Chapter 6

Author's Note: emphasis on word or phrase

Past:

Serena rolls her shoulders before deciding to go into a tumbling run, she was getting bored. Takuya smiles as he watches her go, he couldn't blame her, all Kanbaras just couldn't seem to hold still, even Shinya moved when playing video games, and those were only busted out when they weren't allowed to go outside and run around. His and Shinya's mom had given up on keeping him still. " How long has she been doing gymnastics anyhow, Takuya? " Zoey asks.

" I think dad started her lessons when she was three and I was generally the one that ended up helping her master her latest move. Hell, I can do most of the tumbling she can, as generally, when it comes to all things physical like this, I see it once and I can remember it. If she was having trouble with a move, I'd go online, see how it was done, and then I could help her out. "

" Why didn't you have lessons? " Zoey asks.

" I was never really interested, I only learned to help imooto out, that's it. I'm more into contact sports, though she can give me a run for my money in soccer, I taught her too damn well. " Takuya admits.

" Hey, unlike most of my teachers you actually teach things to me in a way that makes sense. " Serena calls back.

Takuya blinks, " How the hell did you hear that anyhow? "

" I didn't, Tokomon did. " Serena retorts.

Zoey giggles at the look on Takuya's face, " You don't live with her full time and yet you're still this close. "

" That's because I make a concerted effort to stay involved in her life. I live with Shinya, he's pretty good about letting sis and I have trips together like for her eighth birthday I took her to an anime/manga con, you do not know how many driveways I had to shovel to earn all that money either that winter. Dad provided the spending money and we stayed at our grandparents home to save on the cost of the hotel. " Takuya admits.

" You did all that for her birthday when you were ten? " JP asks, Tommy had run ahead with Serena, the ten year old knew she had to stay in her brother's sight.

Takuya sighs, " You don't get it, she lived with me for the first four years of her life, hell, dad had her going to school in Shibuya for two years, come second grade she was going to school in Juuban. I'm very big on protecting my younger siblings, just ask my soccer team, she's viewed as the entire team's little sister mostly because they've seen what I can do when she's threatened. "

" You can't be that bad, can you? " JP asks.

" I put a grown man, whom I later learned was a pedophile, in the ER for trying to drag her away. " Takuya says, " I was nine. "

" How'd you know? " JP says.

" That she was in trouble, imooto has a very distinctive scream, JP, one that she only busts out when she's in trouble or on the rare occasion someone sneaks up on her. " Takuya answers.

" How the hell did you beat up a grown man when you were nine? " Zoey asks him.

" No one has quite figured that out. Closest they've come is that my protective instincts went into overdrive. " Takuya admits.

Serena, Tommy, and Tokomon pull up short when they spy a factory in the distance. Serena nearly whimpered, there was so much suffering in that factory, her empathy was going into overdrive, when Takuya was close enough Serena murmurs just loud enough in Russian, " Братан, вам нужно бросить свои охранников( Bro, you need to drop your guards). "

Takuya frowns, " Почему( Why)? Что происходит( What's going on)? "

" Я чувствую много страданий и он начинает подавлять меня( I'm sensing a lot of suffering and it's starting to overwhelm me). " Serena replies.

" Понял( Understood). " Takuya murmurs softly.

Takuya carefully loosens his barrier on his emotions, he'd learned how to block Serena out of necessity. He watches as she relaxes marginally and lowers his barriers a little more. That had her relaxing fully, something sinister was going on at this factory, that was for sure. Zoey manages to get them a tour and Serena was trying to sense out the problem when her eyes narrow, " Maledizone( Dammit)! "

Zoey looks startled that a ten year old could swear in Italian though she was wondering what had set off that reaction, " JP, first, your spirit is here, go find it, your D-Tector won't pick it up. "

JP looks at her, " You're serious? "

" I am, Tommy, we have some slaves to free, Taku-nii, you and Zoey need to provide us all a distraction, think you can handle that? " Serena asks him.

" On it, just be careful. " Takuya says.

Tommy spirit evolves and they were off, Serena knew that they needed to free the enslaved digimon fast. While they're doing that JP manages to trick a Snimon, the boss of the factory into knocking over the power source, and low and behold there was his spirit, JP grabs his D-Tector and smirks, leveling it and pressing the button on the side, downloading his spirit into his D-Tector, he was tired of being on the sidelines, " Execute…Spirit Evolution! Beetlemon! "

One Thunder Fist later and Snimon is beaten while he renders the fractal code. While JP had been doing that, the slaves had been freed and the Flame and Wind Warriors had been having fun keeping all the Goblimon busy. Bokomon and Neemon had gone with JP and had seen his evolution.

Present:

After a mad dash from the Numemon, twice, once in the sewers and once topside because of Mimi they all ended up separated. Serena, Tommy, Mimi, and their partners ended up together and they Tommy and Serena's eyes widen, " Neat, I always wanted to come back to the Island of Toys, though it's not floating anymore. Wonder if Monzaemon is still around? " Tommy muses.

Serena sighs, she didn't have good memories from the Toy Island, due to Koji opening his fat mouth and rubbing salt into her already raw emotional wounds. She had barely tolerated him ever since. She was really hoping Matt didn't turn out to have Koji's worst qualities, she could always recognize a lone wolf when she saw one, " Things have really changed since you guys were last here, huh? " Mimi asks.

" Yeah, they have, Toy Island was fun for me but not so fun for Serena. Light poured some salt into her already raw emotional wounds, it took Takuya two hours to calm her down from her sobbing and another hour to get her semi-capable of moving on her own. "

" I remember that, I wanted to take a bite out of him then. " Muchomon says.

" I don't think Takuya would have stopped you. She shut down after that, only talking to Takuya and that was in Russian. Light had undermined the efforts everyone else had gone to, to get to know her. Wind about tore him a part when she found out he was the reason for her retreating from everyone. Only Takuya, myself, and back then, Tokomon were allowed near her. " Tommy says.

" To be fair no one knew about how my step-father, the gaki, and Ikkuko treated me. I didn't tell my paternal family because they were happy, I wasn't going to mar that for them, no matter how miserable I was. " Serena says softly and then her eyes widen, " What the hell? "

Tommy, Muchomon, Wanyamon, Palmon, Candlemon, and Mimi all stare in shock as it looked like the toys were playing with their friends, Serena had locked in on her big brother though, " Tommy, this reminds me of when Tapirmon had us under his control. "

" Oh, geez, you're right. Palmon, Candlemon, can you two find the other partner digimon? " Tommy asks.

" Sure, no problem, we're all connected anyhow. " Palmon says.

Once they find the other partner digimon Serena frowns, " Candlemon, heat this lock up and then, Tommy, I need you to cool it down. Do that for a few times and Palmon should be able to pull the lock off. "

Tommy smiles, grabbing his D-Tector and summoning the fractal code stream around his left hand, " Execute…Spirit Evolution! Kumnamon! "

" Lava Loogie! "

" Crystal Freeze! "

" Lava Loogie! "

" Crystal Freeze! "

" Lava Loogie! "

" Crystal Freeze! "

" Palmon, now! " Serena calls out.

" Poison Ivy! " Palmon calls out, wrapping her vines around the lock and pulling, it pulls apart easily. The other partners are glad to be out and Serena's eyes narrow.

" Kumnamon, I'm gonna go free Nii-chan now. " Serena says.

Muchomon and Candlemon follow her immediately and the twelve year old empath locks in on her brother and bombards him with his own emotions. Takuya stumbles as he shakes his head, " What the hell was I just doing? "

" Being a toy's toy. Welcome back to Monzaemon's place. I volunteered to release you from your thrall so to speak. " Serena tells her brother.

" Serena, please, do not tell Light about this. " Takuya says.

" Since when do I voluntarily talk to him anyway, Taku-nii? Let's go find the others. " Serena says. They arrive just in time to see Palmon digivolve to Togemon and drive the Black Gear out of Monzaemon. Monzaemon and Tommy have a reunion while the others all make their way over. After that he gives them all a real Heart Hug.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sailor Moon or Digimon.