Garurumon ran, breaking through the branches that whipped across his fur, Matt's thighs squeezing his shoulders almost painfully. He was still confused as to his Tamer's reaction to Sora and the other Children, only knowing that the bond between them pulsed with fear and self-loathing. Matt's Digivice was still shrieking, attempting to evolve the Digimon further, though there was no way how. The night sky above them lightened into a pixelated gradient of golds and reds as the great wolf Digimon burst from the forest. The lake lay before them and Garurumon gave pause. He sniffed the air, despite his Tamer's kicking and desperate cries to continue, trying to find the scent of the Diner, the amusement park, Joe, anything.
Matt clutched handfuls of his Digimon's fur, ripping out clumps of the ice blue strands. He no longer had tears to shed, though the darkness in his soul only deepened. The only thing he knew now was that he needed to get away, to escape, to find Joe and beg forgiveness he knew he didn't deserve.
He leaned over Garurumon's ears, screaming, pleading, whispering, possibly only thinking desperately, "Please! Please, find him! I need, I need..."
He wasn't sure what he needed. Not anymore.
Garurumon whined, tail lashing from side to side. He could hear the thundering of Greymon behind him, and he could feel the barest humming of his Tamer's Crest, obviously picked up by one of the other Children. He knew that if the others caught up with them, he would be forced to fight. He wouldn't be able to bluff his way out of another confrontation, and Matt wasn't well enough to give him the strength he would need. He dug his paws into the sandy beach, lowering his muzzle and closing his eyes. If he could just find a scent, or a trace of the other boy or his Digimon...
Garurumon was almost knocked over by a wave of power that hit him like a shock wave. It had the sea-salt tinge of Gomamon's power, but it was overwhelmed by an eerie distortion, like white noise over a familiar song. He'd felt that same flickering power, wavering between evil and despair, once before and it made him feel sick.
SkullGreymon.
He turned his attention to that forceful surge, watching a great geyser of steam blow off a rooftop he knew so well. His sensitive ears could pick up the screaming of Digimon and the barest hissing of another creature, bubbling and popping like they were held under the water, "Go away... Go away!"
"He's there!" Matt cried, digging his heels into Garurumon's shoulders. "Go! Go! We have to find him!"
Garurumon shook off the unease that was quickly settling in the pit of his stomach and took off with a great leap.
They disappeared under his feet with ease. A mild resistance, and then a puff of data.
He couldn't even hear their screaming. Or, if he did, he didn't care.
None of them had cared when he was screaming. None of them had cared when he was dying beneath them.
So he would be just as callous as any of them.
He would make them suffer.
He would kill any one of them that thought they could get near him.
He would never let him be hurt again.
He spat boiling water at anything that moved, watching it burn into the ground like acid, two creatures slinking away behind him unnoticed.
Tai could smell the fight before he could see it. A rancid stench, like fish left out in the summer sun, hit him and he almost puked. He tightened his grip of Greymon's shoulder, ready to ride the monster into battle to defend his friend and knock some sense into him. The Crest he'd shoved in his pocket, dull and colorless with barely a hint of blue to be seen when squinted at, felt like a lead weight, but he refused to let it go. If Matt wouldn't willingly take it back, he would strangle the boy with it.
He heard Garurumon's scream, a terrifyingly human noise from such a bestial creature, and didn't even have to urge Greymon faster. The dinosaur Digimon was already tearing off down the beach, almost leaving the other Children behind. Birdamon's heat soared next to him, and even Togemon huffed and puffed to keep up with him.
Something that looked like it used to be a building lay in a crumbled pile, half a sign proclaiming "-urant" flung by his feet. Great holes had been eaten into the ground, the mud that remained still bubbling with unbearable heat. The trees that survived being torn to shreds had lost all their leaves and metal branches were twisted into angry spires.
A giant demon stood in the center of it all, thick tentacles wrapped around the blue wolf that was biting desperately into blue flesh. What remained of Garurumon's fur was matted and wet, dripping with blood and cooled steam. The exposed flesh of his legs and flanks was blistered, an angry red that could give off it's own heat. His pawpads were sliced open from shark-like teeth, and the slick blood made it hard to keep a grip on the ground and the monster he was fighting.
Three red eyes blazed like fire, and a sickeningly long arm grabbed Garurumon's ruff, ripping the fur from his skin and the wolf from its body. Its mouth opened, a gaping abyss better suited to the ocean floor, and a jet of boiling water shot into Garurumon's face. The wolf screamed again, closing his eyes desperately against the heat and the pain.
And then Tai heard it.
Matt was screaming, in just as much pain as his partner. He was clutching his face as though he'd been the one to be hit, and Tai could see his skin turning a dire red as the two opened their bond further that should have been possible. It was the only way for Garurumon to continue to move against the onslaught, and the only way for Matt to feel the punishment he so desperately felt he deserved.
Tai almost fell off Greymon, landing heavily on his feet as his partner ran to Garurumon's rescue. The dinosaur launched a fireball, only for it to be snuffed out by a glob of water spit in his direction. The brunette felt his skin tingle as Greymon was slammed into by another tentacle, and he was grateful that whatever Matt had done to himself, he couldn't feel it. He needed to have his mind about him to try and get through this.
"Matt, what are you doing?!" Tai yelled though the pain in his throat. "It's dangerous here!"
"That's Gomamon..." Matt whined, collapsing. He was breathing heavily, feeling his energy depleting quickly. "That's Joe's Gomamon! So he can't be dead yet! I have to, I have to apologize, and this is the only way I know how!"
"Getting yourself killed isn't going to do anyone any good!"
There was a shriek as Birdramon was tossed from the sky, crashing heavily near the stones that used to be a building. The creature, overpowered with hate and rage, screamed and words could just barely be heard, "Stay away! I won't let anyone near him!"
It turned, ignoring as Greymon tore his claws into its wings to shred them with a rain of blood, and grabbed Birdramon by her talons. The firebird shrieked, beating flaming meteors at her attacker as she was flung across the newly-created clearing. Togemon braced herself, catching Birdramon and quickly setting her aside so as to blow out the fire on her gloves. She didn't want to be deep in the fray, as she stood over the other Children to keep them safe.
"Even if I die, it'll never make up for what I did," Matt sobbed, wrapping his arms around himself despite the burns running up and down his body. "But it would be a start..."
Tai couldn't take it anymore. He marched over and snatched the blonde by his collar, dragging him up to eye level. "What the hell is wrong with you?! All you've done is bitch and moan how everyone hates you, well guess what – we don't! Some of us might actually love you!"
"Like who?"
"Like," Tai blushed, "like me, you dipshit."
"You, me, and my mother," Matt hissed, twisting out of Tai's grasp. "We don't goddamn know what love is – we can't even recognize it when it's in front of out fucking faces! Love isn't just sex, it's not getting everything you want out of a person without giving anything in return! It's not forcing yourself on someone, night after night, because they're too scared to tell you no!"
Tai tried to grab Matt, fingertips digging into his burns in an attempt to make him stop, but Matt just swung his fist, catching the brunette in the nose. Tai blinked away the stars that exploded over his vision, feeling blood drip down his lips. He scrambled to his feet and threw himself into Matt's chest, bringing them both to the ground. He balled his hand into a fist and brought it down just as Matt reached up, grabbing the goggles that hung around his neck and tugged. Tai gagged, tumbling onto his side and Matt continued to yell at him.
"Love is like Joe, who told me every night I could leave if I wanted to. Who forgave me every time I lashed out at him because of my own weakness. Who accepted me and everything about me."
Tai sat up, rubbing his neck and swallowing a glob of blood that dripped down the back of his throat.
"Love is like Izzy, who absolutely adores you despite how you act like you're the most important fucking thing in the universe! How you pretend that someone should want you back, just because you think you like them! He's willing to overlook all that fake crap you call a personality to see the true you that you think noone would ever like!"
Matt stood, looking at the carnage before him that he had caused. The ground was muddy, stained dark with digital blood, and what remained of the forest would never be the same. The demon was breathing heavily, drooling water that steamed as it dripped, and it was bleeding from the giant chunks missing from it's flesh though it still stood. Garurumon was almost still, crumpled in a nearly-furless heap, blistered flesh aching deep within both of them. Greymon's tail was twisted funny, and Matt was certain Tai could feel it, even if the Digimon was trying to prevent his bond from affecting his Tamer. Birdramon's flames were low, and there were several teeth missing from her beak.
"Gomamon," he called softly, stepping toward the dark creature. "Gomamon, it's me..."
"No," it gurgled, and all three of those eyes focused on Matt with an almost palpable heat. Or perhaps that was just his burns, reminding him of the pain his partner was in. "No longer Gomamon. Gomamon was... weak. Gomamon couldn't protect. I can protect. Especially from you!"
Matt flinched as a white tentacle crashed into the ground beside him, splashing him with hot mud. He spit and wiped the grime from his face, stepping forward anyway.
"Gomamon, please, I need to talk to Joe. I need to tell him I'm sorry."
"No! You hurt him enough!" He was grabbed by one of those unnaturally long arms, bloody fingers tightening around him. He felt Garurumon force himself to his feet more than he heard the Digimon. "You'll never hurt Joe again!"
"I don't want to," Matt choked. His lungs were on fire and his skin felt like he'd been set on the sun. He could feel his ribs groaning and wondered how long it would take for them to snap and slice into his organs. His mind was getting fuzzy and white sparkles were dancing in his vision. "He... He's my friend. I-if nothing else... I need... I need him to know... that..."
From Tai's pocket, Matt's Crest glowed, an almost blinding blue light engulfing the area. Garurumon felt the surge of strength he gladly shared with his Tamer and together, their burned and broken bodies mended as evolution empowered them.
"Garurumon Digivolve to... WereGarurumon!"
The wolfman, much smaller than the demon but with renewed energy, leapt onto its arm, digging in with freshly sharpened claws. The creature shrieked and released Matt, the boy falling into a gasping, crumpled heap. WereGarurumon fell to the ground, covering his Tamer with his own body, and snarling, "Gomamon! I know you only want to help, but this isn't the way! Let us help you – let us help Joe! Together!"
"No..." the demon sobbed. "No! I can't! I can't let him get hurt again! He's my Tamer! And I... I couldn't stop them..." A tarnished silver light enveloped the demon and it began to shrink, collapsing into a small brown seal who cried into the mud. "I couldn't save him by myself..."
"You're not by yourself anymore," Matt said quietly, stepping outside of WereGarurumon's protection. "Let us take care of you, like you took care of me..."
Bukamon glared, a stubborn pout on his face. He stood stiff on the ground, but a flicker of his blue eyes gave him away. Matt turned and ran to the pile of rubble that the demon had so strongly protected from everyone. The other half of the sign leaned against what used to be the front steps, the letters "Resta-" creating a small alcove that had stayed dark and dry through the whole fight. Matt grabbed the sign and shoved it away, dousing himself and the other person with dust and pebbles, sending them both into coughing fits. He waved the grit away from his face and balked at the sight before him.
Joe was curled up next to the stone staircase, skin crisscrossed with agonizingly infected cuts. His hair was greasy and matted with dirt and blood, clumps of it looked like it had been torn out. The cut on his face, that damned thing that had started this whole mess, had been burned into a disgusting scar shaped like the tail of a comet. His shirt was gone and he clung desperately to what remained of his shorts. There was a thick iron cuff around his ankle, scraping the flesh and bruising the bone beneath, and the chain looked like it had been melted away. His emergency bag was next to him, a large rip along the seam, and the supplies were scattered, including his emergency glasses case which had already been raided.
He reached out a shaking hand and Joe flinched away from the innocent gesture. Matt swallowed hard against the familiar fear he could see in the boy's eyes.
"Joe, it's me... Matt." Joe had to blink a few times, trying to think had and remember if he knew anyone named Matt. "I... I came back. Like I promised."
"You left me," Joe accused, the memory hitting him with all the weight of a sledgehammer.
"I did..." Matt lowered himself as nonthreateningly as he could. "I abandoned you because I'm a terrible, awful person. I know you don't want to hear it, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry, and I love you, and I'll spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to make up for this."
"You left me," Joe said again, looking up from where he'd buried his face in his knees. His emergency glasses were old, and everything was blurry still, but the moment he'd seen sunshine, he'd wanted to see it in as much of it's pixelated glory as he could. The blonde in front of him was crying, silent tears running down his cheeks. "In the middle of the night, without a goodbye, you left and I had to do... this."
"I know," Matt sobbed and Joe looked at him warily. "I was an asshole, and I want you to hate me! But... I love you, and I want you to forgive me... So, so be mad, and curse and yell and scream and condemn me, but let me make it up to you."
"Matt..." Joe murmured, almost too soft to be heard. "I thought you were dead. For a while, to me at least, you were dead." Matt clenched his fists in his lap and looked away. "I... I don't want you to be dead, anymore. I want you to be alive. I want you to be alive with me."
Joe reached out and with a tentative, terrified touch, he took Matt's hand in his, and Matt knew he would never let it go. Ever again.
Thank you to everyone who read this fic, and everyone who will read it. A special thanks to those who reviewed – you absolutely made it worth it to write this and know there were people enjoying it!