Finding Strength Within || Digimon Savers/Data Squad

.::||Chapter One: Chance Encounter||::.

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon Savers or its characters. I only own my OCs.

A breathy sigh left the lips of a rather impatient looking teenage girl seated on one of the few benches located in the local park. Tohru Harima, the girl in question, had arrived at the park around noon and hadn't moved from her spot for the past two hours. The fourteen year old brunette had made plans with her best friend to meet up at this very park to hang out, however he had yet to arrive. Needless to say, Tohru was more than a bit peeved by the lack of his presence.

"Where is he…? He promised to meet me around noon so…what gives?" Tohru wondered aloud with a tone dripping with frustration, but underneath that was a hint of concern. Another sigh escaped her throat, one hand being brought up to cover a majority of her face in an action that most would consider to be a face palm. Leaning back against the bench, her head craned upwards so she could gaze up at the clear blue sky. Fluffy white clouds drifted in a slow and steady pace high above her, the sun casting its rays down on everything on this peaceful afternoon. Summer had ended with the coming of a new school year, but the heat of the previous season still lingered for the month of September before it was to be cast away to welcome the coming of Autumn.

"He's probably off fighting local thugs again." The corners of her thin lips twitched upwards as a chuckle sounded from her throat, emerald eyes closing as thoughts of her best guy friend crossed her mind. He was a hot blooded youth with a love of plowing his fists into peoples' faces and never passed up the opportunity to accept a challenge from another fighter. Sometimes she had to wonder if there was anything else that he thought about other than beating people to a pulp.

Oh wait…there was. Food.

Tohru let out a snort and giggled at the thought of her best friend stuffing his face, a smile of pure amusement gracing her features. However, this was short lived as the smile faded, her thoughts going back to the matter at hand. This was strange. He usually never left her hanging when they planned to hang out, so what the hell was going on? Could it be that he simply forgot? To be honest, she wouldn't be all that surprised if that were the case.

Another ten minutes of pointless mulling over where her friend was and why he was so late and the typical 'what ifs' that plagued the mind of any worry wart, there was still no sign of her hot headed friend anywhere. Tohru stood up from the bench, her bottom starting to feel sore and her foot starting to fall asleep from the amount of time she'd spent just sitting still for. A sensation similar to being stabbed by a million tiny needles surged through her leg, temporarily numbing the limb and forcing her to walk towards the exit with a very noticeable limp.

"Maybe I should see if he's at his house…" Tohru mumbled only to instantly take back those words with a shake of her head. No way….what if I come off as being clingy or overbearing? Deciding against going to his house, she opted to heading home instead. Besides, her grandmother would be back from doing her errands soon and would probably need help putting groceries and other bought items away. Upon reaching the exit to the park after gaining the feeling back in her leg, Tohru halted in her tracks when a peculiar noise found its way into her eardrum. They were sounds of pained whimpers and groans, and judging by the high pitched tone it had to be coming from a small child. Cautiously, the brunette turned around and scanned over the area for a source of the noises that seemed to plant a seed of worry into the back of her mind. Not that she knew what was making these noises, but if they were indeed the sounds of a suffering child, then this was something she simply couldn't just ignore.

Something out of place had then caught the girl's eye; it was small and animal-like in appearance with a mostly off-white colored soft looking body with splotches of lime green in different areas. It had long, floppy looking ears that were reminiscent of a rabbit's and a small horn protruded from the top of its head. The creature's entire body was covered in bruises and small gashes and it seemed that it was barely even conscious.

Her body seemed to move on its own despite her mind screaming at her to consider that this creature could be dangerous. Tohru dashed over to the wounded creature and knelt down beside it to inspect its wounds. Whatever this…thing was, it was certainly wasn't any kind of animal she'd ever seen before. Its eyes struggled to open, gazing up at her through vision that switched between blurred and clear as it was slipping in and out of consciousness. Tohru's emerald hues stared back into its darker half-lidded eyes, her own showing a great deal of concern and confusion.

"Who could have done this to you…?" Tohru's voice was just above a whisper as she spoke this question more to herself rather than to the creature.

"..That's…none of your concern…human…" The creature's small and weak voice reached her ears, its beaten and battered body shaking as it desperately struggled to stand upon its two stubby limbs.

At first, Tohru's entire body froze in utter shock for she had not expected it to answer her back. Wide emerald hues glued on the struggling creature while her brain tried its damned hardest process what the hell she'd just heard. Did…Did that thing just TALK?!

This…whatever it was, could talk. Not only that, it spoke her language and could walk on two legs. …What. The. Hell.

Snapping out of her initial shock, and without really thinking the situation through, Tohru quickly scooped the injured rabbit-like creature into her arms and made a beeline dash out of the park and towards her home. All the while, the small otherworldly being in her arms was weakly protesting and struggling to break free from her grasp, saying something about not wanting help from a filthy human. She was really confused as to why he (at least she thought it was a he) would refuse her aid or why he seemed to hate humans. It didn't matter though, for once Tohru had her mind set on helping someone nothing could possibly stop her.

"Judging by how beaten up you are, I think you do need my help." She spoke to the reluctant creature in a gentle, stern tone; much like that of a mother softly scolding her reckless child while tending to a wound. He still seemed dead set on refusing her help as he, again, tried to wriggle his body out of her arms.

"Noo…let…me…go…"

Realizing that it might not be a good idea to keep him visible to the public eye in the case that someone happened to be passing by, Tohru stopped in her tracks and knelt down to gently place him on the ground. She proceeded to remove her gray colored hoodie (that was clearly bought in the boy's section) and wrapped the little guy up in the article of clothing, making sure that his face wasn't covered so he wouldn't suffocate. Scooping him back up, she leapt up to her feet and made a mad dash for her grandmother's house.

With each quick step she took against the pavement, her breathing grew heavier and heavier though she remained focused on the task at hand. Damn…I'm running out of breath… However, this was no time to stop and take a breather, no matter how much she really wanted to right now. Her grandmother's house came into view which motivated her to pick up her pace. The house was old-fashioned, having been built many years before her time, with a dark brown shingled rooftop. Surrounding the quaint little home was a white fence that showed clear signs of aging, the white paint having started to chip away a long time ago.

Tohru threw open the gate and darted for the front door as a loud noise emitted from the gate's door slamming shut behind her. She practically leapt up the old and cracking steps of the stoop before throwing the front door open and roughly shutting it quickly. Her converse sneakers were kicked off and left laying askew in the front hall while she dashed past the living room and kitchen towards the bathroom. After searching the closet for the medical kit, she brought the creature to her room and closed the door.

With the utmost care, the brunette laid him on her bed and removed him from the warmth of her hoodie. Sitting on the mattress, she set down the med kit and got right to work on patching him up herself. First she got out the disinfectant and some wads of cotton balls. While Tohru was busy at work getting out the necessary supplies, the mystery creature was straining itself to sit up on the bed. Through tired, weary eyes he stared at the determined girl. His exterior showed a sense of extreme caution and distrust, but beneath his surface the creature was struggling to make sense of the situation he found himself in.

…Why? Why is this human helping me…?

She carefully coated a cotton ball with the disinfectant liquid and began to gently blot it onto his wounds, noticing the creature's face scrunching up in a pained wince and a whimper escaping his lips. "Sorry. I should have warned you that it would sting a bit." Tohru apologized in a soft whisper, her lips tugging upward to reveal a kind, motherly smile. After disinfecting his wounds, she took out the medical bandages and placed them over his wounds. "There. Now…you should get some rest." She told him while cleaning up her workspace and placing the items back into the med kit. She put the kit back in the bathroom closet before returning to her room and sliding her hoodie back on over the t-shirt she wore.

In a similar manner to a mother tucking in her small child for bed, Tohru pulled her blanket over his small frame. He was about to protest and attempt to break out of this prison when his eyes slid closed. Exhausted and depleted of all energy, sleep consumed him while he lay enveloped in the girl's lingering body warmth.

I don't get it…why did she help me? I thought humans were evil…

This thought plagued the creature's mind even as sleep was taking over him. Indeed, he did have this mindset that humans were evil beings that destroyed anything they couldn't understand. Every creature from his home world thought this way. So why did this human girl show him such kindness? Wasn't she scared of him?

Tohru gazed down at the sleeping form of the unknown creature, her kind smile never once faltering. She had no idea what he was or where he came from, but in that fleeting moment Tohru felt a strong desire to protect him. The sound of the front door creaking open and clicking shut jolted Tohru out of her thoughts. Light footsteps could be heard entering the kitchen which caused a sudden rush of panic to run through her veins.

"Tohru. Would you be a dear and help me with the groceries?" A much older sounding, gentle voice called to the brunette. It had hit Tohru like a sack of bricks to her skull; the sudden realization that she hadn't really thought things through when she decided to bring the injured creature home with her.

How am I going to explain him to grandma?

Well, there you have it! Chapter one of my Digimon Savers story! C:

I hope you enjoyed it and if so, why not leave a review? I would like to know if there's any way I could improve my writing if there's anything uh…weird about it I guess?

The first couple of chapters are just supposed to be about Tohru meeting her Digimon partner, but don't worry the canon characters will make their appearances soon enough!

(Also, see if you can guess which Digimon I chose to be her partner! ;D)

EDIT: I changed the title of the story because I finally thought of a better name. Haha. Whoops. Also part of chapter 4 was re-written so make sure you read that! ;P