Time to Relax

Everyone was either asleep or about to sleep in Datamon's lab. Vincent still sat up in his bed, thinking. Renamon came in and sat next to him, "Something troubling you?"

He shook his head, "Just that dream that I had."

"I see. Mine was probably no better," she let her head hang forward and sighed.

"What was yours about?"

"You were caught by Megaseadramon again… but this time I couldn't save you… and you were calling me a traitor for giving up when I could barely move."

"You know I'd never say that," he took her paw in his hand and squeezed it.

She squeezed back and smiled, "So, what was yours about?"

Vincent paused. He did not know if it was going to have a bad effect on her. However, she did tell him hers, so he figured it was only right to return the favor, "You were the one who killed my parents…"

Renamon cringed. She had not expected that. She put her arms around him, "Why did she make you dream that?"

"I know why. One, she wanted to remind me that my parents were dead. Two, she wanted to bring out my original scorn for Digimon. And three, she wanted me to live the horror of having to fight you."

She brushed his hair with her paw and he blushed a bit. Renamon held him tighter, "That's… awful."

"I know."

"Well, you know I'd never commit such an atrocity."

Vincent leaned into her, "I know. I trust you, 100 percent, Renamon. I trust you with my life."

Renamon smiled, "And I trust you with mine."

Vincent closed his eyes and smiled. "She's so warm," he thought, "So soft… It's hard to believe she's as strong as she is. I haven't even been here a week and we've already made so much progress… and I've grown so fond of her…"

Renamon seemed to sense that he was deep in thought, "What's on your mind?"

Vincent snapped out of his bliss, "Huh? Oh, nothing."

Renamon shrugged and rested her head on his, "If you say so. Goodnight, Vincent."

"Goodnight, Renamon," Vincent said, closing his eyes again. They slept through the night, as did the rest of the Tamers and their Digimon. However, they were blissfully unaware of the strange, odd, and even humorous events that would be taking place in the near future…

Katsu's eyes shot open and he looked around quickly to see where he was. He calmed down when he recognized his room. His wounds were patched up, and somehow he was still alive, "That attack… I think there was quite a bit of luck in this."

Oukamon walked in, "You're alright! Thank goodness!"

"Thanks to you. You're the one who carried me out of there."

"But Katsu… Why did you do that?"

He paused. Why had he done it? He shook his head, "I… really don't know. I felt like I had to, I guess."

Oukamon smiled and nuzzled his hand, "You saved my life, you know."

"I know."

"I never expected you to care so much."

Katsu blushed a bit, "I…"

A tall bird-like Digimon walked in. It was Karatenmon, "Katsu, are you well?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

"Lord Beelzemon wishes to see you."

Katsu stood, the pain slightly affecting his ability to walk, "Alright… agh…"

Oukamon Digivolved so she could guide him through the hallway, "Easy does it, now."

They entered Beelzemon's chamber. The three eyed Digimon looked at them as they approached, "Well then, Katsu. Did you get the data?"

Katsu took out his Digivice and pushed a few buttons. The data from Adel's powers was released, and Beelzemon took it. He put it into a large glass container next to him, which contained the data from Charles and Leon as well. "Good," Beelzemon said, "Very good. Only three more now…"

Katsu started to leave the room, "If you won't be needing me anymore, Lord Beelzemon, I wish to return to my room and rest."

"Of course. Go ahead."

Karatenmon waited until he left and then spoke, "Are you sure you can trust him?"

"Believe me, Karatenmon… He won't be going anywhere. Not as long as he has a reason to stay. Take his injuries, for example," Beelzemon grinned.

Karatenmon just shrugged, "It is your call."

Katsu and Lupimon walked back to the room. Lupimon sighed, "I wonder how long he'll give you to rest…"

"Long enough," Katsu said, "Remember, he needs me to get that data. He won't be able to find anyone else who's willing to go anywhere near the Administrators."

"Karatenmon probably would…"

"Karatenmon is too busy sucking up, and he's probably just as corruptible as the others."

"Well, I guess. Anyway, you should take this opportunity to your advantage."

"What do you think I'm gonna do?"

Lupimon laughed, "Good, good. Is there anything you need?"

"No, I'm fine," Katsu said, laying down, "Oh, and Lupimon?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for your help."

She smiled, "You're welcome."

Rest Day 1

Vincent awoke to find Renamon still latched onto him. Her arms were wrapped around his chest, immobilizing his arms, and her head was leaning into his neck. He could hear and feel Renamon's breathing, which almost sounded like purring. He smiled and tried his best to free himself, "Hey, Renamon. Time to wake up, vixie."

Renamon stirred and opened one eye, "Is it really morning already?"

"Hehe, yep."

"Alright, alright," she let him roll off of her and she sat up.

Vincent would not have minded staying like that forever, but there were other things they needed to do. He hugged her from behind, "Just so you know, you're a great pillow."

Renamon laughed, "And you're a great teddy bear."

Vincent blushed and let go, "Ahem… Right, I'm uh… gonna go see what everyone else is doing."

Renamon waited until he left the room and started laughing, "So outgoing until I make a comment."

Vincent walked into the main room. Eri, Wizardmon, Sora, and Gatomon were already up. Sora glanced at him, "Hey, about time you got up."

"Ah, shove it. I was tired."

"So were we," Eri said.

"Ok, I was really tired."

"So were--"

"Dammit, I was very comfortable, ok?"

"I was kidding," Eri said, shaking her head.

"Since when did you have a sense of humor?"

"Since I met you. You're a good source of things to make fun of."

Vincent growled, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Sora laughed, "I think she means you've made yourself look stupid on more than a few occasions."

"Burn in hell," Vincent sat at the table, "So, where's the trash compactor?"

"Still powered down, I think. Where's the seven foot vixen?"

"She's awake. Dunno what she's doing."

Eri shrugged, "Think about how much hair she needs to brush compared to humans."

Vincent raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "Is there a name for what's wrong with you?"

"What?"

"I doubt she feels the need to brush her fur."

"And why wouldn't she?"

"Because she's… Well, uh…"

"Go on."

"She's… pretty the… way she is?"

Eri grinned, "Maybe I should tell her you said that."

"If you want to die at sixteen, be my guest."

Wizardmon sighed, "We're not fighting Administrators for a week, so we'll wind up fighting each other. Typical."

Renamon came into the room, "Sorry I'm a bit late up. I was brushing my fur."

Eri gave Vincent an 'I told you so' look, and then turned back to Renamon, "No problem."

Vincent grunted, "Hey, I don't know many girls, ok?"

Renamon looked back and forth between Vincent and Eri, "I miss something?"

"Nothing too important," Eri said.

"Ok."

Datamon walked in, "Good morning everyone! I trust you all had a good sleep last night?"

Sora shrugged, "Well, I think sleeping in general last night was impossible to avoid."

"Yeah, that was exhausting as hell," Vincent said.

"Well that is why you all should take this week off," Datamon said.

"We are. I've been thinking of exploring the city anyway."

"Capital idea! However, you can't go anywhere on an empty stomach!"

"You're an oven, too?"

Datamon growled, "Stop that!"

Renamon hit Vincent on the head, "Stop being so rude!"

"In any case, I will be making breakfast now. I will be back shortly," Datamon said, leaving the room.

Vincent laughed, "Man I love antagonizing him."

Renamon sighed, "Vincent… What am I gonna do with you?"

Sora snickered, "Lotsa things, no doubt."

"What was that!"

"Nothing, nothing," he laughed.

Renamon growled, "Idiot…"

Vincent put his head on the table, "Sora…"

Eri laughed, "This is gonna be an interesting week."

"If we don't kill each other first."

Gatomon laughed, "If we're killing each other, I've got dibs on the closest sharp object."

Sora gave her an odd look, "Okay…"

Vincent thought for a moment, "Gatomon… aren't your claws always the closest sharp object to you?"

Gatomon looked at her paws and blinked a few times, "Oh, yeah."

Renamon sat next to Vincent and rested her head on her paw. She seemed to be deep in thought. Vincent leaned to the side so he could see her face, "Something wrong?"

She jumped, "Huh? No, I'm fine."

"C'mon, you can tell me."

"There's nothing to tell."

He shrugged, "Whatever. But you know who to come to if you have a problem."

"I'll keep that in mind," Renamon smiled, although this was a problem she could not talk to him about…

Datamon came back with a large platter in his hands, "Breakfast is ready, everyone! I hope you all like eggs!"

Gatomon snickered, "Long as it's not a Digitamamon, I'm ok with it."

Sora raised an eyebrow, "A what?"

"Digitamamon. Basically he's a Digimon who hasn't come out of his shell all the way."

"Literally," Renamon added.

"Riiiight," Sora said, "I'm sorry I asked."

The eggs were not too bad. They actually tasted like normal eggs, from the human world. "Finally," Vincent thought, "Something that our two worlds have in common."

Renamon turned to Datamon, "I had no idea you were such a good cook. I'm impressed."

Datamon smiled, "Why thank you, Renamon! I'm glad someone appreciates my cooking besides me!"

"Hmph," Vincent mumbled. He whispered to Renamon, snickering, "Way to humor him."

Renamon hit him on the head, "Stop being so rude."

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?"

"I already told you."

Vincent grumbled and continued eating, "If you weren't two feet taller than me…"

"Yeah, yeah," she roughed up the top of his head, giving Vincent the impression that she was petting him. She cringed sarcastically, "I'm sure you'd kick my ass."

"Grrr…"

"Ah, relax. I'm only kidding."

"I know."

Eri snickered, "Maybe he needs a hug, Renamon."

Vincent and Renamon both growled, "Shut up."

Eri simply laughed it off while Wizardmon sighed, "I thought she'd be the subtle one…"

Later that day, Sora had gone out to see what the city had to it. He decided to go and have lunch, so he stopped at a nearby restaurant. Gatomon sat idly on his shoulder, "I hope the food's good here."

"I do, too," Sora replied. The waiter, a Mushroomon, approached them and took their orders. The food, shockingly, was not very different from that in the human world. He saw it as more of a blessing than an oddity. He ordered a bunch of chicken wings, while Gatomon, obviously, ordered a fish.

The bell attached to the top of the door rang, and in walked who was possibly the cutest little girl one could imagine, around Vincent's age with blondish-red hair and pigtails, brown eyes, and an innocent smile… dressed in an Administrator's robe. Sora recognized her as Renee, the girl who had absorbed a Commandramon when they were captured. The waiter gave her a seat, trying not to show his fear. Renee opened the menu and started reading it. Sora immediately thought of either fighting her or getting up and running, but it was too late. She turned and looked in his direction, spotting him. "Shit," he thought, "Now what!"

Renee stood, pushed in her chair, walked over to Sora's table, sat in one of the chairs, and put her elbows up on the table, resting her head on the overly-large sleeves of her robe that flopped over her hands, "Hey, I remember you! How'd you get outta that one?"

Sora swallowed hard, "I uh… Well, it's a long story."

"Don't wanna talk about it?"

"Not really…"

"'Kay," she said, giving him a bright smile, "So, whatcha been up to? I mean, I heard what happened to Adel and all, but aside from that?"

Sora could not believe that he was having such a casual conversation with such a psychotic little girl. However, he figured that she was trying to trick him into revealing something that would lead the Administrators to them, so he chose his words carefully, "Nothing, really."

"Really? Bor-ing. I bet if you all hung out with me you'd have lotsa fun!"

"Thanks, but we're quite busy," Sora said, trying his best to sound friendly. Maybe she really was psychotic, or had a split personality.

"Aww phooey. Busy, busy, busy, always with the busy. That's what all the other Administrators say. They take their roles waaaaaaay too seriously," she hopped off of the chair, pushed it back in, and bowed to him, "I'm gonna go back to my seat now. Bye-bye!"

Sora watched as she went back to her seat, happy as can be. He raised an eyebrow, "Gatomon… Can you provide any insight as to what I just experienced..?"

Gatomon was equally confused, "Maybe she's on break."

"That'd be a lame excuse, but maybe you're right…"

Renee called over to him, "Oh, and one more thing!"

Sora cringed, "Yeah..?"

She smiled slyly, "Tell Vincent if he ever wants to get together, I'll give 'im my number."

Sora gave her an odd look, "Um… okay..?"

"Thanks!"

Sora put his head on the table and whispered to Gatomon, "Creepy…"

"You said it," his feline counterpart said. Once they had eaten, they immediately left, running as fast as they could, heading for Datamon's lab.

Katsu walked down the very same street that Sora had just evacuated from, looking for something to pass the time while Beelzemon allowed him to do as he pleased. As he walked down the street, he spotted Renee walking the opposite way-- toward him. He ducked behind a building, "Damn, Administrators…"

Renee stopped by a kiosk on the sidewalk that was filled with candy and other sweets. Katsu raised an eyebrow and continued watching. The owner of the stand, a yellow-skinned Digimon with vine-like arms (Veggiemon), looked quite nervous when she approached. Veggiemon whimpered and held his arms in front of him, "Please! You guys don't exist on this continent anymore, so please don't corrupt me! I'm just a shop keeper!"

Renee gave him an odd look, "I just came here to buy some candy…"

Veggiemon blinked a few times and laughed sheepishly, "Well, of course you did! How silly of me… Now, what would you like, Miss?"

Katsu watched as she casually bought a lollipop from the stand. He decided he had seen enough and started to sneak away. When he heard Renee shout, "Hey wait!" he cringed and stopped. He turned around to see her going back to the stand. She held out her hand to Veggiemon, a few DigiTokens in her hands, "You gave me too much change. Here ya go!"

Katsu could not believe what he had just witnessed. The Administrators, a group with terrifying powers, endless funds, and an army of soldiers, had someone so… cute in their employ. He decided to get out of there while he could. He quickly started walking down the street. Renee, who had seen him staring at her, started to follow him. Every time Katsu would check behind him, she would disappear behind someone or something. However, Katsu would not be fooled. He knew someone was following him. All he had to do was wait until they screwed up. A few more minutes of following, and Renee did just that. She hesitated as he turned to look again, and she froze like a deer caught in a pair of headlights. Katsu sighed, "Can I help you?"

Renee put on the best smile she could, "Wha-What do you mean?"

"Don't play stupid. I know you were following me."

She laughed sheepishly, "Well, I uh…"

"Spit it out."

"I don't normally see humans around here that aren't Administrators. Unless you're a Tamer or something."

"I am."

"Oooooh, I see. Hey," she walked up to him, "Why not join us? We always need new recruits, ya know!"

Katsu kept walking, "Not interested."

Renee hung her head forward, "Phooey," but she immediately picked it up and followed him, "Why not?"

"I already work for someone."

"Who?"

"I can't tell you. I've probably already said too much."

Renee put her hands behind her head, "We have a good payroooooooooll…"

Katsu grunted. He was getting tired of her already, "Listen, brat, I don't have time for this."

Renee went cold, "Brat?"

"You heard me," Katsu said, not thinking that she would take it to an extreme. Boy was he wrong…

Renee held her arm out to the side, "No one calls me a brat," a light appeared in her hand, which materialized into the Commandramon's M-16. She pointed it at him, "and gets away with it!"

Katsu turned around and immediately dove behind a car. A burst of bullets whizzed past him as Renee pulled the trigger. He took his replacement Vulcan off of his back and jumped out as Renee reloaded, landing right in front of her and pointing the gun at her face. Renee let out what sounded like a squeak of terror, "Oh…"

"Alright, bitch," Katsu said, starting the barrels on the gun spinning, "You should not have done that."

Right before he pulled the trigger, Renee reabsorbed the gun and turned it into a tower shield, which blocked the bullets. She still, however, was pushed back by the sheer power of each shot. Renee growled and lunged forward, bashing him with the shield and knocking the gun out of his hand. She reabsorbed the shield and formed a revolver in its place, "Heheheh, looks like the tables have turned."

Katsu cringed as she pulled the trigger, but nothing happened, "What the…"

Renee smiled, "One," and pulled the trigger again, "Two," and again, "Three," and again, "Four…"

Katsu realized that she was simply playing a game with him, "So you can count… Big deal."

She pulled the trigger again, "Five… Oh, dear, it looks like you have one shot to live," she slowly pulled it the last time. There was a bang, and there was smoke… but Katsu stood there, unharmed. Renee grinned, "Six," and then realized that nothing had happened, "Wh… What the hell?"

She felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, she was face-to-face with a very unhappy Lupimon, "Oops…"

Lupimon kicked her down the street, knocking her into the trunk of a car. Katsu looked at Lupimon, "I assume she wouldn't have missed."

"I threw a piece of metal between you and the gun. The bullet bounced off and hit the ground," she smiled.

Katsu returned her smile, "Thanks."

Renee pulled herself out of the car, "Ooooohohoho… You did not just do that to me…"

Lupimon gave her a bored expression, "Yeah, I kinda… did."

Renee growled furiously, materializing two submachine guns in her hands, "I'll never forgive you for this!"

Lupimon suddenly appeared right in her face, "Boo!"

Renee staggered backward, "Yeek!"

"Wow, you're a pansy."

"Pansy!"

"Yeah… So easy to scare. You sure you're an Administrator?"

Renee pointed the guns at her chest and pulled the triggers, "You die now!"

A series of clicks were heard, and Lupimon gave her a playful smile, "Forget to absorb a gun with ammo, did you? I assume that's why your revolver only had one bullet… Or was that just your way of tormenting your victims?"

"I prefer the latter," she said, reabsorbing the guns and replacing them with katana, "Now die!"

Lupimon dodged each strike and grabbed her by her arms, "You've got skill, I'll give you that, but you don't know how to use it."

"Don't lecture me," she switched the swords with a flame thrower and turned it on, barely missing Lupimon who jumped back as soon as she realized just what she was using. She laughed sadistically, "Now who's better, huh?"

Katsu pointed his Vulcan at her, "I am."

She froze, terrified, "Oops…"

Taking the opportunity, Lupimon kicked the gun from her hand and went to kick her in the face, but she brought up the tower shield again. Lupimon's foot hit the shield, and she screamed, "Owowowowowowow!"

Katsu started to move in closer, and Lupimon moved out of the way. The Vulcan started firing, forcing Renee into the wall of a building. He put the gun on his back, retracted his metal-clad fist, and punched the shield, denting it and sending her through the building's wall. Renee staggered out of the building, which was starting to destabilize. Katsu and Lupimon both started to move to the side. Renee walked out, obviously shaken, "What… You gonna run-run-run away from m-me..? Why I oughta--"

The building started to fall. Renee turned around, "Oh, shit!"

The building fell on top of her. Lupimon cringed, "Geez… I kinda hope she's ok."

"I don't," Katsu said, walking up to the wreckage.

Renee pushed a rather large rock off of her and stood, coughing, "Damn… This just isn't my day…"

Katsu pointed his gun at her, "You're right. It isn't."

She grinned, "So you think," she leapt past the gun and threw her arms around Katsu.

Katsu raised an eyebrow, "What are you--"

She placed her hands on his sides and started to absorb his life energy, just as she had absorbed the Commandramon's data, "Fool!"

Katsu screamed and quickly jumped away, "Damn…"

Renee laughed, materializing a smaller version Katsu's gun in her hand, "Let's see what it can do!"

Katsu did not cringe as she pulled the trigger. She had not absorbed enough of his body's data (even humans are made up of data in the Digital World, hence the word 'Digitalization') to recreate the ammo belt. Renee fumed, "Fuck! This really isn't my day!"

Katsu started to spin his gun's barrels, "Can you die now?"

Renee snickered, "I've still got one more trick," she reached into her pocket and thrust her hand down, releasing a large smokescreen, "Those who choose to run away, live to fight another day! I'll get my revenge on you, yet!"

Katsu sighed and put his gun back on his back, "Well… That was weird, to say at the least."

Lupimon sighed, "It's too bad, really… She has a lot of potential to do a lot of good for this world, and yet she chooses to be bad."

Katsu shrugged, "I should have taken her data while I had the chance."

Sora opened the door to Datamon's lab, "Hey, guys… Guess who I just talked to a while ago."

Vincent looked over at him, "Who?"

"Renee… the Administrator."

"Did she follow you?"

"Nope. She just sat in the diner and… talked to me."

"Are you serious," Eri asked, "Just… talked? Not even threatened or asked you anything?"

"Well, she asked me what was up and such, but that's it… Oh, and Vincent."

Vincent yawned, "Yeah?"

"She told me to tell you… If you ever want to get together with her, she'll give you her number," Sora said with dissatisfaction.

Vincent fumed, "What! Oh, gods dammit! Can't she leave me alone?"

Renamon let out a huff and was silent. Eri turned to her, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," she said, "Forget about it."

"O…kay, if you say so."

Vincent raised an eyebrow at Renamon, "Keeping it bottled up won't help you, ya know."

"Neither does pestering me about it," Renamon replied.

Vincent sighed and put his arm around her, "Ok, I gotcha."

"Thanks," she said, leaning into him, "You know how you can help?"

"Leaving you alone, right?"

"Just let me hold you."

"R-Renamon..?"

"Like I said: You're a good teddy bear."

Eri snickered, "Oh my god, that is so cute!"

Vincent blushed, "Renamon..!"

Renamon chuckled, "This makes up for all the times you've bothered me."

Eri was still laughing, "You two… wow. You're so cute together."

Sora tilted his head to the side, "Eri, you feeling ok? You seem so… different."

"I realized something while I've been traveling with you guys… Life's not all about problems and how to solve them. And honestly, I feel like I can show my true colors around you guys."

Sora smiled, "That's good to hear. It's bad to have stiffs in the group, 'cause they suck up all the fun like an Emo sponge."

Gatomon gave him a weird look, "This is what you think about?"

"All the time."

Vincent sighed, "At least they're distracted…"

"You wish," Renamon snickered.

"You're the meanest seven foot vixen I've met. In fact, you're the only seven foot vixen I've met."

"Oh, I know," she laughed.

Wizardmon stood abruptly, "I think I'm going to go for a walk, or a fly for that matter. I won't take long."

"Just be careful," Eri said.

"Don't worry about me," he walked outside and flew away.

Eri wondered why he had left so suddenly, "What's up with him?"

"Who knows," Gatomon said, "Probably just needs some time to clear his head. He did just get hit memories back recently."

"Yeah, I guess."

Wizardmon flew high into the sky, reaching the tops of the buildings. When he was a little higher than the skyscrapers, he held his staff in the air. A blue light shone from the staff to the sky, opening a glowing blue portal. Wizardmon flew through the portal, and it closed behind him. He appeared in a dark room, standing before three Digimon, each of them sitting on what looked like a throne. Their images were mere shadows to Wizardmon, but he knew who they were. The one in the middle spoke, "So, what have you come to report, Wizardmon?"

"The third Administrator, Adel, is dead, my lords," he knelt before them.

The Digimon on the right waved a hand at him, "Please, off your knees, Wizardmon. We are all friends here."

Wizardmon rose, "Thank you."

"Is there… anything else that we should know about," the middle Digimon asked.

"Well… Actually, there is something that I wanted to ask you."

"Hmm?"

"That human boy… Katsu is his name, I think… Who is he?"

"That knowledge does not concern you--"

The Digimon on the left interrupted him, "No need to be so harsh, old friend."

The middle Digimon looked at him for a moment and then nodded, "You're right. I apologize."

Wizardmon shook his head, "Worry not, my lord."

"However," the Digimon on the left said, "We know very little about this boy or his Digimon Oukamon. Who corrupted his Digivice so is still unknown to us."

"I see. Well, thank you anyway."

The middle Digimon nodded, "Is there anything else, Wizardmon?"

"Actually, there is one more thing."

"Go ahead."

"It's about Vincent and Renamon…"

"Yes, what about them?"

"I am concerned about their… well, their paths with each other."

The Digimon on the right seemed to be confused, "What do you mean?"

Wizardmon shook his head, "Their relationship with one another."

"I have not seen their behavior. What is it like?"

"I… I find trouble putting it into words, my lord. I think it best if you look for yourself."

The middle Digimon sighed, "Wizardmon, are you wasting our time with--"

"Omnimon, please," the Digimon on the right said, "Wizardmon, I will take this into consideration if you give me a good enough reason to."

"I think their relationship is going to lead to… complications."

"We are not councilors, Wizardmon," Omnimon said, "We are Royal Knights. If you have a problem with a friend, they you must handle that yourself."

"But their judgment during battle--"

"Love for another," said the Digimon on the left, "does not always lead to such… dulling of the senses in battle. There are many types of love, Wizardmon. Is that their relationship?"

"Yes."

"And what do you think will become of this?"

"Unfortunately I have seen emotions destroy others on the battlefield… I do not wish for it to happen again. That is why I sought your wise counseling…"

"Wizardmon," Omnimon said, "perhaps you should speak with your partner about this. After all, you are dealing with a human, and she is a human. And you are dealing with a Digimon, and alas, you are a Digimon."

The one on the right spoke again, "Human and Digimon relationships are not unheard of, Wizardmon. They are rare, but not unheard of. This Vincent boy… he seems like the type who will use his emotions for his benefit, not allow them to cloud his judgment. And Renamon is a seasoned fighter. She spent all of her life protecting someone she loved, though not in a romantic way. Wizardmon, I am sure your friends will be alright."

Wizardmon smiled, enlightened, "Thank you, my lords. You have been most helpful."

"As have you," Omnimon said, "Will there be anything else?"

"No, my lord. That is all."

"Then farewell, friend. If something occurs, address us again, and remember: These meetings are between us only."

"Of course, my lord," Wizardmon opened the portal again and flew through it.

Omnimon looked over at the Digimon sitting at his right, "Magnamon… How are you so knowledgeable in humans?"

"Well," Magnamon replied, "because I actually take the time to watch every so often."

"But you said you never saw how they acted."

"I've never watched them. I have watched other humans, throughout the years and changes in Digi-Destined, enough to know at least a little bit about them."

The Digimon on the left spoke, "Omnimon just doesn't get out enough."

Omnimon chuckled, "Gallantmon… You're probably right."

"So, what of the other Knights?"

"I will forward the situation to them. Meanwhile, Wizardmon will keep updating us on these Administrators."

The three Royal Knights sat in silence, awaiting the next event to occur…

Wizardmon returned to the city and flew back to the lab. He landed in front of the door and walked back in, "I'm back."

"Welcome back," Eri said, "Where'd ya go?"

"Just for a quick fly around the city," he said. He was instructed to tell no one. Not even Eri.

Renee stepped into the large room that was her master's chamber. She slowly approached the desk and the large chair that was not facing her. A booming voice came from behind the chair, "Renee… Tell me, in detail, what happened today."

That voice always gave her chills, "Um… Master Deus… Ya see, um… It's kind of a long story--"

"Don't waste my time."

"Right, sorry! Well, there was this boy who was staring at me… so I decided to follow him and ask us to join us. He said he was already working for someone, and…"

"And?"

"It led into a fight."

"What caused the fight?"

"He… well, he," she bit into one of her sleeves, muffling out the last words.

Deus turned toward her and brushed his red hair out of his face, "He what, Renee?"

Renee cringed, "He… called me a brat…"

Deus' eyes narrowed, "He called you a brat…"

"Uh huh…"

"And that gave you cause to attack him…"

"Uh… huh…"

"In the middle of the city?"

She nodded with a deepening frown.

"Where there were lots of people around…"

"Yes…"

Deus reached for a phone on his desk, "Renee, you know there are punishments for causing unrest without reasonable cause, especially if they risk the security of the Administrators."

Renee's eyes widened, "No, Master Deus, please no! I-I-I have something else to tell you! Something that you'd like!"

Deus held the phone still, but did not call the torture room, "And what is that?"

"This boy was with… Oukamon."

He dropped the phone, "Oukamon!"

"Yes. And she… Digivolved."

"She Digivolved, did she? Hmmm," Deus placed his fingers under his chin, "Renee."

"Y-Yes?"

"For this information, I will spare you. Be happy that this little incident was not without gain."

Renee got on her knees and bowed, "Thank you! You won't regret this!"

"Why do I get the feeling that I will," he asked himself. He put his hand on his forehead, "Still… Oukamon. She Digivolved for him, yet refused to for me, even though her programming is completely different from any other Digimon. Renee."

"Yes?"

He looked annoyed, "This brings up another interesting point… Why weren't you at your post when this happened?"

Renee smiled cheerfully, "Oh, Master Deus, I was buying candy!"

His eye twitched, "Buying… candy…?"

"Uh huh!"

He growled, "Get. To. Your. Post. Now. Before I lose my temper."

Renee realized the mistake she made, "Oops…"

Deus sighed, "Are you going to go or not?"

Renee quickly turned around and started to run. She stopped, quickly turned back and bowed, and continued her way out. She stopped outside and caught her breath, "I gotta stop forgetting… Or I'll be on the torture bed again…"

She unzipped her robe and slid the top part off, revealing a blue short sleeved shirt underneath. She lifted the sleeve past her shoulder and looked at the beginning of a long scar that ran down her back, "Leon… I'm glad you're dead."

Later that night…

Vincent stood outside the lab, looking out over the city and the forest that stood between. Even though they were taking a break, he could not keep his mind off of everything that had been happening. He knew that the Administrators would keep going as they rested. Renamon came outside and stood next to him, "Something wrong?"

"Huh," he looked at her and sighed.

"What is it, Vincent?"

"I… I don't think we should be sitting around while the Administrators go off killing people."

Renamon moved closer and put her arms around him, "I know how you feel, Vincent… but if we exhaust ourselves, we'll be easier to kill. It's better to let reversible things happen than irreversible."

Vincent leaned into her, "I guess so."

Renamon smiled, "Always thinking of others… You're completely different than when we met."

He blushed a bit, "You have to forgive me for the way I was… I was just scared."

"Scared?"

"Of this world… It was so different to me and, in all honesty, I was scared to death. And when I get scared, I let my pride get in the way, and that makes me act that way."

She held him closer, "I see. I get that way sometimes. You are forgiven, although it should be obvious by now."

He laughed, "I guess so."

Renamon moved in even closer, making him a bit nervous. She spoke softly, "Vincent…"

Vincent's face turned a slight shade of red, "Uhh… Renamon..?"

She knelt down to his level and moved in front of him. She slowly leaned closer. Vincent's eyes widened, "Renamon? What are you…"

Renamon stopped suddenly, as if something had just occurred to her, "What-- I-- uh…"

"What were you gonna…"

"Nothing, nothing. Just, uh," she pulled him into a hug, "this. Yeah."

Vincent did not believe her, but he decided not to pry any deeper. At least not tonight. He returned the hug with the most enthusiasm that he could in that kind of situation. He waited until she released him, which took quite a while, and then said, "Well, I think I'm gonna go inside."

"I think I'll stay out here for a while," Renamon said. She needed time to assess just what that was, before.

"Alright. Don't stay up too late," Vincent laughed, walking inside.

Renamon sighed as she watched him walk inside, "What was that? Well, I know what I was going to do, but… what was that feeling?"

She walked over to a bench that had been put there quite a while ago and sat on it, "Why would I want to do that to Vincent? He's my Tamer, I… should know better than that," suddenly she knew why she was going to do what she was, "Oh, no… I can't be… in love with him, can I? No. No, I couldn't."

She stood and paced back and forth, "No, of course not. Humans and Digimon don't mix like that."

She heard a voice behind her, "And since when?"

She turned around and saw Eri standing behind her. She relaxed a bit, "Why are you here?"

"Well, I was getting some fresh air, but I think I got some fresh dirt instead," Eri snickered.

Renamon rushed up to her and grabbed her by her collar, "If you tell anyone…"

"Relax, I wouldn't ruin a potentially good thing."

Renamon released her and sighed, "Potentially good thing…"

"Yeah. I think you two would be perfect for each other."

"I don't."

"Why not?"

"I'm a Digimon, he's a human. I am made of digital information, and he is flesh."

"If I get things straight, in this world even humans are data, and in the human world, even Digimon are flesh."

Renamon looked away, "But… suppose it did happen. Think of what kind of children we would create…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Eri said, putting her hands on Renamon's shoulders, "Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?"

Renamon blushed, "I like to think ahead!"

"But if you think ahead about something like this, there's no surprise."

"I hate surprises…"

"But these are pleasant ones. Look, thinking ahead will only make you think of the drawbacks, most of which are not even that bad."

"Most of the drawbacks are that bad."

Eri raised an eyebrow, "Not being allowed to flirt around is not the end of the world."

They heard Sora from inside, "Yes it is!"

Eri growled, "Shut up! I wasn't talking to you!"

They heard Sora laugh, and Renamon sighed, "Look, I really don't want to talk about it…"

Eri shook her head, "But that only makes things worse."

"Never has before."

"You just never noticed it."

Renamon grunted, "Look, this has nothing to do with you."

Eri would not be stopped, "You like him, don't you?"

"Wh-What?"

"Well, don't you?"

"I…"

"You said it yourself."

"I said I couldn't be."

Eri nodded, "Touché, touché… But you do."

"I do not," Renamon started to walk toward the lab, "This conversation is not only over, but it never happened."

Eri held her hand out to stop her, but she just gave up and sighed, "Man… This is only going to distract both of them on the battlefield. Then what's gonna happen?"

Sora watched Renamon walk inside with a discontented look on her face. He raised an eyebrow, "You ok?"

"I'm dandy," she said, walking into the room she shared with Vincent.

Vincent turned to her, "Oh… hey."

"Hey, yourself," she said quickly, seeming like she wanted to avoid all forms of communication.

"You don't look so good."

"I had to put up with the goth wannabe and her questions."

"Questions about what?"

She cringed and laid down, "Nothing. Forget it."

Vincent sighed, "You know, just avoiding the question won't get it off of my mind."

"I know. And?"

He growled, "Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome."

Vincent grinned evilly and laid next to her, grabbing her ears and pulling, "Tell meeeeeeeeee."

Renamon struggled, "Ah, hey! Let go of me!"

"I won't let go unless you tell me," Vincent said in a sing-song voice.

"Dammit, Vincent..!"

"What? Am I getting to you?"

She quickly turned around, freeing her ears and getting right in Vincent's face, "I'm not in the mood."

For some reason, that face scared Vincent more than anything, "Ok…"

Renamon relaxed and held onto him as she normally did, "Sorry."

"Ah, don't worry about it. I kinda deserved it."

"Eh. I have better reasons to hurt someone right now," Renamon said, thinking of Eri.

Vincent thought about asking her what had gotten into her earlier, and he could think of no better time than when they were alone. "Renamon," he said, "what was with you earlier?"

She cringed, "Vincent, I'm going to be honest with you… I don't really know, myself."

"I have a feeling I know what you were going to do… My question is why."

"Dammit, I don't know. It… just seemed right at the time, that's all…"

"Um," Vincent's face turned red, "Seemed right?"

"Vincent," she whined, "I just told you I didn't know…"

He hugged her, "I know, I'm sorry."

"Believe me, I'd like to know why, too…"

"Just uh… Warn me the next time you're gonna kiss me, ok?"

She blushed deeply, "Well…"

"What?"

"Nothing," Renamon said quickly. "I'm not gonna warn you, because I think that it's what I want," she thought.

"Renamon," he said, putting his hand on hers, "If we're not honest with each other, things are going to happen. And if the past is any indication, they will be bad things."

Renamon buried her face into his shoulder, "I can't, Vincent… Not this. I have been, and will be, completely honest with you… but not about this. It's just that… I can't tell you something that I don't even know, myself."

Vincent sighed, "Alright. When you find out, don't be afraid to--"

He stopped when he heard her sobbing. She shook her head, "I'm sorry…"

"It's ok," Vincent said softly, "Go ahead and let it out."

Renamon nodded and held onto him for support. Vincent held her tightly and thought, "Man… She must have been holding this all back for years. And how can I blame her for being upset? The weight of having to protect me, save the world, defeat the Administrators… Her old Tamer being dead, these new feelings, and all the stress from everything that's been going on," he ran his hand over the top of her head comfortingly, "I envy her… I would have broken down long before this. She really is strong."

They fell asleep in each others' arms. Renamon had, indeed, been carrying all of that pain inside of her since her first adventure. Letting it all out definitely did her a lot of good…