"You're not fit to work at DATS either-"

'Tohma was right...I'm not fit to be a member of DATS. Why would they even keep me around...?'

"Ms. Harima..." The sound of her teacher's voice echoed through the classroom, but not a word had reached the girl's ears. 

'Maybe if I were as strong as Masaru...'

A loud sigh could be heard. "Ms. Harima.." The tone in his voice grew slightly more annoyed than it had sounded just a moment ago. Alas, his words fell on deaf ears. The girl he was attempting to address said nothing, lost in her own thoughts of self pity. 

'...Or as smart as Tohma-' 

"Ms. Harima!" The moment her teacher raised his voice to Satsuma levels of scary, Tohru jumped up to her feet, being jerked out of her thoughts. The language teacher didn't seem surprised in the least at her lack of attention.

"Y-Yes sir?!" The moment those words left her mouth Tohru came to a horrifying realization that every student, including her teacher, were staring at her. A chorus of giggles and snickers sounded around her, the brunette's cheeks heating up as the embarrassment began to set in. 

"Day dreaming again, Ms. Harima? Please pay attention from now on I'll have to start putting you in detention with your friend Mr. Daimon." The language teacher spoke in a tone that almost seemed as if he were mocking her. Which wasn't surprising as he was known for being a huge asshole to his students, according to Masaru. The sneer her teacher gave her caused the humiliated teenager to swallow hard and nod her head slowly. "Now, as I was trying to tell you before, please read the first paragraph on page four." 

Tohru slowly and hesitantly picked up her textbook as the sounds of cruel laughter never left her eardrums. Her heart thumped in her chest, cheeks burning red as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Hot tears stung her eyes but she desperately tried to hold them back. 

Turning to the assigned page and taking a shaky breath of air, soft lips quivering as they parted. However, the moment she started speaking, her own emotions betrayed her and the tears she'd tried holding back began to fall. Tohru's entire body began to shake, salty tears staining the pages of the textbook where they fell. 

The teacher rolled his eyes and put up a hand, "Stop. Just...go outside until you're done crying." He gestured to the door with a sigh and a shake of his head. Tohru didn't hesitate to drop her book on her desk and quickly flee from the room. Her classmates erupted into mocking laughter and snickers. 

"What a crybaby." Ayumi snidely commented through her snickering, but she quickly shut up when Masaru—the only person in the room who wasn't laughing at Tohru's expense—sent a death glare in her general direction. Masaru, who was actually quiet for once in his life, turned his forest green gaze to the door and helplessly watched his friend's retreating back. Fists clenched tightly, itching to make contact with the teacher's face. 

No, he wanted to punch every single individual in this room. Masaru hated them for the horrible way they treated Tohru. Laughing at every little mistake she made or making fun of her weight. He held back his rising anger and resorted to just fantasizing about beating them all up in his mind. Though that didn't seem to calm him, he was still pissed off. The brunet wanted to jump up from his seat and run to Tohru and throw his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace and comforting her. 

And if anyone even dared to laugh at him for showing his soft and affectionate side toward a girl he cared so much for, he'd fight them. He'd be damned if he let anyone question his masculinity. He could show a girl he cared for her and still be manly as hell. So, why didn't he do this? Why didn't he just disobey classroom rules and go to the crying girl outside? 

He just didn't want to get detention again. But perhaps getting in trouble for going to comfort his friend would be worth it if he could see Tohru's smile. 

Meanwhile, a humiliated Tohru stood out in the hallway silently sobbing. She refused to go back inside now that she made a complete fool of herself and gave her classmates even more of a reason to make fun of her. Terriermon had heard all of this from her Digivice. As much as he wanted to come out of the device and console her, he knew he wasn't allowed to. He knew that if he did come out, he'd be breaking one of DATS rules and could get Tohru in trouble. Plus, neither of them could risk other human beings finding out about the existence of Digimon. 

But couldn't he break the rules just this once? Just so he could nuzzle against Tohru's flushed cheeks and dry her tears? So he could make funny faces and make her giggle? 

"God...I can't do anything right..." Her voice cracked from all the crying. She would dry her tears, but more just kept falling from her tear ducts. 

"Tohru...?" She could hear Terriermon's soft murmur from her Digivice and glanced down, hesitantly taking it out from inside her blazer. Looking down at the small screen, she met her partner's concerned gaze. "Don't let what just happened get to you. They're all just big meanies-"

"I-It's not that, Terriermon...I...." Tohma's words repeated themselves over and over in her head, refusing to cease. They echoed loudly, constantly. "I can't stop thinking about what Tohma said to me yesterday..." 

"Don't listen to that guy, Tohru. He's just-"

"Terriermon.." She cut the Digimon off again, looking down. Her bangs hiding her eyes from his view. "..What he said was true. I'm not fit to work for DATS. I'm not responsible or indepenent. I depend on Masaru way too much and I let my emotions get the best of me...it's all true." 

She waited, expecting her Digital partner to say something back. To tell her she's wrong and that she shouldn't think that way about herself. 

All she got in return was silence. Terriermon said nothing, unsure of how he should respond to her words. 

The school's bell chimed, the melody echoing throughout the entire building and signifying the end of the long school day. Students filed out of their classrooms and headed for their shoe lockers to go home, or go to their designated club rooms. 

Tohru made no effort to move from her spot, keeping her head down and avoiding making eye contact with anyone who passed her by. She could hear girls whispering about her as they left the room, giggling and making cruel remarks about her. The noise began to grow deafeningly loud. She just wanted to block it all out. 

A hand gently grasped her shoulder, bringing Tohru out of her thoughts. Lifting her head up, she met a pair of concerned forest green hues. Masaru kept his hand on her shoulder a few moments longer before drawing it back towards himself, letting it drop to his side. He handed Tohru her bag that she'd left in the classroom, having gathered her things up for her since she didn't come back inside. 

The two walked side by side in silence through the crowded and noisy halls. Reaching her shoe locker, Tohru opened the small door only for several crumpled up pieces of paper to come tumbling to the ground. She picked each one up and smoothed them out, already knowing she wasn't going to like what she saw. 

Masaru leaned forward to glance at them from over her shoulder. Each piece of paper had an array of insults making fun of Tohru's weight. The more he read, the more his blood began to boil.

"Those dumb bitches...don't worry Tohru, I'll beat 'em up for you." A now enraged Masaru growled, eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. Jaw tightening, teeth gritting, fists clenched to the point his knuckles turned white. When it came to his best friend, anyone who messed with her would get a black eye and a fat lip, regardless of their gender. 

Before the taller boy could storm off to track down the girls who hurt his friend, he felt a small tug on his sleeve. Halting from the sudden force holding him back, Masaru glanced down at the smaller girl and quirked an eyebrow at her in slight confusion. 

"Please...don't. I-It's okay...I don't want you to get in trouble for fighting again..." Though she put on a brave face, her voice was trembling. She let go of the small piece of fabric and got her sneakers and switched pairs of shoes. 

"But Tohru-!" Tohru continued to put on a brave smile and shook her head, which seemed to calm Masaru's rage further. He watched as she turned her back to him and exited the school building. He quickly caught up to her, every now and then turning his concerned gaze to the solemn girl beside him. "Hey...shorty, don't worry about what those stupid girls say. They're probably just-"

Tohru stopped walking, her lip quivering. "It's not that....w-well, I mean-that's not what I was upset about before..." Tohru stammered, tripping over her own words, "It's just that I can't seem to...get those things Tohma said to me out of my head." 

This surprised Masaru, as he had just assumed she was upset over being bullied again today. He had completely forgotten about how Tohma's words made her feel. He remembered how much seeing her hurt expression had angered him, so much so that he'd wanted to give Tohma a piece of his mind. It was easy to see that the fighter was very protective of Tohru, for reasons that were pretty obvious to everyone but the girl he cared about so much. 

"Don't listen to that arrogant jerk! What he said to you isn't true at all!" The auburn haired boy balled his hands up, growling lowly, "What me to punch him for you?" 

She knew he was just trying to protect her, but that was what was hurting her and he didn't realize it. Tohru knew deep down in her heart that depending on him to come to her rescue all the time wouldn't help her confidence issues at all. Despite how happy it made her feel that the boy she loved always protected her, she knew that it was just because she was weak. She couldn't protect herself, not with the way she was now.

"Masaru, it's not what he said that upset me! What got to me is that it's all true! I'm...weak." She turned away and pushed him, not even stopping to wait for the auburn haired male to catch up with her. Raising an arm up to her face, Tohru rid herself of her tears with the sleeve of her blazer. "Can't believe I'm crying over something like this...I'm pathetic." 

In her mind, it was a complete mistake to join DATS. She wasn't strong like her teammates were. She didn't have physical strength, she wasn't intelligent, she wasn't cool or confident and she wasn't reliable. If she wasn't any of those things, then what did she have? Clumsiness? Self loathing?

Tohru bit her bottom lip and absent mindedly kicked a small pebble down the sidewalk with each step she took. She didn't want to go to DATS today...not when she was feeling so useless and inferior to her fellow agents. 

...

She had no choice. This was her job, whether she was mentally prepared or not. 

~~**~~

Tohru stepped out of Yoshino's car and stared up at the abandoned, sludge covered building their target was located in. The boys had already gone ahead, headed for the basement. Rosa stood at the entrance, hesitant and refusing to move. Tohru followed behind Yoshino, finding comfort and solace by being in the older girl's presence as if she were the brunette's older sister. 

She sneaked a glance over at Rosa, noting that the younger DATS officer had gone blue in the face as she held her hand over her nose and mouth. 

"Ugh...this place smells awful..." Rosa's voice was muffled by her hand as she tried to block out the strange and foul odor. 

"Rosa, come on. We have to go inside..." Coronamon gently nudged his partner forward. She grimaced and wretched when she was fully inside, but she kept moving deeper and deeper inside, following the other two girls. 

"I think I'm going to puke..." Rosa mumbled under her hand, "Let's just catch that stupid slug and go home." The Spaniard moaned, feeling nauseated by the smell. 

From down the hall, the girls could hear the sounds of arguing and no doubt it was coming from their fellow male agents. What were they fighting about per say? Masaru not wanting to cooperate with Tohma's tactical plans and going into a battle head on. Tohma, having a metaphorical stick up his butt, can't stand this and decides to just go through with the plan by himself. Masaru's hot headedness screws up the plan and the two end up butting heads. Simple as that. 

At least...that's what Yoshino's explaination of it was. Tohru did agree that Masaru's actions were never the smartest and he was too hot headed to listen to what people told him to do. She also did think that maybe if Tohma included Masaru in his plans, things would go his way instead of backfiring. Perhaps she was still feeling bitter towards Tohma for when he yelled at her the day before. 

"Thos two, I swear..." Yoshino grumbled, shaking her head, "They're going to be the early death of me." 

Rosa clicked her tongue, "Huh, didn't know you were that old..." Rosa mumbled under her breath, rolling her brown eyes. Yoshino's head snapped up as she shot the younger female a faint glare. 

"What was that?"

"Oh...nothing.." Rosa sang, walking past Yoshino holding her head up high. A smirk formed on her lips and without turning around, she added, "Old hag." 

Yoshino's magenta hues widened, shock evident on her features as her jaw nearly dropped to the floor. "OLD HAG?!" Tohru and her partner both sweatdropped as Rosa sprinted down the hall, leaving them and Yoshino behind. 

"What is up with that girl?! She's got an attitude problem!" The older girl exhaled sharply and turned to the quiet and awkward looking duo. Sensing Tohru's discomfort, Yoshino cooled down some and her angry expression softened. "Sorry. I lost it there for a moment..." 

"I-It's okay, Yoshino." Tohru smiled sheepishly as the two females continued walking at an even pace, "I don't think you're an old hag...you're actually very pretty." It was true that Tohru did think of the older female as being very attractive and she wished she could be just as comfortable with herself as Yoshino was. 

The magenta haired girl smiled at the compliment and put an arm around the younger girl's shoulders. "That's why you're my favorite, Tohru." The brunette timidly laughed, a warm sensation growing in her chest. The two girls continued down the dark hall, the voices of their comrades becoming louder. 

"Don't get in my way!" 

"You're the one who got in our way!" 

"Oh gross! Is he flinging his poop at us?!" 

Tohru and Yoshino looked at each other, blinking in confusion, and rushed towards the basement where they found their fellow male agents desperately trying to dodge pink...swirly objects being flung at them by the Numemon. Rosa was standing away from them and retching while covering her mouth and nose with both hands. 

"C-Come on Rosa. We have to help them." Coronamon tugged on his partner's arm as he attempted to snap her out of it. She wouldn't budge, however. 

Yoshino sighed, shaking her head and glancing over at Tohru. "Guess we have to help them out..Lalamon." 

"Right! Nuts Shoot!" Lalamon shot out several seed bullets from her mouth at Numemon, hitting him and causing him to stumble a bit. At least he stopped flinging smelly pink stuff at their teammates. 

Terriermon jumped down from Tohru's shoulders and started spinning around, fast enough to create a small twister. "Petite Twister!" The attack knocked Numemon back further, the slug Digimon hitting the wall and ultimately turning back into a Digiegg. Yoshino casually picked it up, giving the two younger boys a smug look.

"What would you two do without us?" Masaru and Tohma's gazes met only for the two to let out a huff and turn away angrily. 

"I would have been able to handle it by myself if he hadn't interfered!" Masaru spat, sending glares at his blond rival. 

"Please, if you had just followed my plan, we would have succeeded." 

"Whatever, Tonma." 

Tohma's eye twitched at the mispronunciation of his first name, which he was sure Masaru was doing on purpose just to spite him. "It's T-O-H-M-A."

"That's what I said. TONMA." The auburn haired male retorted back, the corners of his lips tugging up into a smirk. 

"You're doing this on purpose now, aren't you?" 

Tohru stood nearby, watching the boys argue with each other and a sigh leaving her lips. She wanted to intervene and keep them from fighting, but she knew they wouldn't stop no matter what she said. She was just glad the mission was over...

She walked down the dark hallway beside Masaru, their partners following close behind them and talking about food. The brunette heard a low growl and upon realizing it was her own stomach, she rubbed her tummy. 

"You hungry, Tohru? Then let's go eat at my house once we're done here!" Masaru grinned, all traces of anger gone from his features. Figures food would make him forget about his previous rage towards his blond haired rival. "I'm getting pretty hungry myself!" He added, rubbing his own stomach and laughing lightly. 

"But you're always hungry, Aniki." Agumon commented, making the street fighter argue that the Digimon himself was always hungry too, a pouty expression on his handsome face. Tohru couldn't help but giggle at how cute he looked when he pouted. 

The car ride back to DATS headquarters was awkward, to say the least. Not one word was spoken, but the silence was uncomfortable. The air around the two male agents was hostile and no one wanted to trigger another argument. Tohru, who was seated between Rosa and Tohma in the back, watched the back of her best friend's head with concern. 

She understood why he couldn't get along with Tohma, but would it hurt him to at least make the effort to? Though her own relationship with Tohma wasn't exactly any better. Ever since the day before, he hasn't once looked at her or acknowledged her existence. Did he really think she was of no use to DATS? 

...Perhaps he did. And it hurt. 

~~**~~

Tohru found herself sitting in Tohma's limousine, sandwiched in between the silent blond and her disgruntled best friend. Terriermon was perched on top of her head, laying on his stomach while Gaomon and Agumon were in their Digivices, much to the latter's displeasure. The silence was just as awkward and uncomfortable as it was earlier. The hostility that lingered over the two boys was so unbearably thick she could feel it. 

She didn't exactly enjoy sitting next to Tohma. His words still plagued her mind. Her chest felt so tight and her body grew tense. She didn't dare move an inch or even sneak a glance at him. 

She didn't speak a word and she tried to control her breathing, making sure it was a slow and steady. Terriermon could practically feel her anxiety levels rising. He felt her body trembling the more she forced herself to appear invisible. She wanted to hide her presence. She wanted to just disappear at this very moment.

The limousine came to a slow stop in front of the Daimon household and the gray haired butler opened the door for herself and the brunet beside her. Masaru climbed out first, then Tohru stepped onto the sidewalk. Before Tohma's butler could drive off, Masaru gently tapped on the window with the back of his hand. 

Tohru raised an eyebrow as the window slid down and Tohma looked up into the fighter's hazel orbs. "Um...thanks for driving us home..." The taller brunet sounded as though it pained him to have to thank his rival. His expression clearly displayed this. 

"Don't get the wrong idea. I only did it because Commander Satsuma told me to." Tohma's voice was cold and his tone nothing short of condescending. Tohru noticed the vein on Masaru's neck pulsating as his anger levels rose. 

"S-Still...we're grateful that you drove us home." Tohru spoke up for the first time since they left HQ. Tohma seemed to ignore her, her words falling on deaf ears. 

"The Commander is trying to get us to establish a friendship with each other...however, I think it's a waste of time." Masaru's hands clenched, hazel eyes narrowing at the rich blond.

"Like we want to be friends with you anyway!" Tohru didn't speak up this time, sensing that Tohma would end up ignoring her existence. A younger, more girly sounding voice broke the hostile atmosphere when a little girl ran up to Masaru. 

Her auburn hair was pulled into two small low pigtails and her sea foam green hues sparkled with childlike innocence, her smile lighting up her face. She was staring in awe at the Norstein family's limousine, as if it were her first time ever seeing one. It probably was. This little girl was Masaru's younger sister, Chika Daimon. 

"Masaru-nii, who's your friend?" Chika's presence finally made the blond glance over at his rival. His cerulean gaze met the little girl's, the corners of his lips tugging upwards to form the smallest of grins. 

"Nobody you need to know." Masaru crossed his arms, sending Tohma a glare, refusing to introduce his sister to the one person he hated at the moment. 

Because it was only a matter of time before Masaru started hating someone else instead. 

"I'm his little sister, Chika Daimon. Its nice to meet you!" Chika introduced herself to the genius, her smile being enough to soften Tohma's cold exterior. Tohru had noticed this sudden change in the genius's demeanor. 

"Okay, enough flirting with him." Masaru, growing annoyed and impatient, attempted to drag his sister away from his rival. 

"Come on! Introduce me to him!" Chika whined and struggled against her brother's grip. 

"No! You don't need to meet him!" It seemed there was no way of swaying the younger Daimon sibling away from the limo. A soft, feminine voice broke up the struggle as the siblings glanced over at their mother. 

"Oh my, are you a friend of Masaru's? Thank you for driving him and Tohru home. That was very nice of you." Her gentle, motherly tone caused the blond to blush a bit. His cold demeanor was melted away completely. Tohma looked at Sayuri with a kinder gaze, jarringly different from how he looked at her son. 

"No, he's not our friend, mom." Masaru denied it, eyes narrowed at the blond boy. His mother seemed to just ignore what he'd said, offering for Tohma to stay for dinner. Of course, Masaru was quick to protest against this idea. Just the thought of sitting at the dinner table with this guy made him almost lose his appetite. Almost. 

"I...appreciate the offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline." With that said and done, Tohma rolled up the window as his limo drove off down the road. 

"Bye bye!" Chika called out to the moving vehicle, waving with a big smile on her childish features. 

"See mom? He didn't even want to stay." The street fighter grumbled in complete and utter disdain. In his mind, Tohma wasn't even worthy of eating his mother's delicious home cooked meals. 

"Tohru? Will you be joining us for dinner?" Sayuri asked, getting the dazed girl's attention. Tohru snapped out of her thoughts and quietly nodded her head. 

"Ye-Yeah..." Her voice trailed off, green eyes watching the Daimon family interact and laugh with each other. They seemed so happy, despite Masaru's father having been gone for years. That didn't stop his family from sticking together. Emerald hues glazed over as solemn thoughts of her own missing parents filled her mind. 

'Where are you...mom...dad?'

Just watching the Daimon family look so happy and carefree gave Tohru such a...lonely feeling.

"Tohru? You coming?" 

Masaru's voice, laced with genuine concern, broke the girl from her troubled thoughts. The timid brunette nodded, running through the doorway and removing her shoes. Having dinner at her best friend's house was always a treat. The Daimon's house was always clean, nearly spotless. Every time Tohru stepped through the front door, she felt right at home. There was always a wonderful scent in the air, the scent of Sayuri's delicious cooking. Their home felt cozy and warm. 

Terriermon jumped down from Tohru's head, curiously looking around at his new surroundings. Tohru figured that Sayuri and Chika already knew about Digimon because of Agumon, so she wasn't too concerned about how they'd react to Terriermon. 

"Tohru, where are we?" Terriermon blinked adorably, glancing up at his human partner. This made Tohru's lips form into a smile. 

"We're at Masaru's house. He invited us to have dinner here." Tohru explained, walking into the kitchen. Terriermon lifted his head and sniffed the air as he caught up to her. His little feet made a pitter patter sound on the hard wood floor. 

"Something smells really good, Tohru!" He chirped, sniffing the air a second time. 

Sayuri, upon hearing Terriermon's voice, turned around and spotted him. "Oh! Is this little one your friend, Tohru-chan?" Sayuri crouched down a bit to get a better view of Terriermon. He got shy and clung to Tohru's leg, hiding his eyes with his long ears. "Aw, he's a shy one isn't he?" The older woman giggled softly at his silliness. 

"Yeah, this is Terriermon. He's been through a lot so he's a bit reluctant to meet new people." Tohru chuckled, picking the small Digimon up in her arms. "Come on, don't be shy. Mrs. Daimon is really nice. I promise." She cooed in attempts to reassure him. She...still had a lot of questions regarding Terriermon's past fear of humans. Something about it concerned her, however she didn't want to pry the answer out of him.

Perhaps it had to do with something he'd rather not remember.

Terriermon peeked out from behind his ears and Sayuri's smile melted away his shyness. Her smiles seemed to have some kind of magical effect on just about anyone who laid eyes on them. "Hi! What smells so good?" Tohru sweatdropped. That was a fast recovery. 

"I made dinner for all of us, Terriermon. Go ahead and help yourself. Agu-chan is already at the table, so hurry before its all gone." Sayuri smiled, moving out of the way to reveal the yellow lizard and his partner already digging into the huge pile of food. Terriermon's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull at the incredible amount of food. 

"Don't mind if I do!" In a matter of seconds, Terriermon was at the table next to Agumon, taking anything he could get his little hands on. Tohru's eye twitched while Sayuri nudged the girl over to a chair next to her Digimon. The timid natured girl took what she could manage to get her hands on—and nearly getting her hand chewed off in the process—before she was actually able to dig into the delicious meal. Chika joined the family at the table, sitting beside Tohru who she always looked up to as the big sister she wished she had. 

"Hello Tohru nee-chan! I'm so happy you're having dinner with us again tonight!" Chika smiled innocently before her big sea foam eyes traveled over to Tohru's partner, whom was currently stuffing his face with food. "Is he your friend, Tohru nee-chan?!" Chika's eyes lit up with childish wonder as she practically jumped out of her chair and embraced Terriermon in a hug. "He's soooo cute!! Like a stuffed animal!" 

Terriermon looked clearly displeased and uncomfortable with the treatment he was getting. Tohru couldn't keep herself from giggling at the face he made, he must not like being compared to a stuffed animal. "His name is Terriermon...but uh...I don't think he likes being called a stuffed animal, Chika-chan.."

"That just makes him even cuter! He's even cuter than Agumon!" Chika continued to nuzzle her cheek against Terriermon's, much to his dismay. The yellow lizard became shocked by the little girl's words as tears streamed from his eyes. 

"W-What?! I'm cute, right Aniki?!" Agumon questioned in desperation, getting a bit too close to Masaru for comfort. 

"What're you kidding? I thought you were a frog when I first saw you!" Masaru retorted back with a mouth full of food. 

"Aniki! That hurts!" 

Tohru began to laugh harder as the boy she loved and his lizard continued their amusing banter for the rest of the meal. Whenever Tohru had dinner with the Daimon family, she always felt at ease. All her worries and fears seemed to disappear for a little while. Most importantly, she got to spend time with Masaru. However...

...It didn't make the lonely feeling go away. 

~~**~~

Tohru plopped down onto her bed, her head hitting the soft pillow. A soft sigh left her lips and didn't go unnoticed by Terriermon. How could he not? She'd been like this the entire day and it was beginning to worry him. He hopped onto the bed beside his partner, laying on his stomach ontop of her chest. 

"Tohru..? What'cha thinking about?" He asked, concerned about her behavior. 

Another sigh left her lips, her eyes glued to the ceiling. "I was just thinking about...my parents." 

Terriermon tilted his head, eyes blinking in confusion. "Your parents?" Tohru nodded her head, taking her gaze off of the ceiling above her for a second to make lock eyes with the Digimon perched on her chest. 

"Yeah...they gave birth to me fourteen years ago. Back then, my grandfather was alive and we were all living here. One day...my parents left me with my grandparents and promised they would come back soon..." Tohru paused, glancing back up and casually petting Terriermon's head. "...That was ten years ago. I..I haven't heard a thing from them since..." 

Her voice shook as tears filled her eyes and dripped down the sides of her face. "I keep thinking...what if they never planned on coming back in the first place...?" She began crying softly, but Terriermon snuggled up to her and wiped her tears with his floppy ears. 

"That's not true, Tohru. Why would they think of abandoning you?" Tohru sniffled and wiped her eyes as she laid on her side and hugged Terriermon close to her, a smile forming on her lips. She was so thankful to have a friend like him by her side, a friend she could hold when she was feeling upset. 

"Terriermon...you're a good friend. Promise...that you'll never go away." Terriermon frowned sadly and nuzzled against her chest, nodding his head in response. He began to realize that her confidence issues went far deeper than just being bullied. He closed his eyes and the sound of Tohru's steady heartbeat lulled him to sleep. 

Tohru's eyes slid closed and before she knew it, she was out like a light. 

~~**~~

A loud beeping rang in the teenager's ear, causing her eyelids to slide open and a groan left her lips. All she could see was darkness and Tohru groped around the area in front of her face, feeling for her communicator. She glanced over at her digital clock, the screen reading 4:00 AM. What the hell did DATS want with her at this ungodly hour of the morning?? 

Pressing the small button on the earpiece, she put it in her ear and emitted a rather groggy sounding "Hello..?" 

"We need you here at HQ right away. A Digimon has been spotted!" Yoshino's voice spoke into the other end of the call. Tohru groaned again, cursing whatever Digimon had escaped from the Digital World and interrupted her sleep. She had school in the morning for pete's sake! 

"Alright.." Tohru sat up in her bed and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, standing up and sauntering over to her dresser. She ended the call and quickly began pulling on her green spandex uniform. Terriermon had woken up due to the lack of warmth against him and sat up, rubbing his eyes. 

"Tohru? What're you doing..?" 

"We gotta head over to headquarters. A Digimon was spotted.." Tohru explained briefly as she zipped up her uniform jacket and placed her hat on her head. "We gotta make sure to sneak out quietly..or grandma will wake up." She brought her voice down to a low whisper and grabbed her Digivice. Terriermon grumbled and hopped onto her shoulder. 

It took the two probably over ten minutes to successfully sneak out as it seemed like every step Tohru made, the floor would creak. Though the fact that this house was quite old probably had something to do with that. She was scared of waking up her grandmother and possibly getting scolded for trying to sneak out in the middle of the night. 

She ran as fast as her legs could carry her and by the time she made it into the surveillance room at DATS, the other agents were already there. Tohru was out of breath and had to lean against the wall. "S-Sorry I'm late...I-I had to sneak out without waking up my grandmother.." Tohru had managed through her heavy panting, her heart racing at about a mile a minute. 

"I'm not surprised you and Masaru would be late. We have a job to do, so if you're so worried about your grandmother then you shouldn't have come at all. Because of you two, we've lost precious time we could have been using carrying out the mission." Tohma scolded her, arms crossed over his chest and cerulean hues giving her a cold stare. His expression didn't change, not even when Masaru growled lowly and stepped toward him threateningly. 

Tohru looked downcast, avoiding eye contact with the blonde haired male. She should have known he would have something to say about her tardiness. 

"What the hell is your problem?! I don't care what you say to me, but stop bullying Tohru! She did nothing wrong!" The street fighter had grabbed the front of Tohma's shirt, pulling him towards himself and glaring daggers at him. 

"You guys, stop it already! You're both acting like children!" Yoshino got between the two male agents and separated them. Thank goodness they had someone like her to keep everyone in check, or a fist fight might have broken out by this point. "So Commander, what's our target this time?" From the tone of her voice, she sounded pretty annoyed. The lack of sleep and having to babysit two bickering teenagers made Yoshino cranky. 

Miki and Megumi brought up the data of the Digimon that was spotted, including an image of the target. It looked like a giant purple and white mole with a drill for a nose. "The target is called Drimogimon and it first appeared in the bank that was just robbed. However, that isn't the only robbery that occurred within the past few hours so we have our suspicions that it is aiding the robbers." The commander explained, glancing at the agents. 

Yoshino took down the coordinates and the five agents headed for her police vehicle. Tohru still felt incredibly uneasy around Tohma and having to sit in the car next to him didn't help things much. She had smooshed herself up against the door in an attempt to put as much distance between them as physically possible. Why did she have to feel like this? If only she could be like Masaru, who is able to just shrug off any insult thrown at him without a care in the world. To say he was simple minded would be a bit mean, but that's exactly what he was. He didn't care what people thought of him, he just enjoyed being himself. 

He was comfortable with who he was. Tohru only wished she could feel the same way about herself. The truth, as harsh as it sounded, was that she hated herself and she felt alone in a world where it seemed as though everyone was perfectly comfortable in their own skin. Why couldn't she feel that way too? 

"Hey..are you okay? You've been really quiet lately..." An accented voice broke Tohru from her trance, the brunette's head perking up and glancing over at her younger teammate. Rosa, though not expressing it, had sounded concerned for her. Tohru hadn't even realized that Rosa was watching her. 

"Um...yeah...I-I'm fine.." Though these were the words that left her lips, her expression and tone of voice practically screamed that she was, in fact, not okay. She put on a weak smile to try and be convincing, but Rosa wasn't buying it. However, noting the emotional state Tohru was in—and because she was too tired to try and argue against it—Rosa didn't push it any further. 

She wasn't the only one who was tired as hell though. All of them were, due to the fact that it was an ungodly hour in the morning and they were losing precious sleep because of this damn mission. That could explain why Tohma had yelled at Tohru and Masaru when they were late. He must be as cranky as everyone else was. However, that didn't make what he said alright. Rosa knew this and yet she didn't defend Tohru, fearing that she would end up getting on Tohma's bad side as well. 

If she didn't have a huge crush on the guy, she'd lay the smack down on him in a heartbeat. 

It wasn't long before the DATS agents arrived at the location where the Digimon was currently. The first thing they could see as they exited the vehicle was a pair of men, one older and taller than the other, carrying bags of money. Trailing behind them was a rather large mole-like creature with a drill for a nose. They knew right then and there that this was their target and that it was, in fact, helping the burglars. 

But...why? 

Right now, this wasn't the time to be asking why. Now was the time to take action and capture the target. The bank robbers stopped dead in their tracks the moment they saw what they thought was a police car. They dropped the bags of money they were lugging in their hands as Yoshino brought out a megaphone from the car. 

"Stop right there!" 

"A-Are you the police?!" The older one questioned, though to him they looked like young oddly dressed teenagers. 

"We're agents of the organization DATS," Yoshino showed them her DATS badge, "We're here for the Digimon you've got there with you!" The robbers looked utterly confused, mainly because they had no idea what the hell a Digimon was. Yoshino sighed, bringing out her Digivice. "Lalamon, Realize!" Her partner, Lalamon, materialized from the device and succeeded in freaking out the robbers some more. 

Masaru, Tohru, Tohma and Rosa brought out their own partners and the robbers stepped back in fear of the strange creatures. "T-There's more of them?! Run!" They dashed off to a small parked vehicle with Drimogimon close behind. They managed to fit him in the car and were about to drive off when Masaru and Agumon jumped in front of their car. "W-What the hell?! Get out of our way or we'll run you over!!" The older robber threatened, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly. 

Even with the car's headlight's flashing in their faces, Masaru and Agumon didn't move. Not even when their teammates were yelling at them to move out of the way. 

"M-Masaru!! Please get out of there!" Tohru shouted, clutching her digivice to her chest as her heart raced. Green eyes wide in horror, the fear of her best friend getting hurt displayed on her face. "Please!! You're going to get hurt!" She gasped out when the car began to move forward only for Masaru and his partner to put all of their weight on the vehicle and keep it from going any further. 

"No way am I letting them get away!" Masaru managed as he was using all of his strength to keep the car back. Sure he looked like he was insane for doing this, but he was actually succeeding! Wanting to protect him and Agumon, Tohru raised up her Digivice and brought her hand down on it. 

"Digisoul, charge!" 

...

Nothing happened. Looking confused, Tohru tried scanning her hand again. 

"Digisoul, charge!!" Again, nothing. Terriermon was still just himself and wasn't evolving like every other time she did this. Her body quivered as she stared down at her Digivice in horror while her breathing quickened and her chest tightened up. Her face felt hot. Her mind was a scrambled, jumbled up mess. 

'Wh-Why isn't it working?! I-I can't...activate my Digisoul...'

Terriermon immediately noticed the horrified look on her face, displaying a worried expression on his round face. He gently nudged her leg to try and gain her attention. "T-Tohru..? Are you okay?" No response. It was as if she'd gone into a hypnotic trance that she couldn't be snapped out of. Her face had flushed red and her body was shaking. "Tohru..?" 

"H-Holy shit!" The younger robber let out a high pitched scream as he clung to the older guy sitting next to him. Their car had been completely demolished due to Drimogimon growing in size while still inside the vehicle. The duo just stared wide eyed at the giant mole-like creature, the older guy still gripping the steering wheel. 

"We have to lure it toward the docks so it can't have a chance to dig underground." Tohma stepped up to the plate, a plan already forming in his head. "Gaomon, I need you to keep Drimogimon from drilling into the ground and lure him towards the water." The blue dog Digimon nodded and began attacking Drimogimon. The giant purple and white mole cowered as he was constantly assaulted with a barrage of punches. He began to back up and flee to the docks, unaware that this was what Tohma wanted. 

Masaru sent a glare over at his rival, not really content with letting Tohma take all the glory for himself. "Agumon, we can't let this rich kid show us up! Let's beat Drimogimon on our own!" He grinned confidently, holding up his fists. Agumon wholeheartedly agreed and the ultimate duo ran after their opponent. 

Rosa quietly followed after her teammates, but stopped for a moment to glance at Tohru over her shoulder. Something was wrong, she could tell. Tohru looked scared, like she was about to break down crying. Instead of going to her side, Rosa kept walking despite how much it bothered her to see her teammate looking like that.

"Why didn't you go see what was wrong with her..?" Coronamon questioned his partner, glancing up at her out of the corner of his eye. Her arms were crossed over her chest and although her face was devoid of emotion, her hands gripped her arms tightly. He knew the answer right away just from her body language. 

It did bother her, but her fear of getting close to other people prevented her from going to Tohru's aid. 

"...I think Pinky would handle it better than I could.." Coronamon let out a quiet sigh at her response. So this was the excuse she came up with? Why couldn't she just admit that she was scared of opening up to others? He didn't press the matter further and they sped off to catch up with their teammates. 

"Have a good sleep!" Lalamon sang cheerfully while Yoshino laid the now unconscious robbers on the ground gently. She had used the memory wiper to erase their memories of ever having encountered a Digimon. The older girl glanced over at Tohru, who hadn't moved an inch at all, and approached her.

"Tohru? What's wrong?" Yoshino's voice was more gentle and motherly and she laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. 

Tohru's lips quivered and it took her a moment before she could actually manage to speak. "M-My Digisoul....won't activate..." She turned her head slowly to make eye contact with the older DATS agent as tears began to form, "Yoshino, my Digisoul isn't activating! I-I don't know why!" 

Yoshino gently rubbed Tohru's back to try and calm her down while using a tissue to dry her eyes. "Tohru, I understand. You need to stay calm, okay? Later on, we can look into the problem and find a way to resolve it. But for now, it'll be okay if you don't participate in the fight." The magenta haired girl was starting to sound like an older sister, and in a way Tohru sort of thought of Yoshino as one. 

"Um...o-okay.." Tohru nodded her head as her hands dropped to her sides and she clipped her Digivice back onto her belt. Though she had decided to stay on the sidelines for now, it still bothered her. She just felt so...so...

...So useless. 

Tohru followed behind Yoshino quietly toward the docks where Tohma and Gaomon had cornered Drimogimon. Masaru had gotten flung into the water when attempting to punch the giant drill-nosed mole, so when he emerged he was dripping wet. Coupling this with the already skin tight uniform he was wearing, all the blood had rushed to Tohru's face. Of course, Masaru being who he is, didn't seem to care that practically every inch of his toned body stood out now because of the material that clung to his skin. 

Tohru felt like she would faint right then and there. She nearly stumbled and fell over, but caught herself and covered her reddened face. The image of her best friend's muscular frame was forever burned into her memory. (Not that she was complaining)

"What are you doing?!" Tohru heard the blonde male's voice shouting and lifted her head up from her hands. Masaru and Agumon were leading Drimogimon away from the docks, which was going completely against Tohma's plan. "You idiot! I was leading him towards the water so he wouldn't have any ground to drill into!" However, Masaru continued to ignore him and do as he pleased. 

"Don't tell me what to do!" The fighter retorted back, his cocky attitude starting to rear its ugly head. Though Tohru loved him dearly, even she knew that Masaru wasn't without his flaws. It was the reason he didn't get along with most kids in school, and even the teachers didn't care much for his attitude most days. 

"He's ruining my plan...alright, Gaomon. We're changing up our strategy a bit." Tohma spoke to only his Digimon partner as he unclipped his Digivice from his belt. He snapped his fingers and a blue wisp flared around his hand. He scanned his hand over the device, causing Gaomon to glow and evolve. 

"Digisoul, charge!" 

"Gaomon, evolve! Gaogamon!" The now larger dog Digimon stepped toward Drimogimon with an intimidating glare, sharp canines bared. The mole-like creature cowered in fear and took a step back as Gaogamon prepared a wind attack. 

Masaru shot Tohma a glare and ran up to Drimogimon, sending a punch right into his jaw. His Digisoul flared and he grinned over confidently. "I'm not letting you steal my opponent! Let's do this Agumon! Digisoul, charge!" 

"Agumon, evolve! Geograymon!" The T-rex Digimon growled and bared his teeth as he approached the cowering mole. He and Gaogamon stared each other down, both wanting to defeat their opponent before the other could. One shot out a twister of wind from its mouth while the other unleashed a giant burst of flames. 

Both male DATS agents watched as their partners attacks hit each other instead of their opponent, as Drimogimon had ducked just in time to avoid being hit.

"The attacks...cancelled each other out?!" Tohma could only stare with his mouth agape as the powerful attacks collided. Before he could command Gaogamon to attack again, a digital portal opened up in the ground and Drimogimon took this as the perfect opportunity to escape. The portal closed up and just like that, their target was gone. 

"Damn it! Get back here you coward!" Masaru shouted at the ground, waving his fist and stomping the dirt in anger. Tohma's eye twitched as his anger slowly began to rise. 

This was the final nail in the coffin. 

"This is your fault! If you hadn't interfered with my plans, we could have captured him!" The street fighter directed his angry gaze at the enraged blond, his clenched fists tightening until his knuckles turned white. 

"No way! You're the one who interfered with my fight!"

"That's all you ever think about is fighting! You never listen to anything I say!"

"I would listen, if you had anything worth saying!" 

"That's it! I can't work with you!" 

"I don't want to work with you either!" 

The three females and the Digimon just stood there looking between the two bickering males. Yoshino didn't even bother to step in to stop them since she was tired and didn't want to deal with this. Rosa was growing more and more irritated by the second and was trying her hardest to resist screaming at them. The one to step forward was the one everyone least expected to try and break up the argument. 

"S-Stop it!!" Tohru's voice rang loudly through the night air, ceasing the arguing for a moment as the two rivals turned their gazes to her timid form. "T-Tohma...I-I don't think its fair to blame all of this on Masaru. He was just trying to help with the mission...m-maybe if you were to include him in your plans-" She was cut off by the angered blond before she could even finish her sentence, his harsh tone causing the brunette to flinch.

"And you! I can't work with someone who can't even do a thing to help out! If you can't handle the responsibility of being a DATS agent, then leave!" 

His words struck her hard, piercing through her already fragile heart. Her emerald hues widened for a second before glazing over. Tears began to form and fall down her cheeks. The moment Tohma saw this, all of his initial anger faded only to be replaced with guilt. He realized he'd gone way too far, but it was already too late to take back what he'd said to her. The damage was already done. 

In an instant, Masaru's fist connected with Tohma's cheek and sent the blond stumbling backwards, clenching his now swollen jaw. The street fighter's teeth were clenched tightly, fists raised, eyebrows knitted together, forest green hues flaring with rage. 

"You asshole! I'm gonna kick your pretty boy ass for hurting Tohru!" Masaru tried to charge at Tohma again, but was held back by Yoshino and Rosa. The latter was shouting in Spanish, which wasn't really helping to calm the boy down. 

"Calm down Masaru! Hitting him isn't going to solve anything!" 

"Let me go Yoshino! Did you hear what he said to Tohru?!" Masaru argued while struggling against the two shorter girls. It was actually very surprising that they could hold him back considering how strong he was. 

"Masaru...Tohma's right....about me." Tohru's quiet voice cracked a bit as her tears flowed more freely down her reddened cheeks. She lifted her head up to meet his gaze, quivering lips pulling up into a sad smile. Masaru's features softened when he saw the broken look in her beautiful emerald eyes. Tohru couldn't stop herself from sobbing where she stood, and she didn't care who saw. 

"He's right...I'm....useless..."

Aaaannnnd I'm ending it there! Oh, I'm so evil! 

So let me know what you all think! This chapter focused pretty heavily on Tohru's insecurities  and inner conflicts. A lot of Tohru's self loathing was actually inspired by my own experiences with confidence issues and hating everything about myself, especially when I was a teenager. 

I actually feel pretty bad making her go through all of this, but its for the sake of my story! XD