Forsaken Lullaby

It'd been ten years since their adventures as children, since they had saved the digital world. Ten years since that day, and some of them had changed a lot, some more than others. Tai, was one of those that had changed more than others. In high school, he had finally gotten the courage to ask Sora out, and now they had been together since their freshman year. They were in their twenties now, and he was on a local soccer team - and he had been with the woman of his life for almost seven or eight years now. Yes, they'd been smart and waited till after high school to start up anything really crazy, but they were settled and happy with each other. Hell, he was even getting ready to propose to her.

He had been texting with Yamato, Mat, for weeks about it. His buddy had said they could use his homecoming concert as the perfect place to pop the question on Sora. Tai had even gone out of his way to save up a ridiculous amount of money, so he was sure he could go on his quest for the perfect ring. Perfect ring he had found, and he was glad he had saved up. It wasn't the most expensive in the shop, but it was definitely not a cheap ring either. A thin white gold engagement band, with a heart cut pink diamond, surrounded in soft blue round cut diamonds, with etchings of feathers all across the white gold band. He had even gotten an inscription on the inside that said 'I love you'. It was cheesy, and silly, but he found himself constantly sneaking peeks at it when she wasn't looking. Mostly because he was so proud of himself. The stones were very big, but they were of a high clarity, and nearly flawless. Like the woman he loved.

Right now, he was waiting outside of a store - because Mimi had insisted on taking all of them to get outfitted in her newest fashions. He felt pretty dapper actually, wearing the nice outfit she had made for him. A simple pair of pants, with more pockets and chains then he would have imagined, with a tight fitting shirt that had a nice vest over it. His hand slid down to where he kept the ring for Sora because right beside it was where he still carried his digivice. He didn't know why, but he felt kind of good about carrying it on him at all times.

His eyes slid over to Mei, the woman that Kari and TK had brought with them. She was their friend, at least that's what his sister said, and they felt a need to bring her along. Tai didn't really mind, as he vaguely remembered her from high school. He remembered her cat more, her service animal, a rather large domestic feline that she had on a harness everywhere she went. He remembered that in High School she had been allowed a service animal because she was prone to panic attacks, something related to her father who was killed in war. He thought it was pretty cool that she had been allowed that, and believed whatever made someone feel better was important. Though... sometimes that feline of hers reminded him of Gatomon, and he missed Agumon all the more because of it. "So, Mei right... why didn't you let Mimi dress you up?" He asked as he watched the woman with her feline.

Mei had not been prepared to be asked to go to such an event, when TK and Kari had asked her she had been almost tempted to tell them no thank you. But she had let them drag her with them, and Nyamon had stayed very close nearby. This month was always a harder one for her, as it was in close relation to when her father was killed in combat so many years ago. Sometimes she still woke up with nightmares from the video that someone in his unit had sent them. Sometimes she had nightmares that she herself had been killed in such a way. A shiver raced up and down her spine as her hand slipped into her pocket where she felt the Digivice that was always close at hand.

Her green eyes focused on the distance, watching the streets as she waited for everyone else to come out from getting dressed up. As soon as that was done they were all supposed to go to the Concert, to sit in the special seating that had been arranged by Yamato, for the entire group. Yamato, shit, her heart pounded with that thought. A flush filling her as she remembered that sweet High School crush of hers. The way that man made her young heart, and her current heart, pound with a drumming tempo that drove her insane. She reached down to stroke her fingers across her digimon's head, Nyamon instinctively leaning into rub her head against Mei's hand. It was a soothing action, the unity the two of them had. The best of friends, the truest friend each other would ever have.

She was dress simply, a loose fitting white dress shirt, tucked into black slacks. A simple pair of black ballet styled flats, and her long dark hair pulled back by a ribbon. Tied off and just left to hang. Her eyes were her fathers, while her hair and coloration were more her mothers. She was of a slim build, petite and tinier than everyone else in the group. Large expressive eyes that seemed to hide more than they showed. She wasn't built as well as someone like Mimi, but she was built well enough. A slim frame that was womanly, when she wore clothing that showed it off, and a pretty face that could be even prettier if she was to smile more often.

Her head turned as Tai spoke to her, and she gave him a wry smile. "I'm not really part of the group, Tai... I'm just here because TK and Kari convinced me to come. I don't feel it's right to have Mimi dress me up, besides... I can't afford clothes like that on a Teacher's Assistant salary, I would be horrified if I ruined any of them." She said with a small chuckle, her eyes turning back to the crowds. Something was coming, something was rising. It was a strange feeling, like something coming in the distance that she didn't understand.

A weekend in Harajuku's trendy fashion ward meant bustling streets and overcrowded shops. Mimi's boutique no exception, both inside and out, a steady stream of customers was funneling in and out through the thrown open double doors like an assembly line. Sora stepped out a moment later, blinking in the afternoon sun with her arms hugging a shopping bag to her middle. Unlike most of the patrons coming and going, their hands overflowing with new clothes, hers contained a folded stack of the outfit she had arrived in before Mimi insisted they change. It was certainly flashier than she was used to but then again, being a t-shirt and jeans sort of girl most anything besides felt a little gaudy to her.

The pants were dark and rod low on her hips, much lower than she was comfortable with it seemed as her fingers had a nervous habit of tracing around to the back of the belt line to check for an exposed butt crack. A series of zippers ran in a Helter-skelter pattern down the legs, like silver gashes in the fabric. Of course they served no practical purpose and unzipping any of them revealed no additional pockets.   

Making a mental note never to bend over in these, the shirt was only barely long enough to cover her middle. It was a sleeveless affair, made of the same material and radical zipper-centric design, a clear match for her trousers. After stealing a quick look at all the surrounding faces she turned to Tai and voiced her concerns, "I don't know about these pants." She had said something to Mimi while in the dressing room, peeking over the stall to gaze down apprehensively at her designer friend.

"The pants are too tight," she had explained.

"They're supposed to be tight!"

"No but these are tight, tight. Like, no room for underwear tight. Barely even room for ME tight."

Mimi had waved her off, too cheery that her designs would be making a special appearance at the biggest concert of the year (if not the decade) for a little snafu of modesty to get her down.

"Well they weren't designed with bloomers in mind," Mimi had teased, good naturedly sticking her tongue out at her. "Besides, commando is all the rage now."

She doubted Tai would mind the look though and she turned on the spot to give the group a look at Mimi's latest creation. It left little to the imagination; more like someone had spray painted her lower half in a glossy black finish.

"So this is the cutting edge of fashion?" she wondered aloud, tugging down on her shirt and up on her pants. The only thing that stood out was her worn out running sneakers and backwards facing Yomiuri Giants baseball cap. The metallic shell of her Digivise winked in the sunlight from its place, clipped onto the bill of the hat. Like Tai there was just something comforting about having it on her person, like a keepsake or the most precious of heirlooms. They offset the outfit just enough to make it appear casual, devil may care even and a softening of the look was definitely welcome. Otherwise, someone is going to offer me a five hundred thousand bill and ask how far this would get him, she mused. She made a mental note to hang onto the clothes and maybe surprise Tai with a little escort/client roleplay some time.

Sora glanced around anew, as if just remember. "Hey, did Yamato ever show up?"

The blank, sheepish looks all around confirmed her worst fear and before Tai could offer any weak excuse for his longtime friend, she held up a hand to silence him.

"He said he would be here! He promised!" Scowling, she unzipped her front pocket and struggled to produce her cellphone from the constricted confines of the pants. Pinching the device between thumb and forefinger, she tried to wiggle it free like a particularly problematic UFO claw catcher to no avail. "Tai," she whined, rolling her head back on her shoulders. "My pants ate my phone. Can you text Yamato again and remind him what the definition of a promise is?"


Across the city, Yamato roused from sleep, as if having his name evoked from so far away was the internal alarm clock he required. No, that wasn't entirely accurate. It was more likely Sora's growing agitation with his tardiness that likely would have done it. Her motherly ire would certainly earn him a stern talking too when he did appear and when he reached for the iPhone on the nightstand, his fears were confirmed.

"Great," he murmured, starring at the flood of incoming messages stacked in his inbox. Worse, he had forgotten to plug the thing into the charger the night before. "Double great."

Lying on his back in the dingy light of his apartment, he held the phone sideways and hastily replied to the latest message from Tai, inquiring about his whereabouts. "Sorry, manager had us swamped all morning. Couldn't get away but I'll see you guys at the show tonight," he wrote. A lie yes, a lame excuse yes, but his anti-social behavior had taken a turn for the worst and he was shunning all human contact whenever possible. Even his little brother, TK could hardly get more than a few words out of him at a time until even his messages and calls were screened.

"Aww, your parents are renewing their vows?"

Well, shunning almost all human contact.

Yamato scrubbed his face with the palms of his hands, dutifully ignoring the question and set to connecting his phone to the cable.

"That's so sweet. My parents got divorced years ago. When I was thirteen. They can't stand each other. Even evoking the others name in their presents is enough to start a fight."

Yamato nodded his head absently, groping around the side of the bed and nightstand, shaking each of the tall aluminum cans scattered around until he heard a telltale sloshing. A quick swallow of warm Red Bull unstuck his tongue from the roof of his mouth and he could finally reply. "Where did you find that?" Not bothering with such trivial pleasantries such as 'good morning'. It wouldn't be apt, anyway, since the time revealed it was well after noon.
The girl was seated on the foot of his large, king sized bed, wearing one of his band's t-shirts (the Teen-age Wolves) and nothing else. Her length of black hair was still tussled from sleep and she was sitting with her legs crossed at the knee. In her hands was a glossy invitation card, opened like a book.
"It was in the trash," she confessed with no hint of guilt or wrongdoing in her voice. "Oh...this was months ago. How was it?"

Yamato remained silent, worrying the now empty can over in his hands, struggling to remember this woman's name. Has she even told him? Had he bothered to ask? The prickling of the beginnings of a headache was threatening to make rational thought difficult. Not to mention the girl was a knock out, particularly sexy in her outfit that left her pale lower half exposed. He unabashedly eyed her exposed backside, his cock mirroring his interest with a twinge of excitement.

He sat up at last, the sheets falling away from his naked chest and revealing the light cords of muscle playing knotted through his slender, hairless frame. He touched a hand to her rosy cheek and pressed his mouth hungrily against hers, kissing her fiercely. She tasted like alcohol, stale cigarettes and bad choices that felt oh so right.

His arms easily carried her over and settled the girl in his lap, tugging down his boxer shorts to his thighs, finding her wet and wanton between the legs. She gasped aloud when he entered her and all at once the offending card was forgotten.

He took it gently from her hands and let it fall away, fanning open to the attached photograph inside showing his parents, now on the far side of middle-age, smiling up almost approvingly. Their hands were clasped together securely, as if determined that this time, they would not let one another go.
Yamato staggered into the bathroom some time later, the girl wallowing in after blow on the bed behind him, still trying to catch her breath. He splashed cold water against his feverish brow, wondering if a shower would be in order. He snapped the medicine cabinet closed and studied his appearance closely. He was thinner than the last time he had beheld his visage in this environment. The change had been so gradual on the road he hardly had noticed. Now back in familiar surroundings, the evidence that life on the road had taken its toll was plain to see.

His fingers kneaded the flesh of his abdomen, his ribs, and pectoral muscles gingerly as if inspecting them for pain. The leaping carp tattoo on his breast still felt a little raw, more to do with poor care than any lasting discomfort. Nevertheless, it was a vibrant collogue of reds, whites and blues, done in an old-fashioned woodcutting style. His second tattoo was of a wolf's head he had done while traveling in North America. It was exquisitely detailed and a sharp contrast to the more artistic fish on his chest. The wolf was snarling savagely, jaws agape to reveal a row of yellowed teeth. A series of markings accompanied the image; slashes of brush-stroke characters that were supposed to be the hiragana for 'strength' but the artist had flubbed the instructions and written them backwards. As drunk as he had been that night, he wondered again if he had not just written them that way in the first place. The last body art adorned his right forearm, his brother's name stenciled out in both English and Japanese letters.

Yamato spied the woman in the reflection, watching him from bed with a pillow hugged tightly below her bare breasts. He pretended not to notice and dry swallowed the two capsules rolling around in the palm of his hand to stall the worst of the headache.

"Listen," he called after bending down to swallow a few handfuls of faucet water. "I have to get ready for the show tonight..." He let the statement hang in the air between them, hoping that she would catch the meaning without further goading.

"I was hoping to make you breakfast," she replied back, pursing her lips together anxiously, tugging the pillow tighter still. "You look like you could use a good, home cooked meal."

Yamato cringed at that, having little to do with her offer and everything to do with what had passed as breakfast for him as of late. At the start of the tour, it had been a cup of instant noodles with maybe an egg thrown in for good measure. By the end, it had dissolved into a swallow of whiskey and a cigarette. Her look of disappointment sent a pang of guilt down into his gut and he almost took her up on the offer as a result. Almost. Yamato wasn't a monster but he certainly had his share of omnipresent demons.

"Maybe we can get together sometime," he offered, placating. "I really need to get ready. I'll call you."

The woman, whoever she was, nodded her head slowly, picking at a loose thread in the pillowcase. "Yeah...maybe..."
"Yeah..."

The air was palpable now; the sounds of traffic outside seemed to amplify tenfold. A neighbor's television was droning somewhere far off, clashing with the sound of a thunderous car horn. An airplane flew low overhead, the whoosh of wind rattling the bedroom window moments before the things massive shadow passed by. A mile of carpeted floor seemed to stretch from Yamato's bare feet to the foot of the bed where she was nestled and suddenly he realized that there was nothing left to say. Miserably, he turned on the shower head and ducked beneath the scalding spray. The hot water felt good on his skin and he scrubbed at his body vigorously until he was pink and raw from it, treating the shower as if it were an act of penance.
When he emerged a few minutes later in a cloud of steam she was gone.

He wrapped himself in a towel and padded around the large apartment, searching for anything she may have left to give him a clue as to whom she was. But he found nothing, no note or hastily written message on the whiteboard at his refrigerator. Just empty rooms quickly filling up with useless relics of rampant consumerism and bad memories.

Tai's eyes slid over Sora's frame, finding a thrill of approval racing through him. This was the closest to 'sexy' his girlfriend had ever let herself wear, at least not since he convinced her into that lingerie that was still back at their shared apartment. A small grin played across his face, as he ruffled his hand through his hair. Sora looked absolutely gorgeous, and the painted on look was good for her. She has such a slim well kept frame, with the wiry muscle from all of her sports work. "You look wonderful." He commented with a laugh as he scratched the back of his head. He let his gaze slide over towards the others for a moment, the looks on their faces.

The feeling of all, no not all of them together. Sora started talking about how Yamato wasn't there, but Tai knew that something was wrong. It wasn't right, that all of them weren't here for this. But he shot a text to Yamato as he was asked. "It was his manager." He said as he looked up. "Apparently the manager had them busy for awhile." He said as he shoved his phone deep into his pocket and turned his attention back to his girlfriend. "Mimi has some amazing style, it's pretty cool." He said with a grin as he stepped over to Sora and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek.

They had been together long enough that PDA didn't bother them, they did small things, small touches, small looks, all ways to remind each other how they felt. His eyes slid over the group, as he realized Mimi had dressed everyone except Mei. "So how about we all head over to the Event Venue? The Concert Hall is about to be filled with a bunch of screaming hormone riddled people... So we should probably get there before hand and pick up our VIP backstage passes." Tai said as he thrust his hand into the air.

It was funny, because their group that had once been eight digidestined, had blossomed into a larger group. Mimi had her boyfriend with her, and Izzi and Joe both had their girlfriends, TK and Kari were a couple... and he and Sora were one. So a group that was eight had blossomed into eleven, twelve if you counted the quiet dark haired woman that seemed to float at the back of the group.

With that Tai started walking from the store towards the vehicles everyone had come in. This way they could all travel over to the Event Venue.

Mei was quiet as she watched the others, a spark of jealousy in her eyes as she watched the way that the people around her seemed to completely outshine her. She could never look as good as that, she never could. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as her green eyes scanned the crowd of people. She knew most of them, by name at least, though she didn't know them personally. She hadn't been able to get to know any of them personally, though TK and Kari really did try.

The woman shifted down to pick up her feline, hauling Nyamon in her arms. She hummed softly as she started to walk behind Tai. The good news was she had been picked up by Tai and Sora, since Kari had convinced her big brother to drive them to the place where Mimi wanted them to all get dressed. But Mei, sweet little Mei, had still stayed out on the edges of it all. She had eyed some of the clothes rather hungrily, but knew that someone like her could never be part of that kind of group.

"Mmmhmm, get the passes and enjoy the show." Mei said softly as she followed after TK and Kari, both of which were chatting up a storm and were shortly behind Tai and Sora. Mei didn't mind following up in the back, even as they started to load up into the car. "So, as so far as the event... what are they like?" She asked as she noticed the shocked look on Tai's face. "What? I've never been at a concert...." She admitted as her cheeks broke out with a giant blush.

Sora shook her head disapprovingly at the relayed excuse, rocking back on her heels to rest her back against the glass window display of Mimi's show. Behind her head, someone had taped up a flier advertising the concert. In big flashy lettering it hailed the return of The Teen-Age Wolves after successfully conquering the world. To drive the point home, the advertisement sported a group shot of the entire band sans instruments, standing atop the globe with the white and red banner of Japan firmly planted in Antarctica despite it being the only continent left untouched by their world tour. 

She folded her arms loosely over her middle, brooding. "Typical," she sighed. It hadn't always been like this; in fact up until Yamato went globe hopping, he had been the opposite and rather dependable. In fact, his appearance had never been in question in those days. One could always count on Yamato showing up for Tai's soccer matches and helping Sora cheer for the Giants or escorting T.K. around on his college interviews. As much as she disliked the 'new' Yamato, she knew that Tai and T.K. suffered the hardest. He and Tai were the best of friends, near inseparable since their Digidestined days, much to her annoyance back then but it was plain he missed his wayward companion.

Sora, like many others in the group, had assumed his anti-social behavior stemmed from rocketing to fame too early, too fast. How may twenty-something's go on globe-spanning concert tours? Never once did the coincidence of the wedding popping up around the same time enter her mind.
Despite her souring mood, Sora couldn't help but smile at Tai's compliment and glanced over at him. "Yeah?" She asked sardonically. "I can't imagine why you'd think THAT!" The way Tai scratched at his messy shock of hair reminded her all at once of much younger days. A nostalgic memory flooded back. Their first day at summer camp and spying that boy wearing floppy brown shorts and spiky hair behind a pair of circular shaped goggles. Where does it all go? She wondered before the very grown up Tai offered her a peck on the cheek and reminding her that it doesn't go anywhere. It only gets better.

Sora nodded at the idea of getting a head start on the journey. Already it would no doubt be packed with fans waiting to get into the venue or trying to scalp last minute tickets or simply hanging out in the parking lot in hopes of hearing the tunes filtering out from the hall. Like animals boarding the Ark, they filed into the cars two by two without even realizing and subconsciously left Mei to pull up the rear alone. As she climbed into the passenger seat next to Tai, she felt a guilty for not bothering to at least try and find a date for the poor girl and perhaps sedate any awkward feelings she may harbor of being the odd man out. Then again, given the modest way she was dressed and how she had dutifully refused Mimi's offer of a makeover (no easy task, mind you) Sora doubted the proposal would have been taken up.

The revelation that Mei had never attended a show before was unsurprising. After all, she was so shy they could hardly picture her bouncing around in the middle of a mosh pit or crowd surfing. The idea made Sora have to work at stifling a chuckle. "Well...," she started, looking to her boyfriend for help with the explanation. Her pants were sliding dangerously far down her butt sitting down, making her have to sort of half sit, half stand in the seat. The last thing she needed was for these things to split down the back and put on a show of her own. "It's really loud and crowded. Like Tai said, screaming hormone-riddled people losing their minds and dancing to music." She laughed disarmingly, not wanting to frighten the shy woman. "But we'll be backstage so it won't be anything to worry about. We'll have the best seats in the house!"

Though Yamato had insisted on taking the train, his manager insisted on picking up in style. After relenting, Matt dressed in loose-fitting button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and a pair of black jeans, meeting a black stretch limo at the curb of his building. Yoshi Masahara was poking his head up out of the sun roof, his bad comb-over blowing sideways in the wind. As always, Yoshi had a cellphone pressed to his right ear but he tore it away long enough to call out to his client, "Yamato-san! Your chariot awaits!"

A moment later they were speeding along the highway toward the venue hall, in this case the sold out Budokan Hall, famously played by the Beatles way back in 1966. A grand place to wrap up a grueling yet rewarding year or so Yoshi said. Yamato rode most of the way in silence with his Wayfarer sunglasses shielding his eyes as he starred out at the expanse of Tokyo bay. Yoshi was speaking rapidly into his cell, alternating between English and Japanese as he was passed around from person to person, never missing a beat. It was impressive for while Yamato's English had improved immensely on tour, Yoshi's had always been flawless. It was just another display of his manager's determination and spirit, leaving his merits as a dedicated workhorse unquestionable.

He was a portly man of fifty years, dressed in his finest Armani suit and red silk tie, shoes polished to mirror sheen. He had a nervous habit of stabbing his little pink, adorned with a fat diamond ring, into the nose of his large glasses to keep them from slipping down. At last, his conversation ended and he slapped the phone shut, stowing it quickly in the waist pocket of his coat. "Yamato, baby, how are you? You need anything?" He didn't wait for a reply, perhaps sensing (accurately) he wouldn't get one. "Listen, I got good news. Hollywood wants to do a movie with you. That's right, Hollywood." He grinned all the wider when his client looked over, interest peaked. "They're sending over this script and the part is to die for! It's about...well, you! You'd be playing yourself, a rock n roll god among mortals who gets captured by aliens, see? You're taken to their homework where a b-e-a-utiful princess falls in love with you and thinks you're the answer to some sort of prophecy. So to defeat this evil galactic empire, you have this massive concert and battle the evil alien king that looks like a giant killer tomato."

Yamato appraised Yoshi from behind his sunglasses, his expression unreadable.

"It's a slam dunk," Yoshi continued excitedly despite his clients clear lack of enthusiasm. "A real Hollywood production, budgeted in the one hundred mills. You're playing the hero! C'mon!"

Yamato turned his attention back at the window, still trying to recall that girl's name. "I'm no hero," he replied hoarsely before adding, hesitantly. "Never was."

"Don't be sour," Yoshi goaded, trying to remain upbeat but the cracks in the armor were starting to show. "You'll change your mind once you've seen the script for yourself. Hey, I know what'll cheer you up." Yoshi moved to the minibar set into one side of their ride, the glasses rattling noisily in their holders. "You want a drink? Course you do." He was already pouring. "Hey, what's that?" Yoshi's eyes narrowed suspiciously at Yamato as he handed the tumbler over.

The youth glanced down to find the old Digivise in his hand, blinking at it in surprise. He wore it on a chain around his neck like a pendant but at some point he had gathered it up in his fist and raised it to his lips, suckling at one of the hard corners.

"Hey, that's one of those whatchamacallits," Yoshi snapped his fingers, trying to remember. "A Tama...Tama...Tamagachi! Yeah, that's it! Or wait, is it a Pokeman? It might be a Pokeman. Hey, which is it?"

Yamato accepted the glass but didn't drink it, nestling it instead between his legs and unable to tear his eyes away from the old relic. "Its...nothing."

Mei found herself looking out of the window as she was put in the seat behind Tai. This gave Sora the chance, and ability to be able to talk to her. Her head turned a little, green eyes locking on Sora as the other woman spoke to her. She found herself tugging on a strand of hair as Nyamon stretched out over the small area behind the back seats. The Digimon was getting a nice patch of sun, and soon enough a loud rumbling purr filled the car. "So, it's basically a place where people go to get pumped up... and then go off with whoever they meet?" Mei asked as her head cocked to the side. Those green eyes locked on Sora's eyes, their depths clear and uninhibited - almost like a perfect emerald hue.

She pursed her lips for a moment, her eyes sliding over the other female. "We will be backstage, so it isn't as crowded?" She asked as her head cocked to the side, and she reached back to idly stroke a hand down Nyamon's back while Sora talked. "That makes things easier... I just feel... a bit nervous. Admittedly. I'm not used to concerts, or even hanging out with large groups of people." She said as her eyes slid over to the two 18 year olds that were being rather lovey dovey. That was the folly of youth, forgetting where you were and who you were traveling with. Though they weren't kissing it was obvious from the way they looked at each other... that the two 18 year olds were planning on something else as soon as they were back home.

She continued to idly pull on her hair, and then looked out the window. Realizing that the lights and sounds of the city had changed for her. When she was younger she loved this place, but then she had gone to the states for awhile. She came back for High School, but with her father dead... she just didn't have it in her to really live. The Doctors said it had something to do with her PTSD, had something to do with what she had seen. She scrubbed her hand over her face again, her head shaking a little as she pressed her forehead to the window. She knew that she probably wouldn't be remembered after this, why should she? She was never part of any group. Though she knew what Sora and the others had been, she knew. They had no idea that she was one of them, or should have been.

Her hand floated to her pocket as her fingers wrapped around the black and white digivice buried in the depth of her pocket. Part of her started to crave something she hadn't done in awhile, she wanted a cigarette and badly. It was a strange thing, that most military or their family members ended up smoking. But in the reality of it all, Mei just wanted a smoke so she could settle herself before seeing Yamato again. Before seeing Matt and his band tearing up a stage. She had been happy with CDS, and listening on the radio. She had never thought she was going to one of their concerts, never in her entire life, and definitely not as a backstage pass. "I can see the lights of the Concert Venue."

Tai was actually quiet as everyone started to settle in. His eyes gliding over to his girlfriend periodically as he made sure she was ok. He was actually smarter than some would give him credit for, given the fact that he had been the team leader during their younger years. He was remembering those adventures more and more, and he found a smile on his face as he focused on those memories. His mind floated with them, all of those fun and sad memories, as he drove. Though he was focused on his memories, he was actually quieter so he could focus on the road better. It was one thing he had learned, the hard way, that he had better be a safe driver. There wasn't a chance in hell that he was going to risk his girlfriend to a car wreck.

But he was paying attention to their conversation too, and cringing at the way his younger sister was looking at his best friends younger brother. Well everyone had seen TK and Kari happening as a couple, for awhile, but he was glad that they hadn't decided to take the plunge. The only reason he knew she hadn't was because she hadn't asked him for any condoms. Which was something he made her promise she would do if she needed them. Though she could technically buy them herself, it could get back to their parents and then there would be trouble. Kari was his baby sister, but he was glad it was Yamato's baby brother.

He pulled into the parking lot, pausing to wave to the people that occupied the two other cars. Their group was pretty large, the poor door guard for the backstage. He found the parking spot that was reserved for their group, and the other cars found their spots. He climbed out and leaned against his car and pulled out his phone. Yo! Bro, come out and get us. We need our passes anyways, and everyone's out here and wants to see you. Come say sorry to Sora at least, we don't want the 'big plan' to be ruined now do we? he texted to his best friend as he stopped to look around at the group. If it gets you out here faster, I should tell you there is a really cute single woman out here, but be nice she's your younger brothers TA for school.

With that final text sent Tai reached into the glove compartment of his car and pulled out a battered pair of familiar old friends. "We are all together again... so why not?" He said as a few of the others gave him questioning looks. He slipped the goggles on, and for the first time in a long time he felt like he really was partially his old self again. The one that traveled to a Digital world, saved both worlds with his friends, and then ended up with the woman of his dreams. "What do you think Sora, just like old times?" He said with that same goofy and cheesy grin on his face.

Just as they had surmised, the arena was already packed with crowds of fans and more were still pouring in. The ride had been a rather pleasant if not a little overlong thanks to the rush hour traffic but Sora was glad to out of the van for other reasons entirely. Stretching her legs awkwardly out first, she hastily groped at her butt to ensure none of the seams or obscene zippers had split open during the trip. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found the seat still intact and her butt crack hidden. Thankfully, they would be standing for the rest of the venture. She spied T.K. and Kari still nestled together in the back seat, seemingly oblivious to the fact that they had arrived. She shook her head at the duo but could not blame them too harshly for the infatuation. After all, she and Tai had been that way once, maybe even a little worse if memory served. Her eyes drifted to her boyfriend, arching a curious eyebrow at the sight of him stretched across the seats and rummaging around in the glove compartment of the vehicle.

Her heart leapt at the sight of the goggles atop his head once more, rooting her on the spot for a beat as if she had seen a ghost. The ghost of an old friend come back to pay them all a very welcome visit. She would like to have played it off, calling him a dork or a hoarder for hanging onto those things for so long but she knew her goofy grin would immediately betray her. "Now all I need is my old pink hat," she teased. Before she could talk herself out of it, Sora rounded the car and stood up on tip-toe her hands clasped behind her back girlishly and gave her boyfriend, both past and present, a gentle kiss on the lips.

The text came in a beat later, sending Yamato's phone jittering in the pocket of his jeans. He fished it free and studied the message. Tai, the gang, they had arrived and all at once an overwhelming feeling of anxiety threatened to constrict the life out of his heart. He was seated in a semi-circle with the rest of his bandmates as a parade of Mimi's aides and designers ushered in a dozen racks of clothes, each customer fitted to a different Teen-Aged Wolf for their show that evening.

Yoshi was prattling on and on into the phone again, pacing a trench in the middle of the room. When the conversation would get too heavy he always made sure to glance over at the curious eavesdroppers and offer a friendly wave to show that nothing was the matter, just business as usual. It was of little concern. For far more pressing matters hung before them.

Yamato lowered his sunglasses down to the tip of his nose and studied the ensemble being unhooked and shown to each of them in turn. Shifting his eyes to the rest of the group, the mutual feeling of horror he felt was being mirrored all around. The pants were heavy leather and would be so tight that he reasoned he would need the two aide's holding the garment open while he jumped into the legs to get into. They came with matching pairs of black boots, adorned with chains and zippers crisscrossing down the sides, not unlike Sora's. The shirt was long sleeved and fishnet with cuts in the fabric strategically placed around the arms and torso.

"Well, what do you think?" They asked, smiling as if the answer of approval had already been given.

"I think it's a good thing that I didn't wear underwear today," Yamato replied, still eyeing the leather.

The assistant chuckled, misunderstanding the jest. "Commando IS all the rage now."

The eyes of the band drifted back and forth between their front man and the designer, secretly willing him to say what everyone was thinking. Thankfully, he obliged, pointedly.

"I think we're going to melt in those things." A murmur of agreement from his band mates, backup vocals to his lead. "Under those hot lights? We'll pass out. Not to mention having to peel those outfits off after."

"Baby, baby, you know as well as I do YOU won't be peeling those pants off tonight," Yoshi thundered, joining the conversation with all the grace of a bulldozer. He smiled good naturedly and rushed over the take the hanger in his hands, ushering the garments over to Yamato as if a closer look would sway him. "Look, your friend Mimi sent these over with her heart set on your guys wearing it. You wouldn't want to...disappoint her would you?" His sincerity was a show of course, playing to Yamato's guilt. Yoshi's chief concern was fulfilling a contract agreement with a high end fashion designer which dictated the Teen-Age Wolves would be seen live in concert, wearing her designs. The fact they were old friends was just a happy coincidence that provided more ammo to use in persuading his wayward charge. "C'mon, Yamato-baby. What do you say?"

"I think," Yamato began slowly, rose from his chair. A hush fell over those gathered and the room collectively waited for his final say that would resolve the matter indefinitely. He looked at them all in turn, eyes drifting from Yoshi to the designers and aide's to the engineers still setting up for the show and finally settling on his band. "I need a smoke."

With that, he snatched up the ring of plastic backstage passes from the makeup table and headed outside. He replied to Tai's text next, hammering out the reply with one thumb tapping against the touch panel. It was horribly misspelled as a result but the gist was clear enough. "On my way. Meet me at the back entrance. Easy to spot one with all the buses around it." 

Tai was quite happy to take that kiss from his girlfriend, his hands landing on her waist as he held her for a moment. He opened his eyes for a moment to flash a knowing look to Mimi - who was already holding a designer bag. Now one would think that inside that bag was something from her shop, but instead it contained some items of great importance. Her old cowboy hat, and Sora's old Pink hat. She may have cleaned it up a little, and did a bit of stitching to reinforce it, but in essence each of them had something that related to that first adventure. At least the digidestined did, the non digidestined had no idea what was going on that way, and Sora was kept out of the loop too.

Tai pulled back from the kiss and grinned as his phone set up a quick buzzing pattern in his pocket. "Well looks like Yamato wants to meet us." He said as he slipped his thumb across the screen and then motioned to everyone."Alright! So, he wants us to head towards the back door. So come on everyone!" Tai said cheerfully as he waved his arm over his head and then motioned for everyone to follow him over to where he could see the buses parked outside of the back entrance. He had a bounce in his step, and had even threaded his fingers with Sora's.

The moment he saw his buddy he was waving. "Yamato!" He called out as he let go of Sora's hand to pull Matt into a fierce hug. "Buddy! You're back, and we are glad to have you!" He said as he playfully punched the blonds shoulder. "So some new faces! Joe's girl is Sayaka, and Izzi's is Yume... And the guy with Mimi is .. was it Serge? I think it's Serge... someone she met in America... and of course you know the rest of us... and the dark haired lady with green eyes is Mei. " Tai said as he patted Yamato on the back. "The groups all back together, with a few additions."

Mei was quiet as she pulled Nyamon from her place in the back of the car, attaching the harness for the feline digimon. Nyamon didn't mind, because she knew it was in relation to the laws of the human world. She even let Mei slip her into her service animal vest, so that she could easily be identified for who she was, and what she was. Though in reality Nyamon was no mere simple animal, she had passed all the tests needed to be considered a 'service animal' at the very least. She pushed her hair back again, humming as she walked behind the group, once again bringing up the rear.

Green eyes scanned everything, everyone, and every possible situation around her. She was searching, yearning almost, for that forbidden fruit of nicotine. She really was craving a smoke something fierce, given her nervousness. She hadn't brought any of her meds with her, stupidly of course, to help with settling her nerves, so a cigarette would have to do. Now if only she could find a goddamn cigarette. Suddenly Tai was bursting out into joy and laughter, and punching... and touching... and Mei stood dumbfounded in the very back.

She had no idea that people really acted like this with each other, not that she had a real chance to see much friendships first hand. She was pretty much a loner, and standing towards the back gave her an outsiders perspective looking in. But suddenly Tai had introduced her and her eyes suddenly pivoted over to Tai and Yamato. Her eyes locked on Yamato's and she felt something break inside of her. That tiny little crush she had as a child, the one she thought had left her when he left the country, came roaring back from the depths of her young heart.

Her breath was sucked in quickly, green eyes locked on his blue eyes, and then her cheeks broke out with a blush that was brighter than the shade of red that most Band Groupies wore on their lips. Her eyes instantly broke away from his as she looked away. She held Nyamon's leash in her hand as she crossed her arms and stayed towards the back. Better to let everyone else have their fun and talk to each other.

Yamato stepped out into the afternoon sun and winced from a combination of dazzling sun and immense heat. He slipped the sunglasses up higher on the bridge of his nose and scanned the tarmac for any familiar faces. Spying none just yet, he stepped heavily down the loading ramp and tug around in his shirt pocket for his pack of cigarettes. The list of vices grows ever longer, he mused sticking a long white stick between his lips before rooting around for a lighter. His habit of just one or two after a good meal or good fuck or stiff drink had spiraled out of control in the last few months of the tour. Soon he went from enjoying half a pack per day to one full box before capping off at around two. And just try finding this brand in the America's, he shuddered not wanting to linger on being stuck in Brazil and jonesing for a Lucky 7 but only having sickening clover cigarettes available. He made Yoshi swear to keep a few emergency cartons available going forward and so far, despite all their manager's flaws, he always kept his word.

He found a half empty book of matches in the back pocket of his jeans bearing the name of some strip joint from Argentina on the cover in neat cursive that he could not read. A silhouette of a nude woman danced in the corner, one leg looped around a pole, frozen forever in the same tantalizing pose. She plucked one of the loose sticks free and struck it against the heel of his boot. What was that girls name, he wondered again, chasing the tip of his cigarette with the flame. He was fairly sure it had started with an A but had absolutely no evidence to support this theory besides a hazy memory. The face floating in and out of his alcohol addled mind, introducing herself could have belonged to any random girl in his life and he had only tacked her face onto the body because of....

He frowned behind the sunglasses. Guilt? Yes, that was certainly present but there was something else there lingering just below the surface. A sense of desperation, something screaming in his mind that badly wanted the mystery solved. Perhaps, he settled rather chillingly. To prove that I'm not as far gone as I think...

Before he could brood on it further, he was being pulled into a tight bear hug. It caught him so off guard that he nearly dropped his cigarette. "H-hey! Tai, jeez!" He returned the embrace fiercely, laughing at how easily they had managed to sneak up on him. He clapped his friend on the back and all at once, the feelings of apprehension evaporated. A great burden lifted from his shoulders, an almost physical weight that allowed Yamato to stand a little straighter. God, how he had missed this feeling! The familiar faces flooded all around him, bringing back a tidal wave of memories of grand adventures, laughter and simpler times. He had found a comradery with his bandmates and the road crew, even with his manager Yoshi to an extent. But those relationships all compared to Tai and Sora and the gang. They were more closer than friends, more comfortable than his own family they were....

Sora stepped up next, making a big show of planting her hands on her hips and giving Yamato a once over. "Well, look at you!" she smirked. "Big bad rock star, so hot he's literally on fire." She waved a hand at the cloud of smoke trailing after the youth like Pigpen from the Peanuts. When Tai stepped away and loosened his grip she went in next, giving him an easier hug but with just as much warmth. "We missed you," she breathed into his chest. The shirt made him look a little more filled out and she was genuinely surprised and concerned to find him so thin underneath.

"I see Mimi got her designer claws into you all too," Yamato joked, gently pulling away from the familiar embrace before she managed to feel his growing erection between them. It wouldn't do to grope the fiancé to be before Tai managed to pop the question, after all.

He nodded to everyone in turn as they were introduced and handed out their correlating pass. "Don't lose these," he cautioned. "If you're caught without it, you'll be escorted out and once I'm on stage, I can't exactly go bail you out." The cigarette jittered between his lips as he spoke but nearly fell away entirely when he got to Mei.

Had he seen her before? He dimly remembered her but only fleetingly and usually in the background of his minds eye like set dressing. Always lingering the back of scenes playing out in his mind but could he be certain it was the same girl? Yes, the cat clinched it. Mei was never too far from her trusty service animal but he couldn't recall outright what it was for. Seizures? Asthma? Something. It was certainly a queer looking animal that much was certainly. Its eyes shown a kind of...intelligence that belonged on a different sort of animal. It was somehow familiar to the youth but again, he couldn't quite place it.
"Mei?" he asked again, wanting to be certain this time and handed over the plastic card and lanyard. So this is the girl Tai was talking about....not too shabby, bro. "I'm glad you came," he crooned, relaxing easily into his casually demeanor that came complete with a lop-sided grin that had a way of giving the impression it was hers and hers alone despite countless women being seduced under its sway. It was a smile that whispered secret, sweet nothings in total silence and innocently made promises that were anything but.

Tai felt like everything was right, he had his best bro back. He stepped back as Matt was hugged by Sora, and he had the worlds biggest smile on his face as he watched his best mate start traveling around through their old group. Matt was passing out passes, and Tai was about to do backflips he was so happy. The only thing that could make this moment any better was if their digimon magically showed up. That would be a treat and a half, but wouldn't actually happen. He still had that goofy grin on his face, even as he moved away from the smoke stream that seemed to follow Matt, but he didnt' mind. He didn't care what vices his buddy had, so long as he has his buddy back.

"Yeah, Mimi got her into an outfit..."He mused as Matt continued walking and talking to everyone. He turned his attention to Sora, his eyes alight with mirth and joy at the fact that the old gang was all together again. He swept Sora up around the waist, and then spun with her before setting her down. "This is so awesome, and we can all go out for dinner and drinks after... or something. Anything to keep hanging out!" Tai said as he grinned at all his friends. He could see the mirrored smiles, and the way that everything was falling into place.

Everyone was happy, everyone was feeling like they belonged again. At least as far as Tai could tell from looking over all of his friends. So many had partners now, and that was great. He hoped someday they could all share the stories with everyone in the group, of their adventures together. Of what someday their children might encounter if they were really lucky. He imagined his children, with Sora, and what sort of adventures they might go on. Yes, he was a younger guy, but he already had the ring in his pocket, and imagining children wasn't too far off. Sora was a beautiful woman, and the children would be more than talented.

Then Tai stopped as he noticed Matt approaching Mei, and he nudged his girlfriend in the side a little. "Sora, think she's going to fall for it?" He asked in a low whisper. Oh he wasn't an idiot, he'd seen Yamato use that on girls in High School.

Mei was watching it all, like an outsider looking in on a family Christmas gathering. Her green eyes misted for a moment as she continued to chew the inside of her cheek. Nyamon pressed firmly, tightly, against her leg as she stroked the felines ears and tried to allow herself a chance to just relax. Her arms stayed crossed under her breasts, and she still had that flush on her cheeks as she looked away into the distance. Yamato was smoking, and she could practically taste the sensation of her having one of his cigarettes. How she craved sweet nicotine so badly.

But the green eyed woman was startled and disarmed as Yamato stood before her, holding out her lanyard. She was surprised, rather much so, as she reached out to take it, her eyes darting to the side. She remembered that look from High School, had dreams through her adult life about someday getting that look. But now that she had it, all it did was cause a flipflop in her stomach. It was because some part of her sensed it wasn't real, it wasn't a real smile - it wasn't actually meant for her. It was just... it was an act.

"Thank you, Yamato-san..." She said politely as she gave a slight bow with her hands pressed over her thighs now. "If I could please ask your forgiveness, but may I please have one of your cigarettes?" She whispered softly as she kept her head bowed down. She wasn't willing to look at him, for some reason, it was probably because she was nervous around him. Probably because in this group of people, all with some sort of history with each other, she realized that she would never fit in. She wasn't starstruck by him, like some females might be, instead she recognized that someone like her would never really have a place in his life.

Sora had always heard tale of Yamato's famous woman wooing ways but this was the first chance she had to see it in action for herself. The way Tai described it, it was something of a cross between mysticism and advanced mathematics. A balancing act that threatened to burst over into an art form and everyone else was just swept up its mysterious wake. Sora nudged Tai right back, leaning in to stage whisper. "Oh, is this the look? Is he giving her the look? Should I shield my eyes before I fall in love with him too?" She pressed the back of her hand into her forehead and swooned into Tai theatrically. "Oh, I think I'm getting a little weak in the knees!" She draped her arms heavily around her boyfriend, giving her him weight. As much as she was teasing, Sora had to admit that Yamato was a handsome fellow. Now after having spent so many years with Tai, she couldn't fathom sharing so much of herself with anyone else but there had been a time when they were much younger when she had entertained the thought. Reflecting on it, she would write the entire crush off as a phase and nothing more. A confused period in her young, preteen life long before Tai won her heart where she had fleetingly pondered the notion of a date with Yamato.

Now though, all that ire and resentment from before had disappeared, leaving Sora pleased to see their old friend again and that sentiment seemed to be infectious. Tai was obviously thrilled, practically dancing on the spot like a boy half his age. She had never seen him so happy to see someone and felt equal parts amusement and jealousy at the emotional display. "Calm down, Tai!" she laughed, trying to tackle her boyfriend back to earth before he floated off into orbit. The way he was behaving, one could be forgiven in thinking that Yamato had gone to war or into deep space rather than out of the country!

Yamato was oblivious to much of their antics, eyes locked in on Mei like laser guided cruise missiles and zeroing in fast. A part of him felt sorry for the girl. It wasn't even fair! Mei was obviously a flustered mess before he even addressed her, noting the flush of her cheeks and the way her arms were crossed over her chest. No doubt in an effort to hide the visible points of her nipples and fighting the urge to touch them herself. He had seen that look countless times before on hundreds of women. Shy little things, so meek and tender and nervous....until you peeled their clothes off to reveal the caged tigress within!

Look at her, he thought, his grin widening to flash teeth. She can't even look me in the eye. His mind raced with questions. What did her mouth taste like? Where her lips as soft as they looked? Was she a quiet moaner or a banshee screamer? Did she like the lights on or off? Was she a playful puppy or rough and tumble wolf? His own arousal peaked, mirroring Mei's, no doubt, his cock twitching impatiently like a starved man getting his first glimpse of real food in days.   

He shook one of his Lucky 7's from the pack and offered it forward, filter first. "What do you think? Are you gonna hang after the show? Maybe I could buy you a drink?" He offered coolly and started to reach for the matches in his hip pocket but decided against it at the last minute. Instead, he leaned in close as if he meant to kiss her but stopped just short. He touched the tip of his cherry red cigarette to hers, setting it ablaze. "There ya go," his breath came away in a grey cloud. "You shouldn't smoke these, by the way. They're bad for you, that's why only bad people use them." He chuckled at his own joke. "People like me."

"Yeah that's the look... it usually causes women to melt and fall to his whim." Tai said as he reached out to playfully catch his 'feinting' girlfriend. His eyes dance with amusement and mirth as he looked down at her. She was being theatrical but it was what they all needed. It was actually a good idea, to have a break like this. All of them doing their various things, some of them in college - some of them traveling away constantly - some of them famous fashion designers. Having a moment just to be people again, and stand around with each other, was a good thing. He was so glad everyone could make it to this moment, to this moment when his best friend was going to help him propose to his girl.

Something huge, grand, something that took a lot of thought and consideration. It wasn't the type of proposal Sora would expect from him, and he wanted it to mean something. He really got to know her on their journey together as kids, and all of their friends from that time were there to help them learn, so that meant everyone that helped him discover who he was happened to be all in one place. Sora mentioned he needed to calm down, and he laughed scratching the back of his head. "I've just missed him, Sora... it's been almost a year since I saw him. I mean we did fly out into that one town in the US to see him perform... but that was a long time ago. We didn't even see him for the holidays!" He chimed up as he started to play with the strap of his goggles and gave Sora that friendly cheesy grin.

He blinked though as he was watching Yamato, and cringed a little at how extreme his buddy was going. Yamato never used to be this... much of a horndog. It was obvious he was going over the top for the green eyed woman. He let his gaze slide to his own beautiful partner, looping his hand around her waist and standing there. "So Yamato... what have you been up to?"

Mei was drawn on a tightrope of nervousness as Yamato seemed to float through silence. Her green eyes were trapped now, locked on those blue eyes of his. Those eyes that had a quality to them that had mesmerized so many women around them. He was a charmer, that was for sure. He had charmed so many women, that must was obvious. But she wouldn't get herself trapped by him, not like the others. He pulled out a pack of lucky 7s, and extended a smoke to her. She took the filter between her fingers and raised it to her lips.

He was talking to her, about after the show and she found herself blinking. "I was just gonna go home and sleep..." She admitted as she found confusion filling her. But it spiked higher when she stood there, nearly losing the smoke, as he leaned in and lit the cigarette with his own. "Wha... " She murmured, that confusion filling her eyes and crossing her features as she reached up to grab the smoke after taking a long drag. She exhaled, focusing her mind on what he had said. "I prefer Lucky Strikes, I'm a military brat... those were my father's brand..." She mused as she rolled the smoke around her mouth. "Lucky 7s aren't bad, but they are nothing compared to the smoke that is my first cigarette... " She mused as she looked at the cherry of the cigarette.

Staring at the cherry meant she wasn't looking at him, instead she was getting slowly wreathed by the smoke from the burning tobacco. "I... honestly never planned on going out drinking, It's ah... not really my thing."

It felt good to cut loose and just be silly kids again, even if this particular group of children were in their early twenties. This was the first chance the entire gang had been together since high school and the realization gave Sora a small pang of melancholy. Here and there they managed to get three and four and five people together, but never all eight at once since returning to the real world. It almost seemed as if they had all scattered to the four winds as soon as the opportunity arouse. That might happen to normal friends under normal circumstances in a normal world but they were the original Digidestined! Shouldn't that count for something? Mimi bouncing back and forth to America, Yamato and his almost constant touring schedule, T.K. and Kari shopping around for colleges, plus she and Tai's hectic work schedules all served to make those times seem further and further away. It was almost like their adventures in the digital world happened to different people entirely, phantoms in her memory.

"You can't see it," Sora confided, leaning in to again make a show of sharing private information. "But that completely oblivious look on Mei's face is hiding just how toootally into Matt she is." She nodded, solemnly. "Definitely a puddle in her panties right now." Speaking of panties, she needed to cool it falling all over Tai and roughhousing. Not for any reasons pertaining to modesty but those bothersome pants kept threatening to slip down her hips. Cradled into Tai's side they were showing more than enough public bone and she had to snag them by the sides and wiggle her legs to get them back up again.

Yamato snapped the cigarette between his index and middle finger, inspecting the stub of the filter before casually flicking it to the pavement and mashing it flat with the toe of his boot. Go home and sleep? He thought, chuckling to himself. Not very likely! She was playing hard to get and that suited him fine. Seduction was a dance after all, a series of elegant steps that bordered on ritual that must be observed first. Every animal on earth had some form of courtship and this was just the opening act, the overture to the performance.

"C'mon, don't break my heart," he teased, rocking back and even clutched a hand over his breast, as if desperate to hold the shattering fragments together. "Besides nobody goes to bars to drink anymore. They go for barely edible food and the unique cast of characters filling out the fringes of the place. Practically part of the foundation some of these folks, and always good for a laugh." He fished another cigarette from the pack but didn't light it right away. Instead, he slid it behind his ear. "Maybe you'll change your mind after the show?" His cell chimed on his hip, bellowing out the roar of the Tyrannosaurus from Jurassic Park. "Excuse me."

He stepped away to press the phone to his ear. "Yoshi, your timing couldn't be worse."

"Yamato, babycakes, what's the deal? Your leaving me holding the bag here and I got a phalanx of Mimi's designers and dressers and aide's breathing down my neck about the outfits. So what's it gonna be? Yay or Nay?"

"Yay," he sighed, glancing over his shoulder at Mei.

"Fantastic! Yamato, you're doing the right thing, baby. Now get your tushie back in here so we squeeze it into these pants. Doll, the chickies are gonna love you! The custodial service is gonna be moping the floors up for days."

"That's a horrible visual you just gave me there, Yoshi."

"It's what I do, Yamato. I get the mind stimulated and keep all the flak off your backs so the Teen-Age Wolves can do what they do best."

Yamato thumbed at his nose before offering cynically, "Sell out?"

"Exactly!" Yoshi elated misreading the remark entirely. His voice came across so loudly Yamato had to jerk the phone away from his ear, the speaker crackling. "They sell out one of the biggest venues in the country. Get in here, another call coming in, get in here!"

The receiver went dead in Yamato's ear. Yoshi wasn't much for pleasantries like 'goodbyes'. He stowed the phone back into his jeans and wandered back over to the crowd who was watching him curiously. "Okay, guys," he called, tossing his arms out wide. He pointed both fingers, like duel pistols, up the loading ramp and the loading bay door that lead back stage. "It's showtime!"

Mei was absolutely baffled at the way that Yamato was acting with her, never in all her time had she thought she would gain the attention or affection of Yamato. Much less him trying to woo her. She frowned as she took another drag of the smoke, watching him with wary eyes. He was putting on a show, that's all it was. He was so used to women that he charmed and got his way with, and he didn't realize that some women wanted more than just a good fuck. Whatever that was like, she wasn't quite so sure herself. With a small puff of the smoke she felt Nyamon's paw patting her knee. She reached down to scoop up the feline who stretched out her body and let herself rest on Mei's chest.

"You can survive your heart being broken." The women whispered softly, rather plainly as she held her digimon to her chest and then dropped the smoke to put it out. "I just... I never really went out partying, and wouldn't have the faintest clue." She admitted as she startled a little from the sound of his phone going off. She realized how forgettable she was the moment he started focusing on his phone and she stepped away blending into the crowd of his friends. Letting herself hide, even though she was the only dark haired woman in the lot.

When he motioned for them to head backstage. She followed after silently, quietly, green eyes expressively holding that which her mouth would never say. Can't you tell, Yamato? That I've liked you for so long? Can't you tell that I see more than the Teen-Wolf band leader? Can't you tell? Or am I that ... easy to misunderstand, to forget. She whispered to herself mentally as she followed after the crowd.

"I can totally see what you mean, Sora..." Tai said as he eyed his Girlfriend with her little wiggle fest to keep her pants adjusted. "I like that outfit on you." He mused aloud as he watched the scene unfolding. "She just majorly shut him down though, not sure he's used to getting shut down." he said with a laugh as he looped his arm in his girlfriends. He watched his best friend answer his phone and then looked at the rest of the group. "you heard him! Let's get inside!" He said as he moved his arm with a motion and started to laugh. his eyes dancing with Mirth.

They walked into the backstage and Mimi all but vanished as she made sure her people were dispersing the outfits properly. Everyone else waited in their special VIP seating off to the side of the main stage curtain. A perfect view, without having to worry about standing unless they needed to. Tai took his own seat, stretching out his legs and waiting. They had to wait for the music to pound, and the bodies to move. In the middle of the set was when Yamato was going to call them.

He even caught that slimy man he remembered as the manager of the Teen-Wolves, and just turned his attention to the stage. He didn't even realize that the tiny dark haired woman was just standing off towards the back, not sitting anywhere or with anyone. Why would she? She was the only single person in the group. But Tai, wasn't thinking about her, or anything else, he was thinking about the ring that was sitting in his pocket.

While Mei watched, she stood at the back, Nyamon curled up by her feet as she stood with her arms crossed under her breasts. She rocked back and forth on her feet as she tried to tame the excitement that was pounding in her chest. Though she seemed impassive in her facial expressions, her eyes danced with the truth. But even now, she watched from the outside, and felt the stab of loneliness.

Yamato broke away from the group almost immediately. As soon as they stepped through the dozens of curtains and doors that lead to the backstage area of the venue, he apologizes profusely for having to rush off....only to do so a moment later. He looked forlornly back at them, searching for Mei who seemed to be straggling far behind the rest of the group. He fleetingly wondered what had happened to cause her such duress that she would willingly withdrawal from the group. It did not even seem to be a conscious effort, her excluding herself came as second nature. Waiting for him in ambush were Yoshi and gaggle of local reporters who immediately set to shoving microphones and recorders into his face. He didn't have to answer any of the questions they peppered him with, since Yoshi was already waving their arms aside. "My client has no comment right now. He's a very busy artist with an earth shattering performance to see to!" He ushered Yamato hurriedly into the dressing room and shut the door firmly at his back. Turning back to the gathered news crews, he straightened his lapels and licked at the palm of his hand. "But I will be more than happy to answer any and all your burning questions!" He smoothed the wet hand over his comb over and adjusted his glasses again, jabbing the pinky into the spectacles and pushing them up the bridge of his nose.

Inside the private dressing room, a score of hands immediately set to grabbing at Yamato's clothes and hair, simultaneously undressing him, applying makeup and leading him to a chair. He couldn't help but feel like the cadaver in a laboratory experiment. The bright lights burning overhead, the plastic gloved hands meticulously groping over his form, the whir of various instruments, created an unsettling atmosphere. It was hardly his first experience but it never failed to be an uncomfortable and disorienting mess. 

"Do we cover up the tattoos?" someone hovering over his left shoulder wondered aloud.

"Yeah, they're a little unsettling. Is that a rabid dog?"

Yoshi's voice thundered over the din of artists. When did he get in? "No, the tattoos tested very well with our focus group. They stay. No shirt. Just the pants and do something with his hair."

Yamato turned left then right, inspecting the pants around his thin frame. They did look pretty cool, he had to admit and without a shirt, they drew attention to his long, tight torso. His pubic area below his abdominal muscles dove into a V shape that's point vanished into the tops of his pants, an arrow giving all the direction she would need. That Mei would need, he mused, mind wandering back to that shy, dark haired girl.

Yoshi clapped him on the bare shoulder, raising up on his toes to peek over his shoulder and at the reflection in the mirror. "Hey, Yamato, you might wanna go into the bathroom and take care of that before going out on stage. You'll give your poor sweet grandmother a heart attack."

He followed his manager's gaze down the front of his trousers where his large and visible erection strained against the leather front. The pants were so tight, it almost looked like he was wearing a soft, velvety condom. Yoshi clapped him again, good-naturedly before making for the door. "Do what you gotta do, babycakes. I'll see you in the other side where we're all rich!" He backed out of the dressing room, massaging his thumb and forefingers together greedily.

Sora found herself, along with the others, leaping aside as an army of stage hands marched forth, holding a massive rock over their shoulders. What is THAT for? She wondered, watching them go past like a couple of water bearers sans the buckets. They were shown to their seats just off to the side of the stage and they really were the best seats in the house. The amphitheater stretched out before them and for the first time, they could appreciate just how large the building was. The floor felt miles long, open air with hundreds of heads already bobbing about like buoys caught in rough seas.

Beyond them were rows upon rows of theater seats, set in a semi-circle around the stage, stretching from the floor to ceiling. Enormous screens filled every corner of the Hall, projecting music videos at the moment but soon would come alive with close up footage of the concert as it goes on. Just because they could only afford seats in the nosebleed section, didn't mean they had to be deprived of seeing the firm outline of Yamato's buttocks, right?

Yoshi stepped into view and immediately set his eyes on the cute Japanese girl, the one with the cat who appeared to be alone. Checking to see if his combover was still in place, he sauntered over, pretending to be absorbed in another scintillating phone conversation and 'accidentally' grazed her shoulder with his.

"Beggin' your pardon," he said sheepishly. "Hey, you're one of Yamato's gang? We got you the passes for and everything. On this is such an honor, he talks about you all so highly!" He thrust his beefy hand forward, stowing his cellphone away into his waistcoat pocket. "I'm Yoshi Masahara, Yamato-san's manager and personal assistant. It's an absolute pleasure to meet all of you." He raised her hand to his livery lips and planted a moist kiss on the back of Mei's knuckles. "Can I get you all anything? Anything at all?"

Tai enjoyed his seat, wrapping his arm around Sora's shoulder and idly stroking his fingers through her hair. He liked touching her, mostly because there was times when they couldn't even see each other. It made him sad when he was away from her, and he wanted to be closer to her whenever they were near again. He was lost in the sensations of the start of the event, realizing that his friend really was someone very famous. "Wow... he's really hit the big times." He whispered as he stroked a finger across the shell of Sora's ear.

He leaned in a little, placing a chaste kiss on her ear, and leaning in so he could whisper. "I love you, Sora... you know that? I'm so glad we could get together for this event." He whispered as he pulled back and just let his head rest against the side of hers, that goofy smile on his face. He felt like a kid again, at least in the aspect of all his friends together. The excitement was building and he realized that soon enough the event would be starting.

Mei was a little started when the man brushed into her, she bowed her head respectfully. "Apologies... I did not realize anyone was so close." She said politely as she bowed. Getting a chuckle from the man that was holding her hand and kissing it. She felt a bit of bile rise in her throat, but all of her training had taught her to be respectful to those in a higher station than you. "Oh no, I am quite alright." She said cheerfully.

Yoshi released her hand that sleezy smile on his face as he motioned to one of the stage hands. "One of our finest drinks for the small lady!" He said as he motioned to the stage hand, who took off like a bat out of hell rushing back with the glass of whiskey on ice. "Here, imported from Scotland - it's one of Yamato's favorites." he said as he reached out with the glass,  only to trip while moving over to her, spilling the drink all over her. "Oh damn! I'm sorry, here let me help you with that!" He said as he started to tug at the bottom of the girls dress shirt. "I can get you one of Yamato's from back stage, if you want."

Mei gave a small squick, Nyamon hissing as her hackles rose. The digimon hated that she couldn't talk around humans, not without revealing what she was. Mei was struggling to keep the Manager from pulling off her dress shirt, but soon enough the shirt was off and she saw that raw interest all over the mans face. But instead of finding a woman without a shirt, or just a bra, he found a woman wearing a black tank top. Her eyes snapped with green fire as she crossed her arms under her chest, further boosting the rather naturally perky breasts up. "I don't need Yamato's shirt, and I don't need a drink." She snapped feeling annoyed from what the manager was doing.

It was like he was trying to whore her out or something, trying to promise her things she didn't even want.

In any other social environment, the sight of someone's hard-on threatening to peek out of the top of their pants would have been something of a faux-pas. In the rock and roll world, however, nobody seemed to spare it a second glance. A stage hand rushed inside with all the hurried grace of a herd of elephants and made a b-line for the minibar. Yamato watched his reflection curiously as he sloppily poured a whiskey on the rocks. A pretty stiff drink, he noted but before much more thought could be expanded, the hand was rushing out with the glass held aloft like an Olympic sprinter bearing the torch. He retreated to the bathroom, not bothering to lock or even shut the door behind him and unclasp the line row of buttons at the fly of his pants. Peeling the flaps aside his large erection sprang free, almost comically so.

He produced his phone with the intent of looking up some quick pics or maybe a video when Mei drifted into his thoughts again. Figuring to do what his mother had always insisted and use the power of his imagination, Yamato stuffed the device back into his pocket and took his penis in hand. He closed his eyes and let his mind's eye come alive with Mei, first wearing the outfit he had seen outside but slowly stripped the layers away. He envisioned her taking him in into her mouth, swallowing his swollen head eagerly. He could almost feel her tongue playing along his shaft as she accepted his length. She stroked himself eagerly, reaching out to the wall for balance. His heart rate accelerated in kind and he gaped aloud, short of breath. "M-Mei," he murmured. His knees weakened beneath his weight and he slumped slightly before the porcelain throne. The orgasm was more intense than he expected, a shocking burst of energy as if his very life essence was attempting to escape through his dick. He came in spurts and starts, thick ropes of seed coating the open bowl. At last he was spent and slumped down the floor, fighting to catch his breath with his penis still half erect and dribbling seed through his fingers. Imagine what the real thing would be like, he thought dreamily.

Yoshi starred hungrily at Mei's exposed torso only slightly disappointed that she wasn't standing before him topless now.  The only thing that could have spoiled this moment for him of course did and he threw a tight frown down at her feline companion. "Shoo! Scat!" he hissed back, wiggling a sensible loafer shoe at the Digimon. Remembering himself, he forced a smile back to Mei trying to play the scene off. "You're uh pet doesn't seem to like me very much but that's okay. I grow on people." He omitted the part where most would compare him to various species of fungi but that hardly mattered and why bore her with the details? The poor girl has been through enough! He would the shirt into his hands, crumbling it into a tight ball, resisting the near overwhelming urge to sniff at it.

"C'mon, pussycat. Don't be like that! I said I was sorry! Come with me and we'll get you something nice to wear for the show, yes?" He reached out to her with stubby fingers, scrabbling at her arm.  "Yamato left his button up shirt back stage, would you like that? It's no trouble, he won't mind at all." Yoshi licked at his lips keenly, eyes magnified to saucers behind his large lenses.

"What if I do mind, Yoshi?"

Yoshi's sweaty face twisted into a knot of confusion and started to turn around to see who had addressed him when he was seized up by the collar of his suit jacket and lifted up from the floor. Behind him, Yamato had him by the scruff of his neck like a mongrel dog, shaking his head in disgust.

"Y-Yamato-san!" Yoshi squeaked, reaching into his suit pocket to produce a handkerchief. "I was just talking about you! Sh-shouldn't you be warming up? B-big show, you know? Your friend here suffered an unfortunately accident and I was just-."

"Offering to give her one of my shirts?" He interrupted, lifting Yoshi higher, forcing his manager onto tip-toe.

"Sh-she spilled her drink, you see?" He dabbed the cloth at his feverish lip and offered Mei's crumpled shirt forward as if it were the smoking gun. "See? See? I was just being a good person!"

Yamato sneered down at the little man before releasing him. Yoshi crumbled to his rear, cowering with both hands thrown over his bald dome. "Yamato-san, be reasonable now!"

But he wasn't listening. Wiping his hands down the legs of his leather pants, he stepped between Mei and his sleazy manager, crouching down low so that he was nose to nose with the man. "Let me get something crystal clear," he snarled.

"Anything! Anything, Yamato, baby!"

"Hands off the girl," he snapped, jerking a thumb into his bare chest. He snatched up Mei's shirt from Yoshi's trembling fingers. "If anyone is undressing or dressing her, it's me."

Yoshi nodded quickly over and over again, wiping his hands at his sweaty face and tugging at his tie as if the thing had come alive and was threatening to constrict the life out of him. As purple as his face had become, it didn't seem that far off. "Of course! Yamato-san, I would NEVER even dream of-of being so forward with a girl if I had know...if I had know..." He trailed off, limbs held uselessly at his side. What hadn't he known?

Yamato righted himself and moved behind Mei, wrapping an arm possessively around one bare shoulder, his fingers trailed down to breast. He starred daggers down at Yoshi, forcing him to look away or else turn to stone under such a harsh gaze. "She's mine, got that? So hands off?" He flexed his fingers over the fabric of her sports bra, grazing at the subtle rise of her nipples just below. What he found there was staggering and he glanced down at the girl, more than a head shorter than he, in astonishment. He had more than enough experiencing groping a woman's chest to know a ring when he felt one  but to certain he brushed it again. Yes, it was unmistakable. Well, he thought, eyebrow arching so high it nearly vanished below his long hair. What do you know about that?

Mei was in absolute shock at the scene she saw behind the stage manager, her eyes widening and a flush covering her cheeks as her lips pursed in confusion. There was Yamato, standing in nothing but one of Mimi's pant ideas, and there was no shirt. Just his lean frame, and those tattoos. There was the sculpted definition of his chest, for her eyes to feast upon, and she felt a thrill she hadn't understood in all her life. She cleared her throat, the blush getting worse as she watched Yamato assaulting his manager.

"No, Yamato... really it's ok." She said as she stopped, the confusion written on her face as she felt Nyamon slinking back. She wasn't sure where the digimon was going, but she knew there was trouble when Nyamon left her side. But she wasn't sure what was going on, all she knew was that her service animal had suddenly left. More so, there was a bad situation going on because of her. Her heart beating rapidly as she heard his words.

If anyone will be undressing or dressing her, it's me.

Her mouth went dry and her world began to spin as she took in a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes widening further as she watched the manager start stumbling over his words. Her body shaking just a little as Yamato sidled up beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. That's when she stopped, going stock still as her eyes began to widen further. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his hand brush against her chest, almost cupping her breast from above and toying with her nipple. Surely it was an accident, and she found herself shaking in shock as a thrill of arousal shot through her and straight between her legs. But as soon as she thought it was an accident... he squeeze again, and called her his. "I... Yamato, don't you need to be on stage?" She asked as she tried to distract things from herself. There was a concert to be held, a concert that she felt so out of place at.

She shifted to the side a little, avoiding the gaze of everyone that was now watching, leaning in close to him to avoid being heard. "I'm not yours, I am not a thing for you to own. Don't touch me like I mean something to you." She whispered in a low harsh hiss.

Tai was brought to his senses as he heard the commotion going on. "What in the... hell." He said as he stood up and turned around to watch Yamato going after his own manager. "Note to self... Yamato can be scary." He said as he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. The brunette was not shocked in any way that the sleezey manager had tried to do something to Mei. His eyes glanced over her frame for a moment, but not without noticing the way that Yamato quite obviously touched her.

He heard the words, and connected the dots. Mei was probably going to get angry at Yamato, but Tai saw that his friend had done whatever was needed to protect someone else from being used. That was an admirable trait for the blond that carried the crest of friendship. "Hey Sora, mind if I stand near you and give Mei my seat... I don't want her standing back there anymore, and definitely not with sleeze ball nearby." Tai asked as he hooked his thumb back towards the scene. Actually he was pretty surprised that Sora hadn't already vaulted over the chairs to deck the manager.

She had always been the more tomboy of all of them, and had never had any issues with striking those that deserved it. For the Crest of Love... she sure knew when to be a horrible bitch. But he loved her for it, honestly he really did. She was an amazing woman that he wouldn't have any other way.

Sora had been so engrossed in the pageantry of it all that she had hardly noticed the commotion playing out behind her. in fact, everyone but Tai was presently starring forward and watching as the crowds slowly funneled into their seats and places on the floor, jockeying for the best spot. Besides that, she was still wrestling with the best way to seat with the pants threatening to slip down and ended up with another half-sitting posture that stretched her legs out before her. just make yourself right at home, she chuckled nervously tugging her shirt down in back. It wouldn't do to give T.K. and Kari an eyeful though she doubted they were paying much attention to her. Every so often she caught a hint of a little giggle from Kari, followed by a hushed warning for T.K. to stop but her tone said that the girl wanted anything but.

The stage was in its final preparations and the mics were undoing a final sound check. The bands instruments were already being laid out for the performers, tuned to perfection and ready to play. She spied Yamato's bass standing erect before the mic, a customer made Fender guitar with the band's name airbrushed into the body's glossy finish.

"Huh?" She turned in her seat and followed Tai's gaze behind the group. The rest followed suit and Sora did a visible double take and what she saw. Yoshi whimpering on the floor, crawling on all fours toward his client with his head bowed in humble prostration. Before the man was Yamato, shirtless with his lean body gleaming in the bright stage lights with Mei wrapped up tightly to his side. It looked like the cover of a trash romance novel, the only thing missing was the raised broad sword.

Tai was wrong about Sora though. True, she would never hesitate to help a friend and possessed a fiery temper typically reserved for Irish stereotypes but the scene unfolding before her had stunned the girl to silence. Her mouth fell open and she was on her feet before she even realized it. "What is going on back there?" She shouted, some of that temper flaring up to set her eyes alight.

Yoshi scurried off and Yamato watched him go, wondering what sort of crunch this particular insect would make underfoot. He turned inwardly toward Mei, still keeping her close, and looked concernedly into her eyes. Green, he thought. My new favorite color. A guy could lose himself in these eyes...either in love or in flames but lost all the same. "You okay?" It was the first genuine gesture he had shown the girl...naturally he was shunned and sent reeling away in confusing. "But...I....?"

"Three minutes! That is THREE minutes to show time, folks! Everyone take your places! Yamato-san, this means you!"

Damn, of all the rotten timing. He shot Mei a wounded (and very, very confused) look before turning and heading out on stage to thunderous applause that threatened to tear the foundation out from beneath them all and sent the coliseum sinking into the earth. 

"Good idea!" Sora shouted to Tai over the din. "We shouldn't have left her alone! What were we thinking?!"

Mei noticed the strange look on Yamato's face, and for a moment she held a stark pang of guilt. Only for a moment. In her mind she reminded herself that she was just a phase, and that she wasn't anything to him. She wasn't a real thing for him, she was just a game. Just another thing for him to catch and use. Just another fling, another thing. She looked around for Nyamon, and just stood there as the stage burst around her. She lost herself for a moment, realizing that she really was out of her element. She wanted to retreat, find somewhere to hide. She didn't even know what she was going to say. "Break a leg." She whispered as Yamato had to leave for the stage.

How could she be so stupid? What if his interest had been real, what if he had actually thought she was different? Or was that just part of his new easier to win game, did she really want to just be another conquest. She was deep in thought as Tai waved his arm towards her, and she noticed that Sora had been shouting before. She shook her head, putting on that smile that didn't reach her eyes and wandered over to where Tai was.

"You need to take my seat, I'll stand near Sora - don't worry." He said as he motioned to his chair and reached down to squeeze his girlfriends hand. A bright smile on the mans face, the start of the show, and the pulsing of the lights and music. Had that been a strange look on his best friends face? He wasn't sure, but he was sure there was something that was going to change that day. His other hand slipped down into his pocket where he continued to worry his fingers over the stones of the ring that he was going to present to the woman he loved. Even Mimi was bouncing with excitement still holding that bag in her hands.

"The musics nice..." He commented during a lull between songs. Getting a few nods from his friends. Everyone was pumped, happy and full of life... and then he realized that there was a strange feeling in the back of his head... almost like a wave washing towards the front of his mind. He just took it as nervousness over his soon to be proposal to his girlfriend, hopefully his future wife. He drew in a sharp breath, and then turned his eyes towards the stage. Soon, soon it would be the  middle of the set and soon Yamato would do something that would frustrate the hell out of his manager.

No one but the Digidestined knew what they were going to do, because Tai had wanted it that secret. Hell he hadn't told Sora, because that would ruin the surprise. He waited for Yamato to look over and then gave his old friend a thumbs up to symbolize he was ready.

Yamato was assaulted dazzling lights the moment he swept the curtain aside. The house reached a deafening crescendo halting him in mid-stride. He slowly turned his head from left to right, taking in the sight of a packed house as if for the first time. No matter how many times he saw it, Yamato couldn't get used to it. All these people, gathered here on their feet, for him? A wave of guilt flooded through him like an icy river, slumped his shoulders and fumbling his fingers stupidly as he reached for the neck of his guitar. Did he really deserve them? His mind flashed back to the nameless beauty that shared his bed just hours ago. She had worshiped him just the same and had gone to bed that night with a God. What awoke the next morning was a miserable man, overcome by drink and the coveting of women. He had let her down, killed her deity, what made him think he could keep fooling them forever? He turned to stare back at the curtain, almost able to see Mei shining through it with an angelic light. Maybe the girl was right...I had no right...

He curled his fingers around the instrument and lifted it from the cradle. Tossing the strap over his shoulders, he checked the volume knobs and settings before stepping up to the mic, pressing his lips seductively into the head. "Hello," he purred, lowering his brow until his hair fell in a blonde wave over his eyes. The crowd went wild. He wet his lips, "You know who I am...." The audience roared their acknowledgement. "I know who you are...so let's have some fun!" One cue, the drummer rapped hard on his cymbal, counting off the start of their first song. The bass and guitar thundered up in unison, opening the concert with their newest single. "She Wolf!" Yamato shouted into the mic. "She-wolf came around, one winter to my town! She hid her fangs so well, no presence of a tail!" His fingers flew up the fretboard, the stage vibrating beneath his stomping feet. The lyrics of the tune echoed back at him, amplified by thousands of voices. "She-Wolf, she made me feel, Dimensions so unreal! She-Wolf had open eyes, She-Wolf gave wily sighs!" The image of the nameless woman and Mei flooded his mind all at once, driving the lyrics from his memory. Thankfully, his fingers knew the song by heart and kept moving while the rest of him turned to stone.

The guitarist shimmied over, pressing his back to Yamato and shouted, "What's wrong?!" The mic didn't pick up the question. The crowd was simply too loud.

"I forgot the words," he confessed.

"Bummer!"

Luckily the audience saved him and he stalled by dancing around the stage with his bass guitar as an impromptu partner until the words returned to him. He found the mic again and crooned out the rest of the set without an issue.

Before long his body was glistening in a sheet of sweat, his fingertaps taped up to keep from bleeding and blistering. His voice took a harsher edge after so many numbers but as the last wound down, Yamato swelled with a renewed spirit. His second wind came from the subtle signal given from Tai just off stage. A little thumbs up and his good buddy had girdled his loins. It was now or never.

Yamato loosened his grip on the guitar and let it hang down at his hip, spent. "I have a very special treat for you all," he panted into the mic, the sound system echoing his breathless promise. "But to...really pull it off...I got to ask some good friends to join me out here on stage...." Yoshi was going to pull his comb over right out of his scalp, Yamato grinned. "Would my Digidestined friends come on out?" He motioned off stage and stepped away from the mic, starting off a fresh torrent of wild applause. 

On cue, the lights dimmed and a spotlight came alive, stage left, the only part of the entire building illuminated. Countless cellphone screens brightened up the gloom like the shining eyes of a great monsters lurking from the shadows. A stage crew was busily rolling out a red carpet center stage.

Tai was not in the least surprised, and neither was the others. He grinned brightly as he tugged Sora up and after him. All of the original eight were now standing on the stage together, all of them together in one place again. This town remembered when they were children, when they had saved the world. When they had ended the evil reign of a demented digimon. This town, this place, would always remember them for it. But now, he was going to do something that they would remember him for even longer for. He stood with Yamato to one side, and facing the woman he loved.

He nodded to Mimi who ripped open the bag and tossed him a familiar pink hat. A hat of which Mimi had cleaned up and stitched up to be good as new. Mimi herself threw on that amazing pink cowboy hat, and all the others started pulling out old tired and familiar items from their younger years. At that same moment that those items came out, in their hands they raised up the one device that bonded them all together as Digidestined. Tai trusted Yamato to catch up with the others on this, though knew he likely didn't have his harmonica - as there was no pockets in his outfit.

Instead he caught the hat from Mimi and held it out to Sora. "I need you to put this on." He said with that goofy grin on his face, he slumped back a little and shoved his hands in his pockets. He was hiding his next action, palming the ring while his hands were buried in his pockets. Then he slowly withdrew them and gathered up Sora's hands in his own. "Sora, we've been together for a long time, the eight of us are the best of friends. Though we can't see each other very often, we know we are all tied to together in our hearts." He licked his lips as the nervousness mounted inside of him.

"You were, are, our Crest of Love, the bearer of the Crest of that which helped unite us in love and joy. You brought us together many times, and even at moments we didn't think we would survive. Even after we left the Digital world behind, and began our lives... You were always the love that held us together." He said as he cleared his throat and dropped down to one knee, still holding her hands within his own. "And that's why... here with our friends, with that which means something special to us... I want to ask you Sora... will you please be the Love that stands beside me forever. Will you be my wife, and possibly the mother of my children. Will you be a part of my forever?" He asked as he looked up at her.

The audience for once in their lives was dead silent, as dead silent as the woman that was watching from the side stage. Jealousy flashing in green eyes as she looked away from the scene of beauty. Still, Nyamon hadn't returned, and Mei crossed her arms over her chest holding her shoulders with her hands and digging in her nails. She shivered a little, and just held back the tears from such a sight of beauty. Such a sight that she was never going to be a part of, that group that she would never belong to.

Had she really heard Yamato right? No, of course not. This was a concert not a public forum. Though the crowd had certainly responded favorably to the notion of the Digidestined joining him up on stage, Yoshi was seething. Whatever was happening was definitely off script and most of the show runners were sent scrambling away in an attempt to salvage things or, god help them, prevent things from escalating wildly out of control. Yamato seemed to be the only one with any idea of what he was doing. Sora glanced at Tai, startled to find him reaching down for her hand, that same goofy grin plastered across his face. The one she had fallen so in love with.

Yoshi made to rush forward, hands tearing at what little hair he had left but a barrage of reporters blocked his path, shoving mics into his face like murderous spears.

"Do you have a comment?"

"The Digidestined here? What is about to happen?"

"Is Yamato retiring?"

Inquiring minds demanded to know, leaving the manager at an utter loss for words for the first time in his professional career. "Yamato-san is...is...he's such a kidder. I imagine we'll be getting back to the music any moment now, yes. Did I mention their last album went double platinum?"

Sora followed the rest of the group as the crowded into the spotlight, waving nervously to their captive audience. She huddled close to Tai, looping her arm through his, hoping to siphon some of his self-assurance in wake of the situation, still developing before thousands of people. Her ear caught a few smattered chants from the gathered. First for the Teen-Age Wolves, then for Digimon and finally a rousing cry of Digidestined and they owned the night.

Sora did not notice the hat until it was thrust upon her. She blinked down at it in confusion, recognizing it at once but not fully comprehending how it had gotten there. "This is...?" She started, tilting her head in confusion. "How did...?" It was a little faded from the last time she had seen it and mended by an expert hand but it was certainly the same hat. The hat Tai had unceremoniously vomited in back when they were still young. Sora glanced at Mimi, pleading answers and was even more surprised to find her starring right back, wearing her large pink cowboy hat with the little tassels beading off of the brim. It clashed terribly with her designer outfit but the smile on brightening up her face said that she hardly cared.

Wordlessly, he took the hat into her hands and stretched it over her head. It fit a little more snugly than it had when she was a preteen. Had Yamato really called them all up on stage so Tai could give her the hat back? It all seemed like a lot of effort to make amends for something she had long forgiven the man for-. Then she caught sight of her friends and their matching expressions. All eyes were on her, elated smiles on every face. She swayed on the spot, Tai's sweet words lost in the fog that was billowing through her mind. At some point he had taken her hand and dropped down to one knee. When had that happened?

Tai's words echoed up at her as if coming from a very long way away. Together for a long time....tied together in our hearts....crest of love...love and joy...

She teetered again, lips beginning to tremble and she snapped her bottom lip up with her teeth in order to keep the sob from escaping. The spotlight narrowed around them, creating a great cone of light from above that belonged to them, only to them. Her heart was hammering in her chest like a caged animal railing against the bars. It almost felt too big for her body.

...the love that held us together...special to us...wanted to ask...the image of Tai cradling her hand in his blurred and she wiped at her watery eyes, sniffling. All the sound in the world had vanished in an instant, leaving the entire room hinging on a subtle gesture and what would happen next. She clutched a hand to her chest as if to still her fluttering heart, willing herself to keep it together long enough for her to answer.

"Tai," she breathed and the room leaned inwardly, as one. "Yes! God, YES!" She dropped to her knees before her boyfriend-no, her fiancé and threw her arms around him, unable to contain the tears of joy a moment longer. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Tai took that slim delicate ring, the white gold ring that held that small pink diamond in the shape of a heart. That small pink diamond heart was surrounded by the circular blue diamonds. Upon closer inspection she'd realize there was seven in a circle around that heart. Because she was the heart, their center, the love that tied them all together. The seven blue diamonds represented all of them, including him. He held it out, so she could see the inscription of 'I love you' as corny as it was, before he slipped it on to the proper finger and pulled her against him.

"You've made me the happiest man in the world." The crowd was going wild, screaming with joy and elation as the crescendo at the middle of the show reached a pitch that shook the earth for a moment.

Except it wasn't their joy and cheering that was shaking the earth, it was something else entirely. Like a bat out of hell the small grey and black digimon darted across the stage. The feline sliding to a stop and shaking with harsh breaths as she released a deep hiss and popped up on to two legs. "If you value your lives, you'll leave now!" The Digimon, Nyamon, called out to the people in the audience. But all they did was cheer, that was until the roof of the Music Venue was literally ripped off and a large Beetle like Digimon screamed it's anger and dissent at the people within the stadium. That started them moving, as people flooded for the exits. Kuwagamon crashed down before the stage, and screamed it's protest as it was realized there was three digimon clinging to it's armored body.

Blood, ichor, something dangerous was leaking from the beetle creature as the digimon dislodged and were thrown down onto the stage hard. Agumon, Biyomon, and Gabumon crashed into the stage and skidded into their respective Digidestined, the digimon looked much worse than usual - their bodies covered in marks and acidic burns from the beetle digimon.

"Tai... so glad we found you." The little dinosaur digimon said as he stumbled to stand up. Panting a little. He was only a rookie level, and fighting against Kuwagamon was harder than usual because of how long they had been fighting without the aid of their Digidestined. "We were coming to get you, but saw him.."

Nyamon hissed again, her fur bristling as she took a rather strange looking stance, reaching out with one paw towards the green eyed woman that stared at her transfixed. "Mei I need you!" The digimon called out as the woman started to run towards her.

It took only a moment as Mei's entire world changed. Everything slipped away as the fighting energy filled her and she skidded to a stop near Nyamon. "Alright, Feral Claw Barrage... I'll get you going for it!" Mei said as her eyes snapped with a dark green inner light as she grabbed her digimon's paw and the woman started to spin herself in a circle. Hauling her digimon into the air and then going faster till she released the feline digimon to go barreling through the air. Nyamon's claws glowing with a dark light as she was literally suspended in the air above the Kuwagamon.

"FERAL CLAW BARRAGE!" The feline screamed as the arcs of light left her paws and she descended down upon the Kuwagamon with a terrifying power. This was no rookie digimon, this was a champion. But not one that was used to fighting such large opponents. The blows landed on the large beetle digimon and then suddenly there was a scream of an unearthly nature as the creatures eyes rupture and it's eyes bled with ichor and goo.

Something was wrong, Digimon didn't bleed... what had happened in the Digital World?

The symbolism wasn't lost on Sora, the smaller blue diamonds encircling a large pink heart in the middle. She glanced over at her seven blue jewels with shining eyes, silently thanking them since her voice had not yet returned. Tai had once again left her speechless but for all the right reasons. She embraced him warmly, peppering his lips with sweet kisses to seal her promise a thousand fold. Speaking would hardly benefit either of them anyway. The crowd was threatening to blow the dome off the building and even though Tai was speaking almost directly into her ear, his words were lost in the din. The ground was trembling beneath her knees and she couldn't help but giggle. She had heard about feeling the world move during momentous occasions but this was just silly.

Sora lifted her hand aloft to study the ring properly in the light. It winked back down at her, almost mischievously. She vowed then to never take it off; it would remain on her ring finger until the day she left this world behind. She kissed Tai again, more tenderly now that some of the initial rush of the moment had tapered off and allowed the gravity of the moment to settle in and guide her back to earth. She would be marrying the man she loved, her best friend, her soulmate. I have to be the luckiest girl in the world, she thought, working her mouth eagerly over Tai's. If it had not been for their fervent and captive audience, she might have taken him right there. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to feel her future husband inside of her so badly it was giving her chills, almost like it was their first time all over again. In a way, it was. It would be the first time they made love as engaged. Her reservations of shyness and willingness to wait for a bit more privacy certainly didn't stop her hands from groping about his back and chest, even slipping briefly underneath his shirt to tickle her fingers about Tai's waist.

Later, she promised him with her eyes. Later, you are mine, little boy.

Somewhere far off (at Yamato's cue) the guitar plucked out the beginning notes from 'Here Comes the Bride' on the higher strings of his guitar to a smidgen of laughter. It would be short lived however, since a moment later they were screaming in fright.

The rumbling escalated to fervor and for a brief moment the audience was allowed to consider that it was the beginnings of an earthquake. The general uneasy did not explode into full blown panic until the roof came away like an impromptu skylight and that terrible shriek overtook them all.  All eyes turned skyward just in time to the light fixtures get torn away in a shower of sparks. Rays of moonlight filtered down through the massive hole, magnifying he mammoth shadow scuttling inside. A great exodus began then as thousands of fans raced for the exists, their footsteps thundering.

Yamato ducked down as Kuwagamon crashed down before the stage in a cloud of wreckage. The beast raised to its full high, towering over the frightened group and casting a long, dark shadow.

"What is that thing?!" It was Yoshi, tangled up the backstage curtain. His glasses had been knocked askew but his cellphone was still pressed into his right ear. "Is that...a Godzilla?! It's a Godzilla!" He scrambled back in a crab walk, his pants riding up to reveal his hairy shins. "Call the JSDF!" he screamed redundantly into the phone.

Kuwagamon turned to the noise and seemed to zero in on Yoshi despite possessing no visible eyes. It snapped its pinchers menacingly at the man and that was enough to send the businessman tumbling backwards, quite unconscious.

"Gabumon!" Yamato collected his Digimon companion up into his arms, gaping down at him in shock and confusion. "Gabumon, speak to me!"
The digital beastie cracked open a bleary eye, starring up at Yamato unable to focus. "Yamato....sorry for barging in like this...I really liked your music..."
Yamato fingered the visible burn marks in the Digimon's coat, making the creature wince in pain. "Don't worry, we're gonna-." His words of reassurance were cut short as Kuwagamon howled again, swiping his hand down at Nyamon, missing but tearing loose a series of cables from the knots littered all over the stage. The lights flickered overheat but failed to go out. It gave Yamato a plan. "Gabumon, I need your Blue Blaster. Can you manage?"

Yamato took off at a run, the guitar bouncing on his hip and hastily scooped up a fistful of intact cables. "That cat...," he spied Nyamon leap aside, narrowly missing another of Kuwagamon's attacks. "...does that mean that she's...?" There was no time to consider the implications of an ninth digidestined. He snapped the cable into his instrument and wheeled the guitar around to his front. "Sora!" He simultaneously snagged the girls and Kuwagamon's attention but that was fine...

He pointed to the beast's feet and made a swirling motion with his finger. He set his eyes on the monster and flexed his fingers against the tuners and hastily adjusted the strings. "That's right, ugly! C'mere, let me play you a lullaby! I'm talking all requests!"

Sora dashed ahead and dove for the bundle of cables strewn about the stage and seized them with both hands. While Yamato had Kuwagamon's attention, she set to running a tight circle around the creatures legs. She wouldn't have the strength to trip it up, not on her own, but it would serve another purpose.

The insect Digimon took note of the girl buzzing about its feet and swatted her away with the back of its hand as if she were a bothersome fly. Sora was caught in mid-stride and knocked away, sent rolling end over end along the stage.

"Sora!" Yamato gritted his teeth, winding the last of the keys on his guitar into place. "You sonofa-!" Kuwagamon charged him, tearing great footprints in the wooden stage with each step. It cleared the distance in a matter of seconds, passing right by the towering stack of amplifiers just as Yamato hoped. "Now!" He struck a sour power cord that rang out with all the ferocity of a missile strike.

Kuwagamon staggered and tumbled off the stage in a heap, taking with it the coil of sparking wires like an improvised net. "Now!" Yamato shouted again. "Attack with everything you've got!"

Chaos descended upon the event, and there was the dark haired woman seeming calmer than she ever had been. There was a strange ferocity that glinted in her eyes as she motioned to the others that didn't have their Digimon. "Go help get the people out safely!" She called to them, watching all of them scatter quickly so that they could start dishing out duties and getting people out safely. She darted back and forth, keeping herself on her feet and when Kuwagamon made a swype at Nyamon... Mei sprinted across the stage, jumping and catching her Digimon in her arms.

There was Chaos all around her, but she knew what was happening. She could see what was happening. Mei kept Nyamon to her chest for the moment and then released her. She saw that Tai was trying to use Agumon to distract the Kuwagamon enough to let Yamato and Sora get out their plan. She stood up, winging at the feeling of a sharp pain in her back. She had landed on something broken, but when she reached back she felt no broken skin. Probably just a really nasty bruise would form, whatever. She had something more to worry about.

"Come on Agumon! You got this!" Tai called out, finding himself swinging into the old method rather easily. A small sound leaving him as he watched his girlfriend - fiance - future wife - get thrown and then rushed over to her side. As soon as he heard the music he knew something was up. The sour note went off and Agumon leapt to the forefront to deliver a terrifying blast to the blinded digimon. The pepper breath ripped a chunk of armor off of the Digimon and ichor and blood tripped on the stadium floor. His breath caught as he held sora, and the terror filled his face.

"Sora... they're bleeding... their actually hurt.This is nothing like before." The crest of Courage whispered as he slowly stood up and pulled Sora up with him. Knowing they needed to move and get out of the way. "Get Biyomon, she seems the worst off." He said softly as he gave her a quick kiss. "Be safe." He murmured as he stroked a hand down her hair.

"Alright Nyamon, this is it." Mei called out as the 'signal' seemed to be given off by Yamato. She motioned upwards to her digimon who started to propel herself upwards using the dangling cables. Her gold eyes narrowed as she ran across the catwalks of the stage and then launched herself from above on the distracted Digimon. The other digimon was a live with electricity and Nyamon was going to take it down further. She wouldn't use her claws directly, for fear of electrocuting herself, but she pulled back with that glowing dark energy. "Feral CLAW!" The feline screamed as she released one super charged pawswipe of energy at the downed digimon.

She trusted Mei to catch her, and her tamer didn't let her down, Mei once again dove across the stage just to catch the falling digimon. Both turning, alongside Tai and Agumon, to watch the results of all the attacks falling on the Kuwagamon.

The result was an explosive shell cracking sound, like stabbing a beetle with a pencil, and armory shell bits flying everywhere as goo splattered across the stage floor. Kuwagamon was dead... but he was gruesomely slaughtered by the digimon that had attacked him.

Tai took this moment to stare in abject horror and shock, before he turned to look at those left on the stage with him and Agumon. Three other digidestined on the stage, one of them very very new. "What is going on!?!?"

The strings rattled on fret, surging with electrically charged energy, snapping off one by one from the force of Yamato's fingers. The blaring noise echoed endlessly in the stadium, so loud that even he had to throw down the instrument and clap hands over his ringing ears. The speakers on the amplifiers burst one at time with fresh bursts of sparks. Yamato dashed away, the bits of electric snowflakes biting at his naked flesh, shouting more orders that were lost in all the chaos.

Sora was coming too, blinking away the twinkling lights playing before her vision. "Tai?" she gapped up at her fiancé. "Kuwagamon, did we get him?" She sat up too fast and her head swam, forcing her to lie back down. She cradled her head between her hands, frightfully wondering the blow had given her a concussion. Gabumon and Biyomon scrambled back up onto the ruins of the stage, nursing wounds of their own. Kuwagamon had indeed been dispatched thanks to a combined effort of all of their special attacks at once but the fight had taken its toll. Biyomon collapsed next to Sora, her pink feathers soiled and plucked out in places.

"Sora," her companion Digimon cried. "Are you hurt? That was so brave of you!"

Matt brushed his hands down the front of his chest, slapping the last of the stinging sparks out but leaving behind great black smears of oily dirt. He took up post at the edge of the state and peered down at the corpse of Kuwagamon, the very idea unsettling. A Digimon corpse, sprawling out in the mess of stage and sound equipment with its carapace cracked open. The strobe light effects of sparking cables and winking floor lights created an eerie scene indeed. Yamato thumbed his nose down at the creature and turned away in revulsion. The situation demanded answers and there was only three people that could provide them. Well, 'people' was the wrong word...

"Gabumon," Yamato knelt down next to his exhaustion old friend, giving his fractured horn a caress. "Buddy, is great to see you but next time, a post card would be just as good." The attempt at humor fell flat, even for himself but bless the Mon, Gabumon attempted a smile. "How is this possible? Why isn't it...why isn't Kuwagamon turning into data and..." He trailed off.

Gabumon straightened himself up to a sitting position. "It's the reason we came to find you. Something is happening in the Digital World. Something that even we Digimon cannot handle on our own." He looked at the others for support. Biyomon nodded concurrently.

"Gabumon is right. Kuwagamon's attack here wasn't a mistake. He was after you."

Yamato shared a meaningful look with Tai, falling comfortably back into their old roles without any effort at all. "Guess there won't be an encore."
Sora's hand groped along the floor, searching for Tai's and gave his fingers a squeeze. Finding her strength, she stood up on somewhat unsteady legs with her hand favoring the small of her back. "No, looks more like a reunion show, now." She held up her hand again to inspect the ring, breathing a sigh of relief to find all of the stones and her pink heart still in place. Small favors....

Yamato stood up again and brushed soot from his pant legs, finding fresh holes torn in the knees of his pants. He searched around the smoky stage searching for Mei and her cat-no, her Digimon. He found her on the fringes of the group, per usual and made his way over.

"Your...guide animal," he started. "It's not a guide animal at all. You have a Digimon, just like we did...do." He shook his head. The whole turn of events was making his brain scream for a smoke, a drink, a fuck or some lewd combination of all the above. He addressed Nyamon, "Did you know about this?"

Tai was still in shock even as he held Sora's hand and stood there on the stage. He stared down at the corpse, and for the first time in his life he felt all of his courage truly leave him. "They can really get hurt." he whispered as the fear started to settle into his stomach. Digimon could really get hurt, like badly, like permanently dead badly. Even as he watched he noticed that that Kuwagamon's corpse had started to slowly flake away into black particles of data - or something like that. Nothing like when they had destroyed digimon before. "What's happening to it?"

"It's not coming back Tai... we learned when Digimon do that they don't come back." Agumon said as he stood there for a moment. He dropped into a seated position as he was much too tired to even stand anymore. They had practically fought the Kuwagamon the entire way there. He was tired, but he was focusing on what was going on. "That's a Nyamon... they are an old digimon. We haven't seen one of those around in a really long time." Agumon noted as he cocked his head to the side and stared at the feline. What was she even going to Digivolve into.

"Nyamon... and Mei - you're a digidestined, you're one of us! Why didn't you say anything! Why have you lied and said it was a service animal!" Tai said as he turned on the dark haired girl. "TK and Kari call you their friend, and you knew what we were! You're a Digidestined like us, why did you hide it from us? Why did you lie!" He said as he felt his anger rising. Maybe it was because he was bad at redirecting his anger, but maybe it was because he was suddenly jealous. They had all been without their Digimon partners for a long time, and she had hers this entire time!

"You're as confused as I am, Yamato-san." Nyamon said with a rather strange culturing for a Digimon, her golden gaze sliding over the ones there. "I hatched here, in the human realm. I've never been cognizant within the Digital realm, as far as I know." She said as she rolled her shoulders back and dropped to all fours, sweeping herself around Mei's legs and stretching out. "I did leave, but that's because I needed to deal with some things of my own. I found them... when I was out. I ran back as fast as I could to try to warn the idiots in the audience."

Mei was withdrawing, and that strong confident woman from the fight was fading away into the shy woman that couldn't bring herself to be at the forefront of a group. She slipped back, stepping back further even as Yamato all but seemed to stalk towards her. She could feel the energy in the air, she could see how all of them were acting. She saw TK and Kari walking back and the look of betrayal on their faces. Her throat constricted as her breathing picked up, Tai started yelling at her and the woman took another step back.

She tripped over a cord on the ground sprawling on her ass and scrambling back until she bumped into the drums and pulled her legs against her chest. "But I'm not... I'm not one of you, I never was... I... I... my digivice is broken... and Nyamon never digivolved after she left her smaller stages... she's been Nyamon for years..." She whispered as her body shook a little and she wrapped her arms around her legs. "I'm not a digidestined, I'm digi-failure... " She whispered as she let her chin rest on her knees as she watched them with tear filled green eyes.

"I don't belong with you."

Yamato was taken aback by Tai's stern words and placed a hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm his anger. "Mei has her reasons I'm sure but that doesn't matter right now. What's really important is finding out why Kuwagamon attacked us and why our Digimon have come all this way to get us." He gave his friend's arm a reassuring squeeze, turning the youth around to give him a meaningful look. "We just need to take all of this one question at time, so instead of brow beating her, let's let her talk. With a little luck, she might even be able to give us a clue as to what's happening." Wishful thinking as it turned out but you couldn't blame a guy for trying.

"Yamato is right," Sora chimed in, gentler in her manner when it came to speaking with her boyfr-fiance. "We need to get to the bottom of this." She turned to Biyomon, still smarting from the battle and took a seat next to the bird-like digital monsters. "Okay, Biyo, I'm all ears."

"It's like Gabumon said, Kuwagamon was coming through to the real world in order to seek you all out. It was going to eliminate you before the Digidestined could interfere."

Yamato stepped closer to Biyomon, all ears. "Interfere?"

Byomon nodded but it was Gabumon that continued with the explanation. "Since your departure, Yamato, things in the digital world have grown grime. There are those among us that blame you, the human Digidestined for bringing the blight to our world. They plan on a cleansing of the entire Digital World, one that will wipe out all of your influence. Their efforts are noble but the means are..." Their collective eyes drifted down the stage and Yamato saw they were all starring at the wreckage of Kuwagamon.

"So you came here to get us," Yamato nodded. "Only..."

"Only we weren't the only ones. We were discovered and once they found out what we were up to, they sent that corrupted Kuwagamon after you, hoping to destroy you."

"Who is they, Gabumon?" Sora wanted to know.

"That is the most distressing part," the Digimon confessed. "Even we aren't certain of who the villain is. Whoever they are, they have assembled a formidable army of the most dangerous digital monsters imaginable...."

Biyomon shuddered against Sora, looking apprehensive. "But we think we know who might be able to tell us."

Solemn nods all around but not one of them was willing to offer up the name without goading. Yamato pressed them for it, "Who?"

"Myotismon...."

The images assaulted Yamato, flashbacks all the way from childhood; the humanoid Digimon with its vampire teeth and ghoulish appearance. Guess today is just full of blasts for their past. The notion of facing such a formidable foe sank his stomach to somewhere around his knees. "Myotismon? Are you...sure?" Redundant but it needed repeating, to solidify the monster in his mind, a frightening target but a target all the same. He raked a hand through his messy hair and stalked away, collecting his thoughts before he spoke. Not only was there this monstrous foe in their path but they would need to conquer him as an obstacle on their way to discovered the real culprit. Could there really be a Digimon even more fearsome than that? His imagination dare not venture there just now.

Yamato found himself next to Mei, in time to hear her outpouring of emotion. "Mei," he began offering his hand down to help her up. "You handled yourself pretty well back there, better than most would, Digimon or no." His eyes fell on his manager, Yoshi, still passed out beneath the tangle of curtains and fixtures. He wondered if he was okay....he wondered if he really cared. "Whether you think you're a digidestined doesn't matter right now because it sounds like we're going to be up against the toughest fight we've ever faced." He shook his head. "And Biyomon, Agumon and Gabumon aren't going to be able to do it alone. We need Nyamon...we need you."

Sora joined him, dragging Tai with her. "Yamato is right," she smiled, nodding her agreement. "We need your help. If you didn't belong with us before, you definitely do now." The group rallied around the shy girl, offering to share in their courage...their adventure and truly belong

Tai frowned as he crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes narrowing as he found himself trying to stabilize even with everything else going on. He gave a huff and then turned his attention to Agumon who was currently leaning against him. "how you doing buddy?" He asked as he stroked his hand down Agumon's head. He was worried about the little digimon even as the others showed up and started to join back in. He watched them surrounding Mei, and he felt guilty now because of how he had reacted. His head turning as he looked towards the others.

Biyomon started to fill them all in and he felt himself drifting a little more in those feelings of guilt. "So... Myotismon is who we have to go after?" He said as he looked at the Digimon that were there. "And we should all get ready to go?" He asked as he noticed the others surrounding Mei and trying to get her to join in. "If she doesn't want to join in, she doesn't have to. We shouldn't force her." Tai said as he looked down at Agumon.

"We're not all going... only four of you." Agumon said as he stretched out and looked around at the others. His legs stretching out and his feet moving up and down a little as he stretched. "Gennai said there was a Prophecy. 'Balance and Friendship, to be found. Love and Courage together are bound. Through these Four Crests, Four Hearts, Four Souls, the Darkness unwinds.' is what he said..." Agumon said as he looked up at the others. "Since none of you have a crest of balance..." Agumon said this and his eyes landed right on Mei.

Mei shook her head as her chin rested on her knees, she just watched them with all that sadness in her eyes. "I can't belong with you." Mei said as she reached out to stroke her hand down the resting feline Digimons back. "She can't digivolve... we'd be a burden... " She said as she stopped and looked around for a moment. Her head resting on her knees again. "We'd be a burden... Nyamon's just a Champion level... all of yours can go Ultimate and Mega... Mine can't..."

"Well do you have your tag and crest?" Agumon asked as he rolled over and got up to make his way over to the Feline Digimon.

"We have never had a tag or crest." Nyamon said as she stretched out and then stood up, popping up on her feet. "What's a tag and crest? Are they really that important? Mei had a Grand Mal Seizure the last time I almost digivolved..." She said as she started to walk around.

"I was in the hospital for three days." Mei whispered as she cocked her head to the side and stared at the others. "Aren't you all Champion Digimon?... You're around the same size as Nyamon. I figured you were all Champions too..."

The question left the group rather stunned and all eyes fell on Nyamon, the unassuming feline Digimon who just so happened to be champion level. Yamato was skeptical and knelt down to get a closer look at her. "You're really a...champion level Digimon?" She certainly did not look like much but then again, none of them did in their current state. If this was her champion level then what did the others look like?

Gabumon stepped forward helpfully to explain, "Nyamon were responsible to seeing the data transferred to the rebirth area long before Primary village was created. They were the guardian Digimon of the dead."

"So that prophecy only pertained to a few of us this time," Yamato mused, reaching out to stroke Nyamon behind the ears. "Balance and Friendship, Love and courage...guess that pretty much singles a select few names out. Sora and Tai, Me and..."  He trailed off, nodding down to Mei. "We found our balance, it seems. Now we have to find this darkness and unwind it. Sounds easy enough." He finished the last thought with confidence he didn't feel. He wondered if the minibar in his dressing room was still intact. Or if his Lucky 7's had survived the attack?

Sora pressed her fist to her mouth, lost in thought. Could they really take on something more sinister than Myotismon on their own? During their last encounter, there was all of them together and that strength had only just barely been enough. Then again, there was Nyamon to consider....Sora glanced over and appraised the Digimon and her tamer. The feline was a butter pat in Yamato's hands, leaning into his nimble fingers. At least he got a lil' pussy tonight...The thought caught her so off guard that she started laughing before she could stop herself.

"What is it?" Yamato asked suspiciously, but she waved him away. In truth, he had been brooding on the same thoughts. With Nyamon already at the champion level then they may have a chance on their own. "So our first order of business would be finding her crest and tag?" He spoke like the question of Mei's accompaniment had already been decided.

"Well, slow down," Sora caution. "Mei hasn't exactly agreed to anything yet."

Once again, all eyes fell on Mei for her decision.

"Well you probably had a seizure because... from first hand experience, forcing a digivolution never turns out well for anyone. I tried to force Agumon to Champion level..." he said as he walked over to his wife to be, and the rest of the digimon. The other Digidestined seemed to be hanging back, assessing the situation, leaving the four chosen for this adventure. He pushed a piece of Sora's hair back and let his fingers rest on her cheeks. "I mean, that was just Rookie to Champion, I could imagine the backlash from trying to go from Champion to Ultimate without a tag and crest.."

He turned his attention on the two new members of their team, feeling strangely like there was something more to this balance. "Myotismon did take a lot from all of us. But almost all of us have more experience in the digital world than others. We are all old enough to handle it differently, and besides... We have the two digimon that made the singular digimon that made the killing blow on Myotismon. Perhaps there is more to Nyamon than we can see..." he said as he held Sora's hand and just stroked his thumb over her wrist. "How long do we have till we have to be in the digital world?"

"The next portal opens tomorrow night... and then we have to go through. The next won't open for weeks..." Agumon said as he watched the feline getting stroked by Matt. "We really do need you. It says we have to have balance... and when we have your tag and crest you can Ultimate Digivolve!"

Mei rubbed her hands over her face, a frown on her face as she slowly pushed herself to stand up. She crossed her arms over her chest, and just watched all of them. Nyamon was practically useless with what Yamato was doing to her. She noticed the others had started talking among each other and Mimi was the one that stepped forward.

"We think you guys should go get rest and pack, we can all hang out tomorrow before you have to go." Mimi said as she took off her pink cowboy hat. "You guys.. you need time to get your heads together, and we can hang out tomorrow."

"I... have to go back to my apartment and pack a traveling bag... at the very least..." Mei murmured as she shifted a little nervously, turning her attention to Tai and Sora, wondering what they would choose to do. "I mean... I could just meet up with you guys tomorrow after you spend time with your friends." She said softly as she reached out to scoop up her rather relaxed Digimon.

Nyamon had been purring and stretched herself out a little and let herself slump in her Digidestined's arms. "mmmm well we can go home."

"Actually, I think you should go with Yamato, it'll be easier for us to get together tomorrow if you are in one place instead of two... Me and Sora live together, so it's just easier to just go pick you up to meet with the others. Besides Mei, you're... you need to not be alone... after something this shocking. Trust me, it's easier to deal with it if you have a friend nearby." He said as he tried to extend a friendly hand to her.

"But... we're not... we're not friends." Mei whispered honestly as she looked around her. "I mean TK and Kari sort of are... but you barely know me." She murmured. Well on that note that was a bit of a startling though, that Mei didn't automatically see them as friends because they were all Digidestined. She still, despite having somewhere to 'fit in' still saw herself as an outsider.

Tomorrow night. That at least bought them some time to prepare, Yamato thought. They would need to bring plenty of supplies for the journey there and should be infinitely better suited this time. Now that they have forewarning, they could pack accordingly and right now, that meant a healthy supply of bourbon and cigarettes. He wondered again if he could sneak off for a quick drink and smoke while everyone was still planning things out and have them just fill him in later?

No such luck since Mimi stepped in and pretty much worked everything out. Still, it wasn't a complete loss. This meant he would have a chance to go home and see to his vices before the long journey. "Same here," he chimed in. "I can't very well go about looking like this." He gestured down to the ruin of his leather pants and the fact that he was still very much without a shirt. "We should all pack a bag of essentials for the journey. Tomorrow, after we've had some sleep, we can tackle this thing head on."

The suggestion that Mei go with him certainly had possibilities and he certainly wasn't going to protest the company of a young woman after the evening he had had. In fact, topping the list of his sins was a good, hard fuck and she had been interested earlier, hadn't she? Of course, she was. It was practically a done deal! Once he got her back to his place and everything calmed down. He would have the home field advantage at his place, prime for making his move and seducing the shy girl.

"They're right," he told Mei, nodding his head. "We should stick together. After all, how can we be certain that Kuwagamon is going to be the only threat thrown at us tonight? There would be safety in numbers."

Sora looked to Tai, giving his hand a squeeze in hers, internally hoping to gain a little bit of that confidence he was practically shining with then. "Listen to them, Mei," she agreed. "I understand that you're probably feeling overwhelmed right now but there is a reason Yamato was gifted with the crest of friendship." She smiled at the youth, feeling a bit of that spirit returning. It was a little spooky how quickly they had fallen back into their old roles. Tai the brash, but well-meaning leader. Matt the cautious and sensible balance to her fiancé and Sora, the heart of the group. It's as if nothing really changes at all... "You may not see it now, but you are one of us Mei. It's just going to take a little more time for you to see that. Sometimes it just takes awhile...." She looked at Yamato, giving him a meaningful look

Tai wrapped his arm around Sora now and turned his attention to the others. "I'm sure you all can get back in the van that Mimi rented. We really should get going and soon." He said as he grinned and said his goodbyes to the other Digidestined, each one was someone special to him. "Besides, I bet you all want to get home with your boyfriend or girlfriends... and spend some time alone." Tai said with a playful wink as he looked back at Yamato. The poor guy was going to really really need to get out of those pants.

"Well you're backstage area seems fine, I'm sure you can go get yourself a quick shower and into your clothes from before?" He commented as he let his gaze slide to Mei. "Did you brink your bike, or a car? Cause you'll have to get to her place... and the Digimon have to go with you." He pointed out as he squeezed Sora a little closer, Agumon leaning against him now as they watched the entire group. "Yamato is the crest of friendship, and even though we aren't friends now... we will be - and I promise he'll be the one to do it." He said with that slightly goofy grin.

Mei moved a little nervously as she stayed standing where she was, crossing her arms over her chest. "I could use with digging through my clothes and putting something more on...and I do have to pack up some supplies.. if I have to go somewhere for a long time." She said as she let herself think ahead for a moment. Definitely some basic essentials, especially feminine care items. Maybe even some Plan Bs, for the others. Maybe a good first aid kit, could always use one of those. Definitely several changes of durable clothing. She had a good set of clothes that she hadn't worn in awhile, but they still fit.

"I guess... well I can wait for Yamato-san to change and be ready to go to my place." She said as she held her Digimon closer to her chest and stroked her hand down the practically sleeping digimons back. "I'm sure if he doesn't have a vehicle now, we can kick the sle- kick Yoshi-san awake and have him give us one of the vans for the band. It's going to take emergency services awhile to clean this up, so they won't need to haul out the band gear for awhile?" She said as she turned her gaze to Yamato.

Each of them seemed to have a place in the group, so what was Mei's place? What was the place of Balance? With Friendship, Love and Courage? What was Balance good for? What was she good for?

Sora couldn't help but lean into Tai, looping an arm easily around him. The gestures weren't deliberate but unconscious movements, practically reflexes now. It astounded Sora sometimes how well she fit beneath Tai's arm, her head coming up just high enough for his shoulder to be comfortably used as an improvised pillow. They were made for each other and this proved it. The weight of the evening was settling on her shoulders like an almost physical presence. It slumped her shoulders and added lead to her shoes, making her steps drag.

She checked the time on her cellphone and was equally alarmed that it wasn't at all that late. The show had an hour left before it concluded...or would have concluded. It seemed the proposal was just the party, not the after party. She glanced up at Tai from their close proximity, wanting nothing more than to be alone with the man. Selfish, yes and she felt guilty about that fact but she couldn't help it. After the ordeal of being proposed to, attacked and weathering revelation after revelation, she could use some time alone; Tai too she suspected. It had nothing to do with sex (okay, maybe a little to do with sex) and everything with wanting to cool comfort of being with the man she loved more than anything and leaving the wolf at the door. Whenever she fretted about something that happened at work, Tai had a way of brushing it off with a goofy grin and if that failed to alleviate her concerns, a kiss would usually do the trick. She wanted that now more than ever, childish as it was. She wanted to know that everything was going to be alright.

Yamato liked the idea of a shower. The grime kicked up from the short battle had been enough to nearly hide his tattoos underneath a coating of oil muck. He refused to think of it as Kuwagamon's blood and dutifully steered his mind clear of the notion. The worst of the destruction seemed to be isolated in the stage area leaving the back intact. He was certain that shower units, cramped as they were, would be operational. He didn't think he could stand feeling so gross until he got home.  "I came here with Yoshi but he looks indisposed," he replied. "But I can find us a ride. A cab, at the very least." He hoped that would be a last resort, not wanting to explain the two other passengers to a nosy cabbie. No sir, not Digimon just...elaborate Halloween costumes. Yes, I know that its summer...an on it would go.

Yamato turned to Mei, jerking a thumb toward the mangled curtain. "I'm going to wash up before we go. Do you mind waiting?" Would you like to join me instead? He almost added that last little tidbit but caught his tongue at the last minute. Too soon to start the flirting again, he reasoned with himself internally. Timing is everything, my man. Bid your time. Lost in his own thoughts of what a shower with Mei might be like, he sauntered off; climbing over bits of scaffolding that had be pulled down and vanished behind what was left of the curtain. Backstage was equally deserted but was thankfully otherwise undamaged. Small favors. He stole into his private dressing room and reconsidered that thought. The minibar had been extensively raided. Countless tiny glass bottles littered the room, drained of their contents. The rest was missing or shattered nearby. He groaned internally and threw open the door to the cramped shower unit. They looked more like portable toilets than anything else, stocked with bargain basement toiletries and smelled a little too ripe for his liking but it was either this or...he looked down at his bare midriff and traced a finger through the black muck, revealing the tail of the leaping carp beneath. Taking pains to breathe through his mouth, Yamato twisted the pressure control knobs and peeled the pants down his thighs.

His penis fell forward heavily, as if it too was spent from the exercise. It was half erect, thanks to his lewd imagination. Yamato palmed himself and stepped into the scalding spray, considering stroking himself to climax again after his wash but ultimately decided against it. He lathered up the bar of soap between his hands and scrubbed at his chest. Already a pool of black mess was collecting at his feet before spiraling down the drain. If he waited too long, Mei might decide to leave with T.K. and Kari and his frustrated libido didn't like that idea in the slightest. 

Tai hung back for a moment, watching the two and their digimon. He turned to Sora with a small smile on his face as he reached out to brush his fingers across her cheek. "You ok?" He asked as Matt and Mei seemed to disappear. He drew in a sharp breath as he motioned to the digimon. "Come on Agumon, I bet you're pretty tired and need to rest up. I bet with some rest and food you'll be as good as new." He said to the digimon as he patted him gently on the head. A grin on his face as the dinosaur Digimon started to walk off towards the side. He kept his arm looped around Sora, and stopped for a moment.

"You should probably carry  Biyomon, she looks the worst off of them all. Though I bet she'll be ok with some rest and food." He said as he motioned to his partners digimon. It didn't take them very long to leave the venue, heading towards his car. "Hey, Sora you wanna just go to a drive through and grab as much food as we can buy? So we can go home and spend some time together and just not worry about packing till the morning?" He asked as he gave her that boyish grin. He was intent on putting off responsibility for as long as possible. Mostly because he didn't want to have to face the reality of their lives changing.

"We should probably contact our jobs and school huh? I mean most of the world vaguely remembers we are digidestined, and after this gets out... well us going over there could be 'excused'... kind of like military going to war, huh?"


Mei followed after Yamato, rather quietly. Her eyes sliding over the stage as she stood outside of his changing room. She had been tempted, a small part of her, to say that she could wait with him inside. But now she was more intent on hanging on to Nyamon and then figuring out what they were going to do. She needed to pack her bag, and that would require understanding what she would need. Mat had mentioned using a Taxi, but that was expensive as shit, and was a bad idea. She shook her head a little as she stood outside of his changing room.

Green eyes swept over the area and landed on a passed out body. She gathered her facilities around her and stalked over to the man, dropping Nyamon on the ground beside him. "Oi, Yoshi-san get your ass up now." The green eyed woman said as she started nudging him with her foot. Pushing and then flipping him over with her foot and frowning at the passed out man. "I said get up!" She snapped as she hauled her leg back and kicked him in the side.

With a yelp Yoshi was up, his eyes blinking in the strange light around him. "Huh- what? Where's the monster!?!?"

"It's gone, we killed it. Here's the deal... Yamato's not playing for awhile. We have to go to the Digital world otherwise this one is fucked. Can't become famous in a world that doesn't exist anymore, right?" Mei said as she put her hand on her hip and cocked it to the side - glaring darkly at the sleezy man. "So here's the deal, I want the keys for the van, now. This is now a crisis center, and the crisis clean up will take awhile. So you can't get the band out for awhile. So you can give me the keys to the van." She stated as she held out her hand, that hard edge in her voice didn't seem to leave much room for argument.

"You okay?"

Sora shook her head in reply, smiling wearily back at Tai. She caught his hand in hers, pressing her cheek into the warmth of his palm. The sooner they were alone the better. A quick drive-thru sounded reasonable if not at all appetizing. The original plan had been to go out to a nice restaurant to celebrate the reunion and her pallet was less than enthusiastic about settling for a burger and fries at Micky D's. The irony of enjoying company with a nice meal getting supplanted by a lackluster fast food trip wasn't lost on her. One was intended to celebrate friendship and love together. The other an ominous quick stop to prepare to scatter again. Three of the original Digidestined plus a brand new one charging into the unknown...she wasn't too sure about those odds. Still, Tai had his carefree grin fixed into place and that gave the girl small comfort. Whether it was a show or not, she always appreciated the effort.
Biyomon bushed her feathery arms down her front, mustering her strength and went to stand next to Agumon. "I'll be okay," she cheeped. "The fight took a lot out of me but I've had some time to rest and once we get some food, I think we'll all be feeling much better." She was still a little unsteady on her feet but was making an effort to hide the worst of her injuries. She was a brave little Mon, that was indisputable.

"Okay, Biyo, but don't push yourself too hard. We're going to need you in top fighting shape when we leave." The bird-like Digimon nodded with renewed determination. She mustered up to her full, diminutive height and thrust her chest out boldly.

"You can count on me!"

Yoshi roused, wincing at the hard kick and rolled into his side. He was huddled in the fetal position, knees drawn up to his chest with a thumb suckled greedily between his wet lips. His eyes rolled around to appraise Mei from behind his cracked lenses as if he had never before seen a human woman before. With a violent start, he sat up in the rubble and looked around wildly. "Where is it? Where did that monster go?!" The thumb came out of his mouth with an audible pop. "Did it eat Yamato? Tell me it didn't eat Yamato! It can eat Takeshi, he's the drummer, easily replaced but not my poor, sweet Yamato!" His eyes were wide, panicked saucers. The light of potential lost profits caught in his irises flickering like a candle in the wind.

He flipped over and scuttled about on his hands and knees just in time to see his star vanish into the dressing room. She slumped onto his face, his comb over spilling out around his bald dome, the sheen diminished in the filth of destruction. "Oh thank...oh thank goodness..." He nodded his head in agreement, barely hearing Mei. "Digital World, yes. Fucked, yes. Van keys, of course, whatever you need. That all sounds just fine." He sat up in the ruins and glanced around again, looking rather demure about the disaster now that he was armed with the knowledge of Yamato's safety. "Crisis?"

The gears were visibly churning behind his eyes, the pupils shining a little brighter with each new piece of destruction he observed. Slowly, he clambered to his feet and straightened his tie, nodding his head approvingly despite not being asked anything. "We can use this," he said to no one in particular. "Can you imagine the headlines? Rock star saves concert goers from certain doom!" He spread his hands out in the air as if picturing the words on an invisible banner. He turned to Mei excitedly and rushed over. "You helped, right? You and your friends? Listen, doll, I can make you famous with this. I can make you rich." He rubbed his fingers and thumbs together in what he thought was an enticing gesture. "Interviews, talk shows, radio, a reality series where you and Yamato travel around the country staying at haunted onsens. You've got a pretty face so how about it?" His phone rang before she could answer and he held up shushing finger before taking the call.

Yoshi was back in his element, doing what he did best...for better or worse. "You got Yoshi....yes, we'll be more than happy to address the press first thing tomorrow morning. Listen, can you hook up my main man Yamato and his honey with a ride? Yea, just pull the limo around back and make sure the minibar is stocked. You know he likes the hard stuff...." He laughed at something on the other end, doubling over. "Yes...giving AND receiving, that's Yamato!" he slapped his phone off and stuffed it away. He cut a little jig then, waving his hands in the air and wiggling his backside, chuckling. "Money, money, mooooow-nay!"

Yamato emerged a few moments later, stepping out from the dressing room in a cloud of steam. He was dressed in the clothes he had arrived in, black jeans and button down t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbow. His Wayfarer sunglasses where perched atop his blonde hair, still damp from the shower. An unlit cigarette dangled from his lips while he patted around his clothes for a light. He caught sight of Yoshi's celebratory dance and made a face. "Aren't you embarrassed to be acting like that?" He asked, plucking the stick from his mouth. "Never mind, does anyone have a light?"

Tai stayed close to his partner as he walked out into the parking lot. At least his car was safe, there was that. He unlocked his car and climbed in, waiting for Sora and the Digimon to clamber in. "We will hit up fast food than, stuff our faces. Plenty for the mons. There is a new Taco drive through, think they will like that?" He asked as he started up his car, frowning as the engine rolled over and didn't start. He slapped the dashboard for a moment and groaned. "Damnit, come on don't do this shit to me." He said as he climbed out.

It was known that Tai's car was a bit of a beater, but he had bought it off his dad so he loved the old thing. "Give me a moment, you know how the old grandma runs." he said with a laugh as he slipped out and flipped open the hood, he fiddled for a few moments and then slammed the hood. He slipped back into his seat and slid the key back in, it flared up and then bam the car started up with a roar. "Alright, let's get going." He said as he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive.

Mei was not in a good mood, and Nyamon could tell just from how her Digidestined was acting. Mei was rather reserved most of the time, but in situations like this her PTSD kicked in and she reacted like the military brat she was. Mei's green eyes flared as Yoshi spoke to her, and it was as Yamato came out that she finally snapped. She was so focused on the situation before her that she hadn't even noticed that Yamato had come in until she had jumped at Yoshi and started to act.

She slapped the cellphone from his hand, watching it skitter across the floor, her other hand came up as she gripped the front of his shirt and full on back hand pimped slapped him upside the face. "I'm not sure where you stuck your brain, but you are going to listen to me and listen to me well." She said as her voice reached a depth of cold that was beyond strange. There was a darkness in her eyes, a true horror that most people didn't understand - and couldn't even possibly understand.

"My name is Mei, it's not gorgeous or baby or anything else you can come up with. I am not going on any goddamn talk shows, and I will not under any circumstances be going along with your little bullshit plan." She said as her voice dropped lower, and she slapped him again as he opened his mouth to speak. "I said you are going to listen to me, that means shutting the fuck up and listening." She hissed between her breath as she drew in a sharp breath. She tightened her grip on the front of Yoshi's shirt as her green eyes seemed to burn with the anger and darkness inside of her.

"We have to go to the Digital world, and it could be months, or longer... before we get back. It could be days, it could be years for all we know. So you are going to pull that fat balding combover head out of your gelatinous ass cavity and stop this shit now. I don't want no goddamn limo, we want one of the vans. We have to leave tomorrow, and we are going to do it without you and your little bullshit money grubbing shit storm that is building. Am - I - Clear" She said as she leaned in close to enunciate each of her final words to him. Only after he gave an assenting answer would she release him.

"Seatbelts, please," Sora reminded the Digimon, helping them both with the safety mechanism and buckling them both into the backseat. She settled herself into the front and had just connected her lap belt when Biyomon started grumbling from the back. She wheeled around to peer over the top of her headrest to find the two bickering beside each other.

"Your leg is on my side," Biyomon chided, pressing her toes into Agumon's foot to urge him back over. Biyomon caught her stare and addressed her tamer tensely. "His leg is on my side of the seat, Sora!"

"You two behave," she called back, rolling her eyes. "Don't make me come back there!"

"But he keeps licking his finger and touching me!"

"I am going to count to three...," Sora started and very nearly did when she caught herself. She buried her face in her hands, humiliated at how easily she had slipped into her mother's voice. Sora fleetingly wondered if this is what being a parent would be like, once she and Tai decided to take that step. "Look, you two settle down back there or no tacos!" The threat of being denied real human food raised a cry of protest from both Digimon. She had them now. "That's right! Keep it up and you'll just go to bed hungry!" Maybe I should call mom and...either thank or her apologize. Maybe both. I'll decide during the conversation.

Sora watched with bemused interest as Tai wandered around to fiddle about under the hood, resisting the urge to remind him that perhaps NOW was a good time to start looking for a new car. His beater was barely holding it together and thought she had never chanced a peek herself, was fairly certain the engine was being held together by shoestring and wads of chewing gum. By the coughing, sputtering noises it made upon startup, that didn't sound too far off.

"Let's just get home before we have to chance these two on the subway," Sora chuckled, jerking a thumb back at the two bickering Digimon.

Yamato stood aghast at the sight, the unlit cigarette dangling perilously from his lower lip. His eyes were fixed on the sight of Mei, shy and innocent Mei being anything but! She had seized Yoshi by the lapels and was threatening to wring the life out of the man. His face was flushed again and he was looking down at the girl in alarm and confusion. "I-I-I," he stammered feebly before a hard slap to his cheek sent the words sailing out of his mouth, never to return. He nodded his head obediently at her comment, snapping his jaw shut tight. Once she was done stating her demands he pointed a trembling finger behind them, toward the loading ramp that led out back. "The-the keys are in the...ig-ignition!"

"Hey, Gabumon," Yamato whispered, leaning down to his Digimon companion. "Hey, do me a favor?"

The horned Digimon had been watching the exchange with his own looks of concern but turned his attention up to his tamer at the address. "What is it, Yamato?"

"Remind me to never, ever get on that girls bad side."

Gabumon nodded. "You're right. I don't think I could handle her even in my ultimate  form."

At least they had a vehicle so that was settled. Cautiously, Yamato eased forward. With all the care of a snake handler dealing with a venomous cobra, he touched Mei's shoulders and encouraged her to loosen her grip. "Mei, we need to go now if we're going to have any hope of getting everything we need to do finished tonight. Um, I'll drive."

Tai had heard part of the argument between the digimon, and had chuckled privately to himself as his future wife reacted the way she did. He was glad now, that he had proposed. Sure things were about to change, but it was ok. He'd have to leave notes for his family, but he also knew that the other Digidestined were going to let the parents know. Because as terrified as they might be, they knew it would be worse if the Digidestined didn't follow their destiny. He kicked the car up higher as they started to drive and rolled his eyes a little at the sounds she was making. "Just an oil change, I'll give her to TK to fix up while I'm gone." He mused aloud as he listened to the silence in the car.

"So... tacos..." He said as he pulled into the driveway. "I'll just order the jumbo family pack." he said staring at the option that had almost 40 tacos in it, with soft and hard shelled. "Did you want anything particular, Sora?" he asked with a small smile as he looked back at her. "Drinks of course, juice for the digimon... heaven knows how they'd handle Soda."

Mei was seeing red but as soon as she had the knowledge she needed, she stepped back and looked off into the distance. She gathered herself as soon as Yamato touched her, a blush breaking across her face. "Oh shit..." She whispered as she covered her face and bolted outside, shaking as she heard Nyamon scrambling after her. She had done it again, something rather embarrassing. Something she only did in the most stressful of moments. She was unbalanced in some ways, and that was a weird side effect of her issues.

She was finally outside and Nyamon stood nearby, giving her person the space she needed as Mei shook and shivered. Clutching herself and hunching over a little as she dry heaved. She could have, would have killed him, if she actually had a need to do so. She hated that part of her, the one wiling to hurt and maim, but now she was shaking even further as she curled over and started to heave. It was a dry heave, but a heave none the less. She was shocked at herself, and shocked at everything else that was going on.

She was overwhelmed too much so, as she curled in on herself. "I'm an idiot."

At the mention of food, Sora's stomach gave an audible rumble as if it had been waiting for its cue. She smiled sheepishly over at Tai, wondering if he had heard and cupped a hand over her grumbling belly. She too was trying to make a mental list of 'to-do's' but was too famished to focus on much. Monster fighting and impromptu marriage proposals can take a lot out of a girl, she chuckled to herself. She would need to make a number of phone calls, maybe get a friend to collect the mail, water the plants...how long would they be gone? She doubted they could just call time out on Myotismon or whoever was really running the show and hop out of the digital world to turn the apartment. Maybe Kari could stop over while they're gone? It would cut down on the length of her explanation.

"Oil change, sure," she echoed sardonically. She noticed that he was omitting that before it had 'just' been the brakes and before that the battery, and before THAT the starter. The old beater had more wrong with it than right! Still, she wasn't going to bother dredging up that old argument. They had bigger fish to fry. Ugh, more thoughts of food!

She climbed out and wrenched the sliding backdoor open, allowing the Digimon to hop out. "No, it sounds like you have it all down and I don't think Biyomon and Agumon have any real preference when it comes to American style Mexican food."

Their apartment was a modest upstairs unit, two flights of stairs up and Sora led the troop up the climb fishing her keys out of her jeans pocket. She clutched the shopping bag from Mimi's boutique in her arms, awkwardly fishing around until she was able to find her set of keys in the mess of unfolded clothes. She had a feeling that Tai was watching her swaying hips as she climbed, especially given her unusual attire. Grinning naughtily to herself, she slowed her pace, making a show of rooting around the bag for her house key and rolling her hips a little more with each step. The seat of the designer pants clung to her pert rear end, outlining the smooth curve of her buttocks. She even allowed them to slip down a little without protest, revealing the subtle rise of her hip bones, small of her back and crack of her ass.

Sora halted at the door and had to squint down at the knob for a moment in the low light. The moon was out and shining brightly but even that wasn't quite enough to allow her to see the slot. She stabbed the key forward, getting it on the third attempt. "Bingo! Home sweet home!"

Yoshi slumped, sighing in relief at finally being free from the girls grasp. He clutched a hand to his disheveled shirt as if physically trying to still the heart pistoning in his chest. He cowered away in the rubble, blending in remarkably well with the rest of the filth, Yamato observed.

He blinked in surprise when Mei wrenched away and tore out of the auditorium. He stood rooted on the spot, listening for the distant slam of the backstage exit as she dashed away. His hand was still suspended in the air where her shoulder had been and slowly he let it fall back to his side. That was unexpected but then again so had her attempt to throttle his manager. He looked down at Gabumon searchingly for answers but only got a shrug in reply.

"That-that girl is a psychopath!" Yoshi stammered, slipping two fingers into the collar of his shirt and twisting his tie loose. "You should watch yourself, Yamato, baby. That chick is miles of bad road. Not the best girlfriend material."

An angry heat welled up inside the youth's chest and crept steadily higher until his face was flushed. Yoshi, perhaps sensing another assault, took cover behind the large form of fallen scaffolding. "Let me get something straight with you, Yoshi," Yamato bellowed dangerously. He took a threatening step forward. "You don't talk about her ever again. You don't look at her, you don't say her name, you don't even think about Mei. Is that clear?" With that he stormed out after her, leaving Yoshi to stare after him and wonder if he still had a job.

Yoshi then blinked to find Gabumon starring at him from inches away and gave a start of surprise. All at once, the Mon raised its arms high over its head and bellowed a loud and feral cry of attack. Yoshi reeled on his heels again, eyes rolling into the back of his head and fainted all over again.

Yamato stood at the crest of the loading bay and searched the concrete expanse for Mei, final spotting her huddled on the ground with her trusty feline Digimon hovering nearby. The sound of her dry heaving made Yamato wince and he raced down the loading ramp, boots thumping against the metal to announce his presence, and knelt by her side in the gravel.

"Mei, are you okay?" Foolish question. Of course she wasn't okay, she was dry heaving in an empty parking lot after nearly wringing a man's neck. "Sorry," he added, sheepishly. "Standard question. Do you need anything? You didn't look so good..." 

Tai chuckled just a little at the look on his future wife's face. He knew she was thinking about just as much as he, and he knew that she believed there was a lot to do. He himself realized there was a lot to do, and he realized that he didn't know how long they would be there. He would have to take the time to leave go buy a giant stock of condoms. He'd ask his parents to make sure that he and Sora had their apartment taken care of, but with their apartment manager being part of the city that knew they had saved them before. At least he hoped that people would give them some leeway because of it. It'd be all over the news, and all it would take is them going in.

He felt bad, almost like he'd be taking advantage of people with that. But with Sora and Tai having to put both of their lives on hold, the chances were they didn't have anywhere near enough savings to keep their apartment going in that time period. But he was distracted by the way his fiancee was moving currently. His cock twitched in response, as he gave a rather private grin. He'd start things off a little later.

"You know, Kari and TK have a job." He stated as he left the car and hauled the food after him. He dropped it off and stole some for himself as he sat down and started to eat a little. He chewed and swallowed before continuing. "And our apartment is much closer to their High School - than my parents place or Takeru's parents place... So perhaps we could offer to let them stay here and take care of it - and pay rent, while we are gone. With the understanding that when we get back we can help them get an apartment of their own?" He said to his future wife. Wondering if she'd like his idea.

Mei was lost in her thoughts, glad she had a more contemplative and silent Digimon. A cold sweat broke over her body as the fit continued, and the mental sensations of images flashed through her. She was remembering her fathers death, and the video someone in his unit had sent them. The death of her father, and the stress of everything else. As her mind settled she flashed with images of Kuwagamon's body, and the way it had triggered her thoughts about her father's body.

Her breath came in sharply as she heard Yamato's voice and she took in a shaking breath as she gathered herself. "I am not ok, I am never ok when I'm stressed. I ... I have PTSD..." She whispered as she rubbed her hands over her knees. She was slightly chilly without her dress shirt, and now wished she had a jacket of some sort with her. She was cold not because it was actually cold, she was cold because her body was having a mini-shock episode.

"I want a cigarette, please... just give me one... or three.. or something. We can smoke in the van if you want to get going. We can go as soon as Gabumon gets out here. But please... just get me away from here." She whispered as she started rubbing her hands over her face. Green eyes holding torment and pain, and a darkness that was only shown by those that had seen death.

Sora flipped on the lights as she entered, kicking her shoes off at the threshold before padding down to the house proper. A long hallway stretched directly into the kitchen, branching off twice for a guest bedroom and bath at either side. Beyond the kitchen's tile floors lay their messy bedroom and living area, behind a sliding panel door. The apartment felt cozy rather than small, thanks in no small part to Sora's decorum sense. It was just the two of them, after all, they did not require too much space and the second bedroom was primarily used for storage and the infrequent guest. Tonight it would serve as somewhere their Digimon could sleep. A large futon was spread out on the floor with a pile of clean blankets, far enough from their bedroom to allow them privacy. And judging by the way Tai was trying to pass off his looks as casual; Sora knew he was certainly enjoying what he saw.

"Wash up," she instructed the digital monsters, sending them scurrying to the nearest sink and soap and water. She seated them all at the meager table after retrieving two steel folding chairs from the hall closet. They entertained so irregularly. She retrieved a taco from the pile inside the box and unwrapped it, considering his proposal quietly. "I suppose, yea," she replied after taking a bite. She would have continued with the thought but the morsel fueled the ravenous hunger gnawing at her belly and she quickly finished the taco in three more quick bites. Crumbling up the wrapper, she reached for a second, "They could just stay here and walk back and forth though..." she grinned. "It might be a good idea to stock up on the condoms and leave them in a drawer somewhere for them. You remember what we were like when we first moved in?" She winked playfully at her future husband.

"What were you like when you first moved in?" Biyomon wanted to know, pausing from her pecks at the unfolded burrito before her.

Sora waved a hand at the Digimon, flushing red with embarrassment. She had forgotten all about their dinner guests. "Um, er, no-nothing! We were just fine." She snatched up another taco from the box and stuffed it into Biyomon's beak. "Now don't talk with your mouth full!"

Those requests were easy enough for Yamato to oblige. He nodded his head and reached into his breast pocket and produced the pack of Lucky 7's. A few sticks of matches were rumbling about inside with the cigarettes. "Keep it," he replied, pressing the box into her palm. "I can get more at my place. You look like you can use one...or three...or something." He lit his own cigarette then, cupping a hand over the flame until the end was blazing, then shook out the match. "I'm sorry," he murmured lamely. What else could he say? "I didn't know you had..." He trailed off. Of course he hadn't known she had PTSD, they had only just met a few hours ago. He rubbed at the back of his head, hair still damp between his fingers. "Let's get you out of here then." He placed his hands gently at her shoulders, helping the poor girl to her feet. "The van is just over there." He had to duck down low in order to help her get walking, standing more than a head taller than Mei. He bent forward and took easily slow steps with her, taking more of her weight into his side until she felt well enough to walk on her own.

Gabumon appeared at the top of the ramp, glancing around the scene until he spotted them and hurried over. "Yamato, is everything alright?" he asked, peering at Mei in genuine concern.

Yamato jerked his head forward, gesturing to the van. "Just get the door open for Mei. She isn't feeling so great. I'll turn on the AC when we get inside, maybe that will help?" Gingerly, he helped the girl into the seat and snapped her lap belt into place, worrying over the girl like a hospital nurse. "Let me know if you're going to be sick again. I'll try to pull over."
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"I think it would be good for them, help them earn some self-worth and help them gain some responsibility. They could stay here, and experience living together for a bit. It'd be a good learning experience for them. " Tai said as he picked up another taco and began to stuff his face. He was almost laughing, mostly, at the rather motherly way Sora was acting. Already she was being a good mother, and they didn't even have any children yet. The man reflected on that, with a small smile on his face as he ate. He was actually amused, by his future wife, and was glad that she was already showing the sort of personality needed for them to have children together.

Not that they would, he wanted to wait for a bit after the wedding. Whenever they could get around to that. "Yeah, I figure leave a stock for them... and get some for ourselves." He said as he pushed more food towards Agumon. The digimon was as quiet as he usually was with eating, focusing on the calories needed to make himself feel better. He was glad his Digimon was feeling better. "Well I am sure they will be responsible, we did lead a good example." Tai pointed out as he gave a small laugh from the antics of Biyomon. "Don't worry about it, just eat up you two and get some rest. We will have to do a little shopping, and get some stuff packed... but you fought so you need more rest than us."

"I think we should hit the store while they sleep, and then get supplies we need. You need female stuff, I'm guessing... and we really should make sure we have everything we could need." Tai pointed out. "I also think I need a new bag, because my school backpack wouldn't be hardy enough to handle the trip we are taking. It is kinda worn down. We can leave a note for the apartment manager, and write emails to our respective jobs... and then go from there?"

Mei was shaking a little more, but accepted the pack that Yamato shoved at her. With a soft whimper she dug into it and pulled out one of the 'death sticks' as her mother had jokingly called them for most of the time Mei's father had smoked. With a sigh of relief she started to suck down on the stick, her shaking subsiding the more smoke she drew into herself. She let Yamato lead her, losing herself in a slight shocked haze. She knew Nyamon was following and the Digimon even hopped into the back as Yamato buckled Mei in.

"What's the Digital World like" Nyamon whispered to Gabumon, slipping on the buckle and looking at the other digimon. "I've never been there."

Mei shivered a little as she leaned back and then blew out a long breath. "My Apartment is about fifteen minutes from here, I'll give you directions as you head towards downtown." She whispered as she continued to smoke, her hands shaking less and less as she did. "Most don't remember I have PTSD, it was the reason I had Nyamon in High School." Mei whispered as her eyes slipped closed. She shook just a little, not willingly to tell him yet - as to why she had PTSD. She'd let him draw his own conclusions.

"I wont' get sick, I was mostly dry heaving... stress induced. I don't vomit unless I'm ill."

There was a convenience store just down the street from their apartment complex so what Tai suggested made sense. They couldn't just drag the Digimon into the Lawson's without raising tones of questions that would only hold them up and the last thing she wanted to do was stand around with armfuls of condoms, toiletries and food while Biymon and Agumon signed autographs. "Good idea," she agreed and plucked up another taco. "They look like they're going to pass out any minute now anyway. Maybe all this greasy, heavy food was too much for them?" She chuckled at her own humor and took a bite. Biymon was indeed starting to slouch in her chair, using her feathery arms as impromptu pillows on the tabletop.

"Am...not," Biyomon protested, sounding more like a cranky child now than ever before. It made Sora laugh and put her food down long enough to collect her Digimon partner and haul her to bed. "I'll get them all tucked in and then we can talk shopping list and strategy." Scooping the bird-like Mon into her arms, she carried her away into the back bedroom and carefully stretched her out on the mattress. She was out before they had even left the kitchen. She wondered how anyone could sleep so soundly knowing what was looming ahead. Sora fetched one of the blankets from the pile and draped it over the two digital monsters once they were laid down. Tai wasn't too far off. From there, they looked like two small children, snuggling with their backs pressed together and softly snoring.

Maybe I should take a page from their book, she considered, creeping out of the room on tip toe and switched off the light. Taking one last peek inside the room, she softly closed the door behind her. She should take this problem one thing at a time, one step at a time.

The parking lot was mostly deserted now save for a few straggling cars left behind when the motorist bewilderingly chose to flee the scene of the attack on foot. Yamato twisted the key in the ignition and, in stark contrast to Tai and Sora's experience, the engine rumbled to life at once. Turning around in his seat, he carefully backed out of the space and merged onto the road and into oncoming traffic.

He kept the windows cracked and the AC on full blast, ashing his cigarette out the window while stealing concerned looks over at Mei. He chewed his lower lip anxiously before throwing caution to the wind and reached over to cup a palm over her forehead. "You feel a little warm," he informed her. "You sure you're okay?" He tried to focus on driving, turning where she indicated and following her directions back to her place. Still, he couldn't shake the urge to hover though he had no idea where it had come from or why. It was shaping up to being a strange sort of evening that had nothing to do with Kuwagamon's attack. He had had so little to drink, smoke and fuck that day it left him dazed. By this point in the evening, he would have been thoroughly inebriated by alcohol or drugs, fooling around with some (un)lucky groupie backstage before heading back to his place.

Trying to distract himself from bothering the woman further, he switched the radio on and turned up the volume. Mei didn't seem in the mood to talk much about her PTSD and he felt it bad form to press the issue. Honestly, he could not remember what the service animal had been for in school and felt strangely bad for not recollecting that fact. The speakers came alive with an old Teen-Age Wolves tune and he instinctively changed the station. A moment later, David Bowie's soothing voice was crooning about a man who sold the world....

Gabumon considered the question for a bit, momentarily puzzled at how to describe the digital world to another digimon. Had any Mon ever had to? "It's a land full of Digimon, just like you and I. It's a fantastical place where anything can happen. It's..." He paused, smiling wistfully at the thought of the Digital World. "It's home. You'll see." He turned to Nyamon, brimming with excitement for the feline. "I bet once you see the place, you'll instantly know that you and your trainer belong." 

Tai bit back a small laugh as some imagery game to mind. He was imagining what it would be like to travel around with Digimon that had been made famous. He watched Agumon, and noticed the same things Sora had been. Slowly but surely the Digimon were getting filled up, and their energy was flagging. When Biyomon protested he gave a laugh and set his food down so that he could help Sora get the Digimon into bed. He went with her, setting down Agumon and stepping back as she laid the blanket across the sleeping mons. They looked peaceful, and didn't look at all like creatures that would be fighting again soon enough. It made him said, that the Digital world wasn't at peace yet. That Digimon couldn't just relax and enjoy life.

"You'll make an amazing mother." he blurted out, his mind having run so far ahead of him with his thoughts about digital travel - that he said the observation that had been on his mind awhile. "Not that I plan on asking for that for a long time, and only when you are ready." Tai said as he tried to fix his fuck up of slipping up on his words. "Awww shit... Anyways...w e should talk about the things we need to get for the trip. Wanna go shopping and then send emails, or send emails first?" He asked as he looped his arm around Sora's shoulders.

Knowing her she'd want to get everything in order first, and then they could get to fun for themselves. He wasn't even a little tired at the moment, and the only thing he cared about was Sora and making sure this trip was handled as smoothly as possible.

Mei shook her head a little, when Yamato reached over to touch her. Her cheeks flaring with color as she leaned her head away and looked out the window. "I'll be fine, I promise." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself and then reached over to turn the A/C off a little. She was only wearing a sports bra at the moment, and her pants. She was feeling better, and now she was't even shivering anymore. She hummed a little as she continued to smoke, pulling out another and lighting it up.

"The driveway for my apartment block is between two old looking temple archways... " She said as she leaned against the window. She had a lot of options for survival traveling, and was now quite glad her father had taught her military packing - and had left her more than enough military contacts for anything she might needs. She had several cases or survival food, but she's just get to pack enough for two weeks, that was the standard her father had taught her. Which was going to be fine, because she'd still have room for clothes -and a first aid kit.

Maybe she'd even sneak in replacement piercings, in case something ever happened to the ones she had in, and she could sneak in a toy or two. She didn't expect to be having any sex, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy any pleasure. She cleared her throat a little, her cheeks flaming darker as she took a long drag.

Nyamon let her head cock to the side as she looked at the strange Digimon. A small smile on her face muzzle as she shook her head and then stretched out her paws and wiggled her toes. "I'm not worried about me, I'm worried about Mei." Nyamon said finally as she motioned to her partner. "She hasn't had any real human friends, except Kari and T.k.... In the states it was just us... and even after we came back to Japan... just us."

Sora was startled by the outburst, it had come quite literally out of the blue yet she blushed all the same. "Tai..." They had touched on the subject of course but never too seriously. Usually it was in jest while basking in the afterglow of a particularly passionate bout of lovemaking. They would toss around potential baby names, schools, what their parents would think/do, interrupted by the occasional fit of laugher or another round. She couldn't help but chuckle at his flustered behavior and the compliment clearly had been something of a Freudian slip but it was nice all the same. After all, if it came blurting out thoughtlessly, it meant that it was genuine and he was being quite sincere when he said she would make a terrific mother. "I think you'd make a pretty amazing dad," she replied, giving her future husband a peck on the lips. "But maybe let's talk about baby making AFTER we've put ourselves in mortal danger, m'kay?"

She led the way back down the hall and worked her toes back into the sneakers left at the door. "Why not do both at once? You have a phone. Send the emails while we're in route." She had already organized her thoughts into a mental checklist of items they needed to collect so now, it was a simple matter of retrieving them. She doubted a little 7/11 would have everything they would require for an extended stay in the digital world but it would have to be enough. Some of the other things would need to be picked up tomorrow morning before they departed, once the rest of the shops opened for business.
"We're going to need canned stuff and things we can wipe up easily outdoors. Flashlights, batteries, cooking fuel, matches, compass," she named them off on her fingers as they walked, going down the items in her head. "The problem is, we have no idea how long we're going to be gone for. We can pack for three months and be gone a year, or pack for a month and come back in a week." She shook her head, pursing her lips in frustration. "I'd rather be over-prepared than under but it's all so uncertain. There are too many 'If's about the trip." 'The trip', that was a laugh. As if this was going to quaint vacation for them and not another life or death struggle with countless lives in the balance. No pressure, sure.   

"There?" Yamato asked, pointing a finger ahead. He nosed the van through the archway, craning his neck down to see the tall rise of her apartment building jutting out at the end of the street. They passed through a series of streetlights, bathing in and out of the great white cones until he sidled up to the curve and slammed the vehicle into park. He had to admit, Yamato was curious to see what the inside of her apartment looked like. You could tell a lot about a person by the type of home they keep, more so if you can sneak a peek into their bedroom. Plus, she wasn't expecting company so Mei wouldn't have had any time to tidy the place up. He would learn more about the mysterious Mei by setting foot in her living room than anything she had shared thus far.
She may play things close to the vest and keep everyone at an arms-length but whether she liked it or not, Mei was going to give Yamato a crash course in her life.

Gabumon provided a sympathetic ear to his fellow Digimon, sharing her concerns. Mei certainly was the stand-offish sort. Nyamon did not seem to share those reservations herself tho and perhaps, Gabumon considered that the two could form an alliance to get the shy girl to open up. And who better for her to open up to than the bearer of the crest of Friendship himself? "Well now, it's still 'just us'," the Digimon smiled. "Only 'us' includes me and Yamato and Tai and Sora."
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Tai scratched the back of his head nervously, a faint coloring coming to his cheeks. Sora complimented him and his eyes burst with amusement as he reached out to pull her close and give her a smacking kiss on the lips. "Glad you think like that, I'd love to talk about it more after we save the world from destruction." He said as he released her and started to head towards the front door, a grin on his face and a pep in his step. He slipped on his shoes and then grabbed his jacket and car keys.

"Well, you could just... you know... send them. Since I'll be driving, I can't send emails." Tai pointed out to his fiancee. Since she was a strict woman when it came to driving safety, there was no way he was going to risk setting her off. "We can go to the 7/11, and we might be able to hit up that one grocery store. It's still open for another half hour, and it will only take ten minutes to drive there." He pointed out as he headed out the door, waiting for her and then closing and locking the door behind her.

Then he stopped and realized they were still wearing Mimi's clothes. "Perhaps we should change?"

Mei was quiet as he pulled up to the area she mentioned, and then was even quieter as they pulled up to her apartment. Nyamon seemed to be enjoying herself, even though Mei was focusing on regaining her composure. She drew in a deep breath and pressed her fingers over her eyes for the moment. She focused and then smiled shyly at Yamato. She slipped from the van and then climbed up the stairs to her apartment. She unlocked the door, and then sighed softly as she slipped off her shoes.

He found something tidy, organized, like the woman seemed to be. Everything in the main area was cleaned to a strangely perfectionist manner. Everything organized, and all of the furniture was natural wood. What Yamato would notice the most was as he walked up the main hall into the apartment. There was pictures of a very little mei, between a tall american man and a petite japanese woman. Her parents, and that man was in the pictures for awhile, and then suddenly vanished, and that smiling little girl had changed into a somber teen. A somber teen that eventually was standing alone in a picture where she received her Diploma.

But she had the image, in case any of her mothers extended family showed up. But everything about her home seemed... sorrowful - too neat, too tidy. Like the woman tried to control her life through her home. Well, that was the main part of her house. The living room had some clothes tossed about, and the futon couch was there for guests. "Do you want a drink? I think I have some Rum? Or is it a bad idea since you are driving? I need to dig out some of my father's old military gear, before I pack my bag." She said softly. "Oh, and you can smoke in here."

Sora considered the question, rocking back on her heels and studied her attire anew. They were indeed both still in dress better suited for a rock n roll concert than grocery shopping (not to mention quite filthy from the battle with Kuwagamon) but if they waited much longer, they would lose their window and have to scramble for supplies tomorrow. "If we don't go now the store will be closed by the time we get there," she replied. "Not to mention, that if I change out of this getup I'm going to want a shower." And Sora would be damned if she was going to hurry her way through a hot shower after the day she had had. In fact, forget the shower. It would be luxurious soak in a hot tub with those little scented salts she liked dissolving in the bottom.

It took some trying but Sora fished her cell out of her pants pocket again and thumbed open her email app. With the phone turned onto its side, she hastily typed out the messages as they descended the winding stairs and made their way through the small parking area toward Tai's beater. Normally she would have insisted on walking the short distance to the convenience store for supplies but Tai adored that old car and would sorely miss it while they were away. Boys and their toys, she thought with a sigh but was it so unreasonable to allow him another ride in the thing? So without protest she climbed into the passenger seat and snapped her lap belt into place. Internally, she made a bet with herself that the old machine wouldn't start until the fourth attempt.
The first email was away, visualized by an envelope rocketing across the touchscreen until it landed safely in a mailbox with its lid yawning open like a hungry mouth. Once the letter was inside, the red flag stood at attention with a cartoonish wobble before text flashed across the display, indicating a successful transmission.

"One down," she announced, waving her phone at Tai to show him the screen before starting the next. It was all roughly the same information and perhaps she could have just forwarded the same message to all of the intended parties but she didn't want to risk sounding too cold and formal to some and less than others and risk offense. No, it was better to personalize each, that way she could ensure there wouldn't be any confusion or need for more explanation later. They had precious little time as it was and she imagined their last night on Earth for some time as a giant hour glass. Like the one used to taunt Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz and she could only watch helplessly as the grains of sand fell away. Time was running out....

Yamato took in the apartment; thumbs hooked casually into the pockets of his jeans and rolled the cigarette from one corner of his mouth to the other. It was anti-climactic, that was for sure but then again, he had not quite known what to expect. The atmosphere of the place was formal, almost too much so, feeling like a hotel room than a place anyone actually lived. He dug the toe into the back of his boot and slipped them off easily one at a time, padding into the living room on bare feet since he never wore socks. He leaned down to inspect the wood furniture and it was just as he suspected. Not a speck of dust about the place.

"It's very...neat," he remarked, feeling like a grease spot surrounding by an encroaching wash of bleach. "Just you and...Nyamon?" He plucked the cigarette from his lips and looked around, momentarily confused to be without an ash tray readily available. As a last resort he ashed the stick into his shirt pocket. So she wouldn't be able to follow his eyes, he raised his sunglasses again and perched them atop his messy blond crown and studied the candid photos. Jackpot, he thought, elated. These would certainly prove to be the key to the mystery box that was Mei he had longed for. They were little windows into the woman's heart and he took his time exploring it thoroughly. The walls of the hallway proved a sort of timeline into the history of Mei, beginning with a few baby pictures and parents smiling broadly. Slowly the child would grow, the little wisps of black hair grew long enough to bind up into little pigtails and those cheesy grins gradually filled up with little baby teeth.

Her father was certainly an imposing fellow, a strong American military type that commanded authority even from years old pictures. Yamato moved down the line, watching Mei mature into a girl of ten or so, standing before a shrine with her father while she and her mother were dressed in traditional clothes. Mei's looked a little too large, the sleeves covering her fingers. Those dazzling green eyes were unmistakable though and all the color in the photograph seemed to radiate out from them. Maybe even all the color in the world.

His brow knit together at the next set. Her father was absent from these and he seemed to steal a lot with him. Mei and her mother were no longer smiling and because of that, the photo seemed muted somehow. As if it were a much older picture taken in black and white. A lot was beginning to fall into place in the jigsaw puzzle of Mei's wounded heart. He almost couldn't bear to move down the line and take in the rest but his legs were already in motion. When he got to the lonely graduation photo, Yamato had had enough and turned away, slipping his sunglasses down to shade his eyes. The world always looked better this way but after everything he had learned....

He forced a smile, none the less at the offered drink and smoke and nodded his head. "You're speaking my language. I'll take one of each, please and thank you!" The concern about his ability while driving was waved off. "Don't worry about me, I have a hollow leg." While on the road, he used to joke that he could handle his alcohol and that the problem was that nobody could handle him. He had played many of his shows while wasted on a combination of things and nobody seemed to notice...or maybe they didn't care. You worshipped Gods, not pity them, after all.

Yamato tried to watch Mei move about the apartment, trail after her rear end perhaps but couldn't will himself to do it. He felt too guilty, with her father's ghost lingering so strongly nearby. Mei wasn't just a woman, she was somebody's daughter, something he had never considered before about any girl. He shifted his weight from one leg to the other, glancing anxiously down the hallway, half expecting to catch a glimpse of her phantom father shaking his head in disgust. It made his head pound all the harder, his tongue thirsty for that rum.

"Make that a double...actually."

Tai was glad that Sora didn't' question things too much. He was happy she was letting him drive his car. He let her slip in, but was glad that she was being nice enough to do all their emailing. It'd give him time to think about what he needed. "We should stock up on as much as we can, condoms... and seal them in airtight bags that we put into our bags... this way they don't run the risk of getting damaged at all." He murmured as he slipped the key into the engine. As if sensing that Tai was going to be leaving her for awhile... the old vehicle did something she hadn't done since they started dating.

With a throaty purr the car started up almost instantly, her engine sounding better than it had in a long time. "Wow... think this is goodbye for now... huh?" He said with a laugh as he patted the Dashboard and gave Sora a wink as she showed him that the first email had been sent off. "Nice, and we'll give the keys to TK and Kari tomorrow." he said with a grin as he started to drive to the store. He was glad they could go, because this would give them a chance to get a little shopping done, and get their heads collected for the task ahead.

"So what do you think the others are going to pack?"


Mei was quiet as she traveled around her kitchen area, returning with a small ashtray. As soon as her guest made it clear what he was looking for she slipped away to a cabinet in the living room. She pulled a small key off of a chain on her neck and opened it. "I lied... I have more." She admitted as she started to rifle through the bottles. They looked eclectically gathered, a strange collection that showed the places her family had been whenever they traveled. "Though not sure some of this is still good, though wines last well. The others... maybe not so much." She said as she left the cabinet open for him.

Nyamon and Gabumon had stayed back, and she was kind of glad for that. At least for the moment. "What would you like to eat? We should eat..." She commented as she walked over to the hall closet now and got down on her hands and knees to start going through the boxes in her closet. A hum in her throat as she found the old military trunk and started to dig through it. She knew she could handle her dads old gear, he had made sure she had always camped using military gear, so she knew how much weight she could actually handle.

Then she pulled out the military grade medical kit and opened it to check the supplies. She knew how to use everything there, as per her father's request and training, and knew it would come in use. "We're gonna take this." She commented as she set it down. Her dad had stocked up on a lot of supplies, before he had died, before he had been sent to war. Her mother had just refused to open this trunk since that moment. "You alright?" She asked as she looked back at her guest.

Sora blinked and looked up from the ghostly white glow of her phone's screen to glance at Tai. "It...started?" she asked in bewilderment, as if second guessing the rumbling sensation in her seat. She peered out the window, out the back at the tufts of trailing smoke in order to convince herself this wasn't all an elaborate trick of the vehicle in order to lull them into a false sense of security. It wouldn't, unfortunately, be the first time. She sent the last of the messages and wiggled the phone back into her pocket. "Okay, one less thing to worry about." The van wormed its way through the narrow streets toward the parking lot of the 7/11, Sora drumming her fingers on her raised knees while she thought. "They're probably thinking the same thing we are, honestly though with Yamato, he's probably going to have his own idea of what 'essentials are'." She scrunched her fingers up to curl in tight quotation marks. They both knew he had battled alcoholism in the past, more from the tabloids and entertainment news than Yamato's own admission. They never pressed the subject for fear of a backlash and often talked about the best ways to breach the subject. Tai was out, of course, the two had too much history and well....Tai was cute and funny and dependable for the most part but when it came to cornering his best friend in an intervention, he was hopeless. That left Sora to the task but each time she thought she had mustered the courage to bring it up, words failed.
"At least we won't be thirsty or have to look too far for a lighter."

They hopped out a moment later and entered the convenience store, the double doors parting before them with a chime. Sora draped a handbasket over her wrist and set to collecting things down the aisle. Murmuring to herself, she took up a few canned goods and dropped them in. "Tai, get a few bottles of water from the back will you?" she asked, turning slightly to call over her shoulder.

A young clerk was leaning over the counter, listlessly leafing through a large volume of Manga opened on the tabletop. When they entered, he offered the weakest of smiles before bowing his head again, pushing his square framed glasses up the bridge of his nose...only to have them slip down again.

She scooped a few cups of noodles into the cart next before going to the next aisle but found that it was nothing but candy and sweets and was about to skip it for the next one over but then...paused. Well, she considered, tapping a finger to her chin. It IS going to be a long trip....

Yamato caught the offered ashtray and set it aside on the table before mashing the filter of his cigarette down into the bowl. He didn't bother lighting another right away and instead peeked over Mei's shoulder to admire the collection of assorted bottles of spirits in the cabinet. A grin spread over his mouth and he reached forward to remove one from the shelf, spinning it around in his hands to inspect the date. "1930," he recited from the label. "Taste the flavor of a worldwide financial crisis." Yamato unscrewed the cap and sniffed at the fumes drifting from the mouth. He took a couple of tumblers from the sink and poured a little of the amber colored liquid into the bottom of each.

He offered one to Mei before raising the glass to the light, examining the texture better as it swirled about in the cup. Are you ready to dance with the devil? He thought and upended the glass. The alcohol burned at the back of his throat, the drink thicker than he imagined and felt like a solid hot lump rolling down his esophagus. It had a vague sweet tinge to it that lingered on the tongue. He hummed his enjoyment as the drumming at his temples ebbed away mercifully.

"Food sounds outstanding," he agreed, pouring himself another shallow drink. He watched her root around at the bottom of the cabinet, swallowing another thick mouthful before she produced the military grade equipment. His interested peaked; Yamato set the glass aside and bent down to inspect the supplies. It indeed had everything they could conceivably need for the excursion: bandages, rubbing alcohol, antiseptic ointments, painkillers etc. "Your dads?" he asked, already knowing the answer. He hefted the box and set it aside to be gathered up with the rest of the supplies they would likely be taking.
"Nothing, I'm fine," Yamato replied, having been caught starring down the hallway again, searching for her father's ghost. He was like a physical presence there, a heavy hand around his shoulders that seemed to warn him about the consequences of hurting his little girl. Secretly, he wished the man would appear. Why couldn't he be there to brow beat him into leaving Mei alone? Yamato deserved that and so much more. She would be hurt, he thought mournfully. Just like all the others...

He turned and wrenched open a few cabinets as if he were going to start making something for them to eat without a clue how to cook himself. His diet these days largely consisted of choice selections from the burnout food pyramid: cigarettes, booze, marijuana and if he was still conscious, some form of fast food or instant noodles. "What're you...um....in the mood for?" he asked, staring blankly at the collection of boxes.

Tai was quiet during the ride, very quiet but he flashed Sora a comforting smile when she confirmed the emails. "Thanks, I appreciate it." He said with a laugh as he pulled into the parking lot. They left his old beater car and entered the little store, he found himself humming one of Mat's songs as he headed into the back for water like Sora had requested. "We could also look into finding out about those water purification tablets... or even umm like a collapsible pot so we can boil water or something?" He commented as he came up beside his partner.

He was as unsure as her, and he was wondering if they should look into hitting up some sort of camping supply store. "Hey wait... isn't Mei like... the kid of a Military individual? She was right? She should have access to the military base... we could talk about taking a trip over there before we meet everyone tomorrow? So she can get us access to their base supply store?" he commented, it was a brilliant idea - Tai had them on occassion.


Mei was quiet as she dug everything out and started organizing and opening things up. She knew how to haul around all of her dads old gear. But when Mat started digging through the first aid kit she blinked. "there is more to it than that" She said with a laugh as she unsnapped a section of the medic kit and revealed the section with other forms of supplies. Things for stitches and burns, even some hypodermics for basic pain killers with longer shelve lives. "My dad... made sure it was prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse... before he... well yeah..."

Mei stood up realizing that mat was talking about cooking, but she opened up her cabinets and her fridge and looked around. "How about I cook for you? It's my kitchen and I know everything better. Or better yet we can pack up all my food, with whatever I pack for the trip... and we can cook it over at your place and the mons could eat too? I think they are still in the van." Mei said as she straightened up for a moment. "I think that's the better course... just let me go pack some clothes and other supplies from my room, and we can get this packed in boxes and go?"

Sora considered the Tai's logic and hesitated before she replied. Her exhausted mind tried to recall some of the details Mei had shared but most were overshadowed by things in her memory. For example, she recalled the girl candidly speaking about her military background during their introduction but it was lost in a sea of Tai playing footsie with her under the table and later the whole ground singing themselves hoarse at the karaoke bar. There was just something about Mei that shifted her to the back of everything like a natural-born wallflower and her memory was no exception.

"I guess it couldn't hurt to ask," she allowed cautiously. "But...she might not have access anymore. Her father died a long time ago, didn't he? Isn't that what she said?" She tried to remember again but could only come up with the sundae she and Tai had split. She could vividly recall slicing her spoon sideways into the banana and feeding her then-boyfriend a heaping mouthful of fruit and ice cream but details about her friends past? It was becoming more than a little embarrassing. "Do you have her number? Maybe we can just text her and ask what she has and pick up what's left."

She changed the hand basket from one arm to the other and examined the contents piled high, taking stock. "Those are all good ideas, Tai but a little much for a convenience store to have on hand." She groaned in dismay, hating how slapdash everything was. What they needed was a plan, a well-organized and carefully thought out list of supplies. A full itinerary for the trip wouldn't hurt either. Despite her mounting concerns, Sora wasn't above making light with a joke at Yamato's expense.

"I think Yamato is going to have us covered on the pot that causes collapsing." All in good fun of course.

Cooking at his place? Yamato wondered if he even owned any kitchen appliances outside of the refrigerator and coffee maker. He was pretty sure he saw a couple of utensils in the sink to wash once but they had disappeared when the maid service came over to clean. Yoshi had organized all of that on his behalf. The cleaning crew, the food deliveries and the like; Even a prostitute or two all had been organized by his manager to greet him at the front door. "Let me take care of all that, Yamato-baby," Yoshi had said. "You just focus on YOU and that next platinum album and all that moolah." He even rubbed his fingers and thumbs together greedily as he said it. In fact, Yamato had grown so dependent on others to see to his daily affairs he was having slight anxiety about Yoshi's unceremonious termination. Now he would need to find a replacement manager for the band and himself.

Maybe Yoshi could do that for him?

"My place," he echoed, dubiously. "Right." The only cooking I do is in the bedroom. It was an old quip he remembered but couldn't recall where it had come from. Had he said that? Probably, it sort of sounded like something he would have said.

He started after her to the bedroom, dutifully avoiding her father's penetrating gaze from the hallway walls. "I'll give you a hand." Mei could hide behind a tidy living room but surely her bedroom was her Atlantis, adrift at sea and shielding the secret person inside!

Tai scratched the back of his head as he helped Sora haul everything over towards the counter. He realized that everything was mounting up slowly but surely, and he knew that his Fiancee was going to crack sometime soon. They were all going to crack, it was a lot of pressure. Perhaps they had dealt with it better as kids, because they had less to think about. But now, things were much different. "No actually, I don't have her number. But I can text T.K. and Kari and get it from them." He said as he fiddled with his phone and started to shoot out a text to the duo.

It didn't take long for them to respond, and he even shot off a text to Mei. Hey, sorry to be a pest. Still got access to the Military Base? It'd help out with our trip. He sent to her as he started to help Sora unload the basket on the counter. The poor store clerk was likely to have a fit, but Tai didn't care. He wanted to get home, have a nice shower with his soon to be wife - or go to bed... but not exactly sleep yet. He had wanted to peel those pants off of her since he had first seen her in them. He loved the way they hugged her ass and... Tai was getting distracted again.

"Well if you don't want me cooking there, you could always bring the Digimon in here?" Mei said as she tried to ignore him for a moment, tried to turn her attention to other things. She was so wrapped up with everything going on that she was still forgetting she was in a sports bra and her slacks. She had her socks of course, but still... she had forgotten all about her dress shirt at that point. "I got it, I don't need your help to go through my room. Don't worry about it..."

She said with a sweet smile as she opened the door and slipped her body through. She was pretty sure that her door closed, but it did have a latching problem. She lost herself in tightly rolling her clothes, enough for two weeks - all tightly rolled and lined up in a straight line on her bed. Funny how the room was a wreck, like her, and the walls covered with the posters of his band that she had collected since they first debuted. But what was even funnier was that all of her clothes seemed to come in two tones. White or black, some both at the same time. Nothing colored beyond that. She looked over her shoulder for a moment, almost nervously, as she slipped a giant box of batteries into the bottom of the rucksack, then she slipped a few toys in.

She was sure she could get some privacy at some point, even bathing on her own. She knew that there wasn't a chance of anything happening between her and Matt, he was just being... he was being him. She wasn't his type, and she knew it. Soon enough she was packing clothes on top of the items in her bag, and even slipping the special meal packages - military grade - into the bag. She realized her phone had buzzed and shot Tai a response, realizing he probably got her number for T.K. or Kari. Yes, I do. I have access till I'm 26, and especially since my father died in active duty. I can take us to the PX. I have quite a few supplies, but it's a smart idea to go there to get more. She texted to him as she grabbed the bag and hauled it over her shoulder.

She stopped by her bedside for a moment and picked up a picture frame. It was one from when she was very small, so very small. Back in the Heighton View Terrace days... It was a picture her mom had taken at the playground, where she was playing with all of the other kids from the complex. One that showed all of the original Digidestined - and a sweet dark haired pig tailed girl with a gap tooth smile. Mei, little Mei. She set the picture down and turned to walk from her room.

The clerk's eyes were blurry, blood-shot orbs fixed into a face of sallow skin. Listlessly, they drifted from the black and white comic panels to the basket, widening slightly. It was running over with so many things that as a soon as they sat it down the perilously stacked tower of rice ball collapsed. A worm of a tongue slithered out to wet his chapped lips and his mouth opened in a quiet yawn. "Will that be cash or credit?" His hands drifted over the items one at a time, the register beating rhythmically each time the scanner registered the barcode like a fading heartbeat.

"Cash," Sora replied absently, rose up on tip toe to see over Tai's shoulder. The display flashed with a new message from Mei, detailing out her base access and assurance that they could get on for better supplies and equipment suited for their trip. It was an odd feeling, having so much more time to prepare for their trip but almost helpless in their preparations. She and Tai were both thinking the same things, another testament to how in sync they were as a couple, so in love so...The transaction total danced across the display, hitting her like a punch to the gut (Or more accurately, a punch to the wallet). So very broke, she mused fishing bills out of her wallet. "This is what we get for buying supplies for a trip to..." she caught herself before she said something foolish in front of the cashier. "...Fuji-san at a 7/11."

"You guys tackling the mountain, huh?" he asked, bagging up their items into plastic sacks without asking if they preferred paper. "That's pretty far out."
"Yeah, it's really far out there alright," Sora agreed, thinking the cashier had no idea how right he was.

Fists loaded with shopping bags, they exited the store to a chime and the cashier returning to his magazine offering a half-hearted farewell on their journey. She half turned back to glance at him as they left, hovering over his manga, clueless, blissfully so. She simultaneously envied and despised him for it, jealous of the mundanity of his existence. How could anyone not know when they'd met someone literally fighting for their existence? All at once she wanted to throw the bags down and rush in, screaming and throwing the items back in his face. Shouldn't he have been glad to supply them on their journey? It would only benefit his sorry ass to do so...A sob welled up in her throat so suddenly that she had to pause. She tried to swallow it back down but it was like a watermelon lodged in her esophagus. She bowed her head with the effort but the tears stinging her eyes were making it difficult to concentrate. Her shoulders hunched up sharply, jumping up and doubling her forward and at last she could hold it in no longer and cried. "Oh, Tai," she whispered and dropped the bags to her feet. The cans rolled away noisily but she hardly noticed.

She threw her arms around his neck, burying her wet cheeks into his neck. "Tai, I'm so scared right now," she confessed miserably. "How do we know...how do we know...?" But she couldn't get the question out; she already knew the answer so it would've been redundant. They couldn't know what lay ahead of them, what horror awaited just through that invisible barrier between their world and the next. They could pack a basketful of food and supplies and Mei could clean out the army surplus store on base and it wouldn't matter. They were still walking in blind and now weary, beaten up and frightened, Sora was falling apart. Tai was the rock, the foundation and perhaps now more than ever before she needed that support.

"Take me home, Tai," she whispered, pressing her lips to his ear. Her crying had quiet down some. The feel of his warm embrace steadied her and she was able to control her voice. "Take me to our safe bedroom. Take me away from these horrible thoughts...take me."


"My place is fine," Yamato replied. Home field advantage and all, he thought. He doubted she had condoms in a convenient bedside table like he had in his bedroom. "It's getting late and I need to get started on my packing too." He explained this while trailing after her but paused at the threshold of her room. Mei had opened the door only a sliver of the way, just enough for her to slip through in some haste to be rid of him. Perhaps she understood his intentions to get a good look at the real Mei and was doing everything in her power to delay the revelation?

He started to turn away soured but was caught by the glimmer of light winking through. The door had closed but not well enough to latch and now stood ajar practically begging him to sneak a peek. Blinking, his first reaction was to reach for the knob and close it the rest of the way. After all, Mei had made it perfectly clear she desired privacy while packing and a noble, long-lost part of him wished to honor her wishes. But a slow, impish grin spread out on his angular features and the desire for a glimpse at the woman within was too tempting to resist.

Quietly, he crept back to the door and shutting one eye, peered through the crack into the young woman's room. The room was in a wreck inside, such a state that it felt like it belonged in a different apartment all together, maybe a whole other building compared to the rest of the house. It was the soul of a girl, the part that she wished to keep hidden away behind a façade of cleanliness and order. No one would suspect the chaos, it was too well guarded. Seeing it now, Yamato felt a pang of guilt. The room was too personal and even though he had been so determined before, he almost regretted stealing the glimpse.

Adorning the walls were posters of the Teen-age Wolves, arranged in such a way one could trace their entire career by talking a short stroll about the room like a leisurely gallery viewing. The earliest they were dressed in high school uniforms, all black with the sleeves rolled up and shirts undone, revealing a toned torso and zero tattoos. The next was a blown up image of their second album, the band arranged around a set of leather furniture. Yamato himself was lounging in the center sofa, arm thrown back over the rise of the cushion. His hair was cut short then, buzzed so severely the white of his scalp shown through. He wore a long, duster trench coat and black and white feather boa draped around his shoulders. The album title, 'Pocket Savior' was stenciled in the corner like a signature.

The images went on, more than a dozen of them from over the years, capping off with the one used to announce the start of their latest worldwide tour. The first and last were spaced almost directly across from one another and for the first time, it was made plan just how much Yamato had changed. The Yamato in the first poster was a boy, a child in every sense of the world and despite the torrent of sweat matting his hair to his cheeks, he was still smiling while he sang. Yamato didn't think he smiled anymore, only leering and showing teeth but never truly smiling like he remembered a human being should.
He was nearly overcome with the urge to rush in and tear the posters down, could picture himself doing it while a bewildered Mei looked on with her arms full of tightly wound bundles of clothes and...was that a dildo he had seen? And a whole case of batteries?

Torn from his daydreaming, he narrowed his eyes, sure of what he had seen yet not believing it. Was she really going to bring sex toys into the digital world? He was so overcome with shock that he nearly burst into laughter and spoiled the whole thing. He got himself under control...only to nearly loose it again when he pictured Izzy's digimon companion, Tentomon, wielding one of those at Skull Greymon while shrieking 'Electro-shocker!'

He cupped a hand to his mouth and retreated to the living room while fishing his phone free of his trousers. "Funny cat video," he would explain if she inquired what he was laughing about

Tai jolted from the response that Mei had sent him, frowning a little and then shivering as he realized he had been too focused on other things. He had been surprised by a text, a text of all things. He could feel Sora behind him, and turned his attention to the guy at the counter. He blinked a few times, almost owlishly as he realized he was being spoken to. He pursed his lips, frowning just a little and then shaking his head almost. He tapped his goggles and then looked over at Sora. "It'll be ok. I promise." he said with a bit of a grin on his face, she seemed to be cracking at the edges, at least that was what he was beginning to sense. They bought the stuff and left for the car.

They walked out to the car, and then he heard her call his name. He lowered his bags for a moment, glad he did as suddenly she threw herself at him and began crying. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and kissing the top of her head - smiling just a little as he remembered she was wearing that old hat. "it'll be ok, I promise." He whispered as he stroked her back and tried to sooth her as best as he could. The times ahead would be trying, and he was musing over them a lot himself. But he also knew that they could make it, that they would make it. That they had always survived, no matter how hard things got.

When Sora finally seemed to calm down, he pulled back enough to wipe at her face. "It'll be ok, I promise. You hear me, Sora? It'll be ok." he said with a smile as he began to clean up the items that had dropped, he opened his car and began loading everything into the vehicle. Stopping a moment to look back at her, smiling just barely as he tried to keep himself as the steady leader - just what she needed in that moment. "Let's go home. Go ahead and get in, I'll load the car up - and we will go home." He said as he started to put the groceries in, then he climbed into his side of the car and started her up. Once again, like the car was giving them one final amazing goodbye - it started up like a charm and started to run. "Alright, buckle up, we will go home and just rest... we can take a shower if you want - anything you want Sora, I want you to feel better."



Me finally finished packing all of her two toned clothing. Even packing a few more decent looking items, at least things that seem to reflect more of her inner self than others. The young woman swung into her bathroom, attached to her room, and started to load up essentials related to the restroom and it's purposes. Even remembering to include as many rolls of toilet paper as she could add. Packing everything in a way that it fit in space effectively, and could easily and quickly be repacked by her later. With everything finished she finally left her room, and turned to look at it one more time before closing the door on that part of herself.

In her hand was the picture from when she was a small girl, that tiny girl child with all of the other kids in the Apartment complex. All of the other kids from the Heighton View Terrace days. Looking back in time, using a single picture, they wouldnt' believe the bright smiling - pig tailed - cheerful and hyper girl had been her. if she told them she had known them a long time, that they had even played together, they would probably laugh. But she walked out holding the picture, having removed it from it's frame, and went to find Yamato.

She seemed to walk with a purpose, and had yet to change. Still wearing the sports bra and her slacks, and still rather calm in the way she seemed to approach things. "Yamato, let's pack up some boxes of food, and supplies - so I can cook for the Digimon at your place?" She said as she set the duffle bag down next to the medical kit. Then she began to attach the medical kit to her duffle beg. Hell there was even a sleeping roll tied down to the back of the bag as well. She could run with the thing on her back, if she needed to. She was no stranger to traveling with heavy duffle bags.

She went into her kitchen and pulled out a few small boxes and started packing up cooking supples, and a few things to cook with. Just in case he didn't have anything at his place. "If you wanna help me get all this downstairs, we can take off?" She commented as she stopped for a moment and pulled open the drawer in her kitchen. Inside was a solar panel charging unit, and she contemplated taking it. "Do you think we might need a charging source for our phones, or do they not work well in the Digital world?" She asked curiously.

"It'll be okay." Tai continued to promise her that over and over like a mantra. She wondered if he really believed it. She chanced a peek up into his face and through her teary eyes caught the familiar outline of his signature grin. All confidence and reassurance despite it all though the weight of the situation was weighing heavily on him as well and the grin wasn't quite as high as she remembered it being in the past. He too was having doubts and that surprisingly gave her comfort. She touched a hand to her breast to assure herself that the warmth spreading there was real and not triggered from exhaustion or desperation but no. It was her strength, that fire that linked them all together as the Digidestined and like a physical blaze, Tai's ignited her own. She nodded her head as her fiancé wiped at her tears, feeling like she could digivolve at any moment. Sora digivolve to...wifu! The thought made her chuckle and she wrapped her arms around Tai's neck, pulling him down for a light embrace.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "I'm alright now; I just got a little...overwhelmed." She took a long shaky breath and dropped to her hands and knees to collect the dropped things. The cans and packages rolled about the ground, bouncing into each other like windup toys. Once everything was repackaged into the bags, she followed Tai to the old beater van and climbed inside, thankful he offered to stow the groceries. She took the brief alone time to flick on the interior lights and examine her face in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were still a little red from the crying and her cheeks were puffy. Sora took a few sleeves of tissue from the middle console and dabbed at her eyes and nose before wadding up the Kleenex into a ball and tossing it away.

The van continued to amaze and started up on the first try. She whistled in admiration but said nothing more, not wanting to jinx it. Instead she patted the dash approvingly, for the first time displaying a miniscule of appreciation for the old beater. It wasn't the most unusual thing to happen today, she thought.
She considered the offer, thinking that a shower sounded absolutely heavenly right then but a bath...oh a warm bath with salts or candles, now that would be paradise. She reclined her head back and let her eyes close, relishing the idea of submerging herself in the pool and letting the day melt away around her like grim. Tai would have to join her of course, Sora thought, stretching the lap belt over her thighs. He deserved a little respite after all they had been through. The night he proposed to his girlfriend, nearly ruined it was a marvel that they were both still standing.

No, she corrected, pausing with the buckle poised to be fastened into the clamp. We survived because we have each other...

She let the seatbelt flop back into place without clicking it home. Instead she scooted over to the edge of her seat and wiggled in beneath Tai's arms outstretched to grip the steering wheel. Wordlessly, she unfastened the clasp of his pants and pulled the flaps apart, the zipper whispering seductively as it dove down. She didn't bother stealing a look around, knowing that even if they weren't alone so late in the evening, the van was concealed in the dark shadows of nearby buildings, giving them all the privacy they would need. Sora fished her husband's cock free from his boxers, finding it swollen with intrigue but not hard, not yet with the head still sheathed inside a protective shield of foreskin.

Eagerly, she took his hairless member into her mouth bathing it in her warmth of her tongue. She felt it begin to swell between her lips almost at once, stiffening to a hard point. She inhaled the musty dampness of his privates, familiar and lewd. She bobbed her head slowly in his lap, taking his length into her opened throat until he tickled the back of her throat, remembering to breathe through her nose. With her right hand she cupped the delicate orbs of his testicles, somewhat awkward in the cramped conditions but she managed. Her other hand groped up the tail of his shirt to caress his bare chest and belly, caressing his athletic build while she worked on his member.


Mei would find Yamato leaning a shoulder into the wall, studying the screen of his smartphone. In his haste to appear nonchalant in wake of catching Mei during such a private moment, he produced his cell and found a few dozen missed calls and voice messages with even more text messages and emails flooding his inboxes. He scrolled through the list with the corner of his thumb. He recognized his bandmates numbers but the fast majority were from media, news and gossip sources all wanting to know the same thing: What exactly had gone down at the concert?

The inbox had received so many messages that it had reached its limit of 999+, warning him direly that if he wanted to rest of his incoming invoices that he would need to delete some of them. He thumbed a few into the recycle bin only to have them immediately replaced by more and the same message alerting him of the emails storage capacity. After a few more tries with similar results, he gave up. The most recent message had been a formal notification from Yoshi Masahara's attorney, threatening Yamato with legal action for the unceremonious dismissal. This of course was juxtaposed against a flurry of calls and texts from Yoshi, begging forgiveness, offering apologies and feinting confusion before dissolving into thinly veiled threats. Then just threats.

"You don't want what I know getting out, Yamato-baby," one message went. "You don't want the press finding out that the Teenage Wolves are REALLY Teenage Wolves, do you?" Yoshi was alluding to a completely false rumor that Yamato had slept with a teenage girl in the states, causing something of a scandal and plenty of hush money. It was ludicrous, even Yamato at his worst had standards but if his manager began speaking out it might just be the end of his career.

He stowed the phone away, wanting it out of his hands quickly as if it had suddenly become red hot. He had been so distracted Yamato had barely heard what she said. He looked up to catch her watching him, patiently waiting for a reply. In her haste to pack, she failed to remember to put on a proper shirt he observed. Panicked, he tore his eyes away from her chest and focused on the box in her hands, piled with cooking supplies.

"Um, yea," he ventured after clearing his throat. "That sounds...great. We should definitely do...do that. Let me get that box." He hurried over and hefted the heavy contents out of her hands, the dishes clattering noisily with the shifting weight. It was a tad heavier than he anticipated but he caught himself before he could ask what was all in it. Something told him he should have known that.

"I'll just run this downstairs and be right back." 

Tai had been relaxing, waiting for Sora to put her seatbelt on so that they could get home. Instead he found himself mildly surprised as her seat-belt slid back into place without being clicked into the locking position. Her turned his gaze upon her, rather questioning - but was even further surprised as he realized she was leaning towards him. "Sora?" He asked his wife-to-be, a little shocked the moment her hands slid across his pants and started to undo them. Though he wasn't hard at that moment, he felt that twitch of a response rocket through his body the moment her hands started to stroke across him.

"Aww... fuck... Sora, you don't have to do this." he whispered as his hand stroked across her hair, but he stopped the moment she started to use her mouth to pleasure him. A hiss of delight left him as the surge of pleasure rushed through him. He had been on edge, heavily aroused, for most of the concert, and suddenly that came back full force. He gave a cry of delight, as she began to pleasure him in full - feeling her head bobbing and her mouth and throat working to bring him pleasure. "Alright, if you are set on doing this - wh-who am I to stop you." he said with a groan slipping from his lips. He adjusted the seat popping it back a little to give her more room, and to give him a better look.

He had been intending on driving home, but apparently she had the driving of another matter on her mind. He tangled his fingers in her hair and carefully started to guide her, even as he bit his lip from the feeling of her fingers fondling and playing with his balls. "Mmm suck a little harder." He guided gently as he rocked his hips up just a little, moaning from the feeling of her warm mouth wrapped around his cock. His breath coming in small and patterned bursts as he closed his eyes and remembered the way she had moved in the clothes Mimi had put her in.

His cock hardened, reaching it's full length and girth as he rocked himself into the cavern of her mouth. He hummed with absolute pleasure as he felt the ministrations of his lover start to bring him closer to that pleasant edge. "I'm not going to last long, you looked so amazing in that outfit today. But I promise, after the shower I'll return the favor."

Mei was lost into the process of packing things up, even stopping to pack up a couple bottles from her fathers cabinet. She set everything up as Yamato took the first box down. She moved on to making sure everything would be in order, than she hauled her bag on to her back and left the apartment. Turning off all the lights, locking her bedroom door, and the back porch, and then locking the front. As she had texted her neighbor she slipped her spare key into their mail slot and then headed down to the car with the extra two boxes held in her arms.

Everything was done, and she had a path for her to follow now. She went down to the van she and Yamato had taken, and started to load the items up. The digimon seemed to be passed out, which made her really happy. They could relax and then they would eat when they woke up. "What do you like to eat? I packed up ingredients for just about anything I could think I could make at your apartment. I figure the Digimon would like to eat as much as they possibly could, given how much energy they expended." Mei said as she closed the back and leaned against the van.

She was tapping a pack of smokes on her hand, looking up at the sky as she opened the pack and then lit up the smoke with her father's old service lighter. "It's going to be hard, you know? This isn't something I ever considered I would do... I don't... I don't really feel like one of you." She admitted as she let her gaze slide over to Yamato.

Sora hummed to herself, a quiet murmur in the dark mingled with the soft wet suckling for a lewd symphony. Of course she didn't have to do it, Sora had wanted to. Truthfully, she rather enjoyed going down on her husband to be, feeling him fidget and tremble about while she pleasured him, as if his cock were a lightning rod and the bolts of energy generated from her lips made him go wild with spasms. She relished the control the simple act allowed her, so much more than just fucking the man (though by now she was tempted to just crawl into his lap and straddle him in the seat). He was hers like this, unable to move or even think about anything else until she allowed him.

Sora let her eyes flutter closed, testing the weight of his member against her tongue, teasing the tip with a tickling lap before she bobbed her head down again, swallowing him to the hilt. She knew what Tai liked and even though this was far from their first blowjob, he always seemed to react like it was. She only used her hands to massage his swollen testicles, separating the gingerly between her fingers like ripe plums. Her mouth and head worked in tandem, never losing the rhythm and could feel his orgasm building. Like the tremors before a volcanic eruption, she felt them in her fingers and between her lips.

Sora waited until she was certain he was teetering on the edge and took his entire shaft into her haughty mouth, swallowing hard as if desperate to drain it all out in one quick motion.



Yamato emerged into the still night, hefting the box into the back hatch. The interior light clicked on, bathing the two dozing occupants in harsh faux-sunlight. Gabumon pawed lazily at his eyes and nose as if the light were bothersome fly before giving up and rolled away from the glare and turned his head into the cushion. A stifled yawn rose out of the backseat before subsiding just as quickly as it came. Like the feline counterpart of the human world, Nyamon stretched her four paws out, flexing claws before collapsing back into deep slumber next to his digimon companion. It was almost too cute for words and served to lift his spirits some.

Yamato's phone continued to vibrate incessantly throughout the short trip downstairs like a pocketful of impatient bees. He fished it out again to find Yoshi's shit-eating face grinning up at him from the display. The picture was from a sushi bar they'd visited in Sapporo. He had a piece of raw fish and rice snapped between wooden chopsticks, frozen in time about to take a bit. His little finger was raised like a proper British gentleman about to sip at his noon tea, the ring on that digit glinting in the light.

Yamato's thumb automatically went to the green ANSWER button like it had a thousand times before but changed course at the last moment and depressed DECLINE, forwarding his ex-manager to the overstuffed voicemail box. He closed the trunk, slamming it more forcefully than he intended and nearly bumped headlong into Mei as she joined him in the street. "What do I like to eat?" he echoed, struggling to tear himself away from brooding. "Um...can you make Daigaku Imo?" The swing of strong alcohol had put him in the mood for sweet potatoes though he had no idea why.

He put the phone into silent mode and stuffed it into the back of his jeans. Out of sight, out of mind wouldn't help him now though. Even if Yoshi couldn't reach him, he was still very much out somewhere in the city trying his hardest to get wayward Yamato to fall back into line. He doubted Yoshi would really attempt legal action just yet, you don't sue your biggest meal ticket after all. But a few nasty rumors and loose comments to the press, a little indication to a get a good scandal going, a way for him to say without saying, 'See, Yamato-baby? See what I can do to you? This is only the beginning if you continue to act so erratically. Now get back into step and dance for the worlds amusement, monkey-man.'

Yoshi Masahara had his hooks in deep, had been grinding them deeper since the day the Teenage Wolves agreed to bring him on as their manager and media liaison. In the past, during one of his more lucid moments, Yamato convinced himself that Yoshi's power was limited, that HE was really in control of his own life. Now, standing on the curve of some strange girls apartment, dying for a smoke and a drink and a fuck (not necessarily in that order, mind you) with a literal pocketful of threats about the future of his music career and about to charge headlong into the digital world...he wondered how deep those hooks went before they bit through flesh and ground into bone, his very foundation.

Was he even Yamato anymore, or just some creature crafted in Yoshi Masahara's image? Frankenstein and his monstrous creation paraded out onto the world stage...The phone vibrated against his buttocks and he quickly pulled it free and spiked it savagely against the pavement. It shattered into a hundred plastic pieces upon impact but just before it touched down onto the street, he caught of flash of his ex-managers face on the screen. Yoshi was still seated in the same sushi shop, chopsticks and morsel ready to be eaten, ring finger sticking out...only he was certain now that the man was laughing at him.   

Yamato thumbed his nose down at the bits and laced his fingers atop his messy crown, taking a deep, shaky breath. Her words rung in his ear, making them itch until he reached up and gave his earlobes a tug. "I know the feeling," he replied, glancing over at her suddenly. "I haven't felt like one of the Digi-Destined in...in a very long time. Like it all happened to someone else, a whole different guy that I just read about. You're right though, it's going to be hard...we've been given a big responsibility with no way to really prepare for what's coming." I don't know if that same power that saved us before will return. This time, we might be on our own, this time...I think I drank and fucked the crest of friendship away. That's what he wanted to say. Instead, he tried to reassure Mei. "...but we have to try. The world is depending on us."

Tai was drawn tight, even as she teased and play with him. Even as the love of his life fondled and tugged, twisted and pleased. Her tongue playing, her mouth sucking. She was good at his, and he found himself hissing again as his hips started to buck a bit faster, his fingers tangling just a little tighter in her hair as he rocked himself into the pleasure of her mouth. That feeling was getting closer, and he cried out when she pulled away from him, only licking the tip of him. But that cry was cut off quickly the moment she wrapped her lips around him again and pushed all the way down. He could feel that suck, all the way into his toes. He could feel the volcanic pleasure as it began to ripple through him like a tidal wave.

She was working her throat as if trying to milk him, her fingers playing and teasing, and it worked. He gave a cry of surprise as his hip and hand pushed at the same time and he cried out. She intended to get every drop at the same time, and he found himself cumming hard inside of her mouth. The hormones of the day releasing just a little as he panted, his eyes opening as he stroked his hand across her hair. His body quivering as he gave a small sound of pleasure. He was still semi-hard, hadn't gone completely soft yet, but the feeling of her mouth around him was heaven.

"I'm definitely returning the favor after - or during - the shower." He stated as he gave her that usual smile of his, trying to show her the confidence and courage she needed from her partner.

Mei continued to suck on the cigarette as she watched him launch his phone into the ground. That fire from before burning in her gut, as her eyes seemed to sharpen with anger. "He better not show up again, or I'll treat him like I do cockroaches." She muttered as she sucked down a deep breath of smoke and slowly exhaled. Smoking again, after not doing it so often, was a sort of release she hadn't expected. Nowhere near as good as the orgasm she got from her vibrator, but a pleasure all of it's own.

Shit, Mei, don't think about that kind of stuff. You'll get yourself into all sorts of trouble. She reminded herself as she tried to push down the hormones that had built up because of the concert and the near death experience she had. "Well, at least you have been there before. I'm going in completely blind." Mei admitted as she held the pack out to him offering him a smoke, as he had offered her several before. "I can make just about anything. YOu're in luck, that I like sweet potatoes so much." Mei said as she cleared her throat and then looked off into the distance.

"I suppose we should get driving?" She asked him as she looked over at him, seeming to settle back into that quiet and sweet girl they had all observed on occasion. "I'm goign to have to cook, and we both still need sleep." She murmured as she opened the door and rolled down the window, slipping into her seat and buckling the seat belt.

His anguished cries of sweet torture had barely left his lips when Sora felt Tai explode in her mouth, bathing her tongue in a torrent of his seed. His climax felt thicker than normal, fuller in her throat as she swallowed it all down. When she loosed him from her lips, his member was still engorged and red from the stimulation and would likely be ready again with the slightest provocation. A tear-drop of his arousal topped the head of his penis like the dot of an eye but with one last flick of her tongue, it too vanished.

"You'd better," she teased, righting herself in the seat and fastening the buckle over her lap. "If you're not too worn out for another round or three." She was teasing again. Tai was still at an age where a stiff breeze could make him rock hard, even after having just enjoyed an orgasm. She was tempted to put that notion to the Pepsi challenge and tug her pants off and climb into his lap but Sora wanted a shower first.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand self-consciously, waiting for Tai to get himself back into sorts and put the car into gear. She stole a glance over at the convenience store, suddenly fearful that she'd find the clerk inside pressing his greasy face up against the front glass, watching them. He would be wearing a lewd grin and when their eyes met, he'd toss her a thumbs-up of approval. But no, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief and found the clerk still pouring over his stack of manga, looking to be on the verge of slumping forward into a deep sleep.

The van had been waiting ever so patient for them, idling in the parking lot while great grey clouds belched out of the tailpipe, seeming to say, 'Whenever you two kids are ready...'

"A bath," Sora announced her inner-monologue from earlier. "I want a nice, hot bath with the whirlpool jets turned on. And some scented candles around. Those apple ones that I like and turn the lights down low." She was losing herself in the fantasy of it all and smiled over at Tai, wryly. "You can skip the rose pedals though."


Yamato toed the fragments of his phone with the tip of his boot idly, feeling the sudden surge of anger ebb away, leaving the hollow of his chest quite barren once again. Well that wasn't entirely accurate; since that part of his soul was usually occupied by his laundry list of vices and now would be no exception but it beat anger...he thought so anyway. He looked up to find that same anger being shared in Mei, as if those blazing eyes of hers were mirrors into his inner being. "I don't think we'll have to worry about that. We'll be gone by tomorrow morning."

His eyes traced the grey halo of cigarette smoke around Mei's head and inhaled the aroma of burning tobacco. It aroused his own hunger and he decided that he could use a cigarette and reached for his pack in his shirt pocket but stopped when Mei offered hers forward. They weren't his brand but he didn't refuse and plucked one of the white sticks free from the carton. He didn't bother asking for a light and instead fished his free from his shirt and cupped a hand over the tip out of habit. He chased the stubby end with the flame for a moment since it bobbed about while he spoke, "The Digital World is...it's sort of like being Alice in the Looking Glass. Nothing makes too much sense yet...the place has its own set of rules." The cherry blazed to life and he inhaled the sweet taste into his lungs. It was richer than his brand but not altogether unpleasant. He wondered if her father smoked this brand. After a few drags Yamato began to feel like himself again, the nicotine helping to calm his rattled nerves. Two cravings down, he thought flicking the charred filter away and mashing it out with his heel. He eyed Mei's bare shoulders and chest, thinking that there was still one more to go...I hope it's not the only thing I'm lucky for tonight, he thought.

"Yeah, lucky," he agreed with a nod for once not pessimistic about the sentiment. "I can't wait to try it." He imagined waking up some morning, after another drunken rampage of bar hopping and finding her standing in his kitchen, naked save for an apron. In his mind's eye, he would enter the room still groggy from sleep and too much alcohol and she would turn around slowly, smiling. "Breakfast is ready." He could hear it so clearly it was like the real Mei next to him had said it. She would undo the bow at her throat and the apron would fall away...

Her question brought him back to reality and the Mei of his fantasies dissolved away to find the real thing materialize in her place. The sweet, shy and quiet Mei with her cigarette held aloft and blazing in the evening air. Her lips would taste just like those cigarettes, he thought and touched a hand to his mouth instinctively.

"Yeah," he said at last, feeling things low in his abdomen responding to his overactive imagination and the sudden realization of what it would be like to kiss this woman. "Yeah, we should get a move on before it gets any later." He slid in behind the wheel and turned the key, the engine rumbling to life at once. The sudden shift and noise did little to stir the Mon from their slumber. Gabumon snorted, shifted on the spot then lay still. He spied the duo through the rearview mirror and chuckled as he put the car into gear. "Must be nice to sleep that soundly," he thought aloud.

Tai gave one last shuddering breath as he pulled himself together. A sigh leaving him as he tucked himself away and zipped back up. He adjusted the seat back to normal, and then adjusted how he was sitting. He was still semi-hard, and that was going to pester him until he could get it handled again. Hormones, they were not the best of things. Perhaps it was further pushed on by the fact that they had a life or death situation not that long ago. He smiled at his future wife, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the lips. "I think I can do a few more rounds." he said with a laugh as he put his seatblet back on, waiting for her to get herself settled in.

"A bath sounds nice, and the jets would be good for our backs." He commented as he started the process of pulling out of their parking slot. Getting home wouldn't be hard, and the digimon would likely be asleep for awhile. He whistled rather joyfully as he drove off towards their apartment. "I think we can even add some of the bubble bath you like, what do you think?" He asked as he turned the corner, and then found himself mostly focusing on the road. If she spoke he could easily respond, but he wanted to make sure they made it to their destination safely.

"I think the 'mons will be out for awhile, so we have plenty of time to ourselves. We can catch a few hours of sleep, and then get everything together to pick up Mei and Yamato. Then we can go to the base..." He commented as he looked back towards her. "With enough time to spend a few hours on the pier with our friends, before we head over to where the 'mons say we go through to the digital world?" He said with a flash of a smile, then turning his gaze back to the road.

Mei was focused on the road ahead, as she sat in the seat. Yamato's words echoed in her mind, but she was focused on smoking and thinking. As a military brat she was making plans in her head, and building up lists of things they might be able to take with them. If Yamato didn't object she might get him a rucksack at the base, so he could carry more. The more they could take, with those that could take it, the better. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it. That was something her father had taught her. "Mmm at least the smokes are good, I had a few cartons - but I'll probably get  more." She admitted as she looked over at him.

"Nyamon has always slept pretty heavily, I think it's a cat thing. Though when she needs to be up she is magically awake before I even know she needs to be awake." Mei mused with a small laugh, her eyes dancing with mischief as she looked over at Mat. "Though I have to say, it's a cute picture back there. They look so happy and content, but they will wake up with hunger that rages like the Gods." She mused as she took another long drag, holding the smoke in till she couldn't and then slowly exhaling as she looked out of the window.

She wondered how the situation would go, as soon as they were at his place. She would need to cook, that much was obvious. She would also have to turn her attention towards making sure the 'mons were settled down. But what bothered her the most was the way Yamato had touched her, talked to her, that day. She still felt guilty, from the look on his face - after he had helped her with Yoshi. She still felt pretty bad that he had shown genuine interest and she had shot him down. But that was because she couldn't believe someone like him could like her.

She reached into her jacket, pulling out the image from Heighton View Terrace, the one her parents had taken before the incident that had caused them to move. Her fingers smoothing over the picture - of all the kids that played on the playground rather regularly. "So long ago."

Sora chuckled at his jest, turning her head ever so slightly so that Tai kissed the corner of her mouth rather than full on the lips. I doubt he would be too keen on tasting himself, she chuckled. Sora could still feel the sensation of his hard member sliding in and out from between her lips like a phantom memory, could still taste his seed on the back of her throat. It reminded her of taking a big bite of peanut butter with too little milk to wash it all down. She fished a half full water bottle out from between the seats and unscrewed the cap as Tai shoved the old van into reverse then roughly into drive.

She swallowed a mouthful of water and nodded, thinking the bubble bath was a good touch an awarded her future husband a few extra brownie points for the effort. A nice blowjob does wonders for the mind of the heterosexual male, she mused and nearly burst out laughing. Goodness it was late if she was laughing at sophomore humor like that! Wiping her mouth, she stole another quick gulp of water and replaced the bottle, "Bubbles sound fun." She imaged tracing a few up and over Tai's chest, circling them around his hard nipples half submerged in the water and felt a shiver travel up from her loins. Sora reached for the hand crank to wind the window down to get a little fresh air in to combat the onslaught of hot flashes but remembered they didn't work anymore, hadn't for some time.

She certainly hoped they would have time to themselves. The way their luck was going tonight they might just walk in to find them wide awake and bouncing around the furniture like a couple of rambunctious five year olds. At least let us get a bath, she pleaded to the fates. Just one hot, steamy bath with bubbles and scented candles and you can throw whatever baddies you want our way!

Mei and Yamato, she thought, wondering what those two were up to. She hoped he was behaving himself with the poor dear. She might have her pegged all wrong but to Sora it seemed Mei might be of a...delicate sort but even if she wasn't and Sora had her all wrong the last thing the journey needed was a lovers quarrel to make matters worse. Yamato had a long, stringy trail of broken hearts behind him that spanned continents. Hopefully they wouldn't lead into the digital world too...



Traffic had largely died down even on the highway and Yamato managed to make good time. They had lapsed into a comfortable silence, fading in and out of street lights and neon colored signs. Yamato had to surf past a few broadcasts to find more music. In wake of the attack at the stadium most late night rock and roll had been commandeered for breaking news. Most of the initial panic immediately following the event had died down so now all the anchors had to go on was openly speculating and providing crackpot theories that included space aliens and the biblical rapture among others. The last so-called expert vanished in a wash of static and was replaced by the gospel of Mick and Keith.

He turned the volume down a few bars until the music was a murmur in the background so they could talk. "Amen," he laughingly agreed. "Smokes are a big must on this trip. The nicotine addiction would get me before any big bad 'Mon could." What was the longest he had gone without a smoke? Well, sixteen years of course but what about since he started? Just long enough for a concert of venue to wrap, perhaps before he was ushering outside for a drag, crowding into hotel doorways in the dead of winter like an out of work hooker.

"Gabumon could probably give her a run for her money! That extra fur acts like an electric blanket and keeps him toasty warm all year round. Perfect for dozing off." He nodded his head to their reflection in the rear view mirror. "You could sell that as a holiday greeting card and make a killing. I could see it now."

Yamato knew first-hand the kind of fierce hunger a Digimon could possess, briefly flashing back to their time long ago visiting the Digital World and how they would all stand in amazement while their companions gorged themselves on indigenous fruit. "They've got to eat a lot. Digivolving requires a huge surge of energy and takes a lot out of the little guys, especially the first time. All that power bursting out at once in a big flash of light." His tone took on a dreamy quality as he reminisced. "It was..." Beautiful, he recalled glancing back at Gabumon. The monsters fuzzy belly rose rhythmically up and down as he snored. "...really something to see it happen."

He spied the photo in Mei's hands, recognizing it at once as the old neighborhood, the old playground. "Heighton View Terrace." He made it a statement. "The old complex...that night. Hey, look at that," he reached over and tapped a finger to the page, indicating the blonde haired boy racing past the younger Mei's right shoulder in hot pursuit of a red kickball. That wasn't the interesting part however. What made the picture really special was the fact that Mei and Yamato were the only unobstructed people. The other Digi-Destined children were present in the photo as well but in the form of arms and legs, hats or hidden behind a swing set or jungle gym. "We're in the picture together."

Tai kind of felt a bit more relaxed as his future wife said that she would enjoy the bubbles. He gave a grin as he continued to drive towards their place. He was in a better mood, and he was seeing a bit of a brighter future ahead of them. "Got all the emails done? I'll give the news to Hikari and Takeru tomorrow when we all meet up." He said as he turned the corner, glad to see a smile on Sora's face again. The traffic didn't seem all that bad, but he was focused on the road for a bit of time. His mind spinning wheels towards what they would be doing the next day.

They spun towards what had happened, and spun towards the knowledge that Mei was now a member of the team. She felt like she was a burden, but perhaps Mei and Nyamon would end up something like TK and Patamon. They were integral members of the team, even when they didn't feel they could do anything. Eventually they became something powerful enough to push all the others towards a higher goal. "Let's hope for the best." he found himself whispering, as that old determined look swept his features.

Suddenly he made the turn into the parking slot attached to their apartment, and started to kick himself into high drive as he got out of his seat as fast as possible. "Alright, let's get all this up there and get into that bath. What do you say Sora!" he said with that old smile on his face. He scratched the back of his head and went to the back of the car, then opened it. He started loading up as many bags on his arms as he possibly could. "more than one trip is for sissies!" he exclaimed as he motioned for her to close the trunk so he could follow her into the apartment.


"Yeah... my parents had tried to take it with all the kids together, but everything suddenly went chaotic as the picture was taken. I do have another, of all of us on the playground on the jungle gym. My dad loved that one, even though I was sitting at the bottom watching all of you - my dad really loved that. I have that in my wallet." She said as she tapped her fingers on her pants pocket. Still she wore nothing but the black sports bra like tank top, and hadn't bothered to get herself a replacement shirt.

but she was content, beyond content in that one moment. Even with the memory of Yamato groping her, teasing her nipple, and realizing what the quiet woman hid under her clothes. She looked out the window as she lit up another smoke, and let her gaze slide over the city as they drove. What was he thinking? She wasn't sure herself. All she knew was that she wanted to get to his place and then cook their meal as fast as she could. As many varieties of food as possible, as Nyamon and Gabumon would eat a lot.

Then she would get her 'mon to bed and she would get herself some sleep. Not like anything was going to happen with her and Yamato, like seriously. She was nowhere near his type, and he had only been taking an opportunity to keep his 'image' up. Plus, they were on a team now. Last thing they needed was issues in the ranks. So she would have to suffice with the fact that she was pretty much going to be on her own for this trip. Other than Nyamon, and her new friends. Being in a traveling party with a couple would be a bit problematic.

"I'll leave my bags down here, and just bring up all the food and stuff. Unless you think I should bring up the bags, so I can borrow your shower and change in the morning?" She commented as she took a drag from the smoke and let her eyes slowly slide over to him.

Sora pulled one knee to her chest, wrapping an arm loosely around her shin as she spied the passing street lights drifting past the car. She pressed her forehead into the cool glass, tracing a little circle in the puff of fog that billowed into the window. The anxiety that had nearly overwhelmed her before had ebbed away, just another shadow lurking about outside the comforting warmth of firelight. She turned to that light now, the hat going askew against the glass as she mirrored the smile with a lazy one of her own. "Yeah, I sent them all earlier so we're all good on that front." Tai had a knack for driving demons away, always had like the world's best security blanket against an entire closet of boogeymen. They had all rallied around that strength before, hell on several occasions it had saved them all. It fueled their own resolve and..."We were made stronger by it."

So the worst of the episode had passed, leaving her feeling a little drained and oddly satisfied given that she was yet to orgasm herself. The embers of her arousal were still present however, smoldering between her legs just waiting to be rekindled. Judging by the way Tai hopped out of the car and bounded around to the back like an excitable St. Bernard, he was just as anxious.

She cupped a hand to her mouth, twisting in her seat to watch him wrench open the back hatch and start stuffing bags up the length of his arm and hands until they were bulging like white buds on a flower. 

Sora slid out and slammed the door behind her, going around in order to help out with the haul but found that Tai had already cleared the trunk out on his own. "Sissies, right," she chuckled, slapping the door closed behind them before leading the way up the stairs to their apartment, taking the steps two at a time.

Once inside, she stole a quick peek in on their Digimon, like a parent wanting to ensure the children were asleep before setting the presents out beneath the Christmas tree for the authentic Santa Claus experience. Through the sliver of space, she spied the duo still fast asleep, piled on top of one another like a bunch of sleepy puppies. Sora waved Tai over to sneak a peek himself, having to try very hard to keep from cooing an 'Awwwwww!' at the sight. Agumon's elevated leg scratched at the air rhythmically, his clawed toes flexing before lying still again. Biyomon had her wings wrapped around her middle, folded beneath a blanket of feathers and snoozing peacefully.

"I forgot how funny they can be," she whispered up to Tai, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her hands, the casual motion nearly tugging them right down to her thighs. Stupid pants, she grumbled, hitching them back up to her hips. Holding a silencing finger up to her lips, Sora quietly closed the door to their bedroom and padded away toward the bathroom. Inside was sectioned off into three areas per Japanese architecture. The sink was to her immediate left with the toilet located directly ahead behind a narrow door. To her right, behind a sliding glass panel was the shower/bath combination. The tile floor cut into a square block of a room, with an open shower unit beside the chasm of a tub. It was more cramped than cozy but it they didn't need much room. They were rarely home anyway and when they were, it was just they two...for now.

She paused above the dark orifice of a drain and stripped the pants down to her knees, her lower bodying breathing a sigh of relief. The confines of the tight pants had left angry, raised outlines of seems and zippers and buttons all over her pale legs. Unable to wiggle her feet free from the drain-pipe legs, she waddled over to the edge of the tub and took a seat against the rim to wrestle her limbs free. "Don't laugh," she warned, teasingly. "I think these puppies were cutting off my circulation!"



The headlights of the car cut through the darkness of the street, leading up to Yamato's apartment building. They were so close and the structure so high that he had to crane his neck back against the window to see the dazzlingly lite top.

"I'd like to see it," he replied in regards to the second photograph, with genuine interest. Most of his old keepsakes had been lost in the various moves around the country. First to Roppongi, nowhere to far but Yoshi had insisted. "Yamato-baby, you gotta follow the nightlife and Roppongi is where the magic of Tokyo happens! You want contacts; you make them in the clubs and bars with rich westerners!" He had been right, eerily prophetic as the Teenage Wolves became rather chummy with a group of American investors looking to cash in on the 'Asian Wave' of music that was all the rage now. What started as a modest contract to produce their tunes in the west (starting in a few key cities, then digital downloads online) resulted in a world tour.

But then, eight months later, Yoshi informed him that he had to move again. "Roppongi is old hat, Yamato-baby. You gotta stay on the cutting-edge; keep your ear to the ground of the music scene and honey, that isn't Roppongi, hell that isn't even Tokyo anymore! Osaka awaits!" So he relocated to Osaka and lived there for fourteen months, got hooked on coke but kicked the coke habit with painkillers. Somehow they produced their second album during those days and he talked at length during interviews, gushing about the music scene in Osaka.

"It's really blowing up out here, big time. Anyone who is anyone in the industry that is serious about the Asian Wave is producing their stuff in Osaka." In truth, he could barely remember writing anything for the album for being stoned all the time.

Yamato shook his head, forcing his mind away from bad dreams and lost thoughts and snapped back into the present. He wondered if Mei would allow him to make a copy of the pictures? What was lining his walls now? A few gold and platinum albums behind glass display cases just as you entered, assaulted every day by his own success. The hallways threading their way through the rest of the penthouse were adorned with photos of Yamato exclusively after the bands success. A black and white photo of him in the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow hung in the living room, taken from behind with his arms thrown out wide as if to embrace the massive audience stretching out like a sea before him. Another picture was stationed in the main hallway, shaking hands with President Obama, the Queen of England, Prime Minister of Canada, and some dictator in South America. Framed magazine's with him on the cover included Teen Beat, Tiger Beat, Us Weekly, In Touch, Guitar World, Rolling Stone, Musicians Friend, Rolling Stone again. More pictures of Yamato with various celebrities, some were even autographed. (Tim Burton: "Your wild, kid!" Madonna: "Drinks anytime!" Tetsuya Fujiwara: "Go Lions!" Kathleen Kennedy: "Call me! We're always looking out for new talent!")

In the bathroom (who keeps these things in the bathroom?) more candid photos of himself on stage, bellowing into the mic with his legs splayed apart. His hands were clawed against the neck and frets in mid-strum.

He sidled the car up to the curve and staggered out with a hand pressed to his temple, the assault of what his apartment looked like driving home a headache. Not an apartment, he grimaced. An idol dedicated to a false god.

"Bags? Yeah, I got them, don't worry about it. I'd grab a shower tonight since we don't know where our next chance will be. It might be some time before you see hot, running water again." He wrenched open the back and gathered a few of the heavier bags, the Mon's rousing from their slumber in wake of all the noise. "Wakey, wakey, eggs and bacey," Yamato announced.

The youth lead the ragtag caravan up to the service elevator and pressed the top most button along the panel, labeled Penthouse in bold words so large they took up the entire top column. Despite his aversion to dwelling on Osaka, his mind returned to his former home, wondering how he had kicked the painkillers. His eyes drifted back over to appraise Mei, still in nothing more than a pair of slacks and bra and felt a familiar sensation tug at his loins. Right, he replaced it with sex...

Tai followed after Sora, that smile still on his face as he held the bags. He was stronger than he looked, on many occasions and was rather glad that he was capable of hauling all of it in one go. When Sora opened the door he slipped in, kicking off his shoes, and headed straight for the Kitchen. He hummed a little, stretching just a little as he set all the bags down and then let himself stretch out fully. He was still riding the high from the blow job his woman had given him, and he found it was nice to watch her move around. He followed after her, as she checked up on the mons, grinning as he watched the two digimon sleeping like adorable children. "We should find a way to keep track of the days while we are there, I think we should still practice holidays - so we stay in a good mood while we are there." He whispered in her ear.

He leaned against the bathroom wall, not undressing yet. He was enjoying the process of Sora undressing, and he found himself amused as he watched her. It was nice, watching her wiggle herself out of her pants. A bright grin on his face as he pulled off his goggles and set them down on the back of the sink. "Don't wanna forget those." he mused as he gave his lover a bright smile. He started to undress, stripping out of his shirt first, and then his pants. He apparently was going without underwear, but it was mostly because the outfit had been easier to wear without them. "Here let me help." He said as he came up next to her and crouched down.

He helped her pull her feet free and tossed the clothes away. He ran his fingers through her hair, and smiled up at her as his other hand slowly trailed fingers up the inside of her leg. "I promised you something, didn't I?" he said with a small flicker of a grin on his face. "Shower first, let the bath get ready with bubble bath... light your candles... and during the shower I can return the favor that you gave me." He said as he let his hand trail from her hair to her shoulder, just barely brushing against her chest. A small smile on his face as his fingers just barely grazed around her nipple. He was touching, but he was not, and it was the perfect way to tease his partner.

"If you want, that is. I'd enjoy it, and I'm sure you would. but I figured during the shower would be easier, you can use the wall as support and I can use my shoulders to help hold you up. Or you can lay on the tile - either way, you can get clean and get happy at the same time." he said as he reached over and turned the water on for the tub, so it would fill up. He tossed in a handful of her weird little bath beads and then poured some of the bubble bath in for good measure. "You get your shower going, I'll get the tub filled and the candles going." He said with a grin.

-----------------

Mei slipped out as she started to gather items, as soon as the van was open. Nyamon seemed to burst into life as they stopped - untangling herself from the dog like digimon that she had been tangled up with in her slumber. She bounced from the car and wrapped around Mei and Yamato's legs. Then walked rather feline like after them. Mei hauled as much as she could, even as they entered the elevator. Finally, they were getting somewhere. Mei would have to make something that was quick, so that the Mons could start eating, after that she would work on modifying a few things to better fill all four of the hungry bellies.

The dark haired woman leaned against the wall, holding boxes stacked in her arms, and her military bags on her back. "No, I'll wait for the morning. I'm going to have to make all the food, and get the dishes cleaned. No use leaving dirty dishes this entire time. A shower in the morning is a perfect idea. Besides, I hate showering at night, sleeping with wet hair is a horrible feeling." She said softly as she kept her gaze away from Yamato. Her chest still tingled with the memories from earlier.

She shook her head, muttering under her breath for a moment. "As for the pictures, I can show it to you later - after the Mons are passed out. I have one inside my wallet. It's one of the ones my dad managed to get of all of us on the jungle gym. When we come back, I'll take you through the books my parents made when we lived in Heighton View Terrace." She murmured as she closed her eyes and leaned on the wall.

Flashes coming to her mind for a moment, the ones of the video that had been 'released' to her and her mother. The videos of her father's death. The way that her mother seemed to have just given up when they went back to Japan. Mei had fought hard to help her mother, even getting a part time job while in High School, even with the money from the military, in an attempt to make life easier for her mother. Her mothers diagnoses of Cancer had been almost a relief to the woman, Mei had been taken aback by how accepting her mother had been.

Her mother had faded away slowly over a few years, till in her Senior Year of High School - Mei was alone. She was completely alone. She shivered just a little at those memories, her eyes slowly opening. The pictures from the Terrace had been some of the best memories of her life. Even though they were vague, the pictures always brought her joy. "We are going to fight as hard as we can, for as long as we can. We are going to do what we need, and come back here... and live happy lives..." She whispered, her hope for the future. "Tai and Sora will get married, you'll go back to your music and have a happy future. The other Digidestineds will have their happy endings as well, and maybe we can find a way for the Mons to be able to visit still." She whispered as she stared ahead of her. Funny though, she didn't mention a happy ending for herself. She just didn't see one, at that time.

Sora managed to work the pants down past her feet but her progress was stalled. The leather bunching up around her ankles while she kicked at them feebly, trying to suppress a laugh at how silly it looked with her legs flailing like flippers. She was so preoccupied with the arduous process of undressing out of Mimi's outfit that she didn't notice Tai leaning back to watch her right away. She gave up on trying peeling the outfit off and slapped her hands onto her thighs, shining with hours of sweat and smirked up at him.

"See anything you like?" she teased, crawling forward over her bare knees to wrap her arms around her shins. "Or do you just get your kicks watching damsels in distress?" She offered one of her limp pant legs forward for him to tug on and laid both hands flat against the porcelain rim of the tub for leverage while he finished removing the trousers. One came free with an audible pop, followed by the other. Sora stretched her legs out before her, arching the painted tips of her toes, thankful to be free and silently vowed to never wear anything so constricting again. She traced her fingers along the red marks left behind on her legs as if the outfit had permanently imprinted on her.

Tai laced his fingers through her short crop of hair just like she knew he would, how she liked it. She inclined her head into the familiar gesture, wrestling with the urge to dart forward to give him a quick peck on the lips. He was always so much more adorable when he was trying to spoil her. "Why, yes you did promise me something!" she replied, feinting having forgotten all about it. She pinched her tongue between her teeth in an impish grin. It softened at the gentle touch of her shoulders and melted entirely when those deft fingers threatened to caress her tender nipples but managed to sidestep the sensitive tip at the last moment, making her want to pout. He could be such a tease in the best, worst possible way.

"Deal," she murmured haughtily and rose, padding across the tiles with the sound of running water rushing behind her like a miniature water fall and stripped out of her top and added it to the spreading puddle of clothes in the corner. A soft plink-plink-plink heralded the bath beads being dropped into the filling water. With her bare back to Tai, she twisted the knobs at her knees and got a chest full of frigid water that made her leap back with a very uncool shriek of surprise.

She met Tai's question gaze with her own one of mortification and alarm. "It's cold!" she whined, dancing as the spray licked at her toes before finally warming up to a manageable temperature. Cautiously, she ducked her head into the spray and raked her hands through her scalp. The blast of icy water had pockmarked her body with gooseflesh, hardened her nipples to bullet-points as if jolted by an electric current that left her nerve endings standing on end. She looked down the length of her body to see the sheen of dirty and  grim being washed away in layers, circling the drain in a dull grey/brown current before vanishing entirely. Kuwagamon, she thought fleetingly before snatching up the shampoo bottle and squeezing a quarter-sized portion into her palm.




Just like the real world, feline counterpart, Nyamon went directly underfoot, swirling like a jet black current between their legs. With their arms loaded it was slow going even with the elevators help taking them to the top floor. It spat them onto the long, L-shaped exterior expanse that would its way around to his front door. At once they were assaulted by a gust of wind that, being so high up carried a frosty edge.

Yamato bowed his head and weathered the air like he had a thousand times before only this was the first time in years he had arrived home sober.
"You live way up here, Yamato?" Gabumon asked, dipping his nose over the side of the high balcony to peek down at the street far below. His tamer nodded solemnly in reply, shouldering the burden of supplies and moved past. The view was nothing new to him, there was an even better one inside from his bedroom since on a clear night you could just see the silhouette of Mt. Fuji but the digimon was clearly impressed.

"I always knew you would make something of yourself, Yamato and living here in such lofty accommodations proves that I wasn't wrong." Gabumon smiled happily up at him a little crestfallen when he shouldered past without returning it or replying at all.

"It's...just a place to sleep," he murmured sliding his key into the lock and releasing the bolt with an audible, almost ominous thud of metal. The door rocked open, the automatic lights in the living room flickering to life as soon as he crossed the threshold and required no groping along the wall for a switch. Such actions were unbefitting of a rock star. "Um...make yourself at home."

It was clear right away that someone had been in to clean since he had left. The stack of dishes from the night (or days) before had been cleared out, washed and put away. The clothes strewn over the arm and back of the couch had vanished, the magazines re-stacked on the coffee table, all from last week and bearing his face. A new pile was waiting for him beside it, bound together by two, thick rubber bands. Magazines from this week again all were featuring him on the cover with the topmost book being an issue of GQ, Yamato on the cover wearing loose-fitting blue jeans with gashes in the thighs and his shirt unbuttoned down to his navel to reveal the wash of color of his tattoos. His hair is running through his hair, mussing it in a devil may care sort of way.

A thick manila envelope with the top flap opened up to reveal a block of pagers for the movie script Yoshi had mentioned, the one about the rock n roller in space fighting the giant tomato alien. He hadn't read it yet but guessed that the housekeeper had.

His happy future, he thought sourly, glancing around the space of the living room. This was his future, a happy one to be envied? He went to the refrigerator (unsurprised to find it fully stocked despite him having set foot in a grocery store last about five years ago) and produced a bottle of water and downed half of it in two hard swallows but it wasn't enough. His stomach rejected it outright, demanding something much harder. His head agreed.
Gabumon plopped down onto the sofa, testing its buoyancy by bouncing from cushion to cushion. "Can I sleep here?" he asked innocently, tossing a furry arm over the chair so casually it almost looked like it fit.

"Err," Yamato started noncommittally. They haven't discussed sleeping arrangements at all chiefly because he was still operating under the idea that he and Mei would be doing very little sleeping that evening but sharing his bed nonetheless. "I...guess."

He spied his home phone's answering machine, flashing with a total of ninety-nine stored messages, completely full. He depressed the playback button and listened to the first handful in between swallows of water.

The first few were from friends and acquaintances, talking about getting together for drinks at a new club before deciding they'd just cancel but changing their minds again and before hanging up, assured Yamato they'd look for him there. Then came the first few reporters asking for interviews. The counter dialed down slowly, "Hey, I tried your phone but I got the voicemail, thought I'd try the house. I'll try the cell again. Later, alligator!" or some variation of that. At last he just cancelled them all, routing the number back to zero.

"Make yourself at home," Yamato offered. "Mi casa, su casa."

Tai focused on preparing her bath a grin on his face as she got herself together to shower. He let his mind float blissfully with thoughts of the future, after they were done with their task. Imagining them with little kids running all over the place, a boy and a girl - at least, maybe more. Depending on how many Sora was ok with. He found himself smiling fondly as the water filled within the tub and he swirled his hand to make sure the beads and bubbles were building properly. He set up the candles and started to light them up one by one with the lighter they kept nearby for just that task. Soon enough the area was filled with the soft scents that swirled in the air.

He was distracted at her yelp, his eyes dancing with amusement as he slowly got up from where he was. He twisted just a little and turned on the small bathroom radio that was on the counter. Soft classical music started to fill the air as he walked back over to his future wife. His hands sliding around her waist as he pressed himself against her back. The water plastered his brown hair against his head, as he buried his face in her neck and kissed her gently. His fingers just barely glancing against her thighs as he turned her slowly and stroked his fingers through her hair and down her back.

The water washed away all the memories, and he let this moment float through him. This moment with his future wife. At that momentary thought he grabbed her hand and kissed her knuckles one by one till he was kissing the place he had placed that ring on her hand. That ring that represented all of them. "I'm going to have to get you a new one when we get back. You brought together more than just the team we traveled with, without you we wouldn't be facing the future we are. So I'll get you an even better one, that represents everything you have brought together. Our light, our love." He said with a small laugh.

His hands slid down her back now as he cupped her ass and pulled her closer. He was aroused again, hard as a rock, but he was being gentle and sweet as he backed her towards the wall. "I did promise you something didn't I?" He asked as his hands slid up and then up over her shoulders down her chest. Her back pressed against the wall now as his hands cupped her breasts and his lips grazed against hers. Then slid towards her ear where he nibbled gently and slid down her neck. His hands massaged gently, as his thumbs flicked across her nipples. "But I'm going to take it slow."

-------------

Mei was buffeted the moment the doors opened, and Nyamon jumped out to walk a bit along the edge of the area that lead to Yamato's apartment. Well his house basically, Mei couldn't imagine living somewhere like this. When she entered she noticed how neat and tidy it was, and something felt off by that. Yamato didn't seem that kind of guy, so it must be a housekeeper. She noticed the posters and clucked her tongue for a moment as she toed off her shoes. She walked into the kitchen and set the boxes down. He offered his house as her house, and she found her eyes rolling. Green depths glittering with amusement for a moment as her lips formed a firm line.

Then woman began organizing everything as she started to get pots and pans on the stove. Ingredients getting lined up on his large counters. With a small hum she started to open packages and pull out knives. She started to slice vegetables thin, as veggies always went first. To make sure they were not cross contaminated in cutting. After the veggies she started to slice the meat as she started to get several dishes going on the stove. She tossed a few quickly made potstickers into a pot of water, so that the Digimon would have something quick to eat.

She just seemed to lose herself into the cooking, her face holding a look of strangely sad joy as she just let herself enjoy the act of cooking for the mons and Yamato. She pulled the pack from her pocket, found herself an ashtray (that wasn't really that hard) and started to smoke while she worked on cooking. Just enjoying what she was doing. She even poured herself a glass of some of the sake she found in the fridge and drank as she cooked. 

Nyamon jumped around for a few moments, checking everything out and sniffing. "Uff this place smells like that scumsucker." The feline said as she moved through the apartment. "Yamato are you a Narcissist?" The feline asked as her paw pressed on the edge of one of the many many poster on his walls. She gave the man a knowing look as she pushed off the wall and watched Gabumon bouncing around. "The couch is nice, but I think I'd rather curl up near the heater. This place is colder than Mei's apartment."

Was the feline talking about the lack of emotion in the place, or was she talking about temperature. It was obvious the feline wasn't very approving, but she let herself settle down into a seated position near the heater in question. "I think it's nicer here, Gabumon. We could make a nest of blankets, or build a fort. Besides, Mei will probably sleep on the couch - she doesn't like sleeping in strange beds. Her anxiety has problems with it."

The music was a light Beethoven piece that Sora couldn't place right away. The waterproof unit filled the small space with light piano easily even over all the rushing water. Through the foam of soap on her face and hair, she smiled at the tune and scrubbed her hands over her features thinking Tai was really going all out with this. Sure, a candlelight bubble bath and soft music was cheesy. It was only lacking in red rose pedals floating in the water and twin flutes of wine or champagne nestled on the tubs edge but Sora ate it up nonetheless. Perhaps later her husband-to-be could be persuaded to recite some poetry for her while she feasted on chilled grapes?

She squeezed a blob of green aloe-infused exfoliating soap into a loofa and massaged the cake onto her arms first, then her underarms and down her front to work a soapy finger between her legs. Sora did her best to be conscious of certain...unpleasantries when it came to hygiene and fretted often about her private fragrance. She adored it when Tai pleased her in that way but the mortifying thought of him popping back up with his nose wrinkled exclaiming 'Pew-wee!" made her self-conscious.

Sora scrubbed down her inner thighs and legs before rinsing it all off and the soupy mess of the evening draining away with a gurgle down the pipes.
Her breath caught at the feel of him behind her, sensing him before Tai laid hands against her body and closed her eyes. For a long moment, they remained still with her reaching a hand back to caress his neck and simply held one another like slow dancers who'd suddenly forgotten all the steps to the waltz.

"You will not be getting me another one," Sora replied in faux-indignation. "My husband gave me this ring and I will never, ever take it off again." She jerked her hand back and held it protectively between her breasts, smiling sardonically. He pressed himself to her, rock hard again and pressing against her abdomen.

"You'd better take it slow," she breathed, rocking her head back while he kissed a trail down her throat, shivering in the heat of the water when he grazed her nipple. "This is our first time as future-husband-and-wife, I want you to show me what exactly I'm getting myself into here."





"The place was already furnished when I moved in," Yamato answered sheepishly and that was the truth. Yoshi had taken initiative and picked out the penthouse himself, arranged for new furniture to be delivered and hired an interior decorator for the occasional. The only thing Yamato had to bring was himself and whichever girl he was seeing that week. At the time, that was an up and coming model-turned-actress named (he frowned while struggling to remember) Yuki Yamada. She stopped by often and after he moved in, had insisted they christen each and every room by fucking on its floor. Yamato automatically looked over at the spot between the kitchen and the island, almost able to see the outline of their sweaty bodies rolling around like lewd ghosts. After their inevitable breakup, he heard that Yuki moved to the United States to break into Hollywood starring in some geeky epic about supermodels in lingerie that transform into giant robots to fight space aliens. It was nominated for two Golden Globes.

Gabumon hopped off the sofa to join the feline digimon near the heating vent, holding out his paws to the slits in the grate to test the temperature. "I think that's a good idea," he nodded.

Yamato moved to the coffee table and collected the stacks of magazines and hefted the pile into the kitchen where they landed with a heavy thud in the bottom of his trash can. He looked at Mei then quickly away in embarrassment. "Yoshi," he said as if it explained everything because it certainly did. His ex-manager ensured that he received advanced copies of everything he was featured in, stopping just short of high school newspapers and printouts of web blogs though Yamato wondered if the cretin had been tempted.

"You have to stay hip to the groove, foxy mama," Yoshi had said before clapping his hands together loudly and proclaiming, "Dy-no-mite!"

The place was more crowded than Yamato was used to and he wandered about the living room, twisting at invisible rings on his fingers unable to shake the feeling of unease. It reminded him of something from Poe, entertaining a house full of law enforcement while the evidence of a gristly crime lay out almost in plain sight. The hideous heartbeat took the shape of a shattered guitar behind a glass case with Jimi Hendrix's signature scribbled on one of the splintered bits (something Yoshi had bought with Yamato's money at auction but presented it as a gift anyway); stacks of cardboard boxes full of catalogued vinyl records; a cocktail napkin with Jane Fonda's private number scratched into the corner; an unopened box for a cellphone he was set to indorse in an upcoming commercial.

To calm him, Yamato snatched up a box of Lucky 7's from the counter and lit one, sharing Mei's ashtray while he hovered nearby, watching her cook and feeling completely useless and out of place in his own home. Through the trails of grey cigarette smoke, he watched her back thoughtfully, wondering what she would do if he came up behind her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Would she flinch or pull away? Dump scaling water down her front? He imagined it vividly only it was...warmer somehow. The atmosphere was more relaxed and when he looped his arm around her middle and smoothed his fingers over her belly she reclined back into the embrace. His other hand rose higher against her middle and rose to cradle her breasts while he bowed his head to nuzzle her neck with his mouth. The two figures shared a private chuckle together, something that Yamato from the real world wasn't privy to and that was fine, it already felt too voyeuristic. Dream-Yamato's hand travelled lower over her stomach, slipping down the front of her slacks and plunged down the slope of her mound.

He stubbed out the cigarette and with it the fantasy because that's just what it was: a childish idea of what was possible. Happy future, right, deal with it with another cigarette.

Tai was grinning down at his future wife as his thumbs flicked across her nipples. He was grinning from her reaction to the ring comment and leaned in. "Fine, I'll just get accessories to add to it. Maybe a pendant with your crest of love? And a bracelet with stones that represent each of the people drawn together by the power of your love." Tai said as he leaned down to trail his lips against hers. He loved her, with every fiber of his being. It started as a crush when they were younger, and only grew as they did. He remembered that first real date -that first loving kiss. He remembered all their firsts, remembered all those special moments. "Because I love you, and I want you to know how powerful your love is and how it brings people together." he whispered as his left hand trailed from her breast downwards.

He kept his right hand on her breast, twisting and teasing her nipple just barely as his left hand dipped down to cup her sex. He leaned her back against the wall and trailed his lips across her ear. He kissed her then, deeply and passionately his mouth working against hers in a desperate way. His love was bubbling out, and he needed her to know how much she meant to him. He gave a soft sound as he pulled his lips from hers and his fingers gently separated the lips of her womanhood. His middle finger pulled up to tease and taunt her clit as he nuzzled his lips against her throat.

"My future wife.. mmm yes."he stated softly as his lips trailed lower, his fingers still twisting at one of her nipples. His other hand still teased her womanhood and her clit, and then his mouth wrapped around the nipple that wasn't getting any attention. He sucked lightly at first, flicking his tongue hard against the nub as his finger on her clit matched the pace of the tongue that flicked her nipple. He increased the sucking and then pulled back with a pop to switch breasts, his middle finger sliding from her clit to her entrance and slowly sliding within her warmth to curl towards himself and tease against the soft bundle of nerves deep inside her.

-----------

Nyamon watched rather calculating, that hard feline gaze, as she stretched out by the heater. "I can't wait to see what Mei makes." She stated as she flopped over again and stretched out on her back. The lupine like digimon had agreed, and that had saved Mei from having to sleep in the bed with Yamato. In fact having her tamer on the couch was a much better idea, given her night terrors that could crop up. "I really wish I could have gone to the Digital world in a time of Peace." The Digimon said finally, she had never been in the very realm that had birthed her.

Mei was busy in the kitchen, smoking a cigarette and getting dishes out. She started to plate food as soon as things were done, and started to line things up on the bar part of the counter in his apartment. This way the Digimon could get access to them. She continued to work on plating the dishes, and then turned back to the spread she had made. She had made what Mat asked for,a s well as many quick foods for the digimon to gorge themselves on. She herself was quite happy. She had even made herself a bowl of broth and noodles, and added her own special touches to it.

There was plenty of food for all of them, and she gave a small smile as she finished her smoke and then went to light another. "Nyamon, Gabumon! Dinner!" She called as she pulled her bowl of noodles and brother over. She put her smoke out for the moment and started to eat, saying a quite thanks as she enjoyed the pleasure of her simple meal. She knew that there was a hard time ahead, but she was hoping that Yamato would just hurry up and get them all to bed so that she could pass out on the couch. She was trying to avoid the way he had made her feel, especially how he had made her feel during the concert.

She remembered the way he had touched her, and nearly choked on her noddles. Her cheeks flushed as she coughed for a moment and laughed, wiping her mouth and then returning to eating. Nyamon had come up and was already attacking the fish and other items that Mei had made, and she was just glad that her Digimon was gorging.

Sora shuddered again, harder now as her body responded to the attention was showering on her breasts and neck. She pressed her palms flush against his sides, admiring his athletic frame while he tended to his wife-to-be, tilting her head awhile to give him easier access to her collarbone. She traced the faint outline of his abdominal muscles before tripping his firm buttocks in both of her hands. She snatched up her bottom lip to suppress another moan but it was a half-hearted attempt and she soon found herself murmuring into his ear, urging Tai on.

"Yes, baby...mmmm, God...oh shit...!"

The jewelry Tai had described leapt into the forefront of her mind so vividly Sora could picture it clearly. The heart pendant would hang down stark against her pale flesh and nestled between her breasts. The matching bracelet was dazzling on her wrist, loose and falling down her arm. She imagined wearing all three pieces, including the ring, and not a shred of clothes more. In her mind's eye, Sora was writhing in the sheets of their shared bed, craning her neck this way and that while the jewelry shone brighter than any candle or light and there was Tai with his head bowed between her legs.

She would have screamed in delight when his hand found her treasure but was silenced when his mouth covered hers, muffling it to a dull cry. She returned the kiss with equal passion and hungry slid her tongue forward, searching for Tai's.

His hand between her legs was scrambling her thoughts until she could focus only on the pleasure building rapidly between them. She raked her fingers through his wet hair, tore between holding him against her hard breast or force him lower and kneaded his head with her hands in indecision.

Her back pressed into the icy tiles of the bathroom wall, making her shiver and breakout into goosepimples all over again. Her hands shot out blindly around her, groping limply against the wall for support while her knees gradually weakened. With one hand pressed awkwardly into the corner of the room, her free hand knotted through his damp spikes and forced him to dive lower along her abdomen. Her mouth wasn't working properly, no longer able to communicate beyond lewd noises and desperate whimpers. The tight line of her lips wiggled open to reveal her perfect teeth only to snap shut again. "Puh-please!" she forced it out, a big word against a tiny hole.


Yamato lit another cigarette, inhaled sharply then blasted the smoke out of his nose in twin streams. Once Mei began collecting dishes in order to serve out the food, he tentatively made a move to help her find things before he realized he wasn't sure where anything in the kitchen was and despite this being her first time over, she seemed to possess an almost clairvoyant knowledge of where everything was stashed. So he sat back and smoked, listening to the two Digimon chatter, gathering the idea that Nyamon did not think much of the rock n roll star judging by her dismissive and antagonistic tone. Understandable, he didn't really blame or and honestly wasn't that bothered by it. At times, Yamato hated himself.

Gabumon grew quiet at Nyamon's wish to have visited the Digital World during happier times, quietly lamenting their passing but put on a brave face nonetheless. He forced a sad smile and nodded his head, "These certainly are...dark times but with their help," he brightened considerably and waved a claw in the direction of Yamato and Mei in the kitchen. "those days could come roaring back, better than ever. The Digital World you get to witness reborn, Nyamon, could be the grandest of all!"

They gathered around the dining room table and took seats before steaming bowls. Gabumon's tongue darted out from between his teeth to lap hungrily at his jaws at the sight and craned his nose over the steam to get a good whiff. He gushed, "It smells delicious, Mei! Thank you!" He puzzled momentarily at the set of wooden chopsticks laid out beside the bowel before deciding they were just digimon-sized toothpicks and hefted the bowl up in his paws. He tipped the lip into his mouth and slurped away, finishing the whole portion in three quick gulps.

Yamato stewed the broth with his chopsticks, watching in amazement as Gabumon quickly finished his food and set the empty bowl back with a satisfied sigh. "You're table manners haven't improved at all, even after all these years," he joked unable to suppress a smile. He recalled his Digimon companion devouring whole packages of snacks without bothering to unwrap them from the plastic and cardboard packages first.

Yamato smoked his cigarette down to the filter without realizing and scowled at the dramatic shift in flavor before he realized. Too lost in thought, he mused and stamped what was left out into the ashtray and waved a hand in the air to disperse the smoke. His mind was overloaded with memories of the Digital World, his music career, Mei, the impending doom lurking behind the veil, the lack of sleep he would no doubt be getting because of it, Mei, whether he should sell the apartment and move, if he should get a tattoo on his forehead that advertised 'DAMAGED' to give anyone else fair warning, Mei, if Mei swallows after a blowjob, Mei on her back with her legs spread while he lapped at her succulent folds, Mei crying on the edge of the bed still naked after he had inevitable broken her heart.

Suddenly, he wasn't hungry anymore and after barely touching the sweet potatoes he had requested, Yamato rose and poured himself a fresh drink of warm bourbon and smoked another cigarette.

Tai chuckled at his future wife's reactions. His head turning just a little as he continued to give attention to the other nipple, and played with the one his mouth had been on previously. She made those sweet sounds, and still he took it slow. Stroking his hand in time with the sucks and flicks of his fingers, driving her close and then stopping before starting again. He was going to build her slowly, carefully, before he was goign to give what she was begging him to give. She cried out, pleading and trying to push him down. "Nnnuh... calm down... not yet." he said as he grinned up at her his lips grazing against her abdomen now. "You're the one that said taking it slow as the best idea."

Tai said this as his eyes danced with amusement, and his hair plastered down from the spray of the water as he stopped for a moment to lean over and turn off the tap that was filling the tub. He was going to make love to her in there, sweet and slow, and take her to the heights that they would have forever as husband and wife. With a hum he pulled himself down further to trail his lips across her collarbone.

"Put your knees over my shoulders, to help you stay standing." He said as he shifted so he was nestling between her thighs, a hum of delight in his throat as he nibbled a small trail towards the bundle of nerves he had been playing with not that long ago. His lips ghosted over her flesh as his tongue came out to give a slow swirling lick to the clit of the woman he was going to eat and torment in every way he possibly could.

-----------------

Mei was enjoying her meal, even as she watched Nyamon carefully eating all of the food Mei had specially made for the Feline. Even as the dishes seemed to empty she kept pushing more food at the Digimon, enjoying her own and then filling her plate with different sorts of pan fried beef and pork. Enjoying the taste of the beef and pork belly. Best to enjoy this stuff now, before she might lose the chance to enjoy the foods she loved. No idea what was in the Digital world, she was more focused on the thought of getting through the night.

She was hoping she would avoid nightmares, but sometimes that was unavoidable. Part of the reason she wanted to make sure that Mat didn't sleep around her, so she didn't hurt him or others. SHe hummed just a little as she finally finished her food and started to gather empty dishes. She hauled them all over to the sink and lit up a smoke and grabbed herself a glass. She poured herself a fire fingerfuls of scotch and then added a handful of ice. She smoked the smoke and drank the drink. Enjoying herself a little as she waited for everyone to finish eating.

Because after they had eaten, Mei would work on washing all the dishes and occupying herself as much as possible. She was trying to prevent herself from thinking too much before sleep. The more she exhausted herself the better she would sleep. She looked down at the tank top she wore with her slacks, and wondered is she should at least throw on a bra. But she was finding it difficult to want to do anything just that moment. Other than drink and smoke, and then wash dishes.

Right, Sora had said that and now with her so very close she regretted it. "I lied, I lied," she moaned, rolling her hips forward and ground her sex urgently onto his hand. "That was before I realized how horny I was." Just when she felt that pressure building up to a boiling point and she could feel herself preparing to explode, Tai would back off. Once was coy, twice was being a tease but three? Three times was just being cruel! The impish grin nearly earned him an impatient smack. At this rate she would climax as soon as his tongue found her sweet center.

She nodded at the instruction, trembling from head to toe and used Tai for balance while he continued his maddening torture. If she'd known any government secrets, they all would have come spilling out at the promise of being allowed to release. I love it when guys go down on me! She would confess loudly. I sometimes have fantasies about other girls! I probably masturbate too much! I've sent Tai teasing pictures! I steal French fries after saying I didn't want any with my order!

The teasing lick to her clit doubled her over, raking her fingers through his hair in beautiful agony. Yes, that was spot, she wanted to plea but her voice was stolen again by his merciless teasing. The steady build-up of orgasmic pleasure came roaring back like a speeding train bringing her to the edge once again with one subtle act...before he ebbed away again, leaving her breathless and moaning in dismay. She seized his ears in each of her hands to hold him in place and ground herself down hard against him mouth, rocking her hips back and forth before forcing herself to release the poor man and get a grip on her libido.

"G-God it's going to be huge," she murmured ominously.


Yamato pinched the cigarette between his lips and helped the Digimon clear the table. Gabumon had not settled for one bowl and immediately set to sampling a bit of everything until his waistline had expanded considerably, heralding a full belly and sated appetite. He even managed to polish off Yamato's plate of sweet potatoes. The notion that this might be the last good meal he was able to enjoy certainly crossed the youth's mind and he knew that he should probably have eaten something but with so much weighing on his mind....

The pile of dishes landed at the basin of the sink with a hollow clatter and Yamato instinctively began running water for the wash though he had no idea where it was coming from. Any and all dishes that somehow would their way into the sink always turned up again in the cabinet washed and ready to go as if by magic. The maid service was discreet and was good about cleaning up around the place without waking Yamato so that when he staggered out of bed, the apartment was spotless. There had only been one mishap, a few months back when Yamato had awoken to one of the Merry Maids polishing something else entirely. He roused to find the young woman's mouth clamped firmly around his morning erection, her pink and white uniform already half off. Of course he fucked her and tipped well but she hadn't cleaned anything! Yamato only learned that her name was 'A. Yagami' by the nametag pinned at her breast and was foolish in committing it to memory as he never saw her again.

"Um, I'll do these," he suggested, finishing his glass and stamping out his cigarette. "Why not make sure the Mon get bedded down for the night next to the heater?"

Tai was quite pleased with how she was reacting, he knew that she was going to be driven mad and he loved that he was the one doing it. He kept working her with his mouth his fingers slipping deep inside of her stroking and teasing as his mouth and tongue worked on her clit. He knew that he was going to send her over the edge soon, but he was dragging it out as long as he could. He chuckled against her flesh, loving the freshly washed taste of her, and loving that he was going to drive her into a realm of insanity as his future wife. This was the first time they were making love like this, since the ring was on her finger, and that meant a lot to him.

He finally lost himself into driving her beyond crazy, even as she made her exclamation and even as she had pulled and tugged him. He twisted his hand a little scissoring his fingers to stretch and tease her as he locked his lips firmly around her clit. He sucked hard and fast, continuously as he flicked his tongue against her clit. He was going to drive her over the edge and then after she had fallen he would gather her up and slip them both into the tub.

He hummed happily against her body, flicking - sucking - and teasing as he sought that edge for her. He was hard, almost painfully so, but he knew that an orgasm wouldn't stop his future wife from taking him in return. That would be a nice surprise, to see what she did in retaliation when they were in the tub.

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Mei arched a brow as she watched him looking over the dishes. He was offering to do them, she supposed she could give that up. She refilled her glass, remembering her low tolerance and bouncing almost with a bit of a buzz. She sucked on the smoke as she gathered up the mons and slowly pushed them towards the heater. Where Nyamon had procured blankets from somewhere. She helped the mon make a nest, and then turned towards looking at the couch. She sat down for a bit, finished her drink and sucked on the smoke a bit more.

Realizing the booze and smokes were in the kitchen she went back in, and refilled her glass again. Her eyes scanning over Yamato for a moment. "Nyamon and Gabumon will likely pass out in mere seconds. The heater is on and they have a blanket nest." She said as she leaned against the nearest wall. She finished the glass and then set it down, she settled on smoking her cigarette and watching him do the dishes.

"Looks like it's been awhile since you did something for yourself, but it's always a nice feeling - huh?" She whispered as she kept her face turned from him now, green eyes nervously watching the Mon as they started to drift off. She was more worried about being alone with him.

How long had he been teasing her? Time seemed to bend around them, stretch into meaninglessness until it felt as if they existed in a vacuum all their own. Nothing mattered, not the impending battles in the Digital World, gathering supplies for the journey, finding a house sitter, none of it and all that remained was Sora and Tai, Tai and Sora.

He continued to mercilessly tease her most private parts, awakening such pleasures. She wanted him, more now than she ever had before. Wanted to hold his body in her arms and kiss his lips and feel his cock pierce between her legs. In his mouth, she was a torrent of arousal, flooding his mouth with her sweet nectar. She was leaning more heavily on Tai now, forced to use him for balance as her legs were gradually becoming more and more useless in supporting her as if she were being crushed beneath the weight of her impending orgasm.

She expected him to pull away again, to beg away and leave her once again teetering at the precipice of carnal delights, allowing her body time to back away from the ledge before starting the whole maddening process again. Sora was desperate to cum now, face screwed up in beautiful agony and exploded at the precise moment she realized Tai was not pulling away. Her mouth dropped open and her neck strained with the effort of a feral scream but no sound came out. So much was trying to burst out of her at once. She didn't remember falling at all, was missing time and only became aware again when she found herself being cradled in her husband-to-be's strong arms. 

"If you...ever tease me...," she gasped up at him, in between hard kisses to his mouth and neck. "I will...fucking...kill you...!"

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Nice wasn't the right word though the doing a bit of manual labor had indeed stirred something long dormant in Yamato. He dipped his hands into the soapy mess and set to scrubbing out the pans with a sponge, watching as the clear water and white suds bled away to healthy grey miasma. "It sort of feels...," Yamato paused, considering the right word while he rubbed away the last remnants of the first home cooked meal he had had in many years. "It feels nostalgic." On reflection he wished he had eaten more but even now his appetite hadn't returned. The only thing he craved was another cigarette and more bourbon...and Mei.

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her recline back against the kitchen wall, smoking another cigarette and enjoying another glass of alcohol and for a fleeting, terrifying moment, it was like glimpsing oneself in the mirror. The pot in his hands slipped and clattered loudly in the basin. "Shit," he murmured, snatching it back out and quickly rinsing it clean before stacking it away in the drainer.

Mei was still wearing her tank top, braless, her pert breasts straining the fabric of the shirt until he could just make out the faint rise of her pierced nipples beneath. His fingers below the warm dishwater tingled with the memory of the little rings, a phantom of the senses.

Gabumon settled happily into the carefully arranged pile of pillows and blankets, shifting them around until it was the very definition of comfortable and dropped back into his back, sighing contently. The heater had done its job and warmed the bedding to a delicious temperature, like crawling beneath a heated blanket in a cold room. This combined with a very full belly and general exhaustion proved an intoxicating combination and he was dozing within seconds. He stretched his furry limps out and yawned, asleep before the act of getting cozy was done. A moment later, the snores of a truly deep sleep drifted up from the nest.

Yamato pulled the plug at the bottom of the sink and sent the filthy water draining away. Beside him rested a small pile of clean dishes, the first he had done in years. In celebration, he poured a little more bourbon into his tumbler. His alcohol tolerance level was typically reserved for Irish dock workers but after such a long night with very little food, even he was beginning to buzz. "Thank you...for dinner," he offered quietly, tipping the glass forward then back against his lips. "I don't get many home cooked meals." He added again, somewhat lamely, "Thank you." 

Tai found himself laughing as he caught his partner. He pulled his hand free and pulled her against him, letting Sora relax as her orgasm took her. That was exactly what he had intended, and he even kept her in his arms as she started to kiss all along his mouth and neck. He still grinned down at her, even as he scooted himself across the floor and lowered them into the tub together. Pulling her against his chest and trailing his fingers down her sides as he nuzzled against her neck. "I see you enjoyed that. Sorry I was such a horrible tease." He said as he kissed her cheek and then trailed his fingers through her hair.

"Was that what you were hoping for?" He said, as he tried to focus on her. Tried to forget how raging hard he was, how easy it would be for him to just explode the moment he was sheathed inside of her. He focused hard, and found it wasn't hard to focus solely on her. It wasn't hard to give her the pleasure she needed and deserved. He found that he could even push away the need to be buried in her, and he found that he could more then easily sit her on that edge again and happily eat her till she was screaming.

"Mmm, well we can relax here, and think about other things later."

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Mei watched him, waiting almost to see what was going to happen. She shivered just a little as she walked back over to the bottle and refilled her glass. Staring at the liquid and sighing softly. She hadn't used alcohol to put herself to sleep in awhile. It had been months at least. But she remembered what to do when she wanted to avoid dreaming all together. She sipped the glass till it was gone, and then settle on leaning against the wall with an ashtray and a smoke. She could see that Yamato was enjoying doing the dishes, it seemed to help him focus.

"Alright you can wash them all in the digital world too." She mused as she enjoyed what was left of all she would allow herself to drink. She set the glass down, put out the butt and leaned back against the wall. She put her hands behind her head, sighing as her eyes closed. "You're welcome, food is food -but I figured if we ate a good meal it would help everyone." Mei whispered as she tried to resist the thoughts that were in her mind.

Drunk or not, she would be nothing if she had sex with him. Drunk or not, she didn't even deserve someone like him. She couldn't even compare to someone like him. He was somebody,she was nobody. No matter what the other Digidestined wanted, Mei was never going to amount to anything like them. She was always goign to be a nobody.

The bath was nice and warm, just bordering on hot and felt nearly overwhelming against her already feverish body after such a strong climax. They sank beneath the still waters and lapsed into silence, the only sound coming from the slowly draining shower water and gentle lapping bathwater against the tubs edge. Sora found herself tracing her future husbands chest with a wet finger, enjoying being so close before it slipped beneath the water and took his manhood in her grasp. If he thought he was the only one capable of such sweet torture, Tai was sorely mistaken she thought with a grin. Sora teased his neck while her fingers went to work, massaging his hard shaft and caressing in swollen testicles in gradual succession until she was certain he was about to explode and then release him. She kissed his mouth before clambering into his lap and brought them both to a quick orgasm, allowing Tai to finish inside of her without the added protection of a condom in some time. They retreated to the bedroom, naked and shivering during a brief detour to peek in on the digimon and collapsed into bed. It had been awhile since they had gone multiple times in one night and despite their growing exhaustion, they made love for hours. Sora spread herself out on her belly, allowing Tai to take her from behind for a time before pushing him away and climbing on top again. The second time he finished in her mouth. Their final time, in the midst of rumpled bedspreads and sheets and pillows, nearly too exhausted to move they placed a hand against each other's swollen sexes and coaxed one final orgasm for each other before falling into an shattered slumber.

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Yamato dried his hands on a hand towel and tossed it aside. The pads of his fingers had pruned from the dish water and soap and lack of any manual labor in many years. The water in the sink gurgled away to silence, an exclamation to the finality of the evening. A quick glance across the wide living room revealed that both digimon were thoroughly and completely passed out. Duel sets of snores mingled with the sound of flowing air from the unit and he could just spy Gabumon's belly rise and fall from behind the pillow fort.

Yamato crossed the kitchen and flipped open the cardboard top of his pack of cigarettes and studied to contents. How many had he smoked in just the last few hours since they had left Mei's place? He fingered the tan filters inside before slapping it closed, deciding that these weren't what he wanted anyway. He set the tumbler of bourbon on the island, the amber colored liquid within sloshing with the rough effort against the lip of the glass, discarded. It wasn't what he desired either. A different hunger was quickly rising to overtake his other vices. Their time together was inevitable, he thought tiredly and he knew she suspected it to. After all, why not put a shirt on? Unless she was planning on taking it off again very soon, of course. His heart was hammering in his chest and his mouth had dried out to sandpaper. His erection was aching dully within the confines of his jeans, demanding action from him.

Yamato crossed the room, meeting her gaze, allowing his eyes to fill with all of his dark desires and lascivious needs until he was certain the irises were black as pitch. "I could be persuaded," he replied thickly. He paused before her and his hands stretched out to envelope her hands within his gentle grasp. He bowed his head into the smaller girl and hungrily pressed his lips to hers. In a slow arch, he brought their arms up along the back of the wall to hook behind Mei's head while he kissed her.

Mei was relaxing, and starting to feel herself drift. Chances were she was going to sleep, and sleep hard. She wished that a shower was in the cards, but even with her bags up here she didn't know if that would be an option. Besides, with all the frippery in Yamato's apartment - he probably had some sort of ridiculous high tech shower that only a Star would know how to use. She let green eyes drift shut as she leaned on the wall, giving her a chance to focus herself and collect her facilities. But slowly her eyes opened and focused as the male approached. She heard his words, felt his hands, and could not even get an word in edgewise because her world was suddenly shattering around her.

Yamato was kissing her, Yamato was Kissing her, Yamato was kissing her. Her mind ran in circles that phrase flipping through her mind, through her body, through her heart and soul, as she felt the slow slide of her hands being pressed behind her head. Her body arched, of it's own accord, nerve endings on fire as she gave a cry of surprise. Between the liquor, years of repressed hormones, and the fact that the man she had cared for - as long as she could remember - was kissing her, everything started to kaleidoscope down into her brain as she felt the way her body came to life. Like a livewire her body quivered with a pulse she didn't understand.

A moan tangled through the kiss, through their dueling mouths - as her mind tried to process what was happening. It was all happening too fast, too much, and she didn't have a chance to process and think. Her body was the only thing thinking as it replied with a ravenous hunger the woman didn't even begin to try to understand. She gave a soft mewling cry into the kiss, as her mind short circuited and she felt her body tingle with a new awakened arousal. The way he had touched her earlier had put her at a soft purr, in the way her arousal was, but now it was bursting through her like a roar of some wild feline. Her breasts ached, nipples hardening through the fabric of her tank top. Her thighs quaked, a feeling of beginning liquid heat.

Mei was no stranger to masturbation, but the fact that someone else was kissing her - someone she had often fantasized about - was making her mind absolutely fritz. She couldn't even say anything, only let herself be kissed by the man she had craved to even be noticed by - for so long.

Yamato felt her rise before him, respond to his caress like so many girls had in the past. He pressed the line of their bodies together, allowing her to feel his throbbing erection through the front of his jeans, to feel his desire for her. His own mind was racing too, fireworks of an early celebration going off in the wake of another sexual conquest. His breath quickened and his kisses became firmer, more urgent as so much sexual frustration became nearly overwhelming. She tasted of cigarettes and stiff alcohol, of tearful nights and bad dreams, of utter sadness. Yamato wondered if he had the same flavor.

All of her dreams were coming true, he thought, reflecting on the room full of Teenage Wolves memorabilia. How long had she fantasies about this moment and what was to follow? Would she lay awake at night and stare up at those posters with her hand buried between her quivering thighs and wish it were Yamato's tongue so badly she couldn't stand it? After tonight, would she still love him in that same, infallible and untouchable way? He had a mad vision of her tearing all of those pictures from her walls in a tearful rage before collapsing into a desperate heap, another heart shattered against the rocks of reality. Who would comfort her when the time came? Was there anyone in Mei's life there to pick up the pieces when Yamato inevitably proved to be a false god, an Antichrist?

His hands found her narrow waist and slipped beneath the bottom of her tank top. He found those succulent breasts again and grasped at them roughly. He found the rings there again and hummed his approval against her mouth. Another testing tug at the stiff peaks before he wrenched her shirt up, exposing her body to the room and immediately dropped away from her lips to envelope one of her breasts into his mouth, ring and all.

The taste of metal and flesh was intoxicating. He lavished her with his tongue, nibbled at the metal with his teeth and sucked greedily while his free hand slipped down the back of her slacks to cup her pert ass from behind.   

Mei felt like she was going to explode, mostly because she wasn't sure how she was going to process these sensations. Those soft sweet sounds were released against his lip, like a kittens mewlings. She was far too sensitive for a woman of her age, but that was mostly because of her being a virgin. Most women wouldn't react as harshly as she was to the stimulation he was producing. Something as simple as kissing, shouldn't be putting her on edge as much as it was. Something as simple as him pressing his mouth even harder, shouldn't be sending thrills through her. But it was, and it did. It was all because of her thoughts, hopes and dreams, of her visions in the past. But all of it didn't matter as it was now happening, and she didn't have any control over it.

Mei lost herself into the feeling of his body pressed against hers. Even as his hand snaked up under her shirt and he started to play with her breasts, even as he pushed her shirt higher and played with those nipples till they were aching. Before she knew it his mouth was off of hers, she was gasping for breath - and then gasping in pleasure as his mouth wrapped around her nipple. Her knees quaked with a weakness she didn't understand, it took everything in her power - and possibly his hand on her ass - to keep her from falling where she stood in that moment.

Her head arched back, a soft sweet cry leaving her. That cry slowly blended into a mewling sound, a panting sound, as he teased and taunted that nipple his mouth was wrapped around. She tried to find a stable ground, pressed up against the wall of his apartment, but all she was getting was the feelings he was putting through her. A small voice reminded her of the sleeping digimon, and a small inner part of her was aware enough to slap her own hand over her mouth to stiffle the sounds. Breathing through her nose, and making small sounds that were muffled by her own hand.

She quivered beneath his touch, his mouth, and her mind spun with what was going on. It was quite possibly one of the most intoxicating experiences of her life, and she wasn't sure if she could bring herself to stop it. She was so lost in the moment, so lost in the sensation, that there wasn't anything she could really bring herself to do but enjoy the moment. Even if it was going to be something she'd regret, even if she would be a nobody after he was done with her.

Take her, take her now! His libido was screaming for him to proceed, to get on with it and take (no, steal) her virginity but he held back. Partly to prolong her pleasure in an apologetic way to make up for what would unavoidably come later. He would give her the God she so desired and do his best to keep from killing the idol for as long as he possibly could. It was his silent vow to her, as his tongue looped through the ringlets on her nipples until they were glistening with saliva. The sounds she was making were driving Yamato crazy and when she slapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the worse of the cries, he wondered how much more it would take to get her to abandon all sense of modesty and really let loose?

His clever fingers traced the outline of the waistband of her slacks before finding the clasp and easily unfastened the front. The whisper of a zipper plunging down mingled with the sounds of Yamato's suckling lips and Mei's cries. He wrenched them open and plunged a hand down the front of her panties, cupping her mound and forcing her legs apart. His hand trembled in the warmth and wetness he found there, massaging a finger into glistening sex and all hopes of prolonging things further deteriorated at once. Yamato fell to his knees before the shorter girl, kneeling at the altar of erotic desire and tugged her pants down to her knees. Forcing her thighs apart and caressing a hand up her back to keep the girl steady, forced his tongue into her treasure. From this close the smell of nearly overwhelming, more inebriating for him than any alcohol had ever been. She tasted clean and wanton, of years of pent of sexual frustration at last being released.

Using two fingers in a crude peace sign, he spread Mei open and exposed her fully to his probing tongue. Thirstily, he lapped at her luscious flower, drunk on her body, her cries

Mei was going to lose it, that was the easiest thing for the woman to think. There was no way she was going to be able to properly fight this. Not with him playing with her nipples the way he was, not with the pleasure that was filling her in a way she would never completely understand. She wondered if Yamato realized that she was a virgin, wondered if he really believed it. Most people probably wouldn't, not a woman of her age - not someone from their generation. Well there was some who might be, but as she realized they were two different ends of the spectrum - her mind was ripped from her again as she realized he was working her pants.

They dropped, and she gave a squeak as his hand dove down between the fabric of her underwear and her womanhood. She could feel him pressing his hand against her, testing and teasing. He massaged a finger in, and her mind fled her as she gave a cry that was barely muffled by her hand. Her eyes fluttered closed as she shivered a little from the shock of the situation. She was clean, bare and shaved, and she was glistening in the way that she definitely would have from the way he had been touching her. But nothing prepared her for what happened next. She felt the shift, and her eyes fluttered open. Her mind barely registered as he dropped to his knees, with her legs spread for him and her back leaning against the wall.

She gave a small cry against her hand, her eyes slamming shut and her head tilting back as he forced her thighs further apart, his hand holding her in place and then the other hand spreading her most intimate part. She cried out again, trying to muffle it with her hand as his mouth began to probe and tease. As he licked and tormented her, as his body brought a new level of pleasure from her. She was lost, hazy, drunk on pleasure - her breath coming in short little pants, a cry of pleasure muffled by her hand as she pressed back into the wall and tried to keep herself standing from the searing pleasure that filled her. With how sensitive she was, it wasn't going to take her very long to reach a peak. Unless Yamato was skilled at keeping his partner on edge... she would go over quite easy.

Skilled, Yamato was with more than enough experience. His fingers were nimble from years of guitar playing and to him, women became an extension of that, became his guitar. Yamato flexed his fingers against her body; he could coax such lovely tunes from women this way. He would start out with a gentle strumming the cords of her pierced nipples and wet sex until the tune came alive between them, until it carried them away effortlessly on a wave. The experimenting was over on the instrument of Mei and with his tongue, he found the heart of the song and it was sounding beautiful. Her cries were an erotic melody that spurred him onward, searching fervently for a chorus, a crescendo to signal the climax.

He brought her to the brink, let her teeter on the edge like a sustained power cord before fading away. The youth couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed the act of oral so thoroughly. When he had first initiated things with Mei, he was certain the process would feel mechanical, like he were a living fuck machine that would tick through the motions before finishing in a well-timed, breathless orgasm. Mei was different from the other girls he had been with but why, he could not precisely say. Her virginity hardly interested him, as he had been with plenty in his years on the road. What then was it that proved so invigorating?

Yamato set to working her up again, using his upper body strength to keep the girl aloft and poised over his mouth while he ate her. His tongue traced over the button of her clit, danced around the little dimple until it was engorged and red then he pressed his lips over it and suckled. He was gentle at first, slowing down his aggression for the distance of a few heartbeats. His fingers continued to tease and probe her nethers and push her back toward the edge. He found feel her entire body tighten around his tongue, preparing to release an explosion of energy, only this time he would allow it...   

Mei was an instrument for his enjoyment, and the pleasure began to burst through her with a surprising power. She was shocked, stunned, and more than a little drunk on everything that was happening. She was so confused, even as he played her as skillfully as he would his guitar. Her breath picked up, her hand pressing harder against her mouth as she was crying harder against her mouth. The pleasure building, rising, twisting within her like a living creature. A feeling of pleasure that broke across her body in waves of sensation and tingling. She shuddered and cried out with loss as he pulled away the moment she was about to feel that explosive sensation.

But it became worse, as she stood there shaking, his shoulders holding her up as she pressed her hands to the wall. She was assaulted once more by sensation and pleasure, and she found her body quivering and shaking with the power of his tongue and mouth. He was playing her, sucking and teasing her clit, and her body wasn't going to be able to handle it. Her eyes glazed, her breath quivering as she slammed her hand back over her mouth and tried to hold back on the scream that wanted to rip itself free. He was so gentle at first but then it changed into something of violence and aggression, as if he was trying to rip the orgasm from her.

He stretched her, teased her, sucked and licked, and all of it was building into something she couldn't understand. She had been so close to the edge before, and now her mind hazed as she screamed her pleasure against her hand. Her eyes closing as she lost the control of her body, her knees weakening and collapsing under her as she felt the world spin. Green eyes hazed with pleasure, dark hair tossed around and her breasts heaving as she breath. She looked down at him with that haze, shuddering softly. Her cheeks flush, lips plump from kissing and slightly parting. But it was the way she was still quivering, her wetness was dripping down her leg - and she was still quivering even as she stared down at those gorgeous blue eyes.

Yamato felt her toe the edge and threaten to spill over into a hard orgasm with every intention of allowing her to do so. The thought of her cumming over his mouth and tongue shot a thrill through him so violently he shuddered with an almost physical impact. His cock strained against the front of his jeans painfully, desperate to be freed and replace his probing tongue between her legs as if it possessed a will all its own. No, he decided. After hours of holding back, acting coy and teasing Yamato was through playing games. He would take her virginity while treating her to an earth shattering orgasm. The only problem with this revelation was that his boxes of condoms were located in the top drawer of his dresser in the bedroom. Quite the selection too, coming in a variety of flavors, colors and textures, a condom for every occasion!

He gasped against her cleft and took a ragged breath, meeting her gaze before rising up to stand again. His mouth was glistening with her arousal and he wiped his chin clean with the back of his hand. Without another word, Yamato effortlessly scooped Mei up in his arms and carried her out of the kitchen in his arms, down the hallway toward the bedroom. He left a little puddle of her clothes behind despite still being fully dressed himself and cradled her naked form to his middle, taking the twists and turns of the corridors gingerly with the precious cargo in mind.

The bedroom spilled out before them. The door rattled noisily against the wall as he booted it open then quickly closed it again with the heel of his boot. The only light came from the shining moon outside, bathing his bed in a silver ocean, giving the room a chilly air and making the blankets look all that more inviting.

They tumbled into bed together, him enveloping her body beneath his, Yamato's mouth returning to her chest breathlessly, licking and caressing. His hand found her sex still drenched and eager and seemed to swallow his fingers like a second, hungry mouth.

Mei was living in a dark twisted realm of pleasure and confusion, even as she seemed to be floating from the edges of the orgasm he had given her. The explosion that had rocked her mind and body was still sending shock waves of tingles through her. And she found herself shuddering as she watched him stand up, she was trying to process what he was going to say - but he didn't say anything. Instead he scooped her up, and then started to carry her through the house. Her pants left behind, her underwear left behind, even her shirt now left behind. The tank top apparently well and truly forgotten as he moved them through the halls.

She shuddered from the feeling of the chill on her body, her belly button ring glinting in the faint light that seemed to permeate his house -and her nipple piercings practically standing from the tightness of the little nerve bundles. She was aroused, and she had never been this badly aroused in her life. But a small part of her mind started working, and she found herself twisting just a little in his arms.

But she was on his bed before she knew it, and alarm bells started clanging in her mind like a storm warning in a harbor. She gave a small cry of surprise as soon as his mouth found her chest again, and his fingers buried themselves inside of her. Her body was tight, almost painfully tight - from the disuse and the action of never taking a partner. Now, now someone was touching her. Not just someone, but the someone she had crushed on from afar.

More alarm bells went off in her mind, even as she found herself moaning sweetly from the feeling of his fingers between her thighs. She tried to process her own thoughts, process her bodies sensations. She tried to focus, tried to stop herself even enough to acknowledge the warning bells in her mind. "Yamato..." She whispered softly, a small whimper rising in her throat as her hips rolled to meet the torment of his fingers buried inside of her. She needed to think, needed to focus - but it was nearly impossible with him touching her.

Fuck, what was she going to do? She couldn't risk this, couldn't risk being another notch on his bedpost. It would make going to the Digital World, working with the others, it'd make it absolute hell. Because she would know that as soon as she was home - she'd be tossed aside like everyone else. She was supposed to be Balance, but what did that even mean? She didn't even have balance for herself!

Alarm bells of a different sort were chiming in Yamato's head, ringing louder and louder until they were a gong sounding between his ears and would not be ignored much longer. The urge to plunge himself into Mei's body, to become one was reaching fever pitch. His body felt hot, scalding above her with so much pent up desire. The taste of Mei's nectar was still alive on his tongue; her smell permeated the room, driving him mad. "Mei," he whispered back in reply, murmuring her name darkly against her ear in between kisses. Her body constricted deliciously around his fingers and he longed for the sensation to be swallowing his tongue again. He arched his fingers inside her body, curling them back as they slide in and out of her quickly.

Mei's inexperience was showing but that was fine with Yamato. It meant that he got to teach her everything there was to know about lovemaking. Every time Mei made love from here onward would be compared to this night, to Yamato. Her lovers would inevitable filter back to her first time and with him here and now. His ghost would always be whispering to her from the dark corners of the bedroom, "Is he as good as I was that first night?" and turning the beautiful gift into a haunting curse.

He guided her fidgeting hands up the bottom of his shirt, letting her caress his toned upper body. The snap buttons of his shirt came free one by one, starting from the bottom until they were open all the way to the throat. The moonlight dyed the dazzling colors of his tattoos icy silver, as if his body were made of frost. He shrugged easily out of the shirt and it fluttered away made of a dark liquid. 

Yamato guided her up his taught torso, circling around a hard nipple over his pectoral muscles then his slender neck where he bent down to kiss at the pads of her fingertips, the palm of her hand. He withdrew his fingers from between her quivering thighs, wet and trailing wetness to unclasp the front of his jeans and slipped them down his thighs. His large cock, smooth and utterly hairless fell forward out of the fly, thankful to be free. The rods of his Jacob's ladder piercing glittered in the light, mirroring Mei's own nipples and naval, bisecting the length and just stopping short of the mushroomed shaped head of his penis, five in total.

Mei knew he was whispering her name, and she felt those alarm bells going off even more. She was lost in the sensations he was giving her lost in the tide of pleasure and learning. But what she didn't expect was him to grab her hand. She trailed them up, her mind spinning, her fingertips sliding over the flesh of his chest. She paused, confused and then flushing as she felt across his nipples. His shirt was open, falling away - thrown away. Her breath was catching in her throat as her hips bucked towards his hand. He was making a come hither motion deep inside of her, hitting a spot she couldn't understand.  He was sliding his fingers in and out, and using that motion, and her mind was starting to spin again.

Her mind rushed, twisted, and turned as she watched him with curious lust hazed green eyes. Her breath left her in a rush again, as she trailed her hands down his chest. Her hips bucked for a moment as his hand seemed to stop inside of her, sliding away and making her moan in confusion. She needed to get her mental facilities back, but the woman was enjoying this moment. Her eyes watched him, and then trailed down, widening and a small 'o' of surprise overtaking her mouth and facial features.

She looked up at him, a little confused at the glinting silver on his manhood, and at the way he seemed to be heading towards a part that suddenly sent screeching alarm bells through her. She pushed up, so she was propped up on her hands, watching him - trying to force her mind to focus. Shit, where was this... was he going to... Wait no, she couldn't do this.

She wasn't going to be another notch, another broken heart, another woman lost to his lust. She couldn't do that to herself, to her heart. She couldn't, she couldn't let that happen. "Yamato..." She said again, clearing her throat, trying to focus enough that she could tell him what she needed to say. That she could explain to him, that there wasn't anything wrong with him, but she just - she couldn't do this. Couldn't do this to herself. To the world, not when they had to go to the Digital World the next day.

Yamato followed her gaze as Mei appraised his naked body in a slow up and down motion until her eyes inevitable found his manhood and its accompanying piercings. Everyone reacted differently to seeing the barbells adorning the thick shaft and he was curious to know what Mei would do when she at last beheld them. He had seen it all. Some slithered away across the bed with hands clasped over their mouths in horror as if he had produced the grotesque visage of an H. R. Giger creation rather than his erect penis. Others had come closer curiously and taken him between their hands and explored him. They would run their fingers up the bars with their fingers, climbing the ladder; massage their thumb over the swollen head before walking back down again. Their inquisitiveness never failed to arouse him further, until his cock was so engorged and aching it felt as if the piercings would pop loose and fly across the room like burst pistons on an engine.

After sex would inevitably bring the question, "Why did he get it?" Granted no woman had ever complained while it was inside of her as the rods provided extra stimulation for both of them even whilst sheathed inside the confines of a condom. He had gotten the piercing in America, on their first tour to the states many years ago. While playing poorly ventilated basement bars in Los Angeles, Yamato had slept with a woman sporting multiple piercings through her genitalia and the rest of the night that wasn't spent riding him was used to convince Yamato to get a Prince Albert. The list of benefits was constitution length and the girl had gladly gone down each and every one in between bounds of hard fucking in order to get his agreement. He declined of course, having no desire to stake a metal rod through his dick but in the weeks that followed his mind always drifted back to the idea.

Soon he was googling information about such piercings and had even gone into a few parlors after shows but always backed out at the last minute, opting for tattoos instead. On his night of the tour in New York, before flying back to Japan, he took the plunge. The parlor reminded him of a dentist's office it was so sterile and clean, a far cry from the dives he had gotten his first tattoos at in L.A. He was busy explaining what he wanted to the artist (a gorgeous red-head, tight body, firm tits, arms and legs covered in sleeves of ink) when he spied a picture hanging from the vanity mirror behind the chair. All around were samples of the woman's work: Batman standing atop a shadowy roof adorning a bare back, nipples piercings through a pair of perfect breasts that were linked together by a silver chain, the wide labia between a pair of spread legs where a golden hoop threaded through the engorged clitoris. But what caught Yamato's eye was the photograph, almost candid in nature of an erect member with a series of metal rods passing through the base. The placement was surgically precise, each bar spaced expertly apart, impressive given its placement. She had followed his gaze to the picture.

"See something you like?" she teased.

As nervous as he was, Yamato found the experience relatively painless, hurting far less than the carp tattoo on his chest and taking a fraction of the time. The downside was of course being 'put down' for a few weeks while they healed but the results were surprising. Sex became so much more pleasurable for him and his partner, even masturbation with his own hand gliding up and down the metal barbells proved a thrilling experience.

Yamato opened the nightstand drawer and sifted around inside, searching for a condom for them with some difficulty in the low light. All the boxes he produced were empty or filled with used, open packages. Aside from personal protection and half-empty bottles of warming lubricant, the draw was jammed with scraps of paper with song lyrics scratched out on them, empty ink pens, a handful of loose change, a vibrating cock ring with a dead battery inside and a pack of juicy fruit. Panicked he wrenched open the second drawer and continued searching before at last hearing the telltale rattle of a full pack. The box advertised a thin fit, 'Like wearing nothing at all!' Using his teeth, he tore open the glossy packet and set to loop the sticky ring over the wide head of his member

Mei took that moment, that moment of focus to look at him. To look at the situation they were in. Though she was buzzing from her drink, and though she was still reeling with pleasure, her mind was screaming those clarion bells of alert. She looked up at him, then back down, her head cocking to the side as she let herself start to focus on what she needed to do. Her hands dropped away from touching him, though as she tried to get her brain to process everything. It was strangely beautiful, and she had never expected the piercings - spoken about in hush hush in fan circles - to be so artistic in their look. The artist aspect of her wanted to trace them, just to figure out the exact placing. Not as a sexual boost, but as a means for sketching. It was actually so perfectly space, that she found it hard to realize that...

Holy shit, those barbells were at least two inches apart from each other. That meant... Mei's eyes traveled up his length again, realizing that he was a good full ten inches at least. That gave her pause as she processed everything. It was in that moment she realized he was digging through his drawers for something, and her mouth came open agape. "Yamato." She said again, clearing her throat and scooting back just a little. Already he was digging in a second drawer and finally found what he was looking for. Her eyes widened as she realized it was condoms, and then her mind registered that she never even really bothered with birth control - it wasn't like she was actively having sex.

"Woah - Hang on!" She stated as she put her hands out against his chest, pressing them against his chest and pushing him back a little. "Yamato, it's not that... It's not that i haven't thought about something like this, because I have... shit who wouldn't..." Mei said as her cheeks flushed and she started to scoot herself away from him. "But I won't be another conquest, I wont' be another notch. I won't be another broken heart, with broken dreams." Mei whispered as she looked away from him. "Not with the whole world on the line, not with... the future on the line. I can't, we can't... we can't do this. The Digital World, our Mission there... it's more important than whatever I may have dreamed..." Mei stated as she stared right at him now.

"I can't have sex with you. I won't be your conquest."

When Mei placed her hands on his chest, Yamato instinctively moved closer, tilting his head to one side and searching for another kiss. His fingers eased the ring of the condom down the meaty shaft of his member, mindful of the rise and fall of the barbells and not tear the thin elastic. The pads of his fingers came away oily and scented like strawberries with his length sheathed safely inside a protective layer. His hands went to her hips, perhaps slid down to her flower again while she laid back into the cushion of pillows and sheets. Her first time should be delicate, Yamato coached himself. Tender and warm, be patient with her body and let it get used to being penetrated slowly. Let her feel every inch of you slid inside, let her believe that you are hers and hers alone.

The play was in its final act now and the climax waited! He searched for her mouth with his, anticipating to feel her eagerness in the form of another passionate embrace until the hand pressing into his middle became more firm, halting him in place.

"What is it?" he asked his voice coming out in a whisper, made low under the weight of sexual desire. "You don't have to worry, I'll go slowly so you-." But he was cut off. He relented under the weight of her hands and settled back to half-sit on his thigh at the corner of the bed, a look of confusion taking shape in his handsome features. Mei was going off script, adlibbing dialogue, changing the direction of the whole scene without warning him first. Yamato had the whole scene planned out in his head and it should have been like watching a movie unfold, starring himself as directed by himself with writing credits for yours truly. There was even a John Williams score swelling in his ears that had been cut short. The music screeched to a halt like the needle on a record player grinding against the vinyl.

Somewhere the director should have called cut and the crew drift in to reset the scene for another take but none of that happened. He watched helplessly as Mei scooted further away from him, head clearing with the distance and hastily explain why they could not have sex, not this time or any other.

"Mei," he started, hating how lame and desperate his voice sounded. He even extended a hand out to her like a lifeline to drowning victim only who was really in danger of going under? He opened his mouth to protest, to reassure her that this was anything but another conquest for him but found him unable to lie. His voice caught in his throat and the sound of dishonestly died in his mouth, tasted foul and threatened to choke him. He swallowed the lump in his throat and let the hand fall away. His libido was screaming for action. His cock throbbed painfully between his thighs, worse now that it was being denied and he cupped a sympathetic hand over the shaft in order to quell the worst of it.

It didn't help. At all.

"I'm sorry..." I'm sorry that I can't be a better man for you, he meant but couldn't bring himself to really say that. I'm sorry that I  can't be the Yamato you deserve.

His words were so sweet, and she wanted to have believed him. But this wasn't about the sex, this was about the future. She couldn't be what he wanted, what he needed. She couldn't be the kind of woman he enjoyed,she couldn't be the star he deserved. She scooted to the edge of the bed, the tears starting to form in her eyes as she shook her head. She felt the pain lance her heart like a knife in the dark, and she brought a hand up to clutch at her chest. Trying to breath properly, trying to keep herself from doing something stupid. She looked away from him, unable to stare at him after she had stopped what was probably his last time having sex before going to the digital world.

"I can't... I can't be used..." She whispered as she slipped off the edge of the bed, on the opposite side of him. She stumbled, fumbling for a moment. She hissed in pain as she slammed her knee into the wood at the foot of his bed, and she scrambled praying she would make it to the door without tripping again. She always made herself look like an idiot, but there she was running naked from his room. One hand clutched over her heart, and the other over her mouth as she tried to keep herself from making a sound. She couldn't be what he wanted, what he needed. She couldn't do it.

She needed to keep herself safe, as she always had. She couldn't risk the heart ache he would bring, she couldn't risk getting thrown aside. She would keep her dreams, as dreams. It was all she had ever hoped she would get, and even what little had passed between them was cutting her heart like a knife. She couldn't, she couldn't let herself hope for anything more than that. She couldn't be anything more than that. She bit off the sob as she finally made her way through the twists and turns and found her clothing in the kitchen. She dressed with shaking hands, the tears still threatening to fall.

But she was on her knees on his kitchen floor, her hands limp in her lap as the tears dropped and splashed on her hands. "I'm the problem, I can't be good enough for someone like you - yamato..." She whispered to herself as she stood up. She wiped at her face and trudged back to the living room, curling up on the couch, not even bothering with a blanket at that moment. She wanted the cold, it numbed her soul. She kicked off her pants, and curled up on the couch, staring across at the TV that was turned off.

Yamato watch helplessly as Mei explained, unable to do anything but nod his head lamely while every molecule of his being was screaming for action. She had been ready, beckoning him forward with her a sirens call, in the way her body moved and reacted to his caress. His lips were still tingling with the sensation of kissing her mouth. He brought his hands up, massaged his fingers over his puffy mouth as if he half believed the embrace had occurred at all. His fingertips still smelled of her sweet nectar, of her wanton arousal and he quickly dropped his hand away. The scent had throttled his brain and set it racing again, matched only by his hammering heart. Behind the cage of his ribs the muscle was having violent spasms like a panicked bird.

His cock throbbed painfully, oversensitive to the slightest touch until he could no longer bear to keep it covered by a hand. It felt three sizes too large for his body, heavy before him and weighed down by his aching testicles that had turned to burning brass in his scrotum. The whole thing was either going to burst apart beneath him like an overexerted engine or flood the condoms reservoir tip with his seed. He was so pent up Yamato was positive the discharge was liable to shoot through the protective latex and make a mess of the bedspread.

And still, Yamato wanted more, wanted Mei, more than he had ever desired a woman before. His palms burned to feel her flesh again, to run along her narrow waist and knead her bosom together while he buried his face in the nest of her flesh between her legs. His cock throbbed again in wake over his overcharged imagination, so agonizing that he winced and doubled over slightly, gritting his teeth to suppress a moan. His hands hovered over the livewire of a penis, flexing helplessly around it but not daring to touch. If he risked it now there was no guarantee he would be able to stop from finishing in from of the poor girl or throwing himself at her.

He watched her go, lamenting her absence before she was out of the room and winced again in empathy as Mei slammed her knee into the bed post. He didn't make any more to help or even ask if she was okay. It was clear any aide would be vehemently denied so...Yamato let her go and sat listening on the edge of the bed until the sound of her bare feet flapping the floor faded into silence. Without Mei in it, the room suddenly felt lonely, colder too until Yamato was sure his breath would cloud in the air. Massaging his hands up and down his arms and blowing into his palms for warmth, he peeled the condom free from his genitals. The process was slow and painful, like removing a second layer of skin with a cheese grater. Each bar of his Jacob's Ladder was agony and he had to pause, threatening fresh eruption until it slipped free and landed at the bottom of his trashcan in a sticky ball.

His cock was glistening in the moonlight of the room from the spermicide. The mushroom-shaped head, now engorged to an angry purple hue, was sticky with pre-ejaculate. Yamato threw himself onto his back in bed, tugging the sheet up to his chest to stare up at the ceiling. Mei was right, he mused, not seeing the lightless bulbs and still blades of the ceiling fan. She couldn't be another of his conquests, just another mark in his bedpost to be forgotten later. There had been such a woman lying here no less than twenty-hour hours ago, only she had given into him. She had willing offered her body as sacrifice to the living God and where was she now?

Yamato saw himself in the middle of a packed venue with seats that seemed to stretch out into infinite before him only instead of cheering fans; it was occupied by every woman he had treated so poorly. Gods how many are there? Their faces drifted in and out of focus at him from the darkness. Some were frowning, others wearily shook their heads but mostly, they cried.

He reached across the bed to the nightstand for his pack of Lucky 7's, hoping the demons could be chased away by the light of a torch but his hand fell over empty hair. Puzzled he sat up and glanced around before remembering they had been left in the kitchen, on the island and groaned. With one vice going unsated the second demanded it, spurring him to roll to the side of the bed and climb free from the twisted sheets and padded to the door of the bedroom. He listened down the hallway, not bothering to dress, for any hint that Mei was still awake. When nothing came, he held a breath and crept down the hall in the tip of his toes, hoping to snatch his cigarettes and lighter from the counter and be back in the bedroom and escape notice

Mei wasn't exactly sleeping yet, instead her mind was spinning in a whirlwind of everything that had happened. She had such a strong control on her life, till today. She should have, should she never have accepted the offer for the concert? Would things have been different? What would have happened if she had never made her way to that event with people she barely knew? She wasn't sure why she had even done it, not really. A chance to see Yamato after all those years? A chance to see from a distance what real friendship was like? Not that she didn't have friendship with Kari and T.K., but it felt like she would always be an outsider wherever she went. She didn't want to be a third wheel, or part of a group that only accepted her because they had to.

She knew that she wasn't good enough for their journey, but they insisted they needed her. The insisted she was one of them, even though she didn't feel like she was a part of them. She shook her head a little as she tucked her knees up to her chest, her head burying in her knees as she let the pain roll through her. Everything that happened that day, the fuzziness she felt when Yamato touched her, the feeling of euphoria, the feeling of terror. She wasn't sure how she'd process all this, how she'd survive being in the digital world.

With a sigh she rubbed her hands over her face, fighting back the tears. She went dead still as she heard Yamato walking through the kitchen, and found herself shaking just a little. She had started smoking again, and now that craving was filling her. She was freaking out, and she needed to soothe herself. She was going to let him grab whatever he was grabbing, and get going. She was going to wait till he had left, and as soon as he had she was going to go get a smoke of her own.

Even if her body was in turmoil, on fire from the arousal he had built, she needed to handle that situation too. Even though it would be frustrating and hard to complete without being a pain in the ass for her, and possibly risking a discovery from the digimon. She was quiet, and still, and she waited. Waited and hoped, prayed that Yamato would just get going.

Yamato winced with every step. The cold tile floor of his apartment bit at the soles of his bare feet until he was practically dancing his way down the hallway. The pictures along the wall seemed to be watching him pass, a trick of the imagination giving him the distinct feeling of being quietly judged from the shadows. Elvis Presley, forever frozen in a vintage picture shaking hands with President Nixon, seemed to ask what had happened. You've never struck out before, Yamato-man. He could hear Elvis country swagger voice drifting from the frame while the ex-President of the United States grinned knowingly. The two figures drifted closer together in the gloom, as if they were about to share a private jest at Yamato's expense, Nixon already smiling in anticipation.

The living room opened up before him, cavernously wide in the dark, giving him a chill that had nothing to do with the cool air. He paused, searching the darkness until his eyes adjusted well enough to see the rhythmic breathing of Nyamon and Gabumon. The two were nestled together within the warm confines of the pillow and blanket fort, one indistinguishable from the other and tangle of sheets. It should have been a comforting sight. It certainly was one he envied. The entire evening had been building up to he and Mei in bed together, falling asleep in roughly the same manner as the digimon but something had gone terribly awry. They were off-script and studio executives were scurrying about the apartment set trying to get the scene back on track. A producer was speaking to the director alone in one corner, looking livid. The climax had been spoiled but who was to blame? Mei was the forerunner it seemed for rushing out of bed but what about Yamato himself? Certainly he bore some of the blame, perhaps even more than she. His lecherous ways had finally caught up with him, it seemed.

God when was the last time someone had turned him down for sex? Yamato honestly couldn't remember. Somewhere along the way the act had lost all intimacy and lovemaking evolved into fucking. That was it. Yamato no longer made love or even had sex, he fucked. Got fucked. Fucked up.
His eyes fell on the sofa, sensing Mei's presence rather than seeing her over the back of the furniture. He wanted to say something to her but paused, thinking the act selfish since it seemed born from his confusion rather than concern for her well-being. No, it was best to let her be, perhaps breach the subject again in the morning in the light of the day. Fully clothed.

The thought made his sex throb angrily up at him, doubling him over again. He was yet to lose his erection, would likely be stuck with it for a while as he doubted even masturbating would be enough to calm it down. He padded quietly over to the island and spied the small rectangle that was unmistakably a box of cigarettes and snatched them up. Automatically he fished one free and clamped it between his lips but did not light it right away. Instead he appraised Mei's huddled for, thinking that she looked so incredibly small and helpless, a wounded animal in the jaws of some mechanical contraption by the strings of her heart.

He hovered closer, suddenly overcome with the urge to stoop down and brush her hair aside, kiss her forehead but resisted and retreated back to the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Mei was still shaking, just barely, as Yamato made his progress through the kitchen. He managed to get his smokes, and Mei stayed curled where she was. Her flesh burned, ached, thrummed, from his touch. She had been so close to something so beautiful, and she had ruined it. But she knew it was the right thing to do, she knew it was what she had to do. She shook there, on the couch, as her body ached from the release she had not been able to have. Her hand slid down her stomach, and tapped there at the band of her underwear. She wanted to so badly, she wanted to touch and tease and finish what he started. Give herself the release she needed, craved so badly.

Instead the woman curled her legs up tighter and buried her face in her hands, allowing herself the chance to cry herself to sleep. It was a hard feeling, falling asleep this way would bring her a multitude of nightmares. Already the stress of the day was dragging her sleeping mind down, and she found herself spinning in a world of pleasure and pain. Her sleeping mind was overcome with the images from the video her family had received. The one that had shown them exactly how her father had died. The pain, the pleasure, the absolute feeling of torment and defeat. She remembered being much younger, watching that video with wide eyes as she realized what it meant.

It was probably only a few hours, that she slept, not even really midnight or one in the morning. She awakened with a small strangled scream her hand covering her mouth. She was crying, but her half-asleep mind wanted the only thing that could work. Her body traveled down the pathways to the room she had run from not that long ago. Just her tank top and underwear, and she pushed open the door. She stumbled into his room and collapsed on the edge of his bed. "Yamato..." She said in a hoarse voice, the tears obvious as she buried her face in the edge of his mattress, shaking like a leaf in a storm. She had not broken free from the tree, but she was damn close to it.

"Can... Can I just rest here please... the nightmares are too much... I don't want to be alone." She said in a tear-hoarse cry, she crawled up on the bed, crouching there and looking like hell. Her dark hair a tangled mess around her head, and the tears still dripping from her eyes. He knew that something happened to her dad, he didn't know how bad it was. Or that she and her mother had seen the video recording of her father's death. He didn't know any of that, she was just hoping that he would take her in and give her the rest she needed.

Yamato tumbled back into bed, stretching out onto his back with his pack of cigarettes clutched tightly between his fingers. The cardboard carton felt more like a lifeline in his hand, tugging him back to reality after spending so much of his evening in the lie of his bedroom. He flipped the box open and fished one of the sticks free along with the lighter from within, pinching it between his lips. Lighting it in the darkness of his room, it looked for a moment like a dazzling flower had blossomed in his hand, then was snuffed out. He shook the lighter like it was a match to put it out, an old habit. The pillows had been knocked to the floor in their moment of passion so he used the back of his hand to cushion his head against the mattress. He could still feel their shared warmth tingling against the chilly flesh of his back.

The grey haze collected over his sightless eyes, taking the monstrous shape of Kuwagamon via the power of his overactive imagination. Was it a coincidence that it had been the same Digimon creature they had encountered so many years ago? Maybe.... history repeats itself or so his teachers always liked to remind. He waved a hand to clear the air and something far worse materialized in the wake: the woman from last night. A pang of guilt punched a hole through his sternum. How could he have dismissed her like that, treated her so terribly? She had been terrorizing his conscience all day and he did not even know her name. Perhaps that was the biggest tragedy of all.

Yamato blinked, realizing that the filter was sizzling between his fingers and quickly stamped it out on the ash tray beside him. He quickly lit another, his nerves still in a frenzy despite the nicotine break. His free hand groped to his sex, still aching and swollen beneath the thin bedsheets. He half-heartedly gave it a tug, wanting to be rid of the bothersome erection more out of frustration than any further sexual desire. Masturbation could hardly compare when he had been so close to having her though again, he could not blame her from fleeing. His body was whispering sweet promises to her that the rest of him could not keep. The way his arms embraced her said they would always be there to catch her. His lips promised to know only hers. His fingers, so nimble and clever with her, swearing happiness and laughter forever after. Mei was protecting her heart; how could he possibly fault her for that?

He gave up trying to finish himself and tossed onto his side like a scolded child. He put his half-smoked cigarette out and stalked to the long windows lining his bedroom and peered out into the night. The first patters of rain were streaking down the glass soundlessly. Spectral flashes of lightning dazzled the sky but no noise of thunder followed. He pressed his forehead into the glass, admitting to himself that, despite knowing how terrible he was for Mei, he still desired her. It was completely selfish, Yamato knew, but it was the truth. He would bring the poor girl nothing but sorrow and misery and perhaps a lifetime of healing for a broken heart and he still willed her to share his bed.

God, what a damn bastard, he mused to the storm. Maybe that should be my new Crest...wonder what that will evolve Gabumon into? The thought made him laugh, a harsh, bitter sound. It certainly sounded more accurate that 'Friendship'. What kind of friend would have such selfish thoughts? God, he needed a drink but did not want to chance another venture into the living room to retrieve the bottle. Instead, he retreated into the bathroom, to his medicine cabinet, where his non-prescription prescriptions' were arranged into a neat row of orange bottles. They were all made out to him but Yamato had never once set foot into a doctors' office for a checkup. Just another 'perk' of being a rock n roll star with Yoshi Masahara for a manager. He unscrewed the cap on the valium and downed a capsule with a cupped handful of water.

He did not remember falling back into bed at all. instead, his memory was eclipsed with nightmarish images conjured up for a bad conscious and illegal drugs. Suddenly, he was at summer camp again, being pulled into the Digital World, only he had not regressed in age. Kuwagamon had just begun his assault, looking far more monstrous in his dreams that in reality.... when Mei called his name.

"Mei..." he murmured, his voice thick with sleep. Was he still dreaming? It would certainly explain why she was chancing another visit to his bed. His tongue felt like heavy sandpaper in his mouth. Yamato coughed into his fist, struggling to keep his head above the water of chemically induced sleep and drowning. He repeated her worries back at her, sounding confused, trying to puzzle the words together like the pieces of a jigsaw. He could certainly relate about not wanting to be alone with nightmares. Her presence would be appreciated even if all of this was happening in his mind. He nodded, opening the sheet up to her. He was still naked beneath them, masked in shadow. He didn't own any pajamas, hadn't for years. All of his underwear had been taken as souvenirs by groupies ages ago. Now they were depleting his supply of socks.

Another flash of lightning cut through the night, momentarily turning it to day.

Mei crawled into the bed as soon as he told her she could, he moved the sheets aside and she curled up under them. Just her sports bra and underwear, but she was shivering as if she had been stuck in the winter air. She gave a small startled sound at the flash of lightning and the sound of rumbling thunder that came shortly after. Her hands covered her ears as she gave a low whimper and buried herself back against Yamato. She was too half-asleep to notice, or care, that he was naked. Her breath rushed from her as her body curled into a ball and she tucked her knees close to her face. Her hands covering her ears as she shook.

It seemed that the storm itself was a problem for the young woman, and she found her mind slowly numbing and spinning away into a blissful state of release. Her breath left her in a small rush as finally her breathing evening out as her mind spun into blissful numb sleep. Her body relaxed slowly, pressing back against him as sleep took her in it's arms. She was warmer now, than she had ever been when sleeping alone. Her mind and body reaching a state of relaxation the young woman had not had in a long time.

Time passed them by, and morning slowly started to weave it's way towards the young individuals in the bed. Mei was pressed back against Yamato, her small body matched perfectly against his frame. Her arm thrown over her head, wrapped back with her fingers in his hair, a pleasant sigh leaving her as her sleeping body wiggled back closer against the body that was pressed against her. She gave a small happy moan, her ass pressing back just a little against him. In her sleep her sports bra had pushed up over one of her breasts, half on and half off of her body at this point. The morning light catching off of the metal of her piercing, and the chill of the room hardening the little nub into an aching peak. The sheets, in their slumber, had tangled between the waists of the two young adults, and Mei found herself quiet happy to sleep like this.

Yamato shifted instinctively as Mei crawled in to join him, turning slightly on his side and allowing her to settle into the crook of his body. Outside, the storm was collecting into a furious gale that lashed his windows with rain, rattling the glass in the pane. More flashes of lightning were answered by rumbles of thunder. All this was lost on them however, as the two dropped off to sleep again almost at once. Yamato couldn't help himself but cuddle into her back and drape a protective arm over her slender frame, hugging her to his chest. It was another automatic gesture, done in sleep. He bowed his head into the nap of her neck, inhaling the scent of her hair and hummed drowsily, relaxing almost at once.

His subconscious eased back into dreams, only they were much less troublesome and he slept through the night more peacefully than he had in years.

Morning sunlight crept into the room in a lazy arch until it's warmth was lapping at the foot of the bed, at their toes. The storm clouds had been driven away after blowing themselves out all evening. The glistening streets were the only evidence there had been a storm at all. Now the sky was a cloudless blue, the color of baby's breath in the early morning. The light filtering in from the open curtains roused Yamato from sleep but he made no motion to move. He willed himself to return to sleep, to whatever pleasant dreams he was having. He snuggled closer to Mei, turning his head to press his cheek into the nap of her neck. It never occurred to him to question her presence, too busy savoring it, appreciating the closeness. His arm constricted around her middle, fingers fanning out over her exposed abdomen and sliding up high to discover her bare breast. Momentarily perplexed by its appearance, his fingers flexed over the tender flex, giving it a light squeeze before massaging over the stiffness of her nipple and piercing.

Memories of what almost was the night before flooded his subconscious, forcing Yamato away. He was startled to find her beside him, having assumed her crawling into his bed was a cruel concoction of the medication, drowsiness and wishful thinking. Now, here she was, the literal girl from his dreams, pressed half naked against him as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Mei slept deeply, in a world of twisting colors and realities. Perhaps she was unaware of what her own mind was dreaming, or what her body was doing. But the young woman instinctively pressed herself closer to the male of which she was pressed back against. Her fingers played in his hair, a small mewling sigh of pleasure leaving her at the feeling of his face pressed into her neck. His arm tightened, and she wiggled all the closer, and sighed happily in sleep. In her dream land things were just as happy, quite different than here. The group had saved the Digital world and were returning home, Mei and the others hailed as heroes for the work they had done. In her dreams she had a future, and that future was standing beside Matt a bright smile on her face and a rather noticeable curve to her stomach.

The real Mei was stirring just a little from the feeling of his hand sliding up her flesh. She released a small pleasured mewl when his hand slid up and started to ghost over her chest. Her breath hitched and then was released, a soft moan leaving the young woman's lips. Her ass pressed back against him, wiggling just a bit, a natural response to the pleasure he was bringing her with her breast. She gave a breathy sigh, moaning again as soon as he started to massage over her piercing and flesh. Her moan getting a little louder as she squirmed just barely in his arms. "Ah... Yamato..." She murmured, her voice groggy and heavy with sleep. A sigh leaving her as her body pressed back against him again, a shiver of pleasure racing across her flesh.

The closeness to him, and the joy of her dreams, was causing a dampness between her thighs. She had been pent up for so long, that even what little they had done the night before had lit a small flame within the young woman. He was touching her, playing with her and all she could do was moan softly, her mind still half in sleep as she rolled herself against him and her hand played in his hair. "Mmm that feels nice."

Her responses to his touch brought wonderful memories back to Yamato of their one night of passion. The sensation of her bare skin against his hands, the hardness of her piercings against the coarse pads of his fingers was invigorating. The sweets sound of her pleasure spurred him further, ghosting his hands over the bottom of the sports bra, lifting it higher on her chest to expose the other breast. He caressed each in turn, allowing languid strokes. Why hurry? Certainly there was still time to enjoy the simple pleasures of lying in bed together before setting out on a dangerous journey?

Yamato turned his face to her back, giving her throat a chaste kiss. The taste of her flesh between his lips aroused a bottomless hunger, recalling her uniqueness on his tongue like an exotic spice. His mouth practically watered as he groped his mouth along her shoulders, up her neck before sating themselves on Mei's earlobe. He breathed her name seductively, burying his face in the tangle of her bedhead, relishing the way her hands flexed into his scalp.

His own arousal met hers, starting as a lazy sleep-erection against her buttocks but now was standing stalk stiff against her lower back. The wanton ach returned full force, swelling his cock to its full length but he made no move to rush. For now, he was perfectly content exploring her body with his hands and lips, hungry to coax more sweet music from her. His favorite instrument, he thought fleetingly, slipping one hand down her thigh to the thin fabric of her panties. His fingers numbly teased the band, tracing along her taught tummy, all the while threatening to slip inside and caress her most intimate of places. Each time though, he would pull away just shy of sampling her wetness.

Mei was half groggy still, even as the pleasure seemed to awaken a flame buried inside of her. She made a small mewling sound of pleasure, shuddering softly as her body arches and ached with delight. His fingers living small licking trails of fire in their wake, and her body stirring to rock against him gently. She could feel the hardness of his cock pressed against her back, and she gave a small shuddering moan as his hand freed her other breast. She stretched out, arching and rocking back against him with the sensation of the air that covered her breasts now. The cool air puckered her nipples, making them hard, achy, and his touch warmed them but brought a different ache.

His other arm dipped and teased at the waist band of her underwear, and her breath left her in a shaking rush from the sensation of his lips playing across her throat. It had to be a dream, honestly had to be a dream. She turned in his arms, pressing herself close and wrapping her leg over his hip, she pressed firmly against him, rocking herself against his cock and her eyes fluttering open to gaze up at him in a groggy half-pleasured half-asleep fog. "Mnnn... Don't stop... please..." She murmured as she trailed her hand down his head to his back, her nails digging into his flesh a little as her lips nuzzled against his. She didn't care about morning breath, or anything like that. She was still half asleep and this was a beautiful moment for her.

Her mind was still riding the high of the pleasant dreams, as her lips nuzzled against his and she rocked closer. Begging, cajoling him to touch and tease her more. She needed his touch, craved his touch, even in her half-asleep state too much of her emotions was coming through in this moment. Her womanhood, covered in her underwear, pressing against his cock and rubbing against him and those delicious piercings that were up and down the length of him. The rubbing caused friction on her clit and small mewling sounds of pleasure fled her lips as she gave a small delicate pant from the sensations.

If this was a dream, Yamato prayed he would never wake. Selfish, perhaps but he had already established himself as anything but the bearer of the crest of Friendship. So what was one more sin? Here, he was happy. With Mei pressing into him wantonly was thrilling, feeding some long dead desire for real companionship and affection. Could he ever love her, the way a woman like Mei deserved to be loved? Or would she, as Mei put it, be just another notch in his bedpost, another of his countless conquests? In his sleep-heavy mind, he dared to dream. The great rock n roll star Yamato Ishida, settling for one woman? Stranger things had happened....

The flames in Mei seemed to catch with Yamato, spread through him like a wildfire until the room was ablaze with the heat of their passion. She rolled over and he let her, smoothing his hands in wonder over the flatness of her belly, the gentle rise of her hips and buttocks. He slipped a hand inside of her panties from behind, caressing the soft flesh of her backside before sliding her underwear down around her thighs.

The sight of her puckered, pierce nipples sent a thrill through his tight frame, so wound up he bowed his head over the first and closed his mouth over their stiffness. The familiar taste of metal filled his mouth, sending sparks over his tongue like he had just licked the head of a battery. Lingering just below the surface of that coppery sensation was her, Mei, the intoxicating flavor of her body. He groped his hand up to cup her breasts from underneath while he suckled against her.

Mei was gyrating up and down his length of manhood, making him shudder. The sensitive barbells threaded through his aching shaft gave him electric sparks as they were ground against her mound. Yet he resisted taking her. Oh, how easy it would be now! He could so easily roll atop her, collect her hands behind her head and kiss her mouth fiercely, stealing all chances to deny him again. She was so wet between the legs and he so hard, he could guild himself easily inside of her without the need for a hand. He recalled her tight nest constricting his fingers and trembled all over, longing to give that sweet release to his swollen, aching member. Yet, he resisted. Fought off that urge to claim her and instead enjoy the sensation of her body against his and simply...explored. There was so many things different about this, about Mei. When was the last time he had had sex sober? How long had it been since foreplay was his main focus? At what point, had Yamato stopped caring?   

Mei hoped and prayed that this was a dream, because in a dream someone like Yamato could want someone like her. He was a powerful rock star, someone that had legions of fans. He was wanted and desired, and she was a nobody that hid behind her TA job. But she was also a Degidestined, apparently, which really made the woman fearful for what the future brought. But in a dream, they were nothing but Yamato and Mei, and they could be happy together. She shuddered and gave a small sigh as she realized that what she wanted most was his company. No more lonely nights, no more night terrors of her father's death video.

She had been kissing him, and he pulled away. His hand smoothing over her stomach and then around to cup her under her underwear. His hand sliding across the flesh of her ass, and her body shivering as she realized that he really was touching her. She gave a small moan in response as he pushed her underwear down, and her eyes fluttered open again to watch him. He was looking at her so intently, with his eyes just as sleepy as hers.

Then his head dipped down and her breath stopped as his lips wrapped around her nipple again. Just like before, except this time it slammed into her mind with a ferocity that made her shudder and moan in a deep delight. She rocked against him, her womanhood no longer covered by her undergarments. She was bare against him, just slick flesh grinding on hot and pierced flesh. She cried out softly at the start difference, and arched back to give his mouth and hand more room to work on her chest. She was quivering, aching, and her body was flaming to life from the touch of this man. "Yamato..." She said in a shaking voice, her eyes fluttering open for a moment so she could watch him. "Please... don't stop... It feels good." She whispered, her voice almost barely audible as she ground herself against him again. A shivering moan left her in response to the feeling of his pierced cock grinding against such sensitive flesh.

If she wasn't careful she might cum from this alone.

Was it possible for a woman to finish a man with only the sounds of her desperate pleas? The sound of her voice, so wanton and eager, clouded his thoughts until nothing but their shared pleasure remained. Her body became his sole focus. Mei's pleasure became his own and somewhere along the way, their bodies seemed to become one. Had he ever shared such an erotic moment with anyone before? His flesh ached to be inside of her, to have her in so many different ways, more ways than were possible in a single lifetime. Yamato thought he would die with so much desire.

He kissed her lips then, pouring that fierce yearning into her like a liquid fire. His hand slipped down her pubic bone, finding her sex with his fingers and gasped into her mouth upon finding her slick, wet and ready. He massaged his middle finger through her cleft, smearing her mess like he was applying a cream. Yamato nibbled at her bottom lip before pressing her into another kiss, teasing her slick entrance with the tips of his fingers as if testing the tune of fine piano keys. He scoured her neck next, spreading that searing flame across her feverish flesh, down to her chest like a forest fire. "Mei," he moaned into her body, between nibbles and chaste kisses. "Mei, oh, Mei..." until it became a lewd mantra.

His cock was screaming for release between them, the head swollen into an angry purple knot, glistening with pre-ejaculate. At last his finger pierced her delicate flower, two of them, higher and higher until the heel of his palm was pressed against her heated sex and leaving a puddle in his hand.

Mei's breath was coming in short gasps now, the pleasure spiraling up inside of her as she cried out softly in pleasure. Her small sounds were starting to get louder as he touched her. His touched sending fire through her, and her small hands started to glide across his flesh. Her breath picking up as he kissed her. She kissed him back, crying softly and rocking her mouth against his. She was quivering in delight, the pleasure building further and further. His hand came down her flesh and then she felt him touching her. She was alight with pleasure and her body arched into the touch.

She felt it was only fair so she reached down with delicate fingers to start stroking them across the flesh of his cock. Her cheeks flushed as her lips pressed against his. She kissed him, nibbling, and mimicking what he did. A moan leaving her as she stroked him harder and faster, her eyes flaring with pleasure as she rocked against the hand that teased and tormented her.

"Ah... Yamato..." She said softly, her response to his whisper of her name. Her eyes locked on his, her green on his blue. She stroked and then rocked against the fingers buried inside of her, the pleasure curling and building up inside of her. She moaned softly, crying a little in pleasure as she rocked against him even harder. Her hand stroked and she watched him.

His labored breath matched her own, Yamato fighting with all of his being to prolong this experience for as long as possible. Already their shared excitement was reaching a fever pitch, threatening to boil over and explode like a pot of water. Her body constricted deliciously around his probing fingers until she sheets beneath them were drenched in her arousal. Her heady scent permeated the room, maddening him until Yamato was trembling with barely contained lust. His eyes met hers, dark and cloudy like a storm of desire, allowing her to see his need for her. He bit into his lip sharply, hard enough to hurt. It was the only thing holding him back now as her fingers found his aching sex.

Her hands were soft, warm against him, a succulent juxtaposition. He felt he may melt into her hand, his member dissolved into a molten slag between her fingers. He was feverish, hot to the touch as she guided a hand up and down his length, furiously masturbating him to near climax, until his cries matched hers in volume.

"Let me inside of you," he rasped, his voice a harsh growl from the pent up frustration. He rolled her over onto her back, hovering above her with his length still between her hands, awaiting permission despite bursting with need. "Let me make love to you." He kissed her mouth before she could answer, hips bucking against her restraining hand. "We can cum together..."

Green eyes closed for a moment as she moaned, her body writhing now as she arched against his hand. The pleasure was there, getting closer and closer, her hand stroked harder and faster. The slickness of her body was already all over his cock from her grinding on him earlier. She was so wet, so desperate in this dream. She wanted him to want her, wanted him to need her. She wanted this dream to be happy, and have the kinds of things she couldn't have in the waking world. Her breath left her quickly as the sounds got louder, she was so closer to the edge but she knew there was still some time there.

He had driven her so close to the edge the night before, the way his mouth had played on her flesh. The way he had teased and taunted her. She cried out gently, her back arching as she ground against him harder and faster. Her body quivering around his fingers, and her core getting hotter and tighter as her body started to spiral.

It was a dream, had to be a dream... So in this dream she could be with him without being another conquest. His voice whispered like silk in her ears as he rolled her on her back, her body arching to meet his as she stroked his flesh for a moment. Her legs wrapping around his and then her hand releasing his cock as she stared up at him with a look of utter trust and lust. "Please... I want you. Yamato, I really do." She whispered as her hand came up and cupped his cheek as she kissed him, moaning softly as those first layers of quickening started to slip through her system. She was so close to cumming, and the feeling of him against her... the thought of him inside of her with all those piercings rubbing her in all the right places. She cried out, shuddering from that thought and opened herself to him pushing against his hand. "Yes, please... Yamato... Please "

The words played over and over through his mind. He could hardly believe it after their night together, that she would allow him to make love to her at last. His mind swam with the possibilities until he too wondered if this were a dream. If this is all in my head, he mused, positioning his hips between her legs, never ever let me wake up. He looked down the length of their bodies, marveling at the contrasting figures. His slender frame hovering just above hers but the similarities ended there. His tattoos great swatches of color down his front. The glittering jewels in her nipples. His cock, hard and shining dully with his Jacob's Ladder piercings running up the length from the base poised at her soft, tender folds. It almost looked too large for her, too much for her virginal flower that had never known the flesh of a man before now.

Yamato hesitated. Could he really take her virginity? All at once it felt a bit like a great theft, something he would rob from her forever. His old reservations were returning and, fearing Mei's would as well, cupped her hands in his and guided his erection between her legs. The heat from her sex reached out to him with ethereal fingers, coaxing him forward. His lips found hers again, wanting to feel every inch of her reaction once he entered her body for the first time. Would she cry out? Would he? Would her body writhe and quake beneath him in the sudden onslaught of a fierce orgasm? Yamato pressed the swollen head against her, the mess of their shared arousal meeting at last. He inhaled a deep breath, held it, preparing to slid himself the rest of the way in. Despite the eagerness, he knew that he must take it slow for Mei's sake. No matter how wet she was, there was still a possibility that he could hurt her if he went too fast, too soon. He had remarkable control over his body, arching his hips gently to hers. Her could feel Mei begin to part for him, those dewy pedals falling away for him-

The door was thrown open with a crack of plaster siding and splintering wood. It rattled in its frame, threatening to shake itself off the antique brass hinges as their Digimon companions stormed into the room with a force typically reserved for category 4 hurricanes.

"Don't worry, Matt," Gabumon cried, bounding into the room. "We're here to...help?" Nyamon's climb up onto the mattress was more graceful, barely warranting a sigh from the bed with her light, felines weight. Gabumon struggled to haul his considerable girth up after, rolling up on his side like a beached manatee. "We heard strange noises and thought perhaps that you were under attack again!"

Yamato waved him away, still grimacing in pain with one hand clutched firmly between his legs while the other wrestled the bedsheet up to cover he and Mei. The sudden entrance had startled him, startled them both, and the sudden shift as he whirled around to see what the matter was caused his erection to slip and plunge downward and press forcefully into Mei's taint. Gritting his teeth, he waved them away, unable to speak at all. it felt for all the world that he had been snapped in two!

Mei watched him, her dreaming mind - was she dreaming?- made her eyes alight with the true feelings she had for him. She cried out softly, her arms tangling around him as her cheeks flushed. She was waiting, ready and she could feel him pressing close. Her eyes widened as she waited, poised for that moment. Her breath catching as she stared up at him with all the love her young heart had built for this man. In a dream she could show that, she could portray it. "Go ahead Yamato..." She whispered her lips grazing his and then she gave a startled scream as soon as the door slammed open. Yamato slammed into her but not the way she had been hoping. She cried out in pain rolling away and curling up.

"I told you we shouldn't bother them." Nyamon said in that dry voice. "Though I wish we had sooner, and this wouldn't have happened." She said as she gave Yamato a dark look. As if to say I don't care if she loves you, you aren't good enough as you are right now.. With that the feline hopped down looking around the room and wrinkling her nose. "Don't we have to get everything packed and ready, so we can see the rest of the group before going to the Digital world?" She asked then.

Mei gave a cry of surprise, as the pain subsided. It wasn't a dream "It wasn't a dream!" She said in shock as she rolled off of the bed and grabbed her underwear in the process. She bolted into the other part of the house and grabbed her bag. Trying to collect herself, shower shower she needed a shower. "I'm taking your shower!" She cried out as she raced off into the direction she remembered it from the night before. SHe couldn't, she couldn't face him as she was. SHe needed to distance herself from him, from this. She gave a shaking breath as she closed and locked the door and sank to her knees and shook. She had almost become another notch on his post.

"They were about to make a Digiegg." Nyamon said sarcastically as she started to pad out of the room. "Oh and Yamato? She isn't on birth control." With that the digimon grabbed the door and slammed it.

Everything was happening so fast it was hard for Yamato to get a firm grasp on the situation, let alone react to it. He clutched a wad of bedsheet to his privates, looking from one Digimon to the next in an exacerbated silence. Just behind them, the door gave a sorrowful moan then slipped off its hinges. It did a sort of 'walk', balancing on its two bottom edges like feet for a step or two before falling flat on the floor with another loud crash. A fist-sized chunk of plaster came free from the drywall next, crumbling to the hardwood like cookie crumbs. Gabumon had the decency to look sheepish about it. He even winced regretfully when the door broke. Nyamon though? Not so much...

Beside him, Mei gave a shriek about dreams then rushed away, half-naked. He reached after her but any movement, no matter how subtle was too painful for words. Like someone had hooked up a car battery to his genitals, everything felt like a surge of three hundred volts. He rocked onto his side, still favoring his waning erection as if it too was retreating in shock.

"I'm so sorry, Matt," Gabumon gushed, his cheeks reddening. He gestured with a clawed hand back at the path of destruction. "When we heard...I don't even know what we heard....and Nyamon..." He trailed off, scratching sheepishly at the back of his horned head.

Yamato waved it away, finding his voice at last thought it came out as a strained whisper. "S-s-s'okay, Gabumon," he moaned. "Ju-just give me a few minutes to get dress, huh?" Gabumon bowed politely at that and bounced off the foot of the bed. Nyamon lingered for a beat longer however, her tail swishing mischievously. She threw him another contemptuous look and bounded away after Gabumon, satisfied that whatever moment he and Mei were sharing had thoroughly ended. He didn't have the voice to reply to the cat-like digimon, could only cap in reply at the revelation of birth control and turn a shade of scarlet at the barbed jest 'making a Digiegg'. He had not bothered with a condom and if Mei wasn't taking any form of birth control, that wasn't too far away from the truth. He was so stunned and wounded that the notion of a Digimon possessing knowledge of human contraceptive did not occur to him right away.

Gabumon was quick to correct Nyamon on her assumptions about Digimon Eggs. "That is not how Digieggs are produced," he explained while leading the way out. "They don't begin when a daddy digimon and a mommy digimon love each other very much. They..." He paused, screwing up his face in after thought. Gabumon breathed, "Oh....OH. OOOOOOOH! Nevermind."

Once alone, Yamato swung his legs out of bed to inspect the damage. His cock had gone limp again, still aching slightly but otherwise appeared unharmed. He breathed a sigh of relief, like a boy with his favorite toy. Not wanting to chance another awkward moment with Mei, he pulled his drawers opened and pulled out fresh clothes, trying to call the strange events of the morning. Jeez, not even breakfast and already weirded out...

He struggled his legs into a pair of jeans, realizing all at once that he had not had any time to pack anything for the trip! Shit, what time had Tai wanted to meet for their departure to the Digital World? He slipped a faded Joy Division tee over his head and worked it down to his middle. He hopped over to the closet on one foot, trying to struggle into socks and look for a suitcase or duffle for the trip. 

Mei made sure the door to the bathroom was locked and then started to dig through her bag for a clean outfit. Something covering, something that wouldn't reveal anything of her body. She turned her attention to the shower, and then reached into the bag for one of her toys. It was quiet as hell, but strong as fuck. She was beyond pent up, she couldn't take it anymore, she damn well needed a little relief or even the slightest touch from Yamato would put her on edge. She had been tormented more in 24 hours than she had ever felt in her entire young life.

She gave a shaking sigh as she turned the water on at high blast, her hands checking the temperature. She stripped down and slipped into the water. She focused on cleaning herself first, even if her body was so reactive to her touch. Even brushing her fingers across her nibbles brought a shuddering sigh, her mind spinning with the memory of Yamato's mouth sucking and teasing those beautiful peaks. When she brushed her hands lower, the swollen aroused flesh of her womanhood caused her to whimper and nearly drop to her knees. Gods damnit, she was wound up.

She rushed through washing her hair and then dropped herself down to the floor of the shower. The toy was water proof with all sorts of lovely things. It had a clitoral stimulation piece, and the dildo had parts inside that would roll and rock the little nubs that covered it's length. It's vibrations were some of the strongest she had known as well. With a shivering sigh of anticipation, as she was already quite wet, she spread her legs and leaned back to press the tip of the vibrating dildo into the entrance of her womanhood. She shoved her fist in her mouth and flicked the device on as she pushed it deeper and deeper into her body. She rocked against it, her mind spinning with the sensations of the toy burying and twisting inside of her.

Her mind spun away as she imagined that it was Yamato's pierced cock buried so deep inside of her. The little prongs of the clitoral aspect of the toy wrapped around both sides of her clit and her mind started to spin out of control as she just rocked herself on the toy and let the vibrations start the quivering that had nearly broke to the surface several times in the last 24 hours. With a shaking cry against her fist, her mind fractured at the sensation of the orgasm that ripped through her. She lay there, on the shower floor, her mind spinning with the relief of her release. It took off the edge, but that had been a strong one - likely from the amount of teasing she had been through.

With a shaking sigh she pulled the toy free and turned her head towards the shower door. She shivered, sitting up, and rinsed and washed the toy. She turned the water off and slipped out from the shower. She put her toy away, started drying off and wrapped up her hair to dry. She dressed again, this time in plain black undergarments. She slipped into black pants, shivering just a little. Her shirt was a plain black tshirt with strange swirling white designs. With her bag completely repacked she threw the bag on her back and slipped out of the bathroom. She went straight for the kitchen to use some of her supplies to put together a basic breakfast. Taking a moment to smoke a cigarette as she did. Her legs, and thighs, still quivering from her orgasm.

Yamato had anticipated the closet to be in a state of disarray. A long bar of barren hangers and single swinging lightbulb creating a halo of sallow light over a pile of wrinkled clothes in varying states of cleanliness with the filthiest items piled below. He blinked at what lay before him like he had just wandered into a room and forgotten what he had come in for. Either side was lined with a neat arrangement of clothing, some still sealed inside of plastic bags. The floor was dominated by rotating racks of sneakers, boots, loafers and moccasins, something for every occasion.

"Since when do I own moccasins?" he asked aloud, studying the leather tassels of the shoe. He moved down the line with bemused interest, passing a series of three-piece suits, tuxedos and other designer-wear. It was a strange feeling, like he was perusing a complete strangers closet and couldn't shake the sensation that he was somehow invading some else's privacy. Almost like at any moment the owner of all these extravagant outfits could storm in and catch him....doing what exactly? Puzzling over shoes?

Yamato shook off his nerves and began pulling shirts and pants free from the hooks, tossing them into a haphazard pile on the bed. He thought, at least I'm going to have more than one outfit to wear while backpacking around the Digital World. He visualized himself at such a young age; a coltish adolescent wearing jeans his mother assured he would grow into, a sleeveless, rolled collar shirt and...brown gloves? He shook his head at the memory, ghosting a hand through his hair half-expecting to pass through a crown of blonde spikes. Ah, late 90's fashion...

He found a brand new gym bag with the price tag still attached to the strap and tossed it out beside the modest pile of jeans and t-shirts. He had just begun to contemplate the process of marrying such a large, unfolded pile with the space available in the bag when his doorbell chimed. He glanced up as if to see the pealing bell dangling over his head. A foolish gesture bore from so much confusion and anxiety and with a healthy red glow to his cheek, Yamato made his way through the penthouse to the front door in his bare feet. Who could be calling so early?

The doorknob jittered impatiently, followed by another ringing of the doorbell. "Alright, alright!" Yamato cried, furiously unlatching the chain. "It's too damn early for-!"

Yoshi Masahara rushed him through the threshold, his pudgy hands working their way over Yamato's before he could finish, cutting him off with a startled cry.

"Yamato-baby! I've been trying to reach you all day! Phone of yours keep going straight to voicemail, your inbox is about to bust! I was worried about my Golden Boy so I decided to come right over and cheek on him!" The man beamed up at Yamato, their height difference more pronounced now that he was so close, with his former manager's comb-over brushing just beneath the youth's chin. He reached up two beefy, liver-spotted hands to clap Yamato's cheeks between. "Baby, baby, you sleepin' okay? You look like death warmed over, if you'll pardon the cliché. We'll get some breakfast in you before we leave." He gave Yamato's whole head a hearty shake that was supposed to be reassuring. "Haven't I always taken care of my Golden Boy? Hey, who's lookin' out for you, baby?"

He suddenly released his former charge and sauntered into the room, jigging his way into the kitchen without a backward glance. Yamato noticed that Yoshi had changed his suit, showered, even shaved. His comb over looked particularly impeccable this morning and did a good job of mostly hiding his bald crown. Mostly.

"What are you doing here, Yoshi?" Yamato asked after weathering the rapid fire lip assault he had just received. "I fired you. You remember that you were fired?"

Yoshi had vanished behind the island in the kitchen. Only his hand was visible as he rummaged about in cabinets. "Oh, kid, we both said a lot of stuff we didn't mean. Totally understandable, right? Emotions were high! You were stressed, I was stressed the whole damn town tore itself apart once the news hit! Giant monster attacks Japan. What're the odds of that?" Yoshi reappeared with his lips pursed together and glanced around with hands on hips. "Where did you....?" He spotted the bottle of alcohol on the counter and snapped his fingers, pointing at it. "There she blows! C'mere, Yamato-baby. Breakfast is served." He produced two glasses from the cupboard, shoved them into ice from the freezer then set to pouring. "The attack during the show has gone viral. You heard me right. VI-RAL. The whole world saw you fighting a big ass cockroach and totally kick its ass! Baby, the Teen-Age Wolves are hotter now than they ever have been before. I could kiss that bug right on the pincers for this! It's only been..." He checked his wristwatch. "....not even twelve hours, and our albums are selling out all over the world. Merchandise is up over 200% on the website and I got the media beating down my door for exclusives, movie deals, special appearances, a television show where you and Flava Flav stay at haunted B & B's!" He raised his glass dreamily into the air, toasting success. He passed Yamato his glass before guzzling down his own. "Don't be shy, Yamato-baby! It's after 5 somewhere!" Yoshi roared with laughter, turning to pour himself another drink when Mei entered the room. "Oh...hey...forgive me." He gave the faintest of bows before eyeing his ex-client sideways. "Guess I see what kept you up all night."   

Mei's mood seemed to change rather suddenly as she stopped in getting ready to prepare breakfast. She reached for the bottle of liquor and slammed it on the inside of the sink, shattering it and watching it go down the drain. "You are NOT drinking first thing in the morning." She stated as she stabbed her finger at Yamato and lit up her smoke. "We need to pack and get ready to meet the others." She stated as she turned her head towards the food she had put away and the food she had brought to cook. She was almost ignoring Yoshi at that moment as she started to crack eggs and fry meat.

"Nyamon! Gabumon! I'm making breakfast, you two clean up that blanket fort you made to sleep in. We aren't going to be back here for awhile." She called out as she flicked the ashes of her smoke in the sink. Then stopped and turned her attention towards Yoshi. "You're here? Did you forget?" She stated simply as she stared at him with a rather dark intent in her eyes. Her mouth tightened into a thin line as her eyes narrowed.

Nyamon came into the kitchen, and jumped up on the counter next to the fridge, staring straight at Yoshi. "You have no right to be here, we have work to get ready for." The cat said as she jumped over to the opposite counter and then flicked her tail right at the man.

Mei crossed her arms and stared at him, quite happily wearing her change of clothing. Her good mood ruined at the moment. She uncrossed her arms and returned to cooking food - preparing plates and everything. "You are not welcome here, Leave now and I might not call my father's friends to have you killed." She stated simply. It was a joke, really, but she made it not sound like one. "I made it clear last night, that Yamato is leaving, we are all leaving, we have to go to the Digital World. If you can't accept that, and pull your head out of your ass, that's your fault."

Yoshi tried to treat Mei's sudden appearance with as much courtesy as he could muster but that amounted to less than a tablespoon. He had always harbored a secret jealously of Yamato's good fortune when it came to the opposite sex. The money from managing one of the hottest rock n roll acts on the planet was nice and while it did sometimes result in a girl or two warming his bed at night, even he wasn't foolish enough to believe they were there for his personality.

Everything revolved around Yamato, even pussy he wasn't fucking. Still, you don't bite the hand that feeds you and last night, Yoshi had lost his cool. He was here now to make amends in the only way he knew how.

He flinched noticeably when Mei shattered the bottle into the sink. "Yamato-baby," Yoshi said, forcing a smile to play off the distress. "I didn't realize that you got married last night!" He said married like it was a foul tasting four letter word. "Could have at least gotten an invite, thrown you a bachelor party that would make you cry during your vows for whole different reasons!" He waved his little pinky at Mei, the one bearing the largest of his rocks.

Yamato starred at Mei in the aftermath, recalling the same tigress rearing her head before and she was just as intimidating now as then. He adjusted his gaze to the glass of offered whiskey before pushing it away, back to a flabbergasted Yoshi Masahara. His manager looked from him to the glass and back before shrugging his thick shoulders around the area where his neck might have been and scooped it up.

"Suit yourself." He downed it in one gulp.

Yamato watched them move around the kitchen, wondering after how easily this man could get his hooks into him. had he really fallen so far? Even after all they had been through, all that had been said between them, Yoshi still had a mysterious hold on him. Some strange spell concocted from alcohol and greed and egotism and Yamato never hesitated to suck it down. It wasn't arrogance that had driven Yoshi to barge into his penthouse apartment unannounced, thinking that everything that had transpired was just water under the bridge. No, it was experience.

The two Mon's hesitated at the order, wondering if they should stick around and watch the strange intruder through a mix of concern and morbid fascination. Gabumon most of all, seemed especially concerned. "Is...everything alright, Matt?" He asked tentatively, shuffling his furry feet.

"Yeah, buddy. Everything is cool. Go on, do what Mei said about the fort."

He turned to Mei and her cat-like digimon with what he thought was a sympathetic look. If he had any reservations about speaking to what amounted to a talking feline, he did not show it. Yoshi was flexible like that. Patronizingly, he said, "Listen, Cinderella, I know one night with my Yamato here makes you feel like the Queen of the world but at the end of the day, the ball is going to end, your carriage is going to turn into a pumpkin and you'll go back to making clothes out of hand-me-downs with your rodent pals." He smoothed a hand over the thatch of combed over jet-black hair. "Honey, anyone your daddy could get to kill me, I probably already know. They might like him more, but I'd pay better." He winked but there was nothing playful about the gesture.

Yamato rose from his stool so suddenly that it knocked over behind him, drawing his manager's attention. "You need to leave. Right now, Yoshi. We're through. Take your crazy someplace because," he glanced back at his Digimon partner, dutifully folding laundry over his outstretched arm, "we're all stocked up here."

Yoshi was undeterred. "Baby, baby, baby!" he moaned and grabbed at his temples with both hands as if suffering through a migraine. "You gotta stop all this talk about the Digital World now. That's old hat, toots, you feel me? What about the real world? Are we all supposed to march in place or shut down so you can run off with some broad to play happy family?" He leaned forward to plant a beefy hand over his thin shoulder, giving it a fatherly squeeze. "We both know that monogamy isn't for you. We both know that...whatever this is could not possibly last-!"

Yamato seized him by the lapels and hauled him bodily over the dividing island between them, wrestling the man to the floor.

"Shit" The Feline digimon said as she realized what Yoshi had said, the Feline dove over the Island and skidded to where Gabumon was. Crouching on the ground, all of her fur on end. If there was one thing that set Mei off it was specific comments in relation for her father.

Mei stood stock still, her green eyes locked on Yoshi with a darkness that could have floored even the darkest of Digimon. In those eyes flashed horror beyond recognition, the eyes of a young woman that had seen how terrorists had killed her father. She calmly set the food on plates, scooting them out of the way as Yamato began to wrestle Yoshi. The small woman approached and quietly pinched the back of the Managers neck. She looked at Yamato and just calmly continued to hold Yoshi like that. She flicked her gaze to Yamato and then crouched down fully so she was poised above Yoshi.

"Let me explain something to you. My father was US Military, Special Ops. He died fighting for the freedom of many people, and he was murdered by the Terrorists where he was stationed. See, what people like you don't realize - is just because someone is tiny doesn't mean they can't be scary. I know the darkness of this world, and I know how bad it can get. I was just barely a young woman when me and my mother were sent the video that showed my father's torture and death. Now, if you really think you can pay off his old War buddies - feel free, but I highly doubt it." She said as she continued to maintain that hold on the back of the managers neck.

"This is not a game. If you have forgotten what happened all those years ago, then that is your fault. But the entire World has known what happens when the Digital World blends with ours, and when we don't keep it in check. The Digidestined handle this." Mei whispered as her face lowered towards Yoshi just a little. "And for your information, I'm not Cinderella - Yamato is not the Prince, and you are not going to get rich off of him any longer. When I let go of your neck, you leave. You don't speak to us again, you don't even breath in our general direction. Because the next time I see you is the next time you find out what pain is. Am. I. Clear."

Yoshi had not been in a fight since the third grade. It was an embarrassing scrape to say the least, since even back then he was on the portly side of the scale and preferred watching such violence on the television in the form of super sentai programs rather than engage them. He held both arms up, crossed over his paled face in a feeble attempt to protect himself. He braced for a blow that was taking an eternity to land. That or it was Einstein's theory of relativity in action. What happened instead was most unusual. He felt a slight pinch against the back of his neck and when he chanced a peak through his meager defenses, he found Mei standing over him with her hand outstretched to his throat. "What in the devil are you-?" He tried to sit up but a lightning bolt of pain rocketed through his fat frame, forcing him back down to the floor. Yoshi stammered out a cry of agony, writhing but that only seemed to make it worse. He resolved himself to sit still.

Yamato felt Mei's anger radiating off of her like a heat wave. He imagined the scene playing out in manga or anime and envisioned a red, pulsating outline around her body that only seemed to get wider and darker as the panels progressed. The air seemed to have evacuated the room and all eyes were glued to Mei, waiting to see what she would do next. A tense quiet followed and for a moment, it felt like time really had come to pause, brought to a grinding halt by the sheer force of the young woman's anger. What came next would have surprised some. They would have anticipated a shouting outburst, a passionate rant full of swearing and more physical violence. Yamato had not known Mei long but even he realized that this methodical, deliberate speech was far more dangerous. He begged off, loosening his grip on the man's blazer and stepped away, clapping his hands together as if brushing away dirt.

Yoshi nodded his head hurriedly in agreement despite the searing pain it caused. "Y-yes, anything you want! Anything you-just let me go!" He clasped his hands together, feinting a prayer. "You're really hurting my-AH-if you could just loosen your grip on my NECK!"

Yamato wasn't nearly as contained when it came to his anger and stalked away, shaking with fury. He stalked into his bedroom, over the door lying on the floor and wished it were on the hinges so he could slam it shut or rip it off all over again. He grabbed handfuls of his scalp, flexing his fingers until they became tearing claws. He stifled a scream by biting down hard onto his tongue. He slapped both hands down on the nightstand and upended it, sending the alarm clock and lamp flying into the air. It landed on the floor with a crash, the three drawers spilling open like intestines, spilling their contents. That wasn't enough. He tore his sheets away, hurling the mattress onto its side. He raked his hands along the walls, hurling the frames away. The dresser was next and split apart down the side when it tumbled over. He wrenched one of the acoustic guitars free from the hook, feeling momentarily like the Clash's Paul Simonon from the London Calling album, and smashed it against the box spring.

Mei stepped back, the darkness in her green eyes was something that seemed to radiate from her. She loosened her hand on Yoshi's neck, and stared down at him. "When we return from the Digital World, Yamato will make his own choices on his life. No more drinking, nor more whores. No more Yoshi." She stated simply as she turned and started to check over the food. Her hands picked up the smoke that had burned itself out and threw it in the trash. She grabbed the pack and lit up as smoke and turned back towards making sure the food was finished for the morning. She started toasting (more like frying) bread in a pan and completely ignored Yoshi.

"You can go now, your presence is no longer needed." She stated simply as she continued to work on the food. "Nyamon, Gabumon, the food is done. Come eat breakfast." She said as she piled up plates with food for the mons. She then made a plate for herself and Yamato and held the smoke between her lips as she walked away from the kitchen.

She could hear the commotion and simply stood in the doorway. "Eat breakfast, Yamato. Then pack up whatever you feel you cannot live without. Things that matter to you, I have a feeling your Apartment will be ransacked and sold off while we are gone." She stated simply as she walked over to the dresser in the room and swept trash off of the top to set down his plate. "Eat, you need the strength." She said, she was strangely quiet - almost empty after the anger from before. "I'm sorry you had to hear that... see that..."

Yoshi rolled to his side once freed, hand immediately groping to his sore throat and trying to massage away the worst of the pain. Slowly, he collected his feet beneath him and stood up, face red and eyes visibly wet with unshed tears. His tie was askew and there was deep fissure like wrinkles in his jacket. His shirt had come untucked too, spilling out around his middle like a white gown. Yoshi fingers his running nose, then his eyes, sniffling before he used the end of his tie like a handkerchief and dabbed his face dry. "You think you know what's best for Yamato Ishida? Lady, that guy is an atomic train wreck! The Teen-age Wolves wouldn't be anything without me! The world wouldn't have given a shit about some punk kid from Odaiba. They're as common as fleas on a dog!" Despite his brazen attitude, he was quickly backing toward the door. Distance brought a renewed boldness, "I made this band and held it together for years. Without me, they would have fallen apart ages ago, the whole damn thing down his throat with a shot of tequila and where would he be? Pumping gas at some filling station. Tell me, would you still be so in love with him then?" His hands groped for the knob behind him blindly. He gave it a hard turn and stepped out onto the terrace. This isn't over, he thought to himself, slamming the door behind him. He stormed off to the elevator, the wind tearing at his suit with savage fingers. Not by a long shot is this over...

The guitar had erupted with a resonating sour note that seemed to shake the windows. Yamato came to a rest beside it, panting down at the carpet but it had not done any good. He was still full of rage until he thought it would manifest itself as a living flame and consume him on the spot. He felt hot and slouched into the bathroom to duck his mouth beneath the faucet. Yoshi's words cut deep, exposed wounds that should have healed ages ago but were raw now as if they were fresh. Yoshi wasn't some vile Mephistopheles, temptation made flesh. He was Yamato's failings, an albatross worn around his throat, a burden. A curse. He and Yoshi, they deserved each other. Who was he kidding? If he were any real friend to any of the Digidestined, he would take a running start and hurl himself through the bedroom window.

Yamato swallowed another mouthful of water and gauged his reflection in the mirror. He reeled his fist back, meaning to strike the glass with all of his might. He let his hand drop to the sink basin dejected. It was too cliché. Wouldn't make anything that Yoshi had said untrue and that was the biggest disappointment of all. Who had he been fooling? Besides himself, that is. In an envelope of bated breath, warm flesh and cold sheets a person can fool himself into believe anything and for a moment too long, Yamato thought that he and Mei could have a future together. He could give up his vices and give himself wholly to one person. But that wasn't the Yamato Yoshi knew. The rose colored glasses had been fanciful for a time but Yoshi had one what managers did best and set him straight. Yamato could never be deserving anyone's love, not after the broken hearts trailing behind him. He was unworthy to even try and what he had done to Mei, seduced her into his bed, was a terrible crime.

He returned to his ransacked bedroom and proceeded to stuff the clothes scattered about the floor into the gym bag. He dimly recalled a few jeans and shirts, socks but looking back later Yamato could not be certain what he packed. Hauling the thing into the living room and rejoined Mei. He took a seat at the edge of the box spring suddenly feeling foolish in her presence, ignoring the plate of the food and instead held out two fingers to Mei. "Got a cigarette?"

He perused the room, thinking about what Mei had advised, thinking about things that mattered to him. The penthouse was bulging at the seams with valuables, rare items and rock n roll memorabilia yet.... "There isn't anything of value here," he said at last, looking away to the floor. "I guess...we've both seen each other at our worst, huh?"

Mei's entire world had narrowed into that moment. Even after Yamato left, her gaze turned to Yoshi as she just watched him. "Yes, yes I would. Because I see him as who he is - not what he is." She stated finally she had left to do what she had decided on, and had waited for Yamato to come down from his freak out. She just leaned against the dresser, her eyes closed as he started to pack some clothes. He hauled the bag out and she lit up a smoke, dragging over a random empty can to use as an ash tray. "Yes, here." She said as she tossed him her pack, her green eyes watched him with a spark of sorrow.

He really, he would never understand. It wasn't just sex they almost had to her, there was something more to it with her. She really did like him, had for awhile. But she was pretty clear that this mission was the most important thing in the world. She sighed softly and then took a long drag as she watched him. "You don't have any pictures of T.K.? Or your family? Mementos from your childhood?" She asked cautiously as her hand drifted down to tap out a pattern on her legs.

She carried pictures, plenty of them. The pictures were her way to focus and center herself. She had balance, but it was very rare - especially right now. Her lips quirked into a sad smile as she motioned for him to come over. "Yamato eat, please." She said as she put her hand gently on his arm. "I need you to eat, we have a big day ahead of us, and soon we will be in the digital world." She whispered gently.

Yamato caught the pack of casually tossed smokes. Surprisingly, given how badly his hands were trembling. With some difficulty, he fished one of the long, white sticks free from the cardboard sleeve and jammed it between his lips. He tossed it back, "Thanks." He didn't light it right away, instead opted to rest his elbows in his jittering knees and bowed his head. His head still a wash, a muddled fog that had nothing to do with whiskey or drugs and everything to do with the woman standing across from him and...

His hand dropped to his chest, groping for his Digivice but found only his narrow chest. He tried to played it off by smoothing his fingers over his collarbone, scratching at his chin and even to him it felt terribly unnatural. "I'm not," he started, twirling the cigarette between his fingers. "...really hungry." At least that wasn't a lie. His appetite had fled, along with Yoshi and all sense of self-respect. How could anyone be expected to sit down to a quaint meal after a scene like that?

He glanced slowly around the room, turning his head like a spying periscope of a submarine. It had never occurred to Yamato until just then. He did not own any pictures of his family, much less hand anything framed and hung on the wall. The closest thing he had were a few scattered pictures on his cellphone and those were years old by now. His most recent photographs? He tried to remember, to see them through the haze of bad alcohol and wanton women. Topless photos he had saved. His own vanity pictures of himself before his bathroom mirror, his jeans around his thighs to show off his length of manhood to anyone who would have it.

He grunted.

'Manhood', now there was a laugh. Well-endowed and exotically pierced as he was, a more apt name would have been 'Boyhood'. It was his favorite toy after all and he wasn't too shy about sharing with others on playdates. He even kept it shaved smooth.

What else? Selfies with actors and actresses he had met at awards shows and special ceremonies, backstage at concerts. A couple of static bowls of steaming noodles for his Instagram? He waved his hands, almost forcing the images aside physically.

Now it appeared to be Mei's turn to make with the pep talk though it was likely to have similar affects his had had on her. Well-meaning for sure, but there was too much to fathom about Yamato. Too much buried deep down in the mud of his existence. He wasn't a man, he was a headstone eulogizing what was or could have been. Both.

"Pack it up," he placated. "I'll eat it later when my appetite returns." Fat chance but at least it wasn't a complete and total lie. He lit the cigarette at long last and inhaled deep, dragging a soothing ghost of smoke into his lungs. There wasn't anything else inside of him, he reasoned. "We should probably get a move on anyway. Tai and Sora are likely already at the Rendezvous."

Mei was quiet as she watched him, but she knew that their situation wasn't going to get any better. He seemed to be lost to himself, even and she realized there wasn't much she could do here. She tucked a piece of dark hair behind her ear, and then turned away fro a moment. A sigh left her as she realized that there was literally nothing that could be done to help him at the moment. "Alright, go ahead and get dressed completely, and get your bag over towards the front door. I'll get the 'mons ready." She said as she gathered up the food she had made for him.

The woman was quiet, strangely so - after her outburst earlier. She was still finding it hard to figure out what her place in this group would be. Balance? What was Balance? She couldn't even keep herself in check - how was she supposed to help them in their task.

"We really should get going. Sora and TK will probably be worried. I need to get us on to base, and then help us get the rest of the stuff for the trip." She said as she left the room and then gathered the mons. The food was packed, and everything was neat and ready by the time he would eventually come out.

Yamato watched her go and watched longer still once the door (or what was left of it anyway) was closed. He studied the deep fissures in the wood, trying to find patterns or faces in the splinters like clouds in the sky but couldn't make anything out. It was just lines that failed to run together, reminding him only of how very close he and Mei had come to making the biggest mistake of their lives. He was thankful the mon's had interrupted them in retrospective. Aching as he was to feel her body against his, Yamato knew it was for the best if they kept their attention on the mission and not on each other's private parts.

He lifted the cigarette to his lips, taking another soothing drag of smoke, willing the toxins to help him believe this wasn't another mistake in a long series of mistakes. It was doing wonders for his nerves but absolutely useless for a bad conscience. Still, it helped him collect his scattered thoughts and refocus his mind on what was to come. The Digital World lay ahead, no doubt warped to meet some new masters means if that rogue Kuwagamon was any prelude...

He conjured up their arrival in his mind's eye: the dense foliage, the cloudless blue sky, the shared anxiety of what was to come matched only by the exhilaration of adventure in a land where no human had ever traversed. He tried to twist it, maybe warp those strange cable-less phone booths into tombstones or the cable car they spent the night in the belly of some Lovecraftian beast but came up wanting. Frightening as those first few hours and days were, he had nothing but good memories associated with their adventures into the Digital World. Without realizing it, Yamato had secreted his childhood self-there, locked away and thrown away the key. This young Yamato was still a boy with the oversized gloves and sleeveless top that showed off adolescent muscles without full appreciating why he did so. The boy would exist agelessly, never knowing the pinch of needle or sting of cocaine at his nose.

Without meaning to, he flashed back to being 19, falling down drunk backstage somewhere in Hokkaido, slurring that he couldn't play today, he was too sick.

Yoshi materialized, shaking his head. He was crouched before the lad like a mammoth toad in a cheaper suit but the same amount of hair on top. "My best boy has got to be on stage tonight," he cooed, pushing up the sleeve of Yamato's shirt.
"What are you doing?" he looked so young then, so damn young.

"Just giving you something to pick you up. My best boy has got to be on stage tonight. That's you, baby. That's you Yamato-baby!" The man slapped Yamato's arm, conjuring up a vein and they both watched in amazement as the syringe filled with blood.
Yamato was crying without realizing it and gave a start when his trashed apartment bedroom came into sharp contrast before his eyes. He went to take a fresh drag from the cigarette and found he had smoked it down to the filter. It burned listlessly.

Stamping it out, he rose from the bed and groped uselessly for his Digivice, finding only empty air. He wiped at his eyes with his sleeve, getting composed before he dared venture out into the living room. The last thing he wanted was to give them the idea he was falling apart before they even left. That gave him a bitter chuckle. Some Friend you are huh, Yamato? Already keeping thing from them...

He dutifully ignored that niggling voice in his head, massaging the heels of his palms into his face as if to physically rub the thoughts out. He wondered instead if he would find that boy again. Deep in the jungles of the Digital World, could he still exist?
Yamato started for the door.

Tai and Sora's morning was apparently going way better than the other pair of the digidestined on this mission. The couple had slept well after their interactions with each other, and moved on to getting breakfast. The newly engaged couple was practically glowing, even though they knew they were about to enter into a world of chaos. Tai took out his phone the moment that they were leaving the house to get ready to meet up with the others. Yamato, haven't heard anything for a bit, doing ok buddy? News is going insane with stuff from last night. Do you guys want a pick up? The male asked as he was working on brushing his teeth.

Breakfast had happened, and it had been amazing, and honestly, the newly engaged couple was having an awesome morning. Sure the 'mons had been annoying for a bit, but it was quite like having kids. They had to get this situation handled, and then they'd be able to look towards the future. Their future was based on surviving this upcoming situation, and that was just the meat of the matter. Tai was a bit worried at the way things had seemed to be going - and he was partially to blame in all that.

Mei was an unknown, and new factor, and he was trying to adapt to having her in the group. There was something unsettling about her, and he wasn't sure exactly what. He hadn't really had much time around her, but his younger system seemed to really like her - and really enjoyed her company. It was the least he could do to try to work with her. She was a Digidestined, albeit a forgotten one - and one that had been hidden for too long.

----------------------

Yamato was facing his own internal battle, just as Mei was. What even was balance? How could she be the Digidestined of it, when she honestly had no idea how to even be balanced? Her lashing out recently was proof of that, and she was ashamed at her lack of control. She pulled herself away from Yamato and worked on getting herself ready. The demons in her own mind were tormenting her, and that was all there was to it.  The memories, the torments, all sliding through her as she went about finishing things up. She was trying to figure out what her place in all this would be.

Neither she or Nyamon had really had experience in the Digital world, this was a whole new frontier for them. She was really trying to find herself, and this journey might be what she needed. She had always felt like there was something missing from her life, from Nyamon's life, and this might very well be what they needed. That voice in the back of her head was making it hard, though, to really feel like part of the team. Nyamon couldn't digivolve, not without a tag and crest - apparently. Mei half wondered how they could even be a benefit to the team, but the digimon said there was a prophecy that demanded 'Balance'.

When the mons had finished eating she did the dishes and found herself stamping out a smoke. She stared at her phone - pressing it to her forehead with a sigh. It wasn't like anyone really spoke to her, that much was certain. Then again, a small part of her wanted to contact her dad's friends and let them know someone was trying to cause her trouble. Instead, she settled with giving them a sit-rep of the current situation of things. One of which was still stationed at the local base and told her to let him know the details of the vehicle she was coming in on so that he could get them shipped up.

He had been part of operations in the US when the digital world had last caused trouble, he was now part of a special military operation that worked Worldwide on things that could be done in the situations if they came again. He had always suspected her Digimon, but now he really knew because of what was on the news. She also let him know that someone might try to slander her name and got a simple text response of 'don't worry, I'll handle it'.

She looked up as she heard the door to his room opening. "Yamato, we should look at heading out soon. Have Tai and Sora contacted you?"

Sora puttered around the kitchen, unable to keep still her nerves were frayed so. Even during breakfast, she kept rising from her seat between bites and busy herself with more preparations. There were so many things to consider! They would need someone to collect their mail while they were away, water house plants, see that utilities and rent were on automatic payment. How embarrassing would it be to return from the Digital World, triumphant and full of hope...only to come home to an eviction notice and debt?

"Shit," she murmured, scooping a few more mouthfuls of rice into her mouth before rushing into the next room to retrieve her phone from the charger. She plucked it free from the cord and had to swipe through two dozen missed calls and messages before getting to the home screen. "I have to cancel my yoga classes and gym membership before we go," she shouted as means of explanation for her sudden departure. She dialed the number from memory and pressed the phone to her ear. "Any word from Yamato and Mei-? Yes, hello, my name is Sora Takenouchi, I need to cancel my membership. I'm going on a-err...trip out of the country." No use in explaining herself to the front desk and risk getting roped into a big conversation. News of the attack traveled far and wide in the night. It was no coincidence that a lot of the messages and calls she had received in the ensuing hours were from people she had not spoken to in some time.
Typically, none of them were from Yamato or Mei. At this point, she would have taken a text from Gabumon if it meant they were on the way to the rendezvous point.

She cradled the cell between her cheek and shoulder and filled a plastic spray bottle from the bathroom tap. While on hold, she sprayed down the plants in every room, willing Honda-San, their upstairs elderly neighbor to get back in touch with her about seeing to the apartment while they were away.

"What? No, I was holding for a manager to cancel my next appointment and membership-, yes I can hold again." Muzak filled her ear so suddenly she jerked her head away from the receiver. It was a bad cover of a Teen-Age Wolves tune. "You have got to be kidding me..."

She poked her head back into the kitchen long enough to gobble down a few more bites of cooling rice and pickles, not bothering to sit this time.

Her phone buzzed in her hand with a new notification, but it wasn't Yamato or even Honda-San. It was an update from one of her social media apps and the headline told her everything she needed to know without reading the article: Yamato Ishida of the Teen-Age Wolves (and others) had beaten a giant monster at the climax of their concert. Was it real? A stunt? A product of hallucinogens in the drinking water? Either way, a media circus was gathering like storm clouds on the horizon. Whatever they did, the Digidestined would need to depart asap.

Sora turned to voice this thought to Tai but the words caught in her throat. He was the picture of calm and collected, casually munching away on his breakfast without a care in the world. As if they were taking a trip to the country for a long weekend and not a world where they would have no way of anticipating what would come next...

Yet, she broke into a smile then a wide grin when she spied the goggles in the ticket of his hair. A trick of the accessory and her own nostalgia regressed him, and he looked so much younger. Could they really find that innocence and strength again? The question made her heart ache. Yet, she smiled all the wider.

"I love you so much," she shook her head, starting to lean in for a kiss...then quickly straightened up, speaking into the phone again.

"No! Not YOU! Are you a manager? Oh, for crying out loud!"

---

Yamato hefted the duffel into the middle of the floor with the rest of the baggage. Would they really be able to lug all of this through the chaos of the Digital World? If things were really as bad as he feared, would it be wise to weigh themselves down with so much gear? He wondered briefly about repacking the bag and throwing a few things out. How many pairs of pants did he really need over there? He had worn the same jeans and shirt for ages during their first visit. Then again, he had been a prepubescent boy in those days and sweat glands had been kinder.

Still mulling the decision over, he stuffed his cigarettes and lighter into the breast pocket of his jacket and patted around for his phone. Mei's urging had sparked the search and when he came up empty, he glanced around the room, hunting for his missing phone until realization broke on his face like the dawn.

"Oh shit..." He bent down to scoop up the fragments of his cell phone from the floor and held them out to Mei sheepishly. "Um...can I borrow your...?" He spied the promotional phone still in its box on the coffee table. "Never mind." He fished his sim and memory card free from the wreckage and binned the rest. After jamming the slivers of plastic into the appropriate slots and turned the device on, he was surprised to find it fully charged.

While waiting for the device to complete its activation process, he internally scolded himself. They were wasting time now, all because he had turned into a petulant five-year-old and threw one of his toys. Had he ever been that immature, even as a kid? He honestly couldn't remember. Most of his life pre-junior high was a bit of a haze now, like glimpsing distant figures across a foggy street. He could only conjure up vague shapes of memories, malformed and possibly not even his own.

Yoshi was prevalent in most, usually grinning at him from behind the business end of a syringe.

"My Golden Boy has to be on stage tonight...I need you to be perfect..."

The crest bearer of Friendship...and this is the company I kept? That was my best friend?

It took a long moment for him to realize he was starring at the home screen of his new phone and a steady flood of new messages, emails, missed calls and updates all muscled their way onto the tiny screen at once, fighting to be next in line. Shaking himself out of the past, he thumbed his way through the index of contacts, finding Tai's number and hammered out a quick text message with trembling thumbs.

Shit, brother, sorry. Rough night and rougher morning. We're leaving now.

At least it wasn't a lie this time. Yamato gave himself a few brownie points for that one. Perhaps it was even a sign of things turning around. Did he dare hope? He looked to Mei, untested Digidestined of Balance (whatever THAT meant) and her tagless and crestless Digimon.

His head was crying out for a drink and it would only get louder and more belligerent as the day went on.

No, Yamato...you're crest definitely was not Hope...