Hello everyone, before anything else I wanna say this chapter and story wouldn't have been done without another helping me by editing and being a co-author to this.

"Curious Kitsune654"

If not for him I doubt I wouldn't have gotten this even done. I also suggest you read his own stories such as one being 'Just Dropping In' an interesting take on Naruto x My Hero Academia. Also, he placed a few hidden Easter eggs in the story, so try to spot them if you can.

CHAPTER 0: Lost Heart

*Zzzzzzzz...*

"Cmon Tai, give it back!"

*Zzzzzzzz...*

"Not a chance Izzy, this is Summer Camp, not Computer Camp!"

*Zzzzzzzz...*

"Stop running, you're going to—

*Zzzzz-" *WHACK!*

"OW!" With a pained shout as something collided with his head, a child bundled in blankets shot up in his bed and glared at the ones responsible for disturbing his slumber as he stood…

"HEY, YA' KNOW I WAS SLEEPING-Owaahhaa!" He started to yell, only to end up cutting himself off with an alarmed shout as his legs got tangled in his blanket and he fell to the floor with a heavy *Thud* "Ow..."

Struggling out of his impromptu confinement to reveal spiky blonde hair, whiskered cheeks, and twitching blue eyes that glared at the sole other occupants in the room, a goggle-headed boy with brown hair and a short redheaded boy.

Immediately goggles laugh, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sorry Naruto, forgot you sleep in a lot!" Despite his truthful words, the now named Naruto's eyes merely narrowed irritably yet was cut off before he could say anything by an annoyed grumble, drawing both boy's attention back to the redhead as he picked up the item the blonde had been clunked by, a laptop.

"Geez Tai, can you be anymore reckless, you almost broke it."

"Well maybe if you didn't spend all day with your nose buried in that thing I wouldn't have had to try to take it away from you Izzy."

As the two argued, Naruto continued to stare at them both irritably before grunting as he went to lay back down.

"Why are you still sleeping anyway, it's the middle of the day." However, before his head could even hit the pillow, a new voice cut through the air from the doorway.

Directing their gazes towards the wooden door, they found the owner of said voice to be Matt, the tall blonde cool guy of the group.

"That's easy for you to say," The whiskered blonde grumbled as he rubbed his eye sleepily. "You're not the one who has to stay up late studying, if my mom found out my grades were slipping, I would have been sent to math camp instead."

"Well, maybe you should try, oh I don't know, paying attention in class in the first place then."

With that retort, Matt rolled his eyes and headed back outside, ignoring the grumbled insults directed at him by Naruto while Tai chuckled.

"Man, he got you there Naruto," The goggle-headed boy said between laughs, before trailing off when he realized that the whiskered blonde hadn't responded. "Uh, Naruto?"

Turning back said blonde, he found that Naruto had stopped paying attention to him entirely, opting to instead stare out the window with a look of disbelief.

"What the?!" Not that he could blame him once he noticed why exactly. "It's snowing?!"

Sure enough, familiar little white flakes of ice were falling from the sky, starting with a handful here and there but swiftly picking up into a full-blown snowstorm in less than a minute.

"Incoming!"

"Wha-ACK!"

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Move it or lose it!"

And with that snowstorm came a small stampede as Matt rushed back in along with Mimi, a cute girly brunette, Sora, a tomboyish redhead, TK, the blonde squirt of the bunch, and Joe, a raven-haired hypochondriac and oldest. However, in their rush to get inside, the group got caught on the door and after some pushing and shoving, ended up tumbling through the doorway in a chaotic pile of limbs…

*Crash* "…Why me?" Which just so happened to crash on Naruto's bed, with said blonde having no time to react before he was suddenly dogpiled. "I swear, if whoever's hand is on my ass doesn't move it in the next three seconds, I'm ripping it off."

"Whoops, sorry Naruto." Sora apologized sheepishly, her cheeks flushing a bit red as she quickly got back to her feet before helping everyone else up.

By the time the chaotic mess was sorted out though, the spontaneous blizzard had subsided, and Tai reopened the doorway to reveal the now gleaming white landscape.

"Hey guys," Tai started, an excited grin on his lips at the sight of all that freshly fallen snow. "Last one to make a snowman is a rotten egg!"

With that shout, the goggle-headed boy darted out of the building and all but pounced into the icy powder followed swiftly by an equally enthusiastic TK with a trying-to-play-it-off as nothing Matt in tow.

"Brrr, those guys are crazy." Meanwhile, a cold Sora stole a nearby blanket to wrap herself up in as she stayed near the door, really regretting that she decided to wear her favorite sleeveless shirt today.

"You said it, someone might get sick if this keeps up." Joe stated with a shake of his head before chasing after the trio to tell them off.

"Oh wow," Mimi mumbled, a look of awe on her face as she slowly stepped out the doorway herself. "Why didn't I pack my fluffy pink snow boots?"

"Maybe because it's the middle of summer and shouldn't be snowing for another six months at least." Naruto suggested dryly, getting the pink-loving brunette to pause mid-step.

"…Fair point."

"Dangit, I can't get any reception at all. The snowstorm must've knocked out the connection towers." Izzy groaned as he fiddled with his laptop, the screen showing nothing but error and disconnection warnings as he frantically typed away, not noticing the shocked looks on Mimi and Naruto's faces as they gazed up at the sky.

"Uh Izzy, your internet connection might be the least of our problems." The whiskered blonde stated while grabbing the computer whiz's head and making him look out the window.

"Hey! What are you…" Any complaint instantly died on Izzy's lips the moment his eyes locked onto the aurora borealis that currently filled the sky. Without wasting a moment, they both rushed outside with the rest of the group in tow in to take in the sight.

"I'm not a geologist, but last I checked we weren't anywhere near the north or south pole." Naruto muttered while staring at the sky, wondering if Jack Frost decided to invade Summer while the others had their own thoughts on this. However, their awe was soon replaced by shock when several bursts of light suddenly streaked from the sky… and straight towards them at high velocity.

"Oh crap, hit the deck!" Naruto yelled, tackling Izzy, Sora, and Mimi to the ground just in time to avoid the streaks as they crashed into the ground, kicking up clouds of snow and dust.

Coughing, the whiskered blonde remained over the trio until the debris fully settled. "What in the hell is going on-Ttebayo?"

"I don't know… meteor shower maybe." Sora offered through her own fits of coughing.

"Very doubtful, we would have seen them coming from much farther away as they made atmospheric entry." Izzy said with a shake of his head.

"I think I just say my life flash before my eyes," Mimi mumbled quietly in a dazed tone. "I need to spend less time doing makeup."

"Well whatever, we need to…" Naruto started to say as he stood up, pulling the three to their feet in the process, only to trail off when he noticed something float out of the crater nearest to him with a bright glow.

Caught by surprise and acting on pure reflex, the blonde grabbed the mysterious object as it got close, unknowing mimicking the exact same action everyone else had. Opening his hand, he was greeted by the sight of a small blue-grey gadget with odd runic engravings around the rim of the screen. "What the heck? A Tamagotchi?"

*SPLOOSH*

No one could respond to that as a massive burst of water erupted from the nearby lake completely out of the blue, enveloping them all in its icy cold embrace before they even had a chance to realize what was happening.

"Naruto… come on Naruto, wake up."

With a groan, cerulean eyes flickered open to find a familiar hazel gaze staring back in concern. "Mimi?"

"Oh thank goodness," Said girl said with a sigh of relief as Naruto sat up, grimacing as he rubbed the back of his throbbing head. "I was starting to get worried, you weren't moving and she said you hit your head and nothing was working-"

"Hit my head? Well, that explains the headache," The whiskered blonde cut the rambling brunette off while looking around, his brow-raising upon seeing their surroundings. "Uh, Mimi… is it just me or are we in the middle of a jungle?"

"Uh, the latter."

"Okay… why are we in the middle of a jungle?" Naruto asked, just managing to get back to his feet before blinking in surprise when he noticed something in the brunette's arms. "And why are you holding a turnip with a face and legs?"

"Hey! Who you calling a turnip buster?!" The 'Turnip' demanded in a playfully angry tone, causing Naruto to jolt in surprise and fall back on his ass.

"Holy crap! Talking plant!"

"It's Tanemon for your information, nice to meet you."

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction to them too," Mimi admitted with a sheepish chuckle.

"Them?!" Naruto repeated… before freezing when a small yellow watermelon shaped fox clambered onto his lap and stared him straight in the eye.

"Hello, I am Viximon." It said in a soft and slightly squeaky yet bluntly serious tone as she bowed. "It is pleasant to finally make your acquaintance Buchou."

…

"Uhhhhh…"

"No, you are not hallucinating, yes, I am real, no, you may not pet my head." Viximon listed off in the same blunt tone, snapping Naruto out of his daze.

"How did you-"

"The pink one asked the exact same things earlier, multiple times with the last one."

Mimi had the decency to blush lightly at being called out on that, idly twiddling her fingers as she whistled innocently.

"Ooookay, and what exactly are you guys?" Naruto asked unsurely while pinching his cheek, hard.

"Well duh, we're Digimon!" Tanemon said cheerily, which only earned her a blank look from the whiskered blonde.

"…I have no idea what that means."

"It is just a name we prefer to go by Buchou, as it sounds less offensive than Digital monsters," Viximon simplified for him while tapping his chest with a paw. "And I am to be your partner like Tanemon is for the pink one."

As Viximon spoke, Naruto looks at Mimi who just smiles unsurely while hugging Tanemon before sighing as he wrapped his arms around the yellow fox and stood up.

"I'm not gonna even pretend to understand what's happening right now, so where are the others at?"

"I'm not sure," Mimi admitted with a shrug. "You were the first one I found after we land-"

"RAAAAGH!"

A deafening roar cut the brunette off, causing both her, Tanemon, and Naruto to look around in shock and worry whilst Viximon's eyes narrowed.

"I know that roar, it's Kuwagamon!"

"Kuwaga-what?!"

In response to that question, the group was greeted to a massive roaring red insectoid creature that barreled through the forest directly at the four of them.

"HOLY FUCK!" Naruto swore at the top of his lungs before grabbing Mimi and clambering to the side, only just managing to get out of the way of the colossal bug's path as it tore through the space they'd been standing like a tornado of blenders. "WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT THING!?"

"That's Kuwagamon Buchou! Now stop standing around and run before he makes a second pass!" Viximon shouted, snapping both Naruto and Mimi out of their shock as they started booking it in the opposite direction.

As they ran for their lives thought, they ended up running right past Tai and the rest of the kids who each had their own Digimon respectively.

"Hi, guys! Bye guys!" Naruto shouted without stopping, causing said kids to blink in surprise before following right after him and Mimi once they saw Kuwagamon hot on their tail.

"Whoa! Out of road! Out of road!" Unfortunately, running away soon became an unavailable option as the children found themselves skidding to a stop at the edge of a cliff.

"Duck!" Matt shouted as everyone hit the dirt, once more narrowly avoiding getting ripped to shreds as Kuwagamon zoomed past with an angry roar, launching splitters and foliage everywhere in his wake.

"Will this ever end?!" Joe flinches as debris landed. "My mom is gonna want a complete and total refund!"

"Is that really what you're worried about right now?!" Matt shouted back in disbelief.

"Ok! That does it!" Tai, being the first to get back to his feet, held his fists up like he was about to duke it out. "No more running away!"

"Are you nuts!?" Sora exclaimed. "That thing could tear you in half in an instant!"

"She's right, there's no way we can fight that thing. It's suicide." Matt added while he held TK protectively.

"Well, what do you expect us to do then?! We can't run and we've got nowhere to hide!" Tai retorted, still standing his ground as the massive bug Digimon turned for around for another pass.

"Well, we could always jump," Naruto suggested, peeking over the cliff to see the river below and missing the shocked looks everyone else was giving him. "The water is deep enough and we're only about fifty feet, me and ma have done it several times when we went on vacation last year."

"…What the he-"

"Here he comes!" Viximon cut in before anyone could finish their thoughts, reminding them of the incoming doom that was Kuwagamon as he started charging right at them again.

However, whilst everyone started moving to get out of the way again, Tai stood his ground, glaring back at the charging Digimon.

"You idiotic moron! Get down!"

"Hey!"

Or at least he was until Naruto dove back out and tackled the boy to the ground. At the same time though, the pink ball Digimon known as that had been on Tai's shoulder hopped straight at Kuwagamon and fired a stream of bubbles from his mouth right in his eyes, knocking it off course just enough that it missed the two boys and crashed headfirst into the ground.

"DIGIMON, ATTACK!" Taking advantage of its distracted state, the rest of the Digimon also hopped out and took potshots at the large bug too. However, given that said attacks were literally just bubbles, all it really did, in the end, was piss the already enraged bug off even further as he picked itself back up with a roar and swipe his head to the side, bashing all the little guys away with his massive pincers.

"Oh no," Rushing over to the injured Digimon, Naruto immediately scooped up Viximon into his grasp and cradled her in his arms worriedly. "Hey, are you ok?"

"Ugh, never been better Buchou," The small fox Digimon groaned out sarcastically as she rolled back onto her feet and shook the dust off herself. "It takes more than that to take me out of the fight."

"Great," Naruto sighed in relief, before flinching and stepping back as Kuwagamon roared in rage at them once more with a menacing click of his pincers. "Seriously, what did we do to piss this guy off so much?"

"Honestly Buchou, it'd be easier to list off what doesn't piss him off."

"Good to know."

"So… does anyone have a plan here? Preferably one that won't get us all killed." Joe asked, adding the last part while glancing between the angry bug Digimon approaching them and the sheer drop behind them.

"Don't worry, we got this!" Bukamon, a small floating brown creature, declared while hopping out of Joe's grasp and charging. The same thing happened with all the other Digimon, each of them rushing towards the angry beetle before their respective partners could react.

The only exception to this was Viximon, though not for lack of trying as she squirmed and struggled in Naruto's arms. "Let me go Buchou, I can help."

"How? You're not even the size of his finger." Said blonde said incredulously, his point being proven a moment later when the rest of the Digimon were once again swatted aside like mere annoyances.

"I can at least try to do something." She retorted while redoubling her struggling.

"But—" Naruto started to protest, only to stop mid-sentence once he looked down at Viximon and saw the look of pure determination she was sending back at him.

"Trust me Buchou."

"...Ok." The whiskered blonde muttered with a reluctant nod as he loosened his grip, allowing the little fox Digimon to finally hop free and run towards the fight. "Please be alright."

However, before she even made it halfway, both she and the strange device Naruto had strapped to his belt both started to glow incredibly bright.

"Viximon Digivolve to..." Within the light, Viximon's fur seemed to tear itself off, briefly revealing a wireframe-like outline of her body before it was enveloped by the light taking the form of an egg. And a second later, that egg burst to reveal a now five-foot-tall bipedal blonde/white fox with purple arm guards and a stoic stare. "Renamon!"

"…Badass." Naruto couldn't help mutter as the newly named Renamon seemed to teleport in front of Kuwagamon and lay a powerful punch right in his face that fractured his carapace and sent him stumbling back several steps.

- 01000011 01101111 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100001 01100011 01101011-

It was late at night and most of the children along their Digimon partners were sound asleep on the back of Whamon, a huge whale-like Digimon, as he swam across the vast sea of the digital world.

The exception to this was Mimi, who was instead seated up at the top of Whamon's head, staring up at the night sky as she hugged her knees to her chest.

"Can't sleep again?" Jumping a bit in surprise, the young brunette's head turned to her side just in time to see a familiar whiskered boy settling down next to here.

"Yeah." She admitted quietly after several moments, her gaze drifting back towards the stars as she sighed shakily.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Naruto asked as he started rubbing her back supportingly, prompting her to scooch closer and lean into the relaxing sensation

"It's not fair," Mimi said with a sniffle, her eyes starting to water a little bit as she spoke. "I don't wanna go around risking my life just because some old guy said so. Why couldn't they have gotten someone else to do this instead? Or at least ask first or something?"

"I know, it's total bull," Naruto agreed with a nod, before looking up at the sky as well. "But like my Mom always says 'When life throws crap at you, punch it the face and have a good time anyway'-Ttebayo."

"Seriously? She says that?" Mimi asked with a befuddled expression, which only grew when Naruto nodded happily before a soft giggle slipped through her lips. "She sounds like an… interesting person."

"Yep! Mom's the best."

-01001001 01101101 00100000 01110011 01101111 01110010 01110010 01111001-

"Soo… hot…" Mimi rasped tiredly, sweat pouring from her brow, sunburn running down the back of her neck, and lips chapped so bad they looked ready to crumble away, as she slowly trudged through a blistering desert, her eyes drooping as she struggled to stay upright. "So thirsty…"

She wasn't the only one in such a sorry state either as Matt carried a barely conscious TK, Sora and Izzy were all but getting dragged along by Biyomon and Tentomon, Joe and Agumon worked together to support a wobbly Tai, and a tired-looking Renamon hefted a fainted Palmon and Gomamon in her grasp while Naruto trailed beside her.

It had been almost a week since they had ended up stranded in this desolate place, and two days since they'd run out of water and food. It was looking bleak for the group, but salvation was near thanks to a small oasis in the distance that Renamon had spotted with her keen eyesight and Tai had confirmed was real with his telescope.

"Soo tired… need to rest…" However, after so long walking without any kind of hydration, the muscles in Mimi's legs suddenly gave out beneath her and she started to collapse. Just before she could hit the ground though, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and stopped her mid-fall.

"Oh no you don't," Naruto, the owner of said arms, stated breathlessly as he hoisted the girl back up before scooping the girl into his arms bridal style. "Easy there, I got you, Mimi."

"I can't… I can't anymore… everything hurts so much…" Mimi whimpered weakly before breaking into a coughing fit as the dry sandy air burned her lungs. "Go on without me… I'm just slowing you down."

"Not a chance-Ttebayo," Naruto said firmly, a confident grin on his lips even as his sunburnt face turned red from exhaustion and exertion. "Now hold on, we're almost there.

-01010000 01101100 01100101 01100001 01110011 01100101-

"I don't know if I can do this Naruto." Mimi muttered nervously from the side of a large stage wearing a gorgeous looking dress, her eyes drifting over the hundreds of Gekomon and Otamamon gathered together chanting her name eagerly.

"Of course you can," Standing beside the jittery girl, Naruto pulled her into a one-armed hug and smiled brightly. "You're a natural at this, you've got an amazing voice, and besides… you look absolutely stunning."

With each word that passed the blonde's lips, Mimi's face grew progressively redder and redder, prompting her to turn away before the oblivious boy noticed.

"B-but what if I choke again? What if I'm not good e-enough?"

"Hey, look at me," Naruto placed a hand on the stammering brunette's chin and gently turned her head until they were looking right into each other's eyes. "It was your first time singing to a crowd, you were nervous and got stage fright, it happens. No one thinks any less of you for that."

"I k-know that." Mimi mumbled as she tried to turn away, only for Naruto's grip to hold firm.

"Then don't think any less of yourself either," He said while stroking the side of her head with his free hand, straightening a few hairs that had gotten out of place. "Everyone stumbles and falls a few times when they start out, but you won't get anywhere unless you pick yourself back up and keep trying."

"You're right…" This finally seemed to get the girl going as she smiled, a small bit of confidence trickling out as she took in the whiskered boy's words. "I can do this."

"That's the spirit!" Naruto exclaimed happily while hugging Mimi just a bit tighter, before letting her go and quickly smoothing out the wrinkles he'd made on her dress. Once he was done, the blonde held out a hand towards the brunette with his signature foxy grin while bowing a bit in a playful manner. "Now, how about we go blow the socks off these guys?"

Unable to help herself, a similar smile appeared on Mimi's lips as she accepted the offered hand and bowed back. "Yes, lets."

-01000100 01101111 01101110 01110100 00100000 01100111 01101111-

"Phew, that was a close one," Naruto said as he, Mimi, Renamon, and Palmon stood just outside the ruins of Gekomon Castle and the battered unconscious half-buried form of ShogunGekomon. "I've heard of not being a morning person but that guy really took it the extra mile."

"No kidding, he deserved that last flat note." Mimi agreed, crossing her arms with a huff as she remembered how the giant toad had gone on and on about how her 'horrible' singing had disturbed his nap.

"It's a wonder that his minions wanted to wake him up so badly," Renamon said dryly before turning her attention towards her fellow blonde when she noticed him clutching his arm with a grimace. "Buchou, you're hurt."

"Yeah but it's just a small bump, nothing to worry abo-Ow!" Naruto started to say while waving off the fox digimon's concern, only for her to cut him off when she seemingly teleported to his side and grabbed the injured limb. "Hey! Let go! I told you I'm fine."

"I'll be the judge of that." The bipedal kitsune stated as she rolled up his sleeve, revealing the mess of black and blue hidden below.

"Yikes! Nasty!" Palmon exclaimed with a grimace at the messed-up limb.

"Oh my gosh!" Meanwhile, Mimi immediately got up in the boy's personal space as she tried to get a closer look. "You call that a little bump?!"

"It's not as bad as it looks." Naruto defended weakly before hissing in pain again when Renamon began meticulously poking and prodding around the injury.

"Three hairline fractures and some muscle tearing, it's exactly as bad as it looks Buchou," His partner stated scolding-ly, swatting the blonde across the back of his head. "Now hold still while I fix this mess, Mimi hand me one of the curtains over there."

-01100011 01101111 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100001 01100011 01101011-

"Hey, mom! I'm home!" Naruto called out as he opened the door to a quaint little two-story home that sat smack in the middle of one of the last forested parts of Odaiba, a nervous-looking Mimi right behind him. "And I brought a friend!"

"Oh really? Who is it?" A feminine voice yelled back from further in the house, its tone edged in curiosity. "Wait, let me guess, is it Joe again? I like that boy, got a good head on his shoulders."

"No, it's not Joe's mom," The whiskered blonde called back while leading Mimi to the living room, the sound of someone snapping their fingers in disappointment echoing out from where his mom's voice was coming. "It's someone new this time, her name is-"

*Swoosh*

Both Naruto and Mimi nearly jumped out of their skin as a red and green blur suddenly rushed into the room, coming to a halt right in front of them to reveal the gorgeous fair-skinned woman with long red hair and a homely green dress, otherwise known as Kushina.

"You brought a girl home?!" Kushina asked loudly with a wide smile as she grabbed her son's shoulders before smiling almost blindingly when she noticed the startled brunette beside him. Faster than either could react, the excited redhead scooped both kids up and pulled them into a hug as she practically hopped in place. "YES! YESYESYESYES! My little boy brought a girl home! And a super cute one too! Oh, I'm so proud!"

"MOOOM! Stop it! It's not like that!" Naruto exclaimed as he tried to get free of the woman's embrace, only to fail epically as she carried them both along with her to another room.

"I want ALL the details~!"

-01001001 00100000 01101110 01100101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101-

Inside a large fancy-looking mansion, Naruto, Mimi, Palmon, Sora, Biyomon, Patamon, Gatomon, and T.K were gathered around a bed where Kari, a young frail-looking girl, and Tai's little sister, was resting, her face red, sweat dripping from her brow, and breathing raspy.

"Okay, easy now, easy," Naruto muttered to himself as he helped the sickly girl down a spoonful of children's cough medicine, he really needed to thank Renamon for packing up almost anything they'd need while in the human world. The moment the liquid passed her lips, Kari's face scrunched up in disgust at the bitter taste poorly masked with cherry flavoring. "Yeah, it's nasty but it does the job."

The young brunette couldn't deny that already feeling the burning pain in the back of her throat fading away to a mild itch and it became a bit easier to breathe. "Thank you."

"It's no problem," Naruto said as he grabbed a nearby rag and wiped the sweat off Kari's forehead, before glancing towards the others. "Can one of you get some water, she needs to stay hydrated or this is gonna get a whole lot worse."

"Way ahead of you Buchou." Renamon said, appearing beside her partner in a static blur holding a large bottle filled to the brim with crystal clear H20.

"Renamon, I could kiss you right now." The whiskered blonde stated, gratefully accepting the water bottle while passing the rag to Mimi as she continued to wipe up sweat, albeit with a grossed-out grimace.

"I'm flattered Buchou but don't… seriously, don't."

- 01010000 01101100 01100101 01100001 01110011 01100101-

"GO! GO!" Naruto shouted as he, Kari, and Gatomon ran for their lives through a huge underground sewer as the ground shook, courtesy of the massive metal behemoth chasing them known as MachineDramon.

"Run all you'd like, but you are just delaying the inevitable," Said Digimon stated in an emotionless tone as he steadily gained on the fleeing trio. "It would be easier just to give up and accept your fate."

"Fuck off you wannabe terminator reject!" Naruto shouted back as he continued to sprint…

*CRACKLE* "Shit!" Only to come skidding to a halt when the ground in front of him crumbled away, creating a large crevice that cut off their escape.

Meanwhile, far on the other end of the newly made chasm, Mimi and Renamon along with the rest of the kids and their Digimon came rushing in through a connecting tunnel.

"Naruto!"

"Buchou!"

"Kari! Hold on we're coming!"

Glancing back at them, Naruto felt a bit of relief at seeing his friends coming, but that was swiftly overshadowed with dread as he turned back to see MachineDramon towering over him menacingly.

"Foolish boy, they will not make it in time to save you."

"And I told you to go fuck yourself," Naruto said as he grabbed Kari and pulled her close so that he was standing between her and the Dark Master. "Gatomon, how far can you jump?"

"With added weight, not far enough." The feline Digimon stated with a shake of her head as she bared her claws, already knowing what the blonde was thinking.

"Damn, plan B then."

"What's plan-huh?" The cat started to say only to cut herself off when Naruto suddenly hoisted her and Kari up by the back of their necks. "Hey! What are you doing!?"

"Time to die. Booster Claw!" Machinedramon stated as he launched his left arm at the trio.

"Goodbye, guys." Naruto muttered with an apologetic smile before turning around and hurling the pair with all his might, smiling as they landed safely on the other side.

*Thu-squelch*

…

"NARUTO!/BUCHOU!" Mimi and Renamon screamed in horror, the group coming to a dead stop as they were unable to do anything but watch as Naruto was speared right through the chest.

The world seemed to fall silent as the whiskered blonde's blood sprayed into the air, staining the ground and the claw in his chest red, only snapping back to normal as MachineDramon's arm retracted with the impaled boy in tow.

"Like I said," The metal monstrosity started while holding Naruto up to eye level for a moment before flicking him away like a piece of trash, his body skipping across the hard ground until it crashed into a wall on the far side of the tunnel. "Only delaying the inevitable."

So caught up in his gloating, the Dark Master of machinery didn't notice until too late as a certain fox Digimon was engulfed in a bright light. "Renamon warp digivolve to…"

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"Let me go! We have to save him!" Mimi screamed, thrashing and squirming as she was forcefully dragged along by Sora and Tai while Joe held an equally struggling Viximon. All around them the sewer was collapsing, chunks of rock and steel the size of cars and houses raining down from above whilst the floor cracked and shattered below. "Naruto! Hold on I'm coming!"

Said whiskered blonde was still laying on the ground, a pool of his blood forming around him until he was lost from view as a massive pipe fell down between him and the rest of the group.

"It's too late Mimi! There's nothing we can do!" Sora tried to reason with the frantic brunette as she stopped her from running to her death. "We need to go now! This whole place is coming down!"

"No! I won't leave him! There's still time! Naruto! ...NARUTO!"

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"NOO!" Mimi shot from her bed with a shriek, her eyes glazed in terror and flickering in all directions while sweat poured from her brow as she grasped madly at the empty air in front of her.

The brunette remained like that for several moments until reality came crashing back into her once she finally realized she was in her own bedroom. Placing a hand against her chest with a shuttering gasp, her entire body trembling as the adrenaline in her system burnt out.

However, even as she recovered from her shocking awakening, Mimi's mood only got worse as her eyes started to water and she brought her other hand to her chest too, her fingers interlacing together to cup around a pendant she wore.

It was an interesting design of one half of a broken orange heart with black swirl markings in the middle along the 'broken' edge.

"Six years," She muttered softly with a sniffle, holding the pendant close as tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "Six years and it still feels like it happened yesterday."

Sure enough, Mimi was no longer the same pretty prissy naive pre-teen girl she had once been, having grown into a lovely young woman that'd make most more than a little green with envy. Arms and legs that had once been just 'properly thin' now bore lithe and toned muscles that showed she was no longer just a pretty face without ruining her beauty, in fact adding to it a bit with well-set curves and smooth looking skin.

"I'm sorry Naruto, I'm so sorry," And yet, none of that mattered to the poor girl as she continued to cry, her shoulders shaking as sob after sob rocked through her. "You were always there for us, there for me when I needed you. Every time I fell down you were there with a smile, ready to help no matter what. I should have been there for you too. I'm sorry, please forgive me."

For what had to be hours the brunette stayed like that, rocking in place and muttering apology after apology after apology as she hugged the pendant. It wouldn't be until the sun was starting to crest over the horizon that she finally stopped, instead opting to scooch over to the side of her bed as she grabbed the cell phone charging on her nightstand.

Turning it on, she quickly went to her contacts and clicked the one at the top of the list before holding the phone to her ear as it started ringing.

…

…

*Click* "Uzumaki Kushina speaking, who's this?" A familiar voice asked grumpily on the other end of the line.

"Hello Mrs. Uzumaki, its Mimi, is this a bad time?" Mimi asked, getting a muffled gasp and several shifting and ruffling sounds.

"Oh, Mimi! Of course not sweetie, you know I'm always happy to hear from you," The redhead said in a much more chipper mood. "And for the last time, what have I told you about calling me, Mrs. Uzumaki?"

Unable to help it, a tiny smile wormed its way onto the brunette's lips as she scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "That formalities are for strangers not family, sorry… Ma."

"That's better," Kushina said in a faux stern tone, with Mimi swearing she could hear the woman nodding her head in satisfaction before the mood shifted back to somber when the woman asked. "Another nightmare Sweetie?"

"Yeah, would it be alright if I-"

"Rika is already on her way to pick you up."

"…Thank you, Ma."

"Of course sweetie, I'll see you soon." *Click*

xxxxxCHAPTER ENDxxxxx

AUTHOR NOTE: Well I hope you all enjoy the read, still working out when next update is coming but also remember to check out "Curious Kitsune654" stories since there a good read.