And now for the next installment of "I am very sorry for the super duper long wait between chapters!" Granted, at least this story wasn't left off at a cliffhanger, but I still have a lot I want to do in it before it is labeled "complete."

A little bit about how I'm doing, I am going to be living in Japan for 3 years. Around the end of April I will be moving to Japan as my next base. I am really looking forward to it and learning Japanese. I have always wanted to learn the language, now I have extra reason to.

I now gift you 3242 words. :)

I do not own Digimon :'(

Chapter 27: …Without Slowing Down

A brunette blur swept through the apartment, followed by a smaller orange-ish one. A pale hand slapped down on a pile of papers as the two objects whirled into the kitchen, barely in time to prevent the draft they created from scattering his work, but the owner of that hand didn't even so much as blink at the two arrivals. The taller one rushed from one counter to the next, grabbing two plates at one, scooping up a generous amount of scrambled eggs onto both at the next, picking some hashbrowns out of the next pan, and dropping four strips of bacon on top of the ensemble before grabbing the toast out of the toaster and handing one plate down to the small creature following it. The little dinosaur-looking thing smiled happily up at its human before sliding its breakfast into place beside blue wolf-like one.

"Ahh, it's cold!" Taichi complained with the first bite, holding his fork between his teeth as tears streamed down his face.

"Not my fault," his lover deadpanned, pulling the top receipt from one pile and looking it over before using a pen to keep his place down a long sheet of numbers. "I woke you two up half an hour ago for breakfast. Only one you have to blame is yourselves." Finding the value he as looking for, he made a small mark to the left of it and transferred the receipt to another pile before looking up the other man. Despite the saddened tears on his cheeks, the brunette was wolfing down his food, eating at a rate the blonde was sure only he could possibly do without choking. Agumon had already finished his plate and was currently pestering Yamato's Digimon to go play a video game with it, the very game that the tardy pair had stayed up till almost three in the morning play and was the reason they were late to the table.

Chancing a glance up at the clock on the microwave, genuine fear crossed the brunette's face as he tried desperately to gulp down the large amount of food in his mouth. "I'm gonna be late for class!" he shouted, jumping up from the table. "Wash my plate for me please Yamato bye!" And in another whir of motion he was down the hallway and fighting to put his shoes on quickly.

The small dinosaur jumped down from his place at the table, completely forgetting his pesterings as he chased after his partner. Taichi had just finished getting his shoes on, an act that would have no doubt been faster if he'd just untied them rather than try to fit his feet through with the laces tight, when he came to a stop behind the young man.

Chocolate eyes looked back on the excited Digimon sadly. "Sorry, Agumon, you have to stay here" he started, watching that happy expression fall. "My instructor got angry at me last time I brought you, said you were too much of a distraction for the other students. I'm sorry buddy."

"What if I devolve back to Koromon and you carry me around in your backpack?" he suggested.

Reaching over and vigorously rubbing his partner's head, Taichi said, "Just stay here buddy. I only have morning classes today so I'll be back soon. Try not to give Yamato and Gabumon too much trouble, okay?"

"Okay…" the little dinosaur agreed dejectedly, letting his legs collapse underneath him.

"That's a good boy," the college student smiled, patting his head once more before slipping out the door. Agumon stayed there just staring at the handle for a short moment longer, debating on whether he should discreetly follow the human or not, before ultimately deciding it wouldn't be worth the scolding he'd receive. Besides, only morning classes meant he'd be back in about four or five hours and he could always play with Gabumon until then. Pushing himself back to his feet, he turned around and started happily skipping back towards the kitchen.

The blue canine Digimon happened to walk by him at that very moment, followed by his blonde companion. This made his stop in his tracks for both were headed for the door. "Huh? Where are you going?" he asked as Yamato sat down to put on his shoes.

Ponytail swinging as he turned to face his lover's Digimon, the bartender replied, "Shopping. We're starting to run out of some basic items, so I need to go get more."

"Oooh, can I come with?" he cheered, putting on another large grin.

"Last time I took you shopping you nearly destroyed the cereal aisle," Yamato stated, completely unamused. "Besides, I have a more important job for you. You can guard the apartment while we're out."

"But Gabumon gets to go," Agumon whined, giving his best pouting puppy face. On the dinosaur-like creature, it was kind of halfway between "aww" and "Ah!".

"That is because I haven't been shopping in over two weeks so I'll have a lot to carry back with me," the blonde explained, using the door handle as leverage to pull himself up. "But, I mean, if you want to help I can let you come."

Weighing his options for a second, an innocent smile crossed his face before he started, "It would be my honor… to guard the apartment." Almost mechanically, the reptilian creature turned around, marched down the hall, and disappeared around the corner to the living room. A few seconds later the TV could be heard clicking on and some early morning new show sounded through the apartment.

Containing his laugh behind a hand, Yamato mused, "Like Tamer like Digimon. Come on, Gabumon. The faster we go the faster we can get back."

"Right," the little blue Digimon agreed, hopping up and opening the door. It fell in step right beside the blonde once they got down on the street, a few people giving it strange looks as they skirted around it but most paid it no heed. While not particularly a common sight, Digimon weren't so rare that it led to a large crowd of gawkers. Just the occasionally curious passerby. It a couple minutes into their walk that Gabumon spoke up, a question having flitted around in the back of his mind since they'd left the room. "What did you mean by that? 'Like Tamer like Digimon'?"

"Hm? Well it just means that Taichi's personality seems to be rubbing off on Agumon," Yamato explained, glancing down at his best friend. "As a pair, they sure do act similar, don't they? You and I are kinda the same in that matter. I would like to believe that your responsible attitude is thanks to my influence, at least."

"Is that all?" Gabumon asked, bringing one paw up to his chin. "It's just by the way you said it it seemed to have a different connotation to it."

"I'll admit, that phrase is usually attributed to a pet and their master," he explained, quickly adding, "Not that I am calling you a pet or—oof, sorry—anything." The street wasn't extremely crowded, but he'd still managed to accidentally bump shoulders with a young woman walking in the opposite direction.

"It's okay," she replied meekly, "I meant to do that." Sure that was a little weird, but had it not been for her next words he would have just continued down the sidewalk and completely forgotten the encounter. "Say, do you think I could talk to you for a moment? Ya-ma-to."

He shouldn't stop. He knew he shouldn't stop. The way she drawled out his name—and without him having said it how did she even know it?—sent a paralyzing chill down his spine. His feet rooted in place and he turned just enough that he could see her face, studying her features for something that might give him a clue as to who this girl was. "I'm sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry," he said, hoping the feeble excuse would be enough to get him out of the situation.

"No, that won't do," she replied, voice airy and whimsical with just a touch of mania. "After I came all the way here to see you. You have to tell me. I have to know why you left." With each sentence he turned a little farther until he was facing her directly and the people around them started to disperse, watching in a mixture of fear and curiosity as the scene unfolded. The girl… he could clearly tell she wasn't well. Something was messed up in her head. "And if I don't like your answer…" she continued soberly, malic dripping from her words. Her right arm slowly swung up, as if on a pendulum, until it was pointed directly at his chest.

Then a gunshot pierced the air.

Several students were already dozing on their desks, slide after boring slide clicking into life on the projector. Granted, Mr. Schakowsky wasn't going to win any "Most Exciting Instructor of the Year" awards, but Taichi still didn't think he deserved the snoozefest. The brunette was, surprisingly, one of the few students not resting their head on their desk, and instead diligently taking notes.

He was halfway through the current slide when his phone went off in his pocket. The professor went dead silent, sending an unamused glare at what was normally his best student, and those not completely into dreamland already looked up at the new disturbance. Pink tinting his cheeks and a sheepish grin on his lips, the brunette fished in his pocket until the offending item was retrieved. "Takeru?" he wondered aloud, not accustomed to his boyfriend's younger brother calling him. At least not at this time of day. "Sorry, one second," he apologized, tapping the talk icon on the screen. "What is it Takeru? I'm in class right now, as you shoul…" His voice trailed off, eyes going wide. Standing with such force that his chair flew back into the seat behind him, any eyes that hadn't been trained on him before now were. "P-please tell me this is some kind of joke…" he begged, finding it harder and harder to breathe. Resting the phone on his shoulder he started desperately trying to straighten his notebooks and shove them in his bag while not dropping the phone as well, which was proving difficult in his frantic state.

From her seat two rows down, Sora stood and started weaving her way over to him. "Taichi, what's wrong?" she asked as she drew closer, now able to see the moisture dotting the corners of his eyes.

"No, I'll be there in just a moment," he practically shouted, voice cracking as he tried to maintain his composure. "Just-just stay with him for now, okay? I just gotta—crap!" The pile he'd been gather slipped from his grasp and spilled on the floor. "Look, I-I need both hands right now. I'll see you there. Bye." Slamming the end call button, he closed his eyes for a second against the tears before shoving the phone back in his pocket and bending down to gather his things. He didn't even care about the worried and curious looks he was getting, determined to get out of the lecture hall as soon as possible.

"Taichi, what happened?" Sora asked again, handing him one of his text books.

The tears he'd barely managed to stanch spilled forth again, teeth chattering slightly as he tried to contain the sob at least. "It's Yam-to," he stuttered out, voice breaking as he did his best to not cry. "He's bee-n shot. Takeru sa-id he's in criti-al condition."

Stunned for just a short second, she steeled her gaze and commanded, "Go. I'll get your things." The tiniest look of relief flashed in his eyes before he nodded and stood. "Agumon is at your apartment, right?" she called after him as he squeezed towards the aisle. "I'll pick him up. What hospital?"

He hollered back the name as he bolted out the door, rubbing his eyes on his sleeve and reassuring his mind that his lover would be alright. Yamato was stronger than that.

Gathering up his bookbag and rummaging around in the smaller compartment for his keys, Sora made her way towards the front of the class. "Sorry for the disturbance," she told the professor, bowing slightly, "but I must excuse myself as well."

"Mind explaining before you go?" Mr. Schakowsky asked.

She looked away from him sadly. "Sorry, it's not my place to say," she replied. "I need to go. Just… just in case."

"It's that boy, right? Who sometimes shows up around lunch time," he inquired. "Wish him well for me."

"Thank you, sir," she whispered, fighting her own tears as she started through the door. You'd better not die on us Yamato!

Yamato was well into surgery when Taichi arrived, coming up to the small group huddled around the entrance to the ER. His younger sister was currently cradling the smaller blonde's head to her chest where they sat on a bench, petting his hair and whispering soft sounds in his ear to try and calm him down. His lover's father was pacing several feet away from them, pausing on occasion to stare up at the door before continuing again despite the furry Digimon weaving in front of his feet trying to stop him. "Hiroaki-san, you're going to wear a hole in the floor," it's airy voice said, holding up both paws to try and stop the man. Instead he just started a different route. "Yamato's strong. He'll pull through. Ah, Taichi!"

That got everyone's attention. Three sets of eyes turned to face him, worry lines etched into the normally cheerful features. The younger blonde's eyes were red from crying, but then again so were his. "Hey," he said lamely, followed a loud sniffle as he wiped a hand across his nose.

"I'm sorry, Tai…" the blue canine whimpered as he ambled over to him. "I… I couldn't protect him."

Crouching down so he was at the Digimon's level, sitting on his heels, the brunette replied, "It's okay, Gabumon. What happened?"

"And if I don't like your answer…" she said menacingly, raising the gun up level with the ex-musician. His eyes went wide, and he tried to dive to the side.

Then a gunshot pierced the air.

Yamato let out an agonized scream as he stumbled the few feet into the nearby wall, the stunned silence of the sidewalk erupting into a panicked stampede of screaming people. One ran right into the injured blonde, knocking him to the pavement as she hurriedly put some distance between herself and the shooter. The harsh impact shook the breath from his one working lung, the bullet having pierced through the right side, and sprayed a crimson ribbon across the path. Gritting his teeth in pain, all he found the strength to do was bring one hand up to try and stanch the wound.

"Now look what you've made me do!" the deranged girl accused, pointing the weapon at him again. She was aiming for his head this time, and he had no energy to move. She wouldn't miss. Except her hands were shaking so bad she couldn't steady her aim, and as terror overtook her she instead turned and ran. The whole scene played out in the course of just a few second.

"Yamato!" Gabumon yelled, kneeling beside his Tamer.

"Gabu…mon…" he breathed, coughing up a mouthful of blood. "Go… go after… her…" Even weakened the Digimon could see it for what it was; a command. He didn't want to leave him there, but when he saw a middle-aged gentleman running across the street to come help he turned and took chase.

The girl hadn't made it far, and he watched as she ditched the gun in a trashcan. Running his claws along it as he passed for a marker, he easily overtook his human's attacker. Leaping onto her back, the unexpected weight made her overbalance and she landed face first on the concrete. "Stay down," he demanded, pinning one arm behind her back with his paw.

"Let me go!" she screamed, using her other arm to try and lift herself up.

It was at times like this he wished he could Digivolve without Yamato's help. As Garurumon he would easily be able to detain her, but as Gabumon he just didn't have the weight. Luckily, a bystander jumped in at the moment, having seen the previous altercation, took over pinning her to the ground. "Get her bag, little friend," he said, indicating to the bookbag that had gone flying when she fell.

The police and paramedics arrived soon after that, rushing the girl to the police station and Yamato to the hospital. The blonde had nearly passed out from lack of blood and oxygen, though, the bullet having collapsed one lung and pierced enough blood vessels he was bleeding profusely.

Giving the Digimon a tight hug, Taichi said, "It sounds like it all happened so fast you didn't even realize it was going on. Thank you, Gabumon, for being there for him." Tears started streaming down his cheeks again, small hic!s issuing from his throat involuntarily. He couldn't help but feel that he shouldn't have been in class at the time. He should have been beside him lover, comforting him. If he didn't make it through this.

"Yamato will pull through," Hiroaki said, reaching a hand down to his son's boyfriend. Accepting that hand, Taichi let him pull him to his feet. Hesitating for a moment, he extended his other fist towards the young man, closed fingers facing down. "They found this… in her bag…" he added, depositing the item he was holding onto Taichi's palm.

The sleek metal was warm to the touch from the tight grip the older man had had on it, the rectangular frame very familiar to his mind. Turning it over in his fingers, he examined the slots cut into one edge before flipping it to the other side, eyes going wide. "This is… this is the harmonica that was stolen from him four years ago," the university student gasped, running a thumb along the letters etched into the metal. Carved into the bottom were the neat, crisp letters: Yamato.

Sora was the next to arrive, Agumon running along behind her. Taichi had taken up a seat beside his sister by that time, eyes transfixed on the door. By the time the doctors appeared through that opening an entire congregation had formed in the hallway. Both groups of Digidestined and several of their Digimon were waiting on word, a weird mix of characters for the exhausted doctor to come out to. "He made it out of the woods," the man announced, watching the relief blow through the crowd. "He's resting right now, but he can be allowed visitors. They're moving him to a room right now, so you can ask the front desk for a number."

He had barely finished his sentence when Taichi took off down the hall. He needed to see his lover, to confirm with his own eyes that the blonde was alright. By the time the rest of the group got to his room Taichi had already taken up residence at the side of his bed, one hand loosely clutching the sleeping blonde's and head resting on the white sheets as he drifted off into a light slumber.

The title of this chapter coincides with the title of the last chapter. And Life Goes On... references to how they've all grown older, while ...Without Slowing Down. refers to how problems don't end just because you grow older. Granted, most people aren't going to get shot, but I have to keep things interesting.

The first line break... had I had more to go before it I would have cut this chapter off there. Would have made for the perfect cliffhanger. Unfortunately, when I laying out the chapter synopses I had not intended for this chapter to end in a cliffhanger so I really didn't have anything planned that could have filled in the extra space.

As always, reviews are luffed and appreciated.