Second Chances

Ryouma stared at his silent Xros Loader, vaguely annoyed that it was the same shade of green as his eyes. Green eyes of envy, as the Western saying went. Had he been that jealous of Taiki and the bond he shared with Shoutmon, obvious even in the short time he had seen them just over a year ago?

Perhaps. Perhaps that was why he had felt such pride at gaining a Xros Loader and a partner of his own; with those, he had a chance at surpassing Taiki. But Quartzmon had twisted that dream to his own ends, and look where it had gotten him. Because of Ryouma, the entire world had nearly been destroyed. But yet no one seemed to blame him, not really.

He looked away from the Xros Loader in shame as memories washed over him. He had apologized to everyone involved of course, but he didn't think words were enough. He didn't deserve to be called friends with anyone, not his old team mates, not Taiki and his group.

"Why?" he whispered brokenly to the empty room. "Why don't they hate me?"

The teen had put on a smile after the stunning defeat of Quartzmon by Tagiru, but he hadn't felt like celebrating since. But life continued, and he had no choice but to live it.

"What do you mean, you're done with the Hunt?" Tagiru exclaimed in shock, staring at him with a mixture of horror and despair.

"Hunting meaning nothing to me now." Ryouma said for what felt like the thousandth time. Part of him longed to re-join the Hunt and atone for his actions by capturing the Digimon that still ran free in this world, but that was impossible. Psychemon - or Astamon, or Quartzmon, or whatever name the thing which had corrupted him had gone by - was gone. At this point, the teen wasn't even if his true partner was out there waiting for him, or if he was even meant to be a Hunter at all.

"But there's so much work left to do…we need all the help we can get." Tagiru responded with a slight pout, Gumdramon nodding vigorously in agreement.

"Don't both trying to get through to him - he's been like this ever since Quartzmon was destroyed." Ren commented, focused on his Xros Loader.

"Ren!" Airu snapped, giving her team mate a light shove, and getting a snort in response.

"It's alright, Airu. He's right." It wasn't like he had been hiding anything - it was plain to see that he had been acting differently these past few months. Gone was his self-assured manner, gone was his confidence and calmness.

"Ryouma…" Airu murmured, and the teen winced inwardly at the pain in her eyes and glanced away. He should be getting hate, not pity. Rage, not sorrow. Everything was mixed up and twisted around now, just like he was.

"Excuse me. Take care, everyone." he said hollowly after a few minutes of letting the conversation move on without him. Rising from the bench, he nodded farewell to the gathered group and quickly headed for home.

"Ryouma." Taiki's firm voice jerked him out of his solitary thoughts, making him pause and turn to look at the other teen. Saviour of both the Digital and Real Worlds and one of the legendary heroes…whatever had make him think he could match up?

"What is it, Taiki?" he answered softly.

Taiki gazed at him levelly, then said simply, "Come with me."

Ryouma followed along silently, not particularly interested in whatever the other boy might have to say to him. They had hardly talked in the six months since his betrayal, so why now? He interacted with Tagiru and Yuu more often than Taiki. They walked down a deserted alley very much like the one where the pair and first met - how long ago that seemed, and what a different person he had been then. Taiki stopped at the wire fence that marked the alley's dead end, and turned to face Ryouma.

"Reload, Shoutmon."

Ryouma blinked, not having noticed Taiki's Xros Loader. The King of the Digital World appeared in a flash of light, the ends of his scarf fluttering in the faint breeze caused by his sudden appearance.

"Your Highness." the teen murmured, tipping his head in a nod of respect.

"Ryouma." Shoutmon's voice was level and calm, just like his partner's.

"What is this about?" Ryouma asked, gaze flipping between human and Digimon as he settled himself against the alley wall.

"We want to talk to you." Taiki replied, expression serious. When the silver-haired teen remained silent, he continued, voice soft. "Quartzmon used you to get what he wanted, Ryouma. What happened after that wasn't your fault."

"Yes it was." Ryouma insisted, looking away from Taiki as he spoke. "I should have realized something was wrong; I should have fought against Quartzmon's control. Everyone almost died because of me. Why don't you see that?"

"We see it, but everyone makes mistakes, Ryouma." Shoutmon answered, blue eyes surprisingly soft as he continued. "Everyone recognizes that Quartzmon's influence over you grew so slowly you weren't aware it was even happening. No one is blaming you for what happened."

"Maybe they should…" the teen mumbled bitterly, sliding down the wall until he sat on the ground. "Don't bother with me any more, Taiki. I'm no longer a Hunter. It's Tagiru and the others you should be focusing on."

"No." Taiki said, sounding stubborn. The legendary hero probably was a bit frustrated, even Ryouma could that that he was being overly obstinate. But the teen didn't want to change who he was now - he had accepted that Quartzmon had used him, and that was reason enough for everyone else to shut him out. He didn't want to hurt the others any more by being a reminder of the horror that they had all experienced.

Hands landed on his shoulder a few long moment later, and Ryouma slowly looked up from the pavement to see that Shoutmon and his partner knelt on either side of him. Why did they care about him so much?

"We can't turn our backs on you." Taiki said simply. Ryouma was struck by the gentle faith evident in the other teen's voice. No one had ever accepted him so unconditionally before, and the realization made him feel like he was lost in a storm of conflicting emotions.

"Yeah. And you're still a Hunter - your Xros Loader proves that." Shoutmon added. Silently removing the green device from his jacket pocket, he stared at it for a few seconds. The mere sight of it made him feel horrible, but the pressure of hands on his shoulders reminded him that he wasn't as alone as he thought he had been.

"Perhaps you're right…but I don't have a partner anymore." he replied quietly, fingers tightening around the Xros Loader.

"We can fix that." Shoutmon said firmly, and Ryoumon looked up in surprise at his words. Surely he didn't mean to give him a new partner? From his understanding, it was the Digimon who chose the human, not the other way around. And even though there were Digimon on the loose in the Real World, it didn't mean one would be inclined to partner up with him.

So he watched with a mixture of surprise and confusion as Taiki took his own Xros Loader out and Reloaded a Digegg in a small flash of light. Surprisingly, Shoutmon didn't go back into the Xros Loader, so Ryouma assumed that particular rule didn't apply when Digieggs were involved. The Digimon King took the Digiegg from his partner and held it for a moment, as if admiring the pure white shell. Then he held it out to Ryouma. "Here."

"This is…?" the question hung in the air, unfinished. It was obvious the Digimon contained in the egg was his new partner; Ryouma didn't even know why he had asked. Perhaps the need to say something had compelled him to speak.

"Yours." Taiki said gently. "You might not believe it, but we need you. Please…don't turn your back on us."

It hit Ryouma then. Taiki saw him as something more than just another Hunter, a hopeless rival who had done the unthinkable and nearly killed them all. The legendary hero considered him a friend. Tears welled up in his eyes at the realization, and he reached out and slowly took the Digiegg from Shoutmon, who gave him a small smile in return.

Holding the egg, the teen could feel faint heat radiating from it, and he wondered what was inside. "Thank you." he said hollowly, overwhelmed by it all. He had a partner. He was still worthy of being a Hunter. "Thank you." he repeated, rising with the Digiegg cradled in one arm. Taiki had redeemed him, and Ryouma swore he wouldn't let the other down. Not after all of this.

"Go. And don't worry, you'll do fine." Shoutmon said, breaking the silence that had fallen. Both Hunter and Digimon looked happy, judging by the smiles on their faces. Giving them a faint smile in return, Ryouma turned and quickly left the alley, eager to get home and deal with the flood of emotions running through him.

Ryouma was in his room studying for an upcoming test when the Digiegg began to shake in its spot on the desk next to him. Hairline cracks began to appear along the outside of the shell as the shaking increased, and it only took a few moments before the entire egg exploded in a burst of white light. The tiny flying pieces of eggshell vanished into vapour before they had a chance to land, but the teen was focused on the Digimon sitting where the egg had been. It was one he recognized, although it took a moment to recall the name.

"Snow Botamon?" he said softly, reaching out to stroke his new partner with a finger. The little Digimon closed its eyes and made a contented purring sort of noise, clearly happy at the attention. Ryouma smiled at that and carefully picked the white ball of soft fur up, still amazed that Taiki and Shoutmon had so much trust in him. "I'll do better this time, I promise." he whispered, not caring that Snow Botamon had no idea what he was talking about.

"Awww, he's so cute!" Airu exclaimed, scooping up Tsunomon and cuddling him tightly. Ryouma still didn't have a definite gender for his partner, since Tsunomon didn't speak, but he decided to go along and say that the Digimon was male. There was a 50/50 chance that he was right, after all.

"All baby Digimon are cute, Airu. You should know that by now." Ren said in response, but even he had a slight smile on his face as he watched the two cuddle.

A week had passed since Snow Botamon had hatched from the Digiegg, and it had taken Ryouma that long to figure out how he was going to explain to his former team mates that he was a Hunter again. In that time, his partner had eaten the majority of the food in the house and had Digivolved. Fortunately, telling Ren and Airu had been easier than he had thought - all he had to do was show them Tsunomon, and they had assumed the little Digimon had found and chosen him as a partner. There was no need to tell them about Taiki's kindness.

"Do you know what he'll Digivolve into?" Airu asked, settling on the floor next to Ren with Tsunomon in her lap. Ren rolled his eyes at the question, but wisely kept silent.

"No, I don't. But considering how he's well fed and healthy, I assume it won't be long until he Digivolves to his next form. With any luck, that will be his base form from now on." Ryouma answered, giving his partner a smile and getting a grin in return. He had a suspicion as to what Tsumon would grow into, but he was keeping that to himself. Ren probably had ideas as well, considering the way he was eying Ryouma's partner, but he also said nothing.

Rain drummed against his bedroom window, providing a soothing background to the quiet evening. Ryouma was lounging on his bed reading a new book, but he couldn't keep his eyes focused on the page. His gaze kept sliding over to Tsunomon, who, unlike his partner, couldn't seem to sit still. He was bouncing from one side of the room to the every thirty seconds or so, making the teen worry that something was wrong. Was Tsunomon angry at him for being gone all day for most of the past two weeks? Granted, he had classes that he just couldn't miss, but his partner had seemed content enough during that time. Taking him in the Xros Loader was an option, but with no other Digimon to interact with in there, he'd probably be even more bored. At least there was TV to watch while at home.

"Tsunomon, what is it?" he finally asked after another fifteen minutes of trying and failing to concentrate on his book. Perhaps it was something more mundane, like he had eaten something bad? The Digimon had a huge appetite despite his small size, and buying groceries just to feed him was a daily occurrence.

Tsunomon halted in his bounce-pacing, giving him a puzzled look before smiling and rocking back and forth. Not convinced, Ryouma abandoned his book and crossed the room to kneel in front of his partner, rubbing his head gently. "This was be easier if you could speak…but just know that I'm here for you, alright?"

His partner nodded and rubbed his body against Ryouma's knee, making the teen smile. Tsunomon was sweet and outgoing at times, much unlike the usually-distant Astamon. Of course, he now knew the reason for that, but he clung to the notion that there had been a bond between himself and Quartzmon's disguised form, as twisted as their relationship had been. Hopefully a better bond could develop between and Tsunomon's Digivolved form.

Tsunomon let out a small sound and wiggled out from under his partner's hand, making Ryouma look at him in surprise. "So there is something wrong! Please, is there anything I can do to help?" the teen said in near-desperation.

The little Digimon looked guilty at that, but shook his body to indicate there was nothing that could be done. Ryouma stared miserably back, wondering if he had failed in raising his partner correctly. As if sensing his concerns, Tsunomon gave him a smile. Then he began to glow brightly.

"Oh!" It was obvious now - his partner hadn't been feeling well because he was on the verge of Digivolving, what with the build-up of the excess energy inside of him. The teen watched with a mixture of excitement and worry as Tsunomon's body began to change. Would he end up with the Digimon he suspected, or was he just being overly analytical?

His hopes and fears came true a few seconds later, able to tell even despite the glare what Tsunomon had become. Had Taiki and Shoutmon planned this? It seemed too unlikely to be otherwise. As the light faded, Ryouma regarded his partner with apprehension. "Psychemon."

"Ryouma." the Digimon replied simply, walking forwards to stand directly in front of him. With the teen kneeling down, they were almost eye to eye.

"P-Psychemon…" Ryouma repeated, feeling himself start to break down. His new - or was it old? - partner seemed different, more comfortable, more alive than before. Tears blurred his vision as memories rushed back, both of the good and the terrible times. Was he really ready for this? Taiki seemed to think so, but he still had his doubts. What if it happened again, not with Psychemon, but with another Digimon?

"I…I'm sorry!" he cried, leaning forward and embracing Psychemon tightly. He had no idea if Psychemon held any memories of his former life, or even if this was the same Digimon whom Quartzmon had so cruelly used as a puppet for himself. "So, so sorry…" he practically moaned into his partner's fur, tears streaming down his face. This was almost too much for him to take.

"Ryouma. Ryouma." Psychemon said, voice steady in his ear as he returned the hug. "It's all right. It wasn't your fault. I forgive you."

That was enough to momentarily steam the flow of tears, and Ryouma took a moment to catch his breath. "You…you remember?"

"I do. Don't ask me how, but I do." Psychemon pulled back then, paws resting on the teen's shoulders as he smiled again. "Don't you ever forget what happened, but it's time for both of us to move on. We got a fresh start - let's make the most of it, alright?"

Ryouma smiled hesitantly back and wiped the tears from his cheeks with one hand. His partner was right - he had been focused on the past for too long. Taiki and Shoutmon had known it, and probably everyone else as well.

"Alright. Let's move forward together." he said with a nod. It may have been raining outside, but their future was bright with possibilities.