Chapter 52: "Moonlight, Motorbikes, and Mad Banter"
In which tempers flare under the stars, unlikely friendships spark, and Naruto finds himself in the middle of a very loud bromance.
The city, once loud with cheers and the clatter of chopsticks, had fallen into a peaceful hush.
It was nighttime now, and the battered neon signs blinked slowly, like tired eyes half-closed after a long day of surviving chaos. A soft digital breeze swept through the empty streets, fluttering old banners and scattering glimmers of code dust along the cobblestones. Everything glowed just faintly, enough to make shadows stretch long and thin across the cracked walkways.
Naruto, still full from Digitamamon's nearly-mythical free buffet, wandered through the half-ruined streets with his hands folded behind his head. His cloak ruffled slightly in the wind, and for the first time in what felt like ages, the silence wasn't filled with battle cries or explosions.
Just peace.
That was when he heard the unmistakable clink of metal heels and the soft mechanical hiss of a bike engine cooling.
"Yo," Raikomaru greeted coolly as he strolled into view from a side alley, his motorcycle—still warm from battle—leaning lazily against a broken lamp post like it, too, needed a nap.
Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Don't you ever sleep?"
Raikomaru smirked under his visor. "Machines don't need beauty rest, and I'm already perfect."
Typical.
Still, Naruto didn't mind the company. The two walked for a few quiet moments, their boots and metal feet echoing softly against the cobbled data street. Then came a thud and a rustle from a nearby rooftop, and a very large quadrupedal blur leapt down with dramatic flair.
"Evening patrol?" Axemon rumbled, landing beside them with a heavy clang. "Figured you'd need someone to keep you company who isn't a self-absorbed spark plug."
Raikomaru turned, visor flashing. "Oh look, the oversized can opener has learned to speak."
"Says the walking toolbox with delusions of grandeur," Axemon snorted.
Naruto groaned softly. "Really? I get five minutes of peace and now you two are going to start again?"
Axemon growled. "All I'm saying is, I've known him for less than a day and I'm already reconsidering digestion."
Raikomaru cracked his knuckles—mechanically, of course. "Please. You're barely housebroken. If I had a bit for every time you tripped over your own momentum, I could buy out Digitamamon's whole pantry."
"You wanna go, sparkle bolts?"
"Any time, lumberlegs."
The tension rose like static, their eyes locked in the kind of silent, chest-puffing rivalry that usually only appeared in gym locker rooms or during particularly competitive game nights.
Naruto rubbed his temples. "This is going to be a long night…"
Despite the bickering, the three of them continued their slow walk through the city. Occasionally Raikomaru would rev his knuckles threateningly, and Axemon would flex dramatically, cracking the digital pavement beneath him for no reason whatsoever.
Naruto tried to tune them out, but it was like walking between two very loud radio stations, both convinced they were playing the better music.
"I'm the one who carried us through half the fight," Raikomaru claimed, polishing a scorch mark on his arm.
"You're the one who needed carrying by the end of it," Axemon barked back.
"Says the beast who ran headfirst into a crumbling building!"
"It was a calculated charge!"
Naruto finally snapped.
"Okay, enough!" he said, spinning to face them both. "You're both my partners now, and if either of you wants to keep that title, you better figure out how to be in the same team without trying to slice each other's egos open every five minutes!"
Silence.
Raikomaru muttered something under his breath. Axemon pawed at the ground like a sulky cat.
Then Raikomaru reached out his hand toward Axemon. "Truce?"
Axemon blinked. "You serious?"
"Only until breakfast."
Axemon snorted. "Fine. But I'm not sharing my protein packets."
"Wouldn't touch 'em if they were dipped in engine oil."
They shook—sort of. Axemon used his front claw, and Raikomaru used his elbow. It was more of a clumsy bump than a handshake, but Naruto figured it was progress.
"This is gonna be so fun," he mumbled, turning and walking on while his two overpowered, over-proud partners trailed behind—still grumbling, but at least not actively trying to dismember each other.
High above them, the stars blinked quietly in the digital sky, and the city, though wounded, was beginning to breathe again.
Naruto smiled faintly.
Somehow… this was exactly what he'd missed.
Family. Chaos. Friendship.
And bickering like an old married couple.