And so it begins. Again.

Those of you who've read any of my Rewrites in the past know that I have a pattern of beginning with the original episode almost verbatim before gradually deviating off into something new and elaborate. Adding characters and scenes to the point of creating an entirely new plot. This time, however, I'm doing something new: diverting onto an entirely new tangent from the start. And I do mean wild -I won't even pretend to be following canon this time 'round.

In fact, the majority of this fic will revolve around a single hypothetical headcanon I've played around with in my mind, until the grew to envelop the very heart of this story.

If you're looking for a close parallel of Digimon TRI with some modest alterations, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place. Am I still keeping the same approximate timeline? Yes. Will I still be incorporating certain scenes into this retelling? Absolutely. There were some moments of TRI which I want to treasure for years and years and would never dream of taking away from you. But otherwise?

I'm rewriting the whole story from scratch.

And here is just a taste of what I have in store:

DIGIMON TRI: BALANCE

-Prologue-

(Fourteen Years Ago...)

o

Rumor had spread far and wide across the land. Little more than whispers in the wind at first, but even the faintest breeze could strengthen into a great storm. And in the eye of said storm lay the Village of Beginnings. Aptly named, for it was there that all life in the World began.

Including the one clutched protectively in the guardian Digimon's arms.

Elecmon was all too aware of the dozens of eyes watching him emerge from the cave. Watching the swaddled child he carried. So small and helpless. Too helpless. Unable to move or speak or even see, with tiny eyes shut in a peaceful slumber. Babies were not meant to sleep so soon after birth. They were meant to expel all the pent up energy contained within their egg. Burst forth and greet the new world in birth—or, sometimes, rebirth—before venturing out in search of their next evolution.

And while this baby could do absolutely none of these things, deep down, Elecmon knew it was not a simple matter of defection. Not when the mere sight of such an innocent face brought about a wave of warmth like he had never known. Warmer than any evolution he'd ever witnessed. Warm...but also cold, sending a shiver down his spine. Warm and cold...embodying a looming sense of joy and fear in equal waves.

There was not a sound to be heard for more than a kilometer, despite the growing crowd. Familiar faces, fortunately, and those he trusted most.

"Well?" An impatient Ogremon shifted his weight against the tree, club tossed over one shoulder.

"Patience," Leomon closed his eyes and held back a low scoff at his eternal rival. "Such a moment must not be rushed."

Tensions among the crowd rose as they watched Ogremon straighten for a moment. Several of the smaller Digimon braced themselves to scatter if necessary...but then, for once, Ogremon pulled back. Forgoing any possible opening for attack the lion Digimon.

Fabric rustled. Attention returned to Elecmon, who was using the swaddle to wipe carefully at the Baby's face. A series of small, nearly indiscernible twitches of muscle reacted to the touch, but little else. There was no crying. No other signs of movement.

And yet...

"Healthy," The guardian Digimon concluded.

Murmurs erupted throughout the Village. Low and barely coherent, but telling in tone. Hints of happiness. Surprise. Curiosity and wonder. But also a rising concern in the face of such an anomaly.

"It should not be possible."

"Is this a miracle? Or a warning?"

"But what will become of-"

"That's enough." Elecmon spoke again, eyes narrowed. Though he did not raise his voice for fear of waking the Baby, it carried across the crowd with such force as if he had shouted. The world around him silenced once more, and he took his time to clear his throat before continuing: "Gossip all you like, but I have found no singular reason to treat this as more than any other birth. Even if the method was...unorthodox."

"Unorthodox?" One of the Gekomon croaked out the word, throwing its wiry arms in the air. "It's unprecedented! Everyone knows that Digimon are born from eggs! EGGS! Not..."

But he trailed off, visibly shuddering in lieu of finishing his own sentence.

The sound of metal clinking drew everyone's attention next, and they turned to find Leomon rest his hand against the hilt of his sword. Though his body language remained calm, perhaps even relaxed, the bodies of several others around him tensed upon noticing Ogremon straighten as well.

"Should we be concerned?" The lion Digimon questioned.

All eyes turned back to Elecmon in anticipation.

But it was another voice which answered: "If you know not the answer to your own question, you would be blind as well as foolish."

Eight wings, glistening a pure white in the afternoon sunlight. Extended to the whole of their span, they cast a shadow over Elecmon and the Baby upon their decent. In the center, a cherub. Fair, with blond curls and perpetually youthful face, only the four metal rings around each limb hinted towards the truth power within such a small creature.

"Lucemon," Elecmon nodded in polite greeting towards the Holy Digimon.

"Not quite."

The words caused Elecmon to do a double-take. Looking up at the being he could have sworn...

Then he saw it. One whose face was so normally deceptive in its cheerfulness...whose eyes could shine brighter than twin suns in the early morning hours...reflecting back nothing at all. As cold and distant as a moonless night. Skin pale to the point of iridescence—and was, in fact, enveloped in a faint, ethereal glow indicative of the true entity within.

Realizing his error, Elecmon's eyes widened in shock. "It's...you." Clutching the Baby all the more protectively, he bowed his head as the being approached. "But why?"

"You know very well why I am here, Elecmon. Let me see the Child."

He opened his mouth to correct the evolution label...but could not find the voice to do so. His hesitation did not go unnoticed.

"I am neither here to hurt nor punish." An apathetic sigh escaped the cherub's lips, followed by a slow blink. With a single tilt of the head, the Baby in Elecmon's arms was now within full view. "What is done cannot be undone. A new life in and of itself is not a crime." Empty eyes continued to stare at the slumbering child, still oblivious to the attention, and Elecmon had to resist the urge to pull away. "But a life such as this one will not go unnoticed for long."

Another shiver ran down his spine, but this time, for a different reason. He swallowed once before softening his voice to a volume only they would hear. "Surely He has no reason to care."

"On the contrary," Imitating his softness of voice, the being inhabiting Lucemon shook its head. "He has every reason. Which is why the Child cannot stay here. Not where detection is not only likely, but certain."

A cluster of Numemon began dancing in place. Close enough to hear, their beady eyes were wide. "We would gladly take the Child back with us! It would be our honor! Our underground home is often overlooked, and there is safety in numbers!"

"But not brains, apparently," Ogremon scoffed, arms folding across his chest as he sent a heated glare towards the Numemon, who scurried back in fear.

Lucemon's head shook again, before turning back to address the group in general, but the Numemon in particular.

"Your offer does not go unnoticed, I assure you. But it is not enough. The Child will be sent away. Far beyond even our reach."

Elecmon's jaw dropped. "You would banish one so defenseless? In such a state, even isolation would risk death."

"I said nothing of isolation."

It was then Lucemon closed the remaining distance between them. Movements swift and deliberately. Taking the Baby from Elecmon's arms, who was then cradled with a similar degree of care and caution. Many around them twitched in anticipation. Opening their mouths in preparation of protest. Every last word died in their throats, leaving them to stare in awe as the cherub then rose back up into the sky.

"The Child will be protected. You have my assurance of that. A guardian...no," a slight tilt of the head gave pause to the words. Contemplation followed. A solution was reached. "Two guardians. Should the first one fall. Arrangements will be made at once."

"I don't like it," Elecmon muttered nervously, empty claws twitching from the sudden lack of weight to carry. Or perhaps the new weight that seemed to fall upon them.

"Fortunately, that is not a necessary factor in the decision. My word is final. The Child will be brought to a place where even He would not think to look."

ooo

ooo

ooo

(Present Day...)

o

The airplane cabin shook as another wave of turbulence hit, startling the young boy awake.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" His mother called to him from the adjacent seat.

Blinking his vision back into focus, he allowed himself a few deep breaths of the stale cabin air before forcing a smile. "Just fine, mama."

His response was enough to satisfy the woman, who returned to the novel in hand.

In the moments that followed, Wallace adjusted himself in the seat, wincing as he realized there were parts of him that had yet to receive the memo he was awake. A crick in his neck was solved by rolling his head back and forth a few times, and after brushing the blonde hair from his eyes, he instead turned his focus to the window to his right.

It was early afternoon in Tokyo. Countless buildings below reflected the light of the sun off their respective rooftops, giving the illusion of a sea of daytime stars. A sight that brought a smile to his lips as the last remnants of his dreams faded from memory, leaving room for far more pleasant thoughts.

"I wonder if Miyako-chan and Hikari-chan will remember me?"

oo

Inoue Miyako paused mid-sentence to sneeze.

To her right, Motomiya Daisuke gave an exaggerated grimace before the expression melted into a more sly grin. He peeked out eye out from behind his mobile phone: "Uh-oh. We've been found out. She knows we're talking about her."

"Very funny." Miyako pretended to glare at her friend for a solid two seconds before scooting closer. Revenge was served in the form of deliberately invading the younger boy's space to get a better view of the miniature screen. When he showed signs of complaining, she ignored him and put on a bright smile for the camera. "Besides, I know you only ever have great things to say about me. Right, Ken-kun?"

"Ah...right, Miyako-san..." The boy on the other end laughed nervously, hand rising to the back of his head.

"Speak for yourself," Daisuke muttered in between side-eyeing her and leaning so far to one side, he had to place a hand on the ground to maintain his balance.

Without breaking character, Miyako gave the back of his head a good, solid whack.

"OW!"

Across the city, Ichijouji Ken held up a hand to conceal the oncoming wave of laughter at the sight of his two friends. In the three years he had come to know them, nothing had changed. Except for their school uniforms; they were all in middle school now, each donning the emblem of their respective places of learning. Just one more reminded of how far away he still was at times.

It was Daisuke who had found a temporary solution to that problem; upon figuring out that they all shared a lunch block, he insisted they video chat. He'd received a new mobile earlier that year as a gift for good grades-(though, he readily admitted, those didn't start appearing until he agreed to let Ken tutor him on days they didn't have soccer practice)-and was all too happy to share the wealth.

Behind him, Ken could hear the busy chatter of several other groups occupying the same roof as he. Similarly, there were echoes of conversations coming through on their end as well. Perhaps not the most private of locations, but it wasn't as if they ever had anything confidential to exchange. Not unless they counted one of Miyako's latest tidbits of gossip.

And speaking of the perky, lavender-haired girl...

"Your school's festival is coming up soon, isn't it?" Within the last several seconds, it seemed she and Daisuke had formed a truce. She got to lean heavily on his shoulders to keep up with the conversation, and he no longer had to hear about her whining about not being able to see. Never mind the fact that it was his phone.

Ken nodded at the question. "That's right. It's next week. What about yours?"

"The same." Daisuke frowned, and for once, Miayko was not the direct cause. "What lousy luck. I was really hoping we'd all get to go to both. But I already promised the soccer club I'd help out with their noodle cart."

"Weren't you the one who suggested the noodle cart?" Miyako side-eyed him.

"All the more reason I have to be there!" He snorted at the implication she would think otherwise. "It's my recipe, and without me, they could completely mess up my latest brilliant idea. My noodle reputation would be forever ruined!"

"Ah...I'm not really doing much on my end," Ken tried to offer. "I'm sure I'll still have time to stop by your noodle cart, Daisuke-san."

"And we'll do the same!" Miyako nodded, excitement renewed. "Noodle boy over here might be too busy, but we won't be. Right, Hikari-chan?"

Silence.

"...Hikari-chan?"

But the remaining member of their lunch party may as well not have heard her at all; Yagami Hikari was sitting on the edge of the shared blanket, back resting against the safety fence as she peered over her shoulder at something on the ground below. Unmoving, save for the occasional gust of wind teasing at her long bangs. To many, her expression would have been almost unreadable. A passive neutrality.

Miyako knew better; Hikari was fixated on something incredibly amusing to her.

Curiosity taking over, Miyako abruptly stood up—nearly pushing Daisuke down from the force of movement—and marched herself right over to Hikari's side. Following the younger girl's line of sight.

Takaishi Takeru was standing in the middle of the school courtyard, surrounded by about five girls. His smile was wide and polite. Their eyes all had stars in them. The more he spoke, the brighter those stars seemed to shine, until two of them looked to one another in delight while the remaining three gave a mixture of cheers and delightful squeals.

It was...a sight Miyako knew she should have expected, considering, but one she did not know how to react to. Especially with Hikari still sitting beside her.

"He seems to be getting more and more popular lately. Wouldn't you agree?" Her words were cautious. Chosen deliberately and with care. Awaiting the inevitable reaction.

Except...Hikari gave none.

In fact, all she did was reach for the mobile phone in her pocket. A flip model, unlike Daisuke's, but sufficient for what she had to do next. Pulling up the text message option, she quickly typed in a quick succession of characters. The moment she hit 'send', her eyes returned to the ground below.

Miayko, too, turned back in time to see Takeru reach for his mobile phone. A model similar to Hikari's, he had to flip it open before reading the message within. A second later, he looked up at the both of them...and pretended to pout.

Hikari giggled in turn, and it was then Miyako was able to catch a glimpse of her screen: So how many tickets did you promise them?

"...ah!" The gears were turning in Miyako's mind, and she sat back with a knowing grin. "That's right. Yamato-san's band's latest concert is supposed to be next weekend, right? The one that's getting televised?"

This time, Hikari did offer a nod in acknowledgement of the question, but her eyes remained glued to her mobile until it told her she had a new message. She knew the sender without even having to look, and grinned when she read his response: Are you saying I couldn't earn that type of reaction with my presence alone?

So one each, right? She typed back, pressing her lips together to hold back the growing smile.

Still in full view of the mutual exchange, Miyako risked another glance back Takeru's way to catch his reaction. Sure enough, the other girls around him no longer had his attention in the slightest. He even turned away to continue typing out his latest response. Not that any of them seemed to mind; if Hikari's "theory" was correct, they'd already gotten what they wanted from him.

Hikari's mobile buzzed again.

But before Miyako could witness the newest development, the younger girl abruptly slammed her phone shut. Her cheeks were red and she looked torn between wanting to scream and melt into the cement rooftop.

"What did he say?!" She just had to know now!

"Nothing." The response came a little too quickly. And through gritted teeth. She made a point of tucking her phone right back in her pocket, ignoring the buzzing sound of a follow-up message. The slight delay was enough to cool her face some, and when she turned back to Miayko, her face bore a mask of smiles once more. "He's heading up here now. Unfortunately, his new girlfriends won't be joining us."

With a heavy pout of her own, Miayko slumped back. "...I really don't get you two."

"What do you mean?" Hikari asked innocently, averting her eyes as she moved to stand up.

"You know what I mean," Miayko replied back in a slight huff. "Even if you pretend—Hikari-chan!"

The moment Hikari rose, she began swaying on her feet. Enough that even Daisuke moved to put his phone down before Miayko jumped to the rescue, holding her up with a matching look of concern. From the blanket, Ken's voice could be heard asking what happened.

Blinking several times to clear her vision, Hikari rose a hand to her head. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly before opening them once more. Her shoulders relaxed, and she looked to Miayko sheepishly.

"I'm alright. Just a little vertigo. That's all."

Neither of them looked convinced.

Still, she made a deliberate show of pulling back and proceeding to brush the remaining dust from her uniform skirt. Her movements were swift and at ease and showing no further signs of fatigue or injury, and in time, seemed to appease the suspicious pair. It was then that something in the distance caught her eye, and she looked up to see one of the larger international flights passing high above, through a mostly cloudless sky.

"Do you think that's Mimi-san's flight?" Miyako questioned, hands clasped excitedly together as she too caught sight of the plane.

It was Ken who answered: "I was told she wasn't due to arrive until Friday."

"Oh. Right."

Dejected, Miayko returned to her previous seat on the blanket, this time taking charge of Daisuke's phone as she brushed back her hair and lapsed into conversation about computer club. All other topics of conversation either since forgotten or pushed to the back of her mind to make room for her latest train of thought.

The sound of her voice faded into the air as Hikari lingered back. Eyes continuing to follow the glint of silver in the distance. Watching it fade away as it headed for Tokyo International. There was nothing extraordinary about it. No reason to suspect it was anything other than one more flight that wasn't bringing Mimi back to them just yet.

But...all the same...Hikari couldn't shake the feeling it was carrying something important.