I don't own digimon.

Characters: Rei/Eri

Universe: Applimonsters

Series: Rei's Bonds

Notes:

Back at it again. We're getting close to the end of this series.

Chapter 94

Rei's Forgiveness

The day after the apartment getting cleaned, Rei felt like he could actually think for once.

By 'think', I mean relax for longer than five seconds with worry of something happening. Which after nearly a year long search for his brother, was almost a luxury to truly enjoy.

"Want to watch something?" he asked and got a reluctant nod from Hackmon. After digging the remote out of the couch (I wonder how that got missed), the hacker turned the TV on. As it would turn out, he had last been watching the news. No doubt for any signs of what had happened being on the news. But that wasn't the big story of the day. Far from it, in fact. Today's newscast appeared to be brought by a pair of woman, who looked to be holding hands right under the table.

"The idol community is in an uproar over the sudden disbanding of Appliyama 470." the first woman explains, turning to her co-anchor. While it takes her a few seconds, she does realize what she needs to do.

"While it's unknown how much of a loss the agency was working with, L-Corp has refused to comment on the financial situation, the AI running the company has said 'We were having concerns, so we pulled the plug'."

Ren did a double take at the screen. While their rescue of Hajime probably didn't give the best press for the idol agency and L-Corp, that couldn't have been the main reason for such a sudden disbanding of the agency. Sure, Rei had may've done one or two revenge 'cases' for groups that went under and wanted their debts removed. While simple, he did sometimes wonder what happened to the boys and girls who were swept up into this mess and couldn't get out.

So he took a deep breath and turned the TV off.

"Minerva, call Eri Karan." Rei announced and waited a second. He had been tempted to use his system, but something told him this was easier.

'Calling Eri Karan.'

This time around, the smartwatch was in a compliant sort of mood. Which was possibly for the best, since Rei had debated taking it apart if it misbehaved again.

The silence that followed should've been his first clue something wasn't right.

"Rei?" Eri finally remarked, her voice tired and to an extent, frustrated.

"Yes?" Rei answered and took a deep breath, possibly suspecting he was walking right into a trap. At this point, it wouldn't really surprise him. "Let me guess, you need some help with something?"

While the hacker didn't get an answer immediately, the tears in the background were more than enough to say it.

"Just come over. I rather see your face than talk through this stupid thing."

Eri hung up, leaving our hacker here with more silence. So he turned his attention to his partner.

"Ready to go?"

Hackmon rolled his eyes and watched Rei scoop Hajime up. While he was fine with going out, he wasn't entirely sure what they were trying to accomplish.

"I guess." Hackmon answered and scurried up onto the hacker's shoulder. "You can't bring Sunshine with you, though."

That got the hacking appmon a look. Though, the plush was currently in Hajime's makeshift bed. So it's unlikely that she will be joining the trio for this adventure.

Whatever the case, Rei gathered up any stuff he thought would need. Then it was time to head on out.

"Got your train pass?" Hackmon whispered and Rei came to a stop. "Figures."

Thankfully, their second attempt at leaving the building was a far more graceful affair. Especially since they had also grabbed a snack just in case.

"Have a nice day." Rei explained as they passed the receptionist, heading on out without even acknowledging her remark. Though, she did give a wave as best she could.

Outside, the city looked the same as it had been the last couple days. If one really wanted to point out a difference, you could look towards the various people going about their days compared to a couple days ago. So our trio headed on, trying their best to remember where exactly the train station even was.

"Is this it?" Hackmon announced, getting a head shake from Rei in return. So the hacking appmon took a deep breath and tried to find the nearest map app/map info he could get. Of course, that also caught him the attention of his partner.

"Hackmon, I know where I'm going." Rei answered as they passed by the building that Hackmon had just pointed at for what was possibly the second or even third time.

"I have a much easier solution, simpletons."

Rei came to a stop, finding the chip for Dezipmon casually floating before them. Wouldn't be that bad, if the moment this occurred was not in a massive crowd of people. Who were now all focused on our trio for the moment.

"Can it wait?" Rei whispered and ducked into a nearby alleyway. There, he took a deep breath and let his focus shift over to his actual partners. While Hajime was still slumbering peacefully, Hackmon was still a tiny bit on high alert. Just in case they were being followed. They weren't, but it was still good to check to make sure. "Dezipmon, what is your idea?"

Dezipmon chuckled.

"I could zip you guys up and send you through to somewhere near your destination." the zip/unzip appmon announced, looking quite happy with himself for coming up with this idea. "It's perfectly safe and surprisingly easy."

Rei shot Dezipmon a look.

"We're going to pass." he answered and began walking towards the entrance to the sidewalk. "Thanks for the offer, though."

Back on the main path and Dezipmon back in the minerva band, the trio did eventually find the train station. Which as it turns out, was the building that Hackmon had pointed to in the first place. Oopsy.

"My bad." Rei whispered and got a pat from his partner.

Thankfully, the actual process to reach the train platform was a far easier task. Not that this was saying much.

The train ride that follows left much in the way of thoughts for our hacker. He was used to Eri being her happy-go-lucky self, ready to unleash a dokan punch on the world. This felt different. Most definitely related to the sudden breakup for all of Appliyama 470. Sure, there was all the idols. Then there was the managers, the caterers, the ones making up all the flyers and the tv spots, heck even the caterers who provided for the cast. No wonder the tenth-placed idol of the former company would feel such a way in this mess he had created for her and their teammates.

"Here we are." the hacker whispered as he got up from his seat, grabbing hold of a pole in the process. The train slowly came to a stop, allowing for the passengers to make their exit. The train station that awaited them wasn't that interesting either. So our trio made their way out.

"You know where Eri lives?" Hackmon remarked and watched his partner shake his head. "Figures. Do you want me to look?"

Another head shake.

"At this point, we're right on the edge of a potential fire storm." Rei whispered, looking around for anyone watching them for the moment. "Right now, we need to make an effort to not bring anything worse to this situation."

While the news of Appliyama's fall was not the sort of thing that the hacker thought he would have on his mind at the moment, it was currently the only thing that stuck. Well, outside of daydreams of Cure Sunshine showing up and saving the day. That was impossible, sadly.

So began the trio's search for the apartment building that Eri lived in. Which actually didn't take them too long. Well, if you didn't count the part where they stopped for lunch at Wcdonalds. Thankfully, that put them right at the doorstep of what was hopefully the apartment building that housed Eri's home. If not, they would head on to the next building and check.

In this case, that brought the hacker and his companions to a large tower of glass and steel with an intercom system to buzz in. Thankfully, someone had left the list of people out for anyone to see. Which just made it a matter of scouring the entire list for one name.

"Here we go." Hackmon explained and pointed to a name and what looked to be the number to dial. Rei gave a nod and punched it in. Judging by the click sound that followed, it would seem that had worked.

"Is Eri Karan here?" Rei inquired, getting what sounded like someone rushing over to their end of the intercom.

"Dokamon here! What business do you possibly have with Eri-chan!"

Rei took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to ask why Dokamon of all people had answered rather than Eri.

"Eri wanted to talk with me." he answered, silence serving as the initial answer here. But eventually, Dokamon was either fed an answer or came up with his own and our trio was let inside the building.

The elevator ride was uneventful, but did little in the way of reassuring our heroes. If anything, it just served to raise the tension. The doors eventually opened up and our trio spilled out.

"Ugh…" Rei mumbled, pulling himself up. Hackmon climbed up to his perch h. Which just left Hajime and Sunshine to be carried in the hacker's arms. Which for the twenty-five feet they had left to go, wasn't so bad. The death glare from the woman outside on the other hand, could have easily turned the trio into stone. If she was a gorgon and not a human being, of course.

"You're the one who claimed to be a new manager, weren't you?" she screamed, grabbing hold of the hacker and looking just about ready to push him into the nearby wall. "Do you know the damages you caused all of us? Do you?!"

Rei's gaze fell to the ground, a deep breath following.

"Yes." he answered. "I messed up."

This wasn't the answer this woman was expecting to hear, so she released her grip of the hacker and backed away. A sort of calm came over her, as if she had just realized what she had done mere seconds after the fact.

"I'm sorry. It's been a rough couple of hours for all of us here." the woman continued as she tried to keep herself together. "Our whole world came crashing down and we're just picking up the pieces as best we can."

A nod, followed by the hacker making his way towards the door.

"I know the feeling." he answered back. "I chased ghosts for a goal that might not work out in the end."

Rei then knocked on the door and waited for a response. When none came, he knocked once more. Still nothing. But as he got ready to knock for a third time, the woman came over with what looked like a key.

"I'm guessing you have business with Eri?" she remarked and got another nod from Rei. "I'm going to trust you on this."

Carefully, the woman unlocked the door.

"This doesn't make us even though," she continued. "Far from it."

"Of course."

Rei headed on through, taking the scenery in.

As apartments went Eri's was quite plain and bare bones, much like the hacker's. Where the two residences diverge was in the stuff the idol chose to display. While Eri wasn't the most prestigious idol (her trophy for taking tenth place at the appliyama election thingy did sparkle beautifully), it was pictures of her with fans that took center stage all about. With a few pictures of Eri in her younger years to boot. She looked quite happy in all of them. A far cry from the mess they now all found themselves in.

"There you are!"

Rei looked down and found Dokamon at his feet. While the blue something or other usually was in a state of euphoric happiness of some kind, now he was a mess of a something or other.

"What's wrong?" Rei whispered as he knelt down to be at Dokamon's level. Dokamon nods, looking about ready to burst into tears. Though, his head also looked to have been battered a tiny bit. But that can be chalked up to the combination lock on the fridge. I wonder who exactly it's for.

"Eri-chan is a mess." Dokamon whispered as he looks away. "Nasty people are saying nasty things about her. She's in her room, not wanting anyone to come in."

Rei froze and muttered what sounded like a curse under his breath. While he had suspected that things were not going to be on their side, this was far worse.

"I'm sorry." he whispered and scanned the apartment. While he did find the hallway to the bedrooms, the hacker had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be that easy. But Rei still approached anyway.

"So you're the one who broke it for all of us." a voice announced and Rei turned to face this mystery person. There he found Erena Kobayashi, one of Eri's partners on top of someone he had unintentionally gotten on the bad side of mere days ago. "I really hope it was worth it for you in the end."

Rei took a deep breath, trying his best to hold in the swirling cloud of anger bubbling within. Though, the hacker could swear he heard 'cure rap' under Erena's breath.

"I wish I could say it was." he whispered, looking down towards the floor. "For all I knew, my goal might be permanently out of reach."

His gaze focused back on Erena. Just barely, he could make out the girl's companion - Arisu Mashiro. She was carefully cradling Erena's hand as best she could, her gaze less on her usual rabbit plush and more on the hacker himself.

"So are you two a couple?" Rei inquired, half-expecting to get a punch to the face or a kick to the privates. But instead, the response is just a deep breath.

"You could say that." Arisu whispered and stood up. ""In Wonderland, girls loving other girls is welcomed, unlike here in Japan."

Rei just nods. He was in no place to judge. If nothing else, the least he could do was pay for his mess-up.

"So how exactly does one get to Wonderland?" the hacker asked and watched Arisu's expression change.

"I go to a secret place and take the train. Of course, it's not a cheap train. Especially if I want to take Erena with me." Arisu explained, watching Rei pull his phone out. His fingers dance about the screen, a smile coming right at the end.

"Would that be enough?" he inquired and watched Arisu dig into her skirt pocket. While he could see the phone come out, Rei swore he saw a wand of all things. But that was probably his imagination.

"That's more than enough." Arisu answered and let a smile form on her face. "Thank you."

Her gaze returned to Erena as a whisper followed. Which Rei took as the perfect opportunity to head past.

"Here goes nothing." Rei whispered and put a hand on the door. Hackmon jumped down, leaving just Hajime and Sunshine for our hacker. "Wish me luck."

Hackmon nodded and watched his partner twist the doorknob and head on through.

Inside, darkness and shadows had taken hold leaving Eri and her laptop as the only thing contrasting against it all.

"Hey." Rei greeted, Eri not even turning to face him. "I heard you had something you wanted to talk to me about."

Still no response. So Rei slowly made his way towards her, hoping that this would be enough to get her attention.

Then he caught a gaze of the laptop.

Eri Karan: Honest Girl or Cheating Fraud?

10 reasons why Eri Karan totally cheated and is a complete and utter fraud

Eri Karan caught in relationship with Torajirou Asuka - The insider scoop

Then there was the chat logs, of which are lovely idol was fighting an endless war against the trolls and vultures that looked ready to tear her to absolute pieces without a second thought.

"Oh hi, Rei." Eri whispered, still fixated on the screen over the hacker. "I guess this is how the world thinks of me."

Rei wasn't entirely sure what to say in this moment. Sure, this could be something simple like just deleting the articles and the chat logs. But it wouldn't fix the damage already done to Eri. Or perhaps he needed to get their teammates together so they can cheer her up. But right now, he needed to do something. Anything.

So he did the unthinkable, snatching the laptop away and forcing Eri's attention over to him.

"You said you wanted to talk to me." Rei explained and got a nod in return. "I'm here now. If anything, I'm sorry you're having to face this mess on."

Yet, Eri shakes her head.

"It just makes me stronger" she whispers, her voice not quite it's usual tone. It's a lot lower, as if she's been possessed by something with plans to do things far beyond the hacker's imagination. "Wasn't that the same with you, Rei? After all, you hurt many a person along this little journey of yours."

Rei takes a deep breath.

"Yes." he answered, debating his options for the moment. This was obviously a trap,possibly designed to kill him if he answered poorly. Heck, even an honest answer would still not be good here. "I fucked up along the way. But now, I'm making an effort to mend those burnt bridges."

Eri rolled her eyes.

"That doesn't change all the things you've done." the idol countered, taking a step towards the hacker. "What happens when he wakes up and it turns out all that work you out in is for naught?"

A chuckle.

"I'll say my last words and walk forward." Rei answered and pulled his hand back. A slap follows. "We can't get let the hate define us. Eventually, we all have to move forward"

Eri falls to the ground.

"Sorry about that." he whispered right after and opened up the curtains. After, his gaze returned to Eri. She pulled herself up and focused on the hacker.

"No, this is my fault." Eri answered as she was handed back her laptop. "I got caught up in this mess."

What follows, is the closing of the pages and the chat threads. After, her attention is back on the hacker.

"I could make you something, it that helps." Rei continued as they exited Eri's bedroom, finding Hackmon waiting for them. Though, that didn't explain why he had been tied up. "What happened?"

Hackmon sighed, pointing down the hall to the living room/kitchen. Just barely, what looked to be an open window could be seen.

"They left. Said something about letting Sunshine be your protection and to prepare for the end." the hacking appmon explained as Rei and Eri untied him. "Then they jumped out."

Our heroes made their way over to the window, finding it open. Like Hackmon said, the window was somehow open and there was no sign of the girls.

"Okay…" Rei whispered and turned his attention back to Eri do you still want me to make you something?

"If you want too." Eri answered, watching Rei make his way over to the padlocked fridge. "That;s for Dokamon, I think. He gets hungry,"

Right on cue, Dokamon came running over.

"Eri-chan!"

A dokkan punch followed. Whether or not the blue gonzo thing deserved it was a question for another time.

After getting the lock off, Rei examined what he had to work with. Which as it would turn out, was some eggs and nothing else.

"Does eggs work for everyone?" he asked and got three sets of nods. What follows is a bit of a messy cooking for the hacker. Not because he doesn't have anything in the way of help.

"Would you like some help, Rei?" Eri inquired, only for Perorimon to shoot out of her minerva band.

"If I were you, I would make sure she stays far away from whatever you look to be making." the gourmand appmon explained as he focused in on. "She has a taste of a sniper, weak and unrefined."

Eri shot her other partner a glance. Then followed it up with a dokkan punch. It wasn't too effective. Since you know, he wasn't quite a solid object and stuff.

"Darn it." Eri muttered and watched the perorimon chip return to her band. Then it was back to Rei. "Contrary to what what Perorimon said, my taste buds have gotten far better."

Right on cue, Perorimon poked his head back out.

"That's debatable." the gourmand appmon countered and scurried back into the band. Which in turn, got a chuckle out of Rei. While he doubted that was meant to be taken as a joke, there was something enjoyable about being around Eri and her partners in this moment. Okay, maybe a tiny hit envious too as he finished cooking the eggs. While just scrambled, they looked quite tasty.

"Bon Appetit." the hacker remarked and set the plates down. They dug in, nearly finishing before Rei got back with his own plate. Not that he minded right now. If anything, he was just going to savor what he could of this moment. Maybe then, it would last just a little bit longer.