Digimon gazed at me through one half-open eye, a sleepy smile curling onto his face. One little stubby hand went up in the air and he waved cheerfully at me; not knowing what else to do, I returned the gesture with a stoic expression. If the petite creature was going to be quiet and not wake up his human partner, he could stay up all night and wave at me if he wanted to. Besides, it was better than me thinking about the consequences that would haunt me tomorrow.