I don't own digimon.

Story 35

Butterfly

Victoria Arcana knew full well that very few things in this world stayed dead. At least, not for long enough to get comfortable. Which made her walk around Harajuku all the odder. If you told someone a year ago that this place would be a battleground for those who wished to not be regressed, maybe a couple people would believe you. But they would also yell you off for wishing to bring forth memories of the past - fresh as they likely were. She envied those capable of brushing it all off. None of them had the responsibility of recording history on the off-chance a major event occurred that undid the very fabric of reality. Of which there had already been one of those. That she could remember. Not that the black cat could exactly remember why or how she knew of at least one. Nothing in her notebook suggested that an event occurred nor were there any signs of said event occurring. How did she reach that conclusion? What was her evidence of something

"Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra . Suīto"

Looking to her left, Victoria spotted a TV behind glass. The intro to a magical girl show was currently playing. Coming to a stop, she took a moment to dig into her messenger bag. Pulling a violet notebook out, Victoria flipped through the pages until she reached the point where she had left off. Writing a sentence within, the black cat examined it. While some level of inaccuracy was allowed, the margin of error could mean the difference of life and death… sometimes. Usually depended on what had been recorded beforehand. For a day like today, she could afford to keep things on the brisk side of things. Unless something actually occurred and then things would be a lot more complicated.

Heading off, Victoria returned to looking ahead. She had a very particular destination in mind for this trip. She had ordered a special outfit to coincide with a major event tonight. The store had claimed her package had arrived, but had claimed the day before that the package had gotten lost. No matter, she was always a fan of happy accidents.

"Watashi wa anata ga saigo no 1-jikan watashi o forō shite iru koto o watashi ga shitte iru koto o anata ga shitte iru koto o negatte imasu ka? (I do hope you're aware that I know you have been following me for the last hour?)" the black cat announced and spun around. Standing before her was a ghostly pale woman dressed in a jet black evening dress. A set of black spike pumps hung perfectly on a set of absolutely immaculate legs. Gold bracelets hung around her wrists, leading right into a set of long false nails. Moving up to the face, a set of red lips sat perfectly below a set of violet eyes. Finishing off that look were locks of jet black hair with a butterfly ornament near the top.

"Anata wa watashi ni nani o suru koto o kitai shimashita ka? Anata ga kegawa ni kisu suru tame ni tokubetsuna ishō ni kurushinde iru ma, u~ībusentoraru o samayoimasu ka? (What did you expect me to do? Wander around Weeb Central while you agonize over a special outfit to kiss a furry?)" the woman announced and got an eye roll from Victoria. So what if the person she liked to reconnect with liked to dress up as an anthropomorphic cat? Same-sex marriage had just been approved all across the country and brought with it an end of practices that were no longer nessecary. Part of her wondered.

"Nande ki ni suru no? (Why do you care?)" Victoria announced as she continued down the street. How exactly did she know her plans? Had she been following her for far longer than she had implied to be the case? Wasn't out of the question. All kinds of weird and wonderful characters crossed her path on a daily basis, with little in the way of rhyme and reason.

"Kōkōsei no sukebena fantajī kara umareta anime no hiroin no yō ni, kochōtō o mochiarukimasu. Mochiron, watashi no yōna darekaga anata ni kyōmi o motte kurerudeshou. (You carry around a pair of butterfly swords like you are some kind of anime heroine straight out of a high schooler's lewd fantasy. Of course someone like me is going to take an interest in you.)" the woman countered and pulled a hand mirror out. Pointing it in the direction of her target, Victoria peered in. While the butterfly swords were nowhere to be found, one would see a quite short woman. Not quite the height to be mistaken for a doll, but quite close. Her ragged lolita getup wasn't helping matters either. All the more reason to get the package and get ready for the big event.

"Sore de, anata wa watashi no pātonā ka nanikadesu ka? (So are you my partner or something?)" Victoria accused and got an eye roll. Figures. That was asking a touch too much from this woman. No, she was required to dodge all her questions in the hopes of getting some kind of spotlight. No matter.

"Ō. Chīsana Bikutoria wa, sorera no kōketsuna matawa eraba reta kodomo-tachi no hitori o kūsō shite imasu ka? Ā… moshi watashi ga kin no hoshi o motte itara, watashi wa anata no doresu ni sore o tadashiku okudeshou. (Oh. Does little Victoria fancy herself one of those digidestined or chosen children? Aww… If I had a gold star, I would put it right on your dress.)" the woman continued and was faced with a slap from Victoria. The one thing she needed right now was a snarky little asshole arguing everything under the sun. No, getting to the store was all that mattered. "Oi! Watashi wa anata ni hanashi teru nda zo! (Hey! I'm talking to you!)"

Victoria rolled her eyes and ignored her pursuer. Given enough time, they would hopefully give up and find someone else to bother. But as she turned the corner in anticipation of the store, this mystery woman attempted to close the distance. Key word being 'attempt'. Mostly because a crowd managed to get between the pair. They had to have noticed the conversation going on.

"Anata wa wazato kore o shimashita ne? (You did this on purpose, didn't you?)" the woman announced and shook her fist about. If that was how she was going to do things, then two could play at that game. Floating up into the air, she took to watching from the sky. Making sure to keep some amount of distance between herself and Victoria. If Victoria really had wanted to get rid of her, she would just switch to her other form. But no, that was asking too much from her. Kids these days. Not that she blamed Victoria for feeling like that. It would all come back into focus eventually. Waiting was the hardest part. That store better be clo-

Before she could finish that thought, the woman watched Victoria enter a store. Floating back down, care was taken in making sure that they got over to a window. Staring in, the woman found herself faced with a variety of lolita. Between the usual sweet and gothic offerings, there were also a bunch of other niche styles like pirate and cyber thrown in for good measure. Letting out a sigh, the woman closed her eyes. Purple light engulfed everything below her neck, preventing any unintentional indecent moments while also allowing for her outfit to change. Shrinking down slightly to match Victoria's proportions, she could already feel a bonnet forming on top of her head. Reaching up to give it a feel, she could make out grey opera gloves covering her arms and hands. Adjusting the bonnet slightly, the woman felt her body raise an inch or two. Staring down at her feet, she found a set of black kitten heels having taken the place of her spike pumps. By no means not her preferred footwear, she was willing to live with it until Victoria decided on a different outfit. Speaking of which, that was the moment that the rest of the cocoon dissipated to reveal a black lolita dress with a white skull symbol over her heart. Heading into the store, she could already feel Victoria's gaze on her. In the process of getting her package, she did her best to look at her and the shopkeeper. Not that the woman was looking that way. No, her gaze was on the walls. Done up like a starry night sky, it made the rather plain floor look quite odd in comparison. The changing room was placed off to the side. A little mat had been placed off to the side, perfect for putting your shoes when trying various lolita outfits.

"Kono yō ni watashi o forō suru tsumorinara, sukunakutomo anata no namae o oshietekudasai. (If you're going to follow me like this, at least tell me your name.)" Victoria announced and got an eye roll from her pursuer. Took her long enough to ask that. Hopefully that wouldn't be a sign of things to come at their destination. But she pushed that thought out. It would all work out.

"Madamuririsumon, anata no sābisu de. (MadameLilithmon, at your service.)" the woman greeted and stepped forward. Got her a flick from Victoria. Turning back to the shopkeeper, a package had been placed on the counter. The transaction was already complete, leaving the only thing to be done was changing into the new outfit.

"Aete ureshī. (Nice to meet you.)" Victoria muttered and picked the box up. Heading over to the changing room, MadameLilithmon followed right behind. A shame there wasn't anything in the way of a mirror or at least a seat to sit in. The former would be nice to have. The latter would be absolutely appreciated. Nonetheless, she watched her target slip her shoes off. Approaching the door, Victoria took the time to shoot MadameLilithmon a look. MadameLilithmon waved back and watched Victoria step inside. A deep breath followed.

"Nani ka mondai ga arimasu ka? (Something the matter, miss?)" the shopkeeper announced and MadameLilithmon shook her head. Obviously something was wrong, but this wasn't the person she wished to talk about it too. No, that would be Victoria. Not that she would listen. Maybe once she had the proper motivation. Yeah, MadameLilithmon could see that working.

"Anata wa soko de okotta koto subete o kakitomete wa ikemasen! (You better not be scribing all that has happened in there!)" she announced and got a sigh from the changing room. Holding back a chuckle on her end, MadameLilithmon looked about the offerings. These kinds of outfits were not her cup of tea (contrary to what adorned her), she could clearly see the amount of work that had gone into these garments. In turn, they cost a pretty penny to call your own. Which made Victoria's choice to have whatever she ordered delivered to a place like this all the stranger. She could've gotten it delivered wherever she wanted. But why here? The answer it would seem, was just out of the maga digimon's reach. Not that she was against waiting. What was another 8 to 9 years? Maybe that would straighten the black cat out. Or it would just make thi-

MadameLilithmon was unable to finish that thought, brought to a swift end by Victoria exiting the changing room. A violet lolita dress hung to her body, the skirt of which going well past her knees. Little black cats had been sewn near the hem of the skirt, all of which looked ready to jump forth and attack. Moving down to her legs, lavender stockings went all the way up into the dress, making the violet platform boots all the stranger choice. The messenger bag from before hung at the black cat's side, the butterfly swords stashed away for now. All the more reason to wear short violet gloves on her hands.

"Ā, watashi no. Ima natsukashī hito wa imasu ka? (Oh my. Is someone feeling nostalgic right now?)" MadameLilithmon cooed and was treated to a glare from her partner. Giving her a shrug back, it was met by a violet and pink D-3. Was that really the scariest thing that Victoria could think of right now? Putting her down a level. They both knew how easy it would be for her to return to this state. Why even bother? Unless the black cat had forgotten that as well. MadameLilithmon would let it slide. "Iku junbi wa dekimashita ka? (Ready to go?)"

Victoria walked to the door. Not even waiting for her partner, she headed through. Outside, Harajuku was still the same. People went about their routines, some of which had digimon partners. But no sign of her. Not that Victoria expected to see her.

"Kanojo ga anata o kyozetsu suru koto o motto osorete imasu ka, soretomo kuro ga anata no tabi no owari ni anata o matteita to omotte ita mono to wa chigau no o osorete imasu ka? (Are you more afraid that she will reject you or are you afraid that Kuro is not like the one you thought awaited you at the end of your journey?)" MadameLilithmon announced and Victoria stopped. Turning to face her digimon partner, she hated how right this woman was. After what had happened, she had bounced across a variety of men and women - Kuro among them. But it didn't quite match the picture she had in her head. Especially when she made a major choice and brought a little one into her life. Better her than that devil in human form. Especially after the stories she had heard. But that didn't matter right now. And now here she was, trying to make herself a part of her ex-girlfriend's life.

"Watashi wa anata ga tadashī koto o kiraimasu. (I hate that you're right.)" Victoria announced and spun around. MadameLilithmon closed the distance, not even holding back her chuckle.

"Watashi wa jisshitsu-teki ni anata no dejimonbājondesuga, haruka ni sugurete imasu. Mochiron, watashi wa anata dake ga shitte iru hōhō de anata o shitte irudeshou. (I am practically a digimon version of you, but way better. Of course I would know you in ways that only you would know.)" MadameLilithmon cooed and was met by a slap. Totally worth it here, regardless of the look Victoria was giving her.

"Garakuta o katto shimasu. (Cut the crap.)" Victoria announced and spun back around, her gaze shifting ahead to the destination. It shouldn't be that much further at this point. Hopefully, Kuro wouldn't mind her dropping by with just a warning text. "Sore ga hontōda to shite mo, anata wa anata jishin no nikki mo motte imasen ka? (Even if that were true, wouldn't you also have a journal of your own?)"

MadameLilithmon rolled her eyes. What kind of question was that? Clearly the memory less had done a lot to breaking the black cat up. But she didn't think it was that bad.

"Watashi wa jānarudeari, kanzen'na dejitarudēta ni henkan sa re, kantan ni akusesu dekimasu. (I am the journal, converted into full digital data and easily accessible.)" MadameLilithmon countered and received silence from Victoria. Picking up her pace, she floated right beside her human partner. "Shikashi, soreha imanotokoro mondaide wa arimasen. Īe, anata wa kanojo no yasashi-sa o hensai suru tame ni saikō no dai ni inshō o ataeru hitsuyō ga arimasu. Hakkiri sa semasu ka? (But that doesn't matter right now. No, you need to make the best second impression to repay her kindness. Do I make myself clear?)"

Victoria nodded, holding in the things she wished to say right now. No, blowing up now was ill advised and result in further consequences. Pushing those words away, she slowed her pace slightly as the entrance came into view. Reaching down into her bag, out came a small wallet. Opening that up, it was just a matter of pulling out an ID card. Unfaded from time spent in the dark, Victoria didn't even look at it. Instead, she walked towards the door. A large man and his Ogremon stood guard, their gazes already fixated on the black cat and her companion.

"Fumu. Sorede kanojo wa hisashiburi ni modotte kimasu. DA 03 ga anata ni son'nani hidoku modotte hoshī to omou riyū wa nanidesu ka? (Hmph. So she returns after so long. What makes you think that DA03 wants you back that badly?)" the bouncer announced as Ogremon raised their club back. Getting met with a smile, the bouncer's expression shifted. Especially once Victoria shoved her ID back into the messenger bag.

"Kore o kurikaesu hitsuyō ga arimasu ka? (Must we repeat this?)" Victoria muttered and pulled her butterfly swords out. Slicing right in front of the crotch area, a large 'sausage' fell down. Data particles engulfed the bouncer, scaly skin erupting forth across his body as he grew in size. Easily able to look down on both women, a set of fangs were more than ready to chomp down. "Gorugonmon, anata wa kanojo ni nani mo shinakatta hō ga ī. Nokotte iru no wa, hokanohito ga onaji koto o kokorominai yō ni keikoku suru koto dakedesu. (Gorgonmon, you've better not have done something to her. The only thing left is a warning for others not to try the same.)"

Gorgonmon didn't answer, choosing instead to pick Ogremon up as the particles disappeared. Swinging the champion at her, Victoria responded with a single stab and sliced Ogremon in half. Were they just underestimating or was this the true extent of the power? No, there was still more that she could get out of this. But that was to be reserved for possibly later. Turning back to Gorgonmon, a ball of dark energy formed at her feet. Kicking it up, she made sure to smash it into her opponent.

"Dakara neko wa hontōni jibun ga mada saikōda to omotte imasu. Awaren- (So the cat really thinks she's still the best. Pathet-)" Gorgonmon sputtered out, only to be met with a jump kick to the head. Collapsing to the ground, they explode into data.

Looking beyond her fallen opponent, Victoria's eyes found their way to the head of a large pink cat mascot head. Pulling it off, a much smaller gray cat head stared back. A set of brown cat eyes hone in on our black cat.

"Watashi wa anata to ittai nani o suru tsumoridesu ka? (What the hell am I going to do with you?)" the cat mascot announced and Victoria let out a deep breath, getting a look from her digimon partner in the process. But that was ignored for now.

"Watashi wa mechakucha, kuro. (I messed up, Kuro.)" Victoria announced and got an eyebrow raise from her ex-girlfriend. In retrospect, that might have not been the best way to start off the first conversation she had with Kuro in little over four years.

"Watashi ni anata o tsuremodosa seyou to shite iru nonara, kokode wa motto gutaitekini suru hitsuyō ga arimasu. (If you're trying to get me to take you back in, you're going to have to be way more specific here.)" Kuro explained and Victoria looked away. Composing herself, she knew what had to be said.

"Eraba reta nihonjin to no sono konran no tame ni, anata o damashite, watashi no kioku no kanari no bubun o ushinaimasu. (For that mess with the Japanese chosen, cheating on you and losing a good chunk of my memories.)" Victoria answered, tears rolling down her face. Letting the droplets fall down, she watched Kuro approach. A slap followed. The butterfly swords went flying. Scattered across the makeshift battlefield, it was a cinch for MadameLilithmon to pick them up. Floating back over to Victoria, she deposited the weapons into her messenger bag.

"Anata wa sorera no kotoba o bakkuappu suru tame no kōdō o motte iru kata ga yoidesu. (You better have the actions to back up those words.)" Kuro muttered as she wiped away the black cat's tears. Victoria nodded, only to find her hands holding that of the cat mascot's. Closing her eyes, she found herself whisked off to a train station in Odaiba. After a near miss with a train, the black cat was looking for anything that could be seen as a positive. Just when she was about to give up, her eyes met that of a mascot. A large green apple, it was a far cry from the kind of outfits she would see Kuro wear in the future. That didn't matter. She just needed someone to comfort her. "Omoidashimasu ka? (Reminiscing?)"

Victoria nodded as her eyes popped open. Looking in Kuro's direction, one more thought came to her.

"Anata wa sore o iu koto ga dekimasu. (You could say that.)" the black cat announced and let out a sigh. "Chō ko o tsukamu mae ni kigaeru hitsuyō ga arimasu ka? (Do you need to get changed before we go and grab Chouko?)"

Kuro let out a chuckle and put the cat mascot head on. Victoria helped her make sure that it was straight, of course.

"Sorehodo ōkina mondaide wa nai hazudesu. (It shouldn't be that big of a problem.)" Kuro explained as Victoria turned around. Making a beeline for the train station, she began humming a tune. While faint, the black cat hummed along with her. Just felt right for a time like this.

.

Tailmon wasn't sure why, but something didn't feel right. Gazing about Hikari's apartment, she couldn't see anything that could be an issue. Beyond the redhead the pair were babysitting for some reason. Hair done up in short twin tails, a gray shirt decorated with a red dragon had been matched with a lavender skirt and mary janes.

"Nanikaokashī, Kiti neko? (Something wrong, kitty cat?)" the girl announced, pale pink eyes staring right at Tailmon. Reaching out for a pet, she was sadly denied. Having already gotten to give tons of pets to the feline digimon, so it wasn't a loss.

"Īe, kangae o ushinatta dakedesu. (No, just lost in thought.)" Tailmon answered as Hikari walked over. Dressed in her usual outfit, she bent down to pick her partner up. "Anata wa sore o kanjimashita ka? (Did you feel that?)"

Hikari stared at the feline digimon, doing her best to discern which feeling Tailmon meant here. The closest thing she could compare it to was whenever LadyDevimon appeared. By no means out of the question, the odds of it actually being her was next to none. Yet, she had been proven wrong. Like that time that a blacktailmon sent them on a wild goose chase not that long after they defeated VenomVamdem-

The ringing of the doorbell ended that thought. Running over, Hikari made sure to free up a hand to pull the door open.

"Kon'nichiwa, arukana-san. (Why hello there, Miss Arcana.)" Hikari greeted as Tailmon tried her hardest to break free from the chosen's grip. "Chō ko wa watashi ni totte totemo yokatta. Anata no ushiro ni iru ōkina pinku no neko ga anata no dejimon no pātonāda to omoimasu ka? (Chouko was quite good for me. I trust that the large pink cat behind you is your digimon partner?)"

"Kanzende wa arimasen. (Not quite.)" Victoria answered and petted Tailmon, only to be met with scratches. "Watashi no, dareka ga gasshiri shita kibundesu. (My my, someone is in a crabby mood.)"

"Anata wa akiraka ni hensō shita LadyDevimondesu! (You're obviously a LadyDevimon in disguise!)" Tailmon shouted as she tried to break free from Hikari's grip once more. All that got her was an even tighter grip. "Anata ga kanojo o damashitakara to itte, soreha - (Just because you've fooled her, that doe-)"

Victoria brought a finger to Tailmon's mouth. Part of her kind of wanted to let the feline digimon continue to babble, but that was distracting from the actual reason why she and Kuro were here.

"Kore wa kanojo ga shiranai hitobito ni taisuru kanojo no tsūjō no han'nōdesu ka? (Is this her normal reaction to people she doesn't know?)" Victoria whispered and got a shrug back from Hikari. Thankfully, that was all Chouko needed to come running over to her mommy. Jumping up into the air, Victoria caught her with relative ease. Then it's back over to Tailmon. Getting a look, she held the laughter in. Pulling some yen out of her bag, the black cat handed it to the chosen. "Ya ga mi-san, kiwotsukete kudasai. Kono kyūsoku ni henka suru kankyō de sakunen okotta koto o kurikaeshitaku arimasen. (Do take care of yourself, Miss Yagami. Don't want a repeat of what happened last year in this rapidly changing environment.)"

Hikari stared at Victoria for a couple seconds, watching the black cat and her companions head to their apartment. Looking down at her partner, the chosen did her best to prevent Tailmon from bolting off after them.

"Sore wa dōdeshita ka? (What was that about?)" she thought, only for her phone to buzz. Digging it out of her pocket, a single message shined for the duo to see. Opening it up, Hikari was met with a photo of Maki Himekawa. Unchanged from the last time she saw her all those years ago, a message sat right under.

Did you miss me, Miss Yagami?

Notes:

Sorry about the wait on this one. This was a bit of a challenge and required a lot of translating.