Fun fact: it took me longer to come up with a title for this story than it did to sit down and type it. I don't even remember what the original one was any longer, but I've since changed it twice.

Inspiration this time can be attributed to the most recent TRI trailer for movie 6. And I suppose I should use the term 'inspiration' a bit loosely, because it was less a scene and more a single image. I won't spoil said image for those loyal readers who are attempting to remain spoiler free until Our Future comes out, especially so close to the release date...but let's just say I was getting some major Bombing Mission! Mugendramon/My Sister's Keeper and Dagomon's Call/His Master's Voice vibes.

(Those who've seen the trailer will probably know the part I am talking about.)

Timeline-wise, "Not Alone" is meant to take place in the hours proceeding Movie 5. I promise that, to the best of my knowledge, there are no other spoilers to be found here. Any similarities to the eventually scene that may or may not play out in the movie will be purely coincidental.

NOT ALONE

o o o

Slowly fading away
You're lost and so afraid
Where is the hope in a world so cold
Looking for a distant light

-Not Alone, by Red

o o o

Yamato had never thought a single pair of goggles could weigh so heavily as the ones current hanging from his neck.

Twice, he adjusted them. Doing his best to ease that dull ache in his shoulders. He felt tense. Almost as tense as the current silence between himself and Sora, who was walking close behind. He wasn't sure things had ever been so tense between them. And, given the current ambiguity in their relationship...that really did say a lot.

By the time they'd returned to the main room, not a single word had passed between them. And their respective attentions shifted—assuming hers had even been on him at all—to the current occupants. Everyone was still awake. More or less. Deep shadows wore on each of their faces, and even Mimi's usual mirth had faded into a solemn, weary passiveness.

She was sitting off to one side with Jou, the pair engaged in an uncharacteristically deep conversation. Their knees just barely brushing against one another's as they sat on twin floor pillows at such a close proximity. Her head was bowed, and for once, Jou seemed to be doing most of the talking. Offering what one could only assume to be words of reassurance. Mimi seemed to hear every word, but it did little to ameliorate the forlorn look on her face as they both looked up at the same time.

Even from the doorway, Yamato could see her eyes were lined with red.

"How is she?" Jou took the initiative to ask the question on Mimi's mind. On all their minds, really.

Not knowing how else to respond, Yamato wordlessly shook his head.

Three pairs of dejected eyes stared back. Meiko was still huddled in the far corner, head buried so deep in her knees, she was little more than a ball of limbs and dark hair, but Koushiro peered at them over the top of his laptop. A distinct lack of clicking keys betrayed his lack of activity, either at a loss for what he could do, or a much keener focus on those around him than he typically possessed.

His follow-up question indicated the latter: "And Takeru-kun?"

This time, Yamato opened his mouth to respond, but it was Sora's voice that rang out:

"He refuses to leave her side." Surprised, he turned back to find her looking down, arms wrapped lightly around her torso. And yet, in spite of everything, she was smiling. Sadly. "She's asleep now, but he's determined to watch over her."

Everyone immediately accepted this without question, but Yamato frowned and shook his head.

"I don't like it." Low and soft, but still audible enough to everyone in the room. Although it wasn't entirely clear who he was addressing: the group as a whole, Sora, or himself. "He practically carried her the whole way himself. He's exhausted and needs to rest, but as long as he's in there, he won't-"

A gentle hand on his arm cut him off mid-sentence. Looking down, he saw Sora' delicate fingers resting against his bicep. He followed them, up her arm, to a pair of sympathetic, brown eyes looking directly at him. Though not before he caught them staring briefly at the goggles. A fleeting glimpse, but a very telling one.

"You know Takeru-kun better than anyone. Even if we could tear him away, he wouldn't sleep. He'd spend every second worrying all the more." Her eyes lowered, and her other hand came up to rest in a spot just over her chest. The very same where Yamato could feel the influence of his own Crest from time to time. "He needs to be there, so he can feel like he's doing something for her. And Hikari-chan...when she wakes up, she'll need to be with someone who loves her as much as she loved Taichi."

Again, Yamato wanted to say something in return...but quickly realized there was not one single word Sora had just said he could refute.

o o o

o o o

His head ached. His eyes stung. His limbs felt like lead. There was a deep feeling of emptiness in his stomach that probably stemmed from hunger.

But none of those things could compare to the pain in Takeru's heart.

How long had he been standing there? Well, at this point, it was more like leaning. Weight supported by the wall at his back. Staring across the room. Watching her face. The way her lashes would seem to flutter every so often. A gentle rise and fall of the chest hidden beneath a thin blanket. The only indication of movement she'd shown in the last hour—at least, Takeru thought it had been an hour. Maybe less. Maybe longer.

Truthfully, he had lost track of time since his brother and Sora left them. There were no windows in the dark room, the only source of light coming from the cracks of a nearby door. Just enough for him to make out Hikari's sleeping silhouette, and the distinct lack of tear trails on her cheeks.

She hadn't cried. Not once.

That, more than anything, worried him. Crying would have been understandable. Even expected. He hated it when she cried, but he would have let her do so for as long as she needed. For her brother. For her partner. For everything they'd been through in the last few days. All the pain and loss and uncertainty of what was yet to come. If he had been in her position...if it had been Yamato...and Patamon...

Even the hypothetical thought was enough for him to swallow a large lump in his throat, briefly closing his eyes to hold back his own tears.

But Hikari hadn't cried. She had gone numb. From the moment reality hit them all, any part of her that had been the Hikari he knew was gone. Leaving behind an empty shell of a girl who barely seemed to register his presence as he had ran to her side. Who hadn't noticed when Yamato picked up Taichi's goggles, putting them on. Who could barely support her own weight as they continued through the desert landscape all the way to the city residence they'd managed to find just as the light in the sky disappeared beneath the horizon. To the room she was currently sleeping in.

Not just lost to the rest of the world, but lost.

He'd carried her there, of course. When the last bit of strength in her own legs had failed her, he'd moved to pick her up without a moment's hesitation. Not caring what it looked like to the rest of the group. Ignoring any and all offers of assistance. The weight in his heart was heavier than the weight of her on his back, and he knew there was nothing any of the others could have done to help. He'd tucked her into bed himself. Yamato and Sora had nearby. Yamato was saying something to him, but he hadn't been paying attention. Then Sora. Then Yamato again, followed by a few murmurs so hushed he couldn't decipher which of the two they came from. The door had closed soon after, and the silence that followed was palpable.

Sora had been with them that time too, his mind realized. When they were younger. The first time Takeru had made a Promise to look after Hikari. To Taichi himself. As she was laying in bed, not unlike now. Only then, she'd been sick with fever rather than grief. And Sora had been witness to just how seriously he'd taken that Promise.

She would understand...that he'd never stopped trying to keep it. Even now.

Especially now.

His mind was such a mess with scattered thoughts, he very nearly missed the sounds of rustling fabric. Movement. Opening his eyes, Takeru saw Hikari finally beginning to stir.

Then flicker.

A numbing chill ran down his spine at the sight. He didn't even wait for a second flicker to confirm what he'd seen; the fear in him was enough to risk it. Rushing to the girls side, his hands went to her shoulders before he even sad down, shaking her in an attempt to wake her up before-

Her body flickered again. Exactly like before. That day, in the classroom. Like he were seeing her through the screen of an old, static-filled television set.

"Hikari-chan!"

His voice was loud enough to startle Patmaon, whom he hadn't realized was sleeping at the foot of the bed. Or was, until he jumped up with such an intensity, he accidentally rolled off the side.

Hikari's eyes sprung open, gasping sharply as she sat up with a start. So quickly, Takeru had no time to move back, leaving them sitting so close, he could see his own reflection in her eyes. Eyes that were dull and grey for a moment longer before their usual russet brown color returned.

He very nearly sighed in relief before realizing that she still wasn't looking at him. Not directly. If anything, she seemed to be looking right through him. Mind still so far away, even though she was right in front of him.

"Hikari-chan..." He gave her a quick once-over, looking for any more signs of the static. He found none, but it was only a small comfort. "...thank goodness. You were starting to disappear again."

"...disappear?"

Her voice sounded so small. So empty.

"Don't worry," He tried (and failed) attempting a smile. For her. "It stopped when I called your name. At least you...Hikari-chan?" Trailing off when her expression still didn't change. No reaction at all. No sign that she'd even heard him. "Hikari-chan?" He tried again.

"It doesn't matter," was her response.

His whole body tensed. "W-what...did you say?"

"Oniichan's gone. Tailmon's gone." Her tone was so cold. So...detached, yet defeated all in one. "I'm alone. There's no one left. No reason to fight it anymore. Just...let it..."

This time, it was Takeru who went numb. Face paling as her words echoed in his mind over and over. For a moment, there were just too many emotions welling inside him to properly label any one. Shock. Fear. Uncertainty. Sadness. Anger. Confusion. Frustration...

Before he even realized it, his grip on her shoulders had tightened. To the point where his knuckles went white; it was perhaps instinct alone that kept the tenseness in his hold from hurting her, bearing the brunt of the pain in his own joints. Until his arms nearly shook as much as his voice.

"Y-you can't..." You can't give up. Not now. His heart pounded in his chest at a frantic pace. Mind a whirl with a thousand words. So many, he could no longer stop himself at the next ones to make it out: "What about me? I'm still here. After all this time...everything we've been through together...Hikari-chan...am I still not enough for you?"

In the blink of an eye, her gaze shifted just enough that Takeru knew.

"...Takeru-kun..."

She'd finally heard him.

And he could take none of it back.

He watched her more closely in those following seconds than he ever had before. Every subtle twitch in her face. The way her lips parted. Just barely. As if there were more words there waiting to come out. He watched her eyes. Eyes that were looking to him now. Wide and curious and just as confused as he. Staring up at him with the first signs of emotion she'd shown since before Taichi had fallen. Little more than a glimmer, but for him, it was still a glimmer of...

They were so close. Centimeters apart. He could feel her slightly uneven breath caress his skin. Practically hear her heart beating almost as fast as his.

The grip on her shoulders loosened. Enough for him to gradually slide his hands down until they were holding hers. Maybe it was his imagination, but he could have sworn he felt the faintest squeeze from her fingers in return. Encouragement. And amidst those whirl of thoughts and emotions within...for an instant...he wondered just how natural it would have felt to give into temptation. That strong, almost irresistible urge to...

(No. Not then. Not when her mind was still so lost, the lingering tension between them more bitter than sweet.)

...lean forward slightly, closing his eyes as he rested his forehead to hers.

"I won't lose you too, Hikari-chan." His voice was a soft whisper meant for her ears alone. "I can't lose you. And...if you won't fight...then I'll just have to fight hard enough for the both of us."

From the other side of the bed, Patamon alone would be witness to the two things that happened next: a bright yellow glow beginning to emit from the very spot where their foreheads touched, filing the Child digimon with a renewed sense of Hope...and a single tear making its way down Hikari's cheek.

The first of many to finally spill that night.