The next day sees Takato and Henry meeting again, discussing the bizarre events of the previous day. Foremost on their minds is the appearance and subsequent easy defeat of Yasyamon by the mysterious figure.

"How long has it been since the last Digimon appeared?" Takato asks rhetorically. "Two weeks?"

"Yeah, and the one that does show up gets beaten as if it were nothing," Henry adds. "Which brings up the question of who exactly was that under that coat? No human could have beaten a Digimon, especially not as easily as that."

Takato closes his eyes, searching his memory. "There was something about that person… Like I've seen him before…"

"Really?" Henry starts. "Think hard… Concentrate…"

"Where was that… I know I saw him before… That's it!" Takato opens his eyes suddenly. "The funeral! I saw him at Rika's funeral!"

"What?" Henry asks, shocked. "Are you sure? I sure didn't see anything like him there."

"I'm positive he was there. He was off in the distance though, and I only saw him for a second before he disappeared."

"That makes no sense," Henry says, turning away in a mix of confusion and frustration. "Why would someone like that be at Rika's funeral? Unless they somehow knew her, but… It can't be…" He trails off, eyes widening in shock.

"It can't be?" Takato prompts, grabbing Henry's shoulder. "Can't be what?"

"It can't be…" Henry whirls around to stare directly into Takato's eyes. "Renamon!"

"Renamon?" Takato says, echoing Henry. "It can't be her! She's dead! She killed herself!"

"Did she?" Henry asks. "We don't know that for sure. From what she said, we can't be one-hundred percent sure. Logic says…"

"To hell with your logic!" Takato snaps. Henry recoils from Takato's response and is at a loss for words, causing Takato expression to soften. "I… I didn't mean it like that… I-it's just… If I had done… what Renamon was forced to do… Destroy what meant everything to me with my own hands… I…"

"Takato…" Henry says, laying a comforting arm on Takato's shoulder and drawing him in closer.

"I… don't want to know anyone… who could keep on living… after doing something like that," Takato finishes, tears starting to brim at the corners of his closed eyes. "Renamon… There's no way… she's like that…"

"You're right," Henry concedes. "You're absolutely right…"

Despite this, however, the logical part of his brain refuses to simply let the idea go.

"Let's… just forget about it," Takato suggests, blinking away the last of the tears. "No matter what, we still have to find… whoever it is. How do you find someone who doesn't want to be found?"

"Well, if we assume… at least some connection to Rika," Henry says carefully, "then whoever it is will likely show up someplace close to Rika."

"Well… I guess a good place to try would be her house," Takato suggests, and Henry nods in agreement.


Through a window, the figure in the coat looks on as Rika's mother tries to continue on with what is left of her life. Rumiko attempts to keep herself busy, working to clean the entire house until it is clear of any trace of dust. There is one room, however, that she refuses to enter, let alone clean. She steers clear of the room that Rika used to live in, both to prevent disturbing any small thing that might give a clue as to who took her life as well as preventing her from bursting into uncontrollable sobs.

What's worse, however, are the dreams she has had of Rika, terrible dreams that always end in the same way, darkness. Until the one who has taken her daughter away is found, she knows that she will never be able to come to terms with her loss. This fact is not lost on who has been Rumiko's continual observer, though she knows that such a day will likely not come. A sound catches her attention from down the street and she turns to face it, never leaving her perch in the tree. She is rather surprised to see that it is Takato and Henry, trying to act as casual as possible as they walk toward Rika's house.

She briefly tries to ponder why they would show up, and the possibility that it's just a coincidence that they happen to be there when she is. Listening carefully, she can hear snatches of conversation between the two boys.

"…eyes open…" she can hear Henry say. "…might…here…"

"…really think… ?" Takato asks.

It is enough to confirm the figure's fear that they have figured out at least something about her connection to Rika. It is then that, more than ever, she regrets appearing at the funeral. As the two boys approach the house, she freezes in the tree, hoping that they won't notice her. As long as she remains perfectly still and quiet, they should have no chance. Just then, she hears another loud noise approaching quickly, and she realizes that it is the sound of a car coming up the street. Takato and Henry notice it too and resume their casual walk.

Much to everybody's surprise, the car pulls to a stop across the street from Rika's house, and a tall man steps out and calls out to Takato and Henry.

"Well, hello boys!" he calls out.

"Oh, uh, hello, Mr. Moriyuki," Takato calls back.

It only takes a second for the name to register in the figure's mind as that of the detective assigned to Rika's case. Is this a coincidence, she wonders, or…

"Didn't expect to see you two here," Moriyuki says. "What's up?"

Although his voice seems friendly enough, the figure notes that it is not without the hint of more than simple interest. As well, his smile, although outwardly friendly, betrays further his suspicion, at least to the figure observing everything. In her hidden perch, the figure tenses, worried that the detective might draw the wrong conclusion as to what the two boys know.

"Yeah, well," Takato answers, "we didn't really expect to be here."

"Yup," Henry agrees. "We thought that, maybe, if we took a walk it might help to clear our minds."

"Ahh, of course," Moriyuki nods. Suspicion, the figure notes. Definitely. "Has it helped any?"

"It just…" Takato pauses, "brings up some painful memories. Nothing useful, though."

"Hrm, I see," Mr. Moriyuki responds. "Well, I'm sure you're trying your best. As for me, I plan to take one more long look at the young lady's room, see if there's anything that the others missed."

"Well, good luck with that," Henry smiles faintly. He takes a couple of steps before turning to Takato. "Shall we go?"

"Right," Takato nods, taking several quick steps to catch up with his friend.

"Later!" Detective Moriyuki calls after them.

"Whatever you do," Henry whispers to Takato as they walk, "don't look backwards."

Catching Henry's tone, Takato resists the natural urge to look behind him. "Why not," he asks, whispering back.

"Because, that detective is watching us go. I can almost feel his eyes on the back of my head. I think he might suspect something."

"Like… what?" Takato asks, starting to sweat uncomfortably.

"At the least, he might suspect the truth, that we know more than we're telling anyone."

"At the least?" Takato repeats.

"He also… might suspect that… it was one or both of us that killed Rika."

"Damn," Takato mutters. "I guess we're going to have to be super careful. Damn…"


From her perch, the figure watches the two boys walk away as well as the detective watching them carefully. He is more shrewd than she would have hoped. The fur on the back of her neck rises with irritation that the situation is getting more complicated than she had ever anticipated. She only wishes that she could do something to help, but any intervention on her part could prove disastrous.

The only problem is that she cannot think of a single way to resolve the situation. Nobody can truly be satisfied until Rika's 'murderer' is found, and yet, no human was responsible for the girl's death. Without revealing her identity, the one thing that is absolutely forbidden, the truth could not come out. The dilemma was how to save two guilty souls without sacrificing one or both innocent souls. Going to him for advice would avail her nothing, previous attempts had only resulted in her questions being turned back upon her. No, she has to think of something on her own.


After a brief discussion with Rika's mother, Detective Moriyuki slides open the shoji door leading into Rika's room. If he didn't know better, he wouldn't have recognized it as a girl's room, at least, not a normal fourteen-year-old girl's room. A simple futon sits near the center of the room, and the furnishing is sparse with only a couple of tables and a chest of drawers. At least it makes searching that much easier.

The chest of drawers turns up nothing out of the ordinary, just stacks of freshly washed clothes, clothes which couldn't produce evidence. He finds a box of cards which he recognizes as the Digimon card game, which isn't surprising either, as he knows Rika is... was... a former champion.

Finding nothing of interest, he moves over to the futon on the floor and pulls back the sheets. A faint, yet familiar, scent hits his nose, and the detective smiles with remembrance before snapping back to the case. "Well, well, Miss Nonaka," he says softly to himself. "Right under your mother's nose..." It's then that his eye catches something else, and he pulls out tweezers and a plastic bag. What he picks up is a small, yellow, fiber. He puts it in the bag, sealing it tight.

Of the facts that have not been released to the public for investigation purposes, Moriyuki remembers, the most perplexing is several similar fibers found on the blanket that had been draped over the girl's body. They have been sent to a lab to be analyzed, but the results aren't in yet.

But, what can it mean? When she was found, she had no clothes to carry the fibers to the scene. Rika's mother didn't recognize the blanket discovered with the body, so that was no good either. The initial thought was that the fiber was animal fur, but it was strange that an identical one would show up at her house, especially since she's never had more than a goldfish as a pet.

But, does that mean that the body was moved from her house to the park where she was found? No, that doesn't fit either. There would certainly be witnesses if that had happened. The only logical conclusion is that the fiber traveled with the murderer and... that the killer had been in her room. Rika knew her killer... The list of likely suspects in Moriyuki's head narrows quickly. Depending on the analysis of the fibers, he'll be able to ask some more serious questions.

"Matsuki..."