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Digimon Tamers Crimson: Knights of Grim Episode 25: Bonding Time...

Inside Yggdrasil's tree...

Grima had felt satisfied by the conclusion the Parasimon invasion yielded. "So this is what you meant by the climax. Interesting, and I guess this means all we do now is wait for two years for our ultimate weapon." Yggdrasil said to Grima who then responded "Oh but of course, it was nothing short of enjoyment. Soon I will find my way into this world, and show that it had no chance of defeating me to begin with. Though the time when I was at the pinnacle of my success had Digimon, humans had their memories wiped clean of having any connection. Though it seems that it didn't stop children from having actual dreams of these creatures. Which then gave me a revelation... What if both humans and Digimon were to be subjugated to my power? And that, is where I had the intial idea to place my power into you my loyal servant." Yggdrasil thought about the memory and then said "Oh yes, at first I was unable to comprehend you. But now I see that, even I can see you as the powerful deity like figure that you are." Grima looked over at Yggdrasil who then immdiately quivered in fear, due to possibly saying something he shouldn't have said.

"I know that I'm no god. But it's those who are loyal to me that grant my power. So in a way, I am a deity but I know that even I can be killed. It's only a matter of by who's hand? Will my own arrogance be my downfall? Or... Will that anomaly be the one to end me? Either way won't really matter. Since now I can see that victory will be achieved either by the established script that I've followed through this cycle. And this time, there will be no repeats. No anomalies to stop me, no Digimon to rise up against me in a rebellion and no more humans to dream about these frivolous things." Yggdrasil then bowed to Grima and responded "Yes Lord Grima! Soon our true desire will be fulfilled! And then, we shall move on to a new world, where that race shall be the one to supply you with untold amount of power!" Grima felt very happy about Yggdrasil's enthusiasm and walked towards his soldier. "Now remember Yggdrasil... You... Are my number one... Guy!" Grima said to Yggdrasil while breathing awfully close to his face. Yggdrasil merely smiled and responded "Yes my lord..." Before walking off and heading towards the base of the tree. "Truly I couldn't ask for a more loyal follower than Yggdrasil. Once the tree has accumulated enough power, he will be so powerful that not even this new form of Omnimon could destroy him. So... What will you do Simon? What will you do in the face of me and Yggdrasil?" Grima said to himself before sitting back down on his throne.


In the human world...

At least one week had passed since the Parasimon incident. Though the citizens were still recovering from the trauma of being groped by several tentacles, they were grateful towards the Digimon who had saved them from this clear threat. Nia had turned sixteen like Simon did during the beginning of July. Though Simon decided to pay her back by blindfolding her, and walking her back to her house. She seemed a little mad at Simon, but in the end she felt that at least they were now even. Guilmon and Renamon had decided to get somewhat closer during this week, by spending some of their days either by playing or training. Though it would seem that, there was something lingering in them. They may have gotten their feelings sorted out, but there was one thing that seemed to be left for them to do to complete this connection of theirs. Rika seemed to feel a bit more relaxed with telling Henry about her feelings, and saw that he was more than willing to listen to every word she said. Though at times she would visit his apartment, so that she could see what he was into. Though when Henry wasn't using the computer, she decided to use it for drawing pictures. When he asked her why, it was because deep down she wanted to be a Manga artist.

Though if she were to get some practice on Henry's computer she could be able to pull that off. Daisuke had decided to do things on his own, and so did Hikari mostly because the two wanted to try and be a bit more... Independant. Daisuke had decided to do some soccer practice with V-Mon, who couldn't really get over the fact that his Tamer was more interested in doing things alone for now. Hikari wasn't really getting it easy on her end, due to Taichi still trying to pry into her and Daisuke's relationship. But then she countered with the whole "Aren't you supposed to be studying right now?" argument, which immediately prompted Taichi to continue with his studies. Takeru had decided to spend a few days with Taiki and Kiriha, hoping that maybe he'll be an honorary member of Xros Heart as well as being one of the Digimon Tamers. Though Takeru seemed to forge a friendship with Taiki, that wasn't as strong as the one he had with Kiriha, but pretty darn close. Ken had decided to look through some of his clothing to find a grey trench coat, a hat and some grey pants. He had wanted to see if he could pull off a detective since he felt inspired by the work that the police do, along with the Digimon Tamers when they're not off destroying an enemy Digimon.

Though with Nia, she seemed to be somewhat preoccupied with a phone conversation Erwin was currently having. "Alright Nia, the bad news is that, since our relatives are far away from Japan I think it's a safe bet that you'll need to stay with someone for tonight until tomorrow afternoon." Erwin said to Nia after hanging up on the phone. Nia then seemed to think for a while on who could take care of her, while Erwin was out. "Well, how about I stay with Simon? I mean, I know that he's a guy and all that. But he's still a gentleman at best." Nia suggested to Erwin who looked at Impmon who said "Yeah, I think that's probably our best option anyway, since I'm sure the others might have plans and it doesn't really hurt." Erwin sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Now listen Nia, I don't mean to leave you in such a hurry. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you. I just want what's best for you, and I want to make sure you're ready for the life of a police officer. And yes, I do trust Simon since he's been able to protect you for nearly two years now." Erwin said to Nia who responded "Don't worry dad, I'll be fine! Just have a good time with your police friends, and do try to make sure Impmon doesn't get into trouble!" Erwin nodded and said "Will do Nia. And I love you..." They both hugged each other and Nia got her overnight bag all packed up.

Later on, she had described to Simon that Erwin and Impmon were going to a meeting that would take all night, and head into the afternoon tomorrow. "And that's the gist of it. I'm staying here with you, and for now there isn't anybody else who has a spare room available." Nia said after finishing that long recap. Simon sighed and responded "I'll go get the futon. Just come on in..." He then walked into the apartment and grabbed some sheets out of his closet and put them near his bed. "Alright, just so you know I'm getting the floor, and you are getting the bed okay?" Simon said to Nia who nodded and put down her overnight bag. "So Simon, where's Guilmon?" Nia asked Simon who answered "He's currently with Renamon, who he finally admitted to having a crush on. They're probably going to be doing this thing called bonding time, which supposedly seals the connection between the two. So yeah, for now I'm by myself and my dad's still down a floor, waiting for me to do or say anything angsty." Nia then looked through Simon's refridgerator and said "Well, we could always just sit down and watch a couple movies. How's that?" Simon gave Nia a hug and a kiss before responding "But of course! Though, we'd have to go through my collection of movies and some of the stuff on netflix." Nia nodded enthusiastically before looking through the film library...


Meanwhile with Guilmon and Renamon...

The two were sitting inside the storage room for the park. Though, in this case it's more of a small burrow rather than a storage room. But at the very least no one has used it in years. Guilmon was somewhat curious as to how "Bonding time" would work. So Renamon decided to explain it to him. "All I know is that, it requires the two of us to spend some time together and something about, streams of data. After that, I'm not too sure about that. Then our bond will finally be complete." Guilmon wasn't entirely too sure what she meant by all this, but he was somewhat reassured by the fact that Renamon seemed to be just as unaware of the workings of this bonding time. When Renamon sat next to Guilmon, a stream of data flowed from Guilmon as well as Renamon before connecting to each other. "Is this what you meant?" Guilmon asked Renamon who suddenly felt fatigued by the event. Guilmon wanted to ask if she was okay, but then felt equally as fatigued. "I guess... This is part of the process." Renamon says while panting. Guilmon starts panting as well and responds "Are we gonna die from this!?"

Renamon shook her head and answered "If Digimon actually died from this, then we wouldn't even know about the term. I had wanted to do this, because I wanted to be a part of you." Guilmon looked over and held Renamon's paw. "Honestly, I'm just reassured by you being here with me now. Love, is quite a new territory for me. And I wanted to explore some of that concept with you, as I've accepted my feelings for you." Guilmon said to Renamon before laying his head on top of hers. The two then stayed like that, until eventually they fell asleep. Guilmon was still right next to Renamon who was leaning right on Guilmon's shoulder. Unbeknownst to them, the streams of data were converging. Instead of converging in front of them, it went underground. Which at first, seemed to be a strange idea but then it will likely sprout out of the ground once it is done. The result of their bond may prove that Digimon can have the same type of feelings as humans, only in their case it just ends up merely being a somewhat subdued moment between two Digimon. Deep down, they were both scared of what would come as a result but went through with it anyway because of their shared feelings for each other. And that, surely would never die just from one mere stone in their path. Whatever choices they make now, they will both be walking down the same path. A path towards a better future for the both of them. Though, how they would react... Is entirely up to their own judgement.


Back with Simon and Nia...

Simon had gotten through watching a few movies with Nia, who seemed to have some genuine enjoyment for the movies in question. Though around that time, Simon had decided that he was going to go to bed. Mostly due to the fact that crime had been relatively low and at the very least he did deserve some form of a break. Nia had decided to run the shower while Simon sat and waited for her to come out. At this point he was still wearing a black sleeveless shirt with black jeans. "Today just feels like a really weird day. First, Guilmon goes off with Renamon for something I didn't even know Digimon could do. And second, Nia shows up saying that she has to stay in my apartment building. I wonder what the third factor of my wacky day would be?" Simon said to himself before he saw the answer before his eyes. Nia, wearing what appeared to be a long nightgown. "Well Simon? What do you think?" Nia asked Simon who answered "You look beatiful in that. Though I pictured you as the kind of person who would stray away from that sort of thing." Nia shrugged her shoulders and responded "Well, at least it's comfortable. And the only people to see me in this, are Dad, Impmon and you. Though to be fair the first official time we've met, I walked around in a hospital gown."

Simon sighs at the memory. "You know, it's things like this that tell me a lot has happened back then. And a lot could happen in the near future. It's been something on my mind from the moment we defeated Vamdemon. It's like, what if all of this was just building up to a big failure, or some... Ultimate sacrifice I don't know. And at the very least, I could probably experience it with the people I care about most of all. I just wish that, these things could be simple and not time based. Since I'm getting sick of all the anticipation leading up to us fighting Grima and whatnot." Simon says to Nia who, after listening intently feels pratically the same way. Only, she wishes to express that in a different way. "Simon?" Nia asks Simon who turns to her and says "Yes?" Nia then says to him "Close your eyes..." Simon shrugs his shoulders and decides why not? As he's closing them, he doesn't realize that Nia has decided to roll up his sleeveless shirt... Until he feels the shirt come off of his head. "Nia, what are you doing?" Simon asks Nia who notices that his eyes are open. "Simon, I know that you feel that you might not have regrets... But maybe there might be one regret that you don't know of just yet..."

Simon was quite shocked by Nia's response, and in short he didn't know what else to say. At least until he thought about it. "Nia, this is extremely risky. What if someone catches us doing stuff like this? I don't want our life to be further complicated by people judging us. I just don't want you to have regrets of this deed you want us to do." Simon said to Nia who responded "Simon... I don't think our friends are going to judge us. Also, since when have you given a damn about other students looking at us?" Simon thought about her question and said "Fine... But, I just want you to know that we're both taking responsibility for this right?" Nia nodded and then asked "Why do you say that?" Simon sighed and answered "Because, if someone asks who's fault it is, usually they point to either me or you. I gave some not-so-subtle hints that maybe I wanted to do this with you. And you probably waited for the opportunity to ask me for this. And I say to that, alright." Nia leaned her head on Simon's and said "I love you." Simon then responded "Me too..." Before taking her lips in a passionate kiss. What would happen on that end, is not for the sensitive types.

Outside the apartment complex, Takato and his Guilmon were watching from a distance. They weren't looking at anything in particular, but rather they felt something. It was something that seemed to be important to them, but at the same time it just became a necessity. "Guilmon... I guess maybe today did seem all that important. But it's probably the one good thing about Simon anyway." Takato says to Guilmon who then looks at him with confusion. "Takato... I don't really understand what you mean by that. Hasn't Simon saved the world several times by now? It just confuses me as to why you'd want to do this." Guilmon said to Takato who responded "Guilmon, you of all people should know my reason for wanting to kill that bastard! Don't you feel any resentment towards him?" Guilmon wasn't sure what to say to that, since he didn't know all that much of what happened that made Takato this angry. "It's all because of him... That I'd go through hell. I'll never forgive him! Not now, not ever!" Takato muttered in his anger. Guilmon was still busy looking over at Shinjuku park, feeling very happy about the same night, only on a different side of things. "I'm just really happy about tonight. That's all. Because maybe this night, is probably the best night of our lives..." Guilmon said to himself before sighing out of happiness. The two then decided to continue wandering around Shinjuku...


The next day...

Simon had woken up the next morning, nearby Nia. "I guess last night wasn't a dream now was it?" Simon asked Nia who shook her head. "Y'know, I wanted to get to "I do" rather than the signal. And now, it feels like everything that happened last night is going to affect us in one way or another." Simon said to Nia who looked towards the window and responded "I guess so. But, what are we gonna do now? We've got both our dads to worry about, and then our friends. It's just that once I thought about it, I realized that maybe I should've been more patient." Simon lifted himself up from the bed and then said "Nia. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you. I don't want this to be our last night together. If I'll still be able to see you again, I want to give you something very important." Nia thought about what that thing was and then responded "Well, you already ruined the surprise from the moment you said that you wanted to wait for me to say "I do". So my answer is still definitely yes Simon. I do want to marry you some day." Simon then embraced Nia and said "Well, the first thing I have to do is get the ring right?" Nia nodded and Simon decided to get out of bed and hit the shower. After a while, Nia ended up getting into the shower when Simon was finished... And the two got changed into their clothes for the day.

"Alrighty then, so if anything comes up... Call me effective immediately. No excuses alright?" Simon said to Nia who nodded before letting Simon walk her back home. She had carried around her overnight bag, and Simon decided to bring his gear just in case some Digimon decided to attack again. Once they had arrived at Nia's house, Erwin greeted her with a hug. "So, how was your day Nia?" Erwin asked Nia who responded "Oh it was fun. Simon was as gentlemen-like as usual and he did all the common courtesy's that most gentlemen would do. We even got to watch a few movies together, and it was the best!" Erwin felt happy for his daughter and Impmon felt something was a bit off with what Nia was saying. Though, in a way... So did Erwin. Simon then waved goodbye before heading towards the park, where he knew Guilmon was. When Simon had entered the park, he headed straight up for the storage room where he knew Guilmon was... And saw that Renamon was still there. Simon walked towards his partner and said "Guilmon, it's time to wake up now." Guilmon jolted up effective immediately and looked frantically. "Did I miss any patrol?" Guilmon asked Simon who shook his head and responded "There wasn't really any crime going on, so yeah it's been very peaceful lately."

Guilmon had decided to stand up and stretch, while Renamon was slowly waking up. "Oh... I didn't know someone was visiting." Renamon said while still a bit drowsy. Simon looked at Renamon and said "Well, just make sure you're fully awake before heading back to Rika's house okay?" Renamon nodded before sitting back down. Guilmon then walked back home with Simon. As Renamon was slowly waking up, she saw that... Something was sprouting out from the ground. After a little bit, she was able to make out the object in question. "That... That can't be..." Renamon muttered to herself, before picking up the object and then said "It's a Digi-Egg!" Before looking around to see if Guilmon was around. She then ran on top of the rooftops in a search for Guilmon. Although, it was cut short... When she realized that she needed to be back home with Rika. She decided to bring the egg with her, and wait until tomorrow to show Guilmon what had happened. When she arrived at Rika's house, she decided to hide the egg nearby the stairs of the porch.

Though, Rika opened the door and caught on to Renamon's actions. "Good morning Rika..." Renamon said to her Tamer who responded "I guess bonding time was a little bit taxing huh? You ended up falling asleep in the park? And now, I see you're home burying something that I'm assuming is the result." Renamon sighed and decided to show Rika up front. "This is the result of my bond with Guilmon. Though, the egg seems to be taking on more characteristics of Guilmon rather than my characteristics. I just wish I could've caught him sooner rather than later." Renamon said to Rika, who then decided to hold the egg for a bit. "When do you think this is due? I mean, it's not like humans... But I've never heard of a Digimon actually breeding." Renamon sighed at Rika's question and answered "Well, I don't know. A Digi-Egg could be due any day of the week. And I don't know what the gestation period of a human being is, since until now I've never done this sort of thing with anyone. So to make a long story short, it's a big I don't know." Rika looks at the egg further and says "Well that seems about right. And you want to meet up with Simon and Guilmon later today to discuss this?" Renamon nods and responds "Yes, I would like that very much." Rika then decides to put the egg somewhere in her room, where she knows her mom, nor grandmother would ever bother to look...


Meanwhile with Daisuke...

Our Auburn haired Gogglehead had decided to go with his sister to the grocery store. Though, they did decide to bring V-Mon who up till now has never been to a grocery store. "Sho, thish ish where you and Davish go to get more food?" V-Mon asked Jun who was pushing the shopping cart. "Yeah, this is where we usually go. It's just plain old shopping center for quite a number of people in Shinjuku. Though, it just so happens that we can get stuff really easily due to the bargain sales around here." Jun said to V-Mon who seemed to be enthusiastic about looking at the store, while sitting in the shopping cart. Daisuke was just casually walking around with Jun, spotting some of the items they needed on their grocery list. Though their shopping trip was brief, V-Mon felt it was an experience that he never got to see until now. And to him, it seemed a lot longer than just fifteen minutes. Daisuke did glance at some Digimon cards that were near the cash register they went to, but decided to wait until later to purchase some new cards for his deck. As they were walking out with bags in both arms, Jun noticed that Daisuke seemed to be a bit neutral today. "I noticed you were eyeing those Digimon cards earlier. And you know that you gotta earn them right?" Jun asked Daisuke who nodded and responded "Well of course I know that. I just couldn't help it, that's all." Jun then continued down the pathway towards the apartment complex.

"Daisuke, don't forget that you said you'd visit mom and dad today alright?" Jun asked Daisuke who nodded and answered "Well, I just figured that I wanted to introduce them to V-Mon." Jun smiled at Daisuke's willingness to introduce V-Mon to their parents. "Davish, I didn't know your parents lived somewhere else..." V-Mon said to Daisuke who responded "It's not like that V-Mon. I'll show you what I mean." V-Mon was then pondering what could Daisuke possibly mean by that. After unpacking the groceries, Jun had decided to get into her house-keeping getup and meet up with Kittan. "Alright, I'll be back by six tonight! Don't forget!" Jun said to Daisuke before walking out of the apartment. "Alright V-Mon, It's time I got to introduce you to my parents." V-Mon was still confused by what Daisuke meant, as they walked out of the apartment and down the stairs. He seemed to be even further confused when they got to the cemetary. "Sho, Davish... Where's your mom and dad?" V-Mon asked Daisuke who pointed towards a couple graves, and V-Mon then immediately understood what they meant.

Daisuke left some flowers and said a little prayer before having V-Mon go up. "Hi there... My name ish V-Mon. And I'm Davish's partner. Or rather, Digimon partner. We go on all shortsh of adventuresh and I'm even a player on the school'sh shoccer team. Coming here might make me a bit depressed once I shaw your namesh... But I can shee now why Davish and shome of the othersh do it too. It'sh because it makesh them feel better, knowing that... You're probably watching from up above or shomething. Sho, resht in peace... And maybe I'll come to shee you again another time." V-Mon said to the graves while shedding a few tears. Daisuke was holding V-Mon in his arms and rubbed his back to comfort the blue mon. "Don't worry V-Mon, I still feel the same way. Every time I come here, even with Jun." Daisuke said to V-Mon who then asks "Doesh it get any easier?" Daisuke nodded and responded "With time, it does. But the pain is still there, like a scar." V-Mon then looks down and asks "Like your bullet wound right?" Daisuke nods and then walks with V-Mon back home. "At least when we get home, you'll be having another delicious bowl of noodles. With your name on it." Daisuke said to V-Mon who was still hugging Daisuke.

Hikari had seen Daisuke passing by, while spending time with Taichi... Who was busy looking for something in the book store. "Hey Kari, could you stop gawking at your boyfriend and help me with these textbooks? It's just that, you know I need these for school, If I'm ever going to have a future outside of my apartment building." Taichi said to Hikari who came over to Taichi and responded "Oh quit being such a crybaby Tai. I still have to study for an entrance exam this year too you know. And Ken was actually the one to offer to help, since they figured I'd probably get too distracted with Davis. Also, you know it's almost August right? Which means you have to prepare for almost an entire month. And when you pass the test, Mom said she'll celebrate along with the others. Hell, I think she even sent for a senior year school uniform." Taichi was a bit overwhelmed by the information that Hikari was giving him, and then he noticed that she mentioned a school uniform. "Wait, what do you mean by uniform?" Taichi asked Hikari who answered "Oh you'll see..." Before walking with a few of Taichi's textbooks in her hands. Taichi felt frustrated that his own sister would hide that kind of secret from him. "I bet it's just some prank she and mom cooked up, just to make me look like an idiot." Taichi said to himself while carrying the rest of his textbooks...


Later...

Simon and Henry ended up going to Rika's house today. And that was mostly because, Renamon wanted Guilmon over. Simon was somewhat curious about what sort of things happened during the bonding time last night. Though he didn't want to pry out of the large amount of respect for Guilmon. Henry was here, since he and Rika were trying to spend more time with each other. At least before school starts in little over a month. Simon was drinking some fresh tea that Seiko made for the two. "I'm sorry Rumiko couldn't join us. She got caught up in more work, so for now it's just us." Seiko pointed out for the group. Rika seemed a bit frustrated when it came to hanging out with Henry, due to not being able to get time alone. When they were alone, Simon and Seiko decided to have a chat. "So then, how long before they come out and say it?" Seiko asked Simon who responded "I give them about a week. 4 days at minimum." Seiko giggled a bit at Simon's response. "I guess the core team, and two others have someone to get together with. With Henry and Rika dating in secret from the others, me and Nia being public along with Davis and Kari. But it just feels like things have been going too well lately. I mean in the sense of, hardly any tension between us... With only a few exceptions and there not being a monster attack." Simon said.

Seiko sipped some of her tea and responded "Well why not enjoy the peace while it's still here? You can't always be on your toes all the time. You need to relax, sit down for a bit... And maybe as Rika would sometimes say stop being a stick in the mud." Simon then said "Problem with that, is I'm a vigilante at night and there might be a bit more at stake later on this year. So forgive me if I'm being too serious. I'm trying to lighten up, and have fun with my friends. And I wanna make sure that the fun times don't ever end, even when we end up far apart." Seiko sighed and looked into Simon's eyes. "I see they still have that hint of burden from the night I met you. It's quite heavy isn't it?" Seiko said to Simon who responded "I think the best part is that, at least I don't have to carry that alone. I have friends and a Digimon partner to support me through these battles. And help lighten the load." He then felt a little shame in that sentence and said "Sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound selfish. It's just that, I'm not that used to having friends my own age." Seiko then sipped her tea again and responded "It's fine. Your friends still seem to speak very highly of you. And don't worry, they'll be here to help you in case you have problems." Simon smiled and said "I know that. And I've learned from my mistakes. I'll always put faith in my friends." The two then just sat there, and continued to have a casual conversation.

Renamon and Guilmon were walking around the house, looking for something important. "Renamon, what did you want to show me?" Guilmon asked Renamon who sighed before revealing yellow egg with black stripe patterns on it. "Where did you find that? I know we didn't go to the Digital World last night." Guilmon asked Renamon who then answered "Guilmon, this is our egg. It must be the result of the bonding time last night. We've created something with our own data. This is probably our child Guilmon, though I think this egg is more of your coding rather than mine." Guilmon was very shocked to see this, and then said "Renamon, I need a little bit to take this all in." Renamon nodded and put the egg down in front of him. Guilmon looked down at the egg, and after a while of looking at it he decided to cradle it in his arms. "Don't worry little baby... I'm gonna be the best daddy ever!" Guilmon said while holding the egg. He then leaned his head on the egg, to see if there is any heartbeat inside it. And there was, and that was all he needed to be soothed. Renamon sighed at Guilmon, having this instinct on him and thought to herself "He may be a child... But at the very least, he is probably one of the most adult out of any of us." She then walked over to Guilmon and cuddled with the two.

Rika and Henry were sitting across from each other, wondering what to do now that they're alone. "So, I take it that you've been busy with all that studying for school next year?" Rika asked Henry who responded "Well you know me. I've been accepted into a few honors classes, along with Ken. So I gotta keep up the studies, while practicing martial arts and helping Suzie with her hopeful acting career since she's finally going to high school with us." Rika snapped her fingers and said "Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that! She's gonna be a Freshman this year, and she's probably been working as hard as you have this summer." Henry scratched the back of his head and responded "What can I say? It's been a long summer with all these attacks, and I'd like to take the time to work on improving myself." Terriermon meanwhile seems to be snoring in the distance, due to his boredom with Rika and Henry's conversation. "Speaking of improving... I need to see if I can draw a good picture of the two of you." Rika said before pulling out her sketchbook from underneath the steps. "Really? But, wouldn't it be better if you used your imagination?" Henry asked Rika who shook her head. Henry sighed before getting a sleeping Terriermon in a funny post with his ears standing up. Rika immediately went to work on this. After a while, she finally got finished and Henry put Terriermon back onto the floor... Where he landed with a small thud.

"Geez! Next time warn me!" Terriermon said waking up. "Hey! What'd she draw of me Henry!?" Terriermon asked his tamer in an angry tone of voice. Rika then showed Terriermon who gave Henry a glare. "Oh Momentai little brother. Besides, she just did that to improve her art skills. Which is why she comes to the dojo whenever I practice." Henry said to Terriermon who started to calm down. "Well at least she made it look great. I just pray that she doesn't use those skills to draw faces on me!" Terriermon said to the two of them. Rika seemed to take that thought into consideration, but Henry raised an eyebrow at Terriermon. "Also Henry, remind me why you two refer to yourselves as siblings?" Rika asked Henry who responded "Well... After Terriermon lost his older brother, I thought that maybe I should be the adopted big brother." Terriermon then jumped onto Henry's shoulder and said "And that's why I'm the little brother. It's just that, I'm still new to the whole human sibling thing. But at least Henry here makes it easy for me." Rika then hugs Henry, while Terriermon gets off his shoulder. "Well, be glad that I know where this is going." Terriermon said before turning away from the hidden couple. "Henry, if we tell anyone about this... It'll just be our friends. Besides Simon, who already knows." Rika said to Henry who started petting her head. "Hey now, don't worry. Unless things get hectic, we could easily keep this a secret. Just be your usual self, and I'll be my usual self." Henry responded to Rika who smiled and poked him in the nose.

"You certainly know how to cheer me up. Just remember not to say anything, otherwise..." Rika started to say but then Henry finished "Otherwise, you'll do something horrible to me or Terriermon, gotcha." Rika sighed and said to herself "Am I really that predictable?" As Henry was walking back to where Simon and Seiko were. As Simon was about to leave, Guilmon came to him and said "I gotta tell you something important at the apartment." Simon sighed, knowing that he'd have something important as well. "Well, I guess that makes two of us." Simon responded to Guilmon as they walked out with Henry and Terriermon. Seiko looked at Rika as they were waving goodbye and asked "Enjoy your alone time with Henry?" Rika blushed a bit and said "So you knew huh?" Seiko patted her on the head and responded "You do make it pretty obvious. Though some people will see you being a bit mean to him, your true friends and family will see through that quite easily. So, I believe that confession about your relationship might be easier knowing that." She then walked into the kitchen to brew up something for lunch...


One month later...

It seemed that this month came and went by so quick that not even our heroes really noticed. Although, recently Simon's been quite weary nearby Nia. As though he knows something might've happened during that night. Impmon and Erwin were still a bit worried about Nia, though they didn't really express anything regarding that opinion. Taichi was dreading the test in a couple days, while Hikari was waiting patiently for what would come in the mail. Suddenly, there was knocking on the door. "I'll get it!" Yuko said before opening the door to see Simon with at least two packages. "Delivery for Mrs. Kamiya." Simon said to Yuko who then took the packages and put them on the couch adjacent to Taichi and Hikari. "Alright kids, open them up and tell me what'cha think!" Taichi then made a gesture to Hikari and said "Ladies first." Hikari then made a similar gesture and responded "Nah, I think you'd better open yours up first." Taichi sighed and went to open up his package, knowing that he wasn't going to win an argument against her. What he didn't expect was a blue blazer, buttoned up white dress shirt and black dress pants. "So, this is for Davis right?" Taichi asked hoping what he was looking at isn't true. Everyone shook their heads and Taichi said "I mean, how could this possibly be mine? It's not like it has my name on it or anything indicating it!"

Simon went up to Taichi and said "The number indicated on your blazer tells me that you're a senior." Taichi then looked at the collar and noticed that, yes in fact it was meant for a senior in high school. Taichi then slumped on the couch in despair. Hikari opened up her package and saw her new uniform was almost the same, only the skirt was longer and the number indicated she was going to be a sophmore. "Did you get your new Uniform?" Hikari asked Simon who responded "Yeah I did, and I'm gonna be a Junior along with Nia. Although, Daisuke should be arriving here any moment now..." Daisuke came into the Kamiya apartment as Simon said this and showed off his new uniform. "Wow Davis! You look pretty spiffy!" Hikari said before running up to him and hugging him. "Well, why don't you get changed in your uniform and let's see how you look." Daisuke responded to Hikari who went into her room to change into her new uniform. "So how did Tai take the news?" Daisuke asked before looking over at Taichi slumped over the couch. "Is he gonna be okay?" Daisuke asked Simon who responded "Give him a minute, and then he'll be up and at em." Taichi looked over and saw Daisuke in a school uniform. "Great, you're in on this too aren't you?" Taichi asked Daisuke, who shook his head.

Hikari had come out of her room with her new uniform. "Well, how do I look?" Hikari asked everyone. Daisuke then answered "Like a beautiful angel..." Yuko sighed and said "I was gonna say that! But still you look beautiful honey." Hikari blushed a little and responded "Well, how about we get Taichi in his school uniform and take a picture together?" Yuko snapped her fingers and said "I'll go get my camera!" Simon and Daisuke then pushed Taichi into his room, with his uniform. Taichi looked down at his uniform and said "You've got to be kidding me! It's not even the first day of school, and I have to wear this crap! Just for a picture!" He then sighed before deciding to get changed. Simon had decided to change in their bathroom, since he had his uniform on his person before he came into the apartment. Both of them came out at the same time, and Taichi wasn't too sure about the neck tie. "Hold on..." Daisuke said before immediately getting Taichi's neck tie all done. "Great, and I thought my neck was free from this uniform. Now I gotta wear this?" Taichi said before he was pulled in by Hikari for the group picture.

Simon stood next to Taichi, since he was the tallest of the group while Daisuke stood in front of Simon and Hikari stood in front of Taichi. "Alright everyone, say cheese!" Yuko said while holding up the camera for everyone to look at. After the picture was taken, Taichi was messing around with the neck tie... Just to remove it. "Oh, stupid neck trap! That's what they should've called you!" Taichi said before entering back into his room to change back into his normal clothes. "Don't forget to hang up the uniform!" Yuko said to Taichi who responded "Okay mom!" Before closing the door. "So Simon, you going to Nia's house to see how she looks in her new uniform?" Hikari asked Simon who responded "Considering it's about the same as mine, I'd say yes." Although, as Simon was saying this... His phone started to vibrate. "Hold on, I gotta take this." Simon said before walking out of the apartment building. "What's up Nia?" Simon asked Nia, on the other side who responded "It's... A positive. I felt really sick today, and I wanted to check just to make sure and-" Nia was cut off for some reason which made Simon really uneasy. "Nia! What happened!?" Simon asked Nia, but heard Erwin answer "Simon, I would like to hear your explanation for all this. I'm not mad at you. But that will all depend on your answer." Simon sighed and said "Hold on, let me get my dad." Before hanging up the phone and heading for Kittan's apartment.


Meanwhile, at the Esthiem residence...

Nia was breaking down in tears, because she feared that she'd never see Simon again. "Nia, don't worry yourself. I'm not mad at you. I'll do everything I can to support you, and I'm sure Simon will too." Erwin said to Nia who looked up and asked "You mean it?" Erwin nodded and hugged his daughter. "I swear on my life." Erwin answered Nia. Impmon was holding what Nia was holding to confirm her suspicions. As they were heading downstairs, Impmon then asked "I don't get it, why is she making a big deal out of this thingy?" Erwin then took the object in question and responded "It's because that's a pregnancy tester. And right now, it's positive. In other words... She's going to be a mother." Impmon seemed to be further confused and then asked "So... If she's supposed to be the mother... Then who's the daddy?" Erwin answered "It should be obvious to you my little friend." Impmon took a bit before putting two and two together. "Now I gotta ask another question, where's the egg?" Impmon asked Erwin who responded "She has to carry the "egg" inside her. For nine months." Impmon then shrugs his shoulders and says "That doesn't seem practical at all. I mean, wouldn't it be better to care for the egg outside?" Erwin sighs and responds "Well, the child would be better protected in the mother rather than outside where anyone could easily crack it." Impmon then decides to stop questioning this.

"Alright, now we wait for Simon to get here and explain." Erwin said to Impmon before he sat down on a chair in the living room. Simon had entered the house with Kittan who seemed to be very mad at Simon. "You couldn't wait until marriage huh? You just had to be like most high schoolers who don't even know half the shit they spew out! You damn well better have a good explanation for this!" Kittan was ranting at Simon before taking deep breaths in front of Erwin. "I see that Kittan has already expressed how he feels about this. Now why don't you tell me what happened that night?" Erwin said to Simon who sighed before responding "Well, How do I say this kind of thing without angering someone? I was just going to sleep on a futon, but I guess both of us didn't want to have any regrets before fighting in what could probably be our final battle. And honestly, I really wanted to wait until the I do part. Not for the signal. And I swear to you, and Nia that... I'll do whatever it takes to be a responsible parent. I've already got a part time job at the Matsuki bakery, so for now that's a start. And I'm hoping to probably get some more jobs later down the road-" Erwin stopped Simon and said "For now, don't worry yourself. I already said that I'd help my daughter. And by extension you."

Simon looked at Erwin and responded "I thought you'd be absolutely furious with me. Don't you want me to stay away from Nia? And never talk to her again?" Erwin sighed and said "I may be furious with you, but I know that if I forced you away from my daughter, then that wouldn't be the right solution to the problem. And since I see that you're willing to take responsibility, I can understand how must be feeling right now." Kittan looks at Simon and says "I'm gonna be mad at you for a while. Just don't screw it up okay?" Simon salutes Kittan before Nia had finally decided to come down to see Simon. "Nia, your father and I were just finishing a discussion and I-" Simon was saying before Nia went up and hugged him. "I'm so sorry Simon... I didn't mean... To make you do that..." She said in between her sobbing. Simon returned the hug and responded "Nia, it's not your fault. It was my fault. I should've never hinted at that sort of thing, and now we're gonna end up parents at sixteen years old! But don't worry, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure whatever comes out of there... Is gonna have a fantastic life! You'll see." After a little bit, the two decided to part ways while Kittan and Erwin continued their conversation.

"I'm very surprised Erwin. This is the first time I've seen you be so lineant towards something like this. I would think that you'd be done with Simon. So what's up?" Kittan asked Erwin who responded "Tell me something, what would you do in Simon's position?" Kittan thought about the question and answered "I honestly don't know. I've never had this problem with Clara, well due to us simply being in a nice budding relationship. I just wish that, the threat that Simon was talking about... Didn't have to be real. Cause now, they might end up with deep regrets. But I'm glad that at least Simon is trying unlike most teenagers his age. Those people would end up leaving the minute they found this out... And never be seen again." Erwin nodded and then said "I disapprove of this action to begin with at their age. But that doesn't mean I don't want my little girl to be miserable all her life." Kittan then thought about something and responded "Well, this'll make us very young Grandparents." Erwin sighed before pinching the bridge of his nose. "I really hoped you wouldn't say that." He said to Kittan's comment. Impmon then asked "So, there's not only parents... But Grandparents. I thought it was a long line of ancestors or something." The two then looked at Impmon and gave him an explanation of the family tree...


The Matsuki Bakery seemed to closed for now, due to something happening to their oven. "Hello? Mei? Takehiro? You guys here?" Simon asked when he entered the bakery. Mei had ran up to Simon and gave him a hug. "Welcome back Simon. I'm so glad you could make it today! Now can you help out with cleaning the oven?" Mei asked Simon who then went behind the counter and saw the oven looked like a mess. "I'm guessing business was booming today huh? Oh well, at least now I have a plausible excuse to stay here for a bit." Simon said to Takehiro who seemed a bit confused on why Simon said that. "Well, I suppose you had some news to tell us. So why don't you come out and spill it?" Takehiro responded to Simon who after exiting the oven took a deep breath and asked "How do I put this without you guys giving me judgemental looks?" Takehiro raised his eyebrows and then Simon explained everything to him. Mei, seemed to be eavesdropping on the whole conversation and felt a bit bad for him. "Well, do you have any idea what you might name the kid?" Takehiro asked Simon who thought about the question and responded "Well... Not really. I just was praying that I would be wrong about the whole thing. So, a name wasn't really the first thing that came to mind."

Mei then walked in and asked "Well, do you know the gender?" Simon shook his head and responded "I would have to call a doctor about that kind of appointment. But so far no." Mei then leaned over and whispered something in Simon's ear. "I'll think about that name. But in the mean time, I'd better get back to work. Otherwise, I'd probably end up getting fired." Simon said to Mei before returning to his work. Mei then decided to go back to sweeping the store. "Simon, just remember to be careful. And make sure Nia is careful as well." Takehiro said to Simon who nodded and gave a thumbs up in response. After a while of working in the bakery room, Simon was ready to head back home to Guilmon. However, he seemed to feel someone's presence lingering over him. "Whoever you are, I'd like you to show yourself!" Simon said out loud, hoping to get the person's attention. However, it seems as though Takato was there to greet Simon. "Well, we meet again Shinta... How have things been?" Simon asks Takato who responds "Oh Simon, Simon, Simon... You see, I've been keeping close tabs on you. Ever since your fight with Omnimon, I've been carefully tracking you, determining what you're gonna do next! So, it seems to be a good thing that you're prepared cause I wouldn't ask for less."

Simon then approached Takato and said "Look Shinta, I don't know what your problem is... But I don't want to fight someone like you. You saved my girlfriend, which I cannot express enough gratitude for and you were a fair and honorable warrior. So it's making me feel bad that you want a rematch and you're filled with all this animosity." Takato then responded "Oh, soon. In two years time, you will understand what I mean. After all, I'm just a mere guy who's waiting for the right chance and the right opportunity. So just keep on training, and saving all these people. But soon, your true colors will be revealed. And once they do... I'll be there to smite you..." Takato then walked away into an alleyway. Simon was then left confused at the sight before him. "I swear, that Shinta kid is ridiculous. One minute he saves my girlfriend and helps the others with Tactimon. And the next thing you know, he wants to stab over such a ridiculous notion! I mean, c'mon! I don't even have the hazard anymore, so how could I possibly turn evil!?" Simon said to himself before finally heading back home to discuss this with Guilmon...

つづく