Title: Before the Plot
Category: Digimon
Pairing: pre Ami/Arata
Rating: T
Summary: The events of the opening cutscene, AI BA was mostly quiet, but even before that, she considered herself to be close to Akkino and Blue Box. However reading a conversation between the two makes AI BA rethink her thoughts on the matter.
Disclaimer: I do not owe any rights to the Digimon franchise
~~Story Begins~~
Ami Aiba, or known better in chats AI BA, was walking home from school. She wore a black jacket over a tight white shirt that had her school's emblem above her heart, a black tie was tied expertly around her neck, her black skirt stopped halfway down to her knees, white socks were rolled up by her ankles were black shoes met the pavement with every step.
Her digivice went off, notifying her of a Digi-line.
BB: Group chat tonight. PW is * until you get to the end.
Weird, Ami thought shaking her head as more of the dings came from the group notified her of more incoming messages. He's usually more creative than that. Oh well, it's not like I'm going.
She usually went to the group chats but even then she was mostly outcasted, not like it bothered her. She was happy having Ryota and Sakura as her friends, however, it's been hard to stay interested in the conversations with them lately. Ryota mostly talks about how he hates school and homework and Sakura is all about this indie pop singer Ken something.
Maybe if she wasn't in all advanced classes and passing them with ease, she'll have more luck.
Ami isn't a genius, but she's nothing more than an experiment. An experiment that went wrong. Something happened eight years ago, something tragic happened. They wanted Ami to forget, but she fought it apparently. She didn't want to forget whatever happened but they did make her forget it. Her parents wanted it to end, to stop hearing the story of make-up over what truly happened, but it was real. She doesn't know why they didn't believe her, she doesn't understand some of her own memories that happened when she was younger. The doctor that wanted her to forget, he suggested a different approach unlike the other children. Since she didn't want to forget the past, he thought of her embracing the future, filling her mind with facts, statics, anything to distract her mind so he could get her to forget.
Her parents did nothing wrong, they wanted her not to suffer with whatever happen because they didn't believe her, they just didn't want her to be traumatized. The doctor goofed, gave her too much of his experimental drug and caused her brain to work almost like a computer. She has to wear a special glove just to remind her computer like brain the basic functions of having to breath all the time. She's nothing more than an experiment but her personality never changed after that.
She finally silenced her digivice that was wrapped around her arm on her glove covered hand before getting on the subway, making sure that her backpack was on her back after grabbing a book out of there - a reading assignment.
She did notice a young man a little ways away, looking down at his own digivice typing something up. His black hair looked rough and rustled while his grey eyes was glaring at the digivice. Almost like he was commanding his digivice to receive a message right now. His white coat hid the blue track suit underneath.
She tilted her head in curiousity, shouldn't he be in a school uniform or did he even go to school. Why was she so curious about this one passenger? Is it because her computer like mind seemed to slow down while she was looking at him or is it because he looks familiar? Surprise, her mind instantly thought of Blue Box (BB), they were dressed similar, but even meeting Blue Box seemed familiar to her.
She shrugged it off and went back to her reading, waiting for her stop to arrive and like always it would be the last stop the subway makes.
It was about halfway through her trip when she heard, "Dammit Aiba!" She looked up in surprise, noticing that the subway wasn't as full like it was when the trip started. "Why won't you answer us?"
"Us?" she questioned looking at the man who caught her interest at the start of the trip. Weird, no passengers were in between the two.
"Sorry, didn't mean to say that outloud," the man spoke. "One of my online friends has me worried and she isn't responding to any messages I send her. At least, I think it's a she."
Ami rolled her eyes, she's too honest but of course she's a she. So this was one of her online friends, but which one?
"Any idea on why she's avoiding you?" Ami asked always thankful for small talk.
"Why? Do you plan on making her talk?"
"Well, I figured if you know the sudden reason behind her disappearance, you'll be able to find her," Ami explained with a shrug as she closed her book.
"Well, last I know is that she was having a tough time at school, poor girl is taking nothing but advanced classes and she was making plans to go visit her mother," he said. "Now that I think about, she might be doing that now. However, she said she would tell us when she was leaving."
So it is Blue Box, Ami thought with a smile.
"We have another friend, Akkino, she was asking me questions about Aiba and my thoughts on her. Some of them, I lied about because Akkino will honestly try to set us together on a blind date or blab it to Aiba." He ran his free hand through his hair, "I don't want Aiba to know about it because I may or may not have a crush on her. It will suck if I meet her in person and she's a guy or a grandma or something."
Ami couldn't help, she started laughing. "Sorry, sorry."
"Laugh all you want, I don't even know why I thought you could help."
"Sorry, sorry. Look how about this, I know the person who goes by Aiba or AI BA in chat rooms. We're close, super close. She's not a guy, a grandma, or a something. She's just a teenager like you and me. I'll convince her to talk to you, okay?"
They got off the subway and the man thought of one more question and turned around to ask her but she was gone, "How exactly does she know Aiba?" he asked to himself trying to find red hair in the crowd.
Later that night, Ami was sitting at her computer desk at her house, doing homework and adding her two cents in when she felt like it. Her red hair that was resting past her shoulders when she met Blue Box now off her neck in a side pony, her digivice tied around it, she was now wearing a yellow and black t-shirt representing AWA Studio Works and a shorter grey skirt, her yellow knee high socks were crosses tapping against the floor to the dings.
She must have been engrossed in her homework because Blue Box sent her a private message.
BB: Say you're in please.
It almost sounded like he was begging?
AI BA: What am I in for? Been doing homework.
BB: So you missed everything. Navit popping in?
AI BA: Who's Navit?
BB: I'll tell you later, I'll explain everything but say yes. Akkino thinks that it is a PR event.
BB: And I really don't want to be like a date with Akkino.
BB: Please!
Ami smiled to herself in the lonely house as she typed into the chat room.
AI BA: I'm in!
Thankfully, Blue Box gave her the information in private while Akkino scolded Ami for never being on EDEN before.
The day of the meeting, Arata was second to arrive in Kowloon, already getting annoyed with Akkino who quickly figured out he was Blue Box and introduced herself as Nokia. Kowloon is a bad place but she was only scaring herself more. So, he decided to have some fun, leave her alone and then scare her.
On his way back to Galactic Park, he noticed someone coming in so he turned to look and frowned. If that's who I think it is than I dug myself a grave I can't get out of, Arata thought recognizing the red head wearing yellow as the student he spoke to on the subway yesterday.
He scared Nokia who took it over the top, but he frowned. Yep, this was the same girl. He recognized the voice and laugh, but she was staring at him, almost like she was trying to figure something out.
Mr. Navit appeared caused chaos and things led from there. He went ahead, he was already a hacker so Digimon didn't frighten him. Than that shell attacked, Nokia and him got out safety but he doesn't know about Ami.
"You can stay here," Kyoko offered Ami after she came back with a human looking body, even though it was still data.
"I can just stay at my house," Ami said with a smile. Arata owed her big time. "It's only a fifteen minute subway ride to here."
"If that's what you wish," Kyoko said. "How about investigating Shinjuku, see if there is still a commotion?"
So Ami went to Shinjuku and saw Arata standing there, he was distracted by something, but his grey eyes quickly went to her as she tried to get past him to visit Ryota and Sakura.
"So you did make it out?" Arata questioned causing her to stop and talk to him.
She was going to talk to him anyway, but she wanted to save him for last. Her mind calms down when she's around him, for some reason.
"Barely, you owe me big time, however," Ami said walking over to him.
"How? If memory serves me correctly than you tricked me into talking to you last night on the subway," Arata said.
"Wow, you can actually tell I'm the same person."
"You seem surprised by that."
"Not many people can tell that I'm the same person outside of my school uniform."
"The only things that changed are the clothing and your hairstyle," Arata said shaking his head. "We digress. You tricked me on the subway."
"In my defense, you did have plenty of time to ask me who I was or how I knew who AI BA was."
Arata shook his head again as he spoke, "You are so weird, but you do have a good point. I didn't think of asking that question until after we got off the subway. I didn't realize you was someone I knew."
"Not my fault you shouted my last name out scaring me," Ami teased.
"You used your last name as a -"
"Anyway, I got to go. Work and all that."
"You have a job too?"
"I received it like two hours ago," Ami answered. "I'll call in my favor sometime. Maybe you can treat me out to an early supper one of these days?"
Arata just shook his head and watched as she left. Maybe having a crush on her won't be that bad.
~~The End~~