I don't own digimon.
Story 43
My Blessing, My Sin
Miyako Inoue did her best to shake away the anxiety that was coursing through her body. Yes, this was technically her fault they were in this situation. But at the same time, the chosen needed to understand the full extent of all that had occurred to make her own decision. Maybe even get Tailmon to stop being an asshole.
"Miyako-san, kokoda to omoimasu ka? (Are we sure this is the place, Miyako?)" Hawkmon announced and watched his partner stare at the door. Yes, this was very much the place. But that was going off of the fact that Tailmon was in the process of clawing through the door. Letting go of Hawkmon, Miyako picked the feline digimon up.
"Watashi o hanashite! (Let go of me!)" Tailmon announced as she attempted to get herself out of Miyako's arms. Why did it have to be her of all people? She much rather preferred to be grabbed by someone like Iori or even Ken. They at least had the decency to announce their presence before reaching down and picking her up. But no, Miyako didn't do any of that. Right to the point, they were already on their way over to Hikari's apartment. Taking the time to knock, it took just a moment for Hikari to open the door. Dressed in her pajamas, she took a moment to rub her eyes. Her hair was a mess and what looked to be rings below her eyes were on full display.
"Sā, Hikari. (Here you go, Hikari.)" Miyako greeted and handed Tailmon over. Taking just a moment to shoot her partner a glare, she let the feline digimon run off into the apartment proper. Stepping out, she closed the door behind her and focused on Miyako. A sigh escaped her lips.
"Koko sū-nichi wa kon'na kanjideshita ka? (Has it been like this the last couple days?)" Miyako whispered and got a nod from her friend. Looking in the direction of the door where their literal demons awaited, she took a moment to compose herself, Hawkmon took the opportunity to fly over to the pair. Perching on Miyako's shoulder, he watched his partner focus back on Hikari.
"Hai. Teirumon wa Bikutoria to sukoa o awaseru hitsuyō ga aru to tsuyoku shuchō shite ori, watashi wa homeosutashisu ga watashi no hada ni mogurikomanai yō ni shite imasu. (Yes. Tailmon is very insistent that she needs to settle the score with Victoria and I'm just trying not to let Homeostasis get under my skin.)" Hikari answered, the sound of Tailmon scratching what one would only hope to be some kind of scratching post echoed out into the hall. Ignoring it for now, the chosen stared at each other. "Sore o koete, monogoto wa kanari umaku itte imasu.-Kun wa dōdeshou? (Beyond that, things are going pretty good. How about you?)"
Miyako looked away, trying her best to decide how personal she actually wanted to get in this situation. It had been some time since she or Ken had actually talked to Hikari in person, but it couldn't have been that long… right? Much as she wanted to tell herself that, a little gossip didn't hurt anyone. Most of the time, at least.
"Watashitachiha issho ni hikkosu koto ni tsuite hanashite kimashitaga, soreha watashitachi ga eta kagiridesu. Tabun sore o mō ichi-kagetsu ataete, tabun watashitachi wa tsugi no suteppu o fumudeshou. (We've been talking about moving in together, but that is as far as we've gotten. Maybe give it another month and maybe we'll take the next step.)" Miyako explained and was met with a nod from Hikari. Taking the time to pat Hawkmon's head, her gaze shifted over to the door to Victoria's apartment. Steeling her nerves, she gave Hikari a wave and headed over. Taking just a moment to knock, Miyako stepped back. The last thing she needed was her head accidentally getting hit by the door. Not that she needed to worry about that, this door oddly opening into the apartment rather than out into the hallway. There, Miyako and Hikari were met with that of Victoria. Staring at the pair, a chuckle escaped her lips. Dressed in the same attire from when she came to pick up her daughter from Hikari, there was a different sort of energy hanging over her now. Gone were most of the insecurities held within, replaced with a sense of confidence expected from someone well-seasoned and experienced in their field.
"Inoue-san, Yagami-san, oaidekiteureshīdesu. Demo, anata wa aidoruchittochatto no tame ni koko ni inai node wanai ka to omoimasu ka? (Ms Inoue, Ms Yagami, it is nice to see you. Though, I suspect you're not here for idle chit chat?)" the black cat greeted and Hikari looked away. Part of her felt uncomfortable just being around this woman. Doing her best to put a finger on what or exactly why that was, she found herself coming up with nothing. Tailmon had claimed that she had sensed two Lady Devimon. While she trusted her partner's intuition, she couldn't see this woman to be the digimon that Silphymon killed when the Demon Corps invaded and that whole mess… happened. There must be something else at play here that wasn't as clear from initial examination. Whether or not the clues to what that might be or how it played into everything else that had occurred remained to be seen.
"Anata wa sore o iu koto ga dekimasu. (You could say that.)" Miyako answered and felt Hawkmon shift his perch on her shoulder. Once he was done, her focus returned to Victoria. Watching the black cat step off to the side, it provided the perfect opportunity to actually look into her apartment. For someone who was supposedly Lady Devimon, the whole place looked sparse. Beyond the furniture provided when moving in, the only additions Victoria had made was a pile of plushies and an oversized scratching post. The former had within a bunch of black cat stuffed animals (because of course it did), while the latter looked to be just broken in. Beyond that, MadameLilithmon could be clearly seen leafing through a magazine on various fashion trends. Adorned in a bustle of all garments, the dark fabric seemed to accentuate the look that she was going for here.
"Ā. O ni-ridesu. Koko de shigoto o oemasu ka? (Oh. It's you two. Here to finish the job?)" the mega digimon announced and set her magazine down. But all she got was silence for that remark. Rolling her eyes, she was right back to reading her magazine.
"Matte. Sore wa anata no pātonādesu ka? (Wait. That's your partner?)" Hawkmon announced and Victoria's gaze swiveled over to meet his head. A nod followed, more chuckling held back.
"Hai. Sore ga watashi no pātonādesu. (Yes. That's my partner.)" Victoria answered and shot MadameLilithmon a look. Then it's back over to Hikari and Miyako. Currently looking at the scratching post, they peeled their gaze away and focused back on her.
"Dewa, dare no tame no sukuratchiposutodesu ka? (Then who's the scratching post for?)" Miyako announced and Victoria let out a deep breath. Leave this be the one time that Kuro was away that she needed her to be here to explain that can of worms. But she would have to give it a shot. The worst that could happen was them not believing her and then asking for proof of that being the case.
"Watashi no kanojo. Nagai hanashidakeredomo. (My girlfriend. It's a long story.)" Victoria announced and was met with confused looks from the pair. Motioning to them, she watched Miyako and Hikari enter. Looking for a place to sit, they eventually settled on a set of barstools set up against a raised island. Victoria made her way over, humming a tune as she approached. "Let me guess. You want to start right after my supposed death, don't you?"
Silence fell over her audience, MadameLilithmon holding a hand over her mouth to prevent a chuckle from escaping forth. Shot down by a look from her partner,
"Hai. Anata wa Ladydevimondesu ka? (Yes. Are or were you Lady Devimon?)" Miyako announced and brought with it Victoria's turn to be rendered silent. Letting out a deep breath, she took the time to shoot her partner one more glance for good measure. Then it's right back to her audience.
"Anata ga watashi o bakuha shita nochi, watashi wa kanojo ni nokotta monodeshita. Jikai wa, jinshin baibai no ōi chiiki o erabanai kamo shiremasen. (I was what remained of her after you blasted me. Next time, maybe not choose a well trafficked area.)" Victoria explained and set her arms on the counter. Gaze split between both chosen, she was instead met with Hawkmon's gaze. "Sorera no ude ga areba, watashi o korosu mae ni, sukunakutomo watashi o umi no hōkō ni nageru koto ga dekitadeshou. (With those arms, you could have at least thrown me in the direction of the sea before killing me.)"
Hawkmon rolled his eyes. Tempted as he was to make some kind of remark back to her, it was definitely not his place to throw it back. No, he needed to listen and help Miyako understand what the heck was even going on here.
"Jā nani? Dō iu wake ka yoku natta? (Then what? You somehow got better?" Hikari remarked and was met with laughter from MadameLilithmon. Looking her way, that only made the mega digimon laugh even harder. Why did that of all statements set her off so much?
"Īe, hito ga nokotte iru mono o tōrinukete, watashi wa ukkari to hikkakarimashita. Sore wa risō-tekina jōkyōde wa arimasendeshitaga, watashi wa kanojo o sapōto suru tame ni saizen o tsukushimashita. Shikashi, kekkyoku, kanojo wa mokuhyō o keizoku suru tame ni jibun no karada o suteru koto o erabimashita. (No, a person walked through what remained and I inadvertently latched on. It was not the ideal situation, but I did my best to support her. But in the end, she elected to forsake her body for the sake of continuing her goals.)" Victoria explained and Hikari raised an eyebrow. So many things about this story flew in the face of the information she had. At least for now.
"Koko de hanashite iru mokuhyō wa nanidesu ka? (What goals are we talking about here?)" Hikari countered and Victoria shifted her hands off of the counter. Of course someone like her would not be able to understand. What was there to understand in the first place. She was not in any way posing a question or really asking them to think about anything.
"Watashi to kanojo no ma no kono yūgō no seishitsu no rikai, soshite naze watashi ga izen ni okotta taimu rain no dekigoto o omoidasu koto ga dekiru no ka. (The understanding of the nature of this fusion between me and her, on top of why I can remember the events of timelines that have happened before.)" Victoria answered and got a look from both women.
"Taimu rain? Ittai nani o hanashite iru nodesu ka? (Timelines? What the heck are you talking about?)" Miyako countered and was met with a sigh from the black cat. Leave it to them to have so many questions. A part of her was kind of envious of their position. To live in such blissful ignorance was a blessing that they had somehow ignored. Even in the face of the sometimes tragic things that did occur to them from time to time.
"Sore wa masani sore ga dono yō ni kikoeru kadesu. Anata ga keiken shita ibento no bājon wa, mugen no shippaishita kokoromi no chokusetsu no kekkadeshita - homeosutashisu oyobi/ matawa hoka no entiti ni yotte risetto sa re, sonogo, dare mo renraku dekinakatta sādopāti ni yotte hakai sa remashita. (It's exactly how it sounds. The version of events you experienced was the direct result of endless failed attempts - reset by way of Homeostasis and/or some other entity and then broken by a third party that no one has been able to contact.)" Victoria answered and was met with frozen gazes from her companions. As expected, this went right over their heads. Not that she particularly blamed them for that feeling. How else would one respond if they were told that they had been stuck in a time loop for so long that only a select few were aware of it?
"Sore de, anata ga itte iru no wa, anata wa debimon fujinde wa naku, debimon fujindeari, heikō shita taimu rain kara kita to iu kotodesu ka? (So what you're saying is that you're both not and are Lady Devimon and that you've come from a parallel timeline?)" Hawkmon finally announced and broke the silence clinging to the room. Met with a nod from Victoria, his gaze shifted to his partner. Still staring in the general direction of the black cat, mumbling sputtered out. But none of it came anywhere close to forming a complete and coherent sentence. Waving a wing in front of her,
"Anata ga kore o shitte itara, naze anata wa sore o tomenakatta nodesu ka? (If you knew about this, then why didn't you stop it?)" Hikari announced, Victoria's gaze falling onto the counter.
"Yatta. Hijō ni ōku no hidoi jikan, watashi wa kono norowa reta en o kowasou to shimashita. Anata ga shinu no o watashi ga nankai mita no ka shitte imasu ka? (I did. So many goddamn times did I try to break this accursed circle. Do you know how many times I've seen you die?!)" Victoria screeched and pointed a finger at Hikari. Anger gripping her entire body, she leaned forward in Hikari's direction. Closing her eyes, images of past loops flashed across her vision. Fire and bodies raining down, the chosen being ripped apart right in front of her. Ofanimon Falldown Mode reducing all of Odaiba to rubble, all while a possessed Hikari ordered it to continue the destruction for the sake of cleansing the earth of something. Then there were all the times where things looked to be going right, only for the time to be reset anyway. Opening her eyes up, Victoria ignored the tears now rolling down her face. "Hikari-san, watashi wa anata no okage de zettai-tekina konrandesu. Watashi wa anata to wa nani no kankei mo nozonde imasendeshitaga… josei wa shimade wa arimasen. (I am this absolute mess because of you, Hikari. I didn't want anything to do with you and yet… no woman is an island.)"
Pulling herself back, the black cat took the time to move her hands off of the counter. Looking away from her audience, she did her best to get to a better place after that outburst. Maybe if she was lucky, Kuro and Chouko would get back and she would be able to have some level of support here. That sounded nice.
"Wakarimashita… soreha, korera no kako no heiretsu bājon ga kore ni kan'yo shite iru koto o imi shimasu ka? (Okay… Would that mean that these past parallel versions are responsible for this?" Miyako remarked and was met with a nod from the black cat. Turning to Hawkmon, her partner gave a shrug. "Hoka ni shitte okubeki koto wa arimasu ka? (Anything else we should know?)"
Victoria's gaze shot over to her doorway. There, Kuro and Chouko were making their entrance back into the apartment. Arms filled to the brim with groceries, they looked to be in good spirits. The former's gaze was right on Hikari, while the latter was just happy to see her mother.
"Ē to… kono kaiwa ga okotta no wa kore ga hajimetede wa nai to iu jijitsu. (Uh… the fact that this isn't the first time that this conversation has occurred.)" Kuro greeted and walked over to the counter. Setting down the bags of groceries, she shifted her attention to Victoria. Kissing her on the cheek, Victoria met her girlfriend back with a kiss to the cheek as well. Afterwards, the couple's attention turned back to Hikari and Miyako. Focusing their attention on Kuro, they were met with a large pink cat mascot. Reminiscent of a much larger tailmon, neither chosen could make heads or tails of the figure.
"Ē to… sore wa kakkoī kosuchūmudesu. (Uh… that's a cool costume.)" Hawkmon remarked and forced his gaze over to Miyako. As situations went, this was not the one he or his partner were expecting to find themselves in. Though, that could apply for this whole excursion. At most, they were expecting a normal conversation with little in the way of actual leads. Instead, they were stuck in a strange conversation that kind of had something in the way of information. But it was buried within a mix of angst and undeciphered statements. The former was quite easy to wade through. Whereas the latter would require talking too someone like Koshiro in the hopes of getting a clearer picture of what the heck Victoria was going on about and if there was any way that her information could be corroborated. If not, then he wasn't sure what they would do then.
"Sore wa dōmo arigatō. (Why thank you.)" Kuro answered as she opened a grocery bag up. Bringing out some relatively normal fruit, the nekomata got to work putting that stuff away. Which in this case, meant a clear bowl right behind Victoria. Once she had done that, Kuro returned to the bag and pulled some fish filets out. Which was Chouko's cue to run over and deliver a hug to her mom's leg.
"Anata no jissai no kao ga miemasu ka? (Can we see your actual face at least?)" Hikari inquired and was met with a sigh from Kuro. Looking in her girlfriend's direction, the nekomata was met with a nod. Turning back to Hikari, Kuro stared for a couple seconds. Afterwards, her oversized paws reached up to the mascot head. Lifting it off, a black feline face stared back. Brown human eyes met that of a cute button nose and small mouth. Hikari did her best to look at Kuro, but her gaze refused to meet the nekomata's eyes. Trying her best to force it, that only made her eyes dart away even faster. Why couldn't she look at this woman? What was making her eyes just refuse to do the one job they were supposed to do?
"Hikari, daijōbudesuka? (Hikari, are you alright?)" Miyako announced and Hikari shifted her attention over to her friend. Giving Miyako and Hawkmon a shrug, she headed towards the doorway. But a whistle from MadameLilithmon brought her to a stop. Focusing on the mega digimon for a moment, the chosen wasn't sure what to make of this.
"Sorede oshimai? Anata wa anata no mae ni kita ta no subete no hikari no yō ni tada tachisaru tsumoridesu ka? (That's it? You're just going to walk away like all the other Hikari's that came before you?)" MadameLilithmon announced and set her magazine down. Motioning for the chosen to make her approach, she was met with a glare from Hikari. "Shiritakunaidesu ka? Soretomo, shitte iru dake de shinjitsu ga sarani akka suru node wanai ka to shinpai shite imasu ka? (Don't you want to know? Or are you afraid that knowing will only make the truth that much worse?)"
Hikari looked away and muttered something at the floor. Of all the things she had expected to happen today, being taunted by her partner's 'rival' that she somehow couldn't handle the truth of something as bizarre as being able to look at someone was not in that list. Actually, everything that had been learned during this conversation could fall right under that category now that she thought about it.
"Sōde wa naku, korera subete o shori surunoni sukoshi jikan ga hitsuyōna baai wa dō narimasu ka. Anata mo sore ni tsuite kangaemashita ka? (What if I'm not and just need some time to process all of this. Did you even think about that?!)" Hikari countered and MadameLilithmon rolled her eyes. Why did she have to be so defensive here? All MadameLilithmon was telling her was to pull up her big girl panties and walk back over, simple as that. But no, the spoiled chosen of light had to be a diva and make things far more difficult than they needed to be. Because of course she did. Wouldn't be one of these messes without it. "Hoka no shippaishita taimu rain no kanōsei ni tsuite mo kangaezu ni, watashi wa sudeni jūbun'na mondai o kakaete imasu. (I already have enough problems without even thinking about the possibilities of other, failed timelines.)"
Her words rolled out and Victoria's gaze swiveled over. Chouko had just let go of her mother's leg and was heading in the direction of her own room, leaving the adults and their digimon to talk. Even if she hadn't, it was likely the young girl wouldn't have an interest.
"Wakatta? Anata ga watashi no hanashi ni tsuite kanari guriru shite kureta koto o kangaeru to, kore ni tsuite anata ga iwanakereba naranai no wa sore dakedesu. `Anata ga shita kamo shirenai anmoku no hidoi koto ni tsuite watashitachi ni hanashite kurete arigatō' to dōtō no bakku hando de, tada tachisatte kudasai. Detarame. (Okay? Considering you grilled me quite a bit about my story, that's all you have to say to this. Some backhanded equivalent of 'Thanks for telling us about the implied awful things that you might have done' and just walk away. Bullshit.)" Victoria announced and reached out to her girlfriend's hand. In turn, the black cat got a squeeze. Turning back to Hikari, she held in the words that she wished to say. Not because they would actually do any good, but more to prevent herself from causing any further damage with her audience. Even as Hikari walked out. Turning to Miyako and Hawkmon, she was met with confusion. The black cat didn't blame them for feeling that way.
"Watashi wa sono koto ni tsuite mōshiwake arimasen. Kanojo wa koko sū-nichi, ōku no sutoresu ni sarasa rete imasu. Kojin-teki ni fukuyō shinaide kudasai. (I'm sorry about that. She's been under a lot of stress these last couple days. Don't take it personally.)" Miyako explained and Victoria let go of Kuro's hand. Turning back to the chosen, she let out a sigh and composed herself.
"Watashi o shinjite kudasai. Watashitachi wa shitte imasu. Homeosutashisu wa homeosutashisudeari, ProjectInfuse no konran zentai wa kanari 1 tai 2 no panchidesu. (Believe me. We're aware. Homeostasis being homeostasis and then the whole Project Infuse mess is quite a one-two punch.)" Victoria explained and watched Miyako freeze. Neither her or Hikari had mentioned either of those things. How did Victoria and by extension her girlfriend aware of this? Was this somehow the result of the time loops or was there something else at play here that she was about to be dumped in.
"Project Infuse ni tsuite shitte imasu ka? (You know about Project Infuse?)" Hawkmon announced and Victoria nodded. Doing her best to hold in a chuckle, she was met with a look from Kuro. That was all it took to bring the black cat to her serious demeanor.
"Osoraku, korera no bubun no mawari de saiaku no himitsu ga mamora rete imashita. (Perhaps the worst kept secret around these parts.)" Kuro muttered and looked in the direction of Chouko's bedroom. Currently playing with her toys, she looked happy. A far cry from the situation the couple found themselves in right now. But the end was near. "Now that you know, sooner or later you'll likely cross paths with one of them. Most of them are friendly, but you should probably stay on your guard. They want the same things as you do."
Miyako nodded and got up from her chair. Feeling Hawkmon shift his stance, her focus shifted back to Victoria.
"Anata ga watashi ni korera subete o ittanode, anata ga kōkan shitai nanika ga nakereba narimasen. (Now that you've told me all of this, there has to be something that you want in exchange.)" Miyako inquired and was met with a head shake from both women. While the thought of something in return had to have come to them, they resisted the temptation.
"Kore o mechakucha ni shinaide kudasai. (Just don't fuck this up." Victoria muttered and watched Miyako and Hawkmon walk away. Turning back to Kuro, she buried her head into the nekomata's shoulder. No tears came out, but she really wanted to cry right now.
"Anata wa kanojo o koroshi tari, jibun jishin o ōkiku kizutsuke tari suru koto naku, sore o subete te ni iremashita. Watashi wa sono shinpo o yobimasu. (You got it all out without killing her or getting yourself majorly hurt. I would call that progress.)" Kuro cooed and carefully petted Victoria's head. They would make it through this, even if it was less than pleasant at times. That was just life, after all.