Hurts like Hell [Adam/ask]

[Anko Hiroi]

Anko wrapped her arms around herself as she was done crying. She couldn't believe what had happened. Keigo just.. he just.. 
The young tamer stifled a sob before getting to her feet. The tears had dried on her face, her cheeks red and her eyes puffy. She looked horrible, so to say. Her clothes were all drenched and she smelt like a sewer. 

Her small legs started carrying her back towards the gates of Terabyte City. Anko felt like the air around her was constricting, all she wanted was to go home, to her mom. But it would feel so wrong to leave the Digital World without Keigo. 

Keigo..

Flashbacks of him in her arms, right before he burst into a million pieces. Anko collapsed, scraping her knees as she landed. She didn't want to go on, not without her best friend, her partner. 
Why.. why didn't she react faster? The one thing she feared had happened, and it was all because of her. 
no.. 
no it wasn't because of her. 

That Dagomon. That Dagomon was the cause of all of this. He killed Keigo, he was the murderer. He attacked them without reason.
Anko got up once again, now taking out her digivice. The screen was empty. Her digimon was gone. "K-Keigo.." She blubbered a sob, pressing the digivice to her chest. 

---

Adam Jackson

[Adam Jackson]

Something was terribly wrong! As a practice, Adam made sure to keep tabs on those he held dear though he had made the mistake of taking his attention away from his little princess Anko and her digimon Kiego. He truly didn't have a choice however due to all that had happened to him such as dealing with the skull greymon and being branded with the dark mark. Now it was time to track down the pair, the problem was only Anko was showing up on his digivice as the trio walked into the city through gates.

"Something isn't right you guys. I'm picking up Anko but no Kiego. Could..the worst have happened?"

Renae shook her head hard holding back a whimper. Her beloved couldn't have been wiped out..he was far to strong. 

"Not my Kiego, he's super strong and really brave! He wouldn't lose just like that! It's impossible!"

Before Remy and Adam could tell Renae to calm down however, they spotted her. They saw Anko about to cry her eyes out and yet there was no Kiego in sight. Without a second thought,the trio quickly ran over to Anko and knelt down in front of her and without a word Adam just hugged Anko close pressing her face into his chest.

"Shhh it's okay sweetie. I'm here now, we're here now. Sweetie, we can guess what happened but if you can please give us the details."

Without a word, Renae just stepped up to Adam and Anko and yanked Adam away from the little crying girl before hugging her close into her soft fur.

"Sweetie, Kiego isn't dead. Digimon never really die. Digimon, when beaten badly are just returned to their egg state and are teleported somewhere safe to rest. If you want we could help you find him. Your digivice will help with that too. Please don't cry, you will be reunited with him soon."


Anko Hiroi

[Anko Hiroi]

She heard footsteps approaching her, assuming they were just people or digimon passing by. However it wasn't until she felt arms around her that pulled firmly pulled her to someone's chest. Judging by the musky scent, it was Adam.
Anko shut her eyes, digivice in one hand while her other hand grasped Adam's shirt. Keigo was really.. gone. How could he have told her it would be alright? She wasn't fine, not without her best friend.
As Adam said that they were with her, Anko hiccuped a sob. It wasn't okay, she wasn't okay at all. Anko really didn't want to tell them what happened, as she was far too embarrassed. She had failed Keigo, he shouldn't have been so sweet to her when he.. died..
Though the hug ended abruptly as Renae now pulled Adam away from her. She whimpered at the loss of contact, but that was soon replaced by Renae's soft fur.

The words of Renae were going right through her, all she was hearing was 'isn't dead. never die. egg. find him.' It didn't take the young girl long to put the pieces together, and she looked up at Renae-- her eyes wide with shock.
"He.. he's.." She sobbed incoherently, pulling back in a swift movement. If what Renae said was true, then they'd have to find him.
Though, she was still a 7 year old. So as soon as she stood on two feet, she burst into crying again, her hands balled into fists. "I-- I" She stuttered between gasps of breath and sobs. "bad.. t-ttamer.." She finished her sentence, unable to form correct words.

---

Adam Jackson

[Adam Jackson]

As Anko stood and began to cry more and began calling herself a bad trainer, Renae just shook her head and pulled Anko into another gentle hug. She then began stroking the little girls head to try and sooth her out of control sadness. The little one had every right to be upset considering all that she had just experienced. Renae just gently knelt down and smiled at the little girl using her paw to wipe away the wet tears.

"You are a fantastic tamer. Sometimes bad stuff just happens to the best of us. Adam had something bad happen to him to while we were apart. What makes a tamer great is if they rise above it or not. It's like riding one of those bike things, if ya fall off ya gotta get back on and try again ya know? I say we relax just a little and then when your nice and calm we will use your digivice to find Kiego's head and reunite you both."

Adam nodded from behind Renae and gave Anko a thumbs up to confirm what his digimon had told him. He was determained to overcome the dark mark that he had been branded with and still come out a hero. The young wild boy walked over to Anko and patted her shoulder gently while Remy guarded the group from behind.

"Why don't I buy you a big lunch and then we will get looking."


Anko Hiroi

[Anko Hiroi]

Her hands were still balled into fists as Renae pulled her into another gentle hug. She knew Renae was just trying to calm her down, but they didn't know this was her fault. If only she had put her trust in Keigo, this wouldn't have happened.
"B-bbut.." She whispered, trying to tell them what exactly happened. But she just couldn't, she was afraid that Adam would not think she was worty. All she wanted was to go and get Keigo, and then go home. Her sister was right, this was not a place for her.
As Renae said that they should relax just a little and then head to find Keigo the girl pulled back from the Renamon's hug. "N-no!" She exclaimed, she didn't want to spend another moment without Keigo when she could go out and look for him. She raised her digivice, before looking at Adam with tearful eyes. "L-let's find him." She stammered, stifling another sob.

Anko, had of course not been there during the fight with SkullGreymon. Because she and Keigo had other things to worry about.
As Adam pat her shoulder, Anko took his hand. "Please.." She begged, her eyes watery with tears. "I want to find him.. Tell him I'm sorry.."

---

Adam Jackson

[Adam Jackson]

Adam just let out a small sigh. It was obvious that her love for kiego was unyeilding and unstoppable despite the massive emotional stress she was under. Adam just looked at Remy and Renae as if they were having a silent conversation. It wasn't long before the three looked back at Anko and just nodded at the little girl. Adam then knelt down and gave the young girl a pat on the head and a small thumbs up.

"Alright princess you win. We will go and find his egg before we eat but after we find him we are all sitting down and having a nice relaxing meal do you understand? All this stress isn't good for you, plus all the crying will dry you out and make you sick. We will look high and low."

Adam then picked Anko up and sat her on his shoulders with a smile. He then bounced up and down a little to try and make the little girl laugh at least the tiniest bit. He then looked up at her while Renae giggled just a tiny bit. She then walked up to her tamer and the little girl on his shoulders and gently poked her nose with her paw. She then tapped the little ones digivice.

"Focus on your connection with Keigo, your love and friendship with him. Your digivice will feel that bond, that connection and then lead you to him. It should show you a compass or map that will lead you directly to him. Once we reach him all you have to do is use the light of your digivice to wake him up."

She then smiled and stroked the little ones hair and then walked over and stood next to her brother who was also smiling at the little girl. The touch acting male digimon had no clue how this little one was feeling however, he did know how devistating it would be to be seperated from his sister and tamer. Without realizing it, Remy took Renae's paw in his causing Adam to look up at Anko again.

"lead the way princess."


Anko Hiroi

[Anko Hiroi]

Anko nodded, rubbing her tears away as she mustered up a forced smile. She wanted to find Keigo and apologize to him, then, maybe she could leave this place knowing she would not cause any more danger. That Dagomon had intended to kill her. That spear was supposed to hit her, not Keigo.
She sniffled, but nodded when Adam said that they were going to eat after that. The stress indeed wasn't a good thing for Anko, girls her age should play with dolls, not end up in fights and losing their best friends. Which is why she really wanted to go home, and not enter the Digital World anymore. Just like her sister told her to.

Then Adam lift her up to make her sit on his shoulders, the little girl managed to smile as Adam then tried to cheer her up by bouncing her up and down. She tried to laugh, really, but when she did so it sound incredibly fake. Renae tried to cheer her up by booping her nose, Anko just smiled weakly.
When Renae told her to focus on her connection with Keigo, the girl got a little nervous. She'd never done this before, simply because she never lost him.
She looked down at her digivice, it looked like usual, really. Anko shut her eyes, holding the digivice to her heart. At least, it felt right to do so. Since Keigo had a place in it.
Please.. she begged, her mind filling with memories of her and Keigo. Their first meeting, her naming him Keigo, when Keigo digivolved to DemiVeemon, when he digivolved to Veemon.. when he saved her at the desert by digivolving to Flamedramon.. ExVeemon.. and last.. Magnamon, who had saved her life by taking hit that was meant for her.

The tears welled up in her eyes again, she just.. really missed him.
Suddenly the digivice started making a faint beeping noise, and Anko pulled the digivice back from her chest. Anko frowned, this wasn't what she expected, there was.. an egg on the screen. And it was bouncing.
"Wait." Anko said, tilting her head slightly askew. The screen changed, and there was now an arrow pointing out of Terabyte City. She reached out her digivice for the others to see. "Is.. is this where we need to go?" She asked, her voice filled with hope.
Maybe they were right, maybe Keigo was coming back!

---

Adam Jackson

[Adam Jackson]

The trio just smiled as little Anko's digivice began to beep after she held it to her chest. They knew that if she really put her heart into it that it would work. When she showed Renae her digivice and asked if that's where they needed to go Renae just nodded with a small gentle smile before booping the little girls nose once more. She and Remy then began to walk in the direction that the arrow had been pointing which caused Adam to just follow their lead. As he walked Adam let out a small sad sigh.

"listen princess..I'm sorry I wasn't there to help Kiego like I should have been. I had been called to help defend the city against a skull Greymon. I hope you don't hate me for not being there to save him. You know I would have been there if I could have right?"

Hearing their tamer apologize for not being  around to help keep their favorite little girl and partner safe made both Remy and Renae's ears droop and their tails stop wagging. They shared the same guilt that their tamer did about not being where they needed to be to save the ones they loved and not being there to help their friend. Renae whimpered a small whimper.

"What kind of girl friend let's their boy friend face such a fight by himself. I hope he can forgive me for not being there to save him."

Hearing this, Remy without a word put his arm around his sisters shoulder and hugged her close. As they got to the exit of the city, Adam stopped walking for a moment and pulled his digivice out from under his shirt and held it up to Anko.

"I have an idea that will get us there faster. Just a sec princess."

Adam then held his digivice out to Remy with a smile.

"Digi-armor energize!"

A beam of light then shot out of Adam's digivice and into Remy which caused him to be swallowed up a orb of blue and green colored energy.

"Renamon armor digivolve to!... Raidramon the storm of friendship!"

When the orb shattered, Remy's armored for was revealed. Adam just walked over to Remy and sat Anko down on his back towards his neck where the hand rests were and then sat down behind her, putting his arms on her sides so that she wouldn't fall off at the high speeds. Once he was comfortable, he aimed his digivice  at Renae.

"Check this out Anko. Golden armor energize!"

A golden light then shot out Adam's digivice and into Renae causing her to be swallowed up by an orb of golden energy.

"Renamon golden armor digivolve to!!..Rapidmon!"

When the orb shattered and Renae was set free, She used her jets to shoot up into the sky lightly above the group.

"Renae, you fly above us and keep an eye out. Remy, let's ride!"

Remy then took off running at his top speed as Renae followed him.

"You give directions, i'll travel."

Anko Hiroi

[Anko Hiroi]

Anko looked down at Adam as he told her he was sorry for not being able to help Keigo like he should have. She heard about the Skullgreymon attack, but she was too busy finding that tailring for Elecmon that she forgot the time.
"It's okay.." Anko said, rather softly. Truthfully, she wasn't blaming anyone but herself in this case. If she didn't hesitate, Keigo wouldn't have died. She was kind of frightened to be honest, what if Keigo was mad at her when he'd see her? What if he never wanted to see her again?

A tear dropped on Adam's head, which she forcefully rubbed away with the back of her hand. "It's really not your fault.." She spoke, her voice still low. Anko felt a little bad for keeping the information of how Keigo died to herself. Especially now that Renae was blaming herself as well. "He can forgive you." She said, genuinely. Keigo wasn't really the one to hold any grudges, but she wasn't certain if that was completely true.

With a sigh, Anko stared at her digivice. The arrow was still pointed North. "I'm.. a bad tamer." She said, to return on what she had mentioned earlier. "But I was so scared, big brother.." Anko looked at Renae in a guilty way. "we were trying to find someone's tailring in the sewers.. but.. I had a nightmare before. K-Keigo died in it." She said, raising her head to see if she could see Keigo's egg already. But the beeping remained at a steady tone, indicating that Keigo's DigiEgg was not close yet.
"A.. a big digimon.. he was very slimy. He started fighting us and I was.. too afraid. Keigo was fighting him alone until he finally.." She paused, squeezing her digivice tightly. "He digivolved.." Her eyes shone with admiration at that point. "He was surrounded in golden armor, I'm not lying, big brother! He looked so cool!"
However she grimaced again. "But the slimy monster went for me and.. Keigo saved me. We were out of the sewers, I think Keigo flew us there. But when I looked at him something was wrong.." Her hands were shaking now, and she looked at Remy, oh she felt so embarrassed and weak right now. She felt like she was disappointing everyone.
"He.. had something stuck in his chest.. turns out the slimy monster's trident had.. he had.." She couldn't finish the sentence, looking miserable. "It was too much for him.." Was her broken whisper.

As they reached the gates of Terabyte City, Anko looked at her digivice once again before Adam told her he had an idea.
Remy was swallowed by an orb of blue and green, and when it broke there stood a Raidramon.
Adam put her on Remy's back, and she pat it, softly. She turned to look at Adam as he sat behind her, before looking at Renae as she too, was surrounded by an orb of golden this time.

"Oh." She said, looking slightly stunned. "Keigo.. looked just like that!" She beamed, her eyes shining with familiarity.
Anko looked down at her digivice again, noticing the beeping was getting stronger. It probably meant that they weren't far off.
She shut her eyes, reassuring herself by thinking-- I'm on my way, Keigo.

"It's straight ahead." She then said, before tilting her head again. Wait.. she knew this place.
They were heading straight for the Village of Beginning?

---

Adam Jackson

[Adam Jackson]

As the group traveled three on the ground and one in the air Adam listened silently as his favorite little princess not only told him how Keigo had been reconfigured but also that she was a bad tamer. This wasn't true in the slightest and it was confirmed when Anko told him how Kiego had golden armor digivolved to protect her. As the the group made it about a mile away from the village of beginnings, Adam had Remy stop in his tracks so he could turn Anko around to face him with a slightly serious look on his face and yet not a mean or angry one. As he did so, Renae landed next to her brother.

"You listen to me right now Princess and listen good. You are not a bad time, it is the opposite. That golden form that Keigo got was because of you! Very few tamers are granted access to the golden digi-eggs of legend. There are two which spread their light to people all over the digital world who prove themselves worthy though few ever do. They are named the golden digi-egg of Destiny which is the one I have and the golden digi-egg of miracles which I bet is the one you have. It chose you because you proved that you are willing to try and make miracles happen and because your bond with keigo was so strong that it's light was strong enough to awaken the power."

Adam then gently kissed Anko on the forehead with a warm brotherly smile.

"You my little princess are a legend in the making and you have no idea how very proud of you I am. Keigo knows that too which is why he did what he did. You two will grow up to be stronger then even me and my team. You just have to make sure that the light inside you doesn't fade from having doubts. The digivice may channel your inner light but the true light comes from inside you, from your very soul."

Adam the pointed at Anko's heart with a warm smile and then wiped her cheeks so they were not so wet. When he did so, his left sleeve slid down a bit revealing the dark mark that had been branded onto his left arm.

"Let's go get Kiego."

Adam then turned Anko back around and had Remy and Renae take off into the village of beginnings. The trio hadn't been there in so long. Hopefully Kiego's egg would make itself known soon.


Anko Hiroi

[Anko Hiroi]

Anko looked a little surprised as Adam made Remy stop when they were so close to the Village of Beginnings, where Keigo was probably waiting for her. The expression on Adam's face kind of frightened Anko, like she was going to receive the scolding of a life time. And, in a way, she did.

Her hand moved to her chest as Adam explained that it was a pretty impressive situation when you received the DigiEgg of Miracles, that's what Adam called it. She really didn't think it was such a big deal, since Keigo digivolved.. a lot since he ended up in the Digital World. Perhaps he wasn't able on maintaining a higher form than in-training in the real world?
Well, to be honest, it wasn't like they were doing anything interesting at home.

Adam kissed her forehead, and Anko struggled to blink back her tears. Would Keigo really still love her, despite what happened to him?
Then her big brother told her that he was so proud of him, and Keigo probably was, too. It made her sniffle that she had such great friends that were always there for her.
Though as he wiped her cheeks, she noticed a mark on Adam's left arm. It obviously caught the girl's curiosity.
"Hey big brother?" She asked, grabbing a hold on Remy as Adam turned her around. "Where did you get that tattoo?" She then finished her question.

It didn't take them long to reach the Village of Beginning, Anko was amazed by the childlike colors and all the toy blocks that were laying around.
Not only that, but there were tons of little digimon hopping and playing around. Anko's mood visibly improved, and she jumped off Remy without Adam's help. She just needed to get to Keigo right now.

Anko held up her digivice once again, the object had started beeping frantically when they entered the Village, which obviously indicated that the one they were searching for was truly here.
The young tamer walked through the Village, looking around and taking in the sight-- not to mention to scout if she could see something familiar.

Anko..

Huh?

She stopped dead in her tracks as she heard that, Anko was a little bit frightened that she might have misheard it.

Anko come find me..

Nope, that was definitely a voice. It was Keigo's.

The tears jumped into her eyes once again, this time from happiness. Keigo wasn't dead, they were right. He was just.. resting.
As she was scanning the area, her eyes landed on one of the beds that contained an egg. The DigiEgg was glowing, and when Anko looked down at her digivice, she noticed that the object was glowing as well.
No doubt about it. That was Keigo.

Without a second thought, Anko ran over to the basket and dropped on her knees in front of it.
"I thought I lost you.." She cried, dropping her digivice in all hurry. Her hands surrounded the glowing egg, and she took it out of the bed.
Anko pulled the egg to her chest before wrapping her arms around it. A strangled cry managed to squeeze its way out of her lungs, and she simply held the egg for dear life.

Anko almost forgot that Adam was still here, so she shakily got up to her feet and picked up the digivice with one hand.
Sniffling, she walked back to the trio. "Y-you were right." She stammered happily. "He's here.. it's him." Anko was so certain that this was her best friend, nobody could tell her otherwise.
All of a sudden it felt like a giant weight had been lifted off her shoulder, her knees grew weak, body trembling before she tumbled to the ground. This day had certainly taken its toll on the seven year old, so rest was well deserved. However even through her fall, her grip on Keigo's DigiEgg never faltered.

---

Adam Jackson

[Adam Jackson]

As they arrived in the village of beginnings and Anko asked about the "tattoo" on Adam's arm the young wild boy just slid his sleeve back down as the young girl ran off to find her partner. In order to take a rest, Remy decided to find a nice shady tree to lay down under while Renae landed next to her tamer with a concerned look.

"You are gonna have to tell her ya know."

Adam just sighed and nodded his head before just leaning against the tree that Remy was curled up under. He stole another look at the mark silently before looking back up at Renae.

"I know I will Renae, just not quite yet. I want her to enjoy this moment for a little bit longer. She's still young and has already been through so much in such a short time. I want her to have the best time here that she can."

Renae smiled and then just nudged her tamers shoulder with her arm cannon.

"You have grown quite a bit from that wild boy who got dropped here seven years ago. I'm proud to be your partner."

Adam just smiled at his digimon as Anko came back clutching Keigo's egg. It wasn't long before the little one got so excited that she fainted and fell onto the soft ground. Without a word Adam just slipped his coat off and folded it up into a pillow shape and then gently slipped it under his favorite little princess's head. He then sat down next to her to wait for her to awaken. During the hour that passed before she awoke, Adam Had Renae fly the perimeter to make sure they were safe before returning to them. Once Anko woke up,Adam just smiled at her.

"Anko sweetie, I have something I need to tell you. This mark on my arm isn't a tattoo, it's a brand. Once the skullgreymon was defeated and it's data absorbed, the dark forces who summoned it used their powers to brand those who had defeated the monster. The branded ones including myself have been searching for a meaning behind the mark though we have only found one thing out. The longer we have it the worse off we will be. I promise you though, no matter what happens to me, I will not let you get hurt like this again."

Anko Hiroi 

[Anko Hiroi]

Anko awoke slowly after she had passed out from sheer exhaustion, her eyes looking a little distant until she recognized Adam again. The little girl struggled a little while sitting up, her arm still around Keigo's egg. She didn't have time to even adjust to the situation as Adam began explaining that the tattoo on his arm wasn't a tattoo, but rather a mark. A brand of some sorts.
She didn't quite understand what it did, but the girl slightly tilt her head askew. "What.. does it do?" She asked, automatically rubbing the DigiEgg she was holding.

The 7 year old stifled a yawn, she wasn't up to her usual alertness yet since she was so tired.
"Big brother..?" She then asked, before shuffling closer to him and nestling herself into his lap. She leaned her head against his chest. "Can we go home?" She mumbled, before yawning once again. All she wanted was for Keigo to hatch in a safe environment, and she was sure this wasn't the right place. At least she got Keigo back, she couldn't wait to see him again.

---

Adam Jackson

[THREAD END?]