Title: Do Not Touch
Characters: Grottomon, Duskmon, Kouji (referred to)
Word Count: 999||Chapter Count: 1/1
Genre: General||Rated: G
Challenge: Diversity Writing Challenge (Frontier claim), B44, K rated fic; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #13, 999 words; Collect the Legendary Warriors, Spirit of Earth; Mini-fic Masterclass Challenge, Wildcard Option; Character Diversity Boot Camp, #10, or else (Duskmon)
Notes: This takes place somewhat in between episodes 10 & 11. More or less, what Grottomon was (for the purposes of this story) up to at that point.
Summary: It was only strategy. Just a way to make sure the one of those kids who could Slide Evolve didn't do that. So what was Duskmon's problem about this?

Grottomon stumped his way into the lair, grumbling all the way. Almost everything had gone wrong – not quite everything, he still had two Spirits – but enough that he wasn't in a good mood and didn't think that he would be for some time to come.

At least he knew that trapping those kids could work. He didn't like to reuse his ideas; that sort of thing could cost someone a fight sooner or later. But there were other ways he could do the same thing, and whether he reused the idea or not, the memory of trapping the Warrior of Light warmed a special place inside of him.

He wanted to rest enough to catch his breath and get back out there before they could regroup themselves in any way. There were more Spirits to take from them, and more Digital Code to scan, and he wasn't going to get anywhere by laying down on the job.

So he began to turn his steps toward his own small room, when a figure made of shadows swirled out of the darkness.

Grottomon stepped back before he realized who it was. "Duskmon, warrior of Darkness," he murmured, half in confusion and half in greeting.

Duskmon was a mystery to all of Cherubimon-sama's Warriors. While none of them had known one another before answering their master's call, Duskmon remained a Digimon apart. He seldom spoke and even more seldom came out where the others could see him.

He'd joined them last of all, only a couple of weeks earlier. No one had any idea of what sort of Digimon provided the base for him. No one dared to ask.

All of Duskmon's eyes turned to focus on him, most of all the ones in his head. Grottomon's own eyes darted back and forth, trying to find a safe way out of there. He didn't know what had brought Duskmon out of the shadows and he didn't especially care to find out.

"Grottomon."

It was a voice from the deepest of nightmares. Grottomon reminded himself that he was the Warrior of Earth, that he had both Human and Beast Spirits – all reports were that Duskmon only had his Human Spirit – and Duskmon could not possibly be as terrifying as rumor painted him. He hadn't done anything beyond stand around menacingly in the shadows since his arrival. Grottomon had defeated some of the other Legendary Warriors and now held the Spirits of Wind and Ice.

He wasn't going to be afraid.

He raised his head to meet Duskmon's eyes. If it didn't look as if the other wanted to speak, if this were just a casual passing in the hallways, then he would go on about his business.

Then the shadows curled and one of Duskmon's hands tightened around Grottomon's throat, lifting him far off the ground.

Grottomon hadn't ever realized how much space there could be between his feet and the ground. He didn't like it. He needed to touch the ground, even if this wasn't technically earth…

"You have struck against the Warrior of Light," Duskmon said, his voice echoing ever so faintly with anger.

Grottomon hadn't known that Duskmon could express emotions like that. He wouldn't have laid a wager that the cold, distant Warrior even knew what anger was.

He tried to talk. He discovered rapidly that talking required breathing and while he held the Spirit of Wind right now, it gave him none to speak with. He nodded instead. It wasn't a lie. He'd fought the boy twice, once at the village of KaratsukiNumemon and again when he'd gained the Beast Spirit of Light. He'd done well both times, almost defeating him, well enough to know that taking him out of the last fight would be key to winning it.

"I do not want you to touch him again. You may have any of the others."

That made no sense at all to Grottomon. So far as he knew, the two of them hadn't ever so much as seen one another, let alone fought for Duskmon to hold a grudge. But the way that Duskmon's hand tightened around his throat allowed for only one answer.

He still couldn't talk. But he waved his arms with all the vigor that he could and tried to nod. He wouldn't go near the Warrior of Light, if it meant that much to Duskmon.

Besides, he wanted to get the other Spirits anyway. If he left Light for the last… Duskmon would probably take it for himself and be praised by Cherubimon-sama.

But Grottomon would have all the other Spirits and he could let it slip that Duskmon could only retrieve Light because Grottomon allowed it. That would do just fine. Half of something was much, much better than nothing at all.

Did it count as half if he got all but one set?

Grottomon struggled to drag in some kind of breath, only managing it when Duskmon finally released him and he fell back onto the floor. The Warrior of Darkness stared down at him, as if not exactly trusting Grottomon.

Which wasn't such a bad thing, either. In all truth, if Grottomon thought he could get away with it, he would take the Spirits of Light. If he had them all, then what could Duskmon do to him?

But he wasn't going to say that, not now, not when he still struggled to breathe, and Duskmon still stared at him as if ready to snap the life out of him at a moment's notice.

Grottomon tottered to his feet, thinking briefly of Slide Evolving and knocking Duskmon around for the fun of it.

Only when he looked for his target, the shadows alone hung there, and those faded after another breath. Grottomon rubbed where Duskmon's grip bruised him and shook his head. He suddenly didn't want to stay here another moment. He could rest elsewhere. Whatever argument Duskmon had with that boy wasn't his problem.

Time to get out of there.

The End

Notes: My Duskmon is always very possessive of Kouji, even before their first fight. Call it a resonance of Light and Darkness if you will. Also, I find it fun.