Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.

I find Skamon so entertaining. Him and Rei Kurenada are polar opposites, so their dynamic is off-kiltering, but also sobering. It's as if Rei is having a taste of parenthood and I think anyone with a child can empathize with him (I know I do). But that carries with it it's own responsibilities and I'm not sure Rei is mature enough for that.


Chapter Eight: The World is Full of Partners

Rei Kurenada anxiously tapped his pen on his notebook, contemplating about the weekend he had spent together with Skamon. First he had taken him on a bus to the museum where he taught him about the nature of human creativity and emotion translated into artwork. Unfortunately, Skamon became too enamored by a plastic bowl of fruit and took a chunk out of it which took a huge chunk out of his wallet. Afterward, they were kicked out of the museum and then they ate at a cheap fast-food place.

While they were there, the digimon seemed to notice other people, oddly enough kids seemed to be friendly with it, and babies even stopped crying when he smiled at them. Then, when the burgers and fries were served, even though they tasted like dirt and fungus he downed all of it, including most of Rei's food as well, grease and ketchup all over his face, laughing and having the time of his life.

During the course of the meal Rei had attempted to teach Skamon etiquette, but he lacked any sort of of manners. Surprisingly though it did not bother him a lot, Skamon seemed to learn a lot on his own. He threw away the garbage, ate all of his food, and even thanked the staff for the meal. No one seemed bothered a basilisk like lizard creature with sharp teeth and claws had appeared before them. Perhaps he did not look menacing? Or maybe they thought he was a kid in a costume? That would make sense.

Afterwards they had taken a bus out to the countryside to view nature, Rei Kurenada watching him stand on his seat, gazing outside at the trees, the sky, and all of nature. His writing down on his reflections would have to wait.

"Wow Rei!" Skamon said ecstatically. "Your world is so beautiful! Just as much as the Digital World!"

Rei jolted from his seat, lifted Skamon by the scruff of his neck and set him down gently.

"I thought I had told you before never to mention that again," he said scolding him.

Skamon winced as if he was going to get hit. "I'm sorry Rei," he replied. "I just got so excited!"

"Let's learn how to control ourselves shall we?" he snickered. "After all, it's not like you're in preschool."

"What's preschool Rei?" he asked curiously.

Rei suddenly clamped down on his jaws painfully realizing he had just slipped up. "I-it's a place of learning, and socialization, and um-"

"-And fun?!" Skamon interjected excitably.

The energetic look of life so thrilling in his eyes only made Rei feel more clouded towards his own emotions.

"I'll tell you what," he said calmly. "Skamon, if you behave yourself on the bus the rest of the way when we get back into town, I will not only let you go play on a jungle gym with children, but I will also get you your own personal ice cream cone. How does that sound?"

"Food and Fun!" Skamon laughed. "You got yourself a deal Rei!" Skamon said suddenly intensely sitting staring into the seat in front of him as if trying all in his power to contain himself.

"Th-that's not quite what I meant," Rei said wanting to intervene, but when it came to Skamon, his digimon servant, it became almost too much. Almost too-"

He paused looking at him, having a moment of clarity. "Wait a second," he said mouthing the words. "Since when did I stop treating Skamon like a servant and more like a child?"

The question baffled him, Rei Kurenada retreating into his writing the rest of the bus ride, writing down his thoughts.

"What did he do?" he said to himself biting the tip of his thumb. "Did he subject me to some sort of digital spell? Did he bewitch me?"

He stared at Skamon critical of him, Skamon looking forward not moving an inch.

"Rei," he said still facing forward. "I'm really wanting that ice cream cone now."


Eventually Rei and Skamon both arrived at the park, Sekihana Park that is. The park seemed energetic and exciting, countless kids running around and laughing having fun playing games on jungle gyms and swings.

"Wow Rei!" Skamon said excitedly. "I can't wait to join them!"

"Just don't hurt anyone," he said. "Didn't I promise you an ice cream cone first?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "Of course!"

With that Rei approached an ice cream vendor conducting business in the area and brought him back an ice cream. Surprisingly, he even grabbed a vanilla one for himself.

"Here you go," he said. "Try not to get it all over yourself," he cautioned, Skamon licking it, and then chomping it down in one go, crunching on it to almost a ridiculous amount of time savoring the taste.

"That was so yummy Rei!" he smiled. "Thank you for the ice cream! I'll be back after playing!"

He waved as he ran along some other kids who immediately added him to their train and started playing.

Rei stared on at him, daring to even eat his ice cream cone.

"Vanilla huh?" he said to himself actually starting to taste something sweet. Such victuals were useless calories and gave him bursts of energy he had become very poor at handling. He mostly stayed away from them, but Skamon and keeping up with the happy go lucky digimon had to be more exhausting than he had thought. At least with this he could keep up with him.

He looked to the right left of him as a man with glasses sat down observing them all.

"You have kids?" the man asked grinning, Rei sort of thrown off.

"Sort of," he said.

"Oh then you must be babysitting," he sneered. "I thought that's what babysitter's do."

Rei took a bite not at all amused. "I suppose," he said. "Any of them yours?"

"Nah, I hate kids," the man replied. "But I had a couple."

Rei stopped eating and looked at his ice cream. It suddenly started to taste very bad to him, almost sickening.

"I see," he said feeling a very familiar vibe. "And did they end up benefiting you in the end?"

"Of course," he grinned. "I got a brand-new condo out of the interest."

Rei immediately got up apprehensive of the man.

"Oh?" he said. "Then you are who I thought you were if you reacted like that Rei Kurenada. I almost did not recognize you since you were playing hard to get pretending to be a woman."

Rei chided himself clenching his fist. How could he have let down his guard like that? Even if he had been fulfilling the will of some strange deity and became acquainted with the Digimon Skamon, he could not believe he had been this absorbed and careless.

He swallowed. He had to think calmly. There was no way that the Kurenada family would execute him in front of so many witnesses. No, if they were meeting him like this, it meant that surely, they had to have an ulterior motive.

"And just what does Goumatsu want with me?" he asked.

The man took out a card and placed it on the bench near him.

"Nothing at all," he chuckled. "It's been so long since he's seen you though. He merely wants to say hello."

"Hello?" Rei reacted defensively.

"Of course," he replied. "After all, he's not seen you in such a long time," he said, Rei shuddering as if he had been administered poison all throughout his body.

The man got up, put his hat on his head and waved walking away.

"Take care of yourself Mr. Rei Kurenada," he said suspiciously leaving him.


Literally the whole trip back to his condo unit Rei kept to himself as Skamon explained about his day. He could only nod his head, the fiendish Goumatsu hovering like an evil specter in the back of his mind.

Eventually they arrived back home.

"Rei?" Skamon said as they walked up to his condo unit. "Rei?" he said again, Rei ignoring him and stopping by the door. He unlocked it, opening it to find his place completely trashed, the same card he had been left with at the park in the middle of the room positioned standing.

His clothes had been cut up. His window and television were broken. The cupboards were ransacked, and there was not one nice thing left for him. He realized that despite all that he had done his cover had been completely blown. His job, compromised. His home, targeted. His life, in danger. Any associates would be threatened. Any connections would be severed. No, now that the Kurenada family had found him he knew he could never lose them.

"Rei, what happened to your place?" Skamon wondered aloud. "All your possessions! Ah the TV!"he lamented. "I was going to learn how to play a video game one day from a commercial I saw!"

Rei ignored him breathing slowly. He said nothing and started to clean up his place. At least he had trash bags. The sound of pulling them from the container and bagging up what were once his valuables disheartened him, but he bided with it cleaning, Skamon anxiously looking at him go back and forth taking all of it out.

At the end of the day, the sun setting, Rei sat there in an empty condo, just him, and his digimon.

"Rei," Skamon swallowed. "Rei, say something."

Rei sat there staring at the ground. No more cover. No more security. No more running.

"I've lost," he said trying to keep himself together. "I've lost...everything,"

Skamon hurried over towards him and put his hands on his knee. "Rei," he said starting to tear up.

"It's not over Rei," he said wiping his eyes. "It's not over."

"What are you talking about?" he snapped. "I have nothing here! My Uncle took everything away from me! My cousin! My friends! My family! My dignity! My life! And now even my own place to live! He is coming for me Skamon!" he shouted. "And you tell me it's not over? How? What do I possibly have?" he said lamenting. "How can I possibly even keep going? For revenge? That's a thought," he snidely commented. "Maybe I'll just take that fat bastard down with me. Him and the whole dam family!"

"No Rei!" Skamon shouted grabbing him by the shoulders shaking him slightly.

Rei stared at him a bit stunned, surprised by his strength.

"It's not over Rei," he said tearing and smiling. "You haven't lost everything. You still have me! And you have your pride!"

It dawned on Rei staring at his Digimon, the basking glow of the sun illuminating him.

"Since when..." he said loosening up and finding himself naturally smiling. "...When did you start to become part of my life? It's not been very long, but you're doing something to me," he said. "I am baffled by you. You knew next to nothing, and even though you did you've lived your life more than I have my whole entire life," he said bitterly. "You hold nothing back. You can open your heart so easily. You can share it."

He felt Skamon's arms wrap around him. "I was born to be your partner Rei," he said emotionally. "You've taught me so much about this wonderful world. One day I hope every digimon can get a partner as great as you. I'm the luckiest digimon in the digital world!" he grinned.

Rei nodded his head. "I guess I have been a bit of an emotional roller coaster today huh?" he said composing himself. "Skamon, you're the part of me that can enjoy life, so, because of that, and in respect to that I need to start doing that myself," he said picking up the card.

"I've been running from death all my life," he said. "But thanks to you I'm no longer going to be afraid of it. I will run towards it," he said. "Even though I have hardly anyone I trust in this world."

Skamon karate chopped him on the head.

"Hey," he said annoyed.

"It's like what I've been telling you Rei. You're not in it alone. You have me!"

"Skamon…" he said slightly impressed with him, but incredulous that the digimon acted this way.

"Whether you like it or not!" he said giving him a thumbs up.

Rei Kurenada looked at the card, looked at Skamon, and then glanced out the window, the sun beaming in a fiery glow as it started to descend into the earth.

With that he crumbled up the card in his fist.

"...I've had enough," he said frustrated beyond measure. "I'm going to take back what's my own," he declared. "It's time to end this blood-stained life."