Disclaimer: I own nothing.
"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend."
~Martin Luther King Jr.
Chapter 3
Conflicts
He was huge.
That was the first thing that Takato processed the moment he laid eyes on his partner's Digivolved form. The drawing he had created just the night before seemed so... vapid compared to the gargantuan creature that stood before him.
The red skin, the white mane, the spikes, the threatening size - it was more... frightening than his childish mind had previously imagined.
'Growlmon,' that's what he had named him. A befitting name as he roared victoriously and his enemy disintegrated into small dusts of data that he proceeded to absorb.
He stood from a distance with Naruto and his fellow Digimon tamers by his side, frozen, staring fearfully at his new and improved partner.
A partner who could squash him like a bug if he so wanted to.
'I know I wanted him to Digivolve,' he thought, 'But, I probably look like a freaking appetizer to him.'
The sound of small steps running caught his attention, and Takato's eyes widened when Naruto threw himself over Guilmon's leg, apparently hugging the large Digimon.
"Naruto!" he cried out worriedly, but didn't move to get him away from Growlmon.
And Naruto - stupid, naive Naruto - had one of the widest smiles Takato has ever seen as he clung to Guilmon's leg.
"You look so cool, Guilmon!" he declared excitedly.
"Naruto, get aw-!" Takato stopped himself when his eyes caught a large tear trailing down Growlmon's cheek and falling to the ground.
"Don't..." he heard Growlmon struggle to speak with his new guttural voice, "...Don't... be... afraid..."
Takato's eyes widened. The size was different, that much was obvious. But the fear in the loud voice, the insecurity in his tone, the concern at the thought of having scared his tamer... that was all Guilmon.
When Takato had created Guilmon, he hadn't just drawn a Digimon that he wished to one day turn into an actual Digimon card; he had accidentally made a friend.
A friend that, right now, needed his approval more than anything.
Slowly, Takato garners up the courage to walk towards Growlmon, and joins Naruto in hugging him.
"I'm sorry," he feels the tears stream down his face, "I'm not afraid of you."
"Was I really that scary?" asked Growlmon, "When I was fighting?"
Takato thought back to the battle that took place against DeviDramon, when Growlmon practically decimated the large Digimon.
'Only if you find huge, scary things scary.'
"Unsense!" cried out Naruto as he looked up at the large Digimon, "You were freaking awesome!"
Takato sweatdropped, "It's 'nonsense', Naruto."
"I want to go back to being Guilmon, though," said a timid Growlmon as he glanced at the short blond.
"And we'll help you with that," nodded Takato with a determined expression, "I mean, it can't be that hard, right?"
He looked back at Henry and Rika, who simply looked away and refused to answer his question.
And while the group of Digimon Tamers recuperated from their hard-won battle and made plans to turn Growlmon back into Guilmon, nobody noticed the dark figure floating from a distance, watching the proceeding events with nothing short of disdain.
"Foolish DeviDramon," he stated with a gruff voice that seemed to echo through the night in the city, "I guess I shouldn't be surprised, you were always the weak one."
His red eyes scanned the area where the battle took place and the humans were still conversing, before they landed on a small dark figure watching the group from behind a building with hatred brimming in his eyes.
The Digimon smiled.
The door opened quietly, not making a sound as a blond head popped in. Naruto scanned the area before sighing silently and walking inside, shutting the door as quietly as he could behind him.
The door made a small 'click' as it closed. Naruto walked through the darkened room, trusting his instincts to tell him where the set of stairs that led to his room were located. But, when his foot rammed against something hard and he was forced to cover his mouth in order to swallow the scream that wanted to escape him, his heart filled with dread as he stumbled backwards and bumped against a table. He heard the sound of something breaking and shattering into pieces behind him... along with his heart.
Naruto cringed and closed his eyes, already expecting the yelling and the pain. But, when there was nothing but silence, he sighed in relief and began to once again move over to the stairs.
The small 'click' and the light that suddenly illuminated the room, was enough to blind him from the incoming impact before he could so much as react.
"YOU LITTLE BRAT!"
"Gyah!"
Naruto cried out at the pain that exploded in his right cheek, the force of it knocking him to the side.
"Ow."
He rubbed his cheek from where he sat on the floor, when a sandaled foot appeared in his field of vision. He gulped as his eyes slowly trailed up the foot to a body covered in a grey bathrobe, finally landing on the angered face of his god-mother, one Tsunade Senju.
"H-hey, Tsunade-baachan."
A vein popped out in Tsunade's forehead. "Where were you?" she growled out.
"U-uuhh..."
"Oh, has Naruto returned?"
Naruto looked to the side of the angered woman and saw a sleepy Jiraiya rubbing his eyes from his position on the stairs.
"H-Hello, Ossan."
"You're home awfully late," he commented as he moved to stand next to Tsunade, who was still glaring at the small blond.
"Explain, young man!" demanded Tsunade.
Naruto gulped and proceeded to twiddle with his fingers nervously as he began to tell his story. "Well, you see, Takato and I were on our way home when - "
"Takato?" Naruto froze when Tsunade growled out the name with frustration, realizing the mistake on his part. "That's right, where is that brat?" she asked menacingly.
Naruto shook his head and hands furiously, "T-this is not his fault, Tsunade-baachan. It's mine! We were on our way back when we were suddenly stopped by a cop in the park."
"A cop? Why would a cop stop you?" asked Jiraiya.
"W-well, there's been these incidents going on in the park-"
"Naruto Uzumaki what have you done?!"
"It wasn't me!" he cried out, "But, the cops stopped us thinking that it was, so we ended up having to explain the situation to him until he let us go."
Naruto didn't lie to his guardians often. He's learned many times in the past that it was possibly the worst mistake he could ever make in his life, and that if he ever wanted to live to see eighteen years, then being honest with Tsunade and Jiraiya was the best way to survive.
But, ever since the discovery of Guilmon and Impmon, he's done nothing but lie to both adults. And both of them not knowing any better, believed him.
Jiraiya narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Why didn't we get called in then?"
Naruto froze. Oh, crap.
"T-they didn't see a point in it. At least, not until they could prove it was us - whichtheydidn't!" he added quickly.
Still, Jiraiya and Tsunade stood there with narrowed eyes, obviously having a hard time believing Naruto's lie. Naruto gulped silently, frightened out of his mind that he might have to plan an early funeral for himself.
Finally, both guardians shared a look and nodded.
"Ok," said Jiraiya, "I'll talk to the cops and have this cleared out; I can't believe they would actually take kids without evidence and not even contact their guardians."
"No! There's no need!" Naruto cried out. Both guardians gave him a look and Naruto backed down a bit, "I-I mean, they let us go and they did apologize. Plus, I'm not really mad about it, they were just doing their jobs."
Jiraiya blinked at him before sighing, "Alright, we won't call."
Naruto sighed in relief.
"But, you're grounded young man!" yelled Tsunade.
Naruto nodded furiously, not even bothering to argue against the same woman who could make his own teachers quake in their boots after a parent meeting gone wrong.
"Go to your room!" she pointed towards the stairs angrily.
Naruto didn't even hesitate. Tsunade didn't even blink before he was gone and the sound of a door shutting close echoed throughout the large house.
Tsunade sighed and slumped slightly in defeat. She pinched the bridge of her nose, "I swear," she muttered, "What am I going to do with that kid?"
"There's nothing to be done," chuckled Jiraiya, "That boy is Minato's alright."
Tsunade didn't respond. Sure enough, the brat was Minato's there was no question. It was all in the looks; the blonde hair, the blue eyes, the mischievous glint he would get whenever he had an idea. The personality, however, was a combination of both his mother and father. If one were to mix Minato and Kushina, Naruto is what they would get in return.
"He worries me," she slumped down on the armchair in the living room and rested her head on her hand. "That kid is one day going to get in a lot of trouble that that not even we will be able to pull him out of, Jiraiya."
"Is this about... them?"
Tsunade remained silent.
Jiraiya sighed in response to the lack of answer he received, "There's nothing we can do to stop them, Tsunade."
"Sure there is," she retorted clenching her fists and glaring angrily at the older man, "We can go hunt those bastards down before they find us."
"And risk Naruto's safety?"
"His safety is already at risk!"
"Tsunade!"
Tsunade flinched, realizing that she had spoken far too loudly for her own good. Naruto couldn't hear this conversation. Hell, they shouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. It was too risky to talk about it here, or anywhere else for that matter.
She sighed and rubbed her temples when she felt another headache coming in. She flinched slightly when a familiar large hand placed itself on her shoulder in an effort to exhibit comfort.
"Stop worrying about it," spoke Jiraiya, "They won't ever come to learn about Naruto's existence; Minato saw to that."
"The trust you place in that man is undeserving," she commented irritated.
Jiraiya chuckled in response, "Well, he may have been a fool, but he was a smart fool."
Tsunade allowed herself to show a small smirk, which vanished in less than five seconds when another concern made itself known in her head. "Have you spoken with Mitsuo?"
She took his silence as a 'no'.
"I don't understand why Minato didn't explain the situation to him," she spoke somberly with a hint of pity, "The poor man is wasting his life chasing waterfalls."
"He wanted to protect him," spoke Jiraiya.
"But in his effort to protect him... didn't he realize the man Mitsuo would turn into as a result of his careless actions?"
Jiraiya had no answer.
"You look so cool, Guilmon!"
"Tch." The rock flew across the air before implanting itself on the bark of a tree from the force of the impact.
"Idiots," muttered Impmon.
He had stayed for the battle, after DeviDramon practically smoked his ass, Impmon found himself watching the battle between the red Digimon and DeviDramon from behind the corner of a building. It had been intense, and he'll admit that he was rather entertained by the whole thing.
Who knew that such a naive Digimon could Digivolve into such a badass?
And that's what pissed him off.
Here he was, an independent Digimon fighting without the aid of a stupid tamer, and yet it was an idiot who got to Digivolve before him.
And then the way that moron hugged him.
He shook his head. No, he wasn't jealous. Not jealous at all. He had made it known to Naruto that he wasn't interested in being anyone's partner. Ever. And he had shown him through various means during the blonde's chase of the purple Digimon.
Then, why did he feel this way?
He clenched his teeth in frustration and yelled angrily as he smashed his fist on a nearby car, denting it and causing it to release a loud alarm that would most likely awaken the people living in the street.
Maybe it was because of the way he had looked at the overgrown Digimon with a certain level of admiration, whilst the Digimon's actual partner was standing from a distance frozen in fear. But, Naruto... Naruto had not been afraid. If anything, as shown through his actions, the boy had been ecstatic. He hadn't even stopped to consider that Growlmon might actually hurt him. No. Instead, he just ran towards him and hugged him as if he were overgrown plushy.
"Humans are idiots," he grumbled angrily.
"Indeed they are, aren't they?" Impmon's eyes widened and he turned around. There standing before him, was a Digimon unlike one he's ever seen before. He was tall, and clad in jet-black clothing, with two horns protruding from the top of its head. Its arms were long with sharp talons at the end that almost touched the ground. There were two wings coming out of its back, but Impmon wondered if he could even fly with those considering the various holes that penetrated them. His eyes were red and piercing, glaring right into Impmon's soul. And for the first time, in a long time, Impmon felt truly afraid.
"It seems that you and I think alike, little friend," he spoke with a haunting voice.
Impmon's eyebrow twitched in irritation. "Who you calling so little he can't fit in a tiny tea cup?!"
Devimon sweatdropped, "I... didn't say that."
"Who are you? What do you want?" he asked, standing tall and glaring back at the tall Digimon in an effort to hide the fear that was brimming in his chest.
"Ah, how rude of me," smiled the Digimon, "My name is Devimon. And I'm simply looking for a friend."
Impmon raised an eyebrow, "A friend?"
Devimon nodded, "Well, more of a partner you could say. See, I had arrived here with DeviDramon, but the fool got defeated by another Digimon and his ridiculous tamer."
"And why does a Digimon like you need a partner?"
"Digimon don't survive long in the human world alone for a reason. I'm no fool, I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to come here. And I knew that I couldn't do it alone."
"And what? You're asking me to join you?" he asked curiously.
"Minds that think alike, get along," he nodded, "You and I, we seem to have the same viewpoint on humans. That's a rarity to find nowadays among Digimons. The fools are so desperate to Digivolve, they'll take the easy route to achieve it."
"Huh. Well, what do you know?" smiled Impmon, "We do think alike."
"See? So, what do you say? Care to join me creating chaos here in the human world?"
Impmon thought about it. He really thought about it. Aligning himself with a human was... inconceivable. But another Digimon? Well, that could work out, but then again...
"Nope," he finally answered.
Devimon blinked, clearly taken aback by the response. "W-what?"
"No offense big guy," Impmon waved his hand, "But, I got a reputation to keep: Impmon works alone."
Devimon blinked. Obviously the Digimon doesn't take rejection well.
"Thanks for the offer though," Impmon turned around, "But, you're going to have to find somebody else."
And as Impmon began to walk away, he felt his confidence begin to dampen the fear that Devimon had created. The Digimon may look tough, but if he needed a partner to survive the human world, then he couldn't be that strong. Impmon has been alone for as long as he can remember, and he was still alive and intact.
"I can help you Digivolve."
Impmon stopped in his tracks.
"I helped DeviDramon reach the form that he had. Imagine what I can do with you."
Impmon didn't move.
"Those kids and their Digimon pets will learn to fear you. You will be stronger than ever before.
"I'll give you some time to think about my offer."
By the time Impmon finally turned around to give him a piece of his mind, Devimon was gone.
"What are you guys doing?"
Naruto watched curiously as Growlmon and Takato did a handstand in the middle of a clearing in the park. Naruto stood from a distance, staring at the scene with childish curiosity.
"Trying to get Growlmon to de-Digivolve," Takato struggled to answer as his hands began to shake from the strength it took to keep him up.
They had been trying various attempts to get Growlmon to De-Digivolve back into Guilmon ever since the end of the battle against Devidramon last night. The whole night had been spent running, stretching, and even praying. When Takato finally gave up for the night and decided to continue the next day, he realized that he couldn't exactly fit Growlmon back in his old hiding place with the size he was now.
So he had hidden him in the tunnels beneath the city, but after a surprise attack from Impmon, Growlmon was forced to leave and seek out Takato who had already been in his room trying to fall asleep. So they decided to continue their journey to get Growlmon back into a decent size.
Naruto laughed, "You guys are weird."
Before either boys could react, Growlmon cried out and fell backwards from his handstand. His massive weight caused a small tremor that made Takato lose his balance and fall from his handstand as well, crying out in the process.
Naruto laughed again while pointing a finger at their really uncomfortable looking position.
Takato glared at the young boy, but didn't say anything as he untangled his limbs and sat up.
"Well, you guys look like you're having fun."
Naruto's laugh stopped and he turned to greet Henry and Terriermon with a smile. "Henry! Ooh, and Terriermon!"
Terriermon cringed as Naruto made his way over to him and grabbed him by his middle, pulling him away from Henry's shoulder who simply stared at the scene with nothing short of amusement.
"H-Hey, Naruto," Terriermon managed to stammer as Naruto squeezed him into a hug.
"Hey Henry/Terriermon!" Greeted both Takato and Growlmon.
"You guys still attempting to de-Digivolve Growlmon?" asked Henry.
Takato nodded, "Yep, but no success so far. How did you get Terriermon to go back to normal after Digivolving?"
Henry tapped his chin with his finger in thought, "Well, he went back to normal after a while. I honestly don't think I did anything." He looked at Growlmon who had walked to meet up with both Naruto and Terriermon who was finally free from the blonde's grasp. "I know it didn't take as long for him to de-Digivolve as it's taking Growlmon though."
Takato sighed in disappointment. "I don't know what to do. I mean, what if he remains stuck like this forever?"
"That would be so cool!" Takato looked to the side to see that Naruto had abandoned both Digimon and moved in with the two young boys, joining in on their conversation.
"No, it wouldn't be cool," Takato spoke softly, "Growlmon is too big to hide, at this point he could be seen by other people."
Naruto pouted, "He still looks really cool though," he grumbled.
"Well, did you try using the card backwards?"
"Yup, no dice..."
Naruto perked up when he heard a loud 'snap' that apparently hadn't reached Takato's and Henry's ears. The conversation between the two boys faded away and he turned around to catch a glimpse of what had made the noise. When he caught sight of something purple, he moved faster than the eye could blink.
"See you guys later!" he yelled as he ran in the direction of the purple blur.
"Naruto!" cried Takato after him.
Henry smiled when the boy obviously ignored Takato as he disappeared among the trees, "That kid never listens to you, does he?"
"No," he replied miserably.
"IMPMOOOOON!"
He had seen him.
Shit. He hadn't meant to have made it obvious that he had been there the whole time at the park, watching as the idiotic boy vainly attempted to turn Growlmon back to normal.
He hadn't even meant to be there in the first place.
"IMPMOOON!"
Impmon jumped from branch to branch, flabbergasted over the fact that the kid managed to keep up with him.
"STAY AWAY!" he yelled back.
"Come on, Impmon!" Naruto continued to run on the ground beneath Impmon, trying desperately to catch up with him. How he had so much stamina, Impmon had no idea.
He was tired of this. Shit, he was tired of it. The chasing, the constant pleading... it was pathetic. It pissed him off to no end that 'no' seemed to not be enough for this brat. Pissed him off that he has wasted time with this routine that has become disturbingly familiar.
He was tired of running.
Naruto was taken by surprise when Impmon suddenly stopped jumping and remained standing on a tree branch. The sudden stop caught him off guard and in attempt to get himself to stop he shoved his feet into the dirt and it resulted in him skidding over the ground. The attempt failed him and his eyes widened when he slammed against the bark of the tree.
"Ow," he whimpered as he rubbed his forehead and sat up on the ground.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?!"
Naruto looked up and flinched when he saw the furious expression on Impmon's face.
"How many times do I have to tell you?" he growled out, "Why would I ever want to be with an idiot like you?! You have no skills, no talent, you think that Digimon are nothing but 'cool' pets, don't you?"
Naruto's eyes widened.
"You're freaking weak! Even if I wanted a partner, I would never choose you!
"I wouldn't ever be your partner even if my life depended on it!"
There. He was done. He finally let it all out, and it was like he had finally removed a thorn from his hip that had been bothering him for the longest time. He slumped slightly once the storm was over, and attempted to catch his breath which had escaped him along with the violent words he had released in the boy's direction.
And he felt relieved. Relieved that he had finally vented out all his frustrations and anger. And he hoped that, for once, the boy might catch on and leave him alone.
But, when Impmon looked up at the boy to see his expression, he had expected tears or sadness to fuel his determination and glee, instead, there was anger.
"Stop lying to yourself."
Impmon was surprised by the cold tone on the boy's voice. A tone he had never imagined could emit from the naive blonde.
"W-What?" he asked.
"If you don't want to be my partner," he continued, "Then why are you always following us around?!"
Impmon flinched.
"I know that you were there when Guilmon-nii fought that Digimon! I know that you always watch us from a distance when you think we can't see you! Like right now! So, if you don't want a partner, then why do you make it seem like you do?!"
Impmon gaped. He was left speechless. There was no answer he could give to such an accusation, because truthfully, he had no answer. Why was he always following those brats around? He would lie to himself and say that he enjoyed watching them make fools of themselves. It was entertaining.
But, that wasn't true. At least, not entirely.
He just didn't want to attest to the truth.
He clenched his teeth angrily. The kid was cheating. He was throwing all of Impmon's insecurities and desires in his face, and he seemed to be aware that he was doing it. How old was he? Eight? How could a runt like him read him like that?
No, he didn't know who Impmon was. What he was capable of, what he wanted, why he did the things he did. The kid was just bluffing - just throwing around words and hoping that they would have an effect on Impmon. Well, he wouldn't let him.
He was not going to give him the fucking satisfaction.
"What do you even know about being partners, huh?! Do you even have friends?!"
Naruto froze. Impmon's lips stretched into a satisfied smirk at Naruto's expression.
"Those two idiots aren't your friends, they're just stuck with you, aren't they?! They have no choice but to let you hang around them!
"What could an idiot like you know? Why should I hang out with a loser like you?!"
And with that, he didn't await for a response. He simply turned and left. But, if he had stayed behind for just a little while longer, he would've realized that he wouldn't have gotten a response anyway.
For the first time, in a long time, Naruto was left speechless.
Red eyes glinted from the shadows, and the creature smirked.
"How does a signal like that just disappear?"
Mitsuo was left baffled as he continued to stare at the empty screen before him. The red dot had disappeared last night, and the cause remained unknown.
It frustrated him, the way many other things frustrated him.
"Sir!"
"What?"
The young woman in the seat looked rather alarmed when he turned back to face her.
"T-that's impossible?"
"Damn it, what is?!" he cried out louder as his frustration grew.
"T-there's a possibility that that Digimon may have not been alone."
Mitsuo's eyes widened behind his shades. "W-what?
He was on the swings again. He was always there whenever he felt down.
That's just one of the many things she had noticed about him.
Suzie tilted her head curiously as her seating partner swung halfheartedly on the only tree swing in the entire park where her brother had dropped her off in the playground area with other kids before running off.
If his expression was anything to learn from, he definitely felt down.
"What's wrong, Naruto-kun?"
The young boy stopped swinging. Suzie's eyes widened when he lifted his head and allowed her to see the two usually bright orbs unusually cold and empty.
No, he wasn't just 'down'. It was way worse.
"Oh, hey, Suzie," he greeted quietly.
"H... hey," she replied unsure.
His eyes weren't meeting hers. They normally did. Naruto was the kind of person who always made sure to look people right in the eye when he spoke to them.
"Are you okay, Naruto-kun?"
It was a few seconds before he nodded solemnly.
Suzie had no idea what to do. It was obvious that he wasn't 'okay'. She saw it in the way he slumped in his seat, in his vacant expression, and the way his legs made the most subtle effort to go back and forth and swing in his seat.
"Hey!" she spoke more cheerily in an effort to lift his mood, "Have you got any pranks planned for Monday?" she asked excitedly.
"Nah," he replied, "Not today."
Suzie's confidence dropped. Well, that didn't go so well.
"What's wrong?" she asked again.
The swinging stopped again, and for a moment, Suzie dreaded ever asking the question as the boy remained still.
"Hey, Suzie, are we... friends?"
Suzie flinched, the question taking her by surprise. Never had she expected something like that to come out of the blonde's lips.
Her hands clenched into fists, and before she could stop herself, the next thing she knows, she is driving her fist upside the blonde's head.
Naruto cried out as a small bump formed at the top of his head, which he immediately clenches with his hands in an effort to ease the pain.
"W-what was that for?!" he yelled angrily.
"For being a baka*!"
Naruto froze.
"What kind of question is that?!" she asked angrily.
Sure, they only spoke at school. Sure, they weren't able to hang out after school because Naruto left with Takato and Suzie had to leave with Henry. Sure, most of the kids at their school didn't like Naruto and they always told her she should stay away from him. But, Naruto has been the person she has shared a seat with since... well, since forever.
"Of course we're friends!"
How could he have forgotten the various times they've played together during recess? How could he forget all the times they've joked around in class? How could he have forgotten the first time they met?
"Leave her alone, you idiots!"
The day when he defended her from the bullies that even her brother had been unaware of. The day he stood up for her when she couldn't, and took the fists as punishment.
"How could you even ask something like that?!"
Naruto's eyes widened. And slowly, a small smile spread across facial features.
"Yeah... that was stupid of me, huh?"
Suzie nodded furiously, obviously still angered over it.
"Sorry, Suzie," he apologized, "Today's just been a rough day, that's all."
"Well, it's about to get rougher from here on out, kid."
Naruto had no time to react to the voice behind him. The last thing he saw, was Suzie's horrified expression. And the last thing he heard, was her horrified scream as a hit even stronger than Suzie's fists struck him from behind and darkness overtook him.
Takato sighed as he finally arrived home. He was back unusually early, but the day had been tiring and once Guilmon was back to normal after a long night and day of trying to get him to de-Digivolve, the only thing he wanted to do was to make sure he was hidden back safely in his hideout so he could go home and finish his homework.
Unfortunately, that's not what he got.
"I'm home!" he greeted as he open the door to his parent's bakery.
"Wait, he's here I'll ask him. Takato!"
Takato's mother removed the phone from her ear and turned to Takato with a worried expression.
"Yeah?" he asked, his mother's worry reaching out towards him.
"Have you seen Naruto? Tsunade-san says that he should've been home by now."
"Huh? I thought he had gone home," Takato responded, feeling the tinge of worry sparking in his heart, "He was with Henry and me at the park, but -"
His cellphone's ring caught him by surprise, and Takato reached into his pockets to pull it out.
"Hello?"
"Takato?" Henry's alarmed voice sounded through the device, and Takato swore he could hear a little girl crying from the other side as well.
"Henry?"
"Meet me at the park." He demanded.
"What?"
"Now!"
Takato turned to look at his mother's worried expression, and, not for the first time today, he felt a sense of panic ignite within himself as he realized that the day wasn't over and it would be a while before he could come home and rest.
Today, was just getting better and better.
He was walking around the park blindly. The sun was going down, and though he had planned to avoid this particular area after the confrontation that took place earlier, he doubted that Naruto would show his face here after the harsh words Impmon had thrown his way.
The boy's expression had been damn near broken by the time he had left.
Not that he cared. Impmon had let his feelings be heard and now, he could truly be at peace with no more brats running after him in an effort to tie him down to one person with a ball and chain.
And yet, there was a small, teeny tiny part of him that felt... guilty.
He shook it off. "You did what you had to," he muttered to himself.
"Of course you did," Impmon flinched and whipped around to see the same Devimon from before floating in front of him. "Not like you had much of a choice either," smirked the taller Digimon. "The brat needed to be taught a lesson, and you taught a heck of a lesson."
"What do you want?" he asked, hiding the same fear he had felt just earlier in the day when he had been confronted by the same Digimon.
"Have you thought about my offer?"
Impmon frowned and crossed his arms, "How many times do I have to tell you? No means no. Impmon works alone."
Devimon's grin, however, didn't disappear with Impmon's answer. In fact, it just seemed to grow.
"Then, maybe you'll change your mind after what I show you."
Impmon's frown disappeared, his curiosity flared. "Show me what?"
Devimon extended his long arm, "Follow me, and I'll show you."
Impmon was a Digimon that, admittedly, has made some pretty regrettable choices in the past. Still, that never stopped him from making certain decisions that still placed a large amount of doubt in his heart.
So, when he proceeded to follow Devimon, he knew that this was going to be one of those decisions.
It was already nighttime by the time Takato got to Guilmon's hideout, where he saw Henry along with Terriermon standing in front of the gates with worried expressions on their faces.
He ran towards them and stopped to catch his breath. "What happened?" he asked.
Henry sighed, "Suzie got home an hour ago," he started, "She said that she had been with Naruto when a 'scary monster' attacked him from behind and took him away."
Takato's eyes widened, the panic that had been building up since his mother got that phone call from Tsunade grew, and it took all his will power to not crumble to the ground before his friends and have a panic attack right then and there.
"Shit," he clenched his head with his hands, "Shitshitshitshitshit."
"Calm down, Takato," Henry grabbed him from the shoulders, "We're going to find him."
"That is, if he's still there," Takato found himself whispering.
"Well, that's a pessimistic way to look at things," commented Terriermon.
Henry rolled his eyes, "Suzie said that the Digimon took Naruto with it, that means that it clearly wants him for something. He's still there."
Takato took a deep breath, and nodded. His eyes narrowed and he looked at his partner who had gotten out of the cage. He looked angry. His yellow, vibrant eyes were narrowed, and he was clearly ready for battle.
"You ready?" asked Takato. Guilmon nodded.
"I also called Rika," commented Henry, "She said it was none of her business that Naruto was missing, but once I mentioned a Digimon was involved... well, I know she's going to be there."
Takato nodded. The more help, the better.
For two years now, Takato has been in charge of Naruto as his babysitter. And throughout that time, the boy has become like the little brother he had never had. He was responsible for him, and he couldn't fail him now.
They were going to find him.
If it wasn't already too late.
His head hurt.
That was the first thing he noticed when consciousness began to drift into his mind.
His head throbbed with an intense pain unlike one he'd ever felt before, and it made him groan as his eyes blinked open, only to be greeted with darkness.
'Where am I?' he thought as he tried to look around, but it was no use. The entire place was dark.
He attempted to sit up, only to realize that his hands were tied behind from the wrists, along with his ankles. Panic began to course through his veins as he writhed in the coils tied around his limbs.
'What is this?'
"HELP!" he cried out. The sound of his cry echoed back to him like a broken record, and Naruto's headache became more painful as the sound bounced back loudly.
"Is anybody out there?" More echoes.
He silently cursed a word he's heard Tsunade-baachan use before when she thought Naruto couldn't hear.
He didn't know what happened. The last thing he remembered was being in the swing at the park when Suzie showed up and then...
Oh, no.
'Suzie!'
Questions immediately began to run around his already panicked mind. Was Suzie alright? Was she hurt? Did whoever kidnap him get her, too? Was she somewhere around here?
"SUZIEE!"
When nothing but his voice was the only thing that answered back, Naruto slumped back to the ground. He attempted to sit up once again, which was easier said than done when you had your hands tied behind your back. After struggling for what felt like forever, Naruto finally managed to sit up...
... And immediately began to cry.
Naruto hasn't been in many scary situations before. But, there had been one particular scenario that had completely frightened him and almost made him "have an accident." Back when he had been taken hostage by a thief in the middle of the night on his way to school to get ready for a prank he had planned the day before. In that moment, the fear had been like nothing he had ever felt before.
This, was that scenario multiplied by ten.
Tears streamed silently down his cheeks. Despite his fear, Naruto wasn't one who particularly enjoyed showing such an emotion to those around him. It made him feel weak. And he hated feeling weak. He had vowed long ago that he would remain strong for those around him, and right now, he was breaking that promise.
"HELP!" He cried out once again. But, there was no use. Wherever he was, he doubted that anybody could hear him.
So he sat there, and wept as quietly as he could.
Until his ears picked up the sound of small footsteps in the darkness.
His eyes widened and he looked up. He tried vainly to somehow see through the darkness to catch sight of whoever had entered the building. But, it's not like he had night vision to help with that.
So when the lights turned on and Naruto was forced to close his eyes when the rays stabbed painfully into his eyes, he had been slightly relieved.
But, when he finally opened his eyes and he saw the two forms that stood at the entrance of the abandoned warehouse he seemed to be in, that relief was replaced by fear.
And for the second time in his life, Naruto almost had another "accident".
They had been walking for a while now. Impmon felt slightly offended; here was a Digimon who could fly faster than a cheetah could run, but he had opted to walk just so Impmon could follow.
Sure, he couldn't fly or even hope to keep up to the older Digimon's speed. But, still...
"We're almost there," spoke Devimon as he walked in front of him.
Impmon opted not to answer. That's what he's been saying for the past twenty-something blocks since even before they reached the shady part of the city - where the lights flickered like those in horror movies and buildings were barely standing and nearly abandoned.
"So, tell me," spoked Impmon as they continued to move through the darkness. "Why me? I mean, why not any other Digimon?"
"As I've said before, the Digimon here are foolish. Most of them either seek to find a human partner to help them Digivolve, or they become careless and allow themselves to be defeated by weaklings, like DeviDramon had allowed himself to be," answered Devimon.
"I don't know if you noticed earlier pal, but I wasn't even able to stand a chance against your old 'friend'." Crap. Admitting that hurt his pride a lot more than he thought it would.
"Maybe so," smirked Devimon, "But, you've got potential. I can tell. And if you join me, well, I can help put that potential to good use."
Impmon stared at Devimon's back before shifting his eyes to the ground and contemplating his words. The offer did sound enticing. And if Devimon was able to help DeviDramon become who he was before his demise at the hands of Growlmon, then who's to say that he wouldn't be able to help Impmon become stronger? And even better: Digivolve?
He hadn't exactly been successful out on his own in the human world, and though he had refused the idea of a partner for so long, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to align himself with Devimon. They did think alike. And having a strong Digimon such as Devimon by his side could help his reputation.
"Stop lying to yourself!"
He shook his head as the words from earlier today passed through his mind. No. He definitely wasn't going to think about that now.
Curse his betraying mind.
Impmon didn't notice that Devimon had finally stopped until he bumped against his leg.
His really hard leg.
"We're here."
Impmon groaned as he rubbed his forehead, but he looked up at the building that Devimon was staring at with an exciting glint in his red eyes that made him unusually uncomfortable.
It was obvious that the building had been abandoned a long time ago; the windows were all but shattered, and the wood was rotting after years of mistreatment.
It didn't look like a cozy place. Or even one that would last long before it completely fell apart.
Devimon glanced at Impmon who was busy staring at the tall building with something akin to doubt, and motioned towards the entrance with his head. "Come on."
Devimon walked through the doors and disappeared into the darkness within. Impmon stared at the open doors for a minute before he too followed.
Despite his lack of abilities in various fields, Impmon did have good vision and was able to easily follow Devimon's form through the darkness as they twisted and turned through various hallways.
He felt uneasy. There was something about this situation that wasn't... right. His gut was telling him to turn and run away as fast as possible from this place before he did something that he'll never be able to take back, but there was another part of him that threatened him to stay, or else, he'll regret it.
When Devimon stopped in the middle of an entrance to another room, Impmon stood still right behind him as the Digimon's large hand reached towards the wall and flicked something that might've been a light switch.
Impmon clenched his eyes shut as a set of lights illuminated the entire room, stabbing his corneas like they were knives.
When he opened them again, they widened as he felt his heart fall to the ground in between his feet and shatter into a million pieces.
He really regretted not walking away from the building the minute he laid eyes on it.
Naruto gaped at the two creatures that stood before him. One of them he could easily recognize (he'd recognize him from a mile away), but the other one... the other one looked like a monster straight out of his nightmares.
Its blood red eyes watched his trembling form with something that seemed like amusement and sadistic glee. Like just watching the young boy bound and helpless made him happy.
"I got you a gift."
Naruto had a feeling that the creature's cold voice wasn't directed at him, but that didn't stop the chills from travelling wildly up and down his spine.
Impmon stood next to the frightening creature with an expression of shock. Like he hadn't expected Naruto to be here at all, even though the blond suspected the small Digimon had been a part of this all along in an effort to get revenge against him for everything he had done since they've met.
Well, just another regret to add to Naruto's long-ass list.
"I know how much this brat has been a nuisance to you."
All Naruto did was blink, and the creature was standing there before him, his towering form creating a shadow that completely covered his own smaller body. Panic coursed through his veins and fear gripped his heart tightly, as the creature smiled evilly at the young boy.
"So, I decided to give you a choice..."
Naruto cried out as the monster picked him up by the scruff of his jacket, his legs kicked back and forth but it did no effect on the creature even when his feet made contact with the monster's marked chest.
Devimon turned his head to face Impmon, who stood frozen with a shocked expression still glued to his face. Devimon smirked.
"To permanently get rid of the vermin that's been following you around like a disease."
"Damn it. Where the hell are we going?"
They had been running for hours. Or at least, it felt like hours.
Guilmon was following the Digimon's trail like a good tracking dog, but so far they had been led to a part of the city that not even Takato remembered ever existing and he was beginning to doubt his fellow partner's capability to track wild Digimon.
"We have to be getting closer," said Henry as he ran alongside him, "It obviously knew that we would go after Naruto, which means that this Digimon had planned this already. He knew about us. And Naruto."
Takato's heart dropped even further down his body at Henry's statement. If that was true... if what Henry said was true... then what was to say that this whole thing wasn't his fault?
Takato was the one that introduced Naruto to the Digimon world because of his carelessness. If he had just bothered to check that Naruto had stayed home like he had told him, then they wouldn't be in this situation.
It was all his fault...
"Hey!"
Takato was brought back to the real world by Henry's cry, and he glanced at his friend running beside him.
"Stop blaming yourself. It's not your fault."
Takato's eyes widened at Henry's comment. And even though he didn't believe Henry's words for even a minute, he still nodded in appreciation to his friend's effort to comfort him.
"Momentai, Takato. Momentai."
That's true. Henry and Terriermon had a point; he could blame himself for this later. But, right now...
... There were more important things to deal with than guilt.
He couldn't move. Hell, he didn't even think he was breathing. Time had stood still and all Impmon could do was stand frozen in shock in front of the entrance to this God-forsaken room.
Devimon stood there with an arrogant grin as he held Naruto by his jacket, with the boy squirming in his grip in a lame attempt to get the tall Digimon to release him.
"Come on Impmon," he heard Devimon's voice cut through the haze that clouded his mind. "I know how much you hate the kid," Naruto cried as he was shaken roughly by Devimon's hand, "Don't tell me you don't feel the need to get rid of him once and for all."
No. He didn't. Sure, he thought the blond was annoying, but that didn't mean he wanted the kid dead. No. He hated humans, sure, but never to that point. Never.
"If you don't do it, then I'm going to have to do it myself."
Impmon's eyes widened along with Naruto's as Devimon tapped Naruto's small chest with a clawed finger.
"W-wait!" He took a step forward.
"Well, come on," encouraged Devimon, "I don't have all day.
"I'm only giving you what you wanted all along."
Impmon's eyes widened. Is that what this guy thought Impmon wanted? That he wanted Naruto dead? That he wanted to kill humans?
"These creatures are pathetic, don't you agree?" spoke Devimon again. "The way they walk around like cockroaches and talk big, but their bite doesn't even tickle."
Naruto's tears continued to stream, and though the boy bit his lips and glared at Devimon in an attempt to appear intimidating, Impmon could see the boy's fear as clear as rain. And he was reminded of his own earlier attempts to appear fearless in front of this Digimon that was obviously way out of his league.
"They're so annoying, really. A nuisance," Devimon continued.
"It would just be better if we got rid of them, once and for all."
Impmon felt a small sense of relief when Devimon moved his clawed hand away from Naruto's chest, and extended his long arm towards Impmon.
"Join me, Impmon. Let's show these foolish humans, who truly is the superior being."
Devimon had expected the silence. He had expected a loud, vehement 'Yes!'. He had expected a murderous glint in those eyes.
What he hadn't expected - what neither of them had expected - was the sound of booming laughter erupting from Impmon's very own lips.
Devimon and Naruto blinked, completely baffled as the small Digimon clutched his stomach and laughed boisterously.
Even Impmon was taken by surprise as he crumbled to the ground and rolled around in a fit of laughter that didn't seem like it would stop any time soon.
Finally, Impmon's laughter slowly died out and he sat up, wiping a tear from his eyes as he faced Devimon with the same mischievous expression he wears most of his days.
"Hell no! Are you stupid?"
Devimon frowned. "What?" he growled out.
"Why the hell would I waste my time eliminating those pesky humans?" he asked, "I got better things to do!
"I want to show everybody in this God-forsaken world that I'm strong, and I can't do that if I eliminate all the coherent creatures in existence no matter how stupid they are!"
Devimon's eyes widened. But, the moment his shocked expression scrunched up into one of pure anger, Impmon knew...
... He fucked up.
"Why you - Gah!"
Devimon pulled his arm back and released Naruto from his grasps when he felt a stabbing pain his hand. The little shit had bitten him.
He held his hand in pain and he glared at the young boy that met his own gaze with a furious glare of his own. Well, the little shit had balls, he'll give him that.
"You little...!"
Impmon's eyes widened as Devimon pulled his arm back and got ready to stab Naruto the way he had been planning to earlier.
He saw Naruto's eyes widen in fear as he moved at a speed he never knew he possessed. Before he knew it, he was right in front of the blond and stood before Devimon. Devimon stopped his attack and stared at Impmon with a curious expression, before his red eyes glinted menacingly.
"So, this is what you choose, huh?"
Impmon didn't answer as he stood still between Naruto and Devimon with a determined expression in his face.
"Impmon," whispered Naruto.
"Very well then," a dark orb formed in Devimon's palm, but still Impmon didn't budge.
"Then you can go ahead and die with him!"
"Diamond Storm!"
Devimon didn't even flinch as the sharpened leaves struck his back, not even leaving a mark in the process.
Impmon's eyes widened as he saw Renamon appear near the entrance with his partner, Rika he believed, running to her side.
"Oh, look," spoke Devimon as he looked at both fighters, "Even more scum."
Rika pulled out her Digivice and a hologram with Devimon's image appeared on the screen.
"Devimon, the Champion form of... Impmon?" Rika's eyes widened. "His attacks include 'The Touch of Evil' and 'Death Hand.'
"Shit," she cursed. "This one's going to be a tough one. You ready Renamon?"
Renamon glanced back at his partner and nodded.
"Awww, how sweet, you actually think you can take me on?" mocked Devimon.
"Renamon, let's show this bastard whose boss."
Renamon didn't respond before she jumped into the air and a group of glowing shards formed around her, which proceeded to strike Devimon.
"Diamond Storm!"
Devimon didn't even bother to dodge the attack, and let it make contact with his body that stood unharmed.
"Oh, please." The dark orb formed in his pal once again, and a blast of dark energy was unleashed.
"Death Hand!"
Renamon's eyes widened as the attack came towards her at an unprecedented speed that took her by surprise. She barely managed to dodge the move and glanced back as it struck the wall behind her and exploded, creating a massive hole.
'So fast,' she awed, 'And powerful.'
"Renamon, look out!"
Renamon's eyes widened when Devimon appeared right in front of her, his elongated hands reached towards her and grasped onto her shoulders before she could move. His red eyes glowed and a dark aura emanated from his body that continued to spread over to Renamon's own.
"The Touch of Evil."
Renamon's eyes widened before her body slumped forward slightly, and her own blue eyes turned into a vibrant red similar to Devimon's own. Devimon released his grasp on the fox Digimon, and smirked as the dark aura continued to surround Renamon.
Rika's eyes widened as she watched her own partner be caught in a trance-like state.
"There we go, good girl," purred the dark Digimon, "Now, do me a favor," he pointed a clawed finger at the shocked Rika who stood from a distance, "Get rid of that pestilence."
Rika's eyes widened even more as her partner turned to look at her with those bright, red eyes that shone menacingly in her direction.
"R-Renamon?"
Renamon didn't seem to hear her as she took a step towards her, forcing Rika to take a step back in fear.
"Renamon! Snap out of it!" she yelled in an attempt to reach her friend. Who was for some reason following Devimon's orders.
"Sorry, she won't listen to you," Devimon chuckled as he placed his hand on Renamon's shoulder, who didn't even flinch upon the contact, "Your partner's under my control now."
Rika's eyes widened. Every cell in her body was telling her to run. To turn tail and get out as fast as she could. But, she wasn't stupid. She knew that no matter how fast she could run, she could never hope to outrun somebody like Renamon whose talent laid in stealth.
Before Renamon could proceed with Devimon's orders, she cried out when she felt a burning sensation hit her back.
"Hey! Don't you dare forget about me!"
The three fighters turned to see Impmon, standing a couple of feet in front of a scared Naruto who watched the scene taking place with a mix of awe, fear, and admiration.
"You stupid fox! This battle is mine! Bada Boom!"
Renamon moved to the side to avoid Impmon's fire, but didn't move to attack him back.
Devimon scoffed, "Oh, I'm going to deal with you personally, alright," he spoke.
"Renamon, you deal with the human girl," he ordered her before glaring at Impmon who stood tall in the face of adversity, "I got him."
Renamon didn't need to be told twice, she jumped in the air and the same crystal leaves from before formed around her. Rika's eyes widened as she recognized the attack and noticed that it was directed towards her.
Impmon formed another fireball in an attempt to stop the attack, but Devimon's body slamming against his own and into a wall stopping his attack from even forming.
"Impmon!" cried out Naruto as a cloud of dust formed over the wall where both Digimon had slammed against, creating another hole through the wood of the building.
"Diamond Storm!"
Naruto's eyes widened and he turned to see Renamon's attack flying towards Rika, who put her arms over her head and closed her eyes in fear.
"Pyro Blast!"
A large ball of fire appeared from the entrance and hit Renamon's attack, completely destroying the shards before it could hit Rika.
Rika's eyes widened and she looked up to see Henry, Takato, Guilmon, and Terriermon running through the entrance before stopping next to her.
"Whoa, what happened to Renamon?" asked Takato as he took in Renamon's dark and trance-like appearance.
"The Digimon has him under control," explained Rika.
"What Digimon?" asked Henry.
"Henry." Henry glanced at his partner who had a worried and almost fearful expression on his face.
"What is it?" he asked his partner with a hint of concern.
"Impmon!"
The three tamers and two Digimon turned to the other side of the room where they saw an injured Impmon flying across the air before skidding over the dirty floor. His body stopped in the middle of the room, but he didn't move and simply attempted to catch his breath.
Takato's eyes widened as he caught sight of Naruto, completely bound and writhing in an attempt to make his binds loosen up. "Naruto!" he cried out.
"Renamon! Get rid of those kids and their Digimon!"
Henry's and Takato's eyes widened at the tall dark Digimon that appeared on the other side of the room, walking towards Impmon's still form.
"W-what kind of Digimon is that?" asked Takato.
"Devimon," answered Rika, "The Champion level form of Impmon," the others' eyes widened.
"Impmon?" asked a shocked Takato.
"He's awfully strong, too," continued Rika. Her hands clenched into fists as Renamon proceeded to take a battle stance when Guilmon crouched threateningly and Terriermon jumped from Henry's shoulder in order to confront her. "He managed to take control over Renamon."
"What?!" cried out both Henry and Takato.
"How is that even possible?" asked Henry.
Rika shook her head. "I don't know. But, I have a feeling we're going to have to defeat him in order to release Renamon."
"Easier said than done when you've got Renamon going all evil on us," commented Takato. When Rika turned to glare at him, he chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"Leave him alone!"
Takato's eyes widened when another concern of his came back to haunt him. He turned to see Naruto struggling to his feet as Devimon walked slowly towards the downed Impmon.
"Shit! Naruto!"
"Wait, Takato!"
Takato didn't heed Henry's call as he ran towards Naruto. It was that mistake that nearly cost him his life.
Renamon moved faster than the eye could blink, and Takato's eyes widened as she appeared before him with an arm pulled back and ready to strike.
He froze in fear, as time slowed down and he saw Renamon's fist move slowly towards his abdomen. But, before the fist could strike, Renamon was shoved back by a red blur that slammed against her side.
"Get away from Takato!"
Takato mentally thanked Guilmon as he shoved Renamon away from him and proceeded to battle her with Terriermon joining in.
"Thanks guys! Keep her busy!" he called out as he continued to run towards Naruto, who continued to struggle in his bonds.
Impmon slowly pushed himself off the ground and glared at the dark Digimon that walked slowly towards him, almost mockingly.
Before he could completely lift himself up though, Devimon stomped a foot onto his back, making him cry out in pain.
"Gyah!"
"Tsk tsk tsk. Foolish Impmon," spoke Devimon, "I guess I overestimated you."
He shoved his foot deeper into Impmon's back, who attempted to bite his cries of pain off by biting his lips, only to fail.
"Here I thought you were smarter than all those other Digimon, but I was wrong. I offered you a shot at something great, and instead you decided to make me look like a fool."
Devimon bent down and leaned to whisper in Impmon's ear, "Do you know how pissed I get when somebody makes me look like a fool?"
Another Dark Orb formed in Devimon's palm.
"Very."
Impmon's eyes widened. Death was here. It was winking at him from Devimon's palm.
And for some reason, despite the dread that he felt upon the idea of confronting Death here and now, he felt ready. Sure it sucked. It's not like it had been his dream to die and be absorbed as data by another Digimon that was a total a-hole. But, at least he'd go down fighting.
That was his way.
So he smirked. His swollen eyes glinted mischievously as he met Devimon's own red ones.
"Well, you don't need me to make yourself look like an idiot."
Devimon frowned, and Impmon's heart smiled in satisfaction.
"Just die."
He had expected the darkness. Expected the end. Expected the peace and finality of death as he disintegrated into small pieces of data that would continue to live on in a different Digimon as a source of power.
What he hadn't expected, was for a yellow blur to appear in front of him.
Nor had he expected the cries of fear and pain as somebody met their end.
TBC...
A/N: Holy krappu this is one of the longest chapters I've ever written.
I hope you guys enjoyed!~ If you have any questions about certain things in this story that you need clarifying, feel free to PM me.
suntan140: Awww, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! And yup. That is coming up pretty soon! :D
zerox (Guest): Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! :DDD
0 Jordinio 0: God, I know! Switching between past and present tense is a bad habit of mine. I've been trying to fix that, but it still happens from time to time, sadly. I really appreciate you reading this story and taking the time to review :). What I don't appreciate, however, is what you said about my beta. You can be as honest as you want with me, I honestly don't care and I appreciate constructive criticism. However, that last statement of yours wasn't constructive criticism, that was plain rude. Even the fact that you cursed in your review is rude, and that is something I don't appreciate. My beta, mellra, is one of the best ones I've ever had and he helps me with my stories to the best of his ability. So you can take that boot and shove it up yours. I will continue to improve my writing and fix those things that you pointed out, thank you for reading and reviewing! :)
thor94: Thank you for reviewing! True, but that's because the previous chapter was only meant to set the stage for this one here. And I rewatched the anime; the twins don't have their D-Arc until after Impmon returns from the Digitial World and reunites with them.
ivan0061509: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter and I hope you enjoyed this just as much!
Radiant Celestial Aura: Thank you! Here is another one!
Thank you all who read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed! it really makes me so happy that people enjoy this story and I appreciate all the constructive criticism I receive from you guys! It helps me improve my writing! :D
As a gift, here's a preview!
Chapter 4: Ties
"YOU IDIOT, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"
"Why...?"
"Cause... we're partners..."
"Is that a..."
"Unbelievable..."
"You fool! Do you honestly believe you can defeat me?!"
DIGIVOLUTION
I want to thank my super-duper awesome mellra for making this chapter possible! :D
Thank you all so much for reading! And I will see you all next time! Arc of Fairies is next in the update list!
And please review if you enjoyed! :D