AUTHOR: ThunderEchoes

E-MAIL: thunderechoes@hotmail.com

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters or situations associated with Digimon Adventure. Toei does.

WARNING: This fanfic contains adult situations and is not meant for people younger than 17.

NOTE: This takes place three years after Season 02. I am using the dub's ages for the Chosen Children.

Author's Notes can be found at the end of the fic.

 

 

 

 

IN YOUR TUNE

 

 

 

 

"It's happening again," were Veemon's words as he closed the door behind him.

Apparently, that wasn't what the others wanted to hear as their reactions ranged from head shakes to solemn expressions. The silence held on for a few minutes, broken by sighs here and there, before Hawkmon spoke: "Is Gatomon with her?"

Veemon's head visibly fell at the mention of the name. "Yeah. She won't even talk about it."

"But it's happened before, hasn't it?" Biyomon cut in, blushing lightly as all faces turned to her direction. In a lower tone, she went on: "I mean, it can't be uncurable. Something similar had happened to Kari back in our adventures, when she conducted that illness. It can't be uncurable."

"I think this might be worse," Agumon noted, looking away when Biyomon lowered her eyes. "You haven't been here to see it. She convulses, she throws up, she cries, she screams... It's horrible I tell you. We've called doctors over, but none of them could do anything for her. It's driving Tai crazy."

Gomamon crossed his arms. "You'd think Gatomon would be taking it a bit less seriously, though. She wasn't acting like this even when she was in the evil-kitten-of-doom! stage. We've all had problems with our partners before, but--"

He stopped as he noticed that everyone's gaze had diverted to the door, and he soon found out why. Gatomon was standing there, one paw placed on the half closed door. She looked rather tired, but that changed as soon as her stare drifted to him. She slammed the door, probably less gently than intended judging from the loud sound that came with it. "We've all had problems with our partners before, huh, seal-boy?" she began as she made her way to him step-by-step. Patamon tried to restrain her, but she only pushed him aside. "I didn't see -you- having any problems with your partner. How are you to judge others' reactions to such issues?"

Gomamon was attempting to look neutral, but his irritation was betrayed by his eyebrow's twitch. "You can't say whether or not I had problems with Joe. You barely even know me!"

"It's happening again," Hawkmon said in reference to the argument about to start, giving the others the signal to flee the room. He quickly followed, dragging a protesting Veemon with him.

Barely noticing the others' departure, Gatomon answered "I don't even need to know you to say that! You're obviously just a careless, easy-going, selfish jerk who comes to conclusions about others without learning what's wrong in the first place!" She took a breath, calming her temper, before adding in a softer voice: "You don't know what it's like for your partner to suffer and you being unable to do anything about it."

Gomamon's response came in a hissed whisper, "You're one to say that. You've always had an advantage when it came to power, you can't tell me that you worried about your partner's safety. While me..." He trailed off, avoiding to discuss the matter further.

"While you -what-? I never saw Joe being eaten out by his own traits, or weakening by his strength, or falling by his resistance..." Paws clenched, she was conscious of her voice's wavering but refused to let him win.

"I didn't even need that extreme situations to worry about him! I couldn't defend him even in the smallest of dangers with this attack of mine!" He immediately snapped his mouth shut and looked away in wild-eyed panic as the realisation of his words hit him.

Gatomon clearly wasn't expecting that, and she could do nothing but stare as he left the room without even casting her a glance.

Minutes passed before she turned around and went to accompany Kari once more.

 

- - -

 

Gatomon gently wiped the sweat from Kari's forehead, sitting next to her in the bed. The girl only fidgeted, feeling the touch in her dream as the princess might have felt the disturbing pea under her blankets in the fairytale. Frustration came with her inability to do anything for her partner, having no knowledge of the issue's source, but something else tugged at her brain and she was unable to shake it off. It took her a few seconds of concentration to realise it was her previous quarrel with Gomamon that bothered her. She shook her head violently as soon as the thought popped up, disgusted at herself for putting childish disagreements as that above her best friend's safety. Her mind seemed to have a different opinion on the subject, though, as the last scene between them kept replaying itself in her head.

She thought she knew her team, even if she hadn't been in it as long as others. She had pinpointed exactly where each Chosen or Digimon stood in it, what benefits came from each of them, and what her relationship with them was. There had been a few things that took her by surprise, like Matt and Sora becoming an item, that much she could admit, but they all concerned matters she had not paid much attention to in the first place.

Gomamon had not been one of them.

Kari's ragged sob shook her out of her thoughts, and she rubbed the girl's shoulder frantically to calm her down. Only when Kari had quieted down did she allow her concentration to return, but the trail of thought had already been lost.

It was a long time later, when her eyelids felt heavy and sleep was threatening to take her, that Gatomon came to the conclusion that what she thought so important about this, was the fact that she had been wrong...

The door unexpectedly clicked open, causing her to jump. Tai's tanned, muscular form stood in the doorway, the great mass of hair making him unmistakable even after all these years. He smiled, but it was as forced as each of her own smiles were now, and the soft "Hey," that followed was even moreso.

"Hey Tai..." and she could cringe at her hypocricy. "What brings you here?"

"I'll take over for you. You should get some rest." He kneeled beside her on the bed as he said it, looking at his sister in a parody of emotion; the neutral, even satisfied facade you put on to hide the scars in your soul. She knew it all too well. She had lived her entire life by it.

"I won't leave her," she said, touching Kari's cheek lightly with the back of her glove. But he had only come here because he knew she would, and she should give him credit for being so persistent, if nothing else.

Tai didn't say anything, just remained in the same position, staring at Kari fondly. He held his hand out, and kept it only inches away from Kari's face, as if her skin was too sacred to touch his own.

Or as if he was afraid he would find her frozen and lifeless and taken away from him forever. She could never read Tai too well.

"You shouldn't be so rejective to him, you know. That's just his way." The whisper was so different from Tai's usually hoarse voice that she instictively glanced at him to make sure she wasn't imagining Wizardmon again.

"What?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Gomamon," he stated simply.

"Oh yeah, him." It was the last thing she wanted to talk about, but something that could not be brushed off. An attack; an indirect, backstabbing, out of the blue, I-know-something-you-don't-know one. She rolled her eyes. "Taking into account the things he told me, I wasn't being rejective at all. You'd do the same if he told you you were making too much of a fuss over Kari's illness."

"Most likely." He was still not facing her. "Although there were similar incidents in the past few years when I resisted such reac--"

"Don't even go comparing my past to yours," she instantly snapped in a deceptively relaxed voice. "You haven't seen anything akin to real heartbreak yet. Not even your previous crush on Sora can be counted as one."

The time of silence stretched far longer than she ever thought possible, almost long enough to make her regret it. There weren't any signs of its end, reminding her of the endless hours she had spent in front of the hospital room Kari had been kept in only days ago. It was over even though nothing really changed, not Tai's voice, not Tai's tone, not Tai's position. He just spoke.

"I proposed to Jun yesterday. She refused."

She was looking not at him now, but outside the window. At the stars pinned on the nightsky, too many to maintain her mind rational. "I'm sorry..."

But inside she was laughing, laughing with a bitterness she had once believed she could lose forever.

 

- - -

 

Gomamon watched the cute Digimon just a few feet away from the small cliff he was resting on. She was standing still and had her eyes closed, petals barely moving in the breeze. He had been with enough Floramon before to know that this one was absorbing sunlight. After a while she stretched her hands and shook her head, getting used to the control of her body again. Floramon turned her head to his direction almost immediately. He knew she had been aware of him; it was purposeful, after all.

He loved teasing them this way.

She approached him almost casually. "Like what you see?" she questioned.

He took in her fine, light-coloured body, her lovely curves, the bright red petals embedding her head, and her cute, wide eyes. "Sure do," he replied lazily.

She was next to him now, balancing herself on the cliff with one hand in a seductive manner. "I like what I see too," she admitted.

He winked. "Then..." he didn't get to finish his sentence.

She pulled him into a kiss then, grasping his shoulders and rubbing her chest against him. He had done this numerous times, but the effect it had on him had never resembled this. He couldn't feel his sexual fantasies flaring up, or his problems disappearing, or the world closing in around him...

He just felt his lips on Floramon's.

Muffled noises rose from his throat, and Floramon cut off the kiss. She pushed him onto his back, whispering into his ear seductively "Want to go farther? Or am I not worthy?" the last sentence followed by a light giggle.

"You're not worthy," he said absentmindedly, without really comprehending the words' meaning. He had nor the will nor the desire to do this. All he wanted was to leave, to go somewhere, somewhere... anywhere he could be alone. And so he got up, half-walking half-stumbling, the other Digimon's "Huh? Huh?" exclamations being heard as sounds disrupted by a dream-reality barrier.

He didn't know how long or how far he walked. Instict was ushering him forward, and the same instict led him to water. He let out a contented sigh when the cool liquid surrounded him. He didn't need any Floramons or thoughts or stress when he could have this... He swam forward, watching the small waves he could create just by moving his flippers. The soothing blue responded, rising and falling, bubbling white for a split second and becoming blue again. He was far from the shore, thus it was curious that he hadn't encountered any fish yet. But it didn't matter; he wanted to be alone. There was no moon or sun to light the water now, just the in-between colours of the twilight. It was as if the world was still in its basic stages and being created all over again, like it had when Joe first stepped into his life. He silently wondered if it ever stayed like this anywhere...

He was interrupted by a shiver running down his spine. He would have dismissed it as the wind temporarily changing direction, if it hadn't been for a similar shiver following it. Then another and another, until his whole body was numb and shuddering. He dove into the water in a final attempt to recover his body warmth, and the cold surrounded him. He was too taken by the sight before him to notice, though.

The water was black.

Before he could keep himself in check, he had turned around, desperately clawing at empty air and raising his head as high as he could. After a few failed turns, his head came out of the water - the blue water - and he gasped for air. Breathing was his whole existence in the seconds after this. Then he was able to look at the black water again, just a few feet away from him, and it all came back to him in a flash.

It had been here the whole time. They had searched the entire real world, and it had been here the whole time.

His gaze rested on the endless miles of the dark element for a bit longer as he put an order to his thoughts. He swam back as fast as he could, the one sentence that escaped him ringing in his head over and over: "I have to tell Gatomon!"

 

- - -

 

Gatomon opened her eyes and immediately shielded them from the sun's rays. She blinked a few times, getting adjusted to the lighting of the room, then pushed the bed sheets from her body and stood up. Kari had quieted down, laboured breaths the only sign of abnormality on her. Gatomon sighed, left the room and carefully closed the door more out of habit than anything.

Tai was at the kitchen and seemed to be making a sandwitch for himself. He smiled when he noticed her presence, and she half-heartedly returned it. Opening the fridge to grab the first thing available, she frowned. "There are sandwitches here. Why are you making one yourself?"

His grin stretched even wider. "First step into cooking. Can't have Ishida beat me in everything now, can I?"

She chuckled. "Tough luck, Tai."

She waved a paw as she returned to Kari's bedroom, having found something to eat. She was still munching on her sandwitch when a voice came out of nowhere: "Gatomon!" Alerted, she looked around frantically, even though the voice sounded familiar. "Gatomon!" it repeated. "Down here!"

She finally placed the source of the voice, and walked to the balcony. A surprised shriek left her mouth when she was showered in sakura petals. They kept falling, sprinkling the tiles with pink dots, and she looked up. Hawkmon was there, a basket full of sakura flowers held in his talons. He bowed his head when she met his eyes, offering a wink and whispering "For the most beautiful Digimon in the world."

"Gatomon!" the voice came again, forcing her to regain her senses. She walked to the end of the balcony and looked down. Veemon, Armadillomon and Wormmon were standing at the sidewalk, each dressed in equally ridiculous outfits. Veemon was wearing a beret and matching shoes, Armadillomon a medieval-styled hat with a feather on it, and Wormmon a Mexican one bigger than his whole body. They all beamed at her, and Veemon started drumming a small-sized guitar she just now noticed he held.

She didn't know why, but she felt angry. Frustrated, even. She wasn't that pathetic, was she? She couldn't be as pathetic as Gomamon had made her out to be. No, she didn't need Gomamon to tell her what to do or Tai to lecture her or them to cheer her up. All she needed was Kari.

She threw the half-eaten sandwitch at Veemon's face just as he was about to start singing, and disappeared into the depths of the room. Veemon's muttered "Gatomon..." was the only thing she heard before burying her face in the sheets, savouring the freshness. She wouldn't make it like this, she knew, and they couldn't make her feel better. She had to do something for herself. She had to prove herself things weren't the way she saw them all the time.

And now she knew exactly how to do that.

She stood up again and rummaged through the sheets for Kari's Digivice. It was under Kari's pillow, kept safe until its owner would be able to use it again. She got a hold of it and just stared like a child having found a long-lost toy. She took a deep breath and felt the power surging through her, apparently for the first time since forever.

"Gatomon, digivolve to... Angewomon!"

It was a matter of seconds for the cat-like figure to evolve into the blonde angel, who left the room in a hurry. She paused in front of the kitchen for a moment, facing Tai. "I'm going to the Kidos'. Promise you'll take care of her?"

The only reaction she got out of Tai was a raised eyebrow and a nod. That was enough of an assurement for her to abandon the apartment, spreading her wings to acquire the fast movement she had been aiming for.

 

- - -

 

His tongue was hanging out of his mouth from the effort he put into running. Gomamon groaned in frustration as he watched the bus leave the moment he reached the sidewalk. It would take hours for the next one to arrive! The pacing started without him realising it, his eyes still set on the road in front of him. He should be thinking of a plan now, but his mind had gone blank after that last move.

Time went by, but that was only made clear for him when a yellow blur passed before him. A taxi. His blank stare quickly resolved into a hurried run to its direction. The flippers made running difficult for him, but the fact that it was the only thing he cared about now gave him a boost. He kept his eyes half-shut to concentrate better, while shouting at the top of his lungs: "Taxi!"

By Gomamon's luck's standards lately, this was magic. The taxi stopped.

A tall guy with a badly-shaved chin and black hair opened the door. He waved away the smoke of the cigarette he was smoking, and glanced at the Digimon. Under normal circumstances, any ordinary person - although now that Gomamon thought of it, this guy wasn't anywhere near representative of that description - would have freaked out and taken the run of his life.

However, after three years of Digimon being referred to as the world's saviours, they were too much a part of everyday life for anyone to protest.

"Where to?" the taxi driver asked.

"The Kamiyas'." The name "Kamiya" was just as famous as the name of any of the country's national heroes. It was even being contemplated that the street's name be changed to that.

"Hop in," he enquired.

The small duration of the distance by car made Gomamon wonder if he would have been able to make it by feet. His reddened flippers instantly proved any such thought wrong. There wasn't time for that, anyway. Not with the Kamiya residence in walking distance.

He hastily exited the taxi, but yelped when a hand pulled him back in. The taxi-driver held him up by the back of the neck, right in front of his own face. "What's all the rush for? I need my money too, you know."

Eep, he had completely forgotten about that factor! He quickly thought up an excuse: "Hey, I'm one of the Chosen Digimon! I don't need to pay for such things!"

The man shook the seal lightly. "Don't give me that! You don't have anything to prove it! Besides, even the president of the United States would have to pay for this!"

"But I--"

"Look, boy," the taxi-driver growled, "either you have money or you don't. Simple as that. If it's the latter, then you and me are taking a small trip to the police station."
"Huh? No! Wait!" He tried to think up something. "It's important! Please, mister taxi-driver sir, I have to go to that house! I'll owe you!" The steel look on the guy's face showed that there would be no such freedom in this case. "I'll supply you with fishes for a year!" Still no reaction. "Look, a rabbit!" The glare hardened even more. "Haha, I never fall for that one either," Gomamon tried to joke, sweatdropping. "I'll even... I'll even... wash the car's windows!"

The taxi-driver's reaction could be summed up by no other word than "unexpected". He shook the Digimon violently back and forth, so much that Gomamon thought his head would fall off any second now. "Are you implying something about my car's windows?!" he yelled. And yelled. And yelled. And paused. "Now that you mention it, they do need a little cleaning-up..." he trailed off. He furrowed his eyebrow again right after that, though, pulling Gomamon's face closer to his. "How can I trust that you'll keep your promise, though?"

"Oh, easy!" Gomamon answered with all the modesty he claimed. Literally, of course. "Reliability."

The taxi-driver could only blink as Gomamon took advantage of his confusion and waddled away. He rang the doorbell, and Tai's voice was heard from the speaker. "How may I help you?"

"It's Gomamon."

"Hold on. I'll open." Gomamon pushed the door open with relative ease, and climbed up the stairs. Tai ushered him in. "What brings you here?"

"I have to talk to Gatomon," Gomamon skipped straight to the point, already turning his head to the direction he remembered Kari's room was in.

"She's not here," Tai explained, causing Gomamon's gaze to return to him. "She left for Joe's a few minutes ago."

"Oh, crap! I'll have to go find her now." Gomamon rolled his eyes. "That girl always manages to make me leave empty-handed." He ran to the door, only to swirl back to Tai right after. "I almost forgot. You wouldn't mind lending some Yen to me for today, right?"

"Huh..." Tai muttered, pulling the amount of money Gomamon had asked for from his pocket.

"Thanks!" Gomamon chirped, snatched the money, and walked away.

 

- - -

 

'Riiiiiiiing!'

Mimi stirred in the bed, and nudged the sleeping boy beside her. "The doorbell's ringing."

"Mmhmm..." he murmured, not moving from his position.

"Maybe you should, like, answer it," she continued, mild sarcasm painted in her tone.

And again the "Mmhmm..." answer. Mimi nudged him harder now, and he fidgeted. "Let Shin do it..." was his muffled response.

"Shin's not here," she stated, irritated now. "Get up and answer the doorbell."

'Riiiiiiiing!'

"Joe!" Mimi opened her eyes and turned to him, shaking his shoulder.

"Fine, fine," he finally grumbled, sitting up and wiping the sleep off his eyes. Mimi smiled triumphantly and pulled the covers up again. Joe sighed as he put on his clothes and left the room, doing his best to straighten his mussed hair along the way. He opened the door, still barely holding himself straight. His eyes widened when he opened the door.

A tall, blonde woman was standing there, wearing a perfectly neutral expression. She was dressed lightly enough for her long legs, her shoulders and part of her breasts to be visible, and he failed to notice her face as he slammed the door. He leaned against it, his whole face a bright blush, as he took deep breaths. He could feel a nosebleed starting any second now...

Angewomon, on the other side of the door, could do nothing but sweatdrop.

"Joe!" He cringed as Mimi's voice came from the far side of the hall. "Who is it?"

"Um... um..." He was too dumbfounded to answer straight away. "No-one! They had left before I could get there!"

"Well, come back here then! I'm getting cold!" The last sentence was said in a playful tone.

He sighed in relief and went back to the room. He lied on the bed and pulled the sheets up, when...

'Riiiiiiiing!'

Joe closed his eyes to avoid the glare he knew he would receive. No reaction came, though, and he was about to lie back down when Mimi said "I'm going to check it out myself."

He opened his eyes and jumped at his feet right away. Mimi was already dressed and making her way down the hall. "No! Wait, Mimi! It's not what it..." The door creaked open. "...seems."

"Angewomon! What brings you here?" Mimi exclaimed, giving Joe a cross "You're not serious..." look. He just blinked.

"I'm looking for Gomamon," Angewomon said, suppressing a smile at the look on Joe's face. "I have to tell him something."

Mimi turned to Joe, her eyes questioning him. He only shrugged. "I don't know where he is myself. Last time I saw him he was saying something about going to the Digital World, but that was hours ago."

"Oh, perfect." Angewomon rolled her eyes. "Thank you for the information."

The doorbell rang, causing Angewomon's hand to pause at the door's handle. She opened the door, letting a sweating Gomamon in. "Gatomon!" he blurted out. "I mean, Angewomon! I had been looking for you."

Angewomon raised an eyebrow. "What for?" And then, remembering the reason she came here for, she looked at the ground and started: "I wanted to say I'm so--"

"There's no time now. You'll tell me later." His gaze traveled to Joe and Mimi, each with equally wrinkled clothes and mussed hair. He shook his head. "I'm not even asking..." And turning to Joe... "Joe, I have to digivolve." The boy only nodded, pulling his Digivice out. "Better not in the house..." Gomamon noted, scratching his head in embarassment.

They all went outside; Gomamon and Joe nodded at each other.

"Gomamon, digivolve to... Zudomon!"

Zudomon turned to Angewomon just when the digivolution ended. "Do you know where the nearest portal is?"

Mimi, having stayed silent all the while, now spoke up: "I can open one for you," she said with a little hesitance.

"Do so," Zudomon confirmed. Angewomon was looking up at him in wonder.

"Digiportal, open!" Mimi shouted, pulling her Digivice out.

The glowing portal opened before them, blinking a different colour every second. Zudomon and Angewomon waved at the two as they disappeared into it. "Have fun!" Zudomon winked at Joe, who, naturally, blushed.

Joe and Mimi remained silent for several minutes. Mimi was the one to break the quiet, as she wondered aloud "What was that all about?"

 

- - -

 

The ocean spread on to eternity from each side. It was dark, a melancholy black colour that took over even the sky's blue to create the proper atmosphere. It added depth to the waters, the still waters, which looked like the hideout of a monster ready to be unleashed and devour. Angewomon had seen it before, and had tried with all her will to forget it.

A futile attempt, it appeared now.

"So this is it..." she whispered, ignoring the cold constantly whipping at her shoulders. She shook her head angrily. "I should have known... But I thought we had destroyed it."

Zudomon was staring intently at the same spot as her. "We had." Angewomon looked up at him in confusion. "We had in its form then. But it's like water..." He dropped his hammer on the ground to emphasize his next sentence with a wave of his hands. "You can make water disappear. Evaporate it, for example. But then it will appear in another form; in air."

"But water is an element. It can't be the same with darkness or evil," Angewomon pointed out.

"No, it can't." He placed a finger on his forehead, lost in thought. His voice had an eerie touch to it, like he was revealing the purpose of life or the termination of death. "What if remnants were left behind?"

"That would make sense..." Angewomon said. "But why now?"

"I... don't really know," Zudomon said.

Angewomon forced her thoughts to an order. "Last time had been three years ago... but that doesn't say much." She tapped her foot nervously, worried at the lack of a plan, an idea, or a pattern... A pattern. "Wait," she enquired and started pacing. "It was three years ago. Three years before the second generation of Digidestined appeared, the first generation beat Apocalymon. So..." She palmed her fist in success. "So there is a pattern with that number. It must have caused the leftovers of evil to flare up three years after, like what had happened before."

Zudomon was fascinated. "That's it. Yes, that's it. And that must have been the period Kari had been introduced to the Dark Ocean. That's why it has attacked just her so far. You got it all right..."

Neither of them talked for a while, each lost in their own puzzles.

Zudomon made to grab his hammer, a sign that he planned to leave. As he took the first step to it, Angewomon held her hand out in a gesture of protest. "Wait!" Zudomon faced her, and she found her hand frozen in mid-air. "I wanted to apologise... about before..." She could not read Zudomon's unchanging expression as well as she could Gomamon's, and it annoyed her beyond belief. She looked away, a pink blush tinting her cheeks. "I was wrong."

Zudomon's muzzle pulled up in a smile. "Never thought I'd see the day..." Angewomon looked at him again, ready to snap, but he stopped her with "It's very much appreciated."

"Thank you..." Angewomon said.

Angewomon smiled at him, but it was replaced by a wide-eyed look as he pulled her into a hug. Her surprise was quickly swept away, and she hugged him back, encircling his chest with her arms. She felt warm and safe there, something she hadn't experienced outside Kari's arms. She snuggled closer to his wide chest and closed her eyes shut, memorising the feeling. The fact that it was Gomamon that made the first move took away any feeling of discomfort; he wasn't one for such blunt displays of affection. He whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry about before too. I shouldn't have said these things about your reaction to Kari's illness. I guess I was a bit... jealous... about your power in your permanent stage, Champion."

She didn't pull away. "Is it what you said about being unable to protect Joe as Gomamon?"

It took long moments for him to speak, so long that for a second she thought she had pushed him away with saying that. "Yes," he finally admitted. "I hadn't shared it with anyone, and I was very angry at it being brought up. I'm much more comfortable in this form."

He was saying all this to her... to her, with whom he had barely spoken before, with whom every previous exchange had been insults and rude statements, with whom he had barely any knowledge of. Oh, how she had misunderstood him... She had misunderstood him all along...

She bit her lip to suppress the tears that were about to fall. Her lips touched his chest, but she didn't pull away even with that involuntary move. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'm sorry about everything." She let go then, and the tears fell silently, one after the other, and trickled down his chest. No words came with it, no sobs, no anything. She just cried, and even though Zudomon was obviously feeling less than comfortable about it, he held her and allowed her to.

When she was done and her breathing had returned to normal, she looked up at him. His blue eyes stared down at her, and there was nothing but him then, not even the cold blackness surrounding and pressing down on them from everywhere. She removed her arms from his waist and wrapped them around his neck, pulling his mouth to hers. He kissed back with a sort of certainty, as if he had seen it coming all the while but said nothing. She knew next to nothing about him, but at the moment she loved him. It was all she was aware of. She loved him.

She pressed her body against his, deepening the kiss and battling his tongue with hers. He pulled back and placed his head next to hers, nuzzling her shoulder. She moaned, arching her back in the newly-discovered sensations, and as she did so she felt his erection between her legs. Her hands wandered down his chest and grasped it, causing him to groan in anticipation. She pulled back from him a bit, focusing on the task in hand as she moved her palms over his length. Her pace fastened as his flesh heated up, hands rubbing it repeatedly. He swelled in her grip, and she watched in amazement as his full length was revealed to her. She jerked him off even more intensely then, and moved one hand to press down on his balls. The first evidence of precum was spread over his tip, enough of an assurement that he was enjoying this for her to go on. Zudomon just growled and gently bit down on her shoulder as she kept the treatment up for longer.

He pushed her hand away after a while, and moved his hand to her back, blindly searching. He finally unstrapped her cloth, and it fell on the ground, quickly followed by her other garments. When he was done undressing her, he carefully kneeled down in front of her. She proceeded to grip his shoulders firmly in anticipation of what was to come. He lapped at her hairless folds once, a reminder of the Digimon's different structure than the human, earning a slight shudder from her body. He continued doing so, his tongue always dancing one step before her clitoris, and he handled it in a way that it kept up even when she pulled his head closer. His hairy muzzle tickled her opening, arousing her even more. She groaned in frustration as she saw what she thought was a smile coming from him, her fingers anxiously drumming on his head. Her juices had already begun to coat her vagina, her stamina gradually dropping. She screamed loudly when he finally inserted his tongue into her, first touching her clitoris and then moving up to press her G spot. It didn't last for long, though, and he apparently got what he was intending as it wasn't enough to push her over the edge.

He made his way up her body again, kissing the smooth skin up to her breasts. He focused on her tits, licking each one separately and at the same time pushing a claw into her pussy. She gasped, staying still as he pleasured two of her most sensitive areas simultaneously. His claw's rough treatment turned Angewomon on more than she would want to admit, and as he moved it around and explored her insides, she knew this was the most exhilarating experience she ever had. His rough tongue meanwhile worked on her left nipple, gentle bites taking place from time to time. His claw carressed her walls in such ways that she resisted the urge to impale herself on it, even though it would probably be what was needed for her to orgasm.

Suddenly, he came to a stop. She groaned in frustration and collapsed on the ground, the soft sand a reassuring touch for her burning flesh. Her heavy breaths came as steam due to the cold. She moved her legs around, but her arousal made it impossible to stay comfortable. Zudomon appeared in her view again, and he covered her body with his, paying attention so as not to hurt her.

"This is not your first time, is it?" she asked him.

"No," he replied. "Is it yours?"

She could only nod, fear and excitement both overflowing her body. He placed a hand on her helmet to remove it, but she stopped him. "Not yet."

Zudomon also nodded, and placed his hands on either side of her. He slowly entered her, reveling in the feeling of her tight walls squeezing his length. Angewomon shut her eyes, knowing that the following part would be painful. Zudomon pushed in harder, the movement shaking her body backward. The last stroke broke her hymen, her only reaction a forced sob. Her tears had all dried up before, and she could not find the heart to cry her eyes out again no matter how much the pain was. He didn't wait for her to, instead continuing his in-and-out movements without hesitation. She moaned repeatedly, his large manhood filling her up in every way. The impossible waves of pleasure rushed through her without stop, leaving her body a spasming doll at her lover's arms. He resumed his kisses on her neck, his tongue occasionally appearing to consume her. The cold air was beating down on her, and his hot penis was counter-attacking it, creating a strange atmosphere by all standards. The temperature rose and fell, as did her body in the sparks lighting it up, and her walls clamped him harder when she started moving in his rhythm.

Zudomon was holding his load, waiting for her to come first. It took longer than he had thought it would, taking into account the foreplay before it. He squinted, concentrating on his fast strokes, although he knew he wouldn't be able to do it for longer. Angewomon got him out of the trouble, as she let out a loud scream and came violently. He followed, groaning aloud and shooting his semen into her. Her fingers reached out to grip the hair on his head as she felt it go through her like electricity, and released him the moment he pulled back.

He leaned down next to her, just staring up at the black sky that was bringing day and night to the same level. Angewomon soon fell asleep without a word, rolled on her stomach. A smile escaped him at her softly snoring form, and he turned his head to the other side. Sleep soon weighed down on him, and he watched the sea with half-shut eyes. The water moved up and down gently, a change from the serene stillness it had been before. The waves were gradually forming, their sounds lulling him like they always did. They were larger now, beating down on the shore like blue flames eating a piece of wood. Only they were waves...

Waves?

He bolted up, and shaked Angewomon to awake her. "What is it?" she muttered sleepily.

"When was the last day of the Dark Ocean's activities?" Zudomon asked anxiously.

"Hm? What do you mean by--" Realisation dawned on her, and she sat up from her position. "Oh my God," she breathed shakily. "Oh my God... Kari!"

 

- - -

 

It was warm.

Strange, because she had been waiting for it with fear all along. She could even confirm that it terrified her more than anything else. It was always peeking at her from a corner, as she imagined it, and its shadow was visible even from there. It was always transparent, invisible, apart from its shadow. The shadows could not be powered without light, she had been told, and it had been proved right from the day she got her Crest. It approached everyone throughout their lives, but her above all, because she was The Goddess and The Chosen One and The Light.

Something that would forever prove her different from who she wanted to be.

And that shadow, after years and years of nearing her, had finally reached her.

And it was warm.

She had felt something similar to it before, but she couldn't quite place what at the moment. All she cared about was that it didn't feel scary or intimidating. In her trance she could feel it like a weight, adding pressure to her limp body and pulling her with it down to the bottom. She couldn't resist death, and at the moment there wasn't a need to. It felt good, and that was all she cared about. She wasn't Kari anymore; she wasn't the baby for whom the smallest injury would be painful, or the child that would skin her leg and bleed more than any normal kid, or the teenager whose period started years before the other girls'. She was someone else, and that someone wanted nothing else but for the warmth to take her and make her its own and let her drift off with it as the balance and allow her to be--

 

*

 

The de-digivolved Gomamon and Gatomon desperately knocked on the door of the Kamiya residence. Tai opened, startled at the looks on their faces. "Tai, where's Kari?" Gatomon asked as calmly as she could.

"In her room. I checked up on her a few minutes ago," Tai managed to stutter.

"You said you'd take care of her! And you left her alone!" Gatomon's eyes were shooting flames as she yelled at him. Tai didn't get a chance to respond as she ran to Kari's bedroom, Gomamon fighting to keep up with her. Tai followed, now as worried as they were.

A huge wave of water came rushing down to the feline as she opened the door. The room was full of water, the items in it either floating or soaking with the liquid. It almost reached up to the ceiling, its bluish shade colouring everything in it. Kari was still on her bed, expressionless, the water having covered her body and face.

"Kari!" Tai shouted, beginning to run towards her direction before Gomamon restrained him.

Gomamon swam to her, and dragged the girl with all the strength he had, moving her outside the room. Tai carried her to a dry spot, applying CPR on her, while Gatomon ran to call medical help. An ambulance came minutes after, carrying the unconscious girl to a hospital. Reporters were soon to appear, asking all sorts of questions to the three left behind, who just stared blankly at the nothingness.

 

- - -

 

"How did you find out?" Kari asked from her hospital bed.

Gatomon kissed her partner's forehead. "It's too long a story. I'll tell you sometime later."

"Mm..." Kari murmured, closing her eyes. "Don't be too hard with Tai. It wasn't his fault. He never knew something like that would happen."

"I'll get over it, don't worry," Gatomon assured her. "I'm just glad you're alright."

Noises were heard outside the door, phrases along the lines of "Can we talk to Miss Kamiya?" or "We're from Channel A". Tai's voice accompanied them in the mess of sounds, shouting that his sister was not to be interrupted by anyone.

Kari shook her head at her brother's protectiveness, a smile steady on her face. Gatomon smiled too, happy to see her best friend like this. She ran her paw through Kari's hair, and caressed her face. Kari beamed at Gatomon, pulling the Digimon into a hug and kissing her cheek. "I love you, Gatomon..."

"I love you too, Kari..." Gatomon purred. "I'll never let anything take you away from me."

They remained like that, savouring the feeling of having each other back again. Kari finally pulled back to ask "Where's Gomamon, anyway? He helped you with that, right?"

Gatomon snickered. "He's... busy..."

She looked outside the window. A taxi was parked outside the hospital, and the little white seal was, sure enough, washing the car's windows. A man was inspecting the process from a nearby bench, while eating an ice cream. Gomamon whined, "I thought you said you wanted money!"

"I did, originally. But I can't turn out your offer to wash my windows. They did look kinda messy back then." The taxi-driver laughed.

Gomamon grumbled, and moved the bucket of water closer to the car to continue.

"Hey! Gomamon!" came Gatomon's voice from the window. Gomamon looked up at the hospital's window, glaring at Gatomon, who stretched her hands. "Don't forget to clean up the water from the house when you're done!" She snickered along with Kari, and disappeared back into the room.

Gomamon just rolled his eyes, did a "hmph" sound, and resumed washing.

 

 

 

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

This fanfic was written for Hazan's contest. I chose the specific pairing because Hazan was always complaining about the lack of good Zudomon fanfics (which is very true) and I wanted to make him happy. I doubt I managed it with this fanfic, but I still tried. ^_^

I should add that the last few scenes, including the lemon scene, may seem a bit rushed because I wrote them during the last day. Another excuse is that I was sick, with a headache and a sore throat, so I wasn't even so sure what I was writing back then.

The lemon isn't proofread, but I still have faith in my grammar (partly) and spelling.

For once, the Jyoumi scenes are there for a reason. I needed someone who would be able to open a portal to the Digital World, and only Tai and Mimi were shown to be able to do that in the series.

I hope you enjoyed!