Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon, nor do I own When the World's Not Ending, by Smartalec121 or any of their associated works.
Off the Beaten Path
Chapter: 18/ Turns in the Road
Rika, Toshiko, and Kayoko hurried on down the sidewalk at a run. Of the three, Toshiko kept the better pace, easily remaining neck-in-neck with Rika, who struggled to do the same. Behind them, Kayoko lagged, her breath coming out in harsh gasps. She didn't complain though and considered it advantageous to their cause as she made it her job to give their path a 'second close look' just to be sure they didn't miss anything. So far, no sign of Takato or Guilmon could be found. Kayoko frowned.
"Lots of black vans patrolling the block," she noted, ignoring the beads of sweat crawling down her face. "That's the fourth one since we got to this street."
"Hypnos," Rika said laboriously, recognizing them from the previous fights. "They're probably looking for Takato too."
"He's pretty important, huh?"
"They all are," Rika said, though not without a touch of self-depreciation for her own hyperfocus on the boy in question. "But…" She drew in a deep breath. "…he's their main fighter. Suzie seems to have some kind of problem when she digivolves her partner to Mega and MarineAngemon is almost…" Another gulp of air. "…completely defense."
"Should we ask the people in those vans if they've found him?" Toshiko asked, slowing down a little as Rika now began to lag. Lowering her head, the Digimon Queen growled, wanting to be mad at her for how normal her breathing sounded compared to her and Kayoko. It was like Toshiko didn't get exhausted. As if on cue, her steps flagged even more until it felt like Rika was dragging her body along like a sack of potatoes.
Seeing this, Toshiko caught Rika by the shoulder and pushed a little, forcing her friend to stop.
"Slow, deep breaths," she advised. "Slow in. Slow out. Belly breaths, not chest."
"W-What…?" Rika cocked an eyebrow. Her breaths were coming out in deep, rapid gulps and her chest moved up and down to match. Toshiko demonstrated by standing up straight and breathing slowly and deeply. Her stomach expanded
"Like this," she said, her stomach expanding a little. "When you do this with your tummy, you give your lungs room for more air."
"W-When did you learn about that?"
"Health class." Toshiko blushed a little. "I picked up running a while ago and it just became a thing." She fidgeted in embarrassment. "I found it weirdly relaxing. Counting steps and breathing. It was like I was meditating."
"No wonder why you have such great legs," Kayoko laughed as she glanced down with renewed interest in her friend's physique. "You were hiding this from us the whole time and didn't say anything?" Reaching over, she gave Toshiko's cheek a pinch, to which the girl squirmed away in protest.
"I-I wasn't trying to! I just d-didn't think it was important!"
Rika felt a bit embarrassed for having not picked up on her friend's hobby, having always looked at her as the shy girl who read far more books than was good for her. She looked at Toshiko with renewed respect.
"Do you think you could teach me how to run like you?" she asked. At that, Toshiko's eyes lit up.
"A-Are you sure? I-I mean…"
"Yeah, I'm sure," Rika nodded. She smiled to put her friend at ease. "I've been doing a lot of running lately, and I'd like to get better at it."
"Yes!" Toshiko squealed. With that, she launched herself at Rika and wrapped her arms around her in a powerful hug, almost knocking the two of them over.
"Whoa! O-Okay! Just calm down! Oh, for goodness sake. Kayoko… A little help?"
"Easy there, Leg Queen," Kayoko laughed as she helped disentangle the pair. "Anyway, she raised a good point earlier about those vans. Should we ask them about whether or not they found Takato?"
Rika frowned, debating for a moment. Another one was already passing by, this time headed in the opposite direction. It, like the others, all moved slowly as their occupants peered about.
"They look like they're all over the place and going in every direction," she said. "I'm guessing they know about as much as we do. And they probably won't talk to a bunch of highschoolers anyway."
"Then I guess it's back to running," Kayoko said with a touch of disappointment. "Well, I guess we'll all just have to become Leg Queens. Belly breaths, right?"
"Yup!" Toshiko nodded exuberantly. "Slow, deep breaths."
"Mouth or nose?" Rika asked. Toshiko shrugged.
"I've heard either one and even both. But the important thing is belly breathing and getting a rhythm going. I usually do a five-step pattern. In at every three steps, out at every two. But if you run faster, you'll need to speed it up to a three-step pattern. In at every two steps, out at every one."
"That sounds confusing," Kayoko said. Rika agreed silently, but she wasn't about to question Toshiko right now. After all, she knew more about running than either of them. Toshiko giggled.
"Don't worry. You'll pick it up as you get more practice. It was hard for me too at first."
"You should try out for track or something," Rika said with an encouraging grin. "Come on. Let's go."
They continued on like this until they reached the edge of Gyoen park. Rika pressed her lips tightly at the sight. The grounds crew workers had done what they could to clear it out of what had been destroyed and burned, but even with the new flowers and young trees, it still looked like a giant scar.
A big colorful scar with lots of blues and pinks, Rika thought, passing the flowers by. Putting it out of her mind, she cupped a hand around her mouth.
"Takato!" she called. "Takato! Guilmon!"
"Hey!" Kayoko chimed in. "Gogglehead! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"
Catching sight of Toshiko watching her with a disapproving look, Kayoko raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
"Gogglehead sounds kind of mean."
"Blame Nonaka. She came up with it."
"Would you two knock it off and help me look?" Rika snapped. Running up to a small, nearby hill, she cupped both hands around her moth and yelled louder.
"TAKATO! GUILMON!"
Her voice carried much further now, leaving an echo in its wake. Rika waited a few moments before tsking in annoyance when she heard no response.
"I-It's a big park," Toshiko pointed out. "We could be looking for a while."
"They better not be playing hide and seek," Rika fumed, starting down the hill. For the next ten minutes, the park was filled with the calls of their voices. Their search was finally interrupted by the buzzing of Rika's cellphone. Snatching it out of her bag, she flipped it open.
"Takato?!" she said urgently. A wave of relief washed over her face. "Oh, thank goodness! Where are you? Everyone's looking for you!"
"S-Sorry. I just…" He trailed off and Rika frowned, hearing the heavy, despondent tone in his voice. "It's complicated. I'm sorry."
Rika's frown didn't subside and her worry grew. The way he sounded was eerily reminiscent of when she first talked to him in his room and the breakdown he suffered after hearing about how she met other versions of his dead friends.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "Just tell me where you are. I'm at the north end of Gyoen right now."
"I'm…" A pause. "I'm heading that way now actually. Yamaki has someone waiting to pick me up there."
"Okay. I'll catch you there."
Hanging up before he could say anything, Rika turned toward her friends.
"Sorry for all this," she said. Kayoko shrugged.
"We stick together, remember? Besides, it's not like I minded skipping Geology. Not to mention we got to learn about Toshiko's secret to her awesome gams."
"My what?"
"Legs, Leg Queen. Legs." Kayoko grinned devilishly. "You know, I'm thinking about joining in with you two in your training. It might drive my boyfriend crazy."
"You and your boyfriend…" Rika groaned, rolling her eyes in annoyance.
###
They found the pair some minutes later, or rather, Guilmon found them. Emerging from the brush, he greeted the trio with a wave, but Rika noted that for all his happiness upon seeing Rika, he lacked his usual energy. Rika cocked her head, noting that his scales had once again appeared to have lost their luster; appearing duller and worn down.
I'm not just seeing things this time, she thought. It really is like something's gone out of him. Is it because they held onto their Crimson Mode for too long?
She glanced over at Takato as she and her friends approached them. His attention looked divided, and worse; he had a pale, sickly look to him. "Takato!" she called worriedly. His eyes swung up, seeing her, but not in a way that seemed to register her presence right away.
It's like he's seen a ghost or something. Her worry grew as she pulled up in front of him. A red tint colored his haggard cheeks. Without thinking, she immediately raised a hand to his forehead and he jerked back reflexively, taken aback by her sudden motion.
"Easy there," she said, taking a step closer and pressing her palm to his skin.
"Um, you don't look so good," Kayoko remarked.
"I'm fine," Takato said, but Rika shook her head.
"You can't be that good," she said. "You feel like you've got a low-grade fever." She turned her hand over and traced the backs of her fingers along his brow, as she had seen her grandmother do. A low heat continued to bake off his skin. It felt internal. Not something from the sun. "Suzie said holding on to your angel form could be bad for you."
"Suzie…" Something caught in Takato's voice and as Rika watched, he pressed a trembling a trembling hand against his eyes, looking like he wanted to wring a memory out of his brain. Seeing this, Rika shifted her touch and slipped her fingers around his.
"Did something happen to Suzie?" she asked. Her heart tightened. While she didn't have much liking for the younger girl, she understood that Suzie was in the same boat as Takato, grieving for someone she cared about.
If something happened to her…
"N-No," Takato replied, his eyes meeting hers. "No, she's fine. It's just complicated. She's not going to be happy when she hears what I have to say."
Rika nodded, feeling a little bit relieved that Suzie was all right.
"Come on," she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze. "Hypnos vans have been looking for you. Let's get you to one of them."
Takato nodded. "R-Right. I've got to let Yamaki know. I saw…" His breath caught again and a ferocious quiver ran through him.
"Takato?" Rika pressed, her worry only growing. She looked over at Guilmon for clarification.
"We saw Jeri," he said.
"It wasn't Jeri!" Takato exclaimed suddenly, and Rika felt his sudden surge of emotion tighten around her fingers. "It's not! You know even the D-Reaper can smell like her when it wants!"
"The D-Reaper?" Kayoko said. "You mean that red blob from four years back?"
Takato blanched. Rika could easily guess what was on his mind.
If news of that got out…
"Let's just get you to Hypnos," she said, steering the conversation away from that particular topic. Giving his hand a light tug to get him moving, Rika began to lead him to the park's entrance. Guilmon followed after, pausing long enough to give Kayoko and Toshiko another wave.
"Hiii," he said, trying to sound chipper.
"Hi, yourself," Kayoko said, placing herself protectively between the dinosaur and Toshiko. "How're you holding up?"
"I'm feeling a little sore," Guilmon sighed. "Holding on to Crimson Mode that long reminded me of when I digivolved to Champion for the first time and I couldn't get out of it. Takato and I tried all kinds of things to get me out of it. Cold water, scaring me, lots and lots of running… Even walking on my hands." He gestured with his claws. "All it did was make me tired."
"Why were you even holding it for that long if it makes you so tired?" Kayoko asked, giving Takato a stern look.
"Oh, that's because Kuzuhamon and Gaiomon were there. Kuzuhamon was the one who took Rika before and we fought Gaiomon that same day. We weren't sure if we could trust them, so we held on to it as long as we could." Guilmon tapped a claw against his mouth. "I guess everything worked out though. At least, I think it did. We didn't get any messages about them causing trouble and Yamaki didn't say anything when we messaged them earlier."
"That's a relief," Toshiko said, and at that Rika gave Takato's hand a soft squeeze. She felt the boy stiffen next to her, just now realizing that she held his palm in hers, fingers wrapped about his.
Whatever happened to him, it must have been pretty serious if it took him this long to notice.
She tightened her grasp, signaling that she wasn't about to let him go until she had seen him off. For a wonder, Takato didn't resist, but a look out of the corner of her eye showed a conflicted, uncertain look on his face.
That's natural though. With everything that's been going on, it's normal to be weirded out. I'm probably not helping though with the whole handholding thing, but… Ugh. Why can't this just be simple?
She thought about saying something; to not look any deeper into her holding his hand. She only wanted to make sure that he knew he had someone he could count on, but the words died before they could even reach her mouth. Somehow, it felt wrong to even bring it up; as if by doing so she was inviting unwanted ideas. Yet, at the same time, just the very act of handholding conveyed those impressions. It would be hard to dissuade him or anyone from carrying such thoughts.
I'm holding his hand and acting like a stupid, lovesick girl when what I should be doing is acting like a Tamer. He-He's got enough on his mind without me adding more problems he doesn't need to be dealing with.
Yet, in spite of herself, she found she couldn't readily relinquish his hand. Instead, she gripped all the more tightly, and as they passed through the colorful landscape of Gyoen's scar, her thumb traced along his, offering comfort against his sense of guilt for a battle gone wrong.
They found a Hypnos van waiting at the park's entrance. Yamaki, Suzie and Kenta were all there.
"Figures that you would be the first one to find him, Model Girl," Suzie said. Her eyes fell on Rika and Takato's joined hands before turning up to meet Rika's gaze. After a moment, Suzie looked away.
"Well, at least someone found him," she said, earning raised eyebrows from Rika.
"Thanks, Rika," Takato said, carefully disentangling himself from her grasp. Rika reluctantly let go.
"I want to help," she said a bit stiffly. She cursed herself for the awkwardness in her voice. It sounded lame and pathetic to her, especially knowing what the answer would be.
"Unfortunately, this is now government business," Yamaki said, confirming her fears. "We can arrange transportation for you, but…"
"We're fine," Kayoko said, stepping forward. Wrapping an arm around Rika, she proceeded to pull her back from the van. "Take care of yourself, Gogglehead."
"All of you, take care," Toshiko chimed in with a little wave. Rika nodded numbly. She felt so useless. She wanted desperately to be of more help, but fate continued to deny her the opportunity.
I didn't even get to help Kenta with his cards, she thought as Takato and Guilmon both climbed into the van. The boy's eyes met hers with an unreadable expression.
"Bye-bye!" Guilmon said with a wave. "Thanks for coming to find us!"
"A-Anytime, Dinoboy," Rika nodded, not looking away from Takato.
"Goodbye, Rika," he said softly. The van door closed shut, separating the two groups. Rika remained firmly planted as the van pulled away, and stayed there until it was out of sight.
Kayoko gave Rika's shoulder a soft squeeze.
"Come on," she said. "Let's go karaoke. At least there you can scream your frustrations out."
"Yeah, fine," Rika said sullenly. With considerable effort, much of which was encouraged by Kayoko's promptings, she turned away from Gyoen and the direction that the Hypnos van drove off in.
###
"Sorry for making you worry, guys," Takato said, watching Rika and her friends disappear behind them in the van's mirror. He still felt the warmth of her hand around his. He tried to ignore it, but it tugged at him, accompanied by the all too familiar ghost of Jeri's memory.
"Hey, you guys are safe," said Kenta, looking more than a little relieved. "That's all that matters."
"It's not all that matters," Suzie grumbled in the seat at the front. "What were you thinking holding your Crimson Mode for that long? What if it cut out on you while you were flying?"
"Takato's error in judgment aside," cut in Yamaki next to Takato, "it seems we have a situation on our hands."
"Another version of the D-Reaper," nodded Takato. Guilmon shifted next to him.
"I don't know if we should be worried," the dinosaur said. In the front, Suzie looked at him with a bewildered expression. An expression that was mirrored by the others.
"Excuse me?! You don't know if the D-Reaper is a situation?"
"But it wasn't just the D-Reaper," Guilmon replied. "It's also Jeri and Calumon. Other versions. They biomerged with the D-Reaper" He turned toward his partner. "Takato, the Scary Jeri seemed really upset when it saw you. Jeri even said it didn't want to hurt you. It even cried."
"Wait, what?" Kenta's eyes went wide. "Is that true?"
Takato closed his eyes and clutched the sides of his head. "I-I don't know what to believe," he said. "She had Calumon's symbol on her forehead. She looked happy to see us and even hugged Guilmon. But…"
Suzie looked back and forth between the two, her eyes wide with horror and disgust, unable to believe she was actually hearing any of this.
"This is nuts. Are you telling me that this D-Reaper…grew a conscience?!"
"It biomerged with its versions of Jeri and Calumon," Guilmon said. "It feels what they feel. I know I feel whatever Takato feels and he feels what I feel. When you biomerge, you can't keep that from happening."
"Takato?" Yamaki asked, flicking his lighter open.
"That's true," Takato confirmed with a nod. He ran his hands through his hair. The van jerked a little as it ran over a bump. "I've even felt it when Guilmon was hungry. I mean, that's kind of the point, isn't it? When Guilmon first digivolved to Ultimate, I felt every hit he took, but he also felt how I felt. It's how we beat Vikaralamon." His hands fell to his knees, where they then drew into tight fists. "It's how I created Megidramon in the first place."
"And how we became Gallantmon," Guilmon reminded, placing a clawed hand over one of Takato's fists. The boy glanced at his partner. Slowly, his fists uncurled.
"From what Shibumi has told me, the hybrid form can have considerable influence upon all members involved in its creation," Yamaki said, flicking his lighter closed. "That changes things."
"We don't even know if she – it – was even telling the truth!" Takato said. "Or if it was even the real Jeri. I mean, the D-Reaper's fooled Guilmon's nose before!"
"But why didn't it delete us?" Guilmon asked. "It could have done that and we wouldn't have been able to stop it. We were very tired."
"Maybe because we stopped one of its agents from getting into contact with Hypnos?" Kenta suggested.
"Wait, what?" Takato began.
"One of its scouting agents was spotted by Kenta and Suzie approaching Hypnos. They destroyed it." Yamaki frowned. "It's possible that it's not very well integrated in this reality and might need Hypnos. Its location and technology could be useful. If it wanted us to confirm its story, that might be how it would gain access to Hypnos."
"I don't think so," Guilmon said with a shake of his head. "She didn't try to hide she was part D-Reaper, and the D-Reaper side didn't try to hide itself either. Wouldn't it be smarter to just pretend to be Jeri and do what Rika did to get inside?"
"He's got a point," said Kenta. Suzie rolled her eyes.
"It's a stupid point! The whole thing is stupid! It's the D-Reaper! This shouldn't be hard!"
"But it's from another universe," pointed out Guilmon. Suzie let out an annoyed cry and kicked the glove compartment, causing it to pop open. The driver gave her a hard, reproachful look. Blushing in embarrassment, she apologetically closed it.
"Sorry."
Kenta and Takato gave Suzie a sympathetic look.
"I guess, the main thing is whether or not we can trust it to be what it says it is," Kenta said carefully. "Guilmon, why do you trust it?"
"I don't know," Guilmon replied. "Maybe it was when Jeri hugged me and started crying. And since she was biomerged with the D-Reaper, she had to have changed it even a little bit."
Yamaki's lighter clicked open and then closed.
"Takato, you said in your text message that it wants to meet with you tomorrow, correct?"
"Y-Yeah," the boy nodded.
"Do you intend to meet with it?"
"If he's going, then I'm going!" Suzie said sharply.
Yamaki frowned, but Takato said, "we should all go. I don't think I can do this alone anyway."
"You won't," Yamaki agreed. "But there are other vested interests who should accompany you."
"Kuzuhamon?"
"Yes. She's still waiting at Hypnos. A show of good will, I suppose." His lighter's lid flicked open. "If we intend for this alliance with the Sovereign to work, we ought to consider returning the favor."
###
The mood among the humans as they sat around the table was a simmering one, Kuzuhamon noted. The youngest, the child with the Deva, was of considerably sour disposition and clutched her partner tightly to her chest. The bespectacled one with the MarineAngemon appeared greatly worried, and his eyes went back and forth between his compatriots and herself as if expecting someone to have an outburst. The Hazard and his partner were the most curious of them all. Despite appearing obviously ill, the Tamer's eyes were deep and thoughtful. While he was focused on her, as one would a potential problem, his thoughts were clearly on the future. Concerning the Hazard, he appeared worried and very uneasy. Kuzuhamon had the sense of a conversation or an argument was bubbling beneath the surface of the group.
Yamaki moved around the table, hands behind his back, and though his sunglasses hid his eyes, the aura he exuded held a similar nature to that of the Hazard Tamer. Naturally, the existence of the D-Reaper in this world upset all of them, but Kuzuhamon sensed something more. Something that radiated a personal nature to the situation.
"The D-Reaper's presence in this world has been confirmed beyond all doubt," Yamaki said. The Hazard stiffened.
"Don't forget that there's alternate versions of Jeri and Calumon biomerged with it."
"Guilmon…" his Tamer began.
"Sorry."
Yamaki waved a placating hand.
"It is an alternate version of the D-Reaper we know," Yamaki continued. "There appear to be some differences that we'll have to take into account. It wants to talk tomorrow, and has set a location to meet us at. We should make this a joint effort. Both as a gesture of good will on each other's parts and for mutual aid against a possible, common foe
Kuzuhamon frowned beneath her mask. "Normally, in an alliance between digimon, the means of dealing with a threat would be dictated by the strongest," she said. "But I believe that would not apply here, if our alliance were to succeed."
Yamaki nodded, and he appeared pleased by this acknowledgement.
"We would like to confirm the story of this version of Jeri…"
"Oh, please…" Suzie growled.
"…and as such, Takato will be our ambassador, along with yourself or someone of your choosing to be your Sovereign's representative. We will have our secondary base set up and have her data analyzed. In the event that she is determined to not be who she says she is, then we will deal with her by whatever means necessary."
"Who is this Jeri?" Kuzuhamon asked, curious. Her eyes fell on Takato, feeling that the name held great meaning for him. The boy's face was tense and she saw barely restrained emotion moving behind his eyes.
"She was a friend," he replied, his voice cracking a little. "The D-Reaper kidnapped her and used her. We…" He closed his eyes. "We rescued her in the final battle."
"Could I meet her?" Kuzuhamon's curiosity grew. Perhaps if she could meet this girl, she could make a guess as to the impact an alternate version of her would have on the D-Reaper.
Takato balled his hands up into tight fists.
"You-You can't. She…" His mouth worked as he strained to speak. "She died a little while ago."
"You've already met Calumon, though!" Guilmon interjected hastily. "He said so, and that you were playing hide and seek with him. He's also biomerged with Jeri and the D-Reaper!"
"The Keeper of the Light." Kuzuhamon bowed her head slightly in reverence. Internally, her mind raced. If he merged with the Chaos…
Yes. She felt she could trust the Keeper of the Light, if nothing else.
"Of course, as I stated, we must first confirm their story," Yamaki said.
Kuzuhamon nodded in agreement. "Of course. And if she is what she claims to be?"
"Then we may have an even worse problem to deal with. According to Takato, this 'Jeri' is here for a reason, and has made mention of a Myotismon-controlled D-Reaper that was defeated by another reality. In which case, this version of the D-Reaper may be an invaluable ally against any potential, greater incursions."
Kuzuhamon pressed her lips together tightly.
"Titamon won't like this," chuckled Gaiomon through their mental link. "I have to admit, this isn't going to be an easy one to sell to him. Or the Sovereign for that matter."
"Indeed," Kuzuhamon agreed regretfully before turning to Yamaki. "I would like to speak to my associates."
Yamaki nodded and looked at the Tamers.
"I'll message you any further details. You're free to go home to your families now."
It was a sign of the mood that none of the Tamers rejoiced at finally being released from the 'prison' of Hypnos. Suzie flashed a dark look over in Guilmon's direction, and his ears twitched in return, his eyes upon her and full of sympathy. Kuzuhamon tilted her head at the dinosaur, interested at his behavior. A virus digimon whose observed instincts were to confront danger and eliminate it. Yet, he stood in the defense of this 'Jeri-Reaper-Keeper' hybrid. She wondered how much of this came from his Tamer before the death of his Jeri.
Not what I would have expected from a Hazard digimon, she thought. Then again, nothing about these humans is as I've expected them to be. She panned her gaze around, taking in each and every one of them in their turn. Yamaki remained difficult to read, but always she felt he was weighing people. Kenta appeared to be struggling to stay above water and to keep the others doing the same. Suzie wore her anger and pain openly while Takato buried his beneath the mountain's weight of duty.
He would have made a fine Deva, or even a Royal Knight, she mused, noting the scars along his hand and face.
As the Tamers got to their feet, she motioned for Takato to wait.
"Hazard Tamer. One moment."
"Uh, okay," Takato said, lifting an eyebrow in confusion. She smiled, hoping to set him at ease as she approached. He didn't look comforted. In fact, upon closer inspection, she saw a greater degree of depth to his pain then what had been initially apparent to her. There came a slight tug of empathy in her digi-core for the human. The bonds humans formed between one another appeared to be quite strong, and they felt a loss quite keenly, even though they tried to hide it.
A thought occurred to her.
Jeri had family. Whatever she feels, they must feel even more so. And Titamon would bring more war to this world.
Growing doubts gnawed away at her and for half a second, she glanced over in Lopmon's direction. She presently stood on Suzie's shoulder, both watching her warily. Lopmon hadn't said anything at all during the meeting. Merely sat in her partner's lap, observing. Kuzuhamon found herself wondering if the feelings of humans were what caused her to abandon her position as a Deva and forsake the Sovereign.
Returning her attention to Takato, Kuzuhamon placed a hand upon his shoulder. "I am sorry for the loss of your friend. I promise to honor her memory by supporting you and this alliance."
"As you swear, so shall I," said Gaiomon through their connection. Kuzuhamon felt a heavy weight settle upon her shoulders as Takato gazed up at her with growing confusion painted on his face. Giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze, she drew back from him, fearing what was to come in the future.
Titamon would not be happy with her.
9