A/N: Chapter 11. I actually forgot what day it was so I missed the normal update day. I had fininished this chapter and the next one a few days ago...

A Life Without a Legacy

Chapter 11

Yamaki poured over the notes and reports from the murder investigation with Janyu. Henry's father was spending more and more time in HYPNOS since the detailed reports of Snow's data were finalise, but now they had a different priority.

"This doesn't make sense. Claw wounds aren't possible unless it's a digimon that did it, but what digimon would attack a human without provocation?"

Yamaki zoomed in on an enhanced image of the murder site. His eyes picked out one detail no one had drawn significance from. He looked to Janyu. "One with white fur."

Janyu shifted round to see the screen. "We only know of two digimon that have that colour fur: Renamon and Snow. I can't see either of them doing this. Renamon has been here too long and has no motivation to murder like this, and Snow is too young. A child can't do this, digimon or not."

"I agree. Something else is at play here, possibly another digimon. We need to keep an eye out just in case. I'm not suggesting we start scrutinising the digimon we know and keeping them under discrete surveillance, but if we remain in the loop if what they are doing then we might be able to catch the one behind this attack. I just hope we don't have any more."

Snow was again running around like a lunatic, only this time it was around Rika's house. And he was on his own. Renamon could only watch as he raced around from place to place. She held her head in a paw, regretting giving him so much sugar in the park. The damned albino was beyond hyperactive.

Rika watched on with her partner, dismay on her face. It was beginning to get late and the last thing she wanted was a young digimon bouncing off the walls, literally as he was doing exactly that.

"Snow, don't break the walls!" Renamon called out to him.

Snow stopped just long enough to give her a cheeky wink before bounding off once more. He ran into virtually all the rooms, ran around inside them for a few seconds then burst out again laughing all the way. What ever game he was playing only he found amusement in it, everyone else was clueless.

Renamon decided that enough was enough though. Everyone was tired and it was late, dinner had been and gone so it was time for bed. She scooped Snow up as he tried to run past her, his legs still going even as he was lifted from the floor.

"Alright you, time for bed."

He wiggled in her arms, trying to get free. "Not tired."

Renamon sighed. "You're not trying this again Snow. Bed. Now."

"Nu uh!"

"Bed!"

"Nu uh! Not tired!" He managed to squirm free and run off, the vixen giving chase.

"Come back here!"

"Nu uh!" She was getting fed up with that response.

With his sugar charged speed Snow managed to keep ahead of Renamon for quite some time. The only way she caught him again was to wait where she was, seeing as he was running in circles and she didn't notice initially. The look of panic on his face just before she picked him up again was priceless.

"Come on you, bed. No excuses."

Snow wiggled to get free again. "Not tired! Not tired!"

Renamon was having none of it this time. "I don't care Snow, you're going to bed even if I have to hold you down."

He found himself pinned to the bed by the vixen as her eyes bored into him. He couldn't escape now no matter what he tried, not that he stopped struggling though. Renamon had to physically hold him down until he exhausted himself, which actually only took a few seconds. He slumped against the bed, defeated.

"Tired now."

Two words that brought immeasurable relief to the vixen as she laid beside him. He nestled against her as usual, his tail taking up its usual position around her wrist, and closed his eyes. The vixen's own tiredness caught up with her and she allowed herself to fall asleep holding her 'son'.

Snow bolted awake again during the night, blue eyes glowing. Again he left the embrace of his mother and stalked off into the night. As he slipped into the shadows his form grew to twice his former height, the same height as Renamon. His eyes narrowed as he found his target, edging closer with each step.

His target was alone like the first, quietly walking through the night without much care to where he was going. Snow poised to pounce, nothing betraying his presence as he got into position. His target had his back to the albino which only made it easier to take him by surprise, Snow leaping forth and smashing into the man. Before a single sound could escape his lips the man's throat was slit, crimson blood pouring over the ground. Snow bellowed a victory yell before returning home.

Renamon woke to discover she was alone, Snow wasn't with her. That took her by surprise. She cast her senses out to locate him and found him outside her room. Curious she opened her door, seeing him standing in the garden with glazed eyes looking at his paws.

"Snow, what are you doing? You shouldn't be up at this time, come back to bed." She was less than amused.

Snow for his part gave her a confused look. He looked around again, confirming that he was indeed out of bed, before letting his still glazed eyes settle on her again. Renamon knew then, by his actions, that something was up. She approached the albino, who made no outward signs to acknowledge her coming closer, and knelt before him.

"Snow?"

His eyes snapped back, focused on her own. "Mother?" He seemed startled more than anything, confusing the vixen further.

"Are you alright?"

He tilted his head at her. "I think so. Are you alright?"

This personality was new to Renamon, she hadn't seen him act that way before. "I'm fine. Why don't we go back to bed?"

Snow nodded, offering his paw to her. She took it and led him back into her room. Renamon watched as he climbed into bed by himself and laid down to sleep. Perplexed the vixen decided to push the matter aside until the morning, returning to bed and drifting off to sleep again.

Yamaki returned to HYPNOS the next day to a headache. A second murder had occurred over night, the victim's throat torn out by claws again. No fur fibres were detected this time but it was logical to assume the same culprit was responsible, Yamaki didn't believe in coincidence.

Logically the signs pointed towards Snow, only because he was a new resident to Shinjuku and the fur found on the first victim was white. But given the fact he was being targeted by other digimon it was also logical that he was being framed. It was for that reason, and the fact he seemed far too young and far too close to Renamon, that Yamaki didn't suspect the albino despite the signs. He also feared for his life if Renamon found out he was accusing him of murder, he had seen her pissed before. To be fair it was his fault but he hoped he wouldn't have to go through that again.

So with a long day ahead of him he settled into the new reports with Janyu, who had arrived again, and tried to solve this serial murder case.

Snow woke before Renamon, trace amounts of sugar still in his system. He made a mental note to make sure he had more of that stuff, the effects were amazingly fun. Renamon though had made a note of her own, to never ever give him sugar in any form. He was active enough as it was, supercharging that excitement was too much to handle.

He tucked himself against her again and dozed while he waited for her to wake up. It didn't take long thanks to him fidgeting and waking her up anyway.

Renamon opened her eyes to see Snow's face tucked under her chin. She smiled as he moved, his eyes fixing with hers.

"Morning Snow."

He smiled right back. "Morning mother. Did you sleep well?"

He was doing it again, that same elevated age jump from last night. He seemed about twelve now. But even as she watched him she saw his facial expression shift ever so slightly, bringing back his four year old nature once more.

"I did, what about you?"

Snow yawned. "Still sleepy..." Definitely a four year old again. He pressed his head under her chin again. "Just a bit more..."

Renamon just smiled and let him be. She could do with waking up properly anyway. Then she could try to figure out what happened last night.

Eventually Snow removed himself from her and got out of bed. Renamon followed suit and took him for breakfast as usual, meeting Rika again on the way. She joined them with a frown on her face, something was bothering her again. Renamon decided to question what was wrong as they sat to eat, Snow leaning against her again.

"You look troubled Rika, what's wrong?"

The redhead turned to her. "There was a second murder last night. Someone had their throat ripped out by claws again. It doesn't make any sense, we haven't detected any digimon besides Snow without a tamer. It can't be him so who is it?"

Renamon thought back to the previous night, how Snow was outside instead of in bed. How he seemed completely out of it when she tried to talk to him. And then that morning just moments ago, how he was still tired after his sleep. She didn't want to believe it but he just happened to be out of bed when the murder might have happened, and he was more tired than he should of been. Could he really be capable of these events?

Yamaki did try to warn them that things might start happening that had no explanation other than Snow, but serial murder? That was a bit too farfetched. But what else could it be? No other digimon had been detected in the area and Snow was the only one without a tamer...

No, he was too young. Too young and frankly too cute to be responsible for these murders. She refused to believe otherwise no matter how coincidental it may seem. She was his mother, maybe not directly, and there was no way her 'son' was capable of unjust murder.

Yet even if he was there had to be a reason. There was a sliver of doubt in her mind now, not a lot but definitely enough to make her begin to question what she thought she knew. Was he capable of this? Was he responsible for this? She no longer knew, she couldn't say no anymore.

One look at him laying against her couldn't convince her anymore. The mere thought of him being a killer sent shivers down her spine. There were no signs to it until last night, that was the first warning if it was true. She had to keep an eye on him now, chances are that if it was him he would kill again tonight. If he didn't move and the murder still happened then she could be assured that it wasn't him, if he did leave then she had no idea what she would do.

He was the son she never had. She had become his mother since he came back with her. She doubted that she could even push him away if he was a killer, let alone stop him. Whatever the reasons and the outcomes Renamon knew she couldn't plan for any of it. She just hoped, prayed, that she was wrong.

Yamaki held his head again. Further investigation by his teams hadn't found white fur like he thought, but they had found something else. A three toed paw print. One that directly matched a Renamon.

But therein laid a larger mystery. The print was full size, one from a fully grown Renamon. Snow was far from fully grown, being roughly half the height of Rika's Renamon, so he was ruled out again. But it put Renamon in the spotlight. She was a tamer digimon so murder was uncharacteristic to say the least. Evidence didn't point to her because there were no motives for her murdering anyone. But the paw print did. One piece of evidence wasn't enough to point the finger at her. If they had found yellow fur as well then it might be a different story.

It left him, and the investigation, at a stalemate. All he could do was send people out at night to try and see what happened, but with a large city and not many people to cover it the chances of them actually witnessing the murders was slim. But it was all he could do, all he had. He had to try.

The day passed slowly for all with no further developments on the case. Renamon was reserved all day, Snow too young to register her slight withdrawal from him. Her mind raced with the implications she had thought up earlier that day, trying to plan for each outcome from the coming night. What ever happened she would have to make a choice the next morning, and it was that choice she couldn't plan for. Her heart wouldn't answer her pleas for help on deciding what to do about the mess she seemed to be in.

Night came all too quickly for the vixen and for Yamaki. He had chosen to remain at HYPNOS, ready to respond to any new reports if they occurred. Renamon was laying in bed awake, her mind still racing with Snow tucked against her. He looked so innocent, so peaceful, so incapable of murder or anything else malicious. Yet the doubt in her mind said otherwise.

She prayed for Snow to stay in bed, to stay asleep while the murders happened. She prayed it wasn't him that killed those people. She prayed he was the innocent child he seemed to be.

She felt him stir against her, rolling around to face away from her. She sighed with barely contained relief, she thought he was waking up.

Midnight came with the vixen still laying awake in bed. Snow still laid beside her, hugging her arm. She would have found him adorable if it wasn't for her mind plaguing her.

But, against her deepest wishes, Snow woke up.