Author's Note: To those who took the time to review; you are simply amazing. I loved what you had to say. Hopefully now that I have finished uni I won't get so far behind on my updates, I will actually have time to write. I'm currently suffering with conjunctivitis though, so just bear with me until it passes; I won't leave you hanging. This chapter kicks off at the beginning of episode 3 "To Fight or Not To Fight" - and our four Digimon Tamers meet for the first time.

Dedications: Big thank you too: grapejuice101, RHatch89, Something dictionary related, Twilight Dark Angel, Prince of Miracles, SoulVirus, LillyLunaK, Artemis Persephone Jackson and Redder45 for adding this story and/or me to their alerts. Appreciate it.

I don't own Digimon. But I do own any original characters that are of my own design.

Title: Expect the Unexpected

Summary: Kimiko is the estranged daughter of Mitsuo Yamaki. For her fifteenth birthday she acquires the Digimon: Labramon and becomes the fourth Digimon Tamer.

Chapter Two: Making Friends

"Labramon, wait up!"

Labramon bounded faster, weaving her way gracefully through the trees and hopping over bushes to get the fighting arena. She could hear the bangs and crashes of the two Digimon involved, and the commanding shouts of a young girl.

"Digi-modify! Armour activate!"

Kimiko broke through the foliage just in time to see a glove-like blaster cover the fist of a the fox-like Digimon known as Renamon; she positioned it to the side of a red dinosaur's head and prepared to fire. "Oh no!" she gasped.

"This is really bad," a spiky-brown haired boy muttered from the court. He was wearing yellow goggles, a blue shirt and grey pants, complete with yellow wrist bands. "Guilmon, run away!" he yelled to the dinosaur Digimon.

"Now that's more like it," the female on the opposite side of the court said. She had red hair that was styled to resemble the top of a pineapple, and she was wearing dark blue pants with a white and light blue t-shirt with an image of a broken heart on the front.

"Guilmon now would be a really good time for you to start listening to me," the kid closest to Kimiko grumbled.

As if hearing its partner, the red dinosaur known as Guilmon, released Renamon and turned to look at his tamer. "Takatomon?" it questioned, rushing over like a domestic house pet. Renamon fired the gun, but the sonic blast missed the dinosaur and sent her flying across the courtyard instead. "I'm not listening?" Guilmon asked. "Sorry, sorry. Time to play!"

Kimiko couldn't help the small smile on her lips at the child-like voice of the dinosaur. It was obviously a rookie.

"Now's your chance, Renamon," the pineapple-haired girl ordered. "Don't screw up this time!"

Renamon hesitated as Guilmon reached his partner, almost like she was afraid she'd hurt him, or possibly it could've been because he was so close to something that was a little more than just data.

"What's wrong with you?" the pineapple-haired girl snapped. "Hello? Attack, now!"

Renamon nodded once, and jumped into the air.

"Ah, look out!" Kimiko shouted. The brown-haired kid and the dinosaur looked up in surprise, and a shaggy white dog jumped over them, colliding with Renamon and knocking her out of the sky.

"RetrieverG!" Labramon growled. Her jaws widened and she emitted a hyper-oscillation powerful bark.

Renamon grunted as she was thrown backwards again, but landed on her feet. She looked relatively uninjured, but surprised at the sight of the second Digimon.

"Where did that thing come from?" the pineapple-haired female questioned. She held up her D-Power device to retrieve the data download. "Labramon. Beast Digimon. Special attack: RetrieverG."

"What's going on?" asked a fourth voice. Kimiko and the two kids on the court looked around to see a fourth kid standing on the banking overlooking the fighting. He looked be around the same age as them - fifteen - and was wearing brown pants with an orange sleeveless jacket. At his feet was the Digimon, Terriermon.

"It's you," Guilmon's partner said, sounding surprised.

"It's me, it's him, and aren't you happy to see us?" Terriermon laughed, running down the banking towards Guilmon.

"OK. This is getting just a little too weird," the pineapple-haired girl muttered as she stared at the two Digimon that had suddenly appeared in a space of two seconds. "They're popping up everywhere!"

"You looked pretty good there at the end," Terriermon said to Renamon. "But didn't you feel silly getting blasted like that?"

"It's not very smart to mouth off to someone bigger than you," the new kid told his partner.

"Henry," Terriermon replied. "Moumantai."

"You take it easy," the kid - Henry - said. "What are your Digimon fighting about anyway?"

"That's a dumb question," the red-haired female answered. "What else are Digimon supposed to do?"

"Anything they want to do," Henry said. "They're not fighting machines, and their not our slaves or pets, either. They're are friends, you know?" he smiled and hugged Terriermon as the rabbit clambered up onto his shoulder and wrapped an ear around him to hold on. "They just want to do the same sort of things we do."

"Well, Renamon wants to fight," the red-head answered. "So do I for that matter."

"She's harsh," the brown spiky-haired kid said as his challenger walked away. Renamon turned her back on the kids left and followed after her partner. He jumped as a whistle cut through the silence, and turned to find a girl wearing dark jeans, a black graphic t-shirt and her blonde hair plaited down her back standing behind him.

"Labramon, let's go," she said.

"Hey, wait, who are you?" he asked.

"Good question," she said. "Who are you?"

"Uh, Takato. My name's Takato and this is Guilmon," he pointed at the red dinosaur.

"I'm Kimiko and that's Labramon."

"Labramon," Takato said setting his gaze on the dog. "She's your partner?"

"She's my friend," Kimiko replied, "and we're late. Labramon."

"Bye," Labramon barked as she bounded off down the path after Kimiko. "Why didn't you stay? What if that wanna be friends?"

"It's not easy making friends, Labramon," Kimiko replied.

"Not if you keep walking away from them. What was the worse that could've happened, huh?"

Kimiko shrugged and looked down. "I dunno," she said. "I guess I'm so used to being on my own that turning away from an opportunity is a natural thing to do."

"Well, if we see them again," Labramon said. "Can we at least try?"

"Why, are you already tired of it being just you and me?"

Labramon laughed. "Of course not," she said. "I'd be happy for it to be just you and I forever, Kimiko, but you've got to at least try and be happy, right?"

"You sound like Mum," Kimiko giggled.

Labramon yapped rapidly, jumping up onto her partner and nipping at her arm with her teeth. Kimiko laughed and stumbled, before taking off at a fast pace down the bypass with Labramon chasing after her.

~*Expect the Unexpected*~

The next day at school, Kimiko was passing the library when someone called her name. She paused, her hand on the handle, and turned to see one of the kids from yesterday walking towards her. She recognized him as Terriermon's partner.

"Uh, Henry, right?" Kimiko asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" Henry asked.

"I heard Terriermon mention it yesterday," Kimiko answered. "Is everything OK, or did you need something?"

"I, uh, no, I guess I just wanted to say hi, you know?" Henry said, awkwardly. "Uh, where are your friends?"

Kimiko blushed and looked down. "I don't really have any," she answered, pulling open the door to the library. The sound of other students shouting at one another from across the room boomed out, and Kimiko scrunched her face up in annoyance.

"What do you mean?" Henry asked. "Everyone has friends, don't they?"

"Well, what about you?" Kimiko asked. "Where are you friends?"

Henry run a hand through his hair. "Listen, why did you run off yesterday?" he asked.

"I didn't," Kimiko answered, handing her books back to the librarian at the desk. She smiled, and turned back to Henry. "I had to get home. I was late."

"For what?"

"Homework," Kimiko answered, leading the way back out of the library. "Hey, where's Terriermon? I mean, you bring him to school, right?"

"Sometimes," Henry shrugged. "I can't risk leaving him at home."

"Why not?"

"My sister thinks he's a stuffed animal," Henry explained.

"How is that a bad thing?"

"Because she likes to dress him up."

Kimiko giggled into her hand. "Oh, poor Terriermon," she cooed.

"Yeah."

"So, he's at home now?" Kimiko asked. "Terriermon, I mean."

"After yesterday with the principal and Guilmon, I didn't want to risk him being seen," Henry said.

"Yeah, he's not exactly the well-hidden Digimon, is he?" Kimiko asked, walking through the main doors and out into the school yard.

"I don't think he knows the meaning of 'stay hidden'," Henry said.

"Maybe so, but at least you can pass him off as a stuffed animal, eh?"

"True," Henry agreed. "So, I guess this is the end of the line, huh?" he added, seeing as they had reached the gates leading out of the school.

"Yeah. I guess it is," Kimiko said. "So, uh, goodbye... I guess."

"It doesn't have to be a goodbye," Henry said with a shrug. "Maybe a 'see you later'?"

Kimiko bit her lower lip, and nodded. "I think I prefer the 'see you later,'" she admitted.

"Me too," Henry smiled.

Kimiko matched the smile, and took a step back. "So, see you later then," she said, raising her hand in farewell.

"Aren't you going home?"

"Yeah, but I have to get something first," Kimiko said, pointing over her shoulder.

"Oh, uh, OK... see you later," Henry said, leaving the school ground. Kimiko waited until he was out of sight and then rushed off to the old shed behind the school. She checked to make sure the coast was clear, and then opened the door to let Labramon out.

"What's wrong?" Labramon asked, looking up at her tamer. "What's happened?"

"Nothing," Kimiko said. "But I think I may have just made my first friend."

Labramon cocked her head to the side in curiosity.

"Uh, you remember Henry?"

"The kid with Terriermon as a partner, yeah, what about him?"

"Well, I was just talking to him," Kimiko said, slightly awkwardly. "Then we stopped at the gates and instead of saying goodbye, like most other kids, he said see you later."

"And you think that implies something?"

Kimiko shrugged. "I dunno, maybe," she said hopefully. "I mean, I did say goodbye, and he was the one who said it didn't have to be a goodbye."

Labramon chuckled, causing Kimiko to frown.

"What? What's so funny?" she asked.

"You," Labramon said.

"What about me?"

"You like him."

"I do not!"

"You do too."

"Do not!" Kimiko protested, her face burning a warm crimson.

Labramon barked with laughter again, and Kimiko lowered her head in embarrassment. She didn't like Henry... well, he was sorta cute, but she was just a kid and besides she wanted a friend nothing more.

~*Expect the Unexpected*~

"Are we going to stay in again today?" Labramon asked, sitting in front of the bay window. She sighed and lay down on the ground, over-looking the city. From here she could see just about everything, including the Hypnos building where her partner's father worked.

"Why, where else is there to go?" Kimiko asked. "I have no friends, remember?"

"We could go to the park," Labramon suggested. "You never know, Henry and Takato might be there."

Kimiko sighed and looked up from her homework. She'd only been home for nearly an hour, and had decided to get started right away. But it was the weekend, and she could do her homework later that evening, it was relatively easy and it wouldn't take that long to finish.

"Fine," she sighed. "We'll go to the park. But only because you want too, not because Henry and Takato might be there."

"Yeah, yeah," Labramon said, lifting her head from her paws as Kimiko passed. "I'm only trying to help, you know. Give you a little nudge."

"As long as you don't push me, I should be fine."

Labramon rolled her eyes, and padded over to the door as she waited for Kimiko to return. Sometimes she wished that her partner wasn't such an isolated child, but having been with her for a few weeks now she'd already figured out that Kimiko was different. She was a friend that Labramon was happy to have. A friend, not a partner.

Suddenly the door opened, and Labramon looked up into the face of Mitsuo Yamaki.

"Stupid dog!" the man growled, pushing his way into the apartment. "Kimiko, where are you?"

"Dad," Kimiko gasped as she wandered back out in the main room. "What are you doing here?"

"It is my apartment."

"Obviously," Kimiko muttered. "What I meant was what are you doing here now? Don't you usually work late?"

"I came back to change."

"They don't have a changing room at work?"

"I thought you'd be happy that I was home," Mitsuo said. "You're always complaining I'm never around."

Kimiko rolled her eyes. "I'm used to you not being around," she said. "But, whatever. I'm going out. See you tomorrow... maybe."

"And where exactly are you going?" Mitsuo asked.

"The park," Kimiko answered. "Labramon wants to play. Bye."

"Don't forget -" Mitsuo broke off as Kimiko slammed the door behind him. He sighed and put his briefcase to rest on the glass table, and then tossed his jacket over the back of a chair. He hadn't taken more than two steps towards his bedroom when his phone started to ring from the pocket of his jacket. He fished it out, and sighed again as his ex-girlfriend's - Kimiko's mother - name flashed across the screen.

~*Expect the Unexpected*~

"You're too hard on him, you know that?"

"Maybe."

"Why don't you try to get to know him?"

"Because, like I said, I'm used to him not being around. It's hard to break a habit that you're used to, Labramon," Kimiko said, walking away from her father's apartment complex. She was swinging her keys around on her finger, and then stuffed them into her pocket. "I miss Mum."

"It hasn't even been 24 hours yet."

Kimiko sighed. "Exactly," she grumbled. "This week is going to be a long one. I can feel it."

"Maybe if we can make you some friends, it won't feel as long."

"Who's going to want to be friends with me, Labramon?" Kimiko asked. "I'm the school loner. The problem child. No one wants to be friends with some problematic child now, do they?"

"I'm friends with you," Labramon said.

"Yeah, but you're different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"I dunno," Kimiko shrugged. "You tell me."

Kimiko smiled and turned to cross the road. The entrance to the park was just on the other side, but Labramon seemed to have different ideas. Instead she stood up tall, lowered her head and bared her teeth as a deep growl emitted from the back of her throat.

"Huh, what is it, girl?" Kimiko asked. Her D-Power started to glow and emit a noise from inside her pocket, and when she took it out she found a red screen reflected back at her. "Uh, what does this mean?" she asked.

"It means a Digimon battle is happening," Labramon said.

"Really? Where?"

"Down here," Labramon said, charging towards the underground garage ahead.

"Hey, wait, Labramon!" Kimiko yelled. She sighed and chased after the dog, almost crashing into Henry who had arrived at exactly the same time. "Whoa, where did you come from?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Henry said, reaching out and steadying her. "Where you running off too?"

"Labramon says there's a Digital battle going on down here," Kimiko answered, slipping around Henry. "I have to stop her before she gets involved again." She run off into the garage, Henry following at her heels.

Meanwhile, Labramon had reached the battlefield just in time to see Renamon charged Guilmon. "RetrieverG!" she said, barking out her special weapon.

The whole room shook violently, knocking Takato and the red-head over, but Renamon and Guilmon remained motionless. Once the bark had died down, several car alarms started to blare.

"Labramon!" Kimiko scolded as she and Henry finally arrived. "What have I told you about doing that? Especially down here, you're going to get caught - oh no," she added spotting a familiar black SUV. "That's my father's car."

"Oops," Labramon said, knowing that Kimiko'd be in trouble if her father learned that they'd caused his precious car any damage.

The red-head, however laughed when she saw Henry and Terriermon. "You've gotta be kidding me," she said. "Puppy here may be able to do some damage, but you don't expect that weeny little bunny to stand up to Renamon, do you?"

"Who you calling a weeny?" Terriermon asked. "Henry, I think that qualifies as rude."

"Yeah that seems to be going around right now, Terriermon," Henry agreed. "There's a lot about this that I don't understand. It's true that on the net that Digimon are born to fight, but that doesn't mean they should fight here. Don't you get it; they came here for something that they can't on the net."

"Like what?" Kimiko asked.

"I dunno," Henry shrugged. "That's what's bugging me."

"Well, when you figure it out, soccer tease, let me know," the red head said. "Until then, Renamon, you know what I expect."

"As you wish," Renamon said, crossing her arms.

Guilmon growled and charged.

Terriermon giggled as he observed his reflection in the side of the SUV, and then rushed out into the battlefield, putting himself between Renamon's diamond storm attack, and the Guilmon target.

"Oh no!" Kimiko gasped.

"Terriermon!" Henry yelled.

"Get back!" Renamon shouted, but it was too late. The attack had already occurred before Terriermon could even move a muscle. The diamonds hit the car nearest Terriermon and exploded in a blaze of smoke and flame.

"NO!" Henry yelled, rushing forward. He stopped dead as his D-Power emitted a bright white glow, and a green bubble surrounded Terriermon.

"Digivolution..."

Kimiko looked up as the bubble surrounding Terriermon burst and, as the smoke cleared, a giant bunny with metal vulcans on both of his arms, and a belt of bullets over his chest.

"He promised me he wouldn't do it," Henry murmured, staring at his partner in shock.

"He didn't have much of a choice, Henry," Kimiko said. "It was either Digivolve or be deleted. I know which one I'd choose."

"That's Terriermon?" Takato asked. "No way!"

"Get down!" Labramon shouted, latching on to Kimiko's jacket and pulling her towards the floor as Gargomon fired his vulcans all over the place.

"Oh, this is hard!" Gargomon said as he tried to level out his control over the newfound power he could feel coursing through him. He aimed his vulcans at a nearby car and continued to fire until it exploded. "Sorry," he apologized sheepishly.

"This is what I was afraid of," Henry said. "He's just not ready for that kind of firepower yet."

"Gargomon," the red-headed female said, using her D-Power to download the digital data. "Terriermon's champion form, what a difference. His attack's Gargo Laser, whatever that means."

Seizing her chance, Renamon charged at Gargomon and landed on his back, the surprise of her attack knocked him off course again, and he continued to fire at any target he could reach.

"Kimiko," Takato called, waving the blonde over to where he and Henry were using a car as a shield. It wouldn't last long if Gargomon turned on them, but it was the next best thing at the given moment.

Keeping low, Kimiko and Labramon crawled across the floor and slid in-between the two boys, watching as Renamon tried to stop Gargomon from causing any more damage.

"Gargomon doesn't realize what is going on, and Renamon's not helping. She's only making it worse by attacking him," Labramon said, crawling away from the three tamers.

"No, Labramon!" Kimiko called. "Come back here. I can't lose you!"

"This is just... so wrong!" Henry said, as Gargomon blew a hole in the ceiling, causing the structure to cave in on them. "It's like he was never Terriermon at all."

"Oh no," Takato gasped, peering over the trunk of the car. "He's got her cornered."

Henry and Kimiko turned to see what he meant, and found Gargomon cornering the red-headed tamer against the F2 pillar on the otherside of the destroyed roof.

"Uh, what do we do?" Kimiko asked, looking between Takato and Henry. They had to have a plan, right?

"RetrieverG!"

Kimiko looked up wildly as Labramon's attack hit Gargomon, knocking him away from the red-headed female, just as Guilmon crashed into him and the two of them crashed into the concrete wall lining the garage.

"That's a hard head," Henry said, as Takato laughed in relief.

"I'll say," Kimiko agreed, before adding, "Hopefully they aren't always like this when they Digivolve," to Henry, who was still staring at Gargomon with a look of betrayal etched onto his face.

Copyrighted ©

A/N: I really, really hate filler chapters, and that's what the first 10 episodes of season 3 feel like. Anyway, what did you think?

Chapter written by xXxKaraBeckerCutterxXx

Chapter updated Sunday, 04 May 2014 at 3:03am