Digimon: After the Adventures End
Chapter 1: The Princess
(slow piano version of "Butter-Fly")
Silence and darkness. As far as you could see, there was nothing but darkness, and there was nothing to hear except silence. It was a gloomy, lonely place to be.
Through the darkness floated a woman in a pink dress and hat, and a green Digimon with a pink flower on her head. Slowly, the woman opened her eyes.
Seeing where she was surprised and confused her. The last thing she remembered was coming home from a visit to the Digital World with her son and going to bed. Why was she now floating in darkness, wearing all her clothes from the previous day?
"Palmon?" the woman said.
"I'm right here, Mimi," said Palmon.
"Do you know where we are?"
"No, but I don't like this."
Mimi felt for her Digivice. Good - it was still there. She tried to move around and found that the easiest way to do this was to use a swimming motion.
"Wanna go exploring?" said Mimi.
"Okay," said Palmon.
For a long time, they swam along together, finding nothing. Then, suddenly, they saw a dim, red-eyed figure in the distance. They approached it quickly, excited to see someone else. When they got close, the figure said, "Greetings, human."
"Hello," said Mimi. "Can you tell me where I am and how I got here?"
"Certainly. You're in character limbo."
"I'm dead?!"
"In a way. Your seiyuu has forgotten you, and so have many others from her world."
"What are you talking about?"
"Think back to your childhood. Do you remember the time you spent in the palace of the Gekomon?"
"Of course."
"Well, how did you know that song you sang?"
"The song . . . it's coming back to me now. On my first night there, Maeda-san called me to her for the first time. She taught me that song, and in the years that followed, we sang many, many songs together. The last time we did that, I was at a party with my friends, Sora and Hikari and Miyako, and some other girls I didn't know. We all took turns singing songs."
"And now, that same person who loved you and sang with you has left you to languish in this desolate place. Isn't that horrible?"
"It is . . ." Mimi felt her anger rising.
"And anyone who does that must be evil, right?" said the mystery figure.
"Yes."
"You must have your revenge." In a flash, the mysterious being had Mimi and Palmon by the wrists and was sending them some of his dark power.
"I . . . want . . . REVENGE!" Mimi growled.
"Excellent."
The dark power took its full effect. Mimi's eyes turned red, and Palmon began to glow and stretch.
"Your companion has been given what only a few others have been privileged to have," said the mysterious being. "She now has the power of the Ultimate level."
Palmon finished evolving. She was now a humanoid figure, like Lillymon, but she was wearing armor covered in brown thorns over a black bodysuit.
"I am Briarmon," she said, "and I shall be your instrument of vengeance."
"It will be so," said Mimi, in a very evil voice. "Thank you, whoever you are."
"I am Dagomon," said Dagomon. "And now, to send you on your way."
With his claws, Dagomon tore a hole in the darkness. It opened onto a city street. "Go with my blessing," he said.
"I won't fail," said Mimi. She and Briarmon stepped out into the street.
A few cars passed, but fortunately, no one stopped to stare at the two visitors, and there were no other people around. It was a bright spring afternoon. The sign on the nearest building indicated that it was a recording studio. A dark-haired woman walked out of the building. Mimi knew at once who it was.
"Hyaaaa!" Mimi tackled the other woman to the ground. "Found you!"
"Mimi?" her victim gasped.
"You remember my name. Amazing, considering that you've forgotten all about me."
"Mimi, no -!"
"Briarmon, annihilate!"
"Thorn Slash!" Briarmon smacked the woman hard with her arm, then kicked her a few times.
"Get on with it!" Mimi commanded.
Briarmon prepared to strike a death blow.
"Mimi, stop!" the woman screamed. "I remember you and I still love you!"
Mimi and Briarmon froze. "You do?" said Mimi.
"Of course! For the past three years, you've been my career. You were with me when I sang, and I was with you when you spoke. You were my better self."
"And what am I now? Nothing, that's what. You abandoned me and left me in character limbo, you heartless creep. You don't deserve to live."
"Mimi-chan, that's not true. I didn't just abandon you because I didn't care. It's just that after singing Digimon songs for three years, I'm ready to move on and get a real career in music."
"A real career?" By now, Mimi sounded almost normal again.
"Sure. I have the talent, ne? I was in that building recording songs for my first solo album. I'm on my way to being a star, and I wouldn't have started out if I hadn't met you. I love you and I could never forget you."
"Maeda-san . . ." The love between seiyuu and character turned Dagomon's dark power into light. The red left Mimi's eyes, and Briarmon glowed.
"What?" said Mimi. "You can't be evolving again!"
Even so, Briarmon became something different. She remained in the shape of a woman, but now she wore reds and greens and a crown of crimson rose petals.
"Mimi," she said, "thank you for listening to your seiyuu. Maeda-san, thank you for breaking the dark power we were under. Your love has allowed me to become my true Ultimate, Rosemon."
"Rosemon . . ." said Mimi. "You're so beautiful . . . Maeda-san, look what I've done to you! I'm sorry. Let's get you to someone who can help you."
Rosemon picked up Maeda-san, limp and bleeding, and they all started walking away.
*******
Some time later, Maeda-san was lying in a hospital bed, her wounds bandaged. Mimi was standing over her, holding Palmon, who had regressed to the Child level.
"You'll be all right now," said Mimi.
"Thank you for bringing me here," said Maeda-san.
"That's what friends are for. Thank you so much for all the songs. It's been a lot of fun singing them with you."
"Hey, would you like to sing one right now?"
"Sure! Which one?"
"Let's sing that first song we sang together."
"Okay."
"Can I sing, too?" asked Palmon.
"You can," said Maeda-san.
So they all sang together.
("I Wish")
"Hoshi ni negai wo kaze ni puraido noseta toki
Kyou ga kesenai asu ga mieru yo kitto ne . . .
I wish
Doushite koko ni iru no?
Oshiete kudasai ima sugu
Mieru mono ga subete ja nai no ne
Samusa ni furueru kara ude toosu jaketto
Itsu no ma ni ka sukitoote itte
Kibou ni natteku
Mirai no ame ga hoho wo nuraseba omoidasu
Atsuku nare ano hi ano toki
Hoshi ni negai wo kaze ni puraido noseta toki
Kyou ga kesenai asu ga mieru yo kitto ne..."
When they finished the song, Mimi said, "That was fun."
"I think your work here is done," said Palmon. "You should go back."
"I don't want to. What if I never see Maeda-san again?"
"I won't let that happen," said Maeda-san. "I promise that someday I'll call you to sing with me again."
"Thank you," said Mimi. "Goodbye, my friend."
"Goodbye, Mimi-chan."
Mimi and Palmon faded away from reality, returning to the darkness.
Disclaimer: Maeda-san belongs to herself. All Digimon characters belong to Hongo Akiyoshi, Toei Animation, Bandai, and Sensation Animation. No money is being made off this; I write because it's fun. :-)