Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine

by YukiraKing

Moments after the finale of 'Digimon Adventure 07: Virus' the core group of characters are faced with internal struggles of coping with the horrors they have finally escaped from. For some, the nightmare continues, and for others it is impossible to forget, but they will have to work together to move forward and face their newest and final foe.

25. The Law of Sigma

Y/N: The chapter title is kind of meaningless, to be honest. There just wasn't anything in common between the two chapter parts! But Iori got to do some of his actual job, and he's got some inner struggles going on as he tries to come to terms with Natsuni's big news.

U/N: I really like writing with Tatum, and even though she wasn't the narrator of this chapter it was fun to experiment with her interacting with people who she usually doesn't get the chance to. It was also fun to bring Jou's storyline back into play, even if it isn't as big or demanding as a lot of the other characters.

Title: Digimon Adventure 08: Vaccine

By: YukiraKing and UrazamayKing

Disclaimer: We don't own Digimon or its characters.

Part 2: Conclusion

Chapter 25: The Law of Sigma

Iori Hida:

All these books were the same. I couldn't understand how Miyako had spent so long reading them. I couldn't find it in me to want to read the rest of them. I'd read four and a half so far, but these pregnancy books didn't have a lot of variation after a while. The only thing I'd really learned from reading them was that I was extremely unprepared for a child. I was so far from ready that it was ridiculous. I was emotionally unstable still from my stint in the Dark Ocean—and if I was being honest, I hadn't been since Daemon infected me with wrath. I was having a hard time breaking the habit of flying into a rage when everything decided to go against me.

So no, I wasn't ready.

I didn't even really have any experience with a father at all. I knew how to be an awesome Grandpa, when the time came, because my grandfather had taught me that. But he was also the closest thing I had to a paternal figure.

He never once acted in place of my father though, so really, how was I supposed to pull this off even if I managed to finally let go of Daemon's influence and move passed the Dark Ocean?

Natsuni was having a much easier time dealing with the idea than I was. She'd already whizzed through all of Miyako's books, taking notes dutifully. She had altered our diets to ensure that she wasn't tempted to eat something that she shouldn't, and we now only had decaf tea in the house. I tried not to be bothered by that, as it really was the healthier choice, and I didn't want anything to happen to the baby just because I wanted caffeine.

Her father had been shocked to find out we were expecting a baby already. I was a little anxious to tell him, but he wasn't upset by it. He knew, just as I did, that Natsuni would flourish, even if I was more apprehensive about myself.

I had actually hesitated when it came to telling Mom, but Natsuni told me I had to do it. She was already going through a lot with her divorce and everything, and it wasn't fair to tell everyone except her. I understood that. But there had been a long stretch of time that she didn't even want me dating anyone, and we'd just got around to telling her that we were married. I had thought she'd have time to let that sink in before I hit her up with some more life altering news.

I was going to be a father. It was a terrifying—but exciting—prospect.

But Mom had actually ended up being thrilled for us. She was looking forward to having a grandchild, and Meiyomon was actually very confused about becoming an uncle, but he was happy about having a baby to play with in the future. Kotemon was very pleased that I'd taken the time to tell him, instead of letting him find out through the rumour mill. I had to reassure him once again that just because Grandpa was gone, that didn't mean Kotemon wasn't part of our family anymore.

Summer was excited too once I'd tracked her down to tell her. She acted like I was the first one to share the news, and then Natsuni told me later that Summer had been there when Spring had announced the baby's existence. I went back to Summer, and she laughed at me, saying that she didn't want to take my excitement away from me. I had rolled my eyes, and asked whether Winter knew too, because I was going to tell her next—having decided I actually did kind of like having her around, after spending some much needed time apart after she played host to us in the Dark Ocean. Since she knew, I didn't have to tell her.

We decided against telling any of our friends, since they did not yet know that we were even married, but I knew that Natsuni had to tell someone. Both of us wanted to tell Hikari but knew that she would tell Takeru and that would only let the chain continue until everyone knew. Every time she entered a room I could see Natsuni struggling the same way I was, desperate to let her know the truth, but we couldn't. So, to ease the ache of needing to tell someone, we let Jou and Momoe in on our secret. Momoe, Jun, Tatum, Rei and Natsuni were rather close and I knew the rest of the girls would know sooner rather than later, but I thought that would be a fair trade because none of them seemed the type to share the secret. Jou was my anchor in almost every situation and so of course I needed him to know. It felt wrong keeping this from Hikari, but she would know eventually.

I often found myself wondering how she would receive the news but it always played out the same way. She would be quiet at first, and it wouldn't take me long to realize why. She would think she'd get kicked out once the baby came. It might be awkward for her, to stay with us while we had to care for an infant, but that baby was still seven months from being ready to meet us—if everything went well, and we hoped it did. I'd seen what Miyako and Ken had been going through and I really, really hoped I wouldn't end up doing the same. I was praying that there would be no impromptu trips to the Dark Ocean for Natsuni. I doubted anything would happen that would warrant such a trip, but I was keeping my eyes open just in case.

But we weren't kicking Hikari out.

We didn't really want to. A part of me kind of wondered what it would be like, living here with just my wife, my child and our partners, but Hikari and Gatomon were family too, and we were happy to have them as long as they wanted to be around. If they had a reason for moving out, or a place to go, we'd let them go without too much of a fight, but until such a time that they found a reason to go, we wanted to keep them.

Neither of them even minded the new diet, which was nice.

Armadillomon felt a kinship to Natsuni. He now had an egg to look after, as he waited for the last of his species to finally emerge from its protective shell. He was very excited, because he would have a child to look after, just like Hawkmon. He was always asking Natsuni what he was supposed to do next, even though incubating an egg and being pregnant were two very different things. She found the whole idea adorable, and was always smiling at him, ready to lend a hand, so long as he helped her. He was always willing to watch a movie with her, and eat her organic, homemade ice cream that she insisted on making, because she loved ice cream and was determined to keep it as healthy as possible, for the baby. The things she got him to do were ridiculous, because it was mostly about keeping her company, but he didn't seem to realize it. He would watch those movies with rapt attention, asking well thought out questions at the end about various things—be they plot related, or simply about human nature—at the end of it that always got Natsuni thinking. She'd actually started a blog where she compared her opinions to that of Armadillomon's, just because she found the differences fascinating.

Armadillomon was flattered to be included.

Goblimon was having a harder time adjusting to our developing bundle of joy. He was actually on high alert all the time. He didn't seem to understand what was happening to Natsuni, but the quick explanation that she was growing another human being inside of her did not go over well. He was paranoid, and didn't understand how it wasn't dangerous. He found the whole thing hard to handle. He was constantly trying to save her, and insisted on following her around just in case the baby decided to attack her.

No amount of explaining could convince him this was a good thing.

We were actually a little worried about that. We hoped that he would enjoy having the baby around, once it arrived. Natsuni feared that he would think he was being replaced, and I understood where she was coming from. It was like we had two kids around in the form of our partners, and now we were having a baby. I didn't think Armadillomon was going to get jealous, because he had an egg of his own, but Goblimon… I wasn't so sure about him.

But the sooner we could convince him that a baby was not the same thing as the plague, the better.

While her partner fretted about her dying at any moment, Natsuni seemed to be doing pretty well. She was a little surprised at first, but she hadn't developed any morning sickness yet, and while both Momoe and Miyako seemed a little jealous about it, she loved it. She felt fine, it was easy sometimes to forget that she was pregnant. I might've forgotten too, if it wasn't for the decaffeinated tea.

It was just too gross to ignore.

"Have you thought of any names?" Armadillomon asked. I was sitting at the table. I put the book down, to focus on putting on my dress shoes, not wanting to divide my attention between a repetitive book and Armadillomon. I felt slightly uncomfortable being so dressed up, but I'd have to get used to it. I'd chosen to be a lawyer, and a nice suit gave a good impression. Natsuni had tied my tie for me, and had kissed my cheek before leaving with her father to go shopping for baby supplies. I thought it might be a tad premature, but she wanted to baby proof the house before the baby arrived. She didn't want to have to think about anything except the baby when it was here.

We'd have a crib in our room, since there were no bedrooms available. That meant we didn't need to worry about decorating a nursery at least. I wasn't looking forward to that. Natsuni was very particular about things like that, and she always wanted my opinion—and my opinion was whatever she wanted.

"We made a deal," I told him, checking over my shoulder for any signs of Hikari. "If it's a girl, I get to pick the first name, and Natsuni can pick a second name, and if it's a boy, then we switch."

"You're hoping for a girl then," Armadillomon said, knowingly.

"Well, kind of," I admitted. "But I'd be fine with a son. I'd love him just the same."

"But he wouldn't be Kana," Armadillomon said with a laugh. I flushed a little, but didn't comment. I'd picked the name Kana years ago, and it was still the only name I could ever see naming someone. It was my favourite name. But I wasn't about to saddle a son with the moniker. So, yeah, I was kind of hoping for a girl. But it really didn't matter to me either way.

"My baby will be called Tsubumon," Armadillomon said. He was now munching on a muffin, despite having finished his meal only minutes ago. Goblimon was too anxious to eat. He was pacing the hallway, coming to the doorway to peek at us, and see if Natsuni was back, before he continued pacing. He was very worried that something terrible would happen to Natsuni if he wasn't there to prevent it. It was his paranoia that prompted Natsuni's decision to leave him behind. She didn't know what kind of scene he could make in a department store. Things were still rather delicate, and she didn't want to risk giving anyone a reason to not support digimon while Goblimon was on an insane quest to protect her from every thing that ever was.

It was probably a very wise decision.

"That's a good name," Hikari said kindly as she made her way into the room. Armadillomon basked in her praise, before asking whether he should eat a muffin for the egg, since he was kind of eating for two now. It was hard to follow his logic sometimes, but I told him he could decide—and he picked out another muffin.

Now that Hikari was around it would be unwise to continue speaking about the baby, but it filled me with guilt and a frustration that I couldn't just tell Hikari. I had a feeling she might have known anyway. She lived with us after all.

Once I finished tying my shoes, I sighed and got to my feet. It was time for me to head in to the firm.

"I'd say have fun…but…" Hikari said, glancing at the clock. I nodded at her, understanding her sentiment. Fun was something it definitely wouldn't be. It couldn't be fun when Sora's future hung in the balance. If I messed up, even once, I could be the reason she's locked away for twenty or more years. It was a lot of pressure.

On the plus side, I reveled under pressure for the most part.

After exchanging goodbyes, I left the apartment I used Hikari's car and drove to the law firm that Professor—though I supposed he was actually no longer my professor—Horitsu was a part of. He was actually one of the founders. He'd asked me to come in, and I wasn't sure what he wanted. I was worried though, that it would be something not particularly good for Sora. I didn't know what it could be, but I was worried nonetheless.

It took me awhile to find somewhere to park, because I didn't feel like I was meant to park in the firm's parking lot. I didn't work there, and Hikari's car was quite a bit older than the rest of the cars in the lot, and I would've drawn a lot of attention to myself. I was more than a little nervous as I walked down the street to the firm, and walked through the front doors.

I kept my head held high, to have the illusion of confidence. I could've belonged there. I wanted to belong there. I was still awaiting the results of my final exams though, and I wasn't as confident as I would have liked to be as I moved through the lobby and headed to the elevator, pressing the appropriate button, following the instructions Professor Horitsu had given me. I wasn't the only person in the elevator, and I tried to keep my eyes on the numbers flashing to signify what floor we were on. I could feel the man's curious eyes on me, but I refused to acknowledge them. He was several years older than me, and looked like he had some experience. I was practically baby faced compared to him.

I had to keep reminding myself that I was married with a child on the way. I wasn't as young as everyone seemed to think I was. Maybe I was a little young compared to the others that worked on the particular floor I was headed to, but I couldn't help that.

Once the door opened, I took a deep breath to prevent myself from bolting out into the hallway. I had to keep a professional air about me. I couldn't act like the child they all probably thought I was. At a purposeful pace, I walked through, down the hall towards the receptionist. I asked for Horitsu, and thanked her when she pointed me in the right direction.

Horitsu's office had glass walls. I could see through the glass that he was not alone in his office. I didn't want to interrupt whatever they were working on. I wasn't technically a lawyer yet, and it wasn't my business to intrude—even if the other man was Hanzai, the lawyer that put Sora in this mess. I sat on a chair across the hall, and watched them interact. They weren't openly hostile towards each other, but I was sure that was in part because of the lack of privacy the office provided. Their eyes were anything but cordial though.

It didn't take long for Hanzai to stop leaning over Horitsu's desk and straighten himself. Horitsu followed suit, and walked with him to the door. I sat up straighter, and tried to make it look like I hadn't been watching them, but there was nothing else to look at. Hanzai opened the glass door, and turned to Horitsu.

"I look forward to the deposition," he said. His tone was chilling, like he intended to best us during the deposition. I tried to think if Sora knew what to do. It might be best if we ran it through a couple more times. I was worried that he'd try and catch her unaware. We needed her to know the story, and to stick with it. No matter what Hanzai asked of her.

"I'll see you there," Horitsu said, managing a much more pleasant tone. Hanzai was irritated by this, and spun on his heel. He sent me a glare, but I didn't feel particularly intimidated by it. I'd spent two months in hell. There wasn't a lot that scared me—not that his glare would've been all that frightening even before the Dark Ocean; I had a pretty good glare of my own. He walked with purpose and confidence towards the elevator. One or two people actually moved out of his way as he walked towards them. It was rather alarming just how much presence he had. "I don't like that man," Horitsu said with a weary sigh.

"Me either," I said bitterly. He was the cause of this whole problem. No one seemed to care who killed Moretsuna when the focus was on Arnold, but Hanzai lost that case. Arnold couldn't escape prison, but Hanzai wasn't going to let Arnold go down alone. He wanted to take Sora with him. It was absolutely ridiculous, because there wasn't any evidence that proved when or where Moretsuna died. The murder weapon was gone. There was no way to implicate Sora to the crime—only it wasn't even really a crime. Moretsuna was killed due to self defense. He was actively trying to kill Miyako, and had tried to take Ken out with his gun. He'd taken shots at Takeru as well. He most definitely would have gone after Kurayami if he'd had the time.

It was a fight to the death.

And he had lost.

"Now," Horitsu said, clapping his hands together. "I've been working on the deposition, tweaking it, if you will. I want it to be as polished as possible."

"Is that what you needed me for?" I asked, confused.

"Oh no," he said with a laugh. "I wanted to let you know that your results are in. You passed with flying colours, as I knew you would."

His words came so quickly that I needed a moment to really register them. "Really?" I asked feeling very relieved. It had been looming over my head for a while now, and I was very pleased to know that I'd passed. I was a lawyer. That was a surreal feeling. A lot was happening all at the same time. I was a lawyer, a husband, I would be a father. It was a lot to take in.

"Yes," Horitsu said with a smile. "Now, I have two cases on my plate at the moment, with Sora being one of them. I don't have enough time to dedicate myself fully to your other friend, Miss Goutokuji. I wanted to ask you if you would take it. It could be your first solo case. Are you up for it?"

"I—" I said, trying to decide on the spot. There was a lot on the line for Mari's case. It wasn't just the library like the last two times. This time it was about the life and safety of a minor. It was an important case, and he wanted me to do it alone? I felt like I was ready to handle it, but I didn't want that confidence to get the best of me.

"Iori," he said. "You have skills enough for this. I can answer any questions you have, I simply cannot dedicate enough time towards winning this case. I am proud of you, and the work you've shown thus far. You are more than capable."

"I'll do it," I agreed.

"Good," he told me. "I won't be able to attend the trial, as my other case is scheduled for the same day."

I nodded to myself, acknowledging the warning. It was a little worrying that he wouldn't be there during the actual trial, but I would have to learn to do this on my own at some point. I was a lawyer now. And he was giving me a case. I furrowed my eyebrows at the thought. He was giving me a case…but I didn't work for him. He chuckled.

"Caught on, have you?" he asked, still laughing. My eyes were wide. I wasn't a proven lawyer. Yes, the two cases I'd worked on were both wins for me, but I hadn't worked on them alone, and the second was basically a repeat of the first—but with strange tactics shown by the judge.

"Sir—" I protested.

"I don't want to hear it," he said quickly. "I want you for this firm. I don't want you as an enemy Iori. It would be very difficult to win against you."

"You could do it," I assured him.

"Due to experience alone," he agreed. He started to say something more, but he looked passed me, and his brows furrowed. "What is Mantarou doing here?" he wondered. Mantarou? I turned to see that he was right. Mantarou was dressed in a suit and tie, and was looking around himself anxiously. He was holding a stack of papers that were stapled in one corner. When he caught sight of us, he hurried over, ushering us through the glass walls, hoping for some semblance of privacy.

"I know what points your opposition will be arguing," Mantarou said breathlessly. He looked like he'd run all the way here. He was panting, and panicking all at once. He must've had a close encounter with Hanzai as he was leaving the building.

"Mantarou," I growled. "I told you to stop."

"I know you did, but this is important. This is for Sora. I need to help her in any way I can. I can't do a lot. I work for the people that are rooting against her. I feel like I'm betraying her every time I go in to work," Mantarou said. "This is all I can do."

"Don't do it again," I ordered him.

"If it'll help Sora, then I won't be able to stop myself," Mantarou warned me.

"With their arguments at our disposal, it's unlikely that we'll need anything else," Horitsu murmured.

"I don't think we should look at them," I argued.

"You haven't seen the list of evidence they submitted," Horitsu argued. "They've neglected to mention a knife at all, let alone a knife with Moretsuna and Sora's DNA on it."

"See!" Mantarou exclaimed. "They're omitting information they are bound by law to give to you. They're intentionally going behind your backs to sway the jury's vote. Is it not only fair that you have a quick peek at their plans?"

"It is also possible—perhaps even probable—that they have a more legitimate reason for keeping this from us," I tried to reason with them. "Maybe they don't think the knife is real evidence or they don't have enough proof to use it. We're performing illegal acts to prove that Sora never did—what does that say about us?"

"A quick peek wouldn't do much harm," Horitsu said tentatively, ignoring me entirely. "And they are being underhanded."

"Fine," I sighed. "But you need to stop doing illegal things, Mantarou. I know you want to help Sora, but if you're caught, what you're doing will only hurt her in the end."

"I won't get caught," Mantarou promised.

I hoped his words weren't going to bite us in the end.

Jou Kido:

I wasn't sure why I kept coming here. There was something intriguing about the inner workings of a criminal. There was always something behind their actions, stringing them along, and Sigma was no exception. As I read through everything he had written I found myself to be both disgusted and fascinated at the same time. He was insane, truly mad. But he was also human—in the figuratively mental sense of the word, since he was actually not a human according to basic genetics.

This time I was not alone though and even though it was not Koushiro who had joined me, as I had expected, Tatum was a good second choice. I had gone to the research team and requested to speak with Koushiro who was simply 'not around' as they had told me. It was important, and Tentomon assured me that he would deliver a message, but it just wasn't worth it to worry Koushiro more than he was already. Instead, Tatum joined me and together we walked to the Coliseum to venture into Sigma's lost corridor once more.

Tatum hated the Coliseum, but found herself talking about Rei to help keep her mind off of the idea of setting foot inside. The entire walk over she was telling me how relieved she was that her friend was alive, and I could relate. I maybe wasn't as close to Rei as Tatum or Momoe were—because along with Natsuni and Jun they seemed to form a secret club of sorts—but knowing that she was alive was something I knew I needed but didn't think I'd ever get to have. Taichi deserved this of all things. In all actuality, he deserved much more, but having the person he loved more than anything be alive after we had all assumed her to be otherwise was something I was happy to see. If not for everyone else, than at least for him. And of course for Rei as well! Surely coming back from the supposed 'dead' would be a difficult transition, but I knew she, Willis and Kiyoko would cope just fine. And if they needed any help, Sora could give them some pointers.

But then we found ourselves in the Coliseum and Tatum's first words were "Ew, now I know why Betamon hated it here so much," And while that was downplaying Betamon's fear and dislike for the building—which she added in an apologetic tone—it was also accurate. I couldn't see why I would want to come back here after being locked within the walls for so long, but it was important for me to read through all of Sigma's work. If it hadn't felt important before, it certainly did now with all Willis had said in terms of Gaia and Sigma's marriage. We wanted Gaia found and dealt with now more than ever because of what she had done to Hikari and Kurayami. It was important that we find her and put an end to her reign of... whatever it was she was reigning.

At least now I could use my leg—and not just because I was in the Digital World. My cast had finally been removed and my physical therapy sessions were moving along nicely. It hadn't been my first war injury, but had certainly been the slowest to heal. It still felt odd to move between Earth and the Digital World in regards to how well I could use my legs. I was not a fan of the way my abilities flopped back and forth, and if I didn't think it would be rude, I would have asked Rei how she did it with such grace.

"We're going down there?" Tatum asked after we had stopped to talk to some of the digimon who were still living inside the building. She peered down the darkest corridor and shuddered, "Why would Sigma want to live down here?"

"Why would Sigma try to steal a baby?" I asked in a dry voice, "or haunt Miyako, or rule as a tyrant?"

"You have some good points," Tatum noted, straightening her hat and braving the hallway. She leapt forward and made her way to the left before I grabbed her hand and pointed the opposite direction. She crinkled her nose, "I was afraid of that. It feels awful down there."

"You get used to it," I promised. It wasn't a lie. After spending so long in that room I barely made note of the dark vibes that still reverberated throughout the walls. Tatum didn't seem to believe me, but she wasn't a coward and she marched down the hallway, pausing by the beautiful antique mirror that hung on the wall. "It was Sigma's," I told her as she traced her fingers around the golden frame.

"It looks so familiar," Tatum said, thinking slowly, but after a moment of her staring into the eyes of her reflection she shrugged it off, and made her way toward the thick wooden door. She looked to me for validation and with a quick nod she had made her way inside, pulling with all her might on the door. It creaked loudly as it slid open, revealing only darkness. Tatum reached in and felt around for some kind of light, and found one hanging on a hook by the door. With a soft 'click' the damp and cluttered room had filled up with light. Tatum immediately held her nose shut and looked to me, "Smells awful." I nodded in agreement, but I was used to that too. "Why is it so messy?"

"No," I said with an attempted smirk as I slipped past her and into the room, "it's not messy, it's organized." Tatum didn't look like she believed me, but followed me through the door. A moment later I had clicked on three separate lights and Tatum found enough room on the untidy table to place the round lantern she had been holding. "There is a lot of work put into this room."

"I can see that," Tatum said sarcastically as she looked around, trying to relax her already buzzing mind, as she tried to find a better system for organizing the papers.

"I meant by Sigma," I said, ignoring her distaste for my sorting skills. I lifted my foot high and carefully stepped over a precarious pile of dingy yellowish parchment paper. "Over here are his finely crafted plans to break into banks, hospitals, or anything else that he thought he needed to go into for some reason."

"Well why did he want to break in?" Tatum asked.

"I haven't any idea," I admitted, brushing that off, and moving to a separate corner, "Everything over here has to do with Miyako, Lalamon or Mari."

"That's disgusting," Tatum said coldly, "What did he want with them?"

"Maybe it had to do with Winter," I offered as a simple solution. "She was his eldest daughter, she was to take his place on the throne, and he hated those who challenged him. She picked both Miyako and Mari, so maybe that had something to do with it." Tatum hummed, but still seemed unsure and very curious, but I moved along. "This pile of boxes are tools that all appear to be used for torture, or other painful activities, so I don't recommend going through them alone." Tatum looked horrified at the thought of it all and even glanced back to the Mari and Miyako corner with a worried look on her face. I understood. "Everything on the table is unsorted," I gestured my hand wildly toward the table and then moved to the final corner, "These are the acts that he committed. There are plans that link to newspaper clippings for the things he did on Earth, others are about his time before coming to Earth, even before his death it seems."

"Do any of the crimes link up?" Tatum asked curiously, "Or was he just a sociopath?"

"Oh he was a sociopath," I nodded my head fervently, "but they may have connections, I'm not sure."

"You don't have many answers," Tatum noted.

"I haven't had anyone to ask me the questions before," I shrugged.

Tatum smiled and nodded, once again straightening her hat, "Well I'm more than happy to ask you some questions. I was born to ask questions, especially those with no answers." That seemed to be true to me and I was happy to have her join my team since no one else enjoyed the room. I was sure she hated it as much as I did, but her curiosity won her over, just like mine had to me. Her brows furrowed though, and she pointed to a small wooden box that sat on the counter near Sigma's crime files. "What's in there?"

I moved toward the box and lifted it up. It was mostly empty, so I handed it to Tatum easily and she looked inside. "Not much," I revealed as she flipped through the few pages inside.

Judging by how fast her eyes were moving, it seemed she was reading quite quickly, "Anything to do with his personal life," she guessed reading through.

"Or himself in general," I confirmed, "I don't know anything about him, but anything I do know is in there. His name, his favourite colour—anything like that would go in that box."

"Then this is the perfect place for me to start," Tatum said with an eager smile. She placed the box on a pile of papers that sat on the table and reached into her big leather bag, pulling out a large bound book that I'd seen before, but this one was empty. It matched her digimon field guide series in which she collected any and all information she could about each individual species of digimon—even the tidbits of information Koushiro found to be unimportant. "I'm starting an 'Everything You Need to Know About Sigma' book." Tatum's smile was suddenly sheepish as she showed me the book and I nodded my encouragement.

And we were off. I spent most of my time continuing my organization process, moving faster than I normally would have, to clear off the table to make room for Tatum who was busy reading through everything inside the box thoroughly and copying down everything that was important, complete with pictures. I didn't see how they were important but it made the book look less daunting to read in any case.

I was looking over her shoulder as she drew a detailed version of a fairies heart—which was much more complicated than a human heart—when we were interrupted.

"I didn't expect anyone to be here." Tatum and I looked sharply upward to see Neo standing with his arms crossed. I noticed that he wasn't wearing his sling, but was unsure if that was simply because of the world he was in, or because he was truly allowed to remove it just yet. In one hand rested a takeaway coffee cup with bursts of steam erupting from the top. A moment later Rei had popped out from behind her brother holding a floral duffel bag.

"Rei!" Tatum exclaimed joyfully, "What are you doing here?"

"Came to get the stuff I dropped off before running away to my death," Rei said, her face turning red with embarrassment.

"You couldn't know you would die," Tatum comforted.

"A giant man in the sky told us he was sending a virus, it was my own fault," Rei looked sad for a moment and then shrugged, "But I didn't die, so it's all good."

"No," Neo said firmly, shaking his head, "You must be more careful. You were lucky and that fact alone is simply not enough to validate doing something rash again." Rei looked to him in a way I could only describe as a look one might give their siblings and then she rolled her eyes, and Neo pursed his lips. "I knew spending all of this time with Taichi was going to change you. His recklessness rubbed off on you."

"Personality traits are not contagious, Neo," Rei said with a coy smile, she then turned her sights back to the two of us and looked around at the mess with an uncomfortable expression. "Why would you choose to be here?"

"Well," Tatum said, "I'm already planning to remove everything from the room and take it somewhere less disturbing." I refused to say anything at all. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought to do that already. "It is rather dark in here."

Rei nodded her agreement, "it reminds me of Witchenly," Neo suddenly perked up to listen again and I internally shuddered. I hated Witchenly, even after only being there a couple of hours at most. "It's dark, it's wet, cluttered, creepy and it smells like something was rotting for a hundred years before coming back to life and rolling around in a pile of dead fish and apricots."

"Apricots?" Tatum asked, confused.

Rei shuddered, "They're disgusting."

Tatum openly laughed which somehow cut through the darkness and lightened the room drastically. "I'd like to hear more about Witchenly, if you have time." Rei dropped her duffel bag immediately and moved toward Tatum who looked surprised, like she had meant a different time, but didn't mind speaking with Rei.

Neo sighed, realizing that he too would have to stay, and he took a step into the room. I knew already that he hadn't been here before, but he didn't seem particularly surprised by his surroundings. He gently slid a box that was sitting on the counter with his free hand and lined it up with the counter, making it look more presentable and neat. He then reached into the box and flipped through a couple of the sketches inside before his eyes widened exponentially and he retracted his hand quickly as he looked quickly for something to get his mind off of what he'd seen.

"Did you know much about Sigma?" I asked him casually as I looked through the pages in my hand, unrolling a long scroll.

Neo looked up to ensure I was in fact speaking with him and shrugged his shoulders, "Not well, no." He paused long enough that I thought he was finished speaking, and found myself tuning into Rei's story of the civil war that had taken place in Witchenly, but Neo eventually spoke again. "When I met Kiyoko I knew he was not alone," Neo said calmly, "I knew there was someone else, and I'm ashamed to admit that he was the one I initially wanted. I needed his brains and his willingness to do whatever dark deed I requested of him. He created a serum that injected digimon with darkness and educed a sort of evolution in one night." I was jealous of that, because I remembered that serum, and just how long it had taken me to create an antidote for it. I had and I had saved many digimon with it. "He broke through to the Digital World without batting an eye. He trapped Daemon in a cell that he would not have been able to escape from if you hadn't let him out."

"Sorry," I blurted, but Neo didn't listen.

"Sigma was a valuable member of my team," Neo said in a simple tone. "Yes, I valued Sigma more. But I did not need him as I needed Kiyoko. Funny how I needed my team more than they needed me."

"Funny?" I questioned as Neo found interest in Tatum's field guide.

"Ironic, I suppose," Neo decided, "Because I was so sure it was the opposite." Neo looked embarrassed for a moment, though I didn't think opening up was any reason to feel ashamed. Neo was quick to change the subject though, "What's this?" he asked, turning the book around to read more carefully. Tatum and Rei were distracted for only a moment before turning back to one another. I noticed Rei was wearing Tatum's hat now. "'The heart of a fairy has the power to draw others inside and lock their emotions to the core of their soul.'" He looked up to me shocked, but returned to his resting face of disappointment and disgust a moment later, "That is disturbing."

"What in here isn't?" I asked rhetorically, but found myself reading what Neo had just looked over. It all made sense, really, but that didn't stop it from being wrong. It was like a love potion, the way they could use their hearts. They could essentially eject another with obsession rather than love, and the infected victim would feel a connection and a sense of loyalty to the fairy in question. It was no surprise then, why Kiyoko had acted the way he had in terms of Sigma, and it was all the more powerful and empowering that he had removed himself from the clutches of the dark man.

"A baby?" Tatum cooed, catching my attention.

"Well, yeah," Rei said with a grin, "Not all digimon can start as adults you know."

"None of them can," Neo said pointedly, but neither girl seemed to hear him.

"He was so cute," Rei smiled, "I'm thinking I might introduce him to the Primary Village, since there's nowhere for the Veemon to live now that they won't stay with the Wizards and Fallen Angels."

"Keep him," Tatum dared, but Rei shook her head fervently.

"I'm not ready for kids," she laughed, "I've already got Pal and Pul. They're enough." I cursed my doctoral mind at that moment as I began to scan through the likelihood of Rei being able to conceive a child at all. Tatum diverted her eyes from Rei and blushed, and Rei gently placed a finger under Tatum's chin and brought her around to face her. "Are you pregnant?"

"No!" Tatum said seriously, "But I want a baby!"

"No, you don't," Neo assured her, but again she didn't listen.

"You should have one," Rei said, clapping her hands together, "You and Momoe—and of course you-know-who—could have one together and they can fall in love!"

It was then that the two girls came to realize that they were not alone in the room, and their eyes fell on me. The awkwardness was nearly tangible. Neo even felt uncomfortable. "Why would Momoe have a child?"

Rei looked to Tatum and urged her to answer and she cleared her throat, "Just... isn't it time for her to?"

"There's a schedule?" I asked, a little annoyed because I knew where this was leading. "She told you that she wanted one, didn't she?" The girls nodded and looked away, feeling like they betrayed Momoe. But I wasn't angry so it wasn't anything to upset about. I was simply agitated, and maybe... okay maybe a little upset. "And I assume she told you that I was the reason we aren't expecting another child, am I right?" Again they nodded.

"She didn't say anything else though," Rei assured me, "And she never said that she was upset by your decision. She respects you too much for that."

"She knows how hard it is for you to find time for everyone in your life," Tatum nodded, "You already have Emiko, Gomamon, Bearmon, Monmon and Momoe. Adding a baby into the mix is just a lot to ask for and she knows she can't expect a yes."

"I have to go," I decided. When I had made it halfway to the door, I stopped and turned to Tatum, "I'll be back here tomorrow if you want to meet me at any time." She nodded and sent me an apologetic look, but I just continued on my way.

I paused for that moment as I realized I was still holding a scroll in my hand I unrolled it and it appeared to be a puzzle of sorts. It was all written in Sigma's handwriting and appeared to be about a woman who was kept underground. I knew I wouldn't be able to figure it out alone if even Sigma couldn't. I popped back into the room for one moment and tossed the scroll to Tatum "Maybe you can figure it out." And then I was gone.

I didn't think this was a conversation that I had to have with someone who wasn't Momoe—but she didn't feel the same apparently. On my way to the nearest computer I encountered the annoyingly optimistic MarineAngemon who sent bursts of happiness toward me, but I simply swatted them away feeling annoyed.

"You have to be happy!" MarineAngemon bellowed angrily. "And bring me Emiko back, you kidnapper!"

"You don't need my daughter," I told him as I made my way to the computer, with him following along, "There are several other digimon here for you to spend time with."

"But I want Emiko!" MarineAngemon hollered and shouted repetitively until I had dragged myself through the computer and the sound of his loud and frustrating voice faded away. I appeared in my office and landed smoothly, but felt the twinge of pain in my leg, forgetting to take the pressure off of it and inwardly groaned as I tried to bend it normally, but found it was still too strenuous to do so. I was already very done with this injury. I heard someone drop something in the living room, but noticed Momoe's shoes by the computer, knowing that she would be in the Digital World, I sent myself back through, this time to our house instead of the Coliseum.

I was hit by the immediate relief in my leg as well as many shouting voices.

"Emiko go to your room!" Momoe shouted loudly, pointing off toward Emiko's bedroom, "You cannot treat people like this. I'm sorry that I've let you down by allowing you to get away with it for so long, but no more leniencies. You've crossed the line too many times!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Emiko screamed in a voice that could only be described as entirely distraught. Her face was beet red, and there were thick tear stains rushing down her face. I felt guilty at the sight of her, but I knew Momoe was right. Emiko had been able to get away with far too much lately.

Monmon was joining in the screaming match as well, just mindlessly and wordlessly shouting at the top of his lungs in a panic. Bearmon was doing his best to calm him down, but Monmon was having none of that, and began bounding back and forth until Emiko finally relented, and ran off with tears in her eyes. She wasn't going to her room anyway since that was on Earth, but at least she would understand she'd done wrong. No matter how hard it was to see her like that. Momoe gazed after her longingly and clutched her chest feeling guilty, but as I came up behind her, her mind was quickly taken off of her daughter.

She shouted in surprise and spun around to greet me before laughing in a humour filled relief. I didn't laugh though. "You scared me," she noted, elbowing me playfully before making her way around the room to clean up some of Emiko's toys. "Such a handful, she is."

"She is," I agreed, "it's a good thing we have so many hands in our relationship," I said, and she looked up smiling, but confused, "Yeah, there's four between the two of us, and of course there's a set for both Tatum and Rei, and surely Jun gets a say as well. I'd even venture to say Natsuni would help us out."

"Sure," Momoe agreed, dropping an armful of the toys into a wooden chest in the corner, before turning to face me again, "They would help, yeah. They're my friends." I didn't smile when she did and she seemed to finally understand that something was wrong. "What did I do? I'm not sure I understand." Bearmon made his way into the room but sensed the tension and spun on his heel, making his way back down the hallway.

I sat down on the couch and waited until Momoe joined me before starting as calmly as I could, "Why did you tell Jun and the others that we were in a disagreement about having another child?"

"Because they're my friends," Momoe said, confused.

"They're not in this relationship," I said flatly, trying to sort through what I was feeling.

Momoe gave me that look and cocked her head to the side with her eyebrows high on her forehead, "Oh no? Then why do Taichi, Yamato and Koushiro get to be involved in the relationship? Or Mimi? Do we only get one person each? Maybe you pick Mimi and I'll pick Minori Himura."

I groaned audibly and ran my fingers through my hair, "I can't believe you're bringing him up again!"

"If your confidant is going to be your first crush," Momoe said as if she simply couldn't see why I didn't see her point, "Then mine will be the same."

"That's petty," I said flatly, "And I don't have a confidant! Why would I talk to someone else about our baby making decisions?"

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" Momoe's lips were pursed and suddenly I was worried I'd missed something major in my calculated anger. I ran through my mind and memories and suddenly remembered walking through a department store with Koushiro, Yamato and Taichi, talking about whether or not we wanted a baby. Koushiro must have told Mimi... "Oh there it is," Momoe said, nodding along, as my face clearly showed my realization. "Mimi's got a big mouth on her. I love her, but boy does she like to talk and make other people's problems her own." Momoe laughed a little, but it was dry and she added, "She brought me a basket of baby muffins, and half of them had secret chocolate inside and half of them didn't. She thought that if the last one I ate had chocolate inside then it was a sign that we should have a baby, and otherwise, it would be best to wait."

"And?" I asked, a grin forming on my face, "What did the muffins foretell?"

"None of them had chocolate in them," Momoe said, sounding disappointed, "So of course she was on your side."

There was a brief moment of silence, but it did not last long. The two of us began laughing at Mimi's shenanigans and Momoe even began snorting, which meant she was truly laughing—though she would never admit to snorting, she always did when she laughed hard enough.

"Natsuni told us that she was pregnant," Momoe said simply, lifting up a stuffed bear and playing with it idly in her hands. "She told Tatum, Jun, Rei and I. Iori told you, and you told me, but I already knew. We tell each other everything because we confide in one another. Do you know how hard it is to watch those that we love be drafted into a war every couple of years? Or months? I never thought I would be able to see you again, and Natsuni and Rei felt the same. About Iori and Taichi obviously. Jun was lucky enough to be with Daisuke, and Tatum with Michael, but that doesn't mean we're out of this just yet. We trust each other. We are not petty school girls who judge one another behind the backs of our friends. We have a bond just like yours with Taichi or Mimi. It might not have lasted as long, but it is just as legitimate."

I didn't say anything just yet, because it seemed likely that I would say something stupid, even if I did understand. "I think I was just upset because I couldn't make the decision on my own." Momoe looked sharply toward me and smiled, like she thought my mind hadn't been made up, but it had. Momoe had just made it up for me. "We're in a war, Momoe. You said it yourself. We cannot have a child in these predicaments. It's too dangerous."

"We already have one," Momoe pointed out, but she and I both knew that was different. Not only was she already alive, but we also hadn't planned Emiko exactly. I was saved from responding to Momoe by my phone ringing. I would have ignored it, but it was Tatum and she knew I was with Momoe now so she would not have called if it hadn't been important.

"Jou!" she hissed through the phone and instantly my heartbeat picked up. "I know why the mirror was so familiar!" I waited for her response, but the wait was not long as her words were practically spewing out, "the designs and patterns were all over Morganna's castle. The mirror is from the palace, and it surely means something."

"The mirror has a connection to others, including Maugrim and Gaia's I think," I told her, realizing that Neo could have filled her in on that as well if he were still there, "Are you alone?"

"Yes," she said quickly, "Why didn't you tell me they had a connection?"

"It wasn't important," I shrugged, "Get out of there though. You shouldn't be alone. It's disturbing."

"There are thousands of digimon within calling distance," Tatum defended, "I'll leave soon. And yes it is too important you twat! Why aren't we using this to connect to Gaia or Maugrim? We're looking for them, maybe this mirror can lead the way!" I stared blankly to the floor as Gomamon wandered into the living room seemingly nonchalant. "Yeah? Didn't think about that, huh?"

"I have to go," I said flatly, hanging up the phone without another word and tossing it to the couch next to Momoe. "When did you get here?" I asked sharply to Gomamon.

"Been here all day," he said, confused. I spun quickly and rushed back to the computer with Gomamon following after me and I zoomed through the portal to Earth without a second though. Gomamon landed beside me and—in a voice that was far too loud—said, "What are we doing here?"

I pressed a finger to my lips and moved to the doorway. I had heard someone in the living room here, but found that everyone had accumulated in the Digital World. That meant someone who was not a part of my family was in the house. I moved down the hallway swiftly, feeling much more confident with Gomamon by my side and I pressed myself against the wall dividing the hallway and the living room. I heard someone shift on the couch and Gomamon looked up with wide eyes.

I couldn't just stand around waiting here, so I—ignoring the pounding of my heart and the whirring of my mind—counted to three inside my head and threw myself into the open.

"There you are," A bored voice drawled as I stared toward Iruka, the girl who had helped me save Jun's life. Her dark hair was hanging around her face that was once again heavily covered in makeup that she had been deprived of while trapped inside the Digital World. "I've been waiting for you."

"In our house?" Gomamon asked, entirely shocked. I hadn't found myself able to speak. The shock and relief was mixing poorly but Gomamon always had my back. "You couldn't have knocked on the door?"

"I did," Iruka scoffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder, "You didn't answer."

"Then come again a different day?" Gomamon suggested.

"I did," Iruka snapped, "I was just going to write a note, but I wasn't even sure you lived here since no one was ever home. So I thought I'd wait and find out."

"I do, live here I mean," I had finally found myself able to speak and Iruka nodded. "So what did you need so desperately?"

"I want to talk to you about your friend," Iruka said, leaning forward.

"We have a lot of friends," Gomamon said, rolling his eyes, "You'll need to be more specific than that."

Iruka seemed to think that was a fair point so she elaborated, "The friend who killed my father."

"What?" Gomamon and I gasped together.

"Sora Takenouchi?" Iruka said blankly, "She killed my father, Sakana Moretsuna."

Next on Digimon Adventure 08: Sora is still caught up in this law scandal, and Kurayami may feel guilty but with some help from her friends she finds time to finally relax, if even only for a little while.