FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Disclaimer:

I don't claim ownership to digimon or any non original character of the digimon franchise. The other characters however are owned by me and may only be used with permission.

I know this one is a bit long. It also is my first story so I'm still trying to improve. Comments and honest criticism are welcome. Don't be too harsh on my grammar though writing in what's not your native language isn't easy.

And lastly I want to thank the other writer's out there for their stories, which I learned to love. Keep up the good work ^.^

For Better or Worse

writtenby Phenrir

Chapter 1: Destined Incidents

It was a cold and cloudy night. In fact it was so cloudy, that not even the slightest bit of moonlight shone through the cloud draped skies. At this late time a young man awoke, slightly confused, in his bed. Tiredly he looked at his alarm clock, which showed the time to be 3:20.

Thinking about why the hell he woke at this time, he tried to roll over and get more sleep. Suddenly there was a light from the other side of the bedroom and many sounds, which the boy couldn't identify. Now more alert than before, he got out of bed.

It seemed that his computer somehow got on and the monitor emitted a light blue glow through the otherwise dark room. ‘Strange... I don't remember leaving the computer on', the boy thought to himself, as he switched the electronics of. The screen went black leaving the room in darkness again. Being out of the warm sheets of his bed the boy shivered. Just then he realized the window wasn't closed. He headed for the window and after looking out for a moment he shut it.

Still tired he got in his bed and let a relieved sigh out. Finally he could rest. What he didn't know was that there were steps on the roof.

After months of work for the case Adrian Bain finally got the chance to present it to the authorities. The time he spent to gather information felt like an eternity to Mr. Bain. An eternity, which surely was inappropriate concerning the importance of this case, Mr. Bain had done nothing but talking to experts and more paperwork. It was time for action now and he longed to hear the answer to this problem.

About fifteen minutes too late Mr. Bain rushed into the conference room. "I must excuse myself for being late", he addressed the people in the room, while crossing it. "There was this anomaly the lab had to analyze, so that I could provide you with the right information." At the long table only five people were seated. Two women and three men all in their late thirties to early forties sat there. Most of them were dressed in expensive business suits; only one man was wearing an army uniform. The one to Adrian's right addressed him: "Mr. Bain, enough excuses! Tell us, why we should invest that much money in such an operation, would you?"

Adjusting his tie he made a small pause before answering. ‘Every move must be well prepared now', thought Mr. Bain. "That was no excuse", he stated looking the other man straight in the eye. Facing the whole audience again he continued. "For you all to understand I have to amplify the matter at hand... Since the beginning of the twenty-first century technology has shown a somewhat exponential growth. The invention of broadband technology as well as other concepts made the use of the internet affordable for the common man around the world and with the expansion of this technology the mass of data increased, too."

Slightly annoyed faces were looking back at Mr. Bain. Of course they all knew what the internet was. All of them experienced the start of the digital era. However this time it was one of the women, who cut Mr. Bain off. "What is your point? Do you assume these... incidences... may be connected with the net?" Adrian Bain only smiled at her. "I don't assume it, I know for sure that the incidences are linked to the net... but let me continue. Today almost everything is controlled by computers and most of them are connected to the internet. But it wasn't and it still isn't only used for good. I think that you are all familiar with hacker attacks, Trojans and viruses as it has been a common phenomenon throughout the last years. Now my theory of this matter: I have reason to believe, that some kind of virus evolved... and this unknown program is the source of the incidences we are talking about."

Mr. Bain picked up a remote control which lay on the table the whole time and pressed one of the many buttons on it. A beamer sprang to life and started projecting a world map on the wall behind Mr. Bain. The pressing of a second button followed and many different lines started to appear on the map. Where several lines crossed big joints were clearly noticeable.

"These lines represent the biggest broadband connections and through them the most important servers of the net. In general these joints or nodes are within or at least near big cities." Mr. Bain pressed another button awaiting the reaction of his audience. In the meantime several different colored dots appeared on the map. "And these points mark the locations of the incidences."

The realization of some of the listeners became apparent by the looks on their faces. It was the army officer who spoke first. "But all cases were within close range to the largest nodes..." Again a smile appeared on Adrian Bain's face. "Exactly. But there is more for you to hear. In case number twenty-three a witness stated that right before the incident his radio gave out a kind of noise." He reached into his pocket and drew a voice recorder out. "Our technicians filtered the noise out and this is what remains." Mr. Bain switched the voice recorder on and it played unnerving beeping sounds of different pitch, which repeated themselves in a certain pattern. Everyone in the room had heard this type of sounds. It were the noises a modem used to translate data.

"So there was an internet connection established before the incidents happened? Did you really think we would believe this, Mr. Bain? Maybe it was only caused by some kind of electromagnetical interference or other rare phenomena." He was prepared to hear skepticism and after he stored the voice recorder back in his pocket Mr. Bain answered. "That is what one could think. But I assure you all I have proof. After a bit of research on the matter we found this..." Another press on the remote and more lines in a third color appeared. This time they weren't that straight, more like veins over the whole planet. The larger ones orientated themselves around the connections and nodes of the net. "At the exact time of case twenty-five", Mr. Bain paused to show them the dot marking the happening of the twenty-fifth incident, "a voltage difference could be measured and recorded at the very location the incident happened."  A flashing light confirmed Mr. Bain's thesis. He used the time where his audience was speechless and looked at all of them. ‘Now for the finishing touch and their support I might as well overdo it a little.' After setting the beamer to standby some of the people snapped out of their staring stance.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think there is a program of unknown dangerousness, which poses a great threat to the world-wide-web until proper handled. It seems to break loose of its electronic boundaries and did affect the material world in the past. Just imagine what harm it could do. Try to visualize a global crash of computers and electronics. The aftermath would be disastrous. This virus, this anomaly has to be stopped while we can."

The business men and women thought for a moment, than nodded at each other in silent agreement. "Stop this threat to our nation by any means necessary", said the man to Mr. Bain's left. It was done he had all the help he needed. Mr. Bain grinned.

The morning came and with it sun shone into the bedroom of Sam Thornton. The warming light seemed to be enough to make him wake, because slowly he was stirring. After a lot of stretching and a big yawn, which he tried to stifle but failed miserably, Sam looked at his alarm clock. It said the time was 10:35. For one moment he was startled. He nearly wanted to jump out of bed and rush into the bathroom to make himself ready for the day, but then he remembered. First of all it was Saturday, secondly he didn't have to go anywhere. He finished school some time ago and didn't have a job, so why hurry. But still it was late. He also had something to do later.

On his way to the bathroom he passed the only window of his room, looking out for an instant, than it hit him. The happenings of the last night came back to him. He clearly remembered closing the window after shutting down the computer. ‘Well the window is closed... the computer is off also', he silently said to himself. ‘But if it wasn't a dream, how could the window have opened by itself. And the computer, too. I am sure it wasn't on when I went to bed.' The events of the last night were a mystery to Sam, but since nothing bad happened he didn't waste any more time thinking about it. He just shrugged the matter of.

After a quick shower and getting dressed, Sam went downstairs in the kitchen. There lay a note on the table. "I'm meeting some friends today. Have the night shift at the hospital. Don't expect me till tomorrow morning. Love you, Mom." Sam's mother Helen was working as a doctor at the hospital, which meant she made enough money to look after her son alone since Sam's father died a long time ago, but it also implied that sometimes she had awful working times. Still Helen and her son managed to survive with ease, probably because Sam was not that problematic.

His mother having busy days wasn't surprising for Sam and it wasn't like he'd need her today. So he just laid the note back on the table, than picked up some cereals for breakfast. While eating he became thoughtful. Lately there was only one issue disturbing Sam Thornton: What to do with his life.

He had finished high school but now for the first time he wasn't sure what to do. Some of his former classmates are going to college or university, others already got jobs. But Sam didn't know what to do. There were so many opportunities ahead of him that he didn't know which one to take. He could study for being a doctor like his mother wanted, he could go to college with some of his friends, or he could get a job like being a mechanic or anything else. Sam wasn't picky, he could be enthused for many things. Still he didn't know what should determine his life in the next few years.

Sometimes he spent his free time just imagining one opportunity after another. Spending the day in apathy waiting for the muse to hit with nothing particular to do didn't feel right. ‘It is almost like something important is missing and I don't know what', was what Sam mostly told himself.

However his search for a piece of future wasn't going to stop him today. Sam was meeting his friends at the mall later on. So he finished breakfast although it was almost noon, picked up his things and went to his car. It was an old dark blue Buick Regal, which he got after finishing his driver's license. He repaired the piece of junk whenever it got broken again. One time Sam even spent almost half a year of pocket money to fix the engine of his car. Still he never thought of saving money for a better car.

After getting inside and starting the engine Sam drove to the mall. When he arrived at the parking lot Sam saw his friends already waiting for him. He knew them since preschool and they were still the best friends he had. Joshua and Katelyn Richmond were twins but nothing alike. Kate was thin, smart and self-reliant, her brother Josh however was athletic, light-headed and not the fastest learner. For all the time Sam knew them they were almost inseparable despite of their differences.

"Hey guys!" Sam greeted them. Josh just finished a hot dog before saying.

"There you are, man, we were waiting for you." Sam and Josh carried a special handshake out, which they used since elementary school.

"You really like these chilli-cheese dogs, don't you?" Josh grinned. "I would starve without them, you know that." At least it was good to see, that he had a bigger appetite and not that much on his mind like Sam did. But then again he still was Josh wasn't he.

"Morning Kate, how are you?" Kate looked up at Sam from the bench she and Josh were sitting on. "Good, I only feared you would let me alone with my brother. And you?" Sam could only shrug. "Been better, but don't you two worry about me. Have you guys something in mind for today? How about shooting some pool?" They didn't have planned anything and didn't refuse Sam's suggestion, so the three of them went inside. At the arcade they played some turns.

While they were playing Kate asked Sam. "Well... Have you figured it out?" Sam was confused. "Figured out what?" Kate smiled at him. "What you're going to do of course! You seem a bit absent-minded as of lately, Sam." Her brother, who was eating again, interfered. "You're more absent than ever. And that means something." Sam could only smile. Josh's sister though was a bit angry. "Do you never stop eating!" But before they could fight Sam tried to explain.

"I don't know. I'm still trying to... figure it out, but somehow I can't manage to. It drives me nuts that everyone but me seems to have no problem at all with that kind of decision. Something is missing and I'm waiting for an answer what it is..." Sam tried to pocket the eight-ball. He designated the top left corner, shot, but missed only slightly. The eight-ball hit the cushion and got into the top right pocket instead of the designated one.

Sam's friends were silent. At least until Josh broke the silence. "Dude, you seriously need a girl!" Another fight between the siblings broke loose. And it still went on when Sam paid and when they left. As the three of them left the mall the twins were busy with the usual insults, which Sam had heard since sixth grade.

He was too distracted to listen to his friends, because Sam saw someone else on the parking lot. Some paces away were thugs picking on a little boy. It weren't just any bullies. Sam knew them from high school, although he never really had problems with them. These guys were Craig Montague and his gang. Craig being the strongest one was the leader. The brain of the gang however was Daniel Polk, also referred as Silent Dan, because he almost never said anything. A handful people, so did Sam, nevertheless knew that Silent Dan was just playing dumb. As to why he did that no one knew. Lastly there were Joey Brinkerhoff and his younger brother Corbin. The father of the brothers was for being involved in a case of murder in prison for a long time. After Mr. Brinkerhoff got set free he just vanished. One never heard of him again. His sons seemed to follow him suit.

The little boy, who was the current target of Craig's gang, didn't seem to be older than ten. He was surrounded by the thugs. Craig was in front of him demanding money, Silent Dan behind him and the Brinkerhoff brothers knuckle creaking to either side of the boy.

Sam wasn't the guy to rush into conflicts and he wasn't that strong either. He had had some self-defense lessons containing karate, kung fu and taekwondo, because his mother wanted Sam to take them, he was never really good at it though. This time however he had to help the poor kid.

"Hey", he called, "leave that poor kid alone!" The thugs were surprised to hear that and all of them fixed their gaze upon Sam now. "Don't I know this wimp? If it isn't Thornton...", said Craig while coming closer his subordinates following him. Sam's friends had stopped fighting by then and his thoughts were rushing now with unknown speed. ‘Uh-oh... That truly was a bad idea. What should I do? A fast and hard hit to Craig's nose and he is down for some time, then there are three of them left...'

"Do you want trouble yourself, Thornton, I didn't know you'd have guts now." Kate and Josh came a bit closer, but looked just as helpless as Sam felt. ‘A low kick to get him of his feet, blocking the attack of the next thug followed suit by a hit to the guts, police-grip on the third and then looking for their reaction..." The bullies were ready for a fight, but none seemed armed.

"What is it, Thornton? Did I knock you for a loop? You're even more passive than Silent Dan here!" A self-assured grimace appeared on Craig's face. So typical. ‘Maybe a strong hit to the face, then grab the boy and make a run for the car...' Everyone was expecting a quarrel within the next few seconds now. The thugs were all grinning even Silent Dan.

"Not the cool guy here, are you Thornton? We're not in school anymore! Here's nothing that could protect you." He took out a cigarette and lighted it. "Now what? Got nothing more to say, Thornton?" Craig blew smoke in Sam's direction still with the lighter in his hand. ‘What about a weapon... I hit his arm on the right spot and he lets go of the lighter, then I could try to burn them... No, that wouldn't work!'

Craig was about to say something, when there were sounds from the mall entrance. A security guard looked out with a fake questioning face. "You kids having a problem here?"

Craig looked at the guard. "Nothing", he said. Then he whispered to Sam. "We'll get you Thornton." The thugs slowly went off the parking lot, getting into a big pickup.

The security guard went back inside, while Sam and his friends sighed relieved. "That was close", said Kate. Sam walked over to the boy, who thanked Sam for helping him. The kid wasn't hurt badly. He was slightly bleeding on one knee, most likely because he fell when the thugs pushed him. Nevertheless Sam was concerned. "Do you need something?", he asked the boy. "Shall I drive you home?" The boy beamed at Sam with joy. "That would be great thanks, Mister." Sam said goodbye to his friends, then took the boy to his car. "Just call me Sam. What is your name?" The kid got into the car as Sam opened it. "I'm Mathew. But my friends call me Mat."

Sam's mood was slowly shifting from slightly annoyed to severely angry. After driving young Mat home, the mother of the boy came out of the house. She had asked what happened and demanded an explanation from Sam. When she saw that her boy was hurt the mother got hysteric and claimed Sam was responsible for it. Her lamentations went on and on until Sam and Mat together could convince her.

When the clash with Mat's mother was over it was getting really late and it was dark already. Now for the worst part Sam was somewhere in town on the way home and his car started to be problematic. It got slower so Sam pulled off to the side. Right in time as it seemed, because just then the motor went off.

‘Probably the injection-pump again', Sam thought while he got out of the car. Sam opened the hood. He wanted to start looking for the problem, but then hesitated. Wasn't there a noise? Sam looked around. There wasn't anything abnormal around. He shrugged and looked at his car again.

Suddenly there were lights behind him and a big car pulled to his side. Sam recognized it. That was Craig Montague's pickup. The owner and his gang got out of it already with Craig exclaiming. "I told you Thornton, we would get you!" But this time, to Sam's dismay, the thugs weren't unarmed though none of them had a firearm. The Brinkerhoff brothers rattled with chains. Craig shouldered a baseball bat. Lastly Silent Dan had instead of bare fists brass knuckles.

For the second time this day Sam's thoughts and heart began to race. This time no lucky fate was going to help Sam. He was alone with a gang of thugs, who held a grudge against him.

‘If I am to survive without serious wounds, then I need an advantage over them.' Sam thought while looking around quickly. ‘But there is no proper weapon in sight... Without the car I won't be able to flee and calling for help would take too long.' If Sam still had been younger, he never would have considered running away from a fight. But it was different now. The only thing that mattered was surviving another day.

Sam looked for a way to escape. The gang almost closed the distance between them. There was an alleyway just some paces away from Sam. Hopefully he could make a run for it.

"Not so tough now, are you Thornton? I'll tell you how it's going. We'll pay you back for bothering us at the mall till you beg us for sparing your pathetic little life. Then we hit you a bit more and we're even. What do you...?" Craig couldn't get further, for Sam was already sprinting into the alleyway.

His heart beating faster Sam ran through the alley, past garbage containers and fire ladders of the apartment buildings, shortly followed by his pursuers. He ran across a small filthy courtyard until he had to stop. Sam's escape route ended in a high brick wall, which he wouldn't be able to climb fast enough. Turning around he saw the thugs slowly coming to a halt. They started to laugh.

"See, Thornton? You can't come away... Let's teach him a lesson now guys!" Joey and his brother sprang forth chains swinging. ‘Now the self-defense pays off. Corbin seems to be the weaker one, I take him on first', planned Sam.

Joey was the first to attack. He was Aiming for Sam's head with a horizontal strike. Sam dodged the assault by ducking quickly. But apparently he overestimated his fighting skills after a long time without proper training. Sam began to lose balance. He had to stumble a few feet away from Joey to avoid falling. The other opponent however used this chance. Corbin, being nearer to Sam than his brother now, swung his chain at Sam vertically. Sam could barely react fast enough. He turned slightly away from the attack, so the chain didn't hit him. Then with all of his might and speed Sam struck at Corbin's wrist.

The plan seemed to work out. The younger Brinkerhoff brother groaned in pain, as he let go of his weapon. With a dauntless grip Sam was armed now. He tried to keep all of his enemies in sight though it would be impossible for Sam to handle all of them anyway.

"Lucky one, Thornton", commented Craig. "Corbin still is the weakest of us, right Joey?" The older Brinkerhoff brother gave out a kind of snorting noise and said much to the discomfort of his brother, who now and then rubbed his wrist. "He still is! Our poor little boy!" A short nod from the gang leader followed and Silent Dan stepped into the fight assuming the fighting stance of an experienced boxer.

While Craig was watching the other three gang members surrounded Sam. He could hardly keep two of them in sight in this darkness. Joey and Silent Dan were the major threat. But to focus them Sam had to turn around. Before he could accomplish that Silent Dan charged from the side. He was quite fast. Sam could hardly block a strike with his forearm. Joey used his chain and started to strangle Sam from behind. With his spare hand Sam wanted to keep the chain off his neck, but wasn't strong enough to get it away fully. Silent Dan grabbed Sam's other arm, which still held the chain, and restrained Sam together with Joey. Corbin still remained. He approached from the front and looked like he wanted to hit Sam, who began panting for air, square in the stomach. Sam leaned a bit forward. Corbin came closer and prepared his first strike at the strangled Sam.

But before he could strike, Sam suddenly leaned back. He used his displaced center of gravity to land a hard kick at Corbin's chin. Due to this attack however Sam began to lose balance and fall backwards. Joey was caught off guard. He was neither able to comfort Sam's weight so he wouldn't fall, too, nor could he follow the swift motion with his chain. For a moment there was enough space between chain and neck. Sam pulled his hand away while taking a deep breath. Still falling he used his currently free hand. He hit a startled Silent Dan right in the face, who just let go of the arm he was holding.

Sam could feel the pain of one's fist and the burning sensation after hitting an opponent. The thrill ended when Joey hit the ground with Sam atop him. After this short pause the strangling started again, but Sam wasn't helpless now. An attack with the chain at Joey's face and a strong strike with the elbow at Joey's ribs both were followed suit by pained screams. Then Sam could break free of Joey's grasp. He stood up absorbed in thought. ‘I'm giving these thugs a hard time and it works out better than expected. Maybe I can defeat them after all.'

He wasn't that lucky though. Just a moment later Silent Dan's punch reached his face. Shortly afterwards Craig's bat hit Sam's side.

The agonizing pain let Sam not only close his eyes but also fall to his knees. His cheek and his ribs burned with ache. Sam thought to himself. ‘So this is it...' He opened watery eyes to see his last moments. There was Corbin spitting blood and a tooth out, Silent Dan's nose was bleeding, Joey stood up groaning with a bloody bruise on the forehead and lastly there was an angry Craig. He spat right in Sam's face exclaiming. "Now die you pest!" Craig swung the baseball bat aiming for Sam's head.Â

There was no white light, no heavenly choirs and no feeling of release or joy. Sam would have bet to be dead by now. But he wasn't. Craig was going to hit him with full force. However the final blow never came.

Sam felt a sudden breeze and saw a dark figure appearing out of nowhere. One couldn't spot any features of this person and whoever he was he seemed to help Sam.

A swift movement and the figure stopped Craig's bat in midair. Then a slashing sound right before the wooden bat cracked into pieces. The thugs looked in awe, astonished by the sheer strength of the stranger. They couldn't even react when the stranger attacked them. Within the blink of an eye bloody streaks appeared on Craig's cheek while he stumbled backwards. Silent Dan was next. The unnaturally strong and fast stranger performed a devastating kick that sent Dan flying till he hit a nearby wall. Joey and Corbin suffered a similar fate as they had to endure the stranger's attacks like their companions did before them. Some tried to fight back, but their attempts were futile for the stranger was too fast. The thugs got hurt several times again.

But more importantly they were frightened. An unknown individual gave them a hell of a fight and they weren't even able to react to their opponent's assault. As soon as they could they ran away and back to the car. Before the stranger could follow them they pulled off.

For one moment Sam fought he had only survived another minute to get beat up by this intimidating fiend. Instead of focusing on Sam, the shadowy figure just disappeared as fast as he had arrived. The alleyway was silent now. Because of their hasty flight the thugs had left most of their weapons. Sam got up still hurt from his own quarrel.

"Are you there?" Sam looked around while shouting. "Thanks for your help! Without you I would have gotten severely injured or worse... If there is anything I can do to repay you..." Sam thought he saw someone or something for a moment although there was no answer. He waited a bit. Still there was no sign of his savior. So he began to pull himself together and headed for his car.

It was a bit hard to find the way back in the dark since Sam didn't memorize it. But eventually he found his car where he left it. Luckily no thief got interested in the car for it was unlocked and the keys left inside thanks to the hurry Sam had been in. Of course the Regal was quite old so probably no one would ever steal it. Sam never got the time to look after the latest "illness" of the automobile. Turning the keys proofed that this problem didn't solve by itself. Again Sam tried to repair it. He kept the lights on so he could see something.

Then the radio sprang on. A loud enervating noise sounded through the speakers.

"Stupid broken radio!" After switching it off it was silent. It took a while for Sam to fix his car and as he finished it he could hear faint noises coming nearer. This time Sam wouldn't be dumbfounded by anyone whom he surely didn't want to meet. Right after getting in his car there were close cries and a figure flew out of the alleyway and crashed into the opposite wall. Since the figure was out of range of the car's lights Sam couldn't see any features. Before he could look closer another one came out of the alleyway. The thing walked into the light and blinked for a moment. It was green impish creature with long lower canines, a Mohawk haircut and a big club. When the creature could see again it focused Sam's car curiously. It came a bit closer looking the machine over.

Sam used this moment to start the engine. Whatever this creature was he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay and find out. The sudden noise of the engine startled the green imp. It began to stare at the car like it was an enemy. Quickly Sam reversed before the club attack reached the car. The creature hit the street instead.

‘If it's you and me Goblin then I clearly get a jump on you.' Sam thought while driving forward with his foot down to the floor.

The creature didn't react fast enough. It wasn't run over for Sam hit the break, but the sheer force pushed it several feet away where it landed hard on the ground. While Sam got out to look closer there was a noise to the side. The creature just shattered into a blue light, which got absorbed by another being.

Instinctively Sam asked the other one, whom he still couldn't see fully. "Are you the one he saved me back there?" The car received a big dent from the crash and was apart form that unharmed though at the moment it didn't matter. A feminine voice answered. "Yes, I did. And I was watching you even before that. You protected the kid and your fighting skills impressed me..." Sam blushed a little. The voice didn't sound older than him, yet there was something different. It had a mysterious but beautiful tone.

"Well thanks... I only did what I thought was right... It is a bit awkward talking to the dark. Can't you come in the light?" She hesitated but then stepped slowly into the light. Sam however didn't expect to see something like that. It was an anthropomorphic fox with yellow and white fur. The only clothes she wore were long violet gloves. Instead of five she had three thick clawed fingers. There were markings under her eyes and on her legs in a violet color matching the gloves. But the most interesting sight were the eyes. Irides of an azure blue color, while the rest was an obsidian-black tone. Sam couldn't help it but stare at her. After the strange events of this late Saturday one question occurred to him and broke his staring stance.

"What are you and what was with this green guy?" He gestured to the place the goblin had lain before it vanished. "I am a digimon... of the race of Renamon to be exact. The ‘green guy' you're referring to was Goblimon that also is a digimon. And before you ask a digimon is a ‘digital monster'. There are lots of kinds of them." Sam wasn't sure if he understood what digimon were. What he understood though was that this Renamon had saved his life. She beat up Craig's gang and got rid of the green goblin. All in all she had helped Sam and therefore he just had to help her.

"I never heard of digimon before. Where are you from?" No one Sam knew had said anything about digimon. The appearance of them hadn't been on the news. So either most people didn't know about them because it was kept secret or they came from a faraway place no one knew of.

"Well... I came from the digiworld last night. But as to how I got here I don't know." Memories of the last night came back to Sam. His computer had acted strange but was that linked to the digimon? "Since you just arrived here I guess you have no place to stay. You can come with me. ‘Cause you saved my life I even insist upon it." The Renamon hesitated, but then she smiled. "That is very kind of you, thank you."

She came closer to the car while Sam opened the passenger door for her. An inviting gesture hinted her to get inside since she looked curiously at the car. Then Sam got seated himself and showed the Renamon how to buckle up her seatbelt.

"By the way what is your name?" She was still fascinated by the car. "My name is Aurora." Sam started the engine and drove down the street. "Nice to meet you, Aurora. I'm Sam."

"So if a digimon is defeated the winner can absorb its data to get stronger?" On the ride home Sam and Aurora passed the time talking. For the most part it was Sam, who asked questions about the digiworld. Aurora answered his questions eagerly but she had some herself.

"Yeah, that's right. You seem to have a lot of questions. I want to know some things, too, so let's make a deal. We take turns questioning each other..." That sounded fair to Sam. He didn't know whether he could answer everything though. "That's alright with me. I guess it's your turn then." He braced himself for any kind of awkward subject.

"After being here for a while I still wonder... Is this world a peaceable one?" That was hard to tell. Sam had to think for a moment. "Well... mostly people get along with each other. Still there are conflicts between different countries that even end in war. For smaller issues we have laws along with the government to ensure peace within a state. Real fights usually are the exception. I think everyone just tries to survive and the days of great wars are gone at least for the time being."Â She looked like she was unhappy with that reply or like she didn't get it fully but asked no further.

"My turn! If digimon are data are they able to age? Can they die because of it?" Aurora answered right away. "We do age. The aging process however is linked to the growth of the amount of data. When a digimon reaches a certain amount it digivolutes to a stronger form. And about the dying part: I am not aware of any digimon dying of age." That meant Aurora could be much older than Sam. She surely didn't look like it. "I saw the way you fought those evil humans. How did you do that?", asked Aurora. She was definitely stronger than Sam. He saw it. Still she didn't know anything about martial arts, or at least the styles Sam had learned.

"Some years ago my mother talked me into taking self defense lessons. There I learned some of the tricks you saw and more. If you want to I can show it to you sometime. However I haven't had much practice in a while, so I might be out of shape." Certainly they would need a secluded place to practice first. She smiled. "I would like that. Your skills were quite different from what I have seen in the digiworld so far." Sam had to wonder what practicing with her would be like, before he thought about his next question.

"What is your favorite color?" A confused look appeared on Aurora's face. "What a kind of question is that?" Now Sam was a bit embarrassed about it. "Since you're probably staying for a while I want to learn more about you. You don't have to answer." Aurora had to blush although the scarce light in the car and her fur concealed it. "No, that's ok. My favorite color is blue." There was a short laugh from Sam. "I knew it!" He still grinned when Aurora asked him. "How come?" Sam looked at her for a moment. "Well it suits you. And it matches your eyes. Besides it is convenient that most people pick blue..." Both of them laughed at Sam's statement.

The rest of the ride they talked about the digiworld, the real one and each other until they arrived at Sam's. They got out of the car. "Where here. My Mom won't be back till morning so she won't see you." Sam opened the door. ‘Perhaps that's better. She'd totally freak out if she saw Aurora', he thought. He got inside shortly followed by Aurora, who looked around in curiosity while slightly sniffing the air. In order to take as much sights and smells in as possible. When they passed the living room Sam looked at the clock above the TV.

"It's pretty late. I better show you where you are sleeping tonight. That way we both can get some rest." Sam led her upstairs to a guest room right across from his own. There was a small bed, closets filled with some old clothes and other stuff. "Make yourself at home. My room is right across the hall if there's anything. You can use the bathroom next to my room. You should keep the door locked though otherwise my Mom might come in here and see you when she's back. Do you need anything else?" Aurora familiarized herself with the room then answered. "No, I'm fine. And thank you for letting me stay." Sam just shrugged it off. "After all you did save my life, so don't you think about it. Good night." When Aurora had wished him good night Sam closed the door of the guest room. He heard the click of Aurora locking the door and then headed for his own room.

Alone in his room Sam sighed. It was a long busy day. Twice he had feared not to survive to see the end of it. But somehow he felt good. No, not just good, but confident. Suddenly his life wasn't just plain boring thanks to his own apathy. And there was more. He really liked Aurora. Though he was too shy to say that to her face. There were days ahead where he could gather the courage to tell her his feelings. But now he just undressed, got in his bed and tried to sleep.

What Sam didn't know was that in the meantime Aurora had similar thoughts of her own. After watching him from distant roofs, after the long talks with Sam Aurora began to be fond of him. Laying on the bed she was lost in thoughts. ‘I've never felt like this before. Is this love? He doesn't seem to be scared of me. But does he like me?' Reflecting on her own as well as Sam's feelings Aurora wasn't able to find sleep. She turned from side to side, laying awake, and she couldn't help it but feel alone. Maybe Sam was still up. Perhaps they could talk a bit more till she'd get sleepy.

Silently Aurora stood up. She unlocked and opened the guest room door, then peeked into the hallway. There was no one in sight. Her ears made gentle sounds from Sam's room out. His mother still hadn't arrived and it seemed like Sam was sleeping already. Aurora wanted to be sure. With the stealth skills all Renamon possess she got into Sam's room with ease.

He was in his bed and sleeping quietly. The scene reminded Aurora of her arrival. It was this very room she came into the real world. But why? Was it a kind of sign? She should have left the room again instead of that she hesitated. Part of her wanted to leave right now as to prevent trouble. The other half however wanted to be close to Sam. It didn't take too long before she lost self control. Tail swishing she snuck to Sam and under the blanket. Her plan was to stay for not too long, but for now she couldn't resist. Giving into her feelings she got closer to Sam and hugged him tight. Happy and content Aurora drifted into sleep.

The following morning Sam slowly began to stir. He hadn't slept that well for a long time. Maybe his time of depression was over now. Then he realized he wasn't alone. Aurora was lying right next to him, hugging Sam in her sleep. She must have snuck up to him when he was asleep. It didn't bother Sam though. Sam was just happy for it seemed like she had feelings for him. Talking to her would be much easier now.

But right then Sam just wanted to enjoy the moment. He loved the feeling of her fur on his skin and to look at her sleeping form.

From the corner of his eye Sam saw a light that distracted him. His computer was on again and in front of it lay something that looked like a combination of a mobile phone and one of those small video games or a toy. There was an E-mail with an unknown addresser. "You two are partners now! This is a digivice use it wisely!"

To be continued...