#tamerverse

Title: The Tamer v2.0 - In HIs Name

Fandom: Digimon

Rating: T

Synopsis: In the next adventure of the Digimon Tamer, the lives of Juri, Rika, and Henry change forever when digimon begin crossing over into the human world. But it’s all just a story, right? Just a book series by an author no one has seen in a long time. Why are they here and can they save their world before something worse follows the digimon?

Chapter 22: Off To The Digital World

Takato stared down at the little imp, trying to puzzle out why he was here, "What are you doing? Are you helping them?"

The imp folded his arms, leering so hard at Takato that he could drill holes, "Don't be stupid. You kids think yo' so tough walkin' around with them digimon like pets, actin' like you own the world. Well forget that! I got made an offer and I took it. I'm just lookin' to see if any of you's guys want to take the offer too while ya' can. Any of ya interested?"

Leomon kept his hand on his sword, "And what is this offer?"

Impmon thumbed at the shrinking fog behind him, "Work for thos' guys and get as strong as ya want! All ya gotta do is do 'em a favor every now and again."

"Observation: It sounds like you want us to trade human partners for digimon partners," Andromon pointed out, making the imp's face shrink in embarrassment. He quickly stammered out, "No, it's different!"

"I don't think it is," Leomon added, looking back at Juri with a smile, "Besides, I like Juri as my partner. She's very brave."

That infuriated Impmon, "You really wanna be bossed around by a stinkin' human? What's the matta with you?"

Kazu pointed at himself, "Nobody listens to me, so I don't know what you're talking about. Takato can barely keep Guilmon from wandering off-"

"HEY!" Takato spat out.

"-and Leomon doesn't really need Juri to tell him what to do in a fight. He can manage himself," Kazu answered expertly, uncharacteristically demonstrating a level of knowledge he hadn't shown before. Then he pointed at Impmon, "If anyone here is getting bossed around, it sounds like it's you Impmon."

Impmon's mouth was practically on the floor with amazement at how quickly he was torn down. After a moment's silence, he extended his middle most finger at all of them and snapped, "Y'know what, forget all of you! This is what I get for tryin' ta help you out! You all can suck it! You losas can hang out in the human world if you want. I'm goin back ta the Digital World to get me some rewards. Laters!"

He stuck his tongue out at them and leapt backwards into the fog, disappearing with it. There was a moment of stunned silence before any of them realized what happened. Then Takato sank to his knees and punched the ground, "DAMMIT!"

"Dude!"

"Tamer?"

"Are you alright?" Juri turned to him. His knuckles were bloody from hitting the ground so hard. She took a step forward to try and calm him down but he looked up at her when she was just an inch away. There was a cold anger there she hadn't seen before. It only lasted a moment before it was replaced by a determined look ahead, "This just got more complicated. We need to get Calumon back."

…

Rika, Kenta, and Henry arrived in time to see Takato punching the ground in anger, while Leomon and Andromon tried to calm him down. Juri and Kazu looked on anxiously. Both tamers looked at each other anxiously, unsure of what exactly they'd missed. Rika's shoulders slumped as she realized, "We're too late."

Henry tapped Kazu's shoulder, "What did we miss?"

"Some monkey digimon showed up and took Calumon!" Kazu explained, sounding like he was just as lost as they were, "Juri and Leomon beat Pajiramon, then Growlmon digivolved to WarGrowlmon and they beat Indramon! We tried to go through the gate but then Impmon showed up and...well..."

"Juri and Leomon beat Pajiramon?" Rika looked from the girl with the sock puppet to the tall lion warrior. She wanted to be surprised, but nothing surprised her anymore when it came to Juri. Especially since she had figured out what was wrong before she had. Without realizing it, she was smiling from ear to ear, "Good job Juri."

"Oh, thanks," the girl's face turned a bright shade of red and she looked away. Terriermon's ears sprang up, "It looks like we've got a new human-digimon team, huh? Welcome to the club. We've already got the mean one, the annoying one, and the cautious one. You can be the nice one."

"Okay, I get Rika's the mean one. Who's annoying and who's cautious?" Henry asked. Rika scoffed and stamped on his foot in response. She turned her attention back towards Takato straightening himself out. He seemed to be shaking, but that didn't stop him from opening Andromon's arm, "We need to get that gate open as soon as possible. It's our only chance of getting to the Digital World and saving Calumon."

"Dude, alright! We're going to the Digital World!" Kazu called out excitedly. Juri was less ecstatic, "Is that a good idea? We barely beat Pajiramon and Indramon. You want to go where there's more of them?"

Takato was too busy fiddling around inside Andromon's arm to listen. His arms went so far in that it looked like he was armless past the shoulder. While he tinkered, he explained, "Those guys we had a hard time beating just got their hands on a power source that can digivolve them all the way to the next level! If we don't go after them now, they'll be unstoppable when they come back."

"Don't you mean if?" Renamon asked seriously. Takato shook his head, "No. When. If whatever they're up against now is so strong they needed Calumon, then there's a chance - however small - that it won't be enough. And they'll come back to run away from it. And whatever they're fighting will be right after them."

Kazu groaned, "Geez, always gotta be so dramatic. So when are we going?"

"If I work all night? Maybe tomorrow at the earliest. Couple of days at the least," Takato answered quickly, closing the panel once he was done, "I'll need to get home and borrow some tools from dad. Oh! And you'd better tell your parents if you plan on coming."

"What? Again? I'm not telling my parents," Kazu protested. Rika rolled her eyes and slapped the back of his head, "Weren't you paying attention back at my house? We don't know how long we'll be there! If we're going, we're telling our parents all about it."

Takato added quickly, "I'll let Kari know tomorrow. We should get our homework before go too. If you guys don't want to fall behind on school work, we'd better bring some with us. That goes for you too: Rika, Henry."

"We're about to go on a rescue mission to another world to save Calumon, and all you can think about is our homework," Henry pointed out. Rika blinked and pointed at Henry, "Didn't think you were the type to not like homework, mister was-too-scared-to-fight-digimon."

"Education's important. Not that you should listen to me. I wasn't very good at school. I'm still not. I just don't like having to sit there for so long and pay attention," Takato explained to them, managing to kill his own point int he process.

"Ain't that the truth," Kazu grumbled. Then Kenta reminded them, "I don't want to kill the mood, but shouldn't we scatter before those crazy guys with the guns show up? I mean, do we want to be shot at?"

"Yeah, you're right," Juri nodded in agreement, stopping only when she realized she had a new problem, "But um...where do I keep Leomon?"

"Maintenance tunnel with WarGrowlmon and Andromon," Takato answered, "This way guys! And don't forget to tell your families!"

Leomon crossed his arms, "No. Juri's my partner now. Wherever she goes, I go."

Takato patted the massive lion, "No offense Leomon, but you stick out like a sore thumb. How do you plan on going home with her?"

"If Juri doesn't mind, then under cover of darkness," Leomon pointed up towards the darkening sky and the setting sun. All eyes were on Juri now, sweating nervously and shaking anxiously. Takato stated, "It's your call Juri."

After a long silence, she nodded in agreement. Kazu groaned, "Man, I still can't believe she got a partner and I didn't."

...

Rika returned home to find some of her mom's friends were still there. Her doctor friend greeted with that same calm smile he'd shown her before, "So, how'd it go? Save the world for another day?"

"Something like that," she sat herself down at the table and took another bite of the cookies. Her mom sat across from her quietly. She hadn't seen her mother so sullen in a while. Not since...then it clicked, and a panicked exasperation had her looking around the room nervously, "Where's dad?"

"He left with that Yamaki guy. But we'll see him again. He promised," she replied sheepishly.

A long paused followed after that, both mother and daughter unsure of what to say to each other now. She was sure the doctor was planning on giving some advice that neither wanted until he stood up, "I'd better get going. I have a lot of work tomorrow and you two have a lot to discuss. Mimi, it was good to see you again. Ruki, it was a pleasure to meet you."

As soon as he left, the rest of her mom's friends started making their excuses to leave too. Her mom wasn't as warm or friendly in her goodbyes as she usually was - and her friends noticed. They were probably all thinking the same thing. She and her mom had a lot to talk about now. And that made her anxious since she didn't usually talk to her mom anyway.

The long pause continued after all her friends were gone. Then her mom started giggling to herself. Rika looked around the room, trying to see what had made her mother laugh but just saw the empty dining room. Maybe her mom had finally snapped? When her mom finally calmed down enough to look up at her, she choked out an apology, "Sorry, it's just...I was starting to worry that you and I would never have anything in common besides being girls."

She shouldn't have been surprised to hear that. Her mom had been trying for years to get closer to them despite the fact that she didn't think they had anything in common. More to the point, for someone who had been a former digidestined, it didn't make sense why she never once mentioned that she'd had a digimon partner before. Her mom finally calmed down from laughing, "I'm really happy for you and your partner. And she's beautiful too, just like you."

"Why did you never tell me? You know I like digimon," Rika drummed her fingers on the table - mostly because she wasn't sure how to respond to that kind of praise from her mother. Her mom looked at her, "I didn't think you'd believe me, Ruki...I mean Rika. Digimon as you know it has only ever been a game. Most people think that, despite everything that happened."

Her ears perked up at the sound of that nickname. Her mom hated that nickname. But she was using it now. Her mom added, "But the truth is, I didn't want our relationship to turn out like it did with my dad. After what happened to my mom, he became...overprotective of me. And it ended up pushing me away from him."

"I know. I found the original book. And read it," she replied matter of factly, now warming up to the idea that her mom was Mimi. More awesome, her mom had personally dealt the killing blow to one of the toughest bad guys out there. And that...was actually kinda cool now that she thought about it. Then she remembered all the time in the book when she'd lashed out at the goggle head. The same goggle head who was making her life miserable now, "So was the goggle head always that stupid or-"

Her mom began massaging her temple as she began, "Worse. The truth was he was always several steps ahead of everyone else. He would just never admit it. It was annoying. Although, after what's been happening, I think I prefer it when he knows what's going on. Even if he is a smug jerk about all of it. I've never admitted this but...I was happy to learn he was going to die. But when it finally happened, all I felt was sorry for Kari because she had to lose her brother three times."

She paused, "Sorry, we shouldn't be talking about this - it's too depressing. And just talking about that him annoys me.

"Believe me, mom. That goggle head annoys me too," Rika admitted. Both had a laugh at that. Aside from digimon, it seemed they both had another thing in common. A genuine dislike for that goggle wearing moron. She went on to add, "I mean, who wears goggles? It's like he's some dumb kid playing at being a pilot. Some days, I expect him to just run around with his arm out like a plane going whoosh."

Her mom started laughing, "You don't even know the half of it. You should've seen him when I was your age! He got hit by a bus, got up and ran away like it was nothing. Then he walked into Sora's apartment, you remember my designer friend, and then he jumped through her sliding door and off her balcony."

Rika couldn't help but burst out laughing as that mental image came into her mind. Some days she wished the goggle head would get hit by a bus. Then again, with his uncanny luck, he'd probably shake it off like it was nothing. Especially since the only thing that actually seemed to hurt him was that government thing that hurt digimon. She opened her eyes through the laughter and noticed her mom was laughing too. This was a familiar feeling - one she hadn't felt in a while. A shared joy of laughing gleefully with her mother. She didn't hate it either. She actually kinda liked it and wanted to laugh with her more often.

After the laughter died down, Rika looked at her mom with the smallest semblance of a smile on her face, "But for all the stuff in the books, there's a lot of stuff that wasn't in them. Or on the show. There's a lot of stuff I don't get. Like you were the girly girl and dad was the nerd. How did you two get together?"

Her mom's face lit up excitedly, "It all started when he accidentally called me the cute once. I'm sure he was thinking it but he'd never worked up the courage to say it. Until one day, a couple of digimon showed up demanding a kiss from the cute one. Izzy pointed out they probably meant me. That was when I first noticed him. But he didn't really stop being shy until high school. But that's a different story and you're too young for it. Plus he has this really cute look on his face when he gets really invested in something."

Rika turned away, sensing this conversation was about to turn mushy. Thankfully her mom stopped there, "I know it'll be dangerous for you, because I was in your shoes once. But promise me you won't do anything to get yourself in danger. And you and Renamon take care of each other, because it'll always be life and death."

Then her mom hugged her. Her gut instinct was to push away in her protest but she chose not to. She didn't hate the hug; it was more that she knew it would make her mom feel better to hold her just a little while longer. That is, until the hug started lasting a little too long and Rika began to feel like she was suffocating. That was when she pushed away, "Okay, okay. I'm fine mom. Geez."

"I just wanted to hug my little girl again, that's all. I didn't think I'd get to again since you started distancing yourself away from everyone," her mother stated cheerfully, trying to pull her back into the hug. This time, she resisted only because she didn't like how long the hugs were lasting and she was getting uncomfortable just thinking about it. It was only then that Rika added, "The digimon we fought got Calumon - The one they were after. Goggle head is fixing everything up so that we can go to the Digital World and get him back. He also thinks we'll figure what's going on along the way. The plan is to leave as soon as he has it fixed up. Which could be as early as tomorrow."

"Well, I guess I should get some food ready for you guys just in case," her mom said cheerily. Rika wondered just how much more cooking her mom had in her as she made her way into the kitchen to prepare some more food.

...

Henry walked into his apartment with Terriermon in his arms, and was met by a wailing Xiaochun screaming about how he was going to be mad at her. Their mom was trying to calm her down with no luck and she shot Henry a confused look, "What is your baby sister crying about?"

He racked his brain to think of answer quickly. He'd told dad everything about the digimon but not his mom. Where would he even start with this story? Judging by his mom's confusion, that meant Xiaochun had kept her promise to keep as much of this secret as possible. If anything, it was a rarity for him since he expected her to spill the moment things went south. But she hadn't. Which was a real credit to her. But now it was on him to explain. Before he could, though, his mom pointed at Terriermon and asked, "What is that doing back here? I thought we told you to give that doll back to whoever you stole it from."

"I'm not stolen from anything. Henry, maybe we should tell your mom since your dad already knows anyway?" Terriermon finally spoke up, opening his mouth at the worst possible time. The look on his mom's face would be priceless if it wasn't so scared. And it especially didn't help when she shrieked in a panic, making Xiaochun wail louder. Things only got worse now that his older brother dashed into the hallway, "What's wrong!?"

"HENRY'S DOLL TALKED!" she screamed, moving Xiaochun behind her. His older brother looked from her to Terriermon and concluded, "It was probably a pull string."

"I don't have any pull strings. I'm completely real," Terriermon announced as he leapt out of his arms and onto the floor. Now it was his brother's turn to scream, "It moves! It's alive!"

"Duh," Terriermon shrugged.

"Stop making it worse. You're freaking them out," Henry said to the little digimon who was now casually strolling up to them, "If they think I'm scary, then I think you might be the bravest in your whole family. You froze up against all those bigger digimon, but you never started freaking out like they did."

"It...talks...and walks...and it's alive," his brother stammered out words between gasps of panicked breath. Terriermon patted the boy's leg, "Good! We've got you stringing together phrases! Now let's get you saying complete sentences!"

"Be nice," Henry said to his partner more sternly, scooping him up before either his brother or mom hit him in a panic. Xiaochun finally calmed down from her crying enough to look at Terriermon and say, "Terriermon. You're not mad are you? I'm sorry I lost Calumon! I didn't mean to."

Terriermon patted the little girl's head, "Hey, it wasn't your fault. You didn't know what was going to happen. If anyone's angry, it's gotta be Henry since he's the stick in the mud."

"I'm not a stick in the mud," he snapped quickly, prompting Terriermon to laugh, "Thanks for proving my point! It's good to know that I can at least count on you for something."

"Henry, what is going on?" her mom finally managed to ask, pointing a finger at Terriermon accusingly while listing every question that must've come to mind, "How long has he been able to talk? What is it exactly? Why does it know your name? Why does Xiaochun know what it is? And how long has it been in our home? Did you let it in?"

Henry groaned, scratching his head and grumbling, "You really know how to make my life miserable, Terriermon. Mom, Rinchei, Jaarin. This is Terriermon. He's a digimon, and we're partners. Sort of like that game I always play but...real. We've been fighting those digimon attacks that've been happening on the news. All the stuff they keep saying are freak accidents or explosions. Well, that's been us."

"Henry, it's dangerous!" his mom said worriedly, standing up and pulling her slipper off her foot to use as a weapon, "You need to get rid of that thing now before it hurts someone."

"He's not dangerous mom," he stated matter-of-factly, "If he were any kind of trouble, he would've been one by now. Well, more serious than anything he is now."

"Hey!" Terriermon began to protest, but Henry was quick to shut that down, "We're in a mess right now because you couldn't keep your mouth shut. You don't get to complain."

"Well, I wouldn't have had to if you'd just tell them that I'm real and that we're going to the Digital World already. And that's taking forever too!"

"I was about to when you opened up your mouth," Henry countered quickly, looking apologetically at his mom and siblings, "Anyway, I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner. It was kind of hard to have to explain."

"That's an understatement," Rinchei sighed, finally working up the courage to approach Terriermon. He stretched out his hand to pet the little guy on the head and added, "I mean...once you get past the fact that he's a walking, talking, creature with enough power to level our home, he's actually kinda cute."

"I'm adorable," Terriermon said proudly. Xiaochun happily added, "Isn't he? That's why I put him in the pretty dress. So that he can be one hundred percent cuter!"

"Please don't do that anymore," Terriermon added quickly, turning his head to Henry as if he were trying to plead for help. At that exact moment, his dad came back home, "I couldn't find him Xiaochun but...oh, Henry."

"We know all about it dad. We, um...have a lot to talk about," Henry said. Now it was his dad's turn to get in trouble, because his mom gasped out, "You know about all this, Zhenyu?"

"Don't tell me you told them?" his dad looked at him for some kind of out, only to have Terriermon answer, "I did. You guys were taking a long time to get all this out in the open. He probably would've waited to tell you guys until we were in the Digital World."

"Go where!?" his dad blurted out. His mom was on his dad before he could be pressed further, "Don't change the subject, Zhenyu! Did you know?"

"I might have," his dad admittedly sheepishly, and promptly had his ear pulled by his mom, "How dare you keep this a secret? What would you have done if anything happened to them?"

"Are we not going to talk about Jenrya going to another world?" his sister Jaarin asked quietly from behind the couch. This was going to be a very long night and Henry would have a lot to explain, "Look, there's a lot to talk about. Can we talk about it after we're done with dinner?"

"Finally, someone said it," Terriermon groaned out, "I'm hungry."

…

It was late when Takato finally returned home through front of the bakery, "I'm home!"

Yoshie Matsuda looked up from the dough she was busy preparing for the next day and called out, "Welcome back. It's late. Where were you, Takato?"

"Oh, y'know. Out," he answered quietly. She eyed him suspiciously, knowing he'd developed a penchant for making trouble ever since he'd run off a year ago. He worried them sick, especially when he turned up in raggedy clothes in the back of the concert. She wiped her hands on her apron and went to give him a hug, "Well, wash up and go eat dinner. We can talk later."

"Actually, can we talk now?" he asked innocently. It was odd for him to ask permission for anything. Usually, he'd just run off and do whatever. Probably with Juri. She noted that the two of them seemed to be spending a lot of time together. Maybe he was finally starting to notice girls. The thought of that made her feel old, but she also felt a little excited about the prospect of Takato wanting advice on how to talk to girls, "Sure, what is it?"

He rubbed the back of his neck, "Where's…dad?"

"Upstairs washing dishes," she answered, "What is it, sweetie?"

"Nothing…just thought I should talk to both of you," he answered glumly. Anxious to start giving out dating advice, she ushered Takato upstairs to the kitchen above the bakery, "Honey! Takato wants to talk to us."

"Is it about Juri? Need advice from the old man, huh?" he perked up excitedly, head poking out of the kitchen with the biggest smile. Takato immediately jumped in surprise, "What? No! Why would you…it's not about Juri. Why would I even…wait, did you guys think that we're…no, wait. Sorry, getting off topic. That's not it. It's something else."

Now Yoshie was confused and looked at her husband Takehiro for some kind of clue. Without another word, he guided them over to the kitchen table and sat them down. He assumed a seat on the other side of the table and stared at his hands quietly for a second. The longer he was quiet, the more worried she became, "What is it, Takato?"

"I'm just…trying to figure out how to explain this," he began, and her mind assumed the worst. Trouble at school? Trouble with the police? Bullies? What was it? After a moment, he finally began, "I wanted to thank you guys for everything. Literally. This…has been one of the nicest times in my life and I don't think I've ever had something like that before. But I need to come clean about something."

Every bit of that sounded confusing to her, and she looked to her husband again. He looked back with an equally lost expression. After another pause marked by the ticking of the clock on the wall, Takato explained, "I'm not your son. I'm not Takato Matsuda. I probably look and sound like him. But I'm not him. It's just…a big mix up. And I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. But…after you guys helped me, I didn't have the heart to break the news to you."

Was this a joke? A sick, twisted mistake that she was playing on his parents? That was cruel, even by his usual standard of pranks. She was about to scold him when he snapped his fingers and a golden energy began to emanate from it. He explained, "The truth is I'm…not like you. I'm…well, digital. Like the monsters that have been popping up on the news."

Then he produced a device from his pocket and set it on the table. It was small, consisting of a broken screen, a few buttons, and was covered in a fine layer of dirt and scratches. He tapped it a few times, "Sorry, it's old and broken so it doesn't quite work properly but it…should…here."

A projection of a teenaged boy appeared above the device, spinning in place as he quietly stood there. He wore a dark sweater and pants under a long blue hooded coat marked by yellow stripes and goggles on his head. But the most remarkable feature was his fiery brown hair. Takato explained, "Before I looked like…this, I looked like him. That was me…about a year ago. Give or take."

There was a lot to take in. A lot of information to process. Yoshie began massaging her temples as she tried to make sense of this. If this was a prank, it was Takato's most complex one to date. Then he went on, "There's a lot to talk about so let me know if you need me to explain anything or make sense of something."

She looked at him quietly, trying to make sense of what she just saw. This was all too much. But there was no way he was making this up. It was too complex for a kid his age to pull off. He had to be telling the truth, "If you're not our son, then where is he?"

"I don't know."

The answer hit her like a truck. She sank into her chair and her husband put a hand on her shoulder to keep her calm, "Yoshie! Look, I don't know what your game here is Takato, but it's not funny."

"It's no game. I'm not Takato," he gestured at the spinning projection, "But I think I might know where your son is. And I'll need your help to find him."

She looked up at the news and asked, "Where is he?"

"In my world. The Digital World. But to go there, I need to fix this," he gestured at the device on the table. It sparked at that moment and the projection vanished. He groaned, "I hate when it does that."

She looked down the at the device on the table, then to Takehiro. He still didn't seem to believe this, but he looked at Takato, "What do you need?"

"Could I borrow your tool kit?"

…

Juri sat at the dinner table with the rest of her family, swirling her food around quietly with her fork while the rest of her family ate. Her father had finished eating and was now reading the paper while quietly drinking coffee, looking up briefly to look at her, "Eat your food, Juri. You're a growing girl."

"I'm...not very hungry," she replied quietly, taking a small bite but having the hardest time chewing or swallowing. She had to tell her family - tell them that she was going to the Digital World. But every time she tried to work up the courage, a voice in the back of her head would shout out to not bother. Why would they worry? It wasn't like she was close to her step-mom. And her dad wasn't the easiest person to get along with. Not to mention her half-brother was only three - she'd been friendly and playful with him but she wouldn't consider them close. In fact, he probably wouldn't even register if she was gone.

Her father set his paper down and looked at her, "What's on your mind, Juri?"

"Nothing," she replied quietly, trying to avoid eye contact with him. He'd always been intimidating to look out with that perpetual frown on his face not making it any easier to look at him. He sighed, "Juri, you've been acting odd lately. You spend all your time in your room when you're home, if you're not sneaking out. Not to mention you've been staying out late a lot lately. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, dad."

He returned to his paper, "Fine. Don't tell me. But you're not excused from the table until you put half that plate of food away."

She nodded, forcing herself to scarf down as much of the food as possible so that she could go up to her room. Besides, Leomon was probably hungry too. He'd been hiding out in the bushes behind their garden but climbed up onto the roof once it was dark enough. Once she'd finished enough of the plate to be dismissed, she took her untouched glass of orange juice and announced, "I'll be in my room."

Her father gave a disapproving nod and she hurried upstairs before her step mom could say anything. Once the door was locked behind her, she opened up her window and let in a blast of cool night air. Leomon appeared from the top of the window, peering down with a small smile on his face, "How did it go?"

"I couldn't tell them," she admitted to him. She had no idea why it was so much easier to admit things to him than it was to admit things to her own parents. The disapproving look he gave her reminded her too much of her father too, "Juri, you need to tell them before you go. They are your family after all."

Family. They were her family. But they didn't feel like family - more like people she had to share a living space with. He furrowed his brow and knew she was in for some kind of talk. Hoping to change the subject, she pushed the glass of orange juice his way and said, "I thought you might be thirsty so I brought this for you. I can get you some dinner later if you want. I just have to wait for my parents to go to sleep first."

"Thank you," he smiled, taking the glass and guzzling it down like he hadn't seen any before. He wiped his mouth with his arm and smiled at her, "I saw you didn't eat dinner yourself. Is something the matter? I'd say it must be nerves - even the greatest of warriors lose their steel. But it can't be that. From what the Tamer said, you've been doing this for a while. It must be something else. Is it to do with your family?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Juri replied sheepishly. Leomon handed the glass back to her, seemingly contemplative for a moment before finally replying, "Have you ever thought to help yourself?"

That question startled her, mostly because she had no idea what to make of it and looked up at him in confusion. He sighed and lowered himself further so that she could see him more clearly. It was still an odd sight to behold, watching him dangle by his arms from the roof. He went on, "I suppose not. You were just like the Digimon Tamer a long time ago."

"How was that?" she watched the lion's face curl in disappointment. His explanation didn't do anything to make her feel better, "He has…a complicated history. One that left with him a lot of…let's call it issues. Issues he never properly dealt with. He was usually more interested in helping people. He became known as a hero in the Digital World. But there was always something…off with him. Like he was driven by something other than a desire to do good. And it wasn't until the arrival of the digidestined that we learned how this affected him. He'd gone so long helping others that he'd never once helped himself. He sat on his grief, his…rage, for so long that when he reached its tipping point…"

Leomon paused again, his eyes going downward. Juri could already tell where this was going and could only imagine what he was going to say next about Takato. When he finally looked at her again, "It made a monster - one that could end all life as we knew it if it wanted. It wasn't until he was forced to face it, that he realized how long he'd let it go untreated. Like a wound festering. I just want to be sure that doesn't happen to you Juri. You're a good person. And I will be here for you if you need me. You helped me earlier today. I'd like to help you."

Juri smiled at her partner, feeling at ease with him in a way she didn't usually feel. The lion finally managed a smile back, "I…just can't talk to them. That's all."

"Why not?" Leomon asked. This was so weird for her. She felt downright silly talking to Leomon about her problems. When she finally worked up the courage to look up at the lion, she explained, "I…haven't really felt close to anyone in my family since mom died."

"But your mother is downstairs," Leomon pointed out, "I saw her feeding your younger brother."

"That's not my real mom. She's my step-mom," Juri said, realizing how silly she sounded now that she was saying it out loud. Leomon's smile disappeared when he heard that and he sighed, "She is still your mother, Juri."

"No, she's not," Juri spat out quickly, "She's..."

She wasn't sure what to say next. What was her step mom to her? Not a stranger - they talked to each other. But it was always little stuff. They weren't close in any way. Acquaintances? What was it? She sighed, "I don't know."

"Juri, you can't block her or your family out of your life," Leomon said to her, "Take it from me: life can be taken away so quickly. The last thing you want is to live it alone. You should talk to her. You may find you have a lot in common."

"I don't want to," she replied quietly. Leomon put out a hand on her head, "Want to or not, you have to. They're your family. They deserve to know. I understand that you're scared. I don't understand why, and I'm not sure even you know why. But the bravest thing to do, would be to tell them anyway."

Her eyes looked downward. He was right. She had to. When she was finally able to move her eyes upward, he offered her a smile. He patted her head and explained, "Don't worry. I'll be beside you. If you want to tell them together, then take them out to the garden. We can do this together."

She nodded, "Thank you Leomon."

"I'll see you downstairs, partner," he nodded, climbing back up onto the roof. She smiled. Now came the hard part. For some reason, though, knowing Leomon would be there beside her made it all the easier to do. Her confidence surged as she went back downstairs.

...

Several more days passed after they told their parents with Takato conspicuously absent from class. They waited anxiously until the day Takato told them they were ready to go. Then it was just a matter of packing their things. Kari dismissed her class and watched Juri, Kazu, and Kenta come towards her desk. Their bags were more stuffed than usual and they'd each brought an extra duffle with extra clothes and camping gear. At least they'd be prepared - unlike herself of the digidestined were the first time they went. It was hard to miss how excited they were too, something she wished she could share, "Are you all ready?"

"Yep," they all said together. It was still odd to process - before she was the kid going off to the Digital World. Now she was the adult sending off kids on anther dangerous adventure. This must've been how her mother felt years ago when she was a kid. If so, it would explain why she was worried sick. It was definitely an odd feeling to be passing the torch like this. She offered them a smile and gathered her things, "Okay. I'll walk you kids to the park. I want to make sure you get there safe before we go."

"Thanks Miss...um, so should we still be calling you Miss Asaji or can we call you Miss Kamiya?" Kenta asked innocently. It was an odd question and Kari wasn't sure she had an answer for it. She just shrugged it off, "Just call me whatever makes you comfortable."

"Then can I call you Kari?" Kazu asked. For some reason, that really upset her and she promptly smacked his head with her day planner, "You still have to call me Miss. With your behavior, we are not on a first name basis."

"Ouch," Henry commented as he walked into the room, "I'd ask what happened, but it's Kazu so it's weird if he's not getting hit by Rika. Or any other female."

"You made sure to tell your families, right?" Kari asked all of them now that they were here. They all nodded. Of course, whether or not they had would be a different story entirely. Still, she could make their life miserable if they hadn't. She then promptly took out several packets of paper to hand out to them, "Good. These are your homework assignments for your trip. I don't know when you'll be back so I put your assignments for the next month in there. I don't want any of you to fall behind, do you understand? Especially you Kazu!"

"Yes," they all moaned.

She nodded, "Okay, let's go."

She felt a wave of anxiety as they made their way to the park. Still, that didn't deter Kazu or Kenta from being incredibly excited for the chance to go to the Digital World for themselves. They talked animatedly and bounced up and down with every step they took until they reached the park, where they found Mimi and her daughter beside her yellow fox partner. Takato was there too, along with his parents who were minding their distance from the three digimon with him: Andromon, Leomon, and a strange red dinosaur. She stopped at the sight of the familiar faces, amazed to see them again. Especially Leomon, "Leomon?"

The lion looked up at the sound of his name and waved his hand. Takato saw this and followed suit, walking over as he wiped his dirty hands on a rag, "Hey guys! Are you all set?"

"You bet!" Kazu answered excitedly, running ahead to inspect the open panel on Andromon's arm. She looked around and noticed the others hadn't quite arrived yet, and frowned. Maybe they were running late? It was a work day, after all. Then she noticed the smile on Takato's face, a stupid dumb smile that she'd only ever see him wear when he knew something but wasn't saying it. She frowned, "What is it, Tak…Tamer?"

"Just thinking about the last time this happened. It's nice that everyone's getting a proper good bye and everyone's packed up," he grinned.

She nodded in silent agreement, wondering where all the time had gone. Vanished apparently, because she'd never considered how little her world made sense until Takato pointed it out. She couldn't even look at her calendar anymore without seeing the year flashing between different dates. Then Takato added, "So when are you going to have kids? You're great with them already. I'm guessing things didn't work out with…um…hat guy…Takeru!"

"What?" she blinked in surprise, embarrassed by the question. Did her brother think that she and TK were a thing? And not Davis? Even though he was the one she dated.

"Are you kidding? She'd probably give the poor kid a hundred assignments a day!" Kazu complained. Once again, Kari smacked the top of his head with her day planner, "I think all that hair gel you use on your head is leaking into your brain Kazu. You'd better go and clean it out before you go."

"Why does everyone hit me?" Kazu complained. Takato patted his shoulder, "Don't worry. If anything goes wrong, we can use you like a decoy to protect our digimon."

"Gee thanks," Kazu complained. As hesitant as Kari was about sending them off, she knew she couldn't post pone it forever. They had to go. With a reluctant groan, she tapped her brother, "We'd better hurry if we don't want to be late. Lead the way Taka...Tamer...this is still taking some getting used to."

"Tell me about it," he replied, lifting up one leg, "The new legs are nice but they just can't jump as high as the old ones could. They don't run as fast either. Alright, let's go!"

She looked down at his legs, wondering just what went through his head most days. They were about to embark on a mission to the Digital World and he was commenting about his legs. Then again, he had a completely different face the last time she saw him. It wasn't long before the others arrived - little by little until everyone was here. One of them was an odd man with a little girl she didn't recognize, but they had Terriermon with them that the girl cuddled like a doll. The moment they were in view of the others, the digimon hopped out of her arms and ran to Henry, "Finally. Let's go already!"

"Bye-bye Terriermon," the little girl said sadly. Going by appearances and the fact Terriermon was with them, she figured they must've been Henry's family. Likely his dad and sister. Kari was happy to see each of them come, but Takato was less thrilled, "Hello everyone! Come to see us off? Or are you just here to hit me again?"

"Contemplating it," Matt answered dryly, earning an elbow from his wife and an admonishing look. She greeted them more warmly, "We wanted to see you guys off before you left for the Digital World and make sure you were all going to be okay."

"This wasn't my idea. It was mom's," Rika added quickly, turning her head to avoid having to look at the adults. In the presence of her mother and the other digidestined, Rika's tough attitude made her look all the smaller and childish. Her mom was holding several wrapped lunch boxes which she pressed into each of their arms, "These are for you guys so you don't starve while you're there."

"Thanks!" Kazu and Kenta said excitedly, stowing their lunches away. Kari had to admit she was a little envious of them receiving Mimi's home cooking. She'd become a surprisingly good cook in her own and she could still smell some of it from where she was. Then it was Joe's turn, handing them a small duffel bag, "I have some medical supplies set up for you in case you need it. I hope you won't but…this is the Digital World after all."

Henry took the bag and slung it over his shoulder, "You guys thought of everything."

"Just the stuff we wished we had when this happened to us," Joe answered with a smile, "The important thing for you guys is to remember to stick together, no matter what happens. Hm? Is that Leomon?"

He pointed out the lion digimon now with his arms crossed. Upon noting the adults, he waved, "Hello humans."

"Leomon! It's us! The digidestined!" Mimi explained. The lion raised an eyebrow, looking over to Andromon who took one good look at all them, the smallest of smiles drawing his face, "Identity scan software confirms identities. Digidestined. It is a pleasure to see you again."

That was all Leomon needed to put a hand over his chest and sink to one knee with a bow, "Then it is an honor to meet you, Digidestined. Please forgive my rudeness."

"Um. What's happening?" Mimi asked the others.

"Leomon, you don't have to bow," Matt told the lion digimon, trying to get him to stand back up. The lion refused though, staying where he was, "No. I should apologize. I am not the Leomon you knew. I am...well, you used to know me as Koromon...and then I was an Agumon. Now I'm a Leomon."

Kari looked from Leomon to Takato, genuinely confused as Takato flicked the lion on the nose to get his attention and pull him back up. Takato explained, "Believe me, it makes no sense to me either. Leomon isn't even in the Agumon line of digivolution! Anyway, this is what I spent all night on. Guys...this is our ticket to the Digital World."

Although he was standing, the lion still kept a hand over his heart, "The Tamer is correct. I am Leomon, but not the one you travelled with. All the same, it is an honor to meet you."

Kari felt her heart sink a little, recalling how Wizardmon reformatted without his memories and wondering if the same was true here. Then she noticed the red dinosaur sniffing her. It pressed it's snout against her and took a big whiff, "Friend?"

"Guilmon! Down boy," Takato pulled the red dinosaur back but he still tried to sniff her, "She smells familiar."

"She does?"

"I do?" Kari repeated, trying to recall when she would've met this strange red digimon that was now in her face. It took another whiff before asking, "You smell like cat. Do you have a cat?"

"I did," Kari answered with a small frown. He turned his head and proceeded on to smelling the others. As he made his way around to the others, entering their personal space and sniffing them closely, Kari asked, "Is…is that Agumon?"

Takato raised an eyebrow at the question, "That name sounds familiar…should I know who that is?"

"You don't remember?" Kari asked. Takato scratched his head, "I wish I could My head is still all fuzzy honestly. It's coming back a little bit at a time. It's just…taking longer than expected."

Kari wanted to say something, to explain to him who Agumon was. But then she wondered if this was like Wizardmon. The new face meant no memories of his old life. But he seemed to remember her. That had to mean his memories were still in there, right? Or was this him playing dumb?

"HEY!"

"Dad?" Rika gasped out. Kari looked over her shoulder to see Izzy moving his wheelchair towards them with that Yamaki guy just a few feet behind him. Rika and Mimi were quick to join him, helping to push him along, "Thanks, hon."

"I thought we weren't going to see you again for a while," Rika suggested. Izzy held his wife's hand gently before answering, "Your mom told me everything. I wanted to see you off. You're going to have a lot of fun when you get there, but be safe."

"Oh...thanks," she answered quietly, keeping her back to the others. Going off Mimi and Izzy's face, she probably had the biggest grin on it right now and just wanted to hide it. But that didn't address the question of why Yamaki of all people was here. He stepped forward and cleared his throat to get their attention, "If the sentimentalities are done, maybe it's time you guys get going."

"Don't rush this!" Mimi scolded him, "Our family hasn't been together in a while because of you!"

Yamaki took a step back from the family - giving them some space. Izzy mouthed something at him before reaching into a bag he had hanging off the back of his wheel chair, "This is...um...where is it? Oh! Here!"

He produced an old D-Terminal from his bag - one of the old communication devices they'd used on their adventure and passed it to his daughter, "This was how we messaged each other whenever we were in the Digital World. It'll work anywhere and it'll never lose signal. Message us every night so that we know your safe."

"Whoa! COOL!" Kenta said, peering over Rika's shoulder to get a better look at the device. Annoyed at his sudden intrusion, she promptly stepped on his foot, "Read the mood, jerk."

"Ow!" Kenta yelped, hopping backwards on his one foot. Yamaki sighed and stepped forward again, "I was going to wait but he's already ruined the mood anyway. I wanted to give you something too."

He held out a strange looking device - something that looked like a mad scientist's attempt at a cellphone. Naturally, Ruki, Mimi, and Izumi were hesitant to accept it. Unsurprisingly, Takato was more than content to pick it up for himself and examine it in his hand, "Oh, cool! What is it? Some kind…geolocation device but…hmm, these transmitters are inter-dimensional. Like the ones from the D-Terminals or the digivices. Dizzy! You clever genius."

"What makes you think I made it?" Izzy raised up his hands in defense. Yamaki smiled, "Don't think I'm just another government lackey because I have shades and a gun. There's a reason I'm the director of this organization. I wouldn't be if I didn't understand how this works. Or at least, had an idea of how it works. Reverse engineered from Izumi's personal device. It won't open gates, but it will let us know where you are at any given time. Which is good, so we know where to send the extraction teams when you come back."

Takato looked up at him, a surprised look on his face. He almost never seemed surprised, and his next choice words earned him more than a few scoffs from the others, "A human figured it out. A human who has no experience with Ancient technology. When this is all done, we have got to hang out some time. Wait, no. Focus! How do we know you're not going to shoot us on sight when we get from the Digital World?"

Yamaki paused, and she could tell his gaze was fixated on Takato. Then he removed his shades. The look on his face was so much softer - kinder even than what his shades hid. If he wasn't so much of a jerk, she probably would've called him handsome. Then he smiled - something that seemed very out of place, "You won't know. I guess you're going to have to trust me. Like how I'm putting a lot of trust into you by handing over equipment that officially doesn't exist, as well as coming out to meet you. But…right now, I'm more interested in protecting the world than I am in listening to my boss. You kids have been doing a lot better than we ever have. Maybe it's time we let you take the lead on this."

"Thanks," Takato nodded, putting the device in his back pocket. He turned back to the rest of the group, "Okay, it's about time. Let's go open our gate!"

"Gate?" Yamaki repeated curiously, following along just behind them as they ventured further into the park. Once they were far enough in, Takato began to fiddle with the inside of Andromon's arm. As they watched, Izzy asked "How are you going to open a gate?"

Takato snapped his fingers, and adjusted the panel of Andromon's arm so they could see, "Right here. Andromon retrofitted some Ancient Tech to force open a gate between worlds. I fixed it so it'd be more accurate and controlled. Instead of randomly jumping around like a pogo-stick, we'll go exactly where we need to. To the Digital World."

Mrs. Matsuda asked quietly, "So…this is it, huh? You're going now?"

Takato paused, looking up from his work to offer her an apologetic look, "Yeah...I'll...thanks for everything for the last year. We'll...try and find him for you."

Kari looked between Takato and his parents, unsure of what exactly they were talking about. Then she looked to the rest of the new team. Six kids and five digimon ready to go see the Digital World.

She felt a small feeling of helplessness, watching them go off like this to another world. Something that she and the others had done countless times before, but now couldn't. Only this time, Takato…no, Tamer was taking the lead. He looked over his shoulder at them, "We'll be back as soon as we can. With any luck, we'll find Takeru, find the other digimon, figure out what's going on, rescue Calumon, and be back before you know it."

"Be safe," Mimi called out anxiously, looking at her daughter with the saddest smile. Rika only gave her a nod, obviously still not comfortable with the whole being openly affection thing. Henry's dad added, "Henry, come back soon."

"We will dad," Henry nodded. Takato then connected his digivice to Andromon's arm, watching a small soft light started to glow. He looked back at them one more time, gave them a thumbs up and shouted, "Everyone. Keep your arms and legs inside the ride at all times. The sensation of nausea and confusion is normal. Here we go! Digiport Open!"

A surge of light surrounded the kids, blinding the rest of them briefly. Once the light faded and Kari could see properly, she saw they were gone. Her chest felt empty, hollow. She wasn't sure she would ever get used to this feeling - the idea that someone else was now holding the fate of the world in their hands. No sooner did they leave, she heard each of their D-Terminals beep. She picked it out of her coat pocket, noticing the others doing the same. Sora read it aloud, "It's from Ruki. She says 'We made it and we're all okay. We'll message you more later'."

"So far so good," Henry's dad sighed, getting ready to leave until another message beeped on their screens. This time Mimi read it, "It's from Ruki again. 'Resting for the night. We got separated in sand storm. Kazu and Kenta are with me and Renamon. Going to try and find the others in the morning'."

"Wait, they got separated?" Izzy panicked, "Are they okay?"

"I'm messaging them now," Mimi answered, typing into her D-Terminal furiously. She'd barely managed to get the first words in when another messaged beeped on the screen, "Another one from Ruki. 'Just had breakfast. We're heading out now. Going to find Takato, Guilmon, Henry, Terriermon, Juri, and Leomon'."

"Please, stop reading," Takato's mom gasped out, looking ready to break down as the depressing messages continued to come in. It seemed her brother was right - time had been convoluted in the Digital World. There was no telling what was going on over there. Her mind raced with panic as she realized that they might've been in over their heads. Davis grunted, "Man, I hate this. There's gotta be something we can do to stop them!"

Yamaki stepped forward and sighed, "I can think of one thing. But I don't think you're going to like it."

[face]

[healing hand]

The tone was enough to make Jonah flinch, but Tuck reached for May where she cowered. Her meekness turned out to be a ruse when she launched herself at Tuck with a screech and went for his eyes. He yelped in pain as May tackled him to the floor, but Djiwadi was there to pull her off him and get her on her back. May screamed and struggled in the big man’s hold.

“Shut up!” Tuck shouted, scrambling to his feet. “Shut her up!”

Djiwadi slammed May’s head on the floor, cutting off her shouting. Jonah moved to help him, but he made the fatal error of straying too close to the dividing bars. Steven snatched his chance without hesitation and tugged Jonah back by his shirt. The tall man grunted in surprised, but all he could do was gurgle and twitch the moment Steven got his hands around his throat.

“Release her,” Steven said in a low, brutal voice that promised violence.

Djiwadi and May paused their struggle. Her blue eyes were wide with fear and a primal anger that seemed to possess her.

“What are you doing? Don’t listen to him!” Tuck sputtered.

The pause was all May needed to heave all her might against Djiwadi. The angle was bad and he was far larger and heavier than her, but the element of surprise worked in her favor, and she managed to unbalance him enough to wriggle free.

“Stupid girl, hold still!” Tuck caught May before she could get far and shoved her hard against the wall.

Steven recognized the look in the portly sailor’s eye. He wasn’t going to stop until he shed her blood or worse. Djiwadi was back on his feet and looked ready to help Tuck. May might be able to fend off Tuck alone, but not with Djiwadi helping him.

So Steven made a decision, and he did not hesitate to snap Jonah’s neck like a toothpick. He was dead before he could even blink, and Steven hauled his limp body up and off the ground.

“Oh shit!” Djiwadi turned just in time to catch Jonah’s corpse flung at him with all the force Steven could muster through the bars, which was not much but enough to cause the sailor to lose his balance.  

“I’m gonna break that pretty jaw so ya can’t scream no more, little bird bitch,” Tuck spat in May’s face as they struggled.

Steven tried to grab Tuck through the bars, but he was just out of reach. “May!”

She caught his gaze over Tuck’s shoulder, wide-eyed and wild, and he willed her to move. Somehow, she did. With a yelp, she shoved Tuck with all her might and kneed him in the balls. He howled in pain, but just when Steven was sure May might get away, Tuck grabbed her neck and shoved her against the bars…

…Right in front of Steven.

Steven moved without hesitation once more and reached through the bars around May’s head to grab Tuck’s neck, who only now realized his grave mistake.

“No! Get away!” He tried to launch back, but Steven held firm. “P-Please! Lemme go!”

“Oh, like you were going to let her go?” Steven hissed.

May was stuck in between them, so close that Steven could not speak without feeling her hair flutter against his cheek, nor ignore the frenetic pounding of her heart against his chest. Tuck still had his dirty fingers around May’s neck.

Djiwadi had managed to get out from under Jonah’s corpse, but he froze and stared at the three of them locked at an impasse.

“Lemme go or—or I’ll choke her-aaaaggghh!” Tuck wheezed as Steven tightened his grip to the point of near suffocation.

May jerked against the bars as Tuck strangled her in turn. She pawed at his hands, but he was stronger than her.

“Calypso’s cunt, what in the hell’s going on down here?”

Steven recognized Archie’s rumbling voice preceded by heavy footsteps down the stairs. Archie burst into May’s cell, followed closely by three more crewmen. Djiwadi backed away.

“He killed Jonah, Cap’n!” Djiwadi said.

“C-Captain, I can’t—hhhrrrrghh.” Tuck’s eyes rolled back in his head, but still he wouldn’t release May.

Archie’s sharp eyes took in the scene. He drew a Pokéball from his captain’s mantle, but he dared not approach.

“Release her,” Steven said. “This is your final warning.”

“Tuck, do as he says,” Archie said.

May shuddered through the bars. So close, Steven could hear her struggling to breathe. “S-Steven—”

Tuck glared hatefully at May. It did not matter what he or Archie said; Tuck was not going to let May go. Archie seemed to come to the same conclusion and tossed out his Pokéball, but Steven was faster and crushed Tuck’s windpipe before the sailor knew what hit him. May choked and frantically clawed free of Tuck’s dead hands.

Archie’s Crawdaunt appeared in a flash of light just as Tuck’s neck crumpled like tissue paper under Steven’s Adamantine strength. Crawdaunt reached for them with a spiny, red claw, but Steven shielded May as best he could and caught the beast’s pincer around his wrist. He hissed in pain, the pressure from Crawdaunt’s pincer enough to crush stone, perhaps even steel.

“Fuck, he killed Tuck with his bare hands!” said one of the Aqua grunts who had descended with Archie.

“That’s enough!” Archie commanded. “Crawdaunt, to me.”

Steven gritted his teeth. He was sweating bullets from the pain and the heat of the moment. Crawdaunt made a hair-raising, wet clicking sound, but she released his wrist and crawled back to Archie.

“You’re more trouble than you’re worth, Stone,” Archie said.

“I’m worth quite a lot these days,” Steven said.

Archie looked down at May, but when he offered her his hand, she pulled Steven’s arms tighter around herself. Small and curled in a ball, she shook like a leaf. Steven thought nothing of letting her cling to him, too pissed off to care.

A tense silence stretched, and for a moment Archie almost looked pained.

“Fucking mess,” Archie swore. He glanced at Tuck’s corpse, the neck mangled and black. “Haul the corpses on deck. I want ‘em off my ship.”

“But…the proper sendoff,” Djiwadi said. “Tuck ’n Jonah deserve—”

“Men who lose their lives at sea deserve at proper sendoff, but only animals attack defenseless women for no reason.” He cast Djiwadi a hard look. “You got a problem with that?”

Djiwadi had several problems with that, but he wisely held his tongue.

“What’re ya lookin’ at?” Archie demanded of the rest of the grunts who remained, and the few tho had poked their heads in from above. “Get back to work!”

The Aqua grunts did as commanded and brought the two bodies upstairs, but Archie lingered in May’s cell.

“My apologies,” he said once they were alone. “Prisoner or no, s’long as as you’re on my ship you’ll be treated with the decency you deserve.”

“Fuck you,” May spat, her voice hoarse but strong.

“I won’t take your anger from you, but I won’t indulge it, neither.” He showed her his back and locked up her cell once more. “It won’t happen again, on my honor.”

Steven was not sad to see him go.

“May,” he murmured against her hair. He tried to shift, but she held to his arms fast.

Her breathing was still shallow and erratic. At some point, she’d begun to cry. There was something inherently terrifying about a girl crying in his arms, but this wasn’t about him or his feelings. He just happened to be here, and that wasn’t her fault.

It was not the most comfortable position, and his wrist ached where Crawdaunt had nearly snapped it, but Steven slowly managed to shift onto his hip so he could hold her as closely as the bars separating them would permit. Before long, her hot tears fell upon his hands. He caught a few on his thumb and carefully wiped them away, but he never told her to stop.

He couldn’t be sure how much time had passed before she let out a shuddering breath and finally, finally relaxed.

“Steven?” she asked.

“Hm?”

She turned her head to see him through the gloom. Her breath was warm and shallow against his cheek. “Can you please stay?”

He should have refused her. He’d done far more than enough, and because of her, he’d had to kill two men today. He owed her nothing, but… But this wasn’t about him.

“All right.”

May finally fell asleep in his arms, and he let her.

xxx

Sunlight warmed May’s cheek as she slowly woke from a dreamless, depthless sleep. She shifted against the cell bars, cold against her skin, and sat up with a yawn. A sharp pain in her throat made her wheeze, and she remembered the harrowing events of last night. That Aqua grunt had nearly strangled her to death, and if it hadn’t been for Steven…

She whipped around, her hand gripping a bar in fear, but he was still there, still in reach. And shaving?

He sat crosslegged on the floor and slowly dragged a long razor blade along his cheek. May had never wielded a straight blade razor, but even her layman’s eye could tell he was struggling with his left hand and no mirror. His right hand sat useless in his lap, mottled with bruising.

“Good morning,” he said, pausing to rinse the blade off in a small cup of water.

His eyes fell to her neck, which she guessed looked no better than his wrist. She touched it self-consciously and ignored the pain when she swallowed. “Morning.”

May’s eyes lingered on his long, thin fingers curled around the razor like they’d curled around Tuck’s neck last night. She had seen death before, but never so close, so brutal, so… So terrifyingly easy. Those same hands had saved her life, and then they had held her as she trembled and cried herself to sleep.

He raised the razor to his lathered chin, but May reached through the bars and stayed his hand. “My hand is steadier.”

Steven considered her, but there was no divining his thoughts behind that dispassionate gaze. Just when she began to wonder if she should not have said anything at all, he handed her the razor.

A bit of shuffling later, and May found herself with her arms draped around Steven’s shoulders as he leaned back against her thighs and offered her his neck. The angle was a bit difficult with the bars separating them, but not impossible. She set the sharp blade to his neck.

“How close do you want it?” she asked.

“Close enough to draw blood.”

May slowly dragged the razor along his skin, careful to scrape away every inch of lather and stubble underneath. When she needed him to tilt his head, she touched his cheek. When she needed to rinse the blade, she tapped his chest. The only sounds were the gentle scrape of the razor and the lull of the sea.

Lost in concentration, May swept the blade over his Adam’s apple a bit too harshly and winced.

There was an apology on her lips, but no blood. She gently touched his neck, pristine and smooth. She had heard that Steel Adamantines were said to have skin that could not be cut by conventional blades, but to see it for herself, to feel his skin impervious to the blade in her hand was an odd sensation. Hands that could crush bone and skin that could not be cut…

He was watching her, passive but no longer impassive. Those pale, silvery eyes lingered on hers, as though her curiosity itself was curious. His scrutiny, more than the intimacy of their position and activity of which May was now acutely, bafflingly aware, was what unnerved her the most. She was suddenly extremely conscious of him and the weight of his attention on her.

“I, um, I’m almost done,” she said, rinsing the blade and forcing herself to touch him as little as possible while she finished up as quickly as she could.

Steven wiped his clean-shaven face on an old but remarkably clean rag he kept neatly tucked away in a corner of his cell. “Thank you. It would have taken me twice as long.”

May glanced at his bruised right arm and remembered how he’d stopped that Crawdaunt from getting to her. “It’s nothing.”

She rose and puttered about her cell, itching for something to grab on to. The window perhaps, or the bars, or Steven’s jacket neatly folded. She hadn’t needed it last night when his arms kept her plenty warm.

“Was that the first time you’ve ever done that?” he asked.

“What?” May bit her tongue. That had come out a bit more harshly than intended. “Oh, shaving?”

“If I were anyone else, you may have slit my throat.” He was giving her a look that was not quite amused, but almost.

“You said close enough to draw blood.”

“I did.”

May bit her lip. Damn it all, but she couldn’t help but wonder. What must it be like to have skin like steel? Could nothing break it?

“I can bleed,” he said, reading her expression. “If I’m unfocused or severely injured, I can be cut. It’s like a muscle; it tires.”

“Oh.”

How did a man whose skin was literally blade-proof wind up a pirate’s prisoner? If he could crush Tuck and Jonah so easily, why couldn’t he resist Archie? Why was he wasting away here with her when he could be out in the world?

“What did you mean when you said it was a mistake that you ended up here?” May asked.

Steven slid his gaze to the window in his cell and slipped his hands in his pockets. The angry bruise on his wrist was a purple and red ink blot. “Just that. My mistake.”

May moved to the bars separating them. Her fingers found the subtle grooves Steven had made in his anger last night. She clenched them tight. “What kind of mistake?”

“The one men like me have been making since the beginning of time. I underestimated a someone I thought was beneath me.”

“You’re the Champion. Technically, isn’t everyone beneath you?”

“It’s only a title, May. And I’m just a man. I never should have allowed myself to forget that.”

Who could have humbled the Champion of Hoenn to the point of imprisonment on Team Aqua’s ship? May couldn’t imagine such a fearsome person. Not even the Gym Leaders were said to be able to match the Champion.

“You’re not just a man, though. Your title is only as good as you are, and you’re supposed to be the best. More than a man.”

He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Is that what you think of me? That’s a lot of pressure to put on one person.”

She didn’t return his smile. “I think you have a responsibility to the people of Hoenn. You’re the Champion; you don’t get to be just a man. That’s the sacrifice you made when you accepted the title.”

He was no longer smiling as he regarded her. “No. I’m a Stone. I’ve never had to sacrifice much of anything.”

The simple, despicable truth of his words uttered with embittered ease struck May with an almost physical force. She thought of Brendan then, Brendan who struggled and fought and tried his best to be the son his father wanted, and how he never would be. She thought of Wally, wanting for nothing and wanting nothing, except to be with his friends and live by his own terms. She thought of herself too, and all the places she could have seen if she’d only taken flight like she always promised herself she would.

One day.

One day I’ll be free.

She gripped the bars of her prison cell and tried to ignore the fiery pain in her throat and the tears that threatened to fall.

“I was wrong about you,” she said, fighting to control the anger in her voice. “You’re not a coward. You’ve just never failed before, and now that you have, you don’t know how to find your way back.”

That steely gaze steeled even more at her lashing, but she didn’t care. Let him bristle, let him seethe. Maybe then he’d open his fucking eyes, dust himself off, and get back up. Of all people, surely he could.

“But you can,” she went on. “You have to.”

“How’s that?” he asked.

“By trying.”

“I’m behind bars.”

“That didn’t stop you from helping me last night.”

He said nothing. May retreated to the wall and sat down. His jacket was still folded on the floor next to her.

“Take it from me,” she said softly. “I’ve been behind bars my whole life. But one day…”

One day I’ll be free.